Week 11

Okay I feel like I should start by saying that our ward got split and there is a new stake. The Taravao stake. Its mostly all of the little part of Tahiti. If Tahiti was an unshelled peanut then Taravao would be the top part of the peanut. I don't know how else to describe it haha. But yeah. Our sector got split and now Elder Sovereign and I are in a different zone too. We have new zone leaders too. Everything is new and its actually pretty refreshing. 

Also I don't ever really talk about our investigators. So I'll do that now. 

OUr most potential family is the Manea family. They are a famlily of four who all are ready to get baptized. They just aren't married. That's one of the biggest problems here in Tahiti is that everyone lives in concubinage (un married) so a lot of weddings are happening in this country. But yeah the Manea family consists of Tony, Nelehia, Uravini, and Hinano. They're awesome. Nelehia (the mom) made my mom a necklace out of shells and pearls and stuff. It's pretty cool. :D

So I'm pianist for the ward and usually I'll pick the hymns during the week because there are lots that I can't play. But sometimes Mami TOA (chorister) changes them as soon as she shows up to the chapel. I've explained to her that I can't play lots of the Hymns but she just does what she wants. Oh well. At least I'll be awesome at the hymns soon. 

That's about it for this week.  

Love you all,

Elder Christensen

Week 9- I think

Hi everybody!! 

This week was nuts! I'll start by saying that the stake president payed for our groceries for probably about 3 weeks. We have too much food. It's awesome haha. We also were given 24 litres of milk. That's a lot of milk for 4 missionaries. So yeah he's awesome. As some of you may know, my Nikes and my companions were stolen from our house and I was actually going to buy some new ones today. But last week we saw the kid wearing my Nikes and started asking where he got them. He said he bought them for 9000 francs which is 90 dollars in America. We knew that was a lie because Nikes are extremely expensive here. We were going to just leave it alone but one of our amis found out about it and found the kid and took my shoes off his feet and gave them to me that night. Needless to say, she's awesome haha. We teach their family now and they all want to get baptized! We were already teaching their two kids.

We also had a baptism this week. HIs name is Xavier. I love him. He's this tiny Tahitian man who is an amazing artist. He drew the 2000 stripling warriors for me like Tahitian warriors. It was awesome. Anyway he asked my companion if he could hold him in the water for 4 or 5 seconds during his baptism. He's a silly man, but amazing all the same. 

Yesterday I almost had to eat fafaruu. They take fish and put it in a container and let is sit out in the sun for a few days. They then take that juice and put it on fresh raw fish. I don't get it at all. My comp is a good talker and distracted the members so I wouldn't have to eat it. I love him. 

Well that was my week. I love you all!! Thanks for you support and prayers. 

-Elder Christensen

Week 10

Ia orana tatou! 

Its pretty weird that I'm almost done with my training. These first few months of the mission have flown by and its just crazy!! 

So this week we didn't have a bunch of lessons. Currently we're lacking a lot of investigators. We really need some references. Anyway, this week wasn't too crazy. 

So I'm sure many of you have heard about the attack in Nice. It's really sad that things like that happen. Honestly sometimes it doesn't make sense, but I know that even when things get hard, its at those times especially when we should continue to exercise our faith and keep doing whats right. I ask everyone who reads this to please pray for the families that have been impacted by this event

I know that Heavenly Father loves us, even when at times, bad things happen to good people. I know that he sees us and that sometimes people excersise their freedom of choice and it hurts others. But there is a plan for everyone. I know that we will see our loved ones again after this life. That is part of God's plan for us. 

My companion and I say this a lot actually. We're just two Young men of 18 and 19 years old. We don't know everything, but there is someone who does. Our Father in Heaven wants to hear from us and wants to help us too. through prayer we can communicate with our Eternal Father and he will bless us. I know that's true.

So yeah, that's my email for the week.

Week 8

Hey everybody!! 

Sorry I didn't write last week. there wasn't a lot to report and we didn't have a lot of time on the computers. 

Just want to start by saying that I have compassion for those who have had to learn another language and study 2 Nephi. Oh my goodness its so hard! And I'm only learning french. I can't imagine what it's like in a non latin language. Anyway I'm almost finished with second nephi in French and I'm very proud of myself:) haha.

I'm now the ward pianist. One of the Tahitian Mamis found out i was practicing the piano and asked me why I didn't tell her I played piaino and then decided that i will play piano from now on. None of the hymns are ever planned in advance. they pick them on the spot ususally and that's pretty hard haha. But at least I get to use my talents to serve those in our ward. 

So we've been teaching these two kids names Hinano and Uravini. They're brother and sister and its super fun to watch them haze each other. It reminds me of when I was their age with my brother:) haha anyway so I engaged them to baptism and they both said yes but not right now. However yesterday at church their mom said that Hinano is insisting that she get baptized and then her mom, Nelehia, said that she wants us to teach her family so that they can decided together to be baptized. She then proceeded to tell us how she wants an eternal family and In my mind I thought, "we can definitely help with that" we teach their family tomorrow and Elder Sovereign and I are so excited for that lesson. They were baptized Sanito. Its pretty common here. In the states I think they're called RLDS or community of Christ. Basically they believe in the Book of Mormon and prophets but they have a female prophet and women in their faith have the priesthood. It's really hard having to tell Sanitos that in our church only men have the priesthood because I don't want to make them upset. But what Elder Sovereign and I usually talk about is how men can't have children and that men and women have different responsibilities. Maybe we don't completely understand, but  there's a vers in the Book of Mormon. Its 2 Nephi 2:24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things

we may not know all things, but everything is done in the wisdom of our Heavenly Father who definitely knows all things and If we put our trust in him, everything will turn out alright. 

Love you all! 

Elder Christensen