Robert vs. Becoming an Indian

A couple of postcards that Robert sent my Mom and Dad this week

Heenohwahtahmo!!!

Well I can say this for sure.  This last week was my favorite week of my mission so far.  We taught 23 lessons this week, which is my tie breaker all the way back from Cortez.  This week we gonna try for 24.  We did everything yesterday for church!  There was only one bench that wasn't filled and we spoke.  I talked on Christlike attributes.  I was up there for over 30 mins for sure, I got into it pretty good.  Another thing is for sure,  I'm turning into an Indian.  Last night in a lesson and during young mens class we spent the whole time talking about how God answers prayers through different animals. I believe it!  We talked about stories and experiences and things its pretty crazy now that I realize it.  Nearly every time I was ever really angry or sad and I just need a buddy to be with...Hunter would always come and find me and sit down next to me and just seem to be like "whats up man?"  I miss my dang dog.  I have learned a lot about Humility and Prayer this week.  I think we prayed over like 50 times this week together.  Look what happens!  Within another 3 weeks our goal is to get the overflow opened and chairs set up during sacrament.  I have grown slightly attached to this lil Polacca branch.  Like I said before, I ain't coming home!  Your gonna have to come get me!  I told President that he could leave me here forever and just keep sending other missionaries to me.  I love being out here separated from the world. Other then that we had to go to Farmington on Friday for a new windshield, someone slashed our sealing on it apparently.  Fun times!  That was about a 4 hour drive.  I went through the center of the reservation and got to pay Shiprock a visit again.  That drive though is beautiful, there is a place right after Lukachukai called Buffalo Pass.  Oh my heck, it is so pretty we have to drive through it.  It reminds me a lot of the Sawtooth mountains and all those campouts I went on.  Kinda got homesick, also our senior couple that lives next to us the "Kamkas" are from Idaho Falls.  Yesterday, Sister Kamka made some roast beef and potatoes just like what you do mom on Sundays.  That made me super homesick, but it tasted so good.  Especially the potatoes.  After the lesson we had with our man Chris Lowe last night he also fed us some hot dogs and pork chops with A1 sauce!!  A1 is about 9 dollars for a small bottle out here and I gave him a hug and we both agree that we won't really eat meat without A1.  Good times down here in Polacca.  Lessons by campfire...wild dogs running around all the time....chopping wood every day...Native American stories....cant get better than that. 

Love Elder Christensen 

Robert vs. Chops The Woods

 The Ten Indian Commandments

 Navajo, English, and Spanish name tags...don't think he'll get one in Hopi, but that would be pretty cool.

Eagle feathers and "chops the woods"

Heewohnahtahmo!!!

 

Well another week down in Hopi land.  I'm sorry to say mom and dad....but....I ain't coming home.  I am home.  We had a record number of people at church this week.  64!!!  instead of the usual 35 or 40.  It was another interesting sacrament meeting as well.  Try about 1 hour 45 minutes of it....but it was actually one of the best sacraments ever.  Since there are 3 new families that moved in they were all asked to stand up and share a bit and so yeah, that took awhile!  But we had 4 investigators at church and one that we are really working with right now we didn't think he would show up cause it was about 10:50 and he calls me and was all, I'm in the parking lot where do I go?  We ran out the door and grabbed him and sat him down in the front row with us.  He got to see the next 50 minutes or so of sacrament so he's all good.  But the Polacca branch hasn't had a convert baptism since June of 2012.  That's about to change on November 16th!!!!  The same guy that came to sacrament late.  His name is Chris Lowe.  Pray hard for him to forgive his wife and other people that have hurt him.  He's had a rough life.  In fact he has a 7 month old son and he is divorced and he loves his son more then anything in the world you can tell that he just wants to be a good example for his boy and family.  

There was a man that grabbed his son  out of his carseat and threw him on the ground, so yesterday during church we went to young mens with him and the lesson was on forgiveness and he broke down and said he knows that's what he needs to do but its hard for him.  Don't blame him, that's some rough stuff there.  But he wants to change his life and oh man is he ready!  He wants to be baptized pretty bad and we all had a good long talk with the Branch president yesterday to and he already has a testimony its ridiculous.  I am learning a lot form him.  We watched the shortened restoration video yesterday and after it was over we asked him what he thought about it, the first thing he said was that he was angry at the preacher for telling Joseph to his face that he didn't see God and Jesus Christ.  He made a good point that that man was a "man of God" supposedly and he should have been one of the first people to believe Joseph!  Good stuff, never thought of it that way.  Anyways, he is ready. We also have another date set with a lady for December 7th, so we will find out how that goes.

We chops lots of woods...yes that is CORRECT grammar down here.  The stake bought us some brand new axes and oh boy they chops the woods like butter I love it.  Its a lot of fun to teach people that are super into Hopi tradition and then to see there eyes get wide whenever we relate it to the Book Of Mormon.  They believe that there are "tablets" about their people buried in the ground and one day a 'Bahana' or white man will bring them to them, kinda similar eh?  So we show the picture of Moroni burying the plates and oh man there is always a groan like...ohhhh...ahh..something like that its great.  I have gotten very attached to the people here and I never want to leave.  There was a huge rockslide yesterday on the mesa as well, and they believe that when we know that the Hopi traditions have fallen is when the mesa will fall down...yet people live up there still?  So maybe it will all come down while I am here! That would be cool, cause then we would have a very large teaching pool for sure.  I shouldn't hope for that forgive me...kinda.  Elder Pebbles and I get along pretty good, he is 18.  He thinks he's the best teacher in the world sometimes and doesn't just sit and listen to what the people say, then just feel by the spirit where to go from there.  I am learning patience and long suffering for sure, I understand those 2 words now. Anyways things are all good for the only Hopi missionary in the world here.  Hope everything goes well for you people in those big cities.

 

singadee

 

Love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. Tewa

 Traditional Tewa meal.

And homecoming football Rez style.  Hopi high school vs Many Farms.... I have chosen to be a Hopi.  We smoked em 60-0.  Good fun!  Literally everyone goes to the high school game so we decided to go where the people go...

Loloma!- Hopi 

 

No more ya'aat'eeh for awhile.  Wow okay let me pick up the rest of my brain that fell on the floor from all of the questions give me a sec.

 

I email from the church's family history center which I live like 50 feet from the church so its nice not to have to drive forever to go to church.  My trailer is very nice! Yes we have running water and electricity and a washer and dryer so we are pretty spoiled. We have propane heat so we again are very spoiled so we are taken well care of don't worry.  My first Sunday was pretty interesting! They did fast Sunday this week because they didn't before General Conference.  I have had 3 fast Sundays within the last 7 weeks.  Our stake president, President Justice is a fire to be reckoned with.  He took up the entire testimony meeting literally to tell the people here to get it together and we cant be lazy anymore.  He literally said that.  It was good and a lot of people were motivated I think...for the better.  Yes, I did get some pants before I left..its the "new missionary" look with the khaki color.  I really like them and its nice with all of the dust because you cant even tell they are dirty or not.  I also bought a bigger knife...just in case.

Okay so I actually don't live in Polacca, I live in Tewa.  Which is right next to Polacca, gosh there is so much information to talk about my mind is gonna explode.  My area is the entire Hopi Reservation and there is only 1 or 2 gas stations and like 1 or 2 little convenience stores.  We have to drive about 20 miles to get gas in Keams Canyon.  The villages that are in my area consist of...(pronunciation test)...1st Mesa, which inside that is Sichomovi, and Walpi.  2nd Mesa, which inside that is Shongopovi and one other one.  There is also Kykotsmovi, Hotevilla, Bacavi, Oraibi, old Oraibi, Jedito, Coal Mine Mesa and a few more.  There is no Sonic so I don't know where that is, it might be hidden.  We go to Tuba city which is 1 1/2 hours away for district meeting on Thursdays and we do our shopping at Bashas.  Which is a glorified gas station store.  Love it.  YES!! I have a camera and I have taken over 100 pictures already so be patient please.  The members here are very nice, the Hopi people are called the "peaceful people" (makes sense because they are direct descendants of the Anti Nephi Lehi's)  They even have a burial of weapons ceremony.  So history time!  The Tewa people were nomads and they were being killed by other tribes and then one day they came upon the Hopi people and since the Hopi people didn't fight and the Navajo's were raiding them they literally hired the Tewa people to fight for them in pay for food and stuff.  So that's why the Tewa and Hopis are such good friends here and they literally live right next to each other.  The 2nd counselor on the stake presidency lives here and he speaks fluent Hopi, Navajo, and Tewa.  He teaches us every Tuesday for an hour or so about the cultures and languages.  There is so much history here its insane.  There are also many do's and don'ts that we have to be aware of so we don't disrespect sacred sites and the culture.

I think I need to take you guys here someday, you will be in reverence at the spirit that is here.  We are allowed to go up on the mesas where all of those little villages are but we have to be very respectful.  We cant go knocking on doors, only if we have been invited up.  They even have some hopi cops up there to protect the sacred village of Walpi.  There is no running water or electricity there, plus that is where they have some of there Kevas or Hopi temples.  There are 2 huge pillars of stone that are the "HOPI TRADITIONS" and if they fall then they will basically join the church according to tradition so I have to admit sometimes I pray that they will fall down.  Since we are literally in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing to do.  We can come back and email a bit more.  We are privileged to be out here and I am grateful that Presdient Batt trusts me to be 1 of 2 missionaries that serve in the ONLY hopi branch in the entire world!!!!! I get to be here to serve the descendants of the people of Ammon.  I am very honored and understand there is a great responsibility on my shoulders.  The work here though is slow, there hasn't been a baptism here in almost 2 years, and that was a 9 year old.  I need lots of prayers and I will try my best.  I will send pictures now and maybe write a bit later if we have time.  We have to drive to Tuba City to get this big gardening project going and get lots of supplies. 

 

Singadee!!!-Tewa  (be strong, take courage) literal translation.  Cool huh?

 

Love Elder Christensen

Robert vs. Polacca, Arizona

Ya'aat'eeh!!!

 

   Alright....this is some crazy news.  I'm on the road again.  WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY out der.  The place where I am going is referred to as "Hell" here.  So I guess I'm going to Hell haha.  I have really enjoyed my time as a Spanish speaker and obviously didn't master the language in 3 weeks but I was able to help out in lessons a bit with scriptures.  I will no longer be saying Ya'aat'eeh either.  In fact I have 0 idea what they say.  I am going to be about 4 and a half hours west of Farmington....in the middle of Nowhere.  Literally.  I looked up what the area looked like...reminds me of Iraq or Afghanistan.  Lots of mountains and ravines, forever sight of dirt and NO grass at all.  This place is called Polacca, Arizona.  It's on the Hopi reservation which is inside the Navajo reservation at the heart of the whole thing.  The Hopis are a lot different then the Navajos.  I don't really know what to expect except that my area almost covers the entire length of the entire mission.  We get about 2300 miles in a Colorado or a Nissan Frontier I believe.  I will be cut off from all civilization and ya..I'm pretty sure the trailer I live in is right next to the church so that's cool but ya.  It's a tiny little branch in the Tuba City stake. I'm pretty dang excited/ humbled.  I am going to need more prayers then ever before and I will be ready for whatever comes at me.  There are some very strange traditions and not so good things that happen out there so....BRING IT ON!!!  But ya....I am doing well.  I loved Conference and I paid attention the whole time to every talk.  No more falling asleep for me during conference, love it. 

   Some of the Hopi traditions that I know about are pretty cool though and they are basically dry LDS members already.  They actually have temples!!!  They have a room in the temple for the sun, the moon and the stars.  There are many other things that are very similar that I won't share cause of sacredness of course but ya....I'm serious...like all of it is almost the same. Also in their ancient traditions they believe that they are descendants of people that buried their weapons of war as a covenant with God.  Sound familiar?????  I'm going to the stripling warriors!! Pretty special but scary, good stuff.  Lets see what else.. I have a lot of stuff to do today.  Oh ya...I won't be getting packages because I'm so far away, so I will update you next week on if I can get them sent directly to me.  Anyways thanks fro everything I really appreciate it all. 

 

Love Elder Christensen 

Robert vs. People Talking Skills

Ya'aat'eeh!!!

 

It's been an interesting week for sure.  Last week we had terrible success as far as lots of lessons and things but that happens sometimes and you can't control it.  We talked to lots of people though so that was good.  As far as I know...out of all the missions my friends are on and all the missions that are neighboring this mission...NONE of them knock on doors.  They only work through members which honestly is the best way to go.  Except since we have the huge reservation there are 0 addresses and 0 knowledge of how many people live in a certain area so we get to knock on doors A LOT!!! My people talking skills have exploded.  Since we do it nearly every single day its really hard to get motivated and get rejected a lot but we have fun by trying to get a certain word in during the conversation...like "panda" or "banana" its really hard but super funny especially when you obviously see that the person doesn't want anything to do with us.  Gotta have fun somehow!  

I really enjoy going to the Spanish branch and trying to understand whats being said.  I only get about 30% of it right now but I learn a word or 2 every day and it helps.  We were in a lesson the other day and the lady started talking about the Trinity and how Joseph Smith said this blah blah blah...anyways I knew what she was saying and she just looked at me and I just stared into her soul and shook my head with the most spiritually intimidating NO I could.  She just stared at me for a sec and then let Elder Delgado explain some things instead of her just talking our ears off.  That was pretty fun.

Yep! we got to go to the Monticello Temple yesterday and that was a blast.  The temple is super small and literally is in the middle of a neighborhood.  How man people can look out their front window and see a temple just beaming there....then go to their friends house next door to the temple and watch a football game.  That's awesome! But yes I had a great experience and I have been reading a lot of the Old Testament to understand more about the temple and it makes A LOT more sense now.  Temples are the best.  If all the pastors and preachers of the world really understood the Bible and God's teachings they would obviously realize that God's real church would have LOTS of temples as its membership grew.  Not one humongous church with a mini mall inside as a church here does.  Makes me scratch my head a little....oh well we can only keep trying!  But going to the temple really opened my eyes and gave me a spiritual boost of why everything has happened the way it has and the need for a Savior of the world.  I can't wait to go back to college and on the weekends or something just go to a session whenever I feel like it.  Pretty spoiled.

We have transfers this week so we will see what happens.  We found out for sure that there are quite a few people out here that have taken 4 or 5 years of Spanish and would obviously be more qualified then I am right now.  I guess whatever happens happens eh!  I'm fine with whatever, I do really miss the reservation though.  I will have to take a tour with you guys sometime.  Its exactly like Africa down here....minus the trees...green....grass....animals....pretty scenery...flowers...nice weather all the time....and obviously black people.  But hey its exactly the same. 

I saw that about Mariano Rivera on a magazine cover.  I almost cried when I saw that.  I seriously started thinking about my baseball experience and how hard it was and still is for me to just let it go...then I look at him and all he has done and ya almost lost it right in the middle of walmart  haha. Good times.  Well that's all I got, hopefully it fills your Indian/Spanish needs for the week.  Go Broncos

 

love Elder Christensen