- 2 That's pretty cold

Dear everyone,

Hey there! I hope everyone is doing well all back in their respective residences. As always it is awesome to hear from you and how well you are all doing. Sounds like you're settled and things are more normal. This week has been pretty cold, not going to lie. When we went out this morning the van said it was -2. Yep, below zero. That's pretty cold. And last night we were out tracting for about an hour and it was pretty cold. Thank goodness the gloves arrived on Saturday! Thanks so much for that as well as all of the other sweet stuff. I was nervous the tie was going to be pink, great choice though! I'll talk more about it later, perhaps, but I've been trying to make sure I'm being as obedient as I can - including wearing only ties that are "conservative in color, pattern, length, width.." But yeah, I can't believe all of the sickness that was going on at home! I'm glad you guys are better though. I got the letter from last week (with the memory card) as well as the letter from this week on Saturday the same time as the package. I appreciate it all so much. The craziest thing I've eaten is home made sushi and this straight seaweed salad that was pretty nasty. Other than that, though, it's been really good. The pictures Ben (Lewis) put in the email, from your blog I believe, didn't show up but it sounded like you had a pretty awesome time. That's awesome E. Shrader is there in Ithaca; he is an awesome kid.

So this week was a pretty good week, definitely not normal but rarely is there ever a 'normal' week I feel. Pday last week on Tuesday was good. Wednesday we had to help orchestrate the transfers and make sure everyone had rides and knew what was going on. The weather was crazy that day. Thursday, oh my goodness, there is a funny story Thursday. We went in to get the car fixed and were going to 'Weekly Plan' while that was getting taken care of to be effective at UAlbany near by. Turns out it's not as close as we thought walking there. Long story short when we realized we were only like half way there we decided to make some "snow chairs" over in some trees off of a busy road and plan. Most ridiculous idea and plan ever. Anyway, many details aside, after climbing a snowy hill to get there, there were picnic benches (snow and ice covered) and we thought perfect for planning today. We made it about 20 minutes of freezing cold planning with all our warm gear on and it just wasn't happening. We decide to just go back, and luckily by that time the car was fixed. Ha, I wish that description did it justice; oh well, you can use your imagination. Later that day, though, we taught Tony (the man who came to church last week who asked for a ride). He is so sincere and we set him with a date for baptism in March. This week really was a roller coaster with the work. We saw some great blessings as well as some unfortunate happenings. As a whole, though, we are looking forward with faith, excited for the future. We have Tony and Dennis with dates in March. Dennis came to church this week! And we're seeing him tomorrow! There is so much work that can be done here, it is nice having 3 of us. So Friday, E. Boyakin and I drove to Utica (nasty weather that day) for Zone Leader Council. Whoa, this was awesome. We meet in the High Council room all at a "roundish table" and it is exactly that, a council. It's cool. The underlying discussions and themes of it all were faith, obedience, and accountability; evaluating increasing all of these in the mission. The most crazy thing to note, though, is missionaries are now allowed, and encouraged, to get on mormon.org. We are to get on 1 hour a week, other than on Pday, to familiarize ourselves with it. We can make a profile if we want, can show members about it, and everything! The January Ensign article on the new mormon.org explains it really well. We have new pass along cards we can use directing people there, and it's really exciting all of the things we can do with it! We're working already with 2 recent converts here to make profiles so we can direct people to their page as we feel they could relate, etc. So cool! So we get to train the missionaries on this at their district meetings, 2 tomorrow and 1 on Wednesday! Should be awesome. With all of this 'freedom' it raises the opportunity to exercise our agency righteously and therefore receive a greater endowment of faith and the Spirit. As President put it, there will be casualties (people misusing this privilege and blessing), but those who use it for the purpose intended will see great blessings. Obedience is directly correlated with faith. The more willing we are to obey and make sacrifice, the more abundantly we will be blessed with faith and the Spirit! And we are also preparing for our training at Zone Conference a week from tomorrow where we are having members come in and act as investigators or normal people where we practice door approaches tracting. Hilarious. E. Potter came back with us from ZLC and he is here now. He is a great missionary, perhaps one of the most diligent missionaries in the mission. It's really fun working with him and having 3 again. The dynamics of a threesome are definitely different from normal but we are working well together so far and only continue to grow in unity each day! Follow up on the investigator we gave the promise to last week...he stopped about 2 days in unfortunately. We're still teaching him but we'll see how it goes from here. He feels some pressure as his wife is a member and us sharing this with him but we think, and he says, it'll happen but maybe a little slower than we would have liked. The Lord's hand is in it though there is no doubt about that. We will have a good week this week, I'm excited for everything happening and the strength I'm gaining out here.

I love you all so much and appreciate your love and support always! Have a great week and continue to strengthen your faith through obedience to our loving Heavenly Father's commandments.

Love,

Elder Christensen

Our Heavenly Father Loves Us

Dear Everyone,

It's been a battle to find a computer today where we could email. Currently we are experiencing freezing rain and a lot of places are closed and driving is bad. Some areas won't be able to email this week, unfortunately. (probably Saratoga one of them; so just be aware that if perhaps sometime I don't email in a week it's likely due to weather and I'll at least send a letter in the mail) Nonetheless, we made it and here I am! Unfortunately one of my gloves is gone; my snow/snowboard gloves. If it's at all possible it would be awesome to have another pair of black warm gloves like that. If not I can maybe find some here. Just please let me know. That's awesome Ste got straight A's and Rachel and Jackson are in Mesa. Hopefully you are all still having a great time together and things are well. The elder going to Ithaca, if it is E. Schrader, did come out with me; he's a cool kid. Sweet hockey game story and pictures, too. We won't drive to Utica or anything for transfers although people will be taking our van. Friday, though, we will go into Utica for Zone Leader Council with President; it should be really awesome. That happens every transfer. I didn't get your letter and the memory card yet, but we had no mail yesterday so I'm sure I'll get it today (we saw mailmen out in the storm already today so keeping our fingers crossed it comes). Congrats for Jennie and Jr. Miss, that's really cool. Other than that though, everything sounds pretty good for all of you guys!

It cracks me up how you find out about transfers and things before I even write you guys. Yes, I will be staying here with Elder Boyakin. Perhaps a bit of new news for you guys though there will actually be another missionary coming here to Albany with us as a Zone Leader. His name is Elder Potter (no, not related to Harry; already heard that from members like 6 times, haha). I've heard really good things about him; he trained when I came out and I think he's been out about 18 months. I hear he's really really hard working which will be awesome. Having three again will definitely be different just like it was before but we will be able to get so much work done it should be great. We found out this morning, though, we don't know now when E. Potter will come here because a missionary had to go to the hospital last night and E. Potter will be this missionary's companion for the next few days; so it may be Elder Boyakin and myself until Friday when we go to Utica or until next Pday. We're just on standby with that. Elder Johnson has been gone since Friday morning and E. Boyakin and I have been trying to find our stride with just us 2 and it's been going really well. We got some good work done this week, though, amidst all of the crazy weather and such. Tuesday I experienced more of the administrative aspects of being a Zone Leader putting together some numbers and things for a Stake Correlation Meeting we had on Thursday night. Wednesday we woke up to a ton of snow so we went out shoveling people's walk and helping people out; it was good. Definitely not something I am used to though. On Friday we got a call from an investigator we set with a date the previous Sunday and she had her "ah-ha" moment. It was really sweet she said she was reading a Plan of Salvation pamphlet and it just hit her how she wants to "go home" etc, it was awesome. Unfortunately she didn't make it to church as she said she'd be there but we're not too too worried. On Saturday we blitzed the elders in Gloversville - meaning E. Boyakin and I both worked there with them. It was a good experience and we worked hard. It was pretty funny, though, considering both of the missionaries I was working with have been out over a year. They still respected the 'leader role' in trying to learn as much from us as possible and everything went really well. We all learned from each other and gained greater perspective on how to carry out the work. The most notable things, though, were Sunday and Monday. Sunday Elder Boyakin and I were teaching a part-member family. The husband is an investigator. Long story short, as we were teaching it was going really well. I felt prompted, though, to promise him he would receive his witness in one week if he read from the Book of Mormon everyday, praying before and afterward, and attended church this upcoming Sunday. It was pretty forward and bold but we really feel it was inspired and will happen as he does it. We realized later, too, he's going back to school next week and will be way busy and seeing him/them will be much more difficult. We gave him specific reading assignments for each day. We've been reading them personally and it's awesome how applicable there are to him specifically. Today we read Moroni 7-10. Last night we texted him to remind him and ask how it's been going and he said he had an incredible experience with his prayer to have his heart softened and open his understanding! It was one of the coolest texts ever! We are going forth with faith - as miracles were never produced without prayer, felt need, and faith. We're excited. Yesterday, Monday, E. Boyakin and I taught Dennis an investigator (the man we taught at U of Albany when I was here on exchange!) And that was actually the last time we had met with him due to things coming up, etc. It went so well; we met at the church and read through the introduction to the Book of Mormon first thing. It naturally came up and we felt prompted to invite him to be baptized on 3-12. At first he declined, as many do, but we resolved his concerns and he committed! It was awesome! And we then watched the Restoration DVD and the Spirit was so incredibly strong it was incredible! We look forward to continuing to work with him and help him progress. He's committed to church this Sunday. Speaking of that, Sunday morning a former and current potential investigator called us asking to get a ride to church! We got it coordinated and he came! It was really cool, he's looking for something in his life now and we look forward to our appointment tomorrow morning! We have a lot of good work going on here that we are really excited about! Just typing all of this and reflecting back on the tremendous blessings we have seen it gets me even more excited to go out and help others! I hope that you all know how much I appreciate this Gospel, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no question that this all is true and real. How humbling and comforting it is to know that our Heavenly Father loves us as much as he does, and how he is eager to have a personal relationship with us as we do our part. I pray that we are willing and desirous to do so.

Thanks so much for all of the love and support that you offer me; it means so much. And I hope you all know how much I love, appreciate, and support you. I hope you have a wonderful week filled with the Spirit of our loving Heavenly Father!

Love always,

Elder Christensen

I am loving Albany

Dear everyone,

Well, I'm just going to tell it like it is: this was probably the best week of my mission! It was definitely the most fun, funny, and even spirit and blessing-filled! Thanks so much for the letter/thank you note Ste, that was really nice and thoughtful! Thanks, too, for all of your concern with the events mentioned in the last email ;) haha. You rock. So the apartment we live in here is awesome; definitely the best I've lived in as well as seen out here. We all just sleep side by side in a room and there is room for my clothes and stuff in a couple extra closets that are there. I'm settled but not totally unpacked just because I'll wait to do that once we find out the happenings with the upcoming transfer call. So the way we do it in the New York Utica Mission is Zone Leaders are companions. There are 5 zones, so 10 in all - or currently 11. But it's awesome, I love it so much. Glad you got my package with random stuff; with that sent home because I didn't need it I was able to fit all of my things. I may be sending some more things home, though, in the future. We never wear 'casual clothes' because we are so busy going to other District Meetings and things that we don't do service that requires it really; or I suppose the need to have multiple days' worth. Anyway, the scarf was one I bought with Paige in Provo. The CD player and speaker I came out with, to be honest, I haven't used hardly at all, because every apartment already has a set up. But it's all good. It doesn't happen too, too often but you don't necessarily have to be a District Leader in order to be a Zone Leader. Elder Boyakin, one of my companions, for example, wasn't one before. In fact I don't think Elder Johnson was either. Ha. But it's awesome here. We drive a sickk 2010 Dodge Caravan. We rofl at ourselves at times but it really is nice and roomy. I did actually notice the Mark Mabry note on the picture right before you told me about it. That's so nice and awesome of him and I love it so much on my desk. Thanks again, hope it wasn't too much or too much of a hassle. I'm way good for music, too, for a while. Thanks so much for all the goodness but I'll be good for now. Fyi, Ste the picture you attached to your email didn't work; but that's awesome you had a good week! We get the Ensign out here and I read it in the very limited spare time I can find. It took me all of November and December to finish the Conference one though; so good! Also, I used my credit card to send that box home at the post office last Monday so look for that when the record comes in and do with it as you will. Occasionally, if you will, give me an update on my debit card, too please. Oh yeah, in the package you send could you please put in one of my hackysacks: the sand-filled kind, like my green and yellow one? Thanks.

So this week was incredible. Seriously we had so much fun. Tripanionships are the best. And what's been best is we all know how to use the on and off switch for having fun/being goofy and being serious and inviting the Spirit. Really good. So Sandra was baptized on her 25 birthday on Saturday in Saratoga Springs! It was such a great service, the Spirit was so strong there! I'm so glad I was able to go and attend. She was so happy and loved it all! I'll attach pictures. Elders Stratton and Kitchen seem to be doing pretty well. E. Kitchen is way trunky about his previous mission in Africa and stuff; ie. wearing his old French tags, etc. It will really stretch E. Stratton but I know he can do it and will learn so much from the experience. I'm banking on probably staying here in Albany for a while. I can't believe I've still never been with a companion for 2 transfers. Crazy. Anyway, the teaching pool here is so good - and growing!! We were blessed to find 4 new investigators this week! A husband of a member. A Jamaican couple who one was a Head Quarter referral for a Bible - sweetest people ever! And a 20 year old girl who we tracted into earlier in the week and taught last night and set with a Baptismal date! She is such an honest seeker of truth! We also set another baptismal date last night of a middle-aged woman. So so sweet! We have other investigators we are planning on setting with dates this week as well! In short just know that I am loving Albany, loving my companions, loving being a Zone Leader, and loving it all. I look forward to what the week ahead has in store!

I hope you have a great week and that you all continue on the path of righteousness! There isn't anything better or more important! I love you all so much and thank you for all of the support you offer me.

Love,

Elder Christensen

PS- the pictures. That is our first presidency pic. I am Utchdorf. Note the faces compared with the real one, nice. Next is Sandra's baptism! E. Kitchen on left, Phil Brewer Sandra's brother which is how we found her and started teaching. So cool and crazy how it all played out!

Sorry so short on time, hope my email uplifts you all and you can feel my love and appreciation for you all!

Goodbye Saratoga...Hello Albany

Dear Everyone,

Man, oh man. If I could just head-butt you all so that everything inside my head could just be instantaneously transferred over to you that'd be so much easier. My time today is a little more abbreviated - which I'll explain in a minute - so I'll start with the most important things and move down the list. First and foremost, I'm currently not in Saratoga Springs. I underwent an Emergency Transfer this week and I'm actually serving in Albany! Crazy! So an Assistant to the President went home, was scheduled to, on the first in order to get home in time for a semester of school. Because they knew this in advance they had called 3 Assistants at the start of this transfer so there'd still be two when he left. On top of this, though, I found out an additional single missionary came here the start of this last transfer as well - he was serving in Ivory Coast, got sick, and is here now! So long story short, he had been working with the Assistants, 4 elders together/splitting up, etc. Once the one went home for school there was an odd number of missionaries; and, in the end, President had him come to Saratoga Springs with Elder Stratton! President Bulloch called Elder Stratton and I on Thursday night at 9:15 and told us the news. He told me I was going to go serve as a Zone Leader in a tri-panionship here in Albany. It utterly shocked us. It was out of nowhere that this happened! I couldn't believe it; Elder Stratton and I really were working well together and he was stepping up big time, it was great. But the Lord called. I wish I could go over all of the surrounding events and everything about this all but it's pretty intricate how it all happened and the tender mercies seen and witnesses that took place testifying that this needed to happen were pretty great. So Friday we just went about our work as normal and at night I saw some people I wanted to say bye to and things. Saturday was when I was to leave at 5:00pm. President and Sister Bulloch came to Saratoga with Elder Kitchen. We then proceeded to have Sandra interviewed for baptism by president (which was one of the tender mercies that fell into place as we found out she needed that to happen before her baptism). I then was picked up by my new companions, Elders Johnson and Elder Boyakin. They're awesome and I was already really good friends with them. E. Johnson is awesome from Cali and has only 2 more transfers. E. Boyakin came out with E. Miller, and was recently made a Zone Leader this transfer; he' sweet. So, as bummed and shocked I suppose as you may be or that you'd think I was/am I'm really actually content with it all. There is incredible work going on here that I am truly excited about. It's funny, too, when I was on exchange here with E. Boyakin the week of Christmas I really felt comfortable here and enjoyed it a lot. I'm stoked. Being a Zone Leader definitely is bringing on a whole lot of new responsibilities but I'm learning and it's been great. Being with 2 other companions is new too; it's basically a party, ha. So that is some crazy news. Oh man, it was quite the day to say the least. One I will NEVER forget. Anyway, the work is great in Saratoga. I'll get to go to Sandras baptism on Saturday which is so exciting! President is letting me. We taught some incredible lessons this week too that went really well. With Tom in Saratoga. And yesterday we taught 2 part-member families that are investigators which went really well! It's awesome here! I'm way excited! President told me it's likely E. Johnson will leave and I'll be here with E. Boyakin next transfer but you never know. Regardless it's likely I'll be here.

So, I'm emailing in downtown Albany with the Elders serving here, too. There's five of us. We're all together and leaving at the same time, etc. So I have to run but know I am happy, excited and love the work!

I love you all so much and wish you a great week! Thanks for the support.

Love,

Elder Christensen