Robert vs. Biking

This was my second sabbath in F-Town.  The ward is pretty awesome, there are a lot of really nice people that want to help with missionary work.  Our ward mission leader Bro. Palfreyman is great.  I just cover Farmington 1st ward now.  There are 8 wards and every ward has their own set now.  This week has been a little slow, literally we had 4 investigators that we met with regularly and they ALL are moving this next week.  Out of state and everything.  Talk about annoying, so we pretty much have like nobody to teach right now so we got the Bishop to give us a big list of people that he wants us to look up so that's nice.  Gives us something to keep busy.  I actually really enjoy riding bikes!  I would be alright with being in biking the rest of my mission.  Its good exercise, even if you had a bad day it feels like you did something because your really tired and breathing hard by the end of the day.  One of the families we are meeting with at least a couple more days is the Ridgleys.  They are a young couple with a baby boy.  The husband has been a member his whole life but the wife was raised baptist.  They really need some foundation in their lives right now so I hope our meetings with them make an impact.  The husband says he reads from the Book of Mormon a lot still but just doesn't really go to church or anything.  he was all excited for us to teach about the Book of Mormon and the Plan of happiness, the lessons went awesome and we invited her to be baptized and she said she would pray hard about it but it felt like she wanted to so we will see.  The husband's uncle and his son live with them also and he is less active, the son is also a member but doesn't really go.  Our talks with them seemed to be positive and the son said he wants to "re-embrace" the church again so that's good.  The uncle is going through some rough times right now but when we taught about the Book of Mormon he was at the lesson and he just kinda went off on his own little tangent on how its true and his testimony.  He said that he is a convert and he joined when he was in high school.  He was really hesitant to be baptized and was looking for any excuse at first to not be.  He said he has size 15 feet, even in high school he did and he was trying to make an excuse tat he couldn't get baptized because he didn't have any baptismal shoes that would fit and you couldn't buy any anywhere.  One of the Elders took off his shoes which were size 9 1/2 and the Elder promised him that if he would accept to be baptized then the shoes would fit.  Well they did!!! Crazy huh....he even brought out the shoes because the Elder gave them to him.  He says he still wears them every time he does go to church.  That was pretty cool.  It was fun teaching them because the uncle would interrupt after we answered a question and he would be all like "Oh wait it gets better!!!!"  " you'll be dying to get baptized after this next question" stuff like that...it was great.  Anyways, Farmington is pretty sweet but I miss the Rez.  I saw a few Navajos this week and you can always tell they are Navajo by how they talk and usually the first thing they say to you is..." gamaalii" or "brothers"  There are lots of spanish people here to and they are hard to tell apart.  I said ya'aat'eeh to a lady as we rode by and she looked at me funny and said Hola.  oh well!

 

Things are goin good! Go Broncos!

 

love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. Walking

Sorry everyone!  I was out of town and couldn't update Robert's blog until today.  Robert is now in Farmington and hopefully will be able to email me some pictures again.  Here is his letter from a few days ago and look for another hopefully tomorrow.
Brittney

Ummm...Hi?

 

  Gosh it is so weird to not hear Ya'at'eeh anymore.  I dont like it.  I can't even start out my email with it cause it doesn't feel right.  Maybe in a few transfers!  But ya big ole Farmington!!!  I am in Farmington 1st ward with Elder Johnson.  There is about 100 active members and there is only 2 Navajos and 1 black guy from South Africa, so that was pretty cool to meet him.  It has been a tiring week that's for sure.  From Tuesday to Friday we didn't have a car or bikes....so we were the only missionaries in the entire mission that were walking!! Yay! In 95+ weather it was wonderful...not really, but we had some good times.  I think we walked over 50 miles so that was a good workout.  Lots of sweat that's for sure.  On Saturday though we did get bikes and we are 1 of 4 biking areas in the mission.  I like it cause you get to be outside and feel the wind and whatnot but its also a lot of hard work because Farmington is very hilly.  By about 5pm you are exhausted but its good.  My companion is Elder Tanginoa Johsnon.  Awesome first name...hes half Tongan/half Black, from Sandy, Utah so not very far.  He's is my favorite companion so far and we get along great.  Its kinda weird because we are almost exactly alike when it comes to personality and thinking and stuff so we are having a good time together.  He is also district leader so I have the name "district monkey."  We don't have a lot of people to teach here.  The problem with Farmington, there are so many LDS people already here and missionaries have been here forever that everyone already knows who we are and there definitely isn't a lot of people wanting to listen.  BUT WERE GONNA KNOCK ON YOUR DOOR ANYWAYS!!!!   MWHAHAHA!  The Connie Mack world series starts August 2nd and I think we have some tickets through some members that are gonna take us so I'm pumped of course.  The stadium is actually in 1st ward area so I think President Batt is giving me a tender mercy by putting me here, I ride by it every day!  It's a pretty field, kinda looks like Hawks stadium but it actually has a lot nicer seating.  It ain't no Wigle field at good ole Borah though that's for sure.  I would rival that field with a few professional fields.  I miss it so much.  There is a lot of basketball that is played here and most people are pretty dang good.  I have figured out that the only thing I'm good for is shooting 3's and defense.  I get about 5 or 6 blocks a game and I have a blast, so my game has improved a lot.  Anyways that's what is going on here!  Not much yet but we had a good week this last week as far as talking to lots of people about the gospel.  I'm happy and am loving being a missionary.

 

love Elder Christensen 

Robert vs. Goodbyes

Ya'at'eeh!!!

Ya sooo....I wont be saying Ya'at'eeh fro a while I think.  This was a surprise for everyone in the district.  Elder Bunderson and I are both being transferred out of Shiprock!!!  Elder Bunderson is being sent to Pinon! (pinyawn)  Right smack dab in the middle of the Rez.  There is nothing out there literally so he should have fun.  I will be heading BACK to the city....of Farmington.  In Farmignton 1st ward with Elder Johnson.  Im pretty disappointed cause I wanted to go to deep out in the middle of nowhere Rez like Elder Bunderson.  Guess not!  So my new address will be the Mission office so no change, I get to check mail on Mondays and Thursdays and that's to prevent us from spending to much time at the mission office.  As much as I wont miss Shipock for the scenery I will miss it for the flea market and a lot of the people.  We are definitely coming back sometime.  At least now in Farmington the houses have addresses and I don't have to follow directions that we got yesterday..."you take a first right den go over 3 speed bumps and den 1 more den der will be a house with da best grass in da neighborhood...iss dat one."  Im gonna miss that.  Farmington is where the connie mac world series is and if my info is correct its goin on right now!!  So I will be there when all the baseball ruckus is going on.  That makes me happy and sad at the same time.  As far as I know we will have a truck still but who knows I might be biking!  Gosh this week is gonna be a sad one.  My best friend I've made so far out here is Elder Hayden Ott from Burlington, Wyoming.  He was my Zone leader in Cortez and he is "dying" tomorrow, or going home!!  He really helped me out a lot and showed me how to do everything.  He will be driving through Shiprock tonight on the way to Farmington and he is going to stop and say goodbye, being a missionary for some reason gives you an "ok" to be emotional a little bit, I might shed a tear when he stops by.  I spoke in church yesterday not for very long though cause it was a homecoming talk for Elder Campbell who just got home from Evan's mission last week.  It went good.  When we went to say goodbye to people last night the "no hugging" rule doesn't apply to Navajo's.  They know the rules but they don't care when they like you so we got plenty of hugs from Nikki (the lady who was just baptized) and others but it was good.  I haven't had a hug from really anyone since I left the airport haha that's kinda funny actually.  Yep tomorrow it will be the 6 month mark.  They say once you hit 6 months it zooms by til 9 then from 9 to 12 it feels like it takes forever!  My next 6 month mark will be the big 1 year! that's crazy.  But yep so I will have more to talk about next week hopefully.  This has been a fun 6 weeks in Shiprcok New Mexico!  Minus the flies in our trailer which I have kept a running count on how many ive killed...62.  Anyways  Ha'goo'nee'!!

Love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. The Bloody Nose

 

Ya'at'eeh!!!

 

 So the hottest week in New mexico history wasn't really that bad.  Oh well, I thought I was gonna have some fun experience being outside when it was 120 or something...maybe next week!  Not much went on this week anyways.  No crazy experiences or being chased or anything! Kinda boring, but hey its ok.  Well gosh I don't even know what to talk about....so this wont be very long im sorry.  Seriously nothing really happened this week, we taught 9 lessons and a few of them went really well but most of the time the people just don't really seem to care.  Tonight we are teaching a less active family, and they are super strong when it comes to faith and everything! They pay tithing, have 0 problems with any of the doctrine at all! Except they don't come to church!!!.....they haven't for a very long time its annoying! Elder Bunderson and I have had quite a few discussions tryin to figure out what they need, but they are an awesome family and every time we go over to teach it seems like they already know EVERYTHING and we are just preaching to the choir.  Frustrating.  But oh well, the work must go on.  Transfers are this week so we will see what happens come Saturday night.  My prediction is that I will be here in Shiprock for another transfer possibly 2 more if I get a trainee.  That would be a fun experience to train, I would act like a total goof for the first few days just to scare the new guy.  Like im not already a goof already but I think I would just talk in a Russian accent for the first while or so...I'll figure something good out.  I guess the hot weather though did have some effect on me.  I have had the bloodiest bloody noses of my life this week, one was when we were in a lesson and it just started waterfalling!  (and no Llyr I am NOT picking my nose).  Anyways I got that taken care of.  

 

The sheep butchering was pretty awesome! I will hopefully be able to get some pictures off sometime soon.  The 2 people that were baptized last week were both girls, and we are continuing to have lessons with them and they are doing awesome!  Yesterday with one of them we talked about Priesthood and Auxiliaries and I think I learned more then she did it was great.  There was a missionary that just got home on July 2nd from the Houston South mission Vietnamese speaking!  He is a good guy, and we will be taking him out to lessons with us this week.  We had to give him a planner yesterday cause he said he didn't know what to do with his life without one.  He is speaking in church this week and all 4 of us other missionaries will be speaking with him, so that will be good.  My cooking skills have improved quite a bit!  We had a big taco night the other day and I have learned a lot about spices, and herbs and whatnot.  I pan fried some Jalapenos and put them all over my tacos with some Cholula sauce and Cilantro!  mmmmm...I have definitely acquired the Hot and spicy bug down here.  When I get back there will be no mercy to my cooking.  Everything will be spicy.  Anyways that's all I got for the week! Things are going good and I'm happy to be out here.

 

love Elder Christensen 

Robert vs. The Cops

 

 

Ya'at'eeh!!!

 

Elder Bunderson and I each had the privilege to do the confirmations for the 2 new members that were baptizedon saturday.  Sheep Butchering was sweet!!!!  You're right mom, I don't think you would have liked being there for at least the first part especially with all of the blood and throat cutting and whatnot.  I'm trying to make you all feel queezy hopefully it worked.  The meat didn't taste as good as I thought it would.  It had traces of poo everywhere and yes I did get a piece or two of sheep doo doo in my mouth.  But I just ate a ton of fry bread to mask the taste.

 

I have some good pictures of that I just can't really get them uploaded right now.  Yes, it is VERY hot! This is supposed to be the hottest week in New Mexico history so it will be fun!  The Navajo language learning CD's and stuff are hard to follow, its just a book and a guy repeating words over and over again.  I haven't been very persistent in doing them cause to be honest they are pretty boring. If i want to learn it, I am going to have do everything myself so its frustrating especially with such a difficult language that you have to think and speak completely backwards in.  Our new bishopric is awesome! They seem like they are extremely excited with getting missionary work going and getting our ward out here organized.  The bishop is actually a bilagaana. (white)  He builds missiles for the government so hes a pretty organized guy. I liked his comment yesterday when he spoke, "I have a high security clearance with the military and the government so I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."  Plus, during Sunday school, the 2 councilors taught and straight up told everyone that they weren't doing enough and everyone needed to step up and be who they are supposed to be! So that was interesting and a pretty good kick in the pants for some of the less active people that were there and for the members that just are there for the ride. People reject callings ALL THE TIME here on the Rez because its "to much work"  or "takes to much time"...so they also had a big "knock it off" segment about that so that was good.   

 

So my fun Rez story of the week is about eh NAVAJO COPS!! get ready!.....So after zone conference last Saturday we got back around 4pm to Shiprock again and we didn't have any scheduled appointments so we decided to go and see some people that we talked to awhile ago.  There is this one man named Oscar and every time we try to see him is more drunk then the time before...its really sad but mostly makes me angry that people do this to themselves when they know that it doesn't feel good afterwards and they know that they hurt their family members, their physical bodies, and definitely their spiritual bodies.  Anyways so we went to see Oscar again and the joke was "lets go see how drunk Oscar is"...so we walk up to his door and knock, we wait around for a bit and he comes out drunk as ever!  He shook my hand and almost fell over.  We talked for a minute and then his friend came out..and oh boy was he hammered.  He shook my hand and I had to catch him from falling down it was disgusting how drunk and out of mind and thought they were.  Just vegetables with lips those two were.  I wanted to go but Elder Bunderson kept talking for a minute and just wouldn't leave them....anyways they kept on asking us if we wanted to fight and we just played around with them, for a second Oscar looked like he was gonna grab Elder Bunderson and oh man I got tense real fast.  About a minute into talking Elder Bunderson and I feel this tap on our shoulders.....I turn around and WHAM! 3 Navajo cops!  They say sorry for breaking up our talk and they just go grab the 2 drunk guys and arrest them right in front of us haha! it was pretty funny actually!!  I guess Osca'rs wife called them in because they had a big fight right before we got there...it makes sense because Oscar had a bloody nose when he came out.  So we had 2 baptisms and 2 arrests on Saturday! Good day!  Those Navajo cops are sneaky!  The wind was blowing really hard so it was loud anyways, but man they snuck up right behind me like Wiley Coyote!  Other then that everything is good!!  Having lots of fun with Elder Bunderson, we get along great and we hopefully be getting a lot more lessons soon.  Ha'goo'nee'!

 

Love Elder Christensen