We are either sweating or it's raining!
                                                        

I'm sorry to hear that it rained on the wedding day but everyone looks so beautiful/ handsome!! I love all the pictures you sent me! Congratulations to Nathanael and Whitney!! I can't believe my brother is married and I totally missed it! I'm so proud of you and love you both so much! 

It rained a lot this week but I think it also rained miracles as well as water! Friday we went out to teach our dated investigator and it was very nice and sunny. We had 20 extra minutes before we had to be there so Sister Hansen and I decided to tract a street in the neighborhood before we went over. We prayed that we would get to share a little bit of our message with at least one person and the very first door we knocked on a man answered and talked with us! He took a mormon.org card and said that he was interested in learning about the afterlife and said he would look at it and we had a lesson on the spot with him! 

In the middle of our other lesson, it started pouring rain. I didn't have my umbrella, just my rain coat and I didn't have the hood on. We went to tract a street over in Brookside and we talked to this man on the street and asked him to be baptized and he said yes! 

We continued to knock doors and we talked to a man named Charles and he said he knew a little bit of all the religions around, so we talked a little bit about that. Then we gave him a family history pass along card and he pulled out this huge file on his family history, he was so excited that we gave that to him and he said would could call by anytime we were in the area. By the time we talked to him, we were completely soaked through, and his wife showed up as we were leaving and she gave us an umbrella! We said she didn't have to do that but then she said, "It's what Christians do." Ah!

I love being a missionary!!

Saturday was pretty much just as brilliant as Friday. We were able to have a lesson with an investigator we haven't been able to see for a while and she really wants to come to church but she is with her mom on the weekends and her mom doesn't want her to come to church. We were able to contact an AUF (address unknown file), or someone who has gone inactive and their information has been lost. We were able to talk with two people who are interested in learning more and we dated another investigator for baptism!!! He is so prepared and is the most spiritually in tune person I've ever met. He came to church yesterday and he was so happy! 

So many good things happened this week! I love being apart of this work! I'm glad to hear everyone is well and having a good time in the rain, even though it was cold! I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Love, Sister Christensen

At the tip of  Wrekin 

My district at Ironbridge

at Iron bridge (the first iron bridge built in the world)

Fish n’ Chips

I had fish and chips for the first time today! The food is questionable sometimes and amazing at other times! I love the traditional meals but the desserts (or pudding they say here) are a little different. I can't have a lot of fruit because it is too acidic for me! It is so sad because I love fruit! 

It almost properly rained yesterday when we went to teach after church but according to one of our investigators, it was not proper rain. It has been really sunny while I've been here. Cloudy too, of course, and ridiculously windy! The only times that it has properly rained is when we have been inside, so it doesn't really count.

I have been hearing stories from missionaries on how they teach someone who has no belief in God at all but then they read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and they then realize that there is a god! I always think, why would people listen to us? Why would people invite us back? But then I remember something one of the apostles said, "We need to have faith in the converting power of the spirit." Sure, some people are curious, but some are earnestly seeking for the truth. I don't have to worry about people buying my story. They don’t believe in me, they believe in Christ. The church is true!! 

The People are amazing-=the ward members, the missionaries, the investigators, everyone. I am so blessed. Everyone is so nice, even when they say no to listen to us. 

My companion and I went to visit a man named F yesterday and he is Baptist but has been taught by missionaries for a while. He is also disabled, I don't know what he has, something like Parkinson’s where he shakes a lot, but he has a strong belief in Christ. He was telling us that he felt really lonely and sad and was praying a lot that day and then we showed up! We talked to him and shared a message about Easter. He was laughing and making jokes when we left and it just shows to me that God answers everyone’s prayers! I loved visiting with him and hearing everything he had to say. He is just the sweetest old man! I love being a missionary! The church is true! Christ lived and died so that we all can live again! I hope you had a fantastic Easter and have a fantastic week! I love you!

~Sister Christensen

1 Corinthians 15:22

Lawley

We had two investigators come to church yesterday! One is dated for baptism and the other has been taught by missionaries before but we are going to start over and see if it helps him feel the spirit! I am so inspired by these two investigators, by their willingness to learn and their desire to come closer to Christ. They are both so good at recognizing the spirit in their lives and embracing the gospel! 

We watched the General Women's Conference last night in Newcastle. So good! I loved all the talks. Being a disciple of Christ is amazing! Hard work, but truly amazing! I love church, I  love Sundays, I love conference! It is so important to go to church because the spirit lives there! It is brilliant how, in Lawley, the church is an icon. It is a big, white building in the middle of town. Lawley has only been around for about 8 years, so when they built the church here, there were only fields. Now it is a growing community and there are homes and new families everywhere! The Lord has prepared these people to receive his gospel! I am so Lucky to serve here in Telford!

I get to speak in sacrament meeting for the first time in two weeks. They asked me to introduce myself and bear my testimony yesterday and I guessed they liked it so much that they asked me to speak again! I also get to teach my first training in district meeting this week, that will be exciting! Considering everyone in my district has been out for about a year and I am as green as they come. But it will be good. I'm teaching on praying in faith (preach my gospel pg. 93) I didn't think praying was hard until I was on my mission. It sounds weird, but praying for the right thing is hard! I also learned that you need to align your will with Gods and not ask for vain things. Maybe the reason people don't get their prayers answered is because they pray for worldly things! (James 4:3) 

Anyways, needless to say, I am learning so much here and it has been quite fantastic for my first full week in the field! I love you all and hope you have a brilliant week!

Love, Sister Christensen II

BRILLIANT!

                                                

I am in the Wrekin ward in Telford, which is in the New Castle zone. I'm still in England but at the very bottom of the mission, close to Wales. 

This is my first preparation day in the mission! Missionary work is so different from what I expected and a lot harder. I think it's harder because it is something I've never done before. But it is so amazing! I love it and whenever I feel like I can't do it, we teach someone and the spirit is there and I lose whatever desire I had to stop and go home. Whenever we talk to someone we always pray with them even if we just stop for a minute in the street. It is so brilliant! At first I was apprehensive but the spirit is there and it is a completely different experience to pray for someone and their needs that they have asked you to pray for specifically. They see that you care and are willing to take the time to talk with them and they feel of Gods love for them! Smashing! (haha I’m still getting used to the words they use over here) 

It is so fun! I love my trainer! Her name is Sister Hansen! She is so patient with me and is really helping me fulfill my goal to be an exactly obedient missionary. She is from St. George and is the oldest of 5.

In our mission, we really focus on dignified language and being exactly obedient. We can't use the words: guy, awesome, or cool. We also can't say words like crap, gosh, etc. etc. We should remember that we are teaching in the name of Christ and that we need to speak in a respectable way like he would. I know first hand that changing words you use without thinking is very difficult! It takes dedication and willingness to be exactly obedient in order to change habits you have had your whole life. This might sound unimportant but it is amazing the difference it makes to use more dignified language.

I just want to ask if Elder Cook called dad and asked for his help on his general conference talk? Okay, you do not know how blessed you are to be able to watch conference at home or actually go to the conference center! We had to go to the next town to watch it in the stake center and we are 7 hours ahead of you all so we watched the Saturday morning session at 5 pm and watched the next two sessions on Sunday. We never get to watch the last session of conference; we have to wait until the Ensign comes out. I'm not complaining! It was worth it! Some missionaries never have to opportunity to watch conference. Sister Hansen helps me remember how blessed we are as missionaries and that everything is "so good!" I'm so blessed to have an amazing companion, and be in a brilliant mission.

We are going to the women's conference on the 13th in New Castle, which is about an hour away. Telford, by the way, is about two hours away from Manchester, by train. I am so excited! Conference is so good! We also have a baptism scheduled for May 3rd! So good! I am so excited to teach all our investigators! The members of the Wrekin ward are so helpful and generous. They are all amazing and very dedicated to helping the missionaries and fulfilling their callings. 

 "Our spirits resist endings. Why? because our souls are made of things of eternity. Just remember that separations are only short pauses and that our lives are not full of endings but infinite beginnings!" (That is a rough quote from President Uchtdorf’s talk.)

I love you all and miss you terribly!

Sister C #2 :)

MANCHESTER

April 2, 2014,  I'm leaving for Manchester.  It's been hard, but I have learned so much in the MTC.  I"ll email on Monday.  I love you all.

Me and My Trainer Sister Hansen

with President & Sister Preston