Letter 28

This week was Christmas. Nuff said. I don't know if there is anything else to really say. We had a wonderful Christmas in our pad and we all got some pretty awesome presents so that was legit! I am so glad I am close so that it is affordable to send a package.

Anyway, This week was probably the slowest week of my mission. Many people didn't want to meet up because it was Christmas so it was really hard to meet with people. We did get a chance to meet with Henrik though and that was a super good lesson! We gave him a church tour and he was super excited to come to church! Unfortunately, he did not make it. We will have to help him get there next week! He is awesome and interested in learning so we are excited to see how things go with him!

Honestly, That is pretty much it  from this week. We got to caroling so that was fun! I hope you all had a chance this Christmas season to share the light by serving your fellow man. It is amazing how far little acts of service can go. Always be willing to share the light of the world with those around you and do so with an attitude of gratitude! As you serve with thankfulness, it really goes a long way and you can feel the difference in the way you serve. Have a good week everyone!

Mom Post

Elder Jensen's first Christmas away from home!  It was fun to visit with him today over Skype!!

Letter 27

Hello everyone! 

I am so pumped for Christmas! We have been having a lot of fun lately because my district is super awesome. The good news this week is that Lia was confirmed! We are so happy for her and glad that she has made this step!

We still don't have many investigators but one who is progressing really well is Henrik. He is Armenian and is super awesome because he is willing to make changes. He is doing great and we hope to keep moving forward with him! 

We also had zone Conference this week which was really good. And starting next year we will have one every month so that will be fun. That's also why p day is Tuesday this week because of zone Conference. I hope you are all having a wonderful season and sharing the light of Christ!

Pictured: A picture of me and Rolland. He was a Branch President in Armenia and he knew my seminary teacher Brother Manis! He lives far away though so he doesn't come to the Armenian sacrament meeting often. The other 4 are us at forest lawn. It was a lot of fun and we got some great pictures of the giant cathedral.

(Mom post)

I just received this e-mail today!
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Dear Brother and Sister Jensen,

It is a pleasure for me to inform you that your son, Elder Jase Rick Jensen, has been assigned to serve as a District Leader.  This new assignment reflects the trust the Lord has in your son.  District Leaders fulfill a fundamental role in the success of the mission and the missionaries.  District Leaders set an example for the missionaries in their district through their study of the scriptures and the gospel, obedience, hard work, proselyting skills, and other aspects of missionary work.

Thank you for all you have done to prepare him so he could fulfill this new responsibility that he has received.

Sister Villanueva and I feel so blessed to have your son in the California Arcadia Mission.  Thank you for your faithful prayers and constant support which will help your son fulfill this new assignment.

Sincerely,

President Moises Villanueva
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We are excited -- this will be a great learning opportunity for him! 

Letter 26

Hello Everyone!

What a week! It started off with Elder Stucki getting emergency transferred (ET'd) last Monday. He was called to be a zone leader! We thought he was just getting transferred across the hall with the other elders because that is where he was ET'd to but then transfer calls were this week and he is now serving in another zone. Looks like it is just me and Elder Meppen now!

On Tuesday we were all totally sick with the flu so it was just a bad day. I think I was puking every 20 minutes for part of the day but I am happy to report that we were up and working again the next day!

We have lost a lot of investigators this week and so we have been doing a lot of less active teaching and finding. We are just kind of finding as many people as possible right now and hoping that things will pick up. With the ET's though and the sickness going around we haven't been able to get a lot done.

We will just keep working our hardest and moving forward. I'm gonna miss Elder Stucki, my father is moving away but it will be nice to just have one companion now. There are ups and downs but there is a lot of room in our pad now so thats a definite up. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful Christmas season! Don't forget to light the world and read your scriptures everyday! Reading from the Book of Mormon everyday has really given me the confidence I need and it always makes my day better.

Take this opportunity you have with school and work slowing down to serve others as well. There are people who need your help and so make sure to take them along with you.

Have a great week!

Elder Jensen

Pictured: Matching ties from mom and dad! Unfortunately right when transfers happened but its ok, he will be back.

Letter 25

Hello Everyone!

I hope you are all having a good time lighting the world! If you haven't started then you should now! This week was pretty tough because all of our investigators coming to sacrament meeting bailed. However, we have some great people who are doing excellent! 

First there is Henrik. He is a new Armenian we picked up and he is doing very well. He wants to learn and know about the Book of Mormon more which is super awesome. He also lets us come often and is very open to the message. This is pretty rare for an Armenian so we are super excited. We have also picked up a guy named Ramone who is willing to meet but has a hard time keeping commitments. We will have to wait a little longer to see if he actually has a desire to move forward though. 

Lastly, one cool experience I had was on mine and Elder Stucki's birthday. We wanted to go by this less active girl named Carina. She is Armenian but she attends the English ward. Her entire family is in active. When we went by, we took the Young women's leader with us because they are super close and Carina is the oldest in Young Women's. It was a great experience and we pretty much didn't do anything. The Young Women's leader just expressed how much she missed her being at church and Carina said she missed the young women too. So although none of our investigators came to church, Carina did and it was amazing. Her coming back is going to have a big impact on the rest of her family as well as on the young women in the ward so that is super exciting. It was definitely a highlight of my mission. The spirit was super strong and I am so glad I got to be a part of that experience.

If you know anyone who is having a hard time right now, be their friend. Many people leave the church or choose wrong choices because they don't have anyone to help them make the right ones. This christmas season, please search for those people who are going down the wrong path and befriend them. Offer to help them. There is no better way to help someone than to be their friend. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season!

P.S. Sorry I didn't take a lot of pictures this week but here are a couple. The first two are of Mosi's and Asal's daughter Aylar. She is super cute and pretty much one of my favorite people. She calls us her uncles in Farsi and it is super cute. The last one is a cat that we had to shave. Somehow we got stuck with that job. 

 

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Letter 24

Hey Everyone!

This week has been super crazy! First item of business, Lia was baptized! It was a super cool experience with 5 elders to help her be baptized because of her handicap. It was an amazing experience and hopefully I can get the pictures we have. It was perfect and we are so happy for her. It was a wonderful experience and she has so much faith and had enough faith to be baptized even with her handicap. This week was super stressful because we just did a baptism and we had another one that took a lot of preparation.

Our days this week have been full of super spiritual highs that by the end of the day changed into extreme lows. One for example was the day of Lia's baptism. It was a super good experience but after the baptism, we got rejected by every single person we talked to. Like no joke, every person. We didn't teach a single lesson at the end of the day and it really took a toll on us. We had a really hard time with all that rejection, especially when trying to move forward with the white Christmas theme. Our whole zone is having trouble, some of the greatest and most perfect investigators dropped us and the other missionaries too. It has been really hard but it has also been necessary.

I have learned so much about loving the people who I have the opportunity to teach and the importance of my calling. The closer we get to the white christmas, the more amazing the miracle will be that happens. I know that it will be a miracle that takes place for us and so I am excited for that moment. Take advantage of every opportunity and hardship you have because there is always something you can learn from it. Lastly, I would challenge you all to do the light the world program on mormon.org. Watch the video and make the commitment to follow the savior by doing little acts of service. It has new ideas and I know that it will open your eyes in the way you see others. I hope you all have a great week!

 

 

Letter 23

Hello Everyone!

This week was amazing! Our people on date for baptism ended up switching places so that Asal was on the 19th and Rosalia is on for the 26th. Asal's baptism was just so perfect. I have grown to love this family so much. They have been through a lot but they have finally made it to this stage where they can grow together as a family with the freedom of religion. Mosi baptized her and when she came up out of the water she was just so happy.

I will never forget the spirit that was felt there and the support that she had. Even President Villanueva and his family came. The room was packed and everyone was so excited for her. I can't wait for them to be sealed in the temple together. They still have many trials ahead of them but I know that they will be strong enough to face them.

As for the rest of our week, we worked really hard and had a good outcome. We have one person on date for December but I don't think he is willing to put in the work to make that date so we will need to keep finding people. We have found some great people but it has just been hard to meet with them all because of how busy they are. It is very late to set people on a date for December, but I think we can still do it if we meet often and if they are prepared.

I know that this gospel is true and that Heavenly Father cares about each and every one of us. He has watched over this family for sure and I know that he watches over each and every one of us as well with his angels round about. Do not doubt that there are angels everywhere to help you. I would also encourage you to do what you can this Christmas season to be an angel in someone else's life. There are many people who need love and comfort and so share that light with as many people as you can. I love you all and hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

Oh, also we are allowed to listen to a little bit more music now and so we bought some super legit Armenian music. We got a children's CD where they sing about Christ and it is pretty great. Have a great week!

Elder Jensen

 

 Elder Stucki, Elder Jensen, Elder Meppen, Mosi, Ayla and Asal (getting baptized)