News from the Bluff ... Home of THE BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie!?

February 10, 2014

Hola Familia!

Sounds like everyone had a good week, minus dad being sick. That's super cool about Anne Parkes, too, tell her I say hi! This week has been good. The P. family didn’t come to church because the dad lost something, I don’t really know what, but they then came to a baptism that some other missionaries had Sunday night so that was good. Keep praying for them that they will get baptized.

Hahahaha its mucho muy (no "e") bien and you’d just say muy bien probably, haha. It’s all good though. I know I heard about Trot I’m so excited and happy for him, he is going to do so great up there!!! Wow, yea, the time does fly, but thankfully we have the gospel and we know exactly where they are right now (read Alma 40:11-12).

This week was good though, not too much happened again but it’s been good. Oh, actually I gave a 2-month-old baby a blessing so that was a cool experience (super little and chubby and round). Oh, and there is a family in the ward I’m in right now (Flour Bluff Ward) and they make THE BEST chocolate chip cookies, oh my gosh there are AMAZING!!!!! Like, oh, my gosh they are so good I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing they are!!! Also, I forgot my cord this week so no pictures :( But give Andrew an abrazo (hug) and that will make you feel better :)

We found out about transfers yesterday morning and I’m staying in Flour Bluff with Elder Roth for another 6 weeks (I’m happy about that). Life is good and the mission is beast! Oh, also I gave a 20-minute talk on the Book of Mormon in the YSA (Young Single Adult) Branch in the Stake yesterday so that was fun, too. And we have food appointments lined up for every day for the next two weeks except one day. #Yes #TheLordProvides.

I love y’all so much!

Elder Christiansen

Notes from me: So this letter made me smile so much. Ethan is so excited about friends coming home from missions and leaving on missions (Anne Parkes recently returned from Oklahoma City, OK, and Trot recently called to Vancouver, Canada). He's giving helpful tips on my Spanish :) And he also made a sweet comment about Feb. 9 being the 40th anniversary of Grandpa Page's and Uncle Danny's passing (my dad and brother), thus, sharing the scripture in Alma that says: "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection -- Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow."

And, I loved the chocolate chip cookie reference! The day we got this letter, I had just wrapped up a gift for a friend -- a cute little tea towel that said "Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookie dough of life." So true! And so sweet that Ethan's letter went right along with that. I'm so glad he has friends and church members in Flour Bluff who are taking care of him, being kind to him, and baking him chocolate chip cookies! :) And glad he's staying in Flour Bluff for another six weeks!