Riley's Mission

I hope you made it there safely!   I went to lunch today with Sabrina and Lynda and it was so fun to catch up. I love both of them so much. Lynda now uses a cane and moves very slowly. Yet she always has a beautiful smile on her face. It’s so hard to feel pain when no one knows how bad it really is and no one cares really. she is an example of a cheerful countenance. Sabrina said something today that I want to remember. She was talking about how so many people (women mostly) talk bad about other people or are just critical but they would never say those things to their face…and at one point in her life how she decided she was just never going to do that anymore. It was just a decision she made. And it’s true, she doesn’t do that. She told me she likes being around me because I don’t talk bad about people and I felt a bit guilty because I try not to gossip, but I definitely say things about people I would never say to them. I am going to work on it and get to a point where I would n...

  Hello I love you all and hope everyone is doing so so great I pray for all of you EVERY DAY. I dont have much time this week because we got to go to the Mexico City Temple today and that took up like all my time but it was so worth it. I love the temple! It was also my first time in 4 weeks since leaving the walls of the MTC and it was so cool. I absolutely love Mexico City and I was only outside the walls for like 5 hours.  I got my flight plans and I am going to Chile on Monday at 9 PM! It was a little scary for a minute there I thought I would have to get reassigned but we are all good! Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes! The Lord provides a way for his plan to be fulfilled!! Everything is going great down here and I am so sad to leave the MTC but am literally so excited for Chile Hope you all have the best week ever and please email me because it makes my day lols Pictures: - temple and bus ride!! - had to say goodbye to my fav h. garvin an...

Let’s see…the people this week who asked me how you are doing… Laura Denney, Sarah Hamblin, Jana Anson, Janina, Carlyn Thompson, Tyler, Tiffany Wellman, and Jeanie Vance. We tell them you are doing GREAT! And that you love the Mexico MTC! We ask them to pray that you may get everything cleared with your vaccination verifications so that you can go as scheduled to Chile. 🙏🏼 Luke left on Thursday for HXP. Brad told me about an HXP instagram which is fun because they take his phone (hallelujah) and we get to see pictures. It doesn’t look too much like service yet, it looks like a ton of fun. It is so good for him to be out of his normal environment, away from the pressures of football, baseball, trying to be cool, and his friends and just be Luke. He’s a great kid and a good person, but he needs to find himself and there are so many distractions keeping him from knowing his true identity. This is a process I have watched with all of my kids and it is both satisfying and stressful to wat...

Alive and doin well. People are great, food is great, gospel is great, spanish sucks but esta bien. Time is irrelevant here but it goes by way too quickly. Things I learned this week:  1. Sunrises and sunsets are my most favoritest thing in the world. They are so pretty here and always have so many colors which I think is because of the pollution so not cool but we roll with it  2. THE SPIRIT TEACHES. NOT YOU. Pray for guidance by the Spirit in all that you do  3. The fruit on the Tree of Life was pineapple  4. 4th of July is a bigger deal in the Mexico MTC than it is in Utah   5. Don't eat the papaya  6. Role play is not my thing  much much love, h christensen  Pictures: - 4th of July lunch and hermanas - weekly hermana sunday pic - lots of waiting around while waiting to teach lessons - beautiful gardens that I get to see every day - WE CUT H. SMITHS HAIR

I’ve decided to designate Sundays as days I will write letters to you…like it or not :) I guess you don’t have to read them, but I know it will be a blessing to me to write. I enjoy your emails! It is obvious you are learning a lot and growing in testimony. It is awesome to see. I wanted to share my own thoughts on missionary work. From an early age, I had to understand that my beliefs set me apart. I always tried to share with my friends because I wanted them to know what I knew. Most times, I felt like everyone thought we were weird, because they had a false understanding of our faith. But I continued to live my life by the commandments and share my beliefs when I could. I prayed for missionary opportunities. Outside of Utah, members are much better at this. I remember pleading with Heavenly Father to send me just one friend that would join the church so I wouldn’t feel so alone in my beliefs. He sent me many people. Looking back, I can see His hand in my missionary efforts and I am ...

  Dios es nuestro amoroso Padre Celestial. El nos ama. El nos entiende. Dios tiene un plan y proposito para cada las personas. Dios nos envio a la tierra para aprender, crecer, y progressar. Dios nos da la expiacion de Jesucristo para regresar a Dios con no mas pecados. "Por consiguiente, amados hermanos míos, pedid al Padre con toda la energía de vuestros corazones, que seáis llenos de este amor que él ha otorgado a todos los que son discípulos verdaderos de su Hijo Jesucristo; para que lleguéis a ser hijos de Dios; para que cuando él aparezca, seamos semejantes a él, porque lo veremos tal como es; para que tengamos esta esperanza; para que seamos purificados así como él es puro. Amén."   God is our loving Heavenly Father. He loves us. He understands us. God has a plan and purpose for each person. God puts us on earth to learn, grow, and progress. God gives us the atonement of Jesus Christ to return to God with no more sins. Therefore, my beloved brethren, ask the Father wit...

I absolutely love love love the Mexico MTC. There is something so special about this place. The MTC is surrounded by noisy, busy, cluttered streets and buildings of Mexico City. But once you hit the walls of the MTC, everything goes quiet. God's presence is so undeniable here. The MTC is a mini heaven on earth! It's beautiful here and there are so many faculty members who work so hard to make it look good. I think that is one of the main reasons why the Spirit can be felt so strongly here. For those that know me, you know that I feel God's love for me through nature and I am definitely feeling that here.  Spanish is good but hard. I am at the point where I know so much that I am starting to lose what I already knew if that makes sense. My brain is being overloaded but I love it. I love my breaks don't get me wrong but I just want to keep learning and learning.  Food is surprisingly good! I have heard awful things about the Mexico MTC food so I was preparing myse...