October 27, 2014 2nd transfer

We should never take any moment with our loved ones for granted, and I'm so grateful that you have taught me, Amanda, Blake, Bennett, and Aaron to love always and to put petty disagreements aside. It's really made a huge difference in my life, and I hope that I can pass on that wisdom to others.

1 Timothy 4:12

As for D, I actually had the opportunity to teach her twice with the missionaries for our ward!  One time, we went and talked about the Book of Mormon, and I was able to bear my testimony to her and her children, and the other time, we went and helped her bake a cake and spent time with her. I spent more time helping out with her kids while they were teaching, but it's humbling to know that I was able to help out in a little way. I never even considered that she would be baptized, but I know now, from experience, that the missionaries must have been praying and working so hard to help here get to that point and build her faith. 

My new companion is actually half-Japanese and had lived in Washington his whole life so he didn't know any Japanese before. It's been pretty rough since he looks Japanese, but isn't completely fluent so many people are hard on him. He has about 6 months left on his mission and is our district leader for Hachioji.

At the end of last transfer, I could not seem to shake the fear and hopelessness that I felt every time I went out to contact or take on another new task and most likely fail. It felt as though I was doomed to fail even when I did the best that I could, and when I tried to think of something inspiring, my mind kept returning to my weaknesses and faults. Every time I tried to remember my purpose, it felt like there was always a voice was telling me that I can't or that I shouldn't even try. One morning, as I felt that apprehension, I remembered Moses' experience written in the Pearl of Great Price. Even after seeing God, Satan sought to convince Moses of his own worthlessness as a "son of man" and sought to diminish his divine heritage. And yet, as Moses stood firm and declared, in the name of Jesus Christ, that he was a Son of God and commanded Satan to depart, Satan lost all power over him and left. As this story came to my mind, I realized that, as missionaries and holders of the priesthood of God, we will always have power over Satan and the poisonous influence of his lies and temptations. I asked Elder Tipene for a blessing of comfort, and from that moment on, I've felt more joy, love, and peace of mind than ever before, and I know that the power of God is real and can, if we have faith, make all things possible unto us. For it is by faith that miracles are performed, and without faith, God can not work miracles among the children of men. Many people on the streets say that the Japanese people will never accept our message and that we might as well give up, but I raise my testimony with those of 88,000 other missionaries and with the testimonies of Nephi, Ammon, Alma, the Sons of Mosiah, the Stripling Warriors, Mormon, Moroni, and countless others in bearing witness of the truth of our message that Jesus Is the Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, that he took upon himself the pains and suffering of all those who have ever lived and will live, was crucified, and rose from the dead so that all those who forsake their sins and their guilty pleasures and follow him with a full purpose of heart will be able to stand before the judgement bar of God free of guilt or shame and will return to live, once more, with our Heavenly Father in glory and in everlasting happiness. The Book of Mormon truly is the word of God and contains, as in times of old, the fullness of the gospel  of Christ. Treasure the guidance contained in its pages and let it be a guide for your lives. And after you have made choice to follow Christ, never, never, never give up or let your doubt overcome your faith. 

If you get the chance, read 3 Nephi 10-11 and imagine what it would be like to hear the voice of God and see Christ come in person and teach you personally. I studied it this morning, and it was an incredible experience!

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and your faith.

Elder Christensen

                                                                        Halloween Party

October 20, 2014 - Staying in Hachioji!!

Hello my dearest family! 

The fall weather has actually been beautiful, and even though it's starting to get a little colder, you prepared me well with warm clothing! All of the Halloween decorations are up in Japan, and even though it's not quite as big a deal as in America, it's still exciting to see! 

Transfer calls are in! I'll be staying in Hachioji for at least another 6 weeks, and my new companion will be Elder Kuniyuki, our honorable district leader of 13 transfers! There isn't too much time in a transfer, but I hope to continue strengthen the Ward members, provide support to those whose faith is failing, and continue to do my best to help all of our potential, new, and progressing investigators begin their lifelong journey back to our Heavenly Father. President Wada recently shared his vision of the Tokyo South Mission with all of the missionaries and his goals for helping us all become fearless and astonishing representatives of Jesus Christ. Included are at least one baptismal invitation every month, 5 progressing investigators taking lessons and coming to church, and opening our mouths to speak with anyone and everyone we can. They are some pretty lofty standards, but I'm certainly going to try my best! Right now, we are so blessed to be working with some amazing people, both members and nonmembers, and there every time I meet with them I learn something new. My emphasis this week was on the power of faith, hope, and charity as explained in Moroni 7 and many other places in the scriptures. Faith truly is a principle of power, and through faith, God can and will work many miracles as he has promised since the beginning of time. God is still a God of miracles and will pour out blessings on those who press forward with a steadfastness in Christ and a perfect brightness of hope. Life will most certainly have challenges, and we will most certainly be tested. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we falter and stumble. We make mistakes. However, the only time that we truly fail is the time that we forget which way we face, we abandon our faith in Christ and lose our hope in God and His eternal plan for us. However, it is never too late to change. Like the prodigal son, sometimes we go astray and make mistakes. But how great will be our joy and the joy of our friends and family when we finally return! 

Or in the fearless words of Dory, "just keep swimming"!

I love you guys and can't wait to hear from all of you!

Elder Christensen

1. Fall football

October 13, 2014 General Conference and Typhoon season!

Dear Family,

I just want you all how much I love and appreciate the tender care and
love that you have shown me and continue to show to everyone around
you. You are all true examples of Christ, and I'm proud to call you my
family. I was able to watch conference, in English, on Saturday and
Sunday at the stake center in Machida, and it was an experience I
won't soon forget. The feeling of all the missionaries and members in
the area gathered in one body to faithfully listen to the words of our
leaders gave me hope that this work and this gospel are moving forward
and that the members are fully committed and determined to do what is
right despite worries and fears.
It sounds like Bennett's performing skills are top notch! Keep
practicing and honing those talents, Bennett! You never know when they
might be needed!
How is Aaron's football going? What about school?
I don think I'll have the opportunity to watch Meet The Mormons here,
but as long as it helps people understand a little bit more about who
we are and why we do what we do, I am fine waiting another 19 months
to see it. What was your favorite part of it?

Because we had conference this weekend, most of our teaching
opportunities were few and in between, but we managed to squeeze in a
lesson on Sunday afternoon! He work of finding prepared people and
even working to prepare others has been difficult as always. I never
realized how hard it is to try having meaningful conversation with an
invitation with people until I had to try and do it with every person
I see. It is one of the most exhausting and frustrating endeavors I
have ever undertaken, but it is not without reward! All the time
people ignore you are forgotten when one person acknowledges you and
agrees to listen. As Elder Bednar said, we invite because we care and
because we want to share our blessings with the world.
Will all of you keep our investigator, ​xxxx in your prayers? He

really isn't sure why it's important if God exists, and although he is
very intelligent and knows many things about the church, he is afraid
to act on something he doesn't know for sure.
There's another typhoon on its way, and I'm pretty much out of time.
However, there are many good things happening in Japan, and I hope I
don't transfer out of Hachioji just yet after we get transfer calls in
the next few weeks!
I love you so much! If I could give any advice, it would be to make
the most of all the time you have. Listen to inspiring music, read the
words of the prophets daily, study the scriptures, and in all things
seek to be an example of Christ. Never let any opportunities slip by!

Love,
Elder Christensen

1. General Conference
2. Missionaries and me!

October 6, 2014 last week volcano, this week typhoon!

October 6, 2014

Thank you so much for the package and the treats! It's been soooo long
since I've had any of those. The krabby patty gummies took me way back
down memory lane! It is always a highlight of my week when I get your
letter, and pictures updating me on all of your wonderful adventures
at home! I'm not entirely sure what I'm craving, but maybe some
personal notes from everyone with inspiring scriptures and thoughts,
hot chocolate and apple cider mix, and some assorted snacks! I'll have to eat the candy sparingly until I figure out a healthy,
balanced diet with all of the really different Japanese foods, a
limited budget, and difficulty reading health information on
groceries, but there's nothing like a kitkat to brighten up one's day!
It's been pretty hard to find good Japanese recipes on our own, but I
think I'll probably start asking Ward members for some. They actually
do celebrate Halloween in Japan, which is pretty dang awesome! We have
a Ward party on the 25th of October so if I stay in Hachioji I'll send
you some pictures of that! How's the fall weather in Boise?


We'll be watching conference officially next weekend, but I'll
probably read and listen to some of them before from LDS.org and other
sources.
I climbed through the window since our companionship doesn't have keys
to the church, and the Ward doesn't think that too many should be
made. We had left some important things in the church, so we were
pretty desperate! But I guess that's one way to become famous!

We began teaching three new investigators last week, S, D
and C, but they were either unavailable or cancelled appointments
for this week so we haven't been able to see progress there yet. Some
are busy with work and some simply don't answer our calls. Some are
still hesitant to fully commit because of doubts and fear of change.
They're all still very new to the gospel so now is a critical time to
build on faith and help them gain a testimony of the gospel. I worry
that they if we lose contact for too long, they won't have a
foundation when the familiar influences of the world come calling.
I've worked so hard to get to this point, and to see it all go would
be a difficult thing to swallow. I'm praying that we will have more
opportunities, and I plan on doing all that I can to help.
We actually just had a typhoon pass over Japan again so we had solid
rainfall for about a day and a half. There weren't many people on the
streets so we took to the houses, but we didn't find many people
willing to open their homes to a couple of wet foreigners just quite
yet. It can be pretty frustrating and hurtful to see people move
across the street to avoid you or quickly go inside their houses when
they see you, and it's hard not to feel helpless and confused. I
honestly just want to help and share a gift that can, even during the
worst times, lift up the heads of the despairing, give peace to an
aching soul, and bring eternal love into a troubled home. At times
like that, it's been easy to feel discouraged, but one thing that's
always given me hope is seeing the member in Hachioji and hearing
their amazing stories of finding the gospel. Many had opposed parents,
friends, and siblings and faced opposition at every turn, but
faithfully, they held to the iron rod and would not let go, despite
the mists of darkness swirling about them and the harsh, mocking of
their many acquaintances looming in the great and spacious building.
In the end, it all comes down to our testimonies. When your friends
and family have gone, you've lost all possessions, and there seems to
be no light in the world, your testimony of the gospel and of Jesus
Christ is a glowing beacon that can give you the strength necessary to
overcome all things. When all other lights go out, your testimony will
remain. I haven't watched general conference, but I know that the
words of the speakers are truly the words of God spoken through his
chosen servants. I know that if we diligently seek to apply them, we
need not fear for God has promised to never leave us comfortless.
Helaman 5:12
John 14:18

I love you all and pray for your success in all things,
Elder Christensen

posing with not shy- High School Students

Fugimori Park

September 29, 2014 All are safe in Hachioji

Dear Family,
Everything's still going on like normal in Hachioji, so It haven't heard much about what happened 

​with the volcano eruption ​

or what's being done to help. Without google or anything, it's pretty hard to find

​ out​

 about anything hats happening, but that's ok.

Thank you so much for helping the with the

​ family search 4 generation ​

 booklet! President Wada wants all the missionaries to have that available as a tool to help missionaries in their efforts to find people to teach. Already, he has made so many tools and teaching aids available through the IPads so that we can pretty much tie the gospel into any aspect of life and relate directly to each person's individual needs. It's an incredible blessing to have all 

​these​

 resources, but it requires a lot of training and practice and patience to use all of them wisely and effectively.

Family History work and temple work ha

​ve

 really taken on a new meaning for me as I've begun to think of each person as a unique child of God with a personality, worries, fears, joys, successes. All of the desires that I have also exist in people who are living and in the billions of people who have passed on. Through their efforts and because of their actions, we have all that we are. Our names, genetics, talents, history, etc. With all 

​of 

the advances in technology and the connectivity of social media and the Internet, Family History and its potential has accelerated exponentially! 

I'm so excited that all of you are getting involved

​ in Family History​

! And for Bennett and Aaron, just remember that while it may seem small, your efforts are bringing eternal blessings to people who have been waiting for hundreds and thousands of years. You can make a difference, and I hope you'll give it your all!

Good luck in your performance Bennett! Sing and dance like you mean it! You never know when those skills will come in handy. Already, I have had several opportunities just because of my singing!

This week was pretty much a lot of contacting and traveling until the weekend. For the first time on my mission, we were actually able to teach lessons to investigators. My companionship was fairly new to Hachioji so we really had no potential or new investigators, but our efforts have been paying off!

Sunday was a really busy day for the missionaries so I completely forgot! All the missionaries had a total of 8 investigators come to church. My companionship had 2 of our potential investigators come, and we taught lessons to both of them afterwards! Up to this point, I had really only taught 2-3 real lessons because we really haven't had many opportunities, but we've been incredibl

​y​

 blessed as we've put forth our effort and followed our President Wada's counsel. One of our investigators is a former investigator who stopped investigating a while ago

​.  H

e kept coming to our English class anyways. I began to make friends with him and helped him with English questions, but I noticed that he would always ask questions about the missionaries so this last week I invited him to church, but he didn't come. So I invited him again, and this week he came! He said that he really loved the feeling of coming to church and meeting with old friends and 

​th​

at he felt a great feeling during the meeting. As I talked to him, he told me that he never actually prayed before, even though the missionaries had committed him. He said that he wasn't even sure that he wanted to know if God is there, but from his questions, I know that deep down he really does have  a desire. I made him promise to say a prayer last night, and at first, he kept asking a lot of what if questions, like "what if he doesn't answer" or "what if 10 minutes go by and still don't have an answer". I wasn't

​ ​

really sure how to answer those questions, but I told him that worrying about things like that isn't important, especially since he hasn't even prayed yet. He said he just felt weird praying to someone he doesn't believe in yet, but I told him that he wouldn't find out through any other way. I just told him that miracles and answers to prayers won't come to those who don't put forth the effort. When I asked him what he would do if he received an answer to show he had

​ ​

real intent, and he said simply that he will be baptized. I don't know the result of his prayer, but I know that I've been praying my heart out for him. Whether or not something comes as a result, I believe that I did what I could, and although I'm not sure what I'll do if he says nothing happened, I'll just keep loving him and hope that the Lord has his own timing.

We also taught a 16 year old young man named D, who is one of the happiest, friendliest people you will ever meet! We first met him about two weeks ago while we were streeting (he actually stopped us), came to a Ward barbecue and from then on, he's been very open to learning more. We taught him the first lesson after lunch, and everything made sense logically to him. He's a very bright kid and an astute listener, but he said he wasn't sure if he was able to believe that Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. He didn't want to commit to very much because he still wanted to learn more about religion before deciding which was ultimately the true church. It seemed like he thought reading the Book of Mormon was a much bigger commitment, like baptism, but we stressed that reading the Book of Mormon is really how to learn more about our church. He did say his first prayer at the end of the lesson after an example by Elder Tipene, and he said that he is still interested in learning more! Our investigators have definitely all had very unique backgrounds and perspectives, but I love them all! Teaching is both one of the hardest, but also the most rewarding experiences when you see people's faith begin to work and grow.

The biggest lesson that I've learned this week is about the importance of extending clear and bold invitations and the role of agency. Without clear choices, it's impossible for people to truly exercise their agency. As missionaries, if we beat around the bush and procrastinate asking the difficult questions, they never get the chance to choose for themselves, and we are limiting their agency. The worst thing that can happen is they say no, and after that, you can worry about what to do! 

Invite boldly and don't fear what may happen as a result!

I love you all and pray that you will have success in all of your endeavors!

Elder Christensen

1. Dinner at the Bishop's house

2. BYU Hawaii English Speech Contest

D

September 23, 2014 Greetings from Hachioji!!

 I'm running a little short on time so I'll jump right
into my week!

Missionary work has definitely been speeding up in Japan and all over
the world, and it's an inspiring thing to be a part of! Facebook is
full of people sharing the gospel and their testimonies, which I've
never seen on this scale before! The temple in Tokyo was full even on
a weekday, and we've had several meetings discussing the incredible
importance that family history work plays in hastening the work!
Our personal missionary work in Hachioji has had a lot of ups and
downs with several investigators coming and going and some deciding
not to continue. However, several investigators have really started to
progress, and there are some incredibly prepared people who have begun
down the path and are holding fast to the rod.
We have a potential investigator named D who just came to a wardactivity and has just a genuine kindness and excitement that really
impresses me! He developed some strong relationships with ward members

and was curious to learn more about our church meetings and what we
do. Nothing is for sure, but I'm praying harder than I ever have
before that he will feel the Spirit and be willing to plant a seed of
faith. I know that it won't be through me that he gains a testimony
and an enduring faith. This work is truly inspired, and I've seen the
difference it can have on people's lives! Miracles do happen, and I
feel so blessed to be a part of it!

I love you all!
Elder Christensen
1. Elder Berube and I at the temple
2. Talking with some cool high school students!

September 15, 2014 Great things are worth struggling for!

So that was a little thing called nagashisomen, which is a fun little activity that sometimes goes on in Japan! One family that we live close to, the A. family sponsored the event for some school kids and friends, and they invited us to go! You fill up a bowl with sauce and vegetables, and when the noodles slide down, you scoop them up, dip them in sauce, and eat!

P-days have been pretty quiet so far with shopping and a few other things because travel is expensive, and there aren't a ton of cultural things to do other than visit shrines. We are going to go see some castle ruins today, and we're really trying to make the most of our time now that we've gotten into a good groove together. I haven't played the piano much yet, but I've been given several songs to practice and sing, and I've been told that a solo in sacrament meeting might be in the near future so that will be a fun surprise!!

I definitely miss those pears and the other amazing fruit we canned! Fruit is really expensive in Japan so we don't usually get to eat very much unless it's at a member's house. After transfers, we've decided to make some budgeting and diet changes and see if we can make the most out of what we have. I definitely took all of the groceries that we had for granted even at BYU, but thank you for being so healthy and buying delicious food!

Have fun at the wedding and tell everyone hi for me! I remember when Jin got married, and it's great that her younger sister has found that blessing as well! 

It sounds like the all of yours are doing well!

Aaron, you're tearing it up on the field and still falling sleep during movies, which is good! :) Those ward activities were some of the highlights of church, and I definitely miss them now! What have you been talking about in Teacher's quorum lately? The young men here have started on For the Strength of Youth and have been trying to organize temple trips to do baptisms. I can't stress how important Young Men's is for creating good habits and teaching things about the gospel that will help you every single day on your mission and for the rest of your life so listen well!

Bennett, getting ready for another Homecoming! Good luck with that and go have a great time! I'm technically not even allowed to start conversations with girls, let alone take them on dates, so you'll have to have fun for the both of us. I got to bless the sacrament in church on Sunday, and it brought back all of the great memories of being a Priest! Some of the young even bumped the trays on the stand like they did before! What sorts of things are the Priests involved with recently? I know that your strong testimony can be a source of strength to those around you, especially the younger priesthood holders who still have more to learn. Learn all that you can from lessons and try to have the Spirit with you at all times through daily scripture study and prayer.

My week consisted of a lot of re-evaluations, and new goals to further my progress as a missionary and begin to fulfill President Wada's goals for the mission. Each companionship has been encouraged to have "meaningful" conversations with at least 70 people each week, but the mission totals have dropped to about 70% of that goal. Our district came down hard and said that we can't expect to see success or achieve our goals if we can't even accomplish the small ones, which stung because we hadn't been meeting our goals either. I had been letting my fear of Japanese and not understanding anything stop me from even trying to act on counsel from our leaders, and it was a pretty embarrassing realization. During the first hour of church, I felt overwhelmed with discouragement because although I desired more than anything to make a difference, I couldn't even understand what the children were saying let alone the teachers. I felt lost and out of place and felt like there was no way to share the desire of my heart. I was feeling depressed and hopeless, but then I remembered my goal to help the youth become stalwart priesthood holders that God needed them to be. To press forward in faith like like the sons of Helaman without fear and full of hope. I realized that this work, this gospel, and this message is worth more than my own pride. If I can't even speak, then I'll let my love and my desire show through my actions. If I have nothing else to give, I'll give my heart, my very soul, to God in order to help these people. Then, during the next block and during sacrament meeting, I saw something truly amazing happen. I didn't understand any more of the Japanese, but as I listened to the lessons and earnestly engaged in the meetings, I felt the Spirit more strongly than I have ever felt in my life. One of the speakers was a sister missionary from California who had just finished her mission and was visiting in Hachioji for the last time, and as she spoke, though simply, she spoke with with the tongue of angels. She bore simple testimony of her deep and abiding love for the members and that she would never forget the people of Japan, and as I imagined what it would feel like to return home, having served with all of my heart, I was overcome with a feeling of love and gratitude because I remembered that each of the members and everyone else is a dear and beloved child of God, and they deserve all that I have to offer and more. I hope I can make all of you proud while I'm here, and say at the end of my mission, that I did was I was sent to do.

I love all of you and pray that you will always know how proud I am to call you my family and friends. Let's go and change the world

Elder Christensen