the Gospel and Harry Potter

 

Another talk in church!

Hello everyone!! I hope everyone had an amazing week and that all is well back home. The Seattle weather "nicely" welcomed our new companion into the field and we enjoyed some sunshine at least 3 times this week….yay! I am living for those vitamin D pills. Please enjoy all the beautiful snow in Salt Lake!! I would take snow over rain any day, this is something I'll definitely have to get used to haha!! 

We had a pretty typical week to start off November!! Picking up Hermana Bringhurst from the airport was super fun and I was just so dang happy that it wasn't me getting off the plane leaving home… haha but she handled it like a champ and we had a great start to the transfer! Hermana Bringhurst is from St. George, Utah and is 2 years older than me! It's a little interesting training someone who is older than my older brother but she is so sweet and eager to learn. Beginning the training of a new "baby" this past week has really shown me how much I have grown on my mission since I first arrived here in Kirkland! I feel that I have a changed a lot these past few months and am so grateful for where I am now in my testimony, missionary abilities and language! I'm excited for the change to keep coming. 

We continued to teach lots and lots of english lessons last week and do our fair share of tracting to find more people to teach. Some days are slower than others but I have continued to see tender mercies light my path through the everyday life of a missionary! The Flores family is doing great and we were able to spend a lot of time with them this past week. We have begun english classes with all 3 of them, introduced them to many of our ward members and helped them get settled with fresh produce and new winter clothes from the bishop's storehouse and the DI. Thanks to the big bags of old sister missionary clothes we found in our apartment, the daughter Karla was able to get some brand new outfits to wear to church too! Following these acts of service we have had amazing discussions about the gospel with them and answered lots of questions regarding the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. The spirit is always so strong as we teach this family! I am so grateful for the chance to brighten their lives by actions of love and by simple testimonies of Jesus Christ. Please continue to pray with me that the Flores family will accept a baptismal invitation soon!! I love them so much!!

For a spiritual thought I wanted to share a part of a BYU speeches talk that I read this week! For those of you who know I am a total closet Harry Potter geek, you will know why I love this quote so much!! For the rest of you, I hope you can endure your way through this. Nothing is better than Harry Potter and the Gospel together!! This quote comes from "Choose Ye This Day Whom Ye Will Serve" by James B. Martino. 

"Harry Potter asked Dumbledore why the Sorting Hat put him in the house of Gryffindor, the house he preferred, even though he showed some signs of fitting in the loathsome house of Slytherin. Dumbledore explained, “It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” 

Harry Potter was a Gryffindor because he chose it, and that choice shaped his experiences and, ultimately, who he became. His desires were actually a deeper and more accurate reflection of his true identity than anything else about him.

It is our choices that make us who we are—not our birth, not our nationality, not even our parental upbringing. We can and must decide for ourselves.

...When we make a choice, we are indicating what we value, what we desire, and, ultimately, what we are. And what we are—more than how we act—is what prepares us for eternal life." 

I really enjoyed this quote!! Not just because of the book reference but because of the friendly reminder to focus on the choices we make. I know we all have divine potential to return to our Father in heaven again and it will be our choices that either help or hinder us from reaching this goal. With all of us having different talents and abilities, the thing we all have in common is our opportunity to choose right over wrong and choose to live our happiest lives. I know that as we all try our best to choose to follow the Savior, just like Harry did by actively choosing Gryffindor, we will all be so much happier!!

I love you all so much!! Thank you for all the emails, letters and love I receive each week. I feel so blessed to have you all! Have another fantastic week enjoying the early winter in Salt Lake! 

Sending love from chilly Seattle!! 

Difícil es bueno.

Xoxoxo Hermana Christensen