Hey all
It's been a big ol weekend down here! We had a zone conference up in Zapala on Friday, then General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. I was able to listen to the 4 general sessions---the Elders down in San Martin (Elder Gibson and Suarez) had the members record it on a VHS so we're going to watch it tomorrow in district meeting. I'm really excited!
I am very grateful for the technology that allows us to watch and listen to these sessions. Saturday my companion and I were here in the cyber listening to the conference, and Sunday we were in the home of a member listening in Spanish. It was a very good conference, and I CANNOT WAIT to get the Liahona that has all the stuff—mom can you send one to me ASAP? The mission has a little bit of a delay getting that stuff then sending it out. I loved Elder Holland's talk—I couldn't see him, but I almost started laughing imagining him up there yelling! He gets so into it. He was the only one that we could hear his voice behind the translators, and I know that he was up there with a ton of energy. Unfortunately, the Spanish translators are a bit monotone, so you lose a little bit of that energy and emotion they put in.
I especially enjoyed Elder Scott's talk. He is great. I'm just excited to download the audio files onto my pen drive so we can listen to them in the apartment. (ooh yeah! I just got on lds.org and the audio files are already up!! Yay :)
Speaking of our apartment, I think I've gone from the worst in the mission to the best. Our new place is awesome!!! 2 floors, 2 bedrooms upstairs, the living area downstairs and the kitchen and bathroom. It's got a bathroom door, shower curtain, toilet seat, and everything a missionary could ask for. It's great. And we woke up this morning to snow flurries outside! What a blessing!! I made myself hot chocolate to celebrate.
This week was interesting. This whole whitewashing thing is real hard. We did 200 contacts, taught 14, and found 15 new investigators. We put another fecha for the 24th, but that one and the one with Claudia fell because neither came to Conference (they have to have at least 3 times in church before getting baptized.) I'm going to drop it on them both pretty hard today and tomorrow—they both were set to come and everything and then ditched for real weak excuses. I don't get ´duro´ often, but today and tomorrow, I'm going to with them.
I am continually amazed at the miracles I see here in Junin. (still don't know what Junin means...) On Thursday, I was kinda out of it and didn't really have too much of a desire to do anything. We set out, knocking, finding, looking for anyone who would have the slightest desire. We were knocking close to the house and were going to go back for lunch at 1230. it was 1207 as we rounded this corner, and I, in almost pain, was saying in my mind, let's just go back to the house and eat. But...something in me stirred. I kept quiet and just kept going. 2 houses later, we knocked. A girl popped her head out the door, and she had about 4 piercings in her face. I let my companion do the contact. He did one of his 4 contacts—the plan of salvation one. And then she said something—come in! We did. We found her and her husband and their 2 daughters. We taught. Something clicked within me because I taught with the spirit. At the end of the ´our life one earth part,´ I asked her how she felt about that. She said incredible. Peaceful. She had gone to other churches before and they all told her she was already damned because she smoked and that there was nothing she could do to change that. What a message of hope we gave her that morning! She had become so disillusioned towards God and the churches of the world because of that. Now, she has hope. I looked her in the eyes and said ´there is not one single thing you can do, (other than denying the holy ghost) that you can not be washed clean from.´ It clicked. We're going back at 6 tonight to explain Joseph Smith and the restoration. I'm excited. We're also going over on Wednesday morning to paint their house with the san martin elders.
The other fecha we put was a similar story. We were contacting and I saw him washing his shoes in a bucket out front. As soon as I saw him I knew we were getting in. We did. (I forget if I've already told this story). So then we teach and he's had the missionaries before 4 years ago, 2 years ago, and 2 months ago. We taught, and put a fecha. He's a good good guy who just got separated 2 weeks ago. We're really hopeful that he'll be able to progress.
It was funny being at zone conference. I overheard our zone leaders and assistants talking and saying ´Junin hasn't had a fecha in 7 months. Now elder Jensen comes in and puts 2 in a week. Are you kidding me?´ It gives me hope that what I'm doing here is good. I felt really crummy yesterday when both fechas dropped because neither came to church. But I hope I'm doing something good here. I hope I'm helping someone be happier. I hope I'm making a difference in someone's life. My companion told me yesterday of all the change I've made in his life, so that made me feel a bit better.
Zone conference was great. It talked about 3 of my 4 burning questions—how to work better with the ward and church leaders, comp unity, and starting the lessons better with good questions. I'm amazed at the conference's ability to answer all of my questions and doubts. I am also grateful for the inspired leaders we have who come to help those in need like me.
I'm looking forward optimistically to the next week. I hit a rough stretch of apathy this weekend. Whenever people ask me what my worst fear is, I normally say apathy. I hit it real hard this weekend, which is unfortunate because I missed a bit of the spirituality of conference. But thats why I'm downloading some of the talks now! To make up for it.
Junin is pretty resorty. There are a good chunk of people who speak a bit of English here. There is a lot of fishing here. The district is struggling a bit. There is a myth that these are tough areas with rich people who are never home and don't want to listen. I'm trying to break that...we're doing divisions tomorrow, so that'll be good to work with one of the two and try to raise the vision a bit. It will also be good Jfor my sanity to work with one of them
Thanks for everything fam. We will thus conclude this letter and have a recess for 1 week.
Elder Jensen
It's been a big ol weekend down here! We had a zone conference up in Zapala on Friday, then General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. I was able to listen to the 4 general sessions---the Elders down in San Martin (Elder Gibson and Suarez) had the members record it on a VHS so we're going to watch it tomorrow in district meeting. I'm really excited!
I am very grateful for the technology that allows us to watch and listen to these sessions. Saturday my companion and I were here in the cyber listening to the conference, and Sunday we were in the home of a member listening in Spanish. It was a very good conference, and I CANNOT WAIT to get the Liahona that has all the stuff—mom can you send one to me ASAP? The mission has a little bit of a delay getting that stuff then sending it out. I loved Elder Holland's talk—I couldn't see him, but I almost started laughing imagining him up there yelling! He gets so into it. He was the only one that we could hear his voice behind the translators, and I know that he was up there with a ton of energy. Unfortunately, the Spanish translators are a bit monotone, so you lose a little bit of that energy and emotion they put in.
I especially enjoyed Elder Scott's talk. He is great. I'm just excited to download the audio files onto my pen drive so we can listen to them in the apartment. (ooh yeah! I just got on lds.org and the audio files are already up!! Yay :)
Speaking of our apartment, I think I've gone from the worst in the mission to the best. Our new place is awesome!!! 2 floors, 2 bedrooms upstairs, the living area downstairs and the kitchen and bathroom. It's got a bathroom door, shower curtain, toilet seat, and everything a missionary could ask for. It's great. And we woke up this morning to snow flurries outside! What a blessing!! I made myself hot chocolate to celebrate.
This week was interesting. This whole whitewashing thing is real hard. We did 200 contacts, taught 14, and found 15 new investigators. We put another fecha for the 24th, but that one and the one with Claudia fell because neither came to Conference (they have to have at least 3 times in church before getting baptized.) I'm going to drop it on them both pretty hard today and tomorrow—they both were set to come and everything and then ditched for real weak excuses. I don't get ´duro´ often, but today and tomorrow, I'm going to with them.
I am continually amazed at the miracles I see here in Junin. (still don't know what Junin means...) On Thursday, I was kinda out of it and didn't really have too much of a desire to do anything. We set out, knocking, finding, looking for anyone who would have the slightest desire. We were knocking close to the house and were going to go back for lunch at 1230. it was 1207 as we rounded this corner, and I, in almost pain, was saying in my mind, let's just go back to the house and eat. But...something in me stirred. I kept quiet and just kept going. 2 houses later, we knocked. A girl popped her head out the door, and she had about 4 piercings in her face. I let my companion do the contact. He did one of his 4 contacts—the plan of salvation one. And then she said something—come in! We did. We found her and her husband and their 2 daughters. We taught. Something clicked within me because I taught with the spirit. At the end of the ´our life one earth part,´ I asked her how she felt about that. She said incredible. Peaceful. She had gone to other churches before and they all told her she was already damned because she smoked and that there was nothing she could do to change that. What a message of hope we gave her that morning! She had become so disillusioned towards God and the churches of the world because of that. Now, she has hope. I looked her in the eyes and said ´there is not one single thing you can do, (other than denying the holy ghost) that you can not be washed clean from.´ It clicked. We're going back at 6 tonight to explain Joseph Smith and the restoration. I'm excited. We're also going over on Wednesday morning to paint their house with the san martin elders.
The other fecha we put was a similar story. We were contacting and I saw him washing his shoes in a bucket out front. As soon as I saw him I knew we were getting in. We did. (I forget if I've already told this story). So then we teach and he's had the missionaries before 4 years ago, 2 years ago, and 2 months ago. We taught, and put a fecha. He's a good good guy who just got separated 2 weeks ago. We're really hopeful that he'll be able to progress.
It was funny being at zone conference. I overheard our zone leaders and assistants talking and saying ´Junin hasn't had a fecha in 7 months. Now elder Jensen comes in and puts 2 in a week. Are you kidding me?´ It gives me hope that what I'm doing here is good. I felt really crummy yesterday when both fechas dropped because neither came to church. But I hope I'm doing something good here. I hope I'm helping someone be happier. I hope I'm making a difference in someone's life. My companion told me yesterday of all the change I've made in his life, so that made me feel a bit better.
Zone conference was great. It talked about 3 of my 4 burning questions—how to work better with the ward and church leaders, comp unity, and starting the lessons better with good questions. I'm amazed at the conference's ability to answer all of my questions and doubts. I am also grateful for the inspired leaders we have who come to help those in need like me.
I'm looking forward optimistically to the next week. I hit a rough stretch of apathy this weekend. Whenever people ask me what my worst fear is, I normally say apathy. I hit it real hard this weekend, which is unfortunate because I missed a bit of the spirituality of conference. But thats why I'm downloading some of the talks now! To make up for it.
Junin is pretty resorty. There are a good chunk of people who speak a bit of English here. There is a lot of fishing here. The district is struggling a bit. There is a myth that these are tough areas with rich people who are never home and don't want to listen. I'm trying to break that...we're doing divisions tomorrow, so that'll be good to work with one of the two and try to raise the vision a bit. It will also be good Jfor my sanity to work with one of them
Thanks for everything fam. We will thus conclude this letter and have a recess for 1 week.
Elder Jensen
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