HERMANA RACHEL JENSON

HERMANA RACHEL JENSON

Monday, December 28, 2015

CHRISTMAS 2015

This is Christopher's family.. Melvin and Haiti are the parents!! :))) I love this family!! .))) 

This is my little baby Christopher... he gives me a hug every single night on my way home and shares his candies with me.. and he loves the Book of Mormon! :))) 

This is our Christmas tree!!! Thanks mom for the presents!


This is Maximo after going to the temple for the first time and us at the park of lights!! :)))) I am taking my family back here! (guess what girls it was all underwater themed.. with mermaids!!!)

This is the last photo of our zone together eating at la Mallas!!

This is the family of Reinoso that we spent noche buena with!

Hermana Echard and I at a Christmas concert at presidents house!! FELIZ NAVIDAD!!!

Hermana Echard and I dressed in black right after we scared the other hermanas!! hahahah!! Still a jokester don't worry!! :))) 

This is Hermana Mijangos and I on the bola on navidad

I went to the salon like a Dominican!!! :))) hahaha funniest experience of my life..!! I don't know how they do it!!!

NEW EXPERIENCES

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER KAMI... AND FELIZIDADES TO MY NIECE FOR BEING BAPTIZED!!!! Wow my family is just the greatest in the whole world and I love them all so much and I am so proud of all they are doing! I am one proud aunt daughter and sister!! :))) I LOVE YOU FAMILY!!!

So my companion (mom in the mission) is leaving me, it is time for me to spread my wings and fly.. she is going to San Cristobal.. and I am going to get a new companion HERMANA BARRET from Puerto Rico!! :) I am so excited to have a Latina companion!! :)) These changes are going to be awesome!

I have a really crazy story... so this week we were at an investigators house saying goodbye for Hermana Echard.. and he was making us spaghetti and while he was making it he mentioned this drink that everyone here has for Christmas and asked if we wanted some, its like eggnog! We looked at the bottle and asked him about 5 or 10 times if it had alcohol and he told us ¨of course not I don't drink alcohol¨ so he pours us some and we take a sip at the same time and instantly Hermana Echard and I start coughing and choking.. my throat was burning!!!!!!! Turns out it really does have alcohol... ha ha we clearly stopped drinking it and I just about cried the rest of the night!!! bahahaha who would have ever thought I would drink alcohol on my mission!! Don't worry It'll never happen again!!!

Besides that I hope that all of your Christmases were perfect and full of joy and happiness I know mine sure was... I have a short story that made my whole Christmas (apart from talking with my family). So on Christmas morning we were meeting as a zone to eat and do a gift exchange and everything... and there were no carritos.. and literally no one on the street.. the quietest I've ever heard the Dominican Republic! But we were asking for a bola.. like a hitch hike..? ha ha and this little truck thing stopped and he told us he was going just aqui mismo.. (like right here).. and we told him where we were going and it was far from where we were.. and he looked at us like he didn't want to... then just got a smile on his his face and told us to get in... I don't know but the genuine kindness of this man made my Christmas so amazing I gave him some candy canes that I had and a card that Hermana Echard and I made.. but really he didn't have to give us a ride or even stop.. but I feel like that is what Christmas is about.. serving when its not needed! :))) I hope we can all go that extra mile this next year! :)))


I love you guys all so much and I hope the best for you this new year.. that we can think of new goals to reach spiritually as well and mentally and physically!! :))) thank you all for the Christmas love!! you all mean the world to me!! .)))


Happy New Year!!

Hermana Jenson!

Monday, December 14, 2015

This is one of our recent converts Máximo,, We had a noche de hogar with his family and taught them how to make snowflakes.... LET IT SNOW IN THE DR!! HAHA

 This is our zone after our zone conference! I literally have the best zone ever!! So grateful for each of them!!

We got bored sitting in the hospital so we made a balloon!! bahhah

I had intercambios with hermana Black from Utah, and we have a cat that always comes in and eats our trash and this time he wanted to leave us a Little surprise and she was a champ and volunteered to clean it up!!!

This is a giant moth that flew in our house and I thought it was a bat!! bahahah

TRIPS TO THE HOSPITAL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYCEE!!! 8 AÑOS!!! TE AMO MUCHO!!! :)))

I hope I freaked you all out by my email title... HAHAHA but dont worry I am totally fine and healthy and happy!!! :)))

So we really did make two trips to the hospital this week..

One was for a zone activity to spread the true Christmas spirit.. We divided up and went to each floor of the hospital and sang and shared a message of our Savior! Hermana Echard and I went to the floor with the newborn babies so we had to sing really soft.. but the spirit was just as strong! There is nothing better than sharing the message of Jesús Christ!

The other time we went to the hospital was with our recent convert Yeseña she was having a surgery and she asked us to come with her and help her.. So we were able to go.. she is the best, she has not had the easiest life by any means but she is so full of faith.. such an example to me, before we left for the hospital we asked her if she wanted a priesthood blessing and she said yes... so the Elders came over and gave her one... wow the spirit was so strong, I am so grateful that we have the priesthood restored and that we are able to use it! All went well with Yeseña and she is doing just great!!

Along with the spiritual experiences we had we had some good funny ones too! Haha at the hospital the lights went out and it was seriously like a scary movie hermana Echard and I were having a Little bit of a panic attack! Haha and also I got to eat some Haitian soup and some amazing espeghetis, and got some pizza.. like american pizza it was awesome! :))

I love this time of year and Testifying of our Savior and His life that He willingly gave to each of us! But something that I have been thinking about this week is this special spirit that we have and this grand celebration of our Savior.. should be all the year long!  We shouldn't just specifically testify or celebrate Him on Christmas, but we should constantly be walking testimonies of Him!!! :))) It is my Testimony, all the time, that He lives and loves us and the only way to true and eternal happiness is through the Atonement of Jesús Christ!


Love you all!! Thank you for everything and I hope everyone has a SUPER HAPPY AND MERRY CHRISTMAS! :))


Hermana Jenson

Monday, December 7, 2015

SWEET/SILLY PHOTOS

Hermana Echard and I praying



This is a photo of out my window on the 3rd floor, that little blue dot,, is my cup that had water in it that I accidentally knocked out the window! bahahaha don't worry we got it back,, and our neighbors are super nice! haha!! :))) silly me

WE TRULY NEED HIM EVERY HOUR!

HOLA FAMILIA!! Another amazing week as a missionary in the wonderful place of the DR!!! Every day is an adventure!! :))))

-Every Thursday we go to the metro as a zone and do an activity to share the spirit and true meaning of Christmas, and this week we did a flash mob.. of singing.. on the train! haha it was so awesome!! everyone loved it!!
-I have learned a lot about self control this week because I have a gazillioooooon mosquito bites and I've been trying not to itch them.. the Lord works in mysterious ways!
-My companion and I got matching Christmas pajamas and we have been wearing them all week, you could say we are excited! haha
-We finally got to do service... ha no one in the DR will let you help them, we always offer and try to help people and they insist that you don't, but finally this week one of our investigators Yesica the one with the crazy chicken, let us clean her house and do her laundry! it was awesome!! we were so pumped!! haha and Yesica was just laughing cause we were so excited to do her laundry and mop her floor!!! bahaha
-One of our investigators Francisco came to church for the first time this Sunday and stayed all three hours!! He is just the cutest old man and he was so happy at church!! :)

Well this week was full of ups and downs and I really learned so much about our Savior!
So in this season we share a message about our Savior with every person we can find, and honestly every time, something new is revealed to me about how amazing Our Savior is and His overpowering Atonement! This week we had a super duper perfect day.. we had all of our lessons plus some. We had two new people accept baptism dates and we had really spiritual moments in each lesson, I had tears coming down my face all day and had a smile beaming on my face from the spirit that my companion and I were feeling. It was seriously amazing, and I am so grateful for that day!! Then the next day I had a really rough day, I felt like not one right Spanish word could come out of my mouth, doors were slammed in our faces and no one else was home.. all of a sudden I just felt so overwhelmed with the calling that I had.. I felt so little.., I started to pray for strength to be a ¨big girl¨ and that I could have confidence in the Lord to direct us and that I would stop worrying about how I felt and just trust HIM, so we pressed on, and this is when I learned something. In our last lession of the night as I was bearing my testimony of our Savior, that we are NOTHING without Him, and that His atonement covers EVERYTHING, not only our sins, but our sadness, our struggles, every feeling we feel and have ever felt and will feel. Our Savior Jesus Christ has felt it and is continually there for us waiting to lift us up right after we ask Him for his help and hand our problems over to Him and are willing to act on the way He wants to help us. I felt the Saviors love not only for these people but for me. I felt like Heavenly Father was bearing testimony in my heart as I was bearing it to them!! In this Season we aren't just supposed to remember His birth, but His whole life and what He did for each of us and our loved ones! Wow, what an amazing gift that we already have!! I know that our Savior Lives!!!!!!!!! and He will come again! I love this Gospel and the opportunity I have to grow here and invite people to come unto Christ! I hope we all take this Christmas season and remember our Savior and truly partake of His atoning sacrifice for us!!! This week I really learned that we NEED Him in every moment, the good and the bad.. D&C 136:28&29 says:
If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving
If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication that your soul maybe joyful!!

WE NEED HIM EVERY HOUR!!!


I love you all so much!!! thank you all for your love and prayers!!

Hermana Jenson

Monday, November 30, 2015

PICS FOR THE WEEK

This is Melvin and his son Christopher.. they are a less active family...but please notice how cool his beard is!! haha I love them!! 

We do yoga together in the mornings ... cute compa bonding!!!

We love our bananas!! 

The sunrise!!! God is so Good!!! Remember that! 

These are coco balls.. we dont know what they are really called but we search every colmado for them and when we find them we buy all that they have THEY ARE THE BEST

HAPPY

HOLA FAMILIA MIA!!!

Nothing really exciting happened this week it was pretty normal but I'll try and put together an email of some of my thoughts and feelings and happenings this week.


-I completed 3 months and my trainer (mom) completed 14 months!
-We didn't have water for 3 days.. so clearly instead of bucket showering we just didn't shower.. don't worry I haven't changed too much! haha
- Our power and our back up power went out as well
- Hermana Mijangos left the hose on doing her laundry right after we got the water back and flooded our house
- We went on splits
- We made a paper Christmas tree, paper presents, and paper decorations, and paper snowflakes for our house.... you could say our apartment looks like it is from the movie elf.
-We had some jello for thanksgiving!! hahaha yum!! :)))
-The cutest old man Francisco committed to come to church

I love being a missionary.. and I'm going to tell you why! Well this week was Thanksgiving, and when I knelt down to pray that night, to give a prayer of solely thanks I realized just how great it is to be a missionary... I had to give thanks for my calling to be a representative of Jesus Christ, for my family, my membership in this perfect Gospel, our investigators, and the health that I have. Being a missionary is all that we have... we don't have all these distractions or worldly things. I am so grateful for this opportunity and privileged to get away from the worldly things and realize what is truly important, our families!!! This has really been a time for me to realize that I have everything I could ever need, and realize what I want in my future. another reason I love being a missionary is that I get to testify all day every day that our Savior lives.. and I know that with all of my heart that He lives and loves us... I can feel the love that our Savior has for the people that I teach.. and every time I am in awe at the feeling that I get!

I know that this church is true, I'm grateful for all that I have been given and I am so happy!!! honestly I am so happy, but because of this Gospel I am happy, and that's why I am here to help other people be as happy as I am! :)) I hope for you all to find the happiness that this Gospel offers!!!


Sorry this email isn't the best.. but I love you all with all that I am!!!

con mucho amor

Hermana Jenson

Monday, November 23, 2015

PICS FROM THIS WEEK

THIS IS MY FAVORITE YESEÑA AND HER BABY YESBAILEE

YESEÑAS BAPTISM!!!!

HER FIRST BAPTISM FROM START TO FINISH

HER FAMILY AND US

JOY

"I know that which the lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the lord hath commanded me; yeah, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
and behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember what the lord has done for me, yeah, even that he hath heard my prayer; yeah then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me." ALMA 29:9-10

No scriptures could better describe my feelings this week! It has been a very eventful, humbling, spiritual, and inspiring week! I had a ton of experiences this week but I want to share just one short story, about my dearest friend Yeseña! She was my first lession, where I prayed so hard for the spirit to teach the first vision and the Holy Ghost totally took over, and she was the first investigator we had together to accept her baptism date. This week I got to see her take her first steps towards eternal happiness. Before her baptism she was so excited and emotional since early in the morning she was all ready do go and had a permanent smile on her face. Through this day and the past months.. I have really been able to "see her coming to the Lord her God" and  have felt so much thanks for my Heavenly Father to allow me to watch her make these steps"I glory that I am an instrument in His hands". during the actual baptismal service, I felt probably just a tiny bit of it, but I could feel the joy and love that our Father in Heaven has for her.. WOW I was so overwhelmed! It was something that I will cherish forever. The best part of this whole day, was when Yeseña bore her testimony... she expressed her thanks for us that we knocked on her door and that we taught her the way to follow our Savior, not just for her but for her little girl, then she explained that her husband (who has been in Costa Rica for the past 6 months taking care of his sick mother) has been taking the missionary lessions as well, and how this gospel is truly changing the life of her family, forever!

She didn't tell us that her husband was taking the lessions... and instantly my jaw dropped and tears (more tears) started to flow down my cheeks. It is my testimony that this gospel truly blesses families, and at this moment I felt so grateful "for what the Lord has done for me" given me my family!! I know that our Savior lives and loves us... that his "merciful arm is extended toward us" no matter what! Over all I feel thankful that the Lord let me have this experience!! I love this gospel with all my heart, and I know that it is true!! I love my family, the little taste of eternal happiness that I have on earth!!


Okay one last thing that has been on my mind a lot this week that I want to share for this holiday season... that is all about our wonderful and miraculous Savior Jesus Christ, I recently started reading the New Testament to feel and learn more about the life of Jesus Christ and I want to share something that I think we should all strive for these coming weeks. in Mathew 4:11-12 it is talking about how Jesus was just finishing his 40 day fast and being tempted by satan... and how after angels ministered unto him.... but in JST it says that he heard that John (the baptist) was cast into prison, and he actually sent those angels to him to help him. Then Jesus departed into Galilee. Just even writing this brings tears to my eyes... I can't imagine the things that the Savior did for me, but the fact that He solely thought and continues to think, of others in His times of need is something we all need. This holiday season I encourage you all to meditate this, and think about the comfort you can give, the love you can send, and the Christ like example you can be for others!!


I love you all and I love our Redeemer and Heavenly Father!

Thank you for all the love and prayers!

con mucho amor
Hermana Jenson

Monday, November 16, 2015


This is our mission family!!!!! hermana Echard is all of our moms and these are my brothers!! haha elder Spence is from Jamaica and elder Garcia from Texas! :)))


Elder Garcia de Texas, hermana Echard, y yo

The hermana's in our zone!!!:))) In our mission we are required to carry our LDMs in our hands... they call them our esposos... or on other words we are supposed to treat them like our husbands.!! haha 





Dinner with Arisleda.. one of our investigators.. she is truly amazing, practically a member already, and she made us the best espeghettis I've ever tasted! :)



In the car on our way to Bishops house for dinner... yum!! Elder Salcedo is getting transferred and we are soooo sad!!! 

The elders had baptisms this week and we took Yeseña... this is the familia Cueyo.. newest members of our ward!! :)))



This was their first time ever wearing seat belts!!!! bahahah... oh the DR!


 Yeseña and I in the park on the slide.. Hahah scariest slide of my life.

This is the car floor of the carrito.. like a taxi here... there is no floor! Haha you can see the rode through the holes... reminds me of when mom and Deena and I went to Hawaii and rented that van!! Bahahah

AND WE MEET AGAIN...AND AGAIN...AND AGAIN

Another amazing week in La Yuca as a missionary! :)

This week was Zone Conference (my first one) and stake conference and another conference for the leaders, which my companion is an hermana leader, so I went to that too, then did intercombios with a different hermana... we were in her area.. RIGHT NEXT TO THE OCEAN! WOW!! :) also when we were on our way back for the day we were riding in a carrito and the whole car was shaking cause the cars here suck.. and then all of a sudden we start to swerve and a loud POP! yeah our tire blew out in the middle of the street.... I just grabbed this old mans hand who was next to me and was freaking out!! haha then we walked the rest of the way to the chapel... haha everything is an adventure here!! I love it!

I got everyone's letters at the zone conference!! gosh I have the best family and friends! thank you so much for all the love!! I replied to you all so you should be getting letters!! :)


So at the zone conf. we had to get shots... yah and guess what happened I had some sort of reaction and I broke out in a hive rash thing all over my body.. I looked like a red lobster and my hands and feet were swollen and itched like I've never itched before... no medicine was helping.. so I just walked around looking like a dufus for like 3 days... its finally fading now! :) I'm okay!! :)

Okay so Yeseña had her baptismal interview on Saturday... so she is getting baptized this week!!!! YAY!! so this week we were in a lession with her and talking about baptisms for the dead... it was really spiritual and my comp was bearing her testimony.. and her daughter who is 3 years was just walking around and holding a ziploc container that we had from another investigator. She gave us food and we were returning it, then I look at Yeseña in the lession and she gets this wide eyed look on her face... and starts gasping.. I look... and her daughter decided to go to the bathroom in the ziploc container... bahahahaha!! I just started laughing!!!! Yeseña starts yelling and laughing bahaha it took us a little while to calm down. haha Yeseña is so amazing she is reading her LDM like crazy and her testimony is growing so much everyday! her life is truly changing, and the life of her daughter too. This gospel really is the only true gospel!

So this week we also had stake conference so we had to get everyone at church at 8 to ride in a guagua to the stake center by 9, literally we were running around like chickens in the morning. Francisco, the cutest old man that we are teaching called us cause we were going to get him ready and walk him to the chapel, and said he was already on his way.. already and everything, the best people live here!! Lastly after we got everyone at the church, we went to Yeseña's cause she was going to drive us. we knock on the door.. nothing.. 5 min later.. nothing...5 min later.. we start to pray.. cause if she doesn't come to church she cant have her baptism...we knock again.. nothing.. we weren't going to give up though.. so we start banging on the door.. haha still.... NOTHING!!! my companion was trying to call her but she wasn't answering.. yeah we were being those annoying missionaries! haha! we were already going to be late for the conference and didnt have a ride.. then I said a little prayer in my heart.. and we hear ¨quien?¨ AHHH LAS HERMANAS!! Turns out her daughter was sick and she was at the hospital til 5 in the morning with her.. and her phone had died! But she hurried and got ready and we only missed the opening hymn!! Seriously there always needs to be a trial of our faith... like in Ether 12:6... also the example of Yeseña and how important it is for her to make this covenant with her Father in Heaven, she could have slept or said she was tired, but she knew she had to go and had the desire!! She is such an example to us!! :) I love her!! I have learned so many things this week!! This gospel really does change people.. its changing me! :) grateful for my Savior and His perfect example for all of us!!!! THIS CHURCH IS THE TRUTH!!

love you all so much!!!

Hermana Jenson

Monday, November 9, 2015

This is Yeseña!! we had a nail/popcorn and read The Book of Mormom night with her and her girls!! Haha I love them so much! when we were making popcorn I was in the kitchen with Yeseña and we took the top off the pot and one popped and went right in Yeseña´s face, and she screamed like someone just died!! bahaha I couldn't stop laughing I was snorting and couldn't stop!! haha

Me and Yeseña´s baby doing peace!

Sardine dumplings from a member... yummmm! bahaha
Riding motors like the Dominican with a thousand `people on one!! haha


This is the streets full of water!! Note the cars being drowned


We had a sleepover with the other hermanas before the zoo cause it was far away!! hermana Vargas is the one that I had intercombios with she is the Dominican! haah and hna Echard sleeping in the back!

We got a txt message from president telling us that we were doing a good job and he was super proud of us and our example!! So we obviously needed a pic!

Hermana Echard and I trying to be flamingos! I think Deena would appreciate this!


Hippo!!! We were super close!! 


The zoo!! reminds me of Hawaii!!!


Our noche de hogar!! the girl next to me in the blue is Edidaña and Ezikiel is in the top right corner!