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Hi there family! 

It has been another week and I am nearing my 6 month mark here in the mission. I cannot believe it, I remember thinking in my first weeks out here in the mission that I couldnt survive until May... And here it is, 2 days away from being May. I have no idea where April went, and now I realize when it says in Preach My Gospel that our time here to serve the Lord full time is extremely short. I understand now. 

Mom... Trios are not common, but just like you guessed, it is because we are getting tons of new missionaries. 50 new missionaries are entering the mission field here in Santa Cruz this week and we are receiving a lot of temporary missionaries that will be sent out to Venezuela since they have problems getting visas. Elder Caro, my companion is one of these temporaries. 

This week, I was deeply humbled. Wednesday, the District Leader called and said that there would be changes again. Elder Beltran would be transferred to my last zone, Montero, and I would be Senior Companion and finish the training of Elder Caro. 

Which means, with less than 1 week in the area, I am expected to lead and to teach a new missionary. I immediately felt this burden on my shoulders, and now I can only imagine how it feels to be called Bishop or Stake President. This calling has humbled me a lot, and it is exactly what I need to learn in the mission. 

Elder Caro is good. He has desires to serve and to work hard, but sometimes is a bit lazy and is always hungry. So, when people invite us to eat, he always says yes, super fast, even when we have other appointments and work to do. So, now that I am his trainer, we have spoken about it, and he knows that the work is more important, and we are working more to have more unity in our lessons too since his last companion just taught the entire time every lesson. It is a good thing, changes.

We are talking with everybody and anybody that will listen to us. Here in the city the people are a lot less receptive and so we dont teach that much, which is completely opposite to my last area. But, I have faith that there are people here waiting and that have been prepared to hear this message. 

I have really found more desire to read the scriptures more than any time in my life. I love the Book of Mormon and how at any moment we can study the scriptures and find specific answers. At the time when I needed more help in my mission, I found comfort in the scriptures, in John chapter 16, verses 1 through 15 or something like that. Where every branch that wants to bring forth fruit goes through time of cleaning and that we need to look to Christ even more. I know The Book of Mormon and the Bible are the words of God and we can learn infinite things from them every time we read. 

Do you know how lucky we are? We are so blessed to have this truth in our lives. I will forever be grateful for the missionaries that taught you mom and for those that taught our family. I love this work and it is amazing. Hard, tiring, but I love it. 

Until next week, with pictures and a great story and cool stuff. 

'Elder Jensen