My dear family and friends,
This week was filled with ups and downs, but definitely more ups! I absolutelly loved seeing my wonderful family yesterday, you guys are just great. I think the "pregnancy glow" doesn't even compare to the "missionary-who-just-talked-to-their-family glow.";)
Something funny for the week: On Monday it was Doden Herdenkingsdag, which means the day on which the remember those who have passed on before, like Memorial Day. In honor of this, at 8:00 pm they have 2 minutes of silence across the country. Super cool idea! However, we were biking home from a dinner appointment when it was nearing 8:00. We thought we would just step off our bikes, be silent for 2 minutes, and then continue on. However, at about 7:59 and 34 seconds a bug flew literally into my eye, while we were biking. We promptly spent the next 3 minutes trying to get it out. This involved Zuster Harris helping me, since I could not see where exactly the bug was stuck to my eyeball and blinking didn't help. So much for reverent silence... :P We did our own two minutes of silence afterward, although I'm not sure how reverent they were due to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. :)
On Tuesday we had a wonderful district meeting about the Book of Mormon, I don't have a lot of time to tell you about it but I know it's true! Just read the book and let it bless your life!
I wish I could tell about the other things this week, but unfortunately I'm out of time again. Just now that missionary life is crazy... but overall a good crazy. :)
To end with a thought this week, I'd like to share a quote our district leaders shared with us this week about the Book of Mormon. It's by Hugh Nibley: "
"Since Joseph Smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so experienced or well-educated as any of you at the time he copyrighted the Book of Mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester (which will give you more time than he had) a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. Call it a sacred book if you will, and give it the form of a history. Tell of a community of wandering Jews in ancient times; have all sorts of characters in your story, and involve them in all sorts of public and private vicissitudes; give them names--hundreds of them--pretending that they are real Hebrew and Egyptian names of circa 600 b.c.; be lavish with cultural and technical details--manners and customs, arts and industries, political and religious institutions, rites, and traditions, include long and complicated military and economic histories; have your narrative cover a thousand years without any large gaps; keep a number of interrelated local histories going at once; feel free to introduce religious controversy and philosophical discussion, but always in a plausible setting; observe the appropriate literary conventions and explain the derivation and transmission of your varied historical materials.
"Above all, do not ever contradict yourself! For now we come to the really hard part of this little assignment. You and I know that you are making this all up--we have our little joke--but just the same you are going to be required to have your paper published when you finish it, not as fiction or romance, but as a true history! After you have handed it in you may make no changes in it (in this class we always use the first edition of the Book of Mormon); what is more, you are to invite any and all scholars to read and criticize your work freely, explaining to them that it is a sacred book on a par with the Bible. If they seem over-skeptical, you might tell them that you translated the book from original records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim--they will love that! Further to allay their misgivings, you might tell them that the original manuscript was on golden plates, and that you got the plates from an angel. Now go to work and good luck!"
Of course, this assignment is not real. The Book of Mormon is a true record, translating by a prophet through the power of God, and it will change your life. The real assignment is to read it, study it, ponder on it, and pray over it. God will grade the assignment, and He even gives out answers to those students who are ready to receive them. :)
-Zuster Jensen
This week was filled with ups and downs, but definitely more ups! I absolutelly loved seeing my wonderful family yesterday, you guys are just great. I think the "pregnancy glow" doesn't even compare to the "missionary-who-just-talked-to-their-family glow.";)
Something funny for the week: On Monday it was Doden Herdenkingsdag, which means the day on which the remember those who have passed on before, like Memorial Day. In honor of this, at 8:00 pm they have 2 minutes of silence across the country. Super cool idea! However, we were biking home from a dinner appointment when it was nearing 8:00. We thought we would just step off our bikes, be silent for 2 minutes, and then continue on. However, at about 7:59 and 34 seconds a bug flew literally into my eye, while we were biking. We promptly spent the next 3 minutes trying to get it out. This involved Zuster Harris helping me, since I could not see where exactly the bug was stuck to my eyeball and blinking didn't help. So much for reverent silence... :P We did our own two minutes of silence afterward, although I'm not sure how reverent they were due to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. :)
On Tuesday we had a wonderful district meeting about the Book of Mormon, I don't have a lot of time to tell you about it but I know it's true! Just read the book and let it bless your life!
I wish I could tell about the other things this week, but unfortunately I'm out of time again. Just now that missionary life is crazy... but overall a good crazy. :)
To end with a thought this week, I'd like to share a quote our district leaders shared with us this week about the Book of Mormon. It's by Hugh Nibley: "
"Since Joseph Smith was younger than most of you and not nearly so experienced or well-educated as any of you at the time he copyrighted the Book of Mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester (which will give you more time than he had) a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. Call it a sacred book if you will, and give it the form of a history. Tell of a community of wandering Jews in ancient times; have all sorts of characters in your story, and involve them in all sorts of public and private vicissitudes; give them names--hundreds of them--pretending that they are real Hebrew and Egyptian names of circa 600 b.c.; be lavish with cultural and technical details--manners and customs, arts and industries, political and religious institutions, rites, and traditions, include long and complicated military and economic histories; have your narrative cover a thousand years without any large gaps; keep a number of interrelated local histories going at once; feel free to introduce religious controversy and philosophical discussion, but always in a plausible setting; observe the appropriate literary conventions and explain the derivation and transmission of your varied historical materials.
"Above all, do not ever contradict yourself! For now we come to the really hard part of this little assignment. You and I know that you are making this all up--we have our little joke--but just the same you are going to be required to have your paper published when you finish it, not as fiction or romance, but as a true history! After you have handed it in you may make no changes in it (in this class we always use the first edition of the Book of Mormon); what is more, you are to invite any and all scholars to read and criticize your work freely, explaining to them that it is a sacred book on a par with the Bible. If they seem over-skeptical, you might tell them that you translated the book from original records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim--they will love that! Further to allay their misgivings, you might tell them that the original manuscript was on golden plates, and that you got the plates from an angel. Now go to work and good luck!"
Of course, this assignment is not real. The Book of Mormon is a true record, translating by a prophet through the power of God, and it will change your life. The real assignment is to read it, study it, ponder on it, and pray over it. God will grade the assignment, and He even gives out answers to those students who are ready to receive them. :)
-Zuster Jensen
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