Última Semana da Missão February 29, 2016

Hey there,

So...I can't believe that I'm already on my last week here on the mission! Things are going crazy here! We had lots of miracles and blessings this last week in Franca.

So, we had three baptisms on Saturday. Two were the two youngest kids of Maria and José, Juliana and Wagner. That was a fun thing that we fought for, and their family is really progressing. They invited all of their older sibling with their spouses and children to go to the baptism, and so their entire family was there, which was really special. We also had the baptism of Ricardo, whose wife´s aunt is a member in our ward. It really was an amazing experience.

We also had some more miracles with Maria and José. José pulled Sister Lourenço aside after a family home evening with them last night, and he asked us about what Maria was saying about weddings. She had brought us earlier the pictures of their oldest kids' weddings to show us, and said that she always dreamed of having a wedding like that, but now she didn't thing that it was ever going to happen. We told him that that was what she said, and he told us that the next day, he was going to go and mark their wedding, and he wanted it to be a secret. Woohooo! We truly wanted to scream and shout and cry tears of joy when he told us this. Miracles are real, but we have to have faith and we cannot give up.

Other than that, the week was pretty normal. I came to Ribeirão Preto today to register my new visa that finally came through, but that's not too big of a deal.

I love you all, and...I'll see you in a week!

Love you!

Sister Jensen

Mais uma Semana em Franca February 22, 2016

Hey there!

This week was super full of nothing.

We did have some wonderful miracles, but the work is still the work. We are having a hard time finding new investigators here, but we are still working hard for those that we have.

Miracle this week with José and Maria. José invited his daughter and her boyfriend to go to church with them! It was José! We are super happy with the progress that he is making, but still frustrated with his lack of desire to get married. Everything will work out well though.

Other than that, this week was kind of normal. I went to São Joaquim da Barra for a division with our sister training leaders, and it was cool. Actually, it's pretty hot there, but the division was good. And...we had interviews with Presidente Brum on Saturday. He is wonderful! It was so fun to talk with him. It was kind of funny because he usually doesn't interview those that are going home with the other missionaries, but he said he wanted to talk to me. It was great. He basically just wanted to see how I was doing, and then said that we didn't have much to talk about because we would talk again in two weeks. That's weird stuff.

But, I hope all you at home are doing well.

Love you!

Sister Jensen

Semana Difícil‏ February 15, 2016

Hey there again!

This week was full of ups and downs. Our money is delayed (we are poor for one more day!) and lots of other stuff.

To start it all off, our week was great. We were talking with lots of people on the street--everything super-duper great. But, there has to be oposition in all things, so we hit a hard wall. Wednesday, Sister Lourenço and I woke up with terrible head colds. We were so miserable that we had to stay home that day, but we are all pretty much good now. We only had to stay home that one day, so that wasn't too long. But really, there is NOTHING to do in a missionary's house. If you think staying home sick in normal life is boring, imagine how we were that day. The two of us sick with nothing to do. It was pretty bleh.

Other than that, we are going pretty well here. We had a few other bumps in the road this week, but we are excited for another chance to move forward and start the work up again. With our sick strike, we didn't have a lot of new things, very few new investigators, lessons, and stuff like that. So, I won't bore you with talk of nothing.

Sei que o evangelho é ótimo. Temos tudo que precisamos. Eu percebo isso mais e mais todo dia. Sei que o plano do Senhor é perfeito, e se seguirmos esse plano, jamais vamos errar. 

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Carnaval em Franca, São Paulo‏ February 8, 2016

Hey there everyone!

So, this week is Carnaval. The good thing is that here, it isn't super strong, so we shouldn't have any problems. I only had a few little funny problems last year during Carnaval, but we were all just fine and thankfully, nothing happened. 

So, we are having a great time teaching that one family that I talked about. The family of Maria and José. They are wonderful! We even did a skit of 1 Nephi 4 with them yesterday and everyone got into it with towels on their heads for costumes and everything. It was pretty great, and we had a wonderful time. We are still praying for José's heart to be softened so that he will accept the invitation to get baptised, and that he will finally marry his wife, because she wants to be baptized and can't be without being married. Lots of prayers for them.

Um, other than that, things are going well here. We are constantly on the search for more investigators, and are excited in the progress we see in those that we currently have.

Sei que esta obra é super importante ao Senhor. Ele realmente está preparando para a segunda vinda de Cristo. Temos a responsabilidade de ajudar nisso. O Senhor precisa de nós como suas mão aqui na terra hoje.

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Primeira Semana em Franca Conquistada!‏ February 1, 2016

Oi meus queridos!

We had a crazy week this week. Opening an area isn't always the easiest thing. Plus side, I already know and love my companion. Sister Lourenço and I are having a great time together. Not-so-good side, we had to spend a fair amount of time cleaning and re-organizing our house. Everything is good now, and we are going to work our hearts out.

We are teaching a WONDERFUL family that could use a little prayer. The parents names are José and Maria. They have to get married, but it is truly a wonderful family. They go to church, even the activities, read the scripture, and are just great. We are teaching their three youngest kids too, which has been a fun oportunity.

Other than that, it's just the news of starting from nothing to help out this area. 

Amo todos vocês e sou grata por mais uma oportunidade de ter esse dia como representante do Senhor. Ele é tão misericordioso, e está aqui com braços abertos sempre para nos ajudar.

Boa semana para todos!

Sister Jensen

Oi de Novo de Ribeirão Preto January 25, 2016

Hey there everyone!

So, I'm in Ribeirão again today. That's because...today we had transfers! And, I was transferred. The last area of my mission will be for just one transfer. But I'm excited. We have work to do where we are going. 

So, guess who my companion is? It's Sister Lourenço again! I seriously didn't believe the Elder when he told us the transfers. It was pretty funny. I never thought that I would have the same companion more than once, so this will be fun. We are going to need the friendship that we already started creating because we are both new in this area. We are going to the area of "Seminário" in Franca. This area was the only area in Franca with sisters, but for a few transfers, there have been elders there, and there are other areas in Franca with sisters. But, we are going to re-open the area for sisters. Wow. The same thing that we did in Catanduva, but not with the whole city. It will be good though.

So, It was a sad goodbye there in Catanduva, but I will always keep in contact with the wonderful people that I met there. Just six more weeks until this will all sadly feel like a dream to me.

Sei que este evangelho é nosso caminho para encontrar com a felicidade verdadeiro, que Jesus Cristo é nosso salvador. Ao seguir Ele, temos como resolver qualquer problema que esteja a nossa frente. Eu amo saber essas verdades e compartilhá-las com muitas pessoas todo dia.

Com amor,

Sister Jensen

PS. Sorry mom, I forgot my camera cable in my suitcase, so pics will have to wait until next week!

Semana das Milagres!‏ January 18, 2016

Hey there everyone!

This week was absolutely wonderful. We had a few crazy things here like the river flooding because of so much rain (don't worry mom, we are fine) and other stuff as well. We had, however, lots of amazing miracles. 

We are having great success in visiting our investigators with members. That is a HUGE help to missionaries for those of you who don't know. This ward is catching fire with the spirit of missionary work, and we are seeing the results.

A week or two ago I talked about that family that the wife is a member, but not the husband. We were traveling to another city to teach the husband. This sweet sister has been waiting 14 years to have her husband baptized and be able to seal her family in the temple. One of those dreams was fulfilled yesterday, and the other can be here in one year. Yesterday we had the privilege of seeing Irmã Janaine's husband, Jonas, be baptized. It was a wonderful miracle for all that were there. After all this time, the family will be able to be an eternal family. It was a great blessing for everyone, and we are sooooooooo excited for them.

Other than those things, we have the missionary broadcast this week, and we are super excited to see it. Everyone is wondering what it is about, and we are super excited.

Sei que este evangelho é o evangelho verdadeiro porque nos traz a alegria completa. Ele nos traz a esperança de ter nossas famílias para sempre e que podemos mudar nossas vidas para parar com qualquer coisa que não gostamos. Sempre tem saida, sempre tem forças suficientes. Jesus Cristo veu aqui na terra para nos dar isso. O maior dom de Deus.

Amo muito vocês!

Sister Jensen

Here's the pic of Jonas' baptism. He is in the middle with 

his family, and the bishop (on the end) baptized him.

Ei! Semana de...não sei‏ January 11,2016

Hey there everyone!

So this week was...not too interesting. I know that's a super boring thing to put here, but I can't remember anything too cool.

Oh, here's good news. Sandra is going to mark her marriage date today! We are so excited to see her progress! She is wonderful, and bears testimony to everyone about the gospel! She is going to be such a strength to this ward.

So...I really can't honestly think of anything that happened. Sorry mom, this week was a normal walk in the sun and rain type of a week.

Mas, eu ainda amo todos vocês e sei que o evangelho é o único caminho para a vida eterna. Poderíamos procurar em cada canto do mundo, mas nunca vamos encontrar um outro jeito. Deus é perfeito e o plano Dele também. Sei que o evangelho tem tudo que precisamos fazer aqui, hoje para nos preparar para os próximos passos do plano de Deus. Isso me dá esperança, paz, e alegria.

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Our Christmas Eve glutten-free desserts. We loved them--and I live with 

another sister that is gluten-free and she was so happy to have them!

Our little Christmas tree with a few of the presents

Feliz Ano Novo!‏ January 4, 2016

Hey there everyone! Happy 2016!

I think that's the right way to say it in english. I honestly don't even remember anymore. Anyway, the new year was fun. I spent it sleeping. Seriously the best thing that any missionary could do. Yes, I did wake up at midnight because there were so many stinking fireworks--and lots were close to our house. That was fun. But it's still weird to have a hot new years. 

Um...our week was good. We saw lots of progress with our investigator Sandra. She is the "wife" of a less active member that is coming back. They haven't missed a sunday since deciding to come back to church. What a cool family! They understand the importance of the gospel after having been away for so long. We are hoping that they mark the date for their marriage this week, because as Sandra says, "we have to get married really soon becuase I have to get baptized!" She is wonderful and we are so excited to work with their family. Let me tell you, it is really a privilege.

We are also teaching the husband of an active member of the ward. His name is Jonas. They live in another city (Pindorama) so we have to travel a little bit to teach them. It's only about half an hour away though, so it's not too bad. He is super excited, and after all these years of going to church every once and a while with his family, said that it's time for him to be baptized. We are truly seeing so many miracles here.

Other than that, things are going pretty normal here. The rain is wonderful, and we are super excited for the activity we will have this week with the ward---ping pong tournament! It will be great!

Boa semana para todos!

Sister Jensen

Oi Todos!‏ December 28, 2015

Hi there my loved ones!

This week, I don't have much time, and I don't have much to say.

We are seeing lots of miracles here. Pray lots for all of our new investigators to recognize their answers and be able to progress in the gospel. Especially for Sandra and another family that we met on Christmas--the Mendes family. We are seeing so many miracles as we talk to everyone.

This Christmas was great, and I feel soo blessed to have each and everyone of you as my loved ones this time of year as we remember the One who gave us all that we have. Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I love you all, and am not too sure of what else I need to say. The church truly was restored and in it we can and will find the fullness of joy that Heavenly Father has in store for us.

Beijos e Abraços!

Sister Jensen

ps. We are getting soaked with rain again! I love it!

Sister Barbosa and I that rainy day

Our Christmas Eve feast

Natal em Catanduva!‏ December 21, 2015

Hey there my dearest friends and family!

I am so excited for this week!

I am still not used to the whole "hot and sweaty Christmas" thing, but I am still so excited for this amazing holiday. It is the chance for us to remember the birth of the Savior of the world. And because of that, everyone is so friendly to us. Well, not everyone, but it is a little bit easier right now. We are doing our missionary version of caroling each day, and that has been loads of fun. It's kind of funny actually. We talk with people on the street all normal and everything, give them a little Christmas present (pass-along card) and then ask them if we can sing a Christmas song. Sometimes they are like "what?" but in the end, everyone loves it. We have been singing, "Angels we have Heard on High." What a fun excuse to talk to people!

Other than that, things are going great here! We are finding lots of new people with our caroling. We have lots of people to go back and visit this week, and this will help us to unlock the potencial of this city. It will be great!

Well, I love you all and hope you have a GREAT Christmas!

Com amor,

Sister Jensen

Nova Transferência em Catanduva‏ December 14, 2015

Hey there everyone!

Guess what? Today is transfers, and we got a fun surprise! Two more sisters came to help us out. We now have another companionship working with us, which means four of us at home and it will be lots of fun. Sister Overson (american) and Sister Martinez (mexican) will now be working with us here in Catanduva. 

I am so excited for this chance! We are still working with lots of people here--marking and remarking baptismal dates is a lot of work, but it is work that we are more than happy to keep on doing. Victória has a new baptismal date along with several other investigators. It will be much easier to keep tabs on them now with just a half of the area to work in.

Other than that, things are going swell. I got my Christmas package (thanks mom) and I don't know much else to say. I am happy to keep it up here in Catanduva.

Essa época é o momento perfeito de lembrar um pouco mais de nosso Salvador. Jesus Cristo nasceu para nos salvar, e até hoje, Ele fará qualquer coisa para nos ajudar. Ele nasceu, e hoje vive novamente, para nunca mais morrer. Ele é nossa esperança e nossa alegria. Ele é Natal.

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Zone pic after zone meeting last week

Mais uma Semana em Catanduva‏ December 7, 2015

Tudo bem amigos!

Hey there everyone. This last week was crazy. From Christmas conference to exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. So much stuff to do and so many wonderful things that happened.

So, we were able to mark the baptism of a few investigators! Yay! We marked the baptism of Vitória, a young woman, that will take place this Saturday if everything works out. She is a wonderful girl and is super prepared to receive the gospel. She understands the importance of the gospel in her life, and knows that baptism is a commitment that she will make with God that will change her life. She is good friends with another young woman that got baptized recently here too. It is so wonderful to see the great miracles that happen when the Spirit works in people's lives and testifys of the truth of the gospel.

I don't have too much to say this week, but that experience was certainly the best of it all. 

Este evangelho é o evangelho verdadeiro e vivo. É por meio dele que podemos voltar a presença de nosso Pai Celestial e viver com Ele eternamente com alegria que jamais vai acabar.

Amo muito vocês!

Sister Jensen

Semana de Supresas‏ December 1, 2015

Hey there everyone!

So, I had kind of a surprize yesterday. I am emailing you all today because we had multi-zone Christmas conference yesterday. Wow. And I found out yesterday that it would be my las multi-zone conference on the mission. So, I got to give my hero's testimony. It really doesn't feel like I'm going home yet, but it is really only 3 months away. It feels like just yesterday I was at the Christmas conference of 2014 and dying at all the americans speaking portuguese so well in their final testimony, and hoping and praying that I would be able to speak like them one day. It is amazing how time flies!

Anyway, this last week was great here in Catanduva. We are getting to know our area a lot better, and this is helping us out. We are making friendships with the members (yay!) and that is making a huge difference. We are pushing forward to get this work done here. This city has amazing potential, and I'm so excited for the little bit of time that I will have to work here. I don't know if this will be my last area or if I will have one more still, but I am willing and ready to give it my all while I'm here.

Other than that, I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. What did I do for Thanksgiving? I walked around in the sun all day talking to people about Jesus Christ! It was hot, and it was great! 

Este evangelho é a notícia boa que temos que levar para o mundo inteiro. É a coisa que nos faz dar graça por todas nossas bênçãos. É nossa esperança e luz nessa escuridão. Sei que Cristo é nosso Salvador e que Ele pode nos ajudar com qualquer problema nessa vida. Ele sempre nos ajuda com amor--o amor puro de Deus, que é a caridade.

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Sister Barbosa and I at Christmas Conference yesterday

Sister Clement and I at Christmas Conference. I love her!

Sister Lourenço and I at Christmas Conference

Oi de Catanduva, São Paulo, Brasil!‏ November 23, 2015

Hey there everyone!

So...this was an interesting week! Everything was going great---our work in Ipiranga was going strong, we had an investigator in church, and all that fun stuff. And then, Tuesday night, we got a phone call from the assistants. I thought it was for our interviews with President Brum the next day, but it turns out that it wasn't. So, before you freak out mom, nothing bad happened to us, we are all just fine. Anyway, the assistants told us, that there would be an emergency transfer. Yay! No one likes that on the mission! So, they told me that Sister Lobo would stay in our area and be companions with Sister Meza, that was working in the other area in our ward. They would have to redivide the ward for the assistants to work there too. So, Sister Meza's companion, Sister Almeida, was transfered to Saõ José do Rio Preto, and I was transfered to another city that is part of one of the stakes of São José do Rio Preto. I was transfered to...Catanduva. My new companion is Sister Barbosa, who was Sister Lourenço's companion before this emergency transfer, and we have been here since Wednesday. What a crazy change!

We have the whole city to ourselves, and maybe even a few other small cities, I'm still not sure and will talk to President Brum about that this week. We both got here together, there were Elders here before, and we are getting to know everything together. One of the members yesterday said that it has been 25 years since there have been sisters in this ward. Wow. That was a shock for us! The ward is super friendly, and has a similar problem to my last area with Sunday attendance. There are around 30 members there on Sunday. We felt so welcomed meeting everyone yesterday, and this made us excited to work here. Hopefully this week we will be able to get our heads screwed on straight a little bit better, and get the work going here. 

With all that being said and done, I am excited to work here. It is going to be a challenge, but I feel ready for it.

O Senhor sempre sabe de nosso potencial. Ele nos dá forças e tudo mais que precisamos para fazer o que Ele precisa de nós. Amo este evangelho e a esperança que ele nos traz.

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Semana de Novos Pesquisadores!‏ November 16, 2015

Hey there!

This week was such a crazy week for us! We have gotten the work back on its feet here, and are just moving forward. We were able to find lots of new people, and I am going to talk about them a little bit this email. Wow. My english is sounding really formal and funny, but oh well. 

This week, we started teaching Renan, who is the boyfriend of a Less-active-recent-convert of ours. Miracle of the week, they both went to church yesterday! What a fun thing! I think he really liked it, and I know that Agatha (his girlfriend, the member) was happy to be back at church. We are looking to help these teenagers to see how the gospel is what truly brings us joy in this life, and can keep us from a lot of the hurt that the world could cause. 

We also found a wonderful couple named Tiago and Isabelle this week. They are so cute and have a two month old baby! Our last lesson with them was good, but sadly, they didn't come to church yesterday. We hope to be able to show them how the gospel is here to help our families. When we feel weak and helpless, stressed or overburdened, only the gospel can help us leave that darkness and go into the light. 

We also have some other new investigators, and we will do our best to help them see how the gospel relates to each of us in our individual circumstances. 

Other than that, we are doing great here! It's hot, but the more and more common rain is helping us a lot. 

Amo muito vocês e espero que saibam quanto o evangelho é importante para cada um de vocês. Ele não é para os perfeitos, mas para os imperfeitos, quem somos nós. Sei que quando colocamos nossa confiança no Salvador Jesus Cristo, Ele vai nos ajudar a chegar até nosso potencial divino.

Tenham uma boa semana!

Sister Jensen

ps. sorry mom, the computer isnt recognizing my camera today. ill send pics next week

Semana bem Melhor‏ November 9, 2015

Hey there everyone!

This week was so much better than before! I am just getting over being nervous because I had to switch computers because the other one wasn't letting me enter my email and was basically saying that I had been hacked. Good news, I talked to the people at the internet café and they said that it was a problem with that computer and switched me, and now I can write to you all! What a wonderful thing!

So, with that being said, this week was a lot better. We are visiting three girls. One of them is named Camila (she's about 22) and is the exgirlfriend of a member of the ward. Thats fun. But we are really enjoying teaching her, and it is so fun to see her growth little by little. We are also teaching two friends (or maybe cousins named Nicole and Driely. Nicole is the granddaughter of a member, and we are hoping to be able to teach these teenage girls a little more and help them to see the joy of the gospel.

Other than that, this week was pretty normal. Everything is going great, and I am so excited to finish out the last few months of my mission strong.

Sei que este evangelho é verdadeiro. Sei que Deus nos ama, e que Ele fará todas as coisas para nosso bem. Ele realmente é nosso Pai, e assim, quer fazer o melhor para nós. As vezes, isso não é o que queremos, mas sempre nos ajuda progredir e fazer tudo que precisamos para atingir nosso potencial divino.

Amo vocês!

Sister Jensen

Semana das Dificudades‏ November 3, 2015

Oi minha família e meus amigos!

Esta semana foi uma semana.....oops! I literally wasn't thinking about it and started writing in Portuguese. Sorry mom! So, this week was really not the easiest of all weeks. We had lunch appointments fall through---not ever any fun when you have to make your own lunch---and on top of that, we got a fun phone call from the assistants. 

They called us Thursday morning and asked me to help them with a quartet/choir for a fireside that President Brum was going to do with our ward and the other ward in our building. President had asked them to get together a musical number, and we had about four days to do it in. President asked them to prepare the song "glorious" that David Archuleta sings in the movie "Meet the Mormons", which is a really good movie if you haven't seen it. That meant that I had about and hour to learn the piano part, which isn't totally the easiest thing, and then two or three hours every day (plus and hour or more traveling by bus) in the mission office practicing for this musical number. What a job! But in the end, it worked out really well, and the fireside was WONDERFUL! President Brum really is a man called from God and he is here to preside over this mission in Ribeirão Preto.

Este evangelho é o evangelho de Jesus Cristo e foi restaurado nesses dias. Eu sei que ao seguir o exemplo de nosso Salvador, nós podemos chegar um dia na presença do nosso Pai Celestial. Ele nos ama mais que conseguimos entender. 

Amo muito vocês!

Sister Jensen

PS. We got soaking wet the other day, and we took sister Lobo's first rain pictures here in Brazil!

The new zone this transfer

Another fun rain picture in front of our house in the front garage area.

Novo Transferência‏ October 26, 2015

Hey There!

This week has been absolutely crazy! We had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders this last week, and...transfers. Luckily, I got to stay with the wonderful companion that I have and keep training Sister Lobo. I am really excited for these next 7 weeks together, and I know that we are going to get a lot done. With the changes in the work here, we are having to change our methods a little bit, but it is all going to work out really well.

We had a WONDERFUL ward council meeting the other day. I was able to see that as we focus on people as individuals--the way that Christ works--we can help all those around us much more effectively. It was a wonderful learning experience that I am so grateful for.

Olha, eu tenho pouco tempo para continuar pregando o evangelho aqui em Ribeirão Preto, mas eu sei com todo o meu coração que é verdadeiro. Temos o diamante de verdade entre as pedras do mundo que estão sem brilho. Temos a resposta de cada pergunta e a esperança que sempre conseguiremos progredir e continuar em alegria. Tudo isso é possível por meio de Jesus Cristo.

Amo muito vocês!

Sister Jensen