Week 2 Has Now Begun In Padua!

Well, there is so much to say.

First of all I love San Antonio de Padua, but it sure comes with its challenges. White washing an area is difficult-- if you can imagine. This first week we were able to find most of the investigators the elders left us, and we committed 3 to be baptized. The thing is that these are very fragile dates… it´s FAR from certain that they will happen, but the only way is to start somewhere and work with them to make it to the day. One is the 11 year old son of a less active member. His name is -----. He is good, but it is hard to get him to church because we can´t bring him alone and his mom works in a fruit store. But we have plans. He is the most sure that we have. And the others are a mother and daughter, but there are obstacles to overcome, she smokes and both were sick this last week, so couldn´t come to church. They are ----- and -----. They might not be so happy with some of the changes they need to make, but we have our faith and are going to give it our best shot.

The Elders left us a bunch of teaching records in the area book. We have been working a ton with member referrals here. They just might be the ticket to success!

About the storm… pretty cool, you can imagine that storms here are a lot like that. Instantly there is a mud flood and it comes down so hard you think it might bruise your skin. I´m thrilled to hear that we did not have any flooding. I am truly sorry to hear that the garden was destroyed, that is a bummer. We can be thankful that our garden is not our only source of food as it was for the farmers of old. Imagine what a storm like that would have done to their faith.

What do you mean to Davy everything is a phone? How cool is that about web calls. Did you know that my laptop has a webcam? It does. I don´t remember if I ever really got it to work, but I know it has one.

About Sarah… you could try calling the LA Mission and asking for a forwarding address. That is the only solution I have if she´s not on facebook. The only address I have is in Alaska, but I bet she´s studying somewhere else. Let me know if you want me to send you the Alaska address.
Thanks for being diligent with all that. I really appreciate it.

As for stuff that you can send with the Pollock family (who FYI is the senior AP right now… and the one who served where I am right now in Papua) You could send me some of those powder packets of Ranch that you add to sour cream, also another bottle of Ranch Dressing, a thing of Peanut Butter and um… let me think. There has got to be something I really need. I´ll let you know what else comes to mind next week. Thanks for the heads up.

We want to move because we live way out of our area and it´s a huge hassle. The quickest route from the bus stop to the pench every night (and every morning for that matter) is 15 blocks – 22 minutes walking quickly and not stopping to street contact anybody… which is obviously not good because street contacting is what we do. The pench in itself is great, but the electricity is a disaster. The power failed and we have been limited to only use the heater on low. We were forced to study with our coats and scarves on in the morning-- it is so cold. There is someone who supposedly came to fix it today, but I haven´t been there yet.

Today we had Sisters Conference and even though it is proselyting time already, we are doing Internet… with President´s permission of course. Anyways, we have got to move because we lose about an hour and a half of proselyting time each day just going to and from home. Nobody we are teaching lives where we live. They all live clear on the other side of the area. I want to move over there, but it is more dangerous, but still, for time and convenience and stuff… I´m willing to be like Simba from the Lion King and say “I laugh in the face of danger!” I don´t want to spend my last 6 months or whatever I have left wasting such time every day… and at night when people are actually home to be taught and members can accompany us. That is just not the recipe to have success here and I promised the Lord that I would do all in my power to give Him success.

Not only is it a waste of time and a big expense, but it is exhausting to have to start each and every day walking a mile… hear me out, when the day is coming to a close, you don´t want to think “ok, time for the last mile of rushed walking” – it´s more than one can take, and after just 7 days of doing it, I´m already sick of it. So the President authorized us to look for a new apartment, but that´s easier said than done, especially when you can´t just hop on the Internet or spend a bunch of time looking.

So the Sisters Conference: I spent a ton of time planning this 45 minute workshop on contacts to present and then wouldn´t you know it… they put me last and we were so far behind that when we finally were up, it was like, what do we do? The food was to arrive at 1 and so we kind of shortened it, kind of rushed it, and I was a little less than pleased with how it turned out. I tried not to let the time thing ruin it, everyone said it was great and the President was super impressed with it all, but I felt like we could have done MUCH better had we not been so time restrained. But if everyone else said it went well, I have to just accept it. But I tell you – I know it could have been better.

Being in the zone of Merlo is like starting a new semester in college. You´re lost, you´re confused, you´re stressed, you set all these incredibly high goals and you start with what you have, but every night you fall on your knees and beg your Father in Heaven to carry you through one more day. It is just mentally demanding. All day long you are lost, as you learn, you grow, as you are stretched, you learn to rely on your Savior, but it is hard. I am not going to tell you it´s not.

But one of the biggest tender mercies that the Lord has given me to be able to handle it is my companion. She is so capable. She took upon herself the responsibility of learning all the bus routes and thus making it possible for us to do what we do each day. She faithfully searches each bus that we see all day long and looks up their routes (which I don´t understand in the book I bought – but she does) and that is the only way that I personally have been able to cope. Because she is native she does colectivos and basically navigates us all day long. I on the other hand am in charge of all the little details, like remembering the keys to the church, having pamphlets, keeping us on schedule, and other stuff that seems very trivial compared to what she does, but without the little things we would fail. So we are a perfect team. We complete one another in this challenge we chose to see as an opportunity.

On Sunday we had a Stake Conference broadcasted from Salt Lake and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately we went in a taxi that we got to accommodate all of our investigators and not one ended up in the taxi with us. 26 pesos later we showed up all alone. Lame. 2 were sick, ---- couldn´t come with us without his mother… and 3 others stood us up completely. Lame.

FYI – we tried to laminate little hand outs we made for our work shop and they tried to charge me 3 pesos (almost a dollar) for each of the 2x3 cards. AS IF! We bough contact paper and did it ourselves for less than 7 pesos total!

As for that Hermana that is coming, I thought of more advice: ankle socks to wear under nylons are great in the winter. Buy shoes with thicker soles because the uneven sidewalks and dirt roads rip up the soles pretty quickly. Bring Ziploc bags – lots of them and in various sizes. You can find them here, but they are EXPENSIVE. You will need them for random things. At least I did. Oh and the most important one of all… If she is struggling with space or going over the weight limit with her luggage, bring a big suitcase and a carry on that is formed, but for the middle sized one, just buy a giant shoulder bag that is sofá – it weighs much less and you can stow a ton more in it. It´s a hassle in the airport, but you only do that twice (or four times if you are me and serve in 2 missions. :)

Mommy – I love you so, when I see Hermana Benton I remember you and how much I look forward to a hug from you and miss you. The truth is that each day I am more and more thankful that I was raised in the church, and even more – by ACTIVE members of the church. That is something that I took for granted all my life, but no more. I am so blessed. So blessed.

Daddy – Happy Father´s day on Sunday! I love you so. The other night I had a dream that I got a hug from you. When I woke up I almost cried because I want one so much.

It is weird that you are getting information about when I go home. I still don´t understand clearly if I have 3 transfers left including this one or 4 including this one. If you say that I am due home around Thanksgiving that would mean that I have four more. I don´t know if I will “die” here or not. I would like to go to campo, (the country) but more importantly I want to be where the Lord wants me to be. If I never get to serve in the outskirts or the ghetto, life goes on. Argentina is different enough for me – even if I am in the “city.”

Nata – I hope that you go forth with faith and courage in your callings. Davy is such a little stud. I can´t wait to give him a high five and teach him Argentine hand gestures.

I love you so. If you wouldn´t mind this week – I want you to pray for me to quit comparing myself to others. I need to just let things happen a little more. I need to just relax a little. But I´m afraid that if I relax – I will fall apart. Pray for me to adapt and be at peace. Thanks. I know you are always praying for me.

I have to go. I´m sorry you had to wait all day long for this.

Wubba,
Hermana Jensen!
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1 COMMENTS:

ajohns37 said...
We can hardly believe the experiences and things our young Hermanas are going through. It is so humbling of what they are seeing and doing, yet their tremendous faith and example to go forth doing what they know is true and have been called to do. We love you and have great familyhood (?word) kinship, felt with you knowing we both have daughters doing the same thing. All our love, the Familia Johns
JUNE 16, 2009 9:45 PM