Hermana Jensen: Mission Updates

April 7, 2009

Let´s Go To The House Of The LORD!

4/7/09

Let´s just all go to the temple! I would go every single week, if I could. I have already committed myself to do so after the mission. Did you all set specific goals too? I hope so!

I loved Conference and yes, we were able to attend every session. Literally I was shocked at how much the General Authorities hit on temples. It is so important and we so often take them for granted.

I got the package and it was well-taped and quite perfect! I about cried when I saw not just one, but TWO bottles of Ranch Dressing and Peanut Butter. My companion and I are going to an all you can eat pizza place today and I have one of the bottles of Ranch stowed away in a bag! I loved everything you sent and have already used the Tide “to go” pen. I love the hymn cd’s and have the latex gloves safely stowed in my bag for the next emergency. It´s funny that you thought of sending them to me “ just in case” because I was thinking about buying some to have for the very same reason. You read my mind!

This letter is going to jump from topic to topic, so buckle up!

Unfortunately we are spending 10 miserable days without credit to use our cell phone. Try planning a baptism and confirming teaching and lunch appointments without a phone. Sounds like fun, doesn´t it? I have literally no idea how we could have used our 500 minutes so quickly. It makes me so mad and I long for the days of having free Verizon to Verizon – when I could talk and talk and talk because almost everyone I cared about was in-network.

Today is my 11 month birthday. It is also “hump day” for my mini seeing as how we are in the middle of the transfer. That is why we are going to a pizza libre. It will be quite fun.

I ask you a special favor this week: Please, please, please pray for Antonio and Andrea—especially Andrea. They are in the doorway, but so much can go wrong the week before the baptism. She has to be able to say that she believes that President Monson is the prophet or she can't be baptized. Please pray for them to have the confirmation that all we have taught them is true, and that they will be able to live the Word of Wisdom and keep the Sabbath Day and pay tithing. Please be mindful of them this week... Easter Sunday will be the day they enter the waters of baptism!

Oh happy day! I found a ten peso bill the other day! Yeehaw--it´s a tithing blessing!”

I finally found brown sugar to go with the sour cream and fresh strawberries. Last night I introduced Hermana Barrera to Strawberries Romanoff and she was truly enchanted! I am going to teach all the members here about it and they will enjoy it forever!

I have a hankering to make brown sugar chicken, which began my quest to find Worcestershire Sauce... so far my quest has been in vain, but who knows, one day I´ll find it. The people stare at me confused when I describe it. Bummer...

To answer the question about the pictures that are all psychedelic (good luck... I now spell horribly!) That is what happened when my camera fell and died the day before I left Castelar in December. That is why I had to buy another one... because I knew all the pictures for the rest of the mission would print out that way. The funny thing is that that camera still works great to record videos. When I get back to the states, I´ll probably take it to a place and see if it can be repaired. I was going to take it to a place here, but it´s hard to sacrifice a p-day.

I think a big part of the mission is that one has to choose between quality and quantity. I choose quality. But it´s hard to say that and stick to it when your leaders tell you that if every companionship in the mission completes their 20 contacts every day the Area President promised us that we would double the baptisms. That is quantity. Rest assured... I have never not reached my contacts, so it´s really not that big of a problem for me. Quality or quantity. They are related because when you hit quantity your chances of finding quality increase. Savvy? It´s a numbers game. My picture won´t even be in the estandarte this transfer... because I chose quality, but I am still held accountable for my quantity.

Nata – the pictures of Davy are adorable... he wins!
Jason – I hope that all went well with Phyllis – she received her Endowment didn´t she?
Mommy and Daddy – thanks so much for the truly wonderful package. I am saving the Reese's for a truly special moment. I am excited to try the foot powders and will be sleeping great! I have the little mirror with me at all times and love the mints. I took pictures of my mini- Christmas and could not feel more cared for and blessed.

I hope that things turn up for the economy in the states. I pray for you all so much.

Tell Tyler that I believe in him and that I challenge him to study the Atonement of Jesus Christ everyday for 20 minutes. Tell him not to miss a single day.

If you can pass word on to Cameron tell him the same thing, and that he will LOVE the mission and that he shouldn´t let a single thing in the whole world stop him from going because the Lord needs HIM to touch people that will only be able to accept the gospel if He is the instrument the Lord uses.

I pray for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins... everyone. Pass along my love, joy, peace, and determination. 11 months down, 7 to go. I will never give up. I will never surrender. This is the Lord´s work and He doesn't deserve quitters. I know that the gospel is true. I know it, I know it. I know it. Christ lives. He fights at my side. I am not alone and neither are you!

Hermana Jensen
The happiest missionary in all the world! - and don´t you doubt it!

March 31, 2009

And They Walk And Walk And Walk....

“In a very real sense all can walk where

Jesus walked when, with His words on our lips,

His spirit in our hearts, and His teachings

in our lives, we journey through mortality.”
-President Thomas S. Monson

left foot Brittany - right foot Stacey - nice tan girls!

Hermana Roy

3.31.09
This Too Shall Pass!

Well, I´ll start this week by saying that I have a testimony that sometimes you just gotta suffer. I don´t know when the Lord will decide that my faith has been sufficiently tested and that it´s time to give me the miracle, but I sure hope it´s soon. And yet I look at all the things that make me feel this way and realize that I really can´t complain.

For example, we have running water and a fan. We didn´t starve and we were not robbed. So why do I let the decisions of others make me sad? Because it´s part of the mission... when your investigators make bad decisions and choose not to listen anymore you feel like all your sweat, tears, blisters, mosquito bites, and rashes were for naught. You feel like you are giving your all to offer salvation and all you have done is brought a whole bunch of condemnation to those who have now "had a chance to accept the gospel" and they closed the door in your face. But anyway... I´m trying to not let it get me down. But man, I tell you... we lost more investigators than we found this week and we taught fewer lessons than meals we ate. In the last transfer meeting when my picture showed that I was staying in Haedo 1 and training a mini (which also means that I am staying the next one to teach the area to the sister who will then take it over) I resolved myself to do a good job. I was joking with the President after the meeting and told him that he should think about sending me to Catan - where they had like 46 baptisms between the 10 areas... that means that each companionship had an average of more than 4 converts! Imagine that. He laughed a little bit and then quite seriously said, "We don´t want you to get killed." It quieted me a little bit, but my "I´m invincible" self wanted to say "I won´t get killed... just send me where I can have success." But I didn´t say it. :)

The last few days we have felt real opposition, like every force in this country is combining against us... even the colectivos... every store we go to is closed, every apple I buy has that nasty floury texture, I was misled and sold grapes with seeds and my tomatoes went bad in just 3 days. Not much is going our way.

My last complaint--it is just physically, spiritually, and emotionally EXHAUSTING to talk to every single person you pass and knock doors and walk to the homes of 20 different people and not be able to teach a single one of them. That was yesterday. We taught but one lesson to Antonio and Andrea who are slowly progressing towards their baptism... but they were a little hesitant about the word of wisdom... and tithing and fasting. Then we almost missed the bus. Then in the bus I had a feeling we were going to have an accident. Every turn I prepared for impact. When we got off my companion said she also felt like something bad was about to happen. As we walked the 7 blocks in the dark to the apartment I was all but sure someone was going to try and rob us. I walked fast and determined with my hand gripped tightly on my bag and looked every single person straight in the eye so that no one thought they could pull a fast one on me. We arrived home untouched and quickly locked the door behind us. We were quite relieved that the feeling hadn't resulted in anything.

Enough of the "woe is me, my life is hard" Bologna... ready for some happy thoughts. I´m going to put on my Pollyanna hat and we´re going to "play the glad game."

MILANESA - is a traditional Argentine dish that I am just DYING to make y'all. It can be prepared with beef (not sure which kind) or with chicken. I like chicken better. You cut it in really thin fillets and dip them in eggs, milk, seasoning and fry it or bake it. Don´t try it... just wait for me to come home and I´ll teach you having been trained by a legit Argentine! It´s super yummy. Get excited... Mom - you´ll want to eat it with Sour cream. I prefer ranch. Daddy will probably add Ketchup and I´ll try to stop him! :)

Mommy - yes, that
is our apartment 1406 we're on the second floor. It´s pretty nice, huh?

I got special permission for the Pres. to listen to the awesome LDS Castellano cd's you sent! And our ward mission leader is helping me upload them and a good bunch of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir cd's you sent me onto my IPOD so that I don´t have to keep buying batteries for the disc man. He served in Uruguay and was AP - got home in November and was happy to do the favor. I hope to get it back this Sunday! It´s lonely without all of those songs that I love. Would you do me a favor? It´s hard to memorize the words to them because it´s another language and sometimes it´s hard to tell where one word ends and the next begins because I´m not perfectly familiar with every word here (big surprise) so could you cut and copy the lyrics and send them to me in an email? I could then print them out and it would be heavenly!

Nata - That is great you were able to go to the Salt Lake Temple with Kate while you were home visiting! About a week before the MTC I did a session there with Crickey and Jecca and her husband Bret. It was sure awesome... I look forward to going again. It will be weird to do a session in English after so long, but that will make it really cool and new all over again.

Newsflash: it took 22 years for me to discover that fresh pears are way yummy. I had always had canned ones in the fruit cocktail, but when you eat a real pear... it´s just heavenly. I´m switching from floury apples to juicy pears this week!

As far as my sickness goes... I´m convinced that it is anxiety. I´ve been in this area fighting different challenges for over 3 months and my body is just getting mad. But it´s all good because I will get over it.

I was sad to hear that you were sick... I too have spent a few miserable days here - still working - but like you said - not too happy to be alive.

Daddy - we picked Louisville? I hope we win! I miss your hugs.

Mommy - I saw a mom rocking her baby the other day and I wanted to show her your signature way but we aren´t allowed to hold babies or any child for that matter. But it made me think of you!

In the mission we all eat Oreos on Thursday night after planning. I think the President started it and the word spread through the grapevine and now every companionship eats Oreos on Thursday night. It´s a cool thing we do individually, but even more so united. I think I will keep doing it the rest of my life... just to remember the mission. You should do it with us. But last Thursday I was so sick... I couldn´t even eat mine. :(

Also - there are names for the weekdays. Monday is "p-day eve" and then Tuesday is "p-day" and then Wednesday is called "p-lag." And then Thursday is "Oreos" - and I like to call Sunday "game day." Anyway... just so you know.

Divisions are like splits, for 24 hours I am with another companion and my companion is with the companion of the person I am with. I have 6 purposes/things I am supposed to teach the other sisters and it is hard to do without stepping on anyone´s toes or coming off proud - especially when I have less time out than some of the sisters I am supposedly "training." It presents a bunch of challenges and extra stresses, but as Daddy said, it allows me to learn things and have experiences that other sisters don´t have. I´m trying to remain calm even when I feel like it is more stress--if the President called me and wants me to do it, I´ll do it.

My random crazy wish of the week is that you could have a magical mirror like Belle has in Beauty and the Beast so that in any moment you could see what we are doing. I bet 9 out of 10 times you´d see us walking down some street... it wouldn´t be all that fun for you, but every once in a while you´d be sure to find us teaching someone - or studying. It would be fun-- I wish I could send you a magic mirror like that.

My scripture that I dedicate to you all this week is Moroni 8:3. I love you so much! Never give up, never surrender, all things will give you experience and be for your good!

Love Always,
Hermana Jensen