Well, hello!

Dear friends and family,
This week has been quite wonderful, although once again I seem to have very little time to tell you about it. Luckily for my mother she got to talk to me on Christmas, so hopefully she's not too mad at a short letter. ;)
Let me just say that the members in this ward are wonderful, and have been so welcoming in letting the missionaries join in their Christmas celebrations! I am so grateful for this season and for the generosity of the people in the Church and in general.
As a bonus Christmas present, one of our investigators who has been struggling with an addiction and medical problems received some much needed help this week, and it was so wonderful to see him almost himself again when we visited yesterday! I testify that the prayer and fasting can work miracles if we simply have faith.
Speaking of miracles, as a quick thought for the week I want to further testify that God knows every details of our lives. On Christmas Eve we were knocking doors early in the afternoon, and someone let us in. He was nice and let us teach a short lesson, and then at the end he gave us a nice Bible in Dutch that he said was a gift for his son but his son didn't want it. The man didn't want the Bible to be wasted, and seeing that we were representatives of a Christian church, he gave it to us. Not 3 hours later, we were standing at a bus stop waiting to go to a member's house for dinner when a man waiting with us saw our badges and asked if we were "ministers." We explained that we were Christian missionaries, and he asked if we had a Bible. It was completely random, but we were able to say yes, we just happen to have an extra Bible with us and that he could have it! Crazy random things separately, but God knew that someone needed a Bible, so he influenced the first man to give one to us and put us in the right place to give it to the second man. Miracles! :)
Never forget to look for the small miracles in your lives. :)

-Zuster Jensen

Christmas Eve w/ the VanderPluijms :)

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Christmas Day- thanks and love you all! :)

Our missionary :) (from Mom)

(Meant to send this last night, but forgot to finish it off. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!)

We enjoyed a brief, but wonderful Skype call with our girl early, but thankfully not too early, this morning. She had originally told us it might be as early as 5:30 am, but she ended up calling around 8:00. However, we set our alarms to go off every 20 minutes beginning at 5:30, watching for her email :). Not a lot of sleep was had in this household last night, but it was totally worth it to talk with this cute missionary!

She looks and sounds just as wonderful as she appears in the picture! She's having a wonderful experience & gaining a lot of confidence in herself. No problems with the language it appears, and she absolutely loves the country & people.

It makes us so happy to see & feel the joy she is experiencing in missionary work & in sharing her testimony of the Savior!

Week 13, in which abnormal events occur :)

Hello everyone! I´m afraid this will be a short letter, since we had to email a day late this week. However, here´s my week in a nutshell:
We met some awesome people this week! One of them we met on the train a couple weeks ago, and last week we were able to go teach him a restoration lesson, before which he showed us around the small opera house he is apparently in charge of. Fun! We also met some awesome students from Germany, Poland, England and other places who are all going home for the holidays but we are excited to teach in January! :)
This Tuesday was Zone Training, which was great! We had reminders of how we can improve ourselves and uplifting thoughts on missionary work and related topics. We also got Christmas packages on that day, thank you to everyone who sent letters in it! I loved reading them!
On Saterday there was a couple of musical devotionals put on by the stake which they asked the missionaries to participate in, so we spent the day in Antwerpen (where the stake center is). Since there was a practice run through and two performances, we just listened to beautiful Christmas music all day and sang a little part ourselves. The theme was Stille Nacht (Silent Night), and it was a sort of tribute to the story from WWI where the opposing armies made a truce for Christmas and showed kindness to each other. If you have time, look up the whole story, it is very beautiful.
Sunday is when the craziness went down! Church was nice, lovely musical numbers and such for Sacrament and then we taught the relief society lesson and it went well. However, that night we were biking to an appointment when Zuster Reeder crashed on her bike. It wouldn't have been such a big deal, except that she briefly went unconscious and we weren't sure if anything was seriously wrong. Luckily, a bunch of bystanders helped us call the Dutch equivalent of 911 and an ambulance came. These people are SO NICE! They stayed with us the whole time, directed traffic around us, and helped Zr. Manning and I with our limited Dutch explain to the paramedics that we both had to stay with Zr. Reeder when they took her to the hospital. To make a long story short, Zr. Reeder fainted a couple other times that night but the x-rays and CT scan they took showed no fractures or other injuries, so she is fine. They kept her at the hospital overnight because she was not recovering from the fainting spells very quickly, but they think it was just her body responding to the traumatic even and not actual serious injury. We all stayed home on Monday to let her rest and everything, which is why we couldn't email yesterday- but she feels pretty much back to normal today and all is well!
Well, I must go. But as I've been thinking over what happened and the kindness that was shown to us- by strangers, nurses, doctors, members, other missionaries, etc.- I wanted to share with you my testimony that the light of Christ really is in everyone, and it influences us all to do good. As we share the good news that Christ was born and, through His death and resurrection now lives again, especially at this Christmas time, we are connecting with that light that is in everyone. We build upon the spiritual truths they already and cherish in order to bring them more knowledge and happiness, empowering them to more fully embrace and follow Christ. What a beautiful work! Merry Christmas!

-Zuster Jensen

Maastricht from a ferris wheel :)

My first district

tripanionship fun

building a snowman :)

Transfer 2 - here we go! :)

Dear family and friends,
What an exciting week! As I wrap up my first transfer it is interesting to think about the things that I still need to learn, but also the things I have learned and how live in the Netherlands and as a missionary has become more normal.
Last preparation day we went to Valkenburg, a little town in our area that has Christmas markets inside these cool caves. It was super fun! Not everyone here decorates or anything, but the things the cities do are so fun! Maastricht is such a beautiful city, and the centrum is all decked out with lights and garland everywhere. Gezellig! :)
Transfer news (drumroll please): I'm still in Maastricht with Zuster Reeder! However, we are now joined by Zuster Manning to make an awesome tri-panionship! :D Zuster Manning was in my MTC district and I am so excited to work with her! Even in just the last few days I have seen how fun it is to work with two other sisters and how miracles can happen when you are all putting your energy and faith into the work. :)
This week was also the ward Christmas party, which was super fun! One of our investigators came and it was wonderful to see him making friends with ward members. I heard the most rousing rendition of "The 12 Days of Christmas" I think I've ever heard in my life, and I even got to shake Santa's hand. ;) Also, all you people who said my piano skills would be used on my mission? That definitely came true this week, and they were put to the test! I was asked to accompany someone in the ward singing "O Holy Night." I got the music on Tuesday and ran through it a couple of times then, had no time to practice as a missionary, then ran through it a few more times on Friday before the party where it was being performed. Oh, and did I mention it was in the key of B Major (which has 5 sharps)?! However, miracles do occur and there were only a few hardly noticeable mistakes. Missionaries are so blessed!
I'm sorry I must make like a present and wrap up. :D However, in the spirit of the Christmas season I hope you are all having a wonderful December and remembering the reason for the season! I'm sure you are all aware, there is a wonderful new video out called "He is the Gift." You can find it here: http://www.mormon.org/christmas?cid=HPFR112814529 . Please watch it and share it with your family, friends, and fellow men. Christ really is our Savior, and He is the Way, the Truth and the Light. We will find true joy and peace through Him, and this is the message we as missionaries and as Christians share with the world. Joy to the world!

-Zuster Jensen

Valkenburg Christmas caves- complete with Indiana Jones Santa ;)

So little time, so much to do!

Dear family and friends,
I will apologize in advance, because there is almost no time again this week! Missionaries have no problem staying busy. :)
This week was great! On Tuesday we had dinner with some members who live in Germany, and they took us to a kerstmarkt (Christmas market) which was so wonderful! It was in the shadow of this beautiful church that we went inside of for a bit. It is in the town of Aachen, Germany - look it up if you have a second, the history was fascinating! Supposedly it contains some amazing historical artifacts, including the bones of Charlemagne as well as other cool stuff. And the market was so fun, and it even snowed on us! Magical!
In other news, I finally have a bike again! It is secondhand and in good condition, and I am so happy I don't even mind traveling outside in the cold. :)
On Friday another member took us to the military base nearby for lunch, so I had a proper American hamburger and even got to buy some eggnog. :) I love the Christmas season!
A quick thought for this week: I was feeling just a bit down one day this week since, despite all that we try to do for them, several of our investigators are facing setbacks and difficulties which are hard for them to work through. It is hard as a missionary, because you care so much for these people and want them to make good choices and see blessings in their lives. However, I was reading in John 15:16 where it says, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." That was so comforting. Even if we can't see all the consequences of our actions, both good and bad, we influence everywhere and everyone we come in contact with. If we work to make that influence good, and we humbly ask for help as we do so, God can use us in our imperfections to accomplish his work. So, do good! :)

-Zuster Jensen

Aachen kerstmarkt :)

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway ;)

Hello hello from Nederland!
Things are still going well here, although it got COLD this week! Luckily the Holy Ghost always brings warm fuzzies. :)
So, some fun things this week! First, I did not in fact die in the Turkey Bowl on Monday, and I actually caught the ball a couple times! I forgot to run with it once I caught it, but there is hope for me! ;) Afterward we all went and got boschebollen, these treats that you can only find in Den Bosch where we met for the Turkey Bowl. Basically they're giant cream puffs (like, the size of a large grapefuit) filled very slagroom (this heavy, rich cream stuff) and covered in dark chocolate. After you eat it you kind of want to consign yourself to life as a couch potato or run a marathon to work off the calories you just consumed at the same time, but it was worth it. :)
On Thursday we had an awesome zone conference! We had taco salad for lunch (the perfect Thanksgiving feast, haha) and I got to meet a lot of the other missionaries in the mission, as well as see some of my MTC district. The main speaker was a Seventy, Elder Moriera from Portugal. He had some wonderful things to say and it was very uplifting, even if we had to get up at 4:00 am to get to the conference in Zoetermeer on time. :)
Not to worry, I did get a Thanksgiving dinner! It was at a members house on Friday. They are actually part Filipino, so it a little different as far as side dishes go from the turkey dinner I'm used to, but it was all delicious!
So for a little something spiritual to share this week, in the attitude of gratitude I want to express my thanks for the commandments! Often the perception of the commandments and other principles we are asked to live in the church is that they are restrictive and not necessary. However, they give us so much freedom! Sometimes I hear people say that they wish we had a guidebook for this life. Well, we do! The scriptures are a literal book full of everything we need for success and happiness in this life, and even for eternal life! What a blessing it is to know what it is we need to do! Not only that, but God has promised us blessings for keeping the commandments, and has even promised that as we try He will help us to keep them (1 Nephi 3:7)! There really is no downside. I am so grateful for God, for His love for us in giving us the commandments, and for Jesus Christ and the perfect example of living them He is for us. CTR, everyone!

Love, Zuster Jensen

My first boschebolle

Fun times in the Netherlands

Dear family and friends,
Let me just apologize in advance, this will be a short letter because we are meeting as a zone today for the Turkey Bowl! This means that we have to leave early to travel to Den Bosch, but hopefully it will be fun. Pray that I don't get run over as I try my hand at football! :P
So, some quick highlights from the week: First, I had my first exchange with our sister trainer leader this week! It was fun to have a different companion for a day and to see how she does the same work, but with her own ideas and personality. Missionary work really is for everyone who is willing to go!
On Friday I spent 9 1/2 hours on trains to travel up to Rijswijk to get my residency permit. I was a little stir-crazy by the end of that day, but it was all good because now I'm officially legal to live here! :) That night we also had a movie night with our ward. Not very many people came, but those who did had a great time. We watched "Ephraim's Rescue" and it was very inspiring.
A note about the Netherlands: in more ways that just with the weather, it really is like home. Everything that is stereotypical about Portland is actually true in the Netherlands, with bikes everywhere, recycling everything, etc. In fact, you actually do have to bring your own bag to the grocery store, or else you get to buy one there! For those of you who have seen the Portlandia episode about forgetting your bag, it is a real thing here. And it happened to us this week, haha! Mom, I'll send you a picture about it. :)
A quick spiritual thought for y'all: This week in my studies I somewhat accidentally ended up reading Moses 7, where Enoch is talking with the Lord. He is shown basically the history of the world, and he repeatedly weeps and asks when the earth will rest. I think that as we all look back through history and at the world around us today, we can see why Enoch would be so upset. However, when the whole vision is over and Enoch has seen the 2nd Coming, the Millennium, and the cleansing of the world that goes with it, it says that he "received a fulness of joy." I was just thinking about how it is such a blessing for us to have the Plan of Salvation. Even though we may not see the events of it in a vision, we can still have faith in the perfection of the plan and in the happiness that it will bring us if we are righteous. How wonderful is that!

Well, I must away. But I love you all and have a wonderful week!!

-Zuster Jensen

Forgot my bag :)

Real Dutch windmills! ;)

Life Is Interesting

So, this week has had a couple of weird and challenging moments, but there's been fun times too and overall it's great! Last week on the 11th it was some sort of holiday here. I'm still not sure what exactly they were celebrating, but everyone was dressed up in crazy costumes and there were people everywhere in the centrum of the city! We tried to avoid huge groups of people but it was still very interesting.
We had some adventures with food this week! So the elders that serve in our ward had half a pumpkin that they gave to us, so we tried to make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies out of it. However, we didn't have a recipe so we just guessed at the ingredients and amounts, and the batter doesn't really bake into cookies. However, we discovered that it does make pretty good pancakes, so that was a fun accidental surprise! Also, on Friday some members in the ward took us to this little diner place for a "surprise." Turns out, they sell hamburgers there that are bigger than my head! I had no idea what to do with it. It had like 3 meat patties on it, as well as a bunch of onions, boiled eggs, and some sort of sauce. It was pretty good, but I could only eat able 2/3 of it. :P
Some sad news - last night our bikes were stolen from the train station. :( However, luckily there are a couple of bikes in the apartment that previous missionaries have left which we can fix up and use. It's interesting how something like that makes so much less of a difference while on a mission! We were disappointed of course, but the work goes on. Something like this makes me realize just how important my purpose as a missionary is, and how material things matter so much less somehow when we're working every day for the spiritual welfare of other people. It is such a blessing to be able to feel that difference in my attitude and to be a part of this work!
Speaking of attitude, while I love this gospel and sharing it, most of you probably know that I am not much of a "people person." Contacting is kind of hard for me because we have to initiate conversations with complete strangers and somehow try to figure out how we can help them through sharing what we know in the short couple of minutes or even seconds that we have to talk with them. As my companion and I were talking about this and about having confidence in talking to other people, I said, "so basically we just have to fake it til we make it- but always be genuine." Haha I didn't realize until after I said it what a paradox that is, but it's so true! I genuinely care about the people we are working for and about the message I'm sharing, even when I'm totally faking the confidence or outgoing attitude I have when I'm talking with other people. I think that as I continue with the work those things will become less different, but in the meantime I think that this can totally apply to what I'm doing, and to anything we have to face in life! You can fake any attitude you need - confidence, happiness, etc. - until it becomes real, as long as you always genuinely care about what you're trying to do and the reasons for doing it. Sorry if that was a bit of a confusing thought, but I hope it helps!
Well, I'm out of time for this week but I love you all and am so grateful for you! Have a wonderful week!

-Zuster Jensen

Time Is So Weird

Dear family and friends,
Time really is so weird. It feels like forever ago and yet only a minute ago that I was writing my last letter, sitting in the MTC, or even leaving home. Weird! However, it's all good. The days are so full here that I'm never bored! We have a few investigators that we're working with, all at different stages along the way to membership, and several potential investigators that we can hopefully be teaching regularly soon!
As far as events go this week, I went to Brussels last Thursday! That was exciting, especially since we stopped over in Liege and had to get tickets but the machines were confusing and no one would speak anything but French to us... but I can now say from experience that Belgian waffles are indeed delicious! :) I also had my first district meeting in the area. It's a bit of a change from my MTC district which was mostly sisters- this district has mostly elders- but everyone is so friendly and committed to the work. There's this older Dutch man named Harry who joins our district meetings too. I think he might be a ward missionary or something, although maybe not... he just loves the missionaries so much so he joins our meetings and wears his own tag and everything. :)
Sister Reeder is still wonderful, although I discovered something super funny - she is fascinated by moss! Haha coming from the northwest this is highly amusing, since we have it everywhere. However, she is from Arizona and so when we went on a small hike last p-day she kept feeling and looking at the moss on the trees and rocks and stuff... haha. :) She has been a great companion and we work very well together, so that has been a wonderful blessing so far!
I have now met more of the members in our ward as well. They are so great! Everyone in this ward is very supportive of each other and willing to help us with investigators, dinner appointments, etc. I hope that I get to stay here for a couple transfers so that I can really get to know everyone. And this city is so beautiful! There are these old churches that are right where the sun sets each evening as we ride home across this big bridge over the river, and the steeples look so beautiful in the sunset... I just love it.
So I know I've only been in the field for a couple of weeks, but I've been thinking this week about what kind of member I want to be after my mission. I've always been strong in the church, but I don't think I ever really thought about working with the missionaries. I don't know that I ever even really knew truly what they did! I mean, I knew they taught people and stuff, but I never realized just how much thought and work they put into each individual. Along with that, I never realized just how much the members can help with missionary work. I would encourage all of you, wherever you are, to talk to the missionaries in your ward; ask them how it's going, what you can do for them, etc. Look around each week at church and, if there's an unfamiliar face, talk to them and make them feel welcome. Don't be afraid to talk to friends about what you believe and invite them to activities. Create a mormon.org profile- you never know who might become interested because of your individual story and testimony! In D&C 18 it talks about how the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, and also how your joy is great if you bring those souls unto God. That joy is not reserved for full-time missionaries only! There is so much joy for everyone who helps anyone to come even a little closer to God, and I know that Christ and His gospel is ultimately what everyone needs. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Redeemer of every single person in it, whether they recognize it or not. Share the happiness you have with others and it will be returned and increased to you! :)

-Lots of love,
Zuster Jensen

I'm Here!!

Dear family and friends,
What a week!! The last letter I wrote was from the MTC, and now I'm here in the Netherlands with so much that has happened I don't even know where to start!
The trip was good, definitely a long flight. It was weird to basically have a 36 hour day where I caught a little sleep here a there throughout... strange. I can't tell if I have jet lag or am just tired from working hard, but I guess I'll use the jet lag excuse for as long as I can! ;)
The first night we were here we stayed in a hotel since there was such a large group of us coming from the MTC. President and Sister Robinson are great! They are very down to earth and encouraging. And my trainer is wonderful! Her name is Sister Reeder from Arizona, and she has been so sweet and encouraging as I've adjusted to being in the field. Which, by the way, I'd guess you're all wondering where my first area is! I am serving in Maastricht, which is a beautiful city down south, still in the Netherlands but in this pocket surrounded by Belgium and Germany. There is actually a US air force base located nearby, so my ward is in English and there are several American families in it. Also, since the members live all over in this area, we are technically allowed to leave the mission boundaries for dinner appointments, which was exciting! For Halloween and American family who lives just over the border in Germany invited us to their house for dinner so I've now been in two European countries, and later this week I'll hard a third since I'll be going to do some legality stuff in Belgium! :)
I have met some of our investigators as well as lots of the ward members. Pretty much everyone is so friendly here! The Dutch people are great- either they'll tell you straight out that they don't want to talk to you, you they'll have a friendly conversation about anything. However, the language is a bit tricky. They speak this weird dialect here called Maastrichts, which has some different pronunciation and vocabulary. It makes it that much harder to try to understand people with my limited MTC Dutch! I can usually get the gist of what people are saying, but I have a bit of learning to do before I can understand enough to respond to more than simple questions and statement. It'll come, though!
I'm so sorry I don't have more time, it being my first p-day here there was a lot we had to do today. However, I'll be sure to write a good long letter next week. Until then, know that I love you all and appreciate all of your love and support!

Tot ziens!
-Zuster Jensen

News from the Netherlands! (from Sis. Robinson)

Dear Parents:

Your missionaries have arrived safe and well in the Belgium Netherlands Mission. We are extremely impressed with their attitude, preparation and diligence. They began working in their new area on Wednesday with our finest missionaries as trainers. They will write to you on Monday and I’m sure will fill you in on everything.

They are in for the most unique experience of their life. We are so pleased to have them join us here in the Belgium Netherlands. Thank you for your faith, commitment to the gospel, and sacrifice to send your sons and daughters to serve the Lord. Many blessings are awaiting your missionary, you and your family through their missionary service. We pray for you while they are away, and they are in our prayers at all times.

Of interest, you are welcome to keep up-to-date with the mission at:
http//belgiumnetherlandsmission.blogspot.com

Again, thank you for your sons and daughters.

Veel liefs, Sister Robinson

Safely arrived!

Last week in the MTC!

Dear family and friends,
Well, the MTC has been fun but it's almost time to leave! The visas and flight plans are here and bright and early Monday morning we'll be setting out on our journey to the Netherlands! Time sure flies, but as I look back at my MTC experiences I can see how much I've grown and learned even in just a few weeks. Although it is work, it is confirmed to me every day that this is where I'm supposed to be, and sometimes I can see how the things I am learning and becoming now will bless and benefit my in the future.
I'm afraid this will be a bit of a short email, as I don't have much time and I don't have many events to report. Just the usual classes and teaching and devotionals and singing and studying and learning and helping and all that sort of thing that goes on here! :) My next email will be from the mission field, so I'm sure I'll have a few more things to talk about then!
I would like to share some thoughts I had after last night's devotional, though. The speaker was Elder Godoy, the same who spoke in the last General Conference. He had some great advice about the "formula for a successful missionary" in Alma 26:22, which was to repent, exercise faith, bring forth good works, and pray continually. All of the points were good, but I was especially enlightened when he told us to "make no excuses for a lack of faith." He talked about how often missionaries will hear that certain areas, missions, companions, etc are hard and difficult to work with. However, if we have faith we can also have miracles. His advice reminded me of the story in Mark 9: 23-24, where a man brings his child afflicted by an evil spirit to Jesus. The man's words, "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief" always kind of confused me. Did he have faith, or did he not? I think this question was answered for me last night as I compared it to my own life. Sometimes we say we have faith in the Lord, but when we think about the blessings we are promised or the things we are told we can become (especially in Patriarchal blessings), we doubt that we could ever actually accomplish that. We make excuses! But if are willing to have true faith, to trust the Lord to fix our weaknesses, and to believe miracles can happen in a mission, a family, an individual's life or whatever it may be, the Lord is then able to grant us that miracle. So, no more excuses!
Know that I love you all and appreciate your support and encouragement so much. Cant wait to write you from the mission field!

Hi ho, Hi ho, its off to work we go! :D

Love, Zuster Jensen

District and teachers. Leaving for the Netherlands TOMORROW!

MTC week 4!

Dear family and friends,

So I realized last night that my mission is already 1/18 over. Time flies, and I'm sure it will increase in speed as it goes on! I've already learned so much, and although it's crazy to think of the time gone, I'm so glad that I have another 17 months to look forward to!
Last Wednesday we did in fact have a little celebration, since our time in the MTC was half over. That's what the included pictures are- we wanted to have a pinata, but resources are limited in availability when you're in the MTC, so we ended up filling a (clean) trash bag with candy we have been sent from home, decorating it when sharpies and stickers, and then Sister Manning (a sister in my district) went at it with a hairbrush. :) The "party" only lasted a few minutes, but it was fun to have a second to relax, enjoy each other's company, and think about the things we've already learned and the experiences we've shared together. Missions are awesome!
I don't have a whole lot to report as far as events this week- MTC life is pretty much learn, teach, learn, teach, freak out about learning, freak out about teaching, have amazing spiritual experience, learn, teach, etc. :D However, I did want to share my notes from the devotional we had last night because I think they can apply to everyone, not just missionaries.
The devotional was by Larry R Lawrence, of the seventy. He talked about 4 tactics of Satan and how we can resist them. Here are my notes:
Tactic #1: Direct temptation. To fight this we must simply send Satan away and replace him with things of God. It is amazing that we have the power to do that; to say, "Satan, get thee hence," and he must go. As we replace his influence with scriptures, hymns, or other spiritual things, he will have no hold over us.
Tactic #2: Lies and deception. We must remember that Satan has counterfeits for all good things, and they are not always direct opposites. Where God has given us white, Satan gives us black, gray or off-white instead. While this is sometimes hard to recognize, we can always rely on God through the Holy Ghost to find the truth.
Tactic #3: Contention. Often this begins with fault-finding. We must remember that all contention is of the devil, as the scriptures say, and that we must avoid it whenever possible. One interesting thing with this that I hadn't thought of before is that Satan cannot know our thoughts; God is the only one with that privilege. Satan can't know what you're thinking unless you tell him. This is why we're told to not murmur, gossip, or otherwise speak evil of one another. Bite your tongue if necessary, but always let kind words be the ones that come out of your mouth.
Tactic #4: Discouragement. This is a huge one, I think especially for those who are trying their best to live the gospel. We must remember that discouragement is not from God, and that we do not and should not surrender to it. Cheer up even if it's just to spite the devil! ;) The speaker mentioned a talk by Ezra Taft Benson called "Do Not Despair," which gives some awesome practical advice for fighting discouragement. He also shared the quote, "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees." Prayer is such an amazing privilege; every person on earth can have direct communication with an all-powerful being, who loves each individual more than we can comprehend. Don't take this privilege for granted!
I'm afraid I'm now out of time, but know that I love you all. I appreciate your prayers in my behalf and know that I'm sending them your way as well!

Love, Zuster Jensen

The obligatory "point at your mission" picture :)

Halfway to the real deal!

My dear family and friends,

I now bear my solemn testimony that time flies like no other. I can't believe my time in the MTC is already half gone! While there have been hard times as I've jumped into the missionary schedule and language learning, it's overall been a wonderful experience.
Speaking of wonderful experiences, how about that conference! I look forward to conference so much now, and this conference didn't disappoint. We watched all the general sessions as well as a rebroadcast of the General Women's meeting this weekend, so I was very spiritually fed. I wish I could share all of my thoughts with you, but for sake of time, I'll stick with just a few. Elder Uchdorf's talks are always wonderful, and his thoughts about revelation and understanding were particularly poignant to us as missionaries because this is what we want for our investigators. It was the same with Elder Bednar's talk- he really hit a home run in describing why it is that we want to share the gospel. That is why I'm here right now. I especially loved when Elder Bednar said, "Absolute truth exists in a world that increasingly disdains and resists absolutes." What an amazing fact that is! Absolute truth, which will never change and will always be there for us to find when we seek it. Another awesome moment was from Jorg Kieblingat said that we must acknowledge and face our weaknesses, but not be immobilized by them, because some of them will be our companions throughout this life. That definitely caused me to ponder a bit, since as missionaries with high expectations we are definitely exposed to our own weaknesses, and that can be disheartening. Of course we are told in Ether than those can become strengths, but we don't always see how we are improving, and some weaknesses feel like they just never go away. This thought that they may be our companions throughout this life was, in a strange way, a bit encouraging, because I could remove a little of the frustration I feel over them. Yes I should still work on turning my weaknesses into strengths, but it won't happen all at once and maybe not even until after death, so I just need to be patient with myself. There are so many other great talks, but I will refrain from rehashing them all for you. I would encourage everyone to read and reread Elder Holland's talk, though; we can all afford to show a little more kindness and charity in our lives.
So, one other thing about conference. Most of you males out there will probably have noticed that there was a small solo in the last song of the Priesthood session? Well, that was Elder Hunter, who is one of the two elders in my district. I feel sort of like I know a celebrity. This same Elder Hunter is also the kid playing the piano in the 2014 "Come Unto Christ" song that was produced for the youth, and he had a small part in helping to write that song. Crazy! Seriously though, everyone in my district is so amazing. We all work really well together and support each other, which is wonderful.
I'm afraid I don't have a ton of personal things to report, just working onward and upward here in the MTC! Not much changes as far as the schedule from day to day, although we did have our first TRC session this week! Basically, that means that we get to talk with people who actually speak Dutch in a simulated home/visiting teaching sort of thing, in that we share a spiritual thought and converse with them in Dutch. I was a little nervous, but they were all these sweet older people from the Netherlands who were so happy to talk with us. So fun!
Well, I'm out of time for today. Hopefully I'll have more to write about next week, and I love you all!

-Zuster Jensen

Zusters Jensen and Fleming

Week 2... already?

My dear family and friends,
Can it be the end of week 2 already? Some people say that when you first enter the MTC you just need to make it to Sunday, while others say that the second week is the hardest. Honestly, it's all good and hard and every day is so different, I think the best advice for new missionaries coming in is to just enjoy every moment for what it's worth. With that being said, here were some moments from this week!
This Sunday was fast Sunday, so we had a ton of personal study time where we would normally have meals, in addition to the regular extra study time on Sundays. I used the time to read a lot in Our Heritage as well as a talk called "The Fourth Missionary," by Lawrence E. Corbridge. Both of these, as well as other seemingly little experiences throughout the week, culminated into a coherent reminder that I need to give my will to God. As missionaries, we sacrifice a lot; but the only thing we can truly sacrifice that wasn't God's to begin with is our willing hearts. During our missions we need to put all of our own dreams and desires on a shelf, to be picked up again in a couple of years, while we now work to do what He would have us do. In reading Our Heritage I have seen examples of faithful saints who did this. They felt the truth of the message, and in response they were obedient to the commands of the Lord in going and doing what they needed to do to keep the church alive. They faced persecution, doubts, internal disputes, illness, harsh living conditions, and more with complete faith in the restored gospel. As I was thinking about their example, an analogy came to me. We are like the parts of a building; as it is built and settles, different stresses are placed on different parts of the building. However, the strongest beams in the structure are the ones that do not groan. As we go about our lives following His will with a cheerful mind and a willing heart, we will be blessed for our faith and made stronger.
Another great moment was this Monday, when our district was an example class for new MTC teachers to observe. The brother who taught the example class was so great- he showed us how in teaching the restoration, we can teach every point as relating back to the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, this is vital, because this gospel contains those simple things which are necessary for our salvation. Faith, repentance, baptisms, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end are the most important things we will teach because every point in the church relates back to them. I don't know if I'm explaining this adequately, but it was just a reminder to be of how wonderful those things are and how much our lives are blessed by living that gospel.
So, per the request of my mother I will give a quick synopsis of what my days are like. Most days we get up, have breakfast, and go to the gym, where we run, use workout machines, play volleyball, that sort of thing. Two morning in the week we have service as well, where we help clean buildings around campus. After getting cleaned up we have 3 hours of personal, companionship, and language study, followed by lunch. After lunch we have class where we talk about how to teach and how to be a good missionary and learn Dutch. After that is dinner, then usually teaching "investigators," who are actually our teachers. On Sunday and Tuesday evenings there's a devotional, which is always awesome. On Sunday and Wednesday (p-day) afternoons we get to go up to the temple (but if you're in Provo don't try to see me there, or I'll have to duck into a bush; we're not really supposed to meet up with citizens). Soon we'll start doing TRC, which is basically practicing teaching, sharing spiritual thoughts, and just talking with Dutch speakers. Should be fun!
Well I'm out of time for today, but know that I love you all and appreciate every letter! The church is true!

-Zuster Jensen

P.S. apparently there's this website called Dear Elder, where you can type a letter that the MTC will print out and I can pick up that night. So if anyone needs or wants to contact me other than Wednesdays while I'm in the MTC, try out that website! :)

Hallo!

Mijn geliefde familie en vriends,

I LOVE the MTC! The gospel is so true, and Heavenly Father knows and loves each and every one of us. I think that I could just say that and never need to say anything for the rest of my mission. But don't worry, I'll continue writing anyway!
So my companion's name is Sister Fleming, from Minnesota. She is the sweetest, most encouraging person! She actually turned 19 over the summer and came straight out of high school, so this has been a bit overwhelming for her. But she is so positive and desirous to improve herself! She was assigned as the sister training leader for our district and I can see how much she loves the other sisters and wants to help them however she can,
I guess that leads me into our district! While there are more elders at the MTC than sisters, our district has 6 sisters and 2 elders! The sisters are from around the US, and the elders are from Portugal and Scotland, They are hilarious! Seriously, the first time I cried in the MTC was from laughing so hard. :) Our district works so well together, too. Everyone knows when it's time to focus and/or be spiritual and every missionary has great insights to share. As a district we have already memorized the missionary purpose in Dutch and have set a goal to memorize the first vision in Dutch by next week.
Also, I know that everyone told me this before I went out, but I can now add my testimony that the gift of tongues is real! Within an hour of entering the MTC we went to our first class, where our teacher, Sister Moses, was speaking only in Dutch! I had no idea what she was saying, as the other missionaries who had entered a couple hours earlier were asking me questions that I didn't understand at all. I was wondering if I'd accidentally been put in the class of people who already knew the language! It turns out that they'd just had a little more time to practice, though, and the next day I was able to pick up on what was happening. In fact, by this Sunday I could (using simple words) pray and bear my testimony in Dutch, and we have already taught 3 lessons to our investigator, Judith! Every type of learning is just so accelerated. Most of you know that I LOVE roller coasters- well, this is the craziest, best roller coaster I've ever been on in my life! So much happens throughout the days and week that I have already learned and worked on; it's hard to imagine how much more I will have learned over another 77 weeks! I've already seen the beginning of some of the promises from my setting apart being fulfilled, and it is amazing to behold.
Sunday in particular was incredibly spiritually satisfying. We saw the temple dedicated in the morning, and later sacrament meeting in which the talks were about the Atonement. Sis. Fleming and I went to the MTC choir practice, where we are singing "Joseph Smith's First Prayer." The choir director had amazing stories to tell about how Joseph Smith was prepared and protected so that he could become the prophet of the restoration; I would encourage all of you to study in depth the lives Joseph Smith and the other early saints. There is so much we can learn from them, and in learning my testimony of the truthfulness of the restoration is strengthened.
Sunday evening we had a devotional about being successful missionaries, which was great. Every Sunday night the missionaries get to watch a film; that night we saw a previous MTC devotional given by Elder Bednar, entitled "Characters of Christ." If you can find it, watch it. It is so good and so life-changing that they show it every week in the MTC; it gave me so much to think about and I wish I could share all my thoughts. The main point, though, is that we must develop not only testimonies but a deep conversion to Christ, so that we can follow His example by always turning outward in perfect selflessness and love for others. As we do this, we can come closer to Him. I hope that I can keep this as goal for my life from now on.
Last night we had another devotional, from Elder Ballard! He basically gave us several pieces of advice for missionaries. One thing that really stuck out to me was when he said that perhaps the most important attribute of a successful missionary is being able to set realistic goals and work to achieve them. He talked about how much more effective we will be as we strive to reach our goals each day and week, and how this will be a habit that can continue to produce success after our missions.
Another thought I loved from his devotional was when he said that now, even as an apostle, each morning he hears his alarm clock, gets up and says, "I'm just going to do the best I can today." Then, each night, he kneels in prayer and says, "Today, I did the best I could." He said that if we only do that, the best we can, we are successful missionaries and our labors will be accepted by Heavenly Father. I hope that I can follow his example in doing this, and that I will continue to upward trend I have seen in my learning and growth this week. Love you all!

Tot ziens!
-Zuster Jensen :)

I'm alive! :)

Hi Mom!

We were able to send off just a quick email tonight. My actual p-day is on Wednesday, so I'll email you a full letter then. Just to let you know, I'm already loving the MTC and I know this is where I'm supposed to be. My companion, Sister Fleming, is so sweet and encouraging and we think so alike- I'm going to love working with here while I'm here. I love you all and will write again soon! :)

,Love

Zuster Jensen

What do you mean you got your mission call??

Surprise! Kirsten got her mission call that she DIDN'T TELL ANYONE she was getting (aside from our dear mother). She was at college in Provo when she received it in the mail, six days before Mother's Day 2014. Since we'd be skyping with Matthew on his mission that day, she decided to wait until then to make the big reveal (ridiculous willpower I know, she's an inspiration to us all). So there we were, having a three-way skype session between her, Matthew, and everyone else back in Oregon when she pulls out a big, white envelope and says "Guess what this is??" Needless to say, we had no response. Maybe her acceptance/denial reply from the BYU School of Nursing? Nope. "It's my mission call! :D" WAIT WHAT. We freaked out, but none was more perplexed than Dad. How could Kirsten not have told her own father? And yet, such was the case. We were all still pretty bewildered as Kirsten opened it up and read:

"Dear Sister Jensen,

You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Belgium/Netherlands Mission. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months. 

You should report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, September 17, 2014. You will prepare to preach the gospel in the Dutch language."

We couldn't believe it! Our very own Kirsten who had never even come close to leaving the United States was going halfway around the world to the land of windmills and tulips to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. 

Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, [she] that thrusteth in [her] sickle with [her] might, the same layeth up in store that [she] perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to [her] soul;"

Doctrine and Covenants 4:2-4-

The purpose of this blog is to keep up with that adventure and will be updated by her family back in Oregon, ideally weekly but realistically as often as they remember to do so!