FAMILIES FOUND=BLESSINGS!

November 26, 2012

Hey Family and Friends!

Elder Jenson in Lo Boza which is an area with a dirt road with houses up on the hill. Julio and many other investigators live in this area in Renca. 

We had a great week this week! The only things Elder King and I are struggling with are lessons with members and talking with more people. Elder King and I had 4 investigators who are progressing attend church!!! (Progressing investigators are people who have baptismal dates and are keeping all of their commitments...aka coming to church).That was so sick. We also had 16 nuevos...not 6...16!! Nuevos are defined as teaching a lesson with a new person over the age of 8, leaving them with a commitment and then setting a return visit for another day. Elder King and I found tons of families this week to teach. It was really great to see the blessings from that. We however didn't teach Maritza, Aracely or the Flores Sepulveda family that much this week. We taught Maritza and Aracely twice and Kevin and his family once which was kind of a bummer. Elder King and I have been asking for references like crazy which is paying off (16 nuevos!).

Logros (Achievements)

bautismos  0

confirmaciones  0

inv con fecha  4 (maritza, aracely, jose luis, kevin)

investigadores que asisten a la reunion sac  5  (maritza, aracely, julio, kevin and jose luis)

lecciones con miembro  2

otras lecciones  10

investigadores que estan progresando  4  (kevin, maritza, aracely and jose luis)

ref recibidas  6

ref contactadas  16

nuevos investigadores  16

contactos  80

MED 360


Investigators:

Maritza and Aracely:  Elder King and I had some lessons with Maritza and Aracely and accomplished a lot with them this week. We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Plan of Salvation, Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity.



Gospel of Jesus Christ Pamphlet

 

Este folleto se corresponde con la leccion 3 del capitulo 3 de Predicad Mi Evangelio y sirve como guia de estudio para los investigadores. Incluye explicaciones de doctrinas y principios, un glosario de terminos, preguntas de estudio, una description de las reuniones dominicales y una lista de compromisos.

Plan of Salvation Pamphlet

 

Maritza and Aracely both loved the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Salvation. Aracely and Maritza are both really smart and comprehend a lot of what we say. Elder King and I taught the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chasity as one lesson with them.

Word of Wisdom Pamphlet

 

 

 

Chastity Pamphlet

 

We taught the Word of Wisom first and everything went well. Aracely told us that she was super willing to not drink, smoke, drink coffee, tea or obviously do drugs. That was great to hear. We then started talking a little bit about the Law of Chastity. Elder King and I read a little bit from the folleto what it is and some of the details about it. Maritza felt overwhelmed and was like, "I don't know if I can do all this. I didn't know that you guys had all of these rules that you have to follow! I don't know if I can get baptized...." Elder King and I calmed her down and talked to her about the importance of keeping the commandments of God, why we should keep commandments and then we spent a few minutes talking about the blessings that one can receive by keeping the commandments. Maritza settled down and we finished our thoughts and the lesson. One really cool thing is that when Matitza was talking about how she doesn't know if she can get baptized any more, Aracely was like, "But Mom, you don't want to enter into the kingdom of God and live with Him and Jesus Christ forever? You don't want to go to the celestial kingdom?" That was so awesome to hear. Aracely is really strong and she told us that she was going to keep all the commandments. Elder King and I are excited for her. We don't know what's going to happen to Maritza. When we were leaving she told Elder King and I that if she was still going to prepare to get baptized, she would come to church on Sunday. SHE CAME TO CHURCH ON SUNDAY! That was a really good sign. I'm not sure if she'll be able to get baptized on the 2nd like we have planned.

 

 

 

Family Flores Sepulveda" Elder King and I went in and talked to Pres Riquelme, our Branch President on Thursday of this week. We talked about Kevin and his situation. We told President Riquelme that Kevin was preparing to get baptized on the second but that he didn't come to church one week. We spoke with President Riquelme that the only way Kevin's baptism was possible was if he would have a conversation with Kevin and determine if he's ready to get baptized on the 2nd (if a child is 18 years old or younger, they are supposed to attend 4 weeks of church to be able to get baptized but if you have permission from the child's Bishop, the child can bet baptized with only 3 attendances).  President Riquelme, Elder King and I and Kevin and his family are meeing tonight to have a lesson on baptism. Elder King and I will really have to buckle down this week with Kevin if he's going to get baptized. Kevin still needs a lot of lessons and preparation. Elder King and I are willing to do it!! The family is doing really well. We even got Susana, the mother of the family, to lighten up a little bit about the importance of baptism in her life and she said that she would get baptized! Elder King and I haven't set a date for her. Jose Luis and Susana still need to get married.

 

Julio: We talked with Julio over a week ago in Lo Boza.

 

 

Elder Jenson in Lo Boza Chile. A part of Elder Jenson's sector where there are wooden houses. Maritza, Aracely, Oscar, Amapola, Nicolas and many more investigators live in this area. Very, very humble circumstances.

 

Julio said that he was struggling really bad financially because he had lost his job and was going through some really tough times. Elder King and I talked to Julio a little bit about the church and had a great prayer with him at the end of our lesson. Julio said that he would come to church with Elder King and I one of these weeks and HE CAME YESTERDAY! I didn't even recognize him at first. Elder King had to tell me he was there. That was really cool. Julio came up to us and told us that he had found a job a couple of days after our lesson. Elder King and I told Julio that we wanted to come by his house soon but Julio said that with his job he's really occupied but that he still wants to come to church on Sundays!

 

 

"Elder King and I have definitely planted the seed of the gospel"

 

 

Maria:  Maria told Elder King and I that she had talked with her boyfriend, but that she didn't have the courage to tell him "ciao" unfortunately. Elder King and I had a really strong lesson with Maria and looked up several scriptures about the consequences of getting baptized or not getting baptized. Then Elder King and I bore powerful testimonies to her. My the end, Maria was crying and said that she can't leave her pareja. It was really sad for me that she chose to make that decision. Elder King and I have to keep moving forward. This isn't Maria's time in her life to accept the gospel. Elder King and I have definitely planted the seed of the gospel with her.

 

 

Highlights of my week/Thoughts:

 

1."My carnet arrived! I'm finally official in Chile!"

 

 

Elder Jenson's Chilean Carnet

 

2. "It's 95-100 degrees now in Chile! Sooooo hot! I sweat like crazy every day!"

 

3. "Chileans don't celebrate Thanksgiving. To be honest, I didn't even remember it was Thanksgiving except for the family turkey's I have at the house. I'm working so hard!"

 

4. Hearing from Coach Johansen  ("So good to hear from him") and many others this week. I love the letters everyone sends me!

 

 

Coach Dean Johansen, Elder Jenson's USU Men's Golf Coach

 

5. Missionary transfers are on December 3rd!

 



 

Transferecias Misioneros el 3 de diciembre

 

I don't know really what to think about transfers. I want to stay in Renca for one more change with Elder King so I can be with the Branch I already know and love for the Holidays. I think I'm going to be transferred though. In my mission, 3 changes for the noobies is a lot. A lot of times, what President Essig typically does is change out the new missionaries to a different sector after their training. I was very fortunate to stay in Renca for another change. I think I'm going to get transferred to a different area, but we'll see. I will find out late Saturday night and have to pack and be ready to catch a bus then a train on Monday!

 

Pretty great week! Definitely very happy!  Just need to teach a little bit more! I'll try and take as many pictures as I can this week in Renca, as I think it's my last.  Hope all is well and that you all have a great week!

 

Love,

 

Tan







TODO ES VERDAD!

November 19, 2012

Hey Family and Friends!

Elder King and I had a pretty successful week this week especially with our references contacted. It was so aswesome! We are really working on asking for references every single contact that we have whether it be in the street or a door contact. Elder King and I received a lot of references this week and contacted them like crazy. Unfortunately, only a few of the contacts were willing to listen to a message from us, but Elder King and I are working hard and doing our part and that's what matters! Our MED was 430 this week which is really good. We haven't had a MED that high in about 8 weeks. It was good to see.

Logros (Achievements)

bautismos  0

confirmaciones  0

investigadores con fecha  3 (marixa, aracely, and jose luis)

investigadores que asisten a la reunion sac  1 (marixa)

lecciones con miembro  3

otras lecciones  13

investigadores que estan progresando  1 (marixa)

referencias recibidas  5

referencias contactadas  17

nuevos investigadores  4

lecciones a CR MA  4

contactos  100

MED 430


Relato de Exito (Success Story)

This week I want to share a story with you about Marixa and Aracely and then bear my testimony in Spanish. Marixa and Aracely are our strongest investigators right now. Elder King and I had an incredible week with them. They are golden investigators!! We had 3 lessons with them this week and in one of our lessons we had a really incredible experience. Marixa and Aracely have such incredible faith. Marixa is a single mom that has to provide for four children and a grandchild. She is currently out of a job and is struggling financially. Marixa told us this week how she doesn't have any shoes that don't have holes in them and how there's barely bread on the table to eat. On Friday, Elder King and I went to their house for a lesson. Marixa was jumping up and down because she was so excited to tell us she had good news. Marixa immediately told us that she had found a job and that she and Aracely were going to be able to work together at the supermarket in Renca that pays 12 dollars a day for working 8 hours.

Renca Chile Supermarket

 

 

Marixa then told us that to have her job she would have to work every other Sunday, but that she could still continue to come to church half of the time. We had a prayer and Elder King and I talked with Marixa for a little while and then I opened my scriptures to Mosiah 13 where the commandments are.

 

 

We read the commandment about Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy and how important that was. Marixa sat in silence for awhile and then said, "How am I supposed to do that? I really, really need this job. I can still come to church 2 Sunday's every month!" I then turned to 3 Nephi 13:33 where it states, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." "buscad el reino de Dios primero y todas esas cosas os seran anadidas." This is such a powerful scripture that I love to give to my investigators. We then explained the blessings of keeping this commandment and Marixa was silent for a little while again and then she said,"Well, I guess I really need to keep this commandment to be blessed!" I then gave her the suggestion to talk to her boss and tell him she can't work on Sunday's because she really needed to keep the commandments of God. Marixa said that she would do that and that if the boss said that she and Aracely had to work on Sunday's that she would tell him that the job wasn't for them then!!! That was so awesome to hear. Marixa and Aracely have such faith in the Lord to do what they know is right even with their current situation of not knowing where their next meal is going to come from. Marixa and Aracely went to talk to their boss and he told them they didn't have to work on Sundays!! How amazing is that! I love seeing the Lord's hand in missionary work!

 

Flores Sepulveda: Elder King and I don't know why they didn't come to church yesterday. We had a great lesson with them this week. Kevin lost his baptismal date which is now pushed backed to the 9th of Dec.

 

Maria: Elder King and I fasted with Maria this past Friday so that she would have the courage to talk to her pareja and receive the words she needed to say to him so that he would allow her to get baptized. We still don't know how that conversation went this weekend but are going to go by her house tomorrow. We'll see!

 

Highlights of the week:

 

*Spending time with members of the Renca Branch

 



 

Elder Jenson and his Renca District at the Caballero's for lunch

 

*Receiving my very first Christmas package in Chile from Uncle Michael and Aunt Kristen and family! What a surprise! Thank-you so much! Thank-you for all the sweet letters this week as well especially from Grandma Jenson and Nana and Papa. I loved getting the letters!

 

*Treating myself to a SUPER 8 candy bar after reaching the highest MED in 8 weeks!

 

 

Super 8's are sooooooo good! My favorite candy bar in the whole world! Yum!



 



 

 

Testimony:

 

 

 

Quiero darles mi testimonio que se que la iglesia de Jesucristo de los santos de los ultimos dias es la iglesia verdadera, no tengo duda y lo se con todo mi corazon.  El estar en la mision me ha hecho pensar mucho acerca de la iglesia y que estoy ensenando a todas las personas aqui en Chile. Antes de la mision no tenia idea acerca de muchas cosas. Lei el libro de mormon antes de la mision pero nunca lo comprendia bien. Al estudiarlo cada dia en la manana personalmente por una hora y una hora para estudiarlo como companerismo, yo entiendo y comprendo el libro de mormon mejor y se que es la verdad. Yo se que Jose Smith era el profeta de la ultima dispensacion y que por medio de el, Jesucristo restauro el evangelio de Jesucristo. El tradujo el Libro de Mormon por medio del poder de Dios siendo un joven que no sabia escribir ni leer bien. Solamente por el poder de Dios es posible. Se que no hay ninguna otra iglesia  en el  mundo que tiene las llaves del sacerdocio y ese poder para efectuar ordenanzas sagradas, sino la iglesia de Jesucristo. Al ensenar muchas personas acerca de la familia, yo me he dado cuenta que las familias realmente puenden ser eternas. Seria super triste no estar con mi familia para siempre. Por eso, estoy aqui en Chile predicando estas verdades a todas las personas y ayundadoles a venir mas a Cristo y encontrar lo que estan buscando. Hay templos en todo el mundo donde se efectuan ordenanzas asi para sellar las familias juntas para ser una familia eterna. No hay mejor felicidad que eso...estar con la familia para siempre. Se que cada persona en todo el mundo puede encontrar esa felicidad y no es por algunas personas, pero todas!! No puedo decir cuan feliz que me siento estar aqui siendo un siervo del Senor y ayudandole a el en esta obra maravillosa.  No hay otro lugar en que yo quiero estar. Yo se que hay un profeta vivente en Tomas S. Monson que nos dirige a nosotros para seguir en el camino angosto. El recibe revelacion de Dios! Solo tengo tres palabras mas para ustedes para que pueden meditarlo...TODO ES VERDAD! En el nombre de Jesucristo, Amen.

 

 

Elder Tanner Jenson-Chile Santiago North Mission

 

"There is no other place that I want to be!"(taken from Elder Jenson's testimony)

 

 

Chile Sanitago Temple

 

"There are temples all over the world that seal families together. There is no greater happiness than that...to be with your family forever." (taken from Elder Jenson's testimony)



 

 

 

Hope everyones well!!! Thank-you for your support and prayers. Love you all!

 

Love,

 

Tan



 

"LOTS OF PROMISE!"

November 12, 2012

Hey All!

This week was another good week....finishing the week really strong!! Love seeing lots of investigators at church!

 

 

Elder Jenson with President Riquelme, Branch President of the Renca Branch, and his family

 

Logros (Achievements)

 

bautismos  0

 

confirmaciones  0

 

investigadores con fecha  4 (Kevin, Jose, Luis, Marixa, Aracely)

 

investigadores que asisten a la reunion sac  6  (Maria, Marixa, Aracely, Mainka, Beautriz,Genesis)

 

lecciones con miembro  7

 

otras lecciones  10

 

investigadores que estan progresando  2  (Marixa, Aracely)

 

referencias  recibidas  7

 

referencias contactadas  9

 

nuevos inv  5

lecciones a CR MA

contactos  100

MED  360

6 INVESTIGATORS AT CHURCH!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!! Elder King told me that that was the most investigators that he has ever had in church his whole mission. It was so sweet!

In church this week was the Primary Program. It was at times funny to watch the kids try and say some of the scriptures and give their little talks.

Choose the Right is the Primary Theme for 2012

 

*The scripture based on this year's Primary theme is found in Joshua 24:15 "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;...as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

 

 

"HAZ LO JUSTO" (Choose The Right in Spanish)

 

Elder King and I had really awesome days on Saturday and Sunday. Our MED was 209 through Friday night (struggling a little) and then in the last two days we had a MED of 151! Lots of blessings are being poured out unto Elder King and I. I'm loving it! Elder King and I were struggling with our contacts this week and ended up having to do 27 contacts yesterday to reach 100. One of my goals this week is to talk to more people and to stop letting people go by me without talking to them about the Restoration of the Church!

 

Investigators

 

Marixa and Aracely: Marixa and Aracely have been our investigators for about 2 weeks. Marixa is the mom and is about 50. Aracely is the daughter and is 21 years old. Elder King and I have taught them 4 or 5 times now and in our last lesson with them on Saturday night, we watched the Restoration. After the video, Elder King and I bore our personal testimonies and it was really powerful. We then extended Marixa and Aracely a baptismal date for the 2nd of Dec. and they both accepted.  Aracely said the closing prayer and it was the most incredible prayer that I have ever heard. Aracely talked about how she had been in the dark not knowing what to do but then she thanked her Heavenly Father for the sign from Him with the missionaries teaching her about the Restoration of the gospel. That almost brought me to tears. Marixa and Aracely both came to church the next day, yesterday, and loved it. When Elder King and I went by their house yesterday after church to see how they were doing, Marixa had the lesson #1 folleto out and was studying the scriptures that were in the back of it with the questions and the references.

 

 

Restoration Folleto #1

 

Elder King and I explained a few scriptures to Aracely and their meaning and she was in awe. As Elder King and I were leaving, Marixa asked us,"I'm too old to be a missionary, right?" I answered,"No!" Marixa was like,"Wow, I would love to be a missionary and bring the truth to others like you have done to me!" Such a cool story. I can't wait for Marixa and Aracely to take that step to baptism!

 

Fam Flores-Sepulveda (Kevin, Jose Luis, Susana and Katherine): We had another really great week with the Family Flores-Sepulveda's. We had members join us in our lessons we taught and Kevin attended church activities and had a great time. We went by their house yesterday morning to pick them up to come to church. Kevin was already in the door waiting for us, but he was in shorts and a t-shirt. Kevin told us that they had a family emergency and that they couldn't come to church. Kevin was so sad. I could tell that he REALLY wanted to come, but couldn't. Elder King and I told Kevin that it was a bummer he couldn't come but that he just needed to plan to come this next week! We have a good lesson planned with them tonight that I'm looking forward to.

 

 

Beautriz and Genesis: We had a really powerful lesson with Bautriz on Sat night with Juan Carlos present. Elder King and I talked about the doubt she has with baptism, that being her sickness of getting her ears wet and then having to go to the hospital. We talked her through this again and Beautriz was able to feel confident in our plan of putting the chair in the baptismal font. That brought her a little comfort.

 

 

Elder King and I then talked about the first steps to gaining a testimony with her and the importance of doing that (desire, seek by praying). Beautriz said she was a little bit scared to get the answer. Elder King and I then spent some time talking about how Satan puts those thoughts in our way to deceive us so that we don't choose the right. Beautriz agreed and said that she would really pray to receive the answer. Beautriz and Genesis came to church and loved it!

 

Mainka: Elder King and I found Mainka knocking doors close to a members house this week. She's 18 yrs old and has interest in the church. Elder King and I invited Mainka to church on Sat and she said that she wasn't sure. We then told her that we would have the Caballero family bring her to church and she was like,"Ok, I think I can do that." Sunday morning, Hna Caballero called me to say that she was sick and that she couldn't take Mainka to church. Elder King and I were bummed so we decided to go and get her ourselves. On the way to getting Mainka, we saw her walking down the street all dressed up with her child. Elder King and I were like,"What are you doing?"(ha,ha) and Mainka says,"I'm going to church! (ha! ha!) I don't know where it is, but figured I'd start walking and then I'd find it sometime!" Wow, that was awesome! Elder King and I showed Mainka the way to church. She liked it. Excited to see the progress with her this week!

 

 

 

Chapel in Renca Chile where Elder Jenson attends church

 

Maria: Maria came to church! That was really good to see. Yaquelin was supposed to come to church too (her cunada), but she couldn't (not sure why). Maria said she loved church. Elder King and I have another visit with her this Tuesday. In our last lesson with Maria I felt impressed to talk to her about a goal to leave her boyfriend. I talked about a date and she committed to talking to her boyfriend by the 18th of Nov. By the 18th of Nov Maria should be dependent on herself and ready to get baptized!!! I'm excited for her.

 

 

Those are the main investigators Elder King and I are working with right now! All of our investigators are making some good progress. There's lots of promise in the next few weeks and towards the end of the month. Elder King and I hope to have 3 or 4 baptisms before transfers!!! (Kevin, Marixa, Aracely and Maria). Boy that would be sweet!

 

Highlights of the week:

 

 

Elder Jenson and a member of the Renca Branch

 

*Involving the members a lot more this week. Elder King and I had lots of members in our lessons and our lessons were a lot more effective. The importance of member involvement is huge! Our members shared their personal experiences that they've had with the church and bore their testimonies  that what Elder King and I were teaching was true.

 

 

 

"FELIZ HALLOWEEN" CHILE 2012

 

*"FELIZ HALLOWEEN" The Chileans celebrate Halloween. I took around the bag of candy you sent me and gave it out to all the kids. They were loving it!

 

The Jenson and Horsley family's are thankful for Elder Jenson!

 

 

* I got the Thanksgiving package with all the family turkey's. Loved it! That was really nice of you guys.

 

*Our Zone got the "Norma de Exelencia" (Standard of Excellence) award this past week so we had a huge Zone party on Saturday morning. 

 

 

Elder Jenson's Renca Zone celebrating their "Norma de Exelencia" week!

 

*Playing golf in one of the richest parts of Santiago, Cuidad Empresarial on P-day!

 

 

Cuidad Empresarial in Chile

 

 We paid 10 mil (20 dollars) to hit about 2 buckets of balls each! They gave me a 6 iron and said..."Hit away!" haha! They just give you one club to hit all of the balls. I talked to one of the guys to see if I could get a few more clubs to hit and he said that all the drivers and irons that they let the public use got broken. Good news, I got to work on my swing a little bit! Still silky smooth:)

 

 

Elder King, Elder Sampson, Elder Lawson and Elder Jenson golfing in Cuidad Empresarial!

 

After a hard days work at the golf course there's nothing like an AMERICAN "sweet sub of the day" from SUBWAY!

 



 

Elder Jenson and Elder King hanging out on a patio "kickin it" with a tasty sub, chocolate chip cookie and fruit punch celebrating a Chilean day of golfing! 

 







 



 I'm working soooo hard and seeing the blessings! I hope all of you are doing well. I love getting your letters, drawings, packages and seeing and hearing how everyone is doing! A special thank-you to Avery (letter), Michael Horsley family (loved the kids drawings!),Papa and Nana (Halloween card) and all my Jenson and Horsley family ( turkeys!) from me this week!

 

Love,

 

Tan



MIRACLES ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

November 5, 2012

Hey Everyone!

After I finish writing home and to President Essig, Elder King and I are going to the driving range!!!

 

Dream come true for Elder Jenson!

 

 

I'll take a bunch of pictures and send them to you next week!

 

 

Logros (Achievements for the week!)

 

bautismos  0

 

confirmaciones  0

 

investigadores con fecha  2 (Kevin, Jose Luis)

 

investigadores que asisten a la reunion sac 4 (Kevin, Jose Luis, Beatriz, Genesis)

 

lecciones con miembro  5

 

otras lecciones  7

 

investigadores que estan progresando  2 (Kevin, Jose Luis)

 

referencias recibidas  3

 

ref contactadas  11

 

nuevos investigadores  5

 

lecciones a CR  MA  3

 

contactos  105

 

 

 

Streets of Renca Chile walked by Elder Jenson and Elder King

 

 

This week has been the toughest week in the mission for me by far, work wise. From Monday to Friday Elder King and I worked all day in the really hot weather with the sun beating down on us. To top that off, no one was letting us into their houses. I don't know how many miles we walked in those five days, but it was a TON! After 5 long days this week we had only 7 lessons taught. This was getting to me a little. Elder King and I would show up at our appointments and one after the next would say they were busy and that they didn't have time for us. Elder King and I had 3 people with baptismal dates going into this week and it seemed like not one of them wanted much from us anymore. All of our investigators were losing interest even though we were doing our daily contact with them every single day whether it was a phone call, having a member visit them or just dropping by and talking with them in their doorway. This was very frustrating. I've definitely learned the importance of patience this week. Elder King and I literally went into Saturday having no one with a baptismal date, 7 lessons and a few references contacted and we'd been out in the sun and on the streets the whole week working night and day. Nothing was happening in the sector and my excitement level was low. I remember thinking on Friday night how I'd been in Chile for 3 months and not a single baptism nor was I close to a baptism!

 





 

Cerro Colorado

 

Elder King and I had an intercambio for a few hours Saturday night with Cerro Colorado missionaries so  Elder King could do a baptismal interview with Javiera who's in the Cerro Colorado sector. Elder Catalan, who's from Guatamala and arrived in Chile the same day I did, worked with me.

 

 

Elder Catalan

 

Elder Catalan and I were going to appointments and the same things were happening to us...either people weren't home, weren't answering the door or they would come out and say that they were busy. This continued until 830pm when we had a scheduled appointment with Marixa (I've taught her one time before). Marixa let Elder Catalan and I into her home and we were REALLY grateful. We gave a lesson on the Restoration.

 

 

Spanish Restoration Video

 

Marixa was asking us all kind of questions and showed alot of interest. It was a really, really productive lesson.  Elder King and I are excited for tonight when we have another scheduled lesson with her. After meeting with Marixa, Elder King came back to our sector and we made a couple of contacts on the way to our house.

 

Streets of Renca Chile



 

 At 950pm on Saturday night, we were about 200 feet from our house, when we passed a boy and mom in the street and said,"Hi" to them and kept walking. After walking about 50 more feet, the boy yelled at Elder King and I and said,"How can we get visits from you?" Elder King and I looked at each other in shock and said,"Whenever you want!" The Mom told us that their house was just up the street and asked Elder King and I if we wanted to follow them to know where it was. We said, "of course" and went to their house where they let us in and got to know them for about 10-15 minutes. It turns out that Kevin (14 yr old son) is the grandson of the Stake Patriarch in Renca! The Mom told us that her relatives had a really good experience with the missionaries and that it had made a change in the lives of her relatives and that she wanted that change in her family as well. Elder King and I invited them to church the next day, yesterday. They said that they all wanted to come. Elder King and I showed up at their house at 920am the next morning and Kevin opened the door in his suit!!! It was so awesome! Such a powerful feeling I had. We waited for the dad to finish getting ready, put on his shirt and tie and then all went to church together Jose Luis (dad), Kevin (son) and the daughter Katherine (6 yrs old...she doesn't count towards investigators in church because she's not 8 yrs old). The Mom said she had a lot to do so she ended up not coming to church with us. Jose Luis, Kevin and Katherine stayed all 3 hours of church and loved it! During sarament meeting there was a confirmation and also an announcement that two people were getting baptized today. Kevin leaned over and said,"When can I get baptized??" Wow, that was so awesome! Elder King and I visited with their family later in the day and taught them the Restoration and gave them both a baptismal date (Kevin for the 2nd of December and Jose Luis for the 23rd of December because he and his wife have to get married before he can be baptized). After we extended the baptismal date for Kevin, the first thing that came out of his mouth was,"That's really far away. Can we do it sooner?" We explained to Kevin that it takes a little bit of time to prepare for baptism because it's a sacred covenant you make with God. Elder King and I moved up Kevin's baptismal date to the 25th of Nov and told him he'd have to come to church every Sunday until then (for kids, they have to come to church 4 times before baptism). The spirit was strong. After such a long week of grinding through the days and trying my hardest, I was blessed with this miracle. I learned that even through hard times, you have to keep having the best attitude and continue to work hard because that person who's prepared to hear the gospel is coming around the corner in just a little while!

 

 

Elder Jenson on the streets of Renca-Miracles are just around the corner!



 

Maria: At the beginning of the week Maria told Elder King and  I that she didn't know if she could talk to her boyfriend about baptism. We spent some time talking to her and she said she would try to talk to her pareja (boyfriend) and set a return appointment for Thursday only to find out from her sister in law that she went to the beach with her family for the weekend. Maria didn't even tell us! That was a little frustrating. Elder King and I have another appointment to meet with her tomorrow, Tuesday.

 

Lucia: Elder King and I have been doing daily contact with Lucia ever since we met her and still it seems like she's losing interest in lessons and being baptized. This is really sad. Lucia told us that she wasn't able to come to church this week and that she was going to the cemetary instead. I guess it's just not the right time for Lucia.

 

Amauri and Claudia: Elder King and I taught Amauri and Claudia a lesson together this week. Amauri said he didn't want Claudia moving away. Looks like Claudia is going to give in and stay with Amauri until they get married in a few months which isn't good. Elder King and I really committed Claudia to come to church yesterday and she still didn't come. This surprised me because Claudia was crying in the door when we committed her to come to church this week. The spirit was so strong. Elder King and I called her Sunday morning and Claudia answered and said she'd get ready and come to church....she never did!

 

Beatriz and Genesis: They came to church!!!!!! We had a great lesson with Beatriz and Genesis this week about baptism. Beatriz told Elder King and I that the reason she is doubtful to be baptized is because she has an ear problem. She says that if she gets her ears fully wet that causes serious problems and a trip to the hospital. We talked to Beatriz and the Stake President about what we could do and told her that we could put a seat in the font, get her some ear plugs and have her get baptized that way. She was like, "Oh, ya, that would be a great idea." Beatriz and Juan Carlos have really been talking a lot lately about Beatriz wanting to get baptized NOW. We are planning to talk more about Beatriz's baptism this coming week.

 

 

Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

 

 

Elder Bednar's Visit to Chile: Elder Bednar's visit was awesome! I can't believe I forgot to tell you about it these past two weeks. I don't have a lot of time to explain everything but Elder Bednar asked all 400 missionaries to read two talks and after we talked about the importance of ACTING instead of being acted upon. We should ask by faith and seek learning by faith. Learn through the spirit and have faith in the plan Heavenly Father has for us. Take a leap of faith and know Heavenly Father is there to help us and lift us. Elder Bednar talked to us from 8-11am. He didn't have time to shake our hands individually which I was looking forward to. Elder Bednar closed the meeting with an Apostolic blessing.

 

 

*Chilean food that kept me energized this week!

 

 

Chilean Frosted Fakes are GRRRRRRREAT for breakfast!

 



 

Renca members homecooked meals after hours and miles of walking-Yum!

 

Highlight of the week: GOLFING IN CHILE FOR THE FIRST TIME!

 

 

 

 

I hope you have a great week and HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!

 

Love,

 

Tan