November 2025 Letter

 Dear Family and Friends,

Each month seems to pass by so very quickly.  Our time as missionaries in the Utah Salt Lake Mission is drawing near to the end.  We are starting to participate in events and find ourselves saying that's the last time we will participate in this event.  For example, we went to our last missionary zone conference this past week.  We are on our last full transfer with our missionaries at Welfare Square.  This is the last pancake breakfast we will prepare for our missionaries at Welfare Square.  Etc.

Zone conference was really good.  It was held just this past week.  President and Sister Gibbons who serve with our mission leaders, led the training that we attended and they did a really good job at it.  They spoke of the importance that we work on implementing the attributes of Christ in our lives.  I agree with that and sometimes forget to be doing so.  I do find that when I focus on an attribute of the Savior that I wish to emulate, I find that we can in simple ways start doing so and it then becomes more natural and easy to do.  For example, being kind.  Sometimes our natural tendencies would have us say something mean or behave in a not-so-kind manner.  However, I have found that when something happens to us or when we read a post on social media that we disagree with, if we will take a minute to consider how we can respond in an uplifting and kind way, we can be a positive influence for good in the circles around us.

At Welfare Square we have enjoyed from time to time preparing a pancake breakfast or a barbecue social where we can have all the young service missionaries join and enjoy some time together; even if it isn't lengthy.  Our missionaries seem to really enjoy associating with each other.  Look at their bright, happy faces in this picture at our most recent pancake breakfast.

We have had some gorgeous skies lately both in the morning and in the evening.  Here is a picture I captured of one of the morning sunrises just recently.

One of our missionaries, Elder Johnson, has had the desire to serve at the cannery.  He serves in the dairy, the bakery and the storehouse mostly.  Because they don't have as much supervision in the cannery as the other areas and due to his needs, he hasn't been able to serve in the cannery.  I was able to go to the cannery with him during this past month on one occasion to serve with him.  I think he was pretty happy to get to finally go there.  This is a picture of he and I on our way there.

Our missionaries are often silly with each other and with us.  It is fun to see them having fun.  Here is a picture of a couple of them being silly recently ... actually it was day before Halloween.

This past week, we have seen an uptick in the number of people coming in for assistance.  With the lack of government funding for social programs like food stamps, people have been in need for additional help from other organizations like ours.  Friday was particularly busy with a steady stream all afternoon.  Some of our selves were pretty empty and our missionaries were put to the test.  They did very good though and we made it.  One of the missionaries who was helping to keep the shelves stocked did say that he felt pretty stressed through the day but he did really good.

Well, I mentioned above that our time as missionaries is drawing near to the end.  Our mission president informed us that we are to complete our mission and to move back home on December 10th.  I guess we will have to figure out what we will do next.

We will dig in and serve well for these last several weeks.  We wish you a wonderful week and month ahead.  May we each turn our focus to Thanksgiving.  What is it that you are grateful for?  We all have so much to be grateful for but I believe that the top few for me are Family, Friends, a Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Atonement, a Living Prophet and Apostles today.  

As full time missionaries, we are representatives of Jesus Christ.  He lives.  He knows you.  He knows each of us individually.  He cares for and loves us all.

With much love and appreciation to each of you,

Love Grandma and Grandpa, Mom & Dad, your friend and neighbor, Sister and Elder Christensen.