There and Back Again

"Release the Wrekin!"/ Welcome to Stafford

This week has been absolutely crazy! So many miracles! First off, Sister Sika is amazing! She is Tongan and from Sydney, Australia. She taught me how to say "I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" in Tongan. Pretty neat. She is so full of faith and is excited to share her testimony about the restored gospel.

Second, Stafford! I love this area! I love the branch here! The members are amazing. The area is beautiful and I feel like people actually live here! Telford didn't have a lot of foot traffic but we can actually street contact here! I miss the Wrekin ward and I love everyone there but I'm ready for a new adventure in Stafford.

I love whitewashing! I feel like I would just be bossing Sister Sika around and telling her where to go but it is really the other way around. I'm always asking her, "Where do we get off the bus? Where's the bus stop? Which street do they live on?" She is so good and so patient with me. She knows so much more than I did coming out of the MTC (missionary training center). I am so excited to serve with her!

Okay, now I want to share with you the biggest miracle of my whole mission. Friday, We tried again to locate the church (we had not been successful the day before) and we stopped a boy and asked for directions. He looked it up on his phone and told us the general direction we needed to go. About two minutes later, we turn around and the same boy is coming after us. He asked if we were looking for the church and we said yes. He then said that he was not doing anything and could take us there. So we started walking and he told us that he wants to believe in God and that all his friends are atheist and he is the only one who believes in his family. We arrived at the church and taught him the whole Restoration, gave him a Book of Mormon, and asked him to attend church on Sunday. He said yes and he came to church yesterday! He dressed so smart that members asked if he was a missionary as well (because he was speaking with us and the Elders and three of us are new to the area). AHH! I am so excited to share more with him! He is so eager to learn!

You won't believe this next part. I have been missing playing tennis so bad! I miss it like crazy and I keep telling Sister Sika how much I want to play all the time. Well, Michael (the boy who showed us to the church) plays badminton professionally and also plays tennis. When he told me that, I cheekily asked if we could play sometime and he said yes! :) He said he is going to bring some friends along as well. *missionary opportunity!* *convert all his friends ;)* But meeting him was by far the most miraculous thing that has happened on my mission. We handed him a pass along card after helping us and I was regretting not sharing more with him but then HE ran after US and wanted to learn more. He is a nonmember and he showed us, the missionaries, where the church was. Miracle! He has been prepared to receive the gospel. The church is true!

I am so excited for this change! It has been crazy and we get lost multiple times a day but I am so happy and so grateful to be part of this work!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer and is doing well. I love you all!

Love, Sister Christensen