March 10, 2010
Well, it has been a long long long week. Here we go!
Friday-- we woke up to president calling us at 12 am. A missionary was being taken to the hospital here in Neuquen for appendicitis. We went, and were in the hospital till 2:30. Turns out it wasn't appendicitis, but rather just some bacteria or something. I don't really know. It was a funny funny moment-- Elder Camacho gets the call and wakes me up and then he leaves to go get dressed. He heard that I didn't get out of bed so he walks back in and wakes me up again. I just kinda mumble something I don't know. I then speak a bit louder and then I woke up. He left while I started getting out of bed, and I basically slept walked to where he was changing and asked what was going on. He told me, and then I went back to our room where my clothes were and got dressed. I then walked out into the kitchen and said ´I know you already told me, but what is going on??´ He then explains it again. I then went and used the bathroom. I guess I fell asleep in there again because the next thing I remembered is Elder Camacho laughing and saying ´elder Jensen! Wake up! President is here to take us! Did you fall asleep? ´ It was a funny night, and i guess that its a good thing we don't have to wake up in the middle of the night too often!
Later that day, at 10 AM, Jaqui and Fernando got married! it was great-- we had a lot of members of Fernandos family there that we hadn't met, and they were pretty nice people. The wedding is kinda anti-climatic.-. - Its just a legal thing. They read the laws that talk about marriage, and then they have to sign some papers and their witnesses have to sign some papers. But it was good. We threw rice and everything, and within 30 seconds the place was filled with pigeons! I had always wondered why there were so many pigeons in that specific block of our area, and now I understand! They are just there to eat all the rice when people get married! Ha!
Then, at about 11, we went back to the hospital to check up on our missionary there. He was having a lot of studies done to find out exactly what was going on. We drove his companion back to his apartment to shower and change and stuff, and did that for a while. That night, we had a dinner reception for Jaqui and Fernando. Mom- i cooked an awesome cake. We decorated it all up and put balloons around and we had good turnout. The ward was really excited for them. And they were really excited too. One of them was having problems with smoking still--he had cut down from 40 per day to about 3 that week of his baptism. We talked to the bishop about it and he basically told us we had to baptize him, that this was his moment and that we just had to help him understand that when he gets baptized, he's making a covenant with God that he isn't going to smoke any more. President said if we got that kind of support from the bishop, go for it! So on Saturday, we had a good chat with Fernando to explain that to him. While we were talking with him, his HILARIOUS 4 year old son comes running over and yells ´This guy is a liar. One day, we were walking and he saw a cigarette and he picked it up and smoked it in his mom's house! SMOKER SINNER SMOKER SINNER!!´ It was really awkward and really funny at the same time. But he said ok and that from Saturday at 6 onwards, he was done smoking. We are still going to work with him on it, but he has changed so so so much. It's incredible. We had a fun lesson with the Sepulveda family the morning of their baptism and they all just talked about all the changes they had made and all the differences in their home. It just always amazes me to see the faith of these people as they take giant steps in changing their lives for just the small whispers of the spirit. They have completely changed the way they live and work for what they have felt this past month or so.
The baptism was great. We had 7 in total-- 2 little 8 year olds from the ward got baptized with them. The baptismal room was so full that many of the members couldn't even fit in there to see it. Hermano Sepulveda baptized his 4 kids and yerno, and they were so happy. And we, obviously, were too. I've sent some of the pictures-- this family is a missionaries dream.
Sunday we picked up my new companion ELDER CRANDELL from the terminal and went straight to church. I'm so excited to be with Elder Crandell. He has been in Trelew as a zone leader the past 6 months, and I've been in charge of the Trelew zone, so we are good buds. He is a pretty small guy, but he is just packed with energy. I think he also is one of the humblest guys i know as well. I am kinda hoping i stay 2 more transfers in the office just because I love him so much! We are going to have a great transfer-- we have 2 really solid fechas now-- one with the Sepulveda's grandma, and the other with a 16 year old kid named Ezekiel. He is the son of a menos activia, and he is so solid. We taught him the other day and he gave the first prayer in his whole life and was just incredible!! He asks for help being more responsible, that his mind could be opened so he could understand more of what he reads, for just really touching things. It was probably one of the most sincere prayers I have ever heard. It was really neat. He is scheduled for April 3rd, and Rosario (the Sepulveda's grandma) for the 27th of March. They both came to the baptism and to church for the first time this weekend. We also have another menos activo family that is reactivating now-- they have 2 sons who also aren't members that we are going to baptize this transfer. We have another lady named Teresa who is about 65 and just a goofy lady, but she has come to church 2 times now and really likes it, so I think that here with the assistants, we are going to go back to back transfers baptizing 5 people. I am really content with that because between the assistants and office elders, they only baptized 1 person the entire past year. Now we've got a really productive area. I give a lot of credit to elder Camacho-- we worked really hard up until the end, and that missionary went out on top. Baptizing 5 your last weekend is just an incredible way to end. He was kind of sad to leave, but just because we have these 5 more people to baptize. He left knowing he had done what the Lord wanted him to do, and he left with the respect of the whole mission. I'm going to miss that kid, but I'm sure we'll keep in touch. We have already planned some of the pranks he is going to play on us in the office from his house. (I don't know why I was part of planning pranks against myself, but it's going to be funny!) I'm going to miss him dearly, but Elder Crandell is a great missionary.
Elder
Monday was transfer day. It was also a nightmare. There was a huge rainstorm and it washed out a section of the major highway from the south to neuquen. The going home missionaries got here about 14 hours late, and the transfers have been so messed up. I think I've spent more time on my cell phone the past two days than I have my entire life. We have to re route everyone through Bariloche and we've had to reschedule meetings because the trainers couldn't get to neuquen and it's just been a disaster. Hopefully they'll finish repairing it soon!! It's just been a really really stressful two days, and my poor companion doesn't really know what's going on. It takes about a week or so to understand all the going abouts of the office, so he'll be caught up soon.
On Friday, we are heading on south on the Gira. We are doing it early this time. Its going to be a blast—I'm excited for the time I'm going to spend with Elder Crandell- He is such a fun little guy. And he can drive! So I won't have to drive the whole gira like the last times.
We've got a lot of excitement for this transfer-- we are ready to do some incredible things here in the mission, and I am excited for the things we've planned to do in zone conference because they are things I've really felt inspired that the mission needs to here. We love our stressful life, and mission Elder Camacho, and its starting to turn into winter a bit too!! Wahoo.
I love you all. It's about time I wrote a nice long email with pictures, huh?
I'm off to train and inspire the new missionaries--- have a great day!!
Elder Jensen
(Editor's note: I tried to attach photos but couldn't get them to send)
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