Huge Highlight

August 09, 2021

Huge Highlight

President Oak's visit! I'm on the first row, far right, second from the end!

Hola hola!! I hope everyone is doing well! It was a crazy week here with lots of ups and downs but great things happened nonetheless. It's hot and sticky here but we are soaking up all the sunshine we can!

Sadly back home this week we said goodbye to another member of the family. Our sweet old Scout went to doggy heaven after 14 long years. He was so loved and will be so missed! I'm grateful to have more angels on my side, even if they are doggies :')

We worked hard this week and saw lots of tender mercies. The Landa Family is great and we've been having lessons with them in the homes of our members! They're the sweetest family and I would really appreciate all your prayers that they can get to church!!

The huge highlight of my week (basically my mission or lifetime) was spending the past weekend with President Dallin H. Oaks. He spoke to the entire mission on Saturday morning after joining about 30 of us in an MLC on Friday afternoon. It was surreal to experience an Apostle of the Lord up close and personal as he talked with us and helped us counsel on how to help bring others into the gospel! President and Sister Oaks are hilarious and cracked jokes the entire time, bore SUCH powerful testimonies and extended personal invitations to each of us to help us remain firm in the church for our entire lives. While he spoke on Saturday morning you could visibly see the Spirit guiding and directing his words. Before he finished he told us that he didn't talk about one thing that he had previously planned for but that he felt a confirmation from Heavenly Father that he said what was supposed to be said. There were way too many amazing pieces of counsel he gave us to share here in one email but this past weekend changed my testimony! I'll forever be grateful for that experience to meet the next prophet of the Church as a full time missionary.

(Message me if you want to hear more)

This past summer as a missionary I've truly felt the phrase that "hard is good". It's such a common saying in my house at home and I've used it so often while counseling struggling missionaries. Lately I've felt that apply to my own life more than ever. I read a talk about this very thing a few days ago and I love the phrase that Elder Ellis used,

"Regardless of the issue, hard can be good for those who will move forward with faith and trust the Lord and His plan."

The emphasis on trusting in the Lord struck me differently than it had before my mission when I heard him say this in General Conference. Trust really is the key to experiencing true joy in the restored gospel. When we have faith and trust in His plan and His will, everything else comes. I'm grateful that I have a loving Heavenly Father and a caring Savior Jesus Christ to trust in. Hard is good when we let them consecrate our trials for our gain!

Thanks for reading along. I love you guys so much and love all the emails I get from you. Have an amazing week!

Sending love from sunny Seattle!

Difícil es bueno.

Hermana Christensen