Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Week 3  Half Way

Hello everyone! I am now half way done at the MTC! Wow, can you believe it? I am actually pretty excited to leave because it sucks being here for so long! I would rather be out teaching the gospel to investigators and to the people Honduras rather than my teachers. It has been an incredibly weird week for me. My companion has been having some thoughts of going home because he did not take care of stuff before his mission so I pray for him everyday. I hope he will stay. Oh I got my in-grown toe nail taken care of....man that hurt! I did not cry because I am a man, and men do not cry. LOL!

My schedule is the same every week. Wake up at 6:30, breakfast at 7, then personal study time from 7:30 to 8:30. Then from 8:30 to about 12 we have progressing investigator, language, and Book of Mormon study. All 3 in about 3 1/2 hours. It is exhausting. We have lunch at 12 and then I get the mail after that until its the time for language study, which is from 1 to 2. After language study its gym time from 2 to 3 and then language study on the computer from 3:30 to 4:30. After that we have some more study time until its time for dinner which is at 5:30. After dinner we study until 6:30. Then from 6:30 until 9:30 we have language, progressing investigator, and fundamentals of teaching. At 9:30 we go back to our casa and have journal time and then get ready for bed. At 10:30 lights are out and we are in bed. That is my daily schedule every day. It's been like that for 3 weeks. Pretty boring and tiring after awhile. 

I wasn't able to get a picture of my whole district together yet, but I will tell you about them.  In my district there are 10, including me.  Sorry about that.  The elders are Elder Jennings, Elder Bate, Elder Wight, Elder Dowell (which are all going to San Pedro Sula) and then there is me, Elder Hernandez, Elder Esser, and Elder Wagner (which are all going to Comayaguela). The sisters are Hermana Bradley(which is going to Comayaguela) and Hermana Pemberton (which is the only one in our group that is going to Ecuador). 

I had a great week and am looking forward to hearing from everyone. I was in the reception office one day and was looking at the previous presidents at the Mexico MTC. I think that my Dads president was Presidente Fen. Because he served from 1987 to 1988 which around when my Dad served his mission.  Hopefully that is right.  If so he was right next to the Mexico City Temple too! How cool is that! Anyways, this week has been hectic, but extremely spiritual too. I am gradually learning Spanish.  I am starting to remember some of the stuff that I memorize, which is  awesome, obviously. 

Love all you guys and thank you so much for the support you are giving me with the emails that you send me. They make a huge difference. I am doing great, but I cannot wait to leave here and go to Honduras. This email is way longer than my usual ones so, hope you can read it all! Talk to you guys next week! 

Sincerely,
         Elder Jensen

P.S. Tristan comes next week and I am so excited to see him!

In-grown toenail surgery...OUCH!

New District that just came in. Really awesome people.

Elder Dalton, the new zone leader after Elder Carlson left last week. Great guy!

Elder Howell, Elder Jensen, Elder DeGarmo
Now who does Elder Degarmo look like? He looks like a much older version of...Garron Hahn! Can you see it?

Elder Wilson, Elder Jensen, Elder Malcom.
Really funny guys, wish you could meet them.

ElderWeeks, Elder Jensen, Elder Covington.
Both of these elders are great and very spiritual missionaries. 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Week 2 District Leader



Hello everyone! This is my second P-Day at the MTC! I am doing just fine. I forgot to tell you last week that I was made District Leader for my District. Wow, right? It's a lot of responsibilities, but it will bless me throughout my experience here at the MTC. I am having so much fun here. I mean, learning the language is quite hard and I still don't understand any of what people are saying usually, but through the Lords help, anything is possible. I am greatly blessed to be here. I miss my family so much and know that they will be ok while I am on my mission. Today, I was able to go to the Mexico Temple and it was amazing. I feel so blessed to be able to go. Did you know that only 5 temples in the world have a Moroni Statue with both the gold plates in one hand and a trumpet in the other? This is one of those Temples. It was really cool. I have a couple of photos below of me in front of it. As well as my buddies in my Casa that came too. I wish my whole district came, but they were too sick to come. They had been throwing up all night. I have them in my prayers always. I am gradually learning Spanish and know that it will come soon. My zone leaders left to Cancun this past Monday. They were awesome and helped me a lot. Especially, Elder Carlson, pictured above. I have received a couple of food packages from my family....mmmm delicious. Hope all of you guys are doing fine while I am here in the MTC.  Keep me in your prayers.

Sincerely,
         Elder Jensen

Mexico City Temple
Some of my district in front of Temple

Visitors Center
Answers to "mom questions" (mom comments about his answers)

1. Did you fly down to MTC alone, or were you with other missionaries? 
I was alone when I flew to MTC.

2. What is your companion’s name and where is he from? 
My companion's name is Elder Hernandez. 

3. How about the names of the other missionaries I see in the past photos?
Elder Wight and Elder Dowell. Both going to San Pedro Sula. Elder Wight is from Australia!! (notice he told me where his roommate was from, but not his companion. Elder Hernandez, his companion, must not be from somewhere as cool as Australia)

4. What is your typical day like?
Language, Study, and teaching investigators, which are teachers actually. (so many things left out of the is answer. I will probably never know exactly what he does all day long. I'm looking more for answer like this: 6:00am wake up, 7:00 breakfast, 8:00-10:00 personal study, 10:00-12:00 teaching investigators, etc.)

5. Will you get to go to the temple?? Or the visitor center?
See this week's photos 

6. Are you brushing your teeth and wearing your retainers?
"I am brushing my teeth and wearing retainers, ok mom!"

What he asked me to send down with Tristan...
  • A new watch (8 year old watch finally died)
  • Eye glasses (the ones he never wore for school...hmmm)
  • Nice pair of nail clippers, old ones are rusty. (he already has a nasty ingrown toenail)

 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Week 1 This Isn't Kansas

Bienvivido from Mexico City MTC! This past week has been the hardest week of my life. I have had thoughts of coming home and have been extremely homesick. I miss my family so much and I am extremely worried that something is going to go wrong during my mission. But, this past Monday I talked with the president of the MTC and everything changed. I feel so rejuvenated and ready to serve for the lord. This past week has been great. I have some pictures below of people in my Casa that I love to be with. My companion and two of the elders are going to the same mission as me. WOW! It was hard at first learning the language and being so homesick that after talking with people everything changed. I am always so happy and ready to go out and prepare myself for my mission in Honduras. I just want to let my family know I love them so much and now I am doing just fine. Food is okay but I will get used to it. Pizza day is every Tuesday and its from Costco which I consume like 4 slices. But, other than that the food is okay. The lessons suck. I hate them. I cannot understand any of what my investigator is talking about and my companion does most of the talking. But, I am gradually getting better. It is so different talking in Spanish in prayer and talking, I am so used to English. But, through the spirit, it helps give me that little bit of strength to get through it and speak some Spanish. I recently just gave my first blessing on an hermana. The spirit was so strong and I could feel that I was sent here to give her that blessing. I am excited to see my friend Elder Knuth when he comes down here and experience the most beautiful campus ever. So luscious and green. Muy bonito! I know that the lord sent me here for a reason and I know that whatever it is, it is totally worth it. I am excited to write to you guys and to my family and let them know how I am doing. Love you guys so much and put me in your prayers! 

Sincerely,
Elder Jensen







Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Made It

Hi Mom, Dad, Rachel, and Amy! I have made it to the Mexico MTC safely! I am so sad to go, but I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve the lord. I will write to you next Wednesday! 

Love you all!

Elder Jensen

Your Missionary's mailing addres is:
Elder Jensen
Feb. 17  Branch 16 District A
Carretera Tenayuca-Chalmita #828
Colonia Zona Escolar, Gustavo A. Madero
07230 Mexico, Distrito Federal
Mexico

The estimated departure date for your missionary is Feb. 17. The use of the
above address on all correspondence will greatly faciliate delivery to your missionary
at the MTC. Please don't send packages.

Saying Good-Bye






We had hoped that we were going to get to take you to the gate, but it didn't work out.  So we had to say good-bye at United Airline Security. I think the reality of the moment started to sink in for all of us. You walked away from your carry on luggage once and you second guest where your passport was. I worried that you would leave your carry on bag on the airline when you changed plans in LA.  Which was your back up of necessities if they lost your main luggage. But we all took a deep breath , regrouped and went over the basics. I think when you started to hug your sisters is when the pain of the reality set in and I began to cry. A cry of a mother knowing she was not going to see her first born for 2 years. And even though I would cry much harder and longer if you weren't going on a mission, I was still going to miss you like crazy. As I saw you walked through security your father said to me...you won't see that boy again.  It will be a totally different Alec when he returns. I can't wait to meet that Alec. 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Getting "Set Apart" as a missionary


President Black, Dad, Elder Jensen, President Alexander, President Zollinger, Mom, Rachel and Amy

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Last Sunday 

 Last Sunday with the family
and saying good by to some really important people in Alec's life
 Steve Hatch
 Scott Roylance
 Michael Pierce
 Kyle Prusso
 Jared Hatch
 Danny Auble
The Rosenhans