family! friends! i dont have heaps of time, so i'll make this short and simple. Elder Bartelt Got transferred today, and my new companion is Elder subritzky. He's Maori, from new zealand, and he's been in my zone so i already know him. Im senior comp, and driver now, so that'll be interesting. just so yous know, i'll be calling on boxing day, so christmas day for yous, i'll be calling from the covingtons, and i dont know exactly what time it will be, but i'll call for like 30 seconds first, and tell you what time i'll call, then actually call and expect to talk. it should be in the evening though. I'll call the house phone. oh, and yes, i got your package and letters, i got cara's letter, and i got whitneys package. i sent a package home last week, so yous should get it somewhat near to christmas. And im stoked that marissa and richard get to be there! everyone! yay! i get to talk to my whole family! :):):):):)
ok, well, thats about all i can write, but i will talk to yous on christmas! love you all so much!
love,
Elder Tayler Christensen
Musings of an LDS Millenial
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
woses its hot
hello family and friends!
this week was a big one, so i'll just answer all of your questions and whatnot and then tell yous all about it. :)
What else did you do on your b-day?
WELL we went christmas shopping. used about 60 dollars (hope thats ok) and im sending it all today. and went and trained muay thai with a guy in out ward, and then went to the covingtons for dinner, and i got to BBQ chicken on a super nice grill, i got some really good smelling cologne from sabrina and it was fun. We'll just say that at the end of the day i slept REALLY good.
Did you save presents?
sorta. i didnt look at the pictures on the SD card until then, and they didint work on my camera, so i had to take it to a place and just get them printed. it was really cheap though, and i got a kick out of all of them. Collin's cross country pictures were great. bro, i know how running in the rain feels. and tracting in the rain. and riding my bike in the rain. ya. its fun. eh? i actually like it. it makes me happy.
What are the logistics to talking with you on Christmas?
thats a good question. no one has said anything yet. but i assume that since yous are a day behind and 7 hours ahead, ill probably be calling you on christmas morning for me, and christmas eve in the evening for you. and yes, i will be calling you, UNLESS the phone companies dont charge if you call me. which is how it works for everyone in Australia. its kinda nice. ill let you know next week on transfer day though. oh, speaking of which, we really have no idea if one of us is going or staying. so if you send any mail after this, send it to the mission office, cause i may or may not be here in forst lake anymore.
Anyway, this Week has been a week and a half. not really, but you get what i mean. so monday was all good, yadda yada, tuesday was all sorts of fun- we tracted! and found a couple people who were interested, and a lot of people who thought they knew a lot about the church, and didnt know jack squat- we had to really control ourselves to keep from bursting out laughing- i think the whole street were members of the same AOG congregation. anyway, we had our last lesson with the Falesima kids, and come to find out, their last name is actually p.- but its all good. thursday, we had district meeting, and we went with Elam, who is waiting for his mission call, to visit Tia, and we taught the last lesson and set her baptisimal date for next saturday. then, we went to the Falesimas and went over the interview questions with them, and then our district leader showed up, and interviewed them, and they all passed with flying colours. we were happy about that. Friday was the interesting day though- unfortunately we didnt do much missionary work- we had to go to the doctor- i basically just had to go in to see if i could get recommended for physio to pull my shoulders back to where they are supposed to be, and got it, and so im starting that tomorrow. anyway, elder Bartelt had an MRI for his shoulder, and that was fun. basically we're walking medical bills, but so far the highest baptising companionship in the mission this transfer. saturday was the big day. we tracted for a really long time, found nobody, had a bible bash with a guy (we smashed him) and then went home. ugh. but then, we went to the baptism for the Falesimas. it was really good. we each baptised one of them, including Elam, who sat in for most of the lessons with them, he baptised the youngest girl. it was a great turn out, and it was really spiritual for the parents. hopefully that'll be what they need so that they will do what they need to do to get back into the church. that night, we had the ward christmas party, had lots of people there, and lots of food. I'll tell you what, their christmas party was awesome. they had a live band, who were all tongan, and they sang a lot of spanish songs- you can imagine how that sounded. :P anyway, we had fun. then sunday, we rocked up to church, having stopped by to harass everyone who was supposed to come to church, they all came, and then we confirmed the Falesimas. it was really good. and dad, this time, i dont remember hardly anything. and thanks for that advice you gave me it helped a lot. anyway, after church, i was able to Ordain Dan C. to the Aaronic priesthood. I was touched that he asked me to do it. that was a new experience for me.
so that was the week. so far, i've gotten 2 letters, i havent gotten the packages yet, but im sure they are coming. and whitney, did you get my package and letter yet? i sent them ages ago.
Rochelle, thanks for your emails, they were great! i cant wait to see Gabe!
anyway, i gotta go, i love you all so much!
Love,
Elder Tayler Christensen.
this week was a big one, so i'll just answer all of your questions and whatnot and then tell yous all about it. :)
What else did you do on your b-day?
WELL we went christmas shopping. used about 60 dollars (hope thats ok) and im sending it all today. and went and trained muay thai with a guy in out ward, and then went to the covingtons for dinner, and i got to BBQ chicken on a super nice grill, i got some really good smelling cologne from sabrina and it was fun. We'll just say that at the end of the day i slept REALLY good.
Did you save presents?
sorta. i didnt look at the pictures on the SD card until then, and they didint work on my camera, so i had to take it to a place and just get them printed. it was really cheap though, and i got a kick out of all of them. Collin's cross country pictures were great. bro, i know how running in the rain feels. and tracting in the rain. and riding my bike in the rain. ya. its fun. eh? i actually like it. it makes me happy.
What are the logistics to talking with you on Christmas?
thats a good question. no one has said anything yet. but i assume that since yous are a day behind and 7 hours ahead, ill probably be calling you on christmas morning for me, and christmas eve in the evening for you. and yes, i will be calling you, UNLESS the phone companies dont charge if you call me. which is how it works for everyone in Australia. its kinda nice. ill let you know next week on transfer day though. oh, speaking of which, we really have no idea if one of us is going or staying. so if you send any mail after this, send it to the mission office, cause i may or may not be here in forst lake anymore.
Anyway, this Week has been a week and a half. not really, but you get what i mean. so monday was all good, yadda yada, tuesday was all sorts of fun- we tracted! and found a couple people who were interested, and a lot of people who thought they knew a lot about the church, and didnt know jack squat- we had to really control ourselves to keep from bursting out laughing- i think the whole street were members of the same AOG congregation. anyway, we had our last lesson with the Falesima kids, and come to find out, their last name is actually p.- but its all good. thursday, we had district meeting, and we went with Elam, who is waiting for his mission call, to visit Tia, and we taught the last lesson and set her baptisimal date for next saturday. then, we went to the Falesimas and went over the interview questions with them, and then our district leader showed up, and interviewed them, and they all passed with flying colours. we were happy about that. Friday was the interesting day though- unfortunately we didnt do much missionary work- we had to go to the doctor- i basically just had to go in to see if i could get recommended for physio to pull my shoulders back to where they are supposed to be, and got it, and so im starting that tomorrow. anyway, elder Bartelt had an MRI for his shoulder, and that was fun. basically we're walking medical bills, but so far the highest baptising companionship in the mission this transfer. saturday was the big day. we tracted for a really long time, found nobody, had a bible bash with a guy (we smashed him) and then went home. ugh. but then, we went to the baptism for the Falesimas. it was really good. we each baptised one of them, including Elam, who sat in for most of the lessons with them, he baptised the youngest girl. it was a great turn out, and it was really spiritual for the parents. hopefully that'll be what they need so that they will do what they need to do to get back into the church. that night, we had the ward christmas party, had lots of people there, and lots of food. I'll tell you what, their christmas party was awesome. they had a live band, who were all tongan, and they sang a lot of spanish songs- you can imagine how that sounded. :P anyway, we had fun. then sunday, we rocked up to church, having stopped by to harass everyone who was supposed to come to church, they all came, and then we confirmed the Falesimas. it was really good. and dad, this time, i dont remember hardly anything. and thanks for that advice you gave me it helped a lot. anyway, after church, i was able to Ordain Dan C. to the Aaronic priesthood. I was touched that he asked me to do it. that was a new experience for me.
so that was the week. so far, i've gotten 2 letters, i havent gotten the packages yet, but im sure they are coming. and whitney, did you get my package and letter yet? i sent them ages ago.
Rochelle, thanks for your emails, they were great! i cant wait to see Gabe!
anyway, i gotta go, i love you all so much!
Love,
Elder Tayler Christensen.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Dec. 7, for me, dec, 6 for you... i get to turn 20 twice. who wouldnt love THAT!?
Family! Friends!
thank you SO much for all of the emails this week! I have absolutely loved them all! unfortunately now I only have 23 minutes to respond to all 25 of them, but I'll see what I can do- just before I answer all the emails, I'll just fill yous in on some of the events of the past week. We spent the week with a mini missionary, named Kirk. He's 16, and Aussie. He was very knowledgeable, very willing to work, and asked HEAPS of questions. it was fun. We ate at the Covington's like 3 times this week, got into a water fight, (oops) :) then had interviews with president Richards. very educational. then, we had a day of tracting and walking around in cloud burst after cloud burst, and after ruining and partially fixing 2 silk ties from the rain, started wearing only polyester ties whenever there is even the smallest cloud visible. however, the highlight of the week, was Saturday. we went to Isiah Baptism! it was AWESOME!!! and Sabrina is doing really well too. but the coolest thing for me was Sunday. see, Elder Bartelt Baptized, so guess who got to confirm in sacrament meeting... come on... guess! its not that hard. oh. ya. ME! i was scared out of my mind! I'm still not completely comfortable with priesthood blessings, and now i had to confirm in front of the whole ward into a MICROPHONE. AHH! but, as i was excusing myself to go freak out that morning, all of a sudden i got goose bumps really bad (which i weird since the flat is usually somewhere around 80 degrees) and i just felt this overwhelming peace come over me. it was so awesome! i was so thankful it was fast Sunday too, because i felt like i needed that too. anyway, the confirmation came around, and it went just fine, i wasn't even nervous. only problem is i remember the whole thing basically- Dad this may just be me being weird, but everyone always says that if you don't remember what you said, that means the spirit was talking through you. If you remember everything but still feel good about it, does that still count? anyway, Sabrina was REALLY happy, and told me she was feeding me tonight, for my birthday and even said that i could bbq the chicken. (yeah, i asked to do it.) we also set in stone 3 more baptism dates for next week with the Falisima Kids. fruits of the labor coming through!
ok, now with 10 minutes remaining ill try and respond to all your emails. Dad- thank you for your email. it made my day. i about broke down, but decided that the library wasn't the place for that. :) so i kept control. the Christmas trees seem to be going well, and I took a look at the website, and the only correction I can think of for it, is that the mission is called the Australia Brisbane mission, not the Brisbane Australia mission. but other than that, it looks great! Thanks for everything you do Dad! I really appreciated your journal entries from your mission too!
mom- the concert sounds like it was amazing. and ya, i was a little bummed hearing about it and not being able to be a part of it, but i just played some of the eclipse CD and did my vocal percussion to it, and then it was all ok. Haha, drove Elder Bartelt nuts, but hey, you should hear him sing. :P thank you too for your journal entries- i feel special. :)
Marissa- thanks for your email! sounds like you had a blast in Oregon- you going to be there for Christmas or new years? either way, I'm sending your Christmas present to the house. :) yours too Richard. :D
Cara- you're cute. good on ya for getting the 96 on your anatomy test! That's better than I EVER did. and sounds like you had a good time with the concert too. :) When i come home, I'm being in at least one of them even if i have to be a grip.
Collin- 2 letters from you and a snail mail on the way! awesome! Great to hear from you! and sounds like the goat fence putting up was fun! :P
Anna- your cute! Can't wait to hear your voice on Christmas!
Whitney- hope you got your package, and thank you for your email. As always, they help me feel a bit better about myself.
Ok, i have 30 seconds left, sorry its being cut off short! I love you all! have a great week! talk to you soon!
Love, Elder Christensen
thank you SO much for all of the emails this week! I have absolutely loved them all! unfortunately now I only have 23 minutes to respond to all 25 of them, but I'll see what I can do- just before I answer all the emails, I'll just fill yous in on some of the events of the past week. We spent the week with a mini missionary, named Kirk. He's 16, and Aussie. He was very knowledgeable, very willing to work, and asked HEAPS of questions. it was fun. We ate at the Covington's like 3 times this week, got into a water fight, (oops) :) then had interviews with president Richards. very educational. then, we had a day of tracting and walking around in cloud burst after cloud burst, and after ruining and partially fixing 2 silk ties from the rain, started wearing only polyester ties whenever there is even the smallest cloud visible. however, the highlight of the week, was Saturday. we went to Isiah Baptism! it was AWESOME!!! and Sabrina is doing really well too. but the coolest thing for me was Sunday. see, Elder Bartelt Baptized, so guess who got to confirm in sacrament meeting... come on... guess! its not that hard. oh. ya. ME! i was scared out of my mind! I'm still not completely comfortable with priesthood blessings, and now i had to confirm in front of the whole ward into a MICROPHONE. AHH! but, as i was excusing myself to go freak out that morning, all of a sudden i got goose bumps really bad (which i weird since the flat is usually somewhere around 80 degrees) and i just felt this overwhelming peace come over me. it was so awesome! i was so thankful it was fast Sunday too, because i felt like i needed that too. anyway, the confirmation came around, and it went just fine, i wasn't even nervous. only problem is i remember the whole thing basically- Dad this may just be me being weird, but everyone always says that if you don't remember what you said, that means the spirit was talking through you. If you remember everything but still feel good about it, does that still count? anyway, Sabrina was REALLY happy, and told me she was feeding me tonight, for my birthday and even said that i could bbq the chicken. (yeah, i asked to do it.) we also set in stone 3 more baptism dates for next week with the Falisima Kids. fruits of the labor coming through!
ok, now with 10 minutes remaining ill try and respond to all your emails. Dad- thank you for your email. it made my day. i about broke down, but decided that the library wasn't the place for that. :) so i kept control. the Christmas trees seem to be going well, and I took a look at the website, and the only correction I can think of for it, is that the mission is called the Australia Brisbane mission, not the Brisbane Australia mission. but other than that, it looks great! Thanks for everything you do Dad! I really appreciated your journal entries from your mission too!
mom- the concert sounds like it was amazing. and ya, i was a little bummed hearing about it and not being able to be a part of it, but i just played some of the eclipse CD and did my vocal percussion to it, and then it was all ok. Haha, drove Elder Bartelt nuts, but hey, you should hear him sing. :P thank you too for your journal entries- i feel special. :)
Marissa- thanks for your email! sounds like you had a blast in Oregon- you going to be there for Christmas or new years? either way, I'm sending your Christmas present to the house. :) yours too Richard. :D
Cara- you're cute. good on ya for getting the 96 on your anatomy test! That's better than I EVER did. and sounds like you had a good time with the concert too. :) When i come home, I'm being in at least one of them even if i have to be a grip.
Collin- 2 letters from you and a snail mail on the way! awesome! Great to hear from you! and sounds like the goat fence putting up was fun! :P
Anna- your cute! Can't wait to hear your voice on Christmas!
Whitney- hope you got your package, and thank you for your email. As always, they help me feel a bit better about myself.
Ok, i have 30 seconds left, sorry its being cut off short! I love you all! have a great week! talk to you soon!
Love, Elder Christensen
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