Learning Many New Things

This past week has been a week of travel for me as I've traveled to all the Zone Training Meetings.  Cecile has stayed behind to work at the Mission Office except she went with me to Chattanooga Zone.  I spend the time during the meetings talking individually to missionaries about their health concerns.  I try to advise them and help them keep on going.  I am amazed at how much of the time it has to do with stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and ADHD.  These are by far and away the most common issues and they are the most difficult to handle.  Sometimes (all to often) the missionary has to go home.  I think the parents haven't prepared their missionary as well as they could have done.  Here is a list of things that I think parents should do as they are raising their children--both young men and young women:

• Teach them to WORK hard--do hard things
• Let them fail and then work out the consequences
• Don't just give them everything--make them earn it
• Don't allow them to become addicted to video games--I think this plays a huge role in the development of ADD and ADHD
• Put them into situations where they have to communicate face-to-face with other people, especially adults
• Limit TV, movies, and other entertainment--life is not just entertainment, it is hard work
• Teach them to exercise regularly and to stay physically fit
• Teach them how to eat correctly and watch their weight--learn how to cook for themselves
• Teach them that the world doesn't revolve around them--it's not about you, it's about others
• Teach them how to be neat and tidy in the home--they need to learn how to do housework
• Teach them how to be away from home so that a mission isn't the first time away
• President Hinckley's father summed this all up--"forget yourself and go to work"

There are probably many more things but this is a good start.  Millennials are an interesting group of people who are now our young missionaries.  They have lots of talent and good qualities and many of them do know all the things I have listed above.  Enough of my soap-box preaching!

We had a fun experience the other night.  We visited a part-member family the other night.  The husband is not a member and his wife is less-active.  He is retired and has a mechanics shop and a wood shop.  I related to him really well.  He showed us his shop.  He has a collection of license plates from all 50 States and he had some extras and gave me a few--Alaska, Louisiana, Florida and a few others.  I have some license plates hanging in my garage at home.  I hope we can help to get these people to be interested in the Gospel.  We will keep trying.

Sisters Wagner and Blinkenstaff and the man with the shop

While we were standing outside by the shop Cecile was attacked by chiggers on her legs.  We learned a new lesson about that.  We are learning lots of things here.  I've taken a particular interest in the hardwood trees.  They are everywhere and are so beautiful.  I bought a little book to help me identify the different types of trees.  I'm not an expert yet but working on it.  The summer is especially hot and humid.  I've learned that the spelling of the word humidity if really close to the spelling of humility.  The humidity helps us have more humility.

Love, Elder and Sister Christensen