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

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME IT WAS EASTER!!!

Hey everyone. 

So this week was a great week, but also a hard week. I'll start off with the WATERFALLS that we went to! Whoa! They are so cool!!! One was called the Ducha del Diablo (Devil's Shower). The other one that is prettier, and doesn't just go straight down, is called the Vela de la Novia (Vail of the Girlfriend) haha funny names!! But they were the biggest waterfalls I have ever seen in real life. They were so stinking cool. To get into the Vela de la Novia we had to beg the lady there to let us in. Our taxi driver said to her, "they come from super far away and they won't be able to come back". So she went to her friend and asked if it was ok, and she said, "yeah 2 people can come and see but they have to be gringos"! jaja. So we all went and talked to them ourselves and then they let all of us in. They just thought they might have to work hard if they let us in to see .... those crazy ladies. 

Last Tuesday we worked hard. We invited a few people that we have been teaching to be baptized, and they accepted for the 16th of April. Yeah, Happy Birthday to me! 

Then on Wednesday we didn't really do anything, we worked, but Arpires got trunkier by the day, so it was hard to get him out of the room. You'd think he'd want to work hard and finish off strong! On Thursday we taught some people for Elder Arpires's last time. We had a last goodbye activity at the church that night. It was pretty sad, I guess, he cried, and everyone else was crying for some reason, so when it was my turn to say goodbye I had to pull a good ole goofy Luke, so I did, and everyone cheered up after that! Then when we were all leaving the church our super cool investigator Eddy, gave me 3 eggs. Here in Peru smashing eggs on someone's head is a way of celebration! yeah, crazy, I know! So we smashed those eggs on Arpires's head, haha super funny. Arpires left to go home on Friday.

The next day was pretty sad. After 2 months of teaching the coolest investigator Eddy, he left us. He had to move back to Chimbote for awhile. It really bummed me out! It was a bad week because we had a date for his baptism on Saturday, but he informed us on Tuesday that he wasn't going to be here, and that he had to go back to Chimbote. That just kinda ruined my whole week. 

I am getting some mail now. I got a a big envelope from you mom, with all my friend's emails and I 2 of Mimi's letters. My buddy, Ericckson, that is from here, Tingo Maria, got his mission call to La Paz, Bolivia. It's a mission of only Latinos. Woulda been cool if it was Elder Andrew Davises mission!

And also ... WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME IT WAS EASTER!!!! I just thought that the Catholics were doing crazy things and moving the date of Easter to an earlier day. Here in Peru, maybe all of South America, Easter is called Semana Santa, or Holy Week in English. They started out Sunday with a fake crusifiction with some guy dressed as Jesus, but really, it made me laugh because he looked nothing like I imagine Jesus to look. Then they reinact the resurrection. I guess it was pretty cool. I'm glad I got to see it. It made me think and realize how much I appreciate the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that because of Him I can be cleansed of all of my sins. What a huge blessing that he would take that upon himself, every sin, every mistake, every hurt or heartache. I also know that I can live with God the Father, Jesus Christ and also my family forever in the eternities. I am so grateful for what He did for me and for everyone else who has ever walked this earth. The power and magnitude of the Atonement is amazing. It's real. I want you all to know, that I KNOW that with all my heart and soul that this gospel is true and that we are here because of a loving Father in Heaven. 

I love you all, be safe. Nos vemos muy pronto cholitos.  

Elder Christensen

Ducha del Diablo (Devil's Shower)

Vela de la Novia (Vail of the Girlfriend)

Death Wish??? 

Member with a cake for Arpires Farewell Party

Eddy Lopez Sachez and Elder Christensen

Eddy is the "cool" investigator that left to move back to Chimbote, Peru

A Sweet Baptism and Tingo Maria is Beautiful!

Hey!! 

I dont have too much time this week to email. But, how are you all? This week has been great. My comp was in Huancayo from Monday until Thursday night for a District Leader training, so Elder Daza and I went to the Monkey Zoo. It wasn't all just monkeys, but mostly. The monkeys are so dang funny! They were trying to escape the whole time and one monkey stole Elder Daza's Power Ade haha! It was super classic. After that we went and got some ice  cream. While we were getting ice cream I saw some cockroaches roaming around (typical Peru) but I still finished my ice cream! It was pretty good. 

We had more lessons this week than I have ever had in a week since I've been in Tingo Maria. I really think it was because Elder Arpires was gone. But, he is trying hard not to just curl up into a ball and trunk out. He has been trying to work a little. Sometimes I think that I was sent here to Tingo to be tested on my patience, because I have learned a ton!!!! Or maybe I am just forced to learn patience to help me with others and because there is not a way that he is really going to change. He leaves in the morning on Friday to go home and I will be here in Tingo until the 10th of May or until the end of July!!! I am really happy about that! I really love it here in Tingo Maria!

Saturday we had the baptism of this little girl that we were teaching. Her parents are members, but they didn't have her baptized when she was 8, so she had to take the lessons from us. Her dad baptized her. Before the baptism we kept asking the dad if he knew the baptismal prayer and how to say it. He recited the baptismal ordinance and the beginning of the confirmation to us perfect. He got into the font and forgot! I went over to the font and talked to him and taught him again what the words were to do the baptism. He got back into the font started out and forgot to say "Amen". So he had to redo it all over again. He started saying the words and forgot to say one of the words. haha This just kept happening for about 10 MINUTES haha. I was laughing so hard I almost cried. He finally got it after half of the congregation got up and left and his daughter was a sleep. BUT HE GOT IT!!!! haha crazy guy! 

Well, that was my week. Today I am pretty sure that we are going to a waterfall. My comp wants his last p-day to be super cool, so hopefully we can go. It is pouring rain and it is kinda cold (I looked at the weather in Tingo to see what "cold" was to him .... it is 81 degrees and feels like 90 degrees with the humidity, I guess that means he's acclimating to the heat!) I love it here! I love serving! This gospel is true and will bring us all so much happiness! Live it always! Good bye everyone! Nos Vemos muy pronto. Nadie va a saber que estoy diciendo, pero si sabe español, tu eres chevere. 

Chau!!!

Elder Christensen

One of Luke's Pensionista's and another Elder

The Pensionista's cook all the meals for the missionaries

Lucky missionaries! Luke's says she's a great cook and he's getting fat because of her!

Beautiful Tingo Maria

A monkey drinking Powerade

At the Monkey Farm

This cute little Monkey looks like he's saying .... "get me outta here!"

The Monkey Farm in the beautiful Selva (Jungle)

Elder Christensen's plaque and his beloved Stripling Warrior ring his brother gave him.

Tingo Maria, Peru after a rain storm.

What a gorgeous rainbow.

Baptism of the "Little Girl" by her father.

The Traditional 6 Month "Burning of the Tie"!

Hey there everyone!! 

So this week I have been working as hard as I can with a trunked out companion! haha This guys just needs to go home!!! I can't hardly stand him, or his laziness! But it's ok, I only have to make it like another full week because he goes to Huancayo tomorrow and gets back on Thursday, and then the next week he goes home on Friday!!!!!! yay!! 

I'm really wishing I could hold Teigen and play with her. I love babies. She sounds like a little stinker, not sleeping at night! Can't wait until Mother's Day so I can meet her. Its only like a month and a half away. I can't wait to play with her when I get home! She's so cute! 

This week was cool! We worked hard this week. We found 7 new investigators and 5 of them are super cool. One of our new investigators is Jina. Jina was a reference that we got from some guy in Huanuco. We visited her and we found out that she had something troubling her. We found out that she had lost her baby 2 weeks before. She as really struggling she didn't think she could survive this loss. I can't imagine either how hard that would be. She was crying to me and I didn't really know what to do. I listened to the spirit and I started talking about the Plan of Salvation. We explained everything as clear as we could, and she asked me at the end, "so what you are telling me is, That I will be able to meet and be with my baby again?" The spirit was so strong that I started to tear up. It was so neat to see her get this great plan that Heavenly Father has given us, and know that she can be with her baby again! We'll see what happens next with Jina!

Then on Wednesday we went to Huanuco for a Multizone Conference. President Henderson taught us. He is such a great teacher!! I love learning from him! I learned new ways to be a better missionary, and serve more effectively. I also learned some things that I have been doing that I shouldn't have done, but, I didn't know that, so I'll change those thing!! but yeah. I am learning everyday. 

I am trying to read and finish the Book of Mormon in Spanish by the time I have 7 1/2 months or 8 month. I do love reading it in Spanish. I think it's really helping my Spanish. After the Multizone Conference we had a multizone p-day. Everyone went to this huge soccer field, with turf, and we played soccer all afternoon and into the evening. Then went got ice cream (nothing like American ice cream) and then we got pizza, (again, the pizza was good, but nothing like American pizza). Again I've realized that I am not in America, and I am in Peru, and it's so different, and things here aren't going to be the same as at home! 

Last Tuesday, March 8th I hit 6 months and so I burned the tie!! Elder Daza, and our mini missionary named Ivan burned the tie while my dumb companion was downstairs lying in bed. He's just so lazy!  But it was pretty fun! Can't believe it's been 6 months!  

All in all it was a good week. This week will be good. We are going to try to go to a cool waterfall today if the other elders aren't too lazy. They're like a bunch of sloths eating some birthday cake (that's pretty lazy if you ask me).

Everyone have a good week. Miss you all!! Write to me!!!! I don't get nearly enough emails!! Just a reminder my email is .... lucas.christensen@myldsmail.net

Bye!!

Elder Christensen

Elder Christensen, mini missionary Ivan and Elder Daza

The traditional 6 month "Burning of the Tie" 

with Elder Daza

The beautiful Jungle of Tingo Maria in the background.

Elder Christensen looks pretty good too!

A crazy traffic jam somewhere.

Probably between Huanuco and Tingo Maria

The Elders are not allowed to travel this stretch of road in the dark

(hopefully they're not breaking any rules!)

It's a very dangerous stretch, and often times the road just slides away

from the mountain during heavy rainfall. And yes, they've been having

heavy rainfall for a few weeks and several roads in the area are washed away!

After the Multizone Conference in Huanuco the Elders went to this indoor 

turf field to play a little futbol!