Merry CHRISTmas!

MERry CHriStmAS!!! 

I hope you are all having a holly jolly Christmas in the states. Here it is hotter than hot and it will only get hotter because it is turning to summer here... The mangoes are getting ripe. I have been given three mangoes now and bought many... They are delicious! The dried mangoes we get from the states are from here. The mangoes here are delicious! So far I have only had one kind, like the champagne mangoes they have at costco. I hear there are many different kinds though. 

There are lights here and lots of pretty things. They have giant stars that they make here that light up. They are truly works of art. They are very cool. I will try to take some pictures without looking like a tourist haha. They are very big and gorgeous. 

Well... I am off to skype my impatient family hahaha. Love you all and have a merry CHRIST mas! 

Sister Jensen

Party at the beach, zone conference, and a barbecue.

The Missionaries' Christmas Party at the beach. 

" I bet some of you are wishing this is what your Christmas feels like... while I am here wishing it was my old familiar cold christmas with the smell of pine and a cowboy christmas tree. But we did have fun." 

Zone Conference. 

"Me eating some delicious Filipino bbq at Sister C's house. She invited us for New Years too... I will not refuse. It was delicious."

"I will be skyping ya'll on Monday here, but sunday evening where you are next monday.. or Sunday for you! Seee you all there! Love you! - Jas" 

Merry Christmas!

Dear Everyone,

Yeah, so this week has been really busy and fun. We had one baptism on Friday. Brother R.N. He is ten years old and really a cutie. He is very smart and he is actually the one that seems to always give the prayers at our lessons. He was so happy and excited to join the church. The day he got baptized was also his birthday. At first he didn't want to get baptized on his birthday, but by the end of the night he was saying he would never forget it. After he got baptized Sister P and I took a cake to their house for him and taught him a lesson. It was a small cake, but he loved it. If we hadn't brought it, there wouldn't have been any celebration of his birthday. Not even the normal pansit they cook "for long life". There family has very little. We managed to hide the cake before all the kids got there so we could focus on our lesson. R got in from christmas caroling. Here the kids start Christmas caroling even sometimes in November. They go from house to house caroling for money with little home made drums and shakers made out of rocks and old containers singing songs. One of the songs they usually sing is "We wish you a Merry Christmas" but... They are a little mixed up and usually sing "We wish you Americana..." Which is the feminine word for American. Well, they just must really love us americans. Anyways, He got in and we taught our lesson and sang happy birthday and had cake. As he was eating his cake he said he would never forget this day. I hope he never does. Not because of the cake, but because it was the day he decided to recieve the gospel into his life. It was the day he decided to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of his life.

I also got to see the Christmas devotional! It made me miss home so much. Seeing videos of America always make me miss the country I love so much. The Christmas trees and lights... The cold weather... I was missing home. It made me think about my home and how it smells like cinnamon candles and pine trees, and our Christmas tree that is REAL not fake. The lights everywhere... The layering of clothes and wearing boots... I miss my boots and scarfs and winter attire. People wear hats and coats here, but I think they are crazy and don't know how they are not boiling alive. They have lights here... but they are also very creative. There is a tree at a school here made out of water bottles and other assorted plastics. I will have to take some pictures for you all to see. Christmas is a little different here. They also sometimes ask for Christmas presents... It is a little strange for me.. But it is all good. Things are different here on this side of the world, but they are good. Everything here is celebrated with food.

Today we had our Christmas party for our North side of the mission. It was a lot of fun. I got to play volleyball! I haven't gotten to do that in a long time. It was at a nice resort and we played games together, had some skits, ate food, sang, danced, were given a kit-kat by president and his wife, and I received the package my mom sent me! So all and all it was a great day! I enjoyed it. I miss being able to play sports. It was great to get to play again. It still is hard to feel like it is Christmas because it isn't cold, but as President asked us to think about the Savior and what he did for us and then ask ourselves what we can do for him in our work I definitely felt the Christmas spirit. I almost cried... Because I owe so much to our Savior Jesus Christ. I know that Christ died for us so that we could have hope. He is central to the plan of our Loving Heavenly Father. Without him we could not return to live with God. Because of him and because of the gospel (The plan of God for us) we can have salvation and eternal happiness.

Love others as Jesus loves you,

I love you! Merry Christmas!

Sister Jensen

" This is the happiness the Gospel brings." 

"Birthday ni R."

Adventures in Masinloc.

Sister Jensen and the monkey.

 "They caught this monkey because it bites kids... So I wanted a pic with it.  But it also pawed me in the face hahaha, no worries no scratches, but it meant I couldn't be next to it in the pic because it wanted to paw me to death. It was an angry monkey. "

Sister Jensen and Sister P.

"Birthday of K! WE ATE SOOOOO much! It was delicious. Filipino spaghetti is sweet. They put sweetened condensed milk in it."

Baptism and nm Fiesta ng Bayan Pictures.

"Baptism of K. C, and her brothers and some others that I don't know."

 "Sister P and I with the N Family."

"Young Women's presentation for our investigators."   

"Fiesta ng Bayan. These little dirty fellers won the dance competition. Conveniently they were outside the house we ate at. "

The Baptism of Brother Buddy

Dear Family and Friends,

The weeks just seem to be flying by. This week I felt so sad. Sister H, who has been with me since I've been in Masinloc, since I've been here in the Philippines, was transferred. It was a bitter and unexpected goodbye. We assumed she would be here for Christmas. Needless to say... I cried. I cried the most I cried since I left my family. We truly are like sisters. We have lots of plans for when we get back. Thus is the way of missionary life, full of surprises. We never know when we will be called to go somewhere else, but we do know it is the plan of God for us.

Our new house mate is a sister training leader... soo... Yeah, she is a rule keeper, but no problems there. She kind of reminds me of my sister Jacque. Maybe it is because she is 28 and knows how to get people to do things that need to be done in a non-pushy way. It really made me miss my family at first... Especially Jacque. She is very nice and talkative. So life is alright. I was worried at first to have a new house mate for Christmas.

This last week Brother R or Brother "Buddy" to us was baptized. He is 69 years old. He was so ready for the gospel. When we go to teach him he never ceases to thank us for bringing him the gospel. He truly cherishes the gospel. His wife died several years ago and he has no kids. He said before his life was just eating and sleeping. He said now his life has changed since we brought him the gospel. He said it changed his life. This is the reason why I am here on a mission, so that others can feel the joy of the gospel. When I go see him he always buys us bread from the local store and pop. He always buys me extra because I am tall and he thinks that that means I eat a lot... Which is not true hahaha, but it is very sweet of him. If I don't finish it he always makes me take it with me. He is very kind and giving. He already wants to live the law of tithing. He is always giving to us. He is going to be a wonderful member of the church. He calls me Jensen or Jen sometimes. He is like a grandfather to me.

I love my work here. I love the people here. I love serving the Lord. I know that the Gospel is the thing that will make us the happiest in our lives. It is eternal happiness. If we have an open heart and mind we will enjoy the blessings of it. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve the people here in the Philippines. This next week Ryan Nesperos will be baptized. His mother was baptized last month. We have high hopes for his brother and his father to receive the restored gospel and eternal happiness. This is life eternal. I love you all!

Mahal Kita!

Sister Jensen

Party Party! Wedding!

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow, this work was a lot of fun for us. Maybe too much hahaha. We went to follow up training at the mission home and ate a ton of delicious food including fresh pineapple, bananas, broccoli, and ice cream a rare commodity here. It was so good! Cookies and cream mmm... So that was all good.

On Sunday.. Well this was interesting... We were invited to one of our investigators weddings... At the catholic church. We received permission to go, so we went. I felt really weird walking in there being a missionary for another church and all, but I really wanted to see their traditions and what they did. I am pretty sure that it was more awkward for my companion because if I don't want to understand Tagalog all I have to do is not really focus. So of course the Priest was giving a sermon and things like that. They partook of their sacrament. The priest puts the bread in their mouth for them. A Filipino tradition is to kind of have a prayer circle thing and then bless everyone. To bless they take the hand of the other person and put it to their forhead. Like you would to kiss someone's hand but then no kissing, just to the forehead. They have lots of guardians. All the guardians pay 100 pesos to the catholic church for their wedding. At the reception they also pin pesos to the clothes of the bride and groom, so everyone sees what they give them. The reception wasn't too different then American wedding receptions other than it was catered with Filipino food and they go in surges to eat. First the Bride and groom and their family. They bless everyone on the way in and then sit down and eat. Then they have different surges of people. We were treated like special guests it was nice haha. 

We also had the baptism of Sister G.N. We hope that she will be the key to the rest of her family receiving the gospel. Her husband is coming along slowly but surely. She was happy and very patient. Her kids love us :). Next week we have Sister K.C. to be baptized. Her Siblings were baptized earlier and three more will be baptized with her in Bayto on Saturday. We are so happy they are all receiving the gospel :). Families are so important!  We are busy in the work. 

Our areas were changed though because we got two more elders here, and they will be teaching many of our investigators. We are sad that we don't get to teach them anymore, but be have new friends to make in our new areas. 

Love you all!

Sister Jensen

 Sister Jensen.

Sister P and I with the N children.

G.N's Baptism Day!

Happy Birthday Sister H! (and more)

With Sister P at the beach. 

"One of my investigators is creative! She wrote me this whole letter backwards. I had to read it in the mirror! It may have been the single hardest letters I've ever tried to read." 

Sister H's birthday, with the Elbos and the Elders. Pancit for long life! 

Sister C. and I. 

Tacloban Missionaries

Dear Family and friends,

Well, this week has been Cray cray. We had a lot to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. We had Zone conference with President Q. It was on obedience. It is usually the topic, so it must be something we all need to work on. There are even little things we can to better each day to be more obedient. Then we had interviews with President and apartment checks. Thank goodness we passed, but of course we take care of our palace of an apartment because we want to keep it! Who wouldn't want to live in the the Belair of apartments here in the mission?President told me my companion spoke well of me... I would hope so hahaha.

 I also learned we are receiving fifteen of the Tacloban missionaries in our mission. I saw their picture today and as far as I can tell and there are only two sisters. At our zone conference President Q. had one elder that's parents live in Tacloban stand up. They don't know about his parents. There is no electricity in Tacloban and many people died. President talked about his courage to continue serving his mission  even though he doesn't know where his family is and if their okay. He stood there and wiped tears away with his black hanky as President spoke. The Filipino people are dedicated to this work. We are getting two of the Tacloban Elders in our area, well, we think. We aren't sure exactly yet, but they put in bunks in the Elders apartment. We hope they will feel at home and be able to overcome their traumatic experience. Two of the Tacloban sisters had to force a hole in the ceiling of their apartment and climb into it to escape the water. They all survived. All of the missionaries because they are blessed of the Lord.

We also had district conference. All their meetings here they try to speak in English. The second councilor to President Q. spoke. The Church here is still baby like so there are branches and districts and President Q. is over it all. The second councilor was HILARIOUS! I loved his talks. He made me laugh. He talked about Abraham and Isaac. He said that we know that the angel that appeared to Abraham wasn't Filipino because he would have been late. Patay! Isaac would have been dead. That made me laugh because I think all the latter day saints have that problem of being on time. And it is true for all of us. It is particularly hard to be on time here though because you rely on others for transportation and you never know if there is going to be a bus or not when you need it. They aren't really scheduled. It can be very hard. We have waited hours for buses before. 

President E., the district President that lives here in Masinloc, also talked about the importance of not working on Sunday. He owns a school supply store here in Masinloc and the day that they have the most kita or profit is on a Sunday. Because of his wife they are not open on Sunday now. All the other people in town think he is crazy for it, but they aren't open on Sunday. His example caused one of our investigators, Sister G.N., to talk to her husband about devoting Sunday to the Lord instead of working. It was great! Sister N. is Scheduled to be baptized this coming Saturday. Her husband has started to read the Book of Mormon and is slowly but surely coming closer to Christ. We have lots of people that are preparing themselves for baptism in December and we are so excited for them! I know that atonement of Jesus Christ is a wonderful thing and it is beautiful when we let it work in our lives.

Love you all! Stay Strong and follow God!

Sister Jensen

Zone Conference 

The work is AMAZING! I love the Gospel!

The week of Typhoon Haiyan:

Jasmine's mission President communicated that all the missionaries in the Olongapo mission were safe, and in a separate email to my parents Jasmine explained that there had been rain, and wind, but that the effects of the typhoon weren't severe in her area. If you're looking to donate to help with the devastation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints posted this article with information about the Typhoon, along with how it impacted the missionaries serving in the impacted areas, and included suggestions of ways to help (to read more click here). Of course there are many reputable options of agencies to respond to disasters that you may donate to, but I recommend researching the agency prior to providing financial support to ensure the funds are actually getting to where the need is greatest. We continue to pray for those living in Philippines who have lost their loved ones, their homes, and what little they owned.

Dear Family and Friends,

This last week was wonderful for me. We had many wonderful things happen. We went to an investigators house thinking we were going to have to tell him we couldn't continue to teach him because he wasn't keeping his commitments and going to church, but that we still loved him and would drop in on him once in a while. When we got there he said he was ready to be baptized and would go to church on Sunday. This time he kept his word and was there on Sunday! Even earlier than us. His name is S. He is 70 years old and likes to be called Brother Buddy. Even though he doesn't have a lot of money he always insists on feeding us bread and soda. He is very sweet. He just a cute old gentleman that reminds me of my Grandma Packer.

We also have been teaching Brother E. I know that I mentioned him in one of my other e-mails. We taught him a lesson and we felt the Holy Ghost so strong and we tried to commit him to be baptized. He turned us down, even though he said he knew the Book of Mormon was true, Joseph Smith was a Prophet, and that the church was true. His reason was that he wanted to finish all of the Book of Mormon before he became a member. I was thinking about this one morning while I was having my personal study. I read Mosiah 22. After I was done I was thinking about him. When I looked back down at my Book of Mormon it was on chapter 18. I read verse 8-10. And I knew it was for him. After the next lesson I assigned it to him, so he could get the answer for himself. When we came back I asked, "Kamusta ang pagbabasa mo sa Ang Aklat ni Mormon?" (How is your BOM reading) He said, "Nagbasa ako lahat Mosiah 18. Natakot ko Sister." (I read all of Mosiah 18 and I am scared.) I said, "Bakit?" (why?). Nevertheless, he knew he needed to be baptized. He will be baptized on the 7th of December. I know that that answer was for him from God. It didn't come from me. I was just a tool in his hands to share it with Brother H. AS missionaries we are given revelation from God for our investigators (people that are looking into the church). We work through God to invite others to come unto Christ and receive the restored Gospel. I love all the people I serve and want the best for them in their lives.

We also had another investigator, Sister G, who decided to be baptized on the 23rd of this month. She received a witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. She said her resolve was firmer than ever to be baptized. She had backed out one time before because her husband didn't want to get baptized. Now, because of her example, her husband went to church and he really realized that he really has to read the Book of Mormon to know if the Church is true. And it is true. I know that it true. And I know it because I have read it and prayed about it to know if it is true. We should all take Moroni's challenge and put the Book of Mormon to the test. What is the harm in reading and praying to know if it is true? There is none. I challenge all who have not done so for themselves, to read it to know if it is true. Read it and pray about it to know if it is true. Ask God, he will never lead us astray. Forget what other people may say and just ask for yourself!

The blessings of the Gospel in our life our enumerable. I know that the knowledge of the Gospel blesses me every day. The goodness of my life is a result of the gospel. Of living gospel principles. I feel the love of God every day and the love of God for others.

I love you all!

Love,

Sister Jensen

Baptism and More!

This is the C. family! They got baptized this week! I love them so much.

Sister Hess and Sister Jensen at the beach. 

The Branch President and his boat, "Jessa Mae," which is also the name of his oldest daughter.

Masinloc is so beautiful.  This is J.