The Time Has Come

  My mom, Jennifer, has been posting in my blog for the last two years while I have been on my mission and has done a phenomenal job.  She would receive my emails and publish them with the pictures I had sent as well.  I just want to talk a little bit from my point of view about when I came home from my mission and a few of the feelings I felt.

Two years ago I never thought this day would come when I finished my mission and returned to the United States to be with my family once again.  I still remember waking up the first day I was in the Missionary Training Center and looking at the ceiling thinking, "Where in the heck am I and why am I here?".  I thought my mission was going to be an eternity and this is what I would be doing for the rest of my life, but the end came faster than I had ever imagined.

I woke up early in the morning on May 20, 2014 knowing that this was my last day in Chile with a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth.  It was bitter because I had come to love the Chilean people, became friends with a lot of missionaries, and felt the Spirit burning within me on a daily basis while testifying of the truthfulness of our message.  But it was sweet because seeing and hugging my family once again would be a moment never forgotten.  I finished packing my bags, making sure I had put in all of the souvenirs I had acquired over the two year period and headed to the mission office where I would be instructed by my mission president one last time before it was time to leave for the Santiago Airport.  I reflected on my time in that wonderful country telling stories to my companion, Elder Richardson, while making him laugh.  Each time I shook my head knowing that the creation of memories was going to be halted very soon.  We arrived at the office and I saw my group, some with gloomy looks on their faces, and some with grins so big they almost fell off their faces!  Elder Castro's look was priceless.  He was grinning ear to ear and could not wait to get back to Ecuador to see his mom again.  That was all he talked about!  Soon after I arrived, President Essig called us into his office to tell us to be strong through this time in our lives and we needed to be searching for that special someone to marry in the temple.  When he said that, I realized that that was going to be the next big step in my life.  All I had done in the past was look forward to my mission and think about how it was going to be.  I had never looked past it and thought about what came next.  To think about marrying someone was so weird!  I wasn't even starting to think about that yet.  The meeting ended in a flash and we loaded up all of the luggage and were off to the airport.  

As we pulled out of the parking lot in route to the airport, I pulled out my camera and made one of my last videos while my companions talked about how crazy it was for us to be leaving and returning to our homelands.  The drive to the airport was like madness.  The bus was filled with hootin' and hollerin' while I continued to contemplate my time in thanks to the Lord for the solid testimony I had gained on what was now holy ground for me.  When we arrived at the airport, members of the church and converts were waiting for me to say one last good-bye before I walked through the doors.  They continuously thanked me for all I had done, but I just reminded them that it was not me, but the Savior who had guided my companion and I to their homes to help them know of the fullness of the gospel.  Before I knew it, I was on my way, through security, and to my gate to wait once more before getting on the plane.  All I could think was, "Is this really happening right now? Like, I'm going home!!!"  Elder Wortham kept saying "Qué loco", which means "How crazy!" It was funny how many times he actually said it, probably at least 100.  I found my seat on the airplane and wha-da-ya-know, it was a middle seat on a ten hour plane ride to Georgia.  I was in for a treat.  Some missionaries during the flight reverted to watching movies and listening to music that was available to each one of us on-board, but I decided to stick to my guns and be an example for the rest.  I was not going to be obedient my whole mission and then all of the sudden break one rule the day before and feel guilty about it.  As we approached the United States, I became more and more excited to be home and give my family a bear hug.  When we arrived in Georgia, I stepped off the plane only to be greeted by this weird language... oh yeah, English.  It was everywhere!  There were signs and people speaking English everywhere and I felt strange to me.  My ears had been desensitized to the Spanish language so much that I had to think even more to understand and communicate in English.  I forgot how to say different phrases and was translating everything from Spanish to English in my head and sounded like an idiot.  Everyone just looked at me weird and laughed.  I just smiled.  As we made our connection flights, I was the only missionary continuing to Denver.  Most were going to Utah because that's where half of the missionaries are from it seems.  Not having a companion was weird at first as well because I was all alone.  I had always had someone shadowing me throughout my mission, someone right by my side.  Now, it was that weird person next to me on the airplane.  I didn't like it much at first, but then it was alright.  Two more hours and I would be able to see my family.  Wow.  The time went by faster than I would have thought and all of the sudden I stood in the same airport as my loved ones.  

As I wandered towards the signs that said "Baggage Claim", I realized I was sticky, unshaven, and smelly from all of the time in the airplane not having showered, so I limped to the bathroom to freshen up a little.  My shoes were torn up, my suit was stained, and my shirt was more yellow than white.  I looked more like a hobo with a name tag, but that brought a smile to my face knowing I had worked as hard as I possibly could.  I took the tram to where baggage claim was and waited for everyone to pass through.  I just took a moment before taking the escalator up those stairs to video myself one last time and say what I was feeling.  Tears filled my eyes knowing that right up those stairs I would be able to see my family and hug them until they told me I had to stop.  I put both feet on the escalator and before I was even half-way up, my dad peeked down at me and I completely lost it.  He yelled to the rest, "He's here!, He's here!" and everyone gathered around to get their first glimpse.  I found my way at the top only to see my mom jumping in the air so high that I think she would have won state in the high jump in high school if she would have tried out for the team.  I gave her and the rest of my family gigantic hugs of appreciation for them and their support that they had shown me the whole time.  Seeing them was surreal and I realized just how much I really loved them.  I found myself speechless and couldn't talk much when I was with them. All I could do was hug and kiss them with tears streaming down my face.  I will remember and cherish this experience for the rest of my life.

PS. There are pictures and videos of my experience in the post below if you want to see them!

HOME SWEET HOME!

May 20, 2014

 

May 19, 2014

 

 

Elder Jenson leaving the mission office headed for the Santiago airport!

 

 

 

Elder Jenson saying goodbye to President and Sister Essig at the Santiago airport on May 19, 2014

 

 

 

Elder Jenson on the airplane leaving Santiago for home!

 

 

In 16 hours Elder Jenson will be HOME SWEET HOME!

 

 



 

Our family was able to track Elder Jenson fights and were notified when he boarded, was in the air, landed and then arrived at his gates. Goodbye to my second home....Santiago!

Elder Jenson arrives in Denver and anticipates seeing his family for the first time in 2 years!

Tallyn waiting for Elder Jenson to arrive!

 

 



Tarryn waiting for Elder Jenson to arrive!

 

 

 

Taylor waiting for Elder Jenson to arrive!

 

 

Trevor waiting for Elder Jenson to arrive!

 



Taylor, Tarryn, Tallyn, Trevor and Jennifer waiting patiently at Denver International Airport for Elder Jenson's arrival on May 20, 2014 from the Chile Santiago North Mission!

 

 

Trevor sees Elder Jenson coming up the escalator at Denver International Airport!

 

 

Jennifer sees Elder Jenson for the first time in 2 years!

 

 

Trevor sees Elder Jenson for the first time in 2 years!

 

 

Taylor sees Elder Jenson for the first time in 2 years!

 

 

Tarryn sees Elder Jenson for the first time in 2 years!

 

 

 

Tallyn sees Elder Jenson for the first time in 2 years!

 

 

Elder Jenson and his family together again after 2 years!

 

As a family we thought this day would never come. Two years seemed like an eternity when we dropped off Elder Jenson at the Provo MTC on May 30, 2012. What an amazing 730 day journey this has been for Elder Jenson and our entire family. Fittingly in the mail on May 19th as Elder Jenson was departing the Chile Santiago North Mission to return home, our family received a letter from Elder Jenson's Mission President, President Essig. In the letter we as a family were reminded of Elder Jenson's obedience and how he worthily endeavored to unconditionally surrender and consecrate his will to the Lord, how he developed charity and took the Lord as his guide in all things. As a result, Elder Jenson was a fruitful missionary and has been the means of bringing many souls unto Christ and has had an impact in lifting and inspiring other missionaries. Elder Jenson has been richly blessed and has learned much about the Spirit of the Lord, his faith in and love for the Lord Jesus Christ have grown immensely, he has experienced greater happiness than ever before, has increased substantially in light and knowledge, has grown to love the scriptures (especially the Book of Mormon) and his love for the Lord and gratitude for His atoning sacrifice have become a central part of Elder Jenson's life. In short, Elder Jenson has become more like the Lord whom he has had the privilege to represent.

During Elder Jenson's release a question was asked from our Stake President, President Lyman. What was the single biggest change that occured in you over the past 2 years? Elder Jenson's reply was "I gained a strong testimony of Christ and the Atonement and His everlasting love for us. Putting the Lord first in everything instead of wordly things like golf and friends. My whole perspective has changed where I put the the Lord first and everything else comes after."

Elder Jenson's release concluded with his testimony and knowledge that "I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ, that He loves each of us and I know that he wants us to have an everlasting forever family." Elder Jenson also said that he knows that the Book of Mormon is true after praying many many times and feeling like fire many times when teaching. Elder Jenson mentioned that he saw miracles and the Lord's hand in His work every single day. Elder Jenson commented that many people think the commandments are rules but on his mission he came to know that commandments are what make us free. Elder Jenson also learned to understand the spirit and knows that the spirit and the fruits he feels are true. By small and simple things great things come to pass. Elder Jenson said that if we keep enduring to the end our Heavenly Father will have a place prepared for us where we can have our family forever. Elder Jenson said he can't wait for the Second Coming of Christ where we can worship Him and thank Him. It is through Him we can have everlasting peace.

One of the highlights of Elder Jenson's mission was when Elder Holland visited Chile. Elder Jenson mentioned that Elder Holland taught him many things mainly if each one of us want to be true disciples of Christ, we are going to have to pass through our own Gethesame and feel those trials and hardships Christ has felt so we know what it's like and can be a true follower of Him. Elder Jenson took this to heart that he had to astonish every one he knows. At every visit with investigators from that time on, Elder Jenson always had in his mind the thought that this could be the last time that I as a missionary teach them the gospel. Elder Holland told all the missionaries..."When you come home you better just level the place when you talk. Blow the back out of the whole gym." Elder Jenson said that when Elder Holland came to his mission he knew that he was an apostle of the Lord who helped him feel that this gospel was true. "I know that this gospel is true, that the Atonement is incredible and through it we can understand the Savior and what He did for us."

After Elder Jenson's testimony he was told by President Lyman that he served admirably and that he would be blessed eternally and then was asked to take off his missionary nametag (plaque) and give it to his mom to which Elder Jenson replied, "I have two!" President Lyman smiled and said, "Give one to your mom and one to your dad."

Thank-you to all of you for your many sacrifices and support of Elder Jenson during his time of service as a missionary in the Chile Santiago North Mission. Many prayers were answered and miracles were ever flowing over the past two years. Life doesn't get much better than that. As I conclude this blog, I will continue to be inspired by the faithfulness of the missionaries around the world who selflessly labor to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to build His kingdom on the earth today.Thank you to each of you for helping Elder Jenson prepare for this important time in his life. You each have played a role in helping Elder Jenson return home from Chile a better man and disciple of Christ.



Elder Jenson's family at the "FINISH LINE" of his mission!

 



Elder Jenson busting through his mission FINISH LINE!

 

 



Elder Jenson wearing Chile pride!

 

 



 

 

"Best 2 years of my life!"

 

 

 



"Being a missionary in the CHILE SANTIAGO NORTH MISSION changed my life!"

HOME SWEET HOME!

 

 



Welcome Home Elder Jenson!

 

May 30, 2012-May 20, 2014

 

Chile Santiago North Mission

Love,
Jennifer

"Best Two Years!"

May 17, 2014

Hey Everyone!

Wow, I can't believe I'm saying this, but this is my last letter home! Time has really flown by because I've had so much fun on my mission. It has really been those "Best Two Years" that everyone talks about. Before my mission I was like, "Whatever! These aren't gonna be the best two years of my life!" I was proved wrong. The experiences that I've had, the first hand miracles that I've seen, the growth in my personal testimony I've lived, the changes in the hearts of my fellow brethren I've noticed and the Spirit I've felt have been just indescribable and undeniable at the same time. There have been so many times where a miracle happens and I KNOW that there was no way that I could've done that on my own. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has been by my side this entire time and I've felt His presence. Many times I have also thought, "How in the world am I receiving so many blessings from God? I feel like I'm not worthy enough for all this success! Why?" I just try to live the experiences and forget about that! I had to remind myself many, many times that I am in His work and it happens every day. It sure has been incredible being a representative of Jesus Christ.

I have really come to know my Savior over the past two years and will be eternally in debt for all that He has given me. You can't put a price on the things that I have learned. They are eternal treasures that I will never forget. I know that God and our Redeemer Jesus Christ live. THEY LIVE! Since they love us so much, the heavens are once again open and ever flowing with eternal blessings that each one of us can choose to receive by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to present a statement that is...that the Lord has restored His church once again on this earth to its fullness. I'll tell you why. Christ had established His church while on this earth over 2000 years ago, but because of the disbelief of the people of that time, He and His followers were pursued until many were killed, one of them being Christ himself. These unbelievers destroyed the pillars established and the church was destroyed. The apostles were now gone, Christ Himself as well, and the authority that they held was taken from the earth. What can you do without authority from God in His church? Nothing. People didn't quite understand that part and started to form their own churches as best they could to follow Christ, the few that believed in Him. There were 3 main parts, as James E. Talmage states in the book "Jesus the Christ", that were changed to the Church of Jesus Christ in this time period called the "Great Apostasy". Let me name them for you. Number one, the pure doctrine of Christ and His teachings were changed. Number two, the Church order that Christ Himself had established of having prophets and apostles was changed. Number three, the ordinances, such as baptism, were distorted. That being said, if I were to be united with a church that doesn't have prophets and apostles, the teachings of the pure doctrine of Christ have been changed, and the precious ordinances of the gospel are distorted, will it be enough to enter into God's presence after this life and live with Him forever? I answer that with a firm NO. But God can't be so cruel to leave us on this earth without a way to come back and live with Him forever as His children. God is a God of love and I testify of that love that He has for each and every one of us. Well, what can our Lord do then to help us out? Just as in the olden times, Christ can restore back onto this earth once again the fullness of His Gospel with the pure doctrine of Christ, the order by which He guides and directs His church through prophets and apostles, and the correct way to perform saving ordinances. I testify with all that I am to each one of you reading this right now that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has restored each and every one of these things back on the earth through a living prophet. Right now, as you are reading this, there is a church on this earth called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where you can find the truth. Not just part of the truth, but a marvelous 100% of it. I invite you all to see the evidence and ask our Heavenly Father if what you have read is true. He has answered me and he will surely answer you too as he has done with millions on this planet. Just do it, and see the blessings flow through your being and your family's life. There is nothing that has brought me more joy to my life than to know that this is true. I leave this heart-felt testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

This is a bitter sweet time for me as I leave Chile and come home. I am sad to leave my second home, but also extremely excited to see all of you once again and share these experiences with you. I have lots of them. Thank you all sooooo much for all of the prayers, cards, letters, packages and everything that you've done for me. It has meant alot to me to have so much support. Most missionaries don't have so much. You are all really special to me! I have felt your love. I went to the Santiago temple with my group who is going home with me yesterday. I really hope you all have a good few days and that we can have some time to talk about my experiences when I get back. The most important thing is I'm going to be back with my fam in 3 days. It's gonna be sweet!!

I want to leave you with a video called "Because of Him" :)

Love you all!
Elder Jenson

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

May 11, 2014 (Mother's Day)

There's nothing like the feeling of waiting for Elder Jenson's calls home. Elder Jenson's 4th call home in 2 years was just as exciting as his first call Christmas 2012. All the family was glued to the computer waiting for our 3pm call. Excitement and anticipation filled the Jenson home. Words can't describe the feeling when you see that Elder Jenson is online and then the much awaited

Mother's Day Skype call with Elder Jenson May 11, 2014

 



"Hi everyone, How are you doing?" Tears of joy and a few screams were heard as we saw Elder Jenson beaming from ear to ear for the first time in 5 months. Definitely a Mother's Day our family will always cherish and never forget. The following is a recap of some of the highlights of our hour long skype visit with Elder Jenson.

Elder Jenson's Mother's Day highlight was Rudy getting confirmed at Church today. "It was one of the highlights of my whole misson. Rudy has tons of confidence. He said he knows that this is the true church. Rudy is different than other converts. He shakes hands with eveyone and goes up and introduces himself. He's awesome!"

Tarryn then asked how the van was to which Elder Jenson replied, "Oh, man. In Chile alot of the gas stations gas up for you. We thought it was 97 but it wasn't 97. Miracle the van still runs like it did before the mishap. Prayers were answered and lessons learned."

Elder Jenson then told our family "it's sweet going around the whole mission, seeing all the zones and sites. It's so awesome to see President in action. When I was in the field I had no clue all that President did. He goes from meeting to meeting like Stake President meetings, interviews non stop, speaks every Sunday, leads and speaks in Conferences and the list goes on. President even eats lunch in his car because he doesn't have time to stop. President works 24-7. President and Sister Essig get released on June 27th. They will meet the new Chilean Mission President and spend 4-5 hours going over the mission and then he and Sister Essig get on a flight back to Logan. The Essigs live in North Logan about 3 minutes from campus. It will be awesome to be able to see them often."

We asked a few random questions like what's been your most favorite P-day to which Elder Jenson replied, "Plaza de Armas and golfing! I went to the range yesterday with Elder Richardson and hit good shots but my consistency is not consistent."

Elder Jenson commented that "Tal's had a growth spurt." To which Tallyn said, "Hey Tan I finished reading the Book of Mormon for my Personal Progress." Elder Jenson said, "How did you feel after you finished your reading?" Tallyn said "So good, I'm done with my Personal Progress now!" Elder Jenson replied, "Good job Tal!"

Tarryn then said, "Hey Tanner, my Spanish teacher Mrs. Hier thought it would be awesome if you came in and talked to all of the Spanish classes one day about your experience in Chile." Elder Jenson replied,"that would be cool."

At this point Elder Jenson said, "It's so wierd to talk in English. It will be hard to get used to speaking English when I come home. Even now I have to think in Spanish and then translate in my mind how to say things in English before I speak."

We then showed Elder Jenson the snow that was falling outside. Elder Jenson's look on his face was priceless as he said, "It's snowing! It's never snowed here in the 2 years I've been in Chile."

Elder Jenson said a highlight of his mission was when the "the whole Familia Morales got baptized. (So awesome) and lessons with Sergio."

Trevor then spent a few minutes talking with Elder Jenson about summer plans and his golf tournament schedule. "Sounds like a sweet packed schedule." To which Taylor replied, "I'm going to torch and dunk on you in basketball." To which Elder Jenson replied,"I've only played basketball on my mission 4 times. I'll have to convert myself to a point guard."

Elder Jenson then talked about returning to Chile and gave some advice and tentative plans. "Driving here in Chile is crazy. Tons of curves and one way streets. We will definitely need a GPS. I made a letter and sent it to all my converts and members I want to visit to let the know I'm coming back. It's about a 1 hour drive to the coast. Sergio, who's the YM President in Vespucio lives there and can show and tell us sweet places to visit. In the mornings we can go to sites and in the afternoons we can visit converts and members because they will be working during the day. I also want to go to the Santiago temple. The temple is so awesome! It will also be awesome to see Kevin. He's baptizing his little sister this month. Chileans talk fast. Dad's going to be like...huh? There are alot of Peruvians, Columbians and tons of foreign people who all have different accents here which is cool."

We asked Elder Jenson if there was anything special he wanted to do when he returns and he said "Go to the temple, play a round of golf and gets some clothes. I'm not bringing home much but am bringing home my ripped up pair of shoes that will serve as my trophy for my mission."

What was your favorite teaching experience on your mission? "There are so many I don't know." Then Tallyn said "remember when that girl took out her piercings during your final prayer? "Yeah that's a good one. In Lo Prado after Elder Holland came to visit our mission and talked mainly about how we should leave our investiagtors "astonished." Then we gave a lesson with 2 ladies and right when we finished they said "we are astonished!" That was cool they used those exact words haha."

What will you miss most about Chile? Without hesitation Elder Jenson said, "Being a missionary and the homemade bread. The bread here is incredible. I pay 20 cents for a huge piece of bread..sooo good."

Elder Jenson said,"Elder Richardson and I are going to the judge this week to get a date for our new investigaors to get married and will also meet with President Essig twice. Once for an office meeting and the last one on Monday before I head to the airport. 12 missionaries are going home with me. We will all be on the same flight to Atlanta then I'm the only one flying to Denver."

Tarryn said, "This is the last time you will be on that side of the computer. It will be so awesome to see you in 9 days at DIA." (and then showed Elder Jenson our 9 day countdown picture chart we have). Tallyn quickly said, "Hey Tan you get to take down the last tie." Elder Jenson smiled.

Elder Richardson, Elder Norton and Elder Jenson singing God Be With You Till We Meet Again in Spanish (Para siempre Dios este con vos)

 

Our time was about up. We asked Elder Jenson if he would sing us a hymn in Spanish and he said "sure let me get some other Elders." Within a minute we had Elder Richardson (Elder Jenson's companion), Elder Norton (mission Historian) and Elder Egg (mission Finance) sing to our family Para siempre Dios este con vos (Hma Stanger, the mission secretary, came in to listen). The spirit was strong as tears flowed seeing Elder's share their testimony's in song. A memory that our family will never forget.

Just as we were about to say goodbye Elder Jenson said, "Anything you want from Chile?" Almost in unison we said "YOU!" Elder Jenson had one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen knowing he would be reunited with his family in a few days. We closed by saying, "Te Amo Mundos!" To which Elder Jenson replied, "Te Amo Mundos!"

BAUTISMO!!!!

May 10, 2014

Sup Brothas and Sistas,

First things first........RUDY WAS BAPTIZED ON SUNDAY!!!! It was literally incredible! After his baptism, he stood in front of all in attendance and bore an incredible testimony saying that he knew that this was the true church of Jesus Christ. Tears filled my eyes as I listened to this incredible miracle that had just occurred. I love this work so much!!

Elder Richardson, Rudy, Jacob and Elder Jenson at Rudy's baptism May 4, 2014. Rudy was baptized by Jacob who is a recent convert of 4 months. It was so awesome to prepare and then see Jacob fellowship and baptize Rudy! 

Elder Richardson and I have had a hectic week once again here in the office with tons of interviews Monday through Friday in different zones throughout the mission. It's been pretty cool to be able to tour the whole mission various times and getting to know everything especially all the sectors I haven't served in. There have been some great area books and some pitiful ones.....well, I guess that's why Elder Richardson and I revised them.

Soooooo we're going to Skype tomorrow at 5 pm my time and 3 pm your time so I won't make this letter too extensive, but I will let you all know that Elder Richardson and I had the biggest adventure of my entire mission and maybe my entire life yesterday after interviews in Los Andes. It was literally INSANE what happened. To make a long story short, the finance Elder in the office told Elder Richardson and I to put in the wrong type of gas. We were supposed to put in Diesel. Obviously after we left the gas station the engine started to cough and jerk around the car and then the car just turned off after we stopped. Well, that happened around 4 pm. We proceeded to find a way to fix the problem and on top of all of this Elder Richardson and I had two Sister missionaries with us (one of the Sisters was sick so we were giving them a ride back to their sector so they didn't have to take the bus). We called the Zone Leaders in Los Andes and had them come over and help us push the car back to the gas station (3 blocks away). The gas station had one mechanic there and after looking at the car for an hour said he tried to drain the gas tank but he couldn't do it (and during that whole process the mechanic tried to suck the gas out using some machine and I was right next to where you put the gas in and all of a sudden the gas shot out of the hole where you put the gas and I got a gasoline shower ( my suit, tie and white shirt are now ruined). After trying, the mechanic told us he couldn't help us and had no idea how to drain the gas tank full of the wrong fuel. So the Zone leaders called their Bishop who knows a little bit about mechanics (but not much) and he said he wasn't in Los Andes right now and wouldn't be able to help for another hour......by this time it was 630pm. Right about this time, the gear shifter locked up so we couldn't put the car back into neutral to push it somewhere else. We spent the time waiting for the Bishop reading the manual and after awhile I figured out how to unblock the gears so we could put the car in neutral and get it out of the gas station. By this time the Bishop said he was closer and could come and help us out. The Bishop had a 10 foot rope so we hooked our car up to his and Bishop towed us all the way to his house. I was driving with the Sisters, the Zone leaders and my companion in the van. Just imagine I'm being towed and am so close to the Bishop's car, have no power steering and the brake isn't working because the car isn't on so I'm using the emergency break every time Bishop brakes. We eventually make it safe to the Bishop's house where he said he would see what he could do. Bishop gets out this compressor that you forcefully use to put air in your car tires and also used a little tube that he had and sucked out all the gas that was in the tank!! We had probably taken out like 1/4 of the gas and it stopped working. After another hour of trying to put the tube in right to find the rest of the gas (8:30 pm), the Sisters said it would be best that they take a bus now so they could get to their sector by 10 pm, our curfew. Right when the Sisters said that, the Bishop found where he needed to put the tube to suck the gas out and put the gas in these huge bottles he had. Well, after about another 45 minutes, all the gas was sucked out of the tank. Now we had to worry about how we were going to get the gas out of the engine. The Bishop had 20 liters of Diesel gas with him and put this in the tank, looked under the hood and took off the two tubes that go to the engine. Bishop then hooked up two empty bottles to the tubes to retrieve the 97 gas that was put in the engine. We all were hoping that after revving the engine for awhile all the gas would come out and the Diesel would start coming through the tubes. We tried it the first time....and wha da ya know....the battery was dead. Soooooo the Bishop looked in his tools and found a battery charger and we charged the battery. We charged the battery for awhile and then I revved the engine while the bad gas started to fill the bottles. We did this about 6 times until we cleaned out the engine. Then we hooked up the tubes again to the engine so the Diesel could now flow through the engine hoping and praying it would work and the car would start up. Well, after 4 tries, the car finally started up! By this time it was 10 pm and we were still in Los Andes and had to drive the Sisters up to their sector and then drive back to Santiago. We thanked the Bishop so many times for his incredible service and then said a prayer all together to thank The Lord for his help. We then proceeded to put the car in drive and it purrrrred like a kitten all the way to Santa Maria to drop off the Sisters and  then back to Santiago. Elder Richardson and I got home around 12:15 am  to the office and after eating something, taking a shower to get all the gas off my body (I smelled like a real man) and gettin to bed, it was after 2 am. I'M NEVER PUTTING THE WRONG GAS IN A CAR AGAIN!!!!! That was an experience I'll never forget!

Highlights/Thoughts for the week:

Thanks for all the photos you sent today! I loved seeing them. It's always great to see you guys each week and see what you're all doin :)

That's cool about the event on Saturday and the Homecoming talk on Sunday

It will be awesome to be back with the family!

I'm glad you wrote Sis Essig mom. It's incredible how much she and President do for us.

Hermana Stanger is part of the office too. I sit like 10 feet away from her on my computer and we talk all the time. I just read her that part of the email you sent me about her and she told me to tell you hi as well.

I can't wait for you to meet all my converts and friends in Chile! Mornings all the cool things in Santiago and then afternoons/evenings we can go to the houses of members and converts I've had on my mission.

For sure going to the Santiago temple with you and dad!

Usually on Mother's Day you have to end your calls at 5pm as a mission rule, but I talked with President and he said I could right away. We're good for 5pm!

Wow so awesome to hear from members and converts this week! Dabne is Francisco's mom (one of my converts in Lo Prado). She' awesome. Janina was one of my investigators that never got baptized in Vespucio but I love that family. Carola is the Branch President's daughter in Jose Miguel Infante, my first area.

Seeing Rudy in white!

Rudy's baptism May 4, 2014 Recoleta Chile

Hope you liked the interesting story for the week. Can't wait to talk to the fam tomorrow. Hope everyone has an awesome week!!

10 day countdown-Te Amo Mundos!

Nos estaremos viendo pronto. Les quiero a cada uno de ustedes. Que disfruten esta semana y tengan  experiencias espirituales que les fortalecen la fe.

Con  mucho amor,
Elder Jenson

"Livin my mission til the last moment!"

May 3, 2014

How's it going everyone?

This week has been CRAZY!! Elder Richardson and I have had tons to do. So usually this week when there's a change there's a "Zone Training Conference" where President Essig and the AP's teach the Zone Leaders only and then in turn they teach it to their Zone the coming week. Well, President felt like we needed to change that up a little bit and decided the following........President felt that he and Elder Richardson and I should be teaching the whole mission these important subjects instead of just the Zone Leaders and then having them teach their Zones these principles. So that's what we did! We had two huge half-mission conferences for four hours each where 5 Zones came to Independencia and the other 5 Zones came to a conference in Pudahuel. The first day there were about 125 missionaries present and the second day there were about 107 missionaries present. I had never taught so many missionaries at once. It was very interesting, but awesome! President taught on how to increase the "real growth" in sacrament meetings (meaning instead of baptizing and then having them fall away helping them stay firm so the attendance in sacrament meeting goes up over time instead of staying the same or going down). In Chile 10% of the members are active. That's something we are working on so we can help these people come back to church and stay active as powerful leaders in the church. President gave a great lesson on this. Also, we as AP's taught on how to ask members for referrals. We identified 4 necessary steps to take so that that process would come out successful. I have attached the paper we handed out to the mission as a reference for this. Well, you'll probably have to translate it since it's in Spanish. Hope you can understand it :) We received a lot of positive feedback and many good comments about how good our lesson was. That made Elder Richardson and I feel good hoping it helped out a lot of missionaries in that process. Oh! We also had a hilarious video about how not to ask for referrals from the members and that was a hit as well. Batman was the member haha. You'll get to see it in just a few weeks!

The other thing that Elder Richardson and I are doing each day of the week now is accompanying President to all of the quarterly interviews every day he is doing in the different zones. During the interviews with each missionary in the zone, President has asked us to revise their Area Books and also their Agendas to make sure that all is in order in that aspect. I have seen old Area Books where I have made forms and things like that. I have also attached two more forms that's basically our grading system with these Area Books and Agendas. It helps us see how well they are done.

Rudy our investigator is getting baptized tomorrow!!!! Rudy does have to have a special interview tomorrow morning and President Essig is going to do that. If and when Rudy passes that interview, he will be baptized at 130pm tomorrow!! I'm so excited for Rudy and his rapid progress in these last few weeks. It's truly a miracle that he's going to be baptized. Elder Richardson and I have so much to do here in the office with almost no time to work in the field. To have a baptism right before I finish my mission is really going to be something special. He's such a stud! Pray for him please so that everything goes well in his interview so his baptism can happen.


Highlights/Thoughts of the week

Wow, that's pretty crazy to see Elder Hansen! Looks like he's matured quite a bit.

Homecoming sounds like a great plan to me. Will be fun to see everyone again!

Girls look very good!

Haha I'm sick of walking!

Having an office pizza party!

Elder Richardson, Elder Jenson, Sister Condie, President Essig, Elder Gomez and Sister Essig enjoying some super sweet pizza to celebrate all of our hard work :)

I got a letter from mom...a hand written one. The one that said Called to Serve Chile Santiago North. Thanks for your kind words!

Thanks for figuring out housing mama. I think that about covers it :) Thanks for everything!

Do you think we can do our Mother's Day call at 5pm Chile time? That would be 3pm your time.

You better believe I'll be livin my mission til the last moment!! Speaking of finishing my mission....when will I be released as a missionary?

 

Thanks for all of your prayers! They are felt. Hope you all have an incredible week. I'll be engaged in lots of interviews and revisions. Elder Richardson and I get to go to the country part of our mission this week! I'm excited.

Love,
Elder Jenson

"If only they knew..."

April 24, 2014

(*P-day is today because this whole week our mission is going to the temple. Our day was today! :) )

Elder Jenson at the Chile SantiagoTemple April 24, 2014

Wow!!!

I was able to go to the temple today and it was AMAZING! I loved the new session that was presented and the Spirit is always so strong in the House of The Lord. It was so peaceful and the spirit illuminated my mind throughout the whole session reminding me of the incredible teachings I had learned about the temple before my mission and also learning many new things as I paid close attention to all that was said. It was cool to hear it in Spanish as I understood everything. There were a few parts in the session that were tear jerkers for me. The peace felt in the temple is indescribable. I know why The Lord specifically told me in my patriarchal blessing that I would love my experiences in the temple. I have already had quite a few memorable ones and know that there will be a constant flow of them throughout my life.

Hna Stanger, Elder Norton, Elder Rhees, Elder Jenson, Elder Egg, Elder Gomez and Elder Richardson at the Santiago Temple April 24, 2014

There is something that I always think about though each time I feel the Spirit in such a great amount and then walk outside into the world again and see people smoking, drinking, women with little clothing on and swear words flyin all over the place. There are so many people out there that are wondering what they have to do in this life and have NO vision of how things really are, revealed by the Spirit of God. I then move on to my next thought that is "If only they knew..." If only they knew the incredible message that I have dedicated these past two years to declare. If only they knew about the Spirit so strongly felt in this temple this day. If only they knew what I know now. I testify to each of you that I know that God lives and that He has a plan for each and every one of us. There is a purpose to this life and He has blessed us with that knowledge TODAY through the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My testimony is my biggest treasure. I wouldn't trade it for gold, silver, plasma screen TV's, millions of dollars, iPads or a Ferrari. Not a chance! I am incredibly grateful for this knowledge that my Father in Heaven has blessed me with and thank Him for it often. I love Him.

Companions Elder Jenson and Elder Richardson at the Santiago Temple April 24, 2014

On to the next subject.....Rudy is doing so well. He is progressing tons. Rudy went to church again this past Sunday and has been reading the Book of Mormon daily. He is now in Jacob 6. Rudy's baptismal date stands as the 4 th of May. Please pray for Rudy so he will be able to make it to this day and make his first covenant with our Heavenly Father to serve Him forever.

Thoughts/ Highlights of the week

Tal and Dad good to see you two working together in the office.

Love you tons Tar!

I'm happy to take room #4!

Treating ourselves to McDonalds after our temple session. It was sweet!

Getting a few letters from my converts! :)

Hearing from the Morales Family and getting a baptismal picture. I don't know if you remember Tamera from Lo Prado. She is part of the Morales Family that got baptized in Lo Prado just before I left. So I got a letter from her and the Fam Morales saying that they have loved getting my letters (I've written them 2-3 times) and are doing awsome. They testified to me once again of the incredible blessings they have received and how the gospel has changed their lives forever. With the letter, Tamera sent me a photo of her baptism that happened three weeks after I left. Elder Anderson and Elder Hicks were the missionaries in the sector. Elder Anderson was one of my comps in Lo Prado if you remember. SO AWESOME!

Thanks for all your support and prayers!

Going to the temple and seeing a really good missionary friend Elder Bennett from Morgan, Utah.

I hope you all have a great week and can feel of the Spirit and His guidance.

Love,
Elder Jenson

Always put God first!

April 19, 2014

Hey Everyone!

So I've been meaning to tell you the past 5 weeks about something so sweet!!! It's about the Morales family that got baptized in Lo Prado right before I left! So, Tamera, Patricia's daughter, got baptized on her original date we had set with her! That was less than three weeks after I left Lo Prado. I was so excited when I saw that in our mission news! That means that Gabriel (Gabriel's dad and Miriam's wife) is the only one that's left to get baptized in the family! The missionaries are still working with Gabriel. Gabriel (son 15 yr old) received the Priesthood a few weeks ago as well!!!! Gabriel is really excited and goes to seminary now every day. He's gonna be one stellar missionary one day. The Bishop is working on callings and assignments for each member of the family right now and continues to help them with their progression. The whole family is also opening their mouths and inviting others to come and see what they have seen and experienced. The missionaries are teaching the Morales's neighbors now as well about this incredible gospel. The Morales Family is really on fire!!! I'm so proud of them I can't even see straight!!

I also got a letter from Sergio about 2 weeks ago. He said he's doing really well and is still the Young Men's President in Vespucio. According to the missionaries in the sector, Sergio and Danitza are taking the temple classes. Danitza is active and is teaching a class but I can't remember what her calling in the church is at this moment. Susana, the other sister who was baptized 6 days after I left Vespucio, has written me several times since Elder Cambroni and I taught her all of the lessons for baptism. Susanna says that she is doing well but has been a little less active in attending church. Susanna tells me she has a huge testimony of the gospel and keeps participating in FHE and other activities. Susana promises that soon she will be back on track and attending every Sunday. I send her motivational letters often to help her.

I have been in contact with the Elders in El Salto as well and was told by the missionaries that Paloma hasn't gone to church for awhile due to health reasons and has been in the hospital a lot. Paloma got out of the hospital and is now ok. After a few weeks of recovery, Paloma has been to church and the Young Women are helping her with her transition into activity in the church. I don't think I told you this but Esteban hasn't been attending church regularly because his mom Katherine doesn't want him to. Katherine is learning about the importance of the Law of Chastity as well as Tithing. Esteban is totally in agreement with the Law of Chastity and Tithing and continues to study the scriptures. It's extremely saddening to me when people choose the worlds teachings before God. I'm praying for Esteban so he can be strong through these years. When we come back to Chile, we need to pass by their home and visit them! Viviana is doing so well. She is serving as the Primary Secretary in El Salto and loving it. I'm so proud of her and her progress.

Erika from Simon Bolivar is doing really well. She goes to church with Crystal, her 19 year old daughter, that got baptized 2 months after I left that ward. They love going to church and are strong.


Thoughts/ Highlights of the week

Thanks for the help with my classes. I'm sure all will be fine.

As far as new investigators go we have a sweet one  that is really progressing now and his name is Rudy. The missionaries taught him not long ago. Rudy has a firm testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. Rudy's main doubt was that he wanted to read the whole Book of Mormon before getting baptized so he could know everything first. Well, Elder Richardson and I have made great friends with Rudy and have gained his trust and he now has a baptismal date for the 4 th of May. Rudy's going to go to church with us again tomorrow and continue his progress towards baptism.

The first few days I get back are going to be chaos. Let's do doctor and license stuff after we get back from Chile in June.

Mom touch base with Brennan on apartment and my thoughts

Great to see Tay taking down 23rd month flag! Nice. You know who's taking down the last flag right? me :)  Love u!

Thanks for your support and love throughout my mission. 1 month to go!


That's all I have time for! Hope you all have a great week! Happy Easter!

Love,
Elder Jenson

The Lord will provide!

April 12, 2014

This weeks letter is gonna be a little shorter since I have a huge headache and I just want to lay down and take a nap.

This week was a really crazy week going and picking up the new missionaries from the CCM and then training them, teaching the new missionaries again on Friday and then on Thursday teaching the second group of newest missionaries a little more. It was hectic just like my first week here in the office. Today is a much needed P-day!

Wasn't General Conference awesome! I love the spirit I felt. That's one of the best things about General Conference for me. Just to be able to take a huge break from the whole week and feel the Spirit really strong to help you gain the vision again to be able to work really hard the next week. I really loved Elder Holland (as always) and Elder Oaks talks. They were really powerful.

We had 3 investigators that came to Conference and every one of them were progressing! That was really awesome for Elder Richardson and I because we have so much to do we can't dedicate all of our time to our investigators but they still came! Our three investigators that came are Natalia, Esteban and Susana. All three said they could feel something special while they were at Conference. Hopefully this catapults them to salvation!!!!

Highlights/Thoughts of the week

My new companion is Elder Richardson. I'm now Assistant number 1. It's going to be a really fun change!! Elder Richardson goes home a month after me. He's from Arizona.

Thanks Tal for your letter! I love you so much!

Elder Rodriguez left at 4pm our time on Monday. We had missionaries in Los Andes send us rootbeer cuz there's one supermarket that carries rootbeer up there. We had rootbeer floats for Elder Rodriguez's going away party!! It was pretty intense.

I received mom's handwritten letter today! Thanks for that. I also got Nana's package from Hawaii. Those treats were gone within a couple of hours...haha

I have like 5 phone cards mom...haha. I think you sent me like 4 too many :)

Say congrats to Uncle Mike and his family for me for the good news ( baby girl)!

We can just plan on bringing stuff back to Chile when we come back to give to friends, converts, members etc.

Tell Dad we receive talks from the General Authority's already translated in Spanish.The translator for the General Conference talks is built in. The speaker just reads and says their talk as it goes on.

Sick 63 for Seokwon. Atta kid takin it low!

Mama can you change my dental appt to a little later please. I'm going to need some rest after you take me home on a stretcher from the airport after such hard work for 2 years.


This week will be a little more calm with more time for Elder Richardson and I to work in our sector  with our converts and investigators. I'm excited to get back in our sector and teach. I miss that. I hope you all have a great week. Talk to you next week!

The Lord will provide!

Love,
Elder Jenson

"The Lord needs YOU!"

April 3, 2014

I thought Elder Rodriguez and I were going to write tomorrow but Elder Rodriguez is going to the temple tomorrow with the group of missionaries who are going home on Monday. Elder Rodriguez won't get back til later so we couldn't take our P-day tomorrow. Hope all is well! Love you!

Yo!

 

Elder Jenson and Kevin, his very first convert, see eachother after 18 months on an exchange Elder Jenson had this week with Elder Bruna. "We went nuts when we saw eachother!"

This week was a little bit more chill but life is always crazy in the office. Elder Rodriguez and I were able to do 3 exchanges this week. I was able to be with Elder Bruna in Valle de Azapa 2 (the old Jose Miguel Infante 3) and Elder Munoz and Elder Egg in Gambino. It was fun to work with them and help them out in their sectors. The best part of my week was with Elder Bruna in Valle de Azapa. I was able to see and teach my old convert Kevin and his family and see a few members there. The members I was able to spend time with were the Caballero's, Hermano Toro (the new Bishop) and Stanley. I told the Caballero family that I was coming back to Chile and they got pretty excited. The Caballero's want us to come back to their house when we pass by the ward together next month. I'm excited! Susanna and Jose Luis (Kevin's parents) are going to have a serious conversation about getting married so they can be baptized soon! Kevin will be 16 next month so he will be able to baptize the rest of his family.What a day that will be!! Another forever family in the church! Nothing better than that!

Elder Rodriguez and I should have a few investigators attend General Conference this week. Susana and Esteban are doing really well and are progressing. Great lesson with them this week. Susana and Esteban have a baptismal date set for the 27 of April. They will need to get married first to make that date but we believe they will make it! Susana and Esteban committed themselves to go to church and attend General Conference. That will be powerful for them to listen to the prophets voice and hear his council. I'll put my money on the prophet :) Natalia will also be going to Conference this weekend. I know if she goes with the right mentality, Natalia will receive her answer that this is the true church of Christ.

Highlights/Thoughts of the week

SEEING KEVIN AND HIS FAMILY and visiting Jose Miguel Infante my first sector in my mission! We all went nuts when we saw eachother :) Kevin has grown a ton and is my height now. So cool that Kevin will be able to baptize his little sister Kata who turns 8 next month!

Kevin's Family from L to R: Jose Luis (father), Elder Bruna, Susana (mother), Elder Jenson, Kevin and sister Kata. 

For P-day today we went to Cerro Santa Lucia. It's this hill that's smack dab in the center of Santiago. There's a sweet cannon there so we took a picture of us with Santiago as the backdrop. It was niceeeee!

Elder Rodriguez, Elder Rhees (Mission Historian), Elder Gomez (Mission Financier) and Elder Jenson April 3, 2014

Elder Rodriguez leaves to go home on Monday. We will probably have a "party" for him. Still figuring that out.

Elder Rodriguez and I are going to the Stake Center in Independencia to watch General Conference this weekend. I'm not sure where President and Sister Essig are going.

Thanks for the Florida pictures. Tarryn and Tallyn are growing up soooo fast!

There was a really big earthquake that happened a few days ago....there was a tsunami as well that made a pretty big mess. All food is like 10 times the original amount in the areas hit...it's nuts.

Transfers are this next Monday! I'm excited to see who my new companion will be. It will be interesting.

I got a personal letter from Mom this week that was really awesome! Thanks for the letters and support :)

In my personal scripture study I've been studying Jesus the Christ and the Doctrine and Covenants. The scriptures are so awesome!

Elder Rodriguez and I finished Zone Conferences last week so this week was a little more "free"!

The Flores family is excited to meet you. They were like...we want you to stay with us for the whole week you're here!! Haha that was cool.

I'm adjusting to the AP schedule. I'm pretty used to it now.


 I'm lovin every moment of this work! There's nothing better than serving the Lord....like literally nothing! Sometimes I wish I could do this forever! The millennium is gonna be sweet! Tay, you gotta get goin on your papers man. The sooner the better brotha!! Your testimony is going to explode!

I hope you all have a great week. The Lord needs YOU!! Suit up for Him this week!

Love,
Elder Jenson