Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Feliz Navidad!


Jensen clan!
How are ya´ll? I hope this week was amazing for you and that you are all looking forward to Christmas this coming week. Oh and the end of the world, apparently. Get ready for that.

Just here in Peru, with three weeks left in the MTC. It is so crazy how fast it is flying and how I have already been in the South American continent for three weeks.

This week we learned and spoke more Spanish. We learn more and more each day about the gospel of Jesus Christ, and personally, I keep learning over and over again how insignificant I am and how great our God is. And how we will never be able to pay back the price that Christ paid for us to obtain exaltation. The Atonement is such a mystery to me, how one person would do that all and not be so selfish as I know I might have been.

The native elders and hermanas are here for three weeks each, so the first group just barely left. I definitely found my Latino brother. He is crazy and I am pretty sure he was supposed to be born a Jensen but just got lost on the way down to earth. I love him. Elder Perez. Before he left, he said that he would never forget me and that in me, he saw a brother... He has a special place in his heart for me. The people of South America are so nice and loving, and now we get to have an another group come in and we get to learn and grow close to them for the three weeks.

Umm... We just got back from the temple and we had to sit there for an extra hour because they didnt have enough temple workers to do one part of it. I was dying. But, I got a lot of prayers in to my father. About you all. I pray each and every day individually about you all. God has not forgotten the Jensen family, that I know for sure. We have been so blessed and continue to be blessed.

What else happened this week?
.....

I got an ingrown toe nail... and then I dug it out and now I have a normal toe.
Super fun.

I love that picture of Oakley in the pot. She looks so happy and I love her so much.
Go ahead and send me as many pictures as you would like.

We do the same thing day in and day out but it isnt ever boring and I just love it so much more here than Provo.

Christmas in Peru is supposed to be like the 4th of July in U.S. Tons of fireworks and party and junk. Way fun. Cant wait.

There isnt much more but I am super excited to go out into the field. I still have a lot of work to do, but with God with me, I can do this. And I know Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are both there for all of us. I love it, I feel their love every day. I can feel your love and your prayers as I am upheld and lifted up by the power of Jesus Christ. There is no way this work could be possible if it werent the Lords.

I love you all and I am so grateful for you and your examples to me over the years.

I dont get to call you on Christmas mom and dad, but prolly emailing. Not sure what that schedule is though.. But I think for Christmas eve we are doing a service project thing at a local orphanage here. I love you so much.

Stop what you are doing right now and pray to Heavenly Father that you may be more committed to Him than you have been. I promise you as a representative of Jesus Christ that He will bless you with more determination and more love for the important things in this life and with even more happiness!

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Lima Peru * Earth Quaked


Hello everyone!
I seriously cant believe it has already been another week come and gone. This one went soooo fast and it is just crazy!
 
Some significant things that happened in my week:
We had an earthquake here two days ago. It was the perfect alarm clock since it was like at 6:25am which is when I wake up. It wasnt a big one but enough to wake me up. Peru is crazy!
 
We actually went out into Lima city and knocked on doors and taught people. Such an amazing, humbling experience.
They put us with a native elder and we just all split up and go on our own. I was with an Elder Torres. He was super nervous to begin and kept looking at me to talk, but I could not understand a word the people were saying. We are so used to our teachers who talk slow and ennunciate... I dont know how to spell that word... And the Peruvians just mumble, talk so quiet and so fast. I loved it though. Elder Torres then got the hang of it and we taught like 11 people. It was grand. We go out again this next Saturday.  A lot of us really realized for the first time the importance of this message that we have... That we need to share it with people because it isnt just to make peoples days better or easier to bear the challenges of the world... but it is for the eternities. It is just incredible. I love this gospel that we have.
 
We learned some Spanish, taught some investigators, ate some Peruvian food, went to the bathroom a couple of times, played some Volleyball and futbol. Umm... We had a Christmas light festival last night when they turned on the lights here at the MTC. It was grand. We got out of class and got hot chocolate (watered down chocolately water) and some cookies. Then we just took pictures with everyone...
 
Spanish is coming and I like it everyday when I feel like I can express myself. But, as I was shown on Saturday, I will not be able to speak to the Bolivians when I get there, which I am okay with.
 
Something that really hit me hard this week is that this gospel has the power to fill us with happiness if we let it and if we accept it when our whole hearts. And if we pray for specific things, God will bless us with specific things. I pray for happiness every day and it is incredible how I dont stress about things and I am just happy all the time. i love this so gospel so much.
 
I pray for you all every day more than you know. I love you all so much and I ask God all the time to bless you with the answers that you need and that you will be happy. I promise you that if you will try with your whole heart to be better and to try your best to come unto Christ, He will be more in your life. Please, come unto Him. The only way to be truly happy in this life is to pray and come unto Christ. To live this gospel.
 
¡¡Ser Mormon Es Ser Feliz!!
 
I know this to be true!
I love you all so much!
Until next week,
Elder Jensen!
 
P.S. How is the rest of the fam? Grams and everyone?
Tell them all hi and tell them I love them so much

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Just on a Whole 'Nother Continent


Hello again my wonderful family!!!
 
I am just here in Peru. I have been here for a week and I love it. It is a lot less crazy and to the extreme as the Provo MTC. It has been good here. In our room, we have two Latinos and us in there. we talk to them and learn so much from them. I love the people here. Everyone is so nice and all of the Latinos are such a great example to me and how I should be. They are so excited for the opportunity to be here and to serve and to be on the Lords side. That is how I want to be every single day.
 
This week, I have really grown to love my companion, Elder Bardin. He is a great guy and before, when I was hard on myself, I was hard on him too. we have been learning a lot of the importance of prayer and so I have been praying a lot to be happy and not stressed. And to love him. I can only say that God has indeed answered those prayers and my heart has been opened and is so full of love for the mission, for my companion (even with his lack of any Spanish), and for the gospel. This really is the only way we can be happy in this life- through this the only true gospel.
 
Peru is great. The weather is so nice all year round and we get to study outside every day so it isnt like we are locked up in a prison. The food is really good. Chicken and rice, basically every meal. The bacteria is different here than in the states so everyone in my district has been hit with a bad case of travelers diarrihea. Well, everyone except me. My stomach, although we thought it was super weak, is doing really well. Maybe I have had South American bacteria in my stomach all my life... Prolly, it could happen. God definitely knew that this is where I would be going all my life. Our Heavenly Father has prepared me in ways that I didnt even realize until now. Its incredible.
 
Umm... Thanks for sending the pictures! I love them.
 
I cant even remember what happened this week. Just a whole lot of talking and studying and learning good things. Spanish, the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and all that good stuff.
 
I love you all so much. You are so amazing... all yalls and Im so happy and grateful that we have this truth in our lives. Because we are so blessed. Never take for granted this knowledge that we have, for those before us, if they wouldve had the chance to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, they wouldve done anything they could for it. Anything. We are so blessed that we have this knowledge that we can be happy!
I love you so much!
 
Nos vemos,
Elder Jensen 2.0