"Come Follow Me," The Savior Said.

Family! And Friends!

How is everyone doing?? This week passed pretty quickly, doncha think? I think so, at least. Lets see, what all has happened in the last week…

This morning, the Whitton Family arrived to Cusco, and my comp and I went to pick them up from the airport. I had his camera and was filming all of the hugs, the tears, and the jokes cracked by his brothers. It was so great to see them all together. After hugging Elder Whitton for about 5 minutes, she looked at me and said, “You get one too!” She then gave me a big hug, but not anything like the ones I get from my own momma. :) First time I’ve hugged someone from the opposite sex in 11 months! (almost) So they’re here in Cusco and today I will be going with them to a place called the Moon Temple… Cool right? But anyway, so I was kinda trunky this morning.  Buuuut…. Its cool! I’m stoked for him.

Secondly and more importantly, we have been super busy with our office work. Haven’t been able to work a lot, that is, proselyte. But, ya know what? It paid off last night. Last night, we visited our convert, Anthoni, and his family. We were able to sit down and really talk with them. When I say family, I mean his brother and sister.  We had a really deep discussion on the Sabbath Day. Using our scriptures to help us, we showed them the genuine importance of this day. We were with Elder Whitton as well, seeing that his family got to Cusco this morning!!... But I’ll talk about that later. So anyway, we got to a point where his sister had a question. She asked, “But sometimes it can be hard, you know? To change. Like I had told you before, I belong to an organization, and I have a duty within that organization. I am a leader of the women that are of my age group, and older… In all of Cusco. They look up to me, and I can’t just leave them alone.” There was a moment of silence, then Elder Whitton told her of the young rich man we read of in the book of Matthew 19.  He asks Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life. Jesus answers him, “If thou shalt enter into life, keep the commandments.” The young man then says that he has kept the commandments since his youth, and asks, “What lack I yet?”. Christ then says something interesting. He says, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.” The reaction of the young man when he heard that, was disappointment. He walked away, sad. The call is the same for us, we should do all that we can to be able to come unto Him, and walk in his paths. When Medali heard this, she covered her eyes with her hand, put her head down, and started to cry.  She then started to open up to us and tell us just how confused she really is. She even said that she knows that if she prays that she will get an answer – and she knows what the answer is. She is just so afraid to abandon what she thought was right. Personally, I can feel that she knows that God exists and that Jesus Christ really is our Savior. I’ve seen her literally change over these 2 or so months.  Before, I really don’t think that she even believed in God. But now look! The power that this gospel has is INCREDIBLE. My heart really went out for her to see her so sad and confused, but she will leave all this confusion very soon. We continued to comfort her and her brother was a big help to her. He looked at her and said, “Sis, we’ll pray together tonight, ok?” When she heard that, I could just tell that it was such a comfort for her. He told us that he would be helping her, and he also expressed his love for us. He told us how much trust he has in us, and how grateful he is that we have been there for him and his family. He said, “You two have something about you, it’s like a power. I always feel comfortable with you, and I thank you for helping my little sister see the truth.”  He then continued to testify to the both of his siblings the truthfulness of the gospel, and it was powerful.  He, being the oldest, has a big influence on the family. I think I’m starting to realize just how big of an influence I have on our family. Before the mission I can truly say that I had no idea, but now, I really am starting to realize it. I don’t know why God had me be the oldest, but I can do my best to show my little bro’s the way. The way that I absolutely know is the right way. The way how we all can be together forever. I want each of you boys to really think about the importance of this gospel in our lives. This isn’t just some church, it’s THE church. You all need to realize the importance of it. I thank you, mom and dad, for being sealed in the temple and for having raised us kids faithfully in the truth. Each of you boys, make sure that you thank each of them personally for that. Without this church, there exists no faith, no hope, and no real happiness for this life. I cannot tell you the pure joy that I have when I see people see the truth themselves. It’s indescribable. I’m so grateful for my testimony that I have of this church, and I am forever in debt to my Savior for that. 

Anyway, that is whats going on here! I’m super happy and I will keep you updated on them. Thanks for writing me boys!!! I love to hear from you. But yeah, you have been writing me for like the last couple weeks, and that’s when I sent the letter! But really guys, it means a lot to hear from you each week. Thank you. I love you all more than you know! And mom, 1 year!!! ;) Hahaha don’t get too excited! Oh, and thanks so much for the compliments on my Spanish! You tend to learn it quite well when you have lived in Perú for about a year. :) Keep in touch everyone!

Hasta pronto... ¡Se cuidan!

                

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

My comp is trunkyyy... Hahaha‏

Buenas días mi familia y amigos!

Bueno, para empezar, creo que voy a escribir en español. Bien. Entonces, esta semana ha sido chévere. Hemos hablado con algunos de nuestros investigadores, y pusimos una fecha para sus bautismos, ¡y lo aceptaron! Van a ser bautizados el 7 de Agosto. Estamos muy alegres verlos tan dispuestos a seguir el ejemplo de Jesucristo. También, había un hombre que por la primera vez asistido la Iglesia. Uno de mis amigos me dijeron que sería mejor se pudiera acompañarlo en lugar de uno de los otros misioneros que asisten a nuestro barrio. Entonces, asi lo hice. El es un hombre muy inteligente. En nuestra clase del sacerdocio, hemos hablado del matrimonio eterno y de la importancia de ser sellados en el templo del Señor. Levantó su mano, y pregunto si podía decir algo. Dijo, “Este tema es algo que realmente me impacto. Yo no estaba divorciada hace mucho tiempo en la iglesia católica, y siempre he tenido la idea de que el matrimonio es algo más.. He sido invitado a la iglesia muchas veces, y he hablado con misioneros. Pero yo no quería venir, o no podía. Pero por fin, hoy día, decidí venir.. Y esto es justo lo que necesitaba oír. No sé por qué ustedes hablaban de esto hoy, pero no creo que es coincidencia. Personalmente, creo en todo lo que está diciendo. Gracias por todo.” ¿Pueden creerlo? Cuando escuche eso, wow. En mi mente dije, “En este momento, el sólo sentía un poco de lo que la Iglesia tiene para ofrecer.” Tenemos una cita el miércoles con él, y nos dijo que siempre somos bienvenidos a su casa. 

 TRANSLATION

(	Here is the first paragraph of Jordans letter we had a neighbor, Rachel, translate. Enjoy

Happy to. BTW his written Spanish is beautiful - thought you'd want to know. 

Well, to begin, I think I will write in Spanish. Good, so, this week has been cool. We talked with some of our investigators and challenged them to baptism, and they accepted!!! They will be baptized August 7th. It makes us so happy to see them so willing to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Also, there is this man who, for the first time in his life attended church. (I had a bit of trouble figuring out what he was trying to say on this sentence, so I translated it the way that made sense best to me.) One of my friends told me that it would be better if we take him to another ward of one of the other missionary companionships of our district. (Apparently this man is intelligent and the advice given to Jordan was so that this man could attend a ward where doctrinal discussions might be more in depth.) So, that's what we did. This is a very intelligent man. In our Priesthood class we were talking about Eternal marriage and the importance of being sealed in the temple. He raised his hand and asked if he could say something. He said "This concept in one that really impacts me. I haven't been divorced very long in the Catholic church, but I've always had the idea that there is more to marriage. I've been invited to The Church many times and have talked to the missionaries. But I have not wanted to come, or haven't been able to. But finally, today, I decided to come. And this is exactly what I needed to hear. I don't know why you decided to talk about this today, but I don't think it is a coincidence. Personally, I believe everything that you have been saying. Thanks for everything." CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!?!? When I heard that, WOW. In my mind I thought, "In that moment, he felt only a little of what the gospel has to offer.." We have an appointment with him this Wednesday and he said we are always welcome in his home.)

Alrighty then, enough with spanish. If you cant read that, then call Rachel over to have her translate it. :) Or, you could use the internet. Haha. So, that’s basically whats happening right now here in Cusco. That guy really is so awesome. Its only time until he is baptized! He unfortunately lives in another area, so we will pass the reference along, but with permission, we as well can go teach him! He was so nice! He’s very interesting and looks very professional. He knows almost all of California, and he actually spent a month in Salt Lake! He said he studied for a little while there. I have so many questions for him! Its weird, because my comp and I both felt like we had seen him before. I can’t wait to meet with him in his home.

How are things going back in the states? How I miss the summer :( Its pretty cold here in Cusco. At least it feels like it. Especially here in my office, it feels like a cave! There are no windows were the sun can shine in. Being outside and walking is okay. But we have to use a heater here because it gets so cold.

We had Elder Uceda of the Seventy here in Cusco! He went to Juliaca and Puno, where Elder Nash couldn’t visit. He came here and attended church in our chapel, but in the other ward. Anyway, he came to eat lunch with us at the President Carrasco’s house! (Yes, President Carrasco is the person you saw in that article!) He also came with his wife and daughter, Olga Ines. We were able to sit down and all talk (us elders in the office) with his family. They have 5 kids, and the one they were with is the youngest. We got talking, and found out that they lived in New Jersey for 7 years! Olga speaks perfect English, and it was fun to talk with her. Elder Uceda has such a powerful spirit, and is very humble. It was great to hear their story of how they met, and to receive precious counsel from a General Authority. It made me truly reflect on my mission. How precious this time is! I cannot waste any of it. The Adversary is so very aware of each of us as missionaries, and his mission is to make our mission a failure. However, when we are obedient, it makes turning down temptations a lot easier. I have been learning to do so. To make the right choices. I have a HLJ ring on my finger that I have worn all my mission. HLJ is CTR in Spanish.I bought it in Lima, and have worn it ever since. Being on my mission it reminds me more than ever how important it really is to avoid temptations and choose the right. Haz lo justo!!  

Well, I sure love you all. I hope everyone continues to stay healthy, unlike Bridger, haha. Poor guy, I feel bad. Hopefully the surgery goes well. Send him my love! And mom, if you had to really ask if it makes me trunky to know that you all will be going to Lake Powell TOMORROW, on Josh’s new house boat, no. It doesn’t trunk me out. LIE. Of course it does!!! I’m so jealous… Thanks for rubbing it in. I just want to go somewhere warm when I get my 7 ½ months over with in the office!! (Crossed fingers… Jungle, jungle, jungle…) Haha. While I’m speaking trunkily, when I get out of the office, I will have 16 months and will only be missing another 7 ish more to come home. Hows that for trunky? Hahaha, nah, I really don’t get trunky. Its very difficult to take my sight off the work and stay focused. So don’t worry :) Anyway, stay in touch. I hope to hear from you soon! It’s never too late to repent and write poor Elder Christensen., hahaha. Have a wonderful week, I’ll talk to you soon! 

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

Living the Dream.

And just like that… Another transfer is gone! Transfer week is here! Its official… Time goes by so much faster when you work in the office. Its truly insane. I have never felt time go by like this! We have lately been really busy in the office and on Thursday last week we were in the office ALL day. We as elders in the office have been informed of the changes in the mission as of that Thursday, and it looks like this change will be quite interesting! A lot of missionaries going up to Zone Leader, seeing that many Zone Leaders will be finishing their mission this change. The next transfer falls on the 23^rd of August. Now that transfer will be even more interesting! Almost all the rest of the ZL’s are finishing then. My companion, Elder Williams, will be finishing then as well. Looks like we will be together for this next transfer, and I will see him off! My other good friend, Elder Ruiz from Chile, will be finishing tomorrow!! Crazy. He has been such a great Assistant. He will be very missed. I am almost guaranteed 5 changes working here in the office. Today, President told me that I have at least 4 more transfers. So… if I stay for 5, then the last day of the 5^th transfer will be the 27^th of December… Meaning that I will be in the office for Christmas!! I hear that its truly awesome being here for Christmas. But, I guess we’ll see what happens!

So, the work is still going well. We have just been really busy in the office this past week due to transfers. I’ve been going crazy with all the financial issues I have to deal with, but I am indeed getting the hang of it. Its still really stressful, but I am confident that I will have it down this transfer.  Oh, and President just told me that we will be getting audited next week! Yay! Time to stress out. Haha.

So, on Saturday we had a full P-Day due to the fact that we as the office have to work today. It was nice to have a full P-Day for a change. So we just basically bummed around. We went to a gym at a members home in the morning (SO awesome to lift weights and bench again), we came home and ate breakfast, showered, and cleaned the apartment. Then we went to the center and I bought a t-shirt and a photo album to put all my pictures in. It was a good day! Then, at 7 that night, an investigator that the sisters here have been teaching asked me to baptize him! It was a really awesome service, with tons of members, missionaries, and family that attended. We ran into some difficulties with our bishop because I guess one of the elders in the office forgot to mention that we were going to have a baptism that Saturday. He was pretty upset, so we talked with the stake pres as well, and we got everything figured out and I baptized him. His name is Johannes, and he’s about 22 years old. Great guy with a strong testimony. :)

This week overall has been pretty average… Nothing really new to report. We haven’t met with Anthoni’s family this week, but we found out where they are building their house so I’m pretty sure sometime this week we will be helping them out! Should be pretty fun. I find such joy when I give to others. I love to give service and to help out those in need. This mission has really taught me so much about life, who I am, and who I want to be. I don’t have too much time to write today, but just know that you all are always in my prayers. Mom, I sent a CD filled with pictures that I had taken from my 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and part of my 5^th transfer. I will have to send you another one sometime soon with the pics from my 6^th, and pics from the 7^th transfer that I am starting tomorrow!

I have been learning so much being here in the office and with my comp. Elder Williams and I have a lot of fun! He is a great worker, and I’m grateful to be his companion for these short three months we have together. He is a big nerd, hahaha. For sure. He will be going to UVU when he returns, so you will have to see him somehow! He is getting realllly trunky haha, but I don’t blame him. He still works, and we have success, but he is pretty excited to be home. His mother is from Lima actually, and his father is from the states. We seem to get along pretty well, but just like every companionship, we have our disagreements.. but we overcome them as well. I love him and he is a great example to me.  I find such joy when I give to others. I love to give service and to help out those in need. This mission has really taught me so much about life, who I am, and who I want to be. I lately have come to realize the great importance of my call as a missionary. It seems like every so often, like every few months or so, I realize who I really am. I am a missionary for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I represent His church, and my family. It’s surreal to me that I am actually doing that which I have always dreamed since I was a kid. This mission is changing me. I’m learning to turn away temptations more easily. I’m learning to make the best choices, and not to just settle for the “good” or the “better”. I am living the dream.

Keep the faith everyone. You're in my prayers. 

-- ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

Diá.de.Independencia‏

Hello everyone!! HAPPY AMERICA DAY!!!!! I love the 4th of July. We just need to find fireworks now....

So, this week was awesome. I really enjoyed it, well, most of it!

Lets see, so, the conference with Elder Nash was so great. I loved to be able to listen to him for the last time in probably a while. He has been reassigned to Salt Lake, to work in what I believe he told me was family history..? Don’t quote me on that, I don’t remember. But I know that he will be moving to Salt Lake indefinitely. I had the chance to talk to him for a little bit personally and it was awesome. He is a powerful speaker. He speaks Spanish perfectly! I remember when he came to the CCM to give a fireside, and I couldn’t understand like half of what he said. Now, I can understand every word! Its SWEET! Anyway, he is from Seattle, and has 5 kids I think? He has a stare that penetrates to your very soul! But he told me, “Elder, I love your spirit. We need you. How much time do you have in the mission?” I told him I have ten months, he smiled and nodded his head, then he told me to keep working hard and continue to serve faithfully. I told him to have a safe flight, and he got in the car and left with the Pres. He absolutely loves Cusco. He said it’s his favorite city in Perú, and that he hopes to be able to come back someday.  Anyway, he taught us about the Atonement. It really made me think. Do we really understand Christ’s sacrifice? Do we really know that it’s real? For me as a missionary, I’m barely scraping the surface as to what the Saviors atonement really is, and what it means for me. I try my best to help my investigators to understand it, and in the simplest manner possible. But even then, I find it hard to actually explain the infinite power, and the real importance it is for each and every one of us. I watched a video that one of the missionaries had, its called, “The Most / El Puente”. El puente means the bridge in English.  It’s a really good short video that puts Christ’s sacrifice in perspective. Have the fam watch it sometime!

On Saturday, we had an awesome half p-day. We hiked up to a place called the Devils Balcony at around 6:30am. It’s a giant cave, with a river flowing through it. We scaled our way down into the cave, which required dropping something like 9 feet to flat, and jumping from rock to rock avoiding the water. I just thought it was a cave, but it turned out to be a tunnel type thing. Afterwards, we followed the river for over an hour, when we realized that we really didn’t know where we were.. Whoops… So, we hiked up the canyon and eventually found a pathway, followed it, talked to some natives that for some reason live way up in the country, and asked them how to get to the city. We finally made our way back at around 11am. My ankle was hurting pretty bad when we got back, but its feeling better now. I woke up on Sunday and my legs were completely dead… We really hiked soo much. But the cool thing, is that a KFC opened here!!! We were all way stoked, and we went there to eat. My goodness… It’s incredible. The only thing they are missing is Root Beer!! :/ But it was amazing nonetheless. After that, we went to a baptism, and then continued our day as normal. Now today, Independence Day, we are going to be playing soccer, going to a free museum, and eating as a zone at KFC! So stoked. Its been a good week! Except, last night, I had a weird stomach ache. I felt like I was going to throw up so I stayed home with another elder. I didn’t though, and when I woke up today, I felt better. Pretty weird, but hey! I’m good.

Anyway, the work continues to move forward here in our Chasqui Ward, as we continue to teach Anthony’s family, visit our other recent converts, and continue to find new investigators. We are hoping that we can baptize Anthony’s sister within the next couple weeks, so we will see how it goes. Oh, and a girl from Spain is writing me! How cool is that? Her name is Lola, and she is writing my comp, but she saw me in one of his pictures and she found out who I am and got my address. Haha, sweet, right?

I was able to call Johnny and talk for a little bit, get his address, and catch up. He apparently  forgot his Book of Mormon in Juliaca. Fantastic. He says that he actually misses Perú, as much as he wanted to get out of here. I told him that I would be sending missionaries his way, I just needed his address. So, he was okay with that, so I called the Texas Ft. Worth Mission, and passed the reference along. They were quite surprised to get a call from Perú! I believe it is mostly senior missionaries that work in the offices, and the sister that answered the phone was like, “You’re calling from where?!” Hahaha, I laughed pretty hard, but she told me that they have really great missionaries that are working in his area, so I sure hope they can find and teach him!... Hopefully better than I did.

I love this gospel and I know that the Atonement is real. It has gotten me to where I am today. I know with all my heart that this is the true church, and that we are doing His work.  I love the mission more and more every day! I can’t believe in almost a year I will be home. Insane. I continue to work hard and strive to do His will. I have learned that we as missionaries are here to be molded into the men that the Lord would have us be. But, WE have to let him. I have given myself to the Lord, and I can feel His hands working in me. I love everything about this gospel, and can’t wait to keep sharing it day in and day out!

Keep the faith, I love you all. Hasta la proxima semana. Los amoooo!!!

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

[The 168 hours gone by]‏

Another great week has come and gone!

So, to start things off, last Saturday we were blessed to have the baptism of Anthony. His service was so great, and his whole family was able to attend! His mother, father, brother, and sister. None of them are members, but the dad and his sister are starting to show interest. In fact, just last night we went to visit them. We got to their house to find that his father was sick in bed. He is from the jungle, Puerto Maldonado, and when it gets cold here, it’s easy for him to catch a cold. So we talked with Anthony about the importance of prayer, and then his dad woke up. He can really talk. He talked to us for like another hour, after we had finished at 8. We got out of there at 9, having learned more about him. He told us that if we had came like 20 years ago, he would have already been baptized and faithful in the church…!! Well, I told him that really its not a matter of time with the Lord. He is always there with His arms open and ready to receive us. I tried to clear up some of his doubts with the time we had, and he told us that he wants us to keep visiting him, and that he commends us for what we do as missionaries. He said that when he looks at my comp and I, that he sees unity and love. He said that it doesn’t matter to him what people say, because really, they can say anything. But when people show it with their works, that is what matters to him, and that’s what is important. And for that, he is grateful for us. That made us feel pretty good! They are also building a house, so we told them a while ago that we would be more than happy to come and help them. So I think that this week sometime we will be building a house! Legit! But all in all, we are hoping that we will be able to teach this family and to help them find the joy that this gospel brings to each and every one of us.

So, something cool is happening tomorrow! Elder Marcus B. Nash is coming to our mission! So were getting everything ready for when he comes. We’re putting on a conference for him, and at first, we were going to have 2. But, because the situation in Puno/Juliaca has gotten worse, he won’t be traveling down to give the conference there. Bummer… But the rest of the mission will be coming for the conference tomorrow. Being in the office should be cool, I’ll have time to meet him and talk with him. Pretty stoked!! :)

As for Puno… So, apparently, the strike has gotten worse. The President and his wife, along with the assistants were going to be flying to Juliaca for interviews and the multi-zone conference. So I bought them the flight tickets and all that.. The only bad part is that the protestors burned the airport, and they killed 6 people. Well, 5, but an officer shot one of them out of protection. One guy that died lived close to the airport, so he went up on the roof to check it out. He was shot. It’s pretty intense. The missionaries haven’t really been able to leave much to appointments, but from what I hear, it might be calming down. So needless to say, they wont be using those tickets. Awesome. Haha.

I’ll be coming home as well with a couple small scars on my palms due to some really weird bug bites… They start to itch  way bad, and then they turn into blisters. Very strange. Our pensionista freaked when I showed them to her, hahaha,she was like, “Elder!! Get those out of my face!! Don’t put that over my carrots!” Oh man, but she’s really great. To answer your questions dad, even though I think I answered a few of them already haha, there are 6 of us elders living in the apartment. The assistants, secretary of materials, secretary of records, personal secretary to the president, and me! The financial secretary. We live in an apartment above that of which lives the stake presidents family. He is also the doctor for the mission. In comparison to the rest of what I’ve had, where we live now is fantastic! And yes, she cooks the meals, but we all help her out in the kitchen – of course. We do dishes, clean the table, etc. And we basically make ourselves breakfast. A fried egg, or cereal, or fruit, or leftovers… it just depends! Haha. They both do our laundry, her and her husband. Anyway, about my health… I really feel better. It’s just the constant cough that I’ve had since before the mission, and it’s because of my nose! There really are no other symptoms… well, as of now at least. So yeah, get your feet better dad, so you can keep riding! That’s really weird. Hopefully you can get that all figured out! Oh, a member here helped change the blog around. I saw that it hasn’t really been kept up to date, so if you could ask Patrice if she could do that, I would appreciate it!

And mom, thank you very much for that email. It was so great to read that. I hope you know how much I appreciate the emails I get from you and dad both. I always look forward to them. I just wanted to thank you! And don’t worry about writing a lot, you can! Because I can just print them off here in the office! As far as snail mail, I haven’t gotten a letter in a good month or so, but it’s all good. As long as I hear from you guys, I’m happy. :) I miss you and love you all so very much. I continue to pray for your well being and progression... Spiritually as well as temporally. I’m keeping my eye on the prize, and I keep on loving my mission. I will try to put more of my trust in the Lord, knowing that He is always there for me.

Take care everyone, till next week!!

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

P.S. Enjoy the pics! The panoramic, is of the Plaza De Armas. It was apparently like Cusco's birthday or something because they had an insanely huge program where they showed the Incan culture and all that. Pretty cool! And we met some members from Idaho! They gave us skittles and starburst!!! And there's the one of me, with a lot of money. :) Hahaha

¡¡Happy Fathers Day!!‏

Hello my dear loved ones…

This week has been good! Went by pretty quick as well… Lets see… What has been going on recently?

Our investigator, Anthony, attended church yesterday so that was great! He will be baptized this Saturday! His interview will be this week, and he is awesome. He truly is prepared, and he has accepted every single commitment we have extended to him, and is super stoked for his baptism Saturday! It feels great to be having success, as well as working in the office, more than sometimes half the day. These are the blessing that we receive for sacrificing so much of our time for missionaries. For example, yesterday, I had to leave church and investigators to run to the office to pay for a missionaries operation. He had his appendix removed, and he was ready to leave, but couldn’t without the bill being paid. So I had to go do that and leave everything. It’s a pain, but the Lord has been blessing us. I know it, I have seen it happen so many times. We are teaching his sister as well, who is a Buddhist. She has been loving every one of the lessons she has heard, and we have only taught the Word of Wisdom, Law of Chastity, and Tithing. We want to now give her a good background on how the church was founded and teach her about the Plan of Salvation. She is awesome, and is super interested about the church. :) I love this gospel! We have been finding people left and right. We fasted as a companionship because we weren’t able to the first Sunday. But the day we ended our fast, we challenged 3 people to baptism and they all accepted! The only thing is that two of them aren’t married. They have been living together for about 5 or 6 years, without marriage! But, they seem to be willing to do whatever they need to, to be in harmony with the gospel. Such great times are happening here in Cusco!!!

Now dad, I (basically) know what’s wrong with my health. I’m pretty sure it’s the same cough that I’ve had since before the mish, and that’s because of my nose. I would suggest sending Claratin. Consult some docs in the ward, but I’m pretty sure that’s what I was prescribed in the first place but never really used it faithfully. But I talked with the Stake Pres, our pensionista’s husband, and he said they might have to do some sort of operation on the inside of my nose… Jaja, don’t get all freaked out, its not some for sure thing, but he said that it’s very possible. We go to a very nice hospital here in Cusco, and if I need surgery, then I would feel very comfortable. Although, I would be awake. That’s the scary part! He kind of explained the surgery, and it sounds like I would hear everything going on.  But hey, gotta do whatcha gotta do. I’ll keep you informed.

Anyway, things are going great. Really! I have heard from Eric and he is in the office in his mission too! That’s way cool. I miss that kid! But I can email him, because our Pres says that we can email missionaries. So I’ll try to get an email off to him as well.

Our apartment is way cool. I need to take and send some pics in the next email next week. The only thing is that the Peruvians just have difficulties with the showers! I You may NOT touch anything that is metal, or you WILL be shocked. Jaja, you gotta be real careful turning the knobs in the shower, because they’re half metal, and half plastic. We recently bought a new shower head, because somehow electricity shot down through the water sometimes. That’s always fun. If you weren’t awake before, after you were for sure.

Anyway, enjoy the pics! On Saturday we went to this place called Qorikancha, here in Cusco. Look it up! Its pretty cool. It’s a Cathedral that was built upon ancient Incan Ruins. On my spoon, is a shrimp in its entirety, and the dog is a Peruvian dog (the species that’s pure Peruvian. No hair. Ugliest things ever). I hope you all have a wonderful week! Thanks for all you do for me. I appreciate it a ton. Oh by the way, I don’t know when you will be sending another package, but send that film camera! I would really really appreciate it!

TANNER!!! Happy Birthday buddy!!! I hope you had such a wonderful day today! I’m so glad I get to write you today! 11 years old, wow. It seems like it was just yesterday when I had the chance to baptize you… 3 whole years ago! In a year, you will have the priesthood! That’s super exciting man. You guys are all growing up without me!! Have so much fun Tan man.

And Dad, Happy Fathers Day. I sure missed you yesterday. Especially sitting in church hearing the talks on fathers. You have always been there for me, and I am so blessed to have such a wonderful father. Your talk that you sent me was amazing. Honestly, you did such a good job. I felt like I was reading from the Liahona (Ensign) or something! I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a few pointers last week, I was rushed, but you didn’t need any of my help! You did great. I hope the boys realize how blessed that we are. I want to take my future wife to Perú so she can see what it’s like. Then I’ll tell her that when were poor and I’m going to med school or something, that it’s not all that bad! We are so so blessed boys. Always be willing to give dad a hand. He deserves it. He’s done everything for us, and we owe it to him! I love you dad. You’re the best I ever had! Oh, and by the way, I do remember saying that "My dad can fix anything!" Oh wow, that was a long time ago. I was so ignorant wasn't I? Jajaja just kidding pops. :)

Take care everyone! I miss you all so very much. Jaja, mom, you’re too funny.. Don’t think you’re being selfish by saying that… You’re the best. I can’t believe in just a short year I’ll be back home. Wow. I have such little time left! That means I gotta get crackin. I will “actually” hit the year mark in a couple months, but I am taking the knowledge that I have gained so far, and I’m using it to my advantage. Here’s some Spanish for y’all… Me encanta este evangelio tanto. He aprendido más en estos diez meses de lo que yopensaba que era posible! Yo sé que siempre digo eso, pero es verdad! Yo no quisiera estar en otro lugar en el mundo que donde estoy ahora. Sé que el Señor me llamó a servir aquí, y me encanta mi misión más de lo que se puede describir. Hasta la proxima semana! 

Tu hermano, hijo, y amigo...

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

From Cuzco, With Love

This week was a pretty good week. Besides the fact that I have still been pretty sick, its been great! Lets see.. Where to start… Well, first off, the elders that were here from Puno all were finally sent back, after being here for 11 days.  They’re all back to working in their old sectors. As for us in the office, we now have a lot more peace in our apartment. The unity notch has been turned up as well in the office. Before, there wasn’t a whole lot. But now, we’re working out the kinks and were gettin down to business. We’ve started to have a weekly inventory where we all get together and just sit down to try and work out any problems that we have. Its really cool.

Sometimes I don’t feel too much like a missionary when we are in the office so much. That is kinda hard, but we try to do all that we can so that we continue to feel like missionaries. I miss being out in the field 24/7. I do, but then again, I cant complain. We have so many privileges being in the office. We had a meeting with the Pres last week, and he straight up told us that we are very lucky to be in the office working. He said that he doesn’t just choose any missionary to work here, but he chooses the best. That made me feel really good, to be told that by president. So pretty cool!

Anyway, this last Saturday, we had a baptism! Her name is Alicia, and we have been teaching her for only a few weeks. She decided to be baptized in Sicuani, which is where her parents live. We were able to travel to Sicuani, because she wanted me to baptize her. We traveled to Sicuani, which is about 3 hours away, and we had the elders that are working there help us get the font and everything set up. It was a great program. The only part that was bad, was that the water heater broke. So, I had to baptize her in ice water! She could have cared less about the temperature, but being sick, the ice water sounded a lot less attractive to me. Oh well, I said, and we stepped into the water. The first foot in sent goosebumps across my entire body.. We stepped completely in, practically shivering, and I set her up. Her wrist in my hand, and her hand on my wrist, you know how it goes. Then I started the prayer. But I kid you not, as soon as I started that prayer, the cold disappeared. Completely. I even felt a warmth… It was so strange, but I continued, finished, and baptized her. Even walking out of the font, I felt no cold! What an amazing experience. I will never forget that baptism. The following day, yesterday, she was confirmed a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The situation about if we’ll be kicked out or not is still up in the air. We as missionaries are way out of the loop, but I feel like we will stay. I don’t think that he would be so crazy as to do something like that, but then again, he was buddy buddy with the president of Venezuela, and he kicked the North Americans out of his country… So I guess we’ll find out! I’m not worried though.

I’m so glad to hear that you are all doing well! Why did you have Tanners party already? He’s still like a week shy of his birthday? I got all the pics dad, thanks! But try to set up Flickr if you can. Lots easier and my inbox doesn’t get crammed with pictures. That’s awesome that Bridge had such a good time! I’m stoked that him and Eth loved it so much. And dad, about what you were telling me, give Bridge a high five for me alright? Haha, too great. :)  

So, all in all, this week has been good and my time here in the office continues to improve. I am learning more, and I’m starting to get a hang of it. Its pretty stressful, but that’s okay. It’s a part of the job! Jaja, I love the mission. I don’t know if I have told you guys this yet, but I will be coming home a change early so that I can start school in August. So, I will be home in July sometime next year. Crazy huh? Next month I can basically say I’ll be home in a year! If I don’t come back a transfer early, I would get home the end of August, and that just won’t work. I want to hit the ground running as soon as I’m back. That means working and going to school. Sound good? :)

Anyway, I hope is well with all of you. Miss you guys a ton! Hope this week is a good one, and Bridge, don’t forget to email me, a’ight? :) Love you all so much! Keep in touch…

Your Peruvian missionary, brother, and buddy…

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

p.s. enjoy the pics, that Rottweiler is our bishops.. and it's just a baby! And he likes to play... with his teeth.

Perú is crazy.‏

Holaaa a todos...!!

Well, I’m sorry for not being able to write you guys yesterday, got pretty busy again. So, now I figured I would take some time to get you guys caught up on things here in Perú!

First off, mom I did receive the three bags. So, I don’t know who took the perfect pushups. The package might have been opened up somewhere along the way and someone stole them. Bummer, huh? But don’t worry about them too much, they’re not a huge necessity.

Well, mom, I didn’t really say anything about the elections because I didn’t want to freak anyone out… But yeah. Ollanta doesn’t have too great of a reputation here. Some people (Peruvians) love him, and some hate him as well. >From what we hear, he will be in office on the 28^th of July, and, well, were not too sure on whats gonna happen after that. We’ve heard from many people that he will be shipping us out one way or another, and some say it’s just rumors. But, keep researching about what he will do… If you can, forward me news reports on what you hear. Elder Whittaker is here with me and he said that his parents told him about a Deseret News report on the political situation. We’re all a tad bit worried, so let me know so I can tell the missionaries whats goin down… And about the riots… As far as we know as sheltered missionaries, it might continue starting up again tomorrow, and if it does, the missionaries that were taken out probably will be permanently reassigned to a different area. But from what I heard is that its pretty crazy down there. I guess the reason is that a mine somewhere down there is contaminating Lake Tittikaka and they’re super ticked. People bashing in windows to stores and stealing everything they can. And as of now, a sum of like 20 million dollars. And then all of the banks that have been burned down, as well as threatening to KILL people that try to leave. But all of the North American missionaries are out of there, and its just the Latinos that are staying… for now. It’s just so much fun here in Perú!! But as of in Cusco, there are no riots, and everything is pretty normal. I feel very safe in my area, probably the safest I’ve felt so far. We are in an area where the people are quite wealthy, actually. So don’t you worry about me okay!? I’m completely safe, and comfortable… for probably the first time in the mish…! Jajaja

My cold is basically the same, not changing very much. Still got the cough, and at night, some weird bugs bite me! I showed the stake pres what they were, (he is a doc, and my neck/arms/hands are covered in bites) and he said they were some type of flying bug. They itch like crazy!!

About the money, I will be keeping track of it. My bad!

I’m so glad that Eth had a great time at EFY! Props buddy, way to meet the chicks! I hope Bridge is having a great time as well, be sure to send him my love.

Right now, there is an Elder Smith with me, training me all of the things that I didn’t really learn how to do. I was supposed to have 3 weeks of training, and only got 2. So, President called Elder Smith, the Financial Secretary that was before Elder Samuelson, and told him to come up and give me a hand. I have been super stressed and this is a hard job to get a hang of. But, I know that with time, I will have it down pat.

So anyway, that’s about all that’s going on as of now. We continue to teach our investigators, and we try to keep a good balance of time in the office and out in the field. We have a baptism coming up this Saturday, so were stoked about that! And a few more next week! I sure hope they all go through! My comp and I are getting along well! We have so much fun together, and I know I shouldn’t… but the jokes are hard to avoid. ;) It’s all in good fun though, and I love the kid. He will be going home in August actually! So just two more changes, then I’ll have another comp. If we get kicked out of Perú, I better get to Machu Picchu real quick, huh? Jaja. I love you all! Keep my investigators in your prayers please! And me too, if you have time. : ) Thanks so much for all your support. I pray that if we do actually get sent back to the states and not to another country like Ecuador, Chile, or Bolivia, that I will be happy about it. Lets just cross our fingers and put our trust in the Lord. I love my mission!!!

Until next week!! 

--
ELDER CHRISTENSEN
Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cuzco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 084-242-521

RPM #623574

Long day in the office...‏

Well, (cough, cough) this week has been really crazy. I’m sick, hence the cough cough. Sorry for not being able to write you on Monday! We literally had ZERO time to do anything because of the changes. We were stuck doing our shtuff. So yeah! That’s why you´re getting this today.

It was great to hear from all of you! Thank you again for the package. But… My perfect pushups were not in there.. I thought you had forgotten, but after I read the email I guess they were stolen. I don’t know how… But that’s way weird. But I am enjoying the Mac ´n Cheese, as well as the rest of the treats! So THANKS!!!

So, some pretty crazy stuff is happening here in the mish. First of all, there are some crazyyy riots in Puno/Juliaca. Guess I got out of there just in time, eh? Literally, it’s bad. Banks have been burned down, the post office, as well as robbing electronic stores and all that. People are being taken hostage, and yeah. It’s pretty intense. So, this morning, all of the white missionaries were taken out of there and got here today.  So my buddy, Elder Whittaker got here from Puno where he was serving! We have been catching up and having a good time. Love that guy.

We have been going crazy these last like 4 days. Having to get everything ready for all the new missionaries that got here yesterday, setting up the change meeting, and just getting business done. I remember being in the greenies spot like it was yesterday! Honestly, the last time I was in Presidents house, was when I had barely gotten to Cusco. Now I’m in the elder’s shoes who were training me! I had to train them with everything! It was really neat to be able to do that and answer all the questions they had. We also have a ZL meeting today, so all of the ZL’s in the mission are here just chillin till tonight I think. I have had to go with them to feed them dinner, and recently breakfast. (Remember how I’m in charge of money? Haha, yeah I have to pay for even that.)

 I’m still learning some things that I have to know how to do, and Elder Samuelson will be leaving here soon. He has a change to Quillabamba and will be training a new elder. He is actually going to Whittaker’s old area, because he was there. So he was filling him in on some things about the sector. I’m pretty sure that Whittaker will be working here in our sector, and they don’t leave until Monday or so. But yeah the last couple days I have also been waking up at like 5:30am to send elders that are done with the mission, home. Some days we go to bed past 12, but I still gotta wake up! So, that’s what we had to do today, and…. I’m way beat. But it was cool because afterwards we went to McDonalds for breakfast. :) I didn’t mind that!

On to another subject… So, Dad, I don’t know if you noticed yet or not, that like 145 dollars are not in the account… That is my fault. I went to the ATM to take out a bit of money, and I accidentally pressed the wrong button.  It looked like I pressed the “other amount” button, but apparently I pressed the “400” button.  I tried to cancel it, but it was too late. So, the money isn’t missing, I have it. I don’t know what you want me to do, I might be able to find a way to put it back in the account, just email me back real quick after you get this. If you just don’t want to worry about it, then I could just use some of the money to send a package home, and I just won’t take money out for a while. Let me know! And I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!

So, to answer a few of your questions, our house doesn’t have heat, but its not that cold at night actually. We do have heaters though!  The conditions are exponentially nicer!! Haha. Our ward is really cool, with a lot of faithful members. The mission home is about 10-15 minutes away from our apartment. On a typical morning, we take care of reimbursements, take account of all the money we have in the safe, take money out from the bank, make wire transfers, umm, we also update a lot of things that have to do with the mission/finances. I couldn’t really tell you how a typical morning is until I stop getting trained in everything. We pay all the bills, and really, I’m in charge of every cent in the mission! Its pretty stressful, not gonna lie. But I am sure learning a lot about the mission, and about how things work! I love it. :) Yes, we do have an area that we are assigned to, and we try to work every afternoon, but, sometimes we just can’t. It’s pretty crazy how much time we sacrifice to help out other missionaries. There are 6 elders living in our apartment, but right now, it’s a lot more with how hectic the changes and as well as the missionaries that are here for the ZL meeting/training. TONS of missionaries here. I try to read the BOM, as well as PMG before getting to the office, and if I don’t then I try to do it before I start working here. Hermana Carrasco cooks really well. She cooks a lot of meat, rice, veggies, and desserts! There was a dinner we had a few nights back, and it reminded me of your cooking dad! Oh man, so delicious. We eat a lot of cereal, eggs, bread, etc. in the mornings.

Anyways, I should probably get going. Lots of stuff I still gotta learn! I know you sent a couple of packages in a single month, but I hope that you could be able to send my camera, the film one sometime! I really would like to have that. And Dad, yes, I did get all of those pictures! But I think that Flickr would be a lot better. All of the pictures in one place, not scattered around in emails. Ya know?

I love you all!!!! Keep in touch, and tell gram and gramps to write me, I miss them! From the both sides of the family. I got Mikes postcard, tell him thanks!! Miss that guy. Oh, and also give my thanks to Grandpa Whimpey. I am very grateful for that. Very! Just send everyone my love.

Your Peruvian son, bro, and friend...

ELDER CHRISTENSEN

Secretario Financiero

Misión Perú Cusco

(51) 984-503-861

(51) 84-242-521

RPM #623574