Transfer Day...Staying Put -- Email from 12/30/14

Hey,

My new Companion Elder Martinez

How are you guys! It was nice to talk to you both this last Christmas day. Don't worry about the connection, I'm sure there was a reason that it was so spotty. Maybe it was so I wouldn't get to homesick. I don't know, but we are gonna see. This was a sick week? I'm sorry to hear that you all had the flu, and I hope you all got over it fast. 

Today we had transfers. Elder Hansen left Pacheco and I stayed and got a new companion. A Latino!  His name is Elder Jimmy Martinez, and he is from Guatemala. He speaks all Spanish, and no English, so it will be cool to have the opportunity to push my Spanish a bit. He goes home after this transfer, so he has a lot of time and experience in the mission which is pretty cool. And he was a zone leader the last transfer. So pretty much he is a beast and I am in god hands. I will be here until March probably, because he will leave for home after this next transfer, and I will stay another one, until the next elder who comes gets the ropes. Right now we are at a lack of investegadores, but we are going to work very hard to baptize this transfer. I'm going to have to work so hard these next three months to find and baptize people but that's alright. 

Mom- A couple things. One, you can sow the sweatshirt! I know you can within two years. This last week I learned how to juggle, so if I can do that, than you can sew a sweatshirt. 

Dad-Love you, and keep searching the scriptures! they are a source of power and guidance.

Spiritual Thought...People need to feel love coming from you guys.  If they can feel Jesus' love through you guys then you are doing your job. If he can't, than you really aren't being a true disciple of Christ. What helps me when I don't get along with someone here is to just think about all of there positives rather than negatives. Negatives are going to drive you insane and make you feel bad about your situation. Positives are going to make everyone happier.

I will send some pictures today too! 

Love you All 

Matthew Jensen

Members Laura llerena and her mom

With the Rudas Family.  

Elders on Christmas Morning 2014

Elders Hansen and Jensen

Success!!! -- Email from 12/22/14

Hey,

Real fast because I don't have time to write much here. I will talk with you on Christmas at 5 o clock this time. Should be 1:00 there. I sent a Christmas package with letters for you all and my friends. Please distribute them. This week was good. We finally got someone to church!  Whoo.

See you guys Thursday!

Elder Jensen

Teaching the Children -- Email from 12/15/14

Hey, 

Bueno, So you guys can take like $200 from my account and pay it as a tithe. I thought that my preparations for my mission that I paid would be enough.  But, yeah, you guys should pay like $200-250 more so that I can say I am a full tithe payer.  That's fine with me.  Also this week I received all of your letters and all of the money was there, so that is a good way that we can get money here. I also got all of the photos! Thanks for sending those.

This week has been good. We have been working really hard, and without any luck, but its okay. We had stake conference this week, and a counselor in the state presidency started his talk about us. He talked about how we always bring such a good spirit to his house (my companion and I). And then he talked about a time where we shared a video " El es la Dadiva" or "he is the gift" in English!  We watched the video, and then read a couple of scriptures about Christ being our gift. He asked his six year old son to read a scripture, and his son is really shy, and said "But Dad, I have shame about reading in public". I responded with " That is the Dadiva. Jesus know exactly what you are feeling right now in this instant." President Maciel talked about that experience for awhile, and how even a 6 year old can understand how much Jesus is our gift in this season of the holidays. So that was pretty cool.

The members here are awesome. They love us a lot, and we love them. They know that this area is harder and they are trying there best to help us find people just like we are. They know that it is a group effort, and that only together we are going to find people for them to baptize. We just need to be patient now as we try to find others. This area is a lot like the states in almost every aspect, but it is good, because it is teaching me how to work with the members and be patient!

Dad, the eagles better win this next week and take first again. Also, sell the timeshare, keep looking for a Delorean:)  Mom, Kick the diet coke habit to the curb. How is my sweatshirt coming along.  Keep up the good work guys! Send the information for skype this next email so that I can call you two. I'm going to call at five in Argentina, which is like one in Colorado. So be ready then!

Love you guys

Elder Jensen

Divisions (aka Splits) -- Email from 12/8/14

Hey,

I'm going to put your letters together so that I can write more. So the Sivers are leaving Colorado. It's a shame, but if he can't do it in Colorado, he should go wherever he can pass and get a job. It makes me sad that they have to leave, but he is doing the best that he can right now.  I remember that move though, they have a ton of super heavy stuff that they don't really need.  It is best to pack light, so you can move if needed. At least on the mission! I hope that he can find something fast. It must feel pretty hard to be separate from your family!  I would know.

Me with Elder Hicks at Halloween 
-- I went as him, him as me.

Bowling on P-Day.

Things in Pacheco have ground to a stop this week. We have nobody. Nadie, nada, nobody. We fasted 3 times in the last 8 days and are praying a ton. We dropped everyone because nobody is progressing, and still haven't been able to find anyone this week. So I desperately hope that this week we can find some people. I'm trying my best to stay positive and continue the hard work. The highlight of my week was when we did divisions. Our District leader   put me with his companion in my area, and Elder Hansen went to his area for a day. He companion, Elder Edmonds, has the same amount of time as me on the mission, so we are both pretty new. The thing is, he was afraid to talk to anyone because he is super self conscious about his Spanish still, and super afraid that he is going to mess up. Good thing that i am the opposite, or we wouldn't have been able to talk to anyone. My companion says that my biggest strength is that I am fearless, and not afraid to talk to anyone. I utilized that strength on Thursday, and taught 6 lessons con miembro present. I talked to everyone, and because Elder Edmonds didn't really teach or testify, I did both. It was cool being able to teach in Spanish, and I am still trying to improve my Spanish every day. Now, I am focusing on my accent, and trying to get it to the point where I sound like a native speaker, and not with an strong American accent.  

Litoral Zone!!!
No idea why the thumbs up, that's just what they do here!

I would send more pictures, but I really don't take many pictures because I don't take my camera out of the pension because I would get robbed.  I will try to take some with some members for next week.

I Am going to Skype you guys this Christmas at 5 pm here. So its like 1 in the afternoon there. i will be able to stay on for like one hour, so be ready at 1. If you want to make me a Skype to use and send me the information so we can Skype that would be sick. And i need your name for Skype. 

The truth is that I would have never started my mission papers alone. I did them because dad sat me down, and filled them out with me. Little pushes like that are the reason that i am out here on the mission. I will write Katie a letter today.

Love you guys! 

Elder Jensen

PS -- the only thing that I need are families to baptize.  We are going to try and find more [people to teach] through the members.  Hopefully we can find more this week!