week 17

Mom & Co.,

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -Helen Keller

Here is a little more for you Mom. So last night was eventful. A big, fat dog took a nice little chunk out of my left hand yesterday literally out of the blue. We were standing, talking and contacting at a door and it just came up and stood by me for a few minutes. As I moved my hand from INSIDE my pocket, he jumped up and grabbed it. Not like in a playful way, but like he wanted to keep it. I was able to shake him off after a few seconds but he was pretty good sized because he got my whole hand in his mouth haha. We walked to the nearest members house just to ask for something to clean it up, but they insisted I go to the hospital, so they rushed me there. After about a half hour, the doctors decided I just needed it cleaned, and gave me a prescription for oral antibiotics to take for the next 7 days and instructions for cleaning my hand. It felt like Colton, T-Bone, or Dereck had stepped on my hand during a Football Practice haha. A good time!

Tuesday, this last week was the strongest the wind has been here since I´ve gotten here. I´m 250 lbs and I could lean into the wind and it held me up, it was crazy! It was also the first day of my mission I didn't get into one house and teach. We knocked 40+ doors, hit references from members, and even old investigators and got nothing. It was a little frustrating but through changing my out look the past few weeks, its good to have challenges like that. And everyone has days like that in the mission. This week was really hard for work in general. We had a ton of contacts but got into I think 2 places to teach. We did get a chance to teach Mariela and Yolanda in the kiosco again and that was good. We taught them the Restauración and it went well. It takes them a few times before they really understand and comprehend everything fully. I remember a quote from a devotional in the MTC. I cant remember what guy said it but it goes like this: "Your job is not to teach people so they understand. Your job is to teach people so they cant MISunderstand." That is what we do, especially with them. I have the first vision memorized in Spanish so I can at least do that haha but it was good. They are out only progressing investigators in 5 weeks, but declined our first date for baptism. WE also had a baptism here in Rio Grands, the 2nd that we've had since I've been here. This one was in the area Austral and the last one was in the area Centro, although everyone is baptized in Centro because of the font. It was really really cool to watch and be a part of that. Now I just hope I get the chance to participate sometime. But we all know its the Lords work. We are only his humble servants. Its at his will, and the agency of investigators that things get done. Just all about patience from within.

Thursday we had a fun experience as well. We were walking to an appointment in Chacra 13 when we saw mud shooting out of the ground with 2 guys around it. We ended up walking over and saw they had gotten a 4 wheeler stuck 250 yds off the road and 6 ft deep in a Laguna where the Geese swim and live. They had it stuck head first like they had driven it off a diving board haha. We had no clue how they had gotten it in there, or how it ended up in that position because there are huge nasty bumps in the ground and nests and all sorts of things you have to go through to get to that point. But we were able to help them get it out. All kinds of service here in Rio Grande!

Much Love,

Elder Christensen