Week 37

I really love this place

This week went by so fast, im really not even sure what happened.

But i will tell you a story.

Saturday was an awful day. The elders from the branch next to us has a baptism this week, so we had to give the hermana an interview on saturday. We knew it was coming,a nd they knew it was coming, and we constantly hounded them for the time that it would be at, because we had a ton of citas that day, and they always told us that they had to check with the hermana. Well saturday rolled around, and we planned our day, and just pretty much gave up hope on giving the interview and didnt plan on it. After lunch, we got a call from the elders that we had the interview right then. Thanks. So we went.

We had to walk to their area, and we got to the intersection where we planned on going, and long story short, they werent there, and we called them, and they were lost, and we were lost, and then 4 hours passed by. And then we both finally learned where we were at, and agreed to meet at a certain location. and then 2 more hours passed by. and they were 15 blocks away, as it turns out, so we had to walk way over to them, and it started raining, and we didnt have umbrellas, and i was freaking out, and some guy was playing basketball, and then ran off the court and started yelling at us, and it was awful, and then we finally found the elders and went to this hermanas house to interview her. by this time it was 730, and the whole day was wassted i felt like.

Well this girl was 12, and i was kind of unsure of how the interview was going to turn out. But as it just so happens, a few months ago, she had a dream that a latino and an american found her and baptized her. then a week after that, she met the missioinaries, and has gone to church every week since then. She has recieved many answers to her prayers and her neighbor is a member and goes with her every week. She was the most prepared knowledgeable 12 year old girl i have ever met. It was awesome to hear her give her testimony. And to end it off, we started talking about our favorite Book of Mormon stories. it was nuts.

Well by the time we got back to our area, it was 8 45, and we needed to go back to our pension within 15 to 45 minutes. I was just pplannin on eating an ice cream to soothe my pains of a very frustrating day, but i just decided to go to the family that we skyped at´s house. Theyre all members except for the dad.

We went, and the dad has a really good relationship with us, and 3 months ago, he hated themissionaries. Wouldnt even look at Elder Hawk. Hated the missionaries. Well we were talking for a little, and then we just watched the 5 minute video of Elder Holland giving his testimony of the Book of Mormon. And it was way spiritual.

Then he told us he had started reading the Book of Mormon.

Hallelujah

have a great day

Elder Christensen

Week 36

I was way sick this week, but thats a different story. I got a blessing, and we still left every day

Well... Elder Hawk is leaving me. Hes going to train in Miguel Lanus. Poor guy. Ill miss him. And ill be with another Gringo, Elder Averett here in Posadas.

Well this week was one of the best ever because we got to see a baptism!! A faather baptized his 13 year old son, and 2 months ago, they were inacitve! Now they both have a lot of drive to work in the church and spread the gospel, and its great. It was a perfect day.

I was way sick. On thursday night, i just didnt feel very good. I asked for a blessing, and went to sleep. And then on friday, we went out and worked and i was doing fine. Saturday, too. except at the baptism. I was dying. And everyone came up to me and asked me if i was okay, and i told them that i was a little bit sick, and they all started telling me all their witchcraft healing methods, and then literally EVERY SINGLE PERSON at the baptism was talaking about my illness. It was really uncomfortable. I never want to be sick again just so i can avoid that.

Well another highlight of the week was seeing the dedication of the temple of Cordoba Argentina!

Every chapel here was an extension of the temple. And the Spirit was just as strong in our stake center as it was in the temple! it was awesome! i loved it! It was a great experience! I really could not have been happier to be sitting in the temple again. Elder D todd Christofferson and President Uchtdorf were there. Elder Christofferson Directed, and he speaks spanish SO WELL!! Just as well as any gringo i have ever heard! He praactically has a latino accent! I could not believe it. Who knew? President Uchtdorf gave a wonderful message on helping  your neighbor. We go to the temple to remind ourselves of how we should be always, not just how we should be in the temple, and it should give us that light to share with other people.

Also, the new temple president in Cordoba is from Posadas, anad his son is our stake president. So everyone here knows him personally, and we got to see our stake president on the broadcast,t oo, sitting in the audience. it was pretty cool

Well i was loving it. One of the perks of being sick, is that you get to sleep without a timer. I always expected that if i did that i would sleep until like 5 at night, or through a whole day. But i woke up at 8. It was quite disappointing, really. Well... yes.

Love you all.

Elder Emil

oh. one of these pictures is me playing with our stake presidents Boxer.

Week 35

Yeah, you heard me! It was wonderful to call my family.

Well this week was very uneventful, so i will tell you all of the family... This one family in our ward. There are 4 that live in the house. Mother, Father, and their daughter and their daughters husband. The mother was baptized a LONG time ago, and is very active in the church, has a calling and all and is very outgoing. The daughters husband was baptized when he was 8, but didnt really go to the church ever again. Well, about 4 years ago, none of them had been going to church, and the missionaries found them. the 4 of them, plus a younger son that was living with them too. Well, as it came to pass, They all ended up embracing the gospel really well.

The daughter and son got married and the daughter got baptized. The son then got baptized, too. The father, however, did not want anything to do wiht the missionaries or the church. Well, now, the son is serving a mission in Brazil Saltos mission, and is very successful.

About 10 days ago, the moms sister died of cancer. It was very sad to see, and the mom is the only member in her family, and her whole family was kind of tearing eachother apart over this death in the family. But she was very certain that there is life after death and of the plan of salvation.

When we walked in to the house to call our families, they were all talking with their son. And he haçd not yet heard about his aunt. so they had to tell him there over skype. he was crying,a nd it was very hard to watch and all, but it was probably the dad that helped console him the most. The dad has changed a lot in just a month that i have been here.One of the first days that i was here, we had lunch with us, and he ate and then left immediately so he didnt have to hear the message we brought. but now, we have had several full blown discussions with him about his family and the eternities and God and church, and hes really opening up. he even said one time ``when i get baptized.`` ... so its cool.

anyway, where am i going with this? i dont know. wait. yes i do. i remember. My family asked me to bear my testimony in spanish to them on the skype call. And prettymuch i just talked about how blessed i felt that they went to the temple and taught me about the plan of salvation, and how we can live together forever because of it, and how happy it made me. And i looked at the family that we were with, and the mom was just crying..

Well. I am truly grateful for my family. and my friends. all of you mean a whole lot to me, i want you to know it

Have a nice day

Elder Trevor Emil Christensen

Week 34

Happy Birthday,5 days ago, Drew.

Well this week I have been in Ituzaingò the whole week. So heres a story about what happened in Posadas!

The Elders were eating lunch at one of the oldest members of the ward. A great old lady. Hilarious. And they asked if she knew of any less active members that they could go visit (this happened about a week before i got to the area). She said yes, and described a man that lived on a flag lot (SUCH a long driveway, way off of the road) that came to church for a while.

So they went. And he was really excited to see the missionaries, and said that he was waiting for someone from the church to come and contact him. He had just gotten over heart surgery, and was now able to walk far distances. So they asked him what his goals were to come back to the church. He said he wanted to recieve his endwoment, and he wanted to get his patriarchal blessing. Wow that is unordinarily specific. Well they kept talking, and he asked if one family was active that he was really good friends with. They had never heard of this family. He described their direction, and told them that they should go and try to visit.

Well they went. And it turns out, this man was baptized the same time as the first time, AND was baptized with his wife. THey all joined the church about 8 years ago, and were super active. The second man was the ward misison leader for a time. And he also has a young family. >None of them were 8 when they got baptized, but one of his sons is now 13.

Well they have both come to church every week since, and we are working on preparing the father to baptize his 13 year old son, and they have all come to all the ward activites, and its awesome, and were all very happy, and theyre all sharing the gospel, and we could not be more thrilled, and im very happy to be a part of this work.

Have a nice day

Elder Trevor Emil Christensen

PS my favorite PDay activity: single leg broad jumps at the church