Robert vs The Last Letter

Ya'aat'eeh! Loloma! Heenohwahtahmo! Maik! Danjo!

Those are all of the different ways to say hello I have learned from the people I have served in this area.  This last week I was able to spend a day on the Apache reservation walking and knocking on doors.  That was awesome I wish I would have been able to serve there.

My mission to the Lamanites/Nephites has come to a close and I have realized that a mission is the best schooling the church and the Lord can provide on how to "grow up."  Its been a lot of fun and extremely stressful and rewarding.  I have learned that I have a lot of learning yet to do and now that I am done I need to figure out how to "perfect" myself as much as I can so I can help others.  I am not going to write a big letter.  Just thanking everyone for all that they have done  for me and am grateful that I have been able to accomplish this duty with everyone's help.  It will be good to be back in Boise to breathe some Idaho air. as cold as it is.  I have longed for Idaho, and that Blue field. I have been a "defender of the blue" down here.  Here I come!

Robert vs The Last Week

Howdy Howdy!!!

Well this is my last full week as a missionary.  I am with 2 zone leaders in Aztec which is right next to Farmington. I am so happy to end this way because the 2 guys I am with are 2 of my closest mission buddies besides one other guy and Elder Johnson.  We get along great and work hard and have lots of fun laughing at each other.  There aren't to many Natives here but whenever we run into one or go into ones home they just sit back and let me take over its so funny.  We have been cleaning a ladies trailer the last few days, holy cow talk about a mess.  I don't think I could even get this dirty if I tried. It took like an hour of picking stuff just to find that this lady even had a wood floor underneath, crazy.  We have been doing lots of service for people.  Feels good to do some service for anyone in need of a pick me up. 

   

The Aztec area is way fun with lots of interesting people and ward members.  We had dinner with a family the other night and from our perspective we got way to rowdy while playing games and talking with the family.  The Father was teasing me so much I almost called him Llyr and told him to stop.  Seriously though one of the funniest nights ever...missionaries do stupid things sometimes when people want to hold hands and pray.  Like rubbing each others hands trying to get them to laugh and ya....that carried over to that night and I was asked to say the prayer and Elder Dodge rubbed my leg under the table and I lost it....which made him lose it...and I could stop laughing so I just ended the prayer all quick.  So funny....then we get a text from the father the next day saying that was the funnest and best time his family has ever had with missionaries.  That made me feel good. Other then that I am back to people bible bashing with me at doors and ya I have and to calm myself down a few times.  I cant stand white people.  I am very happy to be here with Bowman and Dodge we have a blast together. See yall in 10 days!

Love Elder Christensen

Robert vs The Apache Rez

Ya'aat'eeh!!!

My last day in Tuba City...well actually I am leaving in like 2 hours.  I have to go to Page for a while and around 5pm tonight I will be heading to Farmington.  I swill spend the night in Farmington and be headed to Aztec for my last 2 weeks.  I will be hangin with the Zone leaders which one of them is my MTC companion, Elder Bowman.   We haven't even been in the same zone our entire missions so it will be fun to be with him again. 

Only said goodbye to a couple people at church yesterday.  I didn't really have time to create any relationships or anything here.  That's okay though.  I really enjoyed being in Tuba City despite having to live with some people that really got on my nerves.  I tried not to let it get to me.  I hope I get to go on exchanges to Dulce while I am in Aztec. Dulce is the Apache reservation that was just opened up a few weeks ago.  That would be sweeeet!  

Nothin to crazy happened this week though.  We were out in Red Lake one day waaaaay out der...and we were drivin around this mountain called "wildcat" trying to find someone and we came across this wall....like I am talking an ancient wall that looks exactly how Moroni described it...heaps of earth and everything.  It was of course a little beat up and rugged but it was definitely man made.  Ya never know...I took a few pictures as we explored it a bit so that was awesome.

That night though coming back into town all of our plans fell through so we decided to just see someone not expecting to go inside but just talk to her at the door and check on her.  Well happened to be that the whole family was home for once so we went in and they started asking us all of these crazy questions about Jesus 2nd coming and stuff.  We ended up teaching the plan of salvation and it was probably one of the best lessons of my mission.  So much fun.  Good week.

But ya I will be just tryin not to get to lazy my last 2 weeks but I don't think that will be a problem being with ZL's. Thats it folks!  Ha'goo'nee'!!!

Love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. Cowlicks

Ya'aat'eeh!!!

This week went by in a blur.  I went to Hopiland again for another day which was of course very satisfying.  I also went on splits with the other companionship that we live with.  We spent a lot of the day in the village of Moenkopi.  Which is another Hopi village that I never had the chance to go to because of how far away it was.  Thats it though!  I have knocked on and handed BOMS out in every Hopi Village in the entire world!  Sweetness.  Chopped a lot of wood and I was given probably the best compliment I have ever received from a drunk person and I quote...."HEY.....I really like your cowlick!"  that was it, hit the spot, I was tearing up right there.  Pretty funny.


It was actually a really awesome experience that day.  We spent some time talking to a member family there.  In their house President Spencer W. Kimball spent many many nights when he came to visit the Lamanites.  He would go out and shuck corn with all of the old grandmas.  The 99 year old woman that is still living with the family we visited was the wife of the very first Native American Patriarch and was set apart and released by President Kimball several times.  He would come down specifically for this couple for every setting apart and release.  I made sure to get a picture with her.  Definitely going to study up more on that man.


This is my last week in Tuba City and I will be headed off somewhere near the mission home.  Weird but also satisfying that...I did it!  I didn't think I would be able to.  Its been a blast for sure.  We were able to set another person date for baptism in January so that was good.  Things are moving on steadily here in Tuba City.

  Love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. Dinner on the Mesa

Ya'aat'eeh!!!

This week went by in a flippin blur!!  I was on Hopi land from Monday-Thursday this week.  It was an honor to go back and visit a bunch of people and friends.  I was surprised at how well everyone remembered me and were excited to see me.  Sure made me feel good.  I chopped a bunch of wood and ate lots of Hopi food and of course got to sleep in my dinky little RV again that I missed so much.....not really.  I was with an Elder during that time that was from Kuna.  He actually knows that Hainsworth family well so that was fun to talk about Boise area with him.  He told that they are rearranging the school districts and whatnot....that will mess up sports a ton....not to happy about that.  Ya....I only got 4 more emails left...what the heck.  Where has the time gone...

But ya back to Hopiland.  I was able to eat at a dinner on the mesa which is an honor.  The only white people in the room of a few hundred again, love it.  I feasted on Elk and Deer hominy stew and some Hopi traditional foods.  I was able to teach a few lessons to people and actually set someone on date for baptism and its not even my area right now.  Still felt like home though.  I was invited over to dinner with a man that Elder Johnson and I helped reactivate.  He was a Hopi and federal officer for a long time and he gave me a few sweet lookin police patches.  It was a blast being back.  I was also able to spend some time with a family that I got real close to and they were so surprised to see me it was hilarious.

Tuba City is doing alright though.  We spent all day yesterday attending the Phoenix Arizona temple broadcast.  That is 2 temple dedications now that I have been a part of here.  Gilbert and Phoenix.  I wish those talks were recorded so I could study them.  Elder Robbins spoke and blew my mind and Elder Maynes, President Monson, Uchtodrf, and Elder Oaks were all there.  

I have found out though some more interesting reasons why I was sent here I think....apparently I am being an instrument in different ways...not so much in bringing people to repentance but my companions...here it comes again.  I had to go through one companion going home in August and we will find out after this Thursday if my current companion goes home.  All I gotta say is....the truth hurts.  I also found out that yes, I will be moved in 2 weeks to another area for my last 2 weeks.  It got kinda cold last night and when I woke up this morning and opened the door I got blasted with some chill...Rexburrrrrrg here we come....not to excited about the weather.  Everything is going good though and I am enjoying my last while as missionary to the Lamanites.  

Love Elder Christensen

Return Date and Speaking Assignment

Dear Family,

We have a release date and a speaking date for Elder Robert E. Christensen returning from the New Mexico Farmington Mission.

We wanted to let you all know of these dates and invite all who can come to join us in his return.  We are so very excited to have him return home and share his testimony and experiences of those whom he has grown to love.

His return flight to Boise will be 18 December at 5:16 pm.

He will be speaking in sacrament meeting on his birthday, 28 December 2014.  The meeting starts at 9 am at the church meetinghouse next to the Boise Idaho Temple.

We invite all to come but we understand hat it is a hard time of year to be traveling and in the middle of the holiday season.

Thanks for all you prayers and support while he has been in the service of the Lord.

Love Scott and Kaye

Robert vs The Return to Hopiland

Ya'aat'eeh

Last week went by in a blur and this week will go by even faster.  I was able to go on exchanges with the Hopi Elders last Wednesday to teach a few things to them about the people.  We ended up having a lesson with a family that night that was half Sioux half Hopi so that was interesting.  They were very light skinned...basically white people, tall, but had very native facial features.  I kept on looking at them and saying to myself...So thats what Nephites looked like...hey ya never know!  It was a great lesson.  I was with Elder Hooton who came out with me and is going home with me and going to BYUI so we had a good time together.  It is so nice to teach with another experienced missionary and you don't have to worry about what is going to be said or anything.  This family scheduled another lesson for this week when I will be going back to Hopiland..for 3 days!  I am leaving Tuba in a few hours to go there until thursday.  Some people that I talked to said that they are setting up a dinner ON the mesa that I am invited to so that will be a blast and an honor.  I am so happy to be back in the place I love so much.  I never thought I would be able to go back there.  

We have 3 people on date for baptism in late December here so that should be good.  Weird to set a date for baptism for someone realizing that you wont even be there.  A lot of less active people showed up to church this week which was good.  While we were at the store earlier this week a young kid came up to us and wanted to know if he could "observe" us for his sociology class.  We said HECK YA of course!  He is a really nice kid and he doesn't know what he will be getting himself into..hehehe...this kid will want to be dunked before he even knows what happened.  Then like 5 minutes later another guy came up to me and started talking to me about John D. Lee and Jacob Hamblin a lot..there is a big ranch just east of Tuba that Jacob lived on and this guy gives tours and stuff.  He said that Jacob buried massive amounts of gold and whatnot that he is looking for.  Ya never know! 

Doing good just kind of winding down here...weird feeling.  Only got about 20 days left in Tuba and then I will be moved somehwere closer to Farmington for the rest of the time.  GO BRONCOS