My beautiful area.

 

 

March 19, 2013

First I just have to say I have never been so grateful in my whole life! We are in the most beautiful place on earth! Kohala is this little hidden gem tucked away on Big Island. Everywhere else is black rock but here it is tropical and lush and green and cool! I LOVE it here with all my heart! The people here are the nicest people on earth! Our little ward is the greatest!

 This area is full of rolling green hills with cows that have all the lush green grass they want! And you would love the little town part! It looks like you are in Yellowstone because it's all these old cute little shops! It’s just soooo cute! My heart will forever be in Kohala I love it here!

 The Rapiers are the Senior Couple serving here and they are the BEST and we LOVE them! It's really like having a Mom and Dad right there all the time! They picked us up from the airport and had leis already for us and have been driving us around showing us beautiful Kohala and introducing us to everyone!

 My companion is awesome too, she is such a hard worker. We went to seminary the first morning we got here and there were only 6 kids! Their graduating class has 80 students! But even though our ward is small our area is HUGE!

Today for p-day we went with the Rapiers to go whale watching and have a picnic! I seriously love them and this place!

Sister Christiansen

Transfers are done! Halleluiah! The new sisters are great! We got out first 19 year old sister! She is from Taiwan and you would never know she was any younger than the rest of us. This was the biggest transfer too! We had 15 new elders and 12 new sisters all come out! We have 24 sisters now in the VC which is the most we have ever had so we had to put bunk beds in one of the pads to fit more sisters. Oh and cool thing: For the first and probably last time in my life I got a new car for my birthday!!!! Woot Woot! We have so many sisters now that we needed to get another car here and so we are now the proud owners of a brand spankin new car-it even smells like new car!! yummm : )

All is well I love the mission and life is great! Have a wonderful Valentines I am sending you all my love! You are the best ever!!!

Love you!!!
Sister Christiansen

This week my companion and one of my pad mates have been really sick so another sister and I covered both our areas for a couple days and it was fun because we had choke work! So many people to see and one day we were being blessed like crazy- everyone we went to see was home! But anyway it has just been an all around good week!! I hope you all have a great week too! I love you so much! CCCHHHEEHHHUUU!

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka!!!! CHEEHUU!!!!! Can I just say how fun Christmas is going to be! We are having a celebration with the Sr. couples tonight where we are all going to sing carols, have treats, and watch some Christ centered movie. Then tomorrow we will wake up and open presents!!! Then have a zone breakfast then call our families!!!! (BEST PART) Then later in the day we are going to have a gingerbread house making contest, and white elephant and a scavenger hunt so it should be fun : ) I would like you to know I woke up to pure bliss this morning! Picture this: we all pulled out our mattresses and put out the presents and slept in the family room with the Christmas lights and first thing we all did when we woke up was lay in bed and play the uke!!! So thank you for that dear Christmas present I felt like a little kid again on Christmas day. Just waking up and playing with my new toy haha. But anyways I am just so so so stoked to talk to you tomorrow!

Alright some quick highlights: first off I am companions with SISTER MILLETT again! That is seriously unheard of! Out off 22 sisters I am serving with her again! I am so stoked! I have known this for a while because we help with transfers but something could have changed you know so I haven't said anything but here we are back again! And let me just tell you I am very very very grateful to serve with her again! I love her so so so much! We have a great time and work really well together! She has the easiest personality to serve with : ) We have had quite the week though. We went to Honolulu on Tue to do all the transfer stuff then on Wed and Thurs we had to go to Koniohe to get the car checked and fixed and then on Sat we were on exchange haha. Oh funny story we went over to see one of our friends and when we get there she is wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm a Mormon I know it I live it I love it" When I saw that I was like WAIT WHAT haha how did you get that-that’s so awesome (mind you she is our investigator) and she said they were handing out free t-shirts to all the Young women so she got one haha. So sweet huh! The ward is so bomb too! The young women invited her to their activity on Sat night where they all went ice skating in town at ice palace and she went and had a way good time! I was so happy to hear about her getting involved with the ward; that will make all the difference!

Love ya all,

Sister Christiansen

Alright so let’s see... This week went so fast! We had our ward Christmas party which was a blast! We had a live nativity hahah and the bishopric rode in on three horses as the wise men. How sweet is that! We just did it over at Laie Park so that was fun! They had choke food and then we sang some Christmas carols and watched the nativity.The next day we went to a birthday party which was really fun! Man so much partying this week : ) They even had a live Mariachi band and a piñata for the kids and yummy Mexican food! I was so grateful for that! I miss Mexican food! And then because the mother is Polynesian they also had the typical plate lunch stuff too so it was fun to have both the cultures represented!

The youth in the Arise and Shine video are all in my ward – which is so awesome. They are all great. If you haven’t seen it, look it up on the church web site. My mom and I love it – we watched it even before I came here. It was used for this year’s theme song for the 2012 Young Men/Young Women’s theme.

We have a baptism this week – yea.  Man this is going to be one crazy week! Tomorrow we have our deep clean then Wed is the baptism then Friday we do the transfer news then Mon my companion will be pau! And then Tue it's already time to go back to town and help with all the craziness of transfer meeting! We will be bringing in the new missionaries and figuring all that out again! I can't believe it's already time! And then wow just like that it will be Christmas!!!! YEA! Oh Grandma asked about our plans for Christmas so I shall share : ) we are going to go to the Sr. couples and have some treats and sing Christmas carols and do a white elephant and then come to the VC and watch a Disney movie!! CHEEHU! (that’s Christmas Eve) and then Christmas day I will be calling my family. The VC will be open for a little bit too.

Love ya,
Sister Christiansen

 Every Sunday night we have Christmas performances so this was us last night with  singing in the Ha'ula Choir.

I have learned to Haka! Sweet huh

This week has been probably the most exhausting but fastest week of my mission. Because we have to go on exchange with all the sisters and the transfer is only 5 and a half weeks because of Christmas we have already been on exchange with two sisters this week. It's crazy-I haven't really even been in my own area at all because I have been in the other sisters’ areas with them. Going on exchange with the other sisters is really a nice way to get to know them. I am grateful I get to do this - I am really enjoying it!  I didn't realize all the stuff they did before. It seems like there is a lot more administrative stuff that goes into missionary work then I realized. It's all good though.

So we drove to transfers in Honolulu (I can say I have officially driven to Honolulu now. I was a bit nervous but it all worked out fine. The traffic was insane though!) and we picked up the 6 new sisters. 
 
Also something really special that happened to us this week was we were running all around the VC trying to round up numbers for the ZL's and in walked these two ladies that were so so so prepared I just stopped right there really quick and gave them a tour and the both wanted missionaries to come when they got home! It was just a little tender mercy! I had been worried before that with all the administrative stuff how would we get any actually missionary work done you know. But Heavenly Father saw we were trying our hardest and so He just sent them right to us. I think as long as we are working hard on whatever it is we have to do he will bless us to see miracles in our area and the Visitors Center as well.

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

November 12, 2012,

I WILL BE HERE FOR CHRISTMAS!! Heavenly Father heard my wish!!! We set up the Christmas trees today! Also, quick note- we had 21 lessons this week so that was exciting! And we have a new investigator. Also, we are looking forward to all the new sisters that will be coming soon. Very exciting! Have a great week.

 

November 5, 2012

Oh such a busy awesome week! Ok so can I just tell you that this week we had 17 lessons!!!! That is a lot for us! The Standard of Excellence, the amount the President has set for us as Sisters serving in the VC, is 10 lessons a week! It was so sweet we had so so so many lessons! Heavenly Father just kept taking care of everything and helping us be in the right place at the exactly right time!  One day this week was really heavy though. Every lesson we had the people opened up about all the hard things in their lives. I feel like the mission has really opened my eyes to what some people have to face and I don't know why some people have to go through so many hard things. I realized something that day though, when we signed up to act as representatives of Jesus Christ we signed up to go and do what He would do and Christ would be there helping those that really need him. I am so grateful I got to go on a mission.

 

 

And oh how I love my Ukulele!!!

October 29, 2012

So crazy week! Did you hear about the Tsunami warning? Well we live at the beach pad you know so we had to put all our stuff upstairs, pack an overnight bag, and stay over with the Sister Trainers. It was so cool though to see all the people in the community gather together on the temple grounds. We literally had saints evacuating their homes and going to higher grounds, and gathering together at the temple for safety ! Doesn't that just sound exactly like something Heavenly Father would want to see His children do! You should have seen Kam highway it was packed with cars bumper to bumper driving up to the temple. and the whole field was full of cars. Lots of people just camped out there and it was really exciting! I have never been part of a natural disaster so I was loving it! It was so cool! I will send you a picture of all the cars at the temple (and that’s not even the parking lot that is the grassy area! Sweet huh!) But the coolest part of the whole night was when one of our investigators thought to call us during time of tragedy!! She called us to ask us what was going on and what she should do! We felt so honored that she would think to call the missionaries : ) 

We had some really sweet experiences with some of the people we are teaching. It was a week full of blessings and tender mercies. One of the most exciting is that we have a family with a Temple date set. I am so happy for their family and I really really really hope Sister Johnston and I can go to their sealing in Dec. but I don't know if I will be here-we shall see! Well happy Halloween! I love you all! Sister Christiansen : )

 

Night of the Tsunami Warning

October 22, 2012

Oh so so so many miracles! It is so crazy how you go from a really hard week to a really good week so fast. It seems like it almost goes back and forth every week haha. This week has truly been so wonderful! We had a wonderful experience teaching a woman this week. She came for her first lesson to the VC and we took her and her kids thru God's plan for His Family. It was awesome! 

That day had started out different too. For some reason the spirit was so strong all day! Even during comp study while we were singing "I know that my Redeemer Lives" together we both just started crying. And I just feel like all day we were seeing miracles because Christ was so close to us all day.

 So best/craziest news of the whole week..... We have a new investigator with a BAPTISMAL DATE!!!  We know our Heavenly Father is so aware of all His children and He knows when they are ready to hear the gospel.  It is all so exciting!!!

Ok so it was be far the best week (work wise) that we have had together yet! and hey while we were out walking one day we started making up "you know your a missionaries when..." and so I am going to tell you a couple we came up with : )

 You know you are a missionary when:

1. You are the only person in the world that looks forward to Mondays

2. The only man you get excited to see is the mailman

3. You are grateful to tract in 90 degree weather because at least you are burning off last nights dinner appointment

hehe well get excited to hear some more next week : )

Love to all of you,
 Sister Christiansen

WOW WOW WOW!!! God is drafting all of his stripling worriers right now! I just felt like every talk was on missionary work! That was crazy! That was so so so sweet! We watched the press conference after and Elder Holland said that God's work is hastening! And that is so true! There will be so many more missions now and the gospel will soon be spread to all four corners of the earth just as prophesied! This is the best time to be on a mission! I feel like Heavenly Father needs all of us right now! Now is the time to focus all our efforts on making sure everyone has the chance to hear the gospel! Oh I just loved Elder Holland’s talk too about feeding his sheep! Basically he was telling all the youth if you love the Lord repent and go on a mission. And lowering the missionary age will seriously change the world! Because think about it basically every girl will serve a mission now. (Why wouldn't they?) And more young men will go too. This was such a testimony builder for me that God knows the plan and knows what’s going to happen and He knew that I would be so sad if I hadn't gone.I just loved conference so much! How could anyone listen to them and deny that they are men called of God! They truly speak His words and just like the scriptures we all get out exactly what we need.

Love,

Sister Christiansen

This is our bike adventure.  We decided to ride bikes and be real missionaries because someone was borrowing our car and of course my companion gets a flat.  So, we were those poor pathetic missionaries you see walking their little bikes on the side of the road. haha It was classic!

10/4/12

Aloha,

So so so many good things!!! Life is just so great! Best news ever: the young man we were teaching on-line got baptized!!!!  YEA!!  We are so happy for him.

So cool experience on the tram tour this week! We didn't have anyone come on the tram so we were just pulling out to leave when a huge group of Japanese people all came running to catch the tram. So they got on and we realized that we didn't have any Japanese sisters on tram that day or at the VC. So here we were thinking ok great we have a group of people literally running to us to hear the gospel and we can't even teach them : ( But when we got to the BYU-H campus we yelled out to some of the students and asked if any of them spoke Japanese and this RM locked up his bike without any questions, jumped on the tram, and gave the whole tour!! It was such a testimony builder to me about being ready to serve at any time on or off a mission! I just know Heavenly Father was so pleased with that student for being worthy and ready to teach the gospel in a time of need!!! It was so cool too to see all those people just sitting in the Christus room listening to it in Japanese and then just gathering around him to listen to what he had to say. They were so receptive while watching him the scripture that says "if ye love me feed my sheep" came to my mind : ) I know that guy probably had lots of homework or classes or whatever but he loves the Lord so much he was just ready to feed the Lord’s sheep at a moment’s notice!

Alright so this is random but my new favorite food is Fijian Curry!!! It's so bomb! Whenever we get it here I am always stoked! I will learn how to make it for you all when I get home! I am also in love with coconut shrimp! Yum Yum Yum! Haha I will miss fish when I get home! I also love so much how the Polynesian people have so many awesome legends and cool stories! Like this one Fijian family was telling us that before they walk into the house at night they spit and tell the bad spirits to leave.  And in Tonga I found out that when the moon is full and half way in the sky it’s the perfect time to cut your hair because it will grow long and healthy.  They have so much history and culture and I just love them! I love serving around so many cultures! At BYUH we have people from 70 different countries and it's so cool to go to sacrament meetings and see all these cultures and people from around the world. I can just see Heavenly Father being so happy to see all his children getting along so well.

I just want you to know that the mission is the best. I am having the time of my life and I am so lucky to be serving with my best friend here-she is the bombThe mission is the best because you just feel so much joy all the time !  Enjoy conference - I can't wait!!!

Love,
 Sister Christiansen

Alrighty well another week has come and gone... How crazy! This week was a very eventful week too. On Wed we went to Pearl Harbor for a zone service project and it was sooo fun! I love my zone they are so funny! I will attach some pics from that! Then on Fri. we had to go to town again to take the car in because the brakes have been rusting like crazy. We had no idea we would be there from 9 in the morning until 5 at night! We  decided to go tracting while we were there haha. It was sweet we just went to an apt. and started knocking doors. We talked to one guy and shared a scripture with him and invited him to go to Church on Sunday. He said he would check it out and then we asked if the missionaries could call him and set up a time to come back and he said yes. It was a great day.
We have had many amazing experiences at the Visitors Center and on the tram. We meet so many wonderful people. We are also teaching great people. We are reminded often of how much our Heavenly Father loves each of his children and knows just what their needs are.
I have asked my mom not to post my personal experiences with the people we meet here as I respect their privacy and I appreciate them letting us visit with them and teach them. So, just know that the gospel is going forward and we are seeing so many miracles in the lives of so many people. Life is great in Hawaii. Love you all.
Sister Christiansen

We went to Kualoa ranch again and it was fun; we did a jeep tour this time so it was just like off-roading really fast thru the jungle! So fun!

My new companion

What a wonderful place to be

August 27, 2012

I honestly love love love being a missionary! I am just so happy all the time! It's weird that I feel so happy too because I have never been so busy or stressed in my whole life. But it's the best kind of busy because we are busy doing the Lord’s work and stressed about others. I don't even have time to think about myself because I have so many other people running thru my brain and keeping me up at night. I feel like in a small way I can relate to you, Mom, haha. I can see why being a Mom is a lot like being a missionary because all of a sudden you just think about your investigators (or kids) all the time! So many times I will wake up in the middle of the night and I'll remember something I need to do for someone or something I need to share with them! Reminded me of you, Mom.This Sunday we had some amazing miracles! We decided we were going to fast for 24 hours to plead with our Father in Heaven to please please please help us get investigators. And He heard our prayers! We literally went from having no one to a potential of like 10 new investigators!

 Also Last night we went to an incredible fireside by Elder Oaks! He was at the campus because of some BYUH project going on and it was so so so good! As he was talking people that we teach kept coming to mind. You know like stuff they need to hear and scriptures that would be good for them : ) That’s something I love about being a missionary-you can receive revelation for other people. Something really interesting Elder Oaks said though as he was closing up was he talked about the scripture that says to some is given the blessing to know the truth and to others it is given to believe on the truth or something like that. And he said “I want you to know that whether you know this is true or not I know this is true and if you don't know then believe on my words because I know”. It was really powerful! He said it with such conviction and it made me think that even if people don't accept what I teach or testify of I hope they know without a doubt that I know it is true and that I truly believe what I am teaching them. Because I do. I really do know that what we have to share will change their lives!

K well I love you! Time is flying! And I hope you all have a fabulous week please please please pray for the missionaries.

Sister Christiansen