Tuesday, July 10, 2012

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 4th of July!  Not as cool as the 4th 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 4th 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

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