Avoid Eternigation

There is an investigator here in Luodong named Hanny who has been investigating for over a year and wouldn't ever commit to a date. After investigating for that long, missionaries call that investigator an "eternigator." 

She told us a few months ago that if she commits, she will follow through. But even though we invited her every time we saw her, she would not commit. Today I want to talk a little bit about how we can each avoid "eternigation" in our own lives. 

This week she had two experiences that confirmed to her she should be baptized. The first was a member’s testimony. Hanny loves animals and this member, Liu Jiemei, did too. 

In fact, the reason Liu JM even started investigating the church is because her dog died and her preacher told her she would never see it again because animals didn't have souls.

But then almost immediately after, she met the missionaries from our church. Through scriptures and their message she felt comforted and decided to be baptized. This story touched Hanny and she felt the spirit. 

So, point one is that member’s testimonies are crucial. Without Liu's testimony, Hanny would not have taken the steps to find an answer. 

Story 2: Hanny asked a member to take her to Taipei for a temple tour. As she sat in the chapel, a young man started playing a rendition of "Nearer My God to Thee." She said she knew by the spirit at that time she needed to follow Christ and be baptized. 

You must first take action and second go to places where you can feel the spirit. Hanny will be baptized this coming Saturday and I must say that the missionaries have been inviting her for a very long time with no results. 

But through members, holy places and ACTION she found her answer! She came up to us after English class on Wednesday and told us the news and yesterday she had her interview so she is ready! What a miracle! 

Avoid becoming an eternigator. When you have a question, a temptation or don't no what you are to do, take action, rely on a member’s testimony, and go somewhere you can feel the spirit. 

Lillie's pony and Papa's paintings

But take action! 

Love, Elder Henry David Christensen

Earthquake!

During studies this morning we experienced an earthquake! It was really small but moved our building back and forth for a little bit it was cool. It was my first one ever and so that was nice. The rain has also been heating up recently. Big drops of bathwater and pollution make for a fun bike ride! 

We also made some rice last night on our own and it was hard on the top but really really mushy on the bottom. So I am not quite on the level of the Taiwanese as far as rice making goes.. Dang it!

Besides those random facts, this last Sunday Lin DX received the Holy Ghost! It was a great experience to see him make that confirming step. He has a lot of faith and even though his knowledge of the gospel is maybe not even basic yet he knows the small and simple truths of the gospel. Just like how in Conference we were told to look at the children hymn books and find the truths in those songs, he spends time each sacrament reading the hymn book! It is pretty great. 

After he was confirmed he shook the hands of those who participated in the ordinance and then walked up to the stand to shake hands with the bishop which was really cute. haha He is my favorite. 

I also went on exchanges with an Elder Gray. He is younger than me on the mission and struggles to communicate in Chinese, but he is so humble and really relies on the spirit to teach. He taught me a lot and I was grateful for that experience. It also made me realize that even if I can speak more fluently, I am still going to be a horrible teacher unless I rely on the spirit. 

We shared a talk about faith with an investigator named Hanny called "Lord I Believe" by Elder Holland. We are inviting her for the 100th time to be baptized, but This Is The Week. So keep me in your prayers that we may know how to help her accept this invitation. I am happy and I am excited for the work ahead. I think one way a mission helps me become truly converted is through change. No one who is flawed can be truly converted unless they recognize Christ and act on His teachings. 

Thank you all for support and love that I have been shown every week! Keep on trying! 

Elder Henry David Christensen 

P.S.

REVELATION FOR LILLIE JANE: 

As I was praying earlier this week I felt a prompting that Lillie Jane needs to be doing family history. Introduce her to our family’s FamilySearch website and get her to interview and add to it. I recently had to do a booklet about my ancestors and only had that site, which is missing so much attainable information. She needs to do this I am convinced it is what she needs to improve. Have her get birthdays, stories, pictures, everything. Everyone must be accounted for!!

Home

First let me just say that I do love my Ma and Pa. This conference had a lot of people speak about marriage and families and that mostly made me think of my mom and dad. They are an example to me of a wonderful marriage and fantastic parents. I am grateful for them so very much.

In Elder Quentin L. Cooks talk on Saturday he told the story of a sailor who had a clock that his father had given him to remind him of home. With this watch he kept the time the same as it was at home so he could think of what his family was doing at those times and keep them close to him. 

As I got out of the shower the other day I looked at my watch and it had been bumped or switched to the setting where it shows what time it is at home. How convenient! It was about 7:00 in the morning here and that means it was about 5:00 at night back home in Utah. My family would soon be blessing their food and praying for me (hopefully, I need it) just like in the story Elder Cook told. 

It was kind of a special moment for me. At that time a line from a sing-along-blog I saw once popped out to me. "Home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest!" 

I am at home here in Taiwan. I love the people and I do not want to go home soon.

Often, however, I feel like Sam and Frodo on Mt. Doom. Thinking of the things I am missing or have forgotten. For example my companion and I last night were trying to sing Micheal Jackson songs but could barely remember any words! It happens to all missionaries sadly, but it is worth it to forget somethings you love to focus on what is really important and find the true love of Christ. 

I do think of home often. Not in a longing way, just in a loving way. I am very grateful for the home I was raised in. Many times in my life I felt like the older brother in Elder Holland's talk. Making that vertical leap with nothing there to grab onto. I felt like I was slipping but always holding my right hand was Christ. I also believe wholeheartedly that my parents were always holding my left hand and keeping me from falling down. Remember Christ and love your parents. I only wish I could have been better at this before my mission and I hope to show my love for them afterwards. 

But not yet, not yet.   

Elder Henry David Christensen 

p.s. It is going by too quickly. that is all. 

I only hope to improve so I can become all that you think of me. You think too highly of me!

I love my mother dearly. Have a good week. Read the scriptures everyday everyday everyday. (especially the war chapters they are some of my favorites) and pray oft. 

Love your one and only

Satan will cross you

This week we had a conversation with a man named Edmond. He was a friendly man and very easy to talk to at first. But when we asked him if he believed in God, he said that it doesn't matter. In the end he told us that he believed we all came from nature and that we have no purpose in life. 

We never argued with him but just asked questions. He was pretty deeply rooted, so we didn't change his beliefs but we were able to show him through the spirit that maybe he wasn't thinking straight. It was a really sad experience to see that Satan had such a strong hold on him, taking small truths and twisting them into big lies. 

My point in telling you this is that even with all his reasoning and knowledge and self proclaimed wisdom, man is susceptible to Satan. But with the wisdom that is true and pure which is from God, we saw this man contradict himself several times. Satan's lies can only go so far when defending against the truth of the gospel. 

On a different note, Lin DX was baptized! It was a very beautiful service. We met with him before and he practiced his baptism and his testimony and then we changed into white and met in the chapel. There several members bore testimony and we proceeded to the font. His baptism was short but the spirit was there and I am sure it did not leave anyone who was there the entire night. 

Afterwards, he bore his testimony which caused all the members to smile and call him cute (because he really is the cutest old man.) Then bishop Zheng bore his testimony, during which he apologized for doubting. He related how when he first met Lin DX he had doubts and did not think he could be baptized so quickly. But then he recognized his flaw and repented and was so happy and excited to see Lin Dx following Christ. It was wonderful. 

This week had a lot of real highs and some lows but with God the ups will always be higher than the downs and I am grateful for that.

Elder Henry David Christensen 

Easter Initiative

This week we traveled to Taipei at 6:00 AM and were there until 7:00 PM. The reason for this extremely long day spent in Taipei was the special training zone meeting. President Day, Sister Day, the temple sisters, assistants to the president, and our zone leaders trained us for what in reality was a really long training but it felt very short and I really enjoyed it. We learned about a lot of things but most importantly was the new Easter Initiative. The First Presidency has issued this message: The Easter holiday provides  a natural time to testify of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and to 

invite all to learn more of His teachings.  Use the initiative to help  the your mission discover, embrace, and share the Atonement of  Jesus Christ, which makes salvation possible.

So, from now until they tell us to stop, we will be sharing this simple message. Because He lives. There is an awesome video they made that we have been sharing. If you have not yet seen this video then look up: #becausehelives . It is awesome! And I am really excited to help all know that Christ is not gone from us. We can see him every day through our actions and through the actions of others. If all things are done with love, Christ will be found.

On another note, today I want to talk about Amahs. An amah is a very old old lady and they are typically found picking up garbage, driving scooters with a large mass of garbage on the back, or in a park slapping themselves on the arms or legs. These old women are wonderful. Though they speak only Taiwanese for the most part they are really funny to talk to. Taiwanese is quite the language. It shares similar sounds as Chinese sometimes but is a different language and my American mouth was not made to make the sounds that the Taiwanese language requires. It involves a lot of grunting and it sounds really funny. Amahs are awesome and if you are ever having a bad day go help an amah. But, a warning, if they are driving watch out because they just go for it no matter the color of the light or where they are. 

we found Sting

I am also very honored that President Child would make such a nice comment. He is such a wonderful man. I hope he and Sister Pat are doing ok. I will pray for them.

I am excited for Lillie’s pony! I hope it comes with note attached!

I love you mom. Thank you for the example you set. I am, as the aliens in Toy Story say, "eternally grateful."

Elder Henry David Christensen 

Hope ya Know I Had a Hard Time

my sketch of the week

I didn't really have too hard of a week. I have gone through a pretty good cold though. It started with a sore throat and now I am sitting here with a nose that resembles a faucet that doesn't quite turn all the way off. 

But I am happy. Truly the only bad part of the week was being sick and that was still not enough to really make it hard. (unless you count trying to speak Chinese with a stuffy nose.)

my area! and that is my zone leader elder hughes and some people we met 

The title of this week’s email is after this link that I am attaching. It is a clip from one of Elder Quentin L Cook's talks. His invitation towards the end of the video is to find someone who is having a hard time and to help them. It is simple but I think it is hard to serve people because when we ask "is there anything I can do to help?" most people reply with "No." 

That is why we must take action! Taking action is something Christ asks us to do with everything. We can't gain a testimony without praying and reading, we cannot learn how to be humble without lowering ourselves, and I have found that to serve people we must do one simple thing. Serve them. 

I am also going to try and take action in living up this invite.

This small clip made me happy and hopeful so please take a moment to watch it:

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-05-21-hope-ya-know-we-had-a-hard-time?lang=eng

Elder Henry David Christensen

下雨 RAIN!

There was a lot of rain this week which is not surprising in Taiwan, but the part that makes it notable is that it was freezing cold! And as you may or may not know, most people don't like the cold, especially me! This made it difficult for us because literally NO ONE would answer our phone calls! 

We made a list of the people that wouldn't answer and it included 90% of our investigators. So, we had very few set ups which meant a lot of finding. Riding a bike in the rain is an experience I believe everyone should have because it really just helps you feel humble. Next time it rains.. SEIZE THE DAY! 

Because of this rain our week was very slow, but Sunday was and always is the day of miracles! 

First, It was very sunny and second we had set-ups almost every hour! (funny how on a sunny day we were inside people's homes all day).

We started by visiting Huang Shi Neng. He has improved a lot this week and I would like to thank all those who have been praying for him because he is off of alcohol! And on top of that he has a goal to make it to the temple to help his family become eternal. What a miracle! 

In Jeremiah chapter 29 we are given this promise about prayer: 

"12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14 And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:" I know because of prayer we can be found of God. He will come to us and he will comfort us. 

I saw an amazing example of this as we sat in a small circle in the worn down home of Lin Jun Feng, listening to this 70 year old man witness that what we have been teaching him is true and that he would be willing to follow Christ and receive baptism. As he prayed in closing he thanked God for allowing him to meet me and my companion and that we could help him to know Christ.

Oh, and this almost brought me to my knees. I KNOW it was not me that taught this man. I know it will NEVER be me because I know that when we seek God, with all of our hearts, he will be found IN us. And when he is found in us, we become his messengers. I hope that today and tomorrow and hopefully through all of this next week and eternity, God can be found in us. 

Elder Henry David Christensen