It's the little things in life...

Sometimes it's good to just take a look at the little successes for the week. For example, 

1. I didn't die. There were a few close calls as I spend a lot of my time on a bike, and well, sometimes people cut it very close. 

2. I didn't go home. There were also a few close calls for this one but I'm still out here. I have learned that I always need to trust in the Lord more than myself. Through Him I will be able to do this. 

3. I did not fall off or crash my bike. Enough said. 

4. I can now get on and off my bike with something that almost resembles grace and dignity. Riding in a skirt is hard. Curbs are my friends. 

5. I learned how to correctly lock up my bike so nothing get's stolen. It's harder than it looks. 

In other news, my trainer is super awesome. Her name is Hermana Diaz. She is fluent in both English and Spanish so it works really well. We are serving in the Rimgrove Ward which covers parts of La Puente and Hacienda Heights. It's divided into 3 parts which are covered by my companion and I, the elders and the other hermanas. My companion and I are both new to the area so we spend a lot of time trying to figure out where we are going and the people in the area. We have some lessons lined up for this week, which I am super excited about. All in all it has been a really good week. I look forward to seeing what this ward and this area has in store for me. 

As always I would love to hear from all of you. I hope all of your lives are going well. If there is ever anything I can do to help you out please let me know.

Hermana Anna Christensen

The time has come the walrus said...

That's right, this is my last week in the MTC. So sorry, but probably no e-mail next week because I don't get a P-day.

This week's quote is from a great Relief Society lesson on Sunday. "Christ is not waiting for us at the finish line once we have done 'all that we can do'. He is with us every step of the way." Brad Wilcox. If yu want a great talk to read, the talk by him on grace is amazing. Our whole district has been working our way through it. It is great. Also look up and make sure you listen to a confrence talk from May of 2007 by a member of the 70 with the last name of Tenario. He is now th MTC president here and is an incredible man. You will laugh and you will cry. Just imagine and hour long class with him. It's a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

We now teach 2 or 3 times a day. It's a lot of planning, but it's more like what we will be doing in the field, which is now only 6 days away. Talk about crazy. I feel a strange mixture of excited and nervous. It will be an experince. 

Sorry this is so short this week. It's pretty much the same old thing. We'll see what next week will bring. As always I would love to hear from all of you, and I hope your weeks are wonderful. 

Nos vemos. 

Hermana Christensen/Anna

 

The insanity has really set in here as you can tell.

A birth, a death, and a few birthdays.‏

Primero, ¡felicitaciones a mi prima Leslie y su nuevo bebe!

I was saddened to hear of the death of President Packer this week. He was a general authority for 50ish years and married for almost 70. He was a great example and teacher. I usually never appreciated his talks until I read them and really studied them. This week's quote is by him, "Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, and some from hearing speakers. And, occasionally, when it's important, some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration. The promptings will be clear and unmistakable." He will be greatly missed. The funeral services are on Friday. 

The first birthday this week was the 4th of July. And I have never celebrated so much and I'm in Mexico. The wonderful comedor workers gave us the lunch of our lives, with burgers BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, pie and ice cream, and a flag made out of watermelon, black berries, blueberries and coconut. We also got fully decked out in red white and blue. It was so fun. 

The next day was my mom's birthday. She is one of my biggest examples and my biggest supporter. I though a lot about her on Sunday. 

Finally today is the birthday of one of the elders in my district. We got one of our teachers to get us some balloons and streamers and we decorated the room. We also got him a new tie from the tienda. Later we are going to have a small party with a few of our teachers. It's been a fun day. 

Not really knowing Spanish in Mexico can lead to some interesting experiences, even in the CCM. Mostly this shows up in lessons. For example Christ did not Atone for our pescados (fishes) but for our pecados (sins). God does not want the ladies for you (muejeres) but the best  (mejor). And most important of all, we are not embarazada (pregnant) because we can't speak Spanish but avergonzado (embarrassed). The funniest moment perhaps was when we found out that for two weeks we had been washing our clothes with fabric softener not soap. That has now been fixed and surprisingly enough our clothes actually feel clean again. The elders thought it was hilarious. 

I hope this e-mail finds all of you well. As always the invitation is open for you to write me letters or e-mails or whatever. I'll even take smoke signals. Whatever works for you. 

Nos vemos. 

Hermana Christensen/Anna

The pictures this week are my zone and my district in our 4th of July splendor. Yes that is a Mexican flag in the background.