"The Lord Let Me See Things From a Different Perspective"

Hey there family and friends and all those that shalt read my letter this week...

Well, this week was a decent week. First off, my mini-missionary went home this last week, and I got a new companion! His name is Elder Perez, he is from Ecuador and he has been out about 14 months. I think I'm going to like this little butterball! 

So, this week was a fast week, but yet a slow week. I am still trying to decide which one it was. I'm only going to write a short letter because I don't have a ton of time and I really don't have a lot to say. haha. So to start off. Monday we went to a place called Velo de las Ninfas, (Vail of the Nimphs). I think that's some sort of fly or somthing haha. But on the way up to the actual waterfall there are 11 more waterfalls that you pass by to get there. It was so cool. Elder Bartschi and I were like scaling the side of these waterfalls to get there, and no, we didn't do anything against the mission rules. We didn't swim or anything!! But, on the side of the waterfall in the mountain there is a little path that you can use to see all of them or you can use the less dangerous path to get up to the top. So Bartschi and I did half and half. When it got too dangerous we used the path. The other path you can't see all of the waterfalls, so I missed a few. 

On Tuesday we woke up at 6:00 a.m. to go to Huanuco, and we dropped off my comp. Then we had a training and came back to Tingo. I got back and went on divisions with Rider (Rider is a new member in Tingo Maria). Rider and I had the greatest lesson of my whole mission with a lady whose baby just died like a month ago. We went and cheered her up, and made her super happy. She said that she cried every day before that, and so I went with Rider because I felt that it would be a good thing to do for her. It changed me and how I think. It was the biggest impression that the spirit has made on me in a long time. I knew I just needed to go and start talking to her. I always feel directed by the spirit, but this was different, it was so strong and so powerful! We started talking and had a great lesson. She shed a few tears of sadness, and then tears of joy. I loved the lesson! It had such a huge impact on me and it made me realize the impact we have on other people. It made me see what we are capable of, if the spirit is with us. The lesson helped us both in different ways. We were able to teach her about the Plan of Salvation and the Lord let me see things from a different perspective. 

The next day I couldn't go and see anyone in my area because I was with the other missionaries all day because my comp didn't arrive until Thursday. When my comp arrived we figured out he was a gimp, haha!! He couldn't even walk. So we sent him back to Huanuco on Saturday to have it checked. So, basically I was in my area for only 3 days this week out of 6 days. My comp is cool and I think he will help me a ton  to be a better missionary. I think we'll get along great! I love this gospel! I miss you all and I will write next week. 

Love you all,

Elder Christensen

Velo de las Ninfas, (Vail of the Nimphs)

Sketchy Caves in the Jungle

Hey there!! 

It was a great time talking to the family yesterday. Now I am feeling super trunky and miss the family.

 

Let's start off with the great waterfall and the Cave of Death. So the waterfall was crazy! Not really, it was just super super tall, and super skinny! But, it was pretty cool still and we got some great pictures, and I still really loved it. So after that we had like 5 more hours to kill on p-day, so we decided to go to the cave. It was the same cave that I went into last week, but we couldn't get anywhere because there was no light. So, we went in this time and I brought a mini flashlight and Elder Bartschi brought one too, and we went inside. I was a little bit scared, I'm not going to lie!! I went first, we had a member that followed me, and then Rider (a new member from Tingo Maria) was following us, then the other three missionaries followed. We got like 4 or 5 minutes into the cave and we came across a part where we had to army crawl to get passed. It was a little less than an army crawl actually, we were basically just dragging our bodies behind us, using only our hands to drag ourselves for like 10 to 15 yards. It was pretty crazy, but for some reason it wasn't too scary. We kept going and everything was fine. We entered in super deep, and then got about thirty minutes into the cave and found that it was basically a dead end, well for missionaries it was. We ran into a part that we would have to swim to get any further. I was disappionted because there is a cool waterfall that is at the end, but we weren't told that we would have to swim to get there. I was a little bummed we didn't get to finish our adventure!

This week we have been mainly focusing on the people that really matter. The people that are progressing and want to learn. We have continued working with Veronica and her daughter Arely. We have also been working with a girl named Dianna.  This transfer should be really great. I will miss my mini missionary comp, Rosas, hopefully my new comp will be able to learn the area super fast. We have so many people these days that we just can't keep up with all of them. We only have time to visit the people we are teaching like 1 time a week, if we're lucky we can fit in a visit twice a week. But Veronica is coming along very well. Her daughter (the one we baptized last week) is in love with the church. She said that she is never going to leave the church untill she dies. She is thirteen and she has a powerfull testimony. She reads like 1 to 2 chapters of the Book of Mormon everyday. She is super cool. I really hope that Veronica and family will be ready for their baptismal date for the 21st of May. Dianna is a little girl that is Aamirs cousin. Remember Aamir that we baptized back when I first came to Tingo. Dianna started coming after Aamir got baptised and she really wants me to baptize her, but she lacks a few lessons. So we will see if she will be able to be baptized this week or the next week. It's fun to see people progress! This gospel is true! I know it and I love it when others know it too!!

Yesterday I finally got to talk to my Mother. It felt like forever since I had talked to my Mama and the fam. I guess it was 8, no 5 months ago, but still I had an amazing time. It was so good to see my cute little niece Teigen. Wish I could hold her! I loved that I also got to talk to Marci, Dave, Tate, Demi, Kolt, and Jen, super sad that Kass and Christina couldn't be there. But, it's ok they are on a cruise. those lucky nerds!! haha Well that was my week. I miss you all!  I'll just end with a little story to give you a chuckle. Yesterday in church there was no one there to pass the Sacrament, so we missionaries decided to pass the Sacrament. So we pass the Sacrament and everything is going great. We lined up to go back to the Sacrament table and we started walking back and I was looking straight forward, but for some reason some demon little girl decided to slide a little baby craddle into the aisle and under my feet while I was walking, and I slipped and i fell (jaja)!! I saved myself from dying, but I still fell to my knees and everyone started laughing, even the bishop haha! The good thing is, that the water didn't spill at all, I kept it steady! haha. 

Welp that was my week. I love you all and miss you all. Be safe.  

Elder Christensen

Elder Christensen, Elder Bartschi, Rider Ted

Cave of the Virgins

Luke meeting Teigen for the first time!

Skyping with Luke 

 Tate and Luke Skyping

 Mother's Day Skype with Luke

Mini Missionary Rosas with Elder Christensen

Luke's testimony on Mother's Day

No Waterfall this Week, but Sweet Angela was Baptized!

Welp family and friends, and other people that are bored so they are reading my letters....

This week was a super good week! We have been contacting like crazy this week! We found a lot of people that are really quite interested in the church and learning the gospel. But, first, I am going to start off and tell you that our last week's p-day kind of got destroyed. jaja We were eating fajitas, and there is a super fat guy that is here. Well, he went first to eat, and he ate like 4 fajitas! I was really quite mad because Elder Bartchi and I made the food, bought the tortillas and all the stuff that goes in them, and then I only got one and Bartchi got 2, and my comp took like 4! I was just super enojado (angry) just kidding! It was a nice way to work on my patience with fat latinos! haha they really don't have any respect for us though. ahhh jaja 

Ok let me chill out just a bit!  So after that found a moto (a small buggy pulled by a motorcycle) and started heading to a waterfall. Turns out that we couldn't get there because there is some cage that you have to use to get across a gigantic river. So we went to a cave instead. We were almost there and the driver of the moto got all mad at us, and tryed to charge us a bunch of money, but I just gave him the amount that I thought was fair and walked away. When he was driving away his moto broke down, so we were nice and helped him a bit, and some guy walked by and started helping him also. We left and went to the Cueva de los Virgenes, (the Virgin's cave, jaja what a name!!) but we got there and we realized that we didn't have the flashlight power to be able to enter. So I went in there alone with a phone flashlight and I got about 15 seconds in and a bat started chasing me. So we just left. When we were leaving we found the same guy and his bajaj (moto taxi). He had fixed his taxi and so we decided to jump in and go with him. We're about 15 minutes in to the trip and the police pull us over because there was 5 of us in a moto, and it only fits 4. So the driver paid him off (dang corrupted Peru police) and we were on our way. So, I realized that my day wasn't that bad compared to the moto taxi driver's day. jaja He dropped us off at a zoo that was on the way home, and it was the same zoo that I went to a few weeks ago. It was even better the second time. 

Then the rest of the week was pretty fast. On Saturday I got the opportunity to baptize sweet little Angela, and it was a beautiful baptism. She insisted that I baptize her, and I was totally honored to do it! After she bore her testimony and it was one of the most powerful testimonies that I have heard, especially from a 13 year old girl. Serious, I thought about how it was even more powerful than my testimony at age 18. It really was just overall a great week. I really like my companion, we work hard together.  My buddy Elder Baca finishes his mission this next week. And so does my comp, the mini missionary. Guess I'll see what happens next. I love you all and Mom and family,  will see you face to face on the computer screen next Sunday!!!! Love you all, and be safe this week.

-Elder Christensen

Elder Christensen, Angela, Eduardo Rosas (Luke's Mini-Missionary from Huancayo)

Angela and Elder Christensen before the baptism

Luke's Room that he shares with

Brother Rosas, Elder Bartchi and Elder Bartchi's companion

Looks like they all need a lesson in bed making

Lifting weights or rolling out his back.... or something??

Luke's says this is basically the 4 Elder's whole house.

They do have an upstairs, but it does not have a roof, so they don't use it!!

This house actually looks like pretty nice living quarters!

Cueva de los Virgenes, (the Virgin's Cave)

Elder Christensen, Elder Bartschi, Rider Ted (a member from Tingo)

Cueva de los Virgenes, (the Virgin's Cave)
Elder Rodriguez, Elder Bartschi, Brother Rosas, Elder Christensen, Rider Ted

Still Working Hard in Tingo Maria

Hey everyone in los Estados Unidos,

Well, this was a pretty good week. Let me start off with the fact that I have a new mini missionary that came in last Monday and he will be going home in 2 week. haha So after this transfer he goes home. He is a pretty cool guy, his name is Eduardo Rosas. He is from Huancayo and is a recent convert, as of like 5 months ago, so I am part of his retainment in the Church. So, basically I have to be perfect or he might go less active I guess! and I have to help him learn, but this is a great way to learn a lot, and fast! Finally, he has come out of his awkward shell and is talking. I make him talk to everyone. He really is cool and a lot more humble than the other mini missionary that was here before. He is a super good guy. 

This week for p-day we went to Huanuco and we played soccer the whole day. It was super fun!! I got to talk to my mission father, Elder Bullock for a while. He is doing pretty good. Then after we went to Metros, which is like a Walgreens, sort of, and I bought a Vanilla Coke. They ran out of dang Mtn Dew! haha I miss the sodas from the United States. They all are just so much better than any other drink here in Peru. On Tuesday we went back to Tingo from Huanuco and went straight to work. This week we basically just contacted the whole time it felt like. We had 65 contacts, and normally we only have like 30. It is so funny to listen to the wierd things that people come up with. Everyone we contacted we would ask if they believed in God. Then we asked what they knew about Him, and what they knew about his son, Jesus Christ. literally every answer was... " He was a good man" or "he came here to tell us that we aren't aliens but, there are aliens in the world." Just weird stuff like that!!! I sometimes would just start laughing right in front of them. I couldn't keep it in. It is just so hilarious. I guess that just means that there is a lot of work still to do here... we better get teaching! 

Also, this week we were teaching a recent convert and we helped him to know if he had a testimony or not. We taught him how to know what things are answers from God. It didn't seem like he knew a lot about the gospel. I feel like the missionaries that were here before I got here were just baptizing because they wanted a lot of baptisms. In these past few months I have been working with less actives and people that are starting to become less active. I hope that I am helping them to learn and helping to strengthen their testimony.

I'm so excited! This week we should be baptizing Angela, if she is ready. Veronica and her daughter are still progressing well, but I think that we are going to postone her baptismal date for a few more weeks. I want her to be converted, and never stray from the church, she is just that awesome. 

That is my week. I am super sorry, but I only took one pic this week, and I cannot send it because I forgot my camera. One funny thing that happened...I was in a Pensions house and I looked over and I saw a picture of Spencer McGhie!!!! haha from our stake!! Then the Pension talked to me about him forever! It was super cool that we both knew him! He was loved when he served here! 

I also want to give a huge THANK YOU to everyone who emailed me on my birthday! It made my birthday! Also, thanks to Mom and Dad, Katie, Marci, Tate and Demi, Grandma and Grandpa and Mimi and Papa and my 1st grade teacher, Joani Richardson for the birthday gifts, the letters and the cards! You're awesome to think of me! Today we are going to another cool waterfall and we're going to make fajitas! I am really looking forward to seeing you all in 13 days .... via Skype!! haha!! Love you all and miss you all, you are always in my prayers! Thanks for all your love to me!!

Love,

Elder Christensen

A 19th Birthday to Remember!

Hey there people in the United States of America!! 

How are you all doing? So, this week was a really strange week. We started off trying to get to another cool waterfall, but we couldn't get there. So, we just took a picture and got out of there. We hiked forever just to get to the area where the waterfall was, then we couldn't get to it because it is against the rules to swim and we would have had to swim the river to get to it. Darn! It seemed kinda like a wasted p-day, but oh well. That night we had the pre-interview with Angela to see if she was ready for baptism. She lacks a few things, so we are postponing her date for 2 weeks so she can increase her testimony and work on a few things. We had a very nice lesson with her and her brother, and after the lesson we knew the spirit was there, she is so close and I know she'll make it, she wants to be baptized. After that we went back and ate some blueberry pancakes! Well, at least Elder Bartchi and I ate some. Those pancakes were some of the best things that I have eaten in Peru so far!

Tuesday I just sat on my bed all day and read and studied because my companion was "sick". I was happy to take advantage of that time to read, but then on Wednesday he was sick again until like 6 o'clock, then we went out for a while. By Thursday I was so ready to get out and do some work, but he was sick for part of the day that day too. I guess they thought I was sick of his whining so he was sent home, back to Huancayo.  So, today a new mini missionary is going to arrive, and be my companion. 

Friday we actually got to work AND it was my birthday!!! We went to visit Veronica! She is preparing for her baptism on the 7th of May and she is super happy. We are trying to help her as much as we can. I never thought that someone could live like she lives, it really amazes me, she's such a great lady. It really makes me realize that you don't have to have money and lots of material things to be happy. She always has a good attitude about everything. She even has a good attitude about having 8 kids hahaha!! She really does have a rough life. I really love her and I can't wait for her to be baptized in a few weeks, she's going to be a great member! 

After we visited Veronica, we went to visit a lady named Celit. She is super cool! She really likes the church and loves the Book of Mormon, but she wouldn't accept to a baptismal date yet for some reason. We will keep working with her and teaching her and help her testimony to grow so she will want to be baptized. She gave me a whole papaya, and they're huge! I couldn't finish it. After we visited her I had to go and have a meeting with the ward mission leader. I still can't figure out what it was all about, he was just saying the dumbest stuff, I just listened. 

That night we went to this ladies house named Laisdy, and she held a birthday party for me!! It was fun, but they have some pretty crazy birthday traditions here in Peru. We had Tres Leche Cake and then after I got destroyed with 20 eggs and flour all over my head. Yeah, it was awesome haha!! I guess I'll always remember my 19th birthday in Tingo Maria being plastered with eggs and flour! 

Today I am in Huanuco chilling with the Zone Leaders for p-day! That was my week.... not much to report since I spent 3 days sitting in my room! The church is true and I love it!!

Love you all ... be safe,

Elder Christensen

Tried to visit a waterfall on p-day, but we had to swim across

this river and swimming is against the rules, so we didn't make it to the waterfall.

Birthday Tres Leche Cake for my 19th Birthday at Laisdy's house

with the other Elders.

It is a Peruvian tradition to smash eggs over the head of the birthday person,

then they throw flour over the top of that. They usually smash the cake in the birthday person's

face. Doesn't look like they did that... maybe they decided to eat the cake instead!

Not sure what this is .... a skinny Peruvian kitty?

Another Cool Waterfall, and Even Better .... A Few Baptisms

Hey!! 

I don't have much time to write this week, I had a lot of birthday emails to respond to! Thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday! It means so much to me! 

I will keep this short and sweet. So last week, on Monday we went to a waterfall called San Miguel. It was an hour in a car, then half hour in a moto and an hour walk to get to the fall. We trekked through mud, water, and all sorts of crazy things that are hard to imaging. haha!! It was super crazy! We got up there and it was the coolest waterfall that I have ever seen in my life. I know I say that every time I go to a waterfall, but they just keep getting better and better! After, we went back and had a lesson with an investigator named Angela. She is getting ready to be baptized this Saturday. We have been working with her since I got here to Tingo Maria. It was so hard to get her to study so that her testimony could grow and she could know the truthfulness of the gospel, because she is super lazy, but now, finally, she is super ready. Hopefully she follows through and gets baptized this Saturday. Please pray for her to have the strength she needs to do all she needs to do. It is going to be super. Also, Veronica and her daughters (that I talked about last week... the lady who had the dream), have a baptismal dates for the 7th of May. so that is one of the main focus lately. I'm so stoked about them getting baptized! They're so awesome!

The rest of this week we didn't really do much, we have been trying to get the members here to help us out and accompany us, because Ericckson went on a mini mission just like my comp is a mini missionary. My comps name is Elder Orellana, and he's from Huancayo. I am training him, and hopefully when he goes on his full time mission he will be so far ahead! He is from Huancayo and weighs in at a whopping 100 pounds!! He is so skinny, and a lurp, but he is a great guy and I am loving serving with him. He has been kind of sick this week, so I gotta get him better.

Well I don't have any more time, I just got an emergency phone call to go and give someone who is sick a blessing, so I will go and help them. Just want to tell everyone that I love you all, and thanks again for the birthday wishes, it made my day!!! Now... I'm really hoping for a good Friday the 15th  because it's my BIRTHDAY!! haha. I will write next week. Thanks to all!! 

Les amo. Chau Cholitos.

Elder Christensen

Waterfall San Miguel

Elder Christensen and His Comp Elder Orellana

A Dream Led Her to Us

ON FRIDAY, APRIL 15th IT IS LUKE'S 19th BIRTHDAY!!! I would love to flood his email next Monday, April 11th with birthday wishes! Please send him just a short "Happy Birthday" email before next Monday to lucas.christensen@myldsmail.net! Thanks for helping him have a great birthday!!! And thanks for your continued support as he serves in Peru! Love you all!

Welp, that was an outstanding General Conference, but I'll talk about that last. So this week for p-day we went to La Lagoona de Los Milagros (the Lake of Miracles). It was one of the coolest things ever. We saw some prehistoric birds, and just super cool random stuff. There were rope swings with a vine that you could swing on that was safe and tight!! haha These Peruanos are crazy though!! There was a crazy dog that belonged to this big guy, and he flipped out and started beating the crap out of the dog, it was really pretty awkward, we didn't know what to do. But, this lake was just super beautiful!!! It was one of the prettiest lakes that I have ever seen. We had a great time there, just soaking up the beauty! 

Then we got back to Tingo and I still didn't have a companion, because remember, Arpires went home the Friday before. So I was just a lone wolf this week, until my new comp arrived on Thursday. I'm basically training him because he knows fewer things than a new missionary directly out of the MTC. He is what we call a mini missionary. He is a member waiting for his mission call, he is from Huancayo, and he will just stay one transfer while he waits for his call to come. We don't have enough missionaries in the Huancayo mission and so he was asked to help us out. He has sent his papers in and everything, but doesn't have his mission call yet. This will be a great experience for him before he actually goes out to serve! He is a super cool dude, we will do good together and I'll teach him all I can in this one transfer. 

I really have started to take initiative and started to challenge a ton of people to baptism. It is super funny to see the reactions sometimes. We have been talking to this family of 8 kids. These kids are crazy, every single one of them are crazy! Whenever I see them they just start yelling from across the road or across the church ... GRINGO! GRINGO! haha they are super funny. The mom's name is Veronica. She has had a hard life and has made it even harder by having 8 kids to take care of, but she is a wonderful lady. She had a dream that was super crazy. I'll tell you the shortened and revised version of her dream so that everyone can understand it, because it has so much meaning. Her dream starts off and she walked into a church with a cross on top of it (a Catholic church), and she asked someone which way was the correct way to be able to return to God and live forever. The guy said there is no way, so she left the church and as she was leaving she asked two white men with white shirts and ties and looked very clean and nice (missionaries), these two men were holding a book made of gold (the golden plates). She asked them which way to go, and they said go this way, and never stray from the path. She down this path they told her to follow, and this path was to a mountain. While on the path, a snake bit her (Satan) and she was trying to rip the snake off her, the farther the two men in white got and closer she got to them, the snake would get bigger, and bite harder. She came to this rope bridge that was over a huge crevasse and she couldn't see the bottom, she crossed the bridge fine, and came to a door. She opened it and came to another, and another, and that happened 7 times. After she got through all the doors, she found a white man (Jesus) and this man said to get to God you have to finish hiking up the mountain (endure to the end), and at the top of the mountain God will be waiting for you in his house. She got to the top and saw the house, and the house had 6 tall points or spires, and was a white and grey color (the temple). Then she woke up. The last part where she told about the building, she described the Salt Lake Temple perfectly. She said this building is in some Rocky Mountains. And that is where the headquarters of this church is located, around that temple. As she was telling us this dream, I couldn't believe it! It was just crazy! I have been slowly helping her to understand her dream by explaining the doctrine that goes right along with it. She is progressing well. She doesn't have money to take every child to church every week but she really loves it, and I know she will be taken care of. I hope that soon she and her children will be able to get baptized. It is hard to teach her because her kids are always going crazy during the lessons, but we are making progress.

Then on Saturday and on Sunday.... wow! I have never been so tired in my life! not physically tired, but spiritually tired. I LOVED Conference! Me and Elder Bartchi got to watch it in English. We watched it in the ward clerk's office. That is the only place in Tingo that has air conditioning, so even better!!!  So me and Elder Bartchi just chilled and ate snacks and drank soda and learned from the most spiritual men on the earth. The spirit was so strong, and I cannot wait until next conference. There were so many things that stuck out to me, but the thing that has not left my mind was the testimony of Elder Holland. I have never heard an Apostle be so straight forward. Usually the Apostles or Prophet or the Seventy just say, " I bare testimony that Christ lives."  But Elder Holland said something different. It was quiet in the room, all I could hear was the Conference. The spirit was so strong in the room and then he said " I bare my witness to you all, in fact I AM A WITNESS OF CHRIST and I KNOW that he lives!" There has never been anything in my life that has hit me so hard and so deep. I know that Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace, and the Savior of this world. I KNOW that He lives. I can say that, even though I have never seen him, I know. I want you all to go to your Book of Mormon and read Alma 32:21, then search for Christ and He will make himself known unto you by the Holy Ghost. It was such a great week and especially weekend! Keep those messages with you always! I'll talk to all of you next week. 

Hasta luego amigos,

Elder Christensen

La Lagoona de Los Milagros (the Lake of Miracles)

A prehistoric Bird

This looks like Masterchef (from Halo) in his helmet

A statue of a bird in the rock

Looks like some things never change ....

He's still a monkey swinging from vines through the jungle!

Luke, Elder Bartchi, Elder Bartchi's companion and ??? 

Luke and Elder Bartchi watching General Conference,

and sustaining the Prophet, Apostles and other church leaders