Robert vs. The New Companion

 

  Robert sent home a package of things to Mom and Dad last week:

 Navajo Missionary Name Tag

I might have to steal that cross stitch the next time I come for visit...

Knife with turquoise handle

 

 

My companion is from Richmond,Utah. He is the oldest of 3 he is 6'4 250lbs.  Big boy.  He has served in Farmington and in Loop.  Which is the reservation for 7 and a half months.  We don't have much in common except he seems to know every single movie I have seen so whenever I say a movie quote he knows exactly what its from.

Things are going alright here.  Havent been knocking on very many doors because frankly....its the WORST way to get people to even talk to you.  So recently, the bishops of 3rd and 4th ward gave us an updated member list and we are going and seeing all the less actives in the ward.  Which will keep us busy.  I just hope I don't get lost out on these major backroads because I don't have a GPS anymore.  I think I know the area better then some of the people that live here! Definitely better then I know Boise, I never paid attention to anything back home. 

 

Just some fun experiences I've had this last week while we were out and about.  Elder Nielsen and I were just walking down the street and we started to smell an interesting smell......it was....sweet...slightly minty...ideas from anyone on what it is?  ya mary jane makin a visit.  We were about 300 feet from the house and it was reeking! Oh and of course that happened to be the house that we were supposed to go into by the way.  I walk up the little steps and they had the door open, I hear big WHOOF! right next to the door and I almost slipped from flinching. I peek my face around the corner of the door and again...another pitbull!  Luckily the owner came down the stairs and grabbed it before it could do anything.  Anyways ya fun adventures!  Haven't taught much this week!  Still trying to find some people that are interested in what we have to say.  I've been doing a lot of service lately.  Fixing up a huge chicken coup mostly and digging up big weeds with shovels.  I have blisters all over my hands now, and yes I do wear gloves.  I kinda like it though because it reminds me of hitting for 3 hours after school and just not caring if I get blisters.  Well time to go.  The Church is true!

 

love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. Slammed Doors

Ya'aat'eh!!

 

Yep! Transfers are today!  and........nope! Im staying here in good ole' Cortez Colorado!! In fact my last companion is heading to the Phoenix mission!  I will still be a four corners missionary.  Which is awesome because I really want to get on the Reservation.  My new companion is Elder Neilsen.  I have never met him before and he will be here in Cortez most likely on Wednesday.  I am in a trio with some other missionaries until he gets here.  I do know that he has been out for over a year so hopefully he can help me learn a lot more.  I will be "taking over" the area since the new guy has never been in Cortez before so I will have to show him around and whatnot.  I have pretty much all of Cortez memorized, at least my area.  Lots of old country dirt roads and hills.  I have a couple of pranks set up for my new companion with our ward mission leader in 3rd ward.  It was his idea, so that should be way fun.  Some of the people that we are teaching like Colby; know that I am getting a new companion and he wants to act like a crazy person and answer the door with his double barrel shotgun when I first bring him over.  I kind of hope he doesn't do that....but then again, it would be funny.  Oh well.

 

My last week with Elder Dobson was definitely not the best week as success and teaching goes.  People just don't even want to hear what we have to say.  Most of the time we don't even get to open our mouths when we knock on a door, most people just open it say something very derogatory and then slam!!  Not very nice but they are entitled to their opinion and I don't take offense from it.  We went around saying goodbye to people the last 2 days and some of the members here are some of the coolest people I have ever met.  I really like being in Colorado but I will probably be here until june or a bit longer! 

 

Ive learned how to say a very basic prayer in Navajo, pretty complicated stuff but its fun to learn.    Thanks for sending the CD's!!  I will cherish them, and the more the merrier so don't be bashful in sending General conference talks or anything like that.  We also are allowed to listen to Movie soundtracks as long as they aren't crazy loud and ya you know what I mean.  Our mission president is very chill, and understands that we are in the truck a few hours a day so he is lenient on the music thing.  So if you want to get on iTunes or something and get some John Wayne soundtracks or like, some baseball movies (sandlot, the rookie, the natural etc.) feel free but don't feel obligated. 

 

I will end with a little experience we had on Friday.  We were out knockin on doors around our apartment because we were trying to save miles.  Probably walked about 5 miles or so It was fun! Also the 2 dogs we take care of were following us and we couldn't get them to go away so we just let them be with us.  They would walk up to the door with us and just sit there as we talked like little protectors or something.  Anyways, we knocked on this lady's door and just like usual we didn't even get to open our mouths and say anything before she started bad mouthing us.  She said, "I believe in God and Jesus Christ and none of your evil Mormon philosophy and psychology!"....slam!  that was pretty disappointing.....only if she knew that is practically AAALLLLL we talk about and teach!!! Everything is revolved around Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. EVERYTHING. Spiritual, physical....EVERYTHING! so that was kinda sad, because she probably just was listening to what her friends told her and what crazy people on the internet say.  If people want to just understand a bit more about what "Mormons" believe....who else better to ask then a missionary, or at least someone who is LDS. Missionaries may not have the answers to ALL the questions, because I certainly don't because I am still learning but we just try to help people gain or get faith and provide information basically.   I think the Islamic religion is pretty interesting but I'm not going to just rely on what the news says and what people think.  I would love to run into a Muslim down here and understand more about it.  Anyways that's my spiel for the week

 

love, Elder Christensen

 

 

 

Robert vs. Pitbulls

 Amen. this is pretty funny, this church puts up random signs every month

 This is my tag written in Navajo with some turquoise on the button.  way cool, only missionaries in this mission can get that!

 

 those pitbulls were "happy" to see me

ya those tomahawks are all me

Ya'aat'eh!!

 

I met a lady out here that is neighbors with a member in Dolores that is a paramedic.  She told me a lot of interesting stuff!  She even invited me to take part in a practice drill they are doing with the fire department in May. I will be all colored up in fake blood and stuffed in a chopped up car that was burned an hour before and then the people have to come take me out and put me on a helicopter, from there I will be flown to the hospital which is like 2 minutes away.  Should be fun!!!! If I get permission of course.  Last sunday was the first sunday where we didn't have to do anything, it was kinda nice.  Usually every sunday we are either giving talks or teaching a class. 

 

Had some more fun tracting times out in Dolores. We have pretty much knocked on every single door up there. If you guys come pick me up, we are definitely going there and eating at this place called "the Depot."  Anyways....had some more pooch experiences this week.  We were walking up to this house and just out of nowhere I hear this deep growling and so I stop and look around to where its coming from.  There was this huge Oak tree in the yard and in the shade of the tree this big mutt was camo'd with the dirt and grass.  Didn't even see it...well the thing charged us and it didn't have chain or anything on it.  Sooooo....we started to back up pretty fast once we saw it comin at us.  Then I stopped and ran back at it and yelled, the thing stopped dead in its tracks and just sat there growling with a bad attitude.  Then we just walked off.  There was another dog that was playing decoy, this was all on the same street by the way....this dog had its paws over this  little fence and was barkin its head off but it looked like a nice dog and happy to see us.  It was all wagging its tail and looked safe.  We were just walking on the sidewalk next to it and I stuck my hand out to pet its head and then it turned into evil dog.  It had all of its teeth showing and if it wasn't for my cat like reflexes the thing would have had a hold of some of my fingers! so I smacked it on the head.  Fun stuff.  

 

Now this is just me being stupid and seeing how many dogs I can get angry at me.....There was another dog...and guess what kind it was....yep! Pit bull!  it was poking its head over the fence and I walked up to it, it of course started growling and I of course kept getting closer and closer.  Well I was playing 'crocodile hunter' with this pitbull and I got my face within a couple feet of his just staring him down and I started to laugh...that wasn't smart.  The dog jumped off the fence ran away...turned around...and got a running head start straight at me! I thought it was gonna jump the fence, which it easily could have so I backed up a bit and then it jumped and got about half of its body over the fence and his mouth got within about 6 inches of my face.  I wet myself a little bit, that was kinda freaky. I know I'm an idiot. but it was fun! 

 

Well transfers are on April 22nd! this week! oh, other crazy news and I'm serious about this. The flagstaff zone Is being transferred to the Phoeniz Arizona mission. Along with 14 missionaries.....2 zone leaders, 2 sister missionaries, 2 Spanish elders, and 8 others.  Could be anyone!  So I did the math and there is a 26.75% I could be transferred to the Phoenix mission.  Crazy huh! That goes into effect on June 1st!  I don't want to go....I have grown attached to the New Mexico Farmington mission.  We are the only mission in the US that covers 4 states!!! that's awesome! and we have the Navajo Rez!  Cant beat that!   but if I am told to go there I shall with no complaints.

Well that's pretty much all I got for this week!  Don't have anyone really interested in the gospel right now...but guess we just keep trying!  I had a man open up the door in Dolores...on the same street as the dogs...and He kept on waving at us to leave.  We just stood there like we didn't understand until he opened the door, he walked right up to me face to face and I was staring him down because I knew he was gonna yell.  He screamed right in my face "I DONT WANT ANY OF YOUR MORMON GARBAGE!!!"  then he walked back into his house and slammed the door.  I stood there for like 20 seconds wiping the spit off of my face with my tie.  Then I took a pass along card out and put in the door.  I laughed thinking that in the next life that man will come up to me and apologize and I will give him a big hug and then we will laugh about it.  People that do that just make me more driven to teach them, I hope he lets missionaries in some day.  People think we are bad people and are trying to convert everyone, when really....I don't think that's our job at all.  All our job is to spread the message of the restoration of Christs church...the exact same church that was on the earth when Jesus was here before he and after he was crucified.  And then our job is to help people gain faith, I don't care if people become LDS or not, just to help them gain faith and answer questions.  If they find that our church is true and real....(cause it is)...then its their choice whether or not they wish to act upon their heart and hopefully they pray and ask Heavenly Father is this church is true.  I mean if I heard that the EXACT same church that was set up by jesus was still here on the earth....I would want to find out more about it! anyways, that's just my spiel.

 

Agone'! ayo (love), Elder Christensen

 

 

 

 

Robert vs. Mesa Verde

 

ya'aat'eh Shi'ma'!!!

 

 Everything is going alright here, I don't have a lot of time this week.  I really enjoyed General Conference.  My favorite talks were of course, Elder Holland and the guy from Burley! yet another prophecy fulfilled from Burley, Idaho.  He was probably from Declo or Rupert.  Things are going alright here, thinking about baseball a lot, but I'm not letting it distract me.  We talked to over 50 people this week by knocking on doors, it was pretty fun! I enjoy knocking on doors, get some interesting responses.   Today should be way fun, we made raps about missionary work and are doing a skit as a district, I will try and video them.  

 

Don't have a lot of time today, I got to go and dominate at wiffleball with my zone.  Mesa Verde was really cool.  Some areas are only open in the summer but I did get to go and climb over some ancient ruins.  In Jesus the Christ, there is a part basically describing the people that lived there.  They were the Gadianton Robbers.  Pretty cool, I can see why it's so secret and whatnot.  Interesting stuff.

 

-love Elder Christensen  

 

 

 

Robert vs. The Dogs

 

 yes I threw throwing knives and tomahawks....twas very fun. im pretty good.

every single little dot is an Elk.....there was over 200 easy.  Couldn't get them all in the picture.

This is at Earl Ashcrofts house in Mancos.   Hes the guy that knew Grandpa Bushman.  He was in the Navy growing up in world war 2 and he traveled all over the world.  Each string is a different cruise he went on during the navy. way cool, he was a machine gunner on the starboard side of a cruiser.  He said he shot down 2 oe 3 kamikaze planes.

 

 

 

ya'aat'eh!!

 

Things are goin  alright here in Cortez.  Some good stuff and some bad stuff.  Transfers are April 22nd and I am excited for a change of something.  Maybe I will go and maybe I wont but whatever happens happens.  We are emailing early today because we are going to Mesa verde to go hiking!  This is probably the only time ever that we will be able to go and do this for the rest of my mission.  Some other fun things....on April 8th President Batt is coming up to cortez for a zone party!  We are  making flour bombs and are going to play capture the flag and wiffleball and all sorts of stuff.  We had to ask the sister missionaries to go buy some leggings because that would be really awkward for us to buy those so we can use them for flour bombs,You just stuff and pack the flour into the legging  things whatever they are called and they make a pretty good little ball that you chuck at people, the best part is when you hit them the flour explodes all over them its great. 

 

Alright, here are some things that is goin on with the work here in Cortez.  We have pretty much ran out of people to teach, after people get baptized your teaching pool shrinks dramatically.  But we found a Baptist lady that let us in and teach her the first lesson while we were tracting.  She really liked it and made her think about prophets a lot, we gave her a Book of Mormon and she said she would read it.  We will check up on her tomorrow and hopefully get another lesson in, this time hopefully with her husband that she said would want to ask us some questions because he doesn't like Mormons, but hey that's what we are here for.  I had my first dog experience yesterday, they were some big nasty lookin pitbulls.  there was 5 of em I think.  Elder Dobson and I got out of the truck to walk up to this house and as we were getting closer we hear this like mob of dogs barking and running our way.  We just stand there and say oh crap.....but we didn't run, we just sat there and let them come to us and they slowed down a bit and just came and sniffed us and then it was all good.  Scary though, those were some big and nasty pups. 

 

The 2 boys that were baptized still come to church and whatnot, they are really good kids I would love for you to meet them when you come to pick me up possibly.  We are going to challenge their father to take the lessons from us this week.  And the young lady that was baptized also still comes to church and seems to be getting along fine.  Although...heres some bad news.  Her mother was diagnosed with Colon and lung cancer.  They are in Shiprock right now at the hospital, and her mother the day before she went to the hospital told us she wants to take the lessons again and be baptized.  I think she got a wake up call.  So we told the bishop and basically we are waiting for her to get back from Shiprock and then we will give her a blessing, teach her the lessons fast and hopefully be bale to baptize her and confirm her before she dies.  Its a race.  We'll see what happens.  From what I know....its hard enough to stop 1 area of cancer....but 2....doesn't look like things are on the upside. 

 

We have been asking the members and everyone we know for referrals because we haven't been able to teach a lot of lessons lately.  Last Friday I went on exchanges again with Elder Mullinex.  Hes one of my favorite Elders, hes also our district leader.  So I spent a day in Mancos, Colorado.  Very mountain looking town, reminds me of McCall or Idaho City...more Idaho city.  We visited this older gentleman named Earl Ashcroft.  Hes about 86 years old.  His wife passed away a few years ago so that's why he doesn't come to church often.  Hes an awesome guy.  He worked on the reservation as a trader and ran several trading posts  for over 40 years! so naturally I asked if he knew any bushmans....guess what....he goes I knew a Martin bushman!  I whipped out my pictures of him and he goes ohhhh yes I knew him! I saw him and talked with him at many trading meetings.  So scratch that off for finding someone that knew Grandpa Bushman. Cool huh? 

 

Well that's all I got for this week.  I will try and get some pics on here hopefully it works.  I am so proud of my baseball team.  I miss them all so much.

 

- Elder Christensen