Hard Week but Full of Miracles

This week has been long and hard.  It started out bad because I felt like I had been really healthy and so I weighed myself and I weigh five pounds more than I did when I came in.  That combined with the cruise weight is just not good...

The Elder on the left is going to CA, Armenian Speaking...the rest of us..well, you know

The Nashville Tribute band came on Sunday and it was so sweet!! We were in the choir so we got to sing backup for it and it was so cool.  They sang a song called The Hardest Thing I ever Loved to do and it was hard not to start crying.  But I held strong.  The MTC presidency made it clear that this would never happen again because they're not exactly Motab if you know what I'm saying...  But it was still cool.  I would definitely encourage you to listen to them.

Elder Echo Hawk came to speak to us on Tuesday.  He talked about how families revere the missionaries that converted them for generations.  It reminded of the times we spent talking to the Hansen family.  He also talked about how the greatest day of his life was being sealed to his wife for time and all eternity.  He encouraged us to stay worthy and work hard so one day we can also do the same thing.

This week me and my comp made a goal to bear our testimonies in our language every night.  It's cool to see the amazement in people’s faces and how the spirit works on them even when they don't understand what we are saying.  Half the time our grammar is terrible and most the time we don't know what we're saying, but we are really learning a lot.  John 1:17 talks about receiving grace by grace.  Brother DeBry (one of our teachers) had us liken it to our learning in the MTC.  We have to take one step at a time.  Our sight is so limited, but God sees all things.  He knows what outcomes come from each action.  We listened to a talk by Elder Bednar  about it the same subject.  He told a story about it.  He was in a meeting in which he was the presiding authority.  He looked down from the stand and saw a young men’s president sitting on the front row and remembered that his son and the young men's president's son were playing with each other that night.  He felt like they needed to go to the boy’s basketball game.  So after the meeting, they drove two hours together back to this sons basketball game and had a great time as they watched it.  His wife thought he just wanted an excuse to go to the ball game.  He didn't know why he felt like they needed to go but they went and that was it.  Six months later there was a terrible accident and the young men president’s son died.  That man thanked Elder Bednar because that basketball game was the last opportunity for him to see his son in a game like that.

I know that God knows all things.  Elder Bednar didn't know that that boy would die and his father needed to see that game, but Heavenly father did.  I know it's the same with the mission.  I don’t know why I'm going to Armenia but God does.  I love being here in the Lord's service and I'm excited to serve the Armenian people. Hope all is well.

-- 

Love, Երեց Christensen

P.S. I love my mom (just saying) & Dad

P.P.S.S. Sorry the pics aren't working I'll send some next week.  oh and I see elder muir everyday his class is the one next to mine and he lives in my building