Another Miracle

Las Flores Chapel

Dear Family,

The Lord has not ceased to work miracles here in the mission field, especially in our area.

A. was baptized this past Friday and was confirmed this Sunday. She is a pretty amazing example because she lives with an aunt who is very much opposed to the church, but Analí has so much faith in the Christ and in his church that nobody was going to stop her from being baptized. She had told us a couple weeks ago that this past Sunday there was no way she could attend church but somehow she found the way and made it to church this past Sunday to be confirmed and receive those blessings that she was waiting for. She will play a huge part in helping the church be stronger in Santo Domingo.

This week we had some really nice visits with J. and V.  and it has been so amazing to see their progress in the gospel. J. wants to be able to attend church so badly but it is really hard with his work. We testified a lot that the Lord would prepare a way (1 Nephi 3:7) and he began to trust more in the Lord and this Sunday he made it to church for the 2nd and 3rd hour. It was kind of a miracle considering all the craziness in Mazate with the parades and stuff for the carnival but he made it and felt happy. His wife has also had some challenges with being close to having her second kid. We are praying a lot for them that they can overcome all these little trials and be baptized!

One of the hardest things about getting people to and from church is transportation. We finally got the ok on a bus but the bus drivers have been showing up late. After church this past Sunday the bus didn´t show up and our phone minutes had ran out and we had to wait an hour before we were able to find a back up and get everyone back to Santo Domingo. I will definitely always be grateful to be able to get easily to the chapel.

I know that this work is in the Lord´s hands. Part of my assignment here in Mazate lets me work close with the Stake President. He was telling us the other day about how important it is that we let this work be in the Lord´s hands and that we don´t be selfish as missionaries or bishops or stake leaders and try to do it all our way. A house divided will not stand. I feel grateful that the Lord helps me improve each day and see him work miracles in the lives of his children.

Love,

Elder Jensen

Increíble!

Dear Family,

Wow!  We had some really incredible experiences this week. I wish I could just tell you guys all the awesome stuff that happens in a week but I´ll give it a try right now.

First of all, we had 2 really cool baptisms this last Saturday. We have been teaching the oldest brother in the G. family for a couple of weeks and it was so amazing how prepared he was and how strong of a testimony he gained by the Spirit. He prayed sincerely after our first visit with him and the next time we met he explained a very powerful answer from the Spirit and since then he has just progressed in the gospel and was baptized this past Saturday. Also we were blessed because his neighbor, Je. (who is a young girl), decided that she was going to be baptized this Saturday and nobody was going to stop her. She told us that she had prayed to know if she should be baptized.  She has read each day in the Book of Mormon and was so happy to be baptized and confirmed. She told us she will be a missionary when she grows up.

It really has been a blessing to work with the G. family because they really are a chosen family. Ever since C. was baptized a couple months ago 5 more of his siblings have been baptized and this past Saturday he got to go to the Xela temple for the first time with his friend that introduced him to the church. It will also be exciting to see F. progress in the gospel because it could be a possibility for him to serve a mission. We will just have to see!

Another one of the people we are teaching had a great experience this week. A., who we have been teaching for about a month, has been reading the Book of Mormon for almost a month and has read almost to Alma and really gained a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon (her copy is more marked than mine). We have talked to her a lot about baptism but there were some doubts that were bugging her. We had the impression to give her a copy of the book ´Our Search for Happiness´ by Elder Ballard. I think she almost read the whole book in a day because when that Sunday came we found that she was seated in the church even before us (even though she told us she wouldn´t be attending this week). I was really surprised to see her there and I sat near her and the first thing she told me is ´ I am going to be baptized´. I wasn´t sure what to say! I was just so glad we had followed the prompting to give her that book and let an apostle of the Lord explain the importance of the restored gospel! Afterwards she told us ´Now I finally understand the need for priesthood authority´. I guess the apostles are called for a reason. We will be working with her so that she can be baptized this week. 

Also, this past Sunday as we were walking a long we passed someone who was seated outside his house and as we walked past him I felt the need to talk to him. We kind of walked back to him after passing him (which always kind of scares people but oh well) and started to talk a little bit. We found out that he had actually lived in Utah for like 3 years.  After about a couple hours of talking (because people love to talk here!) we found out that his name was G. and he had joined the church in Utah and had actually helped to build a few temples there (from the outside) and just went on and on about how great Utah is and how great the church is. It was kind of surreal to talk to him because I never would have guessed that. We talked and found that he was just waiting for someone to invite him because he felt a little scared to come back to church. We also found out that his little brothers, who are twins, are active members here in Santo Domingo. I´m looking forward to see if he gets the courage to come back to the church and maybe help us out in Santo Domingo.

I feel just so lucky to get to serve with so many amazing people that really love the Savior Jesus Christ. I think the more that I love the culture and the people here I grow to love the work here and see these people´s lives be blessed by the restored gospel. 

Love,

Elder Jensen

Champerico

Champerico with Elder Perdomo

Dear Family,

Well, it turns out that I´ll get to stay right here in the promised land (Santo Domingo) a little while longer.

Saying goodbye to Elder Quib who is from Coban
and had to learn Spanish from Kekchi

We had changes this past week but right here in Santo Domingo we stayed the same. The fun thing was that a lot of missionaries from my CCM group got to start training new missionaries and things like that so it was fun to hear all the new changes.

It was pretty fun to end this cool week going to the beach for my second time! Champerico is a cool place and this time we had fun playing soccer right on the beach. We had some nice coconut goal posts and after I had some tasty shrimp that I made into tacos. I think tortillas make all seafood better. It was pretty awesome.

Tasty shrimp tacos. It is fun because you just eat the whole shrimp, no worries!

We had a really neat experience this past week. For a few months now we have been teaching S. and L. This past Sunday was the first Sunday that S. had a rest. We went and visited him Friday and testified about the blessings of church attendance and we watched a couple of short videos and the Spirit was so strong in the lesson. He accepted the invitation to go to church right away and Sunday he came with is daughter. The awesome miracle was that as he entered the Sacrament room he saw an old friend of his named M., who is our ward mission leader! They had a fun time talking because they grew up in school together. It was such a huge surprise! Today we will have a familyhome evening with the two families and it should be excellent!!

The G. family just continues to progress wonderfully. We are teaching the last 2 siblings who haven´t been baptized of the 7 kids. F., who is 18, told us about his experience reading the Book of Mormon and asking Heavenly Father if the book is true and if Joseph Smith really was the prophet of the Restoration. He told us that a huge sensation of peace just filled him up and that the whole night he just felt the Spirit so strong! He wants to be baptized this Saturday and he is one of my first investigators that has received such a powerful answer from the Lord about the truthfulness of this gospel. These are the experiences that increase my testimony so so much!

The other family we are teaching continues to amaze me as well. We worked hard this week to introduce a lot of members to J. and V. and they have now been able to make some friendships with the members. I were so amazed when 3 days after we gave the Book of Mormon to this family, J. had already read to the middle of 2nd Nephi. He told us he plans to read the whole Book of Mormon in 2 or 3 weeks and we are going to work diligently with them so that they can be married and baptized not too far in the future.

I am so glad for the opportunity I have to see the gospel change so many people’s lives. I have seen people find meaning to their lives and also gain a relationship with their Heavenly Father and with Jesus Christ that they never had or that they had lost with their mistakes. I really do have a front row seat to Jesus Christ´s atonement in the lives of these people and there isn´t anything better!

Love,

Elder Jensen

Soccer on the beach

All the grass roofs are so cool!

An old lifeguard post overlooking the beach.

Xela Temple

Dear Family,

The highlight of this week was definitely our visit to the temple. As I`ve grown to love the gospel of Jesus Christ more and more I have really grown to love the temple as well.

This past Wednesday we got up at 3 in the morning to go visit the temple! It was kind of fun to pass San Felipe and Calahuaché as we headed to Xela and to remember all my old areas.  I think the greatest impressions I felt was a huge desire to help families come and receive all the eternal blessings of the temple. As we returned to our area we brought that desire with us and we began to search for families. Through a lot of miracles and hard work we are now teaching 6 families and 1 of these families came to church this Sunday!

Two of the families that we are teaching are very special to me.  One of these families I have already mentioned, where the wife is a member of the church (L.) and her goal has always been to take here family to the temple. We met her husband (S.) about a month ago, who isn`t a member but in this past month he has been reading and studying the Book of Mormon.   I really feel that he will come to know that it is true! We had dinner with them on Sunday night and I really love that family so much and hope that the Lord helps them progress in the gospel. 

The other really awesome family we are teaching are J. and V.  We met J.  because about 2 weeks ago he started a little venta of tortas. One day we asked somebody if there were any families that we could teach or that needed a visit from us and they sent us to J. He is a very cool guy whose parents come from Jamaica.  They actually just moved to Santo Domingo. I tried one of his tortas and it was delicious. We talked a little and we set a day to come back. When we came back it was raining like crazy and we really didn`t understand each other for the noise of the rain but they accepted to come to church and they went and really want to go back this Sunday. I really feel that these are chosen families from the Lord and that they will be able to receive the blessings of the gospel.

I`ve been feeling kind of bad for the laundry lady because my shirts have gotten so so dirty these days. I think my backpack does a lot of damage because sometimes I finish days with a humongous black stain on my back and strap marks on my shoulders. I finally sent it with her to have it washed and she told me ´Elder, when I washed your backpack the water almost turned into mud it was so dirty.´ It kind of made me laugh.

I really am having some of the greatest experiences of my mission and I thank the Lord each day for that. I know that without his help none of this would happen. I just love love reading Alma 26 that reminds me how much the Lord helps me in this work. I don`t think there is anything better than seeing the Lord´s hand in people´s lives each day!

Love,

Elder Jensen 

Enjoying those skinny brownies (super super good by the way)!