Hasta la Victoria!

Sooooooooo here´s the updates for this week.

We’ve been doing plenty of teaching, and we´ve seen some success. One of our investigators named Ivonne passed her baptismal interview yesterday and she’ll be baptized this Sunday in the Stake Center before Conference. Her cousin, Maria José, has told us she wants to be baptized and has a baptismal date for the 11th of April, so the only thing holding her back is we need to teach her some more things like the word of wisdom, etc. and number of attendances in church. For someone to be baptized they need to pass the interview and have at least attended 3 times. So we’re excited for those two. We have several other investigators with baptismal dates, but they’re not coming to church cuz everyone here is sooooo LAZY haha, it’s frustrating cuz we put a lot of time with them this week and they told us for sure they were coming, but Sunday morning at 10:00 am is way too early for them....lazy lazy. The new Elder’s cool, he’s not way excited for the work, and this is because he had a lot of problems with his last comp, and they had very little success. They were together two transfers and didn’t baptize anybody. That would be hard on anybody, but he’s chill and we’ve gotten to know each other better. He’s starting to show more excitement here with Elder Sarmiento. Sarmiento and Mayberry had a lot of success lately with 3 baptisms last week, and 3 more this week. We have one for next week, and two planned for the 11th, so we’re completing our goals and baptizing every week. Not much else to tell, this week went by way fast. I´m waaaaaayyy excited for this week cuz we have a mission conference this Wednesday (a possible package from home) and General Conference this weekend!!!!!! I am so excited to hear from our Prophet and Apostles cuz it just pumped me up sooo much when I was in the MTC. I loved your guys emails and pics so thanks for that. P.S. please stop destroying the basement that I helped build, pretty please. I have many plans laid in store for that area, BYU games, XBOX with all my RM buddies, and plenty of movies with the lady friends, so if you guys wouldn’t mind being a little more careful i’d appreciate it haha. (We had a flood in our basement this weekend)

I love you all tons and thanks so much for the prayers and the fasting, I’m sure we’ll be seeing the blessings of that soon, but Ivonne, Maria José, and all others need the continued prayers to protect them and keep them excited.

Much Love

Tanner

P.S. I forgot to tell you guys that yesterday I gave my first talk here in Chile! Saturday night as we were getting home, there was someone sitting on our porch. When I saw that it was the first counselor in the bishopric i knew something was up. He told us that they needed someone to give a talk in Sacrament meeting the next day (remember this is at 10:00 pm right before we go to bed) Elder Viana immediately said ¨Elder Christenson would love to do it¨ What a great companion I have haha. I was a bit surprised and annoyed with him at first, but oh well, it was alright. The next morning I prepared my talk in 5 minutes while Elder Viana was showering. They let me pick the topic, so I just stuck with what I know best, The gospel of Jesus Christ. I was a bit nervous, but gave my talk, and afterward everyone told me I did a good job. I felt it was a little unorganized, but I didn’t really care cuz I prepared it in freaking 5 minutes and talked for 15!

I just want to tell you guys that every Monday I feel a little homesick, but not in a bad way. It’s just that when I read your emails I feel so loved and well taken care of that I just want to give you all a hug. Anyways I love you all TONS!!!!

Time for me to go back to work. Hasta la victoria!!

Elder Christenson

(This next post is a letter to his dad)

Good news that American Fork and my previous life isn’t all changing drastically on me haha way to keep up old traditions and keep up with the Landscaping, be careful with that back. I suggest putting that good healthy back of Mckay to work as much as possible haha. I’m sure excited about landing that job, cuz I always remember you every spring saying that we weren’t going to have food for the next year and stressing about landing jobs. Every year the Lord and taken care of our family, it’s just that this year with a missionary it looks like those blessings are getting bigger, so I’ll do my part and you do yours, so you can pay for my schooling when I get back haha. Sounds like you guys are showing Tim the trip of his life going snowboarding, and shooting guns, and introducing him to the True Church of Jesus Christ.

(Tim is a German exchange student who is living with us for a couple of weeks)

I’m sure he’s lovin it there! Tell that kid if he wants to know for himself all he has to do is follow: LOMA, Leer, Orar, Meditar, Asistir or RPMA in english haha Read (the scriptures), Pray (very specifically if the Church is true), Meditate, and Attend church. It’s the key and it works. Also thanks for the prayers and fasting. We had 3 people in church, but we should be getting more. I really want to baptize someone that could receive the priesthood, but the truth is that the women here let us into their houses to listen to our message, and the men shut the doors in our faces. It’s frustrating, but we’re working and finding some more men to teach. Anyways we’re doing good and we’re excited here for the future of the ward. We’re bringing a lot of Youth into the ward, and when I first got here there wasn’t that much. The members are excited and have told us several times that the work has picked up big time the last few months.

Thanks for the email, news, and counsel daddio! I love ya tons and I look forward to hearing how all things go for ya as work picks up.

Tanner

p.s. SO EXCITED FOR CONFERENCE THIS WEEKEND WOOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!