Hey Everyone!

 

I love and miss you guys so much!

 

This is the first P-day I've had because it was supposed to be Thursday, but then with the district change it changed to Friday so I had to go a really long time.  The first couple of days in this new district were quite trying.  Things are much better now. 

 

The MTC is a very cool place.  It is neat for me to see so many righteous soldiers in the army of God.  Everyone is here because they want to serve the Lord and they want to be able to stand in his presence and know that they served him.  There is a special spirit here that is hard to describe.  I have never felt the Holy Ghost in my life as much as I do right now.  Every activity that we have invites the spirit.  We bear our testimonies at least 5 times each class period.  Classes last 3 hours and sometimes we have 2 of those classes each day.  We have also been teaching investigators.  We just had our last meeting with Antonio.  Antonio needed the support of family in his life and he needed to know that there was a higher way to live.  He needed to know that (in his words) his life could be more than a trash can.  He could fill it with good things and he could be virtuous if he decided to live the word of wisdom and keep the law of chastity.  When we initially committed him to baptism, he said that he would, but it felt more like he was just agreeing with us.  The lesson we taught after that was all about baptism and the blessings that come as you become a member of the church. 

 

There are so many rights and privileges that the saints have just by being baptized.  By being baptized you are given the Holy Spirit to be with you always.  You are cleaned from all your past sins.  How incredible is that?!  Everything that you have ever done wrong can be wiped away just like that!  Baptism should really get a lot of people's attention just because of that.  After having your sins wiped away, you have the sacrament that can re-cleanse you from all your sins each week!  Sacrament is baptism again.  I learned how to take more advantage of the sacrament last year in Cedar City.  For the first time I realized that it was a complete baptism again and I could leave the church house being just as clean each Sunday as I had been after I was baptized.  Once I learned this, it motivated me try harder to be better and it changed how I thought about, prepared for, and experienced the sacrament.  I would think about things before hand, and then while the elders pass around the bread, I say a very sincere prayer to Heavenly Father and I tell him everything.  I tell him how much I want to follow him and how I want him to be proud of me and that I will follow him and do his will.  I use the atonement of Christ to repent and be cleansed from sin every week.  The incredible thing is that once we tell him and ask for his forgiveness sincerely, he atonement works for us.  This changed my life last year. 

 

One of our teachers was talking about the atonement and he asked us, "Is there a need that the atonement doesn't satisfy?"

 

Is there a need that the atonement doesn't satisfy?  Of course not!!  The atonement saves from not just sin, but also from loneliness, anxiety, stress, depression, sadness, heartache, and more.  The atonement can heal all.  That is why we must invite others to taste of the doctrine of Christ.  When I think of the connotation I have with the word "doctrine" I usually think deep, information, technical, old testament, serious general authority talks.. But, we listened to a clip from conference, I want to say it was from Holland, but he described the doctrine of the church to be: 1)sweet, 2)good, and 3)precious.  The doctrine of Christ is to a invitir las personas a venir a Cristo al ayudarlas a que reciban el Evengelio Restaurado mediate la fe in Jesucristo y su expacion, el arrepentimento, el bauptismo, la recepcion del don del espiritu santo, y el perseverar hasta el fin.  (invite other to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. 

 

Oh, P.s. so there are these great things on each floor and they are called 'give away boxes'.  Basically when you are leaving the MTC you can put anything in the boxes that you don't want and other people can pick through them.  I love looking through the boxes because there is a book box and a lot of people leave their spanish books.  Like the ones that we learn out of.  Ok, the books that we learn Spanish from are INCREDIBLE!!!  They are so good!  I can see why people are able to pick up the language. Also, everything we practice relates back to the Savior, and so he helps us.  The sentences we practice are sentences like: yo se que Jesucristo es el salvador.  The grammar that we learn is all illustrated on practice sentences about the gospel.  Some of the sentences have very special truths in them.  We are always surrounded by the spirit.  Anyway, back to topic. I have found the main red grammar book with a bunch of Spanish principles in it.  I also found the little red book with all the gospel vocabulary. I have been looking for a good conditioned copy of each of them so I could send them to you.  Does this make me a scavenger?  Haha  probably!  It's great!  So if you want me to send you these books, you might really enjoy looking at the structure and the vocabulary and honestly, I think you could learn spanish if you looked through these books!  So, digame! :)  I need a computer where I can put the accents on the spanish words!

 

This same teacher is incredible.  He asked us if we were afraid to invite people to get baptized.  He said if we knew that there was a river of horchata on campus, would we be afraid to tell people about it?  Would we be ashamed to invite them to come and partake of the sweetness that would make them happy if we knew about it and knew how much better it would make their lives.  This completely changed my perspective.  When you  tell someone about baptism, you let them into the gate that allows them to experience so much love and support and truth and purity.  When you don't tell people about baptism you deny them that.  Inviting someone to get baptized it the least selfish thing you can do.  I want to tell people about baptism and invite them to taste of the sweetness of the doctrine of Christ. 

 

Next week I need to tell you about the amazing fireside we had on Sunday.  It was Janice Kapp Perry and Mr. Janice Kapp Perry.  They were so so wonderful!  You will love their story.

 

My nose is not broken.  Just a little bit numb!  It should stop being that way in about 3 months.  I'm taking care of it.  Most of the swelling has gone down.  I have a literal countdown (my companion!) 

 

I have to go! 

 

I love you so so so much!!!

 

Love, Emily :)

-- 

Hermana Christensen

California San Fernando Mission

23504 Lyons Ave Ste 107

Santa Clarita, CA 91321-2530