Week 15: Elder Iverson Died

Hey y'all! I'm gonna keep this email short and sweet cause I don't have a lot time :)

We fasted with Miguel for him to gain a witness of The Book of Mormon and he really enjoyed it! He said "I know that I find myself asking God for answers to a lot of things at times but I feel like I never give Him anything back. It's a small sacrifice compared to what He has done for me." I thought it was really cool that he said that cause I've never really cared too much about fasting, but when I look at it like that it has so much more meaning. Fasting has always been hard for me, but this time I noticed I had more energy and optimism! Miguel told us later on too that he has been more dedicated to reading The Book of Mormon every morning since the fast! He may not have gained his witness yet but he's progressing and I'm sure he'll get there! We don't always receive answers immediately, but when we exercise our faith in God and make sacrifices for Him he will bless us and give us the answer when we're ready.

On my exchange in Timber Ridge this last week we had dinner with an older couple that just recently moved here from Spokane! They were so nice and it was cool to talk to people who actually know where Lewiston is haha!

Transfers are happening this week and Elder Iverson is dying (that's what we say when a missionary goes home) so I'll be getting a new companion on Thursday and staying in this area for at least one more transfer! Elder Iverson is leaving the area today and going home on Wednesday so I'll be in a trio with the valley ranch elders until Thursday. I'm really gonna miss Elder Iverson though. Him and I have become really close recently so I'm sad he's leaving but I know that getting a new companion will help me grow! Oh and funny thing... Lola thought Elder Iverson was going home to Japan, he is Japanese but he's from Nevada so we thought that was hilarious.

For my spiritual thought this week I thought I'd give y'all a talk to listen to! It's titled, "Five Messages That All of God’s Children Need to Hear" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Something that really stuck out to me from this talk is how Elder Uchtdorf explains God's love for us. He states:

"We all need God’s light in our lives, and yet we all have periods of time when we feel that we are in darkness—sometimes long periods of time.

When those times come, we can be assured that God, like the sun, is always there. When we incline our hearts to Him, He embraces us and fills our souls with light, warmth, knowledge, and guidance. He is always there."

Here's the link:

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/dieter-f-uchtdorf/five-messages-that-all-of-gods-children-need-to-hear

Let me know what y'all think!

Elder Christensen

Pictures!

1. Elder Iverson's last lunch with Lola

2. Elder Iverson's funeral with the zone

3. Bolis!! (It's a Spanish ice cream desert thing. It's really good)

4. Sister Kirkham throwing away a chair she broke

5. A random picture we took at a meat market

6. Some nice Texas nature

7. Dropping Elder Iverson off at the mission home