August 2024

Dear Family and Friends,


At the Bishop’s Storehouse, we will some days have 30-40 patrons that we fill orders for and on other days we may have in the 60s.  I’m told that around Thanksgiving and Christmas it gets to be a much larger number of orders.


One of the service missionaries and I were helping a patron this week who was fresh out of prison. We were engaged with him in good conversation as we helped load the shopping cart with items from the order form.  He was covered in tattoos and had a split tongue and gauged ears (without the ring in it).  He commented to me early in the conversation that he didn’t know if members of the church would accept him in the congregation due to his appearance and previous choices.  He also commented that he was grateful that we have the ability to change our lives for good and to become better than we are.  I told him that I too fully believe in this and am also very grateful that we can change.  

Isn’t it wonderful that we have a Savior that has atoned for us? !!!  We can clean off our slates.  

He was so very happy to be there and be receiving some help to get him off on a good start.  He has a job, an apartment and now some food and clothes so that he does not need to worry about these things immediately.


I too thought of how wonderful it is for someone such as him to have this help as he tries to start over.

Many of the individuals that we have the opportunity to converse with express their sincere gratitude for the help that they are receiving.  Some are touched and humbled.  There is a peaceful feeling that is present as we are able to help these individuals.  Our young service missionaries are very good with the patrons, engaging them in conversation and striving to help lift them.

We have one missionary that is a “Down’s Syndrome” individual.  He is so loving and so genuine.  It is always sweet to be around him.  He is not able to go to some of the areas to serve on Welfare Square without me joining him to help keep him safe and useful.  He loves working in the milk processing area with our other service missionaries.  I try to arrange to go with him for a couple hours each week.  It is so satisfying to see his jubilance to get to go there.

We have some sister missionaries that live in the same apartments as us.  They are proselytizing missionaries.  We invite them over for an evening treat or dinner from time to time.  What a great spirit they always have with them too.

We truly love serving here and with our young service missionaries.  What a blessing it is to be here and to be a part of the Lord’s work.

We hope that you are all well.  We miss seeing you as regularly as we have in the past.

We hope you will have a wonderful week.

Love always,

Elder Eugene & Sister Toni Christensen

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