Pouring Rain & Blessings

We had to laminate our English Class flyers
so they would survive the constant rain

June 7, 2021

Hello to all the people I love! I hope everyone had an amazing week!! We had a good start to the transfer here and lots of potential for June!

We are officially maskless here in the Washington Seattle mission!! There are a few exceptions but we are mostly doing everything without them now due to vaccinations. It's perfect timing too since it's getting HOT. We are really happy to go back to meetings and activities without masks and even start doing overnight exchanges with all our Hermanas… it only took a year of being out! I definitely need to be careful about my facial expressions now since I sure could hide a lot behind my mask before haha! Hopefully I'll be better at my polite poker face than Bishop Jim is when he's sitting on the stand during testimony meeting in the YSA ward ;) 

We taught lots of really powerful lessons this week and have seen more progression in our teaching pool. Our friend Martha came to church this week, met the whole Relief Society and can't wait to come back. Such a sweet old lady that has recently lost her husband and was looking for comfort. She definitely found it :) We finally met with our friend Yesenia yesterday and listened to her testify TO US that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that he died to make sure we have the Book of Mormon. My jaw almost dropped during the entire lesson (this is when I missed my mask) and the Spirit was so strong! Prayers up for Yesenia that we can have more consistency in teaching appointments and help her get a date for baptism! 

We have seen amazing miracles through normal and natural ways of sharing the gospel. Hermanas that have served here before me worked really hard to get this English class going and we feel so blessed to be seeing such amazing success from it. We are having an average of 10-15 people in each class with the majority of them being nonmembers. We have met such amazing people and seen several baptisms the past few months from it. It's working its magic again and we are working with our friends Ismael, Monica and Eduardo to help them progress in the gospel. All of them have come to learn gradually and simply in the English classes and we couldn't be happier to help them come closer to Christ as well. I'm so grateful to be here serving at this time! 

Here is a quick spiritual thought to end! I studied this verse from the Book of Mormon earlier this week.

2 Nephi 2:6

"Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth."

I love the strength and simplicity of this verse. We will always find power and truth as we believe in Christ and work through his atoning sacrifice. 

I hope you all have an amazing week!! I love you guys tons!! 

Sending love from sunny Seattle.

Difícil es bueno.

Xoxoxo Hermana Christensen  

Officially 'maskless' in the Washington Seattle Mission!

June 14, 2021

Hi everyone!! I hope you all are doing well and surviving the summer heat back home! We've gotten lots of rain here lately so I'll be sure to send some in Utah's direction.

It was a rough start to the week having to say an unexpected goodbye to our sweet puppy Stella. She was such a good dog and will be so so missed at our house. I'm glad that the time she chose to go was on a Monday afternoon when all her people could see her and say goodbye. I'm even more grateful that all dogs go to heaven and that she's in the good care of my grandpas :) Thanks to everyone for their prayers for our fam! We were lucky to have her.

It was definitely a grind this past week but a good one! We had lots of lessons, interviews with President Beardall and lots of long hours of finding. We found some awesome people here in the good old Felony Way (our nickname for the area haha). Our friend Ismael is doing really well!! We've been battling his busy work schedule but have had awesome daily contact with him and have basically been teaching him lessons over text. We're hoping and praying to give him a baptismal date soon. He's so awesome! We have been prioritizing visiting some members the past few nights and it's been so great spending a few minutes with them. Whether it's helping them with their english or sharing a quick Restoration lesson, they are always so loving and quick to share their conversion stories with us. I truly learned this week that focusing on helping and listening to others is the best thing to do when your heart hurts :) 

I found the following scripture when I was doing some studying in my PMG this past week. It's kinda deep and went over my head at first but after a few times through I realized how great of a message it was.

 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

"...My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

This was a reminder to me of the purpose behind our trials. We are given challenges and hard moments so we can trust in the Savior more and learn to completely rely on Him in everything we do. As our humility and trust grows, so does our relationship with Him! He is teaching us to take pleasure in our hard days because that is when Christ truly is making us strong. His grace is always sufficient to transform us, especially when we have complete trust in Him amidst our trials! 

I love you guys a lot. Have an awesome week! 

Sending love from rainy Seattle!

Difícil es bueno.

Xoxoxoxoxo

Hermana Christensen 

Comp's B-day dinner

Authentic Mexican BBQ