Week 46!

Hi friends and family! 

Happy Easter to all and happy belated birthday to my mom!!! What a great week!

We saw so many miracles! Investigators have been committing to baptism dates left and right! We have been so blessed to be able to witness God's hand moving this work along. Mt. Pleasant is exploding with wonderful, prepared people!

This week we had zone training which is where the zone leaders and sister training leaders instruct the other missionaries in the zone. That meant that I had to teach! Ahhhh! It was terrifying but it actually went pretty well. Missionary training meetings are always just so full of the Spirit that once you're there, it's impossible to feel scared or nervous. Woohoo!

I just feel so on top of the world. I can't even express the incredible joy that I feel! My testimony seems to get stronger and stronger each day. I am so grateful for that. I know without a doubt that this is the Church of Jesus Christ once again established on the earth. I know it! I am so grateful for the Book of Mormon. I know that book is true. As missionaries, we don't teach what we merely believe. We teach what we know. I am grateful that God has given me a knowledge of His plan and His gospel. I also KNOW that anybody who desires that knowledge can attain it as well. Moroni 10:4-5 says, "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." I know this is a foolproof formula.

As a final thought,if you haven't watched this yet, something needs to change. IT'S SO WELL DONE! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3TI4bYerU

I love you all and miss you lots! Thank you for your prayers and support!

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 45!

Hello friends and family!

Incredible, incredible week!

First things first, THE HATFIELDS GOT BAPTIZED! I don't know if any of you remember this, but back in Holt we met a less-active couple that hadn't been to church in over 20 years and had 2 kids (a 9 year old girl and a 13 year old boy). Well we started teaching them and they've been to church almost every week since! This weekend, their kids decided to get baptized which means... I GOT TO GO BACK TO HOLT! Reunion!!! It was the best! Here is a picture of their family!

 

 

And here is a picture of my posterity! Sister Brems, who I trained, is now training Sister Rogers (my granddaughter!) and we finally got to unite! I missed Sister Brems so much and Sister Rogers is incredible! I love them! 

Below you will see Sister Rogers, Sister Brems, then me!

I also had another amazing reunion this week! One of the sisters in my zone that I look after is SISTER MANCHESTER! My MTC companion! We got to go on trade-offs this week and spend the day together! It was so much fun! Just like old times. She is an incredible missionary. 

Before I go, I NEED to show you all this incredible video the Church just released for Easter. IT IS AMAZING.

Please, if you do nothing else, WATCH THIS VIDEO!!! I love you all!

http://easter.mormon.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S3TI4bYerU

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 44!

Hi all! Welcome to another MIRACULOUS week! It was hilarious and wonderful.

We picked up 4 incredible new investigators this week! They're all college students and all so excited to learn about the gospel! Two of them were found because of the "What Makes You Happy?" project. Miracles!

One of them is named Austin and he is just the COOLEST. He is SO open to the truth. He has explored religions his entire life. He told us all the aspects he's picked out of world religions that he's liked and with which he's resonated. Guess what. ALL those aspects are found in one place in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! He loved the history of the Restoration and wants to get baptized. He is HILARIOUS. We asked him to pray about the things we'd discussed and said, "If you came to know for yourself that these things are true, would you be baptized?" and he replied, "Yeah I would! I would slam DUNK myself!" It was so funny! He's the best. He came to General Conference and loved it. So prepared!!

Another new friend of ours we started meeting with this week is Cody! He is WAY cool. He has braids/dreads and is super classy. He's the most spiritual, down-to-earth college student ever! He has a twin brother and they just go out into nature and play guitar and have discussions about God. We taught Cody about Joseph Smith's first vision and he said, "Oh, I totally believe that happened. I believe he could have absolutely seen God." He is incredible! 

We also had dinner at a sorority house this week! We go there often (PHI MU!) because there are a couple investigators and a less-active member in that sorority. One thing I have learned is that sororities are just like the movies. It's hilarious. All the girls are super nice to us, though! For dessert, we ate ice cream out of the carton with spoons. YES. It was awesome.

GENERAL CONFERENCE WAS THIS WEEK! HOW AWESOME WAS THAT?!?!? SO AWESOME.

I loved how everyone was encouraged to read Preach My Gospel, so to help with that, I'm posting a link to the online version of PMG here! It's so good! A+, much recommended, everyone read pls.

https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service?lang=eng

I love you all and miss you! Have a lovely week!

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 43!

Oh my goodness, this week was AMAZING! Sister Pyper is incredible! We work so well together! We are both so excited for this transfer. We know miracles are coming, we can feel it!

First piece of good news... We found out that ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is visiting our mission!!! He is coming in May to speak to all of us missionaries! WOOHOO!!! I can't wait! For those of you who don't know who Elder Holland is, here's a highlight from his most recent General Conference address about depression. He's the BEST!

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/like-a-broken-vessel?lang=eng

One highlight from this week was the amazing lesson we had with our investigator, Henry! We taught him at a skate park. It was the greatest thing. We literally sat on top of the half-pipe and had a gospel discussion. Believe it or not, the Spirit was so strong! He committed himself to go to church every week and to read and pray every day! He also wants to get baptized! He is SO cool!

On Saturday, we had a dinner with the women at church before watching the General Women's Meeting at the church. The theme was uniting women worldwide, so there were globes EVERYWHERE! I was in Geography-major heaven! 

The sister on the far right is Sister Pyper, my beautiful new companion! 

Before Sister Carlson left, we made a rainbow cake from a mix my mom had sent me. It went... okay... Haha here's a picture of the end result.

 

 

NAILED IT.

Anywho, I hope you all are having the best week ever. I probably say that all the time, but I mean it! All of you are near and dear to my heart and I thank you so much for your support!

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 41!

This week was great! We had half-mission training which meant super inspirational messages from our mission leaders! We learned so much about living the gospel and becoming more like Christ. my favorite quote came from a missionary who goes home to Sweden this Wednesday. He said, "My life goal is to always emulate Jesus Christ. I think that is the best thing I can do with this probationary state." He also said, "Life is just too short to hate things, or people." I love that! It's so true! Words of wisdom.

We also learned this week that our mission president has met and used to work with MISTER ROGERS. It was exciting news.

This week we were also able to pick up a lot of new investigators which means we'll be busy busy busy in this next week! Busy is the BEST!

I have some terrible news, though. We have so much to do today that I have to go! But I will make up for this terribly short email and write more next week!

In the meantime, all of you should check out this story of a man and how the Book of Mormon changed his life. I know that book is true, and that it can bring us SO close to God. It's changed my life for the better, and it will continue to do so. Here's the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3dNYpXZIN_c

I hope you all have an amazing week! I have so much love for each and every one of you, and I know God loves you even more than that! Don't forget that! The prophet Thomas S. Monson said, "God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love - It is simply always there."

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 40!

Hi everyone! Some amazing things happened this week!

First of all, we had our Missionary Leadership Council this week. That is where all the Sister Training Leaders and Zone Leaders in the mission meet together with President and Sister Hess and discuss the mission. Then we get a home-cooked meal at the mission home! It was wonderful! But here is the best part... My first two companions (Sister Probert and Sister Dixon) are both Sister Training Leaders right now! Sister Dixon is back at MSU and Sister Probert is at Western Michigan University. That means that WE REUNITED!!! All three of us were in the same place again for the first time since we got transferred! SO HAPPY!!

 

 

Sister Dixon is a Sister Training Leader even though she is still technically waiting for her visa to Brazil! Crazy! But she is one of the best missionaries I've ever met so I'm glad the mission realized how much they needed her in a leadership position. I love these ladies so much!

Second amazing thing that happened this week.... We have the COOLEST new investigator! So on Thursday Sister Carlson got sick so she napped for a few hours. While she was napping, I decided to go through the teaching records of old, former investigators that stopped meeting with the missionaries. I called about 20 of them and no one was interested in meeting up again. Then Sister Carlson woke up and we were getting ready to go to our dinner appointment, but I just felt like I needed to call one more person. I looked at the next name in the binder ("Josh") and gave him a call. He hadn't seen missionaries since he was 21 (four years ago) and he was SO excited to talk to us! In one short phone call, he explained to us his thoughts and beliefs which included gospel truths such as the Light of Christ (what the world calls a "conscience," ultimately), our spirits existing before and after this life, that he feels like prophets still exist, and that science and religion don't have to contradict...AHH!!!!!! It was so incredible! We scheduled a time to meet up and visited him on Saturday!

It was the BEST LESSON EVER. Josh has been studying physics his entire life, and it has given him this unshakable faith in God. It was the most mind-blowing lesson of my life. The whole lesson was basically "Josh-explains-his-thoughts/theories-in-scientific-terms-and-we-teach-him-what-we-call-the-exact-same-principle-in-gospel-terminology." SO AMAZING! We taught him the plan of salvation and laid out a diagram of it on the table. He paused, pointed at it, and said, "I believe this. I believe all of this." The Spirit was so strong! In the course of one lesson, he used scientific theories and facts to explain the existence of our spirits, the Light of Christ, his thoughts on the creation of the world, and why God is loving, not an "angry God." And they were all in perfect harmony with what the Church teaches! It just proves that TRUTH=TRUTH. He found truth one way, we got to the same conclusion another way, and now we can collaborate and learn from each other.

I want all of you to know that I KNOW this gospel is true without a doubt in my mind. I know it. I love it with all my heart. It's brought me incomprehensible joy, and I know it can do the same for anyone who applies its teachings to their life.

This video lays out the Plan of Salvation (what we taught Josh) in a really cool way and explains it brilliantly. Please watch it! It's really interesting!

http://www.mormonchannel.org/our-heavenly-fathers-plan?v=1838710831001

I love you all a miss you! Have a great week!

<3 Sister Christiansen

Week 39!

Hi everybody! Quick updates from this marvelous week!

First of all, we have been going on exchanges like crazy! Exchanges are when we get to swap places with another sister missionary for a day or two. That way, Sister Carlson and I get to see how the sisters are doing and train them on anything they can improve. It is a lot of fun but also very exhausting. We had one last week and two back to back this week! It's really great being able to have that time to get to know the sisters better, though. It's been so wonderful!

This week we also had the opportunity to go to a club meeting on campus with the elders! The club is the Dogma-Free Society, and all the members are either atheists or agnostics. But they love us! And we love them! We do a lot with their club and want to start doing joint service projects. It's way fun. We had a discussion at their club meeting this week about morals and raising children. It was so friendly and respectful and a great experience. We all learned new things.

Everything is seriously so amazing at CMU and in Mt. Pleasant. The work is hastening! Sister Carlson and I have been trying to find ways to use Facebook more effectively, and this week we decided to post a question as a status and have members and non-members comment with their answers. The question we asked was "What makes you happy?" which fostered an incredible discussion! Here's a screenshot of the results!

 

30 other people commented and shared how the gospel, their family, and other things have brought happiness into their lives. It was a great discussion.

I hope you are all having the best week ever! I love you all!

<3 Sister Christiansen