Feliz dia del accion del gracias!!

Hola everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I don't understand why it's so late this year, but I guess the calendar people just wanted to change things up.  So far, my plans here in the DR are nothing too special.  I think I might go to Wendy's to show my gratitude for the American Cheeseburger, but other then that I imagine it'll be a regular, normal, day.  However, I hope all of you enjoy your yummy, turkey filled dinner on Thursday!

Well, this past week was a really busy week for us.  Transfers was last Wednesday, so lots of our week was dedicated to that.  Monday, was kind of like the calm before the storm and we just organized all the stuff for transfers.  Tuesday, the new missionaries got to the mission and we had around 19 missionaries come in.  So, that meant that we had to pick them all up from the bus stop and take them to the mission home.  Well, after that I had to go with Elder Carroll to help a old missionary get his passport situation figured out so he could try to get a flight to go home.  Well, after that mess, we headed back to the mission home and ate dinner with all the new missionaries.  It was tacos!!!  YUMMY!  So that was the first couple of days of this week.

Wednesday was game day and I did the same thing as last time.  I drove the missionaries who were been transferred in Naverrete to and from Santiago.  It was pretty fun and I enjoyed driving President Douglas' car.  But, like last transfer someone got into another fender-bender and messed up my plans for the day.  Luckily, no one got hurt and it wasn't too bad.  But, I hope that this crashing tradition during transfers can come to an end.  Then, I finished off a long transfer day putting minutes on everyone's phone with my companion.  Thus, ends Elder Jensen's stressful transfer week.

Well, speaking of new companions; I just was put with my replacement named Elder Morey.  President Douglas decided it would be easier for everyone in the office if me and him just became companions 24/7 so that's what he did.  He's from Mapleton, UT and has 1 year and 5 months in the mission.  He seems really nice, and he's very energetic to learn and work in the office.  To tell you the truth, he's also a little odd, but I get a good laugh and things have been really fun these last couple of days.  I'm looking forward to spending the Christmas season with him as my companion.  It should be fun, and we'll make the best out of Christmas this year.

So, a lot of my good mission friends went home this past week.  It's interesting to see missionaries that I've worked with, played with, and learned with go home and move on in life.  It's weird to see how quickly time moves forward and how things change constantly.  Change is found everywhere and I think God uses these changes to help us shape our characters and help us on the path of eternal life.  I mean, change happens in the family, in school, in our jobs, in our bodies, in the world, in cultures; seriously, change is something so constant in our lives that "change" is almost the only thing that never changes (hope that makes sense).  It's up to us to accept that change exists and learn from the constant need to adapt and react to these new situations.  I feel like God puts change in our lives to help us grow and realize our constant need of him.  I know that God lives.  He is our loving Heavenly Father who only has our best interest at heart.  He wants us to succeed and he wants up to get up and dust ourselves off when we fall. His plan is perfect and if we have faith in his promises I know we'll always succeed.  En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

Thanks for all the emails, love, and support everyone!  Have a good Thanksgiving!!

Love, 

Elder Jensen

Weekly email...

Hola Everyone!

Wow!  I can't believe another week has already gone by!  Next Wednesday is transfers, so things are going to be getting really busy starting Monday.  President Douglas wants me to have an opportunity to train a new missionary before I go home, so I'll be training my replacement this upcoming transfer.  I'll have one more transfer in the mission office, then I'll head back out into the field at the beginning of the year and finish my mission training a new missionary!  I'm really excited and it will be a great way to end of my mission service.  So, this next transfer will be a busy transfer teaching someone else how to do my job.

So, the baptism service was good last Saturday.  Carolina got baptized and she seems really happy now!  She's excited to go the temple in a year and be sealed as an eternal family.  Her and Omar need lots of help and lots of preparation, but  I'm confident that they'll be able to make it with the lord's help.  It was a good feeling to see someone else get baptized again.  It helps me realize the importance of what I'm doing here in the Dominican Republic.  I've attached a few photos to this email, so I hope you enjoy them!

So I finished the Peacegiver this past week and it was really good!  I really like how the author pointed out that the Atonement is for us to forgive as well!  He essentially said that Christ comes before us and says, "I've covered your sins, and I've also covered their sins too!  The debt has been paid in full, so let me deal with them and I'll be here to help you."  That is really true.  The lord has paid everyone's debt; not just ours.  He then sets the terms on their repentance, and on ours.  We can't deny someone the ability of the Atonement, because we don't deserve it anymore then they do.  So in reality, we can't judge others and force them to change; because that is exactly what we don't want someone to do to us!  It's important that we do our best to not judge others and rely on the lord to help us change OUR part and leave other people's problems up to him.  Afterall, at the end of the day, salvation is individual.  Someone else can't do our part for us; only Christ can show us the way.  I know that Christ lives and he is our savior.  He the only way we can ever hope to be saved.  He has paid the debt in full and has set the terms for our salvation.  I know that he wants us to succeed and he knows we can do it!  God is our father and he wants us to make it home as well!  I hope we can continue to keep the commandments and show them we are ready and willing to listen.  En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

Have an excellent week everyone!  Que vaya con Dios.

Love,

Elder Jensen

Happy November...

Hola,

 

This past week was pretty normal without anything out of the ordinary.  Monday, I spent the day at the office catching up on some paperwork.  I also had to put minutes on everybody's phone for the next three weeks.  So with 125 cell phones, it took me a while.  Tuesday, I honestly can't really remember what I did.  I ran some errands with my companion and we took a fridge to an area on the outskirts of Santiago.  Wednesday was the Missionaries' P-Day, so I stayed at the office on an exchange while my companion did his errands.  Since missionaries always stop by on P-days, we always try to have someone there.  Plus, this week the doctors came to the office to give clinics to the missionaries because President Douglas was in Santo Domingo.  Lot's of "sick" missionaries and lots of in-grown toe nails last week.  Yep, missionary health....got to love it!  Thursday and Friday were the weekly mail run days.  I even got a package this week!!  The best part is it arrived on Halloween too!  I was very content with what it contained.  And yesterday, was the "Day of Service" so we helped some members with random house chores.  It was really fun and a good way to spend P-day.  We also attended a baptismal service one of the missionaries were holding.  It was good to see a baptismal service again.  So, as you can see my week was pretty uneventful, but those weeks are good sometimes.

So throughout the week we continued visiting Omar and Carolina.  She seems more attentive, and focused this time around.  She's very excited for her baptism next Saturday and I'm excited for her as well!  She wants to get baptized so bad and make it to the temple to be sealed to her three children that died a few months ago.  My companion and I feel like she's really doing well and can definitely be baptized on Saturday.  It's been hard and it's taken alot of patience on our part, but it'll be totally worth it!  I'm looking forward to Saturday.

I've been reading a little bit this week in Mosiah.  I've read alot of King Benjamin's speech to his people.  It's interesting how the "General Conference" advice given then applies to alot of things today.  We've just had a General Conference and the talks and advice are now available to us in many different forms.  However, I think we can learn and gain knowledge on many of the conferences and broadcasts of church leaders.  Many times we focus on the here and now, but many times the then and was can teach us things we never would have thought.  I hope that as we concentrate on today's world and today's problems we can remember what the past can teach us and how we can learn from all ages of history.  I know that God lives.  He loves us.  I'm grateful for his plan and I know that families are forever.  En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

Have a great week everyone!!  Que vaya con Dios.

Love,

Elder Jensen