Economics Education and taught high school in Lehi, Utah. She married the “practically perfect” Roger Christensen in the Provo temple and has spent the past 47 years trying to catch up to him. Together they raised a family of 11 wonderful children (7 girls, 4 boys). Of her children she says, “Our children have been great teachers. From ballet to baseball, clogging to lacrosse, and oil painting to orchestra, they have enriched my life with their various interests. From them, and in some cases because of them, I continue to learn what it means to develop faith, hope, and charity.” While thick in the care of raising children, she volunteered in a local school teaching parenting classes. “I knew if I taught the class, I´d be reminded of parenting principles I so needed to keep me grounded.” She also taught adult community ed classes, was active in PTA, and volunteered in her children´s classrooms. One of the incredible blessings of being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the opportunity to serve in various callings. Each calling usually comes very unexpectedly and seem totally overwhelming but reinforces how the Savior is in the details of our lives and wants to bless all people. Through years of service, she has gained this important insight, “I have learned that though I try to give my all, I always receive more than I contribute.” Roger and Christine presided over the Ecuador Quito mission from 2014 – 2017. They also answered a call to preside over the Bogotá Colombia MTC starting in January 2020 but had to evacuate and close the MTC in March of that year due to COVID. During the “inter-mission”, they served in the Salt Lake City West mission presidency, returning to Colombia when the MTC reopened in October 2021. They witnessed the inspired preparation which allowed missionary work to continue through the pandemic and proceed in marvelous ways in the gathering of Israel. Completing their service in January 2023, they are happy to return to the U.S. and see their 29 (and counting!) grandchildren in 3D! Besides spending time with family, Christine loves studying the gospel, reading historical fiction, spending time in nature, and enjoying good food.
“IF YE ARE PREPARED, YE SHALL NOT FEAR” (D&C 38:30)
Christine Christensen
Arcadia, California Stake Women´s Conference
21 January 2023
Dear sisters. It is a blessing in my life to be with you this morning. I am impressed with the planning of your stake leaders and to each of you for choosing to be here when there are many other voices demanding your time and attention.
We live in the exciting “fulness of times” that prophets throughout the history of the world anticipated; the time when all Israel’s promised blessings will be fulfilled. To help us realize the significance and importance of these covenantal blessings, President Nelson asked us to make a list of them as we study our scriptures. He said, “I think you will be astounded! Ponder these promises. Talk about them with your family and friends. Then live and watch for these promises to be fulfilled in your own life.”
One missionary wrote of a personal experience in following this prophetic counsel, “As a full-time missionary during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was sometimes hard to feel hopeful about the future… [By studying God’s promises and writing them down] a brightness of hope returned back into my life and helped me to understand what the Lord has in store for each of us individually and collectively. Despite how bad the world gets or what we have to face in our personal lives, we can be absolutely confident in a joyful and blessed future — not just because the promises sound nice, but because they are assured to us by a covenant relationship with God. We are bound to Him, and we are His people.”
The scriptures give many prophesies of the last days, and it is clear that we are in the winding up scenes of the pre-millennial world. While we know that it will end wonderfully for the righteous, there is still much uncertainty about how the events leading up to the Second Coming of our Savior will unfold and how they will affect us and those we love. With myopic vision this may cause anxiety and fear, and some may get stuck there – especially those who turn to sources other than the scriptures and our modern prophets for guidance and interpretation.
BYU President Kevin J. Worthen shared, “We need to recognize that the feeling of despair and hopelessness that characterizes irrational fear is a tool of the adversary. Indeed, it is one of his primary tools. I am convinced that just as we have articles of faith, Satan and his minions must have articles of fear to aid them in their work. They might read something like this: “We believe that the first principles of despair and damnation are doubt God, doubt yourself, doubt others, and, most of all, be afraid—be very afraid of the future.”
Yes, bad things are happening all over the earth – as they have throughout the history of this fallen, mortal world, and unfortunately, the unimaginable horrors of ages past repeat themselves when societies turn from righteousness. Because of evil influences, even good people suffer. But we cannot, we must not, allow this to paralyze us and keep us from preparing ourselves and using our influence to prepare the world for the Second Coming of our Savior. God is counting on us to do so. We are covenant makers and covenant keepers and as such we are endowed with power. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
While there are many things we cannot control, we can choose to keep God’s commandments, invite His Spirit into our lives, and follow his living prophets.
Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge gave a powerful BYU-devotional titled “Stand Forever.” He said,
“Of all the problems you encounter in this life, there is one that towers above them all and is the least understood. The worst of all human conditions in this life is not poverty, sickness, loneliness, abuse, or war—as awful as those conditions are. The worst of all human conditions is the most common: it is to die. It is to die spiritually. It is to be separated from the presence of God, and in this life, His presence is His Spirit or power. That is the worst.
“Conversely, the best of all human conditions in this life is not wealth, fame, prestige, good health, the honors of men, [or] security…As wonderful as some of those things are, the best of all human conditions is to be endowed with heavenly power; it is to be born again, to have the gift and companionship of the Holy Ghost, which is the source of knowledge, revelation, strength, clarity, love, joy, peace, hope, confidence, faith, and almost every other good thing. Jesus said, ‘The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, . . . shall teach you all things.’ It is the power by which we ‘may know the truth of all things.’ ‘It will show . . . [us] all things . . . [we] should do.’ It is the fountain of ‘living water’ that springs up unto eternal life.”
Every member of this Church has the right to have the Holy Ghost with us. That is reaffirmed each week when we take the sacrament. Think of that! We have the right to the constant companionship of a member of the Godhead – as we take the Savior’s name upon us, always remember Him, and as we keep His commandments.
President Nelson instructed us, “Nothing invites the Spirit more than fixing your focus on Jesus Christ. Talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, feast upon the words of Christ, and press forward with steadfastness in Christ. Make your Sabbath a delight as you worship Him, partake of the sacrament, and keep His day holy.”
Each of us have direct access to our Heavenly Father through prayer. Our covenants bind us to Him and Him to us.
And to help us navigate these confusing, darkening days, we are most blessed to have watchmen on the tower to guide us. As Sheri Dew recently said, “Prophets see around corners.” Prophets see things we cannot see because the Lord does “nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Living in a time when false Christs and false prophets “shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant,” our safety rests in how closely we follow God’s chosen prophets.
President Dallin H. Oaks (then Elder Oaks) said, “We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value.”
Years ago, Elder Loren C. Dunn was assigned to our stake conference. He said something so profoundly simple and true it has been imbedded in my memory. “If you live like the world,” he said, “you will suffer like the world.”
Conversely, President Nelson counseled, “The Lord has told us that ‘if ye are prepared ye shall not fear.’ Of course, we can store our own reserves of food, water, and savings. But equally crucial is our need to fill our personal spiritual storehouses with faith, truth, and testimony…We are to seek, in every way we can, to hear Jesus Christ, who speaks to us through the power and ministering of the Holy Ghost.”
A year later, he reaffirmed this when he said, “Please believe me when I say that when your spiritual foundation is built solidly upon Jesus Christ, you have no need to fear.”
President Nelson is God’s mouthpiece on the earth today. To take lightly his counsel when he uses words like “I urge you” and “I plead with you,” we do so at our own peril. As I review just five of the ways he is preparing us to withstand the calamities of these latter days, let the Spirit whisper to you any course correction needed, but also, pay attention to the promises.
Spiritual Gifts
“I urge you, with all the hope of my heart, to pray to understand your spiritual gifts—to cultivate, use, and expand them, even more than you ever have. You will change the world as you do so.”
Use of Time
“I plead with you to make time for the Lord!” “I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family…I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in His holy house—then keep that appointment with exactness and joy. I promise you that the Lord will bring the miracles He knows you need as you make sacrifices to serve and worship in His temples.”
Testimony
“I plead with you… who have not yet really sought to know that the Savior’s Church has been restored, do the spiritual work to find out for yourselves, and please do it now. Time is running out.
“I plead with you now—to take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Work for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with false philosophies of unbelieving men and women. As you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.”
Our Homes
“Between now and the time the Lord comes again, we all need our homes to be places of serenity and security…As faith and holiness decrease in this fallen world, your need for holy places will increase. I urge you to continue to make your home a truly holy place ‘and be not moved’ from that essential goal.”
Covenants
“I plead with you to seek—prayerfully and consistently—to understand temple covenants and ordinances. Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven… “Whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!”
Our Come, Follow Me study this past year of the Old Testament helped me immensely to better understand and appreciate sacred temple covenants. Sisters, we must never be complacent about Covenants. Do all that is necessary to make and keep sacred covenants. Covenants bind us to God, and “With God, nothing shall be impossible.”
It is evident that President Nelson wants each of us to experience peace in these troubled times. Listen to this amazing promise from this last General Conference.
“In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns ‘with power and great glory,’ He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful.”
President Nelson is certainly talking about the miracles that will come to the Church, but I believe he is also inviting us to prepare for personal tender mercies and miracles. Prophets have always talked of blessings and miracles to the faithful. I love that the Book of Mormon is bookended with the promise of tender mercies. In the very first chapter, Nephi says, “I…will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”
A thousand years later, in the very last chapter of the Book of Mormon, Moroni, says, “Behold, I would exhort you…that you would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men…”
As I share a couple of miracles or tender mercies from my experiences, let the Spirit whisper to you how you have witnessed the Lord’s hand in your life and what you can do to prepare for the miracles you can yet receive.
During the last week of our service as mission leaders in the Ecuador Quito Mission, President Christensen received a phone call one evening from a panicked missionary in a small town a couple hours away from the mission office. “President, my companion was just attacked by a pit bull and his face is torn apart and he’s bleeding profusely.” They had been trying to find an apartment when they heard a noise coming from a side street. The companion turned to see what it was as the dog launched and his face caught the vicious, destructive force of the attack. President Christensen told him to call the bishop in the ward where they were serving who was a doctor and could get him to the best clinic. As the events unfolded, this was the exact day when an outstanding plastic surgeon who visits this town monthly was at the clinic and was able to put the badly mutilated face of this elder back together. The before pictures are horrifying, but when we saw him the next day, his face was amazingly restored. What a tender mercy! However, that’s not the biggest miracle in this story. The companion, who had called President Christensen, was quite new in the mission and, finding it harder than he expected, had been insisting that he go home. His parents kept encouraging him to stay and he’d commit, but then a couple days later, he would be back with the president asking to go home. The president had just the week before moved him to this area with hopes that this would help him, but he insisted that he wanted to go home, and plans were made. However, his parents requested that we keep him just a few more days, over that weekend, while they focused on their daughter’s wedding so they would be free to meet his needs when he returned home. And then this happened. That day, in the hospital, President Christensen pulled this missionary aside and asked him what would have happened to his companion if he hadn’t been there to take care of him and get him to the hospital. He replied, “he probably would have died.” The president then told him that all around him were people dying spiritually and he was needed to bring them to the master physician. A change came over this good elder. He saw that he could make a difference. He stayed and completed his mission. Although we left, we heard that he became an outstanding missionary.
Most tender mercies are not quite as grandiose, but as we invite the Spirit into our daily doings, we will be reminded that the Lord’s hand is in the details of our lives. Let me share such an example that I have witnessed over the past few months. There is no drama or intrigue but through this I felt little love notes from a caring Father.
With capacity of 90, the Colombia MTC, which closed earlier this month, was one of the smaller ones. This allowed for lots of hands-on experiences with the missionaries and we could witness many tender mercies. For instance: Part of my responsibility as the MTC Relief Society President, was making sure each of the missionaries had sufficient clothing. Many came from very humble circumstances and did not have resources to get the clothes they needed. For others, they couldn’t find modest, appropriate clothing. Many accepted whatever their friends or ward members could scrounge together to give them, and the clothing was often damaged, inappropriate, or did not fit well. There are funds to provide clothing for missionaries in need and I believe in larger MTC’s there are tailors to take care of clothing repairs, but since I can sew, hemming, lengthening, or repairing clothing was a way I could contribute in between taking care of medical needs and preparing devotionals or classes. Often, I would use parts of a discarded dress to lengthen or repair another. There were times when I had no idea how something could be altered with the resources I had. I would pray and then go over all the possible options again and would find a good solution. On more than one occasion, the amount of fabric needed and the amount I could get was exactly, to the fraction of a cm, the amount needed. More than once, when I ran low on thread, mysteriously another spool of the color I needed showed up. I thought the three Nephites must be restocking when I wasn’t looking. It was so evident how much the Lord loves these missionaries and answered the prayers of this desperate daughter who was doing her best to help them.
Living a faith-filled life does not mean our every wish will be granted. It means trusting in God’s perfect plan and timing even when things look really messed up from our perspective.
“All is Well” is a beautiful, faith filled refrain from our beloved hymn “Come, Come Ye Saints” that expresses profound trust in a very present God. Penned by William Clayton, as he fled with other saints from Nauvoo after experiencing many persecutions, it boldly declares that notwithstanding deep trials and though the journey may seem hard, “Our God will never us forsake.” This faith of our early pioneers reflects the trust of Shadrach, Meshach , and Abednego, who when they were told that they would be thrown into the fiery furnace if they did not worship the idol of Nebuchadnezzar, said, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods…” While we would all like an immediate escape from our trials, do we have the trust that God is with us, that His promised blessings are sure, even if they don’t come about in the way or timing that we would like? It is such testing that takes us from simple faith, through the complexities of life, to a much deeper, enduring, faith and trust.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell expressed this “but if not” trust in God´s timing. “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His. Either way we are questioning the reality of God’s omniscience as if, as some seem to believe, God were on some sort of postdoctoral fellowship and were not quite in charge of everything.”
President George Q. Cannon testified of the trust we can have that God is with us in our trials, “No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character. He is an unchangeable being; the same yesterday, the same today, and He will be the same throughout the eternal ages to come. We have found that God. We have made Him our friend, by obeying His Gospel; and He will stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them, if we only trust in our God and keep His commandments.”
Elder Holland paraphrased a quote from C.S. Lewis that speaks to how much good is done by humble, trusting obedience. “The work of devils and of darkness is never more certain to be defeated than when men and women, not finding it easy or pleasant but still determined to do the Father’s will, look out upon their lives from which it may seem every trace of God has vanished, and asking why they have been so forsaken, still bow their heads and obey.”
In contrast to the trusting “All is well” there is another version of “All is well” that warns of Satan’s strategy to create complacency, among us. After being cautioned in 2 Nephi 28:20 that he will cause “anger against that which is good,” we read in vs 21, “And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well – and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.” It is this casualness in keeping covenants that causes people to “lose the Spirit, deny the faith and fear.”
President Nelson reminds us how we can receive the faith-filled, “All is well” strength. He said, “The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way.”
I have an amazing brother and sister-in-law who exemplify this power of covenant. Early last month, I received a heart-wrenching text from my brother that said, “It is with a heavy heart that I let you know that Jeremy died today.” Jeremy, their 40-year-old son, was full of life and laughter, kindness and generosity, well-educated and talented. He also struggled with a debilitating health issue and fought depression. He had pulled away from the strength of his covenants but was supported by his loving family and adored by nieces and nephews. However, in a desperate moment where he felt without hope, he took his own life. Although my brother has had many trials including severe painful debilitating health issues himself, he has always been faith-filled and other centered. While he expressed that he was “sad beyond words,” he also conveyed faith and hope for Jeremy’s progression and said, “I have often felt so fortunate that with all that I and we have gone through at least we hadn’t had to bury a child. We are still so fortunate in so many ways.” That is the strength that comes from covenant keeping. It is no surprise that as their family gathered, they attended the temple with their other children, and their spouses and endowed granddaughters, expressing the comfort of tender mercies they experienced there.
I found an anonymous quote a few years ago that I keep striving to implement in my life. “There is always, always, always something to be grateful for.” My brother and his wife, live by this perspective.
As we go through difficult, disappointing, discouraging times, we can look for the tender mercies and acknowledge them. I firmly believe this will invite better times ahead and inspire others to overcome fear with faith in Jesus Christ.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was recently named Time magazine person of the year, “For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear…”
Perhaps our courage and optimism will not inspire a nation, but it will certainly inspire our families and those within our circle of influence. To illustrate this, let me share a story I read years ago, as told by Lucille Johnson, of a mother with eight growing, hungry children. Her husband was self-employed, and the food money was sporadic. They faithfully paid tithing and prayed for the funds to feed their children.
“One morning,” she said, “we prayed as usual. My husband left for work, and I surveyed the kitchen. No eggs. No milk. No cereal. No bread. What’s for breakfast? All I found were a few carrots in the bottom drawer of the fridge. I woke the children and headed for my shower. I locked my bedroom and bathroom doors, then I turned on the shower and knelt and cried. I asked the Lord to make those carrots nourishing and delightsome to the children. He had done it with raw meat for Lehi’s children. Surely it would work for my children, too.
I blew my nose and washed my face, then turned off the shower and headed for the kitchen. Retrieving the somewhat limp carrots from the fridge, I washed and grated them coarsely and put them in my little copper-bottom saucepan with a bit of water to steam them. As the children dressed, I announced that we had a special treat for breakfast. Back in the kitchen, I divided the steamed carrot tidbits into eight white bowls and put a dab of margarine and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the middle of each. Then, as we prepared to say the blessing, I proclaimed, “Today, we’re having sunshine for breakfast!” With a bit of hesitation, they took a taste or two, then dug in with gusto. Every tiny smidgen disappeared before they headed out for school.”
“[Years later one of my sons recalled that morning.] ‘You know, Mom…I remember when I was real little, and we had an awesome breakfast. I think it was the most delicious breakfast I ever had. You have probably forgotten. I think we only had it one time. We had sunshine for breakfast.’
“[With] tears in my eyes…I told him of my struggle that morning and my prayer. I bore testimony that God hears and answers the prayers of mothers…”
My dear sisters, we are strong women of a loving Heavenly Father who has entrusted us to prepare the world for the Second Coming of our Savior. We may feel inadequate to fulfill all that is required, but I testify that as we put forth our best and choose the best, He will magnify our efforts.
I conclude with this powerful admonition from Elder Corbridge’s talk “Stand Forever, “Pay whatever price you must pay, bear whatever burden you must bear, and make whatever sacrifice you must make to get and keep in your life the spirit and power of the Holy Ghost. Every good thing depends on getting and keeping the power of the Holy Ghost in your life. Everything depends on that.”
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