Pics: Voor Jezus cake :D

Apparently this was not quite what they were hoping for when they started the project.  Hopefully it tasted good!

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

Welkom in Lelystad

Mijn geliefde familie en vrienden,

Well, right after I sent that letter complaining about the cold snap last week it turned out to be a beautiful, warm-ish day on Monday! Haha I should complain more often. ;)

Monday and Tuesday were spent mostly packing, cleaning up the apartment to be closed, and visiting a bunch of investigators and members in Apeldoorn. It was a great last couple of days, and then transfer day arrived! All things considered, it went relatively smoothly and I made it to Lelystad in one piece. While we were in Leiden we also had to run by the office to pick something up, and it was so crazy seeing all the little greenies with so much time still, and also all the dying missionaries and thinking - I'm next! So crazy!

Also, I love Zr Young! She is super fun and we work really well together already. :)

The rest of the week has been meeting the people here in Lelystad as well as planning for the transfer with the Zone and District Leaders. I love Lelystad already! It is a tiny little city, but there are some great people here and I think I'm really going to love my last few weeks. Plus, the I'm already the branch members' favorite because no one plays the piano here, so they depend on the missionaries to play during church and Zr Young doesn't play. The first question everyone I meet asks me is, "speel je piano?" (do you play the piano?) and then they get so excited when I say yes. :) So all you future missionaries out there, don't stop practicing because you will make a lot of people very happy when you get to the field! :)

Well, I'll step off my soapbox now. :) That's about all I have to report though, I'm sure I'll have more news next week when I've met more people. As a thought to leave with you, please remember just how good our Heavenly Father is. We can't see the whole plan, and that's the way it should be - but if we just keep on keeping on, doing our best to obey his commandments and revelations and to listen to His Spirit, we can look back sooner or later and just be filled with gratitude at how it all worked out. There are many things about my mission that I wonder why it was the way it was, but there are also many instances, particularly with transfers and companions that are already a major testimony to me of just how perfectly our Heavenly Father knows and loves us. I'm sure my life won't be changing around quite so constantly after my mission, but I know the Hand of the Lord will be directing it just as much. Please trust in the Lord, and allow yourself to feel that inner, unbreakable peace that comes from that trust and faith. It's an amazing and vital blessing in our world today.

Love you all!
-Zr Jensen

Pic: We speak whale below sea level. :)

From a Dutch friend here in Oregon:  Lelystad was built on land that was reclaimed from the ocean! It is named after Cornelis Lely, who engineered the causeway allowed the water to be pumped out, thus allowing the city to be built effectively on the seafloor.  The town is 3 meters below sea level!

Pics: Zuster Young in Lelystad

First week with Zr. Young!

Pics: Closing Apeldoorn

Pics: Lieve Br van Dam