Hola familia mia

Hola familia mia,

How´s it going??

Oh boy do I sure have a lot of news for you. My name is Elder Jensen, and I now live in an area called La Nueva Concepción, zona Tiquisate. That also means that I have another companion.... and guess who is training again?? ME! HAhaha his name is Elder Barnes and he is from Texas. I actually didn´t know I was going to train again, until I got on the bus with the rest of the zone to go to the change meeting, they told me right before we all jumped on. 

That all means that we are both new to the area, and we don´t know the people. But it´s really fun to start fresh everything. The other missionaries left some people, but they are not even a little bit positive, so we are starting over. Extra prayers sent my way sure would help. 

Our area is just a ton of houses and it is SO flat. In the area there are just a bunch on blocks, like 24. Everything is really organized and everyone has a number to their lot, it´s pretty easy to find people. I´m really REALLY excited about this area, but send some prayers on the way for Elder Barnes too. He really misses his family, and he doesn´t really like to work or anything.. he is 100% completely opposite than Elder Rucker. But I have other things to learn from him. But he is getting excited because we already have a baptism lined up and we found a REALLY positive family yesterday.

I will take you through my week

Monday - We celebrated my birthday and I thought of all of you, I ate cake in your honor.

Tuesday - My cocinera made some lasagna and we chilled there for a little while and ate some lunch, and said our goodbyes. They gave me a cool card and here in Guatemala they used to have bills of 50 cents, if that makes sense, so they gave me one. I have a money collection going.

Wednesday - was the day of changes, I was sad but excited at the same time, then like I said, as we were getting on the bus they told me I would train again. Yikes! So we got to our area at about 6 pm, dropped our stuff out at the house, and the other missionaries in our branch took us around and showed us a few members, where we eat and who washes the clothes, then to the chapel. Then it decided to rain... and of course I didn´t have any sort of protection. I sure got wet. It was fun though. Our house is nice, it´s another pink house (I´ve already had 2 pink houses in my mission). I´ll snag some pics. Also the crazy part about my mission is, in the whole year, I have had 2 companions that didn´t speak english, 6 weeks each one. I have just been with a million gringos. It´s kinda tough, but if it´s what God says, then I´ll do it.

Thursday - We worked. We just got to know the members and people the other missionaries left. Nothing too exciting.

Friday - Same thing as Thursday

Saturday - basically the same thing, BUT we had a branch activity, talent night. It was really fun. There were crazy missionaries, clowns, dances, and songs. It was awesome. I didn´t get any pics... bummer. There was also a lady there that told us that she wanted to get baptized...... and she has 3 kids, I think. So we are going to get that lined us for this week or next week. Her sister is a member and brought her to the activity and she has gone to church a lot I guess.. cool.

Sunday - We had branch conference. I liked it. It´s just a little branch, and we just cook like hot dogs in the church.. It´s really REALLY hot here. Elder Barnes was feeling sick, and after church we went to our cocinera to eat lunch and he didn´t want to eat all his lunch, but I made him cause we didn´t want to offend her. Then we leave the house and leave her front gate, and he hurls!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH I died of laughter.... then we found out that our fridge doesn´t really work that good and he drank sour milk. HAHAHAHAHA. It ruled. (am I bad for laughing at him??). Then last night we were contacting and we found a positive couple, they ruled.

Well... my week was good. I hope you all have a good week this week. Be positive, keep your heads up, always looking up and ahead, not behind. I know the church is the true church on earth. God lives. He loves us so much. Just look around, it´s proof that he exists. We are literally his children. I know the church is the true church and God´s kingdom here on earth. I´m so happy for this past year, and cannot wait to serve another year. I love you all so much. Be good, happy birthday to everyone. I miss you so much. But who cares right? I´m a missionary!!

Elder Jensen

Life is Beautiful

IT´S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We haven´t done anything special, I actually keep forgetting it´s my birthday! But who cares right?? 

I´m just sitting here in this internet cafe thinking about how wonderful life is. After seeing all the pictures and hearing about your week, and after crying my eyes out, I realize how blessed I am. God loves me so much, and I am far from perfect, but He has blessed me so much with the best family and we are all safe, healthy, and loved... and funny.

Thank you for the pictures and emails. But I can´t just sit here and be the only one to be wished Happy Birthday!!! 

Dear Chandler, 

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!

Dear Corey,

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!

Dear Mommy,

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!

Dear Kelsey,

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!

Dear Grandpa,

Happy Birthday!!! I love you!

There... that will get us through the rest of Oct... then comes Brookie.. Plus Happy Birthday to Eric and Mason!!! Also to everyone else who shares the month of Oct with the Jensen fam! I´m actually in the process of a little project for everyone.. It´s nothing big, but I´ll will finish it tonight and send it tomorrow. Hopefully you get it before Chandler leaves!!

I tell the Guatemalans about our birthday month and they all tell me that we are the owners of October, they could never be more correct. I love October.

My week was a crazy one!! Right now the mission is really low.. like, really low. So Wednesday and Thursday we had trainings and conferences with President. I love that man so much! We practiced a lot, and got more animated and stoked to be missionaries. Plus this week are the changes so I think that will help a lot too. I still don´t know if I am leaving my area, but I´m pretty sure I will. I´m sad, but ready for some new stuff. I´ve learned a TON in San Antonio and it will always be in a special little place in my heart. I love it.

Tonight for my birthday we are going to this members house and I don´t really know what we are going to do... but I will take some pictures. Then tomorrow our cocinera is going to make me a good lunch and she says she has surprises for me!! This is the best day of my life... I think. 

Other than the conferences with President, I don´t remember what else we did... I know we walked a lot, we got wet... ooohh crazy story time - 

So San Antonio is right on the road to Guatemala City, and there was a bridge that part of the concrete pieces fell down about 20cm so no one could pass through. So all the traffic was directed up the mountains through a city called Chicacao (my district) and then down through San Antonio. It was a super mess and there were just cars and buses and trucks parked everywhere. So I had to get up to Chicacao Saturday morning, by this time the roads were more organized, there were just a lot of cars parked in Chicacao and the police letting people travel up for a time and down for a time, cause the roads are super skinny. anywho.. we got up to Chicacao and we were walking by all the cars and there was a car with a senior couple inside, aka senior couple missionaries from Guate trying to get to Reu. So we said hi and I went and did the interview. Then Elder Rucker and I started walking down and the second car in line was the same missionaries. So we got in the car and they gave us a ride down to San Antonio. (not the crazy part yet). (background info - Elder Rucker has a friend that has grandparents serving in Guate too) So the Hermana asks us if we know an Elder Rucker... we start freaking out. She said she was going to bring him a jar of peanut butter from his friends grandparents, but she didn´t know how to get it to him, so she didn´t bring it. Weird.. (Not the crazy part yet). So then we are talking and they were from Sandy and I told them I was from St. George. They said they have a house there and asked me where our house was. I told them, and the Hermana said, (crazy part) "oh, I went to the Washington Fields Stake Center to do family history once." So I said, "Oh, you probably did it with my mom then." "well, who´s your mom?" "Carrie Jensen." "Oh my gosh... SHE´S YOUR MOM." Then the lady started telling me about how beautiful our Springs house was and that my mom is skinny and nice and that she saw pictures of our house and all kinds of stuff...... wow. Her name is Hermana Spencer and her husband is Arlene Coulsen´s brother... Crazy story huh. I hope all that stuff made sense...

My week was a good one. My birthday is a good one. I hope everyone has a very good week, and always remembers how blessed we really are to be a family. God gives us families to be happy, and I sure am happy. I know that Jesus is the Christ, my Redeemer, and Savior. He lives. I know that I´m a representative of His church here on earth. I know it, because I have prayed. No one forced me to believe it. Living right is the only way to find true happiness in this life. I think I´ve found true happiness. A loving family and knowledge of the true church. I think I´ve found true happiness today. I love you all so much and hope that you are good this week and have the best of birthdays. 

With love from Guatemala.

Que honda?

What's happenin?? Or as my brothers and sisters from the great land of Guatemala say, "¿Que honda?" Its just basically whats up.

How is everything this week? Judging by all the pictures and the letters from Corey and Brooke and Chandler and Oakley, everything is going just great!!! HAHA Just kidding... cause they didnt write me. I still love you.

I'm just here in San Antonio, right now its not too hot. It wants to rain, and has a little, but not too much. October is the rainiest month, and I already want sun. But sun = hot.

This past week was quite a good one,  as always!!! I'm a missionary, I don't know how it could be bad!

Highlights of the week -

*I taught a really, REALLY Catholic guy about baptism, he didnt really listen to me, but it was still a little fun.

*We contacted a lot of people

*We found a lady named Angelica and her two kids that went to church with us. They rule. We have only taught us one time but they are really really positive. I love teaching positive people.

*It rained a lot

*I healed a lady.. well, I didnt do it, God did it.. here's the story --> Every Sunday we go to a different house to eat lunch, and yesterday we went to this place to eat lunch called Aldea Margaritas, and we had actually taken a wrong turn and found some houses to contact, but nothing positive. So we went back the way we came and we passed by this house of a member and there was tons of people inside, and they called us in. Turns out that the lady fainted and her son carried her back to her house and she had been out for about an hour and a half... crazy. So we gave her a blessing and about 10 minutes later she was back to normal. It was pretty crazy. She usually faints when she gets super mad, but usually comes back. But luckily for us, and for her, if we hadnt taken the wrong turn, we wouldnt have seen her or been able to help her. I remember even looking down the right alleyway we were supposed to go down and I remember thinking that it didnt look right, and it was a place I had been down about 30 times, but I just kept walking. The Lord works in misterious ways.

*Another area in my district had a baptism and when I did the interview, the lady wanted me to baptize her. So I did. (fotos included)

*We are teaching a 22 year old girl that has a ton of questions (I love questions) but we were there in the member's house teaching her and it was my turn to share the first vision, so I shared it. I hadn't ever felt the Spirit so strong in one lesson. I almost started crying, the member almost started crying, and the investigator almost started crying. I felt so so happy and just wanted to sit there in silence. Even another evidence that the church is true, and that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration.

That was my week in a few brief sentences. It was a good week. I love being a missionary. The hardest thing is trying to find the people that are waiting for us. Its tough, but there aint nothin worth doing that was easy. (Elder Rucker has that written on his planner). I love Cowboy wisdom. I love this kid.

The church is true, I know it. I could never deny it, and I will never ever leave it. Open your mouth and share the gospel at least one time this week. Cherish your testimonies, and if you dont have one, GET ONE! All you have to do is read, think, and pray and ask God. He listens and loves us, and He always answers.

I miss you guys tons, but it's almost like I haven't seen you for about a year.... oh wait..... I plan to make this year even better than the first one. Wish me luck.

Changes are coming up the 24th. There is a 94% chance that I'm leaving my beloved town of San Antonio. We'll see how it goes. 

PS There is a member in my ward that has a sister that lives on the other side of Guatemala... the missionary assigned in her ward just happens to be Elder Chad Call.... oh man what a small world, and even smaller Guatemala.

PS We might be going to the temple this Friday (pray for that) and Im going to buy a whole ton of stuff. (aka garments, and other stuff maybe... good thing you didnt send me any, plus they are cheaper here).

I love you so so much, be good, and have a good week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

¿Que tal?

¿Que tal?

How are you??

I´m doing so so good. This week was a crazy one. I was thinking about my work for the past week this week and I relized I was only in my area for 2 full days of work. Let me tell you why..

Monday - P-day, I hope you got last weeks letter. Sorry, I was too ambitious trying to send 8 pictures and I´m only allowed to send 5 or 6 I think..

Tuesday - I worked in my area.... But I dont really remember what we did... but we worked.

Wednesday - I went to Reu for a District Leader meeting, man I just love hearing from President. I love that man. He is called of God to teach us and guide us. He was in a super good mood, joking the whole time and just being funny. He even interrupted one of the assistants that was talking just to say there were three types of pressure - divine pressure, pressure that isn´t divine, and pressure inside the stomach. Oh man it was good. But we really learned tons and everytime I listen to him my testimony and love for the gospel is strengthened. He showed us pictures of his branch where he was baptized. When he got baptized there were 5 in the branch, and three months later he was branch president. Then he showed us a picture of 8-9 months after his baptism of a branch of 40-50 people. Then another picture of the two stakes that are there in his town where he was baptized. The church is true, and growing. Then another picture of the day when he and Hermana Maravilla were sealed... they were skinny.

Thursday - I went to Samayac, an area in my district. I did an interview and we found a whole bunch of new people. I loved that day cause we worked hard, it didn´t rain, and I was just happy. I like Samayac.

Friday - The second full day of work in my area. We got a reference from a member for a little family, so we went with them to teach them, and it was GREAT! They live right by the cemetary and one of the members we were with has the biggest fear of cemetaries.... oh man it was SO funny. She almost started crying, but was laughing at the same time. We couldn´t help but make fun of her a little bit. (weird fear, am I right)?

Saturday and Sunday - CONFERENCE!!!!!!!! We got our own seperate english room, and just watched some conference all day. I loved the talk from M. Russell Ballard about the bees and honey. I have made it a goal to make the world more sweet, even though I´m just one person. I basically loved every single talk.. and I forgot to look over my notes to pick out my other favorites. There was another one that I loved by some 70 on Sunday... I don´t remember his name. Of course all of them were good, but I tried picking out stuff so I could be a better missionary.

Personal experience - I used to think it was weird when people used to say that they cherish their testimony or something like that. But these past few weeks I have learned so much, gained so much faith, and grown so much that I can finally say, "I CHERISH MY TESTIMONY." I never pass up the opportunity to share it these days. I know for a fact that God loves me, and you. We are His patojos, (kids). I know that His kingdom is here on earth, after being restored once again through Joseph Smith. I love the church, I love my Savior, Redeemer, Teacher, and I know that He lives. I have started whistling or humming hymns, it makes me feel happy.. and my favorite ones to sing or hum are, "If the Savior stood beside me," and, "Teach me to walk in the Light." I love those two. I´m so grateful for my mission. I love Guatemalans so much. 

Im so lucky, cause anytime I want fried chicken, there is always a little place to buy some!!! HAHA everyone just eats a ton of fried chicken. Well that´s it for another week... I love you all so so much. I hope everyone has a good week. 

Make the world a little sweeter, even if it´s just 1/12th of a teaspoon, just do it. God will bless you. Be good, and share the gospel with everyone. I love you so much!!!!!!!

-- 

Elder Jensen