Fw: hey family!!

 

Wow. That is about all i have to say about this week.

 

This is week one of training. It also happens to be one of the hardest weeks of my mission. I know ive only been out a little while, but this is by far the toughest. It would be very easy for me to sit here and whine and talk about the 107 degree heat we had here Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (!!!!!!!) or the people who didnt show for citas, but thats not fun for me or you. Instead, i am going to describe some of the blessings and the things ive learned this week, because those are the things that will stay with me far longer than the sweat stains and discouragement

 

This week was really tough. We had 0 fechas, 0 progressing investigators, and 3 months in argentina between my companion and i. We had work to do. In District meeting, we were challenged by the zone leaders to set 5 fechas as a district, and bring 5 people per companionship to church. Hmm. Thats a bit tough to do in 1 week. But we put our minds to it, and went off to work.

 

We set 3 fechas that same day with the familia Asocar—the dad is a Menos Activo, and the wife, one of her kids, and one of the Dads kids are not baptized. They have been reading a good amount. The day we set the fecha, they had stayed up till 3 the night before reading about ammon cutting off arms and Korihor the anti-christ. We went in and read 2 Ne 31 about baptism, and invited her to be baptised. She readily accepted. Now we are working with them to quit smoking (they both really want to, esp since she is pregnant) and we have a marriage date set with them too. They are coming along great, and it has been such a blessing to teach them this week. Weve had 3 good lessons with them, and each time it is great. It doesnt matter how hot it is, how many people no-show us, because whenever we are in that house we feel something. Excitement that they are readily trying to change their lives so the dad can baptise them. Peace in knowing that all is well. Im going to quote a scripture real quick that explains pretty well how my week has been, and a little bit of what i experience when i teach: Alma 26:27-37

 27 Now when our hearts were depressed, and we were about to ^aturn back, behold, the Lord ^bcomforted us, and said: Go amongst thy brethren, the Lamanites, and bear with ^cpatience thine ^dafflictions, and I will give unto you success.

  28 And now behold, we have come, and been forth amongst them; and we have been patient in our sufferings, and we have suffered every privation; yea, we have traveled from house to house, relying upon the mercies of the world—not upon the mercies of the world alone but upon the mercies of God.

  29 And we have entered into their houses and taught them, and we have taught them in their streets; yea, and we have taught them upon their hills; and we have also entered into their temples and their ^asynagogues and taught them; and we have been cast out, and mocked, and spit upon, and smote upon our cheeks; and we have been ^bstoned, and taken and bound with ^cstrong cords, and cast into prison; and through the power and wisdom of God we have been delivered again.

  30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our ^ajoy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some.

  31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the ^afruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are ^bmany; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us.

  32 For behold, they had rather ^asacrifice their lives than even to take the life of their enemy; and they have ^bburied their weapons of war deep in the earth, because of their love towards their brethren.

  33 And now behold I say unto you, has there been so great love in all the land? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, there has not, even among the Nephites.

  34 For behold, they would take up arms against their brethren; they would not suffer themselves to be slain. But behold how ^amany of these have laid down their lives; and we know that they have gone to their God, because of their love and of their hatred to sin.

  35 Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all ^apower, ^ball wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a ^cmerciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name.

  36 Now if this is ^aboasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo. Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a ^bbranch of the tree of Israel, and has been ^clost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, ^dwanderers in a strange land.

  37 Now my brethren, we see that God is ^amindful of every ^bpeople, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth. Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever.

 

Setting that fecha with this family was definently a tender mercy of the Lord. He prepared them, maybe reminded them to read teh scriptures like we had asked a week ago, and they were ready for us to set that fecha. They have been the bright spot in my week, and i am so greatful for the challenge we got in district meeting to set fechas, as well as for them for following the promptings of the Spirit and reading the Book of Mormon

 

Another tender mercy of the Lord i have seen this week was yesterday in church. Although we had zero people in church, i was so happy because i saw Ivan passing the sacrament in a white shirt, tie, and dress pants. Right before the sacrament, he ran out in the hall to tuck in his shirt without anyone telling him to. There is a difference in these kids, and i can see it. The ward sees it. Their parents see it. Bryan, who normally dresses up like a gangster with chains and an earing, also was dressed in shirt, tie and dress pants. Matias had gone out and bought or found a white shirt, tie, dress pants, and dress shoes. I was so proud of my boys. There they sat, in the front row of church, silently listening to every word of the meeting. 3 of our baptisms dressed in shirt tie and dress pants, and 2 other of the youth of our ward, also dressed up. It just made me so greatful for the influince this gospel has had in the lives of these 3 kids, and also in the lives of the other 2 young men, previously inactive, who now are just this group of 5 great friends. Im bringing my camera next week to church to take a picture of this almost heavenly sight. All the things that have discouraged me this week left my mind at this moment in church, because i was enjoying a bit of the fruits of my labors. It was an incredible experience.

 

This week also has been challenging because i have had to step up and be a trainer and show another missionary how to be a missionary. I know i am not perfect, and im sure i am feeling some of the things Elder Valencia felt with me. But through this experience, i am being forced to learn a couple of things, and im sure i will have some more tough experiences in the weeks to come until i humble myself and learn what i am supposed to learn in this moment. A few quick hits of things i am learning and have learned—

 

Patience. With myself and with my comp who doesnt say more than 10 sentences in a lesson. I have to be patient and positive with him in his efforts—and i know he is trying. I was in his shoes just a bit ago—and i have to be patient with myself because i feel like im still being trained and figuring out methods of teaching people. I am learning not to live in past mistakes or let a poorly taught lesson get me down. I just know i am learning and the next one will be better!

 

Love. It has been really important for me to love my companion and to build him up when he does well and constructively help him when he needs it. It has been a privledge to be his trainer and i know he wants to be a great missionary. I just hope i can set a good enough example for him, and that he can look back at this first 2 transfers of his mission with good, fond memories like i do with my trainer.

 

Trusting in teh Spirit. We are 2 gringos and cant explain ourselves very well in spanish. But there is one language that everyone speaks. Its the universal language of the Spirit. We dont have to speak with perfect spanish for these people to feel the importance of our message. They can feel the spirit even if we are speaking gibberish. This goes hand in hand with patience—We are doing the best we can to learn the language, and in turn, the spirit is taking our message into the hearts of our investigators. 2 Ne 32:1—the spirit carries our message. I know it does. I have felt it. I think that is a greater gift than the gift of tounges that we can get. I would 100 times rather speak and have the spirit testify to the people rather than teach with perfect spanish.

 

All is well down here. I feel like elder cook´s son reporting back ´hope you know, we had a hard time!´ but there is so much i can learn from this experience. I know i just need to humble myself and rely on the Lord, and as i do this He will give me success. I am so greatful for the ability i have to call upon the Lord, and for His tender mercies i have seen in my life this week. Hay que trabajar. Hay que luchar. Its not going to be easy, but it sure will be worth it. Diligence in all things. Those have been my slogans this week.

 

With all that said, i really hope next week is better!! Haha. But i have been praying to learn the lessons i need to, and so i guess i need to be careful what to pray for, huh? I know i have SO much more to learn, and am ready with my armour on to go learn it this coming week. I am greatful for the things i am learning, and i know i am just scratching the surface of what i have yet to learn. I look forward to what i am going to learn in the coming week, regardless of if its a good week or another week like this week.

 

Im going to go make skyline chili for my zone now, and then play speedball at the church. What a day this is going to be, huh!?! I figured i needed a little kick to get this coming week going good. Spanish is coming along really well. Ive been thrown into the fire and honestly i am understanding about 85 to 90 percent of what people are saying to me. That has been a miracle too. The Lord qualifies who He calls? I think so. Elder cox has been working hard on his spanish, and it has gotten a lot better this past week. It is a pleaure kneeling in prayer and humbly asking for help with him. I think as new as we are, we are still humble. That is going a long way for us.

 

Im going to head out, but i love you all and i appreciate your prayers in my behalf as well as in the behalf of my investigators, my area, and my kid.

 

Have a great week, adn enjoy the cold!! It touched between 107 and 111 here!!!!!!

 

Love you

 

Taylor Jensen

 

Fw:

 

Hey all!!

 

Hola from down south!! This week has been a bit eventful. I now have the responsibility of doing basically all the missionary work in my area and to teach spanish! its going to be pretty tough. My new comp, elder Cox of American Fork Utah, doesnt speak much. at all. Its going to be a challenge because i myself feel like im still being trained, you know? So far i have been managing really well speaking and understanding. Sometimes i get a bit overwhelmed too. Its a real tough time right now, but the work must go on!

 

Matias was baptized on Saturday. It was a great meeting. his brothers all came and so did some of their friends, so there were about 15 of his family and friends there, so that was great. We had a great turn out from the ward. We had a priesthood activity right before where we played soccer and pingpong, so they all stayed and then a whole bunch of ward members showed up. It was great! He was really happy, and the ward was happy to welcome him in. We now start the work with the rest of his family-- noche de hogar tonight! after the baptism he was like hey elder jensen. You are coming over to my house and having a noche de hogar with my family when? 730 monday? perfect. Mom- Noche de hogar. We are excited... we are still working on what we are going to share with them.

 

Today we are going off to teh Beach in Rawson to throw a baseball and eat sandwiches. Its going to be a blast! i cant wait. we have a lot of fun guys in our zone, so itll be a fun activity.

 

Not too too much is going on. i had to go up to Neuquen to pick up my new companion, so there really hasnt been a whole ton of work going on in my area this week. Next week we´ll get started and start getting some more good new investigators going. We dont have any fechas right now, so its a bit discouraging, but we are going to get the work going soon. Its going to be a tough tough 3 or 4 weeks coming, but i konw that as i put my faith in Christ, He will help me through it and guide my limited spanish in what to say and do. My new comp is a good guy. He will learn to love the people. He is whiter than me! blond blond hair, blue eyes, my height, and a ton more muscle than me. Its going to be an adventure together, but we have set some good goals and are going to push real hard to get them. Im going to push real hard on his spanish too because i dont want to feel like im working alone for very long. Missionary work is 2 by 2, so well get him doing the things he can and learning to say the things he cant.

 

Hope all is well back home. Its always fun to hear from you and get letters and such!

 

Take care!

 

Elder Jensen

Fw: THREE ENORMOUS PIECES OF NEWS!!

 

I have 3 ENORMOUS pieces of news. Ready? here we go.

 

1. I TOUCHED A PENQUIN last week at Punta Tombo. It was so cool!!!!!! there were little penguins walking around hanging out EVERYWHERE! they made little nests in the little hedgebrush bushes that were there. It was so fun. I tried contacting a few of them. Luckily i had a word of wisdom pamphlet with me... they werent too interested though. It was such a fun trip. We played rook in the car the whole way, then were there walking around, seeing the penguins and llamas and sheep and then we came back. Oh what fun. I wish i could show you all the pictures and video of us there. That leads to number 2.

 

2. I WAS ROBBED!!!!! i have been debating all week about the story i was going to tell about this, like some guy had a gun at my companions head and i had to give him my camera to save his life or something, but nope. We were having a baptismal interview and set our bags in a pile in the church and we were in the chapel playing the piano and someone came in and stole my camera and the bag of our zone leader. I am devastated. it stinks because i lost all my penguin pictures. luckily, ive got all the other ones on usb.

 

3. I AM GOING TO BE A FATHER! in a figurative sense, not literal. But i am training starting tomorrow!!!!!!!!! i am starting tomorrow. Its kinda strange... elder valencia said he has seen this 3 times in his 22 months here-- 2 of them became A.P.s and the other one trained someone that came in with me. Im really excited for this chance because i am going to have to grow, but also i am not going to lie i am a bit terrified as well. its back to that feeling running onto the field my first varsity soccer game. or if you like the pool analogy, i just got out of the pool for a bit to get a snack and have to jump back in the freezing cold water. Im basically on my own now... i still dont know who i am training. could be a native, could be a gringo. We told the members yesterday at church and they were all kinda like oh. Blind leading the blind? you cant train! haha. Well see about that. But i go up to neuquen tomorrow night to pick up my kid. I am still a bit over my head right now about it. Its a quick jump! haha last night we were with people from the zone and they were all like oooooh!! elder jensen! capo (stud)!!! at least the missionaries have my back and dont say blind leading the blind! luckily ive been diligent about keeping a list about good leader bad leader qualities in my 2.5 months here, so that will come in handy in training.

 

Other news, Elder Valencia is going off to neuquen to end his mission as a Zone leader. we spent the morning packing all his stuff up and cleaning up the apartment. Its sad seeing him go, and knowing my lifeline and support are gone. Its time to step up!! im really excited. I actually wanted to train, so this is perfect.

 

What else is going on... Matias is getting baptized this coming saturday. I think im doing it. Lucky new missionary gets a baptism his first weekend! Matias´s parents didnt wand him to get baptised, but with the help of his sister and us and Matias, we helped them realize matias is so ready for it. Were excited. im just sad elder valencia couldnt be here for it!

 

All of our other recent converts are doing well. Vanesa and ariel are so great! they are dating adn going to church and our baptisms together and everything is just so nice with them. Brian and Ivan get back from Buenos aires tomorrow and im excited to see them again. I missed those two kids!

 

Carlos is still reading and loving everything about the church. He is such a pleasure to talk to every week.

 

The work has been a bit tough this week with elder valencia leaving. hes been here for 6 months so we had to go say our goodbyes and such and the members are going to miss him. Hes been a great missionary here. Now the two new kids get to see what we can do!! haha. It still hasnt sunk in yet that i am training. But it will on wednesday!

 

All is well here. i am still loving missionary work and loving serving people and loving learning and loving speaking spanish and just everything about being a missionary. Sometimes a get cheesy and just look at myself in teh mirror with my missionary tag on. I only have 24 months to wear it, and then an eternity to think about what i did while i was wearing it! Onwards and upwards!

 

Love always,

 

Elder Taylor Alan Jensen, the same who touched a penguin, was robbed, and became a father in the same week.

 

 

 

 

 

Fw: Merry Christmas!

Wow. Is it really christmas? It is a nice, toasty, shortsleeve day here. My
tan is looking good, ive got tan lines all over, and i carry around a water
bottle sometimes because its so hot. Anyone care to trade climates?

Christmas Patagonia style is a bit different. The big holiday is christmas
eve, which is called buen noche here. Its basically like the fourth of July.
We live on the 4th floor of our apartment building, so later tonight, well
be venturing up on the roof top not for reindeer paws nor santa claus, but
for a night of fireworks and eating food. It will be fun! the typical
holiday dish here is called an Asado (bar b que) its basically a big thing
of meat that they grill for a while on rebarb over the coals. Its pretty
good. But typical argentine food-- tons of salt, tons of fat. I feel like a
surgeon most meals as i delicately slice off all the enormous chunks of fat
to get to the good stuff. I am surprised people here dont just have heart
attacks here left and right-- all they do is eat fatty beef, bread, oil,
salt, and more fat. haha.

Right now in our zone, we have 10 elders and 2 hermanas. None are latinos,
so we are going to have to figure out a way to cook our Asado. I am
nervously anticipating what it is going to taste like...

News for this week before i get back to christmas and such: We had 3
baptisms this weekend!!! Bryan Cabrera (brother of ivan, son of vanesa) was
baptized by yours truly on saturday and confirmed on sunday. Monica passed
her interview on saturday and was baptized on sunday with her daughter,
Selene. Both were great experiences. I was especially happy with brian´s. He
is kinda a goof ball who dresses up like a rapper for fun and i was kinda
nervous about his commitment and desire to be baptized. As we were changing
afterwards, we were talking and i just said well you are the newest member
of the church. How does it feel? he said great, really peaceful, that he had
been nervous but now he feels good. I told him thats the spirit. a minute
later he said im also the most perfect member of the church now too, huh?
yep. another few seconds. And probably the wettest! haha. I love this kid. I
am nervous to see what the next two days will bring for their family because
the mom wants to go to Buenos Aires to be with her new boyfriend Maxi. Its a
tough decision because she thinks thats whats best for her and her family,
but my companion and i disagree, and so do the boys. Its a delicate thing
because we cant get into that too much, so we have to sit on the outside and
pray that they make the best decision for their family. Its turned into a
bit of a jerry springer affair with this whole family. The ex husband got
inot a fight with his nephew this past weekend and it was really bad. We are
just really hoping and praying for peace and love between these two families
and that both will reconcile and do what is best for everyone. It is a hard
time right now for both sides. Well see what happens.

Other news, We got the standard again last week!! weve now done it twice,
and we are the only ones in the mission to have gotten it. It is truly a
blessing i dont feel worthy of recieving because we have many weaknesses. I
am not a great teacher or a great spanish speaker, we have a few issues with
obedience, and yet somehow the Lord has decided to bless us with these
baptisms and has allowed us the privledge of helping these people enter in.
It is something i take very seriously and is something that daily i strive
to better myself so that i can merit more and be a better tool in His hands.

I am so greatful for this opportunity i have to be a missionary at this time
in Patagonia. It is an honor, and a blessing to be sharing this gospel. It
is always an adventure, every day i wake up more tired that i was when i
fell asleep, but thats the way it goes. We are allowed to stay out until 9
working or 930 if we are teaching a lesson and i think every night this week
we have stayed out till 930. Thats something that i like. We are maximizing
our time and finding a lot of good people to teach. We are running out of
good progressing investigators though because we are baptizing them all! its
also tough with the vacations here. a lot of our people are out of town till
the first week of january. But we are always progressing, always striving,
and always have a lot more to learn. I take very seriously my calling as a
representitive of Jesus Christ, and i know that the things i am doing here
are better than anything else i could be doing at this time with my life. It
is so worth all the feelings of exhaustion, hunger, thirst, homesickness,
and discouragement to have people like Carlos who was baptised on the 9th.
He is set to recieve the priesthood this coming sunday and we talked to him
on monday night about it. He said he had his interview with the bishop about
it and then came home and cried because he felt so privledged to hold the
power of the Lord. What a man! how many converts respect it that much and
are that excited about it? how many members? It has been a privledge to work
with him, to see him quit smoking in 4 days because he knew this church is
true. The work is fantastic. Not everyday is great. Monday and tuesday here
were really tough. But is it worth it? always. Always.

In mosiah 4 or somewhere around there, it talks about us not running faster
than we have strenghth, but being diligent in all things. Or something like
that. that scripture has really hit me this week. I have been stressed about
the missionary i am and who i am becoming and expecting myself to just be
this incredible book of mormon type missionary or somthing. But thats not
who i am called to be. The Lord called Taylor Jensen to be a missionary. And
yes, i sure have to do my part in diligently studying my scriptures and
ensign and stuff in teh mornings (which, by the way, may be one of my
favorite parts of the day), but i am me. I just have to do the best i can
and that is what He asks. I will grow and learn and speak better as i go on,
but i am not expected to be a book of mormon type missionary now. That will
come :) I can stop stressing and calm down and listen to the spirit as i
teach rather than worrying about what i am going to say or what words i am
going to use as i say it. Ah what a blessing and relief the scriptures are
for me.

I think i am about out of time, so take care, have a wonderful christmas, go
sit in the snow for me, tell your families you love them, and be sure to be
in bed by midnight or santa wont come!

I love you all. Thanks for your support and prayers.
Until Monday,
Merry Christmas!
Love, Taylor Jensen

Fw: Helloo!!!

----- Original Message -----
From: "Taylor Jensen" <tajensen8@myldsmail.net>
To: <njensen@cinci.rr.com>; <kjensen@gaic.com>
Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 9:58 AM
Subject: Helloo!!!

Is it really almost Christmas? What happened to thanksgiving? and Snow?
someone told us it touched 30 something centigrade. It gets HOT down here!!!
i wish there was snow... but thats alright. Itll be a fun christmas walking
around sweating in my short sleeve shirt.

News this week... Well we had a Zone Conference on friday, then a saturday
night and sunday morning session of Stake conference. It was great. We had
Pres. Cook and his wife, the Temple President and his wife, and Elder Shayne
M Bowen of the 70. The three meetings were all very powerful and made me
realize changes i need to make. It was great. We werent able to have a
baptism because it is stake conference, but we got everything else in the
key indicators! Id call it a success. Elder bowen came up to me and elder
valencia and said ´just want to let you know, i was sitting with Pres. Cook
and he leaned over and pointed you out and said ´see those two elders? they
are obedient with exactitud and they are successful and they are baptizing.
They are an example for our missionaries´Thats what the Lord wants from you.
its what He expects from you. We both didnt really have anything to say
other than wow. Thanks. We are trying with all our might. It was a good
conversation to say the least!

One thing i learned twice (once in a testimony during zone conference and
again during elder bowens talk) is that every meeting, we need to learn
something. If we dont have something we remember weve learned or something
that we are going to change, we havent been listening to the meeting and
more importantly the Holy Ghost. Heavenly father is trying to teach us,
trying to have us learn something and if we dont come out of a meeting
having learned somethign new or changed something about us, the meeting
didnt have any value. I need to work on that, especially here in spanish
land! haha. (my spanish, ps, is getting a lot better. I am being pretty
diligent about learning and working on my vocab. I can do better, and i will
the coming weeks so that by the new year, i can be fine in any conversation.
We are getting there. WE being me and my spanish brain. haha.

Right now we are preparing for a big weekend... we had 4 baptisms lined up,
but Julia decided to go to the beach instead of church. Its really hard
sometimes teaching people the importance of church when it just hasnt been a
part of their life before. It is all too easy to find excuses for why not to
do something. And i dont have too much of a problem with her going to the
beach with her family. We just need to stress really strongly the importance
of coming to church in the morning and then heading off to the beach. We
have a cool new sheet that is kind of a path or map to baptism with all the
things you need to learn on it. its kind of like a check list type of thing.
We started that with her, and she was all ready to go to both sessions of
conference, but last second pulled out. It was a bit disheartening, and
showed us we just have to teach it more strongly, with more importance,
because it really is that important that we go to church.

Other people- We had a mother and daughter lined up for this weekend, but we
ran into a little problem with interviews, so hopefully that will get
settled out and they can get baptized this weekend. We´ll have to see. The
mother was really down yesterday afterwards, so we really hope we can get
this resolved so she doesnt build a wall in her head against the church.

Our last one is Brian, older brother of Ivan and son of Vanesa. We are
working really hard with him to get him baptized now because his family
situation is up in the air with where his mom is going to go and if they are
going with her. He is a good kid. He just needs some guidance. Thats what we
are here for, right? They as a family have been really fun to watch. For
years, they have struggled in family unity. Now, with the gospel, they are
saying prayers together over their meals (which are pretty sparing because
they dont have a fridge, stove, or anything besides a sink anymore) We are
just trying to get them reading as a family. Its interesting being a first
hand witness of the changes families make as a result of the gospel and of
the blessings those changes bring. By next week, we hope to have a lot of
change in terms of respect one towards another. This week, we are really
going to focus on helping them build una casa del espiritu. WEll see how it
goes.

Elsewhere, hmmm. the week hasnt had too too much going on. We are working
with the baptismal dates we had. We are working now on getting some new
people to teach. We are really going to work on using the members because
they are the key in getting good investigators. Our efforts contacting do
not work that well in getting solid investigators. The member references are
so much better. We really love setting up Noche De Hogars with people and
using that to get people teaching new investigators and such. Which leads me
to ask you, my fellow readers, What have you done to help the missionaries
this month?? Ill give you a couple of options-- Family home evenings (these
are key) Inviting them to a ward activity, or going on splits with the
missionaries. It is the Members responsibility to find, the missionaries to
teach and baptize, and the members to retain. And of course the members help
teach and baptize, and the missionaries help retain and find too. but it is
very effecient to have members giving solid references. Escecially now in
Christmas time, it is easy to work something in about Christ and His love
and the restored gospel. Go For it!!

I really dont have too much more to say this week... Onwards and upwards
always!! Its always so much fun realizing i have so much to learn and that i
can never hit a plateau on the things i am learning or on things like faith
and patience. I can always get better! (sometimes thats a little daunting
too). But the work is good here. We are happy, and excited for Christmas,
and excited to have a white christmas--baptism style!

i love you all, and i dont know exactly what our plans are for next week in
terms of christmas and such. I think christmas eve is a Pday, so i may get
on and write a bit after my phone call home. Ill let you know for sure in a
bit... i may have to get on and send a quick email later this week when we
find out for sure. I love you all, have a good winter break, and play in the
snow for me. But my white christmas is going to be more fun :)

With Love
Elder Taylor Jensen

PS. Big news. Hedwig had 2 eggs a couple weeks ago. One hatched halfway and
then disappeared, and hedwig was sad. We hadnt seen her for 2 weeks, so we
assumed the worst. We actually saw like 5 dead pigeons and every time we
were like áww hedwig! but big news! shes back, with another new egg, so we
have 2 again, and she and her husband, pidwigeon, are building a better nest
so their new babies cant escape. Its a joyous day for us! our friends are
back! the end.