Hey y'all! 


What a magnificent week! I don't think I've ever had more fun on my mission! Haha Cherry Grove is seriously the best. I'll start with the rodeo.


Wednesday morning was spent doing what they call "slack." Basically it's the full rodeo, but without all the music and the audience. We figured that we would just be opening a gate here or there, maybe run some paper work around or do ticket sales. Oh no! They through us right into the big stuff! We were running the cattle chutes for tie-down roping, steer wrestling, and team roping! No pressure, but if a cowboy gets the wrong steer, it's our heads! We had to sort the steers according to the line up, all while being quite enough to not startle the horses, while basically shoving these steers out of the chutes because they are more stubborn then ever. I may or may not have gotten a hand full of cow poop... the best way to get a steer to move is by grabbing it's tail and twisting it up. It was not the most ideal time to grab his tail! haha but you gotta do what you got to do! At that point, I considered myself fully initiated! And I only fell through the chute once.... hahah i got quite a few laughs out of that. Slack finished at around 11, and I was already exhausted. Fortunately, it was only day 1! 


Thursday we didn't have to be there until 3, so we spent the whole morning trying to invite as many people as we could to come to pioneer days. We handed out over 100 invites! We were almost running from house to house because we had so many people to invite! It's so much easier to talk to people when you have something to invite them to! Then we ran off to get ready for the rodeo. We had worried that we weren't very liked because we were obviously such amateurs. But the moment we showed up for round 2, questions just started flying about what we do, and why we were serving missions. It was so cool! And we saw that all throughout our rodeo experience. So many of these people haven't really been fond of the church were laughing and chatting with us. We can see there hearts opening, and although we didn't get any investigators out of this experience, we've planted seeds that will continue to grow. And if nothing else, I hope each of the people that we came in contact with can at least say, "those missionaries were so kind, and they worked so hard." And I know we did the best we could to leave that impression.


Overall the rodeo was such an amazing experience. Although a big part of the lifestyle is beer and a swear word every other word, these people are such kind-hearted, humble humans who just want to make the world better. That's something I've noticed with most Canadians. They are just so kind, and they just want to make the world a great place for all people. I hope that that is an attribute that I can take home with me.


Saturday was our Pioneer Day celebration! It felt just like being home. There were over 400 people there, and it was nothing but fun all day long! It started out with a pancake breakfast, then a short parade, and then foot races! I've always just seen little kids do the foot races, but this was for all ages! We even had 60 year old women in a full out sprint! Hahah it was a blast. Then came my favorite part, softball!! It felt so good to get back out on the field! There were about 40 people playing between the 3 teams, and everyone else was watching and cheering everyone on. It was amazing because we saw so many less actives show up that haven't been out in years! Miracles really do happen! 


Another super cool miracle we saw was with the W family. Brother and Sister W are two of the greatest people I know. She is Young Women's President and he's in the Young Men's presidency. Sister W's kids and her mom came to visit for the next few weeks. We stopped by on Wednesday to drop off a cooler, and we ended up staying and chatting with them. None of them are members, and they didn't really have any interest in the church. We decided to share the Mormon Message, "Our Fun Family Vacation." It talks about the importance of spending time with your family, and how that will help your relationships. Brother W text us later and said that they loved the video! They came to Pioneer Days as well, and by the end, they had agreed to come to church on Sunday! This is so huge people! They came and stayed for all 3 meetings on Sunday, and they want to come back next week! Their daughter-in-law, S, even mentioned that she might want to start going to church when they go back home. It is incredible. Brother and Sister W have been such faithful members of the church, and through their example, there children are making there way towards the gospel. 


I know that the words that we say and they way we live our lives makes a difference. We don't realize who is watching, and we have no clue what role we will play in someone's journey. But Heavenly Father is so aware of each of His children, and there's no cooler feeling than playing a role in that journey. I've been so overwhelmed this week with gratitude for this sacred experience of serving a mission. Just when I think it can't get better, it always does. I still can't even comprehend just how much I love these people, let alone how much Heavenly Father loves them. But what an honor and privilege to get a glimpse of it. 


I love this gospel more than I can express. I am so so blessed! I hope each of you will look for how the Lord is blessing you in your life. Because He is always showering down blessings, we just have to look for it. 


I love you all! Have a fantastic week!


Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed

Well... I warned you last week! It was another incredible week with so many experiences to share. :D It was such a fun week, I felt like I was in a full out sprint the whole time! 


Tuesday night was YSA! All of the boys in the ward were at scout camp so we did a girl's night! We watched Johnny Lingo and ate junk food. Best kind of girl's night! R, our investigator, came with one of the members, and she had so much fun! It was so fun to watch her interact with the other girls from the ward, and we know she'll be in great hands when we move on.


Wednesday was an interesting day, and it kind of ties in to yesterday as well. I woke up so ready for the day, I just knew it was going to be a great day. We started our shift at the food bank, and I started to feel pretty tired, which soon turned to exhaustion. I kept trying to drink water, eat food, walk around, anything really to wake myself up, but nothing was working! I even started to pop jelly beans to try to get at least a sugar rush, but nothing worked! It finally started to wear off as we left to go help a less active sort her bottles. It was so strange, but I just brushed it off and continued on throughout the day. I was fine the rest of the week, but I started to have similar feelings yesterday. I was getting so frustrated, there's just too many things we have to get done! But I couldn't really think straight, and I knew I need to get some rest before I would be useful, so I laid down for an hour nap. It took me awhile to convince myself that it was ok, I hate wasting time, and I know that my time on the mission is so short. But this scripture in Mosiah kept popping into my head.
 

 "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore all things must be done in order." -Mosiah 4:27


I am so dang stubborn, and I hate admitting when I'm weak, but I know that there is going to be times when my body can't keep up with me. Heavenly Father doesn't expect me to be perfect, He expects me to do my best. I know that as I continue to lean on Him and do my part by eating as healthy as I can and exercising, He will give me the strength I need. 


Thursday was Zone Meeting in Edmonton! I just love meeting up with our zone, we have some fantastic missionaries! President Pattison was able to join us for the first half, and he introduced our new mission focus, "Pray, Look, Speak, and Invite." This is our new initiative for working with the members.Everyone knows that working with members is the best way to go about the work, and the whole point of this initiative is for members to just start talking! We are so quick to shy away from talking about church when we talk about our weekend or we try not to use church lingo when telling people stories, but that's how people ask questions! So I hope each of you will try to talk to at least one person about how church was or what you did for a Relief Society activity. I promise it will open windows of opportunity to share the gospel in such an effortless way. :) Let me know if you have any cool experiences! 

We had exchanges right after Zone meeting, and our sister training leader, Sister M, made us Papusas! So dang good! Then she came with me to Cherry Grove! We taught G and R the Law of Chastity and it went so well! It's always interesting teaching it to younger people because it could go either way, but they had both already made the decision after high school to live a chaste life. So we got to have a very open and deep conversation about the meaning behind the law and the sacredness of it. They are progressing along so well, and I'm so blessed to be a part of it!

Friday we exchanged back in Smoky Lake, and then we drove another couple of hours back to our area, we got an oil check, and we stopped by a less active member, who moved.Fortunately, we met the lady who just moved in, and we had a great conversation with her. She believes in the Matee faith, but was open to talking with us and watching a video. Something we learned at Zone Meeting is that it usually takes 7 positive interactions with the church before someone will take the discussions. So although this woman didn't want to learn now, we are just the beginning of her journey towards the fulness of the gospel. Also, fun little side note, I found Sushi that I actually like! It even had fish eggs on top, and it was so good! #ivechanged


Saturday was INCREDIBLE!! We got to volunteer at a food booth at the Cold Lake Air Show on the military base. Oh my heaven! It was perfect! We were right out on the tarmac, there were planes everywhere, both on the ground and in the air, and military personnel all over. It was so cool! We were crazy busy almost the whole time, but we were able to sneak off at the end to watch the Snowbirds! It's amazing to watch such big machines fly with such grace! It blew me away. Although we weren't allowed to talk to people about the church, we had some great conversations, and a blast while doing it! 

Funny Story! So at church, Sister V and I greet everyone who comes in, and these two boys walk in and they look YSA age, so we talk to them for a few minutes and find out they're only here for a few weeks selling Vivint, and we welcome them, and then we are like... You have to come to YSA... because EVERYONE here is related and they need some new section of boys.. they're like well we will see...and then after church a big whole group of boys start leaving, and were like HOLD UP, where did they all come from... so we literally start chasing them.. (yes I am determined to help these YSA ladies in our ward to find someone that is not FAMILY!)  so we hunt them down and told them THEY all HAVE to come to the YSA Activity, and we got their number to text them the address, and they said they will come if it rains, because otherwise they have to work! Hahah I think half the ward was watching us have this conversation with them. So all the girls are praying for rain! It's a 60% chance of rain as of right now so fingers crossed! ;)


Well I've learned again this week how important it is to rely on the Lord. We have more work in this area than we can handle! And I have no idea how to see everyone, but I know that as we continue to be obedient and follow the Spirit, we will be led to those who are ready. Things will be crazy yet again this week! So please pray that my energy levels will keep up with my work load. :D


I love you all! Go make someone's day this week!


Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed

Hey Everyone!


You guessed it, another fantastic week! I'm so blessed! I keep wondering how long this joy is going to last, and I hope it's forever! We've had so many amazing experiences this week. 


I'll start off with G and R . So many miracles happened with them this week! We saw them on Wednesday, and we were expecting G's sister S to be there so we could teach the Plan of Salvation. We walked in, and there was no S! So Sister V and I were silently freaking out. hahaha we've figured out a way to send each other messages during lessons. Thanks to iPads, I "airdropped" here a note saying we should do a Book of Mormon read, and she agreed. Whew! Crisis averted! It was a great lesson, and they said they really wanted to come to church! 


We called a member to give them a ride, and they showed up on Sunday! It was so amazing to have them there. The ward was super welcoming, and they were slightly overwhelmed, but really seemed to have enjoyed it! We learned about fasting in Gospel Principles, and they found it so fascinating! They have fasted a few times in the last few months for spiritual things, and they loved that our church does that!


We had another lesson with them yesterday, and it was so cool! S was there, and two other friends joined us. So we were teaching 5 nonmembers in one lesson!! It was so cool! We taught them Lesson 3, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was so cool. One of the friends was raised in the Catholic church, and he was able to relate to each of the principles, but with new perspective. There was one moment in the lesson, and I don't remember what was going on, but there was the huge increase in the Spirit, you could almost touch it! The whole room seemed to just light up, and you could see it in everyone's eyes that the Spirit was touching their hearts. Goodness I love being a missionary!! It's so cool to watch the gospel work in people's lives! Ah I just love it!


We had the incredible opportunity to go to Girl's Camp on Friday! We're so dang lucky! One of our investigators was attending, and it was in our area, so President gave us the ok to go! It was a stake camp so there were 140 girls there. We had so much fun! It was the last day of camp, and you could just see there testimonies growing. Some of the first spiritual experiences I had were at Girl's Camp, and we were able to have some really great conversations with the girls about missions. We were also able to testify about the importance of obedience. The whole day was spent at the lake, paddle boarding, swimming, canoeing, and of course, we couldn't do any of it. Everyone kept saying, "As long as you don't fall in, you'll be fine." It's so hard when members even try to justify disobedience! haha But I know that the only way I can accomplish the Lord's work is by having the Spirit, and that comes through obedience. Of course it was tempting, but it was more important to be an example to the future sister missionaries there about the blessings of obedience. 


Saturday was a blast too! There was a family fun day held out in Cherry Grove, and we have been working with the committee on putting it together. If you aren't a member or active in Cherry Grove, it's usually because you hate the church, which is so sad. A lot of the people we were working with have very anti-feelings, but through serving them, there hearts have softened so much! They were laughing and smiling, asking us about our home lives, I say it time and time again, but service really does soften hearts! Through little things, one day their hearts will open enough to be receptive to the gospel. 


Well I hate to break it to you, but this next week is going to be just as crazy as this week! hahah so brace yourselves for another long email! I am so grateful that Heavenly Father is letting me witness so many miracles! I couldn't ask for anything better in my life!


I love you all! Have a killer week!


Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed

Happy Late Canada and Independence Day! This is such a fun time of year! Although this year was very different than most 4th of July weekends, it was a blast!


To start off, I made another bad judgement call, and I participated in another food challenge.... this time is was a pie-eating contest with the YSA. Why do I do this?? Hahaha it was hilarious! Each of us had our own pie, and the one who ate it the fastest won. For some strange reason, I chose lemon meringue, and pie that has two layers! Needless to say, I only ate half of the pie, and I don't think I'll be able to eat pie until Thanksgiving.... Hahah 


Wednesday we went and helped E. C.  clean her windows. I LOVE THIS WOMAN! She's 84, but acts like she's 60. She's as sassy as they come, and we have a blast together. When we arrived, so told us there was 1 window we weren't allowed to wash. A bird had ran into her window and left an imprint! hahahah it was hysterical! And she wanted to keep it there! So we cleaned everything except that window. It was fun to spend some time with her, her brother passed away last Sunday and the funeral was on Saturday. He was 95, so he lived a nice long good life! but it's still never easy to lose someone you love. 


Thursday was district meeting in Lloydminster! We just got moved into their district so it was fun to get to know these elders. We had a great discussion about discovering the needs of those we teach. We got into a great discussion about what blessings we have received from being members of the church

Something that hit me while we were talking was that if we truly understand the gospel, why would we ever judge people?? Like for real! If I truly believe that the Atonement can change lives, I should never think that someone is past the point of changing. There are a few people that we are working with that have been driving me crazy because we end up back at the same road blocks. I've been at a loss as to what we can do to help them, but I realized that it won't be me who changes them anyway! It's through the Savior, and it's my job to help them strengthen their relationship with Him. So my focus will now be on that, the Lord has called me to repentance! hahah

Oh Canada! It was such a good day celebrating Canada Day!  We first got to be in the parade, and we handed out candy, a lot of people were able to recognize us as missionaries, and a lot of people were nice to us, maybe because it was a holiday? ;) Then we were able to get some fresh kettle corn, and we talked to some people! then for lunch some members invited us to French Bay, which is a camp site in our area, and we got to eat sloppy joes, and veggies and some other things, then we stopped by the Ds' Home where they had another thing going on for the whole town, and it was so awesome! Ok, so every child and teenager LOVES their house, because they have a zipline, a little fishing pond, a mini fairy garden, a sand box area, a HUGE water slide down a gigantic hill, a little mine where you can dig for "Gold" and get candy for how much you find, a little adventure course, lots of mini trails and so much more! It is Kid Paradise! We ate dinner there, and a lot of people showed up to that, so we were able to talk to a bunch of people, and get to know them more, and meet some new people etc. 

Something crazy that happened was one of the kids was getting off of the zipline, and the seat popped up and smacked him in the face! It ended up slicing his eyebrow, and he had to go to the emergency room. He asked us to come with him, (he's 14 and hates blood) so we went with him and one of the Young Women. While we were waiting for him to meet with the doctor, a woman came into the ER in hysterics, she was a mess! A young man was escorted into the ER in handcuffs, and we couldn't quite tell what was going on, but Sister V, like the rockstart she is, went over and started talking to her. She was able to say a prayer with her to help calm her down, and we left her with our phone number. Although we haven't heard from her, I know that Heavenly Father put us in her path at exactly the right time, and one day, she will find the gospel. 


Saturday we helped with the funeral, and we helped a new family move in! This poor family had everything go wrong! What was originally a 10 hour drive turned into 2 days, a broken down moving truck, and 8 new puppies! It was so crazy! But they made it safe and sound. Between us and the Elder's Quorum, we had their 28 ft trailer unloaded in 50 minutes! It was the fastest the moving guy had ever seen! #mormonmuscles It made them feel so welcome the moment they arrived, and we're so excited to have them in the ward. Their whole family converted 2 1/2 years ago, and they belonged to the High Level branch, which only has about 10 people! So a ward will be a big change for them, but they will be a great addition to the ward.


Monday was a blast! We drove down to Edmonton to meet our new mission president, President P! It was so wonderful to finally meet them after hearing about them for 6 months. They are from New Brunswick, and he comes from a financial planning background. I can't wait to talk business with him! haha He converted to the church at 21, and he served in the Ogden Utah mission a year later. So he knows where Soda Springs is! It was so cool to hear his conversion story. Something really cool that he shared was about his setting apart by Elder Stephenson. President P invited his two missionaries that baptized him to come to his setting apart. Elders Soares of the Seventy was there as well, and he got pretty emotional about it. It is the first time he has ever heard of that being done, and he gives amazing perspective to the work we are engaged in. President kept telling us over and over again, "what you are doing matters! Every little effort you put up makes a difference! I am here today because of missionaries like you." It was so cool to hear that! And he is going to be able to help us see the perspective of our investigators and our converts. I have no doubt that he is exactly who should be leading this mission. He's also so cool! He let us sing the Star Spangled Banner in the middle of the meeting! hahah what a guy.


I am so dang blessed! I am so grateful to be exactly where I am right now! I just see miracles happening everywhere, and it's so cool to be a part of it. I know that Heavenly Father loves each of us, and no sheep is lost to Him. He is always aware, and His love never changes. Something that I keep thinking about is a quote from Elder Holland, I love that guy!

"However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines." -Laborers in the Vineyard


I know this is true! It's impossible for us to every be beyond the reach of the Atonement, all it takes is asking for that divine assistance, and He will lift us!


I love you all so dang much! I hope your week was as great as mine! 


Love,


Sister Bethany Christensen

#blessed