Happy New Year! What a full and amazing week it has been! It started
out with a drive to Edmonton to pick up my new companion! But first we
had to drive to Camrose to pick a sister up. It's about an hour west
of the freeway and what a beautiful drive! It was awesome to see some
new scenery and add a few landmarks to the list of places to visit.
One of those includes a railway museum! Just for you Dad! 😉
We arrived in Edmonton, and I got my wonderful companion, Sister
P! I just love this girl so much! It has been quite adjustment
having had the same companion for 3 months, but she has had 5
companions, so she really has an idea of what works and what doesn't.
She is hilarious! I haven't laughed this hard in 3 months! But we have
also been working so hard over the last week, I come home so
exhausted by the end of the night! But I've never called upon the
powers of heaven more, she has really helped me understand the
importance of relying on the spirit! A huge example of this is with
our investigator B!
We finally got to talk with B and his family about their trip to
Temple Square, they loved it so much! But B loved it more than all
of them! He said, "Everyone just makes sure that you are ok. There
were missionaries everywhere! It was wonderful!" We asked about seeing
the model of the temple in the visitors center because he was really
looking forward to it! He said, "It was good, but I didn't really look
at it, I'd rather see when I go inside." How is this guy not
baptized?! Sister L and I just couldn't figure this out! I was
really looking forward to having Sister P because I knew she
could bring a new perspective. We prayed and prayed so earnestly to
know what we could do for him. And we received the revelation that he
needs to be baptized this Saturday! We had a lesson scheduled with him
Sunday night, but of course it was Fast Sunday. We were at the end of
fast and testimony meeting, and all of a sudden, B bolts up and
bears his testimony!! 🙌🏼 it was incredible and the spirit was so
strong and present! We knew that this was the perfect preface to our
lesson that night.
We got pretty nervous because we have asked B to be baptized so many
times, and it was always the same answer, but we went forward with
faith! We read 2 Nephi 31 with him, and then Sister P extended
the invitation! Same answer we've always gotten, "I'll pray about it."
Then Sister P, like a boss, challenged him to pray for it right
there with us! So B prayed, then I prayed, then Sister P
prayed, and then his wife, L, offered one of the most humble,
sincere prayers I've ever heard! The Spirit was tangible! But B
still didn't get the answer he was searching for. So he decided that
he was going to fast for 48 hours to get his answer!! 😳 I think that
pretty much guarantees an answer! What incredible faith! So we are
fasting with him for the last part of his fast today! I know that he
can receive his answer! And I have faith that we will be having a
baptism on Saturday! So please please keep him in your prayers! We
want to get this family sealed as soon as possible!
So after transfer meeting, I got to see Sister S, my favorite
Australian sister from my MTC group! I. Love. This. Sister! We started
talking a million miles an hour, and we decided we should all go to
lunch! What she said next made my whole life, "How about we go to the
West Ed food court?" Is this real life?!?! West Ed as in the West
Edmonton mall?? As in the biggest mall in North America?!?! Done! I
was geeking out the entire way there! I only got to see about 1/4 of
the mall, but it was everything I dreamed of and more! The best part
was right above the food court was the promised land, the Apple
Store!! 🎊🎉 I didn't get to go inside, but I think that was a good
thing, I might have grabbed someone's easypay and started answering
people's questions! 😂 This mall is giant! Haha next step will be
actually shopping while I'm there!
After lunch, we started to head back to Lacombe! Sister L had a GPS,
but she took it with her. We have an app on our iPads that works but
isn't ideal. I figured between Sister P and I, we could get home
easily. So we hop on the Anthony Henday drive in Edmonton which is one
of the main freeways. We're moving along, just chatting away getting
to know each other. I start to realize that none of this is looking
familiar, but we keep going. I finally have Sister P check our
directions. We realized that we were now at the north east corner of
Edmonton, and we were gonna have to drive 30 minutes south just to get
back to our starting point! We had gone the wrong way! 😂 So instead
of the usually hour it takes to get to Camrose, it took us 2 1/2
total! Once we switched back cars with the Camrose sisters, we had
another hour and a half to drive. So our day was pretty much shot, but
we had a great time! Haha thank goodness I know my way around Lacombe!
Naturally New Years was pretty quiet for us! Haha it didn't even feel
like New Year's! But what an incredible year 2015 was! I never would
have imagined in a million years that I was spend this next year on a
mission! But I love that I get to dedicate this year to my Savior. I
have found so much joy in this work, and I can't wait to have the best
year of my life! Thank you for your prayers! I love you!
Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed
P.S.- we went to a wedding reception Saturday night, and the Stake
President's wife was asked to sing. The music started playing, and it
was "I honestly love you" by Olivia Newton-John. How cheesy! She gets
to the chorus, and she shoves a chip in her mouth! And then she sings,
"I love food! I honestly love food!" Apparently the bride is known for
her love of food! I was crying I was laughing so hard! She was shoving
brownies in her mouth, eating an apple, someone has got to recreate
this at my wedding!
out with a drive to Edmonton to pick up my new companion! But first we
had to drive to Camrose to pick a sister up. It's about an hour west
of the freeway and what a beautiful drive! It was awesome to see some
new scenery and add a few landmarks to the list of places to visit.
One of those includes a railway museum! Just for you Dad! 😉
We arrived in Edmonton, and I got my wonderful companion, Sister
P! I just love this girl so much! It has been quite adjustment
having had the same companion for 3 months, but she has had 5
companions, so she really has an idea of what works and what doesn't.
She is hilarious! I haven't laughed this hard in 3 months! But we have
also been working so hard over the last week, I come home so
exhausted by the end of the night! But I've never called upon the
powers of heaven more, she has really helped me understand the
importance of relying on the spirit! A huge example of this is with
our investigator B!
We finally got to talk with B and his family about their trip to
Temple Square, they loved it so much! But B loved it more than all
of them! He said, "Everyone just makes sure that you are ok. There
were missionaries everywhere! It was wonderful!" We asked about seeing
the model of the temple in the visitors center because he was really
looking forward to it! He said, "It was good, but I didn't really look
at it, I'd rather see when I go inside." How is this guy not
baptized?! Sister L and I just couldn't figure this out! I was
really looking forward to having Sister P because I knew she
could bring a new perspective. We prayed and prayed so earnestly to
know what we could do for him. And we received the revelation that he
needs to be baptized this Saturday! We had a lesson scheduled with him
Sunday night, but of course it was Fast Sunday. We were at the end of
fast and testimony meeting, and all of a sudden, B bolts up and
bears his testimony!! 🙌🏼 it was incredible and the spirit was so
strong and present! We knew that this was the perfect preface to our
lesson that night.
We got pretty nervous because we have asked B to be baptized so many
times, and it was always the same answer, but we went forward with
faith! We read 2 Nephi 31 with him, and then Sister P extended
the invitation! Same answer we've always gotten, "I'll pray about it."
Then Sister P, like a boss, challenged him to pray for it right
there with us! So B prayed, then I prayed, then Sister P
prayed, and then his wife, L, offered one of the most humble,
sincere prayers I've ever heard! The Spirit was tangible! But B
still didn't get the answer he was searching for. So he decided that
he was going to fast for 48 hours to get his answer!! 😳 I think that
pretty much guarantees an answer! What incredible faith! So we are
fasting with him for the last part of his fast today! I know that he
can receive his answer! And I have faith that we will be having a
baptism on Saturday! So please please keep him in your prayers! We
want to get this family sealed as soon as possible!
So after transfer meeting, I got to see Sister S, my favorite
Australian sister from my MTC group! I. Love. This. Sister! We started
talking a million miles an hour, and we decided we should all go to
lunch! What she said next made my whole life, "How about we go to the
West Ed food court?" Is this real life?!?! West Ed as in the West
Edmonton mall?? As in the biggest mall in North America?!?! Done! I
was geeking out the entire way there! I only got to see about 1/4 of
the mall, but it was everything I dreamed of and more! The best part
was right above the food court was the promised land, the Apple
Store!! 🎊🎉 I didn't get to go inside, but I think that was a good
thing, I might have grabbed someone's easypay and started answering
people's questions! 😂 This mall is giant! Haha next step will be
actually shopping while I'm there!
After lunch, we started to head back to Lacombe! Sister L had a GPS,
but she took it with her. We have an app on our iPads that works but
isn't ideal. I figured between Sister P and I, we could get home
easily. So we hop on the Anthony Henday drive in Edmonton which is one
of the main freeways. We're moving along, just chatting away getting
to know each other. I start to realize that none of this is looking
familiar, but we keep going. I finally have Sister P check our
directions. We realized that we were now at the north east corner of
Edmonton, and we were gonna have to drive 30 minutes south just to get
back to our starting point! We had gone the wrong way! 😂 So instead
of the usually hour it takes to get to Camrose, it took us 2 1/2
total! Once we switched back cars with the Camrose sisters, we had
another hour and a half to drive. So our day was pretty much shot, but
we had a great time! Haha thank goodness I know my way around Lacombe!
Naturally New Years was pretty quiet for us! Haha it didn't even feel
like New Year's! But what an incredible year 2015 was! I never would
have imagined in a million years that I was spend this next year on a
mission! But I love that I get to dedicate this year to my Savior. I
have found so much joy in this work, and I can't wait to have the best
year of my life! Thank you for your prayers! I love you!
Sister Bethany Christensen
#blessed
P.S.- we went to a wedding reception Saturday night, and the Stake
President's wife was asked to sing. The music started playing, and it
was "I honestly love you" by Olivia Newton-John. How cheesy! She gets
to the chorus, and she shoves a chip in her mouth! And then she sings,
"I love food! I honestly love food!" Apparently the bride is known for
her love of food! I was crying I was laughing so hard! She was shoving
brownies in her mouth, eating an apple, someone has got to recreate
this at my wedding!