Army of Angels

Exploring Puget Sound with Hermana Mason

 Hola todos!! Cómo están?! 

I hope you all are finding some sunshine back home!! I am starting to freeze here in Washington but we are working hard and laughing our way through the day! It was an interesting week here and I definitely saw both the highs and lows of missionary work. Nonetheless, I continued to see God's hand in it all. 

This week was really long and really fast at the same time! We had Zone Conferences and that was awesome as usual. Always a highlight of the transfer! We also had exchanges on Wednesday and I spent the day down in Federal Way next to the Puget Sound! It was so pretty there and it was so much fun being with my STL Hermana Johnson. I'm excited to hopefully be companions with her in a few months! Exchanges are always a good breath of fresh air and we even stopped at Cafe Rio for dinner (the only location in any of the Hermana areas so this was amazing)! 

For those of you who remember Karina from my last email, we had such a good lesson with her and her two kids, Carla (20 years old) and Josue (8 years old), this week! They arrived here in the United States about 3 months ago from Ecuador. They had neighbors who were members back in their hometown and when they moved to Washington, they recognized the name of the church on a Facebook ad. That ad led them to our church building and to us Hermanas! They are amazing. We introduced the Book of Mormon and taught them the powerful truths of the Restoration. The spirit was SO strong and they really are so prepared for our message. I couldn't stop smiling during the entire lesson! I am so excited to teach them. That was a moment when I was just so absolutely happy to be a missionary. I know Heavenly Father put this amazing family in our path for a reason! Keep the Flores family in your prayers please. 

With all of those highlights of the week, we also had our fair share of lows. On Friday morning as we were planning the details of our upcoming baptismal service with Johnny, we received a really sad text from him. He informed us that he couldn't be baptized and could no longer meet with us. His family had previously been tolerant about his decisions to join the church but shortly after our last lesson with him, they had given him a choice between the church or his family. He wrote to us that he knew the church was true, that the Book of Mormon was the word of God and that he had become a better man through the Gospel but ultimately couldn't be baptized. He called us his angels and apologized for not being able to say goodbye. This was a heartbreaking moment for me reading this message and the thought of not seeing Johnny again really was so hard. But in those sad moments full of disappointment and doubt, I chose to kneel down in prayer and ask for a better understanding. The Spirit was able to whisper to me that I did exactly what my Heavenly Father needed me to do for Johnny' life. I came to realize that I had fulfilled my calling to the best of my ability and that Johnny was in the Lord's hands now. As sad as I am to lose a close friend, I know I will see Johnny again and that other missionaries in the future will find this awesome man and baptize his entire family! Johnny's story truly has testified to me that the Atonement of Jesus Christ transforms lives and I will forever be grateful for the things I learned while teaching him! Cherry Valley Dairy and the whole farm town of Duvall will always have a place in my heart. I will always be so happy that Heavenly Father gave me the opportunity to plant that seed of faith in Johnny even though I won't be the missionary to harvest it. 

To end, I would like to share a quick thought on the power of earthy angels! Both in my teaching and studying this week, I saw how the people around us are angels that Heavenly Father has sent to help us! In Moroni 7 verse 22 we learn that "God knowing all things, being everlasting to everlasting" has "sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing." This scripture reminded me of the power of angels and joyous hope that they bring to all those in need. I then studied the October 2020 conference talk by Elder Carlos A. Godoy and loved his accounts of personal earthly angels ministering to him and testifying that God is aware of each of us individually. Elder Godoy reminded me that "the angels that walk among us in our every day lives are powerful reminders of God's love for us." To all of those reading this, whether you are currently a missionary or not, you have all been called to be angels to everyone around you! By your small actions of love and kindness, you can become someone's angel and help remind them that their Heavenly Father is listening. Elder Godoy finishes his talk by firmly helping us remember our role as members of the church: "We are all here today, a giant army of angels set apart for these latter days, to minister to others as extensions of the hands of a loving Creator." We are all 'a giant army of angels'!! I love that so much. Angels are real, needed and present on both sides of the veil! You all have been angels to me throughout my life and I hope you can find a way this coming week to be a loving angel to someone else. 

Thanks for enduring another long email from this happy, exhausted and grateful sister missionary! You are all the best. Have an amazing week.

Sending love from chilly Seattle!!!

Difícil es bueno. 

Xoxoxo Hermana Christensen 

Exchanges in Puget Sound

Kirkland Zone - October