General Conference Weekend!

Hello everybody!

Oh my, this week was so great. I may not have had much success with our investigators (since they dont wait to really change their lives) but we did hear the words of the living prophets of God and that was enough for me.

This week, we had more changes in the mission. We are no longer going to focus on knocking doors, but rather on working with the members and references. That was a great relief. Now to just help the members get going. It is like President Monson said: ¨Now is the time for missionaries and members to work together to bring more people into the vineyard of the Lord¨ It will be tough here in Bolivia, but we must start to change things.

As for conference, they have satellites in the stake centers, so we went to the stake center and all the ¨gringos¨ were given a little room and a smallish TV to watch it in English. Oh, how much I loved the conference. I loved Elder Quentin L. Cook’s talk and also, Jeffrey R. Holland’s talk too; so much power and passion and truth. It was great.

Today officially marks 11 months for me in the mission. And for Chase, this is his last full week as a missionary. For me, it has been tough, and when I look back, it has gone by so fast. I cant believe I am 12 days away from being 20. I still feel super young. I know that I have to be here in Bolivia and to help these people progress. This first year was amazing, but I am really excited for what is to come in this second year.

As for the work, we are still having little success finding new people that want to progress. We have a couple people that tell us in our lessons that they will keep their commitments but when we leave they just don’t, or his friends tempt them to get drunk, like our teenage friend, Julio Cesar. We are still looking, but facing a little rough patch right now in the area.

The weeks have passed fast; it is already the end of another transfer cycle. We are betting that one of the two of us (my companion or I) will get transferred on Wednesday… I don’t mind either way if I stay or go. I have made great friends with the members here in the ward, but the area is pretty tough, so whatever God has in mind with me is fine with me.

 I know with my entire soul that this is the church of Jesus Christ. I have no doubt about it. I know that God loves each and every one of us, so it makes sense that he would give us a church to help us along the way to return to Him. I know that we can be even more happy then we are now if we live the teachings of Christ. Maybe we will still have tough times, but hey, that is life. We have to have tough times so that we learn and progress. I love this gospel and I love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I love that even though we aren’t perfect, He still wants us to come unto Him and keep on going. It is like Dory says ¨Keep On Swimming¨ maybe that means swimming in dark waters sometimes, but we must always do our best and rely on Christ.

I love you my family and friends. The greatest blessing that God gave me is you all. I honestly love you and I have been praying for you a lot lately, that God will guide your steps and keep you safe.

Until next week!

Elder Jensen

I Am Thankful

So, this week was better than the last. We still arent seeing much progress with our investigators, but we have talked about it with my companion and we are going to approach the things differently. 

I am listening to Mormon Messages right now and I love one about thankfulness. I am truly thankful to God for you all, my friends and family. I know that I am so imperfect, so prideful and so silly sometimes, but God truly continues to bless me. I am not sure why, but He loves me.

The week went by fast, I am surprised that it is already Monday again. I cant believe it is October (tomorrow). It is officially the Jensen month... The best month of the year. I love it.

This week was a little bit of the same. Trying to find people with desires to change. Teaching more lessons and just speaking spanish.

We are still teaching a couple of people

. The Otta Paz family and they are progressing slow. They went to an activity at the church Thursday, but they always have someone visiting them on the weekend so they cant attend church. This week, we are going to teach them about baptism and put a goal so that they will start to progress a little bit faster. 

Felipe Brito - he is ready to be baptized, but we are just waiting for his mom to come back from Chile at the end of the year, so we cant really do anything right now, since he wants her to be there at his baptism.

This week, we are going to find more people to teach and that want to come to Christ. I am super excited for this week, because we are going to listen to the prophet of our Lord and Savior. General Conference is my favorite and I am excited to listen to the words and that our investigators will be able to go and listen too.

Ugh, sorry family and everyone. I dont really have much to say. Until next week. 

I love you all.

Here is a silly picture of me and Elder Porter, a really good friend. This was last week´s P-Day activity. Soccer and hot dogs. Good stuff. It was good to take a minute and just relax and relieve stress and everything.

A Letter from Mission President -Christmas Gifts

Dear Missionary Family,

We are so grateful for the blessing it is to have your missionary in the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mssion.  We know that Christmas is not for a while, but wanted to send some helpful tips that may be a blessing to your missionary and their companion. 

As you think of sending a Christmas package to your missionary, we ask that you keep in mind that their needs are few and the space to store things is small. Some possible gifts could include: ties, gospel pictures, hand written cards or letters, candy treats and socks, socks, socks! They are always in need of good black socks. Additional ideas for the sisters include: light scarves or modest hair accessories, and the small no show socks.

Your missionary may have a companion that comes from a family with little or no resources to send a Christmas package.  Where possible, we invite your family to consider sending your missionary’s companion a present with some of the same items in quantity and quality.  This could be sent within the same package so as not to add extra shipping costs.

Some have asked how they can assist the many other missionary companionships that will not receive any gifts this Christmas. For any friends or family who would like to assist in this effort, we invite you to send packages of similar items to the mission office that could be distributed throughout the mission.

One of the best ways to send packages is through the US Postal Service with the following guidelines: Economy rate in a padded manila envelope, but not priority or flat rate. Send less than 4 pounds with a declared value less than 100 dollars inside. Be general in the declaration of contents such as clothes, food, paper products. (If you list something of value, it may be opened and stolen.)  These type are not stopped at customs as often and make it much quicker than FedEX or UPS or even Priority Mail. If you send it by the first to middle of October, there is a good chance of it getting here before Christmas. Send all packages to: 

Name of Missionary 

Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission 

Casilla de Correo 2042 

Zona Central Santa Cruz 

Santa Cruz Bolivia

As we pray for our missionaries every night, we also pray for their wonderful families.  We know that our Heavenly Father will bless you in miraculous ways because of the service of your missionary. 



With love, 



President and Sister Willard

Abundancia

Another week has passed. When I am in the middle of the week, the days pass slow and then at the end, I look back and say where did that week go?

I cant believe we are in the last week of September. Chase only has like 3 weeks left in the mission and I am almost at my year mark.

So, here in the mission, in my area Abundancia, we are teaching our investigators, recent converts and the less actives, we are teaching- not a ton of lessons, but we are working hard. This week was a little bit tough, since even though we are teaching good lessons with the spirit, we arent seeing progress with our investigators. The family Otta Paz travel to see their family in Montero (my first area) every weekend so they cant asist church. Juan and Eunise cant get married right now, for problems with family and they have debts that they have to pay back. 

So, right now, it is just a little frustrating since it isnt going how I want it to go... But, I know that maybe this is a lesson that the Lord wants me to learn- that it isnt my time, but His. I constantly have to humble myself... I have a problem with pride.

Yesterday, I spoke in church, my first time in my mission where I was actually called up to speak in church. I spoke on faith and repentence and how it is important to share this information with others. It was good. 

It was funny. The ward members said I speak like one of them now- Santa Cruz is well known to speak ¨Camba¨ which is a form of really lazy spanish that they speak here. They say ¨Puej¨ instead of ¨Pues¨ and other things. But, it was a compliment that they said that. I would rather speak Camba like them, rather than gringo.

I know that everyone is asking for pictures. It´s just that I hardly take pictures here in Bolivia. There isnt much to take pictures and we dont do a lot of service or activities or anything worthy of taking pictures. Maybe this week, I will have something to take a picture of.

Really, I laugh all the time, because I see the reasons why God called me here to Santa Cruz so that I can grow and change and be a new person. It is incredible how God knows me and how I was supposed to be called here to Bolivia. I am trying to stay strong really, and I hope it doesnt sound like I am sad or anything... Just trying to stay in there. I know that this week will be better so I dont need to worry.

I love you, my family. I know that God is watching over us all. I know He loves us and I know without a doubt that the true happiness is with the family. I love you.

 

Talk to you next week. 

-Elder Jensen

Good morning everyone out there!

This week was not that eventful. It wasn't a bad week, we just didn't have many newsworthy events happen. But, it was a good week.

This week, we had interviews with President and Sister Willard again. I love them so much and they really want to help us out, so they are doing interviews more often, which is fine by me. Every time I talk to them I leave feeling more of the spirit and more of a desire to do what the lord wants me to do. 

Here in Bolivia, there is a holiday that is called Pedestrian Day. It is tradition that they don't have taxi´s or buses going in the center of Santa Cruz. I don't know why they do it, but President Willard talked about how they stopped the buses for one day to make the city better... or something like that. So, in the interview we talked about one thing that maybe we need to leave behind or stop doing to make my life better. It was super great and I love that man. I feel loved every time I talk to him and Sister Willard.

We are still here in Abundancia working with the members and the investigators. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything since we have to help both sides - the members and the investigators. But then I just remember my farewell talk and how I have to just take bites out of the apple. Not the whole thing. I can just do what I can do, then leave the rest up to God.

We have a couple people we are working with.

Felipe - He is a 17 year old kid that wants to get baptized, but his mom is in Chile and he wants her to be there at his baptism. She comes back
at the end of the year, so I think we are just going to teach him and his brother so they can be baptized some other time.

Fatima - She is a reference of a returned missionary. She received her answer that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but we discovered that she and the returned missionary are breaking the law of chastity. So, we were going to teach her about that but we haven't been able to find her this past week. She is never home and neither is her boyfriend, the returned missionary. But, we are going to keep on keeping on.

We have a couple other families that we are teaching. The familia Otta Paz and Juan y Eunise. They are doing really well and want to know, but they haven't taken the time to go to church or to pray to know if it is true. It is a little frustrating, but I just have to remember it isn't my time, but their time that they will receive an answer and do the things they need to do.

Like I said, we didn't have much newsworthy this week, so sorry if this letter isn't super great. I am doing good here in the mission. It isn't as hard as it once was and the time passes fast. I am learning new things all the time. I am seeing how I must be as a dad, as a member of the church, and as a disciple of Christ. Maybe I am not perfect, but I have the Lord Jesus Christ to help me where I lack. I still don't understand why he would help a sinner like me, but I know with my heart that He will always help us. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that He is there whenever we need him. 

A member gave us a CD with Mormon Messages on them that we can use while we teach. I love one of them by Quinten Cook.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz41YxNiHEg

it is super powerful and I loved it.

I love you family. I know that God is watching out for you. 

To all my friends out there in the mission... Hello!!!!

I hope everything is going well out there where ever you are. I am super happy to know that you are all doing great and loving the mission!

This week, I got an email from Krista Nelson about all of my friends out there in the mission. I loved reading their letters and seeing their pictures. 

Whenever I hear about how many missionaries are out, I just think about how much of a royal army God has prepared. I love it.

This week was good. I just got an email from my last companion that he told me
Franz and Julio Cesar got married and baptized on Saturday. I wasnt there to see it, but I am so happy that all went well with them.

This week in the Abundancia ward, a member here was cooking on his stove. His propane tank had a leak so when he lit the match, the gas tank blew up. 90% of his body was burned. He was put in the hospital and was fighting for a couple days, but he passed away. The ward held a funeral and we were invited. 

It was sad, but at the same time, the members bore powerful testimonies of Christ and the plan of salvation. It was interesting that none of them were bawling, but they were calm as they expressed their love for the man and for the peace that the true gospel brings.

I know without a doubt that we will see our loved ones after death. In the church, we have the truth so we dont need to doubt or fear death, we just need to express our love for one another always and to live the gospel of Jesus Christ, because like the members said, we dont know when we will go to the other side.

So, know that I love every one of you. I honestly know that we will be together with God after this life and that this life has a purpose. Such hope and comfort it brings to know that.

Other news this week. 

We are working hard to find people this week. We have a couple with baptismal dates, but we need to find more people. We want to work with the members. The ward here isnt super strong, but we want to help them out. So, we are going to go to work with the members and hopefully, if all goes well, we will find a few Part Family members that need the gospel.

Nothing special happened this week really. Just working hard and getting to know my new companion. I am learning to love him. He is funny.

I love you so much everyone!
Keep on swimming and doing all the stuff that you do. 

Come closer to Christ to find more happiness!

-Elder Jensen

Hola Gringo-landia

Hello out there in Gringo-landia... That is what they call the United States. 

I got transfered again!

We were almost positive that Elder Gueto was going to go, but I got transfered. I am now here in the Piraí stake in Santa Cruz, in the fifth ring. As you get closer to the center the richer and more proud the people are. 

This is the closest I have been to the center of town, so I was super confused and surprised when a lot of people have really nice cars and trucks.

My area is Abundancia. It is a ward. Yesterday in Sacrament meeting we had a little bit more than 50 people. It is not that big of a ward or area, like my last area. The ward is good from what I can tell. They arent super active in the missionary work, but we are going to work with them.

My companion is Elder Condori. He is 21 years old from La Paz, Bolivia. He is kinda strange and he worries way too much about everything. I am thinking he is my lesson in patience. But, he is happy and likes to work, which is great. He likes to do contacting way too much, but at least he wants to find the people that are prepared by the lord.

Since I got transfered, I wont get to see the wedding of Julio Cesar or Franz this week. But, my last companion just emailed me and told me everything is set and ready to go for Saturday, the members are getting more involved there too and they raised enough money to have the wedding in the chapel (it is cheaper in the laywers office). So, I am still so happy for them.

We got to the house and it is a good one. I am used to the house being loud, since I was living with 3 other people and they loved to have fun and everything. But now the house is just quiet since my companion is kinda quiet. I dont like a quiet house, but whatever. 

We live in a house above a plastic chair/table renting place. our house has three rooms and is comfortable. But it doesnt have a kitchen area, so we wash our dirty plates in the bathroom sink. It is great. 

Here in Santa Cruz the cold time has ended and the sun has come out. It is hot!!! But now I am used to it. It isn't a problem anymore for me. 

I love you so much! 

Until next week!!

My last day with the four elders and my old house- it was falling apart and stuff, and had termites and bugs. And in my bedroom we didnt have glass in the windows, so we were basically sleeping outside, but I loved that house.