Tornado, a red shirt and socially awkward in the Promised Land

We are unstoppable, we will not be defeated! Brothers and sisters I have found the Promised Land and it is Portales New Mexico! I know, who would have ever thought, but I assure you it is. I am happier than a little school girl this week!

SO one cool thing about Portales is that there is a college here and there are still a ton of kids on campus taking summer courses, so I get to talk to people my own age. But the down fall is, I am socially awkward now when I talk to kids my own age because I am used to old men and old women and people with a ton of kids so yah, it’s pretty cool!.

Missionary work here is amazing, as well the people here are so nice and everyone is willing to at least talk to us and be nice. It is such a change from my previous area. I now have regained hope in humanity :) I have been so blessed with my new companion too, his name is Elder Marchant, he is a hard worker and he knows his stuff. He is 19 and from Syracuse, Utah and we seriously just bounce of each other when teaching and it is a beautiful thing.

This week I decided I wanted to do something new and kinda different for missionary work. During our morning prayers I asked Heavenly Father to let us know who the elect person of the day was and to help us to know who it was by him wearing the color red. I was kinda just joking around and thought it would be fun. But to my surprise, we found Israel. He is 23 and married with 1 son. His mother is LDS and he has wanted to learn more and be baptized for a long time. (He was wearing a red Coca Cola t-shirt). God has a sense of humor, I think I forget that sometimes, but He is willing to show us what we need to do and who is prepared even if it is in a fun way. 

Also this week was fun because we had a severe tornado warning with a cloud that turned green over our head and stated circling, but we didn’t hear any 

sirens or anything and we didn’t really know what was going on cause it was kinda dark outside. But luckily we have our Zone Leaders who sent us a text and all we knew was this "hey get inside", so that was fun haha. I am glad it didn’t touch down or anything like that and I wish the communication to missionaries was better sometimes, haha but hey the Lord’s hands are in all things right:)

Well I am a happy camper and I have more things to talk about next week, but I love you guys so much and miss you all keep on keepin’ on! 

Love Keegan

Love Keegan

Good-bye to the great state of Texas!!

Hello everyone and good-bye to the great state of Texas!!

Yes it is true I am leaving and going out of Texas, but wait I am not going home! No, I have been called to serve in Portales, New Mexico!... (outside or NW of Roswell)… and let me tell you I am a little bit stoked to go there and to convert that great state to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I am sad to leave Midland though, over the last couple of months it has become my home and the people here my family....I will miss them :)

So this week was one of the best weeks of my entire life and that is because I know the Lord truly has sent me on my mission for a reason…

Today I am going to tell you about my friend Shaquel. He is a twenty-year-old who just got home from doing a tour in the army. When he got home he fell away from the church and wasn't comfortable coming back.... about 2 months ago Shaquel was driving his truck and he stopped at a four-way stop. He then proceeded to go, thinking it was his turn. As he pulled out into the street a semi-truck that failed to stop, going 60 miles an hour, hit his truck…turning the truck into a blob of destroyed metal.... Shaquel was pinned under the dash board and he was losing a lot of blood. The ambulance then came after 17 minutes and cut him out of the truck gently pulling him out. He was then rushed to the hospital. When he arrived he found out that he had broken both of his femurs, shattered his right ankle and broken every rib on the right side of his body. He was bleeding a lot and the doctors didn't think he was going to make it. He then, after getting to the hospital, had a massive stroke leaving him on the brink of death…

It was about 8:00 p.m. when we received a call that we were needed at the hospital to give a blessing. So we biked as fast as we could to get there. When we got there it was one of the scariest moments of my life. We asked the nurse where we could touch him and they said nowhere.... we pleaded that we only needed to put one finger on his forehead and after a little while she then agreed. She said she was afraid it wasn't looking so good and that the only thing they were banking on was that he was a strong boy. Elder Clement and I then gave him a blessing of healing. We said he would be healed because the Lord said he would. We then left. About a month later we received a call from Shaquel’s grandpa saying thank you. You saved my grandson's life. Apparently after we left Shaquel began to change dramatically and he then began to awaken. He asked us to go see Shaquel in the rehabilitation center, so we went and when we got there we saw him. He said thank you for doing what you did for me. He said that he is going to change his life. He said he has seen the power of God in his life and he knows that the priesthood is real! Shaquel and I are now lifelong friends and I know that the Lord sent me to Midland for him. I needed to be worthy, I needed to be ready and He needed me at that time. 

I am so blessed to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands. I am so blessed to be on a mission and I am so blessed to be alive. I love life and I love all of you. Thank you for everything you do.

Love Elder Christensen

The Lord's arms must be getting pretty strong from carrying me so far...

Hey Everyone. Happy day after Mother's Day and another day on the mission :).This week was a pretty good week, it was warm and people were pretty happy to talk to us!

So this week my companion was having some brief stomach issues so I got to know all the people who hang out around the 7-11 throughout all hours of the day. They are a fun bunch haha. But while I was talking to this pair of 13 year old Siamese twins which was rad. I ran into a member who hadn't been to church in like 10 years and she was like "Hey quit preachin around my store"!! and I was like "shoot I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to", then she was like, "Na, I'm just messing with you". We got to talking and she said she hadn't been to church because she didn't feel wanted.... I was livid! So I told her, I want you! Haha and more importantly God wants you there. Everyone should feel wanted because everyone is wanted!

Self-esteem is such a complex thing, I can’t fully comprehend it, but I know that everyone are sons and daughters of a king...or God, our potential to succeed and prosper is limitless, we are limitless. God wants us to be as happy as we can to be everything and anything we can! Commandments are not restrictions; they are there to help us be who we truly are. Sometimes we feel low and forgotten... being on a mission is really hard and lonely sometimes. But I think back on the footsteps in the sand:

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. 
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. 
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. 
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints. 
Other times there were one set of footprints. 
This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life 
When I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat, 
I could see only one set of footprints. 
So I said to the Lord, "You promised me, Lord, 
That if I followed you, you would walk with me always. 
But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life 
There have only been one set of prints in the sand. 
Why, When I have needed you most, you have not been there for me?"
The Lord replied, 
"The times when you have seen only one set of footprints 
Is when I carried you."

I know the Lord's arms must be getting pretty strong from carrying me so far... 

I am so grateful for my Lord and Savior. I am so grateful to know that we are truly never alone because of his atonement. I know that I am who I am for a reason. I am me and I am here for someone and something! I will try every day to live up to my potential, a son of the God on high. I love you all and I challenge all of you to seek out your full potential and to live it on day at a time.

love keegan

Mother’s Day… my new favorite holiday ...

Hello everyone this week was a good week :)

But let’s be real, being a representative of Jesus Christ is pretty much the greatest thing in the entire world I am not going to lie. Sure missions are hard, harder than I ever imagined, but really it can be done haha. I mean just take it one day at a time :)

So this week is Mother’s Day… my new favorite holiday cause I get to talk to my family. I mean seriously on mission any contact you have with your family and your friends is the best day of your mission by far :) 

SO this week nothing too big happened, just a couple things out of the woodwork, so I will keep you posted.

This week I wanted to talk about mothers. Those of you who take your mother for granted...I would like to say to you "stop". I have been gone now for 9 months and I have realized how much I truly love my family. I used to look forward to getting out of the house and away from all of the rules of life, but......missions have way more rules... haha. I miss my family so much. Really they have done everything for me and I need to do all I can to pay them back. 

Sorry my letter is short today but really just think about your family. You seriously can’t imagine being away from them until you do it.

I love you guys so much and really we can do this, but we need each other. Do it.
I promise you can’t do it alone. 

Thanks for the love guys. I miss you.  Elder Keegan