July 6, 2009

From: Corrine Christison
Subject: mass email
Date: Monday, July 6, 2009, 5:20 PM

HERMANAS Y HERMANOS!!!

i hope everyone had a wonderful fourth of july. i was a little bummed i couldnt go watch the fireworks but my companion and i saw a couple on our drive home that night. this email will have to last two weeks because with the HILL CUMORAH PAGEANT coming up, we dont get any time to email... which i know is so sad but it is okay, try not to be too sad ;) and i'll just have you know, for anyone who was wondering, i hit my 6- month mark on the 14th of july. i cannot tell you how fast the time is passing and my feelings of being 1/3 of the way done with my time
here in new york. but i do wish to tell you a story...... if that is alright. my companion, sister autrey, and i are currently teaching a woman named joann. she has had some wonderful
experiences in her life and then some not so good experiences. unfortunately, i think the bad outweigh the good but to get on with it- we were teaching her about prayer, and how it can help us build a stronger relationship with god and how it can truly bring peace in her life. i share my experiences and testimony- sister autrey shares a powerful, wonderful testimony and then joann said something that made me think. she said "i wish i could say what you just said and believe it". sister autrey turns to her and says "you can. you just have to try it for yourself" this experience reminded me of something elder ballard said in this past general conference. he is talking about how we strengthen our own testimonies and faith; he said: " you cannot do a google search to gain a testimony. you can't text message faith. you gain a vibrant, life-changing testimony today the same way it has always been done... it comes through desire, study, prayer, obedience, and service" so basically, the moral of the story and of elder ballards talk is: JUST DO IT! (wait, its that nike's theme too?) :)

enjoy the next couple of weeks! y'all are in my prayers!

sister christison