Monday, July 29, 2013

Happy Birthday Oakley!

Hello to everyone!
How goes it? Once again, another week has passed and little Oakley now is one year old. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Cool. I am an uncle to a one year old. Wow. 

Anyway, here in Bolivia, the weather is bi-polar and cant decide if it wants to be cold or hot. So in the morning Tuesday, it was so hot and I didnt put on my jacket, obviously, so then it got cold in the afternoon and started to rain. We went to the house to put on my stuff, but still that time in the cold, made me sick... Now I am stuffy and I cant hear out of my ears and I cant sleep all that well, but I have pills to help me. But all is well here.

We taught super great lessons these last two days. One to the cousin of Wara, the girl that got baptized recently, she is a member whose mom is inactive and her husband isnt a member but wants to get baptized. The girl doesnt want to get married because she is afraid of something... We think it is because she doesnt want to follow the example of her mom and fall away with her husband. I dont know. But we taught her and I bore testimony using the example of you mom. The spirit was strong as we bore testimony that we have to obey God first, even when it means leaving behind our family. 
So, thank you mom, for your amazing example. 

We are seeing the difference already with the members. The work is moving faster as we work with the members more and we can see that they are loving it as we are training them and involving them in the work. Yesterday, they were so excited to fellowship the new investigadors to the classes, they stole them away instead of bringing them to the Doctrine Principles class where they should be. It was super funny and made us happy. 

We are progressing here and getting the Lord´s work how it should be here in Bolivia. I love it and it makes me happy and love the work. 

Not much is going on here, just searching and teaching everyone that we meet... And yesterday, I got vomitted on in the bus system (micros), he was drunk and he threw up and it landed right next to me on the floor with a tiny bit on my arm and a lot on my companion´s pants. Hahah. Crazy Bolivians. 

Wara is doing great, she is going to go to do Baptisms for the Dead in the Cochabamba temple on Thursday, she is super scared and nervous but she is going to go. Haha. She is so funny. 

Anyway, that is all for this week. I love you my family!
-Elder Jensen












Monday, July 22, 2013

Wara's Baptism


Hey there my family! 

How goes it there in the States and Guatemala? It sounds like all is well, except for Corey´s ugly face now without teeth... Cor, you would fit right in here in Bolivia, the majority of the people don't have teeth... One of the members here in Suarez only has one, on the bottom in the middle (I wonder how he eats, I want to ask him one day)

Well, with me, we had transfers this week, and I am still with Elder Gueto from Columbia, here in La Merced Stake in the Suarez ward. The only changes we had were that the Peruvian in our house went to another area, and Elder Morris, the new gringo is training a new Elder from La Paz, Bolivia.

Yesterday, we had the baptism of Wara Isabel Aguilar Espada, the 13 year old girl whose family was inactive for a long time. She was super nervous and we had to have the help of a member to coax her into the cold water in the font. It was super great though and she bore her testimony after saying that some people just say they know the church is true, but she knows the church to be true. And that she wants to be a missionary. Amazing! She is great.

After the baptism, we gave a training for the members on how they can help with retention and reactivation, especially to make a new person feel right at home in the church. We taught, and then did practices. They are super great, this ward has such big desires to share the gospel and help with the work of the Lord, usually they just lack the knowledge how, which is what we are helping them with. 

Attached is a picture of Elder Gueto and me. We had to go to Wara´s house to get a paper signed and to teach her, after she wanted to take pictures so we were just being dumb and we took some pictures.

CONGRATULATIONS MASON!!! YOU ARE GOING OUT TO SERVE THE LORD!! I am so proud of you bud! The mission is hard, but we have the Lord with us and it is honestly the best thing ever! Just be yourself and work hard and read the Book of Mormon! You are going to learn new things and be shaped into the man that God wants you to be! I love you Mason!
Also, you and your family, email me ya?

This week I have grown in the knowledge of the Book of Mormon. In the MTC, Elder Bednar told us to read The Book of Mormon with a specific questions and then to look for answers to that question, I was doing that little by little, but this week I just got super into it and have found such amazing treasures that I will never forget... For example, in Alma, there is a scripture that tells that the king gathered his people in and that he wouldn't go out into the city without his guards... I know that we have to do that as family and friends, grow together and be each others guards. We have to help each other be diligent and faithful.The Book of Mormon is amazing! I love it and I feel a hunger to read it. 


That is all for this week. This week was a lot better and I have learned a lot this week! I LOVE YOU MY FAMILY!!!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Short & Sweet


Hi there! 

Well, I really got nothing to say this week because we barely left the house except to go to the hospital. 
My companion was feeling gross Tuesday and then at 2 in the morning he woke me up and was shivering really bad. I took him to the hospital and he had dengue, the mosquito virus that is common here. So we were just stuck in the house until yesterday, when they told us it would be okay to work again. 

Oh, also, we got to know President Willard. He is great and super young and a spiritual giant. Reminds me of President Wade. We met together as a zone in the mission house and presented ourselves and just got to know them. I felt the spirit really strong. 

Ummm... We have an investigator that we are preparing for baptism, her name is Wara and she is 13 years old and her family was inactive for like 23 years and we are activing them and helping them. It is great and they love when we come. 

I am doing good. Just sitting in our house was a little bit boring and I didnt love it but I read the scriptures and learned a bit more from D&C section 88... It is great. I liked it. 

I love you my family. I know I dont have much to tell you in this letter, but I love you and I hope everything goes well this week. 

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Super Great Week


Hello there everyone!

Great news, we got our new mission president this week! He is so relaxed and cool and I feel like I can actually talk to him if I am having problems, unlike my last one. But, just different people, no?

We still havent gotten to know him yet, but his first week he has already been making changes. He has taken off the focus from numbers and all that to the work of the Lord. He is going to give us cell phones so we can work more efficiently and also, we will get one hour to eat dinner with the members. 

But, best thing of all, he has already cut down contacting. Now, we have more time to work with the members and we are already putting in effect. Saturday, the four of us here in the Suarez ward gathered the ward members and gave a training on how to actually invite your friends. The members need a lot of help here and they loved the training and want to do another one. 
This week was super great. 

I learned a lot. A lot about the second coming. Every morning we have an hour for personal study, I studied one day about the second coming. And it just hit me. The Lord is real. He really is coming one day soon. He really is coming and we need to be ready for Him to come. I felt it just deep down in my heart, that He really is coming. I loved it. 

umm.. We are working with inactive and recent converts to teach them and help them prepare to enter the temple. That is mostly what we are doing right now, with a few part families that there teenage daughter, Wara, needs to be baptized. We are working with her and she is doing great. 

All is well here in Bolivia, we went through a couple days that were super hot and then today is super cold. But, we are all good. We have food (the other gringo here in my house, Elder Morris and I make been and cheese burritos almost every night. We found mexican style tortillas and salsa, so we are super happy. Haha.)

I truly am changing. Sometimes I cant see it, but I am sure I am changing. 
I love you my family! 

Until next week,
Elder Jensen

Monday, July 1, 2013

Hot Water!

Hi there my family! 
What is up? 

Basically, I am super great! This week, I dont know, I just loved it. Nothing super special happened. Just loving the mission. 

Up until now, I didnt know a thing called hot water existed in Bolivia. In my 6 months here in Bolivia, we have just had cold showers and on the cold days, I dreaded getting in the shower in the cold morning. But, this week, we messed with some wires on our shower (it is a shower head that has wires to heat the water as it comes out of the shower head) and we got hot water. Now I just sit there in the shower loving my life. 

This week was the last week of President Calderon, and today starts our new president, President Willard. Apparently he served in California and spoke English mostly, so he speaks Spanish like a gringo. But, I am super excited to see what changes are coming our way. 

Monday, we stayed in our house all day because my companion was sick, same with Tuesday. 

We are starting to know more members, so we go and teach a little message in the members house so they can work with us, like the World Training told us to do. Then they give me food, which I am always hungry, so they just keep giving me more. I like the food here now, it isnt AMAZING like Chase is eating but its good. Carne or chicken, rice, a potato or two and some Chamomille tea.

We are still working here in our area. I am learning to have some fun but still work hard. I know that is why the Lord put me with my companion. He is hilarious and super fun, but we work hard. I needed to learn how and he is teaching me. 

I just got Uncle Eric´s DearElder. Thank you! I love getting mail to let me know you still love me. Haha.

Just still here in Bolivia, loving the work and teaching the lost children of our Father in Heaven who need the truth. 

Umm... until next week. 
I love you!
.Elder Jensen

P.S. Just saying, it is faster and easier for anyone to email me. Now we can email everyone and I have more time, so anyone, EMAIL ME!chandler.jensen@myldsmail.net