The Mission Scarf Award for"Best Companionship Overall"
(The elders receive ties!)
I got the envelope package! I´m lovin´ everything you sent. I even liked the candy. Thanks for the CTR rings… I´m going to think about who would really want one and give them to them. The pens are sweet and I slept great last night taking the meds you sent. And today my comp and I are sporting our super cool bandana coolers! You made the right choice with white and I even think they look kind of cool with my shirts. It isn´t super hot yet today, but I´m sure that once we get out in the sun we´ll notice just how awesome they are… but I already know! It dawned on me that you two should use them next summer when you are working out in the yard! I don´t know why I didn´t think of this before… or why I haven´t seen a single elder using one, but I´m quite sure that I will soon become well-known for being able to stay cool in the sweltering heat… All thanks to my AMAZING family! Thanks for always being so supportive and complying with my every little request. The photos made me super happy… my favorite was obviously the picture of little Davy in his Boca jersey! He´s so cute I could just eat him!
Ready for a funny story about this week… get this… a member (that is not considered a recent convert meaning that the member that did this has AT LEAST one year in the church) said the closing prayer in sacrament meeting and like half way in the middle of the prayer out of nowhere she started repeating the ”our Father” catholic prayer! I opened my eyes and looked up at the bishopric and the first counselor grimaced and put his hand to his forehead in obvious agony. Then I looked over at my comp. who opened her eyes and we mouthed “what the heck” to each other. No one else seemed too taken aback, but we were pretty blown away and sad because we had 6 investigators in the meeting listening to this “example” of a prayer. Um… funny in retrospect, but now we get to explain to everybody that that is not how we pray.
The other exciting thing about this week is that I called Hermana Benton to ask her to change the mission rule to allow the sister missionaries to proselyte in the little flesh colored shoe socks instead of knee his or nylons. She said yes! So we went out and the 4th store had them! They´re called ‘plantillas’ and they go for about 8 pesos each, but I gladly bought 9 pairs and feel so free and happy walking around with my legs all free. You´d be surprised how uncomfortable it is to have to walk around with your calves all held tight with nylons in the heat and all. Needless to say, this week was much more pleasant! Go Hermana Benton!
Recently in companion study my comp pointed out that Abinadi was a stellar missionary and the only convert he had – had to run away. Abinadi never knew about Alma and all the good that was done as a result. He may have felt frustrated thinking nobody was listening to him… but somebody was… and that somebody did some pretty amazing things afterwards. For this reason we must not let ourselves get discouraged when it seems like we are talking to ourselves, because maybe someone is going to run away and ponder what we said and have a mighty change of heart. That´s my little analogy for the week.
My nails are finally growing and growing strong. I even stopped and pampered myself for enough time to French manicure them! They are gorgeous and it is amazing Mom how having pretty nails can help me get through a rough day. It´s funny, really.
On my 6 month birthday I was humbled because I made some pathetic Castellano mistakes.
Fact about the mission… the weeks pass like days and the days pass like weeks. It´s incredible it seems like we show up for church and have to wait for our investigators and all the drama of Sundays… every day, and yet at the same time the days drag by, hour after hour like you've been walking for months. It is true… the weeks pass like days and the days pass like weeks.
Gera didn´t show up to church on Sunday and gave us quite a scare… he was a little sick, but luckily all is well and he continues to progress and keep commitments and we had a cool FHE with the ward mission leader last night and watched the Restoration DVD. So he´s still good… we changed his date to the 6th of December so that we could baptize him, and Hayde and Florencia all at once. He´s still doing great.
Hayde and Florencia came to church for the second week in a row (for Hayde the Mom) and the third time in a row for Florencia (the 12 year old that we went and picked up in a remise 3 weeks ago). We are so blessed to have them because they accept every single commitment with a smile and really are going to stay active. Hayde loves homemaking and is even trying to quit her Sunday job altogether so that she can really always keep the Sabbath day holy! The weird thing about that is that even if people have to work, we just try and get them to be able to show up to Church in the morning and then go to work… we also try to get them to quit that job altogether but what I´m trying to communicate is that it´s like we make exceptions for them if they have to work, but can still make it to church it´s ok. It shouldn´t be that way (except in the obvious exceptions) but that´s something that is truly complicated by the circumstances of the country. For example… if the colectivo drivers didn´t work on Sundays… half the members would have to walk REALLY long distances to get to church. So yeah, the colectivo drivers have to work, doctors have to work… and the list goes on.
We had Pablo and Fernando (the 2 really awesome investigators that do not have baptismal dates) over for an FHE in the house of the mission leader and we watched the Restoration DVD and then had a long discussion about baptism and why they should both accept the date of the 6th of December. WHAT ARE THE ODDS that Pablo would choose this moment to tell us that he´s probably going to be leaving town in 8 days on business for, oh, you know, like 2 MONTHS! First Fernando with his random “I´m leaving today for Misiones and I don´t know if I´m coming back” and now Pablo with his “I´m really interested in this church and I´ll keep investigating when I get back…” NOOOOOO! I couldn´t believe my ears and confess that I let one, just one, tear fall as the reality of his sentence sunk in. We were about to lose an investigator, and not just an investigator… a progressing investigator, who should have a baptismal date, who only lacks one Sunday assistance and a few commandments (law of chastity, tithing, and fasting) … that is the only thing that is standing between him and being able to get baptized… according to the baptismal interview and all. And of course he needs a little more conviction in Joseph Smith, but that was why we got together to watch the movie, so that he could have his “aha” moment and realize that Joseph Smith really was a prophet and that he received the priesthood… I was pretty bold and committed him to pray and ask God if he should stay and get baptized on the 6th anyways. We followed up the next day and he said that when he prayed he felt like there´s still so much to learn and that he doesn´t need to rush into anything. And yeah, how can you blame him for saying that? We´re talking about him making a sacred covenant with God and no he shouldn´t do it blindly, but at the same time, what he wants is perfect knowledge not faith. The purpose of this life is to walk by FAITH. Anyways… we are going to have another lesson with him tomorrow and he´ll know for sure if he´s leaving on business or not… I´m trying to prepare myself for another heart break and yet keep the faith that he could realize that he needs to stay and get baptized… because it is obviously the Lord´s will that Pablo get baptized… but when?
And with Fernando… we gave him the exact same challenge to pray and ask if he should get baptized on the 6th. We followed up and he is STRUGGLING… it´s like he´s wallowing in anguish truly searching to find out if this is true, but he just doesn´t see it yet. We testified, I shared personal experiences, scriptures came to my mind through the power of the Holy Ghost and I shared them with him, we promised him that, like Joseph, he could receive an answer and we left him with the assignment to read Enos and pray again. It tears at my heart to see these two men who are SO CLOSE and yet so far and know that I truly bear the responsibility for helping them qualify for salvation. I know they are sincere and Fernando is almost suffering in confusion and yet, they have to get their own confirmation.
I´m prepping myself for the pre-Christmas transfer, I can´t deny that it´s going to be a bit rough, but who knows… maybe it´ll be my best Christmas ever… maybe we´ll find a family where the parents are actually married and they have 8 kids ages 8 to 17 that all want to get baptized and sealed in a year. You never know. :)
FYI next week is temple p-day which is AWESOME.
Ready for a funny story about this week… get this… a member (that is not considered a recent convert meaning that the member that did this has AT LEAST one year in the church) said the closing prayer in sacrament meeting and like half way in the middle of the prayer out of nowhere she started repeating the ”our Father” catholic prayer! I opened my eyes and looked up at the bishopric and the first counselor grimaced and put his hand to his forehead in obvious agony. Then I looked over at my comp. who opened her eyes and we mouthed “what the heck” to each other. No one else seemed too taken aback, but we were pretty blown away and sad because we had 6 investigators in the meeting listening to this “example” of a prayer. Um… funny in retrospect, but now we get to explain to everybody that that is not how we pray.
The other exciting thing about this week is that I called Hermana Benton to ask her to change the mission rule to allow the sister missionaries to proselyte in the little flesh colored shoe socks instead of knee his or nylons. She said yes! So we went out and the 4th store had them! They´re called ‘plantillas’ and they go for about 8 pesos each, but I gladly bought 9 pairs and feel so free and happy walking around with my legs all free. You´d be surprised how uncomfortable it is to have to walk around with your calves all held tight with nylons in the heat and all. Needless to say, this week was much more pleasant! Go Hermana Benton!
Recently in companion study my comp pointed out that Abinadi was a stellar missionary and the only convert he had – had to run away. Abinadi never knew about Alma and all the good that was done as a result. He may have felt frustrated thinking nobody was listening to him… but somebody was… and that somebody did some pretty amazing things afterwards. For this reason we must not let ourselves get discouraged when it seems like we are talking to ourselves, because maybe someone is going to run away and ponder what we said and have a mighty change of heart. That´s my little analogy for the week.
My nails are finally growing and growing strong. I even stopped and pampered myself for enough time to French manicure them! They are gorgeous and it is amazing Mom how having pretty nails can help me get through a rough day. It´s funny, really.
On my 6 month birthday I was humbled because I made some pathetic Castellano mistakes.
Fact about the mission… the weeks pass like days and the days pass like weeks. It´s incredible it seems like we show up for church and have to wait for our investigators and all the drama of Sundays… every day, and yet at the same time the days drag by, hour after hour like you've been walking for months. It is true… the weeks pass like days and the days pass like weeks.
Gera didn´t show up to church on Sunday and gave us quite a scare… he was a little sick, but luckily all is well and he continues to progress and keep commitments and we had a cool FHE with the ward mission leader last night and watched the Restoration DVD. So he´s still good… we changed his date to the 6th of December so that we could baptize him, and Hayde and Florencia all at once. He´s still doing great.
Hayde and Florencia came to church for the second week in a row (for Hayde the Mom) and the third time in a row for Florencia (the 12 year old that we went and picked up in a remise 3 weeks ago). We are so blessed to have them because they accept every single commitment with a smile and really are going to stay active. Hayde loves homemaking and is even trying to quit her Sunday job altogether so that she can really always keep the Sabbath day holy! The weird thing about that is that even if people have to work, we just try and get them to be able to show up to Church in the morning and then go to work… we also try to get them to quit that job altogether but what I´m trying to communicate is that it´s like we make exceptions for them if they have to work, but can still make it to church it´s ok. It shouldn´t be that way (except in the obvious exceptions) but that´s something that is truly complicated by the circumstances of the country. For example… if the colectivo drivers didn´t work on Sundays… half the members would have to walk REALLY long distances to get to church. So yeah, the colectivo drivers have to work, doctors have to work… and the list goes on.
We had Pablo and Fernando (the 2 really awesome investigators that do not have baptismal dates) over for an FHE in the house of the mission leader and we watched the Restoration DVD and then had a long discussion about baptism and why they should both accept the date of the 6th of December. WHAT ARE THE ODDS that Pablo would choose this moment to tell us that he´s probably going to be leaving town in 8 days on business for, oh, you know, like 2 MONTHS! First Fernando with his random “I´m leaving today for Misiones and I don´t know if I´m coming back” and now Pablo with his “I´m really interested in this church and I´ll keep investigating when I get back…” NOOOOOO! I couldn´t believe my ears and confess that I let one, just one, tear fall as the reality of his sentence sunk in. We were about to lose an investigator, and not just an investigator… a progressing investigator, who should have a baptismal date, who only lacks one Sunday assistance and a few commandments (law of chastity, tithing, and fasting) … that is the only thing that is standing between him and being able to get baptized… according to the baptismal interview and all. And of course he needs a little more conviction in Joseph Smith, but that was why we got together to watch the movie, so that he could have his “aha” moment and realize that Joseph Smith really was a prophet and that he received the priesthood… I was pretty bold and committed him to pray and ask God if he should stay and get baptized on the 6th anyways. We followed up the next day and he said that when he prayed he felt like there´s still so much to learn and that he doesn´t need to rush into anything. And yeah, how can you blame him for saying that? We´re talking about him making a sacred covenant with God and no he shouldn´t do it blindly, but at the same time, what he wants is perfect knowledge not faith. The purpose of this life is to walk by FAITH. Anyways… we are going to have another lesson with him tomorrow and he´ll know for sure if he´s leaving on business or not… I´m trying to prepare myself for another heart break and yet keep the faith that he could realize that he needs to stay and get baptized… because it is obviously the Lord´s will that Pablo get baptized… but when?
And with Fernando… we gave him the exact same challenge to pray and ask if he should get baptized on the 6th. We followed up and he is STRUGGLING… it´s like he´s wallowing in anguish truly searching to find out if this is true, but he just doesn´t see it yet. We testified, I shared personal experiences, scriptures came to my mind through the power of the Holy Ghost and I shared them with him, we promised him that, like Joseph, he could receive an answer and we left him with the assignment to read Enos and pray again. It tears at my heart to see these two men who are SO CLOSE and yet so far and know that I truly bear the responsibility for helping them qualify for salvation. I know they are sincere and Fernando is almost suffering in confusion and yet, they have to get their own confirmation.
I´m prepping myself for the pre-Christmas transfer, I can´t deny that it´s going to be a bit rough, but who knows… maybe it´ll be my best Christmas ever… maybe we´ll find a family where the parents are actually married and they have 8 kids ages 8 to 17 that all want to get baptized and sealed in a year. You never know. :)
FYI next week is temple p-day which is AWESOME.
Thanks so much for your love, prayers, packages, support, ideas, updates, and testimonies. I am so grateful that I have the assurance that my family back home is strong in the gospel.
All my love, forever and always,
Hermana Jensen
