June 15, 2015 FINAL LETTER of the MISSION

Welll its been a graet ride these last few weeks have been really interesting as i have reflected in all of the things i have lived through over the last few years, i still remember leaving you guys July 10, 2013 and thinking im not gonna cry im going to take the bull by the horns. I didnt cry that day and i could probably count the times i have in my mission these two years have been filled with so much joy. I use the word joy because i have come to learn that joy comes from obedience, it has to do with the peace that we feel when we do what we should and dont have regrets. Now im not saying i was a perfect missionary there has only been one of those in the whole existence of this world. What i have done is learned why I´m here which is something even more valuable to me.

As missionaries we are called to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them recieve the restored gospel of Jesus Christ through his Atonement, and it is through that atonement that we are able to acomplish this amazing work. Dad, Cristian , and Mom i feel as though you will understand this very clearly and it might have a different deeper meaning because of the service you have given. Derek, you are about to learn what this really means I can honestly say that the concept of an atoning sacrifice has a lot more meaning after being here for two years, I have seen how it has helped me maybe more than the people i was supposed to be helping. and i know you will too as you learn to trust in him. When you have to learn spanish i think you will understand alot of what i mean.

I love Mexico so much and I have mixed feelings about going home right now, yesterday we met a new investigator and put an appointment on saturday, I went from being really excited to being slightly depressed in a matter of about half a second. but i just keep pushing on right now trying to share about Christ.

Dad last week you invited me to talk about Christ and help others to know about him. this last week we went and contacted in one of the sisters areas. it was going alright and we didnt have much luck to be completly  honest but we were determined to talk with someone. so we contacted a woman in the street and she didnt seem all that interested, but we kept talking, and in the middle of the mini lesson a short bald man interupted our conversation and asked us how he could find peace in his life. he told us he had cancer and an open wound on his leg, he had lived through just about everything good and bad in this life and talked with just about every religion that exists in Mexico. And he just looked at me and said do you know what its like to have gone through kimo 4 times and to know that your cancer is terminal. he was almost yelling as he asked me. and i responded no. i have never had cancer nor could i feel the pains that you have felt but someone has and that someone is Jesus Christ. he has felt all of your pains and knows all of the suffering you have felt here. so he asked if he would ever get over the pains that he has felt here on earth. i told him rather frankly that he would feel pain as long as he was on this earth we have an imperfect body. it gets sick and eventually has to die, but if we really trust in the atonement then it will heal us and give us peace, after that we talked about how the resurection would work, he said great so i will never be happy until after i die, the best way i could responde to that was to explain the words of king benjamin about service, the truth of the matter is that when we serve others and forget our problems we seem to find that joy and peace that we want, and so to conclude we invited him to be a better father husband and friend in the time he had left. he teared up a little and said thanks for your words of confort,

while i was walking away after that talk i looked at my companion and said i dont think i could have had that conversation two years ago. he responded and said no you couldnt have you didnt speak spanish;P it was funny but a great moment to think about how valuable the last two years have been.

I loved the mission, the last two years were awesome, extremely taxing mentally, physically emotionally and especially spiritually but i wouldnt have changed these two years for could have lost as a result of these two years of service! I know my savior lives he atoned for our inperfections, and i know that his church and his gospel were restored by jose smith and are here on the earth so that we can be together forever as a family. im so greatful for all of your support over these years the letters and emails and packages at christmas.

Con mucho amor

Elder Jenson

June 8, 2015

sorry i cant write much today it is kinda an epic fail i am saying goodbye to some of the families i knew in my other areas and one of them invited us to eat so i have to hurry and write. life has been great just a lot of work lately we dont have many investigators so finding people to teach has been my goal lately we are contacting the whole less active member list right now we have knocked about half of the doors i think but they´re like 250 in my side of the ward so its a good work. this week i felt like i understood the saviors teachings about the lost sheep i dont think i have seen so many people get so emotional when i got to there house as in this week. and derek the power of hymns is incredible dont forget to sing in lessons it brings the spirit to any leccion.

this week we went to eat with a sister and there was kinda an ugly situation in one of the little house next door, so we saw a little girl leave crying, and invited her over we made sure she was ok and i asked if we could sing to her, so we sang like 7 hymns until she calmed down, the spirit is a cool thing when its with you!

other good news im getting the older woman in our house to stop smoking little by little and she promised she wouldnt smoke my last day. i think she will get baptized just needs a little more time but she is so awesome!

June 1, 2015

wow well sorry i didnt write much this week but it was kinda a slow week we walked a ton its the hardest part of being new in the area is im just gettig to know people that are possible baptism candidates but l ife is going great right now im loving  being with my companion. not sure how but i talk him in to going to work out in the morning.

i cant wait to see you guys but a sister just got home in out ward and an elder got home last week basically everyone is comig home right now and its so wierd to think thats right around the corner. but its ok i will do what the lord lets me in the time that is left and try and help my companion the best i can! love you all some much you guys are the best!

elder jenson

´ps write earlier so i can write more!

May 18, 2015

alright alright alright alright... well here we are in the barrio de cuchilla de tesoro and we're just havin a marvelous memorial day.  today i played softball as a zone. it was really fun ha reminded me when we played baseball in the backyard jaja so what else can we talk to you abuot this wonderful day. oh yes of course the last week that we had... sorry to write in this form but i kinda feel like im answering my last email..;P

ok well best news goes first we had a baptism!!!!!!!! i love baptisms not so much when no one else shows up on time not even the bishop but thats mexico for ya! but it was a great experience!!!! companion baptized for the first time and he seemed pretty content in the night when we got home!

what else can i tell you hmm well the lady that rents us the house is awesome! she is like grandma just a little more rude its so funny when we get home at night she chews me out if i get home after nine and we always fight about how she needs to get bapized. i mean she had it coming when teh first day she said she is catholic to the bone. i laughed and asked her when the last time she went to misa was.. i think it was a few years ago in someones baptism. but all the joking aside we have had some good lessons with her. right now we are trying to help her to stop inhailing poison so she can se her grand children longer in this life as in the next one too.!

rainy season is starting down here so you know what that means? no more showers in the morning!!!!!! the rain takes care of it just need to bring my head and shoulders with me!!! cant wait for the thunder storms they are pretty sweet not quite as good as when i lived in kanab but they are entertaining!

hmmm well that was basically my week i hope that you guys had a gooden and are enjoying your day of from stress except for you mom you still have your task of beating all small children jaxon and jordan especially ! de les unas chancladas de parte de mi!!!!!! well peace out cub scouts, boy scouts and non scouts!!!

elder jenson

May 13, 2015

MY new area is freaking awesome! and super close to my last area im in cuchilla estaca aragon. its so legit and my new comp is a stud his name is elder cruz. talk about taking your cross with you in all times. what else is new i live in a place you cant see on google maps but i will ask the land lord for the wifi so i can send you pics.

we worked so hard yesterday because no one was home when i got to this area, but we are now teaching a full family and i feel like they are ready to learn already. i found the skousen talk and im sending it to you guys.

one cool lesson we had yesterday was talking about how we can perserverar hasta el fin. and the man we were teaching who will get baptized in two weeks had a question about how he could perserverar hasta el fin. so he asked us what he had to do. so i thought about some of the talks i have read lately. one by john bytheway called war chapters int he book of mormon and especally for young men by boyd k packer. they are both marvellous talks. but anyway while discussing thoughts words and deeds in mosiah 4:30 i felt a sudden urge to read about when capitan moroni puts up the standard of liberty . and explain that that is how we can help ourselves to endure to the end. we must verify that our words thoughts and deeds need to be worthy enough to be in the precence of our good. in acuerdance with our religion or ethics, will permit us to maintain our freedom from any addiction, leave us with peace at the end of the day, and that it would show honor too our name and not offend wife or children. one of those moments when i dont know where it came from cause i had never discussed it with another companion but it just felt right the book of mormon is here to help us learn so many things and it is an amazing book!

well not much else to tell because i talked to you three days ago, but i love you all so much, not ready to go home yet, but i love you!

May 4, 2015

alright have a gerat week i will talk to you guys on sunday thanks for the update and maybe this renting idea isnt so bad after all... have a great week i love you a ton!

April 27, 2015

well the time that has passed out here has been just great i just am enjoying life and moreso because we will baptize on saturday! being a missionary is great but it is a ton more fun when you are bapitzing. we should get three dunked in the next few weeks! and then i will have changes so i guess i cant complain. i will be working with president this wednesday! and i really am excited i just hope it goes better than the last time and who am i kiddin i dont think it could go worse! we are hittin up all of our investigators this wednesday with him and i feel like the lessons will be very positive! tomorrow i will go in splits and all in all its going to be a busy week! but i wouldnt have it any other way!

now that im in the count down of weeks left each one passing quicker than the last. and part of it has to do with the fact that we are 4 elders in the same house! its a party but we seem to stay focused in the correct times and we all work hard! i spoke in church yesterday. and i was thinking do you think it would be a problem if I gave my homecoming talk in spanish? they do it in confrence and we should follow our liders right! jaja just kiddin. although if i dont have an american comp my next cycle my spanish might be more understandable than my english! oh derek we will have fun for the week and a half after i get home!

so what else is new right now. last week I went in divisions with the zl and we had a ball just contacted a ton of people and taught the law of chastity and word of wisdom in front of like 10 people with the starting question what does the church think about homosexuality. its wierd that its just a normal subject now i think when i started my mission that would have been really uncomfortable! but now its just normal. i saw meet the mormons like 4 times this week. i think i almost have it memorized after taking all of our investigators to the visitors center to watch it. sometimes i try and translate it to english in my head and imagine what the actual voice would be like. i guess i can wait till i get home to figure that all out!

well life is great out here we're going to eat cochinita in a bit with some members its the closest i get to sweet pork in mexico oh how i do miss cafe rio... thats such a strange thing to say seeing that im serving in mexico. but i miss it so badly. I do wish i could take derek for tacos but we'll have to do it when he gets home! but derek i will say you need to buy a torta when you get to mexico city just letting you know that you need to sneak out and buy a torta.. its like a sandwich...  in front of the temple you go to the visitors center like once a week so you should be able to do it once you just have to cross the street in front of the temple and buy a sandwich i get hawaiian. im saying this now so that you can remind me when i get back! ok !


love you all so much! have agreat week! and please dont see rent my room to people i will pay rent if i have to just let me find a job!

with love elder jenson