Katelyn and Mitch's Birthday- August 19, 2013

Hello my amazing family,

Thank you for all of the great emails that were sent. I am truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life. Wow. How lucky am I? What an amazing day for Sam to receive his patriarchal blessing. After I read that letter last Monday, it was Sister Fenn and my turn to attend the single adult FHE for our ward. The FHE is held at one of our member's homes and is always a great spiritually uplifting time. The bishop was asked to come and talk a little bit about patriarchal blessings that night and I thought it was such a perfect moment knowing that my favorite youngest brother would be receiving his the next day. What a beautiful time that must have been. I still remember going to Patriarch Brown's house for mine. How time flies I tell you!

Well, I don't know when school starts in Utah, but school starts this week for people here in Gainesville. For P-Day we always go to Target and boy was it crowded! It seems like students are just popping out of bushes around here. It's weird being a missionary in a college town. I feel like I could just be doing my college shopping right there beside all of them. Where we live, however, it's more renters and students who are in graduate programs.

Well, to give some updates on a few things, we have not been able to really get a hold of Kaylyn much this last week because she has started school in another city and stays there from Monday to Thursday. She wasn't able to meet with us and wasn't in church so we're hoping that we can talk to her and schedule some sort of time that we can meet with her. She's really busy right now which makes it really hard, especially when she works on the weekends. We were able to meet with Georgia (investigator who previously said she didn't want to get baptized). We were able to talk to her about her concerns about getting baptized and read some verses in Mosiah 18. I know this is a huge leap of faith for her. She just wants to make sure that she's doing the right thing. We set up a baptismal date for the 31st and I just keep praying that she will stay strong from the adversary. Satin sure does get on my nerves sometimes. As we read the verses in Mosiah 18 and helped her feel that she really is ready for baptism, she finished reading the verse where it says that they shouted for joy. I didn't even ask her to read that one and she read it. She paused and said, I think I'm ready. She seriously amazes me. The last fast Sunday in the gospel principles class, the subject was the word of wisdom. Both Kaylyn and Georgia were there and I was thinking "well, this will be interesting since we haven't covered this with either of them." From our last visit with Georgia she told us that she had put her coffee machine away and wasn't drinking her tea any more. She is so devoted to God. I know she's ready for baptism. What a treat it would be to see her be baptized before I leave (I'm assuming I'll be leaving since that's been the norm for the Sisters assigned to this ward).

Oh, by the way I got my first dose of firelfies. Wow. Funny story, Sister Fenn and I were going to visit this less active that our relief society president asked us to check on. She lives way out and we had to take this long dirt road to her house. There were all of these signs like "bad dog" or "beware of dog" and "guard dog" all over as we drove through the trees to this house. Sister Fenn was like, there's no way I'm backing you out of here. I was expecting some vicious dog to jump out at us from the trees at any second. We drove up to the house and then this chihuahua comes out. Here we were freaking ourselves out about some huge dog that was pictured on all of these signs to come and eat us and then to see this chihuahua.  I was like, "you've got to be kidding me." It was pretty funny actually. Once we came out of her house to our car in her big grassy yard there were all of these fireflies. The best way to describe it was like magic. It was amazing. Absolutely beautiful. If I could have just bottled up the moment. God has made such a beautiful world.

Well this is getting way too long! But I love you all and pray you all are doing well!!

Love always,

Sister Jensen 

August 26, 2013

Hello Family and Friends!

I cannot believe how fast this last transfer flew by! I've been out here about 3 months already!?? That does not even seem real. The president called on Friday and has asked Sister Fenn and I to train. I guess this means I'll be white washing or opening an area. God sure knows how to spice things up here and there ;) I will do what he needs me to do though, even if it is hard. In fact, in mission life/real life he doesn't usually ask us to do easy things. He likes us to become true disciples of him. I was just reading in Mosiah today and reading of the afflictions that Alma and his people had but they dealt with them cheerfully and with patience. I don't think I've been able to relate to the scriptures so much in my life as I have as I've been out here on my mission. I love what Elder Wirthlin  said in a talk years ago of what his mother use to tell him, "come what may and love it."

This week has been pretty eventful. Sister Fenn and I went on exchanges with our sister training leaders. Those sisters are so amazing. They serve in the YSA branch on UF campus. We also had zone conference and I got to see three missionaries that came out in the field with me there. That was great to see familiar faces. One of the elders said something there to the effect: If this gospel weren't true, there's no way this work would progress. You take two missionaries, you give them a gas card, an apartment, a debit card with $140 a month and then you just drop them off and say "go share the gospel". It's amazing how involved God is in this work.

This Saturday is not only a big day in Gainesville because it's the first gator's football game, but Georgia Kings is getting baptized!! Georgia had her interviews with Elder Gao and the bishop after church on Sunday. I felt so bad when she was going to them because she was SO nervous! When she came out of both interviews, however, she was just beaming. I can't wait for her to feel that amazing spirit as she finally enters into the waters of baptism and then receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. What a great way to end a transfer for me!

Sister Fenn and I haven't been able to meet with Daniel and Sam for a couple of weeks because they have been soo busy! (the miracle find). We were in their area last night and were talking to one of their neighbors because we had knocked on their door and they weren't there. As we were talking, we saw a few people carry a mattress into Daniel and Sam's apartment so we decided to knock and see if Sam and Daniel were there with them. Sure enough, they were! It was getting close to nine o'clock and we have to be home by nine if we're not in a lesson and nine thirty if we are. Daniel seemed to want us to share some more with them. We decided we would have a quick lesson before we had to go back. The spirit was so strong in that room. Daniel and Sam were asking questions from our last visit. I could see, and have seen in Daniel, how he is just holding so much inside him. That's because of some things his old mentor in their church said or did to them and the fact that he and Sam have lived together. We shared a scripture on repentance and then I felt impressed to share that we have to forgive others of the things that they have done to us if we expect God to forgive us. Daniel couldn't look me in the eyes. I knew he knew what I was saying was true. I asked him if he would pray and ask God to help him forgive those who had offended him. He didn't commit, but we'll help him as we meet with him and Sam again. Sam and Daniel are some of the best people I've ever met. I know that God loves each of them very much. I know that we have to forgive in order to be forgiven of our transgressions as well. I was grateful to truly have the spirit be the teacher in that lesson and am so grateful for the healing that comes through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.

Read and pray every day!

Sister Jensen

August 12, 2013

Hello,

What a wonderful week it sounds like you have been having! What a fun trip up to Island Park. Right now a dip in a river sounds like a great idea. Sam, I am so excited for you to get your patriarchal blessing. You are such an amazing kid and I am so grateful to have you as a brother. And of course, I loved that letter the other day. I hope you got mine. 

Sometimes it's really hard being a missionary. I feel like my weaknesses are held under a magnifying glass. It's hard not to get really down with myself when there is so much I could be better at. Before coming out on my mission, I remember worrying about the trainer I would get. I really wanted to get a trainer who was really experienced and had been out a long time. God seems to have different plans many of the time. And now, here I am training someone at six weeks. It's hard not being able to talk about the gospel in the way that I would want, but in spite of all of my many weakness, God seems to pull it all together. 

To fill our time, Sister Fenn and I put down less active members names and knock around them because we haven't received the "ok" yet from the bishop to visit them. This gives us some direction to go during our day. On Tuesday we had a less active written who lived in a complex that I had only been once before with Sister Toledo. I remember her telling me that she and her last companion had knocked around there, so I was searching where we needed to knock. I kept repeating to myself "Heavenly Father, where do we need to go, where should we go." I kept looking around the complex thinking where we could knock. Two apartment hallways caught my attention so I told Sister Fenn that we would knock around there. We headed for one of the hallways that I was thinking of. We walked over and right when we started into the hallway a man was carrying some things down from the upper floor of apartments. We asked him how he was doing and if he needed some help. He was hesitant of taking two nineteen and twenty year old gal's help. He said "oh, no, I'm fine." I've come to learn myself that you need to be a little pushy to know if someone really does want or need help. I said, "no really, we'll help you." He accepted and said how that would actually be really nice. Some of the managers had told him that he needed to be out at 12:00 which he hadn't realized and here it was 1:00. His expression told us what a crazy coincidence that we were helping him. We hardly helped him. He had already moved most everything into the other apartment in the same complex that he was moving into. He genuinely thanked us over and over for our help and we were just like, "no, really we hardly did anything." He went in to further detail that he was so grateful we came. He said that he was really bitter and was talking to God before we came. He said he had been moving since 7:00 am until the time we came and there had been no one around and then all of a sudden we showed up and asked to help him. It turns out he had been a minister and hadn't been to church for two years because of some things that happened. He and his girlfriend were living together and he just was saying how he knew it was wrong and that they were trying to figure it all out. We told him we would come back the next morning when his fiance was there and help them organize their things in their apartment. We ended up coming back the next morning and we started helping them but they wanted to talk more than anything. We shared with them the message of the restoration and a light and understanding of the message showed on their faces. We gave them a Book of Mormon and Sam (the fiance) and Daniel said they would do it. Sam was like, I really will. I don't just say something. They weren't able to come to church with us this Sunday, but Sister Fenn and I stopped by their place in the evening to check on them. Sam didn't have her ring on and she said that they were going to stop living together and get their lives right again. I was thinking, well that makes teaching the law of chastity so much easier. ;) It was such a miracle. They are so elect!!! My heart kind of breaks in the fact that I will most likely be transferred at the beginning of next month, but I hope and pray Sister Fenn will be able to teach them and get to see them baptized. I can't wait to meet with them again. 

We have been given some service opportunities this week. One of them was told to us by our ward mission leader. He is in his pediatric dental residency and told us of one of his fellow classmates who was moving. She had such a terrible experience with her last movers and he told her that he could get some people to help her out. We, as a district, went over and moved her whole apartment out and then moved all of her things into her new one. She was so grateful and was asking us all of these questions about being missionaries and it was such a great opportunity. Her mom lived in upstate New York and just kept saying how impressed she's always been with the mormons and how service oriented they are. I've noticed one thing that many people say. You all are just so happy. Lorielle (the gal moving) told Sister Fenn this as she drove us over to her new apartment. She said every mormon she knew was always just sooo nice and so happy. I just want to be like, "It's because the gospel is true!!" We know how we can be happy in this life. 

Well, family, thanks for all of your love and support. It is definitely needed and appreciated. I pray for you often and hope for your success in all you do. Give Claire some major loving from me and take her on a walk around the block ;) I sure miss that sometimes. Thanks for your wonderful thoughts and great examples! 

xoxoox

Sister Jensen

August 5, 2013

Dear Mom,

 

Sorry for keeping this short and for anyone who wrote me an email and I didn't get back to you, I will try and respond next week. An hour and a half seems like a long time but it goes by so fast when you're trying to respond to everyone. Mitchell, CONGRATULATIONS on just being amazing! I cannot wait to hear where you and Katelyn head to do medical school. You've got a proud sister out here in Florida. Sister Fenn (that's my companion's name, mom) and I had a dinner with a family in our ward yesterday. They're a young family in their anesthesia residency at UF. The mom reminds me so much of your mom Mitch and her little boy reminds me of Lucus. Such a cute family.

 

Well this week has been great. Being a trainer is stressful but it's been good. Sister Fenn and I get along really well. She is very easy going and I can stress out pretty easily, so sometimes she has to slap me back into shape. ;) I'll send pictures next time because my time is running really short.

 

So... highights of the week. We have been teaching Kaylyn who is preparing for baptism on the 17th. With school starting and trying to get all of the lessons covered, we may have to extend that date. We taught a lesson on keeping the sabbath day holy. This was something I felt we needed to bring up to help prepare her for baptism because she works almost all Sundays. The next visit we had with her she expressed her concerns from the previous lesson. She is worried because Sundays are one of the only days she can work with school, etc. We just helped her realize that when we keep the commandments, God will bless us and he will provide a way. And then in church the Sunday school lesson was on the word of wisdom (which we haven't gotten to in the lessons). I was a little apprehensive about this but it turned out well. She was just laughing and telling me how she feels like she's doing great and then there's one more thing she needs to fix. Ha! I'm glad she took it well?

 

Sister Fenn and I were able to stop by and see Georgia the other week. We invited her to church and she said she would come. Saturday came along and she called us telling us that she decided she didn't want to go, but she would attend The Rock Church and then decide if the mormon church was for her. I talked to her that she needed to go to our church to know if it was true, not another church. It was such a miracle to see her come to church yesterday and she even told us we could come over on Tuesday!! I pray she will receive her answer of her heartfelt prayer that this is the path for her.

 

All my love!!

 

Sister Jensen