Katie's Mission Blog: January 2024

Monday, January 29, 2024

January 23, 2024-January 29, 2024-Week 38-San Miguelito

Letter to everyone:

Hey everyone! I can't believe this week enters into February! One month into this year and I have already been able to learn and grow so much!

This week was overall good. We are still working with lots of families who have someone in their family who was previously baptized. The horror and biggest headache of the mission is getting people to GO TO CHURCH! Which is literally crazy in my ward that I am in because we have a free bus haha. But, it definetly helps and helps get people to church. We have been working especially hard to bring members to our lessons, we had 10 with us! I really love this ward, and I like being in an area for three transfers, because then the members really become your family. In every ward a I have "panamom", and in this ward it is Grace! She is the best and is always taking care of me. Lessons with members are always so more powerful because practically every member is a convert, and in the meantime they are also strengthening their testimony.

Some of the really good things that happend this week were leadership conference!! I got to go to the city on Tuesday and be with all of the leaders of the Panama mission and discuss how we could improve the mission and we brainstomed our ideas. I think it is always a good humbling moment, because there are always so many things I can improve. Tomorow we have zone conference, so that will be fun, and I get to see Hermana Christensen again, so my fears of not seeing her the rest of the mission have been debunked.

I also got the opportunity to serve and play the piano at the funeral of someone in our stake. I am really grateful for my mom who made me take piano lessons all those years, and my piano teacher, Karen Hawkins, who helped me develop this gift. But, I defintley dropped the ball at times with my practices...so sometimes I am not the best pianist, but I am always ready and willing. It was crazy though, there was probably 100+ people there and I was like, "where are all these people when Sunday roles around for church??". But alas, it was good to play, but I play every Sunday here as well. I don't know any lyrics in Spanish because I have probably only not played one Sunday in my whole mission. One of the speakers shared something really cool that I liked. He talked about John 11 and the resurrection of Lazarus.

Mary, weeping says to Jesus "if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died" (John 11:32). But, the Savior in His perfect knowledge was probably thinking: "oh if they could see as I see". He then asked them to move the stone away from the tomb, told Lazarus to come forth, and told them to take of the napkins that covered Him. Mary, all the while was thinking "He has been dead for four days, it is well past his time. Lord why are you even trying?". But, Lazarus rose again and walked again. Miracles.

I think all too often we are like this. We think, "well if the Savior were here, life would have been like x, y, z...anything but this" and "the time is too late, it has metaphorically been FOUR LONG DAYS!". But the Savior is a God of miracles, who also invites us to be apart of them. He invited them all to do things, to seek and work for this miracle. I know that He has never forgotten us, that He is never going to leave us doubting, but He is going to lift us and to work miracles with Him.

Letter to family:

Tuesday, I got to go into the city, and of course wake up very early to get there. But luckily, I am not living out towards Chiriqui, where they literally leave at 11:30pm the NIGHT BEFORE! So, we got into the city at 8am. It was really fun to see Hermana Hatch (my second companion) as well as Elder Clark, since now he is a zone leader. We talked a lot about helping our friends to keep their commitments. One idea that I really liked that we have been doing is literally taking people's phones and putting alarms on them to read their scriptures -- from recent converts, friends, or randos in the streets. We have been seeing a lot more success with that. I also love President, he just speaks to the needs of us. I swear he always knows all the things that are going through my head and he seems to speak to the one and all our questions that we have and worries. He is a great President! We also ate KFC, so that was funny. It made me think of Garret when we were in China, and how that is the only food he ate and how he survived.

We thankfully had so many members come out with us this week on visits...a whole 10! That is actually a lot and they have been testifying their little hearts out. The church isn't different here at all, there are still people who have super strong testimonies and know that the church is true and read their scriptures, there just sadly seems to be a lot more people here who have fallen away. They just need more leadership. I think in one more generation, well like my generation when they have kids, will be super strong. The church is still so young here, like the 70s. So the people who first joined the church, are now just dying. But lots more people are serving missions and they will come back with firmer testimonies and faith and understanding. So I can't wait to see all the good that will come to Panama so soon!

On Friday, we had to go into the doctor because Hermana Jackson has some weird skin problems that are happening. She has tons of blisters and puss filled stuff. So, we had to find her some things to help get rid of it, so hopefully with time it will get better. The Dr also looked at her feet that have skin problems too and was like "your feet are so swollen, you look like a 40 year old woman" and so now when we come home she has to elevate her feet every night. Last night she was putting her feet up, and a coach roach almost walked right up on her. We still have coach roach problems...I don't know how to get rid of them. I think we might have mice or something, we just find poop in random places. We have traps and poisons, but still. And our toilet back has to be filled every time we go to the bathroom...random rant over. I love this house. I love Panama!

But, honestly Friday was super rough. I just felt like "ok well I am tired of being a missionary and I just want to go home". It was weird because it come over me so suddenly. And it has only happened a few times like this in my whole mission. But, it was just super overwhelming and terrible. Because I want to be here, and desire to be here. It truly is the greatest work. But it is tiring. And hard. And I am just trying to find the ones who are ready to listen, not just some random joe from the street who cat calls me, ya know? (side note: very excited to not be around Panama men). I know there are people out there. I have seen so many miracles in the lives of people here of people just knowing the church is true. Literally, our recent converts, Reymundo and Mercedes, are going around inviting everyone to come to church, reading daily in the Book of Mormon, and they say their favorite part of their week is when we come see them. So chosen. So, pray for these chosen people and for people to help us find the chosen. Anyways, back to what I was saying about feeling this overwhelming terribleness. I have thought a lot about this in relation to Joseph Smith. When he went into the grove of trees to pray, Satan came in and tried to stop him from praying. But what happened after...THE LITERAL MIRACLE of Joseph Smith seeing God the Father, and Jesus Christ, and from there, the restoration. Therefore: MIRACLES ARE COMING! With time. With patience. But they are coming. I am working for them. My comps working for them. God is with us. So, February should bring some baptisms.

As for the progress on some baptisms:

- Erick and Milagros were supposed to be baptized this Saturday but didn't come to church...they will be baptized. They love the church. They want to be baptized. So, just with time and patience. We also are trying to help their cousins get baptized but their parents are being bums and won't go to church. We passed by their house on Sunday to go to church and the kids were all dressed but their moms just kept making excuses.

- The familia Batista will also be baptized. Of course after they go to church. They are golden. We are going to talk about commandments on Tuesday, see if there are any pressing problems (i.e. coffee, alcohol, or unmarried relations but from my understanding none of them are dating anyone...so green light!)

- Tilsia. She is just a random contact we had who came to church the very next day. And she knows the church is true and her baptism is invalid because what power did the evangelico church have? none, that's right. But shes like "i'm just used to going to my church". So we need to bring a member to her and talk about one true church and all that.

We also found this family who the mom is actually a member from Colon from ages ago. So that could cook up something good.

We are always on the search for these souls!!!!! It is good and long and hard. I need to be better at my eternal perspective and finding joy in the journey. When the day is sucky I choose to smile because some wise person (dad) told me to smile because you can't be upset, mad, anxious and smiling. So that has been working. The sun is shining. Very strong. My comp is good. She has intersting taste in music, but that's the only funny quirk.

Leadership conference -- Hermana Hatch, Hermana Jackson, and Hermana Navarro

Elder Lutze, Hermana Jackson, me, and ELDER CLARK at leadership conference

With Hermana Connolly, Hermana Jackson, Elder Jones, Elder Aryaso

Eating with elder Griffiths, elder Tarbet, and elder Jones

Hermana Christensen

Hermana Jackson

Visiting our friend Tilsia with Hermana Grace

Lesson with Eimys Sanchez

There are Swifties here in Panama even (Taylor Swift fans)

Studying in any place possible!!

Visiting members and friends with Hermana Grace, and snapping selfies on the bus

Happy birthday to Milagros!!

Visiting members and friends with Hermana Grace, we visited a menos activo Jennifer Tenorio, who just gave birth. She is the mom of Johan.

Reymundo and Mercedes, our new converts

Monday, January 22, 2024

January 17, 2024-January 22, 2024-Week 37-San Miguelito

Letter to everyone:

Wednesday I had my last two baptisms with Hermana Christensen, or our so called "His sacred six" (the goal was seven, but six still works). We were going to have two more, but they went to interior on vacay, but they should be baptized the 3rd if all goes as planned. Anyways, it was truly SO special. Sometimes you can just tell the committment people have from the get go. They bore such sweet testimonies. Senor Reymundo talked about how he was sad he had not joined the church sooner and that he knows it is something different, and special --- COMPLETE as I like to say. There's a lot of good churches, but no other church has every revealed truth that Christ wants to give and show and give to those who are His followers. Quite a few people came to the baptism as well, which was special to say goodbye to Hermana Christensen. Our recent convert, has a hug colegio bus -- a yellow kidnapper van -- that she drives and she was taking us home and we joked that we wanted mcdonalds to celebrate and she literally took us there lol but we didn't really want anything so it was so awkward. But we celebrated with dominos pizza afterwards. I am so thankful to have been in this area with Hermana Christensen. She defintely was the companion God knew I needed, and I am happy that He just gave me the friend I needed in the mission. She is going to do great things out in Tocumen in Nueva Esperanza.

Thursday morning we woke up super early to go to transfers in the city. It was good to see everyone, like Elder Clark (who has a shaved head right now lol) and other friends from the mission. But when Hermana Christensen left, I definitely bawled my eyes out. She was like "we will see each other so soon" and I was like "you don't know that" but turns out we have zone conference together next week. I also received A PAPER COPY OF PREACH MY GOSPEL so yeah! Only missionaries can understand this haha. It is so nice to not be on my phone and I can mark it up. It is even a little mini one, just what I wanted.

We have found some good new friends, we always have like 20 or more, so it is good. We had like 11 friends at church, our bus is so nice and clutch to help get them there. But, we are just on the grind. Always. But I have so much faith that God is going to put more people in our path. Because honestly, sometimes idk if there is more I can do in this area. I have almost exhausted all my options -- but knocking doors -- which we don't ever do because it really isn't that effective. We received a reference of a menos activo (less active), who has a wife who isn't a member. We visited him and had a great lesson though. So, we have a lot of hope they will progress towards the temple. Because we aren't here just to help people get baptized, but receive EVERY ordinance that God has for them. So, sometimes starting with the temple is good (with the end goal in mind).

Me and my comp get along well. It is different and now we actually eat meals, so that kind of kills time instead of visits and I am not a fan of eating here because it just hurts sometimes, but it is ok. Lowkey I got so chastized the other day by the spirit though because I was kind of just sad and upset to not be with Hermana Christensen, but the spirit was like "why are you angry at him?" and from that day forward I have really been trying to love and choose joy and not compare and be so happy that I am here, with this privilege, to be a representative of Jesus Christ. It is hard and there are times I honestly just want to go home. Not really but maybe a quick zap home? But, I do feel more joy than before because I know this is His church. I know that whatever happens in this life, I am a disciple of Christ, child of the covenant, a daughter of God and that I can return to live with Him some day. I know He is making me more than I was and aligning my will with His.

This is a talk I loved.

The Price of Priesthood Power

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2016/04/the-price-of-priesthood-power?lang=eng

Then from here I thought about the Holy Ghost. We all have the Holy Ghost, but are we accessing His power. Access His power!!

Letter to family:

I want to thank you for providing for my mission and always taking care of me. This is the best thing I have every done, and hardest, but the best!! I love being a missionary and making a good contact and talking about how someone's life would be so much better if they would just get baptized. It is the start if a new life. Thank you for staying strong in the church. Thank you for being sealed and allowing me to be sealed to you guys through being born in the covenant. Thanks for being some of my best friends and knowing me better than I know myself and helping me!

More than anything, thanks for hearing Him for me. Now I know to trust in you two even more...you're probably laughing reading this. I don't doubt that you receive revelation for me and how to help, protect, care, and guide me. If I ever argue with you, just say the spirit told me to tell you this.

How I Hear Him: President Henry B. Eyring

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/hear-him-launch/how-i-hear-him-eyring?lang=eng

The Christensen wall of our hopes and dreams

A member took some cute photos of us on our last day together before the baptism.

The baptism of Mercedes and Reymundo Arana, with Nelson Núñez

At the baptism with Andres

Hugs with Mercedes after the baptism

Guess who showed up at transfers -- YOSMAR and all the Guadalupe people -- me, Hermana Lunt, Elder del Valle, Elder Tarbet, Elder Ramírez

The teariest goodbye to Hermana Christensen in the metro station at Albrook

Planning on our patio

Eating in Mcdonlds one night and using the free wifi to restore all pur chats on our phone that were lost.

Member lessonswith Agustin Gomez and Nuvia Paus

Member lesson with Gabriel Barría and all his family

Hermana Jackson wa so tired so fell asleep on the ground

Member lessons with Raquel Riasco

Visiting Luis and Neddy, they have been taught for years and always come to church, but they just have to get married so they can be baptized.

Member texts #baptizethemembers

Welp...new Panamanian lover

Yosmar's stories makes me so happy!!

Another of Yosmar's stories

From Hermana Allie Christensen (Katie's companion)

Hello there Kirt and Emily. I hope that wasn't too friendly of a greeting. Maybe I should have been more formal, but I feel like I already know you both from what Hermana Christensen has told me.

I should have written this email long ago, but here I am in the first few days of my transfer away from your daughter and WOW, I miss her. I can't imagine how you must miss her. But THANK YOU for sharing her with the Lord, with His people in Panama, and with me!

Hermana Katelyn Christensen is AMAZING. When I first received transfer news, I was kind of laughing because I would be with someone who had my same name. My dad has always told us to represent the Christensen name well, and your daughter sure does! I did not know much about her when I learned that we would be companions. All I was told was that she was from Idaho, and was a good worker. Both of those statements were wrong.

I quickly learned that Hermana Christensen is from the great state of Washington, not Idaho, and that she was not merely a good worker, but a GREAT worker. A living wonder of a missionary. She wore me out the 3 months that we were together. There would be times I would be like man, I am ready for a little nap or something but she would get right out of a lesson and be like "Ok, what is the plan for the next lesson?"

When we headed out to our area together for the first time, I felt like a bit of a mess, leading the area out for the first time. But we got all her luggage on the bus, and I remember her talking to EVERYONE. A contacting machine. And I was jaw dropped by her Spanish. she speaks very well. And she is so good at building connections with people and just being bold. The people love her! They cannot help it.

One of the greatest lessons I learned from Hermana Christensen is the importance of obedience. She is incredibly, mindfully, obedient. I was not a disobedient missionary before, but Hermana Christensen showed me how to hold oneself to an even higher standard of personal righteousness before the Lord. She is in a constant state of improvement, trusting that if she is obedient and does her part, it will all work out. She ran our area.

I honestly would call Hermana Christensen my trainer. With her in San Vicente, I learned not only how to be an effective missionary, but also how to love being a missionary. I also met my very best friend. I love my tall beautiful blonde friend who is incredibly smart, funny, kind, and righteous. She is an amazing leader and will change this entire mission. She is doing so now.

some things about Hermana christensen the missionary:

- she loves to eat yogurt and granola, every day. also peanut butter is a must. i have never seen a big jar go so quick

- she loves her family. she worries about you all and prays for you all by name. she misses you!!

- she not only loves all the sweet experiences here on her mission, but she also wants to share them with you all. she tells me often that she wishes you were here to see all the crazy things that happen.

- she is BOLD, I remember her calling people out for not getting to church, inviting people to be baptized when i didn't have the guts, and talking to the random people on the street.

- she has an amazing memory. she remembers everyones names, scriptures we shared, and all the little things we can't forget. i don't know what i will do without her!

Thank you for raising such a faithful, wonderful daughter, and for paying for her to be here, for allowing her this opportunity. I am forever thankful for her. She changed my mission, and she changed me! She was and is a miracle in my mission and my life!!

Hermana Christensen

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

January 9, 2024-January 17, 2024-Week 36-San Miguelito (Wednesday P-day Because of Transfers)

Letter to everyone:

I am heading into my sixth transfer in the mission field, and seventh overall. I am staying here in San Vicente, but with a new companion, Hermana Jackson. I don't know much about her, but I know she is really sweet and nice! Hermana Christensen is going to Tocumen, so she will be in the zone over and hopefully we will see each other...at least before the mission is over.

I can't believe I am this far into my mission, and approaching halfway. I had the opportunity to talk in church today about lasting conversion. I have really seen on my mission who God wants me and knows I can be. I am so happy to share this joy with others and help them to see that God has a plan for them and they have a divine potential. I managed to talk for 18 minutes haha, I guess I am really passionate about being a missionary and staying converted forever. The mission is the best thing I have ever done with my time!

We are getting ready for a baptism tonight! I am so grateful to know without a doubt that God is a God of miracles. Every humble prayer we offer, is answered in the Lord's time. We always pray to find the Lord's chosen -- and He always provides. Miracles are wrought by the sweet power of prayer. Reymundo and Mercedes we found since their grandson is a new member of the church, and they accepted so readily and willingly. They love the Book of Mormon and they know that they will be baptized into the church with every truth and every doctrine that Jesus Christ taught! They took what they had and their knowledge, and added their faith with what Christ's church had to offer.

I have been reading all of President Nelson's talks for this month of January. There are quite a lot...111 to be exact. But, one really stood out to me this week was called Be Thou an Example of the Believers. It inspires me to maintain my conversion and always share this message with others. I invite you all to lengthen your stride and share what you have with others. There are people in your path who need this message!

Letter to family:

Anyways, this week was my last week with the amazing Hermana Christensen. I grew to love her even more, and am very sad to see her go. I am staying here, in San Vicente with another companion, Hermana Jackson. I have only had a few interactions with her, but I believe she is really sweet and nice. I am staying Hermana Leader, so I will continue to do exchanges and go to the city for conferences and help the Hermanas when they need it.

Tonight we are having a baptism of our friends, Mercedes and Reymundo! Originally, Erick and Milagros were supposed to be baptized too, but they went to the interior (the west side of the country that is not city and really pretty and peaceful) and so now they will be baptized at some future date. But, finding Mercedes and Reymundo is so cool and special! They are the grandparents of our recent convert (Keller), and we just thought it would be good to go see where they leave and meet them. We were told they were super catholic. Basically they are only as catholic as having a rosary and a photo of the virgin Mary in their house and the last super (but every house has a last super picture). But, we asked them to be baptized and follow Jesus Christ in our first visit and they were like "debemos ser bautizados (we must be baptized)" and since then we have visited them every day and they are so humble, so willing, and just know that this is something different. Reymundo has already read all of 1 Nephi, so that is amazing, and he reads to his wife, Mercedes.

This week we got to get let in on some Panamanian culture -- making bollos. Basically it is like a tamale, with nothing in it. We became experts as we made them with our friends Erick and Milagros and their family (the family Cumbrera). All you do is grind up corn, add butter and water and salt (or coconut and tons of sugar) and form them and then wrap them in palm leaves. It was super easy. They are alright...I made the mistake of eating two and was about to throw up. They are just really filling and my stomach has shrunk here I think. And to top it off, I was given grape soda, then topped off after I chugged it (because fun fact i do not like grape soda, it tastes so bad). But, I made it through and I survived.

I got to talk in church this week and somehow managed to talk for 18 minutes...whoops. I was told to talk for 12. I guess I am a chatter now. But I just talked about lasting conversion and how we can stay converted forever. It went good, though with lots of grammatical errors. It really is the daily and consistent efforts to read the scriptures, go to church, pray and press forward. Ask, seek, knock! Doctrine and Covenants 9:8.

We are still having a lot of success visiting less active people and then starting to teach their families. There are people in the ward who have been helping us find them and letting us know where they live, and then we always visit them and they are so loving. The problem is that there used to be tons of branches in all the areas of our HUGE area. Then, they combined it all into one, in a church building that was way far away. People didn't have the money to get there, so they became inactive. Now, we have a bus that gets us there for free. But, people have sadly fallen out of the habit of going and reading the scriptures and practicing their religion. But, there are still many gems to be found --- like we taught this one lady just because everything fell through and she came to church the next day...that has never ever happened to me! And that lesson was funny because I TOTALLY screwed up the first vision scripture because I am a little out of practice... I don't think I have said it since my second transfer anyways....yeah it was terrible. It jumped all over the place. But the point is, God will work miracles. He doesn't need us, but He lovingly us lets us be part of the work.

Something that has been my favorite part of Panama is the conversion stories of other people. The church only came here in the 70s, so practically everyone is a convert, or their grandparents or parents were converts. I like to hear how people chose and fought for their testimony and overcame obstacles and how they have been forever changed for it. We also have been hearing a lot of how people met their spouse stories, and they are pretty cute, but they have really made me think about what type of person I will marry one day. That's a future Katie problem. But there was a cool story about this couple that fasted together to know if they should get married and they both had the same dream of them in the temple getting married. So they got civilly married because there wasn't a temple in Panama. But one day she was reading in the Liahona a talk from President Hinckley about true and lasting love is being sealed in the temple for eternity, and to get married in the temple if couples hadn't yet. That night when her husband got home she said "cuantos me amas (how much do you love me)" and was like "ẗhen take me to the temple!!! " and so they went to Costa Rica to get married. It is worth every penny to be married in the temple of the Lord. It was funny too because she always explained how she never thought it was that important until the stake president sat her down and read with her in doctrine and covenants 132 and was very direct with her. Sometimes I want to do that with our friends too, but I don't want to come up too bible bashy. But no one can argue with the word of God either...

Random:

We found cherries this week! And they were SO good! They were even better than Spokane cherries

Making bollos with the family Cumbrera