Really?! Bryce's Missionary Companion

Dear Wynette & Kim,  I couldn't help but think of Bryce today. 

We were invited by our Area President, Elder Carl B. Cook, to the Pretoria Stake Conference for the splitting of their stake and sat on the stand with Elder Cook, two Area Seventies and two mission presidents and their wives. 

It was an amazing birthday present to me when Wade Baldwin was presented as the new bishop of the Pretoria 2nd Ward! I'm sure Bryce was there!

We received this email and picture.  This was Bryce's mission president who is now the liaison for all the mission presidents in Africa Southeast and West Africa.  It was wonderful to see the Baldwins!  Great news about a great "kid". 

What's It All About?

Today I received an email from one of Bryce's companions.  He is coming to Utah.  Just when you think you are done meeting people from his life....someone new pops up.      I am grateful for these connections but have seen a pattern of funk after each encounter.  It reminds me that Bryce is no longer here.  You would think that things would change as each year passes and the memories would seem fuzzy. 

When Sis LaPray and I first arrived in Port Elizabeth, Elder Christensen was a green new missionary and that was the only opportunity we had to work with him, but I do 
remember one experience that I thought I might write about.  On one occasion Sister 
LaPray decided that she wanted to fix a special lunch for the district after district 
meeting.   She thought it would be nice to do Mexican food, something that was rare in 
South Africa.  She found that good tortillas were difficult to by and so indicated as we 
were preparing our taco's.  Being among a bunch of Elders, she was shocked when Elder 
Christensen indicated that they were really quite easy to make.  She was so surprised that 
she questioned him and then they spent quite a while as he taught her ways to cook and 
bake.   I couldn't help but think what a fortunate girl would be the one who he chose to 
marry and assist in the kitchen.  Unfortunately this accident will preclude this 
opportunity, but fortunately the gospel plan provides opportunities in the hereafter to 
continue this great experience called life.---
This was sent to us after the funeral.  Something that I didn't even know about Bryce.

Last month we made a trip to Colorado.  We were on a train going to Silverton when a beautiful lady came up to me and said she knew me.  We tried to make the connections and exhausted most possibilities.  She wanted to figure it out and I was ready to sit down when my sister  noticed her jacket and the name of our hospital.  She told me that she was a Chaplain there with her husband.  I don't know how she could have possibly remembered me from everyone since 2009 but I knew that she sat beside me in the hospital comforting me on Jan. 7th.  It was a happy reunion and opportunity for me to thank her once more for her service.  Small world isn't it?  

Bryceisms

I am going through all the letters I wrote to Bryce on his mission.  Here is a typical Bryce stunt that I reminded him of...  Nov. 13, 2005:  Bryce recorded the funniest message on Kira's answering machine.  He tried to cry but it was more like laughing that something had happened at home and could she please call.  He called three times with a message wanting her to call home.  What he really wanted to know was what kind of car she had just bought. 
Another short excerpt that I wrote to Bryce about him being gone on a mission:  I was cooking bacon for your dad's breakfast and thought....good thing Bryce isn't here.  He would not be happy at the smell.  Then, when I was done and put it away, the thought came--I don't have to hide this cooked bacon in the veggie section because Bryce isn't here to eat it!!  See....you are missed. 

Things That Bryce Randomly Wrote

I am cleaning out Bryce stuff.  The time has come.  Here are a few jewels from his notebooks.
An Amazing Observation by Bryce Christensen:
When you are in a car and your are the passenger and there is a song you like on and you say," Hey...I like this song".  The driver almost always turns the volume up.  And you feel like saying, "Hey...all I said was I liked this song--not blast my ears out"...but most of the time you politely clench your teeth and take it. 

READ THIS!!
Dear person reading this if you are not Bryce ( which is a good chance you are not because I am Bryce and don't plan on reading this again). .. This notebook of my ideas will most likely not make sense to you.
.....so my apology if you can't get a hold of me and the ideas in this book remain random nonsense.  Maybe that's the way it was meant to be and maybe you are supposed to make your own sense out of things in this book but if you know I happen to be around or if you thin you can find me ...get a hold of me and let our journey of my past ideas begin.
Yours truely, Bryce Christensen

Cheese--a short story by Bryce
"Cheese and lots of it!" replied Mr. Scower.  "Wonderful wonderful cheese....um Mr. Joshua what are we going to do with all this cheese?"  Why Mr. Scower , were going to do the only thing that can be done with cheese.   "And what is that?" replied Mr. Scower.
"Cheese bombs."  What?   said Mr. Scower.  "CHEESEBOMBS"!  and the best ones the world has ever seen at that.
"Oh that's just great" said Mr. Scower. 
The End
The Return of the Cheese
Scower hand me some sharp cheddar cheese cologne.  There's ladies around.  "Yes, my Lord".  Thank you....this stuff really gets you the women.
Oh...here they come now. 
Oh Mr. Jordan, you're so handsome, said some lady.  Oh Mr. Jordan you smell so good.  Here's a million dollars. 
The end

Once when I was little my little brother Dallin had this pirate sword and he would always hit me in the lip with it.  So my mom one day took the sword and cut it into many pieces. 

Journal...Something Bryce Loved to Do--Not.

Sunday Nov. 27 2004  This is my journal.  Better write some stuff in it so mom's head won't explode, you know how it is with the
exploding and the brains everywhere. 
  Dec. 5, 04  This is my journal.  Ha! Ha! Ha!

What Makes Memorial Day Important?

12 Sept. 2008  Well today we had our last Zone Conference.  It was me, Carroll, Donoho, and Warren.  Elder Young and his wife were there and spoke.  It was freezing.  I didn’t know what would happen when I bore my last Zone testimony.  Sister Young kept talking about things we should have done by the end of our missions and just before I got up to bear my testimony I thought of all the things I had learned, seen, felt and experienced on mission.  It was hard for me to get words out and I was crying.  It was weird.  I usually don’t get emotional and when I sat down afterwards, I felt a distinct warmth on my shoulders and back as if someone had put a warm blanket on me. 

Memorial Day is a great time to reflect and remember.  For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.  Alma 34:32

Mother's Day call

I always loved the call that came on Mother's Day from our missionaries.  Since we don't have any current missionaries in our immediate family and Bryce is as close as we get, I thought I would post something he said that applies to all of us.  It means a lot to me.
August 18, 2008
honestly dont worry about anything for my birthday you have already done enough.... way more than you need to. I know you love me and I dont need a package or money or anything to tell me that. In fact yesterday when I was teaching gospel principals... it was about service and I mentioned how when we serve we love the person we serve and they love us in return, I mentioned how I could think about the person that has served me the most is my mom and how the person that I loved the most in return was my mom. This also tied in with my talk that I gave during sacrement meeting on obedience. it is by obedience that we are able to gain eternal life, the greatest commandment is to love God,  If we love God we will keep his commandments,we do that by serving others, when ye are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God. Its amazing how closely related Service, Love and Obedience is.

Happy Mother's Day to us!