When you are in the service of your fellow beings...‏

I don't have much time to write this week so here are some pictures
from an activity we did on Saturday. We spent the whole day visiting
various families in the Ward and doing service for them with the
Elders. It was a blast!

                At the first place we were helping them paint their kitchen and tie blankets.


 Next we cleaned up a yard, and then continued on to see other members.
We did get fed, though we insisted on helping heat up the tortillas and washing the dishes.
The city lights from Montebello Blvd on the way home. Talk about a beautiful city.

After a long day all we wanted to do was fall straight into bed,
but we had to wait for transfer calls. And we waited and waited and waited but the call never came, which means that Hermana Austin and I are staying together here in San Gabriel for another transfer. Woo hoo!

Here's to a great 6 weeks!
Hermana Anna Christensen

A long week‏

This is just going to be a quick e-mail because I'm running low on time. This was a super long week. We were working long and hard every day. We did have a couple of fun experiences though. The first one was that out mission president came to our district meeting this week. I've probably said it before, but I love that man! It was so cool to have him there to learn from, and to hear about all
of his stories. It really gave us the boost we needed to keep trying throughout the rest of the week.

We also ran into a lot of fun dogs this week. To sum it all up we met 3 rats a squeaky toy and a mop. The three rats belong to a member, the squeaky toy was a German Shepherd who squeaked when he barked, but wouldn't let us into the yard, and the mop was a lost dog who was wandering about the church.

This was a really good week and I wish I had more time to write about it. Next week I will have all sorts of fun news because transfers are coming! Ahhhhhhh!

With much love and prayers,
Hermana Anna Christensen

This district's on fire!‏

This week we had a zone meeting about setting the mission on fire, and how we can do it. We had some of our standards of excellence changed (the goals we try to reach each week) and were also taught how we can improve in other ways. It was a super good meeting and we all left super inspired to go out and do the work.

And this district has been on fire! We are picking up new investigators like crazy, contacting a lot more, and have a lot more possibilities for baptisms in the coming weeks, and that's just my companion and I. The Elders have also been working super hard. They have been contacting up a storm and bringing members with them on almost all of their lessons. They also had a ton of investigators at church this week. It is so cool to see all of ours and their hard work paying off.

Though the district is on fire the temperatures have not been. On Tuesday the temperature plummeted with the sun and caught my companion and I completely unprepared. We were just leaving a lesson when we walked outside in our thin short sleeved shirts to realize we still had a 45 minute bike ride between us and our warm house. Outside there were a couple of cholos (Mexican gangsters) smoking. It was super funny because they offered to find us sweaters to wear home. We had to turn them down though. We decided a long cold ride was better than a long warm one in borrowed jackets that smelled like weed. When we got home my companion instantly curled up into a ball on her bed under about 3 blankets. I made us both hot chocolate and then nudged her into a somewhat upright position so we could plan. We have since learned to just carry a jacket around with us all day. We also have been succumbing to Starbucks hot chocolate more and more often on our ride home.

One last fun experience. Hermana Austin and I usually bring a sack lunch to eat after church. This week we decided to invite the elders to eat with us. We figured that they would just bring their little
sack lunches, but instead they decided to pack a whole picnic. They brought spaghetti, carne, rice and beans, with chicken instead of carne for me, and 3 enchiladas. We were in charge of dessert so it was
apples and Carmel dip, Holloween bunny grams and granola bars. In the words of Elder Moncayo "we all ate real good."

As always I hope this e-mail finds all of you well. Thank you for all of the love and support.
Hermana Anna Christensen

And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people,
and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;
Mosiah 18:8

Y aconteció que les dijo: He aquí las aguas de Mormón (porque así se llamaban); y ya que deseáis entrar en el redil de Dios y ser llamados su pueblo, y estáis dispuestos a llevar las cargas los unos de los otros para que sean ligeras;
Mosíah 18:8

                               Alejandro, a recent convert who got the priesthood yesterday!

                                               My district eating our feast after church.

Good week for the work, bad week for the bikes‏

Sorry about no group e-mail last week, it didn't send and then I didn't have enough time to send it again. The most important thing that happened was that I'm no longer in a trio! We got a call from the
assistants to the president on Tuesday telling us that Hermana Escalante was being sent to English work. We were all super sad, but that's where she is needed most right now, so Hermana Austin and I are flying solo here.

The good thing is that the work is really starting to pick up. We had two sisters, Sandra and Elizabeth tell us that they both want to be baptized and that they are willing to do what's necessary to get there. They need to work out a few things, and come back to church a few times, but other than that they are so ready! Further updates on them as they come.

We have also been doing a lot of work with our recent converts. We have two, Alejandro and Jorge who are super solid. Alejandro was interviewed this last week to receive the priesthood, and he recently just went out and bought all new church clothes. It is super cool to work with both of them and see how the gospel has helped both of them. On Wednesday at the Ward Halloween party, Alejandro wanted to hand out candy for the trunk or treat, but didn't have a car, so we set up our
bikes in a parking space and handed out candy with him. It was probably the best idea we have ever had, and we all had a ton of fun.

In what little time we've had left this week we've been either doing service or fixing bikes. Service wise we have done everything from helping a member prepare to go out and sell elotes and raspados, (corn on a cob on a stick, and something kind of like a snow cone but so much better) cleaned up yards and made sandwiches for homeless people and then helped pass them out. As for the bikes, 4 of the 5 bikes that have passed through this district have had problems. First I got a popped tire on Monday, then Hermana Austin got one on Tuesday, then on Wednesday Elder Moncayo got a broken axel on his mission bike that was quickly made worse, I the words of Elder Grisham, "they gave us the bike in 1 piece, we gave it back in 28." We made it through Thursday and Friday without incident, then on Saturday Elder Moncayo got a flat tire on his new bike. But it's all good, because the work of the Lord is still rolling forth here, even if it's on patched tubes.

I hope as always that this e-mail finds all of you well, and that you all had a safe and happy Halloween with lots of candy. Thank you for all of the love and support I receive, it means so much to me!
Hermana Anna Christensen

And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Matthew 4:19

Y les dijo: Venid en pos de mí, y os haré pescadores de hombres.
Mateo 4:19

 From the back working forward, Elder Grisham, me, Hermana Austin, Hermana Ramos, Elder Moncayo, and Hugito at his birthday dinner

 We dressed up in the color schemes of Thor and Loki for Halloween so we took a couple of fun pictures.

                                            A Halloween selfie with the Chinese sisters

                            I just love this picture, even if Elder Moncayo is photo bombing me.

3 heads are better than 2?‏

Hello to all those not here in San Gabriel! It was a good week, long but good. It's been a lot of biking and trying to find people, and not a lot of teaching, but that's how things go in the mission. There are
waves where there are a ton of people to teach and so not much time for finding and then waves of not having a ton of people to teach and so most of the time being dedicated to finding. Right now we are solidly in finding mode.

Our efforts are beginning to pay off though. I'm contacting more than I have ever done. We have a goal of contacting at least 10 people daily. We've gotten pretty good at it, though some days it's still
hard. We also have met quite a few people who have showed interest in learning more. We are going through the area book and looking for anyone and everyone who has ever talked to missionaries before. Slowly this area is taking off. Or it will soon.

We're also learning how to work together as a trio as well. Teaching is interesting and we haven't completely gotten the hang of it yet. It's hard to balance during a lesson and making sure that we
transition smoothly and testify together. It will be fun to work out how to do it best, and to see what I will learn from this experience. It's also hard to figure out plans and who will lead and basically
everything. Syncing our iPads is also an experience. Eventually everyone gets all the information though and eventually we all get where we need to go.

There have been quite a few fun experiences though. Like the other day we were trying to find an investigator (no one was home) and a cat jumped at the window we were standing in front of. It was starting to get dark and for a moment it looked like a person. I found myself in between my two companions with both of them clinging to me in fear. Eventually we figured out it wasn't a person and were able to go on our merry way.

We also have fun living with a companionship of Chinese sisters. They love to feed us, either food they made or food that is given to them. So far everything has been really good. We've been given dumplings, some type of meatball and some sort of pasta. It is super good. We also have fun learning phrases in Chinese and teaching them phrases in Spanish. They are super cute and fun and kind.

We've had other fun experiences like visiting the local mission as a district (the 4th oldest in California) and then translating a Korean man's broken English into Spanish for another man who only spoke Spanish at a bike shop. We've dodged cars and semi's, and I've finally watched all the driving safety videos.

Basically I'm loving my new area. It was a little rough at first but it's gotten better. I'm super excited to see what things I'm here to learn and meet the people I'm here to meet.

I hope all is well wherever you all are at. I send out my love and my prayers. Thank you for all the love, support and prayers I get in return.

Nos vemos.
Hermana Anna Christensen

P.S. I'm going to start ending my e-mails with my ponderizing scripture in both English and Spanish. Enjoy!

And he said unto the children of men: Follow thou me. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father? -2 Nephi 31:10

Y dijo a los hijos de los hombres: Seguidme. Por tanto, mis amados hermanos, ¿podemos seguir a Jesús, a menos que estemos dispuestos a

 

guardar los mandamientos del Padre? -2 Nefi 31:10

Goodbye Rimgrove, Hello San Gabriel‏

 The matching shirts came from a sister in the ward, who bought them so the missionaries could sing for the stake choir.

 With the ward mission leader in Rimgrove Ward, He made carne asada, and Anna is starting to really like it.

 One more picture from the temple, with all the hermanas in Anna's district.

The transfers have come and gone, and I was the one chosen to leave the Rimgrove Ward. Now I'm in the San Gabriel Ward, with my new companions, Hermana Austin and Hermana Escalante. That's right I'm in a trio! It's a new experience for me, it will be fun to see what it's like. We live with 2 Chinese sisters, so it's a little more crowded than I'm used to, but it will be fun.

I'm sad to leave Rimgrove. I really learned to love the people there, and the area was just beginning to pick up. One of our investigators will be getting baptized next Sunday so it will be hard to miss that
but I made Hermana Diaz promise to e-mail me pictures. We also had just started meeting with some new investigators. Oh well. I left the area in good hands and I know that there is a reason I'm now in this area.

I don't really know what to say in this e-mail so I'll keep it pretty short. I'll let you all now how the area is going, how it is living with 4 other girls and all sorts of fun things. It's the start of a new adventure! I hope all is going well in all of your lives. Keep ponderizing!
Nos vemos,
Hermana Anna Christensen

Una fiesta en el corazón‏

The subject line credit this week goes to a sweet little old lady we visited this week who got super excited when we told her that it wasGeneral Conference this weekend. That phrase was how she described it, una fiesta en el corazón. It also describes a lot of this week, not just conference.

To start out with we had some great lessons. One of our investigators, Jesús, is progressing wonderfully. He has a baptismal date and is moving towards it perfectly. We were also able to have his brother in law come to the lesson with him. It was super great because he bore a super strong testimony of the Holy Ghost and His importance. It was really good to have someone besides my companion and I telling Jesús why the gospel was important in his life.

We also got to go to the temple this morning. We went super early, for the 5:30 session in fact, but it was amazing because when we turned off the freeway the temple was straight on ahead and then you just drive straight up to the temple. It was all it up and looked so beautiful. It was a wonderful way to start out the morning.

Finally General Conference. I loved so many talks from it I can't pick a favorite. If you didn't get a chance to watch it go and do it! There is a talk for everyone there. Any favorites from anyone else? I would love to hear them. You could also share your thoughts on a scripture you are ponderizing. Mine is 2 Nephi 4:35. I would love to hear about your studies from all of you!

All in all it was a really really good week. I can't wait to see what transfers bring, and how my life will soon change. I hope the weather is cooler wherever you are at, and life continues to go smoothly for all of you. If there is ever anything that I could do for any of you please let me know!

Nos vemos,
Hermana Anna Christensen
Pictures: my district at the temple. The sun was in the worst place possible.