Compliments are what enable others to find strength and courage to change.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Hello my loving family!

How are you this fine week? I am feeling wonderful! Dad I found this one card that I know you would really like a couple of weeks ago but I didn't get it. I have been feeling sorry since but just so you know... I LOVE YOU! You are a wonderful father and I want you to study all the songs in the children's songbook and think of me telling you each one with a heartfelt sincere attitude. Honestly you have been a large part of my foundation and I would be nothing without your wonderful example and help. I only wish I could tell you this in person so that you could feel the things I am feeling as well.

This week has been funny :)

We looked through the Area Book here and I found a few names of people I felt we should visit. That was about one or two weeks ago. Then, this week I thought I would go plan to go to one of them. Her name was Yang Dai and she had been taking lessons with the Mandarin Elders for a while and then stopped because she was a little busy. She was married to a Less Active member and so we went by. We talked with her. She had still been going to church with her husband. We answered a few good questions that she had and helped her to know that we are encouraged to ask questions so that we can continue to grow in our knowledge of the Gospel. At the end of our discussion she said to us that she had been thinking about being baptized soon and we said, "Great" the discussion didn't go on to that subject but stayed on her questions and we then left. The next day Yang Dai called and said, "I have an interview on Tuesday and I am wondering if you think I am ready for baptism." I was shocked and excited and said, "I know that you are ready. Do you feel ready?" She said, "I don't know that is why I ask you." I said again, "I know you are ready for it." She is going to have her interview on Tuesday and then call us back about a few more things. She will be baptized into the local ward where she lives by the English speaking Elders but I am pretty sure that something was helped from our visit. I don't know what but I don't need to. The important thing is that she is ready to make a covenant with her Heavenly Father and work with Him in this life until she receives eternal life in the world to come.

Recently we have taught a less active family and the mother introduced us to a friend named Jin Jing Hao. He and his family are from a special tribe in Shen Yang province that speaks Korean. I never knew they had one but they do ;) The mother doesn't really understand a whole lot of Mandarin but the Father and son can speak and understand both languages. Their Korean though isn't the same as Korean in Korea though. Anyway, we have taught the son, Jin Jing Hao, for about three weeks. We have taught through the plan of salvation and the decided to commit him to baptism. We went and taught him about baptism and all the details of this sacred covenant and then asked if he would commit to being baptized on July 17th. He said... YES!! Elder Wang and I are both very excited to work with him more and teach him about the wonderful commandments God has given us to enable us to become better every day. He has been reading The Book of Mormon a little and praying as well. All I ask is that you pray for him,and I will too, to help him to gain a personal testimony of this gospel and its truth. His name is Jing Hao 京浩.

Now about all that I have learned. I don't have enough time to type it all but I will share with you the thing I think is the most important. First, I need to thank Mom for her sharing of how she and Dad work together and if you like to can read that before reading this next part as a family :) Her goes:

I have learned so much about support and how companions are to work together. Also I have learned about the wonderful way in which our Heavenly Father is an example to us. I just read in Moses Chapter 1 about the time when Moses saw God and talked to Him face to face. As I read through the chapter I learned a great deal through the example of my Heavenly Father how we should always work with others and talk about those we know. In the conversation between God and Moses God constantly complements Moses in many ways. One, by calling Moses His son. What better complement is there than to be called the son or daughter of a perfected and glorified being. It shows that we have the potential of becoming like our Heavenly Father. Two, God tells Moses that he was created after the image of His Only Begotten. God loves His Only Begotten Son very much and shows His love for us by creating us in the same image. Ultimately we are all created after our Heavenly Father as well and so we can see that our Heavenly Father took the time, effort, and love to create us as His equals. Third, God calls Moses to be a prophet and tells Moses his full potential. Never, does our Heavenly Father criticize Moses or point out any of Moses' defects or problems. Before Moses is called to be a prophet God's presence is withdrawn and Satan is allowed to come into the scene. The first thing that Satan says to Moses is, "Moses, son of man worship me." Satan immediately points out Moses' biggest defect and trys to make Moses feel worthless so that he worships Satan. This of course doesn't work after being visted by Heavenly Father and Moses says to him "who art thou? for I am a son of God... and I was created after the image of His Only Begotten..." We see here that complements are what enable others to find the strength and courage to change. Why can no unclean thing dwell in the presence of God? Most likely because God will give it the strength to change. This is what we are called to do on a mission. We are not here to tell others their problems! They all have the Light of Christ and see those faults every day. WE are here to let others know what they are good at, just as you have helped me, and thus we give them the power to believe, to hope, and to change. Look for the good in others. Such an easy thing to do but a hard thing to accomplish at first. I believe that a man or woman can accomplish anything they put their minds to. Thomas Edison made a lightbulb. Benjamin Franklin made glasses. The Wright Brothers learned how to fly. Moses made the Red Sea part! All because they had a hope, a dream, and a belief in themselves and/or in God. We gain faith and trust in our Heavenly Father as we read His scriptures and obey His commandments. We are strengthened as our Heavenly Father then helps us to see our true potential and constantly points out our good points and traits. We then see our faults and are able to trust in the Atonement to make up for those shortcomings and change them into strengths. As I said before, I have learned so much that I cannot write it all down but I have shared what I can and leave to you to learn more. I love this gospel. I know that the things I have written can be expounded upon more and more but for now this is what I know and will begin to apply. I love you all and pray for you often. I leave you my testimony. I know this church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that the priesthood has true power. I know that we can receive personal revelation from our Heavenly Father and I know that through our pondering on the things we hear and see we will be taught and our mind will make connections of truth for us. I have seen it happen in my own life. I know that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet today. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

The Most Important Thing

Hello my dear family,

How are you all? I am excited to hear that you are going on vacation soon :D I wish you all the best. Elder Christensen gets home the end of June right? WOW! This week has been another one filled with trials but also filled with learning and growth. I love being on a mission! :D

sorry I took a lot of time trying to type something up that I found I could just copy :( I hate it when that happens.

I know that this church is true. I am sorry that my email isn't very long but the most important thing is that I know that we can be saved through the Atonement of Jesus Christ as we follow completely the commandments He has given us. I love this gospel. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. I love you all.

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen

God Answers Prayers

Hello my wonderful Family,

I have learned a great many things this week but do to a problem with my finances I had to use some time to clear up the difficulties. I love you all and I just received the new Ensign for June. I was able to fast on Sunday and it wasn't until that day that I was able to open up and read the new Ensign. I, of course, was having trials and needed answers to questions. Because of my fasting and prayers I was able to find all of my answers with great detail written in every story and talk of the new Ensign. As I flipped through the pages and read the titles I found that each topic was specifically related to all the questions I had and I am learning so very much from my Heavenly Father as I read and study deeply the doctrines and lessons taught. I love this gospel and I am so happy to know that I have a Heavenly Father who loves me. I have a whole Ensign written specifically for my needs! It is wonderful to know that I am cared for that much and that small detail in my life was created. I learned this week about the wonderful plan that our Heavenly Father has. I wrote a poem a while ago that I remembered which has inspired me. (I don't think I really wrote it.) The poem is about simplicity and it is in my first recently finished journal. I would like to ask mom if you could write an email with all of my poems included. I find that each day they are applied to many things that I learn and I hate not being able to remember the words that we put together so beautifully ( I am not boasting of myself but I am boasting in my God who gave me that ability and wrote these poems through me.) I know that my Heavenly Father is talking to me through my poetry and through music. I am so very happy that this is the medium He uses because it is what truly makes sense to me. So what I learned. In Isaiah it says that we learn things "precept upon precept" and "line upon line." In the poem "Simplicity" it talks about a talented painter who paints a masterpiece and seems to all that it is very complex and detailed but truly all that the masterpiece was made from started with one, two, and three. The very basics which allowed it to grow and become better but it was "line upon line." Life and the gospel may seem very complex to many and may feel as though it is very difficult but if we actually learn the basics we are given the ability to create our own complex masterpiece. It is like when Brother Bouvais (I know I spelt that wrong.) Helped us learn how to draw or paint. He cut the painting into sections and then copied each section. The plan of our Heavenly Father is extremely complex BUT because we have learned the basics we are able to take apart is plan piece by piece and understand everything about it because each stroke of the painting used only the basics, and we know the basics. We then put together our small picture of the big puzzle from the pieces we take and eventually our eyes are opened even more to the wonders of the plan of Salvation that give us such great joy and a sense of belonging and a sense of worth becuase the time was put into the plan to make sure there was not one soul to be lost. What did Satan want in the premortal life? He wanted not one soul to be lost. But he had the wrong way of doing so. His plan had holes and the biggest one is that there would be no progression. But Jesus Christ's plan leaves no one, NO ONE, unthought of. No one left behind and all get an equal chances thus making sure NO ONE is lost. Our loving Heavenly Father had the patience, took the time, used His knowledge, to make sure that NO ONE would be lost and that is why this plan is so perfect. Everyone is caught in this plan and there are no holes for anyone to slip through. It is a perfect plan. I love this gospel because it is so simple and our Heavenly Father is there to teach us all the details of His plan. Because, as the one artist states "detail is what gives something worth." We are of great worth to God and so He has created the detail and the plan for each of our lives that will give us the opportunity to be with Him again if we want it enough. OH I love this Gospel. I know that this Gospel is true. I know that our Heavenly Father loves us. I am certain that we were also a part of making the plan for our lives such as we make plans in family counsel. I know that Jesus Christ lives and I know that His Atonement has power able to heal each of us and give us the ability to understand the plan of our Heavenly Father. I know that God speaks to man as He has spoken to me even as I wrote this email. I love you all.

Sincerely,

Elder Christensen