Letter 32

Hey Everyone!

This has been a super awesome week! Omid has his baptismal date for the 18th of February still and we found this awesome golden investigator! She was a referral from the Spanish sisters that we tried to get a hold of but she was always too busy so we dropped her. Well turns out, she really wants to know more about mormons and so she started attending church a couple months later and really likes it. She found our emails in the program and emailed us and so we started meeting with her this week and set a baptismal date for the 18th also. Her name is Madlena and she is Armenian but speaks fluent English. She is so awesome, most Armenians are very stubborn and like their old ways but she is very open and humble. We are very excited to teach her.

Also, transfers happened and I have a new companion! He came out at about the same time as me and he is from Hurricane, Utah! He originally came out as an English missionary but started his mission in Samoan work and his second area is Armenian work. He is a very good missionary and I am super excited to be working with him! He doesn't speak a lick of Armenian so this will be an interesting transfer, but I am very excited to see how it goes.

We have seen so many insane miracles this week with Omid and Madlena it is amazing! I know that this work will continue to go forward even in hard times. God is always watching out for us and he just wants us to talk to him. I can testify that God really does answer prayers "by small and simple means" and if you are willing to work hard with him, he can help you through any difficulty. Have a good week.

This is my new companion Elder Sanders. I look totally goofy in this photo and so it is so worth sending home.

 

Letter 31

This has been an awesome week. We have found a lot of promising people in the last week that we are very excited for. We were finally able to meet with Henrik again. He still didn't come to church, but he was open to learning more as long as we go slow. We are ok with that.

We did have 4 investigators come to church this week though which was awesome! The first was Mosi's friend Omid. He has been coming for the last little while and we have just started teaching him. He is really awesome and I have high hopes for him. We then had an Armenian lady named Madlena who has been coming for the last little bit as well. We finally had a chance to talk to her after the meeting and really get to know her and we will meet up with her on Friday.

Lastly we had Amanda and her son Jacob who is 14. They are really willing to let us meet and while they don't really want to change their lifestyle just yet, they like having us over and like keeping the commitments we have given them so far and they even came to church! We are super excited for them and it has been such a great week because we now have some solid investigators!

Also this week, it was my dinner choice at the Campaña's house and because I want a multi-cultural experience, I specifically requested that we have baloot. It is a Filipino delicacy. It is a partly developed duck embryo still in an egg. I ended up having two because I thought it was super good. It just tastes like an egg if you have it cooked right. I will have to try a grosser one next time. Maybe let it develop a little longer. Thanks for your support and have a great week everyone!

Letter 30

Oh man what a week. On the bright side of things, We found a ton of people this week! However, we had to refer them all out so the Spanish missionaries better be baptizing up a storm! We did start working with a few more people though which I am super pumped for. Amanda and her son Jacob are super awesome. Amanda isn't super interested but likes to listen in because she wants the best for her son Jacob. I feel like they both have a lot of potential though and we are pumped to keep working with them! Henrik has been busy lately so we still haven't been able to meet with him. I hope we can get a hold of him because he has so much potential. 

Other than that it has just been finding and referring back and forth. That is better than dropping though! Our whole zone is gonna be finding this week but my district is doing great (that is what happens when you have the zone leaders and the sister training leaders. My companion and I are just trying to keep up with them). It has been a super good week though because we have found a lot of people who are just so prepared for the gospel. All we need to do is talk to them! I encourage you all to share the gospel with your friends and family and always be a good friend to them. Just being on a mission has changed me so much and I am so much more outgoing now. Do your best to serve the Lord and he will shape you into what he needs you to be! Have a great week!

Letter 29: Shnorhavor nor tari!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a happy new year! This week was pretty tough for Armenian work but English work went pretty ok. We picked up a lot of new investigators but we haven't actually met with lots of them for a bit because they all say "nor tarits heto" which means after new years. On the bright side, it is now after new years so lets see if we can meet up with all of these new investigators!

I was lazy this week and didn't take any pictures so sorry about that. I am pretty bad about that but I will try to get some more next week! That's pretty much all I have for this week! We are still working with Henrik which is good but he missed church again and so we are having a really hard time. I know that church is gonna help him so much i just wish there is more we could do to help him go. 

Other than that things are going pretty well. Don't forget to celebrate Christmas again on January 6th! That is Armenian Christmas and hopefully after that we will be able to get some more work done. Have a great week everyone!

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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!