Closing keynote speakers, W.A. Christensen along with his wife, Sherry, spoke on weathering the storms of life in their presentation which was a compilation of people and their personal struggles they deal with day to day. “Have you ever felt the raging sea around you? Living here in the middle of the Pacific, I’m sure you could teach us a thing or two about the raging sea,” said W.A. Christensen, a creative writer and producer as well as LDS broadcaster in a segment called “Enduring it Well” with the Mormon Channel’s radio station. The Christensen’s closing remarks were entitled “Weathering the Storms of Life” and their message aptly stuck to that title. Sherry Christensen accompanied her husband on stage in the auditorium in front of Education Week attendees. She asked, “On a personal level, is your tempest or storm so tossed at times that it is churning violently? That you may feel the impending doom or worse yet: destruction?” Using navigation of a ship as an anecdote, the Christensens explained attendees their own personal struggles and hardships they have faced which prompted them to begin seeking others who face similar trials in their own lives. “It’s been said that ships are safest in the harbor,” W.A. Christensen noted. “Ships weren’t built for the harbor. Ships were built for the open sea. The same can be said of us. Brothers and sisters, life is hard,” he added. The Christensens talk about their children and the health challenges they have experienced. They share how their family was able to go through each hardship through the teachings of Jesus Christ. “As a result of the challenges that we have faced over our 31 years, I was asked by the Church to write, produce, and host a weekly radio show through the official media outlet of the Church called the Mormon Channel,” he said of his start with the Church in broadcast media. According to Christensen, the segment in which he hosts called “Enduring it Well” has roughly 12.5 million listeners. “I interview people who have faced difficult challenges and through principles of the gospel, have emerged triumphant,” he said. Each of the Christensen’s four children has been diagnosed with a rare type of muscular dystrophy, a debilitating disease, which caused them to lean closer to the plan of happiness and the Church’s teachings. “The Plan of Happiness took on a much deeper meaning of hope and trust to raise [our] children,” Christensen said. “What made the difference? Total faith and trust in the great plan of happiness.” Their presentation included individuals who have faced significant losses in their lives. One such woman who was featured on “Enduring it Well” fell off a cliff, breaking her back, causing her to be bound to a wheel chair. She relayed how her life was changed dramatically, but still continues to live life to the fullest. Tammy Lau attended the Christensen’s presentation and said, “The Christensen’s talk was inspiring. Most of the talks, especially this talk is something I can learn from in my life.” Lau is bound to a wheelchair, but keeps her spirits up. She and her brother, Isaac, are both debilitated, but keep their spirits up despite their circumstances.“We are not doomed, we are destined for greater adventures ahead,” Sherry Christiansen said.
Writer: Dylan-Sage Wilcox~ Multimedia Journalist
