April 26, 2012Aloha Family!

I love you all so so so much! I hope you know that! Alrighty well this has been a very interesting week. Sister Yau was supposed to go out full pros. to Waipahu but her companion (a minnie missionary) bailed so she has been with S. Looney and I. It has been a little crazy but I have learned a lot from her and I can see why I needed her to be my comp. She really knows the language of the spirit. She acts on every thought that comes into her head. It's amazing she just trusts it's from the spirit and doesn't question it at all. And she has seen so many miracles come of that. Even just this week serving with her we have seen lots of miracles come because she doesn't hesitate at all. For example on Friday night we were eating dinner and she said we should visit Julia at Kahuku grill because we hadn't heard from her all last week and she was supposed to be getting confirmed on Sunday and we were worried about how everything was going to work out. So we drove over there and first off it was a miracle she was working because she only works the night shift one day a week so that was awesome. Then when we got there she told us that President Hannemen helped enroll her in classes at BYUH which is also awesome! And because she is now a student she can be in the BYU 4th ward so that solves a lot of problems. She has lots of friends in that ward plus he is the stake Pres. over that ward and Pres. Hannemen's son is the second counselor in the Bishopric of the BYU 4th ward too so she will really be able to get involved with the ward and stay active. And the big miracle about this whole thing was it just so happened that Bishop Wagner (Bishop of the 4th ward) was eating dinner at the grill that night! So we were able to introduce her to him and talk to him about all this. And he was so so nice and so excited to have Julia in his ward! So yes that was awesome and the confirmation was the happiest day ever! Everything just felt so right! She was glowing and she had so many friends in the ward so they totally welcomed her in and she will be just so great in that ward! Oh and Dave Bortchure (sorry don't know how to spell his last name) is in that ward too so that was fun to see him haha. So that was miracle number 1.

Then another miracle we saw was we had 80 oym's in one day! OYM stands for open your mouth, and basically to count an OYM you have to invite a nonmember to do something. The most we have ever had in one day was 12 but we had 80 in one day!! It was so awesome! We had lots of non members come into the VC and it was really cool!

 The next miracle was also way bomb! We had a member call us with a referral for a guy he works with. His name is A… he is 27 and he said he really wants to date a Mormon girl (haha) so his friend said he needs to start going to church. So now we are trying to contact him so that we can teach him and who knows maybe he will find the love of his life in the YSA 2nd ward haha. It's just so nice to have a new investigator because it’s really like finding gold here. It's so hard to find anyone that isn't already a member so we are so so so excited to start teaching him! Oh and another cool story: so we planned in our nightly planning to take A… to FHE on Monday night but we weren't able to get a hold of him so we were thinking maybe we will just change our plans right? But then S. Yau said “hey the spirit doesn't change his mind so we should stick to the plan”. So we went over there anyway but when we were leaving we ran into Sapi (she is the RS pres.) and we talked to her for a little but no big deal right. Well when we got home all of a sudden S. Yau said Sapi should be my minnie! Which would be perfect because she is preparing to go on a mission and she isn't working or going to school right now. She is just waiting to get her call! So we were totally inspired to go to FHE so that we could run into her! So hopeful that will all work out and she will be able to do it.

 And the last miracle I would like to mention was a sweet tender mercy from the Lord. So on Sunday I straightened my hair because I wanted to look nice for the confirmation (haha) but when I got outside I saw that it was raining : ( But I decided to exercise all my faith and so I prayed and asked Heavenly Father if He would please stop the rain for just a min. so that we could run into the building without getting all wet. And guess what! The rain stopped!! Just for the amount of time it took us to run inside : ) Heavenly Father loves us so much!

Well I hope those stories made sense-it would be a whole lot easier to explain them if we were talking because it’s hard to write all the details you know-but no need to fret because I shall be calling you soon!!! Yea for Mother's day! And Holli dear I got your email, thank you so much for emailing me I have been missing you so bad I have even been dreaming about you haha. It was so good to hear how you're doing and don't even worry I understand how it gets with finals. But I am so excited for you to speak and thanks for letting me know what time. I will let you all know when I will be calling. I'm not sure yet about that but it will be soon so that will be wonderful! And Cami K. WOW you are serving in IDAHO!!!!! I couldn't even believe it when I read your letter! I just kept saying “no she's not, no she's not!” WOW that is too crazy! Mom look out for Sister Cami Kuhns and ps she is vegetarian and loves stir fry so could you please feed her one night for me ; ) Thanks mom! And Cami I will be home while you are still serving so maybe you will be in Blackfoot when I get home in July 2013 haha. How awesome would that be! And Logan congrats on going to the temple! When I read your letter, mom, about all of you getting together I was so jealous haha that sounded so great! And I am so happy to hear how often you are all able to make it to Twin Falls to see Ann. Just about every letter I feel like you guys were able to see each other! That is so so nice. Man I just love family time!

Here is a random suggestion for Holli, Cami, Logan and anyone else that reads this blog that is planning to go on a mission: (My trainer gave me this idea) Before your mission you should all make a vision board. You can just get a piece of paper and cut out pictures from the ensign or whatever you want and you paste it on the paper and then laminate it. You just put pictures of goals and things you hope to see on your mission. I put pictures of all my goals. Like a picture of someone being baptized and then the number of baptisms I hope to see and then a picture of a couple being sealed in the temple because I hope to see someone I teach sealed. And then a picture of a family, because I hope to help a whole family get baptized, and I even put a picture of Pres. Uchtdorf (haha) because I really hope to listen to him speak or meet him while I am out here on my mission! And just some other goals I have set for my mission. But ya I think it will be good because then you are able to see your goals every day and make them a reality right! (Holli you know all about this kind of stuff-remember when we went to St. George haha) Well you visualize it, look at it every day, and make it happen! You guys don't have to do that though, I just liked the Idea. I think I am going to put it in my Preach My Gospel too so then I can look at it often.

Alright well I love you all dearly and I love love love getting letters and hearing from you so please keep up the good work and keep the letters coming! It really does make my whole day! I am sorry for the randomness of my emails but I just kinda start typing and there you have it. PS these pics are of us on the tram tours that we take from the PCC to the VC so you can get a little taste of what that’s like haha. And Mom I sent another SD card home so after you load them onto the file at home or whatever could you just erase them and then take some of you guys again before you send it back I really liked that! It was so good to see all your smiling faces again : ) And Ann thanks for the adorable pics of the kids too!

Ok for real this is the end just know I love being a missionary and I love you!

Sure love ya!!!

Sister Christiansen