柯 长老 (aka Elder Christensen)

柯 长老 (aka Elder Christensen)

Monday, November 28, 2011

The Hand of The Lord

Hello my amazing family,
That is so crazy that you met Elder C's parents :) Well, I saw someone too. Guess who ;) The Goo family came and spoke at our little Chinese branch this Sunday. You remember them I'm sure. They were the Temple President/Matron in Hong Kong. Well they say hello and send their regards. I walked over to them after their talk and I said, "I lived in Hong Kong while you were temple President there." Sister Goo looked at my name tag and then her eyes went wide and here face lit up. She said, "You're the Christensen's son... Nadine and Brian." I said yes. After talking a little while I also told her that Sarah was in Hawaii and Sister Goo said that if Sarah will be in town they would love to have her over for Christmas.

This past week Elder Egbert finished his mission and I received a new companion named Elder Thackeray. He is a great missionary and we are already having a lot of fun together. We are putting our minds to the work and striving towards some worthy goals that will push us to our limits. It has been a wonderful week. This week, we sat down with Schuyler and he said that his father will be in town the week of new years and so we set a baptismal date for December 30, 2011. We haven't been able to meet with Derrick this week, but from what his friend has said he is doing well and is excited to continue meeting with us. We are very happy. Also on Sunday, I was able to go back to Fremont to accompany Elder Thackeray to the baptism of an investigator he was teaching before he left. It was great to see everyone again.

I also wanted to share a couple of things the families in that area said to me from when I served with them previously. I share these because I know that mom has been praying that I see the hand of the Lord and ways in which I have affected those I have served and I wanted her to see how those prayers have been answered. A sister, whose family I would often eat dinners with, came in a little later during the baptismal service and sat down in front of me. She saw me as she was sitting down and a smile came across her face. After the wonderful baptismal service she stood up and said, "Elder Christensen I have to tell you something..." She proceeded to tell me that as one of her sons named Joseph was preparing his baptismal program he told her that he wanted me to be a part of the program. She then had to explain to him that I had been transferred and what that entailed. After he understood, the sister said that he broke down crying. She said that she just wanted to thank me for connecting so well with her children.
After that I was cleaning up the chairs and ran into two brothers who also remembered me. It was great to see them again and when I talked to their parents later they said that the whole family heard a voice over the crowd and said, "We know that voice." It was Sister Hansen who sent the picture of me on Santa's lap last year. They were also an amazing family and I admired their children and their family greatly. I was smiling all night long just being able to see the growth that had come among the members of the Ward I had grown to know and love. They are all incredible!

Elder Thackeray and I were both extra excited to come back to Pleasanton and work our tails off. I am excited for this transfer. I know that the Lord will bless us and we will go far through our exact obedience and hard work. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and I know that it is the key to our Salvation. I know that God lives. I know that He is our Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ died for us and paid the price of our sins that we might be freed from the bands of justice. I know the Book of Mormon is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sincerely,
Elder Christensen

Miracles Continue to Happen Today!

Miracles continue to happen today!!
Hello my special family :) (In a good way ;) )
I love you all. This week was amazing. We were out and about doing our work. We have been teaching many of the Singles Ward members and striving to help them gain even greater trust in us and our abilities in teaching. I have had many powerful experiences this week which helped me to grow in my testimony of the gospel and of Jesus Christ and His mission here on earth. But most importantly.......... this week we found a NEW INVESTIGATOR! It has been a while but we have done our best to work hard and use our time wisely. We can always improve but let me tell you the story.

On Thursday we went on exchanges and I was in a different area. That night I went back together with Elder Egbert and he said he had a meeting set up with one of the members, Paul, to meet with the member's friend. I was excited to study and learn what we needed to share with Paul's friend. The appointment needed to change, but it was moved to a time when we could meet in another member's home. We got there and taught Derrick. During the lesson Derrick seemed to be at the edged of his seat. He was intrigued and in awe at what was being told to him. We taught him of the Restoration and Paul really helped everything "click". As we shared the experience of Joseph Smith there was a strong spirit and we invited Derrick to be baptized after our lesson. As we were inviting him to be baptized his head was nodding and he said yes. We had talked about an experience when he had felt the spirit and after he accepted baptism he said that he knew this was true ever since the night of his experience. We set a date for his baptism on December 17th. This past Sunday we met with him again and taught a part of the Plan of Salvation. He said that it was all "clicking" and he was excited for baptism. We had prepared a calendar for him to set days in which we could meet. As he looked, he said, "I will put this as top priority, how about we meet monday, wednesday, and friday." He will be gone this week but when he comes back we will be teaching him everything in about two weeks and he will have a bit of extra time.

I was very, very excited. I still am! We might even be able to move the baptism up a little bit. Please pray for Derrick. I know you will. Pray that he may really know the truth found in this gospel. Please pray that Keeler will be able to gain a knowledge of the gospel. Pray that he may be led to know that God is real and that there is nothing more important that following the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pan is also having a few struggles and it is difficult to really understand him. We try to help him feel comfortable sharing his concerns with us but haven't had much success. Please pray for him to make strong relationships with the members. I know that as this happens Pan will be able to hold strong and be ready to receieve the priesthood.

I love missionary work and I know that it will bring us the greatest joy we can imagine. I know that the gospel is true. On Sunday we taught gospel principles and I looked at the picture of Christ breaking the bread for the sacrament. I think it was painted by Simon Dewey. As I looked at it I pondered the expression on Jesus' face and His attitude. As our perfect example, Christ looked as though he would give up everything He had to accomplish the will of the Father. If we are to be truly happy, this is what we must do as well. I know that the power of the Atonement changes lives. As we repent we are granted grace (or strength) to press forward and become a new creature. The only way we can do this is because of the sacrifice of Christ and our Heavenly Father. A talk on Sunday explained the origin of the word sacrifice and it's meaning. Sacri - meaning sacred. Ficio - meaning make. When we sacrifice we make sacred that which we give up. Christ was made sacred, or perfect, after His crucifixion. Our will's can be made sacred, or perfect, through sacrificing our will to the will of the Lord. I know this is true and I know it because I have taken my whole life to study the gospel and the spirit has witnessed of the truth of these things to my heart multiple times. I am grateful for the many miracles which have come over the past week and over my whole life. I love the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sincerely,
Elder Christensen

I've Got So Much to be Thankful For...

My dear family,
I enjoy being in the service of the Lord. There is so much that happens throughout each day to keep us busy. We are working hard to find those who need us and I know that through our efforts and prayers Heavenly Father will grant unto us those which we can teach and bring closer to Christ.

I love you all and I know that the gospel is true. I know that the Atonement of Christ is real and I am grateful for the many blessings that are given to me each day. I am grateful for having such a great family. I am grateful for having friends in each ward who watch and care after the missionaries. I am grateful for how much they feed us ;) I am grateful for my being able to wake up each morning with energy to have yet another full day in the work of the Lord. I am grateful for each day I have to devote my life to the service of God. I am grateful for each of those who have blessed my life with learning and correction. I am grateful for the sacrifice of others for my sake namely, mom and dad, my teachers, my friends, Matt, Tanner, Sarah, Audrey, Rebecca, Jeffrey, and most of all my Savior. I am grateful for the plan of salvation which blesses our lives. I am grateful for the Restoration of the Gospel. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend each day on this earth prepared especially for me. I am grateful for music which touches our souls. I am grateful for the life that I have lived. I know that these are all blessings from a loving Heavenly Father. As Bing Crosby sings in "Holiday Inn," "I've got so much to be thankful for..."
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sincerely,
Elder Christensen

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Seeing what we and others CAN be

My dear family,
I love being able to write to you each week. The weeks simply get better and better. I find that each month I tend to focus on a different aspect of the gospel for my testimony. This month I was really able to learn a lot more about the love our Heavenly Father has and in turn I have found that my love for others has grown dramatically. As I have heard others talk about struggles and trials in their life I find myself hurting with them. As others share experiences of joy and gladness I find myself praising God. It is difficult to explain to others the feelings that I have had.

This past week was amazing. We taught 15 lessons (around 2 a day). Though all of out lessons were for the members we asked each of them to think of friends that they could invite to hear about the gospel. During each lesson there were people sharing names of family, friends, and acquaintances they could help. We shared what we could to let them see how to proceed. I felt the spirit directing my thoughts and actions and I knew that what we were sharing was what we needed to say. Whenever I felt that I wasn't sharing what was necessary, I would take some time to really think and search for a question or comment I could make that would help them. After that point the lesson seemed to guide itself. It was an incredible experience. Missionaries truly need to teach every day of their mission. They are called to teach. I would invite you to do all you can to find someone who the missionaries can help. They need the people and the experience. It will boost their confidence and make them better.

This Sunday
I heard a great quote that I can't remember but it baisically said, "If you treat a person how they are, that is all that they will be; if you treat a person for who they can become, that is who they will become." I thought that was so true. If we ever find that a person isn't kind or caring, treat them as if they are. That gives them the opportunity to fill the shoes of your expectations and step up to become a better person. From the many sports videos I have seen there is usually a young man who is found by a coach and the coach sees something great inside of him. The coach then works to make that potential come out. The young man doesn't always see why the coach pushes him so hard and chastises him but in the end that young man achieves greatness. In Miracle, the goalie is chosen because of who he can be, not who he is. The coach knew that the goalie had great potential and worked to bring it out. In the end, the team was led to victory and the goalie was strong.

Look for the good in other people. Only then can they achieve their true potential. I know that to be true. It is like the artist looking at a stone and seeing what sculpture it can be. It is as the architect looking over the San Francisco Bay and seeing a bridge crossing it. Michael Angelo saw that the Sistine Chapel ceiling would be covered in a beautiful painting before he did it. Heavenly Father saw the creation of the earth before it happened. All things were created spiritually before they were created physically. (Moses 3:5-7) If we have a vision of what we and others can become that is what we will be. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Sincerely,
Elder Christensen