May 31, 2011

Okay.  I can respond now.  All our emailing locations were closed yesterday because of memorial day, but now I have an opportunity.  I'm still getting used to the area so I haven't been able to research any history yet, but I do see a lot of Civil War Memorial and Historic Plaques around town so I'll look into them.  Our county is named after George Washington though.

 

My new companion is Elder Garfield.  He's a cowboy from Kaysville Utah.  He actually has an interesting family history.  His ancestors traded a pet cat to the Native Americans for most of the Ogden area.  Its called the Cat Claim.  You might be able to find it online.  His family also owns the ruins a Castle in the UK.  He's on his last transfer in the mission then he starts the transfer home.  I'm "Killing" him. (Complicated story.  I'll tell you later.)  He said that he might drop in and see you sometime.  He's pretty cool.  He likes to tell everyone that I'm D. Todd's grandson so then I tell them exactly how many days he has left.  We're just a barrel of laughs.  I don't have to worry about earthquakes, tsunami's, or tornados here.  Instead we have the heat waves.  97 degrees with 100% humidity makes it 107 (Thats just today) Its going to get a lot hotter in the next two months.  I'm going to need more mesh garments.  I've also decided that for the rest of the summer I'm probably going to be shaving all the hair off my body.  Its that hot.  I'm losing more weight by walking than I ever did back home.

 

You still haven't sent me Tyson and Brigham's email addresses yet.  Try and get me Shon Tomadakis' email too if you can.  I was thinking the other day.  Its going to be so cool when all of us get home and we can sit down and talk about the missions.  So many cool and diverse stories about a lot of diverse places.  India, Nashville, Little Rock, Chile, Peoria, Equador, Rochester, Ballmore I MEAN Baltimore, and many more to come.  Who knows where Klynton and Devon are going to go.  Camp Fire Stories!  Woot woot!.  Of course Leslie, Tyson, and Brigham are going to be talking in Spanish so that nobody can understand them! (Angry eyes) It'll be awesome though.

 

So we have another person on date.  We were talking to this guy who was coming out of a hangover (Yeah.  Weird) and his neighbor Slyvia was sitting there with us.  She asked us if she could have a Book of Mormon and I said sure and gave her one.  As soon as I handed it to her she turned to this guys other neighbor and said, "Thats right.  I'm going to become a Mormon."  I asked her when she wanted to be baptized and she said as soon as possible.  So we set a date.  All of this took about five minutes.  As we're leaving I turn to Elder Garfield who had been talking to Erik this guy who was coming out of his hangover and said, "We put Sylvia on date by the way."  He stopped dead in his tracks and was like, "Wait.  What?"  I said, "Sylvia.  She's on date for baptism."  If we weren't in public he probably would have done a back flip.  It was exciting.  She's also the first person I've ever put on date for baptism.  Now we just have to teach her the lessons more in depth.

 

The gospel is true now matter what eyes you're looking through.  Thats why so many people find comfort in it and why so many others are afraid to accept it.  This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

Elder Christofferson

May 23, 2011

The new area is awesome.  I'm very excited for Chase and Kayla.  It took them long enough.  I haven't gotten the box yet.  It arrived at the Perry Hall apartment.  Hopefully I'll get it before the end of this transfer.  For letters people should just send them to the mission office.  That way they can just forward them to me and I don't have to worry about them ending up in limbo.

The area I'm in is called Hagerstown.  Its has quite the Civil War History here, but I'm studying the Gospel.  Not U.S. History.  I still have some books on Church History that I need to send home.  The area is very beautiful.  Much more green than my last area.  I like it here.  The ward members are nice.  By the way.  I'm now living with a friend of Tyson and Teancum.  Elder Nathaniel Heywood.  He trained my trainer too.  So he's my mission grandfather.  He's happy to hear that Utah State is holding Teancum's Scholarship till after his mission and that Tyson has finally hit the field.

It sounds like there is a lot going on.

We just had four investigators come to Sacrament meeting.  They felt a little out of place, but they adjusted.  Next week will be better.  The ward members all felt guilty when they didn't come up and talk to them.  Are you taking good care of the missionaries?  I hope so.  Do I need to remind you that referrals from the members are the best way for missionaries to do the work?  Colton can testify to that.

One thing that I've come to cherish is the testimony of church members past and present.  It is upon their testimony that we've been able to build it up to what it is now.  We're at 14,131,467 members and still growing.  A testimony of one person can influence thousands.  Share it.  Bare it.  Live it.  In the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

"Feed my sheep."

May 19, 2011

I can now disclose my new location to you.

 

Elder Christofferson

1140 Kenly Ave

Apt 2

Hagerstown MD 21740

 

I'm assigned to the Hagerstown Area of the Maryland Baltimore Mission

 

Love

Elder Christofferson

May 16, 2011

So my time in the Perry Hall Area is coming to a close.  I'm getting Transferred to a new area tomorrow.  I've grown very attached to the people here.  Probably too attached.  We've seen many miracles begin to occur here and now I have to leave before they come to full realization.

 

While teaching Danielle she's come to realize that many of the things that she wants in her life she can find in our church.  If only it had happened a couple of days after a Jehovah's Witness decided to attack us while we were on the way to some appointments.  He proceeded to tell us that there is no way the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints could be the true church.  He told us that we're Satan Worshippers because many of us are in cooperation with the United States Government.  He called us Satanic because we have Soldiers in different armies.  Right before we left I told him that I love our Soldiers and that I love fighting.  I'm proud to have been in some form a Warrior.  Elder Davis and I were infuriated as we went through the rest of our day.  That night when we got to the Stake Center for some work we were doing I decided to kill some time by watching Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration.  While watching it I was finally calmed.  This man attacking us because of our faith strengthened my Testimony of having a Prophet in these Latter Days.  The need of one has never been more necessary.  People have been blinded by the subtle craftiness of men.  If you love the Lord.  Then feed his sheep.  Help these people to see the truth.  If they tell you that God will allow you to believe a lie then just bear your testimony to them and leave them behind.  Its the best thing to do.

 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints is the Lord's Kingdom restored on the earth.  It has done more to change the world in its time than any other church.  I bear my witness of these things in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

Elder Christofferson

May 9, 20011

(We were all so excited to talk to Jess on Mothers Day, that we kept talking about it all night Sunday Night and forgot to send him an email........OOPS>)

What?! No email?! Doesn't anybody love me?!?!?! :(

I'm just kidding.  I know you all love me.  You all told me several times when I was on the phone last night talking to all of you.  How did you like my Baltimore accent.  I'll teach you all the customs and traditions later, but for now I'll just tell you that we had an awesome week this week.  We went to training for three days down in the heart of the Mission.  It was amazing.  Over half the Mission gathered.   I'll tell you right now that if you think LLD or Staff Week for Scout Camps is tough or informative its nothing compared to being at Missionary Training.  Three days of being immersed in Preach My Gospel and the Book of Mormon.  Its like drowning without the water.  But its so beautiful.  The spirit that you feel is so strong that you can't avoid feeling a renewed love of the Savior and the people you're trying to convert.

 

This last week we were able to go see a former investigator who is very Catholic.  We've finally discovered that he just doesn't believe in being baptized again.  He thinks one is enough.  Thats all thats stopping him.  At the end we challenged him to open up his Bible and the Book of Mormon and study Baptism.  He agreed to do it and now we're going back Wednesday to go over it with him.  We feel that if he studies enough about Baptism that he'll realize he needs to do it.  The Spirit was so strong.

 

I know that this Church is true.  I've come to cherish the efforts made by the Prophet Joseph in bringing us to this great stage of enlightenment and I know that everyone can be blessed by the message we carry in our hearts. 

 

"...Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."  John 21:17

 

Feed his Sheep.

 

Love

Elder Christofferson

Elder Davis and I with Agela and Dakota

Me with Lilo

Morgan (Red Parrott)

May 2, 2011

Hello again family.  Things are going great here in the Baltimore Area.  We've been out working hard and are hoping to improve in everyway.  We've had some awesome numbers in the past weeks and they are getting better.

 

Why are there so many medical problems going on in the family right now?  Hurry up and get better everyone.  I've been checking out some of the Area's around here for you to consider and have decided that for the area around Baltimore itself that we're just going to have to hire a tour guide or two.  Fortunately I've met some here in the area.  Brother Tinker and Brother Huebner are local historians and can tell you everything about everything here.

 

This week we've been blessed to be able to begin meeting with a less active family in the area called the Dobihals.  We don't know the full story of their background, but they haven't been to church in almost 10 years.  Through the efforts of a Senior Missionary Couple in the area we've been able to discern exactly how to help them.  We found out that Sister Dobihal has been reading out of a Bible that has come to be known as The Green Dragon.  This is the Bible thats used by the Jehovas Whitnesses for those of you that don't know or haven't heard of it.  Brother Dobihal's Sister is a Jehovas Whitness that has done nothing but tear down the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to her family and friends.  While I'd love for nothing more than to throw some of their arguments back in their faces (I found out that they've removed Verses from the Bible) I'm not able to do that.  We managed to meet with the Dobihal's on Sunday and started answering their questions and helping them realize that they need to go back to the Restoration to understand everything.  The spirit was so strong.  Their Home Teacher (Brother Huebner) who was with us bore a testimony so powerful that both of them were moved to tears.  Now we just need to get them back to church and into the Temple again.  They used to go weekly to the Temple to perform Endowments and Sealings they claim.  We also need to get rid of that Jehovas Whitness Bible.  Its doing nothing but cause problems.

 

Remember that the Restored Gospel is true.  Joseph Smith gave his life to build it up and now we need to dedicate our lives to defending it.  Why?  Because it is true.  When?  Now.  How?  With a testimony built on the Rock of our Redeemer and the Keystone of the Book of Mormon.

 

Elder Christofferson