Week 77 - Florence, SC - 12/29/14

Hello Family and Friends!

We meet once again on this stormy P-Day in Florence! You know, it's been a most interesting week! No complaints from me. Basically to sum everything up, we've been finding people to teach. It's hard to do during the holidays because all of the people who are interested are telling us to come after the holiday season. But we keep going! We are ready to find the elect!

Speaking of elect, Brother Owens is doing great! He's still ready to be baptized on January 17th! We've been doing "mini lessons" with him over the phone since he's in California until January 10th. He's so great! He forgot his Book of Mormon at home and so he ordered a new one to read while he was gone. He called us a few days ago and said "I got my Book of Mormon and it's from 1840! It was one of the last ones that Joseph Smith printed!" We're pretty sure it's one of the replicas but still! He just loves it! We're excited to keep working with him!

Christmas was pretty good! On Christmas Eve, we saw a few members and then we were on "lock down" where we were in from 5 pm to the end of the night. We had some good times with that! We watched "The Testaments" and also gargled "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" with salt water because Sister Davis and I were starting to get sore throats. I recorded it for y'all to watch when I get home. It is hilarious!

We were booked with appointments with members on Christmas which was great! We started out with Skyping of course! It was great to see my family again!  Then we went caroling to like all of the members in our area! It was so awesome! We really had a good Christmas overall!

Well, unfortunately Sister Gardner has been pretty sick these past few days so we've been staying in to help her recover. Hopefully she recovers soon! But here's a cool story! We went to CVS to ask a pharmacist what medicine would be best for Sister Gardner to take so she could get feeling better. When we went there, we saw Hana Jackson! Back story time! Sister Clinger and I met her there in mid-November while getting prescriptions for some medical conditions. While we were there, we found out that she was a less-active member living in my area in Marion! We got her information but we weren't able to visit with her before I got emergency transferred to Florence. She saw us and gave us a hug. She asked where we've been and I explained that I got ET'd. She was ok with it and we told her that the Marion Elders would go visit her soon. We'll probably go follow up with her at the CVS in a week or so to see if they've been able to see her though. She is so cool! I know that the church needs her in Marion!

I can't believe that it's the end of 2014. So many great things happened this past year! I'm looking forward to 2015 and for the new beginning that I'm about to have. I watched the "Because of Him" video (easter.mormon.org) yesterday and it talks about how it's all because of Jesus Christ that we have so many new opportunities. I know that because of Him, I get to have a fresh start, a clean slate. I don't have to worry about dwelling on the past! I can move forward. I will do as the Lord directs Lot and his family in the book of Genesis, "Look not behind thee" (Genesis 19:17). I hope that y'all will do the same in this new year!

I guess I'll talk to y'all next year!  I love y'all! Have a safe New Years! Have a blessed week!

- Sister Amy Christensen

Merry Christmas to me! Thanks for all the presents!

The most decked out house in Florence and they're members of the Church! Yes!

Week 76 - Florence, SC - 12/23/14

Family and Friends!

Happy Tuesday! Sorry this is a day late! We literally had the most stressful P-Day of my mission yesterday and the computers at the library were not working at all so we got permission to email all y'all today!

It's been a pretty good week regardless though. We've been doing a lot of dropping and a lot of finding. There is a less-active in our ward that some previous sisters knocked into named John Owens. We could not locate his records for the life of us however! Finally we got the word from Bishop Keith that we are going to have to baptize him again since even the Church Headquarters can't find him. We were nervous to ask him if he would be baptized again but he said "Sure!" So John will be baptized on January 17th! Since he'll be out of town until January 10th, we've been teaching him the lessons over the phone to help get the ball rolling. We felt like we needed to hold his baptismal service soon since he's been going to church on a regular basis for a little bit now. We are so excited for him!

We had Christmas Zone Conference this week. It was really great! We had a lot of great trainings on how we can become the best missionaries we can be through finding, planning and obedience! After we finally got to watch "Meet The Mormons"! That was incredible! I may or may not have cried a few times. I loved it! I would definitely recommend that everyone watches it! It helps give a whole new light to Mormons.

I also went on my first exchange this week! I went to the Cheraw branch with Sister Jensen! It was cool to go to a different part of the stake to work in. I think it was nice for me to go with Sister Jensen because I knew how to work with branches instead of just wards and I've gone through a lot of experiences that I'm sure were able to help her out. But I will say this, it was great to come back to my companions and serve in Florence after that!

And of course, the big news is Faye was baptized! *Cue Victory Dance* It was amazing! John did great at baptizing her! Seeing them both in white was probably one of the coolest experiences on my mission. Man! I just love them and I'm so happy that I was able to go back for both of their baptisms. The Elders in Marion have been doing great at preparing them for baptism! I'm just happy that I was able to be a part of the process!

Well that's it for this week! I'm so happy to be serving the Lord again this Christmas season! There is no better time to serve! I'm grateful for Jesus Christ. I know that He came to the earth so that we all can live again with Him and our Heavenly Father! I hope we can all remember the reason for the season this Christmas! Go check out christmas.mormon.org :) Alright, I love y'all! Have a blessed week!

- Sister Amy Christensen

Merry Christmas from Sister Christensen!

Elder Smith, John, Faye, me and Elder Speck at Faye's baptism!

My first exchange with Sister Jensen in Cheraw

With Bro. Hill in Marion after he gave us stockings for our Christmas presents

The Sunday before Christmas - we matched on purpose!

Our matching "Merry Christmas, Y'all" shirts from Sister Cayce

Week 75 - Florence, SC - 12/15/14

Hey y'all!

So much has happened this past week that I don't even know where to start! I guess the best place to start is the beginning.

Sister Davis and I went to transfers last Tuesday to get our new companion and to drop Sister Dougherty off since she was going home. And here's the crazy news, Sister Gardner is our new companion! For those who don't remember, I trained Sister Gardner last year in Boiling Springs! Yeah. I'm in shock still! It's been great to be back with her and interesting to see how much our teaching styles have changed since she got out of training.

We have been so blessed in Florence by meeting a lot of people who are legitimately interested in the message of the Restoration whereas some people say that we can come in just to be nice! There was one couple in particular that we knocked into, Steve and Frankie, and it was his birthday! We sang them "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" for a gift and they loved it! They were so impressed that they gave us two referrals, been telling everyone about us through conversation and Facebook and they even came to church! Total miracle! They said they'd come next Sunday because we're taking part in the Christmas program in Sacrament. Yes! That's why we don't hide our talents under a bushel! Haha.

We've even had a lot of success with sharing the "He is the Gift" video with everyone! It has softened so many people's hearts! I know that this video was inspired by the Church to help others want to learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! #ShareTheGift with everyone!

For the moment that y'all have been waiting for, JOHN WAS BAPTIZED! I was so happy that President Turner allowed me and my companions to go back to Marion for it! It was amazing to see all of the changes that he has made to be able to be baptized into Christ's true church. Even from the week that I didn't get to see him, he looked changed (for the better, of course)! He was smiling so much and there was just this glow about him. And this Saturday, Faye will be baptized by John! It's going to be a special baptism, I'll tell you that! I just love those two so much! They are going to be a great asset to the Church!

That's about it for this week though! My first exchange is happening on Thursday so I'll let y'all know exactly what I do as a Sister Training Leader next week after I figure it out myself! Haha. Love y'all! Have a blessed week!

- Sister Amy Christensen

With John and Faye on John's baptism day!

Way to go, John!

The new Sister Training Leaders in Florence - Sister Davis, Sister Gardner (who I trained one year ago) and Sister Christensen

Cayce Blackmon was such a great support to us in the Marion Branch and
she was my mom's lifeline!

Mission Rap - Bonus Post - 12/8/14

Here is a rap I wrote today.  It's good!  Someone copyright it!  (To the tune of The Fresh Prince of BelAir theme)

Sister Christensen's Mission Rap

Now this is the story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down.
So I'd like to take a moment, just sit right there
And I'll tell you how I got to South Care (olina).
In Sandy, Utah I was born and raised,
Learnin' 'bout the gospel is how I spent most of my days.
Young Womens, Seminary, Mutual, Sunday School
But going on a mission didn't seem too cool.  
Then the prophet came out with the mission age change
And suddenly the mission was within my range.
My choices were clear, I had to fast and I prayed
Until I finally found that my decision was made.
The mail man pulled up to my house with my call in hand
And I ran to my mailbox as fast as I can.
I opened up the letter, God qualified my call.
Now I'm in a place where everyone says y'all.

Week 74 - Florence, SC - 12/8/14

FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

Well this has been the craziest transfer in the history of the church! But some good stuff still happened! We'll start with John and Faye! Last Monday, we went over the 15 Step program to stop smoking! They did great! They committed to every single step! As of today, they have stopped smoking for a week! John and Faye were also interviewed for baptism on Saturday and they both passed! John's on track to be baptized on the 13th and Faye will be baptized on the 20th by John! I'm so happy for them :)

Other than that, it's been real crazy. Sister Clinger and I have been struggling to recover from our injuries physically. It's hard to get to Florence from Marion every other day, especially when neither of you can drive (It's about a 40 minute drive for us to get to our doctors). Sister Clinger chose to go home to recover. I will miss her greatly. She was a great companion who taught me a lot.

As for me, they emergency transferred (which is to transfer a missionary before the regular transfers every 6 weeks) me to Florence on Saturday to be a Sister Training Leader! As a Sister Training Leader, I am responsible for all of the Sister Missionaries in the Florence area. I get to go out on exchanges with them to help them learn more and for me to learn more as well! What I'm excited about is I'm going to be in a three pack. It will be me, Sister Davis, and another Sister (we will officially find out who that is tomorrow at transfers) serving in Florence! I'm so excited to be back in the city to work!

Now I say I'm excited to be in the city, but don't get me wrong, leaving Marion was harder than I thought it would be... especially leaving John and Faye right before their baptisms... Luckily, President Turner told me that basically if I could find a way to get there, I could go! Yay!

Cody, my brother, talked a bit about the "He is the Gift" initiative that the Church has put out in his last email. Now that video is so cool! It's fun to share in the South because it's all based off of John 3:16, which is everyone's favorite scripture here. We watched it yesterday in Relief Society and something stood out to me. It says in the video "For God so loved the world... And so loved you!" I thought about that and had this thought: "For God so loved Sister Christensen that He gave His Only Begotten Son." God loves each one of us so much that He sent His son, Jesus Christ to the earth. Jesus Christ didn't just come for the world in general but He came for us as individuals. It's reassuring in this point in my life where it's a constant battle to get better so I can go out and work but Christ knows all that I have, will, and am going through. That is something that I'm eternally grateful for.

If you haven't seen the "He is the Gift" video, go to christmas.mormon.org. If you have, share it with your friends, family, co-workers, etc. Share it online with #ShareTheGift! Help us flood the earth with this 2 1/2 minute video entirely based on Jesus Christ! I can promise you that it will help strengthen your testimony of Him and the testimony of others. So do it!

Well that's it! Thanks for all the support! As for the letters, keep 'em coming! Even though I can type with two hands, it's still easier for me to write than to type! I love y'all! Have a blessed week!

- Sister Amy Christensen

#CrippProbz

From casts to splints! Boo yah!

Me and my physical therapist, Cathy. She's the best!

Sister Clinger and I in front of our tiny house in Marion for the last time...

Us with Elder Smith and Elder Speck before Sister Clinger and I left Marion. This would be an excellent Christmas card.

Us with the Schallers, the senior couple who has been taking great care of us in Marion

And last but certainly not least, us with John and Faye for the last time. So many tears in that visit...so many tears.
(Hi John - from Sister Christensen's mom!!)

Week 73 - Latta, SC - 12/1/14

Hey Everyone!

Happy December! I can’t believe that we're at the close of 2014 already. Time has flown... I'm going to try typing this email first so that I have the time and I'm not attempting to type my whole week in 10 minutes with one hand like I did last week. It's hard being a gimp...

First off, surgery went well! Thank you for the prayers! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! I haven't been in much pain since the surgery! Here's to a speedy recovery!

John and Faye are doing real good! I just love them so much! They brought us Thanksgiving to our house on Wednesday night since I can't drive (for obvious reasons) and we ate together! They have just been the best! John told me yesterday that he'll be sad to see me go. Hopefully that's not a sign that I'll be transferred for my last transfer... We'll find out this weekend with transfer calls!

Thanksgiving was great! We had a good few members take us under their wings. We went to lunch with Sister Cayce at her mama's house and then we went to Sister Phyliss' house to talk with her and Brother and Sister Byrd. We didn't have anywhere to go that evening but that's ok because the surgery and Thanksgiving kind of exhausted me!

All in all, the branch has been excellent. So many people in our branch, stake and even nonmembers just think the world of us for not giving up. I can't tell you how many people have come up to us to tell us how proud they are for us to stick it out! I think it's building the testimonies of the branch to let them know that this isn't just something that we do because we're told to or feel obligated. This is something that we do because we know it's true and because we want to bring others to the same happiness that we receive as we fully live the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The church is so true! I wouldn't be out here as a crippled sister if it wasn't. I know that this obstacle is something that I was meant to overcome and that as I do so, it will be a stepping stone in my life! I love y'all! Have a blessed week :)

- Sister Amy Christensen, the Crippled

Now how about that for a one handed email ;)

Pre-surgery photo

Sister Clinger and me with John and Faye

Thanks for the Surgery Survival Kit, Mom and Dad!

Sister Clinger had the idea to make a gratitude wall in our house. These are the things I'm grateful for!

Us with Annah Cabaniss. She broke her leg around conference time and just got rid of the walker she was using to get around. She's one of our #CrippSisterzz

Only in the South... I need this for my house! So great :)

Us with Sister Cayce and her kids Kaleigh and Jamison on Thanksgiving

Opening up the Holiday season with some Christmas glasses and bathroom selfies. Classy.