Monday, January 26, 2009

Pictures Sent: Monday January 26, 2009


yeah.. que semana‏ Sent: Mon 1/26/09 3:24 PM

hey guys
so yeah lets just start off by saying that last week was just a rough week and that im sorry that i didnt get to write. I was able to send that little note on thursday and i printed off all of your letters so at least i knew what was going on in all of your lives right haha so yeah if i talk about things from two weeks ago, sorry, thats just the age im in haha oh yeah, happy seven months to everyone, even if you didnt hear aboout half of the month haha its just how life is sometimes, and my district meeting should be a good one today. haha but that is just my business so lets talk about you guys. it soundsl like everyone is doing fairly well, either getting used to school, or starting up sports. coop you are a stud, congrats on the win, keep up the hard work, dad sorry about the parents, you know how it is sometimes haha mom sounded good, thanks for going to stay with grandpa, sounds like you were a help. and speaking of which, i cant even believe i skipped this. grandpa! haha how are you doing haha sounds like you will be back to running around in no time. lets get that excercise up and thanks for your letters. lets try to keep it less than a dozen of those heart helpers haha. but im glad that everyone is doing well and taking on challenges like a champ. that is something that i am learning write now. oh yeah i would love to write dave but i forgot his address.... also dont know who stephen r cores is.... oh yeah congrats on teh the new calling mom. kill them with kindness haha jen hope your new raise is helping out. and yes mom i will try that new number and it does ring some bells, just hope its the right one haha and yes in fact my last conference was like a christmas party all over again, i got three packages, the envelope, the old lost christmas box with captn crunch! and a something from the forggets, please thank them for me. and a letter from t money and avery.... writing them both back this week. also going to send dan a letter but send it to you guys to send cause i dont know how to do it here.
ok my two weeks, well we had a conference last week which was pretty good and i really enjoyed it. it just took three hours to get to by highway haha we are out from everyone. and yeah.... i think that was everything exciting last week haha that was quick. so this last week was rougher. i couldnt write because monday was ridiculous and my companion and dl were... difficult and monday night i left back to mexico to goto a conference of dls or future dls... yeah i konw haha no but it was cool. we eat breakfast and had a festival of testimonies for 8 hours haha i shouldnt be so negavtive cause it was really powerful, but after the first two hours it was a little something like the testimony night at girls camp haha thats what elder farmer and i came to the conclusion of anyways haha oh yeah all my boys were there! my whole district and all my ex companions.... i imagine it is like seeing all your ex girlfriends in the same room haha jk but it was great to catch up and eat lunch with them. they are all still studs. so yeah we also got this sweet poem thing entitles, the fellowship of the unashamed, read it love it apply it. pure power. so yeah we came back and it was a week of walking around doing a whole bunch of nothing. I am struggling to encourage my companion. it was a rough week haha im hoping to grow alot from it though haha and we have interviews this week too so that will be good. friday was the worst day,i got yelled at by everyone haha my dl my members my self, i was feeling pretty low. so i did the lonely thing i could think of. I prayed the most earnest prayers i have ever. I am grateful for that opportunity... and saturday after my prayers and my speech to my comp i was expecting great things, and we didnt. again haha rough week, but hey, no witness until after the trail of your faith right? and yesterday was pretty good with church and seven months. its crazy how it happens.

Important things to remember:
i love you all
with all my heart
i pray for you daily
i had a rough week but hey since when has salvation been easy
that i know that our Heavenly Father answers prayers...
He hears us.

ok, you are all my examples, keep fighting the good fight
to the moon and back

Friday, January 23, 2009

So sorry but dont doubt the love Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 7:21 PM

Hey guys,

So yeah let me just say sorry, it has been a long week and Monday was not a good day but yeah.... things are getting better quickly. I just found the time right now to write a quick note of love to you guys to let you know I love you and I didnt forget about you and that I am well and not dead, expect something wonderful on monday, letter , photos the whole deal haha


everyone dominate

Elder Christensen

Monday, January 12, 2009

Loving the Sun Sent: Mon 1/12/09 4:13 PM

so how is everyone doing today? wonderful i hope. let me jsut go ahead and say that i miss snow... alot haha or maybe just a change of weather, something other than hot haha im not boasting 40 degrees like sterl but i was breaking a sweat the other day just walking. maybe im just over weight haha no jk. my living situation. well its a nice house again with two stories and really as soon as you get rid of all the piles of trash and ants, it might be something to be jealous of haha. Yeah i got here by bus and that is the only way we get around here. there are taxis but they dont have meters so it is like.... how much would it cost to go here? 100 pesos. and the bus is 5 so yeah. haha i cant believe we bought the office for the family haha thats great. cooper, just plug your ears on the bad parts haha idk, i liked it. so mom just to refresh your mind, im a guy, telling me that danielle looked great in her red pumps and flared jeans gives me the mental image of nike air pump basketball shoes and fiery pants. haha sorry i need pictures. tough to hear about Chance. i might have been out of the county for a little bit but what? dad has a separated shoulder?! haha maybe i just forgot, which is likely.

ok my week. Well we went to my little branch out in the middle of nowhere. its acutally really pretty it reminded me alot of tucson and the plaza downtown in santa fe. its a big tourist spot and with reason. i would definitely show it to you guys. but yeah its hard working there because we totally depend on the members there for help because we can only be there two days a week and never on sunday so the members have to bring them to church and almost do everything. but thats what the church is about right?

thursday my dl came to work with me cause he was going to do an interview later but yeah i learned he is from juarez, just south of jen and went to school and NMSU for a year. so that was a little nice reminder of home. we also met my new favorite inactive family. the mom reminded my of aunt stacey for some reason... haha idk but she was way nice. saturday was a big day for two reasons. first we found a bomb family that was totally prepared for us. they have member friends and they just ask the most perfect questions, like how can we know that joseph smith was a prophet? i pray for moments like that and it happened! haha buenisimos! it would be my first family too... the second reason saturday was big was because my comp turned one in the mission!! we went and got tacos to celebrate with a member. i am going to make these tacos for you guys when i come back. they are wonderful! with a lot fo grease.... but yeah my comp. we are going to try the touch love approach this week. its not that we arent working it is just that we are confusing movement with action. we need more action.

also learned that one of my bishop and his coucilors each own a bakery.... cinammon rolls... who would still love me if i gained 20 kilos.... (40 pounds) haha jk but it happened to a members son here! it is about what is inside right? haha



my brother in the work

Elder Sterl, you are a stud man. When i read your letter i was so pumped for you, i dont know how i didnt think of it before but stralia is the mission for you man, its so obvious. yeah hope you enjoy your bike and car... karma always comes around haha jk that is cool. glad to hear im not the only one having language problems, but hey, just stick with it and i know you will rock it. im excited to hear how the baptism went for you. I have been on a eight week fast... killing me but yeah, just keep knocking those doors for me haha oh yeah 40 degrees C is 105 F, just so you know. Do Work Elder

alright guys and gals, i got to fly but know that i love you and that i hope the best for you. Today i met some of the newest elder from the states and i just smiled because i was them four months ago... didnt know anything. I have room to improve and thats why im out here. i love you all with all my heart. Love one another.

to the moon and back...

con amor

Elder Christensen

Monday, January 5, 2009

Starting the new Year the mexico way! Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 22:11:26 +0000

Hello American family

how is everyone feeling today? í am doing great haha i just beat elder acevedo in pool seven times in a row, and it was all luck haha he is really good so he doesnt want to talk about it, just a bad day haha but yeah how are my siblings doing these days, i heard jen got into grad school, congrats sis. im not sure what all that means but it sounds good. haha mom no worries, you will have grandchildren some day. just not for three years haha love you sis. and danielle is working all the time now and playing wii haha keep it up sis, you know i would be doing the same. and sounds like coop started basketball and got ridiculous amount for chirstmas. be grateful haha jk thats awesome bro. so yeah everyone told me about rockie, that is way sad. but hey, he was a good dog and i only yelled at him once or twice. sorry about that one dad. and no dad, im not wiser haha im going to argue that one with you but older yes. 20 in three months!!! probably a third of my life right there haha jk learned that my companion was 21... would have guessed younger haha but yeah thanks grandma and grandpa for your letter, i thoroghly enjoyed them haha sounds like sterl made it to the land down under well, thanks for forwarding those letters mom, im very excited to see the newest cousin in the field. oh yes and happy very late birthday brit, i feel you on the old part haha jk

ok before i forget again, i tried the card again and it got mad and said i had a hot card so i figured i made it mad and havent touched it since. idk, im going to talk with the presidente soon if i cant figure something out. and yeah.. i think that it all of my issues right now other than it is ridiculously hot right now haha i miss snow, i really do. im tired of getting sunburned haha and with that i apologize to tay because we had a discussion about how a elder returned from here to her home ward and he was all tan and whatnot and i argued that it was going to be cold.... well i was wrong, its only cold at like 11 at night and that is really 50 degrees or something.

ok so my terribly long and interesting week haha. so monday i arrived here in quarétaro the city and i met my district and whatnot and i saw elder graham in the bus port and it was all good. that night i unpack and go to bed excited to start in a new area, a member wakes us up in the morning saying the lzs called and that we had to call them back, we do and they tell us we are moving to a different area because the new dl in my district has to be in the city. ends up i pack twice in 48 hours and we move out on wednesday and another elder takes me to my new area called San Juan del Rio, its the second biggest city in Quarétaro. the funny thing is though, is that the entire state of Quarétaro is my area with exception with the city of Quarétaro... i just got handed a state the size of vermont as my area and told , go get em champ haha it was funny while we were driving there because the elder the showed me around the city, elder ortiz, is new and still full of fun and was like, elder, everything you can see is yours haha it was like the scene from lion king where mufasa is ontop of pride rock with zimba and says every where the light touches will be yours someday. expect that someday was wednesday and there is no elephant graveyard haha but it has been fun for the most part trying to learn from stratch, i try to imagine it like the first elders that really didnt have any help. but yeah im still with elder acevedo but wednesday elder ortiz showed me around and edler acevedo stayed in quaretaro to teach the area to my dl. i have two wards in the city of san juan and a branch out in the middle of no where that i get to visit tomorrow haha im pumped to meet them. the nearest elders to where i live are three bus rides and an hour away. it is a lot more beautiful here, so if you guys come, i want you to see this area haha so wednesday night, new years eve, in the house by 8... not too exciting but i dont think we missed out on much. thursday elder acevedo came and we worked for the rest of the day. it was kind of a bummer that the whole week we only found two news... but i am confident that this week will be different. it was kind of crazy also wednesday night because i realized that for this entire year ill be on a mission... idk it was interesting to me. other than that nothing much has happened to me haha

oh yeah! found a copy of the liahona in english from the general conference edition, been eating it up, at least 4 talks a day haha i have a renewed testimony that President Monson and his apostles are called of God. So powerful.

Also i want to hear how everyones testimony went yesterday, i gave mine. i am going to keep track haha also dad i feel like i say what i want to happen and fully expect it to happen, but really im doing it cause i know it will be a blessing. I need perfect home teaching this year, im serious, it is the most frustrating thing to try to get inactives to come back espiecially when they dont have any contact with the chruch. so sorry im being demanding but i know its a blessing.

haha ok sorry about the seriousness

ok fam and fans i got to run and do something great but remember that i love you and that i am confident that you are all rocking at what you are doing. do an act of charity this week. You are always in my prayers

to the moon and back

Elder Westley Gene Christensen

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Yeah not in mexico anymore... Sent: Monday, December 29, 2008 4:57 PM

hola familia,
I hoped my title would get your attention I suppose it worked. so yeah today were transfers and i am not longer in the state of mexico. i am in the very moment in another state of mexico called Quarétaro, it is like three hours north west of my old area. it is like the holy grail of the mission in that everyone wants to come here because the members are rich and the food is good haha but really its different than every other part of the mission so its cool to get to spend a little time here and work. my new companion is from mexico and i have never met him before but for the three hours that we have together he looks like a good elder. yes i am still minor... yeah i was pretty upset about it haha really it was just a matter of pride, so yeah this morning in the shower i was just thinking and i realized that i still have alot more growth to happen before i am the leader that i want to be and that i shouldn't have questioned the same president that two days before i was praising to my family. so yeah it was just yet another humbling experience here in mexico haha but the cool thing is that i came with an elder from prados that i liked and elder graham from my district in the mtc was here to meet me at the bus station so that was nice too.

but speaking of which i talked to my family this week! how cool was that i was talking all this trash that 40 minutes would not be a problem for me but heck man, fastest 40 minutes of my life but it was great and yes coopers voice is a little deeper, much love bro. also is painful when the power goes out while talking to your dad, so yeah wished i could have talked longer and with more people... in oregon... haha jk but seriously. but i lived and loved it. but yeah christmas here in mexico.... let me just go ahead and say that christmas is not that exiciting a, without your family and b, the way mexico celebrates it haha they dont open presents on the 25th which i didnt know untill the 25th so that was kind of a bummer but they have another holiday on the 7th of January were they open presents and everything and its great fun but i also learned that santa doesn't come here the hard way haha i was chatting with one of my favorite little kids and i asked him what he asked from santa this year and he was like... santa doesn't come here... and i was like west you dumby, the family told the kids that santa is not coming and yeah all that stuff. i was sweating a little bit to say the least haha but than he put a smile on and said that he asked for an action figure from teh three magic kings, sometimes you got to learn the hard way. but yeah it was all good, we broke a piñata and ate a lot of turkey on the 24th and the 25th. i missed left over turkey sandwiches haha but yeah we worked on both the days, didnt find anyone but we put froth the effort. and it all payed off because on Saturday we found like 5 awesome investigadores that i dont have now... anyways, elder slade has a lot of good stuff to work with. but yeah we blanked this transfer, as in didn't baptize... yeah never again. never again. speaking of which we are going to baptize this Sunday in my new area.

i got no more time so sorry this is so short but i love all or you and pray for you twice a day at least. hope everyone is enjoying their break and getting ready to go back to school. do work.
to the moon and back...
con amor
Elder Christensen