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)!

My favorite month so far!

I like the roofs in Santo Domingo, its called ´teja.´

Dear Family,

What a great month of July! This has definitely been by favorite month so far!  There have been so many blessings.

This whole week we have worked a lot with the G. family, the family of C. and J. who are recent converts. We even had a really cool visit with the dad of the family. We were able to explain to him how the Lord brought his priesthood authority back to the earth and after that he wanted his kids to be baptized! This past Sunday right before the sacrament meeting 3 of the brothers, were baptized. We had made up a schedule for reading the scriptures and they have been reading each and every day in the Book of Mormon and it is really fun to see them grow in the gospel. I really believe that is a chosen family of the Lord. And how did we find them? A member chose to take one of his friends to church and now almost the whole family is attending church! Don´t be afraid to invite your friends to hear the gospel!

I think this month was especially cool because we tried not to waste a second and we really got some of the members involved in the conversion of the people we were teaching. They were able to support each other and we got to see six people be baptized this month from Santo Domingo! Now my big goal is to look for a whole family that the Lord has prepared to hear and live the gospel together! 

I kind of had a funny experience this week as we visited ´The Plaza´ (the place with all the American restaurants). As we were walking along we ran into a huge group of American High school kids. I think they kind of got confused when they saw me walk by and I was saying hi to them in English. I have no clue what they were doing but that gave me a good laugh.

We really have had some cool experiences with another family that we are teaching. I found this family with a few youth as we were doing divisions with them and it just can´t be a coincidence that we came across them. The wife of this family has such a strong testimony of the church but because of her work as a police officer it is hard to attend church. We were able to find them both together and we let the wife bear her testimony to her husband about the church (he isn´t a member) and it was probably one of the strongest testimonies I have heard. I know that he felt the Spirit and right now he is studying the Book of Mormon in his work and I really know that the Lord will help him feel the Spirit. Their names are S. and L. I don´t know that I will be here when he eventually gets baptized but I know that the Lord will help him in his search for the truth!

Each day I try to put into words how thankful I am to Heavenly Father and I can never quite do it but I know that he feels I´m grateful and that he will continue to bless me and those I teach as I am faithful to him! It is so cool being a missionary!

Love,

Elder Jensen

Looking out on what they call the Rue Valley.

I chose ´El Mingueño´ because that is how they call the natives from Santo Domingo.

We played outside of this giant dome stadium. I think next week we will get to go inside and play.

Canicula

A fun district meeting. I was Ammon teaching Lamoni.

Dear Family,

As I write to you there is a funeral procession passing and the funeral car carrying the person is playing happy cartoon music as the mourners follow behind. It´s just a little bit strange here sometimes.

I think we are really starting to catch fire here in Santo Domingo. There are so many prepared people that we have gotten to teach and see the amazing progress of them in the gospel. I don't think there´s anything better than when someone we invite to keep the commandments actually does it and then tells us about the blessings. Those are the moments when I really love Heavenly Father so much and thank him for putting his gospel once again in the earth.

From our huge wave of investigators in church last Sunday, 3 of them were almost baptized this Saturday. Their names are K., R., and J.. They are 3 brothers of C. and J. who were baptized a few months ago. In their family there are 9 people and 7 of the 9 came to church this past Sunday! And both the parents were there! This really is a huge miracle because this huge miracle began when a member brought his friend to church about 3 months ago and now this whole family is being blessed by the gospel! That really motivates me to work hard to invite everyone to come unto Christ because just by simple acts of kindness whole families can be changed and blessed! These 3 brothers are preparing to be baptized this Saturday.

I have noticed that as we try our best to serve the members of the church they really begin to trust us to teach their close friends and family. A couple weeks ago a sister in Santo Domingo who has a lot of daughters mentioned to us that one of her son-in-laws had returned to Santo Domingo to be with her daughter again. They had already prepared him a little to hear about the church and she asked us to teach him. We came and did a little Family Home Evening and got to meet C. (the son-in-law that isn´t a member). Later we began to teach him and found that he has been searching for the true church for a long time. As we taught him about the church he began to read the Book of Mormon and has really felt the Spirit because as we invite him to live the commandments of the Lord he really understands the blessings he will receive and he is starting to make small changes. The cool thing is that his wife has never chosen to be baptized but they are learning together and I know that the Lord will bless them as they progress as a family.

So ever since there was an earthquake a few weeks ago it has stopped raining. I´m pretty sure that the earth doesn´t have much to do with the sky but it is pretty weird. I guess this is called ´Canícula´. It´s when it stops raining in the rainy season and it gets really hot, which is very true. I'm just grateful for fans because if we didn´t have fans I would be soaked in sweat by the end of our study time. I guess all the rain has advantages.

Each day I am so grateful that the Lord helps me improve and increase in my skills as a missionary. Each day it seems like the Lord finds ways to help me serve better so that he can touch more people and help them come unto Christ and unto salvation. I don´t think there will ever be a time like this so I try each day to enjoy my missionary service to the Lord!

Love,
Elder Jensen

Trying to unclog our poor toilet.
You would be surprised how effective big buckets are to unclog toilets.
I´ve got a lot of experience now with that.

 

A Birthday Present

Baptism of L. This is a good friend of B., who we baptized as well. He doesn´t look terribly excited in the picture but he was anxiously waiting for this moment, he wanted to be baptized real bad.

Dear Family,

It’s hard to believe that I have 19 years (that`s how you say it in Spanish). I`ve really enjoyed seeing peoples jaws drop when I told them I`m 18 and they had thought I was 25 or something. 

Well, I think that yesterday I got one of my best birthday presents. I had been trying to figure out a way to bring more people to Sacrament Meeting in our area and it seems like the Lord kept telling me that I needed to do a fast to help give a desire to the people we are teaching and help them have a good experience in the church. I started my fast Saturday and when Sunday came we divided with the members to be able to bring more people (like we always do). We had some help from a member with a truck and with a lot of prayers and work we saw an awesome miracle. In the meeting we had 11 investigators! I can`t tell you how happy I was as we sat in the meeting and I saw all the people that we have been teaching and to see them enjoy the spirit of the meeting. Not to mention how grateful I was to the Lord for answering my prayers!

We had also been working this week to help a good friend of one of the recent converts (B.) to get permission from his parents and grandparents to be baptized. His name is L. He had such a huge desire and had gone to all the meetings of the church for a while and the Lord helped soften the heart of his family and they began to support him in this decision to be baptized and his grandma who initially was very opposed came to his baptism service to support him as he follows the Savior!

We are also going to pray hard to know the needs of the prepared families we are teaching so that they can accept the invitation to follow the Savior and return to his presence once again. The family that I mentioned last week that are both police are still far away working but I`ve had some great conversations with the husband over the phone and he is reading the Book of Mormon! I just feel so blessed to be a part in all these cool miracles!

The weather has been strange because ever since we had a fairly strong earthquake a week ago it hasn`t rained. I can`t complain much because it`s nice to not have to shout in the lessons for the noise of the rain but it has started to get a little hot. But either way the work goes on.

Thank you so much for being there for me and helping me feel stronger. I don`t think there is anywhere that I`d rather be than serving the Lord each day with such wonderful people.

Love,

Elder Jensen