well, it's starting to warm up

well this has been a nice change from last week! i really enjoyed every email! Cara, i loved yours, that is a great experience you had. The seminary just did a fireside called "A Walk With Christ" singing about christ's last week of life and whatnot. A girl sang his hands, and got choked up right at the end... it was what made the audience crack. not a dry eye in the chapel. it was awesome. I'm glad you're having such great experiences. Hope you get better soon!
Rochelle- i hope you're home when my package gets there. there's lots of Tim-tams and stuff. enjoy. :) and hearing about Gabe made my day! im excited to see where he'll be when i get home! :)
Anna- keep up the good work babe. you'll be out of primary before you know it. dont worry. :D
Collin- write me bro. I read a funny thing that some missionaries wrote about mail, its written like scripture, and uses some well-known scriptures and changes the words around: Then saith the missionary unto his brother, lovest thou me? and his brother saith, yea. and the missionary saith, fill my letterbox. and again, the missionary says to his brother, lovest thou me? and the brother answered, yea elder, thou knowest i Love thee. and the missionary said, fill my letterbox. and again, the missionary saith, lovest thou me? and the brother saith, yea, elder, thou knowest many things, and thou knowest that i love thee. and the missionary saith, STUFF my letter box. ya. i thought is was funny. there's more of them, but that's the best one i think. :P
anyway, there were some questions that dad asked-
I want to know more about the baptisms last week.
well, they were really good. there are pictures in the package i sent home. the member of the seventy that lives in our ward presided and baptized Pires. it was way good.
How are you getting along with your companion?
Elder Tuhoro and I got along great. we had some good success, and lots of fun.
Any new investigators?
almost, but im not around to see if they become investigatros
Can you tell us an inspirational Story? I heard a quote last night that struck me. "every baptism is a miracle." I heard it at a dinner with the stake president, who had all the missionaries in the zone at his house for dinner because every companionship baptized this transfer, which never happens. so that was really good, but as every companionship talked about their baptisms, i realized that every person that got baptized was a miracle. i came to realize that these were choice spirits of heavenly father, and not just a statistic that we reported at the end of the week. it was really good. there is nothing as good as seeing someone progress so far in the gospel.
When is next transfere day?
TODAY!!!! i got transferred to forest lakes in centenary stake. my new companion is Elder Bartelt, and he's been out for one transfer longer than me. we're co-senior companions, so that'll be interesting. we white-washed the area, and there are no investigators or potentials, so we're starting from ground zero. so im going from tracting only as a last resort, to tracting for hours every day. woo hoo!!!! i actually am pretty excited. anyway, time's running out.
i love you all so much! keep up the good work, and tell Amber congrats for me!
Michael- got your email. good thing you're good a spanish eh? haha, chile will never be the same. have a good one buddy! oh, and cherish your time at the MTC. it will NEVER come back! :P
whitney- black ink, dont care if they retract or not, and ya, pretty sure im all good with sticky notes and envelopes and such. thanks :) hope all goes well for you this next week, and im glad you enjoyed the letter!
ok, time really is up now, so, im signing off. love you all!
Love,
Elder Christensen

NO MORE SCARY STORIES!!!

Dear Family. Ok, even though i have ton running through my mind right now, I'll follow my own protocol first.
Questions:
1. Can you look at Picas web albums if we send the link? uh, ya. i think so.
2. How did the Baptisms go? AMAZING! they were way good, but the week leading up to it was hectic. we changed the program like a million times. the final program was made just hours before. but the confermations were awesome! The preisthood is real!
3. Tell us about your first encounter with a kangaroo, if you have had one. haha, my first and only encounter with a Kangaroo was in a lasagna. I still havent seen a real one- they're pretty hard to come by in the middle of the city, ya know? :P
ok now i get to say whats on my mind. FREAK OUT FREAK OUT FREAKOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAD- you are NOT allowed to EVER pass out in front of Mom Again. full stop. next time you want to spray a hill side behind a ditch, use a back pack sprayer. they tend to be a little safer. dont care if it takes longer. oh, and dont try to be your own doctor any more, please? ok. wow. not gonna lie, dad, you gave me a massive fright. thats one thing i didnt want to hear when i was not in a position to do an emergency come home. and the only emergency come home thats allowed from a mission is one i NEVER want take. im coming home early enough as it is. by the way, no, finishing the last 6 weeks in the states isnt an option. im stuck coming home 6 weeks early. could be worse though. a guy just went home 3 months early because of a passport issue. so im counting my blessings. anyway, Dad, remember last month when i told you i was fasting for you? well, the whole day it felt REALLY important, and then this whole last month i was wondering why... well, now i know. Testimony of Fasting just skyrocketed. ok, well, i wish i could reply to everyone right now, but time is short. so ill do what i can.
whitney- im glad your YW recognition went well, keep it up. :)
cara- glad you're having fun. hope your last week of girls camp was amazing.
rochelle- hope you have a good time on your annniversary. ill definitely let you know what i think of the package and the recording.
Mom- Dad's not going anywhere any time soon. :)
Dad- stay off that ATV for a while, k? :P
love you all, glad you're all safe, and (relatively) pain free.
thank you for your prayers. they are much needed and appreciated.

Good week, yup, yup.

Family!!!! HI!!!!
well, i have a few big things i need to say, so ill say them first.
1. Im coming home early. dont freak out, its just cause my visa expires early, and so ill come home a transfer (6 weeks) early.
2. after talking to president Richards extensively, i decided that ya'll shouldnt come to pick me up from the mission. HEAR ME OUT- i cant go ANYWHERE with you if you come, no beaches, no water, nothing. I have to stay in pros. clothes, and I really just want to be a missionary til they kick me out of Australia. so, keep saving the money, and we'll ALL come back for summer vacation!!! sound good? sounds good to me. :)
3. We are baptizing Pires on saturday at 6 o'clock. :) good stuff
4. we are baptizing Leticia on saturday at 7 o'clock.
5. Um. oh, there's no number 5. :P
ok, well besides that exciting stuff, the week has been pretty interesting. we dont really have any new investigators, and mom, Jay is still here, we're working on baptizing him, but he's pretty tight financially, and is struggling to keep his wife in school. If she's not in school, they go back to nepal, so thats kinda stressing him out, but we're still working with him. Oh, we went on trade-offs with the zone leaders yesterday, and i went to their area with Elder Taufa, and we did some tracting. Actually, a LOT of tracting. we found this many people: 0.
but, its ok, because i learned a lot, and i mixed up my door approach a lot, and it made it fun, so that was good. And we were car fasting, so we took to the bus or walked everywhere. it was funny. oh, just a side-note, the adress i have posted on the blog is the mission office address, it will ALWAYS be the mailing address unless i go up into the Northern zone, in which case i'll send the address to the flat when that happens. also, for packages, and i hope im not too late on this, you need to send them to the mission office, not the PO box. yup.
On a more deep note, we've been meeting with a less-active guy named jeff for a few weeks now. he's an RM, and a convert. He's had it pretty rough. He has PTSD, which makes him freak out about everything including the sky. i'd explain more about the disease, but ill let you look it up- its the same thing that lots of WWI veterans have- post-tramatic stress disease. Anyway, he has an amazingly deep understanding of the Gospel. Now, when i say Amazingly deep, i mean this guy understands things in ways that i never thought about, and some of the things that he knows, he has been physically restrained from telling people. He went through a really rough time that i wont describe, but he never questioned the existence of God, but rather, he just Angry at God for letting things happen to him, and thats why he went innactive. however, after some long discussions with him, he committed himself to come to church this sunday, so hopefully he's on his way back to recovery.
well, thats pretty much it.
cara- tell jeff that i'm way happy for him, and tell him to send me photos!!! and congrats on your YW medallion, thats awesome!!! im preoud of you little sister!!!
collin- sounds like you're having an awesome time, keep it up.
Marissa- sounds like you're having a blast. good job for keeping things completely honest. thats the way to go. you really are sowing seeds of life that will either make or break your family later. so good on ya!
Dad- thanks for that quote. i know EXACTLY who needs to hear that. ME!!! honestly, that put a few questions to rest for me. further, i have come to realize that the deeper i understand things the more simply i can explain things to investigators. so thanks
Mom- sounds like you're having fun in the garden and with that wheat- haha i wish i was there to help, sounds like something i would enjoy. but im in the right place. so no worries. :)
Rochelle- sounds like your doing good too, the only real suggestion i have for you and your friend, is to bear testimony. Use power statements in your testimony. be bold. there is NOTHING as powerful as testimony.
Whitney- Good on ya! im happy for you and your YW medallion, sounds way good! and a new car hey? wanna know something funny? the 2 cars you have, the camry and the carolla are the 2 official mission cars. haha.

well, its time to go, i've overdone my time. but, i love you all, and i am so happy to be here! i know that the lord's work is the best work there is, so i dont feel bad when people yell "get a real job!" at me as they drive by. they dont know what they're missing =)
ok, the book of mormon is true. the church is true. We have the fullness of truth. any questions? No? Good. Have a good week! I'm way excited to get that recording! :D

Elder Tayler Christensen

Lot's of e-mails--YES!

wow talk about a contrast- last week i got like 3or 4 emails- this week, i got enough to keep me reading almost until my comp got done writing! and dont worry, i dont really feel forgotten, i figured there was just a timing issue. and mom- i thought your mouse story was hilarious- and now the follow up made me laugh some more. you'll be thrilled to hear that the pests hear arent mice. they're termites. and they can chew through anything. haha. and they aren't particularly affraid of people... yuck. luckily there arent any in my flat. its concrete and 3 stories up. so thats all good.
I am SO EXCITED for Erik! man, he will LOVE the MTC and his mission. its like the best thing since before sliced bread.
Those emails that i got from everyone were sure encouraging. Dad, yours especially put lots of things into prospective for me. its been hard trying to convince myself that i havent failed- but that helped a lot and i think ill get over it. This week has been just as hard with almost every appointment falling through. the best part was actually yesterday. We had a lesson with Pires again, and he ate it up, and we challenged him to baptism on august 8th, and he accepted. He wasnt even surprised. He just said, ya, thats what i need to do. So its set. He was also the only one that came to church. so that was kinda... depressing. we had like 6 people lined up. BUT, we had a good day. Also, saturday evening we were called by a less-active member who we had tracted into who has endured some remarkably trying psychological experiences. His understanding of the Gospel is extremely deep, so deep as to the point of he might know a little too much. It was crazy. He told us some unbelievable things that had happened to him, and asked us to bless his home, and give him a blessing as well. I had the opportunity to bless his home. It was amazing what things came out of my mouth. That home will be protected. The blessing that Elder Tuhoro Gave was even more bold. It covered so much, and promised so many things, i was a little concerned at how bold it was... but Elder Tuhoro doesn't remember any of it, so that has been a learning experience for me. This week has been a realization of many deep doctrines, as well as simple ones becoming simpler. I cant believe how much im learning.
ok before i get booted off, im going to answer some questions-
Have you seen any unusual animals, critters, insects?
if only you knew- haha wallabies are starting swooping season soon... that'll be fun
Where do you go to read e-mail? an internet cafe a few blocks away.
What do you typically do on p-day? whatever i feel like- lol usually we do email, shop, play some sport, eat, write letters, etc. just a relaxed day. pretty good.
How big is your ward-members and geographic area? about the size of sherwood, maybe a little bit into tigard. members- about 200 hundred active, about 700 innactive. (ya, i know thats a huge number)
Rochelle, thanks for your email and happy birthday! for your friend, just encourage her to read and pray about the book of mormon. once she does that, everything else will fall into place.
Anna- you're cute. I better get some pictures of your in that play
Richard- thanks for those great ideas! i cant wait to try them. =) im excited for the prizes! :D
Cara- 2 weeks in a row! have you asked the missionaries about teffaney and david yet?
Whitney- keep at it. have fun. summer before college couldnt have been shorter for me. enjoy it. and congrats on your YWhood recognition! send some pics!
oh, and family- PICTURES OF THE SHOW!!!!
ok well i love you all so much, look forward to hearing from you next week!
love,
Elder Christensen

One week at a time

Well, it has been a very trying week. Besides the fact that most of our appointments fell through, and we haven't found any new investigators, Gorgi chopped us yesterday morning. She wasn't happy about it, but her partner gave her an ultimatum, and she really has nowhere to go if she moves out, so she chose to stay with him for now... and then the brother and sister from columbia were supposed to come to church, and they didnt. Also, Jay, who we set a baptisimal date with for this week didnt come to church either... very frustrating. we did, however, have a myriad of blessings come from that. We were able to recognize early in the week, that this was a critical week and that we would be worked on very hard. why God has seen fit to take away some of these investigators, i have no idea, but, i do know that even when its way hard to find any kind of motivation, with faith, all things are possible. That has been the focus of my study this week, and it has been a huge help. i have found that faith in God, that he will provide for us if we are actively doing the best we can do, brings those blessings. Yesterday, we had a lesson with Pires, who is from brazil about the plan of salvation. This was done in the presense of a Retun missionary and his wife, a recent convert of 4 years, and in the home of Elder smibert who is in the Area presidency. Those things coupled with their testimonies and feedback made the lesson so awesome, and afterward Elder Smibert Told us that we had done an excellent job. Theres Nothing like being praised by an Area Authority. so that went well. Also, the ward missionary who was responsible for getting us meals with the members showed up this week, had made a calendar, and by the end of church had booked us for dinner every night for the next 2 weeks, and is working on next month's already. We started it off eating at her house last night, which proved to be very entertaining, and very refreshing from the intensity of the day. so that has been really good. so today i finally get to relax, which will be nice. Cara, thanks for you email, i really enjoyed it. and i am just not surprised that you are 3 pairs of shoes richer... haha not at all. You should come to brisbane to do some shopping, there's tons of retro shops and specialty shops everywhere, i even saw a timbuctoo down town. but i'm glad that you are getting into service- there is NOTHING that is so rewarding as service. Keep at it. =)
Whitney, thanks for your email, and have fun with that new laptop of yours. :P I really appreciated your spiritual thoughts, definitely gave me something to think about.
and from the absense of an email from mom and dad im guessing that it probably has something to do with the music man being this week or something like that. so no worries. Also, i think ill be sending home a package this week, so ya'll can get ready to some tim-tam slamming. Dont waste them. they're like Gold. Ill include a video on the card i send home demonstrating how to do it. :P But ya, enjoy that. Anyway, I Love you all, and look forward to hearing how The Music Man goes. Be sure to send some recordings if you can. would LOVE to hear some of those things. Take care, be happy, and remember, there is a 5'8 missionary in australia with brown hair that is becoming blonde, getting a sweet missionary tan, and who is gaining weight (!!!) who needs your prayers. :) I'm praying for all of you. Thank you for all the prayers that have been said on my behalf.
Elder Tayler Christensen

week 2, transfer 2, email 2, companion 2

Hey family! well i got heaps of questions from ya'll so ill start with those-
Rochelle.
questions:
1. Have you had the chance to give anyone the copies of our testimonies in a book of mormon? Do you need more copies? Not yet, but im giving out 2 tonight. as of yet, i dont need any more copies.
2. Any new investigators? YES! we contacted a referral who asked for a missionary visit just on monday, which i think i mentioned in my last email, and its a brother and sister, and they are getting baptized on the 25th or 26th. =)
3. What is your new companion like? He's awesome. he's very different from Elder Power, so that has taken some getting used to, but he's a great missionary, and i'm learning heaps from him.
4. Have you tried vegemite yet? Yes. its not horrible. its pretty much a ton of vitamin b. its pretty salty. not something ill miss.
5. Are you allowed to look at blogs, websites, or web albums? not really, but if its a link that takes me to some pictures, thats fine.
6. Are you guys riding bikes now? yes, our car is only part time now, so we're using the bikes for the second half of the week.

ok, and now dad's questions about my new comp.
Age: 19
Family: New Zealand (native) 2 little brothers, an older sister and younger sister.
interests: He's big into Rugby, likes basketball, and apparently has changed heaps since being out on his mission, and he's very focused. His interests include finding investigators, teaching investigators, and above all, BAPTIZING investigators. :)
home town: Hamilton, NZ
physical description (for Cara): Bout 6'2" probably about 190 lbs or so, polynesian, very fit, dark hair, brown eyes.
quirky things he does and says: wears a sweat shirt to bed, loves oatmeal for any meal... still finding that out. :P
What you love about him: His undying love for the work, for the people, and for the scriptures. I'm able to learn from him, and he's not above learning from me. helps the whole unity thing.

ok. wow. that was way long. anyway, i have had a very mixed week. its has been very hard, and very rewarding. as i said before, Elder Tuhoro is very different from elder Power, in his teaching and how he approaches people and such, so that has taken some getting used to, and i found that i was praying very earnestly for charity so i could get past all the little things and focus on the work. that seemed to help. so now we're doing loads better. we taught Daniel and Liliana 2 lessons this last week, and gave liliana a blessing because she was in the hospital for a kidney infection, and i was the voice (first time EVER). So i was pretty nervous, and in my head, i said, ok, going to have her heal really fast, and... ya. so i started the blessing, and promptly forgot EVERYTHING. talk about a stupor of thought. however, the blessing that came out of my mouth was not anything i would have imagined. She would have a normal recovery, and it would be a benefit to her, but i also talked about some things that she had told me earlier in the week that i had completely forgotten about, and just covered it all. I dont remember the whole blessing, but she was very appreciative. But i was even more appreciative. The lord has made a promise that if we will open out mouths, he will fill them. And that was exactly what happened. it was amazing.
Oh! and remember Jay? long time investigator? we set a date with him for the 25th!!!! I am so excited!! it will be so good! All the other investigators are doing pretty well, Gorgi is moving faster towards moving out so she can be baptized, so thats good.
Marissa-
another thing that i have been doing that helps with slammed doors, is realizing that people arent rejecting me, they're rejecting the message i share. for you, they're just rejecting the service you offer. Its nothing personal. and if it is, shame on them. Anyway, i'm so glad to hear about your missionary experience, i did know cody thompson, he was a good guy. but like you said, hopefully there will be some hearts softened so that Heavenly father can bless more of his children.
Rochelle-
haha, pilates and yoga, i know EXACTLY how you feel. :P its not easy at all is it? :p but keep up the good work! tell Gabe happy birthday for me! Elder Tuhoro and i sang happy birthday to him over dinner on his birthday, so that was fun. :)
Collin- that sounds like an awesome high adventure, it must run in the family indeed. :P keep up the good work buddy. I really enjoyed your email, it has given me a boost of confidence that i really needed. thanks
Dad-
that was an awesome email. I do know jacob, i used to babysit him. I am so glad to hear that he was being taken care of! only the Gospel can help people in that way, and i love that he had instant friends that helped him do everything! those are my sherwood boys.
Cara- no email this week? gyped! haha its ok, i know you're busy with the beach and stuff... :P love to hear from you.
whitney- dont worry! im sending a package home soon with pictures and everything. landscape as well. its a lot like oregon, pretty hilly, but not horrible.
ok, well my time is gone, so imma get on outta here. time to go grocery shopping! FOOD! YAY!!! i ran out of cereal this morning... good timing.
i love you all so much! have an awesome week, and dont forget to pray for missionary experiences!
Love,
Elder Christensen

July Transfers

Dear Family, friends, and... um... everyone else! :)
Wow, what a CRAZY week! we did so much, and yet so little. I'll give you the highlights first. Yesterday, monday, we found 2 people, brother and sister who just moved to australia from columbia, who went to church for 2 months before they moved, and we were able to immediately set a baptisimal date with them in 2 weeks time. Also, Gorgi expressed that she knew what she needed to do, and just needed to do it (move out). so we're very excited about that. We taught a guy named Pires from Brazil who's fellowship is none other than Elder smibert the area 70 and his son, Bishop smibert. He's Golden. We're looking at a 3 week baptism. :) I'm very excited for that. Also, after much anticipation and expectations, Elder Power got transferred and i stayed in brisbane city. However, now he's my Zone leader, so he didnt move too far. My new companion is the new district leader, he's Kiwi (new zealander), and his name is elder Tuhoro. Really cool guy, I'm really happy to be sesrving with him. Needless to say however, that both Elder power and I were shocked when we got the transfer call and they said that HE was leaving. EVERYONE was shocked. But, i consider myself blessed to have served with him, and that i get to stay here. :)
ok, the house keeping stuff- yes, everyone's emails needs to come through mom or dad, including stuff from siblings. And thank you whitney for changing it up so quickly. that made me day. If there is one thing i have learned, its that complete obedience is the only way that success comes. so, siblings, emails go to MOM, and then to me. and ya, probably should change those details on my blog. These are mission rules, so they're not in the white bible.
ok, i just have to say that i am SO happy that i got testimonies of prayer from like everyone! this week that has beenn something that i have really worked on, and i too have gained a greater testimony of prayer. its an amazing thing. This past fast sunday was especially good. i prayed for what to fast for, and 3 things came to mind directly. i fasted for 3 miracles. 2 having to do with investigators, and one, for Dad. I dont know what that miracle is, but hopefully it happens, cause it felt like he really needed it. so if anything happens, let me know! Also, im happy to hear that the biskeys are coming in august. Tell them to come to the brisbane ward, it meets at kangaroo point at 9 am. its next to the temple, so that should be an easy landmark. Also, yes, i have a tool down by my drum set that has like everything immaginable which includes, but is not limmited to, nail clippers, screw drivers, a flashlight, and scissors. I need it. it should be in the basket with the my drum sticks. :) OH, and by the way, i have some AMAZING pictures of the city at night, and some cool videos of the sunrise and such. I'll send home the SD card with the package that will be coming sometime this transfer. Ok, so i'll answer those questions now.
Are you happy and content? oh yes. i love missionary work more every day.
Do you love your companion? Elder power is awesome. yes, i love him. and Elder tuhoro, I already love that guy. he's awesome.
Do you feel good about your personal efforts so far? GQing is still hard for me. But i get better everytime i do it, my personal efforts have been my best. I get home every night completely exhausted, so i think thats good. :P
Do you have any new insights about your experience with your heart surgery? Yes, we had a long discussion about the need for a broken heart so that the lord can dwell in it, relating back to that EFY song about broken horses. I realized that my heart got broken in 2 ways at once, and one way i will never heal from, because it was the healing. my heart, although physically fixed, is permanently broken spiritually. it has been amazing to see how much more in tune with the spirit i have become. truly amazing.
Do you think your stamina has increased? YES, we play basketball and footie (rugby) on p-days, and for some reason, they always watch me close, cause apparently now im fast or something... :P who'd a thunk? but yes, my physicall stamina has increased dramatically.
anymore questions? no? ok. :)
Cara- thank you for your letter. I absolutely love hearing about stuff like that, and elder nichol and barret are still there?! yes! ask them about David smith and teffany. keep up the good work lil sister, and remember, you NEVER know who is ready, so take a leap of faith, and invite your best friends to church. It will be a blessing to you.
Collin- you better send me that recording of your john shmidt piece ASAP! i want to hear it! and keep up the good work brother, its hard, but it pays off!
oh, tell Eric that the mission is AWESOME!!! He'll love it.
Tell uncle craig to get better soon.
OH! by the way, i got that package on thursday! loved it! thank you so much for that! it made my day and week! :D ok, i gotta go now, but i love you all so much! I know i'm where i'm supposed to be, and i know without a shadow of a doubt that the church is true, and that it is the ONLY church with the fulness of truth on the earth today. keep up the good missionary work!
love,
Elder Christensen
ps, i heard fireworks for a total of 4 minutes on the 4th of july. and i think those people had the cops called on them... oops. :P

long week...GOOD week =)

Family! Friends! HELLOOO!!!
Well, it has been a very, very busy week. Even since wednesday. Just as a heads up, next week is transfers, they happen every 6 weeks, and that will be on tuesday, which will also be p-day. so expect an email, which will likely be brief mondayish. =) ok, answers to questions

Where do you go to read e-mail?
Theres an internet cafe about 1 K from our flat.
Do you have a time limit?
the white hand book says an hour for email.
Can you print out letters and read them later?
yes, but i rarely do.
What are you doing for service?
anything and everything. We cleaned someone's kitchen just last week.
How many wards are you working in?
just one. it used to be 2 areas, with 2 sets of sisters. We replaced both of them, so we combined 2 area books, and 2 areas, and that has made things much bigger, and much easier.
How many meals each week do you eat with members?
it depends on the week, however the bishop and WML got together this week, and are making a meal roster for us that will have us being fed by members every night for the next 6 months or so. so thats exciting. :)
Are you cooking?
yes. :)
Is there any food you can't buy, that you're used to having?
WHEATIES. PANDA. ya thats pretty much all that i'm lamenting at the moment.
Well, as long as im talking about food, ill go ahead and tell you a few things that i HAVE been eating that will NOT be in the states. first, i had a kangaroo lasagna the other night, and found out that "fish and chips" translated from australian to american means "shark and really yummy french fries." yup, i ate SHARK. and there's no such thing as fries here- they're called chips. that was really interesting. Really yummy too.
ok, enough about food, how bout the work, right? WELL. :) we had a tracting day on saturday. This was elder Power's (brilliant) idea. So, we went tracting ALL DAY. but the lord blessed us. we had a lesson with the second person we talked to, and really didnt even get close with anyone else. but that was good, becuase it motivated us to keep going and get really excited about things. and then, just the night before, we had a recntly returned missionary invite us over for dinner. He's and AMAZING cook, and make us this really good chicken, with some toppings i've never heard of, and avacado, and whole grain mustard. Is there whole grain mustard in the states? cause its WAY good. oh. here i am talking about food again. ok, well, as long as im here again, its a good thing this is the last week of the month, because i just spent my last dollar today on groceries that will HOPEFULLY get us through the week- we'll see though. :P
Ok, well, we have one new investigator who we found tracting, his name is michael, he's pretty sincere, and i think he felt the spirit when we taught him. it was really good. we're seeing him again on thursday. i'm really excited. our other investigators are all the same as last week, and honestly we're kind of frustrated with them because they all want to learn more, but we've given them all the discussions, but one thing or another is holding them back from baptism. We're trying to help them but they aren't making it very easy, however, we did weekly planning for like 6 hours on friday. (and thats NOT an exaggeration) and we did some role plays of us to the investigators, and that turned out to be very helpful to us in determining the root concern in all of them, and then coming up with ways to resolve them. so this week, we're putting them to the test, and praying that they work. Some of them are VERY straight forward. so i'll let you know how those go. :)
haha, well there were a few very interesting people that we met while tracting, a few "born again" christians who had lots of bible references to use against us that they interpreted in some really interesting ways that i didnt quite understand how they came up with them. but really, their main argument was, "a bible! a bible! we have got a bible, and there cannot be any more bible (2 nephi 29:3)" amazing how accurate the Book of Mormon is.
one guy tried to give us his number and stuff so we could call him and he could help us be saved. It was entertaining and saddening at the same time. After a while, we finally had to say, no, we know what we know, and nothing will change that. full stop. (by the way, the term "full-stop" is equivalent to our, "period").
anyway, i have found that an emergency procedure has helped me through all of this. I ask myself some basic questions. "Is the book of mormon true?" uh, yep. "any questions?" uh, nope. "good." its become somewhat of a joke, but it works, and keeps us in good moods.
Also, this week Elder Power and I have had some very lengthy discussions about what Sin actually is, and what repentance actually is. Elder Power has done lots of research and study, and is only just scratching the surface. This morning, we talked about how at the root of all sin, there is a law that is broken, and at the root of all law, there is a punishment. there cannot be any law that is not enforced without a punishment. so punishment is the basis of all this. we read in d and c 19 about kingdoms of glory and who goes where, and we also went to d and c 76 and read about "eternal damnation" and "eternal punishment" Interesting that it says "never ending punishment" and not, "punishment without end." I'd tell you everything we got out of that, but I'll let ya'll study that one out and see what you learn. we learned quite a lot and spent an hour talking about it, so. there is much to be learned from modern-day revelation. :)
ok, well, i have to go. You are all in my prayers, I love you all so much!
Elder Tayler Christensen
ps- FAMILY. I need ya'lls mailing addresses! send em send em send em! (immediate, extended, pseudo, you name it. FAMILY)

Zone Temple Day was P-day

WOW everyone is doing so many things! i cant even keep it straight in my head! haha, its sounds like everyone is having so much fun, that youth conference sounds AWESOME!!! collin and cara are lucky! and collin- way to go keeping up the christensen tradition at the dances. cant let that one die.
Marissa, its been good to hear from you! and dont worry, i totally get the too busy to do much thing... happens to me every day. :P and dont worry, the door-knocking gets easier. after a while, you learn to laugh at people when they're mean like that. Speaking of tracting, i did a LOT this week. AND it wasn't even bad! i finally got over my fear of knocking on doors and talking to people i dont know! well mostly anyway. but now i can actually talk to people and not trip completely over my words! AND i'm starting to pick up the vernacular and accent... i know some of you will be happy about that. :) Anyway, the week has been so amazing, i went on trade-offs twice. both with missionaries who have been out for only a transfer longer than me, and both of them came to my area, so i found out that i REALLY need to learn how to plan effectively REALLY fast. haha. Elder Power is helping me with that. also, we have a new investigator, we taught her the first lesson on her door step yesterday, because she was home alone, and we cant go in to the flat without another male over 18, so that was kinda a bummer, but the lesson was really good. Oh, and the investigator whom we taught the law of chastity to is still going strong. She knows what decision she needs to make, but her partner is making it difficult for her. But her faith isn't shaken. she's still progressing, and we are helping her move more toward those decisions she needs to make in the near future.
oh my gosh! DAD! HAPPY VERY BELATED FATHERS DAY! sorry, i would have sent you some tim tams so you could do some slams, but as it turned out, We finished off the last 2 packs of them in about 15 minutes last saturday after we taught 4 discussions and committed 8 people to come to church in one day! so that was good.
i cant reply to everyone's email in this one, cause i'm running out of time fast, so im just going to say thank you for all of your inspiring letters- they have helped me quite a lot. :)
but there are SOME things that i want to adress- collin, sorry bout that having to burn stuff all by yourself, i totally know how that goes. one suggestion i have for you is to put some conference talks on you mp3 player. they're great. :) Also, that package, i hope there's some chocolate in it, cause i ran out! :P
OH! i know that lots of you like to just send email because snail mail takes so long, BUT there is NOTHING like getting hard mail... i love it. so if you feel so inclined, get out some paper and a pen.

some things i've learned this week- there is nothing as powerful as a prayer said out loud. its amazing how the spirit can work through you for you as you pray. also, dad you always told me about how sometimes when you're teaching, you say something thats even new to you, and you're like, "whoa... i didnt even know that!" well, i was always like, oh thats cool, hope that happens... and then wa BAM! like 3 times in one week, i just throw stuff out that im like, WHAT! how did i come up with that? its pretty crazy. i love it though. Also, i found that when you pray for a testimony, you get it. i found that i wanted and needed to bear more powerful testimony, so i prayed for it and studied and did all that, and its coming, i really have been able to cater it towards individual investigators, and it has made a HUGE difference. Anyway, I'm running out of time, but i'm sorry that once again my email is late, we had zone temple day today, so today became out p-day rather than monday, so thats that. ok. well, i really have to go now, we still have to shower and get to an appointment in an hour-- by the way, rugby, or "footie" is like the most fun sport ever. ok, I love you all so much! pray for missionary experiences and they will come! also, this is a startling figure- president richards said that something like only 5 people in every ward are ready and willing to help the missionaries with the work- something to think about. :P anyway, now i REALLY gotta go. Love you all so much!
Elder Christensen

Another Week

Hey family!
ok, so new idea. you should take all of your questions and combine them into one list so i can go through and answer all of them! haha I'll do my best. Also, a re-emphasis on the fact that Mom or Dad are supposed to be the first recipients of any mail i send. President Richards said specifically that that included siblings- sorry to be a kill joy, but i've recently been finding out how many blessings come from complete obedience. Ok, now I'll try and answer all of your questions. :)
Leticia is Ethiopian, her last name is Bandibombe. Gorgi's last name is Askham, she's English. Jay's last name is Singh. he's nepalese. Jay is THIS close to quitting smoking, and we hope to getting baptized. Leticia is waiting for her mom to get into Aus. so she can show her what the church is all about. We're reteaching all the lessons to make sure she understands. Gorgi, made some decisions about her defacto relationship that we weren't thrilled about, but we then taught her a lesson about obedience, and i think she figured it out. We also gave her a blessing of Comfort and counsel. it was really good. So we'll see if she figures it out this week. Also, This week we had 8- count them EIGHT investigators at church INCLUDING a family of 5 who is muslim. The mother is so Christlike. she asked for a BofM after church, and they committed to come to church next week. Thats a very delicate position though. The Mission president has to interview any Muslim Investigators before we start teaching them becuase many of them are refugees and if they go back to their native countries being any form of Christian, they can be tortured and/or killed. But before that they have to be progressing and keeping committments. So they have to read and Pray about the BofM and be coming to church for 3 weeks straight before the interview can even take place, and before we can formally teach them. so that will be an adventure. The members here are great. Every sunday at church, there are 2 or 3 people who just walk up and ask us to come over for dinner. and then during the week they call us up too. The ward mission is AMAZING and the Ward Mission Leader is the best I have ever heard of. Even my trainer is impressed, and he's been out for 18 months! And am i being fed? haha... lets just say that a good portion of the ward is POLYNESIAN. :P that ought to answer that question. I'm pretty sure I am slowly making my way 140 lbs. Oh, and i remember Dad asking about my companion... Go to RubberBall.com and type in NERD. That would answer a few questions. :) but i recently went on trade-offs with one of the zone leaders and he told me that Elder Power is legendary. Most missionaries hear of him long before they ever meet him apparently. And since then, he's not the only person i've heard that from. So i guess i'm pretty lucky. :) He's also one of the funniest people i have ever met- sort of reminds me of collin. but in a marissa sort of way... If that makes sense. :P Ok, this is funny. so yesterday, it was about 15 degrees. so like 60ish. Everyone was walking around it sweatshirts and coats, and even Elder Power had on a sweater. I was walking around in my short-sleeved shirt. Everywhere we went, people invited us in because it was "so cold." oh man, i nearly died every time i realized that they were serious. :P oh, funny thing about driving here. you do about 50 in residential areas, about 60 in the cities, 80 on the highway and anywhere from 80 to 110 on the freeways. Faster if you're in the middle of nowhere. ok, now take all of those numbers and convert them from KM/H to MPH. and imagine that the speedometer has no MPH on it. makes driving really fun. or something. :P Wow dad that's really cool about Brynn! I do remember her. Tell her Hi for me. :D
Cara! so who's surprised you got a 4.0? raise your hand- anyone? anyone at all? No? ya. Me neither. :P haha im glad to know that you're still doing so well. and the telethon thing... haha i know ALL about answering phones for extended periods of time. fun, aint it? Oh, and i DO have pictures for you, but i'm getting a bunch of other stuff to send home too- there's these cookies that they have here- called tim tams. kind of like those fudge-covered graham crackers mom used to buy, but so much better. We do these things called "tim-tam slams" they're fun, you bite off the opposite corners of the tim tam, and then suck hot chocolate through it, and then when it starts to melt, you slam it into your mouth. its way good, i'll send home a pack so ya'll can try it.
ah, the breakfast cereals are lacking. you know how we have like whole isles devoted to them? ya they have half of a short isle on one side in a BIG grocery story. But they have this cereal called crunchy nut- its like honey-nut corn flakes, way good. some culture stuff- people dont say "how you doing?" they say "how you goin?" the police cars look like checkered race flags, they have their own car dealership called Holden, which makes cars much like Toyota and Ford, but way cheaper. Everyone is really laid back. Even the worst rejection i've had has been really polite, and ended with, "have a good one mate." oh, there are no j-walking laws. so you can cross at cross walks, but ya dont have to. oh, and "far out" is the latest term for "cool." there's a bunch of other slang that i've picked up, as well as some of the accent, but that would take pages to write. We'll just say that when i call home, you'll be entertained I'm sure. :)
Collin- sorry to hear your piano recital was kind of a bummer, but knowing you, you prolly rocked the house anyway. The high school really does need mom's help. :P
Anna- Glad to hear you did so well at your dance recital. I bet that'll be a life-long enjoyment for you. I'm excited to see how you'll be when i get back. :) i hope someone took video.
Whitney- sounds like you had a blast at graduation! I'm happy for you! Keep up the good work. :) i sent you a letter a little while back, and I'm sending another one soon, so hopefully you get those soon.

Ok, well, i gotta go, I love you all so much, and i Know that i am where i am supposed to be. Keep up all the missionary efforts!

Elder Christensen