Howdy!!!!

Fact . . . After nine weeks with seven Sisters, I am much more prepared for marriage than for a Mission . . .

Well!  Not too much to report on . . . Just one thing!  We got to go proselyting on Monday!  Did I spell that right?  It was our first time.  SO FUN!  So, when I approached the first man, I stuck out my hand and said “Hi!  My name is Elder Jensen” and he tried to ignore me, but I was just lovin’ his awkwardness of trying to ignore me, so I just stood there for like 15 seconds until he finally acknowledged me.  Hahahahaha!  Aaaaaand . . . Then he said he didn’t like our Church.  YAY!  I finally felt like a true Missionary!  My first ever shut down  ☺  After that, we talked with a girl who believed in the Bible and was Catholic so we just had to compare the Book of Mormon and the Bible and she was very interested and accepting!  Pretty cool!  We felt legit.  We talked with two girls who wanted to talk about the Plan of Salvation . . . One guy ran across the street TO US to find out where our Church was and to learn more about it!  That was crazy!  The Lord was seriously blessing us out there.  We were understanding the majority of what people had to say all thanks to the Spirit.  I could tell Elder Krauser was nervous ‘cause he was acting all pumped up the whole day . . . Haha . . . It was pretty funny.  But when the time came, we were both ready and we let the Spirit do all the work!

Favorite part . . . We were walkin’ on a street and we met a lady but she kinda blew us off.  She was nice, but said she had to give keys to someone (we were right by a ton of apartments), so we let her go and kept walking.  But, we realized soon enough that we were going to walk straight onto the freeway.  Now, for those of you who don’t know, walking onto the freeway is a bad idea MOST of the time.  So, we decided not to do that.  We turned around and began walking back, and just as we did, we saw that same lady at the bus stop!  Just chillin’!  Hahahaha . . . So, as soon as she saw us she hunched over and covered her face with her hand and phone.  Oh my gosh . . . It was so priceless.  Elder Krause and I couldn’t stop laughing.  

Overall though . . . AWESOME first experience proselyting!  We gave out seven Books of Mormon and really had as much success as we could have hoped for.  The Lord really answered my prayers and I know that he was answering all of yours as well  ☺

Other than that, nothin’ too exciting.  Elders Reese and Jacob left this week which was really hard.  They were Elder Krause and my best friends out here.  REALLY gonna miss them, especially Elder Jacob.  That guy is gonna be a Prophet, I swear.  He said he looked up to me and learned from me . . . pffffff . . . I learned more from that Elder over these past eight weeks than he could ever know.  And none of it was ever intentional on his part.  He is truly an amazing Missionary and person.  He and Elder Reese are gonna kill it out there!

Well, that’s about it for this week  ☺  We get to go proselyting in the middle of downtown next week which should be way different but just as fun!  This week we just kind of stayed around the CTM . . . We are ready to switch it up!

I don’t know if I will be able to e-mail you all next week so if I don’t, please don’t panic.  I’ll just be out there doin’ work and I promise to e-mail you the moment I get the chance!  I’m so excited!  The Lord has truly prepared me for this time in my life for the past nineteen years and I’m glad that I finally get to pay Him back in some small way.

I love you all so much!!!!!!  Be good!  Next time I talk to you all, I will be in Maceio!  Pronte Sempre Pronto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Jensen

I'm not allowed to have a bad day!

Week 8!

This week was good!  Nothin’ too exciting of course once again . . . Haha . . . But it was solid.  I learned a looooooot this week about leadership and really stepping up when you need to.  I’ve never been in a TRUE leadership role, so it’s definitely a work in progress.  Just about gettin’ things done when they have to get done.  I was havin’ a bad day, but I realized . . . I’m not allowed to have a bad day!  Cuz I have to be the example and make everyone else want to be here and help others to achieve their goals.  Leadership is just service and I think I had kinda forgotten that.  But, that night I prayed a lot about it cuz I just wasn’t happy that day and all of a sudden the next day, the Spirit just . . . WHAM.  I was so happy again all of a sudden and remembered what I needed to be doin’.  Pretty cool  J  Prayers really are answered if we pray with everything we’ve got!!!!!

Other than that, nothin’ too exhilarating . . . Two weeks and I’ll be out there doin’ what I came here to do!  I feel as ready as ever!  Depending on the accent, I can carry conversations with people in only Portuguese and I’m able to teach most of the lessons!  Nothin’ is anywhere near perfect, of course, but the Lord really has answered my prayers for the Gift of Tongues (shout out to Derek for always helping me remember to pray for that and say “thank you” for that)!

Elder Reese and Elder Jacob leave this next week . . . I don’t know if I have mentioned them before actually.  But they are really my and Elder Krause’s two best friends here.  I can’t begin to explain how much I look up to Elder Jacob . . . That guy is a spiritual giant.  It’s so cool how much he has taught me and I don’t think any of it was even intentional.  But . . . I sent five pictures home today and one of them was with those two Elders, so you will see them soon, hopefully!  I’m gonna miss them a ton . . . That last week is going to be reeeeeeally hard without them.  We are always spendin’ time with them, but they are going to be GREAT missionaries!

Mom!  I met Elder Anderson!  The one that is goin’ to Maceio that I had added on Facebook . . . Haha . . . Pretty cool!  Here’s really nice and cool.  There are four or five others that came in with him that will be goin’ to Maceio as well.  But I’m so happy I’m gonna beat ‘em there!  MWAHA!!!!!!!!!!

I love you all so much!  Be good, be safe, write me lots and I’ll try my best to write back!  And send me lots of pictures . . . The Gospel is OH SOOOOOO GOOD.  Pronto sempre pronto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Jensen

Oi family!!!

Well, this week went by faster than I had expected it to!  But . . . Sad part . . . A lot of our Spanish speakin’ best friends left on Tuesday morning.  Those were the first good-byes that were really hard.  I know they are goin’ to do great!

 Not too much to report on this week.  It’s cool to see everyone in our District startin’ to get along more and more.  We improve every week and this last week went pretty well socially  =)

Ma . . . I forgot to thank you last week for the gift certificate to Mr. Cheneys!!!!  You have no idea how good those cookies are!  Haha!  I crave them every week, so it was definitely worth the while for you to pay for that!  Haha!  So, thank you!

I finished the Book of Mormon this last week!  Only the second time I have ever done it, but I am learning so much now that I am studying it diligently.  It’s crazy how much there is to learn if you truly pay attention.  Some really cool stuff!  Of course, the end is depressing, but the book teaches more than any other book in the world for sure  =)  I am learning so much about the Bible . . . So much cool stuff to learn.  And all of it helps me understand the Book of Mormon even more.  I know for a fact that these books, used together, are the complete word of God.  When we use these books together, we can know all things we need to know in this life.  They can answer every one of our questions, and bring us so close to our Heavenly Father, which is by far the best blessing that we could possibly be given!  =) 

Another random fact we learned in Priesthood meeting last Sunday.  So . . . John 6:35 talks about the Bread of Life, right?  Did you know that Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, literally means “house of bread”?  And . . . He was born in a manger which is just a place to eat . . . How cool is that?  So much symbolism!  I love it!

Anyway . . . I hope this e-mail isn’t too boring . . . Much to learn from the scriptures and I’ll leave it at that!

I love you all and I hope everything is goin’ great!  Please continue to write me lots!  I love you all!  Pronto Sempre Pronto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Jensen

  

We had so much ice cream for lunch!

Fact – When your brother’s girlfriend writes you a three page long letter, suddenly all the girls in your District become very interested in your letters . . .

Ola, family!!!!!

How is everyone doin’?  Happy 4^th of July!  Not as cool as the 4^th of May . . . But still cool.  Our cafeteria was covered in red, white and blue today and we got to eat hamburgers and fries and toooooooons of ice cream!  Pretty danged legit!

Well . . . Can you believe I’m in week 6?!?  A week from today, I was supposed to be just getting here!  That’s crazy!  I’m so glad I’m here and so far ahead of where I would be!  Even though I’m missing a lot right now, it will be worth it in two years!

This week was another solid week.  Every week we improve as a District which, of course, is awesome.  But there is always room for improvement.  Definitely room for more improvement.  But, as a District, everyone is really startin’ to get along a lot better which is awesome and a huge relief . . . Haha . . .

I’ve been learning so much this last week.  I feel like I really learned as much this last week as I have learned the other five weeks I’ve been here.  I have now read all through Genesis and I just finished Third Nephi.  I’m also in Chapter 13 or 14 of Second Nephi with the Portuguese scriptures (but I started in Second Nephi, so that one isn’t very cool at all) . . . Haha . . . But the point is that I never realized how much I truly have to learn.  There is so much more to this Gospel than I thought there was!  And it’s extremely fun to learn!  But I kinda feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day!  If I could, I would read all the time, but I guess I have to learn Portuguese, too . . . Or somethin’ like that?  I don’t know . . . Someone just mentioned it to me and it sounded like a good idea . . .

My companion and I have had a few days where we aaaaaaalmost go without English.  Of course, we are lot quieter on those days, haha, but it helps so much!  It forces us to think really hard and expand our vocabulary which is definitely needed.  I’m gonna be totally lost in the field because I don’t process or think fast enough and I for sure don’t know all the words.  But, hopefully, I’ll be prepared enough to the point where learning will be easy.  The gift of tongues really is an awesome thing.  The fact that my companion and I can communicate with each other and even with other Brazilians is a miracle in itself!  Prayers really do get answered  =)  I guess when you ask for something enough to the point where you’re basically begging, Heavenly Father is very willing to help you out!

My companion and I taught a lesson last week that was really cool.  It’s interesting how Gospel topics are sooooooo much easier than just normal communication.  Granted, we use Gospel topics more often, but still . . . We work hard at both.  But, when we went into this lesson, it was just like we knew exactly what to say and HOW to say it.  SO LEGIT!  When I get to the field and teach real lessons, I know Heavenly Father will be right there holdin’ me up like He was in this last week and ever since I’ve been here.

Kind of a cool story . . . I’ve been learning a lot about listening to the promptings of the Spirit.  I was just walkin’ back to class the other day and I felt like, “I think my Brazilian roommates are going to need my keys to the room” and, sure enough, I’m walkin’ back to our class and turn around to see them walkin’ down the hall and I just thought to myself, “No way!”  And, yeah . . . Precisamos seus chaves!  We need your keys!  Hahahaha!  It was so cool!  Nothing world changing, but it showed me that Heavenly Father is preparing me every day to know what I will need to do in the field.

On a 4^th of July note . . . About the National Anthem . . . Have you ever read the two verses after the main one we always sing?  They are reeeeeeeeeally cool.  We got to sing them all last night and I had never heard or seen them.  Check ‘em out!  =)

Well . . . I hope everything is goin’ well!  I love you all so much and I hope that these e-mails and stories help strengthen your testimonies.  If there is anything anyone wants to know, please write me.  I’d love to know what I can do to make these letters more interesting!

I love you all!  Be safe!  Be good!  Pronto sempre pronto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Jensen