Serving In And Loving L.A.

Random mission facts from Stacey:

I am in the Westwood Zone District 1

My Zone Leaders are Elder Banov and Elder

Alexander (from Murray, Utah)

My District Leader is Elder Gonzalez

My Companions are Hermana Escoto from La Seiba, Honduras

(she is also my Sister Trainer)

and Hermana Tavares from Mendoza, Argentina

We are in the proselyting area called "Griffith Park"

We serve in the Hollywood Ward and Barrio Cuarto

There are 8 missionaries in these 2 wards

We have a mission car - a 2008 Corolla

We have bikes (but don't use them much yet)

We are no longer allowed to listen to any music except

for the hymns and children's hymns

(Not being able to listen to EFY music and other

LDS artists breaks our hearts!)

A cool way missionaries talk about how much time

they have left is to ask,

"How far away is the plane?"

My mission is one tenth done

There are 1000 members in the Hollywood Ward

Approximately 120 are active

July Quotes:

"May you always be comfortably uncomfortable"

"The Lord educates your desires"

"Blessed is the life of a missionary -behold a royal army!

Now a blog -worthy story: Everybody knows that one of the first and foremost rules of missionaries is "Always remain with your companion." (see page 29 of the missionary handbook aka "the white bible") Here is a story about how I did just that this week. We were trying to get into a locked apartment complex to visit an investigator whose phone number had changed and we could no longer reach. We weren't getting in and there was no one inside that we could ask to open the door for us. Sister Escoto saw that the parking lot had a garage door that opened automatically from the inside when cars left the lot. A car had just pulled out and the garage door was coming down... about to shut again. She took off running and said "hermanas, come on!" Sis Wilcox and I followed blindly - completely oblivious to what we were doing or how little time we had to do it. As the gate was coming down Sis Escoto and Sis Wilcox ran under it. I was close behind them, but literally thought that I WOULD NOT make it as I ran under the closing gate - which has no emergency censor by they way. It was amazing, I did not hesitate, even for a second, though I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it. Miraculously I did get under the gate and to the other side of the parking garage safely without the gate ever touching me! It was crazy, talk about blind faith... it's amazing what you'll do to "always remain with your companion."After we all made it under we were gasping and celebrating that we all got in and Sis Escoto said "Sis. Jensen, I didn't think you were going to make it!" I would give anything to get to see that moment again. When I die and get to see the slide show of my life, I'm going to that moment first! Three sister missionaries in dresses bookin' it under a closing garage gate in Los Angeles determined to contact an investigator who wasn't home!

Good times :) - that's just a bonus!

Ready to head out!

We have bikes-- and a cell phone to further the work too!

bravely dealing with the roaches

She didn't like it---but she did it!