Dear Everyone! I am back in Presque Isle! The prodigal daughter has returned!  I love presque Isle, so much. even though the members are a little confused by this whole shamble of a transfer. so far everyone has been happy for the most part to see me, and ready to pick up where we left off, except in a few cases where people are avoiding me, and a few other cases where people have continued to progress without me and are immenently accepting the gospel wholeheartedly. kind of awesome. I came back for the party. 

but there's also the transfer trash talk gossip on the underground of why I was gone and why I came back. that is always fun. the best I think is the story that I myself was mentally unstable and they sent me home. haha if they only knew. just kidding.

so i have had a lot of thoughts this past week, and today I don't really have enough time to write all of them so I am compounding a couple of Emails that I have already written.  one to mission president, one to mom, and with a few more comments at the end: 

president leavitt

I like Presque Isle. and sister Renda. a lot. I've been keeping at it as usual, Get up on time, work out, study. except on days that we wake up at five, and days when ward council takes over the morning. Not that I don't want to do those things on those days, it just never seems to fit. But! I have really enjoyed my studies this week. I feel that The mission study plan and my Book of mormon Reading and the General Conference talks have just been weaving themselves together for me. all things support each other, and testify that there is a God. I tell sister Renda all the time "I could just study forever!" and I am pretty sure that is true. now if only we could convince our investigators and members of the same. 

Sister Renda is awesome. she laughs at my jokes. I'll keep her. she has been really enthusiastic and dilligent this week in talking to everyone and hunting in the holes of Presque Isle to find the lost sheep of israel. Even when it rains. she is an inspiration to me. I've also seen how she acts on promptings in lessons and in finding situations and It always inspires me to do better. in fine, she is awesome.

we were studying about Hope today in PMG under the Christlike attributes today, and reading some of the scriptural passages in the study box. together we discovered that (as it teaches in Enduring to the End in PMG) setting Goals is a manifestation of hope, and that is why Nephi (2 nephi 31 20) taught that Enduring to the End in Hope is so Motivational because it reinforces as we endure (set goals) we learn that God keeps his promises and so we are more hopeful, so we set more goals and God keeps his promises and it continues in a cycle. and that is why In hebrews 6 10-20 it teaches us that to confirm our hope God makes Oaths with us, that as we remember them we can know, really know! that he will keep his promises. kind of blew my mind, and gave me a whole new perspective and reverence for covenants. and now I'm just super excited because holy cow the difference it would make if every member of the church really understood that. so I had to tell you.

hash tag study vomit. 

and that is why Nephi also said that if ye do not understand it is because you ask not, netiher do ye knock. 

indeed. 

Presque Isle is awesome. Delores has entered the Covenant of baptism, and now I get to be here to continue to strengthen her and her relationship with the Ward, and with God. Rachael and Jason are getting baptized this weekend and it makes me so excited. we recontacted David and Gina and had a showdown that ended with the feeling that Either this is True or it is not, and I am not going to let you quit your search before you know. and now we have an appointment on wednesday. we are going to find new investigators, I can feel it. because we just have to. 

OOH RAH.

Sister Christensen

Hi.

so yeah. 

Life's been a bag of nuts lately.  I've been trying to make it into Nutella, but I'm not sure that that improve on your life metaphor works all the time. so I moved. again.  

Last week I rode a Bus into Halifax, not knowing where I would be sleeping that night, but was picked up by the Sister Training Leaders here and was driven back to their place to stay. This whole transfer has felt like I was rock climbing up a cliff face and my next hand hold crumbled away, and I was left to scrabble and fall backwards into an unknown.  fun times. the shouting people were a nice touch. by the time I got to talk to the mission President for real, I was an emotional wreck, who just needed some time to herself. so he let me draw him a new map in his office.  I did that by day and worked with the sisters by night. 

All of that also means that I have had the wonderful opportunity to see another set of sisters serving in an area I have previously served in, and seeing success in ways that I did not. kind of cool.  I think some of it has to do with approach, but also I know that they were called here after us for a reason, and that there were people prepared and put in their path for their time here in Cole Harbour. corny I know, but true. while I was here I got to see Pam's baptism, and Matt and Erica understand God's grace better and receive baptismal dates.  so cool times all around.  people also don't shout here. 

This week though, we have also gotten two new missionaries transferred here from a mission in Ukraine that closed due to concerns for the safety of the missionaries during a time of severe civil unrest. not to mention possibility of war between Russia and Ukraine. so we have now an even number of sisters and elders again, thanks to Sister Hoy and Elder Mckenny.  that also means that President will be reassigning the floating four missionaries this week in an end-of-transfer-mid-transfer transfer.  a week before the new transfer, I kind of just wish that I could stay here and he would wait, but that is okay.  I will go wherever the Lord thinks I should go. as long as it isn't Fredericton.

(in all likelihood I will probably be going back to Presque Isle.  although I don't really know how I feel about that because I don't want to go back awkwardly after a four week hiatus and especially not knowing what to tell people about my former companion, sister erekson. but oh well, that's life. you deal with it. and get stressed and cry sometimes.)

But, all in all I am a whole lot happier now this week after all that has happened. now I know that All of this had to happen for a reason, not just for sister Erekson, but also for Sister Hoy and Myself.  sometime I will figure out how I learned from all of this, but Until then I will "go forth not knowing before hand what I should do... but trusting in the Lord."

I'm pretty sure that the scriptures say that somewhere close enough together for that to be a valid quotation. 

until next time, trust in God, read your scriptures, be converted, and do missionary work people. there is nothing else that will make you happier. 

Love sister Christensen.