Christmas in Utica

Dear everyone,

Hello again! Merry Christmas! It was great talking with everyone in Mesa. It's great to hear everyone is doing well. I hope that everybody's Christmas was great! Mine certainly was very enjoyable and filled with the Spirit. The pictures are great to see. Thank you to everyone for the nice gifts and things you sent me! Your love is very evident and I feel it from whereever you may be. My address is the PO box in Whitesboro - we don't even have a mailbox at our apartment, haha. But thanks again to all.

Things are going great in Utica. It's been an incredibly crazy and crazy fast week! So much has happened since I last emailed last Monday from Rome. Monday I got to Utica and E. Miller and I worked that night. Tuesday we were in the office in the morning preparing some trainings and then we went to the airport to pick up the new missionaries that afternoon. That blows me away that Paige and Ben were on the same flight with the missionaries going home, especially Elder Farrens. How cool. I mentioned that to President and Sister Bulloch this morning at our "Staff Meeting" and they got a kick out of that. President then said it's likely I will see them with traveling over that direction and such. He then gave me permission to have dinner with them if/when I'm in the area if I/we feel so inclined. Ha! Soo..there is some food for thought :) . Crazy that I was so close to Paige and Ben at Syracuse airport on Tuesday too. We then were with the new missionaries the rest of that day and night. Back at our apartment we had some missionaries stay the night who traveled in from way up north, most notably E. Boyakin was there. Good times. Wednesday we had the transfer. That morning consisted of breakfast with them at the mission home and trainings. Then we were with a missionary working with us until Friday which was ZLC. Anyway, it's just been a whole lot of good stuff this past week. On a more Spiritual note, I talked about the experience with Gail yesterday and on Christmas Eve. Again, we just talked to her going into her home and she told us how we were absolutely God sent. She came to church and loved it. I'm really excited for her. Also, after talking on the phone E Miller and I had a great experience. We went to visit a part-member family and ended up teaching their relatives there. By the end of the lesson there were like 7-9 people there listening to us. Coolest part is a couple that was there. When we asked the wife to read the Book of Mormon she said, "You'll think I'm crazy" ...and went on to explain a few weeks ago she was cleaning the new home they moved in to and found a copy of the Book of Mormon and has been reading it! She and her husband are very interested too! Ha. We have an appointment tomorrow! So cool; E Miller and I were pumped about that. It was really cool happening right after being on the phone with you guys. The Lord blessed us as we did our best to be diligent, even on the holiday.

This week won't be nearly as crazy. We are working in Auburn Wednesday to Thursday. Also we will be preparing the training we will be going around and giving at all of the district meetings starting next week. I'm looking forward to the week ahead. E Miller and I are having a great time; it's great to be with him again. I love you all so much and appreciate all that you do for me.

Love,

Elder Christensen