A Family of Missionaries Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 10:19 AM

HOLA MI FAMILIA!
COMO LE VA?!
Well first and formost I just wanted to say how awesomely excited I was about hearing about sterling's mission call! I was all sad cause I was hoping for it in the afternoon and then I got it in the evening and it was a good time. I'm telling everyone I know haha so like two people but regardless. I went to the big map to see how far apart we would be. yeah it took up my wingspan haha I would have taken a picture but I forgot my camera. Next time though. I am so excited for him. The Lord will bless him in so many ways, best two years ever. He just needs to remember not to kill his companion.....
Anyways just wanted to also say that I love you mom. Don't be sad, be happy. The lord is doing a great work through me and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here. Don't miss me, I'm always there. Other siblings need to step it up haha jk I know you are all wonderful. Sounds like everyone is extremely busy as well! I keep on hearing about how riddiculously busy the house is but I never really get the whole picture in my head. I am sure that it will look good when it is done and I'm sure that it is also keeping dad extremely busy. Remember to not be afraid to use cooper for any purpose =) haha hopefully it will be finished soon and everyone can enjoy it without worry.
Let me just say what an honor it must have been for cooper to be confused for me =) haha I can only imagine how difficult it would be for everyone else to figure us out when I was having trouble from lake powell pictures. I hope that it wasn't too tramatic for cooper cause I think that it is going to happen alot as he goes to high school. But I did find that extremely funny and enjoyed it very much. I guess I should say what an honor it is for me to be confused with cooper. haha
Taylre is doing great. She plays a healthy amount of frisbee each week and mostly hangs out with her cousins. She is going to be heading back to here I guess in a couple of weeks. And yes she writes me on average twice a week mom, I don´t mind the competition haha
It was great to hear about all the returned elders. Sounds like they all had a great time and did a lot of good work for the Lord. I will have to start preparing my fireside address here pretty soon haha but I´m glad you could all have that experience
So mom, one of the elders in my district knows elder Romney. (an elder serving in Mexico City North right now) Went to a different high school but played sports with him. We figured you could complete the whole circle by talking to Elder Heaps (an elder in the MTC with him now) mom Deena. just an idea... haha
Sorry to hear about the no apartment situation with danielle. Hopefully something will arise and she will be able to get by this without any trouble. If worst came to worst I guess she could live with Jenny and Britton but yeah.... who would do that? haha jk much love, the lord will provide the answer if you ask.
So to answer another questiom about the MTC, the food here is actually not that bad. It is defititely not the cannon center which is probably why I had such a hard time keeping the weight off at the beginning haha however I usually just go with a salad now a days. They are alot like aunt stacy's with nuts and fruits and yeah all sorts of goodness
-Jenny
SO yeah how about them Lambsons! Haha what do you expect would happen with a huge crane and a holiday haha but I'm glad you all had a great time and no one was hurt. And really jen, you were born to be a teacher, we all knew it from when you were in the sixth grade, you have more love than anyone else in our house. "Pray as if everything depended on the Lord, work as if everything depended on you" just a thought. And i'm sure that you have already talked to taylre about the possible oregon connection haha I thought that was funny.
So i have been typing really slow today so I won't have much time to write about me but that's ok. On sunday a couple of exciting things happened, we got a new district leader, elder Farmer. yeah no s'e about that but he has been doing a good job thus far and I still don't have to go to extra meetings! I also gave a talk on sunday in spanish. yes that's correct. Did I talk for more that three minutes, not a chance, did I make sense, quizas but I was glad that I had the opportunity haha my spanish is actually coming along pretty well. This last week was aout first only spanish classes and yeah.... I missed alot haha but I'm slowly but surely getting the hang of it. K again you are all wonderful and I am grateful for your prayers and letters

Con Amor
Elder Christensen

MTC Live Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 1:54 PM

Hola familia
Estoy agradecido por la opertunidad escrito ustesdes. I am not going to try and write everything in spanish cause that would just take too long but yeah what's happening? I love you guys so much. First let me just say that i'm getting my memory chip ready today to send to you all like next wednesday of thursday, idk. I have some audio files on them, I just covered the lence and recorded the sound so really its not a video cause there is no picture haha i know I'm clever. But yeah I'm going to put some stories on in and a little spanish and really it should be a pretty good time. Just promise that when the spanish comes on that britton leaves the room. I don't need any hating. But speaking of spanish! yeah obviously I'm not going go running off to mexico anytime soon but the Lord is definitely help me to understand and learn espanol. We had to the opportunity to go to a class where people that only spoke spanish were learning english and sadly we did not practice english with them haha it was a good experience, and i understood most of it, It's just difficult to speak when I can't roll my r's haha I know the Lord will help me when I need it.
But yeah I just sent an email off to the nymeyers, I know it says direct family only but lets be serious, you can't get much more direct, anyway, I sent my guesses of michigian and tonga. I thought sterling would enjoy learning a 12 week language. i actually had two tongans come up and bear their testimonies in english yesterday which was way awesome cause it was all broken and in a deep togan voice, very sincere. They are going to Portland and I told them that the sun doesn't shine there to their dismay.
Sounds like you guys are all doing great though. Jenny and britton are getting ready to head back already? I guess my realization of time is kind of skewed in here. ON that note my watch broke! so yeah that would be great, just a five dollar something from target that has a timer would be most appreciated. Anyways yeah mom starting that extreme home makeover story right after I leave is always good, love the timing = ) I'm sure that it will look great when it is done. I'm not exactly sure what all is being done but i can make it up. Dad has a high adventure coming up? that's cool what is it? daniell is ready to be done with work and go study for 24/7. Cooper.... sitting around? haha jk hermano. I'm sure mom is keeping you all busy. Batman for FHE sounds fun but really I don't want to hear about it haha I"ll have to see it when I get back of something.
Sounds like you all just have big things ahead of you, let me just say, go BYU BLUE! that's all on that topic haha but yeah sorry if I don't answer all of your questions, I just forget them. My visa... yeah my visa is a good story, I'll explain that one on the memory chip. Let's just say dan might come and go before I ever see mexico or anything outside the mtc. But yeah I hope dan is doing well, he just needs to keep his chin up until he gets here.
I can't even believe that I have been here for an entire month already. I still feel like yesterday was my first dork dot day. Idk, it's crazy stuff. The days are long but the weeks go by fast. Also good to hear about andrew's experience, all good stuff. We have heard that same kind of story from our teachers that have grown up there and served there. No fruits, kind of sad but I'll get over it.
I'm trying to think of one last story before my time runs out... uh my lesson with hermano robinson but i'll explain that on the tape... uh... oh yeah so tuesday was devotional and my buddy elder memmott gave the opening prayer and he was all nervous and stuff but did a great job and after we had a district meeting discussing how the lord gave us talents to use in the field to brings others to christ and one elder was listing everyones strength and looked at me... and laughed.... haha apparently the Lord has blessed me with a funny face. But seriously it got me thinking how I could use my humor. Idk, any help?
Well my time is pretty much done, sorry this email was kind of random.
I could use a extra pair of shorts and a t shirt and gym sock. and dear elder works much better than emails, idk
I love all of you guys, you are all in my prayers, in spanish I might add, and I know you are all doing great things. I love you all very much and think of you often.

Con amor
Elder Christensen

FYI

Britton and I are not expecting and will not be expecting anytime soon! Westley just loves to tease!

HOlA!! Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 1:22 PM

Hey guys!!Well no real surprise but yes it is your favorite missionary son, no worries cooper I said missionary, Westley Gene. Well it sounds like everyone is doing well which is great to hear. Glad everyone made it back from arizona fairly well. Sounds like the wedding went off pretty well and that mom did a great job, congrats to you mom. That will be a great blesssing for Nichole. It's great to hear about Alex getting back and in such high spirits. I can only imagine how pleasent i'm going to be to be around when I get back haha jk kind of but yeah congrats to Aunt Stacey and Uncle Aaron, I'm bragging about my family all over the place, and ironically so is taylre haha idk it was funny. Katie's Wedding!!! whoo!!!! that's what i call a good time. Do we have any more weddings coming up or are we thinking of taking a break for a while? Speaking of funny things, me and this other missionary, Elder Heap and I wrote another one of our elders' 17 year old sister. She wrote back and it was just an average hello but the next day he sent a couple of pictures home of the district and yeah he got a letter today saying and I quote "yeah all the guys in your district look like a lot of fun. Elder Christensen is actually pretty cute..." no lie haha well I had a good laugh about it but I don't think that I'm going to write her again. yeah pictures of you guys are always great, I just have the little wallet size one of the family so yeah I could use some. I'm also going to be sending my memory chip back here pretty soon so. Oh yeah my mission president!! yeah I haven't met him. They were here for like two days and than left so yeah not really much of a chance, I guess he had lunch with the guys that came on time.... haha but yeah we will get to see him out there. We have also gotten two new districts of 8 elders each. we are quickly becoming some of the verteran of the zone. If that's not a scary thought, idk what is. I'm doing my best to stay average and stay away from the zone leader position haha jk but really it's a lot of meetings. Sounds like cooper had a great time at scout camp. Three merit badges are good. I expect an eagle when I get back =) haha but really it's not a bout the award, it's about why you do it. Remeber that. OH yeah!!! haha sorry I totally almost spaced it. I went to the doctors office for my knee, I mean doctor Kimball. WEll first when we were in the waiting room it was cool cause everyone saw the badge and smiled and waved and it's really like we really aren't even us, we are representavites. But yeah the cutest little girl, probably six walked by the glass wall facing the hallway and you could see her mouth "missionaries!" point for her grandpa to see and wave at us. I felt pretty cool, but yeah on to the appointment. DR Kimball said I looked great and said that he could notice that I put in the work. Don't laugh. But yeah he cleared me to run and I did so on tuesday and yesterday. First day ran a 10 minute mile, just taking it nice and easy just testing it out, next day 8:31! so really a pr and probably faster than cooper =) but yeah I'm sore but it feels good to have that much more strength. Alright well I'm going to run now. I love you guys so much! Thanks for all the letters and the support! You are all great!I love dad I love momI love jennyI love brittonI love danielleI love cooperI love my next nephew or niece? =) jk jen hahalove you guysELder Westley Christensen

hey howdy hi Thursday, July 10, 2008 2:51 PM

Hey guys!
Sorry this is coming kind of late in the day but I was having some computer
trouble so now i'm just trying to make up for it by typing really fast cause I
lost some time so we will see how it turns out. well first of all go lacey!!!!!
holy wow that's awesome i can't even believe how ridiculous pumped she must be.
YOu will have to send my love to her for me. And actually the MTC is rooting
for her haha I have met a couple of elders that are actually really bigs fans
and I said that I was her cousin so yeah I'm pretty cool haha also a signed
picture wouldn't hurt... maybe two.. haha jk but seriously yeah haha so yeah mom
and the girls are in arizona living it up and/or working really hard for nicoles
wedding. That's way cool, sorry I can't be there, doing the MTC you know. How
is everyone else doing? anything exciting? any good stories? Well I'll just run
down my life real fast first Hanna Montana came to the staduim of fire fo
perform!! but the mtc presidencie knew that and planned a devotional with
chimes. yes chimes. my forth of july was chimes. rough haha but really after
that we went and watched the fireworks from the parking lot so it was ok. I
also went to the temple last week. so pretty, way cooler than new mexico but
when it's temples I don't think it matters haha another fun part was watching my
companion try to stay awake, he was doing the head bob haha last saturday we
had to say goodbye to our teacher hermano odea. it was his last day and so we
actually did an activity where we voted the most patient loving, kind, and
diligent person in the class. I won patience.... yeah i know haha i think it
says something about what my district thinks of my companion haha jk but it was
sad to see hermano odea go. I'll send pictures soon. Sunday was cool because
we got to watch a movie at night but you would think the church would own a copy
of Legacy that didn't skip, idk haha and during the movie all the elders would
whistle when they kissed, good times haha monday we met our new teacher and he
is hermano robinson. he is from a lDS colony in mexico and is a close cousin
with Dallin Rhor. yeah i know he is really fun and is a very hard worker, we
will be able to learn alot. Speaking of which the spanish is coming along. we
went to the TRC, britton explain, and I talked to three people in spanish for
probably twenty mintues and I understood most of it and it wasn't even mostly
about the gospel haha tuesday nights we have devotionals and after we discuss it
as a district in our classroom and a councilor of the branh presidency comes and
sits in. It was going pretty good until one elder, elder menet, stood up and
said he shouldn't be here because he had commited felonies.... so yeah kind of
threw us for a loop but he had been expunged? so it was ok or something but we
had a thirty minute discussion why all of of belonged here and the best evidence
was because we were actually here. It was pretty intense but totally worth it.
one guy said something to the effect that "you could have lied to eveyone during
the interviewing process but when it came to your call, an apostle of the Lord
called you to that area because you are who you are" " you can't hid from God"
so yeah it was pretty intense. Nothing like twelve 19 year old men crying in a
classroom together. I'm sure it will happen more than not haha well that is
just about it for me. oh yeah the temple is closed for three weeks so that won't
happen for a while. OH i forgot!!! we went to the RC, the place where all those
calls come in when the church offers free bibles online or whatever. I talked
to francine from georgia, her daddy was a pastor, and she been a baptist her
whole life and she didn't need my religion. I bore my testimonie to her and had
a lovely chat about how much we loved Jesus. good times. K that's really
probably it for now but I'll talk to you guys again in a week. I love you all
and you are all in my heart. Do great things. Oh yeah dad, the guys love
remember who you are and don't let it get you down haha
Love Elder Christensen

A Shout Out from the MTC! Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 11:10 AM

Hola mi familia!

Como le ve? I didn't know how to type the upside down qustion mark but I think it will still manage to get across. How is the newer Mexico doing?? I know it may come as a shock but Provo right now is probably the warmest it has ever felt to me. I break a sweat on the way to class. Speaking of class I am pretty sure if not entirely confident that I have the most amazing instructors in the entire MTC. The first one is knid of a celebrity in that we have this reality show about real missionaries that served in San Antonio Texas and one of my instructors, Hermano Hallam, is one of the six elders and sisters that they highlight in the films. He is actually really funny and really humble and i think that he rolls his r's really really hard just to show off to us. Regardless, my second instructor, Hermano Odea is not to be outdone. Well he is really a sub because the real one is in mexico but that doesn't mean much to us. Anyways he is from Gunea Africa, I might have mentioned this in my last letter, I can't remember, but he has such an amazing spirit and personality. He is just a warm person that is fun to be around. Two days ago in class he cried cause he was laughing so hard at the fact that he had given a forty minute lesson about faith and then in our game el equipo de fe, the team of faith, came in last with zero points. Good times, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. But they are great and I'm grateful I can recieve guidance from them.My companion.. Elder Ashcraft. A great soul, and a great chance for me to learn more about patience and loving all of god's children. He really is a good companion and loves the gospel and wants to help others. It is something to be admired. He is just a little too pasionate in that in our first "test" at the TRC, he gave the whole lessson and I shook the gentleman's hand and said see you next week. But we have resolved that problem and now we are doing great work. He is much better at spanish than me but that is too a blessing in that he can help me understand. So far I can only pray and testify and those little sayings that we have amongest the district but it's coming. The district is great. Most of them are from Utah but they don't let it show =) but really , the Lord has called some of the best elders in the MTC to preach the gospel in mexico and peru. I'll be sending pictures of all of them so you will understand. Elder Heap is my district leader and his companion is Elder Memmott, probably my two favorite elders. Elder Johnson is from Salt Lake and his companion Elder Thacker has thus far recieved five packages, no pressure... Elder Graham and Elder Keeling are in my room. Elder Memet and Elder Granjero ( Farmer) are also alot of fun to be around. And last but not least Elder Hampton and Elder Peterson are quiet but enjoyable to be around. We got a new district yesterday and it was a great feeling to not the the district that didn't know anything but rather the district that knew very little. They are great elders. This may come as a joke to some but I gained five pounds before sunday... but thanks to every day exercise and a diet I'm not back to my old lean self that used to be an athlete. You can stop laughing anytime... I get to see doctor Kimball sometime next week just as a follow up and I think it will go well, my knee has been getting stronger every day. Also thursdays are my p days so thats when I'll be writing, between 930 and 12but hwo is everyone doing? How are jjenny and britton doing at work? how is cooper doing at soccer? how is danielle doing with her job? How's everyone? anything exciting fro ths weekend? no new injuries from dad? How is mom's spanish coming? Has bow destroyed anything more?Well I love all of you and you can all wrtie me at DearElder.com and the MTC will print it out and give it to me that day. You are all in my tboughts and prayers, I love you guys!!

Con Amor,
Elder Westley Gene Christensen

June 25th

Paraphrased from Westley's first hand written letter from the MTC.

Dear Family,
Well, I am actually writing you on my first night because as fate would have it, our P-day is on Thursday. There are 12 Elders in my district and 8 of them are going to Mexico, the other 4 are going to Peru. Everyone in my room is going to Mexico, Mexico City North so at least we all share that in common.
My companion is Elder Ashcraft. He is from LAX. He can tell you every hymn in the book and what page it's on. I make fun, but he will be a good companion and I am sure I'll learn a lot from him. He knows Wendy E.. The second, Elder Graham, is the one that I probably like the most. He reminds me of Andrew S. and is from the SLC area. The third Elder is Elder Keeling. He is a ginger.....but is quiet and a kind Elder that I'm sure will do great things.
This may come as a surprise but I was not selected to the District Leader position. I know..... We start class tomorrow at 7 am.
I will write again soon,
Elder Westley Christensen

P.S. Yeah, well I love you guys and hope everything is going well. Love you all.....