Watch This!

Watch this... I´ve already watched it twice and I love it so so much!!!!

http://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#mountains-to-climb

God loves us. All we need to do is have faith in Him and He will bless us so so much. No problem is too big or too small for Him to help us. Trust in Him. Be happy. We are blessed. We are an eternal family. What could be better??

With lots of love - 

-- 

Elder Jensen

hi hi hi..

How are you?? I´m doing good here. Dad, Corey, and Brooke, lucky you guyses (haha) that you got to move furniture... me too. And I will be doing more moving this week.... Right now the mission is preparing for the 40+ missionaries that are coming in about 3 weeks. They are buying furniture, getting houses ready, and all kinds of stuff.... Did I mention that they are sending us a senior couple too?!?!? cool huh?... This week the office sent us enough furniture for 10 missionaries that we had to unload it from the truck and shove it in a house. 10 beds, 10 box springs, 10 closets, 10 desks, 10 bookshelves. It was fun though.... Then this week Elder Villatoro and I are changing houses FINALLY!!! The house we live in is horrible. The new one is nice... I will send you some pitchas next week.

Not much happened this week. We are having a hard time finding all of our investigators. No one is ever EVER home... everyone wants to meet with us at 7 o clock at night... so we ALWAYS have something to do at 7... sometimes we have 2 or 3 things to do at 7. It´s not fun sometimes. We can’t really visit all the members and less actives and investigators as often as we would like cause we are just 2... Something has to change.

The good news about my area, the members LOVE us. The missionaries that were here before only visited one or two families. When we visit people they always give us something to eat, and we are never hungry!!! It’s great! They always give us food or morcaf or atol or something.

I don’t really have much to write. I wish I had a story or something... Yesterday I spoke in church. Our bishop called me and asked me to do it 2 hours before church started... It went well... I love speaking in church.... I was actually nervous at first because this ward is a lot bigger than my other wards, and it’s a real sacrament room... BIG! haha I was just used to a little one! But it went well. I love the members here. I think every area I have, I love the members even more!!

I found this big ol orange book last night about Christ and His Apostles in my house… I love it. It basically goes through everything in Matthew Mark Luke and John. I’ve just been skimming it because it’s way too big, but I love it. I started it last night and I’m already on chapter 16... skimming it of course. I love reading these days. I love learning about Jesus Christ. I know He is my Savior and Redeemer. 

I was also reading a Liahona or something and I got the revelation to write why I’m here, why I’m a missionary.. here it goes. 

I’m a missionary because God loves me, He has given me so much. I’m a missionary because I have a testimony of the true church on earth. One day in the spring of 1820, Joseph Smith said a prayer, a prayer that the enemy himself tried to stop. I’m a missionary because Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, they talked, and through Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ restored His true church here on the earth. I’m a missionary because Christ suffered for my sins. Every single one of them. I’m a missionary because I love my Savior, and I know He lives. I love being a missionary; I love Guatemala, and the people here. I know the Book of Mormon and the Bible are the words of God. That’s why I’m a missionary, and I love it.

I love you all so much. I hope you have a fabulous week.

I sent some pictures that we took. After playing Elbol last week we took the picture with all of us and the ball because some missionaries had changes and we were sad. Then today we took pictures by El Palacio Maya... It’s just a building for cultural celebrations or something, I’m not really sure, but it’s cool..

Be good. With tons and tons of love from Guatemala,

Bella Guatemala

Hello my chickens.... whats up in S town?? Here in the other S town its rockin. Really though.. this week was a good one!! I loved it. There were highs, there were lows, and in betweens. I will definitely remember it forev...

This week we found TWO families, and a members brought 4 people to church yesterday!! We finally have teaching appointments set up and we have things to do rather than contact (which doesnt work) and just get to know members... The first family we found is a partial family. The husband is member, and the wife no. Before she didnt want anything with the church, but now she is wanting to want... haha. So some members invited us over for dinner and we ate and the family showed up, we taught them and we challenged the lady for baptism and she said, "me gustaria, pues." Which basically means, I would like to alright. something like that.... but we havent been able to find her lately... they went on a minitrip to Xela I think.

The other family we found are the parents of Tiffany Boyer.... I mean her look alike... all the kids are members, actually they have kids in Layton I think. The mom is a little rock... but the dad is awesome and really open. The mom thinks we are there just to baptize her. but we are there to share the truth with her. I love this stuff!!

This week we also saw presidente a lot. He came up on Friday for interviews, and I loved it. Then Sunday we had a meeting with him, the stake president, and us. The stake president told us if we baptize 20 people in one month, he will invite the zone to lunch... Im so excited for MARCH!!!! March is the month of miracles. I love march. Pray super hard for my zone, and the families!!! I need lots of prayers up here in Saint Mark....

Cool story - when we were waiting for interviews, Hna Maravilla told us a story about her life, about when they joined to church, about how Satan worked so hard to get them out of their city or out of the church. I loved every second of it. I cant say enough how much I love them!

Today we went to visit some waterfalls which happened to have a hot spring underneath. It ruled. We took tons of pictures. Then we went and ate ceviche (shrimp in no se que... look it up). Then we went to the church and played this game called Elball...(picture included). Its a game we made up here in the zone about a month ago. It is a mix between ping pong, volleyball, and tennis... we play with a tennis ball and my team made it to the championship.. but came up short FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW!!!!!! Man I hate to lose! But I do love Elball (Elder ball...)

I dont have much else to report except... I love you!! I hope you have a smashing week. Enjoy it, there is only one week 17 Feb-24 Feb 2013. Lucky us that God gave us this week huh??

God loves us so much, He sent His Son. Im trying to focus my teaching EVEN MORE in Jesus Christ. He is my Savior. I never skip a chance to testify about Him and His life, suffering, and death. Im His representative on this earth. This is His church. I know it without a doubt.

Im so happy here. I love the members, the bishop, stake president, Presidente y Hermana Maravilla, I love my companion, I love the cold, I love bread with warm milk, or Morcaf aka mormon coffee, or atol, or incaparina. I love tamalitos, I love the zone and I love being a missionary. I love life!!

Be good, be careful, be happy, be healthy, be smart, and be loved by me!! I love you!!!!

Good Stuff

Hi how are ya, hi how are ya.

What´s new?? Well here I am in San Marcos...... brrrrrrr... my hands are frozen.

But I love it here. The members are the best!!! But it´s hard to find people that want to listen to us. The people aren´t hard, there is just a lot more money here so everyone is always working!! Even on Sundays!! don´t they know about the sabbath day and to keep it holy??

Well on Tuesday we traveled to the hot of Reu for a zoney meeting with President Maravilla. Every month we have to go. It was a super good meeting, as always with President. I hope you can meet him one day, I´ve never met someone like him. He is amazing. I literally feel bad for the rest of the missionaries in the world because he isn´t their president. I love him. We were sitting in the meeting and president told us there wouldn´t be changes at the end of the month because only one missionary was entering, and then three weeks after that enter 40-50 missionaries... but President got an email on his phone kindly informing him that 9 visa waiters would be entering with the 1 at the end of the month... now there will be changes. crazy how the stuff changes. President took the opportunity to teach us right then and there that he can´t complain with the church and tell them no, that we can´t do the same with the missionaries that he sends to our zone. We have to accept the will of the Lord. We have to do our part to work hard in the work of the Lord. We can´t just say no. It doesn´t work that way.

The mission is going to be jam packed with missionaries. Basically the whole mission will be training. It´s so exciting to see how the Lord is hurrying His work. I love being a part of it. I know it´s His work. 

This week we found two investigators. Mario and Veronica. They are brother and sister and they are here studying. They went to church on Sunday and loved it. That´s about all the people we have teaching. It´s tough here, but we put a calendar in our chapel so the members can sign up which day they want us to come to their house and they will invite people over or we will contact with them. It´s a good plan!! I´m excited. Right now the whole mission is doing it and we are seeing a lot of success. 

I´m trying to think of more stuff that happened this week... but I can´t.

One time I bought a 2 pound bag of candy for 25 quetzales and ate it in 2 weeks.... the candies are like mambas and starbursts and i don´t know what else... but they are good. haha

Here in the mountains they don´t eat very many tortillas... more than anything they eat tamalitos (just little tamales) THEY ARE SO GOOD!!!! I literally feel like I´ve changed missions cause it´s a whole new world here. I´m so happy here. I know this is where I need to be.

I know I´m a child of God. He loves me so much. Yesterday I taught Gospel Principles about the creation. God created this world for us, and gave us bodies because He loves us so much. He even gave us a way to return to live with Him. He sent His Son to die for us, all He asks is that we are obedient to His commandments. I love my family so much, be good, look for opportunities to share your testimony.

If you wanna know what I´m studying right now you could look up a talk by Elder Holland called The Atonement and missionary work. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get all giddy inside when study time rolls around. and even more giddy to share what I learn with the members and non members. I love studying... weird right??

I love you.

-- 

Elder Jensen

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¿Como les va?

Hello family. ¿como les va?  

It´s really cold. The internet guy just opened the door to buy some atol, (look it up, I love atol), from some lady, and all kinds of cold air is pouring in. My toes are freezing!!! But I am getting more and more used to it. I love it here! In our closet of a house we keep all the doors shut just to keep the warmish air inside. It works out pretty nice. We are looking for another house... President says!!!

This week was a good one. We are getting to know and loving more and more the members. They are all working hard and trying to help us find families to teach. In the coast everyone and their dog lets us in their house. But here in the mountains the work is different. We have to rely a lot on the members and teach lots. The people here are a little smarter, and they work harder aka hay mas pisto... aka there is more money here.

Remember the earthquake a few months ago?? Well I´m living in one of the places that was hit really hard by the earthquake. There are a lot of members that live all over the place because their houses fell or were damaged, there are cracks in just about every wall. Everyonce in a while there are mini earthquakes.. The earth is still moving. When the earthquake happened, our stake center was a health center, now everyone talks about that. It´s cool.

Another good thing about San Marcos - I love Elder Villatoro. I´ve never gotten along with someone like I get along with him. He knows SO much about the scriptures too. (That is one thing I will take home with me is my love for the scriptures!!) We are crazy together!! Not too crazy, we understand there is a time and a place for everything, but the members love us. We are so excited, even though we have no one to teach and we are cold, WE LOVE BEING MISSIONARIES!!!!

This week we have a multi-zone conference with President. Every conference I love that man more. The conferences get better and better every time. He talked about agency. Right now he is raising the bar of obedience in the mission for three reasons - it´s good to be obedient, he is going home this year and he wants the mission to be super good, and in March enter 40 missionaries to the mission. The whole mission is going to be training.

The church is changing the dates of the changes. The 27th of Feb we have changes, then 3 weeks later we have changes and that is when the 40 enter. cool huh?? I´ll probably be here in San Marcos for a while. I´m excited.

I´ve grown so much this past week, learned a lot, and loved more. I´m more patient, more humble, I have a stronger testimony, and I love my Savior, my Redeemer. He lives. This is His kingdom on earth. I know it without a doubt. I love the scriptures. This week we have taught a lot of people about the faith. It is such a simple but powerful principle. If we have faith, we will see miracles in our lives, move the mountains that hold us back, and we are blessed. I love faith.

I love you all so much!!! Be super good, and safe and healthy and stuff.