Hello all you people out there! 

Thanks for reading my blog and for sending my emails and love and support. I know you love me. And I love you. I know the Lord will protect you all.

Family and friends, 

This week was good. We were able to work with the word to go and search for members and help update the ward directory with names and telephone numbers. it was good to help the ward. We feel like we are helping and being more united with the ward.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY! Tomorrow is mothers day here in Bolivia so, mom, another happy mothers day!

I am super happy with my companion. His name is Elder Jerez, from Argentina. He is just a fun guy and we get along really well.

This week, I was able to finish the Book of Mormon again. I was reading and studying of how I can be more humble, and I was able to find a lot of new answers. I know as we come closer to Christ, he helps us become more like him. 

Since I was focused on finishing the Book of Mormon, I had set aside my reading of the New Testament, and now that I have finished with that goal, my new goal is read and learn more of the Savior as I read the New Testament. I am learning more and seeing more that I ever had before. I love it, as Christ taught, he kind of taught in code, those that wanted to hear and learn, they would understand, I am now understanding more as I constantly strive to be closer to Him. 

I love the people here. I have prayed so hard to love them, and I truly believe that the Lord has helped me finally love the Bolivian people. They make me laugh. They make me sad when they dont do what they said they would do, but I havent yet lost hope in them. They are a good people, and I know we will find more people that want to progress.

That is it for this week. I love you all very much and I hope that you are all happy. If you aren't happy, come closer to Christ. I know He will help you truly be happy!

I forgot to tell you, once more winter has come to Santa Cruz. It is humid and so cold. The winds are super strong. But, thankfully in my house, we have a/c so we cranked up the heat and sat underneath it. 
So, here is a picture of 4 of us in the morning huddling together on an extra matress in the house, trying to get warm. haha. 

-Elder Jensen

Another Week

Hey there everyone! I am here in an internet cafe writing you this day and I am super happy. This week was good. My companion and I were able to get a lot done to help the ward and to get things going in my area. Plus, the Lord showed us that He will help us in the work. 

On Tuesday, we had to go to the eye doctor because my companion is blind... well, less blind than I am, but still blind. We look like two goons with coke bottle glasses, but it was good that we went to the eye doctor because I was able to buy some new contact lenses which made me super happy. 

Wednesday, we had a training conference with President Willard and all the District Leaders and Zone Leaders in the city.    It was good. We learned a lot about how we need to do things the Lord´s way so as to have the spirit and to be able to do the things that He wants, since it is His work and His glory. 

We had a couple of great things happen that I would call miracles. We had like 3 or 4 people come up to us and ask us, ¨Elders, will you teach me the lessons?¨ something that, in my mission, has never happened. I know that the Lord is helping us with his work in his time, we just have to be humble and patient and the blessings will come. 

I want to share with you all something our Ward Mission Leader taught us. He is great. Our ward mission leader´s name is Hans Raldes. He knows a lot of doctrine and is constantly reading Liahonas or the Book of Mormon. He taught us a bit about the happiness and how to be happy. We told us, ¨the secret to happiness is obedience. If we obey God, we will be happy always. Only those who obey God are happy, no one else. There is no other way to be happy¨ 

I know that is true. I know that God wants us to be happy and that he gave us the way to find true happiness. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to happiness and obedience is part of it. 

I love you so much my family. You are so important to me and I hope you all have the best week of your lives this week. 

Until next monday, 

Elder Jensen

Todo Bigote!

Well, there it went, the last phone call home. It was great to be able to skype you all and actually have a good camera and internet connection. I hope you all had a good time talking to me and a Happy Mother´s Day to you mom and to Brooke!

Well, like you all heard, I got a new companion. He is Elder Jerez. He is from Argentina. He has a year in the mission. We get a long great. I am super happy to have him here in Guaracal.

Everything with me is going really well. I am happy and healthy and just doing really well, working in the Lord´s vineyard. Like they say here, ¨todo bigote (all is mustache)¨ or ¨todo esta chalinga (all is super good)¨

I know that the Lord has so much prepared for us. He wants us to be happy and to follow his path to be happy. I love this gospel and I love the opportunity that I have to share this gospel with others.

Yesterday, we passed by the house of a less active. We started talking with him, but I just kept feeling like there was something on his mind, or there was something there. I just paused, and just asked the question that was in my mind, ¨are you happy?¨ He started to cry and told us that he wasnt. We shared with him the way to be happy is to follow Christ. To be humble, to do the little things like pray and read the scriptures and, then we can be happy. I know that to be true.

I love you my family. You are all great and make me so happy. I just couldnt stop laughing or smiling yesterday, because you are all just great people. I am so thankful that we can be an eternal family. I love you so much.

So, last night, after talking with you all, we sat there with the Stake President, while the other elders spoke with their families. President Enrique is from Argentina, and just like sister Tatiana showed you, we started to ¨Matear¨ or drink Mate. Mate is an herb, and is super common in Argentina and in other countries, but mostly there. They put the herb in the poro, and then put in sugar and hot water. Before, I had never liked it very much, but when he made it, it is so good. I think it was because he put lime in it. And now I want to buy my own poro (the cup). I will bring some to the states if I can. He explained to me, that to share with someone Mate, it is a form of true friendship and trust, since one cup is passed around, they drink all the mate and then the cup is refilled with water and given to another person to drink. It was interesting to learn about another custom and culture of a people. 
They also gave us pancito (bread) and palta (avacado) to eat. It was a good experience to be in the house of the Enrique family. They are great, strong members of the church.

Until next week, 

Elder Jensen.

Cinco de Mayo

Feliz Cinco de Mayo a todos! I dont know why we think 5 de mayo is some kind of holiday when none of the Latins think it is a special day, but oh well, we are just like that. Or maybe it is just special in a certain country or something like that. 

My week was great. This week, we changed a couple things around, namely we changed our pension to a member of our ward, Yuri Chavez and his wife Silvia. They are great and they make great food. He is from here, and she is from Peru, so they make good food that isnt just the same as always. I am happy about that. 

We are continuing forward trying to work harder and more united with the ward members, we still are not super united like the prophet and President Willard want, but we are trying. We are seeing progress, the most notable in the church assistance, more and more people are coming, which is great. But, still the progress in other areas of the work still isnt where it should be... Like members presenting their friends, or coming with us to teach investigators. But, little by little. 

This week, we had a powerful lesson with a less active. Martha Duran, her son that was recently baptized, Andres and her sister, Paula Duran, a returned missionary, but also less active. We taught them about the atonement of Jesus Christ, combined with our purpose on Earth and we also talked about repentence and faith. The spirit was so strong as we testified and taught about the Lord´s sacrifice and how we can use the power of the Atonement to return to live with God again. I really felt so good and I felt renewed understanding of our purpose on Earth and how we can become closer to Christ, through the power of the atonement. 

I am continually learning about the importance of humility and patience and charity. These are things that I have never been good as but, through daily study and prayer, I have been able to come closer to Christ, and thereby, I have, at some degree been able to become more patient, more humble, more charitable and more dependant on Christ. I am still not perfect, I never will be, but I know that as we come closer to Christ, our character changes. In Mosiah 3:19 it teaches us, that as we learn and strive to follow Christ, our nature changes... it isnt coincidence or anything, we literally become Saints, or disciples of Jesus Christ. he helps us as we strive to be like him. I just want to be like Him and to help others as well come unto Him- whether I be a missionary or a member of the Church, I have the responsibility to share and to bring others to Christ. Through my example, it is possible. 

I love you all so much. I know Christ lives. I love Him and I know He loves me. I will call you, dad, today to make sure Skype works, and then I will call you on Sunday at like 3 your time. If I can'
t get through, dont worry, I will get ahold of you some how. Haha. 

Please be safe. Be happy. Smile. Pray for missionary opportunities. 

I love you so much. 

I cant wait to talk to you!

-Elder Jensen

Fotos

Man, this internet place is horrible. Either the internet is super slow or today, the computers just shut off. So, I dont have much time to write a long letter, but I did manage to send off some pictures. 

This week we had two baptisms... Andres Duran and Cristian Mendoza. Their families were less actives and we are helping to strengthen them, and they hadnt been baptized so we baptized them. Everything went really well. 

Everything is going really well. I have been able to see changes in myself as I continue on the mission. I have been able to learn how to listen to the Spirit. I have been able to learn about our Father in Heaven and how important it is that we be close to Him and His Son. I know that is how we can be happy- being close to Christ and following Him. 

This week, I taught the lesson in the District Meeting, and I prepared a lesson beforehand, but as I began to talk with the missionaries in my District, I felt the impression of the Holy Ghost telling me that we should talk about something else. I felt grateful as we talked and I learned a lot of things about working with the members and everything. 

I love you guys so much. I am so grateful that you are all my family and that you are all there for me, praying, reading the sprictures and thinking about me. I feel your love and I feel your support. I love you so much.

That is it for the week... Blame the crappy computer. We´ll go to a different internet place next week. So, that is good. 

I love you!

.Elder Jensen

Me and my group at Immigrations (getting visa renewed for six more months!)

The Loayza family at the Cochabamba Temple

The bill and coins...Bolivianos (they call them pesos too)

Hello from Santa Cruz

Hi there everyone. Just another day here in Howies... Santa Cruz just being a missionary of the Lord Jesus Christ. This week went by really fast. 

We taught good lessons. 

One amazing experience happened this week for me. We were walking around from appointment to appointment, as everything that we had planned just failed. We had an appointment in 20 minutes, and I thought, let´s just go there early and teach them instead of just walking around. I looked at my agenda and started walking towards the appointment. But, suddenly, a name popped into my head. Katherin Vasguez. She is an investigator that we taught once, her dad died and she was hurting a lot. I turned around, and started going to her house, which wasn't too far away. 

We knocked on the door. She came out and we asked her if she had a minute. She said yes. We entered her house and started talking. We started teaching about the Plan of Salvation, and what happens after we die. As we spoke, I felt the importance of share about the eternal family... Not just share with her where we will go, but I felt that I had to just teach, and just pause and let what I just said sink in, that through obedience and through the restored gospel, we can be eternal families. We just sat there, as the Spirit bore testimony to her and to me. It was so great; I just felt like I should just be quiet and let her think. She loved it. She told us that it was something so new to her, but it gave her hope and happiness. In that moment, I felt like I was an instrument in the Lord´s hands.

The other gringo in our house and I both had to go to Immigrations this week, to be completely legal and everything. We went there and all my friends that I havent seen were there too... From the north mission and the south. We just sat there talking about things of the mission, and just doctrine. It was a bit sad too, because it will be the last time we all see each other in the mission. We said our good byes as we left. It was a bittersweet moment. 

Other than that, the week was just great. I am happy. I know I am here with doing what the Lord wants me to do. I know that I have been changed forever, thanks to the mission. I do not regret it for one minute. I know the Lord lives. I know He loves us. I know He has a plan for us to be happy, and maybe we have to give up our personal pride or our personal desires to follow that plan, but I know it is worth it in the end. I know God lives. I feel Him with me more and more as I follow what He wants, and as I learn of Him in the scriptures!

Until next week. 

-Elder Jensen

this week in santa cruz

Hello my family!

This week was good. We had a conference with President Willlard, we learned a lot, we found new people to teach and we are just doing good. 

The conference was with President Willard and Sister Willard was on Wednesday. We talked a lot about repentance and the joy that comes with it. We talked about how Satan is the king of thoughts, but the Lord Jesus Christ is the lord of actions. So, when we have a thought of doubt or fear, we need to replace it with an action of faith. I thought about my area where I am. I realized maybe I am not doubting things, but I am not acting with enough faith. So, I said a prayer to our Heavenly Father saying, ¨I dont know where the people are that are prepared to recieve the gospel. I dont know exactly what these people need to hear. I dont know what thou would have me do, but I am willing to act with faith and do whatever thou would have me do.¨ 

After the prayer, I felt my faith grow and I was super thankful to my president for teaching us that principle. 

We found a new family to teach, Miguel Angel and his wife Ana. They arent married, but Miguel is super good and ready to accept that gospel. His wife is a bit harder, but we are excited to see what happens. They went to a ward activity and they really liked it. Miguel participated and won a game. It was good to see that they have friends in the  ward now. 

We are also teaching the Duran family... Less actives for a long time. They are all coming back to church. The three moms (sisters) and their kids. Their husbands still dont want to hear the gospel, but we have faith that soon they will come around.  

I love you my family!

Until Next week!