"For God Hath Not Given Us the Spirit of Fear"

Well its been a decent week out here, the 70TH! in Argentina. Thats a lot! 

We started our week on wednesday with a zone meeting in "cruz del eje". Me and my comp call it "cruz de lejos" (lejos means far) because it takes almost 3 hours to get there. Not fun for us or our wallets, but the zone meetings are always fun because we get to see a lot of old friends. We also have made a new tradition of tie trading with Elder Taylor from Arizona after every zone meeting. We go to his apartment after every zone meeting and it gets intense, but he usually gives us sweet offers that we cannot refuse. The tie collection has gotten really good lately. That night, when we got back we went straight to a "family home evening" that we had with claudio and fátima. Just in case you don't remember claudio is the one who is a member and he loves the church and goes almost every week but fátima still isn't baptized because they aren´t married. We had another real good lesson with them, fàtima feels the spirit a lot every time, she cried again and said she would come to church but she didn't come this sunday...its hard sometimes because the lessons are always so good with them but the progress is slow. 

4/20 was a crazy day..we got slightly in trouble with the law. To provide background information, on tuesday night we had no appointments, so we decided to take advantage of the time and go pay the rent for our pension. It was our first time trying to do this because our mission president had just signed the new contract with the lady and given me a huge envelope with her name and address and told me to take it to her. I didn't know her and I had never been to her street before but I didn't think it would be a big deal. It was raining that night so me and my comp both had big black coats on, and he had a beanie. It was dark already so I guess I understand how we may have appeared kind of sketchy. Anyway we arrived at the house, clapped a few times and nobody came out. We were about to leave when a car rolled up with 2 little kids and a lady, I tried to explain to the lady that I wanted to pay for the apartment and she acted like she had no idea what I was talking about. She said she wasn´t the mother of the kids but that the mom would be there in the morning. So I said Okay thanks, left, and forgot all about it. 

Now on thursday morning we decided to go back and try and pay for it again. We were just wearing our regular white shirts and tie, looked like completely normal missionaries. We get to the house and I clap and a different lady sticks her head out and says "wait a second im changing" so we waited about 5 to 10 mins, and the next thing we know there is a police officer standing next to us. He starts asking us a ton of questions, and the lady comes out to talk to us too. The officer said that he got a call tuesday night from this lady saying that there were two foreigners hanging out in front of her house with a suspicious envelope, and that she thinks we want to kidnap her children. She said her kids were up all tuesday night crying because they were so scared. I was like look lady all im trying to do is give you 2000 pesos and leave, but she wouldn't take the money. She said we would have to wait till her mom gets back from vacation in a different country. The whole situation was so ridiculous I was actually getting kind of angry because they made a whole huge deal out of nothing. I did feel a bit bad that her kids were crying all night though, if thats even true. Everything turned out alright I guess, But I think its safe to say that that lady won't be getting baptized anytime soon. 

Thursday night was actually quite good. I was super annoyed about the experience we had that morning, but I tried to focus because we had a lesson with Kenti, the girl who was supposed to be getting baptized this sunday. She has been pretty excited about the church, she likes it, but she saw us in the street the other day and said that she had a dream. In the dream she was "in church, and all the members of the church were laying eggs out of their mouths into their hands, and then that one sister was trying to kill kentis daughter emma saying that she needs to be with God." Not a good dream. She told us that she wasn't sure anymore about the church. Well when preparing for the lesson the first thing I thought of was the Joseph Smith history, the part where he prays for the first time and first satan attacks him, and tries to stop him praying. We read that with Kenti, and I told her that satan knew joseph smith was going to be a really important person because he was going to restore the church. I told Kenti that satan also knows that she is an important person, thats why he sent you that dream and is trying so hard to stop you joining the true church. She could relate really well to that story. I also read her one in 2 Timothy 1: which says: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

So I said "how did that dream make you feel?" she said bad. I said that spirit doesn't come from God, but from the devil. And I said "how do you feel when you are with us, or when you are at church"? She said she felt peace. That sounds like a sound mind to me, and that is a test that we can use always to tell if something comes from God or not. If we don't feel peace, it probably isn't right. If we are scared, it probably comes from the devil. 

Also I think we can all apply the experience of Joseph Smith in our own lives. For example we had a terrible morning on thursday, because satan wanted to distract me from having a good lesson that night. Also I remember almost 100% when I was younger getting up and going to church on sunday mornings was always really hard, because my shoes would be lost, or me and my brothers would fight or we would all get mad at each other in the car on the way there for dumb stuff. That always happens because satan wants to stop us from having good experiences....but when Joseph was attacked by satan, he didn't give up, he kept praying, and he trusted in God. And look what happened. 

Lets not give up when the trials come our way...if we can carry on a little further, following the spirit, we will get to the blessings. If you can't feel the spirit, just ask for it and do the things you know invite it. 

Anyways, Friday was a good day. We got invited to do some service for Gimenas mom (investigator who speaks english). She had this big tree stump she wanted out, all she had were two pick axes put we hewed it down in no time. The roots were the hard part, there were a ton of them buried deep under the dirt, so we just pounded the ground with the pick axes for a while, then dug the roots out with our hands. It was kinda fun actually, I felt like I was harvesting beets or something. That night we also decided to visit some people who were old investigators. Old because we taught them a long time ago and they didn't progress (although they did go to church one time) and old because they are 83 and 82. Oscar and Eulogia are their names, we passed by just to invite them to church and suprisingly they said yes. We hadn't visited them in over a month because they didn't seem to interested in changing. But sometimes people just need time, we will see what happens. 

Saturday was a normal day, a lot of door knocking but I can report that we had perhaps the biggest lunch of my mission, it was with some less active members that our branch president had us visit. We had done a family night with them on monday, they really had a good time and we did too and we were invited to have lunch with them on saturday. They made a huge "Asado", there was unlimited steaks and sausages and potato salads plus a couple other types of salad. It was so good I haven't eaten that much in a long time. That night we also had ward council, and bought some chlorine to throw in the baptismal font. It supposed clears up the water, which we really need because it comes from the river and is always dark green. 

Sunday was pretty good in church we had 3 investigators, mauricio and oscar and eulogia. (they are mauricios grandparents) so it was kinda cool having a little family there. We had to pick up oscar and his wife in a taxi because he can't walk. It takes him several minutes just to rise from his chair. They seemed like they had a good time. There was no baptism in the end, kenti couldn´t make it to church but we are confident that it will be next sunday. That night we were quite frustrated with the missed baptism and all, we weren't feeling too excited to go knock doors on a sunday night but we did, and found some really interesting/prepared people. One guy who has had a book of mormon on his bedside table for the past 12 years, he said he reads it now and then and really likes it, but has never been to church. His name is victor.

Monday we decided to visit some more old investigators from the area book...I also found a guy named franco in there who had been baptized a few months ago. We decided to visit him, and when we got there his 2 sisters were waiting outside because they were locked out and they were waiting for franco to get home. They said it was francos birthday. When he arrived we wished him happy birthday, he was really surprised that we had shown up on his birthday and he asked how we knew. I said we didn't, we just saw your name in our book and thought you needed a visit. He let us in and told us the reason he hasn't been coming to church lately is because a member told him he should come with a white shirt and tie to church, and franco said he doesn't have one. I told him that its not true, that we can go to church in whatever clothing as long as it is our best. We just use our best to show respect for God, and that if we don't have a tie it doesn't matter because God looks on the heart. He agreed with that and said he would come to church this Sunday. We also talked a lot with his sister and ended up leaving a book of mormon with her, she isn't a member it was really good. 

Today we haven't done much because its raining and cold! We were gonna go hike a mountain in a city that is a 30 min bus ride away, but the weather ruined that plan so we have just been hanging out here. 

Thats it! Love you all, hope all is well.

Elder Christensen

The tree before it was cut out.

Us with one of the pickaxes

Oscar, his wife, and mauri.

Tie trades with elder Taylor.

With Joy Shall Ye Draw Water

Hope everyone had a good Easter! There was a lot of people who came to church this week here, well at least a lot for cosquin. 92 is the most we have had so far. 

Wednesday was probably our best day of the week, we had lunch with the Rengifo family, it was our first time going to their house for lunch because they usually just drop it off at our house. It was fun getting to know them a little bit better. They told us about how the dad had served his mission here in cordoba, and that where he lives right now was his favorite area. He had baptized his current next door neighbors while he was on his mission. His next door neighbors son has also robbed their house in the past, stealing a tv, thousands and thousands of pesos, and lots of other stuff. They knew it was him, and he eventually apologized but never gave the stuff back. Nice. That night we visited claudio, he is the son of the ward mission leader but is living with his girlfriend. Claudio is really great, we have previously had some spiritual experiences in his home, and we had another one that night. We went in there planning to read alma 34 with them, but the spirit kinda guided us a lot and we didn't even end up reading any of that, we just read a lot of scriptures that we felt they needed to hear, and asked some inspired questions as well. I asked his girl friend if she had ever had an answer from God in her life, and she started crying a ton and told about how they had wanted a baby for a long time but they never could, so she prayed and then got pregnant. It was a really special experience for her.  The lesson was really good, we are excited for them.

On thursday we knocked a lot of doors, not a lot of success, in the evening we had English class like always. We only had 3 students but it was fun! After we were supposed to have our meeting with our ward mission leader, but we invited him to help us teach the word of wisdom to Kenti (one of our investigators/english students) who was supposed to be getting baptized on Easter. The lesson went really well, she accepted everything. But right after the lesson, brother contreras (the ward mission leader) got a crazy pain in his side and asked us to give him a blessing, then went to the hospital. (He is okay now though). 

On friday we taught kenti the law of chastity, she said she thinks it will be hard but that she will try her best to keep it. We told her that God knows we aren't perfect, but that he blesses us and helps us if we try to do our best. After that we taught Gimena, the girl that speaks english. Its one of the first times that Ive actually taught a full lesson in english, it was easier in some ways but also hard because I kept slipping into spanish! Im just so used to talking about these topics in spanish.

Saturday was supposed to be a big day, we had 2 baptismal interviews set up. A brazillian elder came to do the interviews. The first one was for a 10 year old girl named malanie, that ended in disappointment though because she wasn't even home, but her mom was, and told us that malanie would not be allowed to be baptized. Her reason was that she (the mom) had had a bad experience in the church and didn't want malanie to have one, and also said that she didn't have faith that malanie could continue in the path after baptism. The second interview was with Kenti, she passed, supposedly it was complicated but she had everything set up for sunday. 

Annnnd she didn't come to church on sunday, so now her baptismal date will have to be changed from this saturday to this sunday. Gimena came to church though! It was her second sunday in a row, she seems to be liking it a lot! We had lunch with her and her family after, none of them are members but it was a fun time. It was nice of them to invite us on Easter, its not really as big of a holiday as it is in America, but they still celebrate a little and they eat chocolate eggs and stuff!

Yesterday we had to go to cordoba to do some paperwork for my companion elder Mooneyham to receive his argentine ID and become legal in the country. It was just a bunch of waiting in a police building, but it was fun to see lots of the younger guys in the mission who are just starting. They always have a bunch of funny stories from their first days in the mission, and its also crazy to realize how far I've come in the mission. This could be my second to last area, and I might only have 2 or 3 more companions...but you never know. 

I like these scriptures in  2 Nephi 22:

2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.

3 Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

Life is hard, but we just have to trust in God. Salvation is for anyone, we just have to go to the well and draw out water...we have to go to him.

Im out of time! Love you all, hope your easter was great and that everyone is doing well. 

Love, Elder Christensen 

The Longest Companionship.....HOOORAY!

Well! It has been a great week here in Cosquín...I am not writing from a new location like I said I might last week because I didn't get transferred, and neither did Elder Mooneyham! By the time this transfer is over, we will have had 4 and a half months together. That is a really long time in the mission! It will be the longest amount of time I have been with one comp, and the longest anyone else has ever heard of 2 companions being together! We are pretty happy though. 

Okay Im not gonna lie, the week started out really frustrating...not too much to write about on wednesday or thursday. We had lots of appointments fall through and not much success at all. Even english class was a failure, usually a lot of kids go but this week only 1. 

Friday was a good day though, we had a conference in cordoba, it was with all the missionaries in cordoba plus the zone of punilla (that is us, we were the only ones that had to travel far to get to it). We did some intense tie trading there with some of our friends, I think we came out winners in the deal. We also got some new little cards to use to contact people with, with a picture of Jesus on it. I am really excited about how good they have been working so far. 

Saturday morning we realized our numbers for the week were trash, with the bad start and then not being able to work with the conference and all.. so we went out planning to knock doors about all day. We had an experience that had an impact on me...It was raining, pretty hard all day. But I tried talking to a lady walking past us in the street, she had an umbrella and was walking with her head down. I just offered her a Jesus card, she looked at it and started crying a ton and took it and said "gracias" and started trying to walk off, but the spirit was impulsing me like crazy so I followed her and tried to keep talking to her. I had such a super strong emotion that I wanted to help her so bad. I basically said "I don't know whats going on in your life, but I know that Jesus hasn't forgotten you and that he can help you. We are servants of Jesus Christ and we want to help you too." but she just said "no gracias" still crying a ton and slowly walked away. When she left I was so sad, it was way more sad then I would normally be after a rejection. The emotion was so powerful that I was basically trying really hard not to cry myself, but I knew that God was giving me a tiny piece of the way he feels when he gives us signs, and when he offers us help, but we still reject him and continue in our own path. 

Sunday was a pretty good day, we had 4 investigators come to church, 2 of them have baptismal dates for next sunday. Hope that goes well. Sunday night we had an activity in the church, everyone went to see one of the ym named Yamil open his mission call! He was called to Natal, Brazil! He was really excited. He has a girl friend who he baptized into the church a year ago, her name is Flor. They are really serious about their relationship, they talked in front of everyone in the testimony meeting about how they want to get sealed in the temple after and stuff. Its good, I hope it all works out for them. I advised her to go on a mission so that she could wait easier, she said she's thinking about it. 

Monday morning, we went to the house of a less active member, she is 40 something but is trying to follow her dream of becoming an english teacher. So we were helping her with her english homework. That night we hiked 45 mins up the mountain to visit kenti...we had a special lesson planned for her. Not sure how much Ive told you guys about her, she's 17, has a kid, and a rough life. We read Alma 36 with her...we had been talking with her a lot about baptism, she hadn't been completely convinced. She also has a tough time focusing in lessons sometimes. But when we read alma 36 everything changed, and I knew that it would. Alma 36 talks about how horrible the guilt from sin is, but then talks about how the sweetness of forgiveness can replace everything else. I don't want to forget kentis face while I explained all of this, she was paying such close attention and I could see it in her eyes that that's all she wants, more than anything. I know that thanks to the mercy of Jesus Christ every single person in the world can find this peace and forgiveness that kenti is looking for. She accepted to be baptized on the 16th. She also told us about something that happened last time we had visited her, it was freezing cold and we were outside, but she said while we were praying she felt warmth everywhere. 

I know that God answers prayers, I know that the atonement is real and I know that we will all be able to be resurrected and live again after this life. I also know that reading the scriptures with real intent can change lives! Every time I read I feel so happy, and as If I am full of light. 

I love you all! Out of time! But I hope you have a good week! 

Revenge of "Big Leg"

This week was pretty decent, it is the second to last one with elder mooneyham for sure, because the training ends and when the training ends, one of us goes. Its usually the trainer who leaves, so its quite possible that next week I will be emailing from a different part of argentina, but we never know. 

On wednesday we had exchanges, always fun. I went with elder Seely, I might have written about him before because this is my second exchange with him. I don't remember, but he is from Canada. I have gotten so used to saying "somos de los estados unidos" when people ask, so he had to correct me a few times.  We were out knocking doors for a really long time, not a whole lot of luck. We had a dinner appointment at 8:30, so as we ran out of time, we tried a house and a 20 something kid comes out. I gave him a pamphlet and told him a few things and I asked if we could come back and teach him on some other day, and he said "are you busy right now?" (that never happens), so I said "no" and we went in even though we had dinner in 20 mins. It was a great lesson so I let the other 2 elders go to dinner while we taught him. He had been living in spain for 8 years, sadly he is going back at the end of this month. He seemed really interested, he is going through a lot of hard times right now but he wants to change his life and he says we arrived at just the right time. We are excited for him, his name is Gabriel. 

Thursday we had been asked to clean the church in the morning, it took forever. We were just cleaning and one of our old ex investigators randomly walked in asking for 50 pesos to buy food...it was liliana. She helped us clean a ton so my comp gave her the 50. That night we had english class, kenti was supposed to come early for us to teach her but she didn't get there in time, so all we had time to do was teach english to her and a few other youth. We are making it a lot more organized now, its a lot of fun the kids love it.

Friday wasn't too successful in the teaching department, we tried to visit Gabriel and he let us in but then a ton of his friends came in who were from Bolivia to say goodbye to him.  It was a huge distraction so we were unable to teach anything. That night I cut my comps hair, and he had also bought a huge 3 liter tub of ice cream, he ate 90% of it that first day, and got super sick. We don't know if it was from that, or from some chicken we ate but it probably didn't help. 

Saturday was the first day of conference, it was probably my favorite day of the week. When we first got there it was raining a bit, and the signal was really weak it wasn't working. But we tried praying and it eventually started to work. But by the end of the first session me and my comp both felt really sick, we think it was food poisoning from some chicken. It was the biggest chicken leg we had ever seen, we called it "big leg" but it got it's revenge on us, we both felt super sick. We cooked some milanesas but we realized we couldn't eat them so we fed them to some dogs on the way to the second session. Near the end of the second session, I got a call from a random number. I didn't want to miss conference to answer it, I didn't know who it was but I remembered a scene from the Tomas S. Monson movie that we had watched that week...In that scene, he is sitting in a meeting and he has a spiritual impression to get up immediately and go to the hospital, but he didn't want to disrupt the stake presidents talk so he waited until it ended to go. But by the time he got to the hospital it was too late, the person he was supposed to bless had died. I knew that I had remembered that scene from the movie for a reason, so I decided to walk out of conference and answer it. It turned out to be Maria, a crippled lady who is a member. She was calling from a friends phone, but she was saying she wanted us to go to her house and teach her 10 year old grand daughter. Of course even though we both were super weak and felt like we were going to throw up from the food poisoning, we went. It was a long walk, but we made it and taught the lesson. I was trying so hard the whole time not to throw up, I just prayed for the lord to strengthen me enough to make it through the lesson, and he did. We had a good lesson and we put a baptismal date for the 16th of this month. I don´t know whether I will still be here or not for that day, but I felt the spirit a lot walking home and was really happy that I had followed the prompting when it would have been easier not to, and easier to not make a huge walk while feeling sick, but we did it and we saw the blessings. 

The next day we were resting a bit in the morning to try and recover, it worked. By the afternoon I felt great again, although just the thought of chicken makes me feel super grossed out it might be a while before I can eat it. We enjoyed the last of conference.  It was really good.  It's easy to feel the love of the leaders and to know without a doubt that they are men of God. I feel like anyone can know the church is true just from watching one session of conference and by paying attention to how they feel watching it. I wish we had conference more often!

A scripture that I liked this week was;

2 Nephi 8:3 For the Lord shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

It's a really comforting scripture, because it can be applied directly to us, because "Zion" can be defined as the pure in heart. So anyone who has a pure heart has the promise to always be comforted by the lord. I know that God blesses us when we keep the commandments! That doesn't mean its always easy, but it will always be worth it. 

Love you all! Talk to you next week! ​

Oscar "The Legend"

P-day in Capilla Del Monte