Is het jaar al voorbij??? (The year is over already???)

Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden,

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes! I'm afraid I don't have time to reply to each of you individually but I love you all and appreciate each one!

I am super out of time, but here's a quick summary of the week:

• I love the members here already, every place has it's challenges but they are so good to us and are just good people. :)
• A less-active we visited asked if I was half some darker race. I was so surprised by the question I couldn't answer for a second! Haha I think it's just because I was sitting in a shadow or something, because there's no way anyone could mistake me for anything except white. :P
• We visited a different less-active who was in the hospital, and I had yet another confirmation that nursing is the right track for me, because I was irrationally happy just by being in the hospital. I think my companion worries about my sanity now. [I had to laugh about this! I feel the same way about hospitals--love being there. We must be the same kind of crazy! -Tricia]
• On Friday we had MLC (mission leader council)! It's always a great day and I am just reminded every time of how inspired this work is and how wonderful our leaders are.

It's always funny having a birthday pretty soon after New Year's, since I just recently did that whole reflecting-on-the-past-year-and-how-the-next-one-will-be sort of thing. However, I've still taken some time for that on my birthday and it's just amazing to stop and think about how good the Lord is! One year ago I was still in my first city, feeling like I'd already learned so much but still had so far to go. Now one year later I am in my last city, feeling like I've learned so much but I still have so far to go! :D Haha some things never change. ;) In all seriousness though, I can see that I have changed and progressed, and I am so grateful for that. I know that God works wonders in our lives, as long as we're willing to give it to Him so He has something to work with. It is my prayer that we will all learn to do this, and discover the joy that comes from it!

Love you all!!!
-Zuster Jensen