Howdy!!!!!

"Because Derek, models do what they’re told."  "That’s not true."  "Yes it is Derek." "Okay."

Well, well, well . . .

This week was quite the exhaausting but good one!  As we all know, last Monday was an emergency transfer and I was sent off to the Zone of Tabuleiro!  Apparently, the last Zone Leader here had some problems with the Stake President's wife and she was ready to explode of extreme rage . . . So President just transferred him.  Good news?  I got called to take his place!  My companion is Elder Erler and he is from Pennsylvania and is super legit.  He and I were already buddies a little bit before.  He has a year and three months on the mission aaaaand . . . He got called to be a Zone Leader like two weeks ago!  Normally, President leaves someone as Junior Companion of ZLs for like two transfers so that they can teach someone else how to do it.  But he kinda just threw us into the situation this time to figure it out together.  Which is cool to know that President trusts us like that.  "Hey just throw Elder Jensen and Erler in there!"  Bad news?  Seems like I got called at a rough time.  Looks like this might be one of the first months in a long time that the mission is going to baptize less than 100 people in the month.  Our Zone just seems kinda of disorganized and unfocused.  We definitely have a ton to improve and fix. J ust gotta get working  =)

     

We have a few Elders that are training and some that are ending the mission.  It’s the dang lazy Elders that are ending their missions that I want to . . . Harm.  How can you teach "Endure to the End" for two years and yet you can’t even "endure to the end"?  What kind of hypocrisy is this?  It drives me absolutely NUTS.  But we also have some Elders that are focused and ready to work.  We will see what happens.  I’m just starting to understand this whole ZL thing right now.  We also have a ZL Meeting this week in Farol and splits with the Assistants.  So we should learn very, very much this week  =)

     

We were going to have a baptism this week but she drank coffee -________- #CoffeeSUCKS.  But apparently she is all good now and is getting ready for this week.  We are also preparing a young kid named Henrique to be baptized with her and possibly two other people that live with Nazaré.  Those two people weren’t in town this last week so I haven’t had the chance to meet them yet but . . . Faith!  We will baptize them!!!  We worked SUPER hard this last week.  We taught eight lessons a few days in a row and just #DIDWORK!  I know that our blessings are just around the corner because of our hard work  =)

       

This week was really good!  We worked our behinds off and are gettin’ goin’ in our Area, District and Zone.  I love you all!  Be good, be safe, write me lots.  I LOVE YOU!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

Dylan’s e-mail to his Dad  J

I think I answered the majority if your questions in the main email, but just to top it off  =)

     

I finished Jesus the Christ a few weeks back . . . I think I gained my Testimony of Christ because of that book alone.  It’s weird because all my life I knew who Jesus Christ was but I didn’t really understand his life.  That was awesome to read  =)  I read not all but a lot of The Miracle of Forgiveness as well . . . And I completely lost the desire to ever sin again in my life . . . Haha.  And now I am reading The Day of Defense which I know you tried to get me to read.  I think when I tried I didn’t understand the church enough but man . . . THIS BOOK IS GOLDEN.  I have learned so much!  I’m hoping to get my hands on a few books in the future . . . If you and Mom would like to send them to me for my Birthday feel SOOOOO, SO, SO , SO free to do so . . .

1 - The three volumes of "Doctrines of Salvation"

2 - The Great Apostasy

 3 - Mormon Doctrine

If you can find them, I would love to read them all  =)

         

Thanks for all your help and support! I LOVE YOU!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

Whoa!!!!!

So . . . I was sitting here waiting for Elder Harris to finish and we got a call from our Zone Leaders . . . And . . . I got transferred!  Emergency Transfers . . . So I am going to be a Zone Leader in Tabuleiro!  WHAT?  Super random and weird but cool!  But I’m headed out of Antares today!!  SO I gotta get packing and get my butt over there!  I LOVE YOU!!!!!

"A Pretty Good Week!!!!!"

"You gotta put your behind in the past"

Whuddup yall!

Well, well!  This week had its downer moments but all in all was a pretty good week!!!  We managed to meet a family where the mom and dad had spoken with missionaries and visited the church about ten years ago.  Anibal, the dad, doesn’t seem to have much interest, but is SUPER legit and wants his kids to gain all the knowledge that they can.  Because of this, they all went to church and are completely open to hearing the lessons.  Lots of prayers and fasts for them please!!!!!!

      

I got Stacie's guest e-mail and  I responded to her.  She's engaged?!?!?  How legit is that?  SUPER LEGIT . . . That’s how legit!!!!!!!!!!

This week was good!  I learned a lot about myself I think.  The world is crazy and the Lord expects A LOT of us!
    

A guy in our ward wants to know if it’s possible to get the six volumes of "History of the Church" and "Mormon Doctrine".  He said that they can be in English if they only have English.  Could you check that out and let me know how much it will be?  Thanks!

       

I got your package right after last week’s email.  I have been eating way too much chocolate!  Haha . . . Thank you!  I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!

It started raining super randomly this week and we were not prepared, so we didn’t have an umbrella.  Haha . . . So we just walked in the rain!  The work must continue!!!  It’s pretty funny how the Lord blessed me with a good attitude in stuff like that.  I don’t really know how he does it!

      

Unfortunately, I don’t have too terribly much to fill y’all in on this week.  Our investigator, Elizia, is getting’ married this week and will be baptized on the 11th of May.  So, keep her in your prayers as well.  My companionship also improved a great deal this week which is always a huge blessing  =)

     

I’m sorry I don’t have too much to fill y’all in on . . . The week was good . . . Just didn’t have huge results.  I love you all!  Write me lots, be good, be safe.  I LOVE YOU!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

Well, Woopidy Dee

Elder Jensen and his Zone

Hey Terry!  I did my my first desk pop!

Whuddup yall!

      

Well well well . . . This week was honestly a pretty rough one.  We are having huuuuuge difficulties with finding new investigators in our area.  We try so hard to choose carefully where we are gonna work and it is super hard now.  Everything close to the church is super rich or we can’t knock.  So we are planning this week to walk great distances to find new people.  We are gonna have to plan it out perfectly because we will need members to give them a ride to church most likely.  Please fast lots for us this week.

       

IN OTHER NEWS . . . *Start Star Wars Music* 

      AS ALL HOPE

SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN LOST,

ELDER JENSEN RECEIVED

A CALL FROM THE

LAST HOPE OF HIS WEEK.

HIS LAST HOPE,

NADJA...

"WHEN IS MY INTERVIEW,

AND WHAT TIME IS 

MY BAPTISM GOING

TO BE ON SATURDAY?"

Oh my gosh!  I was so freaking excited when Nadja called and said  that she was ready to be Baptized!  AND SHE WAS!  Nadja, after (more or less) ten-thousand years as an investigator, was finally Baptized on Saturday!  (And I’m still hearing the Star Wars intro music as I write)  So, YES!  That was for sure a huge miracle.  

Sarah, Elder Jensen, Nadja, Elder Harris, & Elder Bispo

So the week was rough but ended well!  I know that this next week is going to be much better  =)  I LOVE YOU ALL!!!  Write me lots, be good, be safe.  LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

Transfers!!!!!!

Our District!  Elder Harris lying down, Elder Bispo, Elder Webber, Elder Souza, ME, Elder Evangelista!

BAY AREAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well . . . I wasn’t transferred this week . . . No one in my District was transferred!  Yay!

What’s goin’ on errrrbody??  Unfortunately, this week didn’t really have too many exciting things goin’ down, so I think this letter will be a little bit smaller than usual.  But I will see what I can stir up for y’all in my brizain.

    

We started teaching a woman named Adriane and her family this week.  They are a super cool family and she is really kind and easy to talk to.  My companion doesn’t really speak very much with me, just like normal friend conversations, so having investigators that like to talk helps out a ton during the day.  With General Conference weekend, it gets a little more difficult to get people to church so she wasn’t able to go.  But we will go back this week and get everything all sorted out so that she can go with her family to church with us.  Nadja, of course, was still not baptized . . . She said this next Saturday is a FOR SURE thing sooooo I really hope she doesn’t come up with another weird excuse, cuz if she does . . . There is a solid chance that my brain will explode of frustration on this woman´s part!!  #IDontWantToExplode

        

General Conference was LEGIT and we got to watch in English!  I like watchin’ Conference in English because I like hearing their voices.  For example, when Elder Holland speaks, NO ONE can copy the emotion in his voice.  And the emotion is the strongest part!!!  I would have to say Elder Holland´s talk has, yet again, come out on top.  That guy is a STUD.  I hope that I can learn to speak like him someday!!!!!!

      

I’m sorry that I don’t have too terribly much to fill you all in on.  I will do my best this next week to find someone interesting to tell you all about.  And I know we all want pictures of Nadja’s Baptism!  #DoWorkSon!!!!!!!!!!

     

I love you all! Be good, be safe, write me lots. This church is true! I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

A SECA ACABOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (The drought ended)

Ben 10!!!!!!!!!!!

"If the moon was made of cream cheese . . . Would ya eat it?"

"Hey where did you get your clothes?  The toilet store?"

WHADDUP FAMÍLIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, this week we had great difficulties in finding new investigators.  It seems like Everson doesn’t really want to keep any commitments so we had to drop him.  Lucas, the kid that showed up to church was ready to be baptized, but we had a little bit of a problem. He lives some with his dad and someone else here.  He says he lives mostly here and that his uncle is responsible for him here, so we told him to get the signature of his uncle.  Well it turns out that the signature he got wasn’t even from his uncle.  It was the girlfriend of his uncle which has nothing to do with someone who has responsibility of the kid.  And apparently his family there is insane and smokes and drinks like crazy soooooo . . . Some members that live there heard them all arguing and said that they were talking about trying to go legally against the church to get money and all kinds of crazy stuff.  Needless to say, Lucas was not baptized . . . And crazy Brazilians DO exist.

         

We did however have a miracle baptism in Sarah!  She’s the little sister and cousin of two less actives that we reactivated.  Her mom was always sayin’ that she wasn’t ready to be baptized, but when she went to church without us even calling her, we had a pretty good reason to show her mom she was ready.  And her mom said, "Chill!!!!"  Not really.  But ya know what I mean.  She let her be baptized.  #BaptismSwag  #TheDroughtIsOver

Elder Jensen and Sarah at Sarah's Baptism

Sarah's dog followed us walking for about 25 minutes and sat through the entire baptism.
I have officially had a lizard and a dog inside of my baptisms now.  #WelcomeToMaceió

The week was overall, pretty dang good.  We didn’t have very good numbers, but things got crazy with trying to get the baptisms ready and especially when Easter weekend hit.  No one in the streets or wanting to hear a message.  Holidays here are insane.  It seems like the entire state of Alagoas is almost deserted.  So we only made two new investigators this week which . . . Stinks  :(  Elder Bispo and I are making some plans about how we are going to find new investigators this next week.  Last week of the transfer so I want everything to end PERFECTLY!

         

I started reading "The Miracle of Forgiveness" this week.  Yeah.  One of the strongest books I have ever read.  When I read, I honestly can feel the desire to do things that are wrong completely leave my mind and heart.  I read a quote this week that struck really hard.  It’s a strong quote, but super true.  "Hell is paved with good intentions."  How many times do we have "good intentions" but don’t actually do what we need to do?  We have the idea, we know what we have to do, but there is an easier way out.  Probably the way the Lord doesn’t hope for you to take.  The easier way is generally the way that Satan wants you to go.  Derek told me one time, "Anything worthwhile is something you have to work for."  And that is SO true.  The Gospel of Christ is hard work, but taking the easy way out is always paving the roads of Hell.  That’s a strong phrase, but its true and the Lord wants us all to understand it.  I know that.

         

I love you all so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Keep writing me lots and sending me lots and lots of chocolate.  You da you da best!!!!!!!!!!!  I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Dylan Miles Jensen

Elder Bispo, Sarah, and Elder Jensen at Sarah's Baptism