Higher Ground

September 19, 2020

Higher Ground

Final days of our Fam Bam

Hello everyone!! Wherever you are, I have been praying for your safety during all the crazy wind storms and fires hitting the nation! I hope everyone is doing okay! Lots of scary stuff happening around the world. This week wasn't nearly as great as last week but still good! I don't have much to share but any week as a busy missionary is a good one.

Similar to many other people living on the west coast, Seattle has been hit hard with some smoke the last three days. The AQI has been off the charts as the smoke from the Oregon and California fires have moved northward. Definitely putting the Salt Lake winter inversion air to shame. We spent a lot of time inside during those days and I've gained a ton of respect for all my fellow missionaries that are still in lock down. It's hard!! But hey, hard is good!

Luckily before the smoke hit this weekend, we had our Zone Conference! It was awesome. Our theme was "moving to higher ground" and the things we can do on an individual basis to move the mission into the right direction. I even gave my first training with my companions and it went really well! I shared a talk by Sheri L. Dew called "Born to Lead, Born for Glory" from a BYU devotional. I highly recommend reading this! It testifies of the essential role we all play in the last dispensation as powerful and faith-filled members of the Church. It was an awesome pump up to share during Zone Conference. Hearing from President and Sister Beardall is always a treat and I always leave with much needed encouragement and motivation. As President always reminds us, "We are out of quarantine but we need to make sure that quarantine is out of us!" It was a definite highlight of the week enjoying good instruction and good food!

With having baptized some of our key investigators the past few weeks, we did lots of contacting and finding. This work is slower and we found lots of rejection but lots of success too. Just riding the rollercoaster of missionary work! We're continuing to work with our investigators around Kirkland, Redmond and Duvall and all of them are making good progress. The only thing that you all might find some interest in is about our friend Johnny! We meet with Johnny on a weekly basis up at his ranch and he is making killer progress. We have begun to reteach the lessons to him so he can continue to grow his testimony while working on some of his word of wisdom issues. Johnny is doing a great job actively changing his life and is 3 weeks sober! His family has even moved back in with him and we are continuing to watch him become happier and happier. We brought him a case of Coke to our last lesson to stock his fridge and he sends us selfies with his cows, his can of Coke and his Book of Mormon. He's awesome! His path of conversion has not been easy or fast but the changing force of the Atonement has been very present while we've taught him. I'm hoping that writing about this in my weekly email won't jinx Johnny's sobriety but knew I had to share some good news regarding our favorite Duvall rancher hahaha!

For my spiritual thought I invite all of you to go watch the YSA Face to Face event that Elder and Sister Rasband hosted Sunday night about the Restoration proclamation! It was seriously so good! Whether or not you are a YSA or not, it is worth watching! Elder and Sister Rasband addressed lots of great questions and during one answer they shared this October 2019 General Conference quote from President Nelson:

"Because the Melchizedek Priesthood has been restored, both covenant-keeping women and men have access to 'all the spiritual blessings of the church' or, we might say, to all the spiritual treasures the Lord has for His children. Every woman and every man who makes covenants with God and keeps those covenants, and who participates worthily in priesthood ordinances, has direct access to the power of God."

Through the Restoration, each and every one of us have this direct access to God's power! This is one of the greatest blessings we have and we all need to take advantage of this! Watch the Face and Face and listen to even more strong truths and important reminders that we have because of the Restoration!

I feel so grateful to be out serving along side so many of my friends that are great missionaries. It is so awesome that the East High squad is out changing lives around the world!! With that being said, I want to give a quick shoutout to another one of my best friends beginning her mission this week! Jane's genuine testimony, trusting personality and constant positivity will make her the best missionary. I am so proud of her decision to serve and cannot wait to hear all about the amazing, hard, crazy and rewarding experience she's about to start. Hermana Gardner is going to change lives in Texas! Love you to the moon & back JG.

This week was evidence that a pandemic and now wildfire smoke won't ever stop the Lord from hastening His work here in Kirkland. Thanks for all of your love and support! I'm the luckiest missionary to have you all. Love you tons!!!

Sending you love from smokey Seattle!!

Difícil es bueno.

Xoxoxo Hermana Christensen