A Christmas Carol

Hello hello!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!! I hope y'all are doing well and have some fun holiday plans!! It's been a while since I've done a more detailed weekly update and a lot happened this week so we're gonna give it a shot again!

On Monday we played a super fun game for pday activity(: Instead of normal spoons, we played "ultimate spoons". Use caution, if you plan to try this at home clear any breakable furniture and have band aids on hand. Ultimate spoons is much like regular spoons where you sit in a circle and pass around cards till you get a set of four. Instead of setting spoons in the middle of the table though, you hide the spoons in another room and you have to race to get to the room and find them. It was pretty intense. I get to claim bragging rights and say I won!! (woot woot!!) One of the Elders got a little beat up, band aids truly are necessary.

Tuesday we had a video meeting and basically replanned the idea for the video. Im not really sure how this one will end up, transfers also threw a wrench in things a bit, our camera elder got transferred out to Montpelier. We'll see how it turns out!! We ended up filming most of Zone Conference to use, which I will get too later.

We had some we had some awesome lessons this week! We met with a guy named Mike, and he seems promising. We met him at a baptism, his friend's sons were baptized. That was a few weeks ago, and we finally got to have a lesson with him. We talked about Heavenly Father and how we are literally his children. I think it touched him to hear how connected we actually are to God. It was a very sweet lesson and we'll be meeting with him again(:

We also met with the Vaughan family, their son Cort is on date for baptism January 4th! It was a good lesson, they are so supportive! We had invited them to read the first lesson as a family to prepare themselves and they actually did it! It was so cool!! I'm excited for them!

Thursday was Transfer day/Zone Conference, which was awesome. Zone Conference was a special Christmas conference for us(: we started out listening to some songs preformed by some women in President Southward's ward in Highland. It was all very well exectuted and their messages went along with what we were talking about first, which was the prophet Joseph Smith. President followed their performaces with a presentation about the prophet, which was also very inspiring. It always touches my heart to think about what Joseph Smith edured for the sake of the gospel. The amount of suffering he endured, along with the pain caused to his family has always confirmed to me the truth of his words. No good man would go through such torment and see not only his family, but his friends put through so much persecution as well, for something false. I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and that we have true prophets called of God on the earth today.

Later during the Zone Conference we helped with a service project and assembled bikes. It was pretty sweet, later families came to pick them up for their children for christmas. After the service project we went back to the Palace Playhouse, (a theater in town) to have a nice dinner and watch the show, "A Christmas Carol". It really stood out to me to see how blind Scrooge was to his own actions. I think we are so blind sometimes to our own actions and the feelings they can hurt. It made me pause and think a little more about how our actions really do speak volumes. I also loved seeing Scrooge go back to "Christmas past" and seeing both the good and bad actions of his past. It was a poignant reminder of the history of our actions and how important it is to be proud of our actions and to do what we can to make things right when we make a mistake. Lots of good messages to be reminded of. And it was also pretty sweet to get to watch a musical on my mission(:

We got to see the McCabe boys this week, and they are so excited about the Gospel! We stopped by on Saturday and they were so ready to have a lesson! They had their scriptures out and everything. They are such sweet kids and hopefully we can see them baptized. There may be some legal permission to wait on, but they'll get there someday.

Lastly, on Sunday it was super fun to go to all the Christmas programs. We were at 3 of the 4. And we sang in all of them. I actually sang a solo bit for the last one which was fun. Later that night we caroled as well so it was a day of song haha. Made for a good night(:

Anyway, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and enjoy some time with your family and friends. This is a special time of year to remember Christ and the love he has for us.

I love you all!
Love, Sister Jensen

Caroling in Chubbuck

Hello Hello! So sorry for the confusion over the last few emails! If you didn't get one from me over the last few weeks and missed it, let me know!

Transfers are coming up this Thursday and I will be staying in Chubbuck with Sister Miller. This will be her last transfer and then she'll be home to Arizona! It's crazy how fast the mission seems to end. I'll be honest, it has been a rough past few transfers, but It will be good to stay in the area. I also apologize for those I haven't emailed back yet, pdays are probably more stressful than relaxing at this point. I will get to you all soon.

This week we were able to go to the temple in Idaho Falls with a member and do a session. It was quite relaxing and peaceful to be back in the temple. When in doubt, go to the temple. I didn't really have any questions, I mostly just needed to feel peace, which I did. The temple is truly the Lord's house, a place of joy and comfort.

This week we had a few exciting activities, we were able to go caroling a few times as a district in the Mall, and I brought my Ukulele as accompaniment! Haha, it was quite fun and I enjoyed it. This sweet little boy even came up and joined us at one point. (he wasn't even a member!) On Saturday we spent the day doing service project after service project. It was a blast! There is joy found in serving others(:

Also, we for sure have a baptismal date for Cort, a 9 year old boy we are teaching... he is set to be baptized on his birthday, January 4th! I'm so excited!!!

I hope you all are enjoying the Christmas season(: I love you all and hope you have a merry Christmas!!

Love you all!
Sister Jensen

Blitzes And Baptisms!

Hello all!

Things are happening in Chubbuck!!! We have found quite a few new people to teach, and even have a youth that wants to be baptized come January!!! I'll actually get to plan a  baptism! And stay here for it!! I don't know if y'all are getting how much of a miracle this is too me, but it is.

This week we did a district blitz in our are, and another later that week in the sisters area. A blitz is when multiple sets of missionaries go out in one area and spend a few hours helping the missionaries covering that area by knocking doors for them and getting to know the area. We came back with lots of good contacts, and saw the same miracle happen for the sisters.

The most exciting part of my week was actually yesterday. To clear up the confusion, we had our pday switched because the leadership of the mission had a council meeting yesterday. Sorry I didn't clarify sooner. Anyway, back up to Sunday though. On Sunday, our bishop from. The 11th ward came up to us and said a family in the ward was recently coming back to activity and wants their son baptized! We talked to the mom that day and set an appointment for Monday evening. We went, had an awesome lesson and really got to know the family. The son, Court, is awesome!! When the family was less active, Court would be the one to bug them about going back to church and about getting him baptized.

When we talked to the family, the parents were very open about recently being back into activity ty and they could recognize the change the gospel brings into their lives.

We discussed baptism dates with the family and we still don't have an exact date, we have to discuss things with their bishop, but they're thinking around the first week of January.

The area is looking up. Things are getting better and we're definitely finding people to teach. Miracles happen if you continue to put your trust in God. This past week has been a testimony of that. I love you all and I hope your weeks are fantastic.

Love,
Sister Jensen

Happy Turkey Day!

Hello hello everyone!!

Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend it with friends and/or family(:

This week I had a pretty neat experience. On Wednesday I drove out to Star Valley with 5 other missionaries to begin shooting for the next mission video. We got to Star Valley, had dinner with the folks I stayed with while I served there, and then headed off to a member's home to shoot the interview portion of the video. I typed that all in a very calm way, but throughout the whole trip I was so incredibly stressed. We left Pocatello way later than planned, had to head to dinner before setting up for the interviews, and only had about 20 minutes of partial setup before people started to arrive for interviews. I just remember looking at my watch over and over and while I was enjoying the company I was in, a mental schedule was rolling in my mind and we were behind. Somehow, it also felt like everyone in the group was looking to me to make decisions, so I was feeling quite stressed. Interviews all worked out, the house we shot in was beautiful and the people that came were patient with us as we finished our setup. That night we crashed pretty hard, we were all exhausted.

In the morning, (Thursday) we were again running late getting out to the Paris Tabernacle to shoot the music portion of the video. Two more sets of missionaries were joining us at the tabernacle, so they could play instruments for the music we had planned. Once we all finally arrived we took much longer than anticipated to figure out the sound system of the tabernacle, find the shots we wanted, and hash the music out. (We literally threw the "mini orchestra" together and they hammered out something that ended up sounding good in about 3 or 4 hours. So mad props to them.)

Again, it felt like I was placed in charge and I knew the missionaries that met us there had schedules and we were running so late... stress was like through the tabernacle roof. (It was all super fun though, I did have a good time I promise.)

During the whole trip, Star Valley & Paris combined, I was just praying those involved were looking at me with charity. There were many things we didn't think to plan for, schedules that ran ridiculously late, and unexpected setbacks that we really didn't have control over. Feeling like I was making a lot of decisions, and not feeling adequate to do so, I found myself hoping that those around me saw I wasn't perfect and were looking at me with charity and understanding. Throughout my mission, I've prayed for charity, and I've prayed to understand those we work with. But until that trip, I hadn't really recognized how much I needed everyone to have charity towards me because of the stress I was under. It was very humbling and eye opening to see just how important it is to have charity towards those around you. We never know everything someone is balancing or going through. There is much more going on in a person's life than what we see.

With the holidays approaching, I invite all of you to pray for charity. Pray to have charity to those around you, and pray to receive charity from others. The holidays can be some of the most wonderful times for families, and also some of the most stressful. Have understanding for those around you and look to serve and provide relief however you can, just as Christ would.

I love you all,
Sister Jensen

No Mistakes... Only Happy Accidents

Hello all!

This week we had Zone Conference!! It was a really good conference, President had a professional artist come to speak to us. She talked about art she's done, including work in temples!! It was really cool to hear about. She also talked about a painting she did for a judge. Once she had completed the project, she left the painting for just a few minutes, and her 2 year old came in and wrecked it. Like she smeared Cadmium yellow all over the face and the hands. After a bit of a freak out, she scraped the paint off the best she could and basically had to repaint the face & hands. She quoted D&C 122:7-9 -

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

8 The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

9 Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.

She showed us the painting, and said that after redoing it, the portrait actually turned out better than it looked before. She talked about how sometimes the Lord sends us setbacks to make us better and to stretch ourselves, something I've definitely seen in my life & on my mission.

This week Sister Wilson and I also went out to 2 more firesides, Sister Wilson actually did a 3rd one Sunday evening, we had a lessons o I couldn't go. Sister Miller and I met with the Leach family, we're teaching their son Lyric. He is waiting for permission from his biological mom to be baptized. He is super sweet and knows a lot about the gospel. 

We also had a few meetings this week to plan out the next video, which will be out in Star Valley! It's going to be an awesome video and I'm excited to continue to be a part of the new ways we are finding to share the gospel!! I love you all and encourage everyone to prepare for the Christmas season by looking at the "Light The World" campaign the church has put out and find ways to serve this Christmas!

Love ya,

Sister Jensen

"Hoy Hoy!"

This week was crazy!!

To start, Sister Fitzpatrick and I had our last day together, and early Wednesday morning she headed out to North Carolina. The AP's had us meet at the mission home at 5am for a breakfast before they took the missionaries headed out to the airport. That was a weird day. I had gotten up at 3:30am and gotten all ready, because the AP's didn't really give me much information on where I would go/ who I would go with. They said one of the options was going with Sister Southward, and I wasn't sure if she would just be up and ready to go that early or if I'd get a short nap hahax) (I also knew I wouldn't really be able to fall back asleep anyway so it was sort of a lose/lose situation.) Anyway, they had me go out with some sisters that were dropping off another sister headed to NC. I did have the opportunity to take a nap...but like I said, I defintely couldn't fall back asleep haha.

So I spent the rest of Wednesday with Sister Pineda! We ended up doing some service at a theater in Chubbuck (The Palace Playhouse) and I got to paint sets!!!!! I was in heaven haha. He gave a bit of direction on what he wanted and let me have at it. It was super fun(: That night we went to a relief society and painted too!! Apparently Heavenly Father knew what I needed to help me de-stress lol. Once we got home that evening, I helped Pineda deep clean the apartment to prepare for transfers the next day. Holy cow. there was a lot to do haha. Sister Pineda likes a clean apartment, but he past comps didn't seem to care...so it was a lot of work but dang it looked so good after!!!x) It was a fun night and we bonded over cleaning supplies lol.

Thursday was transfer day and I got Sister Miller!! I didn't know her super well before, but she is so sweet! And hilarious. I'm psyched for this transfer it's gonna be a blast. She is from Arizona, and just came from serving out on the reservation. She's got some crazy stories! 

Anyway, the week was hectic even after transfers. We had quite a few lessons, went back to the res for a Pow-wow, (i'll include pics) had District Council with our new district, and went to a baptism the Elders had! The week was great and I am excited for my last few transfers. I feel like Heavenly Father has placed me here with Sister Miller for a reason, and I am excited to see how the next few transfers go! I love you all! Have a great week!!

Love,
Sister Jensen

("hoy hoy"- a sound one makes while one's companion is popping one's back. Sister Miller lol)

Paint a Missionary Tag on Your Heart

Hello hello all!

This week Sister Fitzpatrick and I did a lot of editing for the mission's video. I will attach a link to watch it on youtube. (that was our halloween, editing..woot woot! we did dress up tho. i painted sis fitz and I's hoodies...i'll include pics!)

On Saturday we had a special Zone conference, in which President M. Russell Ballard presided. He came to visit the mission and tour around a bit.

Leading up to his arrival I was a mix of emotions. Sister Jennings and I were set to sing during the conference. We practiced the song and I was getting quite nervous for it. As I sat down and we began spiritual prep my hands were literally shaking. The elders we were by weren't helping, they politely reminded me that I wouldn't just be performing for an apostle, but the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. How kind. I read a bit in 2 Nephi 31 to attempt to calm my nerves, and soon President Ballard entered the chapel.

As he entered the room you could tell what a sweet man he was. After he had made his way up to the stand, he asked to shake our hands before beginning the meeting. Though it was just a brief handshake, I could feel the love the leadership of the church has for the missionaries as I looked into his eyes.

The conference started and Sister Jennings and I actually performed our musical number after we had opened with a hymn, prayed, and President Southward had announced the order of the meeting. I wasn't expecting to go so soon, but it was good to get it out of the way. Wow I was nervous. As we began I felt shaky, but a sister told me after she didn't believe me on that. It felt like a good performance, though I probably looked down at the music too much. As we walked off the stand President Ballard was so sweet, complimenting us as we walked by and thanking us. (We sang "Savior Redeemer of My Soul" no I apologize, i didn't get a recording.)

It was amazing to get to hear from President Ballard. He reminded us of the simplicity of missionary work, which seems to be a theme this week. I think we find many excuses not to share the gospel, and justify keeping to ourselves. On Sunday, in a ward council we opened by singing "Love One Another." I feel like this is truly how we do missionary work. It doesn't take a direct invitation to be a missionary. Often times, it is the love we express to those around us that helps them see our testimonies and how much this gospel means to us.

I love you all, I challenge you to find someone to show Christlike love to this week, many are in need of it.

Love,
Sister Jensen

Movie Magic!

Hello Hello everyone!

This week was better than last, there's always a rainbow after a storm if we're looking for it. Sister Fitzpatrick & I were extremely busy this week, which was great. I think we were out of our area more than we were in it though, so we weren't busy with what you may expect. Sister Fitzpatrick and I were asked to be on the video committee, in charge of planning & producing the next video our mission is going to send out. We had a planning session last week, and then ended up having 2 this week because a main part of our idea fell through. With that, and the day we took to actually film part of the video, I can't truthfully say we were always in Chubbuck. It's okay, we let our leaders know. Though I think our district leader now expects to get a "hey we'll be out of our area" text at least every other day. I think the only full day we were in our area was Thursday. (We also had exchanges again this week so that only added to the madness)

I know most of you will be curious about the video, so I will take some time to explain it a bit more. President Southward wants every member in our mission to know our goals every month. (Well actually, Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy wants every member in our mission to know our goals..and President is taking off with his instruction haha!) To do this quickly, effectively, and in an encouraging manner, President is having us make monthly videos to show some of the progress in the mission, and encourage members to join us in our goals. It's pretty cool actually.

Anyway, so Sister Fitzpatrick and I, along with 3 other sets of missionaries are on a "video committee" to plan November's video. Come transfers, I don't know what that whole "video committee" will look like, seeing how many of us could get split, and I definitely will be getting a new companion! (If you've missed it till now, Sister Fitzpatrick is going a-wall to North Carolina.) The first time we sat down most of us were kinda like "not exactly sure why I'm here, but I'll see how I can help." (that was me haha) President had given us a bunch of ideas to go off or run with, so the first mtg we focused on a few of his ideas and blocked out the video. For this video, we planed to have a recent convert give some of his story. He's an artist, so we were planning to show him paint a picture and eventually show it at the end. Well then he said he didn't really want to paint something for the video...so that sorta changed things. Not too badly though. We were able to work it out. That's all I'm gonna say before we actually complete the video though, I don't want to give too much away(;

This week was honestly a lot better. I think after reaching our ultimate stress levels, Sister Fitzpatrick and I were able to talk through things and we've been closer as a companionship. It also really helped that things were so crazy, as it gave us a lot to focus on and it is so much better being busy as a missionary than the alternative. I hope everyone had a great week, I love you all!!!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Teach Me To Walk In The Light

This week was honestly the roughest week of my mission. Sister Fitzpatrick and I have booth been up and down emotionally, dealing with the stress of starting in a  new area, and for her, figuring out how to be a missionary. I think we've both been extremely frustrated seeing the lack of upkeep of our area, prior to our arrival. We hit our stress climax this week, and had a good comp inventory. We're definitely doing better now, but it still is hard. It wouldn't feel like missionary work if it wasn't hard haha.

We shared a message with a family we'll continue to teach and after, we sang "Teach Me To Walk In The Light" together. This song is a primary song, something I learned as a child, but it's words are still true. For those who don't know the song, here are the lyrics-

1. Teach me to walk in the light of his love;
Teach me to pray to my Father above;
Teach me to know of the things that are right;
Teach me, teach me to walk in the light.

2. Come, little child, and together we'll learn
Of his commandments, that we may return
Home to his presence, to live in his sight--
Always, always to walk in the light.

3. Father in Heaven, we thank thee this day
For loving guidance to show us the way.
Grateful, we praise thee with songs of delight!
Gladly, gladly we'll walk in the light.

It's been hard this week. But I also know that everything happens for a reason, and Heavenly Father is teaching me how to become a better daughter of his, so that I can return to him improved and closer to his perfection. There are always reasons for the trials we face, though we don't understand them in the moment. I know Heavenly Father is aware of Sister Fitzpatrick and I, as well as each of you. For all of you, (I know everyone is struggling with something to some degree.) I invite you to look to your heavenly father in times of trial and thank him for the blessings he has given. He loves you and I hope you all can see that.

Love,
Sister Jensen

Priesthood Healing

Hello hello everyone!!! I'm finally back to my novel writing habits, so prepare yourselves. 

Monday night we started out strong with a blessing. Sister Fitzpatrick got some sort of virus throat thing in the MTC and passed it off to me when she arrived. So my throat was acting up and it was making me super nervous because this is like her 3rd week with it and I was scheduled to sing on Sunday (yesterday) and in a few weeks at a special zone conference at which, President Ballard will be present!! (Holy cow!!!!!!) So lots of stuff happening vocally and I really did not have time to get sick! So Elder Allen & Elder Crowther gave me a blessing. In the blessing Elder Allen promised I would be healed because I was needed to use my talents. It was probably one of the coolest blessings I've been given, because it made me feel like Heavenly Father felt like my ability to sing was important, even necessary to the point that I needed to be healed. He also mentioned how people can feel the spirit more than I imagine/realize when I sing so that was really touching.

Tuesday I tried to keep a little quiet because we gotta do our part to be healed too right? (You know me, I can only stay quiet for so long haha) That night our dinner appointment made us some AWESOME wings, and I was so glad to finally have a bomb meal in Chubby. (Everything has been a little eh I guess, or just a few parts of the meal have made me go "yum!" While the rest was like "I'd like to pass but i won't...yay" So this was refreshing.) I appreciate good food hahaha.

That evening we joined the Young Women of the 9th ward for a "mission prep" night! It was awesome! They had the bishop talk a little about the interview questions, some sisters from the ward who served talk about their missions, and at the end, we spoke about our decisions to serve a mission! (Sister Fitz and I) We both actually got really emotional sharing our stories and it was really amazing to testify to the young women about setting their fears aside and following the Lord's will. I talked about how one of the "fears" I had before going out was missing out on Breanna's life and the possibility of her getting married while I was out...and how that happened. It was so amazing to bear my testimony of how the gospel helped me through even that. I'm, not saying this to make anyone sad, it really was a neat experience. I was able to tell them how everything was still alright and though it was hard to miss, I was able to visit my first area that same day and go to the temple. The temple holds healing powers and it made me so incredibly happy to see so many people I had grown to love. It was just so cool to get to testify to them of how the Lord is aware of us and will help us through our fears.

Wednesday evening we had dinner with one of our ward mission leaders and his family. We had a nice dinner, and were about to share a message when their son (recent RM) walked in....wearing the ugliest shirt I have ever seen in my life. Literally the room went silent as everyone simply stared at this kid's shirt. Let me describe it- Imagine a dark blue button down. Not bad, but now add metallic gold swirls, flowers, and music notes cascading down the chest and one of the sleeves. It look incredibly tacky, and he hadn't even ironed it. His dad goes "where'd you get that shirt son?" And he's like "online, where I get everything else." Like he wore that thing to work. Nobody really said anything. It was so awkward.

Thursday my voice felt like it was almost there. So that was encouraging. We had a suuuper long session of weekly planning and oh my heck I was dying but it's fine. We had dinner with the Johnsons that evening and they were so fun! Again, got some good meat so I was happy. After that we had a stake ward mission leader meeting, which was really helpful. The Stake President is super motivated to get the work going, and he just called a lot of new ward mission leaders, so the training was necessary and I think it'll help them start out with a good outlook. That evening one of our ward mission leaders gave us a huge sack of apples which made me super happy!!

Friday my throat was pretty much healed woot woot!! We had the opportunity to help with the food bank out in Tyhee and that was a mix of sad & happy & humbling. It's just sad to me to see some of the circumstances people are living in. It's even sadder to be able to see the effect of substance abuse on so many of their faces. It was saddening to see where they had gotten themselves, or situations they were put in through other's choices. It was a good experience though. That evening we had dinner with a newer sister to the ward. She moved in recently and her husband has passed away. She was super funny and sweet, I think she gets pretty lonely because a lot of the members don't know her yet. It was good to have the opportunity to spend dinner with her though.

Saturday we had breakfast with all the other missionaries in our stake! There's a member in one of the Elder's wards who is set on carrying out the tradition his grandfather instilled, to feed the missionaries in the stake once a month. It was so great, they fed us pancakes and it was really fun!! He was less active growing up and never served a mission, and his wife is from the Philippines and served a mission. They are so sweet and it was so cool to see the impact his grandfather had on him.

After breakfast we had a lesson with the Manteca family. They are a family that was sealed in the temple and are now getting back to activity. We had a really good lesson with them and discussed the first part of the Plan of Salvation. We were able to talk about our "turning points" and when the gospel became real to us. Brother Manteca shared some powerful experiences and I think he showed his wife that he really does have a testimony. After we got out, Sister Fitzpatrick was super excited because it felt like we really balanced each other well in the lesson. It was really good it went so well. Because of the breakfast we had very little study time so Sister Fitz was super nervous. But all went well and I think she was able to see the way Heavenly Father helped us.

After that we practiced "Brightly Beams" with Sister Wilson, and it was a lil rough. So that made me nervous, but I was like "well, it'll be okay, Heavenly Father said it would be.." That evening we ate with a super sweet family, the Halls. We had met brother Hall briefly the day prior and he told us after dinner that when he met us, he talked to his wife and was like "yeah, we got cool sisters!" Apparently the only set of sisters this area remembers weren't super talkative, so we're pretty neat hahaha. We shared the "Because of Him" video and basically had a family testimony meeting with them, it was so neat. We later saw the mom and 2 kids get up to bear their testimonies yesterday, it was really special(:

Sunday! What a day! We went to 2 full wards so that the wards could have time to get to know us a little and we could meet most of the relief society sisters. That evening we met at President's house and Sister Wilson and I sent out daughters off with each other for a brief exchange. My lil baby was already leaving the nest!! *sniff sniff* The fireside went really well, I think that was actually the best we've sung "Brightly Beams." I could feel the spirit very strongly and I think lots of members were able to feel it too. It was also amazing to see that Heavenly Father did in fact heal me and not only was I able to perform, but it was the best performance we've done of that song. The power of the priesthood is real and I was definitely able to see that this week.

I hope you all are doing well!

Love you all!!!
<3 Sister Jensen

General Conference!

Hello Everyone!!

Our week started out interesting enough.. Whitewashing is always fun to sum it up. We've been contacting a ton of people that the Elders left starred for us. I'll just say not all the descriptions were accurate so it made things awkward a few times. But it's alright, awkward experiences bring companions closer right? Haha, we had some laughs.

I was also hit on by a 17 year old this week. That was a little demeaning. He's not active, a high school dropout, and just plays video games all day....not really my type.

That weirdness aside, we were going to stop by an older lady in the ward and were flagged down by this grandpa. He wanted to introduce us to his granddaughter, who isn't a member and wants to be baptized! Her family is moving to Blackfoot though, so we probably won't get to teach her, but she was super sweet(:

We also got to teach a  family named the Mantecas! The parents are both members and have been married in the temple, they're trying to get more active and learn what they can from the missionaries(: They were sweet and have a 2 yr old boy and one more on the way. They'll be fun to get to know(:

We've also gotten to meet with the Doyle family! Brother Doyle just got baptized in August and is taking the recent convert lessons. We got to watch the first session of general conference with their family and Brother Doyle watched the whole thing with us! Sister Doyle was in and out making a cake for someone, and Brother Doyle has some major back issues that make sitting through church hard for him. But he sat through it all and once conference was over, asked about how he can find help forgiving some people he holds grudges against.

In between sessions on Saturday we got 2 new investigators! We got to teach these two young kids, Allison and Caleb. Allison is 10 and Caleb is 12. They were both in bible school for a few years so they have a general christian background and it was really sweet to teach them. Their dad isn't a member, and said religion isn't really for him, but that we were free to teach them and they could come to church! We'll see how it goes with them! They were excited to get permission to come to church so I think we'll see progress with them(:

Anyway, I loved conference and there is way to much to write about without, so I'll sum up with my testimony. I know President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet called of God. I know this is Jesus Christ's restored church upon the earth today. It has brought me so much joy to be a part of this great work, and help bring others closer to Christ. I love this work and I love this gospel. Have a great week!

Love,
Sister Jensen

Welcome to Chubbuck!!

Hello hello all!

My greenie's name is Sister Fitzpatrick! She's going to be a fun companion, and we will have to learn to balance ourselves in a conversation, because she definitely talks too. She is 22, from Huntington Beach California, and graduated from BYU in Broadcast Journalism. When she gets off the mission she is planning to go back to being a news anchor/reporter.  It's been a whirlwind whitewashing for sure, but I am excited to get to know Sister Fitzpatrick better. Actually, she was originally supposed to go to Raleigh North Carolina. Due to the hurricane damage, they temporarily reassigned her. So I know she's here for a reason and I think we'll learn a lot from each other. 

Let me jump back a bit before transfers, Sister Wilson and I were crazy busy saying goodbye to people and meeting new people as well! It was pretty hard to say goodbye to the ward, but it will be great to get to know another area. (only my third area on my mission!)

I hit my year mark on transfer day, that was pretty cool...didn't do squat for it though because transfers were nuts haha.

It's been pretty crazy since coming out to Chubbuck to be honest. We've met with almost all our ward mission leaders and bishops, and had an overload of information poured out on us, but it's alright. We'll figure it all out eventually.

Sorry, this email is a short one, but we've got a lot to do today! I love you all and I hope you all have a great week!!

love,
Sister Jensen

It's A Girl!!!

Hello hello!!!

This week was CRAZY, so buckle up, my email may get long....(er than normal)

We'll start breifly with Monday, we had 4 non members there at the family home evening activity!! So that was fantastic!! People are coming up everywhere for us to teach, it's great!

Tuesday was nuts. President Southward called us late morning and to summarize, asked us to prepare a musical number to record for Friday.  President had this idea he's mentioned a few times, to make this music video to send out in the mission. Basically the video is supposed to help members be more aware of missionary work and have something nice to watch to keep it on their minds. So he wanted us to sing for it and gave us 4 days to be ready to record. President seems to be testing how well I do under pressure. A good chunk of the remainder of that day was taken up looking for music and figuring out what we wanted to do. President had named off 3 songs he liked or wanted in there or something. (We weren't exactly sure what he was looking for at first) Well those songs definitely didn't go together so we chose one of them and mashed it up with another song we knew & had found music for.

We also had 2 lessons that day! One with Mary, the girl we found through the fireside out in Chubbuck, and one with a guy out in Inkom. Our lesson with Mary was great, she is so ready to be baptized!!! She's honestly just figuring out when. We had an awesome lesson with her and talked all about prophets. It was so refreshing to hear her testimony and excitement about prophets. She saw the need we have for a modern day prophet and since downloading gospel library on her phone, has been listening to talks nonstop! She's been so prepared(:

The guy we met with is named Zach, and he grew up a member when he was younger, but wasn't taught much at home. He's had a pretty rough life because of some choices he's made but he has taken steps to move on from all that and is looking for God in his life now. We had a lesson with him on prophets and priesthood as well, and he definitely has questions, but is very accepting.

Wednesday we had an appointment with a guy named Ricky, who i had actually met when I was first in the area! He went home for the summer, but now he's back and open to meeting with us again!! We had a good lesson with him, but he didn't come to church this Sunday so we'll see what came up when we meet with him next.

(We also got Cafe Rio that night which was soooo good. Definitely my fav spot in Poky)

I gotta skip because I'm running out of time. Friday we recorded the video and holy cow that was a lot. It was a little overwhelming because this guy had mics & lights & the whole deal. And it was only after we did a few takes that President really explained what it was for. Like afterwards he explained that this video would be in each home in the mission, and we were like "woahhhh pressure" and then he was like "nah, you just gotta worry about Elder Cook & Elder Anderson of the 12 watching it" and we were like "waaaaaaat" I think it'll turn out good though...i'll send it when it's all put together!!

Also, title explanation. Transfers are on Thursday (sad, I know, I already cried) and I will be moving out to Chubbuck! I'll be opening a new area and training a new missionary! Also, we will be walking. So that will be fun. Lots of tights. Hopefully she comes prepared.

Oh and also, another reason this week was stressful, we sang in church yesterday! Sorry, i totally forgot to record it, maybe we'll be able to before I leave. But it was fun! Sister Wilson and I sang with a girl from 6th ward. We sang a medley of "Come Thou Fount" and "If You Could Hie to Kolob". It went well!!

Anyways, I love you all!!! I hope y'all have a great week!!

Love,
Sister Jensen

Getting Set Up in McCammon

Hola!!

This week we did the light presentation 2 more times! I'm not quite sure if we'll ever stop with that one, but I really do love that song now. It was awesome though, we gained a new investigator though it!!! We helped with a youth fireside out in Chubbuck and there was a non member girl there that will be going to ISU! She is so solid! Her name is Mary and she said as she watched the presentation she could feel the spirit and loved all of it.

We got to have dinner with her and the family fellowshipping her the next evening, and had a little lesson afterwards. She is so incredibly open to the gospel. She has questions, but is very open and accepting of our answers and sees how the gospel answers the questions she has. I am seriously so excited to teach her though, I feel like she is incredibly ready. Her family isn't very supportive of her interest in the church, so that will be a challenge. But she seems really sensitive to the spirit so she'll get an answer soon.

On Wednesday and Thursday we helped out with institute lunches and holy cow that wiped us out. It was fun though and the lunches they serve at the institute building helps us find some people to talk to so it's been good for us. 

Friday and Saturday we had exchanges with our sisters. We exchanged Friday after district meeting and actually blitzed their area for a few hours. A blitz is where a bunch of missionary companionships all go out in one area and each take a part of the missionaries area to go and knock doors. We saw some success from it, there was at least one person openly interested in having the sisters come back, and quite a few for them to stop by again. After that I continued to stay with Sister Worth, while Sister Wilson took Sister Stott back to Pocatello. This was big because it's been at least 4 transfers since I've gone out of my area for exchanges. It was a nice break haha. Not that I don't love being in Pocatello with the YSAs, but sometimes you need a break. It was super fun to be with Sister Worth for a while. We had a lesson with a young man named Nate, and he asked some deep questions so YSA prepared me for that.

Sunday was great, and came up SO FAST! Exchanges mess with your mind a little. (Can't believe it's already Monday) We had an investigator in church on Sunday...Mary!!! She came with her boyfriend, (he's active and going on a mission soon) and stayed the whole 3 hours of church! We went to relief society with her and the lesson was all about prophets, which left her with questions, but we'll be meeting tomorrow so she said she'll wait to discus them then. Later that evening we went out to Blackfoot for a Stake Conference and sang again, must be at least the 6th time now? Not sure, I've lot count, but it's been fun travelling around the mission to sing and help with the fireside. The spirit was felt and I think lots of referrals were given.

That sums up my week, I hope y'all had a good one. If I could just encourage you all to do one thing this week, it would be to strive to be attentive to those around you. e find the most joy through service, and can be an answer to someone's prayer if we are looking for opportunities to serve.

A funny experience before I sign off... Sister Wilson and I were in McCammon, (this town with nothing but a family dollar in it) attempting to contact some YSAs. We were knocking this house that looked deserted and were just coming down the steps when these two older guys pull up in their car. The driver, yells to us, "Hey! Are you girls Jehovah Witness or Sisters...? SISTERS!" (He noticed our tags pretty quick.) His friend immediately muttered, "he's gonna try to set you up with his son." The driver protested for a sec, told us some stories about the High School Class reunion they were headed back from, gave us $20 for dinner, and proceeded to try and set us up with his son lol. It was pretty hilarious.

Anyway, love you all!!!


Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Pleasedon'tfreakout!!

I hope y'all got that Tangled reference. It's been a while, but I can still definitely throw out some movie quotes.

That probably made you freak out, but I really was saying that more to mom because I know I didn't send y'all much of an update. So I was saying "pleasedon'tfreakoutiwillipdateyounow"

So I hope you didn't freak too badly. Last Monday we had to leave quick (as always) because we had a lesson scheduled with a guy President found. President Southward doesn't have the same "pdays are sacred" approach that President Hancock has, but this was also the only time this guy was gonna be available. Well he actually wasn't and missed the appointment. I felt worse for our WML because he had taken off work to be there...but oh well. Can't do much about it when the investigator is on his way to work.

As far as updates go, transfers are coming up on September 27th. President counseled with me a bit in interviews and seems to want to have me open a new area and train a new missionary. We'll see what happens though, it's not set in stone yet. I'm nervous for that, but also excited. Training would be hard, but I also want that experience. White washing/opening an area would be hard too, but I have experience with that now so I'm not as intimidated for that. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Last transfers everything seemed to get shaken up, so I'm interested to see what will go down. (I'll also hit my year mark on transfer day woot woot!!)

Things have been good in YSA, we seem to be finding a lot of potential investigators. It's been hard to schedule appointments due to their classes & work schedules, but I think it'll pick up soon. It has been hard not seeing a baptsim yet, that's been tough. I guess I did get to go back and see someone I found baptized, (the star valley trip) but I mean like someone I taught most of the lessons too and helped plan the baptism for and was there to watch. I have yet to really read through and study PMG Chapter 12. (Preparing people for baptism) They'll come though, I know that. And if they don't, I know it's not about that either. I'm learning faith and patience.

You'll read some more updates in my weekly, but I wanted to at least include a funny encounter Sister Wilson and I had this week with y'all because I'm not sure i"ll include all of it in my email.

Sister Wilson and I were in a far part of our area (McCammon) attempting to contact some YSAs. We were knocking this house that looked deserted and were just coming down the steps when these two older guys pull up in their car. The driver, yells to us, "Hey! Are you girls Jehovah Witness or Sisters...? SISTERS!" (He noticed our tags pretty quick.) His friend immediately muttered, "he's gonna try to set you up with his son." The driver protested for a sec, told us some stories about the High School Class reunion they were headed back from, gave us $20 for dinner, and proceeded to try and set us up with his son. It was pretty hilarious. (also answered a small food prayer and now I might be able to get some groceries lol)

Anyway, he kept challenging us to email his son, so I did. I basically just told him "if you aren't aware, this is what you're dad has been up too." It was funny and I couldn't say no when his dad kept saying "I bet y'all don't have the guts to email him." So you know I basically had too. Moral of the story- Dad please don't follow suit.

I hope y'all are doin great, I love you!!!!

Love,
Sister Jensen

Pocatello Temple Site Announced!!!

Hello hello all!!

We had a pretty exciting week! Like it says in the heading, the temple site has been announced and a drawing of the soon to be Pocatello Temple has been released!!!! I'll include it in my pictures(:

To start our week, we did what we call a finding booth on ISU campus, and invited a ton of people to an opening social the institute was putting on. A few people were open to learning more about the gospel, and I saw some people I knew from my first few weeks here, so it was great to reconnect and find some new people to meet with!! We'll probably continue doing the booth every week or so.

We had another lesson with Gabriel this week and he brought up baptism all by himself. We talked about repentance and whats been keeping him from baptism. We discussed how to repent and  the need of repentance. He seems to be taking our lessons more seriously now and really looking for them to apply to himself. I think he sees himself being baptized, but definitely on his own time line, which is good. We invited him to a baptism the Elders had set for Saturday and after a lot of convincing...he came!!! He said he "felt some sort of way" when James, (the person being baptized), came out of the water. He feels the spirit, but won't always let himself recognize it. We're working on it though haha.

Also on Saturday, the guy from my high school that I talked to over facebook, got baptized!!!!:D Pretty amazing. Still pretty shocked a simple facebook invite resulted in a baptism, but this is the Lord's work and people are truly being prepared!!

We got to have Mission Leadership Council this past Friday at President's home and that was great(: We actually started out at the church building closest to where the temple will be.  (panorama pic in my drive is the temple site pre-temple haha) We took a break for lunch and continued the meeting at President's home. He did a little activity with us uncovering masterpieces hidden inside some soap & wax. He then related it to us and the people we're working with. A little cheesy, but it was fun(:

Lastly, Sister Wilson and I headed out to Grace Idaho last night with President to sing at a Stake Fireside! He has been getting requests all over the mission to give his "light presentation" and we're part of it! Haha, we went and sang Brightly Beams again. It was pretty fun to get to drive out with him and talk on the way there and back. The fireside went pretty well, there was an odd mike mix up as we sang, but oh well. He's having us follow him to Chubbuck later this week to do it again so maybe we'll redeem ourselves haha. It was great though, I've really come to love that song, and the meaning behind it. If y'all haven't already, give it a listen.

Well, I love you all!! I hope you all notice the blessings Heavenly Father sending, have a great week!!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Fall is Here!

Hello hello everyone!!!

To start, happy Fall! I can't believe it's September! I'll be hitting my year mark by the end of this month!!! Crazy how fast it seems to go..

This week has been pretty good, we started off our week by grabbing some awesome food from a mexican food truck in the area. We went with our investigator Fernando, we finally were able to get a hold of that guy again! Holy cow, he has been busy. Honestly, all of our investigators have been busy. It's been a struggle this past week to get return appointments. Most of our investigators have to wait to get their schedules, so setting an appointment before we leave has been hard. But we were finally able to set up dinner with Fernando! It was great to catch up with him, and he seemed to really enjoy grabbing dinner with us. Hopefully his schedule will free up soon.

Tuesday night we had a lesson with Gabriel and it was so good! The two fellow-shippers that came were perfect! Aaron, (one of the members) talked with Gabriel for the first 20 minutes all about trucks and bikes and driving and stuff I didn't understand, but I didn't care because they were actually connecting and it was awesome!!!! The lesson was really good and we talked about Gabriel's goals and baptism a bit more. by the end I had cried and bore my testimony so I think it went alright haha. I hope I get to see him baptized.

Lets see, Thursday we had lunch with Michael at the institute. Kinda. He was late and as we were sitting down, this guy who didn't look like a member was looking for a spot to sit so we invited him over...and he talked...and talked...for like an hour and  half. So Michael joined us, but we didn't really get to talk with him. He dropped us again this week, I'm really at a loss of what do to for him now, it's kinda up to the ward to reach out and be his friend at the moment.

We met with Stanton again this week, but found he isn't living in our area like we thought, so we'll have to pass him on to another set of elders. Unfortunate because he's pretty cool and super fun to teach, but he'll do good with the elders too.

We've had some great progress with Ken though! We had a lesson with him on Friday and he came in so incredibly confused. He told us later his plan was to listen and if we didn't say anything that caused questions, he was going to stop meeting with us. Well that lasted about 2 minutes because Ken has way to many questions to ever just listen haha. He left the lesson feeling better and the next evening we had dinner with him in President Packer's home, the YSA Stake President. After eating we basically had a Q&A with President Packer, which Ken loved. He got some questions answered and President Packer challenged him to live the next 4 months like the best active member of the church eh could be, and to do everything he could to get his answers. Ken seemed intimidated, but excited for the challenge. I'm excited for it, I know he'll get his questions answered!(:

We had a pretty great week, I hope everyone had a good one as well! I love you all!

Love,
Sister Jensen

Long Lining Horses

Hello Again!

It feels like I just wrote y'all yesterday, but a few thing have happened since Wednesday!

To start, Wednesday evening Sister Wilson and I joined President McNabb and his wife for dinner...along with Michael! We're attempting to teach him again, and I have hope! We had dinner with the McNabbs and a daughter of theirs, as well as a granddaughter. The McNabb's daughter is about 30, and has some mental disabilities. She was so funny and sassy holy cow. She definitely entertained us haha. At one point she was talking about a comedian and President McNabb asked her how she knew who that was. Her response- "I get around Dad!"

We had a lesson with Michael after dinner. We started off by showing the video "Because of Him" and asking everyone to ponder as we watched, "What does the Savior mean to me?" And "What do I mean to the Savior?" Michael had some...interesting answers. If I'm being honest, I don't think he's all that humble anymore and he doesn't ever take our questions anywhere I would expect. It makes it hard to navigate a lesson, and/or feel like he's getting anywhere. He seems to be open to answers again though,  so hopefully he becomes more humble as we go! President McNabb gave soem great insights on the different ways we can come to know the Book of Mormon is true. He talked a lot about exercising faith and living commandments to see from how our lives improve, if they are true or not. Same with the Book of Mormon, sometimes we have to begin reading it everyday and as we look back, we realize how our lives and character has improved, showing us the power of God in our lives. I thought it was a perfect point and I hope Michael really internalized it all.

The next morning we were supposed to go to institute with Michael,  but he cancelled as we were outside the parking lot. He said he had a "dental emergency." Now I'm not sure about you all, but I have never had what would qualify as a "dental emergency"...all my visits have been planned and scheduled. Michael has also been known to drop us, so I was a little skeptical with this excuse. Turns out I need to repent though, because apparently, during dinner with the McNabb's,  Michael cracked a tooth in half! We had enchiladas so don't ask me how that happened, but he didn't say anything! He sat during dinner and the lesson with a cracked tooth! Probably why we were able to talk so much more during the lesson than usual. Sounds like everything got fixed up as far as we know. Since we were already at the institute though we went in and helped them prepare lunches to serve and met some people coming in to eat and study(:

On Saturday we met a new investigator named Stanton! A guy in the ward had texted us earlier this week saying he had a friend who was asking him tons of questions about the church, and he was willing to meet with us! He said he is Evangelical, andis basically looking to be proven wrong or right. He believes there is one absolute truth out there and he wants to find it and be firm in it. He sees so many strong Latter Day Saints and recognizes that either we're wrong, or he is. We're excited to teach him, it will be challenging because he knows his way around the bible pretty well, but he is open.

That evening was really cool. We got to go serve a guy named Chance out in Lava and help him with his horses. I don't know how much service we really were as opposed to entertainment, but we had a good time! He had us exercise one of his horses by long lining it. Basically you run the horse in circles as you lead it with a rope to give it a warm up before taking it out to ride, or just to give a bit of exercise. It was a pretty neat experience and I think it helped him connect with us a bit and get to see that we're not robots, and are interested in his life. I'll include pictures and videos, it was a good time and he seemed more interested in coming to activities after.

We also went on another hike today! I think hiking is going to be a regular Monday activity and I'm totally not mad haha. Instead of Just Sister Wilson and I, our district came, as well as a recent convert we're teaching and a member from one of our wards. We went up the trail for about a half hour and then turned and went back. It was really pretty and we all had a good time, I'll include pictures(:

I hope you all have a great week! Thank you so much for the support you give, I love you all!!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Look To Christ And Live

Happy Wednesday!

To start, we switched our pday once again! We had to accommodate for Mission Leadership Council & a Zone Conference on Monday, as well as our own Zone Conference on Tuesday. Normally we don't go to both Zone Conferences, but President wanted us to perform our musical number for the other Zone's Conference as well, to complete his presentation. So we decided to just flip our pday.

We also don't usually have MLC or Zone Conference on Mondays, (because those are ususally our pdays) but did this time because Elder Brian K. Taylor of the seventy visited our mission this week! His name may sound familiar, he gave a wonderful talk in this past General Conference titled "Am I A Child of God?" Give it a listen or re-read. I can promise as you do, you will feel the love of our Savior and Heavenly Father.

I want to give some thoughts I had as we enjoyed the opportunity to listen to President and Sister Southward, as well as hear from Elder Taylor. I was really struck by the thought, "we are to obey God, rather than men." As missionaries, you feel extremely awkward sometimes because you have a tag on your chest proclaiming, "I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT CHRIST." And being in the Young Single Adult ward, teaching my peers, people my age, this can be incredibly scary. Though I've been here the past 4.5 months, I still have to get over my self consciousness a little and remmeber that yes, I AM passionate about Jesus Christ! And it can feel awkward and weird sometimes because it seems as though not many of my peers care as much about Jesus Christ, but I've been reminded that I am looking for God's approval, not mans.

With seeking God's approval, we also talked a lot about Repentance. To state things simply, Heavenly Father sent his beloved son, Jesus Christ, to come to this earth and provide the opportunity for each of us to repent when we make mistakes. Jesus Christ performed the atonement, where he took upon himself our sins, pains, and afflictions and died, only to rise again 3 days later. Because of him, we will all live one day as well. And because of his willingness to take upon himself our sins, we can start again in this life each time we make a mistake. We can change through Christ's atonement and feel peace and relief as we repent of our mistakes and start again.

As we discussed repentance, Elder Taylor spoke to us as missionaries and reminded us that even Joseph Smith as a 14 year old boy, wondered if he had been forgiven of his sins. He prayed to recieve an answer to this question, and I know you all can too. If this is a thought weighing on your mind, "Have I been forgiven?" Pray. Kneel down and ask Heavenly Father his opinion of you, and I promise you will feel his loving answer.

I've got to end there with my thoughts from MLC and Zone Conference or this will become an essay. I will take the opportunity to re-emphasize my testimony from last week, that Heavenly Father answers our prays specifically, and in the timing that we need. I recieved specific answers to questions I had on my heart. Because of these answers, I can also testify that Heavenly Father calls prophets and apostles today to lead and guide this church. If these men were not inspired by God, I would not have the answers I was seeking. I heard the very question I asked God in my personal prayers Monday evening come from Elder Taylor's mouth Tuesday afternoon as he spoke to us and helped us see the answer. Your prayers are heard. Heavenly Father is listening. 

Now for a few highlights from last week. Michael is back for the third time! I am hoping and praying he will be ready to truly commit this time! We will be meeting with him this evening...prayers would be appreciated!

Update on that guy I contacted over Facebook...(reminder for those that missed it, he's in Arizona, saw missionary posts, asked about them, I explained, helped him get to church down in AZ) Well, he messaged me Sunday and *drumroll* is getting BAPTIZED September 8th!! :D


It's been amazing to see the amount of people being led to us this week. School is back in session in Pocatello and Heavenly Father has many people prepared! It's going to be a fantastic transfer! I love you all, have a great week, and continue to look to Christ.

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Hillside Miracle

Hello hello all!

This week was pretty fantastic. I wanted to take the time to share an experience Sister Wilson and I had as we were out tracting Friday evening.

Sister Wilson and I were planning Friday morning and had a pretty big chunk of time open that evening. She was plugging in people to visit and suggested we go knock doors at an apartment complex in our area that houses a lot of students, the Hillside Apartments. My immediate inward reaction was "fun...." I think knocking doors for an hour just mentally sounds tiring. But, I also felt like "yeah we probably should, it'll be a good opportunity to find people." So we did! And let me tell you, when we truly set our will aside and do the Lord's will, miracles happen.

We knocked doors for about 20 minutes, and then knocked on the door of a guy in one of our wards, who we knew had been struggling lately. We knew he lived at that complex, but didn't know exactly which apartment. It was pretty amazing. He was a little skeptical that it was by accident, but he was also glad to talk. We sat on the grass outside his apartment and he really opened up to us. As members, I think we see people struggling in the ward and think "yeah they're struggling right now, but I don't know what I can do, and we aren't that close so..." And just don't do much with it. Holy cow, find something to do!!!! As we started talking with him, he began with "I mean, I'm pretty sure God exists..." He was really REALLY struggling! He was at the point of just talking to anyone made him feel better. He cried as he spoke with us, he felt so lonely, abandoned, and unanswered by God! Sometimes, all someone really needs is a listening ear.

The following Sunday, we sat in sacrament meeting for his ward, and I was amazed as I listened to the speakers. Heavenly Father was so incredibly aware of this individual's needs and questions. Each talk specifically addressed what he asked us about. After sacrament meeting, I went over to him and shook his hand. He smiled at me and said "that was a really good sacrament meeting." And I could tell, he had felt the love God had specifically for him that day.

I know Heavenly Father hears our prayers. I know he answers them, each of them, in either the way we ask, or in a much better way, meant to lead us to further happiness. He is mindful of us, and he loves us each so much. I hope you all are aware of the blessings filling your lives, and the answers you are receiving.

This week we also got transfer news! Drumroll....I will be staying in Poky YSA with Sister Wilson! I've realized my mission has been pretty predictable, 6 months in my first area, and by the end of this transfer, 6 months in my second! (unless they have me stay even longer!) I'm excited to stay, it'll feel like a whole new area with all the students coming in. I know there's a reason I'll be staying and I'm excited to find out what that is. I love you all, I hope you have a fantastic week!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

The Miracles of Facebook

Hello hello all!

To begin, MIRACLE STORYTIME!

Saturday night I was inviting basically everyone to like the new Idaho Pocatello Mission facebook page. I was basically just going through and inviting everyone that isn't serving here with me as a missionary. So if you got an invite, that's why, and if you haven't expect one soon. I got to about the J's and a guy from High School responded to my invite to like the page by messaging the page and asking "what is this?"

Now I really didn't know this guy well. I went to high school and knew him enough to be facebook friends, but we never talked much. Like I'm not sure we actually ever talked at all. I messaged him on messenger though and gave a quick explanation of what the page was and why I was inviting people to like it.

The conversation quickly went to religion, and he told me he recently moved to Arizona and was actually looking for a church to go to on his day off- Sunday. He expressed that he's felt very alone since his move and that it's been hard meeting people and finding his way around because he knows no one there, besides his co-workers. I took the opportunity to invite him to church Sunday, (this was all Saturday evening) and he agreed!

He sent me his address, and I found the nearest ysa ward for him to attend. Then later Sunday morning he even messaged me about what he should wear! I contacted the bishop to let him know he would be coming, and sent a referral to the missionaries. Long story short, he went to church Sunday, stayed all 3 hours, went to the ward's break the fast, and is planning to meet with missionaries this Saturday.

So basically, facebook is definitely a tool God has given us to use as missionaries. I think I doubted it's uses before, but Heavenly Father has a purpose for it. That was probably the most miraculous thing that happened this week, just because it was so incredibly unexpected. I never would have thought that would come from inviting someone to like a facebook page.

In other news, Michael dropped us again this week. We were expecting it though if I'm honest. It was pretty heartbreaking, but our last lesson he was incredibly arrogant and so quick to challenge us on everything. He brought up all these issues and talked for like 15 minutes on random side tangents each time he spoke. It felt like he came with the idea that he didn't want to give up some things he knew he needed too, and was there to justify why and show us why he was in the right. It was pretty draining to be in that lesson honestly. He responded to a message we sent on Sunday and politely told us he wasn't interested anymore. Maybe someday, but it didn't feel like I could do anything more for him.

Ending on a better note, we got to teach Fernando again!! He is such an awesome guy! He's really ready to listen to us and think about what we've taught him. He is from Dubois, where all the fires were happening. So he's been crazy busy the last week, running back and forth from Pocatello to Dubois to help with the fires & clean up. His family is all right though, their house was close to a fire, but didn't burn. I'm excited to continue teaching him though, he's pretty sensitive to the spirit.

We also got to participate in a Youth Conference with our Mission President. He asked Sister Wilson and I to come do a musical number. We sang "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy". I don't have a recording of it yet, but we'll do it again and I'll make sure to record it for y'all(:

I hope you all had a fantastic week! I love you all, I hope you're looking for the miracles Heavenly Father is working in your lives!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Jacob 3:1

Hello hello!

This week was pretty great! On Sunday I had the random opportunity to say hello to a guy named Shawn Cudsworth, who served his mission in Oregon. I remembered him from a youth conference, where he and his companion taught us about the spirit. It was pretty random and I was surprised he remembered me, but it was neat to be reminded of the impact he made as a missionary, and realize a bit of the opportunity I have to make the same impact on people with the gospel.

Monday evening we were able to meet a new investigator! Her name is Thelma and she has so many questions! She's gone to church a ton, but hasn't ever understood some key principles so she's pretty confused by it all, but wants to understand. It's pretty crazy, our area feels like it's gaining momentum and we seem to find a new investigator each week.

Lets see, we made banana bread with one of our relief society presidents and then delivered it out to people, we also got to have our first interviews with president this week, that was great(: Actually the next evening Sister Wilson and I were invited over to the Southward's home again or dinner and a lesson with an investigator they've been working on! His name is Griffin and he won't be around too much longer, he's on a sales crew for Vivant. He is incredibly interested in the gospel, and although he is a salesman, I believe it is sincere. He's really searching for the truth and has been reading the Book of Mormon. He was set to come to church on Sunday, but got pulled into a work trip to Twin Falls. Hopefully we get to meet with him again this week before he's off to the next city.

Saturday was our busiest day, we started off by hauling topsoil for a guy some family ward sisters found. He's doing a raised flower bed in his yard and the sisters offered to help. Seeing as he is ysa, they thought we would show up with them to invite him out. He was super nice and went and got us water and chips. I think he saw us all sweating buckets and felt bad hahax) That was great though, we plan to keep in contact with him and continue showing him what the ysa is all about.

That afternoon we got to have a lesson with Gabriel, and I think he really did need us to start all over. We focused on God and discussed his confusion and  clarified a lot on things we didn't know he was missing.

Probably the coolest thing from Saturday- we met with Kylie and her brother Craig again. Craig actually seemed determined to avoid us, he left to go to the store like 15 minutes before we came. (he knew what time we were coming) Well we read the first 2 chapters of Jacob with Kylie, and then walked in the door! I was actually as little glad he wasn't there for the first 2 chapters, they got pretty harsh, I'm not sure how he would have responded. But the 3 chapter of Jacob is only 14 verses long and we had a bout 15 minutes till our next appointment, so we invited him to join us for one more chapter. He came and the first verse was perfect, it basically simply stated that so long as we do the little things to keep close to the lord, we will be protected from Satan and be able to withstand temptation. We encouraged him to be reading more and praying and to start coming to church again. It was all so perfect(:

Kinda out of order now, but i also just remembered, Michael almost dropped us again. We met with him on Sunday and had an awesome discussion, but then on Thursday he was so incredibly close to dropping us. We saved it though and will be meeting with him on Tuesday. Basically he fell back into old habits and Satan is working hard. I think he knows it's all true though and is scared to commit himself. He'll get there though. I have faith(:

Well, I hope you all had a great week, I love you all!!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

FERNANDO IS FOUND!

First, no, I am not being disobedient! We changed our pday to today so that we could go to Star Valley and attend the temple, as well as attend a baptism! Story time-

Back in Star Valley, Sister Stott and I found a guy named Tim. You may remember hearing his name, he was AWESOME. I never got to officially do the first discussion with him, but got to know him and his wife well. I got transferred and wasn't able to say goodbye or be there for the start of the lessons. Sister Wilson then replaced me and got to be present for all his lessons up until him setting a baptismal date. She got transferred and now Sister Wilson, Sister Stott, and I are all out of Star Valley.

WELL. In Zone Conference we were talking with a sister serving there now (Sister Boreham) and she was saying how it would be so cool for us to be able to go and we were like "yeahhhh it would.." She said we should ask President Southward, and that maybe if we flipped our pday for it, he'd let us....and he did!!!!!:D So we're back in Star Valley for a day:D It's me, Sister Wilson, Sister Stott, and Sister Stott's greenie- Sister Worth. We already went to the temple this morning and now we're sending off some quick emails before going out to visit some people(:
Star Valley aside, we saw some pretty amazing miracles this week. Honestly, if you're looking for it, God blesses us all so incredibly much and works so many miracles in our lives. (If you don't believe me, go read Mormon 9. It's a little chastising, but it's my favorite.) On Tuesday we found Fernando!! We had a lesson set with a guy named Caleb up at an apartment complex we cover. We knocked, and totally heard someone mess with the door, but no answer. So we decided to continue knocking doors in the apartment area. We knocked on Fernando's door, not knowing who lived there or anything, and after moving to the next door, he answered! We chatted with him a bit on the doorstep and then he invited us in! It was perfect because we had a member with us so we were able to go in and talk with him for a while! It was amazing, he was so open and ready for the gospel. He said at the end, he knew our visit wasn't a coincidence. He had prayed for the first time in a while, because he was feeling lonely and needed more positivity in his life. He also recognized the peace he could feel while meeting with us. It was really neat to see how much Heavenly Father prepares people and the different ways he works.

On Friday we got to go on exchanges! Sister Worth joined me in Pocatello for her first exchange! Again so many miracles(: We had district meeting that morning and talked about basically everything she expressed she was struggling with. Also, in district meeting, an elder shared a scripture that really struck me- Helaman 5:45-47. The verses describe how we feel the spirit, which is something I think we can all improve on. The last verse really struck me, mostly because it reminded me of Fernando and how he noticed the peace he felt as we met with him.

Later that afternoon, Sister Worth and I went out to try and find some people to talk too. We were trying to contact this one member and see if he still lived in the house listed when we ran across a guy out washing his giant turquoise monster truck. We started talking to him and I asked about the words on his truck and what they meant exactly. He had the word "FROSTBITE" across the windshield and "WOLF" across the sides. That's when he told us he's a professional cage fighter. He's been cage fighting since 9 years old, which I think is low-key child abuse but I mean he enjoys it I guess. (He's 26 now) Anyways, he explained that his cage name is "wolf" and his truck's name is "Frostbite". (Apparently he enters his truck into some  big truck competition idk, we didn't talk about that part too long) Pretty interesting guy! Another miracle though because he explained that all the houses around him are super sketchy and deal drugs. And that the a biker gang used to live in the house we were knocking prior to talking to him. No one lives there now, but Heavenly Father lead us to the safest house on the street to get us into contact with this guy. Pretty cool dude, oh he also owns wolves and keeps them in his backyard. Like real timber wolves, the things you see in movies and if you met one in the woods you'd be dead. He just casually has them in his backyard. And in his house he has a mama wolf that has pups but couldn't show us because we didn't have another sister with us. I took pics of the wolves though.

Yeah so i thought it was nuts, but then talking to our relief society president, she goes "okay so he's a cage fighter, we have a lot of those in Pocatello" Which made me go "Who the heck comes to hide in Pocatello????" Weird stuff. We also got to have our first lesson with Fernando that evening! It was really good. He definitely recognizes the spirit as we meet and he is incredibly open and accepting. The only hard thing will be getting him to church, he plays in a Soccer League that has games on Sundays:\ We'll get past that eventually though.

To end, I'd just like to testify that Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. He knows each of us and what we're going through and what we need. I know he is aware of each of us. I love you all, as he does too. I hope you all have a fantastic week!!

Love,
Sister Jensen

Travelling MoTab

Hello hello all!!

This week we got to meet with Michael again which was GREAT! We met with him in the hospital again and discussed his whole experience and what he's learned from it all. He also said he knows the church is true and we plan to continue meeting with him(: He's out of the hospital finally, but didn't get out until Thursday night..poor guy didn't get out for almost 2 weeks. I think he needed the experience to soften his heart a little though. I'm excited!

Cool experience with one of our semi/less actives! We meet with a girl named Kylie and her birthday was this week! We planned to go over and read with her actually on her birthday, but then she got called into work. We made her cookies and dropped them off anyway and guess who answered the door- her (also less active) brother Craig!! We talked with him briefly and then left. We had been told he was extremely anti, but he seemed nice enough to us. Then the next afternoon when we went in to read with Kylie he walked through the kitchen, so we invited him to read with us, and he did!! He knows what he should be doing and recognizes he needs to be better at the little things. He'll be joining us for lessons now!:D

On Thursday we ate with the Southward family and got to teach this random guy named Griffin! He was honestly golden and was so open to the gospel. I don't know how much longer we'll see him around though, he's on a sales crew and they only spend a few weeks in an area before moving on to another. (Lol kinda like transfers) President Southward seems to enjoy putting Sister Wilson and I on the spot though. As we were driving to the appointment he calls, tells us we'll be teaching someone we hadn't been planning for and informs us that we'll be singing something. The conversation literally went something like this:

"...Yeah, and then you sisters will hit him with a musical number and it'll be great!"

"Oh, haha can we ask what we'll be singing?"

"Yeah you gals choose and do either of you play the ukulele?"

Me- "Hah..yeah, I do..just any song? Do you have a simplified hymn book?"

"Of course!! Awesome Sisters!..."

So we sang. We did "There is a Green Hill Far Away. President wants to record us and do something with it for the mission. I'm not sure what that all entails or if it will happen. We'll see I guess.

This Friday we had ZONE CONFERENCE!! That was pretty spectacular. President Southward has that fire to him and he was really motivational. He talked all about being fishers of men and how we can find success through relying on Christ. He also talked about how long our line is actually in the water (ie how long we're actually out talking to people) and if we're putting out enough effort. We also had some visitors! Jess, a girl I saw starting to learn about the gospel back in Star Valley came! She's recently been baptized since and she bore her testimony and gave us feedback on what a recent convert/investigator needs. We also had a family from Cokeville join us, the husband of which was in the Cokeville Miracle. (Cokeville school lockdown/bomb threat/hostage situation that happened a while ago...crazy stuff) They gave good insight as to what to ask members to do to help fellowship those we teach and find people for us to teach. Lastly, the Alcantar Family joined us! They are travelling around the states right now visiting all the temples in the US! They've also been to some in Mexico and I believe some in Canada. (Maybe not Canada yet, I'm behind the times lol) They were coming through the area, bumped into President Southward and joined us for Zone Conference! It was awesome to hear from them and hear the temple emphasized more. It really is the "end" goal for us...although this gospel never really ends. It was great though(:

President also had us do an on the fly musical number yet again. He slides over to us as we're finishing up the conference and asks us to sing a song for the closing hymn. I think he realizes sometimes you do better with no preparation because you don't have time to worry about it. (Jk, at the beginning of the conference he said we'd hear some special musical numbers...plural...so I actually wondered if he'd be asking us.) We sang "I Stand All Amazed" and it went well haha. He calls us the Travelling MoTab. Just likes to keep us on our toes I guess.

To finish up the weekend though, we met with Alma again, who is preparing for a mission. He finally finished his papers!!!:D He just has to interview with the Bishop and Stake President and they'll be done!!! So that was fantastic. Haha, we did some role-plays with him and he realized teaching isn't as easy as he thought lol. He'll get it though. We also met with Gabriel again and got to really discuss what he isn't understanding. I think he's starting to really care about getting his questions answered so he's making progress.

This week was great though, I know God loves us and is so incredibly mindful of us. If we hand our fears to him he will help us overcome them because he loves us and wants us to be better. I love you all and I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Even In the Details Of Our Lives

Hello hello all!

Happy Fourth of July!! (a little late, but that's okay) I hope everyone had a great holiday!!

This week we had a really neat experience after Mission Leadership Council on Friday. We scheduled to do an institute building tour with the AP's later that afternoon. They started teaching a YSA guy named Drake and they wanted to do a tour to hand him off to us and get him going to the YSA wards.

We got there for the tour, turned on all the lights in the building, planned the route we wanted to walk, and then waited... and waited... the elders arrived, the member we had asked to come came... but Drake didn't show. The AP's were determined to have someone to give a tour though because they walked outside and contacted a random girl walking by! They invited her to get some cool AC and take a quick tour, so she came!

Her name is Rebecca and although Drake never showed, I think she was the one we were meant to talk to that day! She is less-active and when we talked with her about the YSA she seemed excited and even said she would be more comfortable there than at a family ward. We plan to see her later in the week and keep her updated on activities(:

I feel like this experience just goes on to further show how God is in the details of our lives. Even though she was just some random girl walking by, she lives only a few blocks from the institute and is in our area. She had been inside the building before, but never seen all of it, and had nowhere she needed to be soon. My testimony of how God is in the details of our lives has grown, and I feel like I've seen so many miracles since I've been out!

Another neat experience, Michael has agreed to take the lessons again! He's had a ton of visits this week from Sister Wilson and I, as well as President Southward and President Packer. (the YSA Stake President/Director of the Institute in Poky) I am SO EXCITED to start teaching him again and cannot wait to see where it goes.

A few explanations for my pictures this week! On the fourth of July we went to a parade in Inkom where some nice members took pictures of us. We also got to see Kevin Andrus in the parade, who is the Elders Quorum President in the Marsh Valley YSA ward, as well as the State Rep so that was pretty cool. We got some mozzarella sticks because they sounded fantastic and Poky was absolutely dead. (all the YSA's left Poky for the holiday) We got to do some sparklers when we got home because our neighbors were lighting fireworks and playing with sparklers, which was Sister Wilson's dream for the day.

We also moved into our new apartment! This one isn't temporary, but I might end up moving in 6 weeks anyways depending on transfers. We'll see, you can never get too comfortable as a missionary.

I love you all and I hope you all had a great week!!

Love ya,
Sister Jensen

Lord, I Would Follow Thee

Hello everyone!!!

Wow this week was a crazy one. To start I had a grand total of 5 companions this week and was definitely stressing out a bit. I dropped Sister Ziegler off to the mission home Monday afternoon, after which I received Sister Whitmer for the remainder of the day. Sister Whitmer and I were together for all of Tuesday as well. Transfers were Wednesday, for which I was in a trio with Sister Stott and her new greenie, Sister Worth! I was with them until about 3:30 or 4pm, when Sister Wilson finally arrived from Star Valley!! It's been great to get to hear how everyone is doing and I definitely miss it out there.

I want to share an experience we had Saturday, and since it's pretty packed, that'll about summarize my week. On Saturday we had the opportunity to meet President and Sister Southward! While I miss the Hancock's, the Southwards are going to be great to work with(: We had a special meet and greet in Soda Springs, during which we each got to have a minute to chat with President, his wife, and their kids. Just a reminder that is pretty key to this whole entire day- when Sister Ziegler and I were first in the area, President Southward skyped into a lesson we had with Michael. Michael seemed solid and set for baptism, but backed out right before his baptismal date, and dropped us.

When I got to speak with President Southward, Michael was the first thing he asked about, and I had to tell him that we still haven't had any further contact with him. I heard him talking with a few Elders about Michael as well, but I didn't think too much about it. Later during the conference President Southward was talking to us about hastening the work and reads us a text he received from Michael, just 10 minutes ago, out of the blue. Michael told him he was in the hospital and that prayers would be appreciated, to which President Southward responded, asking if he could visit him.

That evening we went with President Southward to visit Michael in the hospital. On the way up President asked Sister Wilson and I if we would sing for Michael as we visited him. The hymn "Lord, I Would Follow Thee" came to mind and we decided on that. When we got in the room Michael was laying there in the hospital bed with an IV sticking out of his arm and a giant ice pack on his head. He basically overheated and it opened the way for a virus to hit him. He is recovering, but will be in the hospital for a bit longer. President Southward talked and caught up with him a bit and then he and President McNabb (President's first counselor) gave him a blessing. After they finished the blessing, Sister Wilson and I sang and I bore my testimony to him. The spirit was so strong in that room and I know he felt it by the end of everything. Heavenly Father works in mysterious ways. My hope is this experience reminds him of the spirit he felt as he was learning about the church and helps him realize what's really important in this life.

I love you all and I hope you all have a wonderful week. I know if you're looking, you will see God's hand in your life. He loves each and every one of us and is aware of our situations.

Love you,
Sister Jensen

Meet Me in Paris

On Monday we went to Family Home Evening activity with our 6th and 7th wards. It was a combined activity. We were put into groups and we made cheesy funeral potatoes! Gabriel, our investigator, came and totally enjoyed himself! It was awesome!! Our potatoes were swimming in butter and grease so they weren't fantastic, but we had a good time making them and Gabriel enjoyed himself.

On Tuesday Sister Ziegler had the departing missionaries temple trip out in Star Valley. We rode out to Montpelier with the Hancock's and from there I went out to Paris with Sister Whitmer. So I served in Paris for a day! Woohoo! It reminded me of Star Valley, so I loved it haha. We contacted a few people and though I went back to Pocatello with a few bug bites it was a good time(:

When we finally get to Pocatello, Sister Ziegler and I head straight to softball. Activities are actually one if the most effective ways to find people in the ysa. It's been a wonderful fellow shipping opportunity for the members and a great way for us to meet investigators or less actives in a way that isn't as threatening as knocking on their door. Lots of ysa don't want to do lessons with us because they feel singled out and this way they come to know us more casually. It has it's pros and cons, but it's been good(: I did get to bat, and I did hit the ball and I did make it home! (i made it home mostly because the guy following me hit it almost over the fence but I mean it counts still and I didn't get out lol) That night, one of our ward mission leaders organized things so that the ward missionaries and us could go on splits and visit people in the ward. I went out with a girl named Ruth and we talked to everyone! It was fantastic! We spoke with 5 people in 45 minutes and I felt the more effective than I ever have my whole mission. Members do wonders and bring miracles. Go out with the missionaries, it makes a difference.

Wednesday we did the finding booth on ISU campus! It's amazing how many people we were able to see and invite to church and activites:) That evening we saw Nathan, a less active guy we are working with. Were were chatting on his doorstep and he randomly brought out his iguana and fed it spaghetti. I was pretty funny, iguanas like cooked plain spaghetti I guess.

Thursday...Special Zone conference in Soda Springs! It was basically a chance for President and Sister Hancock to share their testimony with us one last time and any last advice/words of wisdom and a great time to take pics and eat ice cream. One of the elders who served in this mission (but is now home) had each companionship make a video and say something about President and Sister Hancock. He then compiled all of our videos and added music. It was amazing and so sweet. Some of it was pretty funny but it really was a fun way to get to review their mission with them and think about our times with them. It was bittersweet, and I am going to miss them.

Friday was pretty successful, we met Madison! She graduated relatively recently and has been feeling lonely so it was pretty neat getting to finally see her and invite her out to activities. We had dinner with the Keners, and they are basically celestial beings. We also finally contacted a referral we have tried multiple times! His roommate invited us to come back for dinner and a lesson! Miracles. We met 2 guys both named Caleb. The first Caleb introduced himself and asked us if we had something we wanted to talk about, which of course we did! We were pretty excited and told him about the Book of Mormon. He was super chill with us coming back. That night we had a lesson with Gabriel! The Spirit was super strong and Gabriel really opened up about some of his concerns and his time table for baptism. (still in about a year, but he's making progress)

Saturday....we got Transfer calls! Sister Wilson is coming to be my companion!! It'll be fun(: This week is lining up to be pretty weird though with all the switching of comps going on. From Monday afternoon until Wednesday (transfer day) Sister Whitmer will be here with me in Pocatello. Then I'll get Sister Wilson. And then we'll get a new mission President! Craziness.

 Anyways... Saturday afternoon we had a fantastic lesson with Alma! He's so close to going on a mission. The fellowshippers we brought with us really connected well with him and it was awesome to see! Super cool miracle that happened right after the lesson: Sister Ziegler has been pretty stressed about housing and lining things up for BYU-I. Well the sister that came to the lesson with us (she's awesome) is going to BYU-I and she has 3 people in her apartment and needed one more roommate and thought of Sister Ziegler! So things are getting all sorted out. Such a testimony builder of how aware Heavenly Father is of each of us. He literally dropped an apartment with good roommates in her lap. MIRACLES. So naturally we went and had celebratory McFlurries at McDonald's.

On Sunday Gabriel W came to church again! He sat by us and then Kailey, Ethan R, Ethan D, and Travis all came up to Gabriel and chatted with him. They sat in the row in front of us. Gabriel randomly turns to us and says, "Stare at Travis's head for a second...k Now look at this". Then he shows us a hedgehog emoji. We about died laughing. It was really random but so funny. Sister Mansfield (the bishop's wife) spoke in sacrament meeting and shared a lot of things i really appreciated. She said something that struck me, "if you feel like the Lord isn't answering your prayers, look back at the ones he has." I think we often forget the prayers God has answered once we're in the heat of another trial. It was a good reminder for me and caused me to reflect.   At ward prayer that evening, every one wrote their name on a piece of paper and then the papers were passed around. We each wrote something nice about the person whose paper we had and kept passing. It was really sweet. It reminded every one of how we all need love and positivity in our life. Even though we joke and tease a ton, loving, uplifting words can do wonders for a person's day.

And last but not least, I dropped Sister Ziegler off at the mission home today. I've really appreciated the time we've had to be companions and I know she's made heavenly Father happy with her service. I know Heaven;y Father is watching over her, just as he is watching over each of us. I love you all, have a great week.

Love,
Sister Jensen