Monday, March 30, 2015

Week 12  It Finally Rained!


This week has been crazy. It finally RAINED! Can you believe it? I was so excited! It actually rained 3 times this week and it felt so good because usually it is so hot. When it rained I didn't even care I got wet, I just enjoyed it.

This week I went on intercambios (splits) with my zone leader and that was a great day. We found a new family while we were contacting. It was amazing. The next day after we dropped off the zone leader at his casa, we started  back to San Rafael, but on accident week took the wrong bus and it took us to Tegucigalpa!  I told my companion, Are you serious? But, I guess it was alright, we got to eat at Wendy's for the first time. So that happened.

This week has been really hard. Spanish is going really slow. I felt like I improved last week but now I'm struggling again. So, please put me in your prayers always, I could use the help. I talked to Mission President this week and we are going to meet every once in a while so he can help me through this. I pray everyday for the gift of tongues. But, it does not seem to be coming. So, I keep praying and studying.

I will tell you real quick about one of my investigators. About, one month ago we got a referral from a member. His name is Miguel Matamotos. Pretty cool name, huh. Anyway, we only met with once  because after that he started drinking again. But these past two weeks, he has been coming to church just out of the blue. He told us he wants to change and get baptized. I was like, what? It is a miracle. Now he hasn't drank any alcohol in 18 days! I am so happy for him. We are preparing him for baptism on the 18th of April.

Thanks for your support and letters. They really help me. Keep me your prayers. Love you all.

Elder Jensen


Intercambio with my zone leader.
Wendy's...mmm american food.

Answers to "MQs" and now "DQs" He's writing in Spanglish, he's getting more than he thinks.





Monday, March 23, 2015

Week 11 Speaking Spanish


Hello everyone! This week has been great! We now have 6 people with a fecha (date, baptism date) and we had 1 bautismal (baptism). It is so great! I am learning a lot of Spanish. You guys are my inspiration. You are really helping me when you guys put me in your prayers. For at least half of this week I was speaking really good Spanish. Hearing is mas or menos (so-so), not poco, but mas or menos. It is really progressing though. I am so happy with myself and with the Lord for blessing me! Thank you.

We had intercambios (missionary splits) again this week, it was awesome! I learned so much! I really am progressing and I know that Heavenly Father is watching over me and I know that this is where I need to be. I know I am strong and can do hard things now. Cooking is fun. I have now made french toast and spaghetti this week for me and my companion. Cooking is a lot of work, but I can manage it. 

We went to McDonald's this week! Wow, that was good. I am sorry I did not write as much. Nothing special happened, other than what I have told you. Hope you like my pictures. Just letting you know I am doing fine and well! Love you all!

Elder Jensen

Trip to McDonald's 

Nicest kitchen  he will have his whole mission, hope he appreciates it! (actually, nicer that what he had at BYUI)

I have a "closet". See it behind me?


My view from my casa.

Mom Note: I have sent Alec a list of “mom questions” I call them “MQs” since week one.  I have mentioned this before. For the most part I haven’t really received answers to most of  the questions. Once in a while I find an answer to one of my “MQs”, as I did last week when he talked about making French toast for him and his companion. But, for the most part…nothing. I figured it was more a time issue than anything. The missionaries have limited time on the computer (I've heard, at most an hour).  So, this makes it really hard to read the emails he receives, write a blurb for his blog, download pictures, reply to everyone’s email , or send emails to anyone he wants. This week Alec became resourceful. He wrote down my questions last Monday and then during the week answered them in a notebook.  On the following Monday he took a picture of his answers in his notebook and sent the picture to me. (see below) Good job Alec…now your thinking!  He also wrote down Elder Questions, which he calls “EQs” (imagine that), during the week then sent me a photo of them for me to answer. I think this system will work very nicely. (anything to get the answers I'm looking for)

answers to some "MQS"
"EQs"

Monday, March 16, 2015

Week 10 - 1 Month in Honduras


This week has been so awesome! I have done so much this week! One thing I did this week is show my companion, Elder Rodas, how to make french toast!  It was so good! He usually makes it with just bread. I am like no way man! You have to dip into a batter first! You mix eggs, milk, and cinnamon. He is like what? He was so confused! But, after tasting it he realized that it is way better with it! (mom note: He can cook! This made me so happy. This information also answered a month long question I have asked with no answer. I call my questions MQs…Mom Questions. He usually never answers them, so I look for hidden answers in his post.)

This week was Reunion de Nuevos! I got to see all of them for the first time in 3 weeks! They are all doing so well! I am so happy for them and for their decision to serve the lord! No pictures though! That sucked, I forgot to do take some!

This week I received an answer from Heavenly Father that I had been praying for. In my prayers, I have been asking why am I here in Honduras?  I don’t know why I am so curious about this.  That answer finally came during my estudiar, my personal study time last Tuesday. I was reading in the Bible in Romans chapter 8. It is now my favorite chapter in the Bible now! It talks about the Holy Ghost. When I read this it felt like an answer to my prayer, I am here to feel the Holy Ghost and then testify of it to other people, the people in Honduras. I was so excited when I got this answer! Please read it and when you do think of me and how it can help you!

Spanish continues coming along really smoothly. It is hard at times but, through the Holy Ghost, I can just tell them how I really feel! Oh, we had 15 investigadores asistia the iglesia this week! (translation: 15 investigators at church)

Hope you like the photos this week (mom note: loved the photos, but no explanations or names for each photo, ugh!) ! Keep writing to me and keep me in your prayers always. The photos are of last week and this week!

Elder Jensen











Monday, March 9, 2015

Week 9 This is the Life!


This week has been great everyone! We had one baptism this week! I am so happy! I felt the spirit so much this week and I am really progressing in Spanish. I still can’t understand everything they are saying, but I can now make out kind of what is being said. It is so much fun! We had intercambios (missionary splits) this week and it really helped me. I went on an intercambioed (split) with my district leader. He is strict and works really hard. He helped me with my fear of starting conversations with people I don’t know when we go contacting. I was really scared because of getting rejected and stuff. But, now I am much more confident. Elder Calel (district leader) helped me with some tips and we practiced them a lot. It is so much easier now. In one day my companion and I got 7 contacts all because of what I learned on my split with Elder Calel. I am living the life!

I am not going to write as much this week because I have other people I want to have time to write, but I did want to let you all know that I am doing fine and the Spanish is coming along real smooth now. Not fast, but smooth. It is hard, but when I pray for guidance of the spirit, it just comes and I can tell the people of Honduras what I feel!

No photos this week because the computer would not let me download them. But, next week I will send you the ones this week and next week!

Keep writing to me every week! I love it! Love you all!

Elder Jensen

Monday, March 2, 2015

Week 8 It's So Hot!!!

Hey everybody! It is my second week in the mission field and I am alive and well! This week has been really awesome! It continues to be hard learning Spanish however. The hardest part is trying to hear all of what the people are saying because everyone has a different expression! They could talk slow, really fast, or just gurgle the whole conversation! I tend to get about 40% of what people are saying, which is way better than the first few days. My first day here, I did know a thing of what people were saying. It has been hard. But, I know through the help of my companion, the Holy Ghost and prayer it will come.  My favorite scripture is Alma 26:12! It has helped me so much. It talks about that I am weak and nothing, but with the boast of God, I can do anything, even miracles perhaps.

We have 2 bautismo fechas (baptism dates) lined up. One is for this Saturday and one on March 21st. We had a zone meeting this last Thursday and a multi-zone conference as well on Friday. They were awesome! I learned a lot about how to trust in the spirit to help and guide me through a discussion. It was so cool.

The other thing that has been so hard here is the sun. OH MY GOSH! The sun kills me throughout the day. Walking in the heat sucks. I get so sweaty and tired. At the end of the day, I am toast. But, I manage to not think about it and just focus on the investigators and the members. I know I’ve said it before but, the food here is so good. I imagine it will get boring soon because we eat the same thing everyday; rice, beans, pollo or carne, and lots and lots of vegetables. I eat a lot. Some of the food I do not like, but I eat it anyway. When I am starving, I do not even care about how it tastes. I just eat to get full. 
So tired from the day. Spent, from walking in the blazing sun!

My missionary leader, Timoteo


Larger picture of my area
Geckos we get in our casa all the time.
  
 Sorry I did not take a lot of photos. Next week I will!

That is it for this week! It was hard, sometimes really hard. But, I try not to focus on that. Thanks for all your support guys. Love and miss you all so much. Keep me in your prayers and do not forget to write me!

Elder Jensen