September 22, 2014

Dear Family and Friends,

It has been another good week in the Nebraska Omaha Mission. Thank you
so much for the package that you sent me this week! I loved the banana
bread! As many of you know, we had transfers this past week! We got a
call on Thursday morning to let us know the news! I sent a separate
email with the recorded phone call for your personal entertainment:)
haha:) I hope that you enjoy it:) My voice sounds really weird in it
so I think that I was just REALLY nervous when President Weston
called. I was in the shower and getting ready when he called the first
time and he talked with Sister Peterson for a little while. She got
transferred to a ward in Omaha called Tranquility Park. She is with
Sister Call and in mission terms, Sister Peterson is killing her off:)
haha:) If you don't know what that means, it's Sister Call's last
transfer:) Sister Peterson has 1 more transfer to hopefully get her
visa and head off to Brazil. We found out that they aren't actually
doing reassignments right now because there are so many people that
need to be reassigned. So it's Brazil or here for the rest of her
mission :) So after I came out of the bathroom, Sister Peterson gave
me the phone and said that President needed me to call him so that he
could tell me personally what was happening with transfers. I was so
nervous! I am staying in the Fairview ward in Bellevue and I am
training Sister Hirro!

I love this sister so much! We have had a blast the last couple of
days:) I am so thankful for her:) Heavenly Father just knew that I
needed her at this time in my mission:) We have laughed more in the
last couple of days than I have in a long time:) She is from the
Philippines near Manila! (sp?) Neat huh? She is actually a sister from
the Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission:) They send all of the
missionaries outbound for 2 transfers so that they can have the
experience of being in a ward and be a full proselyting missionary. So
she arrived in Nebraska on Wednesday and I picked her up on Friday:)
She had her first experience of eating apple pie last night:) So that
was fun! She loved it! :) haha :) she has had a fun time eating my
American food in the pantry:) It's really fun having a foreign
companion:) Her English is really good! She took classes growing up to
learn it so she is basically fluent:) there are a couple words here
and there that we have to explain to figure out what we mean, but not
too bad:) One of my favorite things about her is that she doesn't like
contention! I don't either! So we are a good match! :) haha:)

We are in a car share again..:) We found out on Friday when we got to
the mission office. So that has been a test of our faith, trying to
figure out how to get to the places that we need to :) We talked with
the Ward about it yesterday and 2 individuals are letting us borrow
their bikes! So, I will now be biking! :) We are getting them in the
next day or 2:) wish me luck! I haven't rode a bike in a while, and
never in a skirt:) so this will be an adventure! haha:)

I want to share with you a miracle that happened this week though! It
was Friday night and we had just had our dinner break. Let me remind
you, we didn't have a car and we live outside of our proselyting area.
But, we felt like we really needed to find a way to get out:) We found
a member that could give us a ride to our area and drop us off! So, I
had Sister Burke pull into a neighborhood and drop us off. We felt
like we needed to be on Halifax St. So, we got out of her car and
started walking:) We walked by the first house on the right side of
the street and noticed that there was a lady in the garage. She was
taking some things from a moving truck into her house. We called up to
her from the side walk and started talking with her:) She was a little
resistant to talking with us:) which is quite normal:) But, we were
persistent:) Then, a man walked around from the back yard to the front
of the house and was really nice and started talking with us. We
immediately formed good connections with him and we talked with them
for a while! He said that he has a friend that is a Mormon and is
actually interested to know more! Just wait, the story gets better! We
asked for his name, Nate. We asked for his last name and realized that
this was a referral that we have been trying to contact for a week
now! We got the referral from a member that talked with other
missionaries and we have been calling him with no luck. Then, we just
happen to be in the area and parked right at the house where he lives!
Crazy right?! We have an appointment to teach him and his wife this
next week! I can see a lot of potential in them:) I know that as we
are obedient and exercise our faith in Christ, we can see miracles!

I hope that you all have a good week! You are in my prayers:) Enjoy
the General Women's Broadcast this weekend! It will be cool to be
involved in watching that together, even though we are far apart:)
Love you all!

Sister Christensen :)