You gotta put your behind in the past!

Ranielly's Baptism

Whuddup, family!!!!!!

Well, well, well . . .  This week!  First off . . . Ranielly was Baptized!!!  WOO HOO!!!!!!  The Baptism started about an hour and a half late because people here are kinda . . . Slow to arrive.  But the important part is that the Baptism DID happen!  Her husband, Rafael, Baptized her as well which was really cool.  I think that they were both extremely nervous so it was super fun  =)

Wedja . . . Well, she got super sick  =(  So she wasn’t Baptized.  "Ya hear that!?  Bears!  Now ya put the whole station in jeopardy!"  That was a total bummer, but she says she is going to be Baptized this next week between the General Conference sessions on Saturday!

A girl named Samara (I don’t remember if I talked about her last week?) also went to church again!  She has nothing stopping her up until now.  The only thing that is being difficult is that the woman that takes her to church with her isn’t obeying the rules of which Ward she is supposed to go to.  So Samara is being a little difficult with wanting to go to the other Ward.  This week she went to our Ward half of the time and to the other Ward the other half -____-  Almoooooost.  She will understand.  It’s the member that is causing the problem.  If the member told her what’s up, all of this would be extremely simple!

We also starting teaching a kid named Lucas this week.  We also had gone to the other Ward for two weeks but the Missionaries there passed the referral to us.  Lucas lives with his Grandma and is starting to make some bad decisions with friends and stuff like that.  Basically . . . If he gets Baptized and stays strong it could save his life because the kid is headed in a reeeeeally bad direction.  He is only 14 and already started smoking and all that stuff . . . He WANTS to be Baptized.  I just hope that he also learns to make new friends, which he has already started doing at church.  The hardest thing for him is going to be leaving past relationships in the past so that he can have better influences.  Pray lots for him!  Him and Samara are both marked to be Baptized with Wedja this Saturday  =)

This week we had to do quite a bit of planning for Leadership Council tomorrow . . . We are going to talk a lot about the Atonement and enduring when things get difficult.  Our Mission had a good month this month and we saw some serious progress.  Our fear is that the Missionaries are going to relax after having done well.  So we hope we can help with that tomorrow.  President isn’t going to be at our Meeting so . . . I’m presiding tomorrow!  Hahaha!  That’s gonna be funny to me I think.

Really though, I’m so grateful for the Atonement.  What more could I do that the Savior paid the price for me to be able to do?  I’m trying to make that the theme of the end of my Mission . . . I want to finish really strong.   

This next week is going to be SUPER fast.  We have a meeting tomorrow and then we are going to travel to Aracaju.  Wednesday we are going to do divisions with Aracaju North and Aracaju South.  I’m going to stay in the north and Elder Wigginton is going to stay in the South.  Then on Thursday we have to get the bus at 6:30 AM (DANG IT!).  We get back to Maceió that afternoon and then the rest of the day is following up on our investigators and Baptismal Interviews on Friday.  Then Saturday is General Conference and the Baptism, the Sunday is General Conference.  We are excited!

I love you all!!!! Be good, be safe! 

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

     

Nature . . . Goulet . . .

We have been quoting Saturday Night Live a looooot in our house these days. Specifically Robert Goulet...

How’s it goin’ y’all!?!?!?

Dang this week was super exhausting.  Elder Wigginton and I were both wiped out by the time Sunday came around.  It was an interesting week too though.  I always remember in basketball when dad would say, "Trying your hardest isn’t enough.  You have to have stats.”  I try to use that out here.  There is always something that can be done.  If you aren’t doing well, it’s because you have to change something.  So we decided to change our tactics!  We had been doing lots of contacts and what not and it just wasn’t going right . . . So this last week we tried really hard to work with the members and dang!  It went really well!  We got like 11 referrals last week and marked Baptisms of the majority of them.  Unfortunately, not everyone showed up to church but that always happens . . . Haha. 

     

Raielly went to church with her husband Rafael on Sunday.  Bishop also taught a lesson with us on Saturday night with them which was awesome.  I love our Bishop.  He is an absolute NUT and he works suuuuper hard.  He had an interview with Rafael right after church to tell Rafael that he needs to step up, help his wife be Baptized this Saturday and that he needs to be worthy to Baptize her.  LOVED IT.  When we taught them last night, Rafael was all over it.  He cleaned up the house and kept tellin’ her all kinds of stuff to encourage her.  Anyways, she is all set for this Saturday  =D

     

Wedja also went to church this week and is all set for this Saturday.  There really isn’t anything too complicated with her.  She is totally ready and obeys all the commandments already.  She was just a blessing from Heaven . . .

When I was in Tabuleiro, there was a woman there who helped us Baptize seven people in a month . . . Anyway, she moved to our area so we started working with her and taught a girl close to where she lives.  Her name is Samara and she is 17.  Super chill and relaxed and is lovin’ everything up until now.  She is marked for April 5^th, which is General Conference but we will get it all sorted out.  Maybe we will have to do it on the 4th.  But the important thing is that it will happen!

     

We are here in the office right now and there is a girl that is a member that works here . . . Basically I am totally not ready to date.  She is venting about like everything in her life and I feel really bad because I just . . . Don’t care that bad . . . Hahahaha.  It’s like all these super little things about fights in her life . . . Come on!  I’m tryin’ to write to my family!!!!  Oh well.  Life goes on.

     

This next week is gonna be really nuts again but I’m excited  =)  I love you all!!!!!!!!!!  Be good, be safe!!!!!  LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Goooooood Afternoon, errrrbody!

How’s it goin!?!?!?  Man, this week was pretty dang tiring but, once again, passed wayyyy too fast.  We actually were’nt able to get too much done this week . . . Haha . . . Things just weren’t going like we wanted them to go!!!  Every commitment we had fell through for about two or three days straight . . . Hahaha.  But being with Elder Wigginton makes everything fine because he is super chill and positive so it was good.  We DID have a few miracles though!!!! 

   

The first was a woman named Ranielly.  We had a terrible day and at the last moment she called us over to talk.  People generally don’t ASK us to talk to them so I was slightly weirded out at first . . . Haha.  Anyways, we found out that she has already been to church a lot but in another ward.  She is married (LEGALLY) to a less-active that almost went on a Mission a few years ago buuuut . . . They had a baby soooo that didn’t go as planned.  When they moved here to our area they stopped going to church and the husband, Rafael, started drinking and smoking  =(  It was interesting because Ranielly recognizes completely that her family is worse now that they don’t go to church.  She realizes that they were happier when they went to church together and learned about the principles of the Gospel.  So we marked her Baptism for the 29th!  It’s lookin’ good!  They didn’t go to church because it was Stake Conference with an Area Seventy and they didn’t want to go to another part of the city . . . Haha. But they said they will go this next Sunday  =)

   

The other miracle was a woman named Cristina who was a member from another ward.  She moved here as well a few months ago and stopped going to church.  She called us over and asked where the church was and what not aaaand she has a daughter that was never Baptized!  Woo hoo!  Her daughter’s name is Wedja and her baptism is set for the 29th as well.  Wedja got some weird eye infection this last week so she didn’t go to Stake Conference with Cristina BUT they both went to Cristina's original ward.  So that was for sure a miracle as well!

   

Aaaaaand Alvaro and Renata . . . I almost blew up yesterday after our lesson with them.  They both went to Stake Conference which was great but they are driving me NUTS.  We taught them a lesson yesterday and they both know that the church is true and that they need to be Baptized they just . . . Aren’t doing it.  For no reason at all.  They are just afraid to really decide.  Alvaro totally wants to.  Renata does too but not as much as him.  I am POSITIVE that if one of them had said "I’m going" the other was going to say the same thing.  But they are both super scared to take the initiative.  Renata said "I felt a peace so strong come over me the other day when we said a prayer together that I almost cried.  And I felt that same thing today at Conference.  But I need an answer from God still."  DUDE.  COME ON. SERIOUSLY!?!?!?  She has already received soooo many answers!!!!!!!!  They said they are going to pray about it but I don’t know what else they expect . . . od is only going to do what they can’t do for themselves.  Now they have to decide. 

     

Aaaaanyways!  IN ALL it was a good week with lots of miracles and we are excited to get at it again this next week  =)  I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

A Week of Miracles!!!!!

The Staff  =)

Whuddddduuuuuup!?!?!?!?

I sure hope all you guys are doin’ great!  I miss you tons!  I miss March Madness even more . . . But I still miss you guys  =D 

     

This week went by way too fast like always!  Monday was all getting ready for transfers and then Tuesday was transfers.  So we got to get all the greenies from the airport and eat at the Mission Home and all that good stuff.  There’s a guy from Maceió that just left for his Mission and met all these missionaries in the CTM in São Paulo . . . He talked a bunch of crap about our Mission and everyone got here thinking they were going to get shot at, robbed and never Baptize.  I WAS SO MAD.  If you want to ruin your mission go for it.  But don’t ruin other peoples’ missions.  If you don’t have faith then let yourself suffer, but don’t make others suffer.  I WAS SOOOOOO MAD!!!!!!!!  Especially because I know that kid.  Anyways, don’t talk about people or places.  It doesn’t help anyone or anything . . . It just helps me lose more hair!

     

Baptism of Poliane and Poliana with Edna  =)

Tuesday, Edna, a less-active, called out of nowhere and said that her daughters, Poliane and Poliana, wanted to be BAPTIZED!!!  That was suuuuuch a huge miracle!  I was beyond excited.  Things just clicked for Edna last Sunday and she got super excited again and that’s that!  Poliane and Poliana were Baptized on Saturday night  =)

   

We found out that David isn’t married legally this last week  =(  He only has a União Estável ( I don’t know what that word is in English) but it basically just means a division of all possessions.  The problem is that it can be for ANYONE.  So the Church doesn’t recognize it as a legal marriage . . . So he might take a while longer for him to be Baptized because of that one.  He also didn’t go to church on Sunday and we don’t know what happened there . . . So the situation with David is very . . . "Mais ou Menos"! 

         

A couple that we taught a few times (MARRIES LEGALLY HALLELUJAH) went to church this week as well!  They are already really close to getting’ Baptized.  Generally they go to one of my old wards, Antares, because Renata (the wife) likes that ward more and has more friends there.  But because of the distance it sounds like Alavaro (The husband) is wanting to start going to the right ward.  So pray lots for them.  They are kind of our gold right now.

       

We weren’t able to meet too many people this week because of lack of time . . . Like always.  But we pray lots to have miracles and Baptize weekly.  I’ve never done it BUT it is the goal!  But working with Elder Wigginton is sooooo much fun. I think his sense of humor is really close to mine so we get along really well.  It’s nice to serve with Californians  =)

       

I SURE LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!  Be good, be safe, write lots!  LOVE YOU!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

SO TREAT HER RIGHT, TREAT HER RIGHT!!!!

Elders Jensen and Pires
He is from Cabo Verde! An island off the coast of Africa.

Howdy Hey!!!!

How’s it goooooin!?!?!? 

     

Man.  I’m not gonna lie.  This week was kinda a tough one.  Seemed like we could just not get it goin for the life of us!!!!  We were workin and all that good stuff but we just weren’t meeting any of the right people.  Honestly, I take blame for that one.  I was pretty dang stressed out this week with life.  Lots of stuff to think about with the mission and all the missionaries and how we are going to fix some problems.  We just aren’t Baptizing as much as we can and it’s frustrating.  Actually, we had a meeting with President about our next Leadership Council which usually goes on for a while talking about ideas and stuff.  He just looked at us and said . . . "Baptize.  That’s the topic".  So I am actually pretty excited!!  I love specific stuff so I know it will be good. 

       

Elder Jensen, Me, Aristoteles, Val & Elder Rodrigues

I am learning to handle different difficult situations.  I think that that is something I am going to need after the Mission.  Being able to handle lots of stuff at the same time.  But at the same time, I recognize that I need to improve A LOT on this.  I got really stressed out and I think I lost a little bit of focus so we didn’t receive as many blessings as we could have . . . Just gotta keep ya head up!

     

David didn’t go to church because his daughter got sick  =(  But he seems like is progressing a loooooot!  He is even seems less hesitant about Baptism.  We have him set to be Baptized this week, but we don’t know what’s up with coffee and some other commandments so . . . Pray lots for him!

       

This week . . . W’s mom didn’t allow him to be Baptized and we found out that J didn’t want to be Baptized . . . This week all the youth on our whole Mission are in another city for EFY.  Our Bishop is super legit and invited J and S to go to EFY but the dad wouldn’t let them go . . . S wouldn’t even talk to us after all that stuff . . . #MADEMEANGRY  

This week I had a division with Elder Harris and we taught a less-active kid.  His mom just kept complaining about how he wasn’t going to church anymore and all that good stuff . . . But she didn’t want anything to do with anything . . . For real?  How are you going to tell your kid he needs to do something and you don’t do it yourself? Basically, I ended up telling the kid that I was happy he was Baptized and can be saved. 

We got to go to São Miguel and see the famile that we Baptized!!!
Gilbeno, Cicera, Kayke and Juninho =)

Earlier that day, I went with Elder Harris to teach a guy that has already gone to church quite a few times but didn’t want to be Baptized because of his girlfriend that lives in another city.  I don’t know how, but we went there to teach him and the words came out of my mouth super naturally and the guy finally decided to get Baptized on the 8th!  He said, "No, I’m not gonna tell my girlfriend.  It’s better to just lie so that I can be Baptized".  Errrrrr . . . Keep the bigger commandment?  Anyway, I felt really good that I was able to help them out in their area  =)  It’s always good to be used as a blessing for other people!!!

           

Elder Rodrigues goes home this week  =(  I freaking love this kid.  I feel like we are way better friends now than when he trained me.  I think that we have both changed and grown a ton since that time so it was a huge blessing to be able to serve with him again.  Gonna miss him!  But I’m excited for him as well  =)  

Elders Jensen and Jung
The paper says, "Follow your leader"
We just kinda like to act weird, that's all . . .

Anyways!  This week had its trials but . . . Trials are good  =)  They make us better.  I learned this week to stay focused and always lead by example.  I learned that if we do what the Lord asks first, all other things fall right into place  =)

         

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Be good, be safe, write lots! LOVE YOU!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen