Week 53: Overboard

WHELP! My new trainee is named Elder Thwaits (pronounced twaits, like saying "weights" with a t on the front) He's the one in the back in the group photo with his arm in the air. Side note, all of those missionaries are part of my mission lineage.

Left to right: Elder Tutasi(my uncle), Me, Elder Darrington(my cousin), Elder Thwaits(my son), Elder Goldsberry(My Dad), Elder Shurtleff(my Grandpa), Elder McNaughton(My brother).

Anyways, this week was pretty great. Did a lot of finding and found some new investigators, one in particular will be my crazy story for the week:

We were knocking on some doors in an apartment complex I hadn't been to before, and the 4th door we knock on the dude just yells "COME IN" And I'm like "Sure" (This happens ever once and a while and it's always funny to see people's faces when they realize they just invited Mormons into their house, jaws literally drop every time.) He was pretty cool, younger guy and he had some even younger guys with him. They were playing some Grand Theft Auto on the Xbox One when we came in and we just started chatting with them about stuff. Eventually we asked if we could share a message with them, and we did. Then we were just about to leave and set a return appointment when the home owner gets a call from his ex-wife telling him she's outside with his 2 kids for him to pick up. He runs outside really quick brings 2 kids inside and he's holding 2 hoverboards (those things that you stand on and ride like a segway but with no handles? Yeah, those). 

I immediately start commenting on how cool these things were and his little kids (age 8 and 5) start riding those things around the house like nobody's business, doing spins and all sorts of cool tricks. After a couple of minutes of the father watching me in awe he offered to let me try one, and of course I say yes. And me being the genius that I am decided to give my iPad to him so he could record me riding a hoverboard for the first time. I was going to do a ton of spins and show off all my skills and stuff. Unfortunately my plan didn't turn out the way I wanted it to, and I'll let the video do the rest of the explaining. Moral of the story, they are putting some crazy things in chicken nuggets these days and kids have supernatural powers that allow them to ride these complicated pieces of machinery as if it were easier than walking.

Well I miss all y'all and I look forward to reading your emails this week!

-Elder Christensen

Week 52: Turtle Tossing

Well all sorts of cool news just came in.

Our Mission is absorbing the eastern part of the Nasheville Tennessee mission. This means that our mission now covers the Cookeville stake, so that's pretty cool.

Transfer call was about 20 minutes ago. Elder Hull will be leaving and I will be getting a new companion. Like a really new companion. Like I'm training a new missionary.  They also thought it was a good idea to make me a district leader; not sure who's idea  that was.

Not sure what my new companion's name is or anything. I will probably find that all out on Wednesday when I meet him. I have to drive 3 hours one way to go pick him up, and then drive 3 hours back to my area, so Wednesday is going to be exhausting.

Now for my crazy story this week.  We were on our way to one of the outer parts of our area, and we noticed the truck in front of us start slowing down to a stop and pull off to the right, I noticed something in the road so I pulled off too. There was an older couple stopped on the other side of the road panicking not knowing what to do. There was a snapping turtle in the middle of the road, and it looked like it was a bit injured. It may have been run over a tiny bit or something.  Anyways, the dude in the truck in front of us gets out and starts trying to pick up the snapping turtle with zero fear, but this thing was being a twerp, it kept on trying to bite him, and the dude kept dropping the turtle. Eventually he got a hold on it after dropping it several times and in frustration decided that instead of gently placing it off the road, he would toss the thing with all of his might while yelling "YOU'RE WELCOME!" And of course I'm standing outside the car with my jaw dropped trying not to laugh out loud. The turtle soared through the air into a ditch and that was the last we saw of it. Moral of the story, don't try to bite people when they're trying to save your life.

Well that's all I got for this week, I love and miss all of you!

Elder Christensen

Week 51: Memorial Day

We finally got to play some basketball today Our district has been
really good at conserving miles, so they came down today to play some
basketball.

It's also Memorial Day, I think it has something to do with like
remembering people who died in the war.

Well, everything has been going pretty solid in Forest City North
Carolina. I'm writing this email on my iPad, and I'm sure most of you
know how much I hate writing emails on my iPad. So this is going to be
pretty short.

We are creeping up on transfers, it's not going to be this Wednesday
but the one after. So next Monday I should have some new info. I'm
certainly staying in this area but I'm not sure what else is going to
happen.

Love and miss you guys!

Sent from my iPad