July 28, 2015

Querido Familia,

Thanks for writing me! This week has been crazy. In less than two weeks I will be in the mission field! I feel way underprepared, but I know that the Lord will help me grow. Spanish is coming along pretty well, and I´m having a lot of fun learning and practicing the language. I haven´t met this Christopher Nelson, but I will try to look out for him. Do you know when he got here? Oh, I sent the scripture last week, but maybe it didn´t go throught right. Sorry it´s taken so long! My Scripture is Alma 26:12.

This week has been good and bad. Bad being that about 50% of everone here has a stomach virus (including me as of yesterday) and it has been rough. Last night was one of the toughest nights of my life; now I know a little bit better how Brandon felt getting sick from the street tacos! Today I feel a little bit better, and I should be good by tomorrow or thursday. The poor doctors at the infermaría have been kept very busy over the past few days. My awesome language teacher Hermana Vidrio is also a doctor and brought me and another guy in my district with the virus some hydration drinks and stuff. It was super nice of her and they´ve helped a ton!

Sounds like it´s been a fun week for the family, Riley is going to be a great Hermana! Thanks for sending me those pictures, I love seeing you guys! Was that Evelyn in the picture with Grandma? If so, how is she doing? And Grandma, how is she doing with the surgery? I hope her knees will be good soon! Sorry I don´t have any pictures today, I haven´t been able to take any this week. I will try to get some for next week.

Well, I´ve got to go take some medicine, keep being an awesome family! Next time I write you will be the last time in the CCM! Can´t wait to hear from you next week! Adios.

Con amor,
Elder Jenson

July 21, 2015

Quierido Familia,

This has been another amazing week for me! I feel so much progress, and everyday I see the Lord´s hand guiding my life a little bit more. I´m so glad to hear how well the family is doing! Can´t wait for Riley to get out in the mission field, she will be great! Wish her luck for me! Savanah, I commend you for choosing to be healthy, that´s great! However, after tasting the authentic Mexican foods and spices here, I´m not so sure I could ever give up meat! I´ll have to show you how Mexican food can change your life when I get home. I´m also glad to hear about Airbnb. That is such a fun thing, I wish I got to be a part of it for more of my life, but I´m pretty much doing the same thing over here. So many elders and sisters left this week, it makes me excited to get out in the field. I still have a lot to learn, but I´m so excited to find the people in McAllen being prepared by the Lord to be patient with me and my Spanish!

Our Latino roommates were absolutely amazing! They left yesterday, but this last week was so fun! Elder Marrero, from Puerto Rico, decided to start a new religion based on the gozo that comes from food. He set him self up as Prophet, and actually got like 20 or 30 other elders to pay 10% food tithings to him everyday! Can you believe that? I had to rebuke him a few times for his "apostate" ways, but he was such a fun guy to have in the house! Elder Vazquez didn´t speak English, but I could feel his love for me and my Companion, and we tried to talk with him in Spanish as much as we could. Everytime we walked in the house they always came up hugging us and telling us how much they loved us, and spent their entire night spending time with us. I´m so glad I got to see their example of truly loving others at the beginning of my mission. I am striving and praying to become more Christlike everyday, and there are so many good examples around me to guide me in the right path. 

This Sunday was probably one of my most favorite days in the CCM. Every Sunday is, but I don´t think I´ve ever felt the spirit so strongly and for so long. I think the Lord pours his Spirit out here on Sundays to build our testimonies, and especially to help us stay motivated through the week. Anyway, this Sunday we went about our regular meetings, and it was great. Then the leaders let us watch two movies that night," Legacy " and "Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restauration". I will quote my journal entry from that night, because I feel it best captures my true emotions at the time:

"I absolutely love Sundays! I feel so close to my Savior. I desire to have this Spirit with me always. My mind feels so open and inspired when I feel the Spirit, but often my fear of other people hinders my ability to listen and share as he would have me do so. Nevertheless, today I felt the Spirit so strongly; I know it came from God. I saw and felt the evidences of Him so much today. The Book of Mormon, the Prophets, the Doctrine, Jesus Christ, Everything! He has provided us with countless examples of physical evidence, but so often, in our own human weaknesses, we overlook these many obvious evidences and put our trust in those things that drag us down, pull us away from God, and ultimately perish. It really is very sad, but that´s just part of the test of mortality. We must shirk the natural-man tendencies that we all have and put our trust in Heavenly Father and the Lord; the sources of all life and light. Sunday is the Lord´s day, and my favorite day!"

This week and every day has been tough, but not in a discouraging way. Tough in a way that´s similar to how you´d feel after the first week of Football practice, or after running a long exhausting race. It´s hard, but it is worth so much to you. I often get discouraged after lessons and with my imperfections in the language and gospel. Every day is so full of work, and everyday is so full of mistakes. Sometimes it´s hard not to get down on myself. Everyday I experience these emotions, but everyday the Lord shows me in some way that he´s there for me and watching out for me. I feel the spirit so strongly everyday, and I feel happy most of the day. As long as I am doing my best to be obedient and seek the Spirit, the Lord is always there to help me through the hard times. I was particularly frustrated last night as I sat alone at the computer to start my language study. Before and after everything here we say prayers, so I began my prayer for that study session. I just forgot about the world around me as I prayed and just poured out my heart to the Lord. I sat there for nearly 10 minutes, and for the first time in my life, I actually felt the Spirit come to me while I prayed. I´ve felt the spirit in my life many times before, and very strongly, but never so instantaneously. Almost immediately I was buoyed up and had the motivation to work hard and do my best happily the rest of the night. Such has been my experience nearly everyday here. Sometimes it may be hard for us in life, but truly the Lord is always right there sitting with us through every trial we face. 

I love you all so much, and I´m so grateful for my amazing family. I wish I had time to write all the many amazing things that happen through the week, but the things I write are the most important to me. I hope you guys feel the Spirit at home this week, I will pray for you every day. Keep being the amazing family you are, and trust in the Lord with all your hearts! 

Con Amor,

Elder Jenson

July 14, 2015

Querido Familia,

I love you guys so much! I got the chance to sit down and look through my pictures you guys sent with me, and it made me miss you guys so much. Not in a bad way, I´m not homesick or anything, it just reminded me of how lucky I am to have you guys. A lot has happened this week but to begin, let me just say how in love I am with Mexican food right now. I have about four tacos every meal if they´re available, and I´m addicted. I see why Brandon took the risk with street tacos so much; they are worth it! Secondly, I may have missed the 4th of July, but I´m getting plenty enough fireworks to make up for it. I hear fireworks echoing through the valley just about every hour of the day and night every day. Basically it´s a party here 24/7.

The people here are amazing and so strong in the gospel. I love seeing their amazing examples and their faith in Christ. This week was super spiritual, and I learned so much about the Gospel. I guess I haven´t really understood how literal all of this is before, and I´m still coming to understand, but it´s amazing. The Gospel is really what life is all about, and I´m so grateful to be serving under the direction of Jesus Christ. I have my ups and downs as I go about living here, but the ups keep lasting longer, and the downs are becoming few and far between. There is definitely a reason why it is called "The Plan of Happiness". I have learned so much from my leaders and companions this week, and have grown much closer to my Savior. Everyday just keeps getting better here even when it´s hard.

We got two more Elders in our room this week from Puerto Rico and Mexico. The night after they got here they invited us to do devotionals with them every night to strengthen our friendships and help us with the language. They are awesome and great examples to me. I´m really glad I get to see how the Gospel has blessed their lives so differently from mine so early in the mission. Last night I consecrated oil and gave a priesthood blessing for the first time and it was great! I was a little nervous because I don´t know very much about blessings and I´d never learned how or seen anyone give a blessing for the sick, but they helped me and it was a really neat experience. 

I am having withdrawals from my music for sure. We aren´t allowed to have music in our dorms and there is no time to play the piano in between classes, so I am feeling deprived! I hope you guys are so grateful for Savanah´s music in the house. You never really appreciate it until you can´t have it. Unfortunately that´s the case with many things in life. It´s okay though, the Gospel is much more important.

I am short on time today so I can´t give you all the details I want, but I love being here! I absolutely love this gospel and I feel so privileged to stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us in this work. The Gospel will never be taken from the Earth again, and we can look forward to the time when Christ will come again in His glory to reign in righteousness. It humbles me and helps me to feel so happy as I struggle with my difficulties. I love you guys so much, and I will try to get pictures to you if I can figure it out with dropbox. Thanks for being so amazing and raising me with the truth of the Gospel!

Con Amor, Elder Jenson

July 7, 2015

Quierido Familia,

Thank you for that awesome letter, there were some things in there that I really needed to hear, and I´m grateful for your encouragement and support. I love you guys so much! I would love to say that I really missed you this week, but I´m afraid I haven´t had any time for that! Kidding of course, I miss you guys a lot, but we have been so busy this week.

I am absolutely loving life here in the CCM. I was hesitant the first day upon arrival in Mexico, but I feel absolutely at home. First I must apologize for saying anything negative about the city. I realize as a representative of Jesus Christ, I need to do my best to be uplifting in all my words and actions. I was nervous when I got here, but after a week my perspective has completely changed. The city (especially the CCM) is absolutely beautiful! It´s crazy busy outside these walls, but the city has a unique personality all of it´s own that I love. I expected a more deserty mountainous region, but it feels more like the garden of eden. The plants, trees, and birds are all so beautiful and amazing. I´m very impressed with how well the people manage the foilage and use it to beautify here. Not just in the CCM, but all over the city. Hopefully I can send you some pictures, it´s amazing here!

Every day here has been super busy and packed full of classes and meetings. I am absolutely loving speaking spanish with the maestras, and learning a little bit more every day. I don´t think I´ve ever felt so frustrated or so happy all in the same day, and it´s like that every day. The spirit is so strong here, and everyone is so uplifting and encouraging. We work so hard everyday, that each day feels like a week. Now after my first week is over, I look back and feel like I just got here yesterday. I have improved so much in so many areas personally, and I thank the Lord for his help and guidance.

It has been good for me to have a companion. His name is Elder Chamberlain, and we get along great. We have very similar personalities, and it´s been fun. It has, however, been an experience of growth for me. I get frusturated and upset a lot, and back at home I would just deal with my feelings by playing the piano for hours or doing something to distract myself. It´s very hard for me to talk about how I really feel. There have been times in the last week that I just wanted to be alone for a few hours and hide, but that is not an option. It is pushing me far out of my comfort zone, but I know that is the only way to progress and grow. Sometimes it can be hard, but there is a reason the Lord organizes the mission this way, and it´s a very good one. I have felt him helping me and encouraging me all week, and I´m so grateful for him.

My district is comprised of all Elders, but I think we just might have the best district in all of the CCM. All of the elders are very obedient and humble, and we all get along great as friends. Nobody has had a negative attitude towards one another, and all of our testimonies have worked like leaven to help boost and buffer eachother. Spanish has been very humbling for all of us, but I think we need that humility in our time here because if we didn´t have it; none of this would even feel like work. It´s so much fun!

We started teaching an investigator as companionships, sólo Español, the third day we got here. That was extremely hard and humbling to say the least. None of us speak Spanish very well, and the investigator didn´t speak english. It was also our first time preparing and teaching a gospel centered lesson, so all of us were nervous as could be. We survived it somehow, and are still teaching him this week. Our second lesson on saturday was really hard too, but yesterday´s was different. I decided not to prepare a real set doctrinal lesson, and just tried to listen to what Hermano León needed. I didn´t use notes or any Spanish help, and we had a really special visit. I learned about his life and tied my lesson into what questions and worries he was facing in his life. It wasn´t the best Spanish ever, but for the first time I was able to put meaning into the words I was saying. It was so neat, and I could feel the spirit helping my to understand his Spanish and remember what I had been studying.

Today we got the amazing opportunity to visit the Temple visitor center! I will not be able to visit the temple while I´m here, but I´m glad I got to go today. I met Hermano y Hermana Zapato and they told me that Brandon asked them to watch out for me just before he left. They totally found me, and I think they sent a pic of us all to the kanabjensons email. They weren´t even supposed to work today, they were just filling in for another couple that was gone, so it´s a total miracle that they found me on my temple day! Brandon definitely made his mark in the memories of those people!

I love you guys so much, and hope to hear from you next week again! In the meantime I will be absolutely loving life in Mexico City! Oh, by the way, I looked up Chilango in the spanish dictionary and it literally means "someone from Mexico City". The Chilangos here that teach us are awesome! They all have amazing spirits and personalities. Anyway, I´m in good hands down here and I know the Lord is watching out for you all up there. Thanks for your love and support!

Con Amor,

Elder Jenson