Week 47 - West Columbia, SC - 6/2/14

Dear Family and Friends!

I'm alive! I promise I'm ok. We've just been having an extremely busy P-Day today. We've tried to use the computers at our library in West Cola twice but both times the reservations were for like an hour... Then we got our hair cut by a less-active which took a long time because there was one of her, three of us Sisters getting our hair cut and then one of her friends getting a straight perm. We were in the salon for forever! And now we're out of our area using some other computers. Lots of stress today. Hahah.

This week has been pretty good! We start out with our less active from last week, Sister S. We followed up on her not smoking but she bought a pack Monday night... We did all we could to help her out but she was just not willing and ready to give it up yet. Then Wednesday night, we got a call from her. She said "I'm done smoking. I want to be able to go to the temple within two months!" So there you have it. As far as I know, she hasn't smoked since! That was a blessing from the Lord for sure!

I've been contacting a lot of Hispanics lately. I'm really straining myself to remember any Spanish from school but somehow I remember it. We were talking to T (recent convert) this week and she said that she was going to start reading The Book of Mormon in Spanish to help her Spanish get better and I was like "That's a great idea!" So T, Sister Johnson and I are reading a verse a day in El Libro de Mormon! It's going to be fun!

So our investigator W is doing great! He invited his friend, M to come listen to the lessons with us. The first lesson we taught with the both of them was "The Gospel of Jesus Christ." That lesson went extremely well like it's probably the best I've ever taught it on my mission! At the end, we asked Willie a great inspired question. We asked him if he knew that Christ's one true church was on the earth today. He said "You know... I'm still searching. But because I'm searching, I know that it's out there somewhere." He's going to be baptized one day. And M has been very intrigued by our religion. I guess he has a friend who's Mormon and she gave him a Book of Mormon a while back and he liked it! It's been really interesting meeting with them.

Then there's S (recent convert). He has been on fire ever since he committed to be baptized on May 10th. We saw him briefly this last week and he said that he's prepared 4 names to take to the temple! Wut. He's golden. The home teacher went over there to do the new member lessons with him and S's wife, A was saying that seeing this change in him makes her want to become a better person! I'm very happy for their family!

Well that's it for this week! I'm sorry again for the delay but I hope y'all know that I love you! I'm praying for you! Go out and find missionary opportunities! Have a blessed week :)

- Sister Amy Christensen

Sister Johnson and I at Cafe Strudel, a cafe around the corner from our apartment. Pretty sure they don't even sell strudel there...

The most patriotic street ever! I must live here one day!

Me, Sister Johnson, Sister Roundy and Sister Clemons on Maxi Friday! I guess Maxi Friday is a thing now.

Week 46 - West Columbia, SC - 5/27/14

Family and Friends!

It's Tuesday! And I'll tell you one thing - I'm Feeling Good About Myself! Also this is going to be a quick email because we have a lesson in like 20 minutes... But on we go!

We had the No More Strangers Devotional on Tuesday and it went well! K (10 year old recent convert) prayed at it and it was the cutest thing ever! Everyone loved it! We only had D's, Sister C (a less-active) and S (recent convert) come to it this time but I'm happy we had some sort of turn out. The past few devotionals, we haven't had any investigators, less-actives or recent converts there. So not too shabby.

Remember our good friend, W who was supposed to be baptized this week? Well he's still doing well! He just had some health problems this last week and wasn't able to make it to our appointments or to church so we have to push his baptism back another few weeks. But hopefully there will be a baptism in the future before this transfer ends.

Also I had an... interesting meal this last week - Kidney beans and gizzards. Bleh. It was not too tasty. But we accepted the meal anyway... Gizzards are definitely right up there with liver mush with the strangest things I've eaten as a missionary.

We had quite the surprise on Sunday! S has missed a few of our appointments lately just from crazy family problems that have come up. We basically haven't met with him since he's been baptized. Well we go to church on Sunday and we hear the Bishop ask S to stand. We sustained him to be ordained to the office of a priest! Wut. Our next lesson with S was going to be about getting the priesthood! Guess we can bag that lesson now! Hahah. It was a pleasant surprise that's for sure!

Later on Sunday night, we went to another less-active's house, Sister S and we've been working with her on getting to the temple. Her only problem is she smokes. She wants to go back so bad so we had a lesson about it. Out of nowhere, the Senior Sisters came over and were helping us teach! It went well! Finally one of the Senior Sisters said "So when do you want to give us your cigarettes?" Sister S handed them over after that! It was awesome! So we had two packs and two lighters. That's always awkward to be carrying around as a missionary but there's also no better feeling than to take those away.

Well that's all for this week! I'm sorry for the short and abbreviated email... I promise it will be better next week! I hope y'all take care and have a blessed week! Love you!

- Sister Amy Christensen

Sister Johnson and I with Tanya Park! She's one of our favorite people to work with.

Not sure what to do with these...

I just like this meme :)

Week 45 - West Columbia, SC - 5/19/14

Hello family and friends!

It was another good week but not a whole lot of eventful things happened. I'll just give you the low down of what's going on in West Cola.

Well first off, S is probably the coolest recent convert in the history. He's only been baptized and confirmed for a week now, right? On Saturday, we asked him if he'd be willing to pray for the No More Strangers Devotional coming up and he was totally fine with that. He said "I guess I'll have to get used to doing this stuff at some point in time!" And then the Elders wanted to know if he would be willing to go out to lessons with them. He thought that would be great! He's just absorbing everything so well! I'm really impressed with him and I know that the Lord has been helping him throughout his conversion process!

Next! Two weeks ago, Sister Johnson found this guy, W while we were on exchanges and they put him on date. Well he's super excited to be baptized and he's telling everyone! He came to church yesterday so he's still on date for May 31st! We just have to teach him just about everything this week so he can be interviewed on Saturday! We'll see how that goes!

Finally, T is pretty much the perfect member missionary. Remember her Hispanic neighbors she invited to learn more about the church? Yeah. They got baptized and confirmed this past weekend! Not only that but we got these texts from her yesterday saying "My sister wants to learn more about the church. Call me ASAP." Long story short, her sister (who is in our area) wants to start going to church and is willing to give our church a chance! We are super excited for this opportunity that she has provided us with! My recent converts here in West Columbia are just fantastic!

We have the No More Strangers Devotional tomorrow! President Holm is coming to just share more about what we believe with less-actives, recent converts, active members and non-members. It's always a really great meeting! Plus we have recent converts participating in this meeting by praying! This is the first No More Strangers that I've even had recent converts to come to! I'm very excited for it!

I love y'all! I hope y'all are looking for missionary opportunities to help the missionaries out! I'll talk to y'all next Tuesday since Monday's Memorial Day! Have a blessed week!

- Sister Amy Christensen

Sister Johnson's first flash flood!

Sometimes when we're outside teaching, kids will pick us leaves and flowers and give it to us. We think it's pretty neat!

We saw this picture of hands touching the Liberty Bell at a gas station. I couldn't help but take a picture with it doing the same thing. I know. I'm a cool kid.

Week 44 - West Columbia, SC - 5/12/14

My dear family and friends!

What a wonderful week it has been! It started off with exchanges with Sister Creager! I've been living with her for the past 4 1/2 months, which is longer than I've lived with my own companions! Needless to say, I just love her to death! She is a wonderful missionary and she has inspired me to become better! We had a lot of fun working in the Young Single Adults ward! I even got to bust out my middle school slash college Spanish just like Cody did this last week! We saw a Hispanic man and his kids carrying stuff in so we helped him out. I introduced us as missionaries from the church... but that was about all I could do. My Spanish is really rusty. Hahah.

So after exchanges, I made a goal to talk to everyone. That's something that Sister Creager's really good at! We were in the library the other day and I approached this man and asked him to watch the video on mormon.org/motherhood. We got talking a little bit and he gave us his information but he's in the other ward's boundaries. Well we got a call from the elders serving in our ward yesterday and they said that this man that we contacted came to church! Whoa. Miracle moment! I was speechless. Needless to say, I'll be talking to everyone from now on!

S got baptized this last Saturday! It was such a cool experience for me because I saw him come full circle. He had overcome a lot of trials and then he got to enter into the waters of baptism. There was nothing more humbling than when Bishop Del Priore got up to welcome S to the ward and he told S's (8 year old) son, N to come up there. He said "This all happened because N wanted to be baptized... because of that one righteous decision." That was really neat for me because it helped me realize that it wasn't because of me. It was simply because I was in the right place at the right time. It also was a testimony builder about how the Lord uses the small acts to bring great things to pass. It was a really neat day!

And then of course there was Mother's Day! It was so neat to speak with my family. I want to brag a minute here though. I asked my family to help the missionaries out with referrals and with teaching appointments because I know how important it is as a missionary. Well I got an email from my dad this morning saying he did just that! I know that this work is bigger than just the missionaries. We are all on the Lord's team and we need to be working together! I would like to invite y'all to do the same! Find someone who needs the gospel and share it with them! It helps us as missionaries so much!

Anyway, I'll get off my soap box now! I love y'all! Have a blessed week!

- Sister Amy Christensen

Me and Sister Creager

Me and Sister Johnson on Mother's Day

S's baptism with his family!