Tell Me Your Friends....and I will Tell You Who You Are.

Good morning all!

Wow, we have had a busy week up here in Finland! It has been way good! I have loved being here in Espoo with Elder Weeks. He is my new comp. We dont have a huge mission so there are only two aps. We actually live in this place called Kauniainen. It is a tiny little (rich) town in the middle of espoo...which is the second biggest city in Finland. It is down right next to Helsinki. Kauniainen is the Wealthiest place in Finland. Lots of mansions and tesla cars. The Finland Temple and the Mission home are both in our area so we get to see those a lot!

My first day naturally was transfer day, so I got to help with transfers. One elder didnt get off his train at his stop and he didnt have a phone or anything, so we had no idea where he was for like 2 hours...but he was found in the end. We arent sure if he fell asleep or not...but that is my guess :) Then after a couple hours we went to the airport and picked up the new trainees fresh off their flight! they were super excited and they really energized me to become better. It is amazing how the people around us really do make us who we are. I think it was President Monson that gave this quote in his talk a while ago : "tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are" Little by little we will slowly become like those around us! Choose to be surrounded by people that make you better! One of the new trainees is actually named elder Kimball...same name as the elder I just trained last transfer. he was a super cool guy. We got these new missionaries all registered with the Finnish Government and answered all of their questions. Then that night we woke up at 4 and dropped off the missionaries that were going home at the airport! We had to drive this bus thing and a trailer. I felt so powerful driving that thing around. Backing up with the trailer was pretty tricky though.

We get to spend a lot of time with the Senior Missionaries too. we were in the office for 9 hours yesterday buying tickets for missionaries to travel to meetings. We helped one of them move an apartment this week. We used the big van again and had to take out the seats. I am pretty sure that each one weighed at least 400 pounds. 

My favorite part of the week was definitely sunday at church. There are two members who moved from my old cities that now live here. One from my very first place, seinäjoki...and the other from my second, Vantaa. The member from Seinäjoki is the person that I sat next to on my very first sunday in Finland. and also the person I ate christmas eve dinner with, and the person who I moved her to her new apartment way back over a year ago. She owned the heaviest dresser I have ever touched. I remember giving a talk the next sunday and tried to say my muscles were sore, but said something like I was in unbearable pain and she felt way bad. It was so nice to talk with her! I also got to share my testimony and introduce myself to the ward. Before I shared my testimony a young woman in the ward played Hallelujah on the violin, and I was thinking about all the blessings that I have, and why I would say hallelujah too. I think that the very biggest of these right now is that I can be serving a mission! Right here in Finland. I love this Gospel, I love Temples, I love Service. 

Our mission scripture this transfer is   17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. 

I dont know why I love these verses that talk about being cheerful so much but I just do. There is not a single thing that we can do in this life and not have the option to be happy doing it. I am so exited to see all of the miracles that happen this transfer! Our all is enough when we do all we can with the help of our Savior!

I love you all!

Love Elder Christensen

What is Your Promised Land?

Wow, what a crazy last couple of days! 

On saturday Oona was baptized!!! It was such a special day! She was so happy and feels so good! We do too! I have absolutely loved being able to teach her and help her to follow Jesus Christ! We were pretty stressed actually. We went the night before and took a look at the font and started cleaning it. When we turned it on dark orange water just came rushing out for about 15 minutes. I wish i had taken a picture...but it was horrific. But we ran it a ton, and after a while it turned into green, so that worked well. We made a homemade pool scraper thing and got all of the floaties too. 

Friday night right before the baptism on saturday we got our new transfer assignments. I will be leaving Pori! nooo! I am way sad. There are so many good things going on right now. I will be moving down to Espoo to be an AP! that is crazy. Friday night was the worst sleep I have had in my life. I think i might have pulled an all nighter. The only other time i slept similarly bad was the night before the championship of church ball, in my final season...but that time i ended up falling asleep eventually. There was so much to think about, I was super nervous for some reason, and i thought that when I tried to baptize Oona that I would slip and fall over into the water. I have like an old man body so seemed very realistic to me. Also I was thinking about my new assignment and the brown water and so much stuff. But it ended up being a wonderful baptismal service and I didnt fall!

President Aura sent me this quote today in his email : “God does not begin by asking us about our ability, but only about our availability, and if we then prove our dependability, he will increase our capability.”.

Wow, it is so true! I have seen so much in my own life how it all just starts with our willingness. Are we willing to be available to the Lord? 

Also, one way cool scripture that Oona shared with me: 1 Nephi 17:13 I asked her what her favorite verse in the Book of Mormon was. I was so stunned that it wasn't marked in my own scriptures. I even read this verse like 3 weeks ago in personal study. but now it is one of my favorites. 

13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.

I know that Heavenly Father is leading us! I love the words Promised Land. What is my Promised Land? I know that Heavenly Father has so much in store for each one of us...and land doesn't always have to mean physical land! substitute any blessing or just blessings in general in there. He is going to lead us there. He wants us to be happy. This place here in Finland.... It has been my promised land! The people we become, that is our promised land, the temple blessings we receive, that is our promised land. Way good verse. 

I tried out the crock pot. it tasted so good. I love you all!

Love elder Christensen

1 week away!

The Weekly...best time of the Week!

This was a glorious week for sure! We had 3 lessons with Oona and she is so ready! She bought a celebration dress this week to for her baptism. We are way excited. It will be this saturday! we still need to teach tithing but I am sure that she would welcome the news of receiving the opportunity to pay tithing and receive so many blessings! The little branch here is also really happy and they love her so much! She invited already 4 of her friends to come to the Baptismal Service and they said yes!

we also had a couple great first lessons this week. I have really been noticing the power of praying on our knees in lessons with our investigators. Elder Kimball and I really have put a focus on that in our lessons. it is such a special experience when we can do it on our knees. No better place to be able to pray to our loving Heavenly Father. One of these people that we taught really loved our message. He thought that everything we were saying was true. The Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, A loving Father in Heaven...He just didnt seem to feel that it applied to him. We invited him to read the Book of Mormon to really know. He starts talking about angels and how there are angels all around us. So I said that there is a reason that we are meeting with you, these same angels that are here all around us, and the Holy Ghost that is giving you those good feelings...they led us to you! This is your chance! He didnt want to do it though....But it was a good experience for me! There really are Angels out here with us, guiding us and protecting us. I havent thought a whole ton about that before, but I know that it is true!

We had splits with the Zone Leaders this week. One lesson in Particular that I really liked, this guy told to us that if someone was to be a prophet, then he would have to receive more and more revelation all the time. Exactly! Jesus Christ really does lead His church. He gives His Prophets and leaders so much guidance! Look at all the things that have happened in the past year. Little by little we are receiving what we are ready for. We told him about the Come Follow Me program, he was way excited, and even came to church with us...for the first time in a year! 

Sorry this is a short one. I cannot remember what happened this week. Also, I just got done sewing my pants again for the third time. not sure if i am a bad sewer or if I just keep falling, but we shall take notice these next couple days.
  

I have not been able to try out my crock pot yet. I bought it last week...but if anyone has good recipes, please share with me. I would greatly enjoy.

Love you all!

!

The Power to CHOOSE.

Wow, what a week. It was a way good one for sure! We spent 3 days down in Espoo where the mission home is and also the Temple! It was way good and lots of stuff was learned for sure! It is always the best when we can see everyone and catch up on the good ol' times as well! 

We had the biggest snow storm that I have ever seen this week in Pori. So much snow!! We didnt look outside our window sunday morning before we left for church and it was crazy. everyone's cars were trapped and you couldnt drive on the streets. Crazy stuff. We managed to get our car out and drive there following other peoples tracts and swerving and skidding around. Way scary stuff. I was sure that we were going to get stuck. So we made sure that we didn't drive the rest of the day for our safety, and the safety of others! Church was so good again! Sunday is just the best day for sure! Oona came to church again and she loved it. She fasted with us and really felt the spirit there once again! In Sunday school we talked all about Baptism! There is a marvelous work among the people here in Pori! We have a few lessons this week and she is getting ready for the 16th. We are way excited! We are going to be teaching some crucial commandments this week so fingers crossed that all goes well!

I had a way good experience this last p-day, right before we left for Espoo. We got everything ready and showed up to the train station 15 minutes early so that we could catch our train. but turns out there was no train there, nor would there be any train coming. Drats. So we called the AP's. Elder Jacobsen is an AP and I served with him and we are good buds, so everything worked out in the end. But it was quite the big problem and turns out that we were going to have to wake up at 4:30 the next morning and leave, and we were going to miss like the first hour of the meeting still. Jeez. So we decided that we would go contacting on the streets for the rest of the night. .....it was way icy. I was wearing my meeting shoes (no soles and no tread) because I thought we would be on the train...and I just slipping for the next 2.5 hours. every couple steps. slip, smash, ahhh, i would fall down. I would like to say that I have mastered the ability to not get mad, or get down on things...but I was approaching the level of not being able to control any longer...I had a great desire to lash out at something. And then I fell again. and this one was way bad. My Book of Mormon went flying and I think i broke my knees on the ice...but I laid there in the snow for a second, and the thought just came to my head "elder Christensen, you have two choices, you can choose to get angry, or you can choose to laugh" and I thought about it for a second...and then i just decided to laugh. It was one of the happiest moments of my mission. I 100% know that Heavenly Father wants us to have joy! He has given us the ability to choose. There is nothing that can stop us from choosing to be happy! NO matter what the circumstance is. I know that he loves us. 

(not the actual fall....this is a different one)

Other than that, we contacted this person on the street and turns out she was a member and we didnt realize. I have never seen her with a dog before so how could i tell? But we had a great chat and before we left we asked to say a prayer with her. During fast and Testimony meeting she bore her testimony about the power of Prayer and that little experience that we had with her. She said that is was the first time she said a prayer outside! She said that she felt so good after it and was able to think a lot of why prayer is so important! It is such a great gift from a loving Father in Heaven!

love elder christensen