11.30.2011 Guatemala CCM

Hi family!! Ask me if I have the most important job in the world? YEAH, I DO!!!! ps Dad funny you should mention platanos, our first meal here had them, and we get them about twice a week and I just think of you all the time! hahaha I have been here a week and it feels like 2 seconds. It is ridiculous how fast time flies, but I wish we could email more, but we cant, cause im obedient. We just got back from the temple a little bit ago, and WOW ITS SMALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three benches in a room. Its crazy.

 

Please excuse my lack of apostraphies, this is a Guatemalan keyboard.

 

I LOVE MY COMPANION! Wow he is awesome, and its crazy that you know his parents. He works hard and actually communicates, which is important! Last night we had a fireside be Elder Martino, an area authority, and he talked about the power of just opening our mouth, and working hard. then he shared a scripture in Moses 6, I dont remember what verse but it talks about being a lad and speaking slow, just go look for it. It is on the right page, bottom left corner. haha. BUT HE IS GREAT!

 

So there is 6 to a room and the other 4 are latinos, every night we teach them English and we also teach our latino companions english every morning. Nothing makes me happier when my latino companion gets so excited, he is like a little kid!!!! My latino companions are Elder Cuque (from Guatemala) and Elder Rivera (Honduras). Elder Rivera speaks english already, but Elder Cuque doesnt at all. Last night Elder Rivera was sick so Elder Cuque and I gave him a blessing. The power of the Priesthood is so amazing. 

 

I am learning more spanish, its tough, and this week was the first week I actually thought I would never learn the language and I just got way down, that lasted MAYBE 10 minutes because then the Spirit tells me I can do it, I look out the window, and get SO STOKED TO LEAVE THIS PLACE!!!! I love it here, the food is amazing, I love everyone, even if we cant communicate, but I want to bring joy to other people!!!!

 

Ask me if I love the people here??? Cause I do. One night Elder Hansen and I came into our room and our towels were in different places and they were dry, (odd). Come to find out, our roomates washed them for us. Holy cow isnt that the nicest thing ever. I have so much love in my heart for people here. I dont even miss Provo even a little bit. Its so chill here, and I love it. They are always changing the schedule on us and we dont have to wear suit coats except in big meetings. Our district is the hated gringo district though, our classroom is outside in the gym. Its so great though, we all love it!! (they dont really hate us, theyre just so full) Ps me and Elder Hansen are zone leaders. We just have two districts in our zone, all the nuevo nortes that all came in the same day. 

 

Wanna see a cute picture of me!? hahah go to the Guatemalan CCM website and you should find me and find our big group picture. That will be a fun activity. Plus Kelsey, we have been stuck here but in two weeks we get to go contacting in the main plaza and take a mini tour of the city and go the a market!

 

Funny story of the week? It isnt about me but it is hilarious, (use caution when posting on the blog haha) We have an elder in our district named Elder Buck. Last night he went to the bathroom and they were out of toilet paper, and you know how latinos throw their paper in the can? (we dont have to do that here, its just a habit) anywho, you guessed it!! HE USED ONE!!! AHHHHHHHHHhahahahahaha oh man.

 

All joking aside, I love this place, I wouldve gone crazy in Provo. I didnt like it there much, I didnt hate it, just didnt like it. BUT I LOVE IT HERE!!! I get so excited to study and work here, im so much more motivated because it feels real. I can see the vision now. I love this work. Its amazing how much I have learned in a short month. doesnt it feel like ive been gone for like a week!? This past week we watched a devotional by Elder Holland speaking at the MTC on Jan 11, 2011. Maybe you can find it, maybe not. But it is so great! He just screams at all the missionaries about the importance of this work. Every day when I realize im thinking about myself I just get depressed. Im not here for me, Im here for my little Guatemalans. Ps 30 minutes goes by way too fast!!! I know this is the most important thing to be doing right now. I love you all.

 

Love Elder Jensen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

ps, 126,000 people went to the open house in two weeks in Quetzaltenango! COOL!

What in the World...I'm in Guatemala!

¡Hola!

We only have 15 minutes today just so I can tell you that I'm ok.

I'm ok.

I'm currently sitting the the CCM in Guatemala, the motherland. I love this place with my whole entire heart already. I am currently staring at the Guatemala City Temple. What happened to our phone calls last night? I'll never know. But at least we got to talk. I am doing GREAT! My new companion is from Sandy. Elder Hansen. He's awesome. We also get a native companion for meal times and gym and other stuff like that, but Elder Hansen is my companion for study and class and such. The CCM is so full we have to stay in temple housing, It's connected to the CCM but there are 6 people to a room with two closets. We might get moved in 3 weeks. There is 112 missionaries here. Plus holy cow it is humid here. I just get so stoked to go outside.

Today is basically ANOTHER orientation day. I thought I was done with all of that. It's ok though, we're all way tired and don't mind sitting. They let us take a three hour nap. My p-day is now Miercoles. (Wednesday). Oh and go ahead and ask me how great the food is here??????????? I have died and gone to heaven. oh my it is amazing. they just have tons of fresh fruit and agua de frutas. (i don't even know if that's what it is called, but it's just the water from fruits, nothing else). Did I mention I love it here?? Oh plus I sat next to a guy who served in Guatemala 40 years ago, just visiting, and guess who he knows.... Bruce and Andrea. Weird right? I didn't even ask his name, I should have. Ps this is all on an español keyboard, how does that make you feel? cause it makes me stoked. I'm able to communicate with the latino elders here pretty well, I think once I get unnervous I will be better. I wish ya'll could come here. I haven't even been outside the CCM walls, minus the bus ride, but I LOVE IT. plus our bus was just a huge awesome school bus with stars painted on the ceiling. I should have gotten a picture. I was sleepy.

I have a feeling we aren't going to go the temple dedication, but we'll at least be able to watch it. Hopefully President Uchtdorf (?) can come here to visit us! PS, no guards with guns at airport, but there is one here at the CCM.

By the way, I don't miss you.

Love, Elder Jensen (That's my name)

But I kinda miss you, but I don't even wanna come home and I don't feel homesick, that's all I'm sayin. I love you lots!!!!!

Final Letter from Provo MTC 11.22.11

Hi....... Today we´re just taking tons of pictures and crying (haha haven't cried yet) and such and packing. Last night our whole zone smashed into our classroom and sang God be with you til we meet again. (in Spanish of course). It was pretty dang cool. This week has been great. Not much to write about cause I just wrote you Thursday. I´m just way way excited to get to my country!!!!!!! Kinda weird that I'll be there in a little bit.

My testimony has grown so much in the past few weeks. The MTC is an amazing place. I love it here! Every day I surprise myself at how much Spanish I know too. To Charise and Brent and Grandma, and everyone else, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LETTERS. Sorry I don't have time to write back now, once things settle down I will write. (things probably won't even settle down).

I was thinking yesterday about the Jensen name. Think about our family, it's incredible. I don't even know how to explain what I was thinking about but I just thought of the Jensen's (us) and it made me way more stoked to be out here. Thanks for honoring the Jensen name.

On Sunday we had a District President, President Harris, in all of our meetings. He served in Guatemala and was the mission president for a Guatemalan mission. And it turns out he gave the Fireside Sunday night too. So I heard from him 4 times Sunday. He's awesome. He talked about the "what if" we aren't prepared, "what if" we don't work hard, "what if" ________. What will happen to the people we are supposed to help, if we aren't prepared.

Plus this week I started saying ya'll more. Gee it's fun. Oh and I had a dream and Julie Holm was in it. Probably cause I've been saying ya'll. Oh and I'm going crazy here, we can't listen to music and I just need something to listen to!! Hopefully in Guatemala we will be able to.

Mommy/family, don't worry about me. I'm a missionary. Missionaries are cool. I know why I'm out here, I'm loving every second of it. I've grown so much, and I love you a lotta lotta lot.

Love, Elder Jensen

ps. If Laura Ludlow and Alicia Wilcox read this (which I doubt they do) I saw them at the temple on Sunday, but I was scared to say hi. I'm a chicken.

Letter #3 MTC

Hello family!!!!

What a great time to be a missionary. So remember when I said we got a baptismal date for our first investigator? (all in espanol by the way) It turns out she's our other teacher, we have two!!! Her name is Hermana Nelson, she's from St. George, Utah. (Where you live) and she served in Paraguay (Pres. Wade was her president) and her older sister is married to Skylar Ence, and her little brother is serving a mission now, and I know him. AND she reminds me EXACTLY of kitty. Weird huh?

Ok so this week was excellently excellent!! We got our travel plans and we head out Nov 22 at 4:30 pm. we fly all night. We go from SLC to LA and we get there at around 10:00 pm. I THINK! So you better be awake!!

The spanish is coming along. I can say basically what I want to say, but It's not conjugated and it doesn't really make sense yet, but It's coming.

Tuesday night was our fireside and Tad R. Callister came and spoke to us, he talked about the Apostacy and the importance of it. He laid out 10 proofs to the apostacy. It's something we don't really think of being important but if there were no apostacy, THERE WOULD BE NO RESTORATION!!!

My companion is doing ok. He still doesn't get mail, but he gets email. I just figure I need more support from home and he doesn't. (except I don't miss you yet, I only miss Maggie and Libby and MY NEW NEPHEW) Is that really true? I don't know if yall are pulling my leg. ps "yall" is great!

I'm running out of things to write. I always think of funny stuff or important stuff to write but I always forget. Umm........... I love, more than anything, Dear Elder.

Plus here are my feelings on leaving the Provo MTC. I'm bummed to leave my teachers and leaders. Stoked to leave the cold, stoked to leave this terrible food. (Side note, I gained 1 pound, then lost it, then gained it back then pretty sure I lost it. basically normal weight fluctation) Also I'm just way way stoked to get out of here. I'm excited to learn spanish better and to be fluent in like two days. wouldn't that be cool!?

I'm doing ultra great though, don't worry about me. I'm giving it my all, being perfectly obedient, not worrying about little things, learning lots, being busy and a bee in Utah (they're busy huh?) and I learned I can't do this without the help of our Lord Jesus Christ. I'm just an imperfect human, He is my perfect older brother. It's amazing how much I've learned here, I think I would go crazy if I was here for 6 more weeks.

One crazy thing about this whole experience is I feel like I know everyone here. There's an elder in my zone that is extremely similar to Bryan Lunt. My roommate is exactly like Sam Hutchinson.... EXACTLY. An elder like Chad Call, I feel like I'm just surrounded by my best friends. I love it so much! There's no place I'd rather be, except in Guatemala already fluent in Spanish. Thanks for everything. I don't need anything before I leave. The bookstore here is like a mini missionary Wal-Mart with WAY cheap prices. I love you all.

-Elder Jensen

Quetzaltenango-Guatemala Temple

Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple Dedication

Letter #2 MTC

Hola everyone!!! This week was GREAT!!! The food is still bad, I live in 12M and my class is 17M. You can look on the map if you wanna... it'd be fun. oh plus, I GOT THE PACKAGE  YESTERDAY AND I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT. I haven't even eaten one thing cause it's a zone rule that we can't open mail or packages till after 9:20 every night. Oh and an MTC rule we can't write letters until P-day. I'm obedient. The food is still nasty here though, and yes Kelwey, Sister whatever her name is, going to Jersey.

 

Last night we said goodbye to two Elders in our Zone that are going to the Dominican Republic MTC, they've only been here for three weeks, and I was thinking, that's going to be me in two weeks. WEIRD!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

 

Mom and Dad, somehow you both know EXACTLY what to write me. The story about Ron Wade in RS about speaking your language at all times, even in prayer, WE DO THAT. It's called Hable Su Idioma. Cool huh? Plus I read John 13 or whatever you told me to read from Brenda, and it was GREAT. Now I'm going to tackle D&C 88...... it's muy longo.... (my espanol is just words with O on the end)

 

Ps, about my espanol, I can speak GREATER than I ever thought I would in one week. I keep surprising myself on how much I know. It's weird. Plus I hadn't read my Patriarcal Blessing since I've been here, and I just read it yesterday, wow I love that thing!!!! Read yours, It's my own personal scripture and I would cry everyday if I lost it or something.

 

Every Tuesday night we have a General Authority fireside, Eduardo Gavarret, from the Seventy, spoke to us the other day. It was GREAT, if only I could remember it, so much stuff in my head. I'm 6000% sure this place is much more different now than when Daddy was here.

 

I already can't believe i've been here for one week. All of my skills have improved, even my email skills, right!?!?! Plus I like Dear Elders and letters a ton. I get more than anyone in probably the whole MTC. E-mails are ok, I just like letters, but in Guatemala I'll probably like emails cause there's sorta no post office there I bet.

 

Yesterday we commited our investigator, Patricia, to baptism. At first I hated teaching her, but it helps us learn SO much about everything. (We teach all in Espanol by the way)

 

I feel like there is WAY more to write to you but I don't remember it. We're stuck in a class for 8-10 hours a day, probably more, so my brain is just fried eggs.

 

PS, I'm proud of my family waking up so early and doing the things that we're asked to do. BUT, I wake up at 6:05. Hahaha there's too long of a line for showers so we do that. Also this week my companion was struggling. He still hasn't got any letters from home, so I'm just trying to be the best companion I can be. There's a few missionaries here that are struggling and it's part of my job as a District Leader to lift them up. It's a tough job, but I'm happy to serve.

 

Guess what family, THE CHURCH IS SO TRUE!!! My favorite thing in the world is Firesides and stuff where we all sing together. Wow! We sing 3 prelude hymns and then like 2 more during the meeting, and our district is always singing. I've never really realized the power of song. D&C 25:12 (I think) talks about it too.... I love you family, thanks for your support. I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU

 

Elder Jensen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

FIRST LETTER FROM MTC!

Familia, I'm here! I'm doing just great! My companion is Elder Newell, from California. He's a quiet guy, but GREAT!! I'm Senior Companion and district leader, odd. There's 8 missionaries in the district. Me and Elder Newell (going to same mission as me) Elder Johnson and Elder Dallon (Elder Johnson is going to Provo, Elder Dallon St. George, Utah) Elder Bourgeois (boo-shua) and Elder Chidester (going to St. George) and Elder Bernatz and Elder Snow (Chicago) The MTC is tough, I'll be honest. They say it gets better after Sunday. Today has been the best day so far though. My instructor is Hermano Lucas. He's from Texas and served in Argentina. So he speaks Castellano. He speaks en espanol 100% of the time and I can understand everything, I cannot speak for the life of me.


These computers are terrible. my keyboard broke so I had to switch. It's like I'm already in Guatemala hehe. So far I've gotten like 20 letters, who's counting right?

I need My Priesthood Line of authority :) plus my laundry bag is already ripped. I HATE BIG LOTS!!!!! I can buy one here though. Everything is cheap and such cause we're cool missionaries. I depart Nov 22 just fyi. ps I'm not cold and I don't need a sweater. I'll be alright. The power was out all day today, just turned back on. Plus the food is ok, kinda weird. I feel like this letter has no order or anything. I'm just writing from the heart! Plus I'm stoked when you guys read and pray every day! same here!!! Plus my companion wants to wake up at 6 everyday, so it's kinda not fun, but it's only a half an hour. I'm learning so much that my brain just hurts and I feel like my sleep time is fake. It's weird I don't know how to describe it. Plus yeah................. umm.......... I love you guyseeses lots. Tell Tiff and Jan Call thanks for their letters. Oh plus we taught our first investigator yesterday and we teach her again tonight. Patricia is her name, learning is her game. Thanks for everything. Love you love you love you love you. Plus I have 10 more minutes so maybe I'll get on later to write you back! If you write back muy rapido (I don't know spanish)

Elder Jensen!!!!!

No temple... not till Thursday, our real first P-day. Today is just P day for new missionaries cause just cause. Plus the MTC gives us $6 a week for stuff, so I'll use that for laundry bag. Also I don't know where a printer is, so could you send my line of authority via snails?!?!?!?! Muchas gracias. Yes I'm happy, just a lot of info in my brain and trying to get used to all of this. Everytime I see missionaries walking around I think, HEY missionaries, and I wanna say hi but then I realize I AM ONE!!!!! It's great, but it still hasn't really sunk in yet. You guys are neat.

Love, Elder Jensen!

MTC