May 5, 2014

Hey family and friends:)

Happy mothers day on Sunday!!! I hope all is well with you guys now. From your email it sounds like you had an eventful week but I am happy to hear that everything is "ok" now:) Haha I will admit my heart stopped beating when I was reading your email mom and you said that there was an accident in the family last week. I'm very relieved to hear that nothing worse happened. I will be praying for Chandler to have a speedy recovery:) I am very excited to talk with you guys this week!!! I can't believe that it is already Mother's Day! I sure do love all of you!!

So my week wasn't too terribly exciting:) I am very sore but that is just fine! We did a TON of service this week:) On Wednesday we went with one of our investigator's P to serve some Karen refugees:) We scrubbed down their apartment from top to bottom..:) You have to remember that these people are used to living in bamboo huts. So they don't have very high expectations of how to keep their house clean.:) So we got it all cleaned up nicely for them:) They really appreciated the help:) Along with that we helped two families pack, move, and clean their home and we did a lot of yard work:) Haha I felt really weird being in jeans for a change..:) That will be a weird adjustment when I come home:) haha:)

You guys will be so proud of me:) haha I will have you know that in one day, I made 42 phone calls:) haha:) I wanted to hide the phone forever and never make another phone call again... but it was nice:) Because we have a very full week this week with appointments:) We are meeting with every active family in the ward so it keeps us really busy:)

We had a really good lesson with E and N G’s this week. We did it by their fire pit in the back yard and made smores around the fire:) It was fun:) It was about missionary work and E said that he knows he needs to get baptized, he just has to "swallow his pride pill". It may take some time but he is doing really well! And.. He talked to N and he wants her to teach his family more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!!! Woot woot!! They are awesome!

So you may have noticed a picture sent to your email last night! We were over at the Hatch's home teaching them how to do family history work and we were able to trace a line all the way back to Adam and Eve!!! It was so cool!! I was like bouncing off the walls for the rest of the night because I was so excited!! haha:)

My message this week comes from the conference talk "Grateful in Any Circumstances" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf:) Here are some of the things that he said..

"We can be grateful!

It might sound contrary to the wisdom of the world to suggest that one who is burdened with sorrow should give thanks to God. But those who set aside the bottle of bitterness and lift instead the goblet of gratitude can find a purifying drink of healing, peace, and understanding. 

Why does God command us to be grateful?

All of His commandments are given to make blessings available to us. Commandments are opportunities to exercise our agency and to receive blessings. Our loving Heavenly Father knows that choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will bring us true joy and great happiness.

“Have we not great reason to rejoice?”   

"How blessed we are if we recognize God’s handiwork in the marvelous tapestry of life. Gratitude to our Father in Heaven broadens our perception and clears our vision. It inspires humility and fosters empathy toward our fellowmen and all of God’s creation. Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues.   

The Lord has given us His promise that those “who [receive] all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto [them], even an hundred fold, yea, more.”   

May we “live in thanksgiving daily”—especially during the seemingly unexplainable endings that are part of mortality. May we allow our souls to expand in thankfulness toward our merciful Heavenly Father. May we ever and constantly raise our voices and show by word and deed our gratitude to our Father in Heaven and to His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ."

That was a wonderful talk that he gave and I would recommend that you take the time to read it:) No matter what we are going through, we can have an attitude of gratitude:) Looking for those tender mercies in every experience will help us to be happier:) it doesn't mean that that will be easy though:) But, it is worth it! I have found great joy in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joy that I couldn't have found any other way. I know that our Father in Heaven loves us, knows us, and is there for us as we turn to Him. He promises that as we keep His commandments, He will bless us:)

Sorry I don't have much to talk about this week. But.. I am thrilled to talk to you on Sunday so hopefully that makes up for my email this week:) I love you guys so much!! You are all wonderful examples to me and I appreciate everything that you do!! Thank you!!

Love,

Sister Christensen