success.at.last. !!‏

¡¡¡Holaaaaa!!!

Well, last week we weren't able to email, or have p-day, due to the
holidays. Kind of a gip, I know. BUT, its all good! I was able to
focus a little bit more. So... quite a lot has happened over the last
semana and a half! I have been keeping on my comp and sometimes
literally, dragging him around. We have been really starting to work,
and the blessings are showing. We have been walking a ton, mostly
hiking in my area, and we've been teaching quite a lot! We have been
teaching Claudio for about 2 weeks, and he is AWESOME. He has SO much
faith in our Savior, and this last Saturday, the 8th, he showed it in
the best way anyone could: He was baptized. :) Yesterday he received
the Holy Ghost in Sacrament meeting, and he couldn't be happier! He is
51 years old, doesn't have a family of his own, yet, and had problems
with the Word of Wisdom and Chastity, but he gave it all up to follow
Christ. We also had been teaching another investigator, Magda, this
last week as well. To make a long story short, she also showed her
faith in Christ by being baptized last Saturday as well!!! They both
wanted me to perform the ordinance, so.. I baptized them both! How
amazing!? Man, it was such a good day! However, with every "first
baptism" comes a story! So... hahah, here goes. They both passed their
interview, but they had to talk with the Mission President. We were
both pretty nervous that they wouldn't be able to be baptized! Phew,
they passed. So, come the night of their baptism, the program starts,
and the time comes for the baptisms. So I get in the water with
Claudio first. I say the prayer, dunk him, and afterwards my ZL Elder
Sperry tells me that his tie came up. Awesome. So, we do it again, but
this time I say the prayer wrong (without dunking him)! Crud. Sooo...
Finally, I did it all correctly, and he was baptized and cleansed from
all previous sin. Next up is Magda, and I asked her for her full name
and she told me: Magda Tejada Zevallos. I say the prayer perfectly
with her name, but before I dunk her my ZL tells me "bro, she has 4
names." What?? Um, okay, so he tells me: Magda IRENE Tejada Zevallos.
So I do it again. This time, I pronounce "Tejada" wrong. Goodness!!

SO, now I baptize her correctly with the full name, the correct
pronunciation, and the right prayer. Por fin! Hahaha, I just gotta
laugh about it, because the night before I had a crazy weird/bad dream
about my baptisms. I totally forgot the prayer, and one of our
investigators disappeared! So I think that kind of messed me up a bit.
But all is well! Its good timing for Magda because she is moving to
Chiclayo today! So, hopefully the missionaries there will teach her 3
kids well, and they can all one day be sealed as a family!

My first baptisms! And not only that, we have another this Saturday
with the mother of Claudio! She is in her 70's, and mainly speaks
Quechua. She understands Spanish, OK, but that's why we have Claudio
translating for us! We haven't been able to find Ronald, but we will
keep trying to find him to baptize him either this week or the next.
We only have 2 weeks left in this change! How weird? Also just
yesterday, we taught Hermana Flor who is a devout Catholic. We taught
her about Christ and the Book of Mormon, and then about the
Restoration. We taught her perfectly. If we hadn't have taught her the
way we did, she wouldn't have accepted a baptismal date for the 22nd,
the FIRST time we taught her! She has 2 kids, one that is 9, Luis
Angel, and 17, Kevin. We are hoping to baptize Luis with his mom, but
I don't know about Kevin yet. We have yet to talk with him. Oh man! And
apart from these people, there are a TON more to baptize! I want more
time here in Puno. This Thursday we have interviews with the President
and on Friday we have our Multi-Zone Conference. I will be able to see
my comp from the CCM, Elder Denhalter! I hope that he is doing okay,
and that the language is coming along for him. I will be asking for
more time I think in my interview because we finally have success.

Anyway I don't have much time! I love all of you so much. Keep me in
your prayers like you are doing! I truly am feeling them. Thank you
for your emails! And Mom, thank you for the Gilberts email, I cant
wait to get the newsletter! Please send me pictures! Geez! And send
that letter dad! Also, in the next package, I could benefit from a
lint roller. Also, mom, have you called Debby Eggleston? If not get on
it! Here's her number again: 8012326970. I love this work. I love my
mission so much! Cant wait to hear from ALL of you! I'll send pictures
later!

Cordially,
Elder Christensen

Some of the people that came to watch the baptism.

New Years!

Sunset, we rarely get these!

Claudio!

Magda!

Happy New Year!