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.”

The Time Is Flying TOO Fast!

Feb 3, 2009

Nata and Jason – those pics of Davy standing up are SO DANG CUTE I just want to eat him and give him raspberries all day long. Does he talk yet? Nata - I do remember man-food (chili), bag soup, the limo incident and those dot candies. Do you remember my mac ´n´cheese? I also remember switching rooms on Sunday afternoons and meeting you for lunch on campus for the Tuesday Devotionals. I miss you tons and hope that when I get home your family will have moved back because I want to raise my family being close to yours. Here in Argentina people usually live in the same ward as their parents and their siblings and all, so they stay super close-knit. I´m not saying we need to live in the same ward, but the same state would sure be super! Yes, my hair is growing… I´m not going to cut it the whole mission and then just trim off the split ends (but I have practically none here!) right before I come home… I expect it will reach halfway of my shirt sleeve or thereabouts.

Guess what my word of today is “endulzar” – to sugar coat. I am not here to sugar coat the truth. My comp said I was maybe to bold with an inactive woman yesterday, but I feel quite comfortable with what I told her. I am not here to say “if you wanna come back to church someday, it´d be cool” I´m here to say “I challenge you to set a goal with a specific date for yourself and come back to church” which is what I said. One day she will thank me. My other favorite thing to say is “entretanto” which means in the interim! It´s a phrase I learned as a transcriptionist in the hospital and I just love using it in Castellano!

Mommy, sorry to report that I haven´t gotten my envelope yet, but that means that I´ll surely get it next Monday. Don’t stress… I´m sure that it is safely arriving. I received a letter from Cody Marsh and Shauna! I was so excited. I also received one through the pouch from my old companion Hermana Tavares who is from Argentina and she finally confirmed that the young girl we taught in Los Angeles was baptized! I was so happy. She promised to send me pictures, but I think I´m going to tell her to send them to you. If she does, will you scan them and send them to me in an email? This is all like months away for sure, but one day I´d like to see the pics of my first convert! (and third at the same time because Azucena and Rolando where baptized a week before her)

Daddy – who won the Superbowl ? I don´t even remember who was playing? Elder Gneiting got transferred out of my zone, so we won´t be able to talk basketball much… basically not ever again, because I doubt we´ll be in the same zone again before I go home. I know what you mean about counting and not counting the time out. I say there is no shame in knowing your time as long as you are using it… which brings me to my “wow” story for the week:
One morning the cell phone made the croaking frog sound which wakes us up at 6:28 to pray and as I heard it I thought “NO… I´m so tired, I can´t do this much more” but as I thought that to myself that very instant I remembered that I only have just over 9 months left to do this, in this way, in this mission, for the rest of my life. Sure I plan to serve a couples mission when I´m older, but it´s not the say as this mission, in this minute. I only have this day to walk these streets and when it is gone, it is gone. I jumped out of bed and fell to my knees faster than you can imagine even if you had soaked me with freezing cold water because I realized in that minute that I only have x number of days left… they are slipping through my fingers and I couldn´t wait to get on my feet and make the most of that day. It is now the feeling that I have as I commence every day… with urgency… I only have so many days left, and I´m not going to waste a single one! Talk about wow!

Confession… there are ice cream stores like every 12 blocks and it´s super hot here. We stop to buy 1-4 kilos of ice cream about twice a week. The ice cream here is great! Normally it costs 8 pesos, but last week we found one that is 5 pesos! It´s my one way of treating myself… ice cream. You´d really like it!

Questions… is anything particular going on in Israel? When we pray with people lots of them pray for the people in Israel and I´m like “what?” is the second coming here and nobody is telling us?

You all had a bunch of questions about my comp. Allow me to answer them: She is 23, her name is Karla Roy from Nicaragua. She´s tiny (I´m pretty sure I already told you that). She is a spit fire and a quiet one that has nothing to say and everything to say at the same time. We get along really well, but have had a few minutes where we had to stop and get back on the same page, but that is to be expected with the language and culture gap. Really nothing too out of the norm. She is really not much of a talker. But we have tons of hilarious memories and jokes between us. I was THRILLED to be able to serve with her another transfer here in Haedo 1 … oh yeah… FYI – in the transfer meeting yesterday we were relieved to learn that she stays here with me for 6 more weeks! Literally…I prayed for her to stay because I recognized there were more things I needed to learn from her before she goes. We teach really well together and work quite unitedly-- if I do say so myself. She has great ideas and one of her very best characteristics is that she is a good little lunch getter. When one member bails on us, she is quick to call another and another and get us lunch! I´m learning a lot from her about getting what you need (notice I didn´t say “want”) from people. She is super caring and a great example. We are learning a lot from one another. She is stubborn though… it is my job to teach her English and she doesn´t put forth much initiative because she feels embarrassed that she knows so little. So that is where a few of our moments came from. Me-- trying to tell her she´s got to step up and take advantage of the opportunity to learn. I´d just back off and say “your choice” but in every interview the President evaluates how we are helping our Latin companions with their English, so you can imagine that I feel a bit of pressure to have her progressing. But rest assured, she and I are way tight and super close. We have a bunch of shared likes and dislikes. We get along really well!

In the transfer meeting we were happy to learn that the mission had 129 converts! This transfer we have a mission goal that each and every area has at least one convert. I feel quite confident that at least one of our 4 investigators with a baptismal date will go through, so I don´t feel like we will be the weak link… luckily!

The biggest shock of the transfer meeting was seeing “Haedo 1 “ and hearing our area announced as the winners of the mission scarf – again. We were blown away because it was a really tough transfer according to our numbers. We worked super hard, but didn´t reach our new investigator goal – which up till now I had always reached. But hey, we won the scarf and that was a kind of rewarding experience because I had felt that in many ways the transfer was a bit of a flop.

New adventures and stories to keep you on your toes:

I don’t know all the details about this, but there is a weird thing that happens here. There is a company that comes around to the homes of old women who have already been through menopause and they come around collecting giant jugs that are filled with the urine of these old ladies. I have been told that they use the liquid to make anti-contraconceptives (I tried to translate it) and yeah… in return they reward the women with random household things like a few spatulas or a new Tupperware bowl. Random. But, there is nothing quite like stopping to talk to someone in their front yard and see that there is a jug of yellow liquid in their hand and they are waiting for the collector men… it´s interesting. You can trade your urine for spoons! I´m so gonna do that… NOT!

Another thing about this country… there is a huge gap in the level of aging in the elderly people here. There are 85 year olds that ride around with perfect posture on their bikes (that aren´t 10 speed… without gears or anything) like there´s nothing to it and then there are 58 year olds that can´t even come to church if you offer to pick them up in a taxi (and pay for it from your own mission fund!) It´s trippy. Another thing… so many people have like massively swollen legs and ankles… I don´t know why, but old people often have very disturbing legs and feet.
Could it have anything to do with the water?

Speaking of water, my comp and I finally were able to track down and buy a water dropper and begin purifying our tap water with Clorox… but I don´t like it because you can taste it and I´m still secretly afraid that we are somehow going to poison ourselves and die. What is worse a parasite or dying from Clorox? I´m taking a poll. Let´s have it…

As far as when it will begin to cool down—probably as March comes to a close. We have about 50 days more of this heat. It´s crazy!

My left shoe is drastically wearing down, but I don´t have any pain. Faustino said that I will have pain down the road and wants me to see an orthopedic doctor to get customize insoles. Yeah…with all my free time and extra cash. Hehe!

This may be my best adventure story of the week: we came home the other night and our awesome good Samaritan neighbor Fernando was inside the gate and as we went to open the gate he said that it wasn´t working. In fact he was trapped inside and we were trapped outside. But it was 9 o´clock and we had to get into the apartment to plan. So I gave my comp a boost and helped her scale the fence and he caught her on the other side! Talk about breaking the rules… she was in the arms of an Argentine man! I was able to jump, hoist myself and just needed to have him hold my hands as I jumped down to the other side… instead of being caught in his arms like the giant catches Buttercup at the end of the Princess Bride. It was like “the ox in the mire” we had to let ourselves be touched… heaven forbid! It was funny and we laughed about it. He was super helpful and of course a perfect gentleman. Later that night someone was able to open the door so we were able to leave the next morning in the normal way and when we returned the lock had been repaired. But yeah… imagine 2 sister missionaries in skirts scaling the fence to their own building and jumping into the arms of some man. Pretty funny!

INVESTIGATORS!
Faustino Arce accepted the date of Feb. 21st and is progressing swimmingly!
Miguel Benites also accepted this date, but it will be an uphill battle and he will get baptized per the approval of his family and in case you are wondering… they do NOT approve. So that is where we stand, but we are fighting to win. We are also trying to help some other really great people get to church and have a baptismal date. I hope and pray that this transfer will be the ‘transfer of miracles’ because the last transfer was the test of our faith… it was so hard – I just can´t convey it in words, but we survived! We are even teaching a family… we haven´t met the Dad yet, or some of the kids, but I pray with all my heart that we can bring this family to the gospel… I pray that they listen to us… we have only taught them once, but it was a great first discussion! We go back today… wish us luck!

We have another older couple who had the date to be baptized on the 28th of December, but are having more difficulties with them… if it be the will of the Lord to work miracles, it will happen, but there are a million things getting in the way… like work and a 3 month vacation to Peru. But they are super great.

My hour is gone!

I love you tons, never worry about me… we are so protected!
Have an amazing week!

Your strong and loving sister missionary!
Hermana Jensen

Sister's Conference!

(copied with permission from Sister Benton's post)

Our ¨Sister´s Conference¨ yesterday was a resounding success! The theme was: "Mujeres de Dios¨ - "Women of God" It was a clear, sunny day, and we started out the day by attending an 8 a.m. session at the Buenos Aires Temple together. President Benton, our Assistants, Elder Kelly and Elder Pollock, and our Senior Missionary, Elder Henderson were there too.When we came out of the temple, we were all amazed at the beauty of the grounds. All the plants were perfectly manicured all around it with many types of beautiful flowers blooming everywhere. As the sun shined on us as we walked around the grounds, it all looked so perfect that we thought it looked like the ¨Celestial Kingdom¨ must look. We then posed for photos, taken by Elder Kelly and Elder Pollock at a few spots around the Temple. One of the photos was of us holding our ¨Mission Banner¨.

We then boarded a small bus together and rode to the ¨Casa de la Mision¨. On the way, we all took ¨The Color Code Test¨, which was not only a fun game, but it helped us understand ourselves and other people better. While we were on the bus, we gave each Sister a special, spiral bound book we had put together for the Conference. It contained inspiring quotes and speeches by Church leaders that we thought would help the Sisters with their missionary work. The book was printed in both Spanish and English. Our Assistants, Elder Kelly and Elder Pollock did a beautiful job of putting together the physical part of the book for us, including the use of pink paper and flowers on the cover. Elder Kelly and Elder Pollock also made sure that each Sister had her name printed in a nice ¨script¨ font on the front of her individual book. I especially liked how the Elders had included on the cover, Sister Margaret Nadauld´s quote about ¨Women of God¨, which I wrote on the blog several days ago. Elder Kelly and Elder Pollock did an excellent job, along with President Benton and our Senior Missionary, Elder Henderson, of serving as our ¨Priesthood Support¨ for the conference. We can´t thank all of these great men enough for all they did for us! After we arrived at the ¨Casa de la Mision¨, we held ¨opening exercises¨, where we sang a church hymn and had an opening prayer. Then, President Benton and I each delivered a speech. After the speech, we all walked out on the patio, where our dear friend and helper, Maria, had set a beautiful table for us, and she served us a delicious lunch she had made, which included her ¨famous¨ homemade chocolate covered cakes with fresh strawberries on top, for dessert.

After lunch the Senior Sister Missionary, Sister Rawson, taught us some stress reduction exercises, where I found myself on the floor with the Sisters, ¨de- stressing.¨ Sister Rawson´s lesson was very helpful to us, since we women tend to get more stressed than men do. After the de- stressing lesson, Sister Pruner and Sister Di Stefano sang a beautiful song for us accompanied by Sister Cole at the piano Then we held a meeting where each of us had the opportunity to ¨Bear Our Testimony.¨ A ¨Testimony Meeting¨ is a time where we share our feelings of love for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the Gospel He brought us. We also express our knowledge that the Gospel is true and we talk about how living the Gospel commandments and values helps us to grow spiritually and brings us happiness, security, joy and peace.

It was then time to board the bus for a short visit to the "Rio de la Plata", where we did a little walking together, and took a few more photos before President Benton and I bid a "farewell" to the Sister Missionaries as they boarded the bus to return to their missionary apartments and to get back to doing the "Work of the Lord".The Sister Missionaries were all happy and relaxed by this point. Several of them told us that they felt spiritually re-charged and re-energized to be better missionaries when they returned to their areas.We included above a few random photos of the great memories we made at our very successful "Sister's Conference." We are forever grateful to the Lord for all our blessings, including our "Sister's Conference, and we also extend our "thanks" to all those who helped us create this wonderful day of spiritual experiences, growth and knowledge!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.26.2009

Finishing the transfer!
He-e-ey!
I love the Draper temple pictures... it´s super gorgeous!

About the prank… it was a no go because mad cow disease broke out and so all the carnecerías stopped vending brains for a while. We were bummed, but it was a blessing in disguise because in the end a different companionship of sisters stayed the night with us and they wouldn´t have thought it was all that funny.

Cool story about the hero pilot – I´m thrilled to be informed of such things.

Sofia did not need to get special permission… anyone who wants to be baptized face first can.

About photocopying my baptism picture and mailing it as a pouch letter-- that is totally kosher and will get to me without problems… in fact anything that is printed directly on the paper can come… you just can´t tape or glue anything on. Thanks!

Everybody wants to stop me and talk politics… the Argentines all seem to have a great deal of faith in Obama. They are all so relieved that he won. I am excited to see how America changes – if it does.

My companion is scabies –free and me too! The cream she took eventually cured her and I was ever protected from getting it!

The Sister's Conference was a giant tender mercy! As you can see in the photos, we were treated like princesses and truly spoiled! It made me remember that we are each special and that we are truly well taken care of. They will be taking place probably every other transfer, but of course, we´re pushing for every transfer! The President looked at me in the eye and asked, “every transfer?” and I of course said yes… so just maybe they will happen every transfer. I hope so. It would really give me a lift every transfer, but if not, every other transfer is still an incredible blessing!

Hermana Johns told me all about how one of the people we found together and taught the first lesson in Castelar has progressed a ton and has a baptisimal date and everything!

She also told me that Gera´s mom (another person we found and began teaching together in Castelar) has progressed and has a baptismal date. And the cool part is her son Gera is going to baptize her because he already has the Aaronic priesthood. I wish I could be there, but it´s completely out of the question – mission policy, but she promised to send me pictures… seeds we planted in Castelar are being baptized! YEEHAW!

I went to the pharmacy and paid $37 pesos for a cream to treat my stye and it is just about gone! Yea for medicine… however, on Saturday I was incredibly sick, we were all but convinced that I have a parasite because I had diarrhea, nausea, muscle pain, neck pain the whole works. But we had an appointment with a great investigator first thing in the morning and knowing me, you can imagine that we left to work just like normal, and worked the entire day, even though I was feeling pretty lousy. The Lord blessed me and I was able to cope in the 40 degree heat (about 102) that felt like 45 (about 112) all day long! The next day I was almost back to normal.

It´s hard to sleep at night because the air is 31 degrees (about 87 degrees) in our apartment, and even with the windows open and the fan at full speed… it´s pretty ineffective. I will be trying the wet shirt trick the next time I wake up and can´t sleep. But I don´t like the idea of doing it, because I feel wet in my clothes all day long and don´t want to suffer it at night too. Can you blame me? We try to abate the heat at night by opening the windows, but that means that in the middle of the night when the punks teenagers ride past our street on their motorcycles it wakes us up because they have mufflers or whatever that screech so loud that it seems to penetrate the atmosphere or something like that. This usually happens twice a night. For fun!

FYI – this transfer ends on Feb. first and then I just have 6 more… so few! So sad!

There are good Samaritans in Argentina, but you still can´t trust them. Explanation; we accidentally left our keys in the door (the outside of the door) one night and when we got up in the next morning they weren´t there. We knocked the doors of our 3 neighbors in our gated apartment complex and nobody answered, the landlord came and changed the lock and we went out to work. The next morning we were able to contact Fernando on the third floor and he said that when he came home that night at 2 am he saw the keys and took them so that the workers that come in the morning didn´t see them and take them. He didn´t want to knock the door at 2 am because he knew we´d freak out. Then when he left that morning he put them more discretely at the foot of our door so that we would find them. They were there waiting for us when we got back for lunch! But our landlord is making us pay to change the lock anyways because you never know if the good Samaritan made a duplicate of the key (you know at 2 am … NOT!) I want to trust him and use the same lock, but know that it´s 40 pesos and it could save our lives, so I´ll try not to complain. But the real miracle is that our wonderful neighbor returned the keys because they were also the keys to the chapel, and the baptismal font! The bishop would have just about killed us if we had lost them. So at least my prayers to find the keys were answered in a way that prevented that disaster--and the bishop never had to hear about it. Yea, for Fernando the good Samaritan!

About the investigators; we were finally able to convince people to let us pass by and bring them to church with us. One is Miguel Benites – 79 years old and it is going to be a battle getting him to recognize that the Church is true, but he let us pick him up, stayed all 3 hours, and is willing to do his part. The problem is he wants a book that proves that Joseph Smith was a prophet… you know like the Book of Mormon! But he is basically blind so we will be reading it to him out loud… and helping him gain a testimony of it in a much slower way than if he were able to read it and do it all over night, but he will progress… I really hope so!

The other is Faustino Arce, he is 64 and is very wise and hard… he accepts that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but this next appointment we are going to try to take out a baptismal date, and he just might reject it… he wants to 'know' not feel things. But he too, let us pick him up, was dressed in a suit, stayed all 3 hours and said he´d be back the next Sunday.

Cool thing about serving in a ward wherein resides a Seventy… you can present him to all your investigators and I´ll bet you can imagine he is a stellar fellowshipper! He talked to them both for like 15 minutes after church! I wanted to stop them and say – you are being fellowshipped by a General Authority, but they don´t quite know what that is yet. But anyways, both are progressing! We will be challenging both of them to be baptized… Miguel today and Faustino on Saturday! Pray for them to accept a date. Thanks!

The miracle was that another couple and their grandchild showed up 45 minutes late for Sacrament Meeting, and could only stay till the end of that first meeting, but it was really, really cool to see people show up on their own doing! We had taught the husband – Francisco, about 70 the first lesson earlier that week. We forgot to call and remind him about Church because of how sick I was Saturday night, but he came all by himself and brought his wife (in a skirt!) and his 4 year old grandson. We went back the next day and taught his daughter Maribel who said everything a missionary wants to hear: How can I come to believe and know about this Joseph Smith? (You have to pray!) She was so excited to read the pamphlet and the Book of Mormon and we are going back tomorrow with a member. I hope that she gets an answer when she prays and that she progresses. She seems so golden!

Faustino says that I walk wrong and that I should check my shoes… he was right, I have worn a good 4 mm off of one of the corners of my left sole and the other is completely normal. I don´t know what to do to correct it, but I´ll just keep walking and when the shoes are totally bad I´ll take a picture to show the difference in one sole to the next. It´s pretty cool, actually.

Then we started off this week and just might have found a FAMILY! They are not that golden, but there is a spark of hope. Other than the fact that they are leaving for vacation in a week. But we think they´re married – the husband was at work, but the mom (Veronica) had listened to the missionaries a tiny bit years ago and her 9 year old daughter Pamela is a sweet girl. The other kid Franco is almost 5. How cool would it be to help a family… a real family get baptized!

Nata – every time I see cute baby clothes here I want to buy them for Davy, but then I realize, that it is nothing more or less cool than all the clothes they have in the states, and with less chance of being robbed in the mail, but know that I always want to buy him things and send them. I´ll probably cave eventually, but we´ll see.

Jason – are you re-compiling your training advice for me? I want your wisdom.

Well then, that is just about all the time I have for today. The next time I write I could have a new companion, and who knows, I could be in a different area. You never know. I doubt it, but you never know. I hope that you have a lovely week and that you enjoy the chilly weather while I sweat all day long!

I love you so much and am especially thankful for telling me some of the things you pray for… it helped me a ton.

Never forget how blessed we are to know the gospel. It is something that so few people have and everyone needs.

As always, you are in my prayers,
Hermana Jensen! Go, fight, win!

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

Beth Cole said...
My name is Sister Beth Cole from Melba, Idaho and I am the mother of Sister Ashley Cole who is a missionary in the Buenos Aires West Mission. I love reading your blog and looking at the pictures (especially the ones with my daughter in them). I'm sure you understand that Mom's are thirsty for any information about things that are going on in Argentina. It sounds like the "Sister's Conference" was a great spiritual and physical lift.

I can feel the missionary spirit in the beautiful letters and think the people of Argentina are lucky to have such a righteous sister to teach them. Thanks for sharing your missionary experiences.
FEBRUARY 22, 2009 10:49 PM

This Email Begins With A Miracle!

Sofia was baptized! At first as she entered the water she started to whimper and panic, but the brother that baptized her calmed her down and she did it… first try and all. She submerged face first instead of backwards… but it counts! As she was whimpering I literally pled with the Lord to help her. He answered all of our prayers and she was able to calm down and within 3 or 4 minutes… was baptized and later confirmed!

I cannot tell you the half of the story of what happened afterwards, but remind me to tell you when I get home about the ordeal that we endured after this baptism. It was pretty rough, but I don´t want to even go there now… in 10 months I´ll tell you all about it… and about how my tongue hurt for days to come… if that isn´t enough of a tease… I don´t know what is!

Thanks for asking about divorces, Argentina has a tough time...it takes anywhere from 1 to 79 years to get one.

About things I could use….could you send me the make- up remover, another one of those little Sally Hansen cuticle lotion thingies… it was a small circle with orange goo inside it… I love it! If you can track down a picture of my baptism, I´d love a photocopy of it, and I would also love to receive a 5th Avenue Bar. Oh, and cowtails if you can find some, if not it´s all good. THANKS!


Nata: I loved the pix of Davy and can´t believe how big he is! I miss that little guy. I hope that you have a lovely trip coming home in March. I´m also thrilled to hear that the BOM Wheel of Fortune worked out and was a hit. You´ll have to tell me all about how to do that when I get home!

The mission is a lot like "Survivor" when they are thinking and planning about "the merger" that´s like every transfer. And having a family member visit you is like the Christmas phone call. And when you get to eat good food or a candy bar you won on a challenge… that´s like getting and opening a package from home!

I have a question for you guys…. When you pray for me, what do you ask Heavenly Father? Due to the fact that the last two weeks have been insanely trying I´ve been doing a lot of pleading of my own and it dawned on me that it would be a strengthening experience to know some of the specific thinks that you pray for when you pray for me. If it isn´t too personal, would you mind telling me a few of them so that I can pay more attention and realize the blessings that I receive because of the prayers of my family? Does that make sense?

I´m going to pull my first mission prank tonight on the sisters that are sleeping in our apartment for the Sister Conference tomorrow. They sale brains in the meat stores here and me and my comp are going to buy one and put it in the fridge and then during the night when the other sisters are here my comp is going to ask one of them to get something that she has in the fridge and we are going to scare them with a brain on a plate! It´s going to be a riot! I´ll let you know how it goes!

The other day we were feeling about as empty as you can feel and we got on a colectivo to go to the far end of the area and we were so like depressed that I said "we´re going to play a game" we stood in the aisle of the colectivo and weren´t allowed to touch anything to support us and we had to see who could go the longest without falling and grabbing something for support. Sounds easy, right? But you have to remember that the colectivos here drive super fast, and there are a bajillion turns and speed bumps. We tied because we both made it the entire trip, but we were giggling and laughing and felt all better afterwards. There were only 2 other people on the bus, so we didn´t cause too big of a scene and they were oblivious to our existence anyways. It made me smile again and then we were able to work better.

Speaking of colectivos (and trains) they raised the prices this week! What used to cost .65 now costs .80. What used to cost .90 now costs $1.10 and what used to cost $1.20 now costs $1.50. That´s like a 20% increase in some cases… imagine what that does to us! It´s not just about the money… remember the real struggle is having CHANGE! I wonder if the mission is going to increase our monthly stipend to compensate for the inflation in the public transportation. I hope so, because it really would become necessary, but I certainly won´t be the one to ask for it.

I´m rationing the peanut butter, and I have one thing of PEZ left. I like to dip apple wedges in the PB… you should try that. And my comp and I love to eat the mint lifesavers in the heat. It is so fun to have those things from home!

Daddy, in my interview last week with Pres. Benton he asked about Sunwood and said that it was good that you hired another salesman. He said that it is in the tough moments like now that you need to make a bold move, not a conservative one. He is all on board and congratulates you for your courage. He sincerely cares about your business and it makes me feel even more close to him as my President. Know that you are in many prayers!

I´m so out of the loop on sports, and it´s probably a good thing, but I feel quite detached… I´m afraid I don´t even remember what a lateral is… oh no! Enjoy the super bowl especially the yummy chili dip with cream cheese and nachos… oh my mouth is watering… and shrimp too… all sauteed in butter.

Mommy, could you possibly try and find out what church songs have already been translated into Spanish and compiled into albums. For example; I know that, He Hears Me has been, and Roman Soldiers and His Hands… can you try to explore about that? They´re not all approved, but I bet I could get them approved if I knew they existed. I don´t know where to recommend you begin, but surely there is some church store that knows.

So yeah, tomorrow is the Sisters´s Conference and the biggest blessing of all is that we are going to the temple! It is a tender mercy of the Lord because this transfer has been so hard and more than any other thing I wanted to go to the temple, but it´s not a temple transfer (the next one is). But the sisters get to go and when Sis. Benton called to tell me, I just about cried! I am going to soak it all in like a sponge and leave feeling full again.

In the states the people are more ashamed to admit that they are seeing a psychiatrist. Here it is like a form of bragging about how bad your life is. It´s like everyone is excited to tell us that they have to go to the psychologist… it always surprises me because that isn't something we brag about in the states. Interesting, eh?

Well then, this week I studied a ton in the New Testament and who knew that there was so much great stuff in there..lol! I compiled some of my favorites and encourage you all to look over them when you get the chance:

Romans 15:30-33 – this is like the prayer of any missionary.
1 Cor. 4:9 – welcome to the mission!
1 Cor. 14:18-19 – I feel like this sometimes… I have about 5 words, but it could be better than thousands
1 Cor. 16:13 – check foot note D – be strong!
2 Cor. 3:17 – I love this… I recently studied Christ as our "deliverer" and learned a ton
2 Cor. 4:8-9 – we are not abandoned, even though we are tried! Remember that… never abandoned.

Other miracles of the week… I´m still SCABIES-free! I am learning a lot and praying more than ever. I am humbled each and every time I beg for advice and help. I really do believe that I have become incredible patient… I still have my moments when I slip, but for the most part… I take things quite well and in stride. You´d be so proud.

I directed the area and took 2 colectivos without problems when I was on splits with Hermana Farias who is still really young… so even if they take Hermana Roy away from me in 2 weeks, I have faith that I am sufficiently capable in the area leading it. But I have a feeling that we are staying together another transfer. I really hope so… she is so awesome and teaches me so much!

Say "hola" to everybody and tell them all that I wish them the best 2009 possible. I am really loving the mission, even the hard times because I know they are making me stronger. Sometimes I think that I could not possibly get much stronger, but then I am humbled to learn that I can… because there is always another challenge around the corner, but we face them with faith and rely on the Lord. He makes this work possible.

I pray for you guys and all my friends back home and can´t wait to give you a big hug in about 10 months, but until then there is much to be done! I love you tons!

Thanks so much for everything. I love you more than words can express and can´t believe that this adventure is all really happening.

Sometimes I look at the clouds and stop and think,
"Hey, I´m in ARGENTINA!"

I love you more than a million Swedish fish!
Hermana Jensen

World's Finest Sermons

A Haven in a World of Turmoil
Vaughn J. Featherstone
June 1, 1987

The season of the world before us will be like no other in the history of mankind. Satan has unleashed every scheme, every blatant, vile perversion ever known to man in any generation. Just as this is the dispensation of the fulness of times, so it is also the dispensation of the fulness of evil. We and our wives and husbands, our children, and our members must find safety. There is no safety in the world; wealth cannot provide it, enforcement agencies cannot assure it, membership in this Church alone cannot bring it.
As the evil night darkens upon this generation, we must come to the temple for light and safety. In our temples we find quiet, sacred havens where the storm cannot penetrate to us. There are hosts of unseen sentinels watching over and guarding our temples. Angels attend every door. As it was in the days of Elisha so it will be for us, "Those that be with us are more than those that be against us."
Before the Savior comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time when even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work, but also to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake.
I believe we may well have living on the earth now or very soon the boy or babe who will be the prophet of the church when the Savior comes. Those who will sit in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are here. There are many in our homes and communities who will have apostolic callings. We must keep them clean, sweet, and pure in an oh so wicked world.
There will be greater hosts of unseen beings in the temple. Prophets of old as well as those in this dispensation will visit the temples. Those who attend will feel their strength and feel their companionship. We will not be alone in our temples.
The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees. We will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm, we will mount up as on eagles' wings, we will be lifted out of the insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and as clear as the moon.
The Savior will come and honor His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple loving people. They will know Him. They will cry out "Blessed be the name of He that cometh in the name of the Lord. Thou art my God and I will bless Thee, thou art my God and I will exalt thee."
Our children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials ever known to man. His bowels will be filled with compassion and His heart will swell wide as eternity and He will love them. He will bring peace that will last a thousand years and they will receive their reward to dwell with Him.
Let us prepare them with the faith to surmount every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples. Come, come, oh come up to the temples of the Lord and abide in His presence.

And Now For Something Silly!

A huge THANK YOU! goes out to Elder Gilmore's dad, Mike for making this skit, "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" available! (once again posted at the bottom) It does our hearts good to see these hard working missionaries laughing and having a good time so far from home at Christmas time!

Feliz Cumpleaños To Davy!

Yeah for Davy! I LOVE the photo collage of him and I can´t wait to see all the pictures that have been taken of that little kid since I´ve been gone! Happy Birthday precious, cute little boy!

I know, in one short quick month I will be at the half way mark!

This week has been a tough one. Ok, does there really have to be opposition in ALL things? The answer is yes, but I wish it was "opposition in most things until Sister Jensen just can´t take it anymore and then I will send a family of 12 a knocking on OUR door begging us to teach them." Or something like that. Allow me to vent a sec and just get it over with… if I have to endure many more weeks like the last one, I just might just.....well, you get the idea. It was so tough and so fruitless. UGH! And I´m not even just talking about the numbers. Almost everything went wrong and we lost the only two married couples we had to teach!

Would someone please give me a run down on the process of getting a divorce in the states. Basically I want to know how much it costs, how long it takes, and what the biggest obstacles are. Divorces here are about as hard to achieve as is admission to Harvard Law school.

In Zone Conference the area doctor came and told us a thousand things that just made me have stress. And he told us that we´re not allowed to take herbs because they are too risky because there can be up to 5000% difference from one pill to the next from the same bottle of how much of the ingredient each pill really has in it. I'm not worried because I know that Nature's Sunshine has the highest quality of processing and I received permission to continue taking mine for kidney stone prevention.

I gave a talk in church the other day and it went well...beings it was in Castellano, and a General Authority (Elder Zivic – of the seventy who lives in our ward) was there. He stopped me after to tell me I had done a good job. Relief!

The other day we passed the carcass of a dead dog that is literally disappearing as the maggots eat him away. It´s funny because you see the fur that is becoming the ground and you know it´s a dog because his paws and skull are still 3-D. Don´t worry I took photos!

We found a turtle on the sidewalk the other day and stopped to take pictures and play with it. It is about the size of a quad scriptures and we decided we couldn´t leave him because he´d surely get run over by a car. So we took him to our neighbor that is our landlord and the bishop of another ward. They adopted her and named her Karla Stacey after our first names. They also o told us that they are endangered there.

Mommy: Can you send me the lyrics to "All my days" I want to translate it and try to sing it in Castellano. Thanks!Oh, if you were going to send me an envelope in the near future, could you throw in some eye makeup remover? I´m almost out and I can´t believe I only brought one. How dumb.

Jason- I remember the letter you gave me with advice about training.... unfortunately I got all ditsy and sent the letter home, so I don´t know what you´re advice was on the subject. Can you send it to me again?

Nata- I loved your letter and had a question about te echaremos… what does that mean? I know the numbers game is tough, but it´s amazing how you just have to play it.

Daddy – you´re right, I try to never let myself get tied up in the numbers and lose focus of what is most important. I know that would keep me from taking advantage of a teaching moment that might not come again. I wish I could say that there were some of those moments last week, but it would be a lie. I´m not even kidding… I don´t think a single person listened to us and understood the message.

The good, the bad, and the ugly: brace yourself… my companion has "sarna" (SCABIES!) But the GOOD news is I don´t. What a miracle! Even though it is highly contagious and we are together 24-7 and use the same hand towel in the kitchen and stuff like that… I have remained sarna free. It truly is a tender mercy of the Lord. Don´t think that I take it for granted.

The BAD on the other hand is I have some kind of stye or something under my left eye that I have been treating with vaseline and neosporin… it seems to be going away, but isn´t very pretty. I also have a reaction on my neck that is a result from the gel that sprung a leak and got all over me as it left my cool neck cooler. So now my skin is getting over that. I doesn´t hurt or itch or anything, it´s just UGLY.

I learned that next to the cans of tuna in the grocery store there are similar cans of Jurel. Whatever that is. I bought some because it´s cheaper and it´s almost as good as tuna. When we get back at the end of the day and are starving I open up a can, add some salt and mayo and eat it by the spoonful. You should try it.

I am curious about something. I bet you all think that my Castellano is just honky dory and that I understand all that is going on and can always communicate with the people. I just thought you should know that that is my fantasy, but not the reality. I cannot believe that I have been in this country almost 6 months and still have serious problems with understanding and being understood. It gets to me sometimes because I remember being promised when I was set apart that "I would understand the people, and they would understand me." When will that prophesy be fulfilled… as I´m boarding the plane to come home? Please excuse my frustration.

Yesterday I was almost bit by a dog. Translation… the dog charged out of the door of the woman I was talking to and went straight for my hand which rested next to my thigh. Before I could even react the dog was attempting to bite my hand. His slobber was on my hand and his teeth touched my skin, but the woman grabbed his collar and pulled him back before he penetrated the skin… but there is no doubt that he was going to bite me because I felt his teeth and thought to myself "uh, oh" It´s a real good thing he didn´t bite me because I would have had to go through the "just in case" procedure to find out if the dog and me then had rabies… so sayeth the doctor in his talk. Another tender mercy…

Mommy- I forget the name of the book, but you need to ask Hermana Benton about some book she showed us in her "first aid kit talk" because I´m sure it´s a book you´d love to read. I wrote down the title, but don´t have that paper with me, so ask her and let me know if you´ve already read it. She said it´s really good!

My new area Haedo #1 doesn´t yike me. My companion can testify that the people here just love blowing up on me. I seem to have a giant target on my back and they love to aim for the bulls eye. I try not to let it get to me, but you´d be surprised how you can be completely innocent of any wrong and yet the people are angrily venting on you about who knows what because you can´t understand what they´re saying to you, or why they are blaming you. It makes Hermana Roy mad that for no reason different things keep happening. I try to laugh it off, but after a half dozen times you just want to ask "what gives?" Like today… I swear the entire country woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

This area is without doubt way tougher than Castelar. Thanks for your prayers on behalf of Sophia. She is being really brave and has a practice baptism with the man that is going to baptize her tomorrow. Please pray extra hard that the practice goes well.

Ok, no more whining… don´t pay my complaints any heed. I will get over it, it was just a really demanding week. And allow me to tell you the two worst parts: Anamaria – convert of 5 months back who is a doll and came back to church after a month or so of being inactive… told us that she is not going to continue with the church and that she "is choosing another path" which is to not attach herself to any church. It was like being dumped by your boyfriend and then of course the "we can still be friends" because she said she will keep receiving us and let us visit her, but she will not commit to anything. What really hurts is knowing that her 9 year old daughter that also got baptized now has little hope of staying active because who is going to take her to church? We are going to try to make arrangements, but even still… they have plans to move in a few months and she will probably fall through the cracks. We cried. It was awful because being the senior companion… and being that my companion was not in a condition to speak (crying much more than me) it fell to me to respond after she delivered her "I´m leaving your church" explanation. She told us not to be sad, and not to cry and what left my mouth was "it is impossible not to be sad because it´s hard to watch someone we love distance herself from the truth… because there was at least one moment that you knew this church is true." Anyway… that is reason number one.Reason number 2 – that SAME DAY… about 6 hours later we got a phone call and found out that the ex – husband of the mother and father of the 13 year old daughter that both got baptized two days before I got transferred into the area… had died… just died… probably heart attack, the autopsy hasn´t come back yet. The next day we went to visit her and basically cry with her and it was rough, but what did my heart good was to see the RS Pres. come with food and a shoulder to cry on and then accompanied her the next day to take care of all the paper work and stuff at the viewing place. The church is such a great support system… it really is a miracle that this happened just after she got baptized because if not… she would have had basically no one besides the few members of the family to help her get through this.

Anyway, all things will pass. I´m ready to have a better week! The week started off with an adventure which I cannot do justice to tell you in an email, so you´ll have to remember to ask me about the story about the water spraying at me from the wall in the bathroom. It is a great story, but I´ll have to draw pictures and explain them as I tell you the story. Basically it was so funny that we all ended up laughing… even the complete stranger woman that took pity on me and let us use her bathroom… that I then flooded! Good times!

The take home message is… even if some of the stories in this email leave you feeling sorry for me… stop it. It´s my problem, my stress, my adventure. Not yours. Don´t worry about me, just keep praying for me to be tough and then even tougher when things are blowing up in my face and not a single soul wants to be saved. I´m happy, I´m protected, I´m cared for, I´m not alone. I am doing my best and growing. I volunteered for this…. "I signed up for this" Never fear!I love you with all my heart and pray for you daily!

Hermana Stacey Wacey Jensen!

Sister Missionaries And Hermana Benton!

Hermana Luna, Benton, Greenland and Johns

Hermana Roy (Stacey's new companion)

Benton, Jensen and Lavigne