Week 38 One of the Worst

Well, this week was very unpleasant. I found out that my companion and I do not get a long as well and I thought. He has one opinion and I have another and well it is not a pretty. He critiques me and is so critical of me and well it is so hard to have patience with him. So, I am praying everyday and trying as hard as I can to have the patience with him. Aside from our disagreements, we are seeing a lot of miracles from working hard every day. We have a family lined up for baptism and two other investigators as well. So, we are very excited for them and their motivation for baptism.

It has rained all week, so I was kind of wet all week long from walking the the rain. So, I hope there will be a little bit of sunshine this week. Hopefully.....

Another horrible thing this week is my USB with all my photos, all of my videos, everything from my mission got erased. My USB got damaged some how and well, I cannot do anything about it. I am so very bummed.

But other than that, Siguatepeque is so beautiful and I cannot describe the beauty here in Honduras. It is like other cities just a little bit smaller and much prettier. I heard that sometime on this cambio (change) we are going to go paint balling. Does that sound awesome or what? On my mission?! The members here are so nice and are very awesome to talk to. 

So, this was an interesting week. Nothing really much to talk about other than a few more downs rather than ups. But, it's all part of a mission. I hope it gets better this week...hopefully?

With much love,

Elder Jensen

Week 37 Esperanza (Hope)!

Hello everyone! This week was really interesting and very fun. I got sent to a new area, new zone, with a new companion. It is so awesome. My Zone is called Esperanza (Hope), my new area is Siguatepeque B, and my companion is names Elder Sevilla. He is from Ecuador and he really funny. The funny thing is that we are both new elders to this area. We are actually opening this area. It is a lot of fun for me because we do not know the members, non of the investigators. I was in city for so long I knew so many people already.  When we got here we didn't even know where our house was. Pretty funny, right? Siguatepeque is my first PUEBLO (town)! Boo-yah! Living in the city was fun...but the pueblos are so much more beautiful and the people are so much kinder. And also this is the only zone in the mission so far where the temperature is a little bit cooler. It is not as hot as in my other areas. It is cool, which I like alot. Honduras is very hot and humid.

Elder Sevilla and I have been working hard this week and we put 2 new fechas this week, and its a total new area. How great is that! When we are obedient and do what the Lord wants us to do, we receive miracles that not only have a big impact on us, but on the people as well! Cool, right! 

One of the investigators, named Guillermo, was a blind contact on the street. We gave him a Book of Mormon and a folleto (pamplet) to read and we were going to explain it all to him next visit. When we returned, he had read the whole folleto, read part of the Book of Mormon, and said he wanted to go church with us this Sunday. He loves our church and we are seeing big changes in him. We are so excited about Guillermo.

Well, just want to let you all know I am growing and having so much fun here in my new area. I can't express how much I am. I am so glad I am a missionary! The time is going by super fast....I am really trying to do what my mom says in every letter she sends me, "work hard and embrace every moment". Love you all so very much. And thank you for writing evey week. That's it for this week and I look forward to hearing to you next week! 

Con mucho cariño,

Elder Jensen

Week 36 15 More Hahahaha

Elder Martinez and I and some Minions

I have had a pretty crazy week. I have had some ups and downs. But, that is kind of part of the mission, right? But, you guys always give me that little extra confidence and now this week I feel recharged and ready to work! I can not believe that I have been on my mission for 9 months...can you believe that? I seriously can not believe that in less than 4 months I will have 1 year in the mission! Wow, time is going by super fast.

At one point in time this week we had 0 fechas. But, the next day Elder Martinez and I set some goals and gave it everything we got and now we have 2 y 1 fechas (mom note: 2 person family and 1 single). And now here is the sad part. I do not know yet, but we have changes tomorrow and I might be sent to a different area, different stake, have a different house, a different companion, everything might change. If I have changes, I will be very sad to leave my area and the people we are teaching right now. The members here are dedicated to the work and they want what is best for their ward.  We have an incredible family we are teaching and it will be sad not to see them through. But, we will wait and see what happens.

I have some photos I took this week with my awesome companion and my right-on Zone leaders. 

I am doing great here in Honduras. I have my ups and downs and some struggles, but through the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can do all things.  Love you so very much. I miss you guys a lot, but I know I need to be here more then ever.

Lo quiero bastante,

Elder Jensen

Zone leaders and us

Love this guy, Elder Martinez

Week 35 One Week After Another

Well, nothing really to say about this week. It went by pretty dang fast, but we had some bad news this week. We lost one of our families that we are teaching. So, that kind of happened. This is my last week with my Elder Martinez maybe...so I do not know where I may be going this next week or who I will be with. All I hope is that its out of the city. I really want to be in a pueblo! (mom and dad note: He better be careful what he wishes for ;)

I forgot to bring my USB this week, so I do not have any pictures. But, I can bet that next week I will have more because I only have a little bit left with Elder Martinez. It has been so much fun with him and I am so glad I was able to be his companion. I have learned so much from him. 

Next week I will have much more information to give and much more alegre (cheerful) in my email. Love you all so much because you guys are my inspiration. 

Les quiero mucho,

Elder Jensen

P.S. GO BYU!!!

Week 34 A Mission Changes You

This week felt slow, until Saturday! We had 2 more baptisms. It felt so wonderful to be able to baptize 2 more of God's children. I baptized one and Elder Martinez baptized the other. His name is Franco....and it has awesome to see him grow over the past 3 weeks. Franco had someone close to him die this week. His grandma died of cancer and how sad that was for him and for all of us. But, he now knows that being baptized will allow him to see her again because he knows Heavenly Father's plan and it's a plan of happiness and it's a perfect plan. What a strong spirit this young man of only 9 years old has. I too know that God has a plan for us. The other baptism was an elderly man named Raul. He actually came to us saying he wanted to change. The first lesson we had with him, he said that he would stop drinking from that very day. Surprisingly he did! He now has not had a drink in almost a month. How awesome is that!!! I love being a missionary. It is truly amazing to watch people change there lives . And when they change, I change.

Elder Martinez and I are working so hard in our area and we might, by the end of this change have 6 and 1 baptism (mom note: this means a 6 member family and 1 other investigator). This has been one of my most favorite areas. The people are so positive and the members are so active and they help us find new people to teach. It makes a huge difference.

I want you all to know that God has a plan for all of us. I know that God has a plan for me. He sent me here to Honduras to help and teach the people of here about the gospel. And it has changed my life forever. While I have been on mission I have thought about my mistakes and my faults. My mission has changed me into the best person I can be.

Love you all so much and I am doing awesome here. Keep praying and keep writing. If you guys could...some of the missionaries get actual letters in envelope and everything. They said it is much better than an email. So, if you wanted to do that...that would be great! And remember: 

Sacrificio esta temporal, pero Gloria es eterno!

Con mucho cariño,

Elder Jensen

Week 33 Nelson Came!

Wow....I do not know where to begin. This week was super powerful. I mean I did get my toe nail taken out and we could not work for 2 days, which sucked. But, the other days were pretty..how should I put it....WICKED cool! We still have lo mismo fechas, pero estamos trabajando muy duro para bautizar nuestro primero familia (the same dates, but we are working really hard to baptized our first family)!!! They are so interested and they are progressing pretty darn good. This Saturday we have 3 baptisms alone and we are so pumped with excitement! Woo-hoo!

This past Saturday was super powerful. Russel M. Nelson, now the president of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, came to Honduras and talked to both Honduras Comayaguela Mission and the Tegucigalpa Mission too. We even got to shake his hand. It felt like a God was shaking my hand, it was that spiritual. Enserio (Seriously). He taught me something I will never forget. He said ¨We (missionaries) are the HOPE for families to be sealed in the temple.¨ I will never forget that. We truly are. We are here to teach and teach and teach and then let the spirit testify of the truth. So, that one day the peopel we teach will be baptized and will marry in temple to be sealed for time and all eternity. I love that. Seeing the lives of people changing for the good is so awesome. 

I am doing great.  I am not perfect and I continue to work on myself everyday. I am trying to focus on inviting others to come unto Christ and be the best missionary I can be. I love you all and you guys are the inspiration that keeps me going. Keep writing and keep praying for me to find new people and families to share the gospel with. 

Les quiero mucho,

Elder Jensen

Week 32 Family Time

Elder Jensen and Elder Martinez

This week was perfection! We found a family who was willing to get married and then to be baptized! (mom note: Alec has mentioned in other emails that men and women who have children in Honduras are usually not married and just live together, so marriage is needed for baptism.) That is another 3 more fetcha for ya! We now have 6 y 1 for baptism! (mom note: Steve and I think this means a family of 6 and 1 other individual for baptism) Now, let me tell you about this family. And I know my sister Rachel is going to love this. They are called Familia Sierra.  They are the gamer and anime kind. They have a Wii, an old PlayStation 2, and PS4! They have a bunch of video games too. It almost tempts me to play them...but I know I cannot. Now, here is the interesting part. This family loves Anime. Loves it!!! They have over 250 books of complete anime. It is crazy. I know my sister Rachel would love them. They are so willing to get married and to get baptized. They have promised to read the Book of Mormon and to keep taking the missionary lessons. What a blessing from GOD! This might be the first complete family that I will baptize on my mission! Boo-Yah!

I am finally getting a hang of the Spanish. The blessings of the mission are delivered in small packages, but in reality they are so powerful! Love being a missionary! 

We have a special treat coming to us this Saturday and Sunday! Russel M. Nelson is coming here to Honduras, to our mission, to talk to us! How flippin cool is that! And then on Thursday, the President of Centro America is coming to visit us too! How cool is that! I am really excited about this week...I swear its going to be a very good week.

I am starting Insanity tomorrow actually, because we had to get a new charger for our DVD. So, we could not continue from last week. Also, I got another ingrown toe nail, and just got it taken out...like a couple hours ago. 

But, everything this week has been awesome and I see my mission changing me everyday. Love you all and remember to always...you know the drill hahaha!

Les queiro,

Elder Jensen

P.S. Cheque pues! hahahaha

Pday shopping after having ingrown toenail surgery, AGAIN.