It's Official, Tayler is Down Under!

It is 1:20pm and I just checked arrival times for Brisbane flights from LAX and it said that they all arrived 5 minutes ago--it is 6:20am on Wed there now.

Phone Call from LA-Monday May 25

We had a great 25 minute chat with Tayler as he was waiting at the LA airport for his flight to Brisbane. He said he had left the MTC at 4:30 PM with 2 elders and 2 sisters who were headed to LA to connect to their flight to Taiwan. He called just before 10:00 PM and was waiting near his gate for his flight which was leaving at 10:30. After 16 hours of airtime he will arrive in Brisbane on Wednesday morning at 6:00 AM--missing all of most of Tuesday in the process. He's traveling alone from LA to Brisbane!

It was good to hear his voice! He said he was feeling pretty good, but has had a cold, and was coughing a bit. The MTC has been wonderful, and he has a great attitude about getting out in the mission field. His days have been full with class, practice teaching, answering calls at the 'call center' (referrals from church media), and everything focused on teaching, not learning about the culture of Australia. I guess he'll learn about that when he gets there. We were pleasantly surprised to find out just this morning when he e-mailed that he would be calling. We'll get an e-mail when he gets to the mission office. We'll keep you all posted!

Departing the MTC Monday May 25

Here's a quote from a snail-mail letter to Dad:
Hey Dad,

Well, It's p-day, and I didn't get to write you much on email. So here's this. :) But the MTC is GREAT I am so happy to be here. I am very well in body, spirit, and mind. I have a little cold, which my whole district seems to have. So I dunno who started it. But I have been very well besides. My companion Elder Dana is a workaholic, so we work out every night. We figure we'll do this our whole mission, so we'll come back NOT fat, ripped and with an Aussy accent. Irresistible, right? Ha ha. Anyway, he's a hard worker, and we've done well. We try to teach a lesson at least twice a day. I talk a lot, and he bares very powerful testimony. So we've trying to get him to talk more, and me less, and for me to bear testimony more often. We've improved a lot this week.

Also, something that might interest you, is that I got my flight plans this week. I'm leaving the MTC on Monday the 25th at 4:35, and flying to LAX where I have about a 2-3 hour layover. Then I'll fly straight to Brisbane, arriving about 5 in the morning for them. I'll lose a whole day on the flight. Oh, and the kicker, I'm traveling alone. Joy :P
I love you Dad,
your favorite missionary,
Elder Tayler Christensen

This is my district. The guys on top left to right are Elder Radford and Elder Edmonds. The Elders standing left to right, are Elder Deaux, Elder Dana, and me, sitting from left to right are Elder Haynie, Elder Finn, and Elder York.

My district at about 7:00 on Saturday...No exercise period, No P-day, and study ALL day! Needless to say we slept well that night. :)

Had to get one of these...:) [classic pictures]

This last winter was really cold I guess...

[ya, they look like it was rough on them]

Me and Elder Dana jacking a golf-cart thing :p

The MTC is treating me well.

Well, the MTC is treating me well. It's way more studying than i have ever done in my life. I'm sure that doesnt come as much of a shock to most of you, but hey, its true. I've been able to teach several lessons for practice, (14 this week) and that has been very helpful. we just started lesson 2 this weekend too. its a lot of doctrine to be covering in one lesson, but thats ok. I like it. This last week has been amazing. I have really been able to bond with my district, and we're becoming brothers. yesterday, for sacrament meeting, we sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" as a whole district. Not gonna lie, it was amazing, and the spirit was so strong, we all had to fight the tears down just so we could finish. On a more funny note, I was in the Referal Center on Wednesday and Took a call from a homeless man in missouri. He was calling from a Hotel Room, and wanted the whole Mormon History. I Gave him a brief run-down, and we had a long conversation about various things. The funniest part was when he started talking about polygamy. He wasn't even fased that it had happened, he thought it was funny, and then when i told him that we didnt do it anymore, he was like, "good, its not a sin, its just stupid. You have to buy all of them jewlery and toiletries, and then they all start PMSing at the same time, and gang up on you..." among other things that i wont repeat. I have to say though, i Got a kick out of it, and so did my district. We listened to it again later in the week. Anyway, thats the week's run-down. Thanks for all the letters, i really appreciate them, keep them coming! :)
Love,
Elder Tayler Christensen

what? has it been a week already?

what? has it been a week already?



May 11, 2009

well, no, it hasn't, but its close enough right? :) hey family! how's everyone doing? i would send this to cara too, but i dont know her email, so if someone could forward this to her so i can get it that would be great! anyway, the MTC is great. the beds are at least semi-comfortable, the food is dang good, (but nothing compared to mom's home cooked meals) and although there are no wheaties for breakfast in the mornings, there is almost always something that i can drown in syrup, and there is an endless supply of LIFE! haha anyway, on to more serious matters, my district is awesome, we all just clicked right away, and my companion, Elder Dana, is a great guy. one of the elders in my district, Elder Radford knows Aubrey Pape, so that was kinda cool.
This week has been one of the best hardest weeks that i have ever had. It was really tiring. On saturday alone, we had 12 hours of classroom time, 9 of which were with an instructor. it was good though, we practiced door approaches, and once everyone did well, it started getting goofey. But the rest of the week has been full of spiritual experiences. I have learned (at least a little bit) how to teach by the spirit. It's been amazing. My companion and I practiced teaching one of the teachers the first discussion. We had planne how we were going to teach it, and had all the points we were going to discuss ready to go, and i think we might have used 2 of the 9 things we wrote down. It really was amazing. Yesterday, we were able to attend priesthood and sacrament meeting, which was really good. In priesthood, we talked about the atonement at length, and I gained a new appreciation for it. Later in the evening they showed a bunch of films, and my distict saw "The Mountain of the Lord." I know we own this movie, but this time, when i saw it, it really touched me, especially knowing what I know now about the temple, it was a very spiritual experience, and especially since I am focused on the missionary aspect of it, that part really interested me. (If you're not sure what I'm talking about, just watch the movie for FHE tonight, and you'll get it :)

Anyway, just so you know, you can give my email out to people, but tell them to include their mailing adress with the email that they send, because I can only reply with snail mail, but anyone is allowed to send me email.

I love you all so much, and I wish I could have seen you all on mother's day yesterday. I LOVE YOU MOMMY!!!! (you can post that part with the blog if you like:P) But i know that I am where I am supposed to be. This truly is a marvelous work, and the field is white all ready to harvest. I will very soon be thrusting in my Sickle with my might.
Collin, Keep doing what you're doing, you're on the right track buddy.
Cara, if the guys aren't planning on going on missions, they aren't worth your time.
Anna, Keep being cute, keep growing, but stop when you get to like 5'7" or something. Be good! :)
Dad, thank you so much for being the greatest dad ever, you have taught me well, and it WILL pay off.
Mom, i love you so much! thank you for teaching me how to do all those basic house keeping things... I am discovering that there are very few here who have that kind of training.

Give Gabe and Rochelle and Marissa my love.

Elder Tayler Christensen

My Farewell talk. :)

Sacrament Meeting Farewell Talk

-Intro
Good morning, brothers and sisters, I’m Tayler Christensen. I was asked to Talk about celestial families, and specifically how my own family helped me to prepare for my mission.
-Give Mission Info
-Brief Family overview- not extremely large but by no means is it small.
-My Family Experience
- sisters, brothers, parents
-Sisters have taught me a myriad of things, especially patience, love, trust, and faith. The older 2, Rochelle and Marissa, are especially responsible for the way I turned out. Not to say that they are responsible for any actions I have taken, but more for my personality, and many of my other characteristics. Because I have four sisters, I found myself in a very favorable position quite early. Because of them, I learned etiquette, and proper treatment of Women. I also learned invaluable conversational and social skills from them that have been a great blessing in my life.

-My brothers. My little brother, Collin, is my man. I doubt if there is anything we don’t know about each other. The good, the bad and the ugly. However, You would have to know Collin personally to understand what a great guy he is. The kid is prodigy. Don’t say that to his face though, cause he’ll deny it outright. Which is great. He is genuinely humble. One of the few teenage guys that I have ever known with that quality. He’s also one of the most hilarious people I know. He has quick wit, and has an amazing talent to make people smile. My Brothers-in-law are the best. They set the greatest examples of how to live life, and to be instruments in God’s hands.

-My Parents are the foundation of my whole family. It is they who are responsible for the success of my family. They have taught by word, and most importantly by example. I couldn’t tell you if I, or any of my siblings gravitate to one of them. They are one. Through there different personalities, our family has flourished, and become very tight-nit. Anyone who knows my Dad can attest that he has a very commanding presence, one of strength, and seriousness. However, once you really get to know him, he is very personable, has many quirks, and has a deep relationship with God and all of his children. When I grow up, I want to be just like him. Anyone who knows my mom, knows how involved she is in the arts. She currently is preparing for yet another concert by the Sherwood chorale, which she founded, and which she directs. My mom is passionate about music, and has brought up her children to be the same. She also is the best cook I have ever encountered. I don’t know how many dinners my family has had, where after we eat, something like, “wow that was delicious, what is it?” is asked. It is funny when my mom struggles to come up with a name for what we just ate. Its when that happens that we know. She made it up. It has no name, because its not something that has ever been made before.

-My family is a family of many quirks. Anyone who knows my family in general knows, that we are, for lack of a better word, Weird. I, and all my siblings both blame, and give credit to, my parents for that. But we would have no other way.
-what I have just described to you are my family’s finest points.. We are not perfect, but we strive to be.

-in telling you about my family, I have laid the groundwork for how they have helped prepare me for a mission. All of the basics came early in life. I was taught the gospel at home. I was shown how to live the gospel by example from my parents, as well as from my siblings.

-however, it wasn’t until recently that my family became obviously absolutely vital to preparing me for a mission. It started with a few problems that I had, both physical and spiritual not too long ago. When my parents became aware, they reacted entirely different than I had expected. I expected to take the full heat for what I had done. Neither of my parents are known for being soft-spoken. However, when I had my problems, they responded in love. They followed the commandment given by the lord Through Joseph Smith in D&C section 121:43. It says, Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee his enemy. My parents did exactly that. After one discussion with my mom, in which I was duly chastised, she said something that struck me. She said, “We have a family that will be together forever, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that every member makes it.”

- After that, I did everything that was required to get back. And now I have been through the temple, and am leaving on a mission in 2 weeks.

-the last part of this has taken place in the last few months since January. After I had gotten my mission call to Australia, I began the process of getting a passport, and a visa. The requirements to get the visa were intense and very specific.
-after I had been diagnosed with an ASD- atrial septal defect, it became the focus of my thoughts. I remember when the news was first broken. The cardiologist called my home, and talked to my parents. I was laying on the couch reading when my dad came and sat by me and told me. It was then that I felt my life become more complicated. I felt like my life had been shortened, which had the defect been allowed to remain, would have been the case. However, as I felt myself growing bitter, and sad, and helpless, my dad brought me back. Through his loving and knowing care, I came to realize this was not a punishment, or that God had forsaken me. He knew all, and everything that was happening to me was to be for my good. In hindsight, I see that it was necessary for me to sink below anything I had every experienced, and to finally accept help. I had to actually trust someone else to do what I could not do for myself. After an attempt to place a closure device in my heart to seal the hole, I found out that the hole was even larger than previously thought. It was a 2 inch hole. 2 inches is nothing to mess with when it comes to your heart. -Explain sizing-. In essence, I had a 3 chamber heart. This came as both a shock and tragedy for me. The night previous I had been blessed that the lord would bless me according to my desires. At that point, I knew that my desires were too go through whatever the lord had in store for me no matter what. However, I assumed that my desire to have the device work was the desire that he was talking about. When it failed, I assumed that my faith had not been enough. I cried bitter tears on the recovery bed, agonizing over my failed attempt at having enough faith to be healed. My parents were immediately at my side comforting me, and reminding me that my real desire had been that the Lord’s will be done. Their counsel saved me much heartache, and gave me fresh courage to take the next step. The very next day I entered open heart surgery. Coming out of surgery, I had my parents at my side. The pain killer administered was too much for my mind to handle, and I forgot to keep breathing. For the next few hours, one or both of them sat at my side, squeezing my hand and telling me to breathe. At every breath I had to be reminded. In my mind I kept telling myself that I would remember to keep breathing, but the energy required to focus on breathing was too much for my mind to handle. When I finally was able to breathe on my own, some hours later, my Dad commented that at least I was breathing on my own again. He was even serious about it. I was ecstatic. I was so happy to finally be able to remember to breathe- something which until then, I had been doing subconsciously since birth. And yet I was proud of myself, and my Dad was pleased. These two times with my parents, I had to learn to rely on someone else to help me through something that was insurmountable without them. After that first day, my whole family, immediate, extended, and ward rallied around me. I did not ask for help unless I felt I absolutely needed to, but that didn’t deter my family from going out of their way to serve me. Above all those things, I could feel the prayers of my family. Their prayers were one the greatest sources of comfort I had. All of these are perfect examples of how celestial families will be, and are. Everyone serves each other, and they all do it because they love each other, not because they have been compelled in any way. Those lessons reached out to me, and helped me realize that this was how I needed to be on my mission. Selfless, and serving. Families all know that every member has it’s faults, and shortcomings, and yet they are able to look past them and see the goodness in them. When I realized this, I began putting it into practice. I am in no way perfect at this, but I have found that as I try serve my family, and others without complaint or expecting payment of some sort, I am happy.

-The family is the most sacred establishment in this world. The sealing power that binds me to my family is powerful. It does not only bind us together physically and spiritually, also mentally and emotionally. I know that after death, my family will be together for eternity. We have been bound for eternity, and I am eternally grateful for that. I know that when I have married in the temple, and after I have passed beyond the veil, I will still be with my family. There is no “until death do you part.” Death is only the beginning of spending forever with my family. I have come to know that my family is the ultimate source of happiness. This is why God has made it possible to spend forever with them. This is the Testimony that is most precious to me. It is the testimony that I will be sharing on my mission. This is the most important way my family has prepared me for my mission. They have helped me to realize just how happy we can make each other, so that I can share that happiness with all that I come in contact with, and share with them God’s plan.

-I have a testimony that the sealing power was restored to the earth through Joseph Smith, and that through it we can attain the highest level in the Celestial Kingdom. I know that the church is led today my president Thomas S. Monson, and that he is the lord’s mouthpiece. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

"Open heart surgery?!" Ohhhh yes.

Many of you are aware of my recent health issue, and all of the outcomes and whatnot. However most of your information has been second-hand from my parrents, and has been rather general. I figure now i will tell you how i myself reacted to everything, and my feelins based on the all the new info. And so it begins.
After we found out that I had an ASD- Atrial septal deffect- or a hole in my heart between the two atria, we underwent lots of other tests. We knew that the hole was about a centimeter in diameter, not a large hole, but still nothing to ignore. So a TEE was arranged. Pretty much, they take an Ultra Sound stick, shove it down my throat, and get a better look at my heart. coming out of that, we were hoping that we would be told that the hole was small enought that we could put in an occluder device. after coming out of sedation, i wanted to know right then what the results were. As it was, we didnt find out til later than night just after dinner. It was then that the Cardiologist called and said the hole was closer to an inch long, and it was very close to the valves in my heart. He and 2 other doctors recommended surgery. However, he made one more call to the guy at Doernbecher chilren's hospital who is an expert with occluder devices. This doctor sounded optimisitic that he could place the occluer. We found this out the day after the TEE, so for a little while we had thought about gettting the surgery done ASAP. with this new information, however, we set up consultation appointments with both doctors on the same day, to see what our options were. The first appointment was with Dr. Burch, the Occluder doctor. He did some more exact measurements of the hole from the copy of the TEE that we brought, and came to the conclusion that the hole was actually closer to an inch and a half. At this point. at that point, i was totally esasperated. It kept getting bigger! what was the point of reading the Echo, if you couldnt read it accurately? but it all had to do with what technology was had, and the angles you looked at it from, and stuff like that, so couldnt get too critical. Then, the secretary mentioned that if the occluder didnt work, then they would have one of their own surgeons perform the open heart surgery. My mom and i both got the feeling that that was not a good idea, and we both later expressed that that doctor would not be touching me. At all. so then we went to the other surgeon, who, if the occluder device failed, we wanted to do the surgery. We later found out that he is about the best heart surgeon in the country right now, so we felt good about that. So, we set a date for the occluder device to be set, and the surgery was considered such a minor surgery, that it could be scheduled within a day with Dr. Swanson, so we left that open. we Found out during that week of waiting that if Dr. Burch determined while he was in the operating room that the occluder device wouldn't work, and therefore didn't put it in, we could transfer hospitals and have Dr. Swanson perform the surgery. If he determined that it wouldnt work after he put it in, then the operation would have to be done at that same hospital, just cause hospitals and isurance companies dont like it when you put the device in at one hospital, and then take it out at a different one... not good. So going in to this procedure, we had very specific hopes. First, we just wanted to the Occluder device to work. It was a non-invasive way to fix a problem, and had a very short recovery period. however, if it didnt work, it needed to not work during the procedure, and not the next day after it had already been placed, although most devices that dont work are discovered the next day. Those were the high, and unlikely hopes. the Day of the surgery, i showed up early, got all situated, layed there for an hour, and then another one, as nurse after nurse came in to take my vital signs, put the IV catheter in, draw blood, take my vitals again, tell me that the doctor would be there shortly, and so on. finally, He came in, talked for just a little bit, and then they administered the Anesthesia, and the last thing i remember is being wheeled to the operating suite. it was actually a very large, cool looking room. I moved myself from my hospital bed, to the operating table, which was actually very wamr and comfortable. However, i do not remember lying down... :) anyway, next thing i know, i was back in my recovery room, with a pressure dressing over where they had inserted the Catheter in my groin, and i imediately asked the nurse if it had worked. She answered but by the time she did, i was gone again. the next time i woke up, there was another nurse, and my parents were in the room. i asked yet again, "did it work?" already knowing the answer. "no" came the answer. that came as both a large disapointment as well as a relief. However, i had had a priesthood blessing the night before in which, was stated, that i woul be given what i wanted, based upon my faith. After hearing that this hadn't worked, i was very emotional, partly because of the fact that i was coming out of anesthesia, partly because i knew that this meant that i would have surgery, and that meant my MTC date might be delayed, although that meant that i would get the surgeon i wanted for the surgery, and the real stinger was the thought that i had not enough faith that the occluder would work, and it therefore didn't. After agonizing over that for a few minutes, my dad pointed out to me that maybe, although that is what i had wanted, was it REALLY what i wanted? I had said all my prayers and completed all my fasts with the firm determination to pray for God's will to be done. Wasn't this what i REALLY wanted? we had felt peace when thinking about both the occluder device as well as the surgery. we had no idea why. i will probably never know why we felt that i should still have that procedure done. What i do know is that the feelins were undeniable, and thats all i needed. So, i came to realize, that what i wanted was for God's will to be done, and this obviously was God's will. We scheduled the surgery to happen the next day. All Day, i was not allowed to move from my back, and i was not allwoed to move my leg. I couldnt sit up, nothing. All because this could interfere with the clotting that was happening in the artery in my leg. It wasnt until 5 hours later that i could sit up. However during this time, people did not cease to call and Text my mom seeing how i was doing. a large group of my peers were fasting for me that day, a fact which brought tears to my eyes. all Day, i repeatedly told nurses about my mission plans, and all seemed genuinely interested. Finally, i was discharged around 7. All day i had been nautious, and had eaten only two saltine crackers, and drank as much water as i could. On the way home, my stomach rejected it all, and here i was in the back of the car both hungery and thirsty yet again. Upon arriving home, i finally felt better, ate a bowl of cereal, had some jell-o, and got my hair cut, Much to my dad's pleasure, As he was the one who did it. At that point my Friend Whitney came over to see how i was doing. this was especially comforting. the rest of my family was at collin's band concert and came home a little while later, and we were watchin a movie. anyway, i had a relaxing evening which was much-needed afte the stressful day. The next morning, we left the house at 5 in the morning. I had some chest X-rays done, some blood work, and then i was shown to my waiting room. There, i was given the "education" on all the post-operative stuff i would need to know. finally, it stopped, and the anesthesia was administered. Next thing i remember i was waking up in cardiac ICU with a tube in my throat. I remeber vaguely it being taken out, and being very happy about that. then i became aware of all the other tubes in me. I had a pick line in my neck, feeding directly into blood stream going to my brain. thats where my happy medicine went. there was a drainage tube just under my incision that fed up into the cardiac cavity to drain the excess fluid that congregated there. I had a urinary tube, and i was hooked up to more machines than i cared to find out about. I was given a button. it was for my pain medication. I could get it every 10 minutes. i pushed that button a lot more often than every 10 minutes. however i still only got it that often. unfortunately even this was an over-dose. eventually i was so drugged, i forgot to keep breathing. i was constantly reminded by my nurse, and my parents to keep breathing, almost at every breath. i am not sure how long that lasted, but when i finally was breathing on my own again, i remember feeling so proud of myself when they all said, "hey, you're breathing by yourself again! good job!" i mean really? about an hour later i felt more like, ya good job self, you've achieved something you've been doing subconciously your whole life. By concentrating. Good Grief. Anyway, they took my button away and pushed it themselved at appropriate times. All this time, i seem to have also been telling jokes. None of which i remember. but im sure my parents would be happy to fill any of you in. anyway, after spending a night in the cardiac ICU, i was moved up 5 floors to the general recovery unit. I walked all the way, a feat which apparently is very uncommon, the nurse said he had never seen anyone make it all the way to their room... although most patients coming out of open heart surgery are usually a good 3 times my age... but hey i'll take the praise. Anyway, i stayed in the hospital until that saturday, or about 3 days. I have now been recovering at home for 5 days. yesterday was my one-week mark since surgery. At this point, i am up and around whenever i want to be, i can walk around for a good amount of time. I dont have to use my narcotic pain pills except at night, when i still cant sleep on my side, and therefore need them to get to sleep, and to combat the pain that comes from lying motionless for too long. but besides that, i have been able to get by with OTC meds in increasingly large time intervals. so thats how it happened. So it was done. So it is written. (i think that was supposed to be said the other way around, but hey it worked for my purposes.)
I have to thank all of you who have prayed and fasted on my behalf. I cannot describe the feelings of peace that have come over me these last few weeks. They truly have been a gift. Also, i believe that my uncommonly quick recovery has been largely due to your prayers on my behalf. Thank you so much for all of your efforts and sacrifices. It means the world to me, and it HAS made a world of difference. Thank you.

A day when one can learn- and gain a testimony one didnt know one needed. :)

Many may know of my recent turn of health. just a recap. I have a heart murmur. Dont freak out too much, its just slight, and its only present when i lie down. I dont know how long i've had it. Apparently its faint enough that it could have been missed in earlier exams and tests. anyway, upon further examination, it was found that my left ventricle (the chamber of the heart that pumps blood to the rest of the body) only pumps about half as hard as it should... this makes the pressure going from my right ventricle (the chamber that pumps blood to the lungs) very high- which makes my tricuspid valve (the one between the right atrium and ventricle) leak. This raises some concern for me as i have to pass some strenuous medical tests to obtain a visa to live in australia during my mission there. So, i have been put on a medicine that is supposed to at least keep it from getting worse. Anyway, on to the important part of this entry. last sunday, being fast sunday, My mom asked me if it was ok if she asked our whole extended family to join us in a fast for me and for the doctors who would and will be evaluating me. Some of my friends also joined in the fast. Now let me give you some history of my fasting. I have always fasted when it was expected. a few times when i was younger i got out of it by feigning sickness... but besides that i have always been a part of the fast. However, i rarely have had much to fast for... or so i thought... more accurately, i just rarely actually made it a point to fast with a purpose, thus simply going hungery. and making a point of letting everyone know it. Needless to say, i hadn't grasped the real value of fasting. That all changed last week. I learned that it isn't about going hungery. it isn't about starving yourself. Its about unity. Its about love. Last sunday. roughly 30 people were joined in a common cause, Fasting on my befalf- I cannot express the feelings i felt that day. Never once did i feel the normal hunger pangs. never did i have thr thought pop into my head, "wow i really wish church would go faster so i can go home and eat," never was there any negative side effects of the fast. This was all new to me. it was amazing! Feeling the way i felt, i swear i could literally feel everyone in their fast... i was deeply touched. It was almost tangible what i felt... i cant describe it in any fitting way, so i will leave that to the reader's imagination. this whole experience has taught me to value fasting much more than i originally had. its a process. I also had reinforced for me that God is already aware of my needs. He knows what i want. But its not enough for him simply to know. I have to know. I have to feel the need. And then, most importantly I have to ask. is this for God's benefit? Of course not. he wants to teach us these things. And he did a fine job teaching me. I have been so humbled to have all of you fast for me. it is truly sobering to know that that was the case. i felt both honored and undeserving. i neither ask for, nor accept help easily, especially when it comes to my own health. But I have been humbled by the support from my Family, Friends, and from my Heavenly Father. All in all, what is fasting? D&C 59:13-14 suggests that Fasting is JOY. i could not agree more. besides all of that day, i have had additional tests. so far nothing serious has been dianosed, and it looks as though nothing worse can come about. God Has heard and answered our prayers. He has Answered MY prayer. there is no more calming feeling than to start my evening prayer with great anxiety, and to close, having the spirit wisper "peace. Be still"

Its a Wonderful Life :)

I have been impressed lately with the blessings in my life, especially those that have occured more recently. I Left rexburg just as the first real snows were coming down, and got out to the airport just before the roads got really dicey. My Flight from salt lake city and subsequently from Reno, were uneventful, and on time. I got home the day before the heavey snows started. After that, it would have been hard to get me. during the snow, we were fortunate enough to have my sister marissa and her husband richard fly in. We were able to pick them up safely, and before the any melting began or refreezing of snow. Also, despite the evident lack of concern for safety when playing in the snow, the boys and i were able to have fun using a combination of rope, the sleds, and the ATV... no injuries... several close calls. Also during this time, my misison call came, which was amazing. After the snows melted, I was able to apply for my passport to australia, and am awaiting it's arrival. Lately it has been raining quite a bit and there has been flooding, and I keep thinking how lucky i am to live on top of a hill made of bedrock and clay... no flooding, and no chance of a landslide. On top of all this, i stay home while my siblings all go to school, and have had some great talks with my mom, who is also helping me largely get my mission stuff done... I am so blessed! i cannot thank God enough for his grace and his tender mercies.

Called To Serve Him, Heavenly King of Glory, Chosen Heir to Witness for His Name.

This Week Began like any other. Except for the snow. Thats uncommon in Oregon. Anyway, we received a call from the bishop saying that my mission call was in the mail as of the last friday. It was sunday. I was so excited, that meant that it COULD be there by monday! Well monday came and went. so did tuesday. wednesday was an interesting day. I swore it would come that day. We ended up checking like 3 times. the third time, was about 8 pm, and we decided to use the van to go down the driveway to the mailbox. Going down was just fine. However, there was no mail at all, let along my call. On the way back up my driveway, we got around the first bend before we lost traction. we started spinning, and ended up breaking both sets of cables on the van. Now unable to go anywhere, and since all the boys were there, there was no one up at the house jump on the ATV and come down and get us. so what did we do? we walked the remaining half mile up the driveway, and put the chains on my dad's truck. we went in and warmed up, and then went back down the driveway and this time left collin at the house just in case. So we went down, and connected the van to the truck, and that was a painstakingly frustrating process itself, but my dad would know more about that than me. Anyway, once we got them all connected, My dad got in the truck, and i got in the van, and with our phones connected, started up the driveway. We made it without incident, but we just barely made it. We haven't take the van out again since, but we knew at least now that we would not be taking the van to pick up my sister and brother in law from the airport the next day. So the next day rolls around, we take a friend to the airport, and do some christmas shopping, and then get Marissa and Richard. We came home, no problems, checked the mail, and there was a huge stack of mail. No envelopes big enough to be the call though. On Friday, i woke up late, and did very little in the moring. finally 3 o'clock rolled around, and i could no longer take it, so i hopped on the ATV and drove to the bottom of the hill. there was yet another huge stack mail in the box. but this one was different... there was a BIG white envelope around it all. I excitedly took it out and looked at the return adress- The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints- President's office. I looked at the recipient- ELDER Tayler Quin Christensen. I shouted, yelled, whooped- and a car drove past, with lots of people in it... i smiled and waved. then put my head down, got back on the ATV and raced back up to driveway. Upon ariving home, i stuffed the call up my sweatshirt and then carried the other mail in. My mom said she was sorry i didnt get my call, but marissa saw right through it, and i had to take it out and wave it in front of everyone. My dad wasn't home though, and my sister was unreachable, so i had to wait to open it. FINALLY after a few hours of snow play, at about 7:30, we called my sister Rochelle, my grandma, and a few other relatives and i was ready to open it... but then my dad and my Rochelle's husband BJ decided to set up the web cam. that took about 5 minutes. the whole time they were doing that, i had ripped open the envelope, and had the letter and the packet in my hand, but couldn't yet take it out... FINALLY the web cam was set up and i pulled the letter out and scanned it quickly. Now, before this My family had taken a poll on where they thought i would go. Knowing my family, i was not surprised to hear things like Russia, Bulgaria, Poland, and- heaven forbid- siberia. I personally had been hoping for Germany. I read it out loud. "You are assigned to labor in the Australia Brisbane Mission." THere was a deafening roar as my family cheered and yelled. I was very happy. I realized a little later that my mission would cover the whole North East quarter of australia, and then another realization hit me... it was in the souther hemisphere... all my seasons will be opposite from home. That will be interesting. There is so much more to tell but i will not bore you few readers. I will end now with my testimony. I know that I have been called by God to work in Australia. I know that that is EXACTLY where I am supposed to be. I know that this i God's work and that this is his true church. I know that Joseph Smith really was the intrument through which God restored the fullness of the Gospel to the earth in these latter days. I know That Christ suffered and died for all, and that thorugh him, all can be saved and return to live with heavenly father. I Love heavenly Father And Jesus Christ. This is Truly their work, and I am honored to be able to take part in it.