Hello Everyone!

What a fantastic, incredible, exhausting week! Super week was so super!

It started with our WorldWide Missionary Training on Wednesday! There were many things shared about repentance as well as baptism and the new focus the brethern of the church are having in helping others to more fully come unto Christ through these things. Also our missionary schedule has been changed! We now are doing what they call "being agents unto ourselves" which means we have more freedom to choose how we want our schedule to be like. It's kinda different and crazy to adjust but it's a neat way to help us exercise our agency and prepare for real life when we come home after our missions to know how to fit in the important things in life like praying, reading the scriptures, etc. 

After the training, we had exchanges! I had Sister H with me here in Greenfield. I just adore that human! She works so hard and has the biggest heart! She is so energetic, and we had so much fun! We went tracting for a nice chunk of the day, and we had one of the laurels with us. We had a lot of people not answer, but fourth floor, last door! The last guy answered! We had a great conversation with him, and he almost accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon! But we might be working with him in the future on a service project, so he said he would take one then. We also got to teach a recent convert together, and I loved teaching with her! She follows the Spirit so well, and she makes me want to be so much better!

Friday was MISSION TOUR!! What an incredible day. I finished the day being so spiritually exhausted in the best possible way. We received some amazing counsel from Elder and Sister Echohawk. He shared some pretty incredible stories with us about the influence that missionaries have, and it was so inspiring. I left feeling so empowered and motivated to help every person around me! Something else that he mentioned was that we aren't in this mission because of some random selection, God called us here because we needed it! I am in the Canada Edmonton mission for a very specific reason. I feel a big part of that is President Pattison. I love that man more and more each time I see him.He sustains and lifts me every time I see him I'm in awe of his diligence and careful effort to help each missionary. Every time he talks to me or writes me an email, I feel like I'm his favorite person! And I know that he makes everyone else feel the same. It has been such a blessing to have him as my mission president. 

Saturday was one of the best days of my entire mission! I had the opportunity to go see P and W K get baptized in Sherwood Park! Fun story- I didn't know W was also getting baptized!  I had called Sister A just to make sure the baptism was at 2, and she said they had a surprise for me. I had my own theories, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. So we show up, and P & W sprint out of their car to come see me. Totally made my day! After we get inside, we start getting everything ready near the font, when I am informed that W IS GETTING BAPTIZED TOO! I tried to keep it together, but the tears just started flowing! My heart just exploded! I love those two kids more than I can describe, and they both made the decision all on their own to be baptized. It was perfect. As I spoke to them about the Holy Ghost, both of their faces just lit up with joy. They get it! They know that it's true, and I can't wait to see what they will do in their futures. 

I have been so blessed to watch three incredible people enter the waters of baptism over the last 2 weeks, and I can't express the joy that I feel! This is truly the greatest work on Earth! Nothing is as fulfilling as helping others come closer to Christ. That was a big theme I noticed during mission tour. This is truly a sacred work! What a privilege and honor to work alongside the Savior in His work. My time is starting to get fairly short, but I know that I can't slow down even a little bit. There is too much to do, and too many people to help. I am so grateful for my role as a representative of Jesus Christ.

I love you all so so much! Have an amazing week!

Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed

Hello everyone!


Wow, what a great and crazy week it has been! First off, I have my lovely new companion and trainee, Sister W! Goodness I just adore her already! She's from Pelham, Georgia. She is doing work already! I'm such a mean trainer! Haha we were in the apartment Wednesday night trying to figure our lives out, and I was so bored! So we decided to go tract in our neighborhood, and I made her do the approach on the third door! But she was such a natural! She is already talking to everyone she meets, and her love for the people is already through the roof.

Our second day in the area, we went to a townhouse complex that a few potentials. The majority weren't interested, but we did get a referral from one of them to try their neighbor, M! So we went right over, and she let us right in! We showed her the Because of Him video, and she loved it! She moved to Canada from Haiti, and she has attended church off and on. She really wants to bring her kids to church! We set up a time to come back that Saturday, and we left on top of the world! Sister Ws' second day in the field, and we found a new investigator! Proof that the Lord qualifies whom he calls, because I am so incapable! But He has helped us see some great things in this area already. We met with M again on Saturday, and the lesson was a bit crazy. Haha but she loved it, and her kids are beyond excited to come to church! We feel really good about her.

Saturday was D'S BAPTISM! My heart is just bursting with joy about this guy! The baptism was so so good! The ward did the entire program, and D even bore his testimony! It was the sweetest thing! He kept thanking us for finding him and saying how badly he wants others to find the church too! I am so grateful to have been able to experience watching him enter the waters of baptism. I can't even describe the feelings that I had, it's just too incredible to express. This is why we do it! This is the whole reason that we wake up every morning and push through the rejection, to find the ONE who is ready! I feel so blessed to have played a part in finding and teaching such a dedicated and kind man. 

Sundays in this area is INSANITY! Since we cover two wards, it's like a marathon! We start with G Ward Council at 7:30 am, then church starts at 9. Then we sneak out of Relief Society at 11:45 to go to R Ward Council. Then church starts at 1, and we go until 4. And we finish off with R Ward Coordination meeting until 4:45. I'm exhausted just typing it out! Haha but it was so great! Both wards are beyond supportive, and we couldn't ask for a better place to be!

So this week is what I am now referring to as SUPER WEEK!! This is will literally be the busiest week of my mission! So crazy. Here's the breakdown.

Tomorrow-World Wide Missionary Training and exchanges with Sister Hollon
Thursday- Exchanges with Sister Hollon and so many lessons
Friday- MISSION TOUR WITH ELDER ECHOHAWK! SO stoked. 
Saturday- P's baptism!! and a stake Heritage Night
Sunday- another 9 hours of church and meetings!
Monday- BREATHE! hahah

It's going to be insane, but I'm so excited to learn so many things from all of these experiences. Thank you again for always supporting me and your prayers! They are felt and appreciated.

Have a great week! I love you!

Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed

Hello everyone!

First of all, Alberta cannot make up her mind! Freezing cold to warm
weather in a weeks time! For the record, -40 is as awful as it sounds.
But now I have experienced it and I'll never need to again! Haha

Second of all, I'm off to my last adventure of my mission! I am
training a new missionary!! I am so excited and so nervous all at the
same time! It's going to stretch me in every way I have no doubt, but
it will be exactly what I need to finish strong for the next 3 months.
I have absolutely loved being in Forest Heights! Being in such a
diverse area has taught me so much about how to be a decent human
being and a better representative of Jesus Christ. I will extremely
miss downtown! There are people everywhere all the time! But this new
adventure will teach me many new things.

I'll start with the beginning of the week. Tuesday, we took a road
trip out to CHERRY GROVE!! We felt prompted to have a "grand slam"
exchange, meaning both of us would go out there and work with the sisters. It was so good! We were able to make it in time on Tuesday to go to a lesson with my dear W P! Goodness, I have missed him! haha the lesson was a bit of a gong show, but he does understand that this is meant to change his life. I think he's still got some time to grow, but it's been wonderful to watch his spirituality blossom. Sister R and I had some great adventures on our exchange, but what made it so great was how much we both love that glorious place. Cherry Grove was the area that really helped shape me as a missionary and as a person. The people I met there have truly changed my life, and I am so grateful that I got to go back twice during my time as a Sister Training Leader. I'm seriously so blessed!

Funny moment of the week- we were on Whyte Ave on Saturday doing our
usual booth thing, and there were quite a few missionaries there. All
of a sudden, this guy stops his truck in the middle of the road and
starts quoting the Bible and yelling some not so nice things at us.
After a few seconds of listening, I realized that it was a street
preacher that Sister A and I had talked to a few weeks ago! Of
course the conversation was quite back and forth but we had parted as
friends. So as soon as I recognized him, I shouted, "hey George! How's
it going??" Everyone burst out laughing, and he couldn't help but
smile a bit too. Then he finished off his rant and drove away. There
were about 15 cars lined up behind him by the time he drove off! Haha
it was a funny experience for all us, but it made me realize that
regardless of our differences, when we take the time to build on
common ground and respect each other, there will always be a positive
outcome.

D H is getting baptized on Saturday people!!! His interview
went really well, and he radiates with excitement. P is also set for next Saturday! I'm hoping to be able to make it to both of their baptisms. P is such a good missionary though! We had 8 nonmembers at church and 6 of them were with her family! She is going to be a great member of the church. 

That's all of the time I have today, but I am so grateful for this precious time I have to be the Lord's full-time servant. I still look down at my name tag in shock. Last night, we were street contacting downtown before the Oilers game, skyscrapers all around us, the weather was perfect, and all I could think was, "does it get any better than this??" It truly doesn't! It's my prayer that I can continue to maintain perspective of my purpose as I help this dear new sister discover it. 

Have a great week! I love you all!

Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed

What an amazing week! Incredible lessons, incredible experiences, freezing cold weather.... Just another day in the life!


Wednesday was such a full day! It start off with teaching P, J, and K. They had all been listening to the Book of Mormon on their phones, and K prayed for the first time in her life!!! She was so excited to tell us!  We taught them the Plan of Salvation, and J is so great! haha after we would teach a principle, he would start talking about the previous principle, and testify to us that it was true! Haha It was the best! He's agreed to be baptized in February! He lives outside the city, so the Elders there have been teaching him. K also asked us in the lesson if we could show her some scriptures on baptism! Ah I just love these humans so much! They are just absorbing the gospel like sponges. And P has been such a great example for them. She's been less active for the last little bit, and this has been a good opportunity for her to be reminded of the testimony she has. 

Wednesday was also the Follow-Up Trainer/Trainee meeting, and Sister A & I were able to give a training on Unity. What a blast! I still remember very vividly when I was at that meeting as a trainee, over a year ago! Time sure does fly. We talked about the importance of being equally yoked together in our companionships. It was great to be able to be open and honest with them about how even with our own companionship, we've struggled! But as long as we have open communication and charity for each other, we can bless our own lives and the lives of those we teach! I've sure learned a lot since living with someone 24/7! And the biggest thing is learning to let the little things go, and be as open as you can. It was a blast to be there with so many new missionaries. It brought back that "greenie" fire for sure!

Update on D- he is still loving the gospel!! We had two lessons with him this week, and we discussed the Word of Wisdom and Fasting. He is just the best! He was so accepting of these commandments. He just keeps talking about how excited he is for his baptism on the 21st, and he will have his Baptismal Interview on Saturday! It's getting so real! 

Sunday was so cool. We had 5 investigators at church! Sh, P, and W came, and they brought their friend, C, who is a former investigator! It was fast and testimony meeting, and halfway through the meeting, one of the members went up, and her friend who is from another faith went up as well!! She bore her testimony about how Christ has helped her, and it was the coolest thing!! The Spirit was so strong! We were able to meet with her yesterday, and we're going to start teaching her this weekend. I'm so grateful for the Spirit that exists in Fast and Testimony Meeting, and that it can touch anyone's heart, member or non member! 

Well folks, my brain is fried. Haha I wish I could write more, but it's just not happening today! Haha But I love you all so much! God is so good! Have a great week!

Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed

Happy 2017 Friends! It was a pretty low-key New Year's Eve for us, but what an exciting week it was!

Exchanges on Wednesday were a blast! I was with the other Sister C and Sister M. Crazy story, Sister Ms' mom is also a C! So there were literally three Sister C's together! This was my first experience being in a tripan- or a set of three missionaries together. What a blast! There is rarely a quiet moment, but what a blast it was! We were able to spend a few hours downtown street contacting, and we had so much fun! We went around asking people what they were hoping to have happen in 2017. Besides the numerous responses regarding Donald Trump, the majority of people were excited to tell us about their plans! One interaction that particularly stood out to me was with a man named G. He looked like he was in his 30's, and he's homeless. You could see the weight of his sorrow in his eyes. We were able to give him a copy of the Book of Mormon and pray with him. As we closed the prayer, his eyes were wet with tears of gratitude. He really wants to change his life. Sadly he didn't show up to our appointment, but we'll keep trying to meet up with him. 

Ok, I thought I had told y'all about D, but I can't find it in any of my previous emails. He's one of our progressing investigators! We met him a few months ago outside the church building and invited him to come to church. He came that Sunday, but then we didn't hear from him for a while. We kept calling him to try and set up appointments, but nothing happened until the week before Christmas. He showed up to a lesson that Tuesday, and he's been going strong ever since! We meet with him every Tuesday and Thursday, and he has a baptismal date of January 21! He is incredible. He has such a desire to follow Christ. In our second lesson, he mentioned how the day that he met us, he was out with some friends, and he was really sick of living that lifestyle. He wanted to find a group of people who desired to follow God, and as he was walking home, he met us! Chills!!! When we asked him what he was most looking forward to in 2017, we could barely finish the sentence before he said, "my baptism!" He's truly incredible. It's been such a blessing teaching him. 

Yesterday was a day of finding for us. Our entire afternoon was open, and we had been challenged by our Zone Leaders to set very specific plans that we can be held accountable to with finding. So we laid out our plan, finding in downtown Edmonton with various methods of street contacting, bus contacting, tracting, and LRT contacting. We then told the Lord that we would do our best to find those He had been preparing. Within the first 5 minutes of street contacting, we were frozen! Like it was getting hard to move my face to talk it was so cold! So we decided to go underground on the pedways to warm up before coming back up to street contact. Before we knew it, we ran into a guy named D! He's actually a pretty good friend of mine! This is the 4th time I've run into him in the past few months! He's an activist for freedom of speech through his artwork! We've had many conversations together, but this was the first time he asked us to teach him a bit about our church. Although he isn't super interested in taking the lessons, we have established a solid relationship of respect with each other. I know for sure that he was one of the reasons I needed to be in this area.


After street contacting, we took the bus to head to an area we planned to tract. Of course, our faces were freezing off, so we stood in the lobby of an apartment building to warm up for a moment. This Indian man and his wife come through the front door and ask us if we were waiting for someone. When we told them that we were just warming up, they immediately invited us in to give us some coffee or tea! We settled with water and some coke. Haha but what a kind hearted man! We chatted for over 20 minutes on being a good person in the world. Family is really important to him, and we were able to give him a pamphlet on Families and Temples. He works with a member of the church, and he couldn't say enough good things about her! Through many attempts of convincing him, he wouldn't give us his phone number, but he did agree to take ours. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father had specifically prepared this man for us! We could just feel it as we talked with him. I truly have a testimony of effective planning and prayer! 

I seriously can't believe that it is 2017! What an incredible year 2016 was. I loved that all 365 days were spent wearing this name tag. I've met some of the most incredible people over the last year! I'm grateful for every single day, and I'm so grateful that I still have more! My goal for 2017 is to continue to be a dedicated servant of the Lord, with or without the name tag. This experience is meant to change my life, both externally and internally. I will do my best to continue to do the Lord's will, while meeting some pretty incredible along the way.

I hope each of you know how grateful I am for you! You helped make 2016 the best year yet for me! Have a great week!

Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed