Monday, December 8, 2014

November 17, 2014

Hey Everyone! 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in the Omaha Nebraska Mission! The weather changed very quickly here:) One day it was in the 70's and then it went to snowing over night:) I can honestly say that I didn't miss the snow but I love how it looks when the snow has just freshly fallen:) The Farmer's Almanac has predicted that it will be a really cold, really long winter.. so we'll see! I think our new approach to get investigators is to have people see us walking around outside while its very cold, take pity on us, and let us into their homes! Then we can teach them by the fire! haha:) I'll let you know how this strategy goes:) 

We had a good week! We taught Rex twice this past week and he is progressing very well! and.. guess what? He is.. SET FOR BAPTISM!!! He will be getting baptized on December 6th! I am so excited for him! He is doing very well. There are many challenges with family and other things that he has had to work through but he has stayed strong through it all:) Please continue to keep him in your prayers:) 

We helped Sister Gray with canning applesauce! She was very overwhelmed so it was nice to be able to help lighten her load and learn a new skill in the process:) I really love serving other people:) that is one of my very favorite things about being a missionary:) That was a lot of fun! We will have to do that in the future as a family:) 

We had a mission tour this week as well. That is where a General Authority comes and "tours" your mission. In our mission it happens once a year. It happened last year right before I got to the field, so this was my first one:) We had Elder and Sister Brent H. Nielson of the First Quorum of the Seventy! What a blessing to have a General Authority in our Mission. This spirit was felt very strongly throughout the whole meeting. I think that one of my favorite parts was the meeting with just the sister missionaries that morning. Sister Nielson spoke to us and it was very encouraging and motivating. A lot of her thoughts revolved around the principle of holiness. She read a book several years ago called Holiness in every day life. She shared an experience that I am sure you can relate with mom:) One day, she came home and the house was a mess:) Toys were everywhere, cracker crumbs were smashed into the carpet, etc. She said that she was fuming:) So, she went out to the garage and brought up her garden rake and raked everything in the rooms into one large pile! She said that her kids were terrified! haha:) She then proceeded to time herself to see how long it would take to clean everything up :) It only took up 5 minutes extra of her time. She said that a lot of the things we have to face in life are similar. It may cause us a lot of frustration and anxiety in our minds, but in reality, as we look at the situation with a different perspective, its not so bad. She said that she then looked at the situation in a different way. The fact that there were toys on the ground showed that they had enough money or people that cared about them to get toys for their children. Not everyone is so fortunate. The fact that there were crumbs on the ground showed that they had enough food to eat. Many people in the world don't have that luxury. It can go on and on:) She said that holiness, is having the mindset of God. There is holiness in every situation. As we look at our situations with a different perspective and see others as children of God, things change and we are able to look at life differently. We are able to see these things as God sees them. And.. Opposition is the only way that we can learn to see things as God sees them for "there must be an opposition in all things". But we are commanded to "practice virtue and holiness before me". D&C 38:24  

I love you all so much! I hope that you have a wonderful week! You are the bestest family in the world! My prayers are with you! 


Love, Sister Christensen 

No comments:

Post a Comment