FAMILY EMAIL!

 Sup guys, how was everyone's week? I just had one of my coolest mission experiences yet 30 mins ago. The 1st counselor of our entire zone came and gave us a lesson and I offered to be his translator for everyone because I figured why not, and I have never understood more spanish in my entire life it was the coolest thing ever. I understood probably 95 percent of what he was saying and even when he bore his testimony after I understood all of that as well. His lesson and testimony was so powerful and it meant so much more because he was giving it in spanish and I understood it, I teared up a little while he was giving it because the spirit was so strong and I am tearing up a little while writing this because it was so cool and powerful. I love speaking and learning more spanish everyday, I have never been this happy learning something before, and speaking and thinking in spanish is coming more and more natural to me and I love it so much. On a different note your prayers for Lydia helped, she went into her meeting with a little bit of nerves which is normal but overall she as peaceful in confident in knowing she was doing the right thing. She told me "I knew i was gonna end up doing it either way so I might as well go in with confidence and not be nervous" and that summarizes my mission mindset and speaking spanish so far. I know I am serving the full 2 years no matter what and I know no one will speak English so there is no point in being scared or nervous for my mission because its happening either way, I will live the mission life to the happiest and most confident of my ability, because I will enjoy it and love it that much more. I love all of you guys so much and miss all of you dearly but I know this is the most important work so I cant sulk or be scared because people need me and I need to go in with confidence and a loving attitude.

Love all of you guys and I cant wait to talk this Friday for my last P-Day in Mexico 

Love Bubbas

SEMANA TRES!

 Que pasa! This week was good and I am almost out of here! I am so excited to start the struggle in Peru and learn even more spanish! This week was filled with cool experiences whether it was having one of the most powerful prayers ive ever had or letting the gift of tongues take over when a non member worker here at the MTC asked what we do here, and I had a full conversation with him about our purpose and how we go around the world speaking different languages to people who haven't had the opportunity to learn about the gospel, and he seemed super invested! He kept asking questions like where I was from or where im serving, and just questions about how we prepare, it was so cool. We did another endowment session at the temple, and every time I do another endowment session I understand it more and appreciate it more. When I went through the first time im not gonna lie I thought it was different and a lot of information, but the more I go the cooler it is, and I love that Celestial room so much. On a different note, whats a weekly email from Elder Jensen without a push up story. On monday me and a couple elders played poker and we bet pushups on each hand that was dealt, and either I suck at poker or I was super unlucky, but in a 45 min game of poker I did 500 push ups (the next closest elder was only 250), it was insane, and I got called Elder Pushups .

Spiritual Thought: This week i focused on the power of prayer and how to improve my prayers, and I finally got my answer. I learned that praying is like a phone call between you and God, and while you pray you need to have moments of silence so you can let God answer you, and that helped so much. I had way better prayers this week, I felt more at peace, and I was getting answers and more advice on thoughts that have been heavy on my mind. I highly recommend all of you try this, say your prayers but give God time to answer and see what he has to say to you.

Last thing I'll say is so far throughout my entire mission whenever I've had questions for God about the spanish language, life after my mission and what to do, and companions, ive received the same answer, and thats to first seek the kingdom of God and for me to fulfill my missionary purpose to the best of ability and God will help me achieve my greatest desires, and ive learned to just put my full faith into him and great things will happen, and he will help me with my greatest desires, and after hearing this so many times I could not be more excited for my future, so I encourage you all whenever you have desires or questions to first seek God and see what he has in store for you.

Yall better join the Google photos and feel free to email me back!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/7d6U7GWNwS1UVbVS8

FAMILY EMAIL!

 Shoot i forgot about the familia solo email, and i cant sleep right now so I'll write one now. Im very sorry I didnt call today the whole mtc has been down because of a storm, but ill call tomorrow. You guys got the main points on my main email about my week so I won't go too into detail about it. I am so excited to go out into the field and get started though, I like this place especially the other elders en mi casa (specifically the hawaiin elder i lift with and the one teaching me hawaiin slang) but its no Peru. Twins y'all need to download messenger so I can just talk to you guys about mom raging on their, and i wanna facetime during school so I can see my teachers and say hi to brother Daley. My spanish is actually getting pretty good and im loving it, even the embarrassing moments when I dont know what to say in a conversation. But its all worth it when ny distrct looks at me when the teacher asks them a question they dont know how to answer so they have me translate for them. And even today in the temple we went into the basement to fold clothes and they didnt know how to talk to the worker so they had me help them, and I also helped them with the sealings worker when he needed help, and in our conversation he asked how our spanish is and I just said "yo entiendo mucho español" and he started laughing because he knew dang well I dont know a lot, but the most out of our district. its so cool speaking a new language, and I am beginning to start thinking in spanish which is cool as well. El don de lenguas es real! Twins i dont know if mom or dad have talked to you about it or where you guys are at but here's when the mission advice comes in, start thinking about patriarchal blessings (im not even saying to get one soon), just say a sincere prayer about it, but I refer to mine so much and they are genuinely so cool, I love mine so much, and they answer so many questions that I know you guys have in your heads about missions and life in general. I hope y'all have a great week and I love and miss you guys so much! Keep me updated on little Della as well, uncle Bubbas (yes shes calling me that) wants to hear about her.

-Love, Elder Jensen

SEMANA DOS!

 Week 2 at the Mexico Mtc was great! This week went by pretty fast and next week I am solo español the whole time until I leave to Peru. This Mexico City temple trip we did sealings and those might be my favorite ordinances, next to baptisms. I love being able to help a family who doesn't have the opportunity to help themselves to live together forever. Next week we have another endowment session and I can't wait to visit that beautiful Celestial room again. We also got the opportunity to go to the visitor center for the temple, and it is so cool in there. I took videos and pics of it and they are on my Google photos for you all to see for yourselves. My spanish is coming along and I can hold conversations with the workers and teachers here at the MTC. Me and Elder Hazen are renting guitars and we are gonna learn how to play, which I am very excited for. I also learned I am a futsol demon, for those who don't know futsol is soccer on concrete and you have a fence around you and you can play off of the fence, but so far I am undefeated. For those who didn't see the Google photos 9 elders en mi casa buzzed their heads last night, and one of them made a bet with me, if he did more push ups I would have to buzz as well, and luckily I beat him, he did 56 and I did 71, so no buzz for me.

Spiritual thought: I gave another devotional this week and I talked about endurance through trials, I brought up a quote by President Nelson that talks about how the Father didn't help the Son by removing the trial, rather he gave the Son the strength to endure the trial and the Son was given the ability to endure to the end. This applies so much to missions because I know the field is gonna be difficult, and I know the Father isn't gonna remove the trial, but instead give me the strength to endure to the end, and make me a better man in the end. I also brought up the story of John and when he broke his leg while teaching the gospel, and he asked Jesus to heal his leg, and Jesus said he could heal his leg, but teaching the gospel with a broken leg will mean more, because he is enduring a trial while still talking about the Lords gospel. So John decided to endure the trial and keep preaching and it meant so much more to him, I love this story because trials are an opportunity to become a better person when we endure them and we come out stronger on the other side.

Thats all for this week! I hope y'all have a great week, and tune in for next week's email!

Hasta Luego!

Join the Google photos to follow my Peru adventures!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/7d6U7GWNwS1UVbVS8

OUR FIRST FACETIME WITH ELI!

 Today was Eli's first p-day and so we finally got to facetime him. He did call us for a couple of minutes the first night and then called Jared another time because he needed help accessing his debit card....but today....today was the first time it was facetime and we got to really see his face, hear his tone, we pulled the twins out of seminary to talk to him for a few minutes and he showed us all over the CCM, told us about his schedule, how the Mexico Temple is his new favorite and they had to do the session in spanish. His face is so cute....I just wanted to reach through the phone and kiss his little cheeky! Fridays are going to be my new favorite day of the week!! 

FIRST P-DAY EMAIL!

 What is up guys, today is the first official Mission email! This week was definitely an interesting one with ups and downs. I got up at 6:30 am last thursday to get to the Mexico MTC and I finally got there at 7 pm. It was a lot of traveling and a very long day but it was worth it. The next two days were very slow days with trying to figure out classes and getting my schedule figured out but after that the week has flown by! My spanish is coming along great and I can bare my testimony and pray in spanish now! The food here is alright, sometimes not good at all, but its good preparation for some mystery meat in Peru, that I can't wait for. There is a rule here in the MTC that says you cannot ask to give someone a blessing, but if they ask you then you are more than able to, and last night a elder staying en mi casa asked me to give him a healing blessing with oil, and it was my first one. It was such a cool experience, it felt like I was God's mouthpiece and I was saying exactly what I needed to say in order to help him, and I am so grateful for that experience. I also gave a casa devotional 2 nights ago in front of all of the elders in my house {which is like 30 elders} and I talked about Christ love and how we all need to show and represent that on our missions, I may have cried a little while speaking but hey it brought the spirit and I know every Elder there could feel it as well. I also went to the Mexico City Temple today to do an endowment session and that temple is sooo cool, I love it. The celestial room there is so cool and I can't wait to go back next week! That's it for this week stay tuned for next weeks P-Day email!

Here is the link to my google photos, y'all better join for the coolest Peru pics you've ever seen

ELI MADE IT!

 The first little email we got from Eli letting us know he made it! This was our everything! 

SAYING GOODBYE TO ELDER JENSEN!

 The day finally came...it was time to for Eli to fly to the Mexico CCM! This was harder than I ever imagined! No one tells you how hard it really is! There is no other place I would rather have him be...but dang! As soon as we got home there was an absence in our home that we knew would not be filled for 2 years. The emptiness hurts...but gosh we love this boy of ours so much and are glad to share him with the people of Peru! We love you more than you'll ever know Elias Grant! Praying for you and all the missionaries around the world! Only 24 Fast Sundays to go!