Testimonies are a Cool Thing

I can't believe I've been out for over a month now... it's crazy! We leave in less than 2 weeks and we get our flight plans this Friday! I'm so pumped to go to Suriname :) This week was kinda sad. The danish missionaries in my zone left Monday to go to Denmark. I was so excited for them to finally get out into the field but it was hard to say goodbye. It's amazing how fast strong friendships can grow when you are working and serving the Lord together. I've made friendships here that I'm gonna have for a lifetime. So now my district is the oldest in the Zone. WHAAAT? It's sometimes intimidating trying to be the best example I can be for them but i find it's much easier when I just simply love and serve them. We are getting 9 new missionaries today: 7 Sisters and 2 Elders. It's so awesome! So far the Elders have always outnumbered the Sisters but now we are catching up! Since I'm a sister training leader I get the opportunity to welcome them and tell them all about the MTC. I can't wait to meet all of them :)

Okay I've got a funny story for y'all. On Sunday at Devo me and another sister were sitting together by some random Elders. So to be nice I talked to them for a little while before the devotional started. I asked where they where serving, where they're from, you know normal convo... nothing special. So then Devo started and it was great as always. Well after I stood up and shook their hands and said how nice it was to meet them and good luck on their missions. Then one of them blurts out before I can get away "Can I have your email, we can write each other about our missions!" I must have made a really strange face because he just started back and asked "was that wrong to ask." I wanted to say.. Ummm yeah, dude we're on missions! Haha and the most uncomfortable part was the speaker had just talked a lot on "locking your heart" and how Elders and Sisters should not flirt. And the importance of staying focused on our missions. Ahh it was so uncomfortable and I didn't know what to do. So reluctantly I gave it to him... I thought things like this wouldn't happen on my mission. Haha well if anything I guess it made for a funny story!

Basically everything in the MTC is the same. Lots of studying and praying. I love it here though, the spirit is so strong. And it's so cool to see missionaries all around learning and growing in the gospel in all different languages. I like to go outside to study because the weather has been so great here and its nice to get out of the classroom. It's cool because every time I'm out their studying a set of missionaries come up to me and bare their testimonies. And tell me why the choose to go on a mission. And even though sometimes I don't understand what they are saying. I can always feel it and I can feel their love for our savior Jesus Christ and his gospel. I hope all of y'all remember how important you are to God and how much he loves you. Thank you so much for all the support and letters! Y'all are the best. I pray for you always!

Liefde,

Zuster C

My entire district & the flag of each country they're going to!

 Sister Allred & I; she is going to Sweden!

 The Suriname district!

Evangalie is Waar

I love being on a mission it really is the greatest decision I have ever made. So since I'm a solo sister I have way more freedom then your average missionary. I don't have a companion (still can never be alone tho) so I just hoop around an talk to everyone. I love it! So I have gotten to be really close to all the Elders and Sisters in my zone. They're the greatest I'm so grateful I have been able to meet all of them. But sad story... the danes are all leaving on Monday :( I'm so excited for them but it's gonna be hard to say goodbye. They are all so awesome! Yesterday was one of the sisters birthdays so we tried to make it special by making her a card and some posters. Her mom also sent her a cake! Then last night we all had a "sleepover" in one of the sisters rooms. We shoved a bunch of mattresses in there and used all the beds. It was so fun and felt good to feel kinda like teenage girls again. Haha we did stay up way too late and are totally feeling it today but it was so worth it! And I can take a guilt fee nap today so all is well :) 

So on Sunday my branch president called me to be the new sister training leader. I work with the Zone Leaders to make sure everything is running smooth in the Zone. I'm also in charge of making sure all the sisters are okay and uplifted. Not gonna lie... I was kinda intimidated when he called me. There are other sisters more "experienced" here at the MTC than me and everyone is just so amazing in my zone; I look up to them so much! But I'm really looking at this opportunity as a time to serve and love them. And it's so easy because there are all so great. I don't know how I lucked out, my zone is the bomb! 

I've had such a good week! Said goodbye to Koy on Sunday. That was sad knowing I won't see him for 2 years, but I know he is going to be so great in Mexico! And he was so excited to be leaving the MTC...I'm jealous I've got 3 more weeks here! And he had an awesome companion who promised me he would take care of him :) So last week I mentioned how learning dutch has been way hard and so frustrating... Duh haha. Well this week I made it a goal to just give it my all. In my personal study and in language study. I started to notice as I lost myself in my work things got a little better. I was really able to touch the hearts and help one of my investigators with a problem she had. And I was able to finally get my message across clearly and really help my other investigator feel Gods love for him. And seriously as a missionary when you finally get through to you investigator and touch their hearts there is no better feeling!  So that's what I learned this week. When I give everything to the Lord and work hard he will bless me. And His blessings are the best and totally worth all the time and effort!

Okay so dad asked me what I've learned about "Making a Difference When Sharing the Gospel." Well I heard this quote the other day and loved it! "Teach the gospel and when necessary use words." I love this so much because it is so true! You bare your testimony in so many other ways then just talking about it. Honestly you share your testimony with everything that you do. You can show people your love for the gospel by serving and loving them. By being obedient and working hard. If you are living the gospel people will see something special in you. So if there is one thing I have learned it is that if you are really living and loving the gospel of Jesus Christ then this is when you make a difference. Ik weet dat de Evangalie van Jesus Christus waar is. En dat het zal uw hulp en troost zeganen. In da naam van Jesus Christus Amen. If you wanna know what that means zoek it up ;) 

I love you all so much. I feel so loved, thank you for all the letters and emails! I've got the best family and friends ever! Know I'm thinking and praying for all of you.

Liefde,

Zuester Christiansen

Me & Koy before he left the MTC

Patience

This week I think the Lord was really trying to teach me patients. The first 2 weeks the language was coming so great and everyday I couldn't believe how much I had learned that day. Well I think my brain must've said woah now hold up.... there is no more room in here! Haha gahh it is so frustrating to sit in class and have your teachers try and teach a grammar principle and you literally understand nothing. It's so easy to get frustrated with your self when this happens and believe me sometimes I get mad and think why can't I get this. But I decided yesterday instead of getting mad at myself I'm gonna use those opportunities to push myself and work even harder! So I'll let y'all know how that goes. Another thing I think the Lord is working with me on is patience with people. So for gym you have the option to play volleyball. And I've actually gotten a pretty good team together to play, there are some ballers in my zone. It's awesome! Well yesterday for gym we were playing and it was a good game, then the guy who works at the gym came over and asked if he could play. We said sure... So we were playing and someone tipped a ball so I went for it and "dove" for the ball. Actually I just put one knee to the floor and got the ball up... totally not a dive but the guy who works there was like "Sister why did you do that?" I kinda gave him a weird look and He said NO DIVING! So I apologized saying I didn't know that was a rule and we continued playing. So the game started to getting pretty intense... or as intense as a game can get at the MTC. Then one of the Elders spiked the ball and I had an awesome dive and dug the ball up. So as I'm laying on the ground, not gonna lie I was pretty proud of myself, then "Gym Nazi" comes over and said "Uh you're gonna have to leave the game!" ha never in my life would I think I'd get kicked out of a volleyball game for "Diving" for a ball. So mom and dad I hope you're proud of your missionary daughter who as my Elder say it "Got kicked out for balling to hard" lol. Still makes me laugh thinking about it.... 

One thing I've been reminded of over and over again since I've been here is that God gives us our trials to help us grow and he will never give us something that will completely breaks us. He may push us past what we know to be our limits. But God knows us bettter than we know oursleves and he knows what we can handle. He will mold us into the people he wants us to be. And that version of ourselves is our greatest potential. So why wouldn't we want that for oursleves also? It's becuase this molding process can be really hard at times but if we remember to always ask for God's help, he will be there for us. God is ALWAYS there ready and eager to listen and comfort, something we often forget. So don't be silly and always us the Lord's help because he really is the best! Keep working hard and I promise I will too! I love you all and I think and pray about everyone back home. Y'all are the best!

Liefde, 

Zuester Christiansen 

Find the Tongans

This week has flown by it's crazy! 2 weeks down 5 more to go... 

This has been a really good one. It's insane how much you grow in the MTC. Last Wednesday we got to go to the temple (we go every p-day) and I just love the temple so much. The spirit felt there is amazing. While I was in the session the man reciting the temple prayer said please bless all the missionaries serving around the world. And this amazing feeling just hit me, I felt a wave of comfort come over me. It's crazy to think that in every temple session, in every temple around the world they pray for the missionaries. That's a good feeling to know that I have all those prayers and blessing to back you up when things get hard.

Well so on Thursday I got a note saying to go some shots, so I had to get Hep-A and Tdap. It was fine everything went good but while I was down there a lady stopped me and asked where I got my shirt. I was wearing and AJGA shirt (american junior golf association) and I said it was my brothers and that he was a really good golfer. That actually he had a scholarship to play golf at BYU. Haha well it turns out her son is the BYU golf coach! Cool, huh? So we talked about Austen for a while. I'm so proud of my little brother :) Then the rest of the day went good I taught my last lesson with my investigator Sophie and she told us at the she was actually one of our teachers... Sister Moses! I was so shocked, but relived to know she understood that I had just begun learning dutch. Everyone keeps asking my how my dutch is coming... Well all my teachers speak is dutch with us and we have to try to answer back in dutch or at least with as many dutch words as we know. So I feel like within the past couple days I can finally understand most of what my teachers are saying and I've been working really hard with the language. Basically now I say all my prayers in dutch, I can bare my testimony in dutch, and I can have simple get to know you conversations. So it's coming along :) Some exciting news yesterday I taught my first lesson with out using an exact script in dutch. Instead I really tired to have the spirit lead what I was saying. It was probably one of my favorite moments so far in the MTC. The spirit in the room was so strong and I was saying things I didn't even know very well. Then I bore my testimony that the book of mormon was the word of God and I knew that it would make her happier. And I asked her if she would pray to know what I taught was true and that The book of mormon was the word of God. And she said she would! Gosh it was so cool. It really motivated me to know that when the spirit is there, there is just no denying the truth of the gospel.

Okay something cool that just happened to me about 20 minutes ago while I was waiting to pick up a package. A women asked me to drop off some mail for a missionary and so I said of course I would. She then asked me where I was serving and I told her The West Indies. She looked at me and smiled and said oh there are so many Elders there. And so I told her yes I was one of the first sisters. She smiled and said I was special and she handed me a rolled up piece of paper and said it had the Tongan flag on it with a history of their culture. She told me to read it and find the Tongans while I am in the West Indies. I felt so honored that she thought I was special enough to be given the responsibility to teach her people that she loved so much.

I am so grateful for all the letters everyone is sending me :) I have the best family and so much support, it's awesome! I got my stitches out YAY! They hadn't quite healed all the way so the doctor just put some anesthetic stitches and they should be good to go in a couple days! We get a new district of dutch speaking missionaries going to the Netherlands today and I'm so excited to meet them! I love my zone and district, we have all gotten so close and I'm grateful for all the great examples I have. I love y'all! Hope everything is going fabulous for everyone back home!

 -Zuester Christiansen

Me & a sister with some of the Elders in our district