Week 10

Loved ones,

I love being a missionary. Your eyes are opened to things you've never
seen before and your heart is opened up to people in a way you never
imagined possible.

This week we were able to witness Sister Sims be baptized. She is a
powerful, strong, and beautiful. She is a single mom raising 4
wonderful children. The Elders in our ward are the assistants to the
president (really amazing missionaries). They have been teaching her
since March. She developed an amazing testimony and planned to be
baptized. When the date came closer to decided not to be baptized. Her
concerns were women and the Priesthood and giving up tea (her mom is
British).

About a month ago Sister Tau'aho and I started teaching her. We sang
Families Can Be Together Forever to her and her youngest daughter
Clare. Sometimes I would get nervous singing that song because not
everyone has the ideal family life... But they loved it. Slowly we
taught her about the temple and the power that comes from making
covenants with God there. We promised her if she moved forward with
faith understanding would come later. She told us she felt a weight
being lifted off of her when we told her that.

That weekend was the General Women's meeting. An amazing member, who I
hope to be like one day, had us over along with 2 investigators and a
recent convert to the church for dinner and drove us all to the
church. So many prayers were answered in such a short amount of time.
Especially for Sister Sims. The next day we invited her to be baptized
on the 17th and she accepted.

More answers came for her from our Ward Conference and even more from
General Conference the week after. We knew she was still struggling
giving up tea and coffee actually. We brought it up with her and she
said she knew God was working on her because she made a cup of coffee
and she didn't like the taste!! Woah! We had a dinner and FHE at the
mission presidents home with her family on fasting. I was able to
share the experience I had almost exactly a year before that put me on
the path to go on a mission. I was able to testify of the power of
fasting and of the answers I received while attending church. While I
received wonderful answers during the first two hours of church I
would not have had answers to a majority of my concerns if I had not
attended the third hour. I love church. Revelation happens there. We
invited everyone to fast with us to help Sister Sims keep the Word of
Wisdom and attend church on Sunday.

Sister Sims was sick as a dog on Sunday and still came and still
fasted. We went to see her the next day. Her mom had come by earlier
and told her it was probably better for her health to not have to
caffeine and she was supportive of her. Wow! Her mom and her heritage
were her biggest concern with not having tea. The power of a proper
fast is incredible!

The missionaries that taught her family originally flew out to watch
her be baptized and confirmed. She is a blessing to me. I love her so
much.

The gospel of Jesus Christ changes us. A return missionary spoke in
church and she said "The what informs and the why transforms". I am a
work in progress. How thankful I am that our Savior takes me as I am
and makes all the difference.

I love each of you! I pray for you! I am thankful for the strength
your prayers give me!

❤️
Sister Christensen

 Miss May cooked breakfast for us after we mowed her lawn.

 It was salmon cakes and cheesy grits!

 Sister Sims' baptism!