Wednesday 11 February 2015

February 9, 2015-TRANSFERS

Monday:

As you guys saw in the picture I sent home today we got to attend the
Calveras Big trees Which was CRAZY. Also got boring after 20 minutes BUT
WORTH IT. We did a lot of driving today especially because we had dinner
with the stake president who lives in Fiddletown, which is in the middle of
no where at the edge of my area.



Tuesday:

I gained a testimony on how the spirit guides our plans when we make them
the night before !! Everyone we talked to was planned in and they were all
home and for whatever reason we talked about the same thing with all of them
because that is what they all need and it was in regards to trials and sin
and why they are there. Ether 12:6 read it. The biggest thing i pulled out
of it though was that Heavenly father only hates sin because he hates to see
us fail.



Wednesday:

EXCHANGES WITH ELDER T. Total miracles today. We flyer tracted ahouse
the night before and said he wasn't interested but the lady who actually
lived there might. So we decided to come back the next day. Turns out this
lady is actually a less active women who hadn't been to church in 4 years
because of work. Had no idea who she was but we shared a message that she
needed and she missed church and the spirit in her life so much .. now we
are getting her Home and Visiting Teachers! Today we also had a huge turning
point for one of our investigators that just didn't seem to get the
Restoration very well, but with elder T and the spirit this time we
made things connect and was probably the best teaching points in my mission
thus far. My mission president said that "the eyes are the Gateway in
receiving heavens help." so I really tried applying it and I got to see how
the spirit was touching her heart as we bore testimony about Jesus Christ
and Joseph Smith being a prophet.

Thursday:

DISTRICT MEETING. Today a lot of awesome things happened ... We learned how
to be more like Jesus in District meeting. But the second was Service at
preston Castle again which has provided a great opportunity because the
people we are doing service for are now asking questions and we gave them a
Book of Mormon to read! YAY. Another cool miracle we got caught up out of
town with no service and we had a baptismal interview to be at for one of
our investigators with our district leader. but we couldn't make it but some
how the Lord still looked after things for us and made it happen ... Was
weird because the District leaders thought we were meeting at the church and
The investigator thought we were meeting at a members home, and somehow they
both ended up at the church with a key to get in. Miracles.



Friday:

Not a lot happened today because we weekly planned but we did have an
interesting conversation about how parents understand Heavenly Father so much
more because They themselves have Children and can relate. And also how in
the Celestial Kingdom we all want to see our whole families there... and so
does Heavenly Father. He wants to see his entire family there... so do
missionary work!



Saturday:

Today was POURING rain! it was crazy and made tracting soooooo much fun! we
got soaked but absolutely worth the experience! We also received   many
miracles. mostly regarding food. I love when members decide to go on diets.
We get all their good food.



Sunday:

Elder S got to sing in church this Sunday because it is his last sunday
in the mission... sooooo sad! but his family im sure is excited. Today Elder
S and I also taught a fireside for the youth. There is Literally 45
youth in this ward and made the room in bishops house super hot. Totally
worth it though. It was centered on a talk by Diana Hoelscher called the
missionary next door. Listen to it. so awesome. It was centered on social
and spiritual conversion which is necessary for each person to have a
succesful conversion. Basically people just open your mouths and invite
people to have opportunities to hear the gospel !!! Doctrine and covenants
33:8-10. read it.

Monday:

Was a normal work day because its transfer Tuesday today! yessterday we did
tons of service for an awesome member in our ward.. we basically loaded and
unloaded a truck for 6 hours. We also got to teach the investigator i talked
about earlier finally understanding things. This time We taught the plan of
salvation and it hit home for her BIG time. Shes getting baptized on the 28
of feburary along with 2 other people we have been teaching. BLESSINGS.

soooo as you guys know it is transfers and Elder S is going Home !! I am
staying in Ione for another transfer at least (thank goodness) and my new
companion and District leader is Elder B! So excited to serve with
him! dont know him but , sounds awesome! this means i get to be "district
monkey" and do tons of exchanges ! super excited for this transfer love yall!

Elder Kristensen






Tuesday 3 February 2015

February 2, 2015-Exciting Week!

Monday:
So today was a pretty lame day mostly because we had to wash and wax our vehicles because we had zone conference on Wednesday. So we spent most of it outside getting wet while washing the cars!
Tuesday:
Today was an interesting day filled working with Less Actives and recent converts. The man who we took to the Temple we decided to go visit and followup about how it really went. He LOVED it . The experience he described was just extraordinary ! He was so jazzed that he didn't want to do 10 proxy baptisms but he wanted to do 25!! He wants to go back as soon as possible. I also learned something profound today; I was studying a talk called "The 4th Missionary"-so awesome. But long story short, I learned there is only one thing in this whole world I can offer Heavenly Father. The only thing that I can possible give God is my own will and agency, everything else I try to give back to him is only returning something that is already his. 1Corinthians 13:1-3 read it friends! 
Wednesday:
Zone Conference was awesome!  i Really learned how to teach effectively here. The first thing being we sometimes get caught in teaching commitments and not commandments. People have to understand that when we ask them to read scriptures and to pray on there own that its not just a commitment coming from to missionaries but its a commandment that God requires of us to do. The next thing we learned was how we have to use the scriptures before anything because Christ's words are more powerful than our own. We also were given this quote by Boyd K. Packer:
"true doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the Gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will change behavior."
The gospel of Jesus really is for everyone.
Thursday:
I finally gained a greater understanding of the Atonement and why it was so necessary ! Thank goodness Jesus Christ sacrificed for us. But today we finally got a service opportunity in Ione up at Preston Castle. I don't know if you guys have seen it yet but its a big old creepy castle that looks over the town of Ione and we finally got to go help on the grounds crew and got in with the owner of the Castle so we get to help out there lots from now on helping restore the inside of it.
Friday:
Nothing too amazing, just had a wicked discussion with one of our investigators who opened up completely to us. We were able to even have a bro chat which i haven't had in a while! 
Saturday:
Today was interesting! We got to do some more service at Preston castle but this time we got to go inside ! so cool! kind of creepy though... we also had lunch with a member of Elder S's old area who was part of the Mormon Tabernacle choir for 20 years! This guy is so nice! He got to buy us lunch at the Chinese food place. Also had a cool miracle.  We had our dinner cancel tonight and a teaching appointment. Sucks right? or so it seems. we then got a call from a member who said they had a non member family at pizza factory and said they would buy us pizza if we came and introduced our selves. So we went got pizza and taught an awesome lesson sitting in pizza factory and now meeting with them again tonight! It was cool to see how the Lord had to make things not so nice to provide us with another wonderful opportunity!
Sunday:
Another cool miracle and just a testimony on fasting! I fasted for an investigator who cancelled on us yesterday. She had been having some family trouble and didnt think she was going to come to church. But low and behold i fasted and 5 minutes into sacrament meeting she showed up and was touched by the spirit from all the testimonies borne. So glad the spirit worked on her to the point she decided to come! 
Also it was super bowl sunday so everyone here didnt want to talk to us because the game was on. AWESOME. 

That was my week Also Elder S goes home after this week!!!
Love ya,

Elder Kristensen