I ate a RIB-EYE STEAK!

Hey everyone: This week went really well here in Roxas City. I like my area except it is a little hard and we seem to be having trouble getting people to keep progressing. It seems like sometimes when we visit people they aren't too super excited to see us, but it is okay. We tracted quite a bit this week and didn’t have the best success. This ward isn’t super active in the missionary work so that is our main focus right now. We should have two baptisms this week though, H. N. (22), and R. A. (19.) They are doing well. H. N. had to get interviewed by President Pagaduan due to past troubles but is cleared to be baptized. Yesterday we had three investigators at church. Last week Elder Price and I were walking and it started raining really hard but we had an appointment and no umbrella so we just kept going. Turns out he got a blister from his wet shoes and it ended up getting badly infected. Right now it is big, purple, and red and he can’t wear shoes so he has to wear these sandal things right but it’s okay. My tooth has felt great this week. No problems :) All is well so thanks for your prayers. Nothing this week is too new to be honest. I didn’t get any pictures either so sorry. What is going on with Elder Ben Rebman? How is he liking the MTC? I also thought about Dallen this week. He just got to Chile this week right? I am excited for you and your hunts that are coming up. Gotta love fall! Too bad there is no fall here. It is raining here really hard right now. There is a "baguio" or a storm here right now in the Visayan region of the Philippines. I can’t think of anything for Christmas mom, I am doing great and don’t think I need anything. Maybe you could throw in two or three more bottles of that toothpaste Macy sent me. I like it a lot. Last week we went to a place called Moon Cafe in Iloilo and I ate a RIB-EYE STEAK!!! My first steak in eleven months haha. It was so good. It had mashed potatoes also which you rarely see here. Plus in American dollars it was only $9 so I got it haha. Well worth it. I can’t believe I have been gone eleven months. Yikes! Thanks for the money in my account mom, I should be good for now but maybe I will use it sometime. I had a dream about Macy and she was speaking fluent Ilonggo to me haha. That was funny when I woke up. I am doing my best to write to everyone that writes to me. Even if it is short. I want everyone to know how thankful I am. Please tell Mandi that I got her e-mail and will write her and send it soon! Alright, I love you all! Goodbye my family. Halong, Elder Garrett Christensen Hey Britt, Whats up? I hope everything is going well and you are liking school, and soccer and everything. I bet you are so, so good at soccer. Just keep practicing and you will be the best! Things here are good! Love you! Hey Papa: Things this week went well. Elder Price and I taught more lessons/people than anyone has in our area for years haha. He is a really hard worker and we have the same drive and work ethic. It is going great with him. My roommates are great, too, so no complaints. I am excited about the hunts next week. I hope you get to see some animals and hopefully a thirty-point buck! Send me some pictures of you guys out in the mountains! Thanks for the football updates too! I love you tons and miss you too! Elder Garrett Christensen Hey mom: I just thought of something. I usually write everyone in the family specifically except you. I guess it’s just since I usually do it in reply to your e-mail which is always the longest haha. How is work going for you? I am way proud of you for teaching the Gospel Doctrine class. I bet you are learning so much. It’s just like on my mission. At first I knew the gospel was true but I didn’t have a conviction or anything like that. But through my studies, teaching, and helping others understand it, It has built a deep conviction in me that this is the church of God here on the earth. The Book of Mormon is so real and true and for our day, given especially to us. I know that as you continue to "lift where you stand" and teach Gospel Doctrine class, that God is sculpting you to be what he needs of you and helping you continue on you path of eternal progression! I am so lucky to have a mom like you. Never think I have forgotten about you! I think about you lots. I am not homesick by any means, but thinking of how blessed I truly have been. I love you the most. Your Son, Elder Vonnie Boy

This week's pictures

We Have to Help more People Come to Christ!

Hey everyone. First I would like to shout out to Utah for whipping BYU. Put a big smile on my face here even across the world :) Also Reggie Bush is playing for the Dolphins? What happened there? Any other trades/transactions like that that I should have known about six months ago haha? This week has been a weird/okay week. First of all, my tooth started hurting again and when it hurts it gives me intense almost migrainal pain in my head so I talked to the dentist and he said to come to his shop. The only problem is that Roxas is 3+ hours from his shop, so Elder Collins, Elder Adams, Elder Price and I came down to Iloilo for my dentist and they also had some training to go to since they are Zone Leaders and Elder Price is District Leader. So while they did that I worked three days in an area called Arevalo which is in Iloilo City. I worked with two elders named Elder Ball and Wilson, both of which entered the MTC with me on the same day and traveled here together. It was fun and they have a great area. We then went home to Roxas on Friday night and worked as much as we could. Then on Saturday, President Pagaduan came up to do a baptismal interview with a candidate of ours that has some serious sins in the past so he had to talk to President. He will be baptized October 1. He is 22 and a great guy. I am glad that you are having a good time at home and everyone is staying busy. We have been so busy here it’s nuts. I feel like I look at a calendar and its September 1 then the next day it’s September 15. It’s crazy here. I am loving my new companion. We get along great and both have the same desire and vision of our area. This week we will work harder than ever. We have to help more people come to Christ! I got a letter for my birthday from Grandma Hirschi, so please tell her thanks and I love her. I also got letters from the Ogilvie family and Brother & Sister Christian. I'll write them back. Next time you see them, tell Bill Sherwin and Jaime Nyberg hello back for me. I am loving the work and stoked to be where I am right now. Thank you to all of you for all you do and your sacrifices for me. I have been given much. I love you all! Elder Garrett Christensen

New Area - Roxas City / New Comp Elder Price

Hello everyone This is Elder Christensen from my new area, Roxas City! It has been wierd for me adjusting to the city environment but I like it a lot. There is better food too :) My new companion is Elder Price from Riverton, Utah and is a stud. I am way happy to work with him. He is very obedient and hard working. We will get along awesome. We had six investigators at church yesterday and church was great. I am in Roxas 2nd ward. There are four wards here in Roxas City. We should have at least a couple baptisms coming up soon so we are excited. This is supposedly the "seafood capital of the Philippines" so maybe I will get some good food? Even though I hate fish, maybe crab and shrimp :) My roommates are the Roxas zone leaders and I like them a lot too. Great missionaries. Elder Adams from Murray, Utah and Elder Collins from California. Your pictures look like you had a ton of fun at Lake Powell and sounds like everyone is doing great! I am also happy to hear Dixie beat Pine View. That is always good to hear. This week I got your package. Thank you very much for everything! Also the Dixie Elder is always good to get. I am proud of Britt for doing soccer and tell Breck happy birthday! I can't believe it is time for the rodeo again! Breck, Mace, Britt and I went to it last year and it was way fun. Regarding the tooth, I believe I will only have to go back one more time and he said the cap thing will cost 6,500 pesos, or like 100+ dollars which is a lot cheaper than America so I guess that's good. But I feel fine and am happy here in Roxas. I love you all! Elder Garrett Christensen Hey pops. Things here are going great and loving the work here in Roxas City, Capiz. That is too bad that Utah got beat. Thats no good. That is crazy BYU played Texas though! Thats cool. Where was it? Has NFL started yet or no? I hope it gets cooler for you so you can get out in the hills. That might be one of the things I miss the most. Just time out in the mountains. Now I am in the city so I dont even see a mountain haha. Our apartment is ok, too. I saw a huge rat the other day during a lesson. There are lots here I have heard. We also have a lady that lives on a busy street corner and has lived there for 13 years. She doesn't leave the corner. Her hair is in gnarly dreads and she has worn the same clothes for years. It's crazy but things are good. Thanks for being a great dad and for the oil in the package. I love you tons and miss you more! Alright I am off! We are going to play basketball with the zone and I am about to ball them all up! Love you all! Elder Gary....p.s. now I have to learn Ilonggo haha I hate the languages in this country! Your son, Elder Christensen Hey britt how are things going with you? I hope all is well and you are having a good time with school and sports. Are there a lot of handsome bachelors in your sixth grade class? :) haha jk jk. I am very proud of you for doing soccer and being a good girl for mom and dad. I love you tons! Bye! Elder Garrett

Pictures

Elder Farnsworth and Sister Pagadaun at the dentist

Me in a "CR" or bathroom

Elder Key and I at Navarro house - crazy member in our ward and so, so funny

Sad to leave New Washington

Hello everyone. Another week has come and gone from New Washington and I have heard some sad news. I will be transferring on Friday to a new area. Where, I have no idea but all I know is that I will miss the people, members, investigators, roommates, companion, food, and everything else about New Washington! We are having an awesome time and seeing our work progress everyday even better. Sometimes we have too many people to teach and we cannot fit them all in a day! We had three investigators at church this week which is okay but some that committed didn't end up coming. That always is a bummer. Can you believe that it is September already and conference/my hump day is next month? Yikes! I am glad you guys are all having fun at Lake Powell and I hope the house boat is fun. Tell dad to stop driving so fast in the main canal so mom won’t yell :) I miss the boat. That is another thing I will miss about New Washington is the ocean and seeing it everyday. I truly have been blessed to be here. This week I got in the biggest fight of my mission. We went to a new investigator who was a referral from a member. When we got there, his pastor from the "Church of Christ" was there and he wanted to argue. At first we just told him to be quiet so we could share our message but he kept talking and not letting us share so we started bashing with him(we shouldn't have, but did haha.) He thought he knew the scriptures well but Elder Key and I worked him. He brought up stuff like the priesthood, living prophets and apostles, the name of the church, apostasy...all of which we are able to scripturally back up :) At the end he said "well I don’t think you should come back, you are just wasting your time" and then he closed his scriptures and said "I will say a closing prayer" then he prayed that we would "malalaman ang katotohanan" or "come to know the truth." We spanked him. Other than that not a lot happened. I went to Iloilo again to do the tooth and it feels great now! No problems at all. I will be getting a ceramic crown on Thursday so then it will be done. Things are going well and I am loving life. Love you all, Elder Garrett Christensen Dad: Hey how is everything going. First of all, I found out something cool this week. If you remember Alema Key, the middle linebacker from Springville my senior year...Well that is Elder Key's cousin and he knew him. Other than that, things are going well and I am loving it here. That is good that Tanner is doing well and a good player. I am also glad that everything is good with Dixie football! Also I am glad that Utah is doing well. BYU is oh well....haha How is Lake Powell? I bet you are all having a good time. Anyway I love you lots Dad and hope all is well. Love Elder Garrett

Hey Britt how is everything going? I hope you are loving Lake Powell and things are going well. How is soccer and everything going? I hope all is well. I hope you are being a good girl. Love you tons!