Hello my favorite people! Just another week in paradise! We had some pretty amazing experiences this week, but I'll start off with the funniest part of the week. 

Tuesday night, we did something that was so Canadian! A part member family had us over for a Fondue night! I don't know about you guys, but when someone says fondue, I think either cheese or chocolate. Apparently that is not the Canadian way! Fondue means using fondue pots to deep fry chunks of moose meat! And you have to try and eat as much as you possibly can...  so not what I could have ever expected! I don't think I've ever eaten so much meat at one time. I still feel fat after a week of recovery!  but it was so worth it, we had a blast!


I have a new companion! Her name is Sister V, and she is from Middleton, ID! Two Idaho Girls, Cherry Grove is in for some crazy adventures! She's been out for 13 months, and her whole mission has been in Edmonton, so being out in the middle of no where has been a bit of a shock for her! We are having so much fun together, and she is an incredible missionary! Her testimony blows me away, and I have no doubt she will work miracles here!

Friday, we were volunteering at the cafe on the military base. We had been trying to get ahold of the guy we met a few weeks ago that wanted to learn more, but we weren't really getting anywhere. I kept praying that we would get to see him one more time before our volunteer time was finished. Prayers are answered! He walked in about 30 minutes before we left! We asked if we could teach him, and he agreed to meeting later that afternoon! We met at Tim Hortons, and IT WAS SO HOT! There AC wasn't working, and so it was the hottest lesson I've ever taught! haha #canadaprobs I'm so glad I came somewhere that's hot only 4 months a year. We had a great lesson with him, and he's totally open to learning more! The only setback that he has right now is seeing a need for God in his life. He's only turned to God when he needs him, so I pray that we can help him see the need for God in his life. 

Friday night, we went to a member's house for a "spontaneous" drop by. Haha they have 2 grandkids who are less active, and they come to their house every Friday for dinner. So we planned it all out, and we dropped in! Both of them were there, and we ended up having a great time! They both love guns, hunting, anything redneck! haha So all we had to do was ask them about those things, and next thing we knew, we had scheduled a time to help them with projects at the house! It amazing how taking interest in what other people love will open doors. Although I'm in for a lot of conversations about guns and hunting and engines, I'm so glad we are able to help bring these wonderful people back.

This week has been a little all over the place for our investigator W. He finished the Book of Mormon!! It only took him 2 1/2 weeks! He absolutely loved this book, but he decided to do some research online about it.... Ah! Satan is so sneaking! He found pages upon pages of Anti-mormon information, and you could just feel the contention coming from him. He came to church on Sunday and informed us that he had a lot of questions to talk to us about in our next lesson. I knew exactly what he meant, and I was terrified! haha He's such an intelligent man, and he researches everything! But I knew that if we followed the Spirit, we could talk him through it. 
We brought some strong members with us as backup. Haha and then we let him express his concerns. It's amazing how awful people can be! haha the mood became tense pretty quick, and all of us were ready to jump to the defense, but as we let his concerns come out, we were able to get rid of all of that negativity and bring it back to faith. W has expressed time and time again that he wants to have faith, but he doesn't know how. 

I was reading a talk by Elder Holland called "Lord, I Believe", and he said so many great things about faith. I decided to share this part with him, "hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes.....The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know." I have a testimony of useful personal study! Haha it was exactly what he needed to hear, and it gave him something to hold on to. Then Sister V shared a powerhouse of a testimony about God's love for him, and the Spirit was tangible! It was so cool, and I know that Will is getting closer and closer to fully accepting the gospel. Sadly, he's heading to California for a month, but we'll have one more lesson with him before he leaves.

Well this week has been so amazing, and I can't believe that half of my mission is already complete! It really goes faster than anyone tells you! As I've thought about the last 9 months, I have so many wonderful things to be grateful for, and I have no regrets. But I do know that the next 9 months are so special. I am so inadequate of this role as a missionary and so imperfect, but I'm going to work harder than I have in my whole life to accomplish what the Lord has in store for me. It's been the best decision of my life to serve a mission, and I will forever treasure this time I've had here in Canada. I'm so glad I've still got 9 more months to see the gospel change lives.

Have a wonderful 4th of July everyone! I'll be sporting my red, white, and blue anyway!  I love you! 

Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed 

It has been a really exciting week here in Cherry Grove! First of all, I am not being transferred! Wahoo! But I am losing Sister B, she's off to bigger and better things! I am unsure who my new companion will be, they aren't telling us until I meet her tomorrow! haha But I'm excited for this next chapter in Cherry Grove! Here are some pretty sweet things that happened this week. 

We now have two investigators with a baptismal date! G and R are going to be baptized on July 30! This was on Thursday and our day was almost nothing like we had planned. Service opportunities had come up, and one of our lessons had to cancel because they had to call an ambulance! It was a pretty crazy day, and by the time we got to G and R's lesson, I was ready for something easy going and normal. It wasn't normal at all, but in the best possible way! We were teaching them the Plan of Salvation, and the more we explained, the more their faces lit up! As we went through the lesson, I kept getting the feeling that we should invite them to be baptized. As we finished the lesson, they expressed how they can't wait to keep learning more! What a perfect opportunity! We talked about how the best way to learn is to act, and baptism is an essential step in becoming more like the Savior. They easily accepted the invitation! It's so nice when you don't have to beg people. hahaha They have been so prepared by the Spirit, and it's amazing how quickly they can learn when the Spirit is their teacher. 


More exciting news, W started reading the Book of Mormon on the 10th, and yesterday he informed us that he is in Helamen! I can hardly believe! He is flying through! And he remembers everything he reads! He was telling us about King Benjamin and about how much he enjoyed the story of Abinadi, he's learning so much! And he can't say enough good things about it! He keeps saying how there is no way Joseph Smith could have written it on his own. That's his first testimony of the Book of Mormon! He is doing so great, and I have no doubt that one day it's all going to click for him. He's headed to San Francisco in July for a month, and he's going to take his family to go see the Oakland temple! So I'm really excited to see how that experience will build his faith. I wish I could call the Visitors Center down and warn them ahead of time! haha but I know he will have an incredible experience there. 


Saturday, we were able to go the Onion Lake Cree Reservation to help with a Girl's Activity Day! The theme was Be Strong and Courageous. It was meant to be a nondenominational spiritual day to help these girls develop relationships with God and improve their self esteem. Sister Baker and I were the first ones to teach, and it was such a challenge! It was like talking to a wall! There was no icebreaker, no fun introductions, they just had us jump right into to teaching! Not my favorite thing, but we did get to teach them alot about what prayer should be and how they can develop a close relationship with Heavenly Father. They live in a really rough situation, it's hard growing up on a reserve. Everyone expects you to end up exactly like your parents, and you're immediately put into a stereotype of what all Natives are like. But each of these girls has so much potential, and they want to have a better life. So I hope something that we shared with them will help them at some point in there lives.


Something very exciting happened in our missionary life, WE GOT NEW PAMPHLETS!!! It's amazing what you get excited about as a missionary.... hahaha We have one about serving in the church and one about Temples & Families! I was reading through the temples and familes one, and there was a part that really stood out to me. A big trial most people will face at some point in their life is having family members fall away from the church. Most wonder what they did wrong or what they can do to fix it. We have a ton of people who seek advice on this from us, and I never really know what to say. But this pamphlet has given me a great answer. "Have faith that God is preparing each of your family members, just as He has prepared you.... In His own time and in His own way, God will fulfill your desire for the blessing of an eternal family." What a cool promise! We will have eternal families! No matter what our family members do or what choices they make, God has a plan for them and for us! And we will have eternal families. We will all be together with Heavenly Father, but each of us will take a different path on the way. We just need to have faith that Heavenly Father is aware of them and of us. I promise that as we continue to pray for these individuals, our prayers will be answered. It may not be in our time, but it will happen.


I know there was more that happened this week, but none of it is coming to my mind! haha So I'll finish by saying how much I love you all! Time just keeps moving faster, and I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that I am on my mission! It's still a shock! haha but I love what I'm doing, and I love that I get to share my experiences with you. Have an amazing week filled with miracles!


Love,

Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed

Hola!!!

I have so much to tell you, I don't even know where to start! Haha I guess I'll go in order of my week!


Every Wednesday, we volunteer at the Food Bank, and there is a different religious group there every week. Lately, we've been running into a lot of the people we work with at the Food Bank. Everyone keeps commenting on how involved we are in the community. We haven't really paid much attention because we're always running a million miles an hour, but it really hit me this week how huge that is in our work! With the church's new Just Serve initiative, we're supposed to be well known members of the community! We're supposed to be out serving every chance we get, and we've been able to see it soften many hearts. I hope each of you will seek out an opportunity to serve your community.


Thursday was an amazing day. The Spirit took the reins! We had the thought to stop by a semi-less active member who had some struggles with her family. Her oldest son is an RM, and he was just excommunicated from the church.... her middle son has gone inactive, and her youngest has down syndrome and was lost in Edmonton for 4 1/2 hours last week. So to say she has had a rough go is an understatement! We've been trying to get in with her for a while, but she was pretty resistant. The Spirit knows best! She let us right in on Thursday, and we had an incredible conversation with her! She is so strong, and being strong can be very lonely. We were able to be someone she could turn to in her trials, and now we are going to be involved in the Special Olympics program here in Cold Lake! My heart just swelled with joy as we were able to break down her walls and build her faith. She came to church on Sunday with the biggest smile on her face! It's a smile that hasn't been there for a while, and I know it is because the Spirit testified to her that Heavenly Father is aware of her.


That same day, we had a random thought to stop by another member who has a tough situation. She is a single mom of 5 who has been trying to get divorced for the last 3 years. She works 12 hour nursing shifts in St. Paul which is 1 1/2 hours away. She answered the door with tears streaming down her face. She had finally reached her breaking point, and she really didn't want to let us in, but her puppy had other thoughts as she darted out the door. This poor woman has felt so torn down and broken. She says she goes to church every Sunday because she knows she's supposed to, but she isn't "feeling" the joy of the gospel. I had no idea what to say! She has every right to feel that way! The fact that she hasn't given up coming to church is an absolute miracle! So I was praying with all my might to say the right thing, and all that came out was a testimony of the Savior. I know that the Savior knows exactly what she's going through, and he's felt all of it. So he can help get her through it. Then the thought came to my mind to send her "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. This talk is so inspired! It will make anyone feel of the Savior's love, and I hope this talk will give her the answers she's looking for. 


Friday was the beginning of a weekend of miracles! We were helping out at a member's bakery on the Military base. There is an Air Force training going on right now called Maple Flag, and there are military personnel from all over the world here to get trained. So we have been able to mingle with lots of people, including the US Military! :D We've been doing this for the last two weeks, and I was starting to wonder if it was worth our time. I took out someone's order to them, and I was about to leave when he stopped me, and said he had a question for me. The next part gave me goosebumps!! He asked if I could tell him more about the Latter-Day Saint church. He's been to every church in Cold Lake, and he hasn't found what he is looking for! GO TEAM SPIRIT! Holy Cow! What an amazing moment that was! I didn't have to say a word, and he was ready to learn more about the gospel!  His name is C, and I will now and forever refer to him as my miracle man. We haven't taught him yet, but he is so prepared to hear the gospel! The only way we would have been able to meet him is by serving him his food. Haha he lives out in the middle of no where, and I am so grateful I got to be a part of him finding the gospel. I'll keep you posted on his journey!


Saturday and Sunday were a continuation of miracles! We had three elders from Edmonton here! They spoke Spanish, French, and Tagalog between the three of them, and they have been dying to come out to Cherry Grove to find people to teach. They were able to find 3 new investigators for us and 3 new investigators for them! It was incredible! They worked their tails off. I have never seen elders work that hard, and it paid off in so many ways. A big thing in our mission is collaborative missionary work. Because there are so many people who speak different languages, we have to work with our missionaries that speak that language, and I have a testimony of that work. Hearing the gospel is awesome, but hearing it in your native tongue just adds to the peace and comfort that comes from that message. 


I would love to tell you more, but we are out of time! Bah! There's just so much to say! But I think the biggest thing I learned this week is that it is so important to live worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have no idea what I am doing half the time, and I have no idea who is ready to hear this message. But I do know that the Spirit does, and as long as I live worthy of his companionship, I will be guided by him. I hope each of you can feel of that same influence, it will truly change your life.


I love you all more than I can express! And I know I say it every week, but thank you so much for your support. It keeps me going! Have a fantastic week!


Love,


Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed

Hello my favorite people!


I have so much to tell you, I feel like I'm going to explode! haha So many wonderful things happened this week! I hope I can write something that will help each of you. 


I'll start with our trip to Edmonton! It's a 3 1/2 hour drive from here, and the drive was beautiful! Everything is so green up here, and I love road trips, so I loved going on a mini one! We had a temple session at 5:30, and we left here at 1 just to give ourselves plenty of time. When we were 30 minutes outside of Edmonton, all of sudden, all traffic was stopped, and you couldn't see far enough ahead to know what was going on. We sat there for about 20 minutes before we decided to take the back roads! The Canadian road system is made up of highways, range roads, and township roads. So we drove on dirt roads for about 20 minutes to get past the delay! #canada By the time we made it to the main highway, we had another 20 minutes to go, and it was 5:15! I was starting to really panic, I hadn't been to the temple since December, and I wouldn't get another chance for a few months! So I started praying my little heart out! We called the temple, and let them know we were really close but running behind. We pulled into the parking lot at 5:35, and as soon as we walked into the door, I was overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude and peace. I had made it to the temple, and the temple had anxiously awaited our arrival. They held the session for us, and had everything ready for us to have an incredible experience. And just to add to this amazing experience, I got to see two women from Lacombe! I just can't express the joy and gratitude I feel for that experience. The temple brings us feelings that go beyond this world. I know that it's the Lord's house, and what a privilege it was to be there that day. 


That night, we had our last interviews with President Manion at the mission home. They are going home at the beginning of July, and it was a blast to spend one more night with them. They have served so faithfully, and I love them so much! President Manion and I have had a very interesting relationship. He's always been very tough love with me, and it's been a bit difficult at times, but I am so grateful that he has stretched me to reach my potential. He knew exactly what I needed, and when I needed it.I believe that you get called to serve in a certain area because of the people as well as the mission president. And I'm so glad that I have had the privilege of serving under the direction of President and Sister Manion. 


On Thursday and Friday, Sister B came up from Edmonton for exchanges! I love her so much, she's from California and goes home next transfer! I had everything planned perfectly for our exchange, and I was sure no plans would fall through.... I should know better! haha our investigator lesson fell through, so I decided we should go down to the beach and invite people to our "Why I Believe" fireside on Sunday. The first person we meet starts talking to us, and she was really friendly! So we start talking to her about her life, and she mentioned how she's quitting smoking. I asked her what program she was using, and she said, "the program the missionaries gave me!!" WHAT?? It was such a shock for the both of us, and she proceeded to tell us that she had been baptized 12 years ago, moved away for 10 years, and hasn't been to church since! We have no record of her anywhere! WHAT A MIRACLE! I have no doubt that Heavenly Father planned that out perfectly, and I'm so grateful I got to be a part of that plan! Her name is T, and she's so ready to come back to church. Heavenly Father is so aware of each of us, and sometimes what we may see as an inconvenience can turn out to be someone else's miracle! We're going to see her tonight, so I'll keep you posted on where her story goes!


Another really cool miracle happened at the Cold Lake Stampede! D, our recent convert, and her grandmother, M, invited us to go with them to the chuckwagon races! I've been to many rodeos in my day, but this was my first chuckwagon race! They had mini horse chuckwagons, chariot races, and the big chuckwagons, they go all out here! haha it was a blast! One of the ward members came up to us during the races and informed us that there was a less active member sitting behind us who hadn't been to church in 15+ years! We had no clue! haha it's amazing how these people can fly under the radar! We went and chatted with her after the races, and she was open to having us come over! People, Heavenly Father is the greatest! He knows each of us, and he will always find ways to bring us back to Him. If you haven't noticed, I totally have a testimony of this principle! haha it's so true!


Saturday, we went over to our investigator, C's house, for supper. She's met with missionaries for quite a few years, but it's usually just to chat. However, we were able to have a great conversation about the Plan of Salvation! Her husband, Ch, is a very deep thinker. He was a pilot in the military, and he's very even-keeled and conversational. It was awesome because we were able to transition a political conversation into a philosophical conversation into a gospel conversation! He was very open to the idea of life after death, and you could tell he was really soaking it all in. It's amazing how easy it is to tie the gospel into any conversation. All you have to do is try, and it will come up every time!


Sunday, we had our "Why I Believe" Fireside! We have been trying so hard to invite people, and by Sunday, I knew I had tried all I could to get people there. Well, we had over 30 ward members! Which was awesome! And 1 investigator, Will! haha So not totally as we had hoped for, but it was what he needed! We had a panel of 4 converts answering common questions people have about the church. It was so cool! And Will even asked some questions of his own, and it was so cool to see these converts and ward members answer his questions! It was like 35 people teaching one discussion! haha it was super fun, and the spirit was so strong! Will's favorite part were the testimonies shared at the end. He kept saying how much he wanted that. I can't wait for this man to gain faith! I know that once he does, there will be no stopping him, so please pray for him!


Whew! That was a lot, I know! It was an incredible week, and my testimony has grown so much! I feel so blessed to be serving the Lord in such an incredible place. I have never doubted that the Lord sent me to the right place, but it gets proven to me every week! He has a plan for every single person, and I love that I get to play a role in some of His children's lives.


I know this gospel is the truth! I love it! 


Have an amazing week! I love you all!


Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed

PS  I forgot something!
We had the coolest experience on our way home from Edmonton! We stopped in Vilna to use the washroom, and on our way back, we noticed a lady smoking outside of her liquor store. She said hi, so of course, we went and talked to her! She was super friendly, and noticed my last name, which happened to be her maiden name! We started talking about family history, and we told her about familysearch. She loved the idea! The more we were talking, the more I kept feeling prompted to give her a Book of Mormon, but I didn't have my bag with me! Rookie mistake... so I told her I had something I wanted to give her, and I basically sprinted to the car and brought one back. I told her how much this book has brought me peace, and how it has blessed my family. She said she was open to reading it, and she accepted it! I can't tell you how amazing I felt after that! It was an incredible feeling to act on a prompting, and change someone's life at the same time. She's in St. Paul's area, so I can't wait to hear how she will progress.