Friday, February 26, 2016
Service in Chatsworth California
Monday, February 22, 2016
We need to have broken in hearts so the lord can use us and work through us
February 22, 2016
Hey!
Another week down in California! This week flew by because we were just so busy. Every night we just came home and fell asleep instantly. That's a good thing though...it means we're putting in work.
We met with Anne Lavad again this week and she committed herself to a baptismal date without us even having to ask her which was pretty cool! It would be nice if it was like that every time. She wants to get baptized in three weeks on the 13th of March. The only thing holding her back at this point is her recent heart surgery. The doctors haven't cleared her to go into water yet and she's meeting with them in a few weeks to try and get cleared. We are going to give her a blessing before she goes to the doctor to help out.
We ran into a bunch of less actives this week that we never even knew about. We found Lynne and Sandy. We actually knocked into Sandy and found out that he had just gotten out of prison, he was baptized as a child, but fell away from the church. He wants to meet with us and come back to church now. It was a straight miracle that we found him!
We got a referral from the Spanish sisters, her name is Susan. She is from Lebanon and she is blind. She learned a little about the church 30 years ago from her neighbors who were LDS, but they moved away and she never got back into it. Then the sisters knocked on her door, and she told us that she took that as a sign she needs to learn more about this church. She is super interested and I'm so excited to start teaching her. It just goes to show that one good experience or memory about the church can impact people later down the road when they are ready to learn. Also I get to give out the first braille Book of Mormon on my mission!
Pamela Spencer is doing good. She think she'll be ready to get baptized soon. We are just focusing on building her testimony of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon because that's what she is still a little skeptical of. She's been reading a little here and there and it's been cool to watch her testimony grow over the past few weeks because of that.
We did some service for a less active member in the Sherman Oaks ward this week. We took out a bunch of grass in his yard and filled an entire trailer. As the Sherman Oaks elders were driving us back to our car we drove through a NCIS Los Angeles set and got in trouble hahaha! It was kinda cool because we saw all the actors and stuff.
Message of the week: We had Elder Echo-Hawk and Elder Pimentel come speak during stake conference this week. Elder Pimentel had an awesome analogy that I'm gonna share with you. When you get a new baseball glove it's all shiny and new but it's practically worthless. The ball get's thrown to you and it's so stiff that you can't close it to catch the ball. You have to break it in and loosen it up a bit so that you can catch the ball when the time comes. We need to have broken in hearts so the lord can use us and work through us. We are the baseball glove on his hand and it's our job to break ourselves in. We can't be stiff vessels or else when the time comes...he won't be able to use us the way he needs.
Well have a great week and remember that it's good to have a broken in heart!
Elder Jensen
Hey!
Another week down in California! This week flew by because we were just so busy. Every night we just came home and fell asleep instantly. That's a good thing though...it means we're putting in work.
We met with Anne Lavad again this week and she committed herself to a baptismal date without us even having to ask her which was pretty cool! It would be nice if it was like that every time. She wants to get baptized in three weeks on the 13th of March. The only thing holding her back at this point is her recent heart surgery. The doctors haven't cleared her to go into water yet and she's meeting with them in a few weeks to try and get cleared. We are going to give her a blessing before she goes to the doctor to help out.
We ran into a bunch of less actives this week that we never even knew about. We found Lynne and Sandy. We actually knocked into Sandy and found out that he had just gotten out of prison, he was baptized as a child, but fell away from the church. He wants to meet with us and come back to church now. It was a straight miracle that we found him!
We got a referral from the Spanish sisters, her name is Susan. She is from Lebanon and she is blind. She learned a little about the church 30 years ago from her neighbors who were LDS, but they moved away and she never got back into it. Then the sisters knocked on her door, and she told us that she took that as a sign she needs to learn more about this church. She is super interested and I'm so excited to start teaching her. It just goes to show that one good experience or memory about the church can impact people later down the road when they are ready to learn. Also I get to give out the first braille Book of Mormon on my mission!
Pamela Spencer is doing good. She think she'll be ready to get baptized soon. We are just focusing on building her testimony of Joseph Smith and The Book of Mormon because that's what she is still a little skeptical of. She's been reading a little here and there and it's been cool to watch her testimony grow over the past few weeks because of that.
We did some service for a less active member in the Sherman Oaks ward this week. We took out a bunch of grass in his yard and filled an entire trailer. As the Sherman Oaks elders were driving us back to our car we drove through a NCIS Los Angeles set and got in trouble hahaha! It was kinda cool because we saw all the actors and stuff.
Message of the week: We had Elder Echo-Hawk and Elder Pimentel come speak during stake conference this week. Elder Pimentel had an awesome analogy that I'm gonna share with you. When you get a new baseball glove it's all shiny and new but it's practically worthless. The ball get's thrown to you and it's so stiff that you can't close it to catch the ball. You have to break it in and loosen it up a bit so that you can catch the ball when the time comes. We need to have broken in hearts so the lord can use us and work through us. We are the baseball glove on his hand and it's our job to break ourselves in. We can't be stiff vessels or else when the time comes...he won't be able to use us the way he needs.
Well have a great week and remember that it's good to have a broken in heart!
Elder Jensen
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| Elder Shaw, Elder Wade, Elder Horito and Myslef doing service for Gary in the Sherman Oaks ward. |
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| Working at Gary's with Elder Wade, Elder Horito, Elder Shaw and Myself. |
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| Thank you so much for all the decorations and treats Annalisa!! I loved them so much!! |
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| I miss you Annalisa, but the picture was awesome cuz it was like you were giving me a hug!!! Thank you for being the best sister ever! |
Monday, February 15, 2016
We have been so blessed by the Lord
Hey Guys! This week was amazing! So much happened and we have been so blessed by the Lord.
We had our last lesson with Eddy this week and he's already being a missionary! As we were walking to his door a woman came up to us and started telling us her life story in Spanish. We had no idea what she was saying and she thought we were being rude by not replying but then Eddy came to the rescue and translated for us! She had read the entire Book of Mormon by herself and wanted to take the lessons. She had just come from Honduras and really had an amazing life story. Eddy bore his testimony and told her how the gospel could mend her broken heart and give her new direction and purpose in life. The woman started crying and the Spirit was so strong even though we were on a busy street corner. We knew right then that Eddy was going to be an awesome addition to the ward! We also had his Baptism this week! He asked me to baptize him and it was such an awesome experience. I was a little worried at first because they only filled the fount up to my knees but I got him under. After I brought him up out of the water he just hugged me and couldn't stop crying. He was so happy!! He bore his testimony after the Baptism and said he is no longer his old self...he is now Saint Eddy. I love that guy so much!!! He is going to be an amazing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! He was so prepared and we just came into the picture at the right time. We are so blessed here in Encino.
We met with Pamela Spencer again this week and taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She liked it a ton and is still skeptical but we told her that the Gospel is like a relationship. If you don't put in any effort it won't work! So She promised to read her scriptures (which she hasn't done yet) and pray about them. Hopefully she puts in the effort to sincerely investigate the church so that the Holy Ghost can get through to her.
Funny story of the week: Sister Tripp is my favorite old lady in the ward!! She is 80 and has had a stroke recently so she has really had a rough time lately. We visit her and we've really gotten close to her. Anyway, she won't stop hugging us every time we see her! She hugs us at church at Baptisms literally everywhere. And we keep telling her that's not allowed but she has a really bad memory so she never remembers anything...so we just let it go and take all the hugs we can get! I have a soft spot for oldies.
Another Funny Story: Pamela Called us and told us she needed help moving something that she said was "a little heavy".....when we showed up we found out it was a 200 pound stone that was once in an Abbey and she wanted it carried up 3 flights of stairs to her apartment. We did it! Not gonna lie, we've been working out over here.
We taught Janelle about the plan of salvation this week. Her mom is going to pass away soon because she recently had a lung transplant and it's not going well. She's been having a hard time accepting that and it was amazing to be able to bare my testimony on eternal families and how I know through this Gospel we can be together forever. She's found comfort in our message and hopefully she'll keep meeting with us.
Message of the week: The Holy ghost is a straight G. It guided us to Eddy and now it's going to guide him throughout his entire life. Elder Horito and I were talking after the confirmation about how right when they said "Receive the Holy Ghost" we felt something rush out of our hands. It was such a cool feeling and I'll never forget that power I felt.
Well I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Elder Jensen
We had our last lesson with Eddy this week and he's already being a missionary! As we were walking to his door a woman came up to us and started telling us her life story in Spanish. We had no idea what she was saying and she thought we were being rude by not replying but then Eddy came to the rescue and translated for us! She had read the entire Book of Mormon by herself and wanted to take the lessons. She had just come from Honduras and really had an amazing life story. Eddy bore his testimony and told her how the gospel could mend her broken heart and give her new direction and purpose in life. The woman started crying and the Spirit was so strong even though we were on a busy street corner. We knew right then that Eddy was going to be an awesome addition to the ward! We also had his Baptism this week! He asked me to baptize him and it was such an awesome experience. I was a little worried at first because they only filled the fount up to my knees but I got him under. After I brought him up out of the water he just hugged me and couldn't stop crying. He was so happy!! He bore his testimony after the Baptism and said he is no longer his old self...he is now Saint Eddy. I love that guy so much!!! He is going to be an amazing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! He was so prepared and we just came into the picture at the right time. We are so blessed here in Encino.
We met with Pamela Spencer again this week and taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She liked it a ton and is still skeptical but we told her that the Gospel is like a relationship. If you don't put in any effort it won't work! So She promised to read her scriptures (which she hasn't done yet) and pray about them. Hopefully she puts in the effort to sincerely investigate the church so that the Holy Ghost can get through to her.
Funny story of the week: Sister Tripp is my favorite old lady in the ward!! She is 80 and has had a stroke recently so she has really had a rough time lately. We visit her and we've really gotten close to her. Anyway, she won't stop hugging us every time we see her! She hugs us at church at Baptisms literally everywhere. And we keep telling her that's not allowed but she has a really bad memory so she never remembers anything...so we just let it go and take all the hugs we can get! I have a soft spot for oldies.
Another Funny Story: Pamela Called us and told us she needed help moving something that she said was "a little heavy".....when we showed up we found out it was a 200 pound stone that was once in an Abbey and she wanted it carried up 3 flights of stairs to her apartment. We did it! Not gonna lie, we've been working out over here.
We taught Janelle about the plan of salvation this week. Her mom is going to pass away soon because she recently had a lung transplant and it's not going well. She's been having a hard time accepting that and it was amazing to be able to bare my testimony on eternal families and how I know through this Gospel we can be together forever. She's found comfort in our message and hopefully she'll keep meeting with us.
Message of the week: The Holy ghost is a straight G. It guided us to Eddy and now it's going to guide him throughout his entire life. Elder Horito and I were talking after the confirmation about how right when they said "Receive the Holy Ghost" we felt something rush out of our hands. It was such a cool feeling and I'll never forget that power I felt.
Well I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Elder Jensen
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| The Baptism of Eddy Felix on Valentines Day, 2016 |
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| Eddy Felix Baptism Day |
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| Eddy Felix |
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| Hauling a stone up to Pamela Spencer's apartment. |
Monday, February 8, 2016
Keep the Commandments!
February 8, 2016
Hey Everyone! We were busy as usual this week which is so nice! There is so much happening in the Encino area. Transfer calls came this Saturday and Elder Horito and I are both staying another transfer. We're super happy about that because we have grown really close with the ward members and our investigators. Plus we work really well together and know how to get things done. It's going to be an awesome transfer!
We taught Eddy again this week and man...he's golden. We taught him about the commandments and how many people view them as restrictions but in reality they are protection from the real restrictions in life. You could see the Holy Ghost just hit him and his whole perspective changed from questioning what we said to completely understanding why a loving heavenly father would give us these rules to protect us and guide us throughout our lives. It was such a cool experience. We also brought him to church this week. He hasn't gone to our ward every time but he has been to an LDS church every week since we started teaching him. It's really helped him progress and grow spiritually and it's shown me the importance of church. We learn so much every Sunday. Anyway, this week was fast and testimony meeting and Eddy walked right up to the stand and bore his testimony! He talked about the power of prayer and how he was praying for guidance and missionaries stopped by his house and how he is a witness that miracles do happen and prayers are answered...all we have to do is ask. He's not even a member yet and he is already a huge benefit to the ward! We also took him to a baptism in the Spanish stake next to us to get him excited for his baptism. Elder Horito and I didn't understand a single word but Eddy did and that's all that mattered. He said he felt the spirit so strong and even though I couldn't understand anything I did too.
Elder Horito got sick this week. He got a nasty cold and couldn't stop coughing so we had to stay in the apartment Tuesday and Wednesday. I made him soup and cleaned. It was sooo boring! I just wanted to go out and work! Luckily he got better quick and we were able to still teach all our investigators.
We're working on a new less active member in the ward right now, Bryan Scklarsky. He was baptized 4 years ago and then went inactive 2 months later. We started teaching him 3 weeks ago and he's been to church twice since then! Hopefully we can get him completely reactivated soon. We are basically teaching him like a brand new investigator because he doesn't remember a whole bunch. But he does remember all his spiritual experiences with the missionaries who baptized him so I think deep down he knows it's true. We started the lessons from the beginning and he's really regaining his testimony.
Message of the week: Keep the stinkin Commandments! They may seem like restrictions or barriers that get in the way of your happiness but I promise you that's not how it is. I've seen too many people go through some of the hardest trials in their lives because they thought certain things would make them happy. And it all could have been avoided by just keeping the commandments. I know that our Father in Heaven gave us these rules to protect us from ourselves and the dangers in the world that could harm us.
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32)
I love you guys and hope you have a great week! I have a strong testimony that keeping the Commandments will "make us free" and help us live a happy life.
Elder Jensen
Hey Everyone! We were busy as usual this week which is so nice! There is so much happening in the Encino area. Transfer calls came this Saturday and Elder Horito and I are both staying another transfer. We're super happy about that because we have grown really close with the ward members and our investigators. Plus we work really well together and know how to get things done. It's going to be an awesome transfer!
We taught Eddy again this week and man...he's golden. We taught him about the commandments and how many people view them as restrictions but in reality they are protection from the real restrictions in life. You could see the Holy Ghost just hit him and his whole perspective changed from questioning what we said to completely understanding why a loving heavenly father would give us these rules to protect us and guide us throughout our lives. It was such a cool experience. We also brought him to church this week. He hasn't gone to our ward every time but he has been to an LDS church every week since we started teaching him. It's really helped him progress and grow spiritually and it's shown me the importance of church. We learn so much every Sunday. Anyway, this week was fast and testimony meeting and Eddy walked right up to the stand and bore his testimony! He talked about the power of prayer and how he was praying for guidance and missionaries stopped by his house and how he is a witness that miracles do happen and prayers are answered...all we have to do is ask. He's not even a member yet and he is already a huge benefit to the ward! We also took him to a baptism in the Spanish stake next to us to get him excited for his baptism. Elder Horito and I didn't understand a single word but Eddy did and that's all that mattered. He said he felt the spirit so strong and even though I couldn't understand anything I did too.
Elder Horito got sick this week. He got a nasty cold and couldn't stop coughing so we had to stay in the apartment Tuesday and Wednesday. I made him soup and cleaned. It was sooo boring! I just wanted to go out and work! Luckily he got better quick and we were able to still teach all our investigators.
We're working on a new less active member in the ward right now, Bryan Scklarsky. He was baptized 4 years ago and then went inactive 2 months later. We started teaching him 3 weeks ago and he's been to church twice since then! Hopefully we can get him completely reactivated soon. We are basically teaching him like a brand new investigator because he doesn't remember a whole bunch. But he does remember all his spiritual experiences with the missionaries who baptized him so I think deep down he knows it's true. We started the lessons from the beginning and he's really regaining his testimony.
Message of the week: Keep the stinkin Commandments! They may seem like restrictions or barriers that get in the way of your happiness but I promise you that's not how it is. I've seen too many people go through some of the hardest trials in their lives because they thought certain things would make them happy. And it all could have been avoided by just keeping the commandments. I know that our Father in Heaven gave us these rules to protect us from ourselves and the dangers in the world that could harm us.
“If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32)
I love you guys and hope you have a great week! I have a strong testimony that keeping the Commandments will "make us free" and help us live a happy life.
Elder Jensen
Monday, February 1, 2016
This life is the time for us to make changes
February 1, 2016
Hey Everyone! Another week down and I'm almost to the 6 month mark...weird. I can honestly say that I've learned more about myself and the gospel in these 6 months than I did in the 18 years before my mission. It's crazy how you learn more by focusing your time on others than by focusing it on yourself.
We taught Anne Lavad again this week. She is now committed to baptism! We're deciding a date next lesson. She has already heard the lessons once before and was so prepared to join the church but it didn't work out so hopefully this time she will be ready. She has a few things holding her back still but we are here to help her get past that. She has a strong testimony of Joseph Smith and tears up every time we read the first vision so I know she knows it's true...we just need to work on her faith.
Brian Hernandez has been making awesome progress this week. He came to sacrament meeting and was all cleaned up and looked so fresh! I know the Lord sent us his way for a reason. His life has never been good and now he has a chance to make a 180 degree change thanks to the gospel. He's battling a bad addiction to drugs right now and we didn't know how to help him so we prayed and prayed for help. We felt inspired to introduce him to Brother Beauregard (a member we recently reactivated). We trusted in the Lord and introduced the two and it was perfect. Brother Beauregard had had similar trials in the past and they connected on a whole other level! Brian may be going into a rehab program that Brother Beauregard knows about which will be sad because I won't get to see my boy Brian till probably after my mission but it's the best thing for him. Brian was so worried about finding a job after he came out of rehab and Brother Beauregard offered him a job at his company right there. I was shocked and so was Elder Horito. After the lesson we asked Brother Beauregard why he did what he did and he said that he has been blessed with so much that it would be selfish for him to not give back a little of what God has blessed him with. He's a great man and he is an example to me.
Eddy Felix is excited for the 14th! He's been reading and praying a ton and he has come to the conclusion that this is the path he needs to be on for the rest of his life. He lost his mom when he was little and the plan of salvation has given him a new found hope of being with his family again. He's also been reading a church book called "Our Search For Happiness" That we gave him. He's a very logical guy and this book really mixes the logical with the spiritual. It's strengthened my testimony and if anyone is having trouble understanding or accepting the gospel I recommend you check it out.
We have been taking Lyric and Byron Garcia from the ward with us to lessons. They are 18 and 19 years old. They were both unsure about going on a mission but now Byron is getting ready to submit his papers in the next few months and Lyric is actually considering on going which he wasn't before. That's been a cool experience to be a part of.
Pamela Spencer finally got back to us! She came to church and we introduced her to the relief society presidency which was awesome! She got along great with all of them and loves the "sisterhood" in the church. We have another lesson with her this week.
Funny story of the week: Elder Horito and I were going by some less actives in the ward and decided to stop by the Archibeques. We knocked on their door and they let us in which surprised us because they don't usually do that. Well they took us into the back yard and they were having a HUGE birthday party. There were bounce houses everywhere and I swear there were at least 30 little girls in frozen costumes. Plus they had all their family and friends there. We felt so out of place. Elder Horito sad "Well Elder it looks like we have successfully crashed a family event." We got weird looks the whole time (we're used to that but this time was more extreme than usual) We got good tacos and cupcakes out of it though!
Message of the week: Don't worry so much about making yourself comfortable in this life. That's not what this life is for. This life is the time for us to make changes and decisions that will lead us to where we want to be for the eternities after we die. Don't get caught up in the here and now. Brian has really taught me this. Changes are hard to make but they're necessary and essential.
Love you all.
Elder Jensen
Hey Everyone! Another week down and I'm almost to the 6 month mark...weird. I can honestly say that I've learned more about myself and the gospel in these 6 months than I did in the 18 years before my mission. It's crazy how you learn more by focusing your time on others than by focusing it on yourself.
We taught Anne Lavad again this week. She is now committed to baptism! We're deciding a date next lesson. She has already heard the lessons once before and was so prepared to join the church but it didn't work out so hopefully this time she will be ready. She has a few things holding her back still but we are here to help her get past that. She has a strong testimony of Joseph Smith and tears up every time we read the first vision so I know she knows it's true...we just need to work on her faith.
Brian Hernandez has been making awesome progress this week. He came to sacrament meeting and was all cleaned up and looked so fresh! I know the Lord sent us his way for a reason. His life has never been good and now he has a chance to make a 180 degree change thanks to the gospel. He's battling a bad addiction to drugs right now and we didn't know how to help him so we prayed and prayed for help. We felt inspired to introduce him to Brother Beauregard (a member we recently reactivated). We trusted in the Lord and introduced the two and it was perfect. Brother Beauregard had had similar trials in the past and they connected on a whole other level! Brian may be going into a rehab program that Brother Beauregard knows about which will be sad because I won't get to see my boy Brian till probably after my mission but it's the best thing for him. Brian was so worried about finding a job after he came out of rehab and Brother Beauregard offered him a job at his company right there. I was shocked and so was Elder Horito. After the lesson we asked Brother Beauregard why he did what he did and he said that he has been blessed with so much that it would be selfish for him to not give back a little of what God has blessed him with. He's a great man and he is an example to me.
Eddy Felix is excited for the 14th! He's been reading and praying a ton and he has come to the conclusion that this is the path he needs to be on for the rest of his life. He lost his mom when he was little and the plan of salvation has given him a new found hope of being with his family again. He's also been reading a church book called "Our Search For Happiness" That we gave him. He's a very logical guy and this book really mixes the logical with the spiritual. It's strengthened my testimony and if anyone is having trouble understanding or accepting the gospel I recommend you check it out.
We have been taking Lyric and Byron Garcia from the ward with us to lessons. They are 18 and 19 years old. They were both unsure about going on a mission but now Byron is getting ready to submit his papers in the next few months and Lyric is actually considering on going which he wasn't before. That's been a cool experience to be a part of.
Pamela Spencer finally got back to us! She came to church and we introduced her to the relief society presidency which was awesome! She got along great with all of them and loves the "sisterhood" in the church. We have another lesson with her this week.
Funny story of the week: Elder Horito and I were going by some less actives in the ward and decided to stop by the Archibeques. We knocked on their door and they let us in which surprised us because they don't usually do that. Well they took us into the back yard and they were having a HUGE birthday party. There were bounce houses everywhere and I swear there were at least 30 little girls in frozen costumes. Plus they had all their family and friends there. We felt so out of place. Elder Horito sad "Well Elder it looks like we have successfully crashed a family event." We got weird looks the whole time (we're used to that but this time was more extreme than usual) We got good tacos and cupcakes out of it though!
Message of the week: Don't worry so much about making yourself comfortable in this life. That's not what this life is for. This life is the time for us to make changes and decisions that will lead us to where we want to be for the eternities after we die. Don't get caught up in the here and now. Brian has really taught me this. Changes are hard to make but they're necessary and essential.
Love you all.
Elder Jensen
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| Brian Hernandez |
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| Brian Hernandez |
Monday, January 25, 2016
It's such a privilege to be able to help people grow spiritually for two years.
January 25, 2016
Hey everyone!! We've been staying busy here in Encino. So much has happened in just one week.
We met with Eddy Felix again this week and taught him The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We focused on faith in Christ, repentance, and how they both lead to Baptism. He has been struggling with feeling worthy to be baptized but we helped him realize that through repentance and faith in Christ's atonement he can feel ready to make that sacred covenant with his Heavenly Father. Elder Horito and I had both been praying for a date to set as a goal for him to be baptized, and during the lesson I was prompted to ask him to be baptized on February 14th. He said that us choosing the 14th was a sign that he needed to do this because the 14th of February is his Grandfathers birthday who he was very close with. He also said that this Church isn't just a part time thing...it's a way of life that he knows will bring him more happiness than anything else and that when he's baptized he wants to be a strong member for the rest of his life. That was pretty cool to hear him say. He's going to keep reading and praying to prepare himself for the 14th. It's such a privilege to be able to help people grow spiritually for two years.
We also taught Brian again! I love that guy! He calls us his "angels", sent to help him find the path he has been looking for his whole life. He's known since day one that this is what he needs to do. We also taught him the Gospel Of Jesus Christ and talked a lot about baptism. He said that he was baptized in prison but that it wasn't a "real baptism", there was no change in him. And he feels guilty for that. He wants this baptism to be "real". So we set a baptismal date with him for the 28th of February. He is so determined to follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, so determined that he has started making lifestyle changes without us even having to ask him to. The trials he has to overcome to be baptized won't be easy but we will be with him every step of the way to give him that spirit he needs to keep going. I know the Lord put him in our path for a reason and Elder Horito and I are going to do all we can to be his "angels". We will continue to show him how much his Savior and Father in Heaven love him every chance we get. We gave him a Priesthood blessing this Sunday to help him have strength to overcome his trials and withdrawals. He has a strong testimony of the power of the priesthood now and can feel God by his side. Keep him in your prayers.
We ran into a former investigator that almost got baptized last year which was a miracle! Her name is Anne Levad and she's from Haiti. She told us she wanted to take the lessons again and that she only stopped taking the lessons last year because she had to go take care of her sister in Florida. It's awesome how we've been blessed with a steady flow of investigators. When one person drops us the Lord puts another person in our path!
We picked up a new investigator named Ian this week as well. He was a referral from the sister missionaries and he's solid! He told us that he's been studying religion for a long time but none of them seem to fit for him spiritually. We brought him a Book of Mormon and he was so excited. It kinda shocked me because I wasn't that excited the first time I read the Book of Mormon...I should have been but I wasn't. It's so exciting for investigators because they know how much this book has to offer them and they can't wait to find out what's inside.
Message of the week: I heard a cool story in a mission conference we had this week that I want to share with you guys.
- A rich man took his son on a road trip to a village. He wanted his son to see how poor some people can be so they spent time on the farm of a poor family. After the trip the boys dad asked him "Did you see how poor they are? What did you learn?" The boy replied " We have a pool, they have a river. We have walls to protect us, they have friends. We have lights at night, they have the stars. We have pets to love, they have each other. We have encyclopedias, they have the Bible."
It isn't the money that makes us rich, It's the simplicity of having God in our lives that has the true value. Everything we ever receive is a blessing.
Well I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Hey everyone!! We've been staying busy here in Encino. So much has happened in just one week.
We met with Eddy Felix again this week and taught him The Gospel of Jesus Christ. We focused on faith in Christ, repentance, and how they both lead to Baptism. He has been struggling with feeling worthy to be baptized but we helped him realize that through repentance and faith in Christ's atonement he can feel ready to make that sacred covenant with his Heavenly Father. Elder Horito and I had both been praying for a date to set as a goal for him to be baptized, and during the lesson I was prompted to ask him to be baptized on February 14th. He said that us choosing the 14th was a sign that he needed to do this because the 14th of February is his Grandfathers birthday who he was very close with. He also said that this Church isn't just a part time thing...it's a way of life that he knows will bring him more happiness than anything else and that when he's baptized he wants to be a strong member for the rest of his life. That was pretty cool to hear him say. He's going to keep reading and praying to prepare himself for the 14th. It's such a privilege to be able to help people grow spiritually for two years.
We also taught Brian again! I love that guy! He calls us his "angels", sent to help him find the path he has been looking for his whole life. He's known since day one that this is what he needs to do. We also taught him the Gospel Of Jesus Christ and talked a lot about baptism. He said that he was baptized in prison but that it wasn't a "real baptism", there was no change in him. And he feels guilty for that. He wants this baptism to be "real". So we set a baptismal date with him for the 28th of February. He is so determined to follow Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, so determined that he has started making lifestyle changes without us even having to ask him to. The trials he has to overcome to be baptized won't be easy but we will be with him every step of the way to give him that spirit he needs to keep going. I know the Lord put him in our path for a reason and Elder Horito and I are going to do all we can to be his "angels". We will continue to show him how much his Savior and Father in Heaven love him every chance we get. We gave him a Priesthood blessing this Sunday to help him have strength to overcome his trials and withdrawals. He has a strong testimony of the power of the priesthood now and can feel God by his side. Keep him in your prayers.
We ran into a former investigator that almost got baptized last year which was a miracle! Her name is Anne Levad and she's from Haiti. She told us she wanted to take the lessons again and that she only stopped taking the lessons last year because she had to go take care of her sister in Florida. It's awesome how we've been blessed with a steady flow of investigators. When one person drops us the Lord puts another person in our path!
We picked up a new investigator named Ian this week as well. He was a referral from the sister missionaries and he's solid! He told us that he's been studying religion for a long time but none of them seem to fit for him spiritually. We brought him a Book of Mormon and he was so excited. It kinda shocked me because I wasn't that excited the first time I read the Book of Mormon...I should have been but I wasn't. It's so exciting for investigators because they know how much this book has to offer them and they can't wait to find out what's inside.
Message of the week: I heard a cool story in a mission conference we had this week that I want to share with you guys.
- A rich man took his son on a road trip to a village. He wanted his son to see how poor some people can be so they spent time on the farm of a poor family. After the trip the boys dad asked him "Did you see how poor they are? What did you learn?" The boy replied " We have a pool, they have a river. We have walls to protect us, they have friends. We have lights at night, they have the stars. We have pets to love, they have each other. We have encyclopedias, they have the Bible."
It isn't the money that makes us rich, It's the simplicity of having God in our lives that has the true value. Everything we ever receive is a blessing.
Well I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
The Lord truly has blessed us and we're not going to take that for-granted.
January 19, 2016
Sorry for the late email. Yesterday was a holiday and all of the libraries were closed so we had to email today. We have been so busy! Elder Horito and I have worked the area super hard and now we have 10 investigators! That's a miracle considering we had 0 when I first arrived. The Lord truly has blessed us and we're not going to take that for-granted.
We had another lesson with Pamela Spencer this week. This time we brought President Kekauoha from the ward. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she seemed really receptive. She is having trouble with praying though. She said she doesn't like to demand answers from God. It was so nice to have a member at our lesson because he was able to explain why she needed to pray and ask God and it didn't have to come from us. It came from a friend. And I'm not saying we aren't her friends because we are...it just has a different feel to it coming from others sometimes. She said she would definitely read and pray for an answer. Members are such a big help at lessons!!
We also taught Eddy Felix this week. We taught him the Plan of Salvation as well. The whole time he was saying how familiar this all sounded and I explained to him that it was because he already learned it once when we were all in the spirit world before we came to earth! The lesson was amazing!! We all knelt down and he prayed after for an answer if this was the path God wanted him to take. He stood up and said "I'm like a day away from baptism!" We were all so stoked! He's an awesome guy and has so much potential! We know that Satan is gonna work hard on him these next few weeks so any prayers for him would be awesome!
We picked up Ruben Akopov as a new investigator last week. He only speaks Russian so his wife has to translate! It's so cool because the spirit still hits him even though he can't understand anything we say. We gave him a Russian Book of Mormon and he said he would read it! So we will see how he liked it tonight at our lesson!
We are teaching a man named Brian now. He's a former gang member and has had a really rough life. He was in and out of prison most of his teenage years and early twenties and has just recently turned his life around in the last couple of years. We found him while we were walking on the street a few weeks ago and gave him a card. He ended up calling us and is super interested in the message we share! He is looking for direction and purpose in this life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ helps with that on so many levels! He loved the fact that we have Prophets to lead and guide us and he has already read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon! I'll keep you updated on him next week!
We are short on time so I'll give you a super good message next time because I don't have time to send one this week.
Well I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Elder Jensen
Sorry for the late email. Yesterday was a holiday and all of the libraries were closed so we had to email today. We have been so busy! Elder Horito and I have worked the area super hard and now we have 10 investigators! That's a miracle considering we had 0 when I first arrived. The Lord truly has blessed us and we're not going to take that for-granted.
We had another lesson with Pamela Spencer this week. This time we brought President Kekauoha from the ward. We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she seemed really receptive. She is having trouble with praying though. She said she doesn't like to demand answers from God. It was so nice to have a member at our lesson because he was able to explain why she needed to pray and ask God and it didn't have to come from us. It came from a friend. And I'm not saying we aren't her friends because we are...it just has a different feel to it coming from others sometimes. She said she would definitely read and pray for an answer. Members are such a big help at lessons!!
We also taught Eddy Felix this week. We taught him the Plan of Salvation as well. The whole time he was saying how familiar this all sounded and I explained to him that it was because he already learned it once when we were all in the spirit world before we came to earth! The lesson was amazing!! We all knelt down and he prayed after for an answer if this was the path God wanted him to take. He stood up and said "I'm like a day away from baptism!" We were all so stoked! He's an awesome guy and has so much potential! We know that Satan is gonna work hard on him these next few weeks so any prayers for him would be awesome!
We picked up Ruben Akopov as a new investigator last week. He only speaks Russian so his wife has to translate! It's so cool because the spirit still hits him even though he can't understand anything we say. We gave him a Russian Book of Mormon and he said he would read it! So we will see how he liked it tonight at our lesson!
We are teaching a man named Brian now. He's a former gang member and has had a really rough life. He was in and out of prison most of his teenage years and early twenties and has just recently turned his life around in the last couple of years. We found him while we were walking on the street a few weeks ago and gave him a card. He ended up calling us and is super interested in the message we share! He is looking for direction and purpose in this life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ helps with that on so many levels! He loved the fact that we have Prophets to lead and guide us and he has already read a few chapters in the Book of Mormon! I'll keep you updated on him next week!
We are short on time so I'll give you a super good message next time because I don't have time to send one this week.
Well I love you all so much and hope you have a great week!
Elder Jensen
Monday, January 11, 2016
The Lord is always there to help us out, we just have to use our agency and ask.
January 11, 2016
Another busy week in the mission field. We're getting a consistent flow of investigators which is a huge blessing. God is blessing us with so many prepared people!
We taught Eddie Felix this week. He is a really spiritual guy but has never really found a church that corresponded with his personal values...until now. We told him about our beliefs and our values and he loved it. He said he's always had a feeling inside that there should be Prophets and Apostles on the earth today because God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. So when we told him we had a Prophet and Apostles he was stoked! When we teach people the Gospel we're not telling them any new information...we are really just reminding them of everything they new before they came to earth. That's why the gospel rings so true to people. He also came to church on Sunday! We're making progress with him...it's slow but that's how it goes. He said he will be done with The Book of Mormon in 2 weeks. He's cruised through it! I'll update you all next week on how the next lesson goes.
We also picked up a new investigator named Pamela Spencer. Her member friend asked us to help her move so we helped her move a bunch of stuff into her storage unit on Saturday night. We pulled our car inside the gates and went to leave at 9:00 but the gates lock after 9....so our car and her U-haul got stuck inside all night. We called the Sherman Oaks Elders and asked them to come bail us out so while we were waiting for them we talked about her life and ended up teaching her the first lesson! We have a return appointment for tomorrow evening! I guess the Lord wanted her to hear the gospel so bad that he made sure we would get stuck in there! We picked up our car the next morning at 6:00am.
Sam has been coming to church as well. We thought he was ignoring us all week but I guess he just got a new phone number. He gave us his new number and asked us to stay in touch so he sounds like he is still interested! We picked up Richard as an investigator this week too. He seemed more curious than sincerely interested but we'll see what happens. Hopefully the spirit will touch his heart and draw him in.
My favorite family in the ward, the Beauregard's, are coming to church again! We have been working with them a lot and they finally realize how much stronger their family is when they live the gospel and come to church. They love Elder Horito and I! They're one of the families I'll always stay in touch with after my mission. Brother Beauregard also wants to come to lessons with us which is really cool.
Funny moment of the week: Elder Horito sleep walks a lot! He wakes up about twice a week and teaches lessons to imaginary people. On Tuesday I woke up to him teaching the restoration to our closet door hahahaha! On Thursday I woke up to him explaining how happy he is to be serving the lord to his bed poll. Hahah and every time I get him to come to he says "Elder help me I have a problem!" Hahahahaha it's so funny and I just die laughing even though it's like 3:00am.
Message of the week: We had Zone Training Meeting this week and we got trained on a lot of different things but one that stuck out to me was that the Lord is always there to help us in regular life and in missionary life. Often we rely too much on ourselves and our capabilities and don't rely enough on heavenly help. The Lord is always there to help us out we just have to use our agency and ask. I've learned that over and over on my mission. We prayed every day for a new investigator when we had none...and now we have a lot of people we are teaching! Prayers are always answered...we just have to be humble enough to ask for help.
Love you all so much!!
Elder Jensen
Another busy week in the mission field. We're getting a consistent flow of investigators which is a huge blessing. God is blessing us with so many prepared people!
We taught Eddie Felix this week. He is a really spiritual guy but has never really found a church that corresponded with his personal values...until now. We told him about our beliefs and our values and he loved it. He said he's always had a feeling inside that there should be Prophets and Apostles on the earth today because God is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. So when we told him we had a Prophet and Apostles he was stoked! When we teach people the Gospel we're not telling them any new information...we are really just reminding them of everything they new before they came to earth. That's why the gospel rings so true to people. He also came to church on Sunday! We're making progress with him...it's slow but that's how it goes. He said he will be done with The Book of Mormon in 2 weeks. He's cruised through it! I'll update you all next week on how the next lesson goes.
We also picked up a new investigator named Pamela Spencer. Her member friend asked us to help her move so we helped her move a bunch of stuff into her storage unit on Saturday night. We pulled our car inside the gates and went to leave at 9:00 but the gates lock after 9....so our car and her U-haul got stuck inside all night. We called the Sherman Oaks Elders and asked them to come bail us out so while we were waiting for them we talked about her life and ended up teaching her the first lesson! We have a return appointment for tomorrow evening! I guess the Lord wanted her to hear the gospel so bad that he made sure we would get stuck in there! We picked up our car the next morning at 6:00am.
Sam has been coming to church as well. We thought he was ignoring us all week but I guess he just got a new phone number. He gave us his new number and asked us to stay in touch so he sounds like he is still interested! We picked up Richard as an investigator this week too. He seemed more curious than sincerely interested but we'll see what happens. Hopefully the spirit will touch his heart and draw him in.
My favorite family in the ward, the Beauregard's, are coming to church again! We have been working with them a lot and they finally realize how much stronger their family is when they live the gospel and come to church. They love Elder Horito and I! They're one of the families I'll always stay in touch with after my mission. Brother Beauregard also wants to come to lessons with us which is really cool.
Funny moment of the week: Elder Horito sleep walks a lot! He wakes up about twice a week and teaches lessons to imaginary people. On Tuesday I woke up to him teaching the restoration to our closet door hahahaha! On Thursday I woke up to him explaining how happy he is to be serving the lord to his bed poll. Hahah and every time I get him to come to he says "Elder help me I have a problem!" Hahahahaha it's so funny and I just die laughing even though it's like 3:00am.
Message of the week: We had Zone Training Meeting this week and we got trained on a lot of different things but one that stuck out to me was that the Lord is always there to help us in regular life and in missionary life. Often we rely too much on ourselves and our capabilities and don't rely enough on heavenly help. The Lord is always there to help us out we just have to use our agency and ask. I've learned that over and over on my mission. We prayed every day for a new investigator when we had none...and now we have a lot of people we are teaching! Prayers are always answered...we just have to be humble enough to ask for help.
Love you all so much!!
Elder Jensen
Monday, January 4, 2016
We are truly being directed to people who want to listen!
January 4, 2016
Happy new year! Transfers were this week and Elder Horito and I are still together just as expected! We're pretty stoked about that! I've been out for almost 5 months now...kinda weird? Months take days and days take months it feels like.
We had an awesome lesson with our Farsi investigator Fatima this week. We taught her the restoration and things were coming out of Elder Horito's mouth and my mouth that we definitely didn't come up with ourselves. The spirit took over and helped us teach her simply but so powerfully. We asked her to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it and the things we had told her. She said she would but that she had such a good feeling inside when we taught her and that she knew it was the Holy Ghost telling her it was true. Now here's the bad news....she has to move soon and she won't be in our area anymore. We were so sad when we heard that!! That's part of a mission though...sometimes you're just there to start the process not finish it.
We also had an awesome lesson with Sam who walked into church last week! We had him over for dinner at Brother Giron's home for dinner. We taught the restoration to him as well and he was digging it! Brother Giron also shared his conversion story and that helped Sam a lot because he still has lots of questions and is worried about the switch but he's solid and hopefully the next lesson will help him really see how much he wants the gospel in his life.
We had another miracle this week. We Got a referral for Edward Felix and when we got to the address it was once again an apartment complex. We didn't have his apartment number so we figured we would just start knocking and try to find him. Second door we knocked on was his. He said his sister was a member and that he was actually really interested! We invited him to church and set up a lesson for this week. He actually came to church! And he stayed all three hours! He was participating in lessons and really enjoyed himself! We'll keep you updated on how the lesson goes!!
We gave away 4 Book of Mormon's this week! We are truly being directed to people who want to listen! Yesterday during knockout we ran into a man named Jose. He liked our message so much that he invited us over today at 4 to teach him! We're pretty excited to see how it goes! Also while we were emailing today a woman named Ogo from Africa came and talked to us about religion for a while. She said she got off at the wrong bus stop for s
ome reason so she just decided to come here and that when she saw us she felt like she needed to talk to us! She doesn't live in our area but she gave us all her info so we could send missionaries to her and we also gave her a Book of Mormon. We have really been focusing on prophets lately and the importance of having a living prophet today. People really cling to that message because they hear about the guidance we have and they want that for themselves! We are so blessed!
Message of the week: In Alma chapter 20 Ammon is sent to Middoni to deliver his brethren. He runs into king Lamoni's father and has a chance to kill him. King Lamoni's father offers half of his kingdom for his life to be spared. Two chapters later King Lamoni's father is taught about the gospel and is willing to give his entire kingdom to enter into the kingdom of god. He was willing to give more to enter into the kingdom of god than he was willing to give for his own life.A new year means new changes in our lives...are we willing to give up all of our bad, habits and worldly ways just like King Lamoni's father?
Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!!
Elder Jensen
Happy new year! Transfers were this week and Elder Horito and I are still together just as expected! We're pretty stoked about that! I've been out for almost 5 months now...kinda weird? Months take days and days take months it feels like.
We had an awesome lesson with our Farsi investigator Fatima this week. We taught her the restoration and things were coming out of Elder Horito's mouth and my mouth that we definitely didn't come up with ourselves. The spirit took over and helped us teach her simply but so powerfully. We asked her to read The Book of Mormon and pray about it and the things we had told her. She said she would but that she had such a good feeling inside when we taught her and that she knew it was the Holy Ghost telling her it was true. Now here's the bad news....she has to move soon and she won't be in our area anymore. We were so sad when we heard that!! That's part of a mission though...sometimes you're just there to start the process not finish it.
We also had an awesome lesson with Sam who walked into church last week! We had him over for dinner at Brother Giron's home for dinner. We taught the restoration to him as well and he was digging it! Brother Giron also shared his conversion story and that helped Sam a lot because he still has lots of questions and is worried about the switch but he's solid and hopefully the next lesson will help him really see how much he wants the gospel in his life.
We had another miracle this week. We Got a referral for Edward Felix and when we got to the address it was once again an apartment complex. We didn't have his apartment number so we figured we would just start knocking and try to find him. Second door we knocked on was his. He said his sister was a member and that he was actually really interested! We invited him to church and set up a lesson for this week. He actually came to church! And he stayed all three hours! He was participating in lessons and really enjoyed himself! We'll keep you updated on how the lesson goes!!
We gave away 4 Book of Mormon's this week! We are truly being directed to people who want to listen! Yesterday during knockout we ran into a man named Jose. He liked our message so much that he invited us over today at 4 to teach him! We're pretty excited to see how it goes! Also while we were emailing today a woman named Ogo from Africa came and talked to us about religion for a while. She said she got off at the wrong bus stop for s
ome reason so she just decided to come here and that when she saw us she felt like she needed to talk to us! She doesn't live in our area but she gave us all her info so we could send missionaries to her and we also gave her a Book of Mormon. We have really been focusing on prophets lately and the importance of having a living prophet today. People really cling to that message because they hear about the guidance we have and they want that for themselves! We are so blessed!
Message of the week: In Alma chapter 20 Ammon is sent to Middoni to deliver his brethren. He runs into king Lamoni's father and has a chance to kill him. King Lamoni's father offers half of his kingdom for his life to be spared. Two chapters later King Lamoni's father is taught about the gospel and is willing to give his entire kingdom to enter into the kingdom of god. He was willing to give more to enter into the kingdom of god than he was willing to give for his own life.A new year means new changes in our lives...are we willing to give up all of our bad, habits and worldly ways just like King Lamoni's father?
Love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!!
Elder Jensen
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| Elder Horito and I |
Monday, December 28, 2015
Don't live life with a fishbowl on your head!
Hey Everyone! Merry Late Christmas!! I hope you all had an awesome time with your families and friends. We had an awesome week here in Encino...it was full of miracles! We picked up three new investigators this week which is so sick!
We got a referral for an Iranian couple named Fatima and Patrick. We went to their address and found out that they lived in an apartment complex with 209 apartments and we had no idea which one they lived in. We checked the mailbox's for names but they didn't have any so we decided to leave. As we were walking out we turned a corner and literally ran into this woman who had just walked out of her apartment. We asked if she knew a Fatima or Patrick and she said "I'm Fatima". We couldn't believe it! A few seconds sooner or a few seconds later and we would have missed her! We ended up teaching her and her boyfriend and they were both super excited to talk with us! We have a return appointment this week and hopefully they want to keep meeting with us! The Lord knew we wouldn't be able to find them on our own so he provided a way...he's always got our backs.
On Wednesday night we decided to stop by a referral, John Kim, who was totally out of our way but it felt right. It was 8:00 and we hadn't eaten dinner yet so we were both like what the heck are we doing. We pulled up to his apartment complex and he ended up not being home so we were so confused as to why we felt like we needed to go there. We got in our car and started looking for somewhere to eat on our GPS when a lady carrying two big bags of groceries knocked on our window. She said she was diabetic and that she had been walking back from the store and that she felt like she was going to pass out if she walked any farther. She told us she had said a prayer that she would be led to someone who would drive her home and help her get her insulin asap. We were the only ones on this deserted street...so even though you're not supposed to drive anyone in your mission car how can you say no to that?! We told her to get in and we drove her home. Her name is Sandra and we are teaching her next week. She feels like it's a sign from God that he sent missionaries to help her so hopefully she feels the spirit when we teach her and will invite us back for another lesson!
Christmas as a missionary is a lot different than I'm used to! Not a bad kind of different though. It's pretty awesome because you get to focus on Christ and testify of him to others. Christmas time is also a time of softened hearts because we celebrate the saviors birth, so sharing the message of the gospel is a lot easier. People are more willing to listen and learn. On Christmas morning we woke up and opened presents. Then we meet up with the Sherman Oaks Elders and got breakfast at a bagel shop. We bought a lot of extra food though because there are a lot of homeless people around here. We took breakfast to a few of them and they were all so thankful. That was a pretty cool experience. Nothing makes you feel better inside than helping out someone in need. After that we went to a care center and visited with some of the people there that didn't have any family or friends to visit them. We stayed and chatted for a while and then left a Christmas message to help them all know that the Savior was born to help them with these exact trials they are going through. Then we went and Skyped our families!! That was SOOO weird but way fun! My siblings were both wearing all my clothes just like I expected! It was nice to catch up and remind them all how blessed we were to have a strong supportive family because not many people here have that. Then we visited some people Bishop Deakins asked us to check on. Overall a great Christmas! Hard being away from home though.
This Sunday we had another awesome miracle happen! We had a random guy walk in and ask to investigate the church!! His name is Sam Smith...not the Singer Sam Smith though. He's 37, Turkish and has lived here for about a year. He converted from Muslim to Christianity when he moved here and he wants to follow Christ. He went to all three hours of church and said he'll be back next week too! He loved how friendly the ward was and how we follow Christs teachings just like the Bible says. He told us he wants to be baptized because that's what Christ did.....we were pretty mind blown after that. We got his number and address and have an appointment to teach him tomorrow! So many people have been directed to us and it's all thanks to God. We don't give any of the credit to ourselves.
Message of the week: Don't live life with a fishbowl on your head. I heard a story this week about a certain type of coy fish. If you put the fish in a fishbowl it will grow to about 2 inches long. If you put the same fish in a bathtub it will grow to about 6 inches long. If you put it in a pond it will grow to about a foot long. If you put it in a pool it will grow up to 2 feet long. If you put the same exact fish in a lake it can grow to be 5 or 6 feet long. It's growth all depends on the conditions it is in. Sometimes we go through life with a fishbowl on our head. It restricts us from personal and spiritual growth. When we face trials or challenges in our life, or are given callings that we feel inadequate for it's usually our heavenly father throwing us in the lake so we can reach our full potential. Trust in him and let the saviors plan for you help you reach your full potential. Fishbowls are bad!
Well I love you all and hope you have a wonderful new year!
Elder Jensen
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| Christmas gifts from home! |
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| Ugly sweater Christmas party in Encino 2015 |
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| Ugly sweater Christmas party with my new companion Elder Horito, My mission companion from the MTC Elder Phillips, and my first companion and Trainer in the mission field Elder Anderson. |
What a great day!
December 25, 2015
We were able to Facetime with Elder Jensen today! He is so happy. Best part of our day!!
We were able to Facetime with Elder Jensen today! He is so happy. Best part of our day!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
A visit from Santa's Elves!
Today
Elder Jensen was surprised by dear family friends with his box of Christmas
surprises from home. He was able to go to lunch with Jim and Dorreen
Yeates and feel the love of those back home rooting for him. It's a great
day and a great time to be serving the Lord in Encino.
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| Lunch with Jim and Doreen Yeates at "Salsa and Beer"....which was recommended by their Bishop! |
Monday, December 21, 2015
Because our Savior was born we NEVER have to go through anything alone
December 21,2015
So I've noticed that almost every weekly email starts with "Crazy week" or something like that...so I decided I'm not going to type that part anymore. From now on it's just implied because literally every week is crazy! First of all we are not on bikes like we thought! We got a call later in the day last Monday that we could have the mission presidents old car he had been using. It's a pretty nice 2014 Corolla and it's super fast! No complaints.
I have a new companion now! His name is Elder Horito (like Dorito but with an H) and he's from Hawaii! He has only been out 4 weeks so I'm finishing up his training which is crazy because I just got out of training a few weeks ago! He was emergency transferred down to my Encino area Wednesday night because of some issues in his first area up in Santa Clarita. On Wednesday morning Elder Taylor and I were supposed to go on an exchange with the zone leaders just for fun but I decided to cancel because I felt like we should just focus on our area for the day. We ended up having to run some of Presidents old gas slips up to the office for the car coordinator. When we rolled up President Henrie pulled us into his office and started chatting with us (which usually happens and is totally normal) then he closed the door (Definitely not normal) That's when I started to get worried haha. He asked why we were at the office, and after we explained he told us that he had been praying to see if Elder Taylor and I should be the ones to help with the emergency transfer and that having us roll up to the office at this time wasn't at all a coincidence. It was an answer to his prayers. So we went home and packed and transferred a few hours later. Elder Horito and I get along so well!! He's chill, easy going, and a hard worker but he knows how to have fun! We are going to have a sick transfer!!
We had an awesome lesson with our potential investigator named Pedro! He's 47 and has an awesome family. We ran into him during knock outs a few weeks ago and he invited us back! We started out the lesson with a prayer and right after that he started crying. He told us that his parents died when he was ages 6 and 7 and that life has never been the same. We taught him about the restoration of the gospel and how it makes it possible for us to see our families again and how they were learning about the gospel in heaven just like he was right now! He was so happy to hear that and told us he would be baptized if he found out that The Book of Mormon is true! He invited us back and before we left we asked if he would pray for us. He thanked God for "sending two boys to show him the way". Not gonna lie Elder Horito and I may have cried a little too. He hadn't prayed in years but he said it was one of the best feelings he had ever had. Missions are just so cool!
We also had a crazy experience on Elder Horito's first night here! We had to get him a few things from the store so he would have something to eat this week. As we were walking out of the store a woman named Martha came up to Elder Horito and started talking to us about Christmas. Then she asked him for a hug. When he told her he couldn't because he was a missionary she threatened to punch him in the face hahahaha! So Elder Horito hugged this crazy woman and I think he's still traumatized! I died laughing once we got to the car!
We met with our referral John Kim this week. We had tried by a couple times before but we had a prompting to go back and try again. We were walking up to his apartment and ran right into him pretty much! He was so happy to see us which was a nice surprise! He invited us back and will hopefully want to take the lessons eventually!
Message of the week: Christmas is coming up so obviously this week is about Christ. Because a savior was born we can all have the atonement applied in our lives. We all have our own struggles, our own pains, our own challenges...but because our savior was born we NEVER have to go through any of those things alone. He has already taken your burdens, both emotional and physical, upon him so don't let anything hold you back from taking advantage of that. Remember that this Christmas and be thankful for all that Christ did for you.
Love you all so much and hope you have a great Holiday Season!!!
Elder Jensen
I have a new companion now! His name is Elder Horito (like Dorito but with an H) and he's from Hawaii! He has only been out 4 weeks so I'm finishing up his training which is crazy because I just got out of training a few weeks ago! He was emergency transferred down to my Encino area Wednesday night because of some issues in his first area up in Santa Clarita. On Wednesday morning Elder Taylor and I were supposed to go on an exchange with the zone leaders just for fun but I decided to cancel because I felt like we should just focus on our area for the day. We ended up having to run some of Presidents old gas slips up to the office for the car coordinator. When we rolled up President Henrie pulled us into his office and started chatting with us (which usually happens and is totally normal) then he closed the door (Definitely not normal) That's when I started to get worried haha. He asked why we were at the office, and after we explained he told us that he had been praying to see if Elder Taylor and I should be the ones to help with the emergency transfer and that having us roll up to the office at this time wasn't at all a coincidence. It was an answer to his prayers. So we went home and packed and transferred a few hours later. Elder Horito and I get along so well!! He's chill, easy going, and a hard worker but he knows how to have fun! We are going to have a sick transfer!!
We had an awesome lesson with our potential investigator named Pedro! He's 47 and has an awesome family. We ran into him during knock outs a few weeks ago and he invited us back! We started out the lesson with a prayer and right after that he started crying. He told us that his parents died when he was ages 6 and 7 and that life has never been the same. We taught him about the restoration of the gospel and how it makes it possible for us to see our families again and how they were learning about the gospel in heaven just like he was right now! He was so happy to hear that and told us he would be baptized if he found out that The Book of Mormon is true! He invited us back and before we left we asked if he would pray for us. He thanked God for "sending two boys to show him the way". Not gonna lie Elder Horito and I may have cried a little too. He hadn't prayed in years but he said it was one of the best feelings he had ever had. Missions are just so cool!
We also had a crazy experience on Elder Horito's first night here! We had to get him a few things from the store so he would have something to eat this week. As we were walking out of the store a woman named Martha came up to Elder Horito and started talking to us about Christmas. Then she asked him for a hug. When he told her he couldn't because he was a missionary she threatened to punch him in the face hahahaha! So Elder Horito hugged this crazy woman and I think he's still traumatized! I died laughing once we got to the car!
We met with our referral John Kim this week. We had tried by a couple times before but we had a prompting to go back and try again. We were walking up to his apartment and ran right into him pretty much! He was so happy to see us which was a nice surprise! He invited us back and will hopefully want to take the lessons eventually!
Message of the week: Christmas is coming up so obviously this week is about Christ. Because a savior was born we can all have the atonement applied in our lives. We all have our own struggles, our own pains, our own challenges...but because our savior was born we NEVER have to go through any of those things alone. He has already taken your burdens, both emotional and physical, upon him so don't let anything hold you back from taking advantage of that. Remember that this Christmas and be thankful for all that Christ did for you.
Love you all so much and hope you have a great Holiday Season!!!
Elder Jensen
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
The Gospel is Essential in our Lives
December 14, 2015
Hey everyone!!!
Well we just got a call from the mission office and they need our car for something so yeah...looks like we're going to be on bikes now. Our area is huge so I don't know how we are going to meet with everyone we need to! It's going to be crazy!! Wish us luck.
We had a sweet week! We had a lot of success with referrals and less actives! We started working with a less active family, the Beauregards and we had a BOMB lesson with them! We just talked about their lives and got to know them a little more for the first half of the lesson. They said that they now have a successful business up and running, they're financially stable, they have achieved all the goals they set for themselves...but something was just missing in their lives. Then we watched the new Christmas video the church released and talked a little bit about it. When it was over Sister B. said "That's what we're missing! We need to go back to church!" Her whole family agreed with her. We were so excited to see them at church this Sunday! They stayed all three hours and want us to come over to dinner when they get back from their vacation this week. Teaching them has really built my testimony that we are sent to certain people on our missions. Elder Taylor and I were able to connect with them super easily and I think that's part of the reason they were so willing to come to church. It's also built my testimony that the gospel is essential in our lives. It gives us a greater purpose and so much comfort. I can seriously feel how much God loves the Beauregards and I know how badly he wants them to get reactivated in the church. I'm gonna do my best to make that happen because I love them too.
We went to the temple this week as a mission! The temple is always a great spiritual experience and testimony builder. As soon as I stepped my foot inside I just felt so privileged to be a servant of the Lord. We had close to the entire mission there for the session and it was dope!! There's no better place to get answers to prayers and questions than in the temple I think. I would be praying for revelation and BOOM an answer would just pop into my head! It was so cool!
The Hawkins are out of town for the Christmas season. They're stoked to meet with us when they get back though which is cool! And they're still having us over for dinner too haha! On the bright side we got a new investigator named Ian Sandoval. He was a referral. He told us this may be what he's been looking for his whole life. I hope he finds what he's looking for in the lessons. He's been receptive so far but I'll keep you all updated!
I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!! Oh and enjoy the snow...It's so hot here....
Well that's pretty much the week! But here are a few questions my mom sent me. I thought it would be cool to just attach it to this email so you could see how awesome missions are.
What is the most valuable thing you have learned so far while serving your mission?
* I've learned the importance of the spirit in our lives. It leads and guides us so much as missionaries and I wish I would have taken advantage of that more back home. Without the spirit nobody receives our message...going by the spirit is key!
How do you think you have changed the most?
* I have changed my social skills the most! I can now talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime without hesitation. And I can talk about anything haha. Like sometimes we just talk about the weather and it's totally chill!
What has surprised you the most?
* It has really surprised me how for granted I took the Gospel back home. People here are trying to navigate life all on their own and it's so sad. We're so blessed to have this gospel to lead and guide us. Don't take it for granted because you don't know what you have till it's gone sometimes.
What is the hardest part about your mission?
*The hardest part of my mission has been not seeing my family and loved ones. It's seriously so hard. But it's been a good learning experience.
Hey everyone!!!
Well we just got a call from the mission office and they need our car for something so yeah...looks like we're going to be on bikes now. Our area is huge so I don't know how we are going to meet with everyone we need to! It's going to be crazy!! Wish us luck.
We had a sweet week! We had a lot of success with referrals and less actives! We started working with a less active family, the Beauregards and we had a BOMB lesson with them! We just talked about their lives and got to know them a little more for the first half of the lesson. They said that they now have a successful business up and running, they're financially stable, they have achieved all the goals they set for themselves...but something was just missing in their lives. Then we watched the new Christmas video the church released and talked a little bit about it. When it was over Sister B. said "That's what we're missing! We need to go back to church!" Her whole family agreed with her. We were so excited to see them at church this Sunday! They stayed all three hours and want us to come over to dinner when they get back from their vacation this week. Teaching them has really built my testimony that we are sent to certain people on our missions. Elder Taylor and I were able to connect with them super easily and I think that's part of the reason they were so willing to come to church. It's also built my testimony that the gospel is essential in our lives. It gives us a greater purpose and so much comfort. I can seriously feel how much God loves the Beauregards and I know how badly he wants them to get reactivated in the church. I'm gonna do my best to make that happen because I love them too.
We went to the temple this week as a mission! The temple is always a great spiritual experience and testimony builder. As soon as I stepped my foot inside I just felt so privileged to be a servant of the Lord. We had close to the entire mission there for the session and it was dope!! There's no better place to get answers to prayers and questions than in the temple I think. I would be praying for revelation and BOOM an answer would just pop into my head! It was so cool!
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| Dinner at the Beauregards with Elder Horito and Alyssa Beauregard. |
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| Los Angeles Temple |
The Hawkins are out of town for the Christmas season. They're stoked to meet with us when they get back though which is cool! And they're still having us over for dinner too haha! On the bright side we got a new investigator named Ian Sandoval. He was a referral. He told us this may be what he's been looking for his whole life. I hope he finds what he's looking for in the lessons. He's been receptive so far but I'll keep you all updated!
I love you all so much and hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!! Oh and enjoy the snow...It's so hot here....
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| We put the tree up and I'm still working on the tinsel but it looks awesome! I love it mom! It has so many awesome quotes and scriptures. I love it!!! So nice to hear about all my friends and their hard work! |
Well that's pretty much the week! But here are a few questions my mom sent me. I thought it would be cool to just attach it to this email so you could see how awesome missions are.
What is the most valuable thing you have learned so far while serving your mission?
* I've learned the importance of the spirit in our lives. It leads and guides us so much as missionaries and I wish I would have taken advantage of that more back home. Without the spirit nobody receives our message...going by the spirit is key!
How do you think you have changed the most?
* I have changed my social skills the most! I can now talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime without hesitation. And I can talk about anything haha. Like sometimes we just talk about the weather and it's totally chill!
What has surprised you the most?
* It has really surprised me how for granted I took the Gospel back home. People here are trying to navigate life all on their own and it's so sad. We're so blessed to have this gospel to lead and guide us. Don't take it for granted because you don't know what you have till it's gone sometimes.
What is the hardest part about your mission?
*The hardest part of my mission has been not seeing my family and loved ones. It's seriously so hard. But it's been a good learning experience.
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| My little sister Annalisa is awesome! She made this for our door for Christmas. And her cursive is amazing! |
Monday, December 7, 2015
Imagine life without the wonderful blessing of the sacrament
December 7, 2015
Wasup!!
This week was jam packed!! We were constantly running from one appointment to the next, but we're stoked that we're this busy!
We met with Mack and Wanda Hawkins again this week! We went over and helped Mack clean out his garage for about an hour and then we shared a message with him and his wife. We watched the New Christmas video and talked about how it was essential for the Savior to come. We also talked a little bit about The Plan of Salvation and they struggled to understand it a little bit but they seemed to like it! They've been reading in the Book of Mormon and Wanda loves it! She always has so many questions and I hope that rubs off on Mack. I think they really like us because they keep inviting us over for dinner? This Friday they fed us deep fried catfish. It was sooooo good! (He has a deep fryer so almost everything they feed us is deep fried. No complaints from us) They're from Mississippi and they cook everything Cajun style. I told him he needs to start a restaurant! After Christmas they're having us over to try his gumbo so I'll let you know how that goes!
We had to help the Van Nuys Elders move out of their apartment on Tuesday. They were emergency relocated to a new apartment so we were up till 12 at night taking car loads of stuff from one side of their area to the other. The best part about helping elders move is taking everything they don't want anymore. Elder Taylor and I both got brand new desks. So it was all worth it.
We got three less actives to the Burbank nativity festival last night! We were trying to find people to go all week because Burbank was Elder Taylor's first area and he really wanted to see everyone. We finally got the Beauregard family to go. They're a lass active family that we've been working with for a while now. She really wants to get back to the Temple but they struggle coming to church because of the business they run. They loved the pageant and all the performances. They're going to try to come to church next week but we'll see what happens. We also got Sister Beck to come with us! She's such a nice Lady and loves to feed us but doesn't love coming to church. We'll get her to church somehow. We also had a Stake activity at the Granada Hills church! I got to see lots of people from my old area and it was way fun! I got to see Elder Anderson which was probably one of the highlights of my week.
Funny moment of the week: Elder Taylor is a really bad driver. I honestly fear for my life every time we have to drive somewhere...especially on the freeway. He loves driving so every time I asked to switch drivers he said no. So I had to come up with a legitimate reason to switch. I told him I'd learn the area faster if I drove. I don't know if that's true but it worked! I am now driving and I'm safe hahaha!
Message of the week: We taught Gospel Principles class this week during church. We talked about the sacrament and how we sometimes take it for granted without really noticing. We often don't realize what we have until it's gone. Imagine life without the wonderful blessing we have of starting the week fresh and having our sins lifted off our shoulders when we take the sacrament. Imagine how miserable we would all be. It's such a blessing.
Well I love you guys. Have a great holiday season!!
Elder Jensen
Wasup!!
This week was jam packed!! We were constantly running from one appointment to the next, but we're stoked that we're this busy!
We met with Mack and Wanda Hawkins again this week! We went over and helped Mack clean out his garage for about an hour and then we shared a message with him and his wife. We watched the New Christmas video and talked about how it was essential for the Savior to come. We also talked a little bit about The Plan of Salvation and they struggled to understand it a little bit but they seemed to like it! They've been reading in the Book of Mormon and Wanda loves it! She always has so many questions and I hope that rubs off on Mack. I think they really like us because they keep inviting us over for dinner? This Friday they fed us deep fried catfish. It was sooooo good! (He has a deep fryer so almost everything they feed us is deep fried. No complaints from us) They're from Mississippi and they cook everything Cajun style. I told him he needs to start a restaurant! After Christmas they're having us over to try his gumbo so I'll let you know how that goes!
We had to help the Van Nuys Elders move out of their apartment on Tuesday. They were emergency relocated to a new apartment so we were up till 12 at night taking car loads of stuff from one side of their area to the other. The best part about helping elders move is taking everything they don't want anymore. Elder Taylor and I both got brand new desks. So it was all worth it.
We got three less actives to the Burbank nativity festival last night! We were trying to find people to go all week because Burbank was Elder Taylor's first area and he really wanted to see everyone. We finally got the Beauregard family to go. They're a lass active family that we've been working with for a while now. She really wants to get back to the Temple but they struggle coming to church because of the business they run. They loved the pageant and all the performances. They're going to try to come to church next week but we'll see what happens. We also got Sister Beck to come with us! She's such a nice Lady and loves to feed us but doesn't love coming to church. We'll get her to church somehow. We also had a Stake activity at the Granada Hills church! I got to see lots of people from my old area and it was way fun! I got to see Elder Anderson which was probably one of the highlights of my week.
Funny moment of the week: Elder Taylor is a really bad driver. I honestly fear for my life every time we have to drive somewhere...especially on the freeway. He loves driving so every time I asked to switch drivers he said no. So I had to come up with a legitimate reason to switch. I told him I'd learn the area faster if I drove. I don't know if that's true but it worked! I am now driving and I'm safe hahaha!
Message of the week: We taught Gospel Principles class this week during church. We talked about the sacrament and how we sometimes take it for granted without really noticing. We often don't realize what we have until it's gone. Imagine life without the wonderful blessing we have of starting the week fresh and having our sins lifted off our shoulders when we take the sacrament. Imagine how miserable we would all be. It's such a blessing.
Well I love you guys. Have a great holiday season!!
Elder Jensen
Monday, November 30, 2015
I'm so thankful for my Savior
November 30, 2015
Hey FAM!!
It's been, yet again, another crazy week in Encino. The weeks are always crazy though haha! I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with your families and friends and got to think about how blessed you are!
We got two awesome new investigators this week! Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins from Kentucky! We knocked into her last week and asked her if we could share our message about the restoration of the gospel with her and she asked us to come back this week so we did. Well we roll up to her house on Tuesday and she was waiting for us outside! I guess she was excited for us to come back! We ended up teaching her and her husband the restoration and committed them to read The Book of Mormon! Mac (the husband) was trying to set up a return appointment before the lesson even ended! They were both very receptive and we are excited to be teaching them! As we were leaving we asked if we could do any service for them and they said yes so we ended up building Ikea cabinets for them for two hours, and it was so fun!! We had an awesome time talking with them as we worked and they invited us to join them for thanksgiving dinner! They're awesome!
Our Thanksgiving was pretty crazy. We had a normal day but skipped knock out because people are with their families and we don't want to disturb them during their dinner. We were well taken care of for dinner! We had three dinner appointments! One at 3:30 one at 5 and one at 7! At the 7:00 dinner we went to the Hawkins and Mac had made deep fried turkey!!! Oh man....I think that was the best turkey I've ever had!!! I think I gained about 10 pounds this week!! Just kidding still skinny as ever lol. But I ate more than I knew was humanly possible!!! I've never felt so full and bloated in my entire life!!
We were asked to teach seminary this morning. We woke up at 5:15 and drove to the church. We waited and waited but no one showed. We were so mad at those High School kids!!! We lost an hour of sleep for nothing!! We played basketball for an hour in the gym instead so it was still worth it. We're going to have a chat with the young men this Sunday though.
Message of the week: The church just released a really cool new Christmas video this week. It's a bunch of kids talking about Christ's birth. I'm so thankful for my savior. I'm so thankful for the atonement and the huge blessing it is in my life. I can only imagine what the people who don't know about it feel like. That makes me want to share the gospel even more. There's also a huge initiative going on to share the video with family/friends/whoever to help them discover why they and I and everyone needs a savior. I would just ask that you all check it out and share it if you can so you can help others discover for themselves why Christ was born. Christmas is a natural time for us to talk about Christ. So don't feel afraid to share what you believe and share what has blessed your life more than anything. That could be one of the greatest gifts you give someone this year. Go to: christmas.lds.org and check it out!
Well I love you all so much and hope that you have a fantastic week!!
Elder Jensen
Hey FAM!!
It's been, yet again, another crazy week in Encino. The weeks are always crazy though haha! I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with your families and friends and got to think about how blessed you are!
We got two awesome new investigators this week! Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins from Kentucky! We knocked into her last week and asked her if we could share our message about the restoration of the gospel with her and she asked us to come back this week so we did. Well we roll up to her house on Tuesday and she was waiting for us outside! I guess she was excited for us to come back! We ended up teaching her and her husband the restoration and committed them to read The Book of Mormon! Mac (the husband) was trying to set up a return appointment before the lesson even ended! They were both very receptive and we are excited to be teaching them! As we were leaving we asked if we could do any service for them and they said yes so we ended up building Ikea cabinets for them for two hours, and it was so fun!! We had an awesome time talking with them as we worked and they invited us to join them for thanksgiving dinner! They're awesome!
Our Thanksgiving was pretty crazy. We had a normal day but skipped knock out because people are with their families and we don't want to disturb them during their dinner. We were well taken care of for dinner! We had three dinner appointments! One at 3:30 one at 5 and one at 7! At the 7:00 dinner we went to the Hawkins and Mac had made deep fried turkey!!! Oh man....I think that was the best turkey I've ever had!!! I think I gained about 10 pounds this week!! Just kidding still skinny as ever lol. But I ate more than I knew was humanly possible!!! I've never felt so full and bloated in my entire life!!
We were asked to teach seminary this morning. We woke up at 5:15 and drove to the church. We waited and waited but no one showed. We were so mad at those High School kids!!! We lost an hour of sleep for nothing!! We played basketball for an hour in the gym instead so it was still worth it. We're going to have a chat with the young men this Sunday though.
Message of the week: The church just released a really cool new Christmas video this week. It's a bunch of kids talking about Christ's birth. I'm so thankful for my savior. I'm so thankful for the atonement and the huge blessing it is in my life. I can only imagine what the people who don't know about it feel like. That makes me want to share the gospel even more. There's also a huge initiative going on to share the video with family/friends/whoever to help them discover why they and I and everyone needs a savior. I would just ask that you all check it out and share it if you can so you can help others discover for themselves why Christ was born. Christmas is a natural time for us to talk about Christ. So don't feel afraid to share what you believe and share what has blessed your life more than anything. That could be one of the greatest gifts you give someone this year. Go to: christmas.lds.org and check it out!
Well I love you all so much and hope that you have a fantastic week!!
Elder Jensen
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| Made pumpkin spice muffins this week!! We get bored at night ahahaha. Who am I becoming?!?! HAHAHA |
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Monday, November 23, 2015
When we are doing what we are supposed to and working hard the Lord puts people in our path.
November 23, 2015
Such a busy week in Encino!!! It's a new area and I have a new comp so it's going to take some adjusting but we'll be good. So far it hasn't been to hard.
My comp is Elder Taylor. He's from Lehi Utah and is a HUGE animal lover. Not into sports but he loves the outdoors. We're super different but we get along. He's a super hard worker which is awesome! We're trying to work this area super hard this transfer and get a baptism. I'm not in it for the baptisms though...I really just love seeing people change and become better people. That's what I'm in it for. Encino is pretty sweet! We have lots of wealthy people up in the hills and they hate us so we don't go up there more than two or three times a week. Also we have a little strip of downtown Ventura Boulevard in our area which is a nice change! A change of scenery is always cool! There are lots of places to shop and stuff! From the top of our area you can see almost the whole valley which is super cool! The valley looks like a smaller Salt Lake valley i think (Picture attached) One thing that stinks about this area is the 405 freeway is one of our main roads we use to get up to the hills and man....Cali traffic is terrible!! Point for Utah.
The ward is cool but there's some interesting people in it. We have two ladies that bring their chihuahuas to church with them in their purses...people were chill with it and I was like "What the heck California is so weird! Just leave the dog at home?" So yeah that's the area!
We had a super cool thing happen to us this week. We had been knocking and contacting all day and we hadn't gotten in with anyone at all. We were exhausted and were walking back to our car at 8:40 when we ran into Omar on the street. He said he's been looking for a religion for his family to join because the world is getting scary and they don't have any solid beliefs to build their family on. They have visited lots of churches and none of them felt right but they haven't visited our church yet. He also has been having problems with drinking and wants to stop because he doesn't want it to control his life and he wants to set an example for his kids. We talked to his wife and she's totally up to take the lessons and visit our church! She just wants to have a strong family and when I told her that was a huge part of our religion she got so happy! They're such a cool family and we meet with them tomorrow at 8. Just another testimony builder that when we are doing what we are supposed to and working hard the Lord puts people in our path. It might not be exactly when we want it to happen but that's ok!
Message of the week: Be Kind to EVERYONE! As a missionary you learn how much a "Hello" or just a little compliment can mean to someone. When we take heat from people all day it always cheers us up when people Say hi or just compliment us on our ties or stupid stuff like that. Just try to make people happy at every chance you get because you never know what they're going through. Plus that's what the savior would do. Kindness is key to happiness!
Well I love you all and hope you have a great Thanksgiving week! Don't forget how blessed you are.
Elder Jensen
Such a busy week in Encino!!! It's a new area and I have a new comp so it's going to take some adjusting but we'll be good. So far it hasn't been to hard.
My comp is Elder Taylor. He's from Lehi Utah and is a HUGE animal lover. Not into sports but he loves the outdoors. We're super different but we get along. He's a super hard worker which is awesome! We're trying to work this area super hard this transfer and get a baptism. I'm not in it for the baptisms though...I really just love seeing people change and become better people. That's what I'm in it for. Encino is pretty sweet! We have lots of wealthy people up in the hills and they hate us so we don't go up there more than two or three times a week. Also we have a little strip of downtown Ventura Boulevard in our area which is a nice change! A change of scenery is always cool! There are lots of places to shop and stuff! From the top of our area you can see almost the whole valley which is super cool! The valley looks like a smaller Salt Lake valley i think (Picture attached) One thing that stinks about this area is the 405 freeway is one of our main roads we use to get up to the hills and man....Cali traffic is terrible!! Point for Utah.
The ward is cool but there's some interesting people in it. We have two ladies that bring their chihuahuas to church with them in their purses...people were chill with it and I was like "What the heck California is so weird! Just leave the dog at home?" So yeah that's the area!
We had a super cool thing happen to us this week. We had been knocking and contacting all day and we hadn't gotten in with anyone at all. We were exhausted and were walking back to our car at 8:40 when we ran into Omar on the street. He said he's been looking for a religion for his family to join because the world is getting scary and they don't have any solid beliefs to build their family on. They have visited lots of churches and none of them felt right but they haven't visited our church yet. He also has been having problems with drinking and wants to stop because he doesn't want it to control his life and he wants to set an example for his kids. We talked to his wife and she's totally up to take the lessons and visit our church! She just wants to have a strong family and when I told her that was a huge part of our religion she got so happy! They're such a cool family and we meet with them tomorrow at 8. Just another testimony builder that when we are doing what we are supposed to and working hard the Lord puts people in our path. It might not be exactly when we want it to happen but that's ok!
Message of the week: Be Kind to EVERYONE! As a missionary you learn how much a "Hello" or just a little compliment can mean to someone. When we take heat from people all day it always cheers us up when people Say hi or just compliment us on our ties or stupid stuff like that. Just try to make people happy at every chance you get because you never know what they're going through. Plus that's what the savior would do. Kindness is key to happiness!
Well I love you all and hope you have a great Thanksgiving week! Don't forget how blessed you are.
Elder Jensen
Saturday, November 21, 2015
I'm being transferred to Encino
November 16, 2015
Hey everyone!! Another week down! Well I'm out of Granada Hills and I'm being transferred to Encino which is only 15 minutes away. It's another car area and my new companion will be Elder Taylor. I'm super stoked to check out the new area tomorrow!! I'll let you know all about it next Monday.
My new address is:
16815 Vanowen St. #201
Van Nuys, CA. 91406
Well sister Bradford did end up going home which is super sad. But on the bright side we got their old apartment!!! Our mission president called on Tuesday and told us to move out immediately because our apartment was being shut down. It was so trashed because it's been through a lot of missionaries. We upgraded big time!!! It's like we went from a cheap motel to a penthouse suite! Sister missionaries are livin' lavish I'll tell ya. We packed up ASAP and moved in. It took us a while because we had to take multiple trips. We had to take Anderson's bike and our desks and all of our luggage plus we had to clean the old apartment. After hours of deep cleaning I can honestly say it didn't do a thing. On the not so bright side I only got the penthouse suite for a few days. I unpacked everything and now I have to repack again and move to my new area. Another benefit of being transferred is that I no longer have to speak in church! I was scheduled to speak on the 29th...bummer!
We met with Aaron this week and he's getting a lot better!! I said bye to him and shared my testimony. He's an awesome guy and I'll miss him a lot...he's a crumpled 20$ bill but still a 20$ bill! He said not to worry about him because he was going to start going to church. I hope he gets baptized eventually!! We didn't have a lot of success in this area but I feel like I really helped him understand why we have trials in our lives and helped him grow closer to his heavenly father! He's a great example to me of enduring to the end.
Funny story of the week: On Wednesday we had a night out with the girls. It's not what it sounds like!!! We got invited to a Hawaiian relief society dinner party at the ward! It was literally 60 old women and then us. We felt so out of place but we were the life of the party! The food was super good and they sent us home with a full cheese cake and a huge tray of food which was really nice of them.
Message of the week: Elder Anderson and I had a sweet companionship study this week on prayer. We read 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing". Such a simple scripture but it's deep. I started thinking about how when I'm a father I'm going to want my kids to tell me all about their lives, about their struggles, about what they need help with, and tell me how much they appreciate what I do for them. Our Heavenly Father is the same exact way! He gave us such an amazing gift so we could let him know about our lives on a very personal level. He wants to hear from us daily because he loves us. We can all work on either praying more or making our prayers more meaningful.
Also, yesterday we went to our favorite Philippino families house for dinner and they threatened to feed us balut...it's a fermented duck egg with a dead chick inside.....we talked them out of it. Thank goodness!
Love you guys and hope you are all having a great Holiday Season!!!
Elder Jensen
Hey everyone!! Another week down! Well I'm out of Granada Hills and I'm being transferred to Encino which is only 15 minutes away. It's another car area and my new companion will be Elder Taylor. I'm super stoked to check out the new area tomorrow!! I'll let you know all about it next Monday.
My new address is:
16815 Vanowen St. #201
Van Nuys, CA. 91406
Well sister Bradford did end up going home which is super sad. But on the bright side we got their old apartment!!! Our mission president called on Tuesday and told us to move out immediately because our apartment was being shut down. It was so trashed because it's been through a lot of missionaries. We upgraded big time!!! It's like we went from a cheap motel to a penthouse suite! Sister missionaries are livin' lavish I'll tell ya. We packed up ASAP and moved in. It took us a while because we had to take multiple trips. We had to take Anderson's bike and our desks and all of our luggage plus we had to clean the old apartment. After hours of deep cleaning I can honestly say it didn't do a thing. On the not so bright side I only got the penthouse suite for a few days. I unpacked everything and now I have to repack again and move to my new area. Another benefit of being transferred is that I no longer have to speak in church! I was scheduled to speak on the 29th...bummer!
We met with Aaron this week and he's getting a lot better!! I said bye to him and shared my testimony. He's an awesome guy and I'll miss him a lot...he's a crumpled 20$ bill but still a 20$ bill! He said not to worry about him because he was going to start going to church. I hope he gets baptized eventually!! We didn't have a lot of success in this area but I feel like I really helped him understand why we have trials in our lives and helped him grow closer to his heavenly father! He's a great example to me of enduring to the end.
Funny story of the week: On Wednesday we had a night out with the girls. It's not what it sounds like!!! We got invited to a Hawaiian relief society dinner party at the ward! It was literally 60 old women and then us. We felt so out of place but we were the life of the party! The food was super good and they sent us home with a full cheese cake and a huge tray of food which was really nice of them.
Message of the week: Elder Anderson and I had a sweet companionship study this week on prayer. We read 1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing". Such a simple scripture but it's deep. I started thinking about how when I'm a father I'm going to want my kids to tell me all about their lives, about their struggles, about what they need help with, and tell me how much they appreciate what I do for them. Our Heavenly Father is the same exact way! He gave us such an amazing gift so we could let him know about our lives on a very personal level. He wants to hear from us daily because he loves us. We can all work on either praying more or making our prayers more meaningful.
Also, yesterday we went to our favorite Philippino families house for dinner and they threatened to feed us balut...it's a fermented duck egg with a dead chick inside.....we talked them out of it. Thank goodness!
Love you guys and hope you are all having a great Holiday Season!!!
Elder Jensen
 | |
| Our apartment in Encino. |
I seriously learn something every day....whether it's about myself or about the gospel.
November 9, 2015
This week was a really slow week for us. Not much success with our Less actives or our new investigators. I'll be honest I'm super discouraged and disappointed with how slow things are moving. Peoples hearts are so hard here and the message doesn't get through to them. But I know that there's someone here for us.
This week Aaron was doing a ton better! We taught him the last lesson and he said he would be at church in 2 weeks as long as the recovery continues at the speed it has been. He is really worried about changing his beliefs though. If I had been Jewish for 60 years I would be scared too so I don't blame him! It's a huge leap of faith and a huge life change for him but he has us to help him every step of the way. The progress he has made in these past 3 months has been amazing. He went from being a PTSD stricken veteran to a man that now has so much hope and faith that everything happens for a reason. It's really a privilege to be a part of this change he has made.
Our new investigator Renne couldn't meet this week which stinks! But we have an appointment with her tomorrow at 7! We're stoked to teach her about the plan of salvation and how her family can be together forever! We feel like since they are really family centered in their home this message will spark an even greater interest in the gospel. Pray for us!
We had an awesome Zone Training Meeting this week that really gave me a boost to keep going even when things get rough. They talked a lot about fire and how fires start. Fires start with just a little spark and can then grow into a huge fire that engulfs everything in it's path. In our case the gospel is the fire and us missionaries are the spark. In order for San Fernando to catch on fire with the gospel we need to be that spark. And in order to be that spark we have to read our scriptures daily, follow the mission rules, open our mouths and bear our testimonies, and work hard. I want these Californians to experience all the blessings The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can bring them, so I'm going to do my part. As we do our part the Lord will use us to bless others. It was an awesome meeting and I learned a ton! I seriously learn something every day....whether it's about myself or about the gospel.
Funny story of the week: The Granada Hills Sisters (Sister Smith and Sister Bradford) once gave us an expired can of yams that nobody wanted! In order for us to give it back to them would find clever ways to leave it in their car and at their door! Well this week they got us back for all our pranks!! They made us "Pumpkin spice" cookies and brought them to us on Thursday. As we were eating them they said "HA we got you guys!! Those aren't pumpkin spice they're mashed yam cookies with a ton of spices!" So I guess we both ate expired yams from 2014. We each ate a full cookie...I guess anything can turn into a cookie if you cook it long enough?
Right after they took off in their car we went to our district service project and gave them out to the other sisters in the district as refreshments!! We are terrible hahaha!
Message of the week: Everything happens for a reason. This week Sister Bradford (from our district) went to the chiropractor and he messed up her neck so she has to go home 3 months early from her mission to get everything fixed. It's been super hard on her so we went over and gave her a blessing this weekend. In the blessing it said that the Lord always knows what he is doing. And that he was just transferring her to her next mission in life. I have a strong testimony that everything happens for a reason. I'm here for a reason and I'm experiencing everything I'm experiencing for a reason. Never doubt that.
I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!!
Elder Jensen
This week was a really slow week for us. Not much success with our Less actives or our new investigators. I'll be honest I'm super discouraged and disappointed with how slow things are moving. Peoples hearts are so hard here and the message doesn't get through to them. But I know that there's someone here for us.
This week Aaron was doing a ton better! We taught him the last lesson and he said he would be at church in 2 weeks as long as the recovery continues at the speed it has been. He is really worried about changing his beliefs though. If I had been Jewish for 60 years I would be scared too so I don't blame him! It's a huge leap of faith and a huge life change for him but he has us to help him every step of the way. The progress he has made in these past 3 months has been amazing. He went from being a PTSD stricken veteran to a man that now has so much hope and faith that everything happens for a reason. It's really a privilege to be a part of this change he has made.
Our new investigator Renne couldn't meet this week which stinks! But we have an appointment with her tomorrow at 7! We're stoked to teach her about the plan of salvation and how her family can be together forever! We feel like since they are really family centered in their home this message will spark an even greater interest in the gospel. Pray for us!
We had an awesome Zone Training Meeting this week that really gave me a boost to keep going even when things get rough. They talked a lot about fire and how fires start. Fires start with just a little spark and can then grow into a huge fire that engulfs everything in it's path. In our case the gospel is the fire and us missionaries are the spark. In order for San Fernando to catch on fire with the gospel we need to be that spark. And in order to be that spark we have to read our scriptures daily, follow the mission rules, open our mouths and bear our testimonies, and work hard. I want these Californians to experience all the blessings The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can bring them, so I'm going to do my part. As we do our part the Lord will use us to bless others. It was an awesome meeting and I learned a ton! I seriously learn something every day....whether it's about myself or about the gospel.
Funny story of the week: The Granada Hills Sisters (Sister Smith and Sister Bradford) once gave us an expired can of yams that nobody wanted! In order for us to give it back to them would find clever ways to leave it in their car and at their door! Well this week they got us back for all our pranks!! They made us "Pumpkin spice" cookies and brought them to us on Thursday. As we were eating them they said "HA we got you guys!! Those aren't pumpkin spice they're mashed yam cookies with a ton of spices!" So I guess we both ate expired yams from 2014. We each ate a full cookie...I guess anything can turn into a cookie if you cook it long enough?
Right after they took off in their car we went to our district service project and gave them out to the other sisters in the district as refreshments!! We are terrible hahaha!
Message of the week: Everything happens for a reason. This week Sister Bradford (from our district) went to the chiropractor and he messed up her neck so she has to go home 3 months early from her mission to get everything fixed. It's been super hard on her so we went over and gave her a blessing this weekend. In the blessing it said that the Lord always knows what he is doing. And that he was just transferring her to her next mission in life. I have a strong testimony that everything happens for a reason. I'm here for a reason and I'm experiencing everything I'm experiencing for a reason. Never doubt that.
I love you all and hope you have an awesome week!!
Elder Jensen
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