Aug 3, 2015

Querido familia,

This week has been very transformative for me, and an absolute blast! I´ve learned a lot, and I´m super excited to get out in the mission field. I´m a little nervous about Spanish, but it will come with the Lord´s help. Right now I can understand the people pretty well when they speak, but I can´t always say what I want to say fast enough. I feel like I´ve covered almost all of the basic grammar that we need for speaking, now I just need to practice and repeat in order to get it quick and natural. It will be good to be where I´m forced to speak Spanish all the time. Here we are kind of spoiled because almost everyone speaks fluent or close-to-fluent English. Everybody is getting excited and ready to leave. My district has some amazing guys, and I´m really gonna miss them all. However, we do have one week, so I´m determined to make it a good one.

First I´d like to address a matter of great importance. My district was involved in a life-changing adoption this week. I know it´s against the rules in the mission handbook, but it seemed necessary in this case. One of our Hermámas was walking home from work last weekend and found a poor helpless little infant dying in the street. She carefully gathered the poor thing in her arms and nourished it through the night. It kept waking up every hour, but Hermana Vidrio was very patient and motherly with it. The next day it was still doing pretty rough, but she brought it to class to show us and to ask our help in naming it. She walked into class and we were all shocked. The poor little thing was cradled in a box in her arms looking pretty hopeless, but we knew we could help her nourish it back to health. Since then she has been taking care of it day and night, and it´s looking a lot better. It´s been eating with a lot more vigor now, and we are all very excited to see it´s progress. The poor little thing would´ve died for sure abandoned there in the street by it´s mother. Luckily we have an amazing Hermáma who went out of her way to be selfless. Hopefully with careful nourishment we will have it flying by the end of the week. Oh! I forgot to tell you; it´s a colibrí! (Hummingbird in English) I´ll send some pictures of it in a different email. Anyway, I feel lot´s of fatherly love for the poor little guy. We ended up naming him Jig-P --shor for Jigglypuff. I´m not entirely sure why, but it seemed to just flow. He´s an awesome little bird, and he´s going to change lives someday! ;)

On a more serious note, this week, as I said, was a very transformative week for me. We had an amazing Sunday again, and the devotionals really changed my perspective on a lot of things. Most importantly my path as a disciple of Christ. Elder Bednar--through video--lectured us on the importance of becoming converted unto Christ; NOT just having a testimony in him. A testimony is good and is necessary but it can fall if it is not nourished. He promised us that if we become converted unto Christ then we will NEVER fall away from the gospel. In order to have this conversion, we must understand the character of Christ. This is a surprisingly simply phrase, but it holds great importance to it. In every situation Christ was in, he always turned his desires towards those around him. In any circumstance when the natural man would´ve turned inward and been selfish, the Savior ALWAYS turned out. Every story is an example of this, and I would ask you to look for this as you read and learn about him has a family. Even in the very depths of his trials and personal tribulations he never cared for himself first. He was always more concerned with the temporal and eternal well-being of those around him. Not one time did he ever act in selfishness: even when it would´ve been completely justifiable. After the 40 day fast and dealing with the tempations of Satan himself, Christ sent angels to minister to one of his apostles in prison, not to help himself. In the Garden he was amazingly patient with his disciples and performed the Atonement--the most selfless act of all. Right after performing the atonement and having been betrayed by one of his apostles, he heals the man´s ear who was there to carry him off to imprisonment and eventual death. Most amazingly to me was when he was on the cross. Even after all the torturing, suffering, and hatred he endured, he pleaded compassionately to the Father for these very people to, "Forgive them for they know not what they do." When we understand the perfect moral character of Christ and strive every day to emulate his selflessness, we will become converted unto Christ and Satan will have no power to tear us down. I had never thought of my Savior in such a way as this before, but after receiving this perspective I have a new found desire to be like Him help my brothers and sisters come unto Him. Mom wrote me saying that wherever you are strive to lift others. Is this not the very example of Christ? Everywhere he went he changed what was around him. If we accept the touch of the Master´s hand in our lives, we, like the stones brought before the Lord by the Brother of Jared, can be changed from our natural state into something divine. A tool that can be used to bring light and life to others around us.

I love it here. I love the Book of Mormon, and I know that it is true. A man will get closer to God by abiding it´s principles than any other book. I know this, and in my short time here I´ve seen that. I have yet to see that so much more throughout my mission and my life. Thanks for being the amazing family that you are, I love you guys so much! Please do everything you can to have the Spirit at home always. He is so often neglected, but having the Spirit with us constantly is the most important thing we can do! I´m so grateful to have a loving family like you that raised me in the true and everlasting Gospel. Truly, like Nephi, I have been born of goodly parents. I´m excited to get out into the mission field and meet all those the lord has prepared for me to meet. Have an amazing week and trust in the Lord with all your hearts!

Con Mucho Amor,
Elder Jenson


P.S. -- Since I am leaving for the mission field next week I have a few things I need help with and some questions I hope you can help me with.

1.  Mom, I need to ask you about the bike situation for my mission. I totally forgot about it over the past few weeks, but now it´s really imperative. I need it by next monday and I can´t take care of it from the CCM. Will you please order a bike and the necessary parts for me or send my bike to the mission? Sorry to pin this on you, I really should´ve had it in mind. I don´t know that I´ll be able to check this email before my mission, so I really hope it gets to you!

2. Dad I remember you talking about the 5 C´s in seminary teaching, but I cant quite remember them. Will you please send those in the next email?

3.  If you guys have any tips for journaling, I´d love to have them. I really want to make my mission journal something meaningful, but I have little experience with it. If any of you have tips please let me know!

4. I also want to know some things that I can do to strengthen my companionships in the future, so if you have any advice looking back on your missions, please share! :)

5. Any tips you have for the mission field I´d love as well.

--This is your homework, please be great investigators and do these all by our next appointment! ;) I love you guys!