MTC

Wow if there is one word for the MTC it's CRAZY! Dad you asked for details so here you go... After I collected myself after the very dramatic drop off and saying goodbye to the family I waited for the sisters to come pick me up at the front desk. So sister Fredriekson and Sister Alred came to pick me up and helped carry my bags to our room. Then we had just enough time to drop the bags off and we hurried to class. There is where I met my district, they are so sweet! There were counting down until I would get there and they had drawn a big welcome sign on the board for me! They're the best. So my district consists of Elder Hood, Hedler Orton and Elder Dolphin and we are all going to Suriname (dutch West Indies). I am the only sister in my district so that means I'm a solo sister... I don't have a companion! Y'all must be thinking no how can this be? Well sister Fredriekson and Sister Alred are in my zone and they are also solo sisters so if I"m not with my Elders I have to be with one of them. I'm never alone except for when I'm teaching. And boy that's so hard! Ha I'm gonna be so grateful for my companion when I get out into the field. I have to teach all my lessons alone in Dutch. Less than 24 hours after being in the MTC I wrote and taught a lesson in Dutch all by myself. My teacher asked me if I wanted to wait a day or two since I had come in late but I said what the heck ya gotta start somewhere, so I did it right then. And since then I have taught 3 lessons to my investigator Sophie. Bless her heart my first two lessons were a struggle, I'm not sure if she understood a word I said because I sure know I didn't understand anything she was saying. But the last lesson I taught yesterday I was able to get her to pray with me. The spirit in the room was amazing! I was so pumped afterward! Ha it was so frustrating not being able to communicate at all so that lesson really gave me the confidence to keep going and I know I am going to be able to do this. 

My teachers are awesome! I love them so much already. They always know exactly what to say to get me motivated and to help me grow more than I ever thought I could. My favorite teacher is brother Norton and he served in Suriname so it's really cool because he tells us lots of things about Suriname and kinda what to expect. It gets me so excited, it sounds like such and adventure. The Elders are so excited because they get to carry machetes. I'm not sure how I feel about that...

 The Elders in my district are so great, I can't even tell you how much they have helped me. I was basically 3 days behind and now I have caught up to them. We are already so close since there is only 4 of us. We take breaks from studying and talk and tell stories. Which is nice since we were in class for 10 hours yesterday.. It's a nice break. 

Ok so my Zone Consists of Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, and Suriname!  I have the best Zone. Everyone is so nice and helpful. All the experienced Dutches going to the Netherlands leave next week so they help me so much with my pronunciation and with advice on how to learn the language faster. I'm so grateful for them. 

So, good news! I got to see Koy (Elder Huxford) two different times already! It was so nice to see a familiar face. Haha it's kinda weird though... We can't give eachother a hug or be in a picture with just the two of us. I mean really we are cousins. But rule are rules... In the devotional last night John H. Groberg came and talked to us. You know the movie The Other Side of Heaven? Yeah, that is about him. He was such a good speaker. He talked a lot about different ways we can share our testimonies and how we don't just share them with our words but with our actions. And I really liked that it was a good reminder to me that I can not only touch peoples lives with the spirit through my words but also with the way that I act. I love you all so much and thank you to everyone who has written me it means so much! I'm doing great and loving it here. 

-Zuester Christiansen 

 My MTC roommates & I

Farewell Family and Friends

These past 4 months have been so much fun! I have gotten to go and do pretty much everything and see everyone before I leave on my 18 month adventure to the West Indies. So here's what happened... After I got home from school in April I was able to go out to Maryland with my dad and Austen for one of his AJGA golf tournaments. It was so much fun, I love watching my brother play golf… he is so dang good! And it is always a blast spending time with my dad. It was also really cool to be in Maryland because I had never really been to the east coast before other than NYC and while we were there we also stopped in D.C. for a night. It was awesome! Then right after being in Maryland I flew straight to Las Vegas to babysit my cute cousins while their parents went on a cruise in Europe. I had so much fun spending time with them! Then after being in Vegas me and my dad ran The Super Spartan in Austin which consisted of over 8 miles and 25 obstacles. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done but I was so glad that I got to do it with my dad. The next day after running the Super Spartan not only was I extremely sore but I hopped on a plane to New York with my mom to meet my very favorite friends The Johnsens! We had a blast walking around central park, shopping, seeing broadway shows and of course eating delicious treats! It was for sure a trip to remember. Then after coming home for 1 night the next day my family turned around and left for Disney World! We had a blast!! It is a vacation that I will never forget with my whole family… I loved it. So after spending a few days at Disney the rest of my family left to go back home and my very best friend and roommate in college came out with her mom and we spent 4 days at Universal Studios. It was my very first time to ever go and I just have two words… Butter Beer. It was so yummy! I can't believe I had never been there before it was so fun. I am definitely looking forward to going again someday. Then after the Disney and Universal trip it was time to come home and stay home. Then fast forward a couple weeks and it was a week till my farewell. Time went by so fast! My Huxford cousins from Vegas flew out the Wednesday before and so did my grandparents. We had so much fun partying it up… going to water parks, shopping, go cart racing. We had a ball. Then I went through the temple, Ashlen was baptized and I had my farewell all in the same weekend. I had so many family and friends there to support me. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people in my life. That was a very special weekend and one that I will never forget! I have made lots of wonderful memories and had so much fun! I will remember these times and thank Heavenly Father for the amazing family I have been blessed with I am really gonna miss them…

But because I have been given much I too must give… and I am ready to give my all and serve the people of the West Indies.