Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 28, 2015
Tot Ziens, 2015! Je was een goede. :)
Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden, (My beloved family and friends)
The highlight of this week would most definitely be my beloved family, I love you guys so darn much! It made my Christmas very merry indeed. :) I hope the rest of you also had wonderful holidays!
Rewinding to the beginning of the week, we had a great p-day followed by district meeting, and then on Wednesday we went on exchanges with Leeuwarden. I was kind of afraid for my life biking through the centrum there, it was crazy busy and people seemed to be considering the traffic rules as just "guidelines." But, we survived and had a great exchange! We spent a couple hours singing carols from the hymnbook at the train station (where they sometimes have public pianos) and got to talk to some cool people, including one lady who even jumped in and sang "Stille Nacht" with us. :)
Then the holidays truly began, with Kerstavond, Eerste Kerstdag and Tweede Kerstdag(Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day) stretching from the 24th to the 26th. We had a great time visiting members, talking with some people on the street, and in general doing our best to spread some Christmas cheer and receiving some in return. :)
I can't believe the end of this week marks the end of 2015! I remember last year it was pointed out to me that 2015 would be the only year of my life I would spend completely as a young full-time missionary. I thought, wow, I had better make the most of that! A year is long though, it will take a while. :) How wrong I was! This has probably been the fastest year of my life! It has been a good one though. As I look back there are things I wish I could redo of course, but I am also so grateful for all that I have learned and experienced, and I am especially grateful that with the Atonement of Christ, we are never down to our "last chance." He will always be there to help us try again, as long as we will stay close to Him. Our eternal progression is the whole reason He came, the reason we even celebrate Christmas, the reason we can have hope in new beginnings. I invite you all, as you make your resolutions and goals this year, to ponder on His Atonement and how it can help you in your own personal progression. Then, take it to your Heavenly Father in prayer. As missionaries, we never set goals or make plans without praying about them, and I know He helps us with each of them. I know that as you "counsel with the Lord in all your doings," and have faith in the Atonement and it's power in your life, you will be able to say as Paul did, "I can do all things through Christwhich strengtheneth me!"
Happy goal setting, and a very happy New Year!
-Zuster Jensen
Friday, December 25, 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Monday, December 21, 2015
Prettige Kerst!
Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden,
So this is Christmas! I can´t believe how fast it´s come! But first, some highlights from this week:
- Transfers went pretty smoothly, all things considered! And luckily we slipped very quickly into a comfortable companionship, it´s always nice when you already know the person you´re getting.
- It´s actually been unseasonably warm this week, merry Christmas to me!
- On Thursday we made Christmas cards with an investigator, and then she gave one of the ones we had made to us, haha.
- Last Sunday I was asked to play the piano for a musical number, and I guess they liked it because they asked me to do another one on Saturday night for the ward Christmas dinner. Yay for blessings, because they definitely shouldn´t have gone so well for how much practice time I had!
- As mentioned, the ward Christmas dinner was on Saturday and it was super fun! Heel gezellig,(very cozy?) as the Dutch would say. :)
- During church yesterday I ended up translating for all 3 hours. My brain hurt a little by the end, but I could do it which made me super happy! Except it´s so hard now to translate into English - I hear the Dutch, think about it in English, and then my mouth keeps wanting to use the Dutch words when I try to speak. Super vervalent, man.
Sorry it´s a quick one today! But I get to chat it up with you this week anyway - if you´re lucky enough to be in my family, that is. :) But in all seriousness, we really are all brothers and sisters in one giant family, with a perfect and perfectly loving Father at its head. And this week, we have the opportunity to celebrate the coming of our Older Brother, who loves us enough to give everything for us. I won´t say much, there are so many wonderful words of prophets both modern and canonized to read on the subject - but may I encourage you all to take many small moments this week and just let yourself feel the joy and peace and love of Christmas! I love the last verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem:"
How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is giv'n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav'n.
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
The wondrous gift is giv'n!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of his heav'n.
No ear may hear his coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him, still
The dear Christ enters in.
Is there room in our hearts for Him this Christmas? For if there is, He will surely come. I love you all! Merry Christmas!
-Zr Jensen
Monday, December 14, 2015
Pics: First oliebollen of the season!
Does anyone know what an oliebollen is? Looks like a doughnut maybe?
Service, Love and Happiness
Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden,
It has been a wonderful week! On top of the magical feeling of the Christmas season, fun things have gone down in the the Netherlands- not the least of which is transfer calls! The craziness continues here in Apeldoorn - Zr Bush will be leaving after only 5 weeks ( it was a shortened transfer) to Zoetermeer, and I will be staying here in Apeldoorn! I will be getting Zr Twiggs, a great zuster who was in my MTC district. And, the mission is trying out something new- we will be co-sister training leaders! So that will be fun! It is certainly crazy though - in the space of 12 weeks, I will have had 4 different companions in one city! :P I will be sad to see Zr Bush go, we got along super well, but I'm sure this next transfer with Zr Twiggs will be just as wonderful. :)
First, last Monday we had a great p-day hanging out in Deventer with the senior couple there, Elder and Zuster Hill. They're a really sweet couple from Idaho. We also wandered around Deventer a bit and we found this shop filled with tons of old books! And I mean filled! I got so excited, I felt like a kid in a candy shop. :)
Tuesday we had dinner with a great family in the ward and stayed for Family Home Evening with them afterward, where we taught the lesson on the Plan of Salvation. They have 4 young kids so we made a game out of it, and it was way fun. I love teaching kids!
After that we travelled to Dordrecht where we slept over, because they next day was Zone Conference! Best days of the transfer, echt waar. (really) We learned a lot of great things about how to teach more personally and powerfully, as well as about the Christmas website of the church. I love how simply the website is layed out, all focused on Jesus Christ as our Savior and why He is so incredibly important, necessary to our lives. Take a look and share it with friends, it's awesome!
On Friday we had a zone service project all day at the Voedselbank (food bank) in Zwolle. It was way fun! We were sorting donations of food and other random items to be put into Christmas packages for needy families. Of course the greatest service we can do is bring the gospel to others, but just some good old fashioned work helping someone else makes for a very happy Zuster Jensen. :)
On Saturday and Sunday we pretty much lived at the church, doing final practices and then performances for the stake Christmas concert (we were singing in the choir). Familie Jones also came up from Arnhem on the Saturday and took us out to dinner with some other missionaries who had served there, it was way fun! They're a top notch family!
The Christmas concert was great! It was completely focused on Christ (of course), but included songs about His life beyond Bethlehem as well as the relationship between Joseph and Mary and what they probably went through in this most incredible of events. It caused me to ponder about just how much we need each other, and about how much help we can receive from heaven as well, in everything we are asked to do or overcome in this life. We need to trust and support each other. Don't be afraid to ask for our receive help, or to give it in return, for we all need it! I love, love, love this quote from Thomas S. Monson: "I leave with you my witness and my testimony that God our Eternal Father lives and loves us. He is indeed our Father, and He is personal and real. May we realizeand understand how close to us He is willing to come, how far He is willing to go to help us, how much He loves us, and how much He does and is willing to do for us." I know that that is true, and I become more and more aware that that promise of help is realized through other people. So let others serve you, because you never know who is the answer to your prayer. And never cease to serve others, because you just might be the answer to theirs!
Love you all!
-Zr Jensen
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Pics: Dutch... nachos?
From Tricia: It's been such a blessing to have the Jones family there in Kirsten's mission! A big thank you to Debbi, Kirby & Morgan for taking these cute missionaries to dinner and spoiling them! For those who don't know, the Jones family was in our ward for many years until moving to the Netherlands a couple years ago. Debbi was our YW president a few years ago. :) It's been so fun to have an "insider view" for Kirsten's mission! I've included a couple pictures that Debbi took this last weekend. It was so fun to see them!
The first picture is Kirsten & Debbi, the second is Kirsten & Sister Voss. The last picture is at dinner and I had to laugh a little when I saw that Kirsten had a plate of nachos (at an American steak house). These are her favorite and she used to have them every day after school. She loves Mexican food :) I'm so grateful for the wonderful experiences she is having on her mission!
The first picture is Kirsten & Debbi, the second is Kirsten & Sister Voss. The last picture is at dinner and I had to laugh a little when I saw that Kirsten had a plate of nachos (at an American steak house). These are her favorite and she used to have them every day after school. She loves Mexican food :) I'm so grateful for the wonderful experiences she is having on her mission!
Monday, December 7, 2015
Dank je, Sinterklaasje :)
Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden,
It has been a crazy, wonderful week! And like any self-respecting week in Nederland, it started very wet. Last p-day we hung out at the church and then on our way home in the evening it was pouring, and at one point we were biking and a car drove through a giant puddle next to us and... let's just say it was a good thing we were going home for dinner so we could change. :)
On Tuesday we had a fun little miracle! We were looking people up that lived close by each other in a neighborhood, but none of them were home or had time to meet with us. However, we'd passed by this house a couple times were this lady was hanging up Christmas decorations inside her front window, and it was beautiful! So, since we had an extra few minutes we just walked up to the house, rang the bell, and when she answered we told her we thought her house was beautiful. She laughed and then invited us in to see the whole rest of the house! Haha it was a bit unexpected but it was so fun to get to know her bit and also share about what we do as missionaries. She wasn't really interested in knowing more about our church, but she was super friendly and invited us to stop by again when we're in the neighborhood. A simple, sincere compliment can go a long way if you just open your mouth and share it! :)
On Wednesday I was on exchanges with Zuster Jaramillo, who is from Aruba and is going home in 1 1/2 weeks. Apeldoorn was her first area, so we spent the day visiting members and investigators that she wanted to say an official goodbye to. She was so awesome about boldly sharing her testimony and inviting these people to come to Christ in whatever way they could, it was awesome!
On Thursday Zr Bush's bike had a little freakout and the chain kept falling off. We had to stop and put it back on like every 5 minutes. However, the members here are awesome and someone fixed her bike for free, as well as tightening our brakes, pumping up our tires, and fixing other problems I didn't even know our bikes had! Blessings. :)
The next day I worked with Zr Harris on exchanges, which was fun. And then, Saturday! It was Sinterklaas (a Dutch holiday sort of comparable to Christmas), and I got a most wonderful gift - my investigator from Haarlem, Cynthia, was baptized along with her son Jadon! I got permission from president to go back for it. It was crazy because one of Zr Bush's investigators from Breda was also getting baptized at exactly the same time, but luckily Zr Jaramillo was also going to that one (she taught that investigator as well) so we did splits for the day and they headed off to Breda while Zr Voss (Zr Jaramillo's companion) accompanied me to Haarlem. It was a little weird to be back, but definitely a good weird and I was able to reconnect with wonderful people there. The baptismal service was wonderful too, and I was just so happy for them! Cynthia had probably 20 friends and family members there - she's already an amazing missionary - and her son Jadon is the most polite 10 year old I've ever met. They are awesome! :)
And then that evening we celebrated Sinterklaas with some members that have two very cute, very excited kids. There's lots of traditions with Sinterklaas, but the 5th of December is "Pakjes Avond"(Packages Evening), when they actually get presents which are delivered by the helpers of Sinterklaas, Zwarte Pieten. It was so fun to see the parents arranging the surprises for the kids and the kid's excitement, just like with Santa Clause, but a completely different holiday. So much fun!
Wow, this letter got long. Well, it was a great week that I just had to tell you all about. And you know, much of the magic of the week came from selfless giving. It doesn't have to be huge - a small gift, a smile, a testimony shared, a laugh, help with a project, a kind word, time given for another are all little things that go a long way, and they make everyone happy, including the giver! Do something this week to lift another's spirits, and you'll find your own life is a little brighter as well. Who says Christmas lights are limited to rooftops and trees? A smile on your face brings a light to your eyes, and we've all got the light of Christ inside of us - which is of course the original Christmas light! Let it shine! :)
-Zuster Jensen
It has been a crazy, wonderful week! And like any self-respecting week in Nederland, it started very wet. Last p-day we hung out at the church and then on our way home in the evening it was pouring, and at one point we were biking and a car drove through a giant puddle next to us and... let's just say it was a good thing we were going home for dinner so we could change. :)
On Tuesday we had a fun little miracle! We were looking people up that lived close by each other in a neighborhood, but none of them were home or had time to meet with us. However, we'd passed by this house a couple times were this lady was hanging up Christmas decorations inside her front window, and it was beautiful! So, since we had an extra few minutes we just walked up to the house, rang the bell, and when she answered we told her we thought her house was beautiful. She laughed and then invited us in to see the whole rest of the house! Haha it was a bit unexpected but it was so fun to get to know her bit and also share about what we do as missionaries. She wasn't really interested in knowing more about our church, but she was super friendly and invited us to stop by again when we're in the neighborhood. A simple, sincere compliment can go a long way if you just open your mouth and share it! :)
On Wednesday I was on exchanges with Zuster Jaramillo, who is from Aruba and is going home in 1 1/2 weeks. Apeldoorn was her first area, so we spent the day visiting members and investigators that she wanted to say an official goodbye to. She was so awesome about boldly sharing her testimony and inviting these people to come to Christ in whatever way they could, it was awesome!
On Thursday Zr Bush's bike had a little freakout and the chain kept falling off. We had to stop and put it back on like every 5 minutes. However, the members here are awesome and someone fixed her bike for free, as well as tightening our brakes, pumping up our tires, and fixing other problems I didn't even know our bikes had! Blessings. :)
The next day I worked with Zr Harris on exchanges, which was fun. And then, Saturday! It was Sinterklaas (a Dutch holiday sort of comparable to Christmas), and I got a most wonderful gift - my investigator from Haarlem, Cynthia, was baptized along with her son Jadon! I got permission from president to go back for it. It was crazy because one of Zr Bush's investigators from Breda was also getting baptized at exactly the same time, but luckily Zr Jaramillo was also going to that one (she taught that investigator as well) so we did splits for the day and they headed off to Breda while Zr Voss (Zr Jaramillo's companion) accompanied me to Haarlem. It was a little weird to be back, but definitely a good weird and I was able to reconnect with wonderful people there. The baptismal service was wonderful too, and I was just so happy for them! Cynthia had probably 20 friends and family members there - she's already an amazing missionary - and her son Jadon is the most polite 10 year old I've ever met. They are awesome! :)
And then that evening we celebrated Sinterklaas with some members that have two very cute, very excited kids. There's lots of traditions with Sinterklaas, but the 5th of December is "Pakjes Avond"(Packages Evening), when they actually get presents which are delivered by the helpers of Sinterklaas, Zwarte Pieten. It was so fun to see the parents arranging the surprises for the kids and the kid's excitement, just like with Santa Clause, but a completely different holiday. So much fun!
Wow, this letter got long. Well, it was a great week that I just had to tell you all about. And you know, much of the magic of the week came from selfless giving. It doesn't have to be huge - a small gift, a smile, a testimony shared, a laugh, help with a project, a kind word, time given for another are all little things that go a long way, and they make everyone happy, including the giver! Do something this week to lift another's spirits, and you'll find your own life is a little brighter as well. Who says Christmas lights are limited to rooftops and trees? A smile on your face brings a light to your eyes, and we've all got the light of Christ inside of us - which is of course the original Christmas light! Let it shine! :)
-Zuster Jensen
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Pics: Look what we made last night! Dank je wel. :)
Christmas time brings the season of Holly and Berries! This is a favorite Jensen family tradition, they are very yummy and best created with the idea of serving them to others to help spread the holiday cheer. At least, sharing SOME of them anyway...
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Pics: Exchanges
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| Zuster Jaramillo - she's from Aruba and will be going home next week! |
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| Loved being with Zuster Harris again. |
Monday, November 30, 2015
Loving the Little Things
My dear family and friends,
This week has been crazy! Good crazy, though. :)
It all started with Turkey Bowl last Monday. It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all. There was an especially entertaining moment when an elder ended up basically hugging a sister because they were on opposite teams running toward each other, and his only other option would have been to run her over because he had too much momentum. Everyone on the field just froze and then started laughing so hard. Haha, only as missionaries!
Tuesday we went on exchanges with the Leeuwarden zusters. I was with Zuster Voss in Apeldoorn. We were accidentally twinners with our outfits, we taught a great Restoration lesson. and we biked all across town in freezing rain. It was great. :)
The next day we went on exchanges in Groningen. I went their and we helped a member paint their house all afternoon, which was fun. By Thursday though I was pretty ready to be back with my own companion, it was weird hardly seeing her for two days in a row! Thursday was one of those days that was filled with random missionary mishaps that you just have to laugh about later. This particular day they included a less-actives rabbit taking a dump on my skirt, getting fed a veritable mountain of stampot (basically mashed potatoes with a bunch of stuff in it) at dinner, and letting the chords of "Praise to the Man" fill the halls of the train station in Zwolle because we were waiting to meet back up with you companions after exchanges, the sister I was with happened to have a hymnbook on her, and that station has a public piano. It was pretty entertaining having people stop and compliment my playing but knowing that they had no idea what or who the song was about. :)
On Friday Zr Bush went to MLC (mission leader council) because she´s the sister trainer leader, so I went on splits with Zr Nyakoh in Gouda, which was way fun. Gouda makes the best giant fresh stroop waffels- so yum!
Saturday evening the senior couple in Deventer made us a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. And then Sunday was great as well, but I don´t have time to tell you about it so just know that it was great. :)
Well, I don´t have much time for a thought either but I would just like to encourage you all to notice the little things that make life so fun and great! One that I´ve been really appreciating this week is music. Of course life could be lived without the little things, but that´s boring. And of course we can´t live life with only little things, because that´s not fulfilling. But when we find a balance between the important and the little things, and we´re grateful for both, life is way fun. :)
Love you all!
-Zuster Jensen
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
Gratitude thoughts from the Netherlands!
My dear friends and family,
Well, this is one of those weeks where it seems forever long but still passes in the blink of an eye! I'm loving working with Zr Bush - why didn't you tell me I had a twin, Mom? We are so similar it's kind of scary. But mostly just fun. :)
P.S. for more thoughts on gratitude, see Mosiah 2. It's one of my favorite chapters in the whole Book of Mormon. :)
The first part of this week included more planning (surprise, surprise). Putting together a zone training is more work than I thought! But the thing finally happened on Wednesday, and it went well so all is well. :)
We have a new investigator this week! Her name is Anastasia, she was actually taught by missionaries before but they haven't been in a while. She is originally from Ghana, and she's awesome. She responded very positively to us teaching the Restoration, and she showed us her favorite African gospel music. :)
Saturday evening the elders' investigator was baptized! She had been investigating for several months. It was a nice service. I love how, no matter what background they come from or what age they are or wat dan ook (whatever), newly baptized members always say they feel clean. They feel in a very real sense reborn. What a blessing to be able to feel that, and again each week as we take the sacrament! Het is mooi (it is beautiful). :)
Well I'm running out of time, as usual - we've got to catch a train soon to go play some good old American football. Turkey Bowl for the win! Hopefully I'll catch the ball at least once. We'll see. :) In any case, it is Thanksgiving this week and I would be remiss if I didn't share a thought about gratitude. I can't remember what I shared in my email last year at Thanksgiving time, so sorry if it's a repeat. :)
Take a moment to think about what you're grateful for. There are a lot of things! Now think about what you are most grateful for. If you're like me and all the people I've talked to about this, you probably said something like your family, your testimony, your Savior, or something like that. Something which is eternal and truly a treasure for you. In 3 Nephi 13:20-21 we read the words of Christ when He said: "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
As we treasure these wonderful, eternal things our heart comes closer to our Heavenly Father, for they come from Him. And it's always so much nicer to live when we live with hearts close to Him! Take a look at your priorities this week, make sure they're properly sorted, and express gratitude for all that Heavenly Father gives us. It truly is everything.
Love you all!
-Zuster Jensen
P.S. for more thoughts on gratitude, see Mosiah 2. It's one of my favorite chapters in the whole Book of Mormon. :)
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Peace
My dear family and friends,
Well, this week could pretty much be described in one word: Planning!! Zr Bush is the Sister Trainer Leader for this zone and we have a zone training on Wednesday, so we spent a lot of this week planning for that. I'm excited, it should be good! It's been being able to observe the leadership process in the mission at the zone/district level this week, which I haven't been a part of before. It's awesome to see these missionaries really stepping up to the responsibilities asked of them and prayerfully considering the needs of the missionaries and area under their leadership.
But, rewind for a moment: It was a great last few days with Zr Harris! I was sad to see her go so soon, but we saw some great things and then transfers went very smoothly, which is always a blessing! We exchanged in Utrecht and we had to wait a while for Zr Bush to get up here with a group coming from Roosendaal, so we were able to go out during our lunch our and see a bit of the city, including a beautiful church from the outside. :)
The rest of the week was pretty much just planning as I said, but also I am loving working with Zr Bush! She and I are extremely similar in a lot of ways, which is always fun with a companion. She is on her second to last transfer, it's crazy that we're both so close to home! But we don't quite have a foot in the grave, we've still got time. :)
In other news, we heard about what happened in Paris. Everyone here is fine and we weren't affected, but it is very saddening and can be frightening to hear. However, we can take comfort in knowing that there will always be safety in following Christ. I love the account in Mathew 14, where the disciples are in a boat and Christ walks to them on water:
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
I love that it describes how the moment at which Peter doubted was the moment when we saw the circumstances around him and began to fear. However, Christ would never have let him drown - even if there was a hurricane around him, Peter would have been safe. So it is with us. If we trust in Him and keep His commandments, we need never fear; and we can trust that in the end, Christ will calm the storm and there will be neverending peace. Pray to God, and you can feel such peace in your heart every time you open your heart to receive it. I love you all!
-Zr Jensen
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
The Craziness Continues
My dear family and friends,
Before I forget, a very merry belated birthday wish to my dear zusje Kellie, and another early one to my dear moeder! I hope that they were/will be great days!
In other news, the real transfer call came last night! Because it got switched in the middle of the transfer we were pretty sure we would both be staying, but not so! After only 2 weeks here Zr Harris will be heading up to Groningen, and I will be staying here in Apeldoorn with Zr Bush, who has been here 1 transfer more than I have and seems very sweet and fun. Zr Harris and I were very excited with the possibility of serving another full transfer together, but even though we are not it was great to serve with her again for another couple of weeks and I know she will do great things in the land northward. :)
And now, for the weekly report! This week started out with a crazy thick fog! I can´t help but laugh to myself a little bit every time I read the part in the white handbook that talks about not biking in the dark or in bad weather. When you are a missionary in Nederland, and it´s fall/winter time, then that includes pretty much every day. But, bikes are are only mode of transportation, so biking in the dark, rain, fog, you name it is what we do. Call it an occupational hazard. :)
Throughout this whole week we saw miracles with people walking right into or out of their houses as we came up or picking up the phone when they usually don´t, so we have several appointments with new people that we are looking forward to! We were even able to have a lesson with a man on his door who was willing to stand there and talk to us. It was awesome. :)
I don´t have a ton of time (what else is new?) but this week we discovered a fireside on Zr Harris' USB by John Bytheway called "No-Brainers: 5 Hard Decisions that the Gospel Makes Easy" or something like that. It´s so good! If you can find it, listen to it! But even if you can´t, I´d like to add my witness to is that living the gospel is so worth it. You can choose what to do, but you can´t choose the consequences - and we are told exactly what choices will bring the consequences we want. If we open our eyes to an eternal perspective and our hearts to the Spirit of God, every choice becomes easier and every consequence becomes sweeter. :)
Make good choices! ;)
-Zr Jensen
P.S. If you haven´t heard, we have a new mission office! So if you ever send anything here please send it to the following address:
Schuttersveld 2
2316 ZA Leiden
The Netherlands
Before I forget, a very merry belated birthday wish to my dear zusje Kellie, and another early one to my dear moeder! I hope that they were/will be great days!
In other news, the real transfer call came last night! Because it got switched in the middle of the transfer we were pretty sure we would both be staying, but not so! After only 2 weeks here Zr Harris will be heading up to Groningen, and I will be staying here in Apeldoorn with Zr Bush, who has been here 1 transfer more than I have and seems very sweet and fun. Zr Harris and I were very excited with the possibility of serving another full transfer together, but even though we are not it was great to serve with her again for another couple of weeks and I know she will do great things in the land northward. :)
And now, for the weekly report! This week started out with a crazy thick fog! I can´t help but laugh to myself a little bit every time I read the part in the white handbook that talks about not biking in the dark or in bad weather. When you are a missionary in Nederland, and it´s fall/winter time, then that includes pretty much every day. But, bikes are are only mode of transportation, so biking in the dark, rain, fog, you name it is what we do. Call it an occupational hazard. :)
Throughout this whole week we saw miracles with people walking right into or out of their houses as we came up or picking up the phone when they usually don´t, so we have several appointments with new people that we are looking forward to! We were even able to have a lesson with a man on his door who was willing to stand there and talk to us. It was awesome. :)
I don´t have a ton of time (what else is new?) but this week we discovered a fireside on Zr Harris' USB by John Bytheway called "No-Brainers: 5 Hard Decisions that the Gospel Makes Easy" or something like that. It´s so good! If you can find it, listen to it! But even if you can´t, I´d like to add my witness to is that living the gospel is so worth it. You can choose what to do, but you can´t choose the consequences - and we are told exactly what choices will bring the consequences we want. If we open our eyes to an eternal perspective and our hearts to the Spirit of God, every choice becomes easier and every consequence becomes sweeter. :)
Make good choices! ;)
-Zr Jensen
P.S. If you haven´t heard, we have a new mission office! So if you ever send anything here please send it to the following address:
Schuttersveld 2
2316 ZA Leiden
The Netherlands
Monday, November 2, 2015
A Leave-devolle Rain :D
My dear family and friends,
First, let me apologize that I haven't replied to many letters this week - it sounds like it was a crazy week for the Jensens, and this Jensen is no exception!
So I don't have time to tell the whole story and it's not really my story to tell anyway, so suffice it to say that some craziness went down last Sunday where Zr Ramirez was mildly threatened by someone. We were both fine, but due to the circumstances President decided to pull her out of Apeldoorn just in case something not good should happen in the future. We got the news on Tuesday night, and the switch happened on Thursday. And guess who my new companion is? Zr Harris, who I worked with 4 transfers ago in Assen! She had been in a threesome in Amsterdam, and she got transferred here while Zr Ramirez joined the threesome in Amsterdam. Even though I was very sad to see Zr Ramirez go after only 4 short weeks and it is a frustrating situation, it is very fun to be working with Zr Harris again.
On Wednesday, the last day I was with Zr Ramirez, we had to go to Den Haag so she could do some stuff for her Argentinian ID card or something like that. And we encountered every possible problem you could have with the train system! It turned what should have been a 4 ish hour trip into like 7 hours. Craziness. However, the emergency transfer the next day went smoothly so all was well. :)
Friday craziness started off not so happy, since someone stole my helmet. Who steals a helmet in a land where you get laughed at for wearing helmets?? :P But, positivity will always come off conqueror! That afternoon I could hardly be thinking about my troubles because Zr Harris and I made goals and plans for the next few weeks, and we are so pumped about really working hard and seeing miracles here in Apeldoorn. President shared with her that when he and the APs were praying and talking about who would come here to replace Zr Ramirez, that had a very strong feeling that it should be Zr Harris. So we don't what's going to happen or why we need to be companions again, but we know there's a work here for us to do, and it's going to be something amazing, I guess! :)
There were other great things to tell you about, but I definitely do not have any more time. :(
I love you all!
-Zr Jensen
P.S. the title of this email is a play on words, because "liefdevolle" in Dutch means filled with love, but it sounds like "leave-full" and both the leaves from the trees and the love from Heaven have been raining down like crazy this week, amidst all the other craziness. :)
First, let me apologize that I haven't replied to many letters this week - it sounds like it was a crazy week for the Jensens, and this Jensen is no exception!
So I don't have time to tell the whole story and it's not really my story to tell anyway, so suffice it to say that some craziness went down last Sunday where Zr Ramirez was mildly threatened by someone. We were both fine, but due to the circumstances President decided to pull her out of Apeldoorn just in case something not good should happen in the future. We got the news on Tuesday night, and the switch happened on Thursday. And guess who my new companion is? Zr Harris, who I worked with 4 transfers ago in Assen! She had been in a threesome in Amsterdam, and she got transferred here while Zr Ramirez joined the threesome in Amsterdam. Even though I was very sad to see Zr Ramirez go after only 4 short weeks and it is a frustrating situation, it is very fun to be working with Zr Harris again.
On Wednesday, the last day I was with Zr Ramirez, we had to go to Den Haag so she could do some stuff for her Argentinian ID card or something like that. And we encountered every possible problem you could have with the train system! It turned what should have been a 4 ish hour trip into like 7 hours. Craziness. However, the emergency transfer the next day went smoothly so all was well. :)
Friday craziness started off not so happy, since someone stole my helmet. Who steals a helmet in a land where you get laughed at for wearing helmets?? :P But, positivity will always come off conqueror! That afternoon I could hardly be thinking about my troubles because Zr Harris and I made goals and plans for the next few weeks, and we are so pumped about really working hard and seeing miracles here in Apeldoorn. President shared with her that when he and the APs were praying and talking about who would come here to replace Zr Ramirez, that had a very strong feeling that it should be Zr Harris. So we don't what's going to happen or why we need to be companions again, but we know there's a work here for us to do, and it's going to be something amazing, I guess! :)
There were other great things to tell you about, but I definitely do not have any more time. :(
However, I would love to share with you a thought I had about Halloween. :) The don't celebrate it much here, but I was pondering about how kids on the other side of the world were excitedly going langs de deur (knocking on doors) and receiving fun things in return. No kid knows what kind of candy or other treat will be given them, but they know it will be good. And I realized that this is like the gospel! :) From 3 Nephi 27:28-29 and similar scriptures we learn that if we knock, Heavenly Father will always open unto us. If we kneel in sincere prayer and ask for our righteous desires, we will be answered. Just like a kid on Halloween, we don't know what kind of answer we will get; but we know that it will be sweet and good, and because it comes from a loving Father in Heaven it will be exactly what we need. :)
I love you all!
-Zr Jensen
P.S. the title of this email is a play on words, because "liefdevolle" in Dutch means filled with love, but it sounds like "leave-full" and both the leaves from the trees and the love from Heaven have been raining down like crazy this week, amidst all the other craziness. :)
Monday, October 26, 2015
Restoration and Reunions
My dear family and friends,
It was a great week! Fall is definitely in full swing and I am amazed daily by how beautiful nature is. I love this time of year! So here's some news from this week:
On Tuesday we taught the restoration to a student from Nigeria! Unfortunately he had to cancel our appointment for later that week but we hope to meet with him again this week. He is very sincere in his faith in God and Christ and he was so impressed to meet other young people who live according to God's commandments in a land were most people don't. There really is a noticeable difference (in a good way!) when we are living worthy of the Spirit. :)
On Wednesday we had exchanges which meant I got to spend the day with Zr Manning! If you don't remember she was one of my companions for my 2nd and 3rd transfers, and I love her to death. It was wonderful catching up with each other and seeing how much we've grown since that time, and seeing miracles! We were able to teach a lesson to a lady just on the street while we were contacting that afternoon. :)
The rest of the week included more contacting, awesome dinner appointments, and even an extra hour of sleep with daylight savings. What more could a missionary ask for? :)
This week I have been really pondering the difference between a home blessed by gospel principles and one without. You can really feel immediately the warmth, love and spirit of a member's home where people are working to stay worthy of the spirit, and it is a wonderful thing. Of course, no one is perfect and we can't be happy, healthy, and perfectly selfless every moment of every day, even with our own family members whom we love dearly. However, I testify that as each member of the family works for the principles found in the Family Proclamation, especially love and forgiveness, the home will truly become a heaven on earth, a safe haven not just for family members but for anyone who comes inside. Do everything you can to have so precious a possession for yourself and your family!
Have a great week!
-Zr Jensen
It was a great week! Fall is definitely in full swing and I am amazed daily by how beautiful nature is. I love this time of year! So here's some news from this week:
On Tuesday we taught the restoration to a student from Nigeria! Unfortunately he had to cancel our appointment for later that week but we hope to meet with him again this week. He is very sincere in his faith in God and Christ and he was so impressed to meet other young people who live according to God's commandments in a land were most people don't. There really is a noticeable difference (in a good way!) when we are living worthy of the Spirit. :)
On Wednesday we had exchanges which meant I got to spend the day with Zr Manning! If you don't remember she was one of my companions for my 2nd and 3rd transfers, and I love her to death. It was wonderful catching up with each other and seeing how much we've grown since that time, and seeing miracles! We were able to teach a lesson to a lady just on the street while we were contacting that afternoon. :)
The rest of the week included more contacting, awesome dinner appointments, and even an extra hour of sleep with daylight savings. What more could a missionary ask for? :)
This week I have been really pondering the difference between a home blessed by gospel principles and one without. You can really feel immediately the warmth, love and spirit of a member's home where people are working to stay worthy of the spirit, and it is a wonderful thing. Of course, no one is perfect and we can't be happy, healthy, and perfectly selfless every moment of every day, even with our own family members whom we love dearly. However, I testify that as each member of the family works for the principles found in the Family Proclamation, especially love and forgiveness, the home will truly become a heaven on earth, a safe haven not just for family members but for anyone who comes inside. Do everything you can to have so precious a possession for yourself and your family!
Have a great week!
-Zr Jensen
Friday, October 23, 2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
Ik Kijk Graag Naar De Tempel :)
My dear family and friends,
Well, it´s been another week! I can´t believe how fast they´re flying by!
This week began with what is also the highlight of this week - the temple!!! :D We only get to go every 6 months as missionaries, and I can tell you I've been feeling that it´s been a long time. There is incredible power to be found through faithful temple attendance, not to mention an unlimited amount of other blessings. It is a peaceful, holy place, and no matter what land you´re in or language you´re speaking going there is the most sure-fire way to receive answers, a recharge of spiritual energy, and a confirmation of the love of an Almighty Father for you personally. I love to see the temple! :)
Our temple session in the morning was followed by a wonderful zone conference, which was, well, wonderful. As always. :) And just in case all that spiritual power in one day wasn´t enough, we got flu shots too so we are extra protected. We put on every bit of that armor! :D
The rest of the week was pretty rain, looking up a bunch of people, cold, and more rain. Let´s just say thermal insoles have become my best friend - why people would choose to use cold-conducting cobblestones and non-weather proof bikes as their main modes of transportation in a land where 75% of the time it is cold and raining, I´ll never know. But I love them anyway. :)
So something funny from the week! On Wednesday we were looking up a bunch of people, as before mentioned, including some less-actives from a list somebody made a few transfers ago. We went to look up this one less-active, and when a lady answered the door she had no idea who we were asking for. We figured we must a had the wrong address or something, but we told the lady who we were and, she being a wonderful woman, she let us in for some tea since it was (as before mentioned) cold and raining. We got to know each other a little bit - she´s a 50 something year old lady originally from Curacao and her name is Mariela. Long story short, we led the conversation to what we believe and we ended up teaching her the Restoration. However, she was quite hesitant to accept a Book of Mormon. But she said very sincerely that she would think about this all and call us!
Sounds like a miracle story, right? So here´s the funny part - the next day, we´re doing some updates of the area book and whatnot, and who should we happen to see on the ward list than a certain Mariela Adriana, who lives at that address! Turns out she was an active member, and she didn´t say anything for the whole time we were with her! :P Well, we apologized when we saw her on Sunday that we didn't know then who she was and we all had a good laugh about it. :)
Well, I´m seriously out of time but as a last big of news, I finished reading "Jesus the Christ" By James E. Talmage this week! :) I started it in the MTC and have been reading it off and on during personal studies. I encourage everyone who has not to read it. I learned so much about the personal ministry and identity of Jesus Chist. Most of all though, it has been wonderful to take so much time to ponder on all of the ways our Heavenly Father prepares everything to fulfill His perfect purposes - and how much perfection and love are manifest in our Redeemer and His sacrifice for us. Not just in His Atonement, but in His life which led up to it, and in His continued care for His people and His church through all ages, including the one we now live in. I know that Christ is at the head of this church, and I am so grateful for His love, which is always there for us. Always.
Have a wonderful week!
-Zr Jensen
Well, it´s been another week! I can´t believe how fast they´re flying by!
This week began with what is also the highlight of this week - the temple!!! :D We only get to go every 6 months as missionaries, and I can tell you I've been feeling that it´s been a long time. There is incredible power to be found through faithful temple attendance, not to mention an unlimited amount of other blessings. It is a peaceful, holy place, and no matter what land you´re in or language you´re speaking going there is the most sure-fire way to receive answers, a recharge of spiritual energy, and a confirmation of the love of an Almighty Father for you personally. I love to see the temple! :)
Our temple session in the morning was followed by a wonderful zone conference, which was, well, wonderful. As always. :) And just in case all that spiritual power in one day wasn´t enough, we got flu shots too so we are extra protected. We put on every bit of that armor! :D
The rest of the week was pretty rain, looking up a bunch of people, cold, and more rain. Let´s just say thermal insoles have become my best friend - why people would choose to use cold-conducting cobblestones and non-weather proof bikes as their main modes of transportation in a land where 75% of the time it is cold and raining, I´ll never know. But I love them anyway. :)
So something funny from the week! On Wednesday we were looking up a bunch of people, as before mentioned, including some less-actives from a list somebody made a few transfers ago. We went to look up this one less-active, and when a lady answered the door she had no idea who we were asking for. We figured we must a had the wrong address or something, but we told the lady who we were and, she being a wonderful woman, she let us in for some tea since it was (as before mentioned) cold and raining. We got to know each other a little bit - she´s a 50 something year old lady originally from Curacao and her name is Mariela. Long story short, we led the conversation to what we believe and we ended up teaching her the Restoration. However, she was quite hesitant to accept a Book of Mormon. But she said very sincerely that she would think about this all and call us!
Sounds like a miracle story, right? So here´s the funny part - the next day, we´re doing some updates of the area book and whatnot, and who should we happen to see on the ward list than a certain Mariela Adriana, who lives at that address! Turns out she was an active member, and she didn´t say anything for the whole time we were with her! :P Well, we apologized when we saw her on Sunday that we didn't know then who she was and we all had a good laugh about it. :)
Well, I´m seriously out of time but as a last big of news, I finished reading "Jesus the Christ" By James E. Talmage this week! :) I started it in the MTC and have been reading it off and on during personal studies. I encourage everyone who has not to read it. I learned so much about the personal ministry and identity of Jesus Chist. Most of all though, it has been wonderful to take so much time to ponder on all of the ways our Heavenly Father prepares everything to fulfill His perfect purposes - and how much perfection and love are manifest in our Redeemer and His sacrifice for us. Not just in His Atonement, but in His life which led up to it, and in His continued care for His people and His church through all ages, including the one we now live in. I know that Christ is at the head of this church, and I am so grateful for His love, which is always there for us. Always.
Have a wonderful week!
-Zr Jensen
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Nederengelspaans
My dear family and friends,
So the bad news is I am (once again) out of time, but the good news is there isn´t that much to talk about this week so it all works out. :) We were knocking doors most of this week, but other fun highlights include:
Interviews! President and Zuster Bunnell came to our district meeting to conduct interviews, and they were great as usual. President gave me a sort of special assignment, which was to have Zr Ramirez teach me Spanish for 15 minutes every day. His reasoning is that it will help her feel more useful despite the language barriers she has with other missionaries and the people here, and that it will also benefit me as I am looking at a medical career later. I happily agreed since I´d love to brush up on my Spanish, which has unfortunately gotten quite rusty over the last few years. There´s just one problem- every time I try to speak another language, nothing but Dutch comes out! So I try very hard, but then I just get a mix of Dutch, Spanish, and English vocabulary and grammar and I just don´t even know what language I speak anymore. It´s fun. :)
Fall is well underway! The trees are beautiful, but it came complete with a cold snap this weekend that made me put on my winter coat for the first time in months. All I have to say is it´s a good thing hot chocolate and fleece tights exist, otherwise this would be a very long 5 months of my mission left. :)
Well, I have to leave it at there for today but I love you all! Please remember that God is truly watching over all of us with the loving care of a perfect Father. If we simply pray to Him, giving our whole heart to Him, we are guided and blessed every step of our lives. Have a great week!
-Zr Jensen
So the bad news is I am (once again) out of time, but the good news is there isn´t that much to talk about this week so it all works out. :) We were knocking doors most of this week, but other fun highlights include:
Interviews! President and Zuster Bunnell came to our district meeting to conduct interviews, and they were great as usual. President gave me a sort of special assignment, which was to have Zr Ramirez teach me Spanish for 15 minutes every day. His reasoning is that it will help her feel more useful despite the language barriers she has with other missionaries and the people here, and that it will also benefit me as I am looking at a medical career later. I happily agreed since I´d love to brush up on my Spanish, which has unfortunately gotten quite rusty over the last few years. There´s just one problem- every time I try to speak another language, nothing but Dutch comes out! So I try very hard, but then I just get a mix of Dutch, Spanish, and English vocabulary and grammar and I just don´t even know what language I speak anymore. It´s fun. :)
Fall is well underway! The trees are beautiful, but it came complete with a cold snap this weekend that made me put on my winter coat for the first time in months. All I have to say is it´s a good thing hot chocolate and fleece tights exist, otherwise this would be a very long 5 months of my mission left. :)
Well, I have to leave it at there for today but I love you all! Please remember that God is truly watching over all of us with the loving care of a perfect Father. If we simply pray to Him, giving our whole heart to Him, we are guided and blessed every step of our lives. Have a great week!
-Zr Jensen
Monday, October 5, 2015
Beautiful Weather and Beautiful Words
My dear family and friends,
Well, this week has just been a blur of crazy things! It was a good last couple of days in IJmuiden, including a dinner appointment with some very fun members - who have made what they call "the Challenge." It basically involves wearing a pajama onesie and then climbing around and under a play structure at a park near the house in a specific way. It sounds easy, but it´s definitely not! While wasn´t able to complete it, it did make it further than any sister so far, so that was fun. :)
The next day was transfer day! As far as transfer days go, it was pretty smooth! My new companion, Zr Ramirez, is originally from Argentina but has also lived in Spain and her family actually lives in Rotterdam. She was supposed to go to Argentina on her mission but due to legality visa type issues she was reassigned to this mission. She has good English and pretty good Dutch, so we speak kind of a mix of both to each other. It´s always different getting a new companion, especially one that you can´t communicate with perfectly, but she´s very fun and nice and we work well together. :)
The rest of the week was pretty much just meeting members and knocking doors - the Apeldoorn zusters don´t have any investigators right now, so there´s plenty of work to be done! However, it has been beautiful weather all week, so I´m counting my tender mercies.
I´m running out of time, but the highlight of this weekend was definitely General Conference! I love, love, LOVE Conference! I got so much out of it and we haven´t even been able to watch the Sunday Afternoon session yet. But I testify that God answers questions and prayers, even when we sometimes can´t articulate what our concerns and yearnings are. He knows us - perfectly - and He knows how to inspire the speakers to say what we need to hear, and how to inspire us to understand the message He wants us to hear, regardless of which words are actually said. One of my favorite messages from this conference was about how this whole process happens through the Holy Ghost - how priceless is that gift!! Always work to have the Holy Ghost with you, it is worth every effort in the world!
Well, this week has just been a blur of crazy things! It was a good last couple of days in IJmuiden, including a dinner appointment with some very fun members - who have made what they call "the Challenge." It basically involves wearing a pajama onesie and then climbing around and under a play structure at a park near the house in a specific way. It sounds easy, but it´s definitely not! While wasn´t able to complete it, it did make it further than any sister so far, so that was fun. :)
The next day was transfer day! As far as transfer days go, it was pretty smooth! My new companion, Zr Ramirez, is originally from Argentina but has also lived in Spain and her family actually lives in Rotterdam. She was supposed to go to Argentina on her mission but due to legality visa type issues she was reassigned to this mission. She has good English and pretty good Dutch, so we speak kind of a mix of both to each other. It´s always different getting a new companion, especially one that you can´t communicate with perfectly, but she´s very fun and nice and we work well together. :)
The rest of the week was pretty much just meeting members and knocking doors - the Apeldoorn zusters don´t have any investigators right now, so there´s plenty of work to be done! However, it has been beautiful weather all week, so I´m counting my tender mercies.
I´m running out of time, but the highlight of this weekend was definitely General Conference! I love, love, LOVE Conference! I got so much out of it and we haven´t even been able to watch the Sunday Afternoon session yet. But I testify that God answers questions and prayers, even when we sometimes can´t articulate what our concerns and yearnings are. He knows us - perfectly - and He knows how to inspire the speakers to say what we need to hear, and how to inspire us to understand the message He wants us to hear, regardless of which words are actually said. One of my favorite messages from this conference was about how this whole process happens through the Holy Ghost - how priceless is that gift!! Always work to have the Holy Ghost with you, it is worth every effort in the world!
-Zuster Jensen
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Monday, September 28, 2015
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