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.

Hey everyone.  This is a forward of most of an email I sent to someone else. 

So this week has been pretty good.  We talked to crap ton of people, some of whom were fairly nice, and tried to positively encourage us by saying "you can stop talking because I'm not interested, and I don't know anyone who is interested and I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you anyone is interested, but good for you! I support what you do! I’m grateful that you care." 

Hollow words. Sometimes they are more discouraging than outright rudeness in rejection.  Thanks. I just tried to share something that means more to me than my home my family and my left leg, but you just equated it to a news advertisement less than three sentences long, or Girl Scout cookies. I really feel supported.

Ugh, Fredericton. It's... Fredericton.   I love serving with sister Gochnour and Turner, my mission sister is super cool.  They are really nice and positive, and remind me a lot of you.  I've met sister Gorman and I instantly thought of you.  I sat behind her in sacrament meeting, and she turned around at the end, and said " who is the person with the angelic voice? You need to sing for my song!" and proceeded to tell me all about her song.  Yesterday we were walking into church and she stops and says " there are three of you?? Sisters! Splits! Take me with you!" She made sure she sat next to us in relief society to give us all her phone number on little pieces of paper, and when we told her we all share the same phone, she was like " but you all need my number!" Ok sister Gorman. She then began asking half of relief society when they were available to come out on splits.  Oh I love her so much. " when it comes to me, missionary work is first priority!!!!" 

We don't have any investigators right now.  We teach a lot of the young women, emmaline, and her friend, and these two girls that are daughters of a less active, but real intent for them is a shot in the dark. They're twelve, and they act like it too. As far as adults are, I'm not impressed with Fredericton.  We talked to 300 people here my first whole week, and not one of them was interested. So yeah, I love Fredericton. In a cat scratched and bleeding kind of way. I know it probably has a nicer side to it, but mostly all I've noticed are a lot of disinterested and frankly rude people. I have never been told " I'm not interested because of (insert anti of choice) " at any other time in my mission.  In fact, we went to find a bunch of less actives and met one douche who interrogated us as to how we can believe in Joseph smith because of some dumb study on the pearl of great price, and then tried to tell us that he has out best interests at heart and showed up to the concert on Thursday.  And the lady we knocked into who shouted to us that a member of the church " destroyed a member of my family" .  And the girl who I talked to on the bus who practically yelled " no I'm not interested!" when I tried to talk to her, before I could even finish asking a question. And the guy in the coffee shop who seemed to think that I " don't sound very sincere," and that " you don't have to do this you know. "  Yeah I do know.  And I'm not quitting.

But other than that, missionary work is missionary work. There are plenty of average people who do average things and are average in their disinterest. I've slept on the couch for two weeks and probably will do it for another four. The shower in our apartment broke, and now just sprays scalding hot water, so I can proudly say I shower with a bucket.  I realized I'm back in Canada, and now am still allergic to Canadian milk.  That's okay I like rice milk better anyway.  I probably won't be here long enough to receive mail, so I don't care to give my address. 

Serving in a trio is awesome.  The end. 

Love Sister Christensen.

Do you know the times?

Haha I don't know.

Sometimes I'm weird.

I somehow ran out of time so this may be fairly quick. My companion sister erekson had to go home on medical. So it was kind of abrupt. We got a call from our mission pres. At 9:00 pm and he told us that she'd be traveling back to the mission office the next day, and that I'd be staying in Fredericton. So I really only had time to pack my bags and leave, and ended up leaving like half my stuff in Presque Isle. Now I am serving in a trio, with sister Turner, and sister Gochnour. They are awesome. But I am kind of just shook up, and kind of sad. It's hard to leave an area with a lot of investigators and people preparing for baptism, to come to an area with basically nothing and a ton of people everywhere that generally don't like you. 

Hum. Easter was good.  I have a ton of stories I could share, but just don't have time.  I love you all and pray for your success. 

Sister Christensen.

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hey.  life is a mixed bag right now.  

First off, I am a lot better emotionally than I have been, and honestly I think a lot of it has to do with the slow changes in weather.  by body is like, "it's LEAVING!!!!!!" and now i have more energy.  the sad thing is that now the snow is melting, there is a ton of mud everywhere. EVERYWHERE. there is no escaping it.  and it's super foggy because as the snow melts it makes clouds and they just hover over everything.  everyone here says there are supposed to be a lot of bugs now because it is so wet.  I do not look forward to that at all.  let me tell you.  but emotionally I am better.  It was kind of hard to say goodbye to sister drew but I got over it quickly.  

second off, I am better emotionally because I kind of have to be, and I think Heavenly Father is blessing me with a ton of patience and love that two weeks ago just didn't exist in any bone of my body because someone needs to comfort my poor companion.  she is in sad shape/may go home soon.  I love her to pieces and think that she could be an amazing missionary, but things are kind of against her.  talk more on that later. 

other than that, we are still just working hard and trying to do what is right.  people still have their agency and are doing dumb things with it, but that is entirely outside of my control, and I am doing better at being okay with that.  the life of trying to teach and invite people closer to christ.  they're really good at throwing around their ability to choose not to follow christ.  HRRRNG  YOU KNOW IT IS RIGHT WHY ARE YOU BEING DUMB

but that is just the life of a missionary in Northern Maine.  

I hope you guys have a good week, and that everything goes well.  excited for easter I am!  I will probably just buy tons of candy today to live off of.  resees piecees eggs here I come. 

Put on blog please.  

Love you bye.

Sister Christensen

Great big conference doodle.