What Superbowl?

Dear everyone,

Hello, how's it going? It's always enjoyable emailing you updates and getting updates from you all. Glad to hear things are going well. Ha, it's pretty fun to be in the world and not up to date on everything, like the Superbowl. We were too busy teaching a young, less-active member last night to watch it, haha. I remember last year during the Superbowl, though, tracting out
in the cold in Albany. Good times. I was with Elder Potter at the time, and guess what. Elder Potter just a few minutes ago called President Bulloch to say hello and catch up for a moment and President handed me the phone and I got to talk with him for a while. How crazy; he's doing good, it's fun to hear his voice. He is still the only companion that I have served with for 2 consecutive transfers...pretty unique. I'm sorry to hear about Fred and Anne's friends, that's really sad. I see this morning that Papa and Nana sent me a little something, I've yet to open it but thanks! I also received Mom's letter and package on Friday - good timing, before the weekend. Thanks for that and all the things inside. Did you say those are the last of my contacts? I got the memory card - I was looking at the one that's in my camera (the one you didn't just send back to me) and there are only a few recent pictures on it. Did you clear the pictures from it intentionally or did something happen to it? I'm assuming they've been loaded and saved and stuff so I'm not worried about it but curious as to the details on that. I would prefer speaking my first Sunday home, I believe, with all the things that were mentioned surrounding that. As far as BYU is concerned, I don't remember what other questions were asked other than where to live. I'm thinking Alpine Village is good (or I was prior to coming out) - I'm not familiar with any other place, really, though. What else are you wondering about, for school stuff again?

This week was a good week, crazy fast. Elder Miller is back in Las Vegas and I'm here with Elder McCleve (from Chandler, not Mesa. went to Basha). With a companion going home it always makes the reality of going home more real. It was fun being with Elder Miller again. This transfer will be a quick, fun one too going around to all of the Zone Conferences. This week ahead is basically already all mapped out. We have a bunch of teaching appointments already set, we're going to Albany on Wednesday, and we will be making preparations for the upcoming Zone Conferences and the training we will be giving. The work in Utica is as good as ever. We continue to have tender mercies from the Lord. Here is just one neat experience from this past week. Elder Miller and I a few weeks ago talked to a woman on the street while it was snowing pretty hard; our conversation was very brief and by the end of it all we knew was her address and that she's African. On Saturday, now with Elder McCleve, something came up where we happened to be on her street, and I remembered someone lived on it. After looking at what I had written down I saw that it was this lady. We decided to stop by even though she wasn't someone we were eager to try by because we didn't know how interested she really was. When we knocked a different African lady, younger, answered and invited us in. As we sat down and visited with her she told us she is from Lyberia. We jumped all over that because there are 2 members of the ward from there...and it turns out she is good friends with one of them, who is a returned missionary (30 now). And it just so happened that he was actually on his way over there right then to hang out with some other people, ha. Five minutes later he came in and helped us teach a bit. It was really cool how it all played out and we're looking forward to begin teaching her. Other investigators are continuing to do well, too. Gail is still very interested and we're excited to teach her again this week. In fact, she asked for 4 copies of the Book of Mormon to give to family and friends, ha. Things are going great here in Utica and I'm excited to continue to be a part of the Lord's work.

Thanks for all that you do for me. Have a great week.

Love,
Elder Christensen