Week #94

We didn't get to talk much with Brody today. He was on only for a short time. He was headed to play in a basketball game with some elders from another area. He sounds great. For those of you that really know Brody, this email must be saved forever. Haha. On to week 95. Thanks for your support. 
                                                                                                                                                                    
Hello Everyone!!! 
First of all i would like to congratulate my awesome sister on winning Miss Payson!! i saw a bunch of pictures and i am sure she did an amazing job! so this past week was SUPER busy! i saw President Clark 3 times in a week! that is the most i have ever seen him. i saw him at zone meeting, the district leader meeting, and at a fireside which we sang at. it was a good week though, i got to go down to fresno and see some missionaries that i haven't seen for a while! it was a really good week! we also did some service in the city of atwater, we cleaned a park! i got to go on an exchange this week as well. i am keeping really busy which is a good thing. we taught a lot of lessons this week and have been working hard! i am not quite sure what to talk about today so i think i will share the second most important thing i have learned on my mission. which the first is my conversion to the gospel. but the second most important thing that i feel i have learned is attitude. everything in life is about attitude. we can't control what situations we get put into or the trials we go through but we can control our attitude. it can be hard to have a good attitude sometimes though, throughout my mission i have learned how to be positive and have a good attitude. as many of you know before my mission i was pretty negative and didn't have a great attitude about things. even at the start of my mission i was not good with it which i want to apologize for. i was reading through my old group emails and i can't believe how negative i was, i bet it was hard for my family to read those things and my struggles. but it has been a great learning experience. i feel like as soon as i got rid of my bad attitude time started to fly by. and i have learned to do the will of the Lord instead of my own on my mission. i wouldn't trade it for anything. i love my mission! i have never been so happy and positive in my life. and i love to see other people happy, that is why i continue to serve. i love the people here and i love the Lord. i can't even describe the feelings and the joy that i feel as i see others feel God's love and really make huge changes in their lives. i love these people. there is a quote that goes like this.... "others won't care how much you know, until they know how much you care" i have learned to love everyone out here! time is going by so fast and i don't know if i am ready for it to end, because i feel that i still have so much more to learn. a mission is crazy, but it is the best thing i have ever done with my life. it has changed everything about me. i wasn't that strong in my testimony when i first came out but now i can say that i know this is the true church and that Jesus Christ is my Savior. i am so grateful for my mission! that is about all i got this week. i hope you are all doing well. have a great week! i love you! Elder Jensen

Week #93

Brody's email was pretty short today. He didn't have a lot to say. I think he is trying to get the most out of everyday while serving his mission. I'm not quite sure what he means in his email when he says, "the new Atwater feel of things." He has been there for several months. One would think he is use to it. Hahaha. Its hard to believe that we are sneaking up on his last Skype home. He is continuing to work hard. Thanks for your support. On to week 94. 

By the way, he better cut that hair before he gets home or I will remind him what a pocket knife is really used for. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Hello to All, 

first of all i want to apologize because this email is gonna be really short. this week hasn't been too busy! we have been hitting the streets a lot and trying to find. we haven't had too much luck so far but we will soon enough. we have some investigators but nothing solid right now. this last week we had stake conference and two Elders from the 70 came! it was awesome. it was probably the best stake conference i have ever gone to! i have got to play some basketball this past week a few times with some investigators and members it has been sweet! i also heard the NBA playoffs started so go Warriors! 

so up here in Atwater we got a few new missionaries and one of my favorite Elders left... Elder Smith. so we are still getting use to the new Atwater feel of things. 

this next week i am going to have a lot of meetings, i have a district leader meeting in Fresno and we also have zone meeting this week. i don't know if i mentioned it before but a 70 is coming to our mission next month. i am looking forward to this week! i love and miss you all! have a great week. 

Elder Jensen

Week #92

Brody said time is flying by  and he is not going to do with himself once he gets home. He said he is really going to miss the mission life…go figure. 

He was fortunate to stay in the same place with the same companion. It looks like he might just finish out his mission in this area. Today while chatting with his mom, he wrote part of his sentence in spanish and didn't even realize he did it. Amie had to ask him what the heck he was saying. He asked us if we were getting trunky. I replied, maybe a little. He answered and said to keep busy so it doesn't seem so long. I am sure proud of the attitude Brody has gained while on his mission. If you want to check out a video of Brody, go to his blog. Chris Cook ran into Brody this past week and took some pictures and a video. Thanks Chris. Now, on to week 93. Thanks for all of your support. 

Hello Everyone!! 

so this past week was great! i got some really big and good news! so we got the transfer call and to our surprise Elder Hopkins and i are staying together for a 4th transfer! that like never happens! that is a fourth of my mission with one companion! we are gonna keep going hard up here in Atwater. i totally thought we were gonna have a change! some of our district got transferred though. but i am pumped about staying especially because there is a family here that is active now! they weren't active a couple of months ago. but they are like seriously one of my favorite families that i have met on my mission! i stinkin love them! 

this past week we got some new investigators and they fed us some tacos and we had a great time! also one of our investigators got back from Arizona after being gone for a couple of months! it was great to see him! his name is beto! 

this next week we have stake conference! we also found out that in May we are going to be having a 70 come to the mission! is is Elder Cardon. 

this last week i ran into a family friend! Chris Cook haha, we had a great time. we went to a taco truck and i gave him a tour of the city of Atwater. it was so weird to see someone that is from home! it was like unreal! i will send some pics! well i love and miss you all! i hope you all have a great week! 

Elder Jensen

BatElder "It's not who I am underneath but what I do that defines me." ;)  

A visit from Chris boy to Atwater. 

Week #91

Brody was in good spirits today. He was able to chat for a long time. As you will read, he has transfers coming up this week. He is hoping he will get to stay with Elder Hopkins, but doesn't think that is going to happen. 

Its hard to believe that he only has two more transfers before he comes home. His email was really short today and he didn't have any pictures this week. Hopefully next week we will get a little more information from him. Thanks for all of your support. 

HELLO! 

How is everyone doing today? things here are going great! not too much has happened this past week! i went on a couple of exchanges with some Elders from my district. my companion was sick this past week so we didn't do all that much. i am just happy that i didn't get sick. i haven't been sick once on my mission! 

i absolutely loved general conference again! it is crazy how good and inspired the talks were. i went in with a question to the sunday morning session and it was answered in the first talk by President Monson. i watched conference with some Samoan members from the english ward. they invited me over and we had a great time! 

this transfer is coming to an end, i can't believe it! it is so crazy! i doubt i will stay with elder hopkins again but i really want to. we get the callout on saturday night. 

that is about it for this week, sorry it is so short. i hope you all have a great week! i love and miss you all! 

Elder Jensen 

Week #90

Well it happened. Brody sent an email with some scriptures in it. I'm surprised he took the time to type out all of the verses. I guess its a good thing. It is really neat to see his growth. We only chatted for  a short time. He was off to play rugby. Time is really ticking away. Thanks for all of your support.

                                                                                                                                                            

Well Hello Everyone, 

this past week was a great one! i had a couple of cool experiences. i got to go on exchanges with Elder Toombs, he is 24 and has been out for about 6 months. we had a good day, we were on bikes. i can say that i do not miss biking!! 

we also had zone conference this past week. i got to see Elder Mo'o and some other missionaries. he goes home one transfer before me. i only have 2 more zone conferences which is crazy! i learned a lot at zone conference. 

i want to share something that i was studying this past week and relate it to my mission and to life in general. the story i am going to share is found in John chapter 21. this is after Christ has been resurrected. it is talking about Peter and the other disciples. so i want to start in verse 3..... 

  3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

 4 But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

6 And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

 7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

9 As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

So in verse 3 Peter says that he was going to go fishing which was what he did before he was a disciple. so he was going back to living his normal old life. i feel that sometimes we do the same thing, after a big event or a spiritual experience we eventually go aback to the way we were and we don't fully change. Peter saw many miracles and preached with Christ for a long time. And after Christ's death Peter wasn't sure what to do so he went back to his normal life and went fishing. and now in verses 15-17 we will see what Christ says when the disciples come up to the shore.... 

15¶So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter,Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? Hesaith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son ofJonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thouknowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas,lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said untohim the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him,Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I lovethee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

i really like this scripture passage because Christ is telling Peter that if he truly loves him he should "feed his sheep" or become changed and more converted. Christ is pretty much saying, after all that you have seen and experienced are you going to be truly changed? Peter forgot for a moment what he should have been doing and what he was called to do. Peter went on to be incredibly faithful and a great disciple. 

The Atonement allows us to change and become better. it helps us to not slip into our old habits or old ways of life. i truly feel that my mission has changed me and i will not forget about it after my mission, i am forever changed. Being a disciple of Christ is a life long thing not just for 2 years. i am so grateful for the Atonement and ability to overcome trials and become stronger and better. 

One thing that has been hard for me in the past is talking to everyone on the street. it can be awkward but i found a great solution to  overcome it. i just tried picturing everyone in temple clothes and seeing their true potential as sons and daughter of God. it really made it easier to talk to people. and i was amazed with how many people said yes and accepted to listen to the missionaries. it makes me wish i would have figured this out a long time ago. 

so yesterday was Easter, we had a branch party and ate carne asada and had a great time! it was a really good day! we even had a lot of non members who are now investigators show up to church! that is about if for my week. i love and miss you all! have a great week and enjoy General Conference!
Elder Jensen

Elder Jensen tries a new hair do