Love the Lord thy God

January 27, 2014

Hey Everyone!

 

Elder Jenson celebrating his 21st birthday in Lo Prado 2 on January 22, 2014

I don't have much time today since I had to use the time on the computer today for other things that have to do with the work here in the sector but I want t to let everyone know that I had a pretty sweet birthday here in LoPrado. It was fun to make the cake that the fam sent me and eat it right away. Some of the members found out that it was my bday and gave me presents as well. It was really nice of them.

We had 10 investigators in church!!!!! That was a goal that I've had for a really long time as most know. For the Lord to finally give that blessing to me was such a huge miracle. I surely could not have been able to do that on my own. We had a sweet week this week finding the Lords chosen children. We were able to find another 16 new investigators. We now have 14 people with a baptismal date (see sector map).

 

This is our sector map with the streets. Top left part of the sector is where we are focusing our efforts (outlined in green). Here's a legend that might help you with the meanings: red: active members, blue: less active members, green: investigators and orange lines mark streets we've already knocked on.

That is pretty crazy to see the progress of so many people in this sector. It's literally incredible how much the Lord is blessing us right now. I couldn't be happier! That's what happens when you put Him over everything else in your life....pure blessings. To see some missionaries not even care about some of the rules and trying to "get away with" doing some stupid stuff is baffling to me. Many of the missionaries don't realize the importance of keeping rules and in the end the blessings that the Lord is restraining. I'm glad I understand the Lords first and great commandment...Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.

 

Updated picture of our whole sector map. You can see all of the people we are teaching. The bottom part are the recent converts that have been baptized since I've been here. We have 14 people that have a baptismal date for the 16th and 23rd of Feb and the 2nd of March. Lots of blessings :)

INVESTIGATORS WITH BAPTISMAL DATE:

16th of FEB:

*Patricia
*Miriam
*Gabriel
Iris
Dabne

23rd of FEB:

Sindy
*Nicolas
Paola
Paola

2nd of MARCH:

Raul
Cristian
Beatriz
Jose
Magarita

*Those that went to church yesterday

The investigators that went to church that don't have a baptismal date are:

Carlos
Yennifer
Silvana
Francisco
Marisol
Natalia

Please pray for these investigators by name. I have been able to feel the prayers from the United States. Thanks for all of them!!!!


Highlights/Thoughts for the week:

I think that's a great idea to have mom and dad come back with me to Chile in May. I'm excited for that.

Almost done with the essays...I'll send them next week. Don't worry about it.

No, I'm not on any medication for the cyst. It just makes my teeth hurt every once in a while. It's not a big thing at all.

Looking good girls!! Crazy I'll be with you guys in less than 4 months!

I'm sure that was a cool experience seeing Sister Hansen come home this week from her mission.

Make sure Bus Stat class I took is valid and I don't have to take it again :)

Helping Anllelina move this week. We helped her transition into the Pudahuel Ward which is the ward right next to us. The new missionaries are in frequent contact with her.

Loved all the family and friend bday balloons, letters and packages. Meant alot to hear from everyone.

GO BRONCOS!!!! Hopefully you hear my cheers this week all the way from Chile!!! Can't believe while I'm gone on my mish the Broncos acquire Peyton Manning and they're in the Superbowl....go figure

Thanks for all you do mom and dad....seriously! Thanks for everything! Love you both so much!


As you can tell it was a great birthday week! I'm grateful for all that I have and especially for the experiences that I've been able to live on my mission. There's nothing that can replace them.

Love,

Elder Jenson

Blessed to the brim!

January 20, 2014

Hey Family and Friends!

This week was pretty sweet!!! We had some really great follow up lessons with a lot of those new investigators from the past few weeks. It's pretty tough with all of the vacations that are going on in Chile right now. Sometimes your investigators go on vacation for a month and you're just like uhhhhh ya ok...then you search for more investigators and after a few weeks they go on vacation for a month and you're like uhhhhh...but that's ok!! If you're working your hardest and giving it you're all, that's what the Lord wants and He's pleased with what you do!

We were able to teach 33 lessons this week!!! Our agendas were literally full to the brim. We were running to appointments in some cases to have enough time to get all of our visits done. I'm pretty sure that more than 5 times this week my body was just screaming at me to stop, but since my love for the Lord is much more than what my body wants me to do, I kept going. All for the Lord!!

Remember Paola (mom) and Paola (daughter)?? Paola (mom) told us that she got her answer this week that this is all true!!! She is on fire, but wasn't able to come to church this week because she wasn't feelin that hot. We passed by her house yesterday and she's like "I'm for sure going to church this week with my daughter!! You can count on it! I'm getting baptized on February 23rd!!" There's nothing better than those moments on a mission.

Francisco Millapan was finally confirmd a member of the church!!! He came back from vacation and was able to be confirmed. That was really great for him because he said that he felt the Spirit really strong and it motivated him even more to keep coming to church and read the scriptures.

We've got 10 people with a baptismal date now in the month of February. There's a lot of really great people that are taking the steps necessary to be able to be baptized in a few weeks. The Lord is blessing us to the brim!!!

Thoughts/Highlights of the week:

There are now only 9 baptizers in the mission since there are only 9 zones in the mission now with the changes. Yes, I'm still a baptizer.

Thanks for staying on top of it with the housing and scholarship dates

Tar and Tal look really grown up! Good for them

Lookin good Tay!

Get with Coach J!

Went to the dentist this week for some pain I've been having but no cavities (blessing!) just a small cyst on my left cheek that is probably causing the pain. Dentist did x-rays and said it wasn't anything big. I kept the x-rays and report from the visit. Love you mom and dad so much!!!

No packages or letters due to changes this week. Waiting for mail tomorrow and to open my b-day packages on Wed :)

Go Broncos and Manning! I want a large Superbowl t-shirt :)

I've been thinking about what I want to do when I'm done with my mission. I think I want to come home normally and then come back with either the family or just mom and dad for like a week. I'll probably arrive on Tuesday the 20th of May and then we could get back on a flight in about a week to Chile.

Thanks for your love and support. I love you all so much.

I hope you all have a really great week! I'll have one of the best birthdays ever here on my mission this Wednesday serving our Savior Jesus Christ!!

Love you all!!

Elder Jenson

"I will love Him forever"

January 13, 2014

New companions in Lo Prado 2: Elder Anderson, Elder Cheshire and Elder Jenson January 13, 2014 

Sooooo....After 5 1/2 months here in Lo Prado 2 the Lord still wants me to stay here and further His work in this sector!! I'm so excited I can barely see straight!!! I've really been able to make a lot of friends here in Lo Prado and I didn't want to leave. Very excited that I can stay here...by the end of this change, I'll have completed 7 months in this sector! Everyone was just laughing since Elder Paiva and Elder Jorge left the sector after just being here for 6 weeks. Now I have two new companions. My companions' names are Elder Cheshire and Elder Anderson. Elder Cheshire is from Murray, UT and Elder Anderson is from Missouri. They both have been in the field for 14 months, so it will be good that they have some experience. Elder Cheshire is the other Zone Leader and we'll be workin our tails off.

Lots of our investigators that we have been working with have left on vacation...some for a month or longer and some for a few weeks. It was really sad to see them go since I have come to love them a lot. We have left them with calendars so they can keep reading, praying and going to church on their vacation. We will keep in contact with our investigators during this time and verify how they are doing with their commitments with the Lord. Some of our investigators will come home and be able to be baptized after a few more short weeks of preparation.

 

 

Joan and Elder Jenson at church January 12, 2014

Since a lot of our investigators have been out of town, one of our main focuses has been FINDING. The Lord has blessed us so much with 17 more new investigators this last week!! That makes 35 new investigators in two weeks!!!! There are a lot of great investigators that the Lord has put in our path to teach and we are ecstatic about that!! Some of our investigators are really progressing fast by reading and praying. We are really going to talk about the blessing about coming to church this week so our investigators can have that vision and accompany us to the Lord's church!


I want to share an incredible story of a mom and daughter both named Paola that happened yesterday afternoon....To give you a little background, on Friday we did exchanges and what do you know, Elder Cheshire came to my sector since he was in my Zone and I hadn't done an exchange with him yet this change to teach him a little bit more how to baptize. During this exchange, 14 newbies from the MTC here in Chile came to our Zone to do exchanges with most of the companionships even before getting into the field so they could know what to expect when their time came. Each of us (Elder Jorge, Elder Cheshire and I) took a newbie to our sector and we did divisions as 3 normal companionships of 2 (I was with Elder Smith just so you know mom :). During those three hours of exchanges we did an array of things like contacting and visiting investigators and less actives. Elder Cheshire, in those three hours, was able to knock a few doors and talked with Paola (daughter). Elder Cheshire set up an appointment for Sunday so we could come back and visit them...Come Sunday we had on our agenda someone named Paola and had no idea what was about to happen (usually the contacts in the street that tell you to come back another day are never home or just wanted you to stop talking to them, so we didn't think much of anything about this appointment with Paola). We got to the door and Paola (mom) was outside painting her fence and Elder Paiva was like...let me help you with that. I started talking with Paola and she' like come on in!!! We're like uhhhhhhh ya!! We got into the house, met Paola (daughter) and the mom started to tell us this incredible story. Paola said that about 2 months ago her best friend from Renca was baptized (Gema). Paola said that 4 times in these past few months she has visited Gema in Renca, the missionaries have been there and have been able to teach her, as well as her daughter, the Gospel. Paola said that she had already read part of the Book of Mormon as well as her daughter and that they had gone to activities at the church in Renca and loved it! I was like in shock as I was listening to this by the way...Paola then aked us if there was a church closer by. We're like...ya, it's like a 10 minute walk from your house. They're like really?!?! We explained where it was. They said they had seen the church tons of times but hadn't realized it was our church. The next question was sick...Can we come to this closer church on Sunday with you guys?? We were like YA!!! We talked about what they had learned with the other missionaries and what they had been able to read in the Book of Mormon and then talked about baptism. We invited them both to be baptized and they accepted!! The mom was like YA!! I want to do it!! I can receive the Spirit! They are now preparing to be baptized the 23rd of February. I think they can be baptized sooner if they keep their commitments from the beginning! The Lord put that blessing on a silver platter and handed it right to us!!!! I'm so excited for them.

The Lord continues to do MIRACLES through us here in Lo Prado 2 as we found Paola and Paola yesterday!

Elder Jorge, Elder Jenson, Paola, Paola and Elder Paiva January 12, 2014

Thoughts/Highlights for the week:

Tell Papa thanks for the picts of the Sony Open. Love em!

Being here in Lo Prado 2 with 2 new companions ! :)

Sounds like you had fun visiting Tay. Good luck Tay!

Love you Dad! You're a stud.

Thanks for the help on the Drivers license renewal

Ending my exchange with Elder Jorge and Elder Paiva by teaching our progressing investigators!

 

Elder Paiva, Fernanda (Silvanas friend), Beti (Silvanas mom), Silvana, Elder Jenson and Elder Jorge on their last day as companions January 12, 2014

I can't say much more than this is the Lord's work! He is at the head of His Church. He loves us and has provided us a way to return to live with Him again someday. I will love Him forever for this. It's allllllll worth it to live the gospel.

I hope you all have an incredible week! Thank-you so much for your prayers and support.

Love,

Elder Jenson

"I will not deny the Christ!"

January 6, 2014

Happy New Year!!!

LOS TRES NEFITAS!! (THE THREE NEPHITES!!)

Elder Jenson, Elder Jorge and Elder Paiva

It's 2014 and I can't believe it!! 2013 was my whole year as a missionary and it was really cool to look back and remember all of the experiences I had as a missionary serving the Lord. I looked back in my journals and read lots of really cool experiences that were awesome reminders that this is the true church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Miracles upon miracles upon miracles have happened right before my eyes and I can say, just as Moroni said, "I will not deny the Christ!" (Moroni 1:3) That is one of my most favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon. Moroni had soooo much faith and was willing to be put to death just as other amazing prophets before denying our Redeemer.

1 "...I make not myself known to the Lamanites lest they should destroy me.
2 For behold, their wars are exceedingly fierce among themelves; and because of their hatred they put to death every Nephite that will not deny the Christ.
3 And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ..."

Our Zone Activity on Christmas Day 2013 in Lo Pado 2. Our gift to Christ "tree"!

 



Javiera was confirmed a member of the church this week and was given the gift of the Holy Ghost!! That is so awesome. There's never words to describe how much happiness I feel after working your tail off with our investigators and then see them baptized and confirmed members of the church. The church is true!!!

 

"I love our investigators!" Christmas Eve dinner with our investigators Beti, (Beti's mom who came up from Southern Chile to be with them), Silvana, Elder Jenson and his companions Elder Paiva and Elder Jorge

 

Our focus right now in our sector is FINDING! We have had tons of success here in the past few months, but our investigator pool is a little bit lower...well, that was until we took out the trash this week and found some! We found 18 new investigators this week! That was literally sooo awesome and if you can believe this, we only had 4 new investigators going into Saturday! My companions and I started to fast on Saturday begging the Lord for His help and that day we found 11....yes 11 new investigators in one day!!! That's so incredible. 4 of the 11 are a family of 6 and are of baptismal age (Louis (dad), Pabla (mom), Diego (12), Salome (9) and two little ones). Another 6 of our new investigators came from a huge family of 15 (mixed with cousins, aunts,uncles etc.) who were available for us to share them a message! The other investigator we found was someone named Ana and we shared a message with her too. It was literally incredible to be able to fast and right off the bat on the first day find TONS of new people to teach. On Sunday, my companions and I also found 3 more investigators. One of them was such a miracle!! Her name is Katherine and she's 20 yrs old. Katherine told us that she saw a movie with the missionaries in it and she started to explain to us the movie and it's "The Other Side of Heaven"!! A great and funny missionary movie! Don't have a clue how she saw this movie but it let us in her home! :) We shared the Restoration with her and left her the Book of Mormon. Katherine's gonna read and pray about it! Katherine also told us that she wants to come to church on Sunday with us to see what it's like!! GOLD! We had about 5 solid investigators coming up to this point ( a lot of times people let you just pass by their house and share a message but they're not solid investigators who really want to progress and have intentions to be baptized). We hope to help all of these investigators that the Lord put in our path this week progress towards baptism!

Thoughts/Highlights of the week:

Presidente Lopez is in our ward and he's Bishop Cortes' father in law. He's the second counselor in the Stake Presidency.

We were able to see the fireworks off the cerro Renca for New Years! President let us stay up to see the fireworks which was kind of him :)

We haven't really practiced a lot of sign language this week because Matias is working now and he works on Saturdays. We just practice in the house but it's really not enough. We'll see how it goes.

Transfers are next week, the 13th of January. I told President that I wanted to stay here in Lo Prado 2 for one more change

Ya, I'm all in for being with Brennan at USU

Looks like you had a great time in Cali. Thanks for the pictures

You're all lookin good up at UNC supportin Tay!

I did get the letter that Bishop sent me! Thanks for all of your thoughts Bishop!!! I also got letters this week from family. Thanks for your support.

We had Zone Conference this week and had a fun activity we did to increase our unity that consisted of building a tower as high as we could with 20 pieces of paper and tape. It was pretty fun! President was there cheerin us on...haha :)

 

Elder Jenson and his "unified" Zone with President Essig January 2, 2014

Thanks for all of your support mom and dad. Love you both so much and am happy to say you're my parents!!

Well, that's all I have time for!! Love you all so much!! Hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Jenson

Elder Jenson's gift to Christ....Javiera's Baptism!

December 30, 2013

YO!

It was so great to be able to talk to the family on Christmas day!! That's always the best present any missionary can ask for is a call to the family to make sure everything is all good back home. I loved talking about the experiences that I've had in my time here in Chile. The church is true!! :)

Elder Jenson, Javiera and Elder Jenson's companions December 29, 2013 Lo Prado 2

We were able to fill up the font again this week and have another baptism!! Javiera Osorio (14 yrs old) was baptized yesterday and it was incredible! Rodrigo, a Priest in the ward, was able to baptize her (barely....he needs to do a few more push-ups because he almost left her under the water!!!) The Priests in the ward are lovin it that we are involving every one of them in this work and the Bishop is also really excited and grateful as well. Javiera's baptism was very special. Her mom and brother came to support her (Javiera's mom is an inactive member and brother is an investigator) and that made Javiera feel really good. Also, something really cool that happened was 4 Young Women in the ward put together a special musical number and it was awesome. Javiera and her mom were crying through the song. The Spirit was really strong. The lyrics of the song the Young Women sang talked about a new-born baby girl and how much she has grown into a Young Women. It was pretty cool. Javiera told us that she felt really good after being batized and she was really grateful she was able to get baptized. After Javiera got baptized, Presidente Lopez and his family invited Javiera and her family over for lunch. President Lopez is such a boss. Fellowship al tiro!!

 

Francisca (Javiera's mom), Javiera and Diego (Javiera's brother) December 29, 2013 Lo Prado 2

There's literally nothing better than watching the Lord change peoples lives and helping them come unto Him by being baptized!! It's so awesome!! It has been incredible to see the Lord doing His work through us. We've got front row seats watching His miracles right before our eyes! Since I've been here in Lo Prado 2, the Lord has worked many, many miracles and we've been able to see these 7 people baptized in the 5 months I've been here and for that, I am EXTREMELY grateful:

Anllelina
Susana
Alejandra
Rafaella
Benjamin
Francisco
Javiera

 

 

"I always love taking a picture with the investigators that get baptized in front of the First Vision picture." (Javiera and Elder Jenson at her baptism December 29, 2013 Lo Prado 2)

Each one of our converts is doing so well. It's like the best feeling in the world when all of your converts come to church plus the investigators that you're teaching so that they can take the same baptismal step! Puts the biggest smile on my face. I know that it has all come from all of the obedience throughout my entire mission. I love the verses in Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21 that says that there is a law in heaven by which the Lord HAS to live by. Its a law in which every blessing is predicated that says that if we receive a blessing, it's because we were obedient to that law or commandment that gives us that blessing. I'm convinced that because of all my obedience in my mission to all of the rules and commandments I am receiving these blessings. It's extremely important that I am exactly obedient in my mission because if not, there's not going to be very many blessings. I'm grateful for that lesson I've learned here on my mission that I will take with me throughout this life and throughout all eternity.

Benjamin Miranda was also confirmed a member of the church! He said that he felt the Spirit while he was being confirmed. He's such a stud. Francisco wasn't confirmed yesterday because he got really sick on Saturday and was worse on Sunday. He will be confirmed this Sunday :)

Thoughts/Highlights of the week:

Skype call to family was my best Christmas gift! I love you all so much...5 months!

Joan wasn't able to be baptized yesterday because he talked to his mom again and she said no...again

Wow, Tallyn is getting extremely tall!

Last Christmas in Chile was awesome! On the 25th we were with the Fuentes family as well as Silvana, her mom and grandma. I loved it all!

Don't have any more time left but want you to now that I love you all!! :) Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year this Wednesday!!

Love,

Elder Jenson

Feliz Navidad 2013 desde Chile!

December 25, 2013

Elder Jenson Christmas Day 2013 in Lo Prado 2  

Our family was successful in skyping Elder Jenson today at 5pm Chile time from the Familia Venegas's home. At 4:58pm Chile time Trevor skyped Elder Jenson..."We're on and ready to go!" within a minute Elder Jenson typed ..."I'm ready to skype now!" Our hearts raced with excitement and within a few seconds Elder Jenson popped up on the computer screen smiling from ear to ear so happy to see his family. After quick "I love you's and Feliz Navidad's" we enjoyed an incredible 70 minute conversation with Elder Jenson. The following are highlights from our Chistmas call...

We began by asking Elder Jenson.... "How's Chile?" "It's awesome! Best place to serve on earth."

Elder Jenson then started the call by talking individually with each of his siblings asking them about school and life in general and asked if they were "estas feliz"? (HAPPY)

We then asked Elder Jenson to tell us how Chileans celebrate Christmas to which he replied..."Chileans celebrate Christmas on the 24th and stay up until the wee hours of the morning celebrating, eating and opening and exchanging gifts. On Chistmas Eve my companions and I went to a lot of members and investigators homes to leave messages with them. We also went to Susana and Angelina's for dinner which was great."

While we were on the topic of investigators we asked Elder Jenson to give us an update and to tell us what the "secret" to his success has been as a missionary.."We get the Priests in our ward involved early on in our teaching so when it comes baptism time, the investigators know the Priests and want the Priests to baptize them. Another bonus is that the new converts now have a friend at church from the beginning (Priest who baptized them) so the chances of our new converts staying active and always involved is great. We also hold every baptism, if possble, after church at 1:15pm so members (usually 40-50) stay and support. I love Lo Prado 2!"

We then asked Elder Jenson how being a mission "Baptizer" was going to which he replied..."Nuts! I do 24 hour exchanges where different Elders come to my sector to learn how to teach more effectively and baptize. I'm definitely not perfect but love helping others gain a vision of baptism. I'm averaging 3 exchanges a week."

What's better...missionary work or golf? "I love my personal study time for an hour every day, then companion study is focused on how we can help our investigators. I'm always thinking about baptism and others instead of myself. I know if I do this, I'm going to feel the spirit always. It's the best...even better than golf!"

Taylor lighened things up a bit and asked what Elder Jenson did on P-day to which he replied..."SLEEP, go to the downtown market, visit "Chilean garage sales" and different sports."

Trevor then asked Elder Jenson to describe a typical day of a missionary in Chile. "I wake up at 730am and exercise until 8am. Then I eat and shower so I'm ready for personal study from 9-10am (30 minutes Book of Mormon and 30 minutes Preach My Gospel). From 10-11am we pray as a companionship and share with each other what we learned in our personal study and then read the missionary handbook and our mission rules time permitting. At the end we go over our plans for the day and what we are going to teach our investigators. From 11-12 we have language study. It was during this time that our family learned that Elder Jenson is currently being taught how to sign and that the Lo Prado 2 Ward is the only ward in the CSN mission that is able to now baptize deaf and mute people. Elder Jenson said he is taught sign language every Saturday at the church building by Matias and that there's currently 5 deaf/mute members in Lo Proado 2. After only a month of sign lessons, Elder Jenson has "mastered" signing the first lesson and says "Signing is way cool!" From 12noon to 2 my companions and I leave the house and go visit people or do contacts. From 2-3pm we have lunch. From 3-10pm my companions and I are proselyting every hour with a different visit. From 10-10:30pm my companions and I plan for the next day. From 10:30-11:30pm we have free time, eat, write in our journal or make calls to motivate other missionaries. 11:30pm sharp I'm in bed and asleep by I'm sure 11:31!"

We asked Elder Jenson to tell us about a favoite missionary experience to which he replied..."there are so many, too many to mention. Every day is my favorite!"

Elder Jenson then told Taylor to put his mission papers in for like the middle of June. "Get out as soon as you can." Elder Jenson then gave some advice to Taylor, Tarryn and Tallyn..."Get ready for your mission now! Prepare now! I was on course but didn't really realize why preparing was so important. When I got to the MTC, I felt a little lost. Get ready! Nothing better now than to gain knowledge now so you're not behind. Read and study the Book of Mormon and Preach My Gospel. Prepare today. Better to be ahead of the game than behind."

We asked Elder Jenson what he likes us to write him about to which he replied..."Family news...EVERYTHING! Thank-you so much for all of your support. I realize being away how much it means to me to hear from all of you and to be a part of everything. Today we got mail (Christmas Day) and I got my birthday packages from the family, my Thanksgiving package (finally) which was awesome because I got double the family messages which was so cool, Bishop Stewart's package, Allen's letter and Rafie Christmas card. Wow, it was great hearing from EVERYONE!"

What do you love and admire most about President Essig? "He's so knowledgeable about the Savior and scriptures. I love attending Zone Conferences and being taught by President. The scriptures say to "become as a child again" and President Essig has achieved that!"

What's your favorite area you've served in? "El Salto because all of the members were involved in missionary work."

How are all your converts doing? "So good. They all are doing great and all went to church this past Sunday."

We asked Elder Jenson how his health was to which he replied "Always good!"

What have you been doing today? "Well, we had a special Zone/District Conference this morning where I taught a special Christmas message on the Savior. I actually brought mom's "tree" with me and put it up in the room were I taught. I asked all the Elders to think for 10 minutes at the end of my message what gift they could give to the Savior and then one by one each Elder came up and either wrote or drew their gift to the Savior on the tree and shared it with us. My gift I gave the Savior this year was Javiera Osorio :) It was a really powerful meeting. My "tree" served many purposes this year!"

Out of the blue Elder Jenson said..."My official release date is May 19, 2014!!!!!!!!!!! I want you to come at the end and meet everyone. I'd love it if at least the parents would come and I could show you my sectors. You can stay at Sergio's home. He's now the Young Men President. He's doing so awesome. Sergio got baptized May 5th last year. I get released May 19th so I'd like to stay a week or so so dad and mom can go to Sergio's family sealing with me. Can't think of a better way to end my mission."

We closed our call by listening to Elder Jenson bear his testimony...
Being on a mission has been the best experience in my life. Nothing better than serving the Lord. It's hard to explain the daily experiences you have, miracles you see and having the Lord help you daily with His work. There's no better joy you can feel ever. Daily the Lord is using me to help someone and teach them the gospel so that they too can live with Heavenly Father with their families forever. I'm set apart to help others progress in His gospel and help the people of Chile come to Christ. I know Christ lives and wants us to have a forever family. I'm thankful for all of you and for your love and support. Joseph Smith was a prophet and through him, I know the gospel was restored. Helping others come to Him is the best. Being a missionary is the best. This is the best time of my life! I know this gospel is true. Pray always as a family and we can press foward and progress in this life. It's all worth it. This is His work and no one elses. I share this testimony with you from the bottom of my heart and with deep love for each of you. Hasta que nos vemos y encontramos tra vez en cinco meses. Estamos mundos!

 

*When we arrived home from the holidays we had a family letter waiting for us from Elder Jenson written all in Spanish.

Hola Familia,
Espero que tengan una MUY feliz navidad y que recuerden el "por que" de la navidad. Les quiero muchisimo y espero que lo sepan. Estoy tan feliz sirviendo al Senor El vive y nos ama a cada uno de nosotros. Tenemos que siempre recorder que queremos una familia eterna todos juntis papa siempre. Ninguno se puede perder. Tenemos que trabajar juntos para que esto se logre. Yo se que podemos hacerlo! Apoyomonos los unos a los otros. Si se puede. Los Amo!! -Elder Jenson (TAN)

Translation by Trevor:
Hi family,
I hope you all have a VERY Merry Cristmas and you remember the why or reason for Christmas. I love you alot and I hope you know that I am so happy to be serving the Lord. He lives and loves us, each one of us. We have to always remember that we want an eternal family, all together forever. No one can be lost. We have to work together so this can be achieved. I know we can do it! Let's support one another. I love you!! -Elder Jenson (TAN)