"Abby has been a source of wonder for all of us."

Well, it's only almost three years later!  Reading the previous entry has sparked my guilt feelings for not being more diligent with my journal.  The kids, as usual, are filing our lives with wonderful memories.  We've been greatly blessed by the addition of child #5, Abby Kay Christensen, born on July 23rd, 1996.

Abby has been a source of wonder for all of us.  Steven is perhaps the best representative of the family to give voice to this experience.  He seems to possess a remarkable grasp of the baby raising business.

"Mommy feeds the baby because her milk belly buttons are bigger than Daddy's."

And "Quiet, Mommy's upstairs milking the baby!"

Needless to say, there is rarely a dull moment in the Christensen home.


JC

Jamie's IQ & A Bathtub Swimming Pool

Quick notes:  Karen came in and took me up to see Mike and Steven.  Mike had climbed into Steven's crib and the two of them were sleeping together like two peas in a pod.  They could be closer to each other than Jamie and Sarah, and they were close.

Jamie was tested last week by a doctorate student who does IQ testing for a side income.  He was very amazed at Jamie.  He said he needed to compile the numbers but he guessed that she was around an IQ of 140.  He also asked if he could share the results of his testing with a professor at BYU who is an expert in the field of studying gifted children.  He said that Jamie's reading comprehension was incredible.

We've had an unusually warm January.  Apparently it is starting to get to Mike.  Karen told me that he followed her around all afternoon demanding to go swimming.  He begged her to put water into the wading pool so he could swim.  When she refused he climbed up in his dresser and got his swimming suit on and then followed her around again.  Apparently the swimming fever was contagious because Sarah shortly appeared outside with her suit on - backwards.  Karen wisely extricated herself from this predicament by channeling their enthusiasm into the bathtub which seemed to provide the required release of energy.

It has been a long time since I have written in a journal.  I used the computer but it never became a nighttime habit.  There does seem to be something soothing about pen and ink that isn't as easily duplicated by electronics.  Perhaps this is the start of something very good.


JC

Summer Nights & BYU Classes

I decided I better break my no-writing streak.

I did a stupid thing tonight.  I went over to Shane Smith's and now I am totally hooked on the banjo.  I can see my grades for this semester playing into the bottomless pit.

Aspen was fantastic, Maroon Bells, Aula getting lost, jeeps, Toro's.

The 4th of July fireworks were great from Kiwanis Park.  We played "Kissing Rugby".

Two tests last Thursday.  Tough!


JC

First Impressions Of The Bolivia La Paz Mission

So much has transpired in the last few days that I don't know where to begin.  Elder Kupu (a native Tongan) and I have been assigned to work in Colquiri.  He is really a super elder.  Colquiri is the location of the highest branch in the world (about 15,000 feet).  I still haven't received my other suitcase, it is still in the Airport I think.

The Mission President met us at the Airpot and took all us to his home.  Hotel, sleep, breakfast, orientation, assignments and we were off.

The city of La Paz is really incredible.  So many colors, varieties, sounds and twists and turns, ups and downs.  We went to mail a latter and buy some warm stuff for Colquiri.  We went to the black market and it was neat.

Right now I am kind of sick.  I really got off to a running start.  The food is taking a while to get used to but so far I have been able to get everything down and keep it down.  Although sometimes I can feel it trying to come up.

From what I hear about Colquiri it is going to be tough.  Elder Kupu and I will be the only missionaries there.  It is a mining town and the people are cold sometimes.  I think that it will be a good way to start.  If I can eat the food and work hard there, then I think that I will be able to work hard everywhere.

I wish I had the gift to be able to express my feelings and thoughts more clearly but alas, I have yet to develop the ability.  Even though this journal may be too boring to re-read or for someone else to read, at least I am keeping with the admonition of President Kimball to maintain a journal.

One of the hardest things for me to keep down is the hot milk.  I have had two glasses now and both times it was a life and death struggle to get it down.  I can feel it right now in my stomach and it doesn't feel good.

In just two days here I have met so many good, kind and humble people.  I really hope that I can learn to love Bolivia and the people.

To change the subject so that I don't lose it from thinking about the milk...  I guess I am only the second (third) new missionary to start in Colquiri.  Elder Hales was first and apprently it has done him good.  He is now one of the Assistants to the President.  I guess President Hill must have a lot of confidence in me.  When Elder Hale was there when there were four missionaries, we will be the only ones.  I hope that I don't let the President, my companero, or any of the others who are supporting me down.  I know that if I can be humble and have the Lord with me all the time then I can't help but do good.

"If ever I was psyched out by a shot, this was the time."

Boy what a day!  We had a pretty wild and crazy time changing rooms this morning.  We were all supposed to move at 9:00 am sharp.  Some elders started moving at about 8:45 and that started the stampede!  It was raining and that added to the scene.  2,000 missionaries mean a lot of suitcases and clothes.  Poor Elder Laycock got his white shirts stepped on two times within 5 minutes.  He wasn't exactly happy about that.

To add to my problems, I got a gamma globulin injection just before.  If ever I was psyched out by a shot, this was the time.  It was the first time that I can remember receiving a shot in the rear end.  I walked in to the room and there was this huge shot just sitting there and glinting at me.  The shot actually wasn't too bad.  I did dream last night (it is now the 14th) that the nurse left the shot in and forgot to take it out.

To get back on the subject, we are now located on the fourth floor of SM.  The room seems to be smaller but I just can't complain knowing about some of the conditions that lie ahead in the next two years.

I have started writing smaller in order to conserve paper.  There is no way that this will last me two years.

I received a 1.25 rating in my FSI exam last night.  Last time I got a 1.5!  The funny thing is I felt a whole lot better talking than I did the previous time.  Elder Brown received a 2.5 which is really good.

I met my cousin's cousin yesterday.  He is right next door.  I was talking with this elder that I knew was from Denver.  I told him that I was from Colorado too.  I told him that my home was Grand Junction.  He seemed excited when I said this and asked me if I knew Bettie Jo Christensen.  I told him that she was my cousin.  He then told me that he was her cousin.  It was exciting.

The Foot Race Talk: "A Proud Grandson"

I am truly on a spiritual high today.  My day didn't start out in a very promising way.  Our door was "pennyed" so that we couldn't get out.  We also didn't wake up until 6:45 which was real late.  However those were perhaps the only things that went wrong with my day.

I gave my talk on the importance of journals.  For perhaps the first time in my life I have prayed for inspiration on a talk and then exercised the faith to receive it.  I had an entry to read out of my journal (my foot race).  I thought that it would be of some inspiration to someone.  However I didn't quite know how to read it without feeling as though I was bragging.

We came to the meeting and just before we walked into the room I received the inspiration on how to do it.  I treated my journal as if it had been my Grandfather's.  I pretended that I found it, then I read the part as though I was a proud grandson reading about his Grandfather's mission experiences.  I felt the spirit with me when I read it so I read with confidence and emotion.  I think it was well received.  I got a lot of compliments from the elders in my district on the talk.  I felt totally unworthy of the praise because I know that Heavenly Father provided the inspiration for the talk and the spirit was there while I was giving it.  There is no way that it could have gone wrong.

In our culture class I learned a great deal.  Our instructor Elder Reed Harris talked to us on the importance of having charity for the people in Bolivia.  I came out of class with a new feeling towards that word.  The spirit again was in that class and it taught me a great deal.  I felt so good.  We then went to family home evening.  I felt the spirit there again and very strongly.  All the contributions of them members of my district fell upon my heart.

I was finding (with directions by the spirit) things in both The Book of Mormon and New Testament that worked right into the lesson.  Tonight I felt love for my district, true love.  I wanted to hug the sisters like I could the elders but just had to settle for a good handshake.

To top off the night, Elder Brown and I had a real good companionship inventory.  We talked more freely than ever before.  It is now 10:30 and time for bed.  I wish I could write more but it is a rule.  I can't wait to pray!

"I know now that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God."

I just read some of the journal entries that I have made.  Some are good some are bad.  But I feel proud of the fact that I am getting my life story down in print.

I feel as though Satan is working on all of us.  Last night was a bad night.  It was the second time that Sister Ortado taught us.  I went into class really depressed.  We took a break and I just thought of my folks and family and of Linda.

When we got back to class I, Elder Laycock and my companions got the giggles.  I haven't had that bad a case for a long time.  Anyway, we weren't doing very well and I think that Sister Ortado took it as kind of an insult.

She had to leave early so when we got done with our assignment we talked about it and I think that we all felt pretty bad.  Things just kind of heaped up on me so I just let go when I prayed last night.  I haven't let my heart out to the Lord in a long time and I really laid it on the line.  I said that I would need to know what the spirit felt like.  I wanted to know how many people I would have to hurt, insult, infuriate before I could humble myself and become a willing and submissive servant of the Lord.

I felt a lot better after shedding quite a few tears of anguish.

Today is Sunday and I have received some answers to my prayers.  I prayed to know how to tell when I felt the spirit and what it felt like.  Well this afternoon for family home evening we had a lesson on prayer that fairly rapidly turned into a discussion on the Holy Ghost and how to know when it is there.  Thoughts and ideas really flowed forth from everyone and now I know that those feelings that I have had in the past are from the Holy Ghost.

I also prayed for a testimony of Joseph Smith for it is through his revelations and ideas that the Church was brought into re-existence.  The answer to that prayer came in part this morning in priesthood when we had a lesson on Joseph Smith.  This lesson prompted me to think about him.  I also pondered about him and my ideas about him when I read The Book of Mormon today.  Well I was thinking to myself that he would have to be pretty smart to be able to write a book that hasn't contradicted itself or been disproved in over 150 years.

I know now that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.  Tonight President Pinegar spoke at a 10 day fireside for all of us who came in on the 21st of June.  He spoke about obeying mission rules.  My testimony of Joseph Smith's divine calling came when we closed by singing "Praise To The Man".  I sang with all I could and while I was singing I saw in my mind a picture of the prophet Jospeh Smith being martyred.  I could almost hear him crying out, "My Lord, my God."  That very same spirit that I had thought and learned about this afternoon filled my whole body with the knowledge that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.

After that meeting we went to our culture class.  That class really gets me excited.  I have a feeling that it has the opposite effect on Elder Brown.  He is from a city and I think that he would rather proselyte in the Washington D.C. (He is an intellectual Government man).  I am not trying to take anything away from him.  I think that, that is how he is inclined.  However, I am sure that he will learn to love the people as I hope I will.

My writing and spelling are failing me and my hand is about ready to fall off so I will call it a night.