Door Clapping And Random Glimpses Into Haedo, Argentina

Brittany and Stacey tracting

A view of downtown Buenos Aires

flooded streets = happy girl--she loves it!

Hermana Roy (companion #8)

keeping track of tracting :]

Local church house

North America is home to me!

The House of the Lord

what are they??

nice back drop

go cougs!

Buenos Aires Sunsets...

Loving Everything!

3/24/09

Life is SO GOOD! My mini is a dream come true. She is vibrant, has energy, teaches well, speaks perfectly and is even pretty good speaking English! We have a ball together and work super hard. We are never walking in the street in silence as sometimes happened with Hermana Roy because she likes to be quiet... but anyway... Her name is Hermana Barbara Barrera and she is from Gonzalez Catan... which is the zone of the mission that is super dangerous. There are no sisters there and the Elders are always getting held up at gunpoint, but she is awesome! I love her sooooo much! She is 21 and was a convert when she was 14. She has a rock solid testimony and already knew just about everything. I only had to teach her mission rules and how to take care of the area book and little stuff like that. She is super obedient and really helps me be better. She has a powerful spirit and I know that these 6 weeks together will be a treasure of the mission!

This week the chaos of my many divisions begins. We have 2 this week and the week to come which means that in transit and meeting up and stuff we lose about 2 or 2 and a half hours each division of our time to proselyte. But I have decided not to worry about it. What matters is that I fulfill this purpose helping all the sisters in the zone and that we have faith that everything will work together for our good. I know it will. Things are already working out for our good and we are already seeing miracles. Like last night...

We committed Antonio and Andrea to be baptized on April 11th! They are the parents of an 11 year old member who is the niece of this very active family that lives next door. I have felt so strongly that we just couldn´t drop them, even though their work schedules make them almost impossible to find and teach. I just couldn´t drop them and now I know why... the Lord had prepared them to join His kingdom! They received the date well and we are also teaching their 19 year old son... you never know... he might come around, but he´s a typical teenage boy in Argentina... soccer seems way cooler that reading the scriptures of course!

We also found this way awesome 15 year old girl and taught her the other day. She wants to come to church this Sunday and says that her church just doesn't do it for her. Yea! We hope her father doesn´t stop us from teaching her. Her mom died when she was a kid and this is just what the family needs, but oftentimes we find that those who need to hear this message more than anyone else are too hurt to receive it. We´ll be praying that he is ready and that they are baptized as a family... the dad and 2 daughters... it would be a "complete family!" Her name is Antonella.

I totally destroyed my beautiful nails... as I always do. What is my problem? One breaks and I just pick the rest. Lame.

Unfortunately Hermana Johns camera was stolen (out of her scripture bag in church one Sunday) which had the pictures of the baptism of Gera´s mom that I also taught... but luckily she had printed me one before it was stolen... but just one. Anyway, she wants to know if you wouldn´t mind putting the pictures of her and me in like a separate folder on the desktop and then burning a CD of these pictures and sending the CD to her mom who will take care of it and send her the pictures as attachments? Could you try to do that for her?

How many Wal-Marts are there in Utah? I tried to guess the other day, I said like 40 or something, but it was just a complete guess.

We did a special fast with Vanessa and Ricardo so that they would somehow be able to get to the registrar’s office and do the one month till the marriage paperwork. I hope that they have the faith to act now... that is what is hard... we can fast and pray, but when it comes to not showing up for work and having the faith to not be fired ... acting is harder than starving!

My companion and I both had a terrible sore throat this week that reminded me that those are no fun. It´s amazing how we can forget that.

If you want to know what Hermana Barrera looks like, just put in the tape of the Karen Carpenter story and she looks just like the actress of the young Karen Carpenter. Same face, same hair, same eyes... it´s uncanny! She makes me smile!

I found the sour cream and it´s divine! We made the ranch dip and it too was truly heavenly... dip not dressing, but it was GREAT with Argentine pizza. We also had it with chicken milanesa and that was divine. My comp. LOVES IT. So I´ll probably be sending her the little envelopes for the rest of my life, but it´s a small price to pay because today she is teaching me how to make milanesa!

I spent like 2 days in a trio with Haedo 2 waiting for my mini who came Wednesday morning and let me tell you... the mission should not be spent in a trio. It just makes everything harder, longer, slower.... too many cooks spoil the broth! Companionships are divine... be they in the mission or in a family... There is a reason... two is the perfect number. (3 with God, but you get what I mean... )

I´ve got to tell you that last week I got a letter from 2 complete strangers named Megan and Kevin. They stumbled onto my video on YouTube of me opening my call and were so impressed and jazzed up that they found the mission address and wrote me. They not only wrote me, but they colored the envelope all bright and gorgeous and it was truly super cool. They wrote about how it is evident that I have a great Spirit and was prepared and stuff. They said they watch the video all the time and that they even joke that Kevin could marry me some day. Funny! I wrote them back and gave them the blog address so that they could see all that has happened in these 10 and a half months. But yeah... 2 complete strangers track down the address and pay 94 cents to send me letters in Argentina. How cool is that! It made my day.

Gotta run! Love you all tons. Thanks for your prayers. Let me know about the anniversary of NataJason. Keep playing with Davy for me and never forget how great it is to have the gospel.

Never give up!

Hermana Stacey Jensen
What, What?!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 COMMENTS:

ajohns37 said...
A very special thanks to Stacey's (Hermana Jensen) concern for Brittany (Hermana Johns) getting her camera stolen and and her awesome mom for posting pictures of them so we can save those precious memories on our computer.
All our love, The Familia Johns
MARCH 26, 2009 8:19 PM

Sick, But Better Now!

March 17, 2009

Yeehaw! I´m super happy. Quite over-whelmed, and I´ll soon tell you why, but quite happy!

Please keep the green binder because I will need to fill it with all of the pages I have already written.

Daddy – the dad steered the car through then rolled down window and pushed sideways. The 11 year old daughter pushed from the passenger side and me and the 13 year old pushed from the trunk. My comp walked by my side… she has a bad back and couldn´t push.

On Sunday we were finishing out the sixth week of the transfer and we were trying to teach… Sundays are quite fruitless. Anyways we passed by one of our investigators whose wife is someone we are reactivating and halfway through the lesson I realized I was in for it. I had been feeling a little lousy for 3 or 4 hours and didn´t know why. Dizzy, light headed, nauseous and basically wanting to crawl into bed, but anyway during this lesson I knew I wouldn´t even survive the colectivo ride to the center and then the 6 block walk to the pench (mission slang for pension). I asked the investigator to call us a remise (a cheap taxi) and we headed straight for the apartment-- the entire time I was ready to lose it. We got in an hour early, but I knew it didn´t matter. I spent the night quite sick and miserable. We did numbers as I lied on the tile floor and then I took a bath and went to bed. I tried to drink Alka Seltzer to make myself throw up, but could only swallow 2 gulps and could bear no more. At 11 pm I woke up went to the bathroom and threw up SOOOOO much pasta – which we had eaten for lunch. I´m not even kidding. I thought that the worst was behind me and went back to bed still feeling quite lousy, but better. I woke up at 1 am and was completely dehydrated and with a raging fever. We couldn´t find my thermometer BUT I KNOW I BROUGHT ONE---we were quite sure that the fever was pretty high, so high that my comp got wet wash cloths and put them all over my neck, forehead, and arms. She changed them every minute or so and when that didn´t work she made me take a cold bath. I was freezing cold under the blanket but she said I was super hot. After the bath and Ibuprofen the fever started to go down and we went back to sleep. At 4 am I woke up thirsty and she checked my fever. At 6:30 when the alarm went off I felt truly beaten up. My body ached all over. I skipped exercises and took another bath. I puttered my way through the morning starving and dehydrated but unable to stomach much. I pulled myself together and we loaded her stuff in the remise and went to the transfer meeting… we knew she was going straight to campo because the Elders told her to pack up and bring it with her.We got to the offices and I stopped one of the APs and had him send a companionship of elders to go and buy me some Gatorade… that helped a ton. I have a testimony of Gatorade! The transfer meeting was great. We broke a mission record and had 179 converts this transfer. The previous mission record for a single transfer was like 162 or something. This was incredible! Over 70% of the areas had at least one convert. We did not win the mission scarf… DUH! But I was relieved to not be called up in front of the mission a 4th time in a row.

Ready to find out what happens to me? I am training a mini missionary now. It´s probably super tough to train, but even harder training someone who hasn´t been in the MTC, hasn´t memorized the lessons (meaning the principles, and commitments) and hasn´t been taught about anything. I am in for a challenge. And my new companion is young, but it´s what the Lord wants me to do, and I´ll do it. That was what President meant when he said I would be teaching the area to leave in the hands of my companion. I will be teaching this transfer and the next one so that I can leave it in the hands of the next one. So get comfy Hermana Jensen!! I will be staying in Haedo 1 for 6 whole months! That´s even longer than I was in Castelar… by an entire month! But-- I´m not just training a mini, I will also be doing something else new. The President stopped me and said he had called me to be what I can only equivocate to as being like the “Full Field Sister Trainer” like we had in the L.A. mission. I will be the sister that goes around doing a ton of divisions with all of the other sisters. He told me he had a special assignment and told me to talk to the APs. I went to Elder Kelly and he said that I will be doing divisions a ton to help the other sisters improve their teaching. Holy Cow! I am not the senior sister in the mission… at all. Hermana Cole, Torres, Jensen, Lavigne, and Greenland all have more time than me. It´s super humbling...I prayed a ton yesterday that the Lord will qualify me to complete this assignment. I am afraid that my area will suffer with all of the divisions and the fact that we will surely lose a ton of time in transit bringing them to pass, but I am going to make a promise with the Lord that I will fulfill the assignment the very best I can and trust that He will take care of the people in my area even when I have to sacrifice time spent with them. The sacrifice has already begun. My mini hasn´t arrived, so I was put directly into a trio with Haedo 2 after the meeting. I got permission from the APs to work in both areas until I get my mini, but I already had to cancel an appointment with one of our most progressing investigators because we were in Haedo 2. But I need to have faith that the Lord will make this ok. I trust we will be able to take care of both areas for the few days until my mini comes… and then the entire transfer with the many divisions.

So, my mini is from Argentina… I don´t know her name yet, but she will be from around here--from this province.

I know these last 7 and a half months will fly by. I will probably only have one area after this one and I pray that I go to campo (the country). I want to “die” in campo where there are few colectivos and we have to walk a ton so that I can come home with a nice tan! That is my goal… well, one of them.

Nata – I saw a dog the other day that looked a little bit like Wishbone and it made me think of you and your fame in AP Lit and Mr. Davis asking you, “What does Wishbone have to say about that one AP?” Oh, I always felt so cool being your little sister. I remember when seniors stopped me in the hall in BHS and asked if I was your little sister and I proudly confirmed it! I miss ya, Nata. Have you heard of the band Daddy Yankee? I like them. I heard a bit of a song from a deacon in the ward and it made me want to dance! You should check them out.

Jason – I will be carefully putting into practice your advice with respect to training. Here we go!

Not even the Elders seem too interested in talking about the tourney here… I guess it´s because we don´t know who´s good this year, so what can we say other than “go cougs”?

Thanks for blessing my package to get to me. I hope you also prayed for the one I sent off to you guys because that has my Mission LIFE in pictures! I´m sure it will get to you.

I had this random urge the other day to lie to Hermana Roy and teach her English phrases that don´t make any sense like that one guy taught Michael Scott on the Office. I started giggling and told her that it would be funny to do it, but I didn´t. I sure laughed to myself pondering it.

Thought for the week: You know you are truly capable in another language when you can joust verbally in it. When you pick up on sarcasm and get the jokes. It is so cool. It happens very infrequently for me. I cannot joust verbally with these people, but it´s probably better that way because I would just lay it down too hard telling them that it´s this way or the highway. Yeah, it´s better that I can´t.

I wrote a cool song about the “cartoneros” the people that dumpster dive and collect all the bottles and metal to recycle it. I wrote it to the tune of Brightly Beams or Father´s Mercy. I sang it to some of the sisters and they got a kick out of it. I´d send it to you, but it´s in Castellano… I´ll explain it after the mission.

What was Christopher Columbus´real name? Here they call him “Colon” and it makes me crazy because you can´t change someone´s name. And then my comp told me that maybe we Americans had changed his name to Christopher Columbus. After all he was a Spaniard… they also call Pinnochio “Pinocho...”

American cheddar cheese doesn´t exist here (but I did track down their sour cream… I am yet to try it… I have nothing to eat it with – which of course wouldn´t stop you, Mommy, but me… a yittle bit!) Anyway. there is one street that has a factory on it and the entire street smells like mac n cheese. The other day when we passed it I stopped to smell it and it was ike I was soaking it in. Oh how I miss our cheddar cheese! I am rationing the mac n cheese powder you sent me like mad! I have used one.

I feel like this week we went into investigator debt because we lost more than we found. Bummer.

This Sunday something truly heavenly happened… daylight savings time and we got to sleep one more blessed hour! I almost cried tears of joy! The funny thing is that almost nobody knew about it. People showed up an hour early to church… we had to call and tell all our investigators so they didn´t do the same… like it wasn´t common knowledge or printed in the calendar or anything… it just seemed to spread by word of mouth.

We are teaching a couple that are Evangelists and they are great but don´t understand the basics like the trinity or the authority being given from God to MEN. It´s so tough because they can finish quoting every scripture from the Bible that we start quoting--but with their interpretation and we get almost nowhere. But they could be so great! Our other investigators aren't married but they came to Sacrament on Sunday and loved it. We are going to work like mad with them because they totally could be awesome and fast… if they go to the registrars like NOW to get married it could be just a month!

We are also teaching the parents of an 11 year old member that are married...but will need to suddenly feel it. Unfortunately this was the appointment I had to cancel because of the trio companionship… it hurt because it was the only day all week that they could for sure receive us. Shoot, but the Lord knows and He´ll take care of things.

Jorge is the husband of the woman I mentioned earlier where we were teaching when I got sick. He too could be awesome. He already has his assistance but no testimony and no answer and doesn´t want to get baptized.

We are working with the wife of the YM president and another girl who is the girlfriend of a less active RM. She works when the registrars office is open so they can never take their date to get married...something that requires a month. We told them to fast for God to provide a way. If she didn´t show up to work she´d get fired and lose the medical benefits and the 7 month old baby would have no care.

In a few weeks the stake is doing an activity just like what we did with the "3 Kingdoms of Glory" and the carnival like we did 12 years ago in the 2nd ward. Remember? Anyway, all the missionaries are the angels that take the people to be judged. The thing is, the activity is also for investigators and I don´t know how I feel about them coming to this activity. It could totally open their eyes and make them want to get baptized OR it could totally turn them off and we could lose them. I need to have faith that the first thing will happen and not the second.

Bad news of the week. Faustino came one Sunday after his confirmation – where he was ordained a Priest and never again (never meaning not these last 2). He doesn´t answer his cell phone and we stopped by to visit him and his wife threw us out FOREVER. We can´t even go by anymore. He is in the mercy of the members that can visit him, but we can´t. What happened to his testimony?? He passed his interview, was baptized and the Bishop found him worthy to receive the Priesthood… I just don´t know what went wrong!

Anyway, pray for me to do well with training a mini, surviving a trio and being the sister trainer. I know I can do it!

I love you all so much-- never forget that!
Endure to the end!
Never give up!
Never Surrender!

Hermana Jensen

Last Week Of The Transfer....ASADO!!

Mar 10, 2009
Hola! Questions first:

I did get a dear elder letter from Grandma and email letters from mom, dad, Nata, and Jasón!

I haven´t thrown the Sketcher's away yet, but I'm not sure if I´ll cart them home… we´ll see. If I have a TON of space in the suitcase, sure, why not… it´s amazing to see that I literally walked right through the sole. I took pictures, but it just doesn´t do it justice!

I don´t need any more Allegra… I´m well-stocked! Because I´m much loved!

I love the letters Jason writes for the magazine--will you save them so I can read them when I can sit down and be still.? I read the previous ones you sent when I was on a train because we have no time and I felt like I didn't get the full beauty of them. So go ahead and save the rest of them for me to read when I get back. Thanks!

Jason – CONGRATULATIONS! You will be sealed to your parents! That is such a miracle, a blessing and definitely “worth the wait!”

Today was the last p-day of the transfer which means the zone activity. We met up at the chapel in Villa TeSei and played soccer, volleyball, and had asado! Which means like hard-core, trumped-up, hecka lotta BBQ meat! It was super yummy! It was only my second asado in 10 months. I have been jipped up until now… I hope to have it at least 2 or 3 more times before I finish up the mission!

I´m being super blessed. The other day my Skene´s cyst came back, but within 2 days it had already healed itself (or in other words, it was inflamed and then calmed down again-- all quite naturally and pain-free!)

The other night for no apparent reason I broke out in hives. I woke up at 3 in the morning literally COVERED in hives. All over my tummy, hips, knees, arms, and neck. I was quite shocked because I was a sight to be seen. I puttered around cleaning the kitchen for an hour and a half and went back to bed. When I woke up at 6:30 they were half-gone and when we left to go out and work I was all better. Then later that day when we were eating lunch in the apartment all of the sudden I had this unquenchable itch on the soles of my feet. I took off my socks and they were covered in hives. I soaked them in hot water, scrubbed them a bit because I couldn´t resist, took Argentine Benedryl, rubbed Hydrocortizone all over them and voila!.... my crocks made their debut in Argentina. I broke a rule and wore them proselyting, but given the circumstances… I knew it was what my feet needed… to be exposed to air and not be touched by anything. Some people made fun, but I don´t care. I knew you sent me with those for a reason and I discovered it the other day… my hives went away and I seem to be cured! I am so blessed!

I swear the last few weeks have been “national hate on the states day” here in Argentina. I have such awful luck with my street contacts… like 3 of them ended up attacking me saying that Bush is a murderer and that I ought to remember that the states aren´t EVERYTHING and that we shouldn´t be stealing water from Argentina. I don't know how we could steal water from a country across the ocean that is over 5,000 miles away....what are we going to do ship it back in cruise ships? Hello! But I just bit my tongue, wished him well and left. Left that is with a migraine which led us to a kiosk to buy apple juice so I could drug up… it took 1 Excedrin and 800 mg of ibuprofen and about 25 minutes of sitting on some ledge in Argentina before I could bring myself to walk again. I wanted so much to be able to call it quits and go to the apartment, but we had an appointment and we had even managed to get a member to meet us there for it, so we really couldn´t bail. Plus our numbers for the week were CRAP (not that a missionary uses that word) Anyways, the meds kicked in, and I finished the day strong. By the way, that appointment stood us up and the member came all the way for nothing.

So the funny thing for the week that I have noticed is that the people here have absolutely NO shame in rolling their jeans up. You can cross a true hard-core punk with a Mohawk and gages in his ears and if you look down, he´s got his jeans carefully folded up like a true nerd. It is amazing. Everyone does it… even 17 year-old boys. No one is embarrassed by this. It is just the opposite in the states… no one would be caught dead with their jeans rolled up.

Since I know you are getting a peanut butter package ready....will you send me another pedometer? I just don't trust this one because some days we walk 12 miles and others 2… and I am the same level of tired at the end of each day leading me to believe it isn't working right. So yeah, I would love a new one so that one day I can say, "I walked ***** miles. Thanks!

The other day my comp and I saw a piece of raw meat that had escaped the notice of all the stray dogs and we thought we´d do a good deed. So we walked a half block, found a stray dog and then led it to this piece of meat so that it wouldn´t starve and then as we walked away we thought that maybe, just maybe, somebody had put poison in it. We hope not… we didn´t mean to kill a dog.

There are the coolest tricycle strollers here… do they exist there? The kid is pedaling a trike and thinks it´s all him, but there is a stick handle that the mom can push like a stroller. Some of them have visors too. If they don´t exist there, they should. The kids here seem quite content and hey… it´s exercise for both mom and toddler!

The next time I write you I will have a new companion. There are some I know and get a long with really well. We´ll have to see...but whomever it is, I know I will be able to learn a TON from her!

Last p-day we had a sisters activity and went to Hurlingham to have lunch with Hermana Hansen because she goes home at the end of this transfer. She showed us all the cool souvenirs she had accumulated and I realized that I´ve got to get on the ball. I´ve got just 8 months to gather the cool things from this country to show off from my mission. Truth be told I just haven´t seen any of the really good stores yet… I´m told that in campo – there´s always stuff to be found. But I´ve got to start working harder on that… I don´t want to come home with like 3 key chains and a mug and say “oh yeah, I never got around to buying all that stuff.” What a travesty that would be.

Guess what makes me really happy. Profoundicizing (I´m sure that´s not a word, but in Castellano it´s profundizando… it means making my vocabulary deeper). I have learned how to say “dilly-dally” “to fathom” and “to assure” there are others, but these are the ones I can remember from this week. Especially dilly-dally – that´s an important word!

This month we all have to keep a budget to see where our mission money goes. It has dawned on me that a ton of mine goes to colectivos and a fair bit to ice cream… but you shouldn´t judge me. It´s hot!

On my 10 month birthday I had to wash clothes by hand because the people who run the laundry place went away on vacation for 2 weeks. So, we learned how to wash them and feel quite content that we would survive without a washing machine!

Well, you may be rest assured that there is a package on it´s way to the states with 2 picture Cd's given to me by the mission and 4 that I have burned here from my camera. One is a DVD – maybe 2. Anyways… you will soon be FEASTING on pictures. You will see some that will confuse you… especially one where I am taking a picture of the sore on my tongue… just let it go and I´ll explain when I come home! But feel free to ask questions to get captions about the pictures. You´ll have to describe them well because my memory is quite full--I hope you enjoy them! The rest of the presents in the package are for all yall's birthdays. You have to share, but I made sure to send things because I know that first comes Daddy turning 50! WOW! Then Mommy, then Nata, then Jason… Feliz Cumpleaños to one and all… enjoy your treats!

Would you do me a favor and pray for it to get to you safely… you can imagine what it must be like for me knowing that I´m sending the only copy of my pictures… I didn´t have time to make double copies and I wanted you to have them, so I am sending them off… please pray for them to get to you. And don´t be offended by the stickers of the saints that I put on there. You do what you gotta do. For the record: I don´t believe in saints. lol!

We found a family that is married and doesn´t smoke! They stood us up on the second appointment, but we aren´t going to give up that easily. Pray for us and them--so cool!

Nata – Davy likes mashed potatoes… that´s my boy! Keep talking to him about me. My companion said that if little kids see pictures of missionaries enough they recognize them in the airport. I hope little Davy at least isn´t terrified of me when I get to hold him again!

Daddy… guess who took advantage of the chance to push a car 17 blocks to the gas station after a long rainy day? Yep, yours truly! It is a family that really could be my dream family… the family that I want to baptize… We are going to go and visit them tomorrow. The dad works nights and tomorrow is his day off. Parents and 3 kids ages; 11, 13, and 19. Can you even imagine how cool it would be to tell that story… Yeah, I baptized a family that we met one night when we stopped to help them push their car when it ran out of gas. I swear it would be the story of a lifetime. But I have to accept that just because it would be a really cool story, doesn´t mean that it will come true. We´ll see. Antiquity is like ancient time right? Mountains… I´ll pass it along.

Mommy, thanks for sending me Ranch… I miss it so. I´m still trying to track down this fake sour cream… it´s harder than it sounds. I love you so so so much for sending me packages… I know it is a stress and a hassle, but I know you know how important it is to have little things when you need them. It´s like how we made Nata´s hospital room like a little home with things she would need.

We tried really hard to work with the members last week and were stood up like 4 of the 8 times. It made me quite frustrated. I´m not going to lie.

I hope I answered all your questions. I try super hard to. I had a really good week, considering the fact that I was verbally thrown out of the country a few times! The work has hope here, but everyone seems to be slow progressers. Like they´ll probably get baptized, but maybe in 4 transfers or so… I selfishly want to see the blessings and miracles that are sure to come after my trials and time here in Haedo, but I have to accept the fact that I may not be here to see them. What truly matters though is that they will come!

Take care, I love you so much!

Hermana Jensen!

Du, Du, Du, Du,Du… I´m Lovin´It! (as in the McDonald´s commercial!)

To answer your questions:

The Iguazu Falls are like 8 hours away or so. It´s obviously out of the mission and the only way that one would get to see it, is if their fam picks them up and they are released into the care of them and tour around a bit. But it´s all good, maybe I´ll get back some day!














(These are pictures Stacey's friend Megan Glauser took while serving in the Argentina Resistencia Mission) Perfect timing Megan, thanks for letting me post them!

Sour cream – I read the things Hermana Benton said about it and the other tips you sent. I will look for this other brand and see if it works. Either way I'm sure I'll be able to make some ranch soon!

Peanut Butter – I like them both, but I would choose creamy. As far as the dog chaser… I guess we should just let it go. You really don´t have to send me a whistle – the dogs leave me alone. They just bark a lot when we are trying to contact people and it bugs me.

I did get the letter from Jason about training – both from you, and another copy from Hermana Benton.

I finally got the late arriving package and absolutely LOVE the bracelet and earrings. I put them on right away and feel so special and loved. There were 3 5th avenue bars, 6 cow tails, dried fruit, 2 pairs of socks, 2 magnets of Davy that I absolutely adore, and the makeup remover, another lotion, and the cuticle cream. And the card with the awesome “hump day” poem. Oh, and obviously the CDs which we will be trying out tonight after planning! I´m super excited to have new stuff to listen to! You rock. You are the best mommy ever.

I got a dearelder letter from Maurie the other day and she said she sent me a letter a few months ago that I never got. Bummer. Does it snow in Jerusalem? Or did it in Antiguity? My comp was all thrown off when Nephi talked about how the fruit was whiter than snow… maybe it used to snow back then. Who knows.

We have smelled quite a few dead dogs as of late, and it is so bad it almost knocks us off our feet!
The other day my comp and I walked past the window of a confiteria – which is like a bakery – and we stopped to gaze at all the yummy treats that were on display and I felt like one of those poor kids on that animated cartoon movie we used to watch as kids-- with the little brother and sister that dreamed about going to this candyland and then they woke up and the town had brought them food… Nata should remember. Anyway… I felt like them. It was funny and humbling… we feel pretty poor sometimes.

New ice cream flavors that I love: Tramontana, Abdo Choc, and Almendrado.

I can´t really explain them, but maybe if you google them you could find a description of them. Daddy would just die eating ice cream here.

Mommy – I changed my mind about sending me more journal paper, I can just start buying different journals here… they don´t all need to match, that´s just plain ridiculous – especially because I am going to spend the first month home from the mission transcribing them all into English and saving them on a hard drive. So if you already bought some, take em back. I don´t want you to go through the hassle to send more. I promise! I´m quite content with my future planned system.

So I´m missing March Madness. Is it off to a good start? Fill out a bracket for me… taking the cougs all the way to the end and then don´t tell me when they get out… Well ok, tell me, but I´m going to pretend that they won the tourney even when you inform me that they didn´t. hehe

I had to finally say goodbye to the Sketchers. I loved those shoes, but I realized that it just isn´t worth keeping the cool sun tan line to be in pain all day and 20 years down the road. I am now sporting the Born shoes and they are better, but let´s face it, my feet hurt no matter what… that is to be expected after almost 10 months of walking.

Daddy – I still wear my pedometer every day, but I´m not sure that it is all that accurate. The other day I could have sworn we walked like 5 miles and when I got home and took it off it said like 1.5 miles. But I will keep wearing it and I promise not to tell you the present count. I get more comments from members and investigators about that pedometer than I get about Obama being president – and let me assure you I get a lot of those!

We had interviews with the Pres. This week and I also scheduled with the APs to take the Preach my Gospel test. One of the goals in our little pamphlet thing is to study chapters 2 and 10 and pass the test with a score of a 9 or a 10. I studied and memorized and studied and memorized for 5 weeks and finally got up the guts to take it. Just like I always did at BYU I brought 2 mechanical pencils, the last of my Smarties candies and chapstick. I sat down in the mission office and took the test with all the zone in the room chatting away. I passed! They say not many do on the first try--and if you fail the first time, they make you wait like 4 months before you can take it again, but I passed on the first try and the AP Elder Kelly signed my booklet! I felt so content with myself. It was actually a little exciting for me… I missed tests. I haven´t taken one since my last final in April and I kind of missed the process of studying and then hoping to be asked what you had painstakingly memorized. I quite enjoyed the experience!

In my interview with the president I was all but told that he would be leaving me in Haedo 1 one transfer more, but after that he would be sending me to “greener pastures!” I can endure 8 more weeks. I know I can. The interview left me feeling much better. I was able to express my frustration a little bit and he counseled me to strive to feel charity for the people. It seems to be working! I´ll keep you posted.

He told me a few things when he asked about Sunwood. He said to remember this – “it is always darkest just before dawn” and then he said his motto is “if you find me dead, you won´t find an arrow left in my quiver because I´ll go down firing until I have nothing left.” He knows his stuff! I think his advice was also directed to me and the mission life. I will go down firing all I´ve got!

We found and began teaching a 19 year old that has – get this – a 6 year old daughter and a 1 year old daughter. He might progress – you never know. But imagine being a father at age 14. Wow.

We are also teaching a family: a couple named Ernesto and Andrea. Their 3 year old daughter is named Nicole and she is pretty cute and shy. He is all about coming to church on Sunday and she is a little hesitant, but we are determined to work with them. They both smoke a ton, so that will be the first stumbling block.

We keep finding people that actually have a glimmer of hope and then every single one (it seems) then tells us they live in San Justo (the area of the ZLs). It´s just not fair, but hey, life isn´t fair.

Ines doesn´t have any desire to come to church and that means that her teenage kids don´t either. It´s tough working with them because they don´t do their part and technically we should drop them if they don´t start keeping their commitments, but it´s awfully hard to drop them when you only have like 7 other investigators in the whole area. We have an appointment with them tonight, but the member cancelled – we were going to have an FHE and watch "The Restoration" in the home of the member and now we are left with just a plain old lesson and it just doesn´t have the same effect… they need more. It kills me to think that they just don´t get it – they need to read and pray. We asked them to kneel and pray with us last time and she forgot to ask if the church was true in the prayer… it was a big let down moment because I had reminded her right before she began the prayer to ask for that specifically.

We finally contacted this mom and her 3 kids that we are teaching after 2 weeks of not finding them at home. They are super great, but the dad might keep them from coming to church this week. I hope not. They are way accepting of what we teach. They don´t read either, but at least they believe what we tell them.

Basically I feel renewed and refilled with hope and faith and the drive to work again. I love you so much and pray for you all every day!

Mommy – I promise to send you pictures ASAP, my goal is next p-day. It´s been crazy today, but I´m going to work on it. I want ya'll to have pictures too.

Nata – It was so fun climbing around on those big rocks in the front yard--remember the one we named “loose tooth”?

I´m hitting 10 months on Saturday. Can you even believe it? It´s literally flying by! I still want to baptize a family. That is something I want so much.

I am recovering from all my wounds and mini-surgeries and you should see my finger nails, they do so well here!

I wish you all a wonderful week and pray that you know that I am literally, truly, blissfully happy! I will fight and win until the bitter end.

This is the best mission in the whole world and you will never convince me otherwise. I love Argentina – crazy colectivos, stray dogs, 40 degrees heat and all!

Keep up your studies and take advantage of every missionary opportunity the Lord gives you. They are gifts.

I have got to go, but I love you tons!

Next week I might be writing late again – because we have a zone activity. Shorry!

Wubba,
Hermana Stacey Jensen!

What A Week - At Least It´s Over!

February 24, 2009

I too nearly cry when I think about that stellar package that has not yet gotten to me. I will start praying for it to turn up. We get mail tomorrow in Zone Conference… who knows… maybe it is already in the offices waiting for me. When I read about the wonderful things you had put in there and the surprises and jewelry… I almost did cry. I am so sad that things like that have to happen to us missionaries, or anyone. Yesterday my Zone Leader got robbed and lost his mission scriptures that he had been using for 21 months – imagine what a drag that would be. I pray it doesn´t happen to me!

About the dog trainer (high pitched sound device)… we are pretty sure they don´t exist here. But don´t fret too much about it, unless you can find one for about $20, it´s probably not worth the trouble… I´ll just send one off with my son one day to his mission and wait for his stories and live vicariously through him.

The "wordles" creations are super awesome! I´m going to want to get into that when I get back. I didn´t have time to read every word on every one of them, but I can only imagine how cool they are. I´m going to do a bunch of mission ones with words in Castellano! Cool hobby – keep it up!

I´m back to relying on melatonin to sleep – it´s been a tough transfer and we have only barely hit the half way mark of it. I´ll try to wean myself off again, but for now – it´s my salvation.

I loved the lists of 25 things – I´m working on mine, but have already surpassed 25 things. I´ve got like 32 and I can´t cut a single one. I´ll pass it on when I finish it!

I had a cool spiritual experience the other day and invented a parable that we later used to teach an investigator that is working on giving up smoking. I think it sunk in, but we´ll see. It has to do with 2 cups, one with the opening up and the other with it down. We talk about which cup is ready to receive and then we compare the cups to us and decide whether we are ready to receive what the Lord wants to give us or not. It´s pretty cool – and you can use D&C 42:8 with it. It makes me feel really cool to know that the Spirit can inspire even little old me with things like that – it would make a great Conference talk!

Mommy – did you ever find out what church songs have already been translated? Just curious… there´s not much I could do because they aren´t approved anyways, but in the last transfer meeting before I come home, me and Sister Pruner want to sing one and I´m curious if it has been translated. We want to sing “Still Believe” or “All my days.” Please let me know. Thanks a bunch!

One of the sad moments of the week was realizing that the ranch dressing packets you sent me are impossible to make because … brace yourself… sour cream doesn´t exist here! I know. It´s like a major crime. It broke my heart too. Is there any other substitute that I could mix the powder in to make ranch?

I have just about run out of the peanut butter you sent in my Christmas package. I didn´t open it until Christmas and have been rationing it like you wouldn´t believe. It´s just about gone and I don´t want it to be gone.

Last week I fell in the street because I stupidly took a step in a puddle in the gutter and my foot slipped out from under me because the puddles are lined with moss and algae. Imagine the fall and the yucky dirty feeling one would have afterward. Gross!

I had another injury this week that was actually worse. I stepped on one of those plastic drain cover things in the sidewalk and it flipped up and hit me in the shin cutting me pretty bad in the shape of a “V” about the size of half a finger in each part of the “V.” It swelled up and was bleeding and we went to a pharmacy and I broke down and cried because I couldn´t convey that I wanted hydrogen peroxide. It had already been a tough morning, I hadn´t slept well the night before, I was starving, it was 41 degrees Celsius (105 to us) that day and we hadn’t taught anybody all week long. Everything was coming crashing down and I just lost it. We bought some disinfectant and went to eat lunch in the apartment. I cleaned it up and bandaged it and after lunch spent a moment alone in the bedroom on my knees beginning a fast and pouring my broken heart out to my Father in Heaven. I told Him that I just didn´t have much more to give and I needed Him to take me in His hands and make it all better. After a while I felt better. He strengthened me. We kept working the rest of the week and it was the worst week I have ever had in Argentina – according to numbers and the quality of the work. We lost the family-- and the wife of the golden investigator threw us out once and for all forbidding us to return. The other family stood us up twice and I just couldn´t believe that it was really that necessary for us to suffer like this. We are trying so hard.

The only good part of the week was the fact that Faustino Arce got baptized! We were afraid he was going to no-show his own baptism because we hadn´t been able to get a hold of him all week long, but he not only showed up, but showed up 30 minutes earlier than we told him to come. His baptismal service was great. He was baptized! That was the tender mercy of the week, because I can promise you that if he had bailed I would have been calling the President and telling him to close this area because it´s just not ready for the gospel. I still kind of feel that way, but have chosen to keep it to myself. Well, and my companion!

Random story – you know how when you´re bored and walking in the street you pick a rock and take turns kicking it forward? We do that but with bones – like cow vertebrae. It's a lot more fun because the bones make a different sound and kick differently.

To finish off the week that just about killed me I had an ingrown toe nail! My companion actually knows how to remove them because she worked doing pedicures before the mission and she willingly performed the mini surgery on Sunday afternoon. Like the young boy Joseph Smith I did not drink anything to endure the pain, nor did she have to tie me down. And as Brian Regan proudly says (though referring to wisdom teeth tales) … “I was out proselyting that afternoon!” It hurts a little bit, but it´s all good and it will heal and be much better!

Daddy – last Sunday as we were leaving the chapel we stumbled upon the scene of the flat tire of the Relief Society President´s car-- and guess who changed it? Yep, yours truly! I did let some of the men help. haha! The First Counselor jacked the car up and removed the hubcap, but I took out all the bolts and put them back on. All the Priests and the Mission Leader and the Bishop and the Counselor in the Stake Presidency were looking on and taking pictures and truly impressed. It was super fun! I´ll send pictures when I can. But yeah… rest assured that I blew them all away!

Also – my companion looked at the picture of us in front of the font and she said that you look like Kevin Bacon. What do you think? I can see it a little bit!

Get this… remember how I used to have full-blown panic attacks when I saw an animal in pain? You would not believe how I have changed.

The other day I witnessed a truly gruesome natural attack and didn´t even react. All of the sudden 4 dogs started to attack and try to eat and kill this little cat. It wasn't a tiny kitten, but about half the size of an adult cat. I stood there mesmerized and in complete shock but gazed on as I heard the horrific cries of this cat as it was LITERALLY in the mouths of TWO dogs that were literally biting its abdomen! I didn´t even try to break it up because – what can I do? And what if they turn and attack me? But finally the guy we were teaching pulled them apart and left the cat for dead on the side walk – it was soaked with the slobber from the mouths of the dogs and completely drained of energy. It lied there panting and I´m pretty sure that it must have died that night. The attack was vicious.

The point of that story is that anyone can become desensitized… I no longer freak out when I see things like that. The point I´m driving at is that the little things get to us. The movies and TV shows we watch. The music we listen to… it gets to us and desensitizes us until we can stare wide-eyes at something truly disturbing and not feel bothered by it. I exhort one and all to evaluate themselves and ask if they are being desensitized. Satan wins little by little, not all at once. I hope you will take that story to heart and understand the deeper meaning. We need to be so careful!

Today was temple p day – which is why I´m writing so late in the day. Sorry to make you wait. Tomorrow is zone conference. I have to tell you that things are hitting me hard. It´s not even the numbers that bug me, because I pretty much gave up trying to play that game. It´s the fact that this transfer I have felt like I am not making a difference. We teach the first lesson so infrequently that we are forgetting how to do it. Those who we had that had potential – we have lost. Those who we have that are trapped my smoking or by not being married – don´t do their part. I feel like I have let the President down, the Lord down, myself down… I feel like this area is little by little extinguishing the flame that I had. I believed that I could find, teach, and baptize here – just like any in other area, but after 8 weeks… I can say that I try to believe, but it´s a tall order when day after day you realize that the people just don´t listen and just aren´t ready… it makes you just want to cry. I have begged the Lord to lead us to those He has prepared. I have begged Him to help me find them. He is trying my faith and patience and even more so that of my companion who is even more bewildered and discouraged than I am.

I tell you this, not to add to your stress or worry, but to basically let you know the situation. I feel like I have served 9 months and that I have only become 10% of what I want to become in the mission. I feel like I have fought so long and so hard, but that I am getting beaten. I am disappointed in myself for feeling discouraged. I am mad at myself for letting the rejection get to me. I am sad that I am sad. And I am terrified that the days are slipping by and I am not getting any better, wiser, or stronger. I´m sure I´m just being my severest critic, but that doesn´t mean that I don´t feel sincerely weak. I don´t doubt for a second that the Lord hears my prayers, I just want to know how much longer it will be until He says “Ok, on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.¨ Mosiah 24 (I think… I don’t have my triplet on me)

Please don´t let that paragraph make you sad. In fact – rejoice that the Lord is trying me because it means that He trusts me enough to help me grow a little bit more. I will rejoice too. “Come what may and love it” is harder than it sounds. But I´m trying.

Nata – remember Bugles? I do. Remember “Hey dude” ? And Wishbone” and Jay Jay the jet plane? Give Davy McGravy a raspberry from his aunt Stacey!

Jason – I will apply your counsel should the moment come!

Daddy – I hope you won´t be mad at me for confessing a little bit of our trials. I don´t do it to worry mommy. I promise.

Mommy – I thank you for having the courage and the desire to send me things. I´m sorry that you have to suffer for the sins of others. I will try to send you pictures soon, but I too have a fear of sending my picture CDs and losing them forever. And it´s a bit of a hassle to make 2 copies of everything just in case, but it would be the wise thing to do. But, know that I love you and am praying for Bishop Peterson – I put his name on the temple roll today in Buenos Aires!

I miss you, but promise that I have a long way to go – meaning I have a lot of growing and improving to do before I come home.

Rejoice with me… because Jesus is the Christ.

Of this I am sure.

Hermana Jensen!

Called To Serve!

The Savior once said, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). What is a good shepherd? A good shepherd will give his life to protect his sheep. He knows each one by name. They each know his voice and follow him and none other. If one is lost, a good shepherd will leave the flock and search endlessly for the lost sheep and bring it safely back to the fold.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where to begin… I can never make this ebb and flow. My emails are a big jumbled mess of Q and A, but here we go again!

Mommy… the funeral procesión in your 25 things? Are you referring to when we watched the one third part leave? That must have been way sad!

(Bloggers note: by the way I wasn't referring to that. I'll try to explain. On my "25 random things about me" list I wrote- I cry when I see kind acts of service or people cooperating and showing respect; like at a funeral procession where all of the cars are following one after another in a show of love, respect and solemnity. After years of trying to understand this I think it strikes a tender chord of familiarity in me of what heaven was like... where we all cooperated, were free of worldly attitudes and concerns and gave great love and respect to each other.

Have you heard anythng about a BHS 5 year reunion? If there is one, I want it know about it! SHANKS.

I got an envelope from you! It had ranch, mac n cheese cheese YES!!!, gravy, koolaid, a card, and 4 CDs. Thanks so much. I´m a little confused because it was sent off on the second of Feb. And I swear you had already told me you sent off the package when I told you that I wanted mac n cheese cheese. So I´m confused to know if there was another one. Another reason I tend to think that it might be that way is that you didn´t include the Avon makeup remover I asked for. Maybe it just slipped your mind. Or maybe there was another envelope that hasn´t made it yet. I´m confused. But way grateful for what I got. I´m going to have mac n cheese with my comp today! Thanks for the baptism pix… I almost cried seeing them. I honestly hadn´t seen those pictures in a good 8 years, so it was a cool surprise.

On another note… I got letters by dearelder with cool 25 things about me lists and have already begun my own. I´ll send it to you when it is done and polished. I also got a letter from Jason with advice about training and am way grateful!

It´s hot here. Have you forgotten? I haven´t. About my ice cream favorites… I´m slowly branching out and trying new flavors. But what I have tried so far-- that is distinct, didn´t like that much. I´ll get back to you.

I miss my car because it represents convenience and ease. And power to be where I need to be when I want to be there.

Beware moment… I was cleaning this open wound of one of our drunk investigators and as I was doing this it dawned on me that if he has AIDS and I have a cut on my hand I could get AIDS. I didn´t have a cut. Let that be clear. And I didn´t let his blood touch me, but I still made the decisión not to help people anymore in this way. I was just trying to serve and take care of him like the Good Samaritan would, but I was more or less prompted to not do it anymore. Obedient… I will be!

Faustino… passed his interview and we are proceeding with his baptism this Saturday. Please pray for him that nothing will make it fall through. Thanks, I know you already are!

Last p – day it rained so much that the streets were completely like rivers. Water from one ditch to the other flowing and you couldn´t see the street. I get so giddy every time there´s a flood because I love my awesome rain boots! This past week I even carried my comp across the river street because the rain was so high it even hit over the top of my boots! But, they have like an elastic band at the top, so the water didn´t get it! I was just wet for this random 2 inch strip mid calf, but not higher and not lower.

Ready for a shocker… I actually want to go running in the morning… yeah, read it again! But we can´t. Because we live in "la matanza" which is supposedly like the most dangerous part of the misión because it´s richer… so there is more of an incentive to rob someone than in the ghetto field where nobody has anything of value. Bummer… can´t run… and I know that is just the type of exercise I need, but I will be able to go running if I ever get to serve in "campo" – we´ll see!

My frustration is having a really big vocabulary in my native language and a crummy one in the misión language. I'll explain:

If I ask, "What is the word for when I want to do something and you want to do something else, so we meet in the middle and do something we can both agree on?" Of course the answer I´m looking for is compromise...but the person I am asking doesn't know the word for that. Imagine that – all day long. With words like "tie" – nobody wins, nobody loses. There´s more but I´m too tired to list them all.

Mommy – I forgot to tell you that I love the French manicure painting pen you sent me. I finally let myself use it and it is so fast! Thanks so much! It makes me feel great and even happier throughout the day… as I´m sure you know. Also – the pancake recipe is super good. They don´t come out very fluffy, but I think that is because as of yet I haven´t been using baking powder… my goal is to buy some today and try again and see if it makes a difference. But either way thanks a bunch!

Nata – and everyone imagine this… you go to the carniceria to buy meat that is nice and cheap, but the ground beef has nerves in it. And not just every once in a while… like every 8th bite you´ll get a purple, shiny, chewy NERVE! Gross, gross, gross… I can´t take it much more!

Ines and her kids were going to come to church, but there were legitimate complications. They are progressing, but slowly. It is hard because in the misión you want to find everyone and help them get baptized in 3 weeks, but that seems to only work out for the Elders… every other day you here them saying "and they got baptized in 3 weeks." I´m jealous, but hey, go elders!

Mommy! The miracle of this week was when the Spirit gave me revelation and I was able to "make friends" with a 13 year old boy that left the church shortly after getting baptized- age 10. He is the only member of his immediate family… problem number one. But anyway, he usually doesn´t attend us when we come to visit him. The same thing happened this past week. I was talking to him through the open window as he played video games not responding to a word I said. But then I remembered something I had read in his teaching record… that he loves the Book of Revelations. So I started talking to the wall – basically – and told him that I´m super confused and don´t understand if the dragon is real or symbolic and asked random questions about all the prophesies and after about 3 or 5 minutes of me talking he finally said "you have to read it slowly.' I asked a follow up question and said "do you have a Bible… can you show me?" He pushed pause, hopped up, grabbed his Bible, left the house and stood with us on the front porch and LET US TEACH HIM! Well teach, in the sense that we started and ended with a prayer and talked about the gospel. He even said we could come back and ask him more questions this week! I made him my friend… I learned that trick from my Mom, and the Spirit helped me do it!

Valentines day was lame… just a regular day.

I did get the Picture of the half full chart and it blew me away!

NATA- with Jane… invite her to a FHE with you guys. You could watch the restoration DVD – 25 minutes. Or you could have a Chat about the Proclamation to the Family or you can give her a Book of Mormon and testify about why it is important. Or you could use chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel and talk about Christlike attributes – pick one and testify about it… or take the quiz! Definitely invite her to church… bring her with you, sit by her, do everything! Invite the missionaries to teach her IN YOUR HOME! Go Nata!

Wow – where does the time go? I could talk for hours and hours, but there will be plenty of time to do that in 9 months! Keep up the good work.

Be safe, be obedient, endure to the end!
I love you tons. I sent off real letters to both of the grandparents today… don´t worry and
I´ll pray for the Bishop!

I love you more than how much I would love to baptize a complete family… and that is A LOT!

Hermana Jensen!

There Is No Way I've Hit Halfway!

Hey Everybody! I am now writing on the second half of the mission and it is just more than my “little brain” (name that movie) can handle.

Unfortunately I am yet to receive the bubble envelope you sent me, but Elder Harper in the office said that things are just taking a while these days. Don´t worry, I´m sure it´ll come soon.

I´ll begin with a story that happened last transfer that I forgot to tell ya'll. One day after District Meeting my companion and I got on a colectivo to go to our lunch appointment and I put my change in the machine and as I took my ticket and went to sit down… I dropped my coin purse and ALL my change and ALL my bills fell to the floor of the bumpy, speeding colectivo. Change literally went everywhere in a 10 foot circumference circle. To my horror I knelt down and began collecting it all truly panicked that people would start robbing me like they robbed the spoons of Nicole Kidman on than movie with Tom Cruise… lol! (the name escapes me) But luckily that did not happen. A nice older man helped me and my comp gather my money and he didn´t take any. It was a huge relief because it was actually a lot of money--almost $50 pesos in bills. It was so embarrassing and everyone else just stared at us as we almost face planted it gathering it all up. It gave me motion sickness because of all the jostlings and turns and I was quite embarrassed. But, hey, good story, eh?

The happy moment of this week (that has nothing to do with missionary work… because that will follow next with another “happy moment of the week”) was when my comp and I found an ice cream store 3 blocks from our apartment that sells a forth kilo for $4,50 pesos – like a $1.35 US – we even passed the other store that sells it for $5 pesos that day and I almost bought a forth kilo again just for the heck of it… but I resisted. We have found that it is a good way to basically hydrate ourselves instead of having to drink so much water. It is definitely more calories, but it works well!

We were also attacked this week, but luckily just with water. We were standing in front of a fence talking to a lady who doesn´t want to come to church and this car drove past and the punk teenager sitting in the front sprayed us from a shotgun bottle. They drove away before we could turn around and see who it was, but you can imagine how shocked we were! It was no big deal, because we dried off in like 2 minutes, but it was pretty insulting.

I have no idea why, but all the cockroaches and beetle bugs have suddenly died – apparently a natural death - and their dead little bodies are scattered all over the side walk. I tried to come to the conclusion that someone had had their place exterminated and it affected the surrounding houses, but alas… they are everywhere throughout our entire area. I don´t know why… it´s super hot, but come on… I don´t think they all just up and said, “I can´t take this Argentine heat anymore, I´ve had it!” and died. My companion has no answer either. We are stumped.

What language do we REALLY speak? Well allow me to answer that question with the following. We pray in “tú.” We talk to dogs in “vos” We quote scriptures in “tú and vosostros.” We talk to our companion, investigators and members in “usted and ustedes.” We sing in “tú” and “vos.” We talk to ourselves in “tú.” And we train ourselves all day long NOT to think in English. It´s pretty trippy. Just thought you´d like to know-- Nata can explain all that.

This week I felt a lot like we were playing “hide and seek” with “the elect.” And not only that, but that we were “it” and they were kicking our trash. I got a little frustrated and thought about asking Heavenly Father if we could play “sardines” instead. We could hang out in the chapel and wait for everyone to come in and find us. But I don´t think that He´d let us play that game.

The miracle and incredibly way awesome moment of the week was when we passed by to visit Edgardo – a 33 year old man with a wife and 6 kids (one aged 8!) that we had taught twice before and left a Book of Mormon with his wife one day. He said he had read 3 Nephi 11, the introduction, all the testimonies and everything up until 1 Nephi 7 and get this… he remembered and recounted EVERYTHING. He had prayed about it, said that he knew it was true and asked when we have baptisms because he wants to “do that and become a Latter day Saint” WOW! We took out a date for the 7th of March and he accepted it with joy. He has to quit smoking, but promised he´d try. We made plans to pass by and walk to church with him that Sunday (2 days ago) BUT… his wife basically won't let us on their property and wouldn´t let him go. We have been trying to make friends with her since the beginning, offering to help in her home, but she is cold and doesn´t receive us at all. She hung up on me and is standing in the way of a man that wants to be baptized… and have his son baptized too! We did a special fast, my companion and I so that the Lord would soften her heart. More than 24 hours perfect… and I didn´t every drink water (don´t get mad… we need a miracle!) We are going to pass by tonight and see what the Lord has in store. This would be a complete family – just like Daddy talked about (and holy cow – a family of 8 booyah!) I want to baptize a complete family with all of my missionary heart! It is my mission dream and I´ve got just under 9 months to bring it to pass. We pray constantly for this family. I know that if it is the will of the Lord, she will listen to us, let us into her home and be converted, but if not then... maybe down the road. It breaks our hearts, we finally won playing hide and seek… and then came the opposition!

Faustino didn´t come to church on Sunday because it was his 65th birthday, but we made him brownies and delivered them with a card and a prayer rock I made him. I sang Happy Birthday to him in English, Swedish and Castellano. He was quite pleased. He needs to attend church this Sunday to reach his assistance and be baptized on the 21st, but we feel good about it. As long as he doesn´t say he won´t pay his tithing in his interview we should be good with him. He was joking with the ward mission leader and said that he thinks he will become bishop someday… it was great-- but at least it shows commitment to the church, eh?

Haedo 1 is tough. There´s no getting´around it. Sometimes when people reject us all day long I think to myself, “I don´t deserve Haedo 1-- but I know this is where I need to be because there is a lot of work work to be done in this area!

My time is gone already....Mom, yes, could you put $200 on my debit card. My leather scripture cases might be done soon and it will be time to pay up! Thanks!

Nata- I miss holding Davy so much and can´t believe how big he is now. Does he talk yet? You´ve got to teach him to say “boca” – that should be pretty easy, well at least easier than saying “Hermana Jensen” or “Argentina!”

Jason- I heard you wrote me a letter that is super awesome. That´s no surprise. Guess what… I´m planning to write a book when I get back… about the mission!

Daddy, yeah for a fun super bowl and way to go getting your food at the Mirage. You´d love the all-you-can–eats here because of the ICE CREAM! What is going on in Israel?

Chiao!

Countdown Chart Update

274 days down---274 more to go!

HUMP DAY POEM FOR STACEY
(mom's modified version)

So you have hit the HUMP,

and are half-way through

Isn't it great
How the Lord protects you.
We are proud of your work,

Of your baptisms and claps,
We’re glad you’ve worked hard,
And have worn out your maps!
Remember all you’ve learned

During these past months and days
And sail right through the end in a victorious blaze.
The Lord has blessed you to be where you are now,
And knows you won’t slack,

That you don’t even know how!
For you He’s worked miracles inside and out,
You are valiant and strong and amazingly stout.
So strengthen others in this downhill road,
And you will be a great missionary

when the story is told.

~~~~~~~~

Where does the time go...doesn't it go by in a blink! Our little Wace, Staca, Hermana Jensen has reached the half-way point of her mission! She wrote in a recent letter;

Queridos Padres,

I don't know where to begin. It seems I have told you every story I have and yet none at the same time. Some, well most require so much background explanation and/or a drawing to explain them that I cannot tell them in a letter. But here is one that I can tell you:

Your little girl has never been so close to her Savior. She begins and ends every day by falling to her knees in prayer. She gives all that she has and is determined to not only complete the mission, but to live and love it. To enjoy every minute, grow from every trial, learn from every experience and allow herself to be shaped, molded and refined. When she returns you will see her as much more than the girl she was when she left with tears in her eyes on May 7th, 2008. She is growing, changing, improving and learning. She knows what it means to suffer, to sacrifice, to work, to really pray... and to rejoice.

As for all the details--I'll fill you in when we meet again.

I'll see you in a while!

Hermana Jensen

Too all of you out there near and far, Dave and I are so grateful for each of you and for your constant love and support. And if you recently wrote Stacey THANK YOU--you know who you are and it made her week!

The Camel is the Symbol of a Seasoned Missionary

by Cheryl K. Carpenter

As you come to the half way mark of your mission, I am sending you a camel to remind you how far you have come, and where you are going. There are many similar characteristics of a great missionary and a camel. The first is the "hump." Yes, you have crossed the mark and now are over the hump of the first nine months. But remember the hump of a camel is used to store food for the long journey. Camels can go for long periods of time without food, but he must store his food in his hump. A missionary has learned from so many experiences, but a wise missionary will store the knowledge she has gained, and put it to greater use the second half of her mission. Another important symbol is what the camel does to be prepared to carry his load for his Master. A camel sometimes protests load, but then submits and patiently carries all his Master asks. As a missionary sometimes the load seems too heavy and difficult to carry, but when you drop to your knees and succumb to the Master's will, he will carefully lead you and you will be able to bear the load patiently, and do your Father in Heaven's work as he would have you do. This is why the camel's knees are heavily padded. As a missionary, your knees are calloused from the many hours of kneeling in prayer.
The camel has high set eyes that enable him to see long distances. A missionary has her eyes set on higher things, she follows the Spirit which enables her to see the Children of God, those who are seeking answers, and she teaches them the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The camel has broad, two-toed feet that keep him from sinking into the desert sand. A missionary has a broad knowledge and a firm testimony of the Gospel. This enables her to teach with boldness and stand firm in her testimony. These people do not yet have the blessings of such a sure-foot, but as they are taught with love and the Spirit you will help them gain their own testimony that will help them walk on firmer ground, one that will lead them back to their Father in Heaven.
So you see, a missionary has a lot in common with a camel. Put this camel where you can see it often. Dedicate yourself to do as the camel does. Serve your Master well and patiently over the long journey. You have traveled a long way and there is still much more ground to cover. Continue to move forward serving with love until your mission is complete and your Father in Heaven will say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”