HISTORY

A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.

From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.

In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.

Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.

So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.

Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.

We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.

As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
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Monday, August 6, 2007

about one year ago...

I went to Palmyra, NY with the Charlottesville Singles' ward- I had been a member of the family ward for about 7 months but still attended FHE and Institute and all activities with the singles- it was just too much for Valerie and I to go to the Singles ward plus her ward (for primary) every week, so I joined the family ward after I received my temple endowments.

I had just gotten home two days before from picking out a house in Sandy, Utah for Valerie and I. I was planning to move to Utah and work in a lab at U of U because, well... the prospects were not looking favorable for me to marry in the church as a divorced 29 year old woman (nearly 30) and after dating several times out of the church and seeing the same sorts of problems that came with that over and over again, I determined to not date outside the church ever again. Besides- what would the point be? I was looking for an eternal companion- not a person to fill the time till I found one.

On this trip, was a new member of the ward and he sat in the back of the van next to my daughter and a few other people. I sat in the front next to the bishop's wife and my friend, Sarah. My first words to the new guy were "What is your name?!" "What is your last name" and then, "How do you spell that?!" I would have been blown away then to realize that I would soon have that last name as well.

I felt the spirit so strongly on that trip and really liked the affection from Matt too- though I was sure to tell him I would be moving soon to Utah. I am so glad that fell through and despite all the frustration I felt, I felt more than that, that all would be well. I am so glad that I had the faith that the Lord would take care of things in my life.

On this trip, Valerie and I broke off from the rest of the group and as we were walking through the Sacred Grove, she asked me "Mom, did Joseph Smith REALLY see Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ here?" I told her that the scriptures say that he did and the scriptures are true, but that she could ask and find out for herself.

We walked a little further to a secluded spot, then knelt down to pray and ask if Joseph Smith really saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the sacred grove. We ended the prayer and stood up, and Valerie said "He did not tell me if it was true..." but as we walked along, Valerie was skipping as I sang out loud "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and she smiled, held her arms around and spun around in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the trees- still holding drops of water from the morning rain. She then began to pick up all these caterpillars from the trail so that no one would step on them.

I could tell she felt great, so I took her hand, then I stooped down and said, "Valerie, you know that good feeling you have in your heart?! How you want to help these caterpillars and you are filled with love? That is the Spirit telling you the truth about Joseph Smith seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in this place... maybe not this exact spot, but in this place."

It was such a special moment for her and I- and I have been blessed with many of those moments since joining the church- and I will always treasure that moment and that experience.

It was while thinking about that, that I made this slideshow of our trip last summer...

We are so grateful for the Gospel in our lives and I am so grateful that Valerie and I now have a priesthood holder to lead our family. It is one of the most precious blessings either of us have been given.


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4 comments:

David and Debby said...

Crystal,
Amazing turn of events to allow you and Matt to meet. I think if you look back through the blog archives, you will find a post or a comment I put in about how The Lord directs the events of our lives to allow us to reach the milestones and the ultimate goals He has set for us. I really believe He can see the end from the beginning, and he knows each of us well enough to anticipate our reactions to every development, countering wrong tunrs with alternate events that will get us back on track. As we learn to know Him better, we can anticipate His wishes and avoid the ups and downs, and the sharp turns as we straighten our course toward Him.
Dad/David

Monday, August 6, 2007 at 10:19:00 PM MDT
David and Debby said...

crystal,

i remember thinking what a great thing matt was going to palmyra. little did i know. you are such a blessing to our family. love, debby

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 at 11:26:00 AM MDT
abbynormal said...

Welcome to the blog, Crystal! You and Valerie are such an integral addition to our family. It's already so easy to see how good you and Matt are for each other, and how you will help each other so much to grow and progress. Thanks for your insights.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 at 7:36:00 AM MDT
Leslie said...

my brother is one lucky man!!

Saturday, August 11, 2007 at 11:07:00 AM MDT

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