Week 16!

Hi everybody! This week was AWESOME and since I've been writing super short emails I will try and give more details today!

 

First of all, there's a less-active member here WHO HAS MET SHEPARD FAIREY AND HAS A SIGNED PRINT OF HIS FROM 1999. This guy is super cool. He and his wife don't go to church anymore because they don't always feel welcome. SAD. So I took it upon myself this week to help them realize that the church is for EVERYONE. It is truly God's church, and He restored it for every single human to be able to benefit from it if they want to. We go to church so we can learn how to be better, more decent human beings. Everyone could use that! I was not going to let anybody feel like they weren't able to go to church for fear of being judged. No thank you!

 

Anywho, we visited him and his family this week and it was the first time I had met him (last time only his wife was home). He opened the door wearing a shirt of my favorite (worldly) movie so I was like, 'Yes! We instantly have something in common!' Turns out he is from OAKLAND/SF and used to be really into street art! We talked about our favorite artists and spots in the city for a while, and then started talking to them about church. For months (maybe even years), they haven't been at church despite being invited by missionaries. But by the end of the lesson, the dad was just like, "I think it's time we start going back to church." THIS IS A HUGE BREAKTHROUGH!!! I almost started crying it made me so happy. We will continue to meet with them because I just love them so much. Yay!

 

Another thing that happened is that I FOUND 4 FOUR-LEAF CLOVERS THIS WEEK. FOUR OF THEM.

 

I also got to hold newborn kittens. Ahdjksghk.

 

I ALSO GOT TO RUN THROUGH A LEGIT CORNFIELD. We had dinner at a family's house last night who has 10 KIDS! I felt like I was in a movie. Anywho, after dinner, we went outside to watch this member shoot his potato gun... Lol I know. It was rad. BUT THEN, we went right up to the edge of this corn field. The stalks of corn were at least 9-10 feet high. I was gazing up at them in awe and peeking my curious missionary face between the leaves when the dad was like, "You can go inside..." I WAS SO EXCITED. I have never been in a cornfield before! I just started sprinting down the lines, whacking leaves out of my face as I went. I felt ON TOP OF THE WORLD! It was so cool.

 

OKAY NOW FOR THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE EMAIL.

 

I have a mystery that needs to be solved....

This week I got a package from Amazon with no note or return address or anything. It was simply a box of Ginger Lemon Engligh tea cookies. I thought it was odd, but figured I'd get an explanation from someone in my email today. Nope! BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. A day after I got the cookies, I got ANOTHER package from Amazon with a HUGE BOX of Swedish fish. What?!!! I am so intrigued. Still no note or explanation. This could just be some accident or something, but that's too boring of an explanation so I've turned it into a mystery to be solved. Right now I think it's either from one of my redheaded friends (because of the GINGER cookies) or maybe one of my Swedish friends (which, I can't remember if I even HAVE Swedish friends). Or MAYBE the English cookies and Swedish fish have something to do with geography. WHAT IS GOING ON?! Feel free to send any ideas you may have! But if whoever sent them is reading this, thanks for the treats! OH WAIT. Maybe it was my dad. Thanks, Dad! And if it wasn't you, then maybe you can help me solve this mystery!

 

Now for my invitation! My invitation to you all is to meet the missionaries in your areas!  This nifty website will help you! http://mormon.org/missionaries

One thing I've learned since being on my mission is that missionaries will do ANYTHING they can to help you out. If you have weeds you need pulled, let the missionaries help you! If you have questions about the church or what the heck Mormons even believe, ask the missionaries! I know it would make my day to be able to visit someone who requested missionaries online. We've done it a couple times before and it's always super fun. So go make another missionary's day and invite them over! Even if you're not interested in the message they share, missionaries are always looking for opportunities to serve. Then you can also get kind of an inside look of what I do here on my mission!

 

Have an awesome week! I love and miss you all know that you are being watched over while I'm gone!

 

<3 Sister Christiansen

WEEK 15!

Hi everyone!

 

I have very VERY limited time today, sorry!

 

A quick summary of my week!

 

-Yesterday was stake conference so I got to see Bruce and Yifan! Bruce gave a talk and made me cry! It was so sweet. Yifan translated the whole conference so that the Chinese people who came could listen to it in Chinese through headsets!

 

-Believe it or not, I WAS A TRANSLATOR TOO! It was crazy. There was a deaf lady there and we couldn't find anyone else who knew sign language so I sat up front and interpreted during stake conference! It was nerve-wracking but also such a cool experience!

 

-We saw our friend George with the gold grill again this week!

 

I have SO MUCH to write, gaaah. I wish I had more time. I love you all. The church is true. Sorry I have to go.

 

Thank you for all the support!

 

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 14 in the field! (Sorry for skipping week 13!)

Last week was Labor Day so we had very limited email time and I couldn't send out a mass email. Sorry! But I will give you all a quick update now!

 

My new area is SO RADICAL! I miss MSU a ton, but I feel so blessed to be in Holt. I also get to see everyone from the MSU ward this Sunday at stake conference! Yay!

 

So much has happened since I emailed last that I don't even know where to begin! I have a new companion! Her name is Sister McElvany. She is from Las Vegas! She knows the area really well because she's been here for 4.5 months. That is a blessing!

 

Some fun facts about Holt! Our room has 142 glow in the dark stars all over the walls! We've had a dinner appointment almost every night since I got here! There's a street here called Christiansen Street! We have a minivan!!! Everything is awesome. I love this area.

 

I wish I could think of more to write but my mind is so frazzled right now. Hopefully by next week I'll have my thoughts more organized before coming to email!

 

We're almost out of emailing time but I just want to let you know how much I love and miss you all!

 

Have an incredible week!

 

<3 Sister Christiansen