A Delayed Email -- from 15 February 2016

Hey   :) 

I hope that you are all good.  I haven’t received any chats from you all.  I think that you all aren’t on or that the internet doesn’t work.  I’m good here.  This last week we worked really hard and in the end of the week we had 3 more baptisms. WHOOOOOOO!:)   It was a great day.  I baptized Angel who is 17.  He was really Feliz and he is friends of all of the members from the Capilla.  My companion baptized Marcos, the little boy who is 11.  He is the son of Isabel who was baptized a couple of weeks ago.   Also, Jackeline was baptized by elder Cook.  She is the nephew of an active member. 

IT was a great Sunday.  I hope that we can find a ton of people this week so that we can finish with progressing investigators.  I know that this area has a ton of people that are ready to receive the restored gospel in their lives.  This next week we have transfers and it’s almost a sure thing that I get transferred to a new area.  Whatever happens I will let you know this next Tuesday.

As far as school goes it makes me pretty sad that I can’t go to BYU now, but it’s alright.  All of the signs are pointing towards CSU this fall.  Have you been in contact with Michael?  Also I was looking at the application and it looks like I can do it all here, but if you all want to do it instead then here’s the link: I started an application online, but if you did it already I can delete it. 

Elder Jensen

Holidays, Baptisms, and College -- email from 8 February 2016

This week was good. We should have two baptisms this next week so we are pretty happy. We are going to keep working hard, and I want to find a lot of new people this week so that we can keep progressing and helping the ward. I hope that I can count on your prayers to help us out. Today it’s a holiday and there isn’t much time to write, we are going to be on until 6ish here and then this Wednesday we are going to get on to write. We can chat from 6-8 your time. 

I talked with my president of mission and we talked a lot about my plans for college and he said that I wouldn’t be living up to my potential if I chose to go to UVU. I agree with that, as my plans are to get a good job and start my own business so it doesn’t really work that well together. He also gave me permission to work on some applications if you all need me to do something. He told me that I should apply for BYU and CSU again and if I get rejected from BYU it’s because for some reason or another God wants me to go to CSU for at least a year and apply to BYU again. I hope that everything goes well with you for this week and that you have a good time.

Love you! 

Elder Jensen

Sick and Tired...no really. Email from 1 February 2016

Hey all.

This week was really good, but tiring.  I’m dying slowly in the mission haha.  Everyday I feel more and more tired. I feel like I am losing steam to keep doing this haha, its killing me. My shoulders always hurt, my stomach is always upset and my head always hurts from the sun. I always feel exhausted. Everyday it’s harder and harder to study. When I get back I’m going to go to the doctor and they are going to do a full body exam.

We are already in February. I can’t believe it. It went by so fast for me. In six months officially I will be home. It’s weird to me, because the life before the mission just kind of feels like it wasn’t real, or that it never happened. This week we worked hard, and the zone is achieving things that are crazy. We have 20 percent of the baptisms of the mission right now as a mission in our one zone. We are really happy with all of the work that everyone is putting in here. We had two progressing investigators this week, but it looks like we aren’t going to have baptisms until the 14th. We are going to keep working hard so that we can have more baptisms this transfer.

I have been thinking and I think that UofU and BYU and CSU are my options. But, if I can’t get instate tuition at UofU then I will have to mark it off my list. I would like to go there and room with Elliott if it’s possible to get instate tuition. If Ben and Michael don’t answer you guys it’s alright, I can always live in an apartment close to campus with a random selection of roommates, or I can live at home. I will be talking to my president this week to see if he can pull a few strings so that I can get into BYU. We will see what happens.

Love you all!
Elder Jensen

In the Zone and Life decisions -- email from 25 January 2016

This week was good. The four investigators got confirmed and we have two more baptisms planned for the 7th of February. We are working hard here, and I feel exhausted. I don’t rest very well in the summer. I sleep but I don’t feel well rested when I get up. It’s so hot here and the sun kills me every day. I love my area, and my companion. I’m excited for this transfer. I think that we are going to be able to find and baptize many people. I’m excited for the zone.

I am ripping my hair out with this college decision. I want to go to the school where I can get the best education and where I can have the best degree. My Options right now are CSU, BYU, UVU, and UofU. I don’t know about UVU because I want to get a masters, and the undergrad degree isn’t very good there. If I went there I could live with Ethan Leonard. UofU is a good school, about the same as CSU, but a little more costly and farther away. I don’t know anyone there except for Elliott smith, and I’m not sure if he is able to live with me. The last option is CSU. I LOVE CSU. I love Fort Collins. CSU is the cheapest and the closest to home. It’s the same as UofU in undergrad wise. If I live there I would have to find a house with Ben or Michael. The downsides are that it would be harder for me to find a wife in the church and it would be harder for me to avoid vices. I am utterly lost with taking a decision. My heart says CSU. I have friends there, and I wouldn’t be alone. I’m afraid of going to a new school where I don’t know anyone. I’m so lost with this decision I don’t even want to make a decision. :(

I hope this week you can get in contact with Ben and Michael to see what their plans are. Also with Elliott smith. I already talked with Ethan.

Love you all.

Elder Jensen

Zone Conference -- email from 18 January 2016

Hey Everyone.

This week was really good. First we had a zone meeting with all of the elders in the zone, 25, and it was a little scary at first to have to give a meeting in front of so many people, but it went well. Seeing the zone right now, I am one of the oldest here. There is only one other missionary who is older than I am in the zone. All of the others are much younger than me. Wow, the mission is going by fast. Then, this Friday we went to the house of Isabell and she told us that she was really nervous for her baptism and that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to get baptized. We could help her get excited again, and then Saturday she and her son Ezequiel passed interviews for the baptism. Sunday I baptized Isabell and my companion baptized her son. Isabell was pregnant so I think it counts for two ;) haha Sara and Oscar didn’t end up coming the last Sunday for their confirmation, but this Sunday the 4 will get confirmed. 

I was thinking a lot about schooling and I am almost 100 percent sure that I want to get a master’s degree after my first three years in school. I want to get as specialized as I can so that I can get a good job afterwards, or start my own business afterwards. I want to go to the best school I can right now, so that I can get into a master’s program after the first four years. I sent a message to Ethan about living together, but I’m still not sure if I want to leave Colorado. It’s going to be really hard for me to leave my friends behind when I don’t have any friends in Utah. I have a lot of time to think, but I hope that you guys can apply for me so that I can think about the two options. 

January is passing fast; I hope that by now you have called Michael and Ben to see about their living arrangements as well.

Thanks.

Elder Jensen

Marriage and Kid Baptisms -- 12 January 2016

Hey!

So, Like you all have seen, This week went really well. We had a counsel of the elders of the mission, and it looks like we are going to put a goal around 1500 baptisms for the year for the mission. Then we had interviews with president the next day, and he informed us that they would be unifying our zone with 6 companionships of elders with another zone that has 6 companionships. We were sad at first and then worried. He told us and the other 2 zone leaders of the other zone that he was reducing the number of zones and the he was going to drop one of our companionships from zone leader to trainers and that the other zone leaders were going to stay as zone leaders in the new zone which is called Sarmiento. The entire week we were worried. Friday we went to the Wedding of Sara and Oscar. It was awesome and they were happy to get married. Then Sunday they were baptized, I baptized Sara and my companion baptized Oscar. Alejandro and Robinson were confirmed too. It was a good day. Then, last night we got the notice that we are going to stay as the zone leaders of the new big zone Sarmiento. Right now our zone is one of 9 in the entire mission and we have 24 missionaries that we are responsible for. I am one of 18 Zone leaders out of the 200 elders in our mission. WOW. This next week we have two more baptisms of a friend of a member named Isabel and her Son Ezequiel.

I talked with president about the day im going to return and he cant let me go 6 weeks early. But he can 2 weeks early. So, I will leave mid transfer, and I will be the only one in the mission who leaves the 9th of august. I will be headed home again the 9th of August. Mark it in your calender.

Well, if there are questions let me know. 

 

Love you all,

Elder Jensen

A couple of Baptisms....email from 4 January 2016

Hey,

This week was really good. Vincent and Celeste were confirmed members of the Church. They came alone with the family, and showed up 10 minutes early. Then we had the baptism of two kids named Alejandro and Robinson. Alejandro is 9 and Robinson is 8. They are the brother (Ale) and kid (Robinson) of the president of the relief society. Alejandro was a baptism for us, while Robinson was a baptism of the ward. But he asked me to baptize him and my companion baptized Alejandro his cousin. It was really cool and now they are going to get confirmed this next week! We also brought Sara and Oscar to the chapel, and they should get married Friday if everything goes well with the paperwork today. So they should get married Friday and baptized Sunday. Hopefully the paperwork is going good. Also, we brought a new family to the church named Isabel. She has five sons, and the oldest two went with her. They are named Ezequil and Marcos. They all should get baptized the 17th of January. We have transfers this week, but i think its almost sure that I'm going to stay here one more. I hope at least. 

This week I have an interview with president about the date that I am going to go home. I hope he lets me go the transfer early, but maybe he wants me to stay like two more weeks or something. Thanks for everything that you all do for me. Here are some pictures. 

 

Elder Jensen