WEEK 47/MOM UPDATE SINCE NO LETTER FROM RACHEL THIS WEEK

HELLO ALL,

Rachel did not write a letter this week and only had a short time online. We got to chat for just a little bit, but she is doing great, LOVES her compania and the days are long long long and super busy. She says they are having trouble finding investigators and just running around a lot trying to get things organized.
Next week will be her 11 months out and only 7 months left to go. (but who's counting)

Be prepared for next week she says that there will be tons of pictures and hopefully a long letter.

LIFE IN THE CAPITAL

FAMILIA!!! 

First things first, I won't have a p-day until next Tuesday because I am going to the zona colonial! Its a tourist thing! It'll be cool! So pics to come! :)) 

This week was amazing and I love everything about the mission! I love being a servant of The Lord!

So here in the capital it's really hard to find investigators by just contacting so my companion and I have been working really hard to work and get to know the members to receive references! We had the coolest experience yesterday! We went to the familia Melendez as we began to get to know them we asked them how they met, and how they were able to come to the knowledge of this amazing gospel they explained that they have been members for a very long time and started to tell us the story. The missionaries knocked on their door and their whole family was baptized a family of 6! Then explained that there is a book that I was able to read before my mission about the history of the Church in the DR.. and the wife left, brought me the book.. and showed me.. they are stars of this book! They are a huge part of why the church has grown so much in this amazing place! He is now a sealer in the temple and their 2 sons have served missions and they all have families strong in the Gospel! What an amazing privilege I have to serve these wonderful people and help the church grow here! :)) 

Wilson received the priesthood this week! :))) We visited him on Tuesday and he told us that receiving the Holy Ghost has brought him a whole new hunger to learn of the Gospel! He has now in this week restarted the Book of Mormon and wrote a resumen (OVERVIEW) verse by verse and is in the middle of Alma! He is so great! :)) 

It's really hot hot hot here! Haha.  I sweat just blinking my eyes! Haha but its great! 

Hope you guys all have a great week! I love you all! :)) 

HERMANA JENSON

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

This is my new zone

WEEK 45: BEAUTIFUL SPIRITUAL WEEK

I don't really know where to start on such a beautiful spiritual week! But just to say that I know that my Savior lives!

The first experience that I would love to share with you guys is on Thursday morning my companion and I had the opportunity to meet Wilson at the temple to have a lesson! We got there and he showed up in a white shirt and tie as we walked up to the front of the temple and started to talk the spirit was so strong... we talked about prophets and we gave him a Liahona from the last general conference. But when we finished the lesson Wilson asked if he could just wait outside and look in the door as the people inside of the temple walked out. We went in and asked the worker at the front desk if we could come in and sit in the front area and he said yes. Wilson walked in looked at himself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and walked in the doors.. instantly the spirit struck each one of us.. and we all had tears streaming down our faces. as we sat in the waiting room, a temple worker came in and shook Wilson's hand and looked at us and said "This is a special man" and yet again with tears in all of our eyes he told us "This is the waiting room to the temple, and this is the Lords house, when He comes here this is the room He visits to see the people who are waiting to come in, and patted us on the back. He then left his information and told Wilson he wanted to be there when he would go for his first time to enter into the temple and be there with his family!!! What a special moment I will forever hold dear to my heart! 

When we were leaving the temple Wilson looks at us and says.. " If you guys ever show up at my house and I'm not there its because I'm here" :)))

We had the opportunity to do intercambios with the CCM (MTC) hermanas who only have 1 month in the ccm.. wow what an amazing opportunity.. first of all to feel there excitement to serve and answer their questions and also to able to see how far I have come as a missionary. I love the mission and the person that we are able to become through true dedicated service to the Lord! The sweet Hermana Pearce that I was with had the opportunity to share the 1st vision in her broken Spanish, but it was perfect the spirit was felt, it doesn't matter exactly what we say but the intentions behind it. The spirit does the rest!:) I am so grateful for the spirit in my life and I hope to every day be more worthy to have it as a companionship in my life.

Saturday.. Wilson entered into the waters of baptism! It was a great baptism.. everything went perfectly. That is almost unheard of! Haha but it was amazing and Wilson shared a lovely testimony of his journey to the restored and true church of Jesus Christ! :) THIS IS HIS CHURCH! and on Sunday we were able to see him confirmed! :) Such a blessing to see him and the atonement of Jesus Christ work a mighty change in him! :) 

My companion is amazing and we are working hard and seeing miracles! I love this gospel and I am happy and grateful to have the restored gospel in my life and that I can share it with others! :) I love sharing my testimony! :) 

Hermana Jenson

We are really going to live forever. where we live, how we live, and with whom we live is largely up to US! 

Sheri Dew! 

WILSON'S BAPTISM

THEIR VISIT TO THE TEMPLE WITH WILSON

PICTURE OF THE CITY (SANTO DOMINGO) AND TEMPLE 

WE AREN'T IN OCOA ANYMORE HERMANA JENSON (10 months down)

WOW I am so happy!! So happy to be a missionary! So happy to write you guys!! Just happy!!

Well so much happened this week! I am in Piantini!! The pure center of the capital of the country! And its so different, I would be lying if I told you I haven't had any culture shock all week! It feels really strange to see cars everywhere have to contact buildings higher than the clouds by intercom and shower with hot water and have power all the time! but I'm slowly adjusting!! 

WILSON!!!!!! So there is the cutest tallest Haitian man named Wilson, he was invited to come to church by his friend and has been going for the last month, the hermanas before me were having a really hard time finding him but finally when I got here we were able to finish teaching him all the leccions and he will be able to enter into the waters of baptism this week!!!! This will be the first baptism here in Piantini in over a year! We are so happy and so excited! We have seen a pure miracle come out of him. He used to be a Jehova's witness missionary.. when we were teaching him about repentance, he stopped and looked at us and said hermanas before I can get baptized I really need to repent I have been leading so many people away from the truth! It was like an Alma the Younger folding out before our eyes this week! I have seriously felt like his conversion was easy on our part. We have been obedient and just doing what we are asked and I have literally seen and felt the spirit doing all the work with our dear friend Wilson! He wants to go to the temple and is overly excited and pure gold! More pictures to come this week! 

We have another investigator that is new who will be entering into the waters of baptism the following 2 weeks!! He has been a miracle unfolding before our eyes as well!! I have felt the spirit in abundance this week just flowing from me and watching the way it influences people!! 

Someone didn't show up for church this week so I was able to give a talk at the last minute! Haha What a welcoming gift! And our ward in the ENGLISH ward, so anyone who lives here in the DR who speaks English comes and there are translators.. so someone was translating me in sacrament meeting from Spanish to English. 

I was able to teach my first leccion in English too..lets just say.. I have forgotten all English words that have to do with the gospel!! Haha it was a struggle but the spirit helped!! 

Guys I know this is the truth! and I know we can be happy only through the true church of Jesus Christ!:))) 

Keep being good!! 

Love you all

HERMANA JENSON

My compa.. hermana Moeller!! She is the best I have never laughed so hard my whole mission!! I love her so much!! I've almost peed my pants like 5 time this week alone! 

My hammock!! Yeah there is a spot for it and I sleep in it every day!! :))

MY AREA.. it really looks like all the giant buildings behind it!!

I WAS ABLE TO GO AND SAY GOODBYE TO CARLA AND MEET HER MOTHER!! IT WAS A VERY SPECIAL MOMENT!! 

An investigator we have named Guiermo! 

SHORTEST LETTER EVER

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

I DON'T HAVE ANY TIME! BUT I AM GOING TO THE CAPITAL AS MY NEW AREA WITH AN AMERICAN!:)) AND I LOVE MY FATHER AND ALL THE OTHER FATHERS OUT THERE!!

ESPECIALLY MY FATHER IN HEAVEN WHO HAS BEEN THERE FOR ME ALWAYS AND IS ALMIGHTY AND ALL LOVING! :))

LOVE YOU ALL!!

HERMANA JENSON
_______________________________________________________________________________
Hi all the Rachel supporters,

I am going to add some more info due to the such a short letter and no pictures. This is what she told me this week about transfers and her new place and companion:

ME: HOW ARE YOU DOING? TELL ME ABOUT TRANSFERS.

RACHEL: I'm doing great! stressed cause I've been running around like a mad woman.. but yeah I am getting transferred!!!

ME: WHERE ARE YOU GOING? WHO IS YOUR NEW COMPANION?

RACHEL: Yeah I am going to Piantini!!! Like pure capital!! It was such a surprise!! Like the richest area, just tall buildings and all the restaurants like super super nice rich area like pure capital!  I'll have running water.... THAT'S HOT!! My companion is hermana Moller... she is from Utah I think but I have no idea who she is.. and she is finishing her mission in 6 weeks.

ME: I HOPE THEY ARE AS HUMBLE IN YOUR NEW AREA  AS THEY ARE AT YOUR CURRENT PLACE. HOW WERE THE GOODBYES?

RACHEL: Haha its like a complete 180 change for me but I'm excited! We didn't get to say many goodbyes cause we got calls Saturday in the noche (night) packed and left Sunday after church... its been such a crazy week! But full of mircacles!!

All the general authorities will be in my new ward.. like Elder Cladio Zivic.. and todos the others that live here!! Its going to be super cool!!!:))

ME: YOU WILL BE GREAT IN YOUR NEW AREA AND YOU CAN ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING THE LORDS ASKS OF YOU.

RACHEL: Yeah I know I can, I feel really at peace about this call. I feel really good! I know it'll be what I need!!

REPENTANCE

HEY MY LOVELIES! I LOVE YOU!!!!! 

This week was amazing full of miracles all the time! I love this work and testify of it! :)) 

Well this week we had a zone meeting and we were lucky enough to have President and Hermana Nuckols come and address us! Wow they have such a special spirit about them I am so grateful for them! The focus for this month is repentance. President explained that we need to be in a pattern of repentance to be able to teach these people repentance.. makes sense.. but something that he made an emphasis on as one hermana explained that she is imperfect and will never be perfect. Is that NONE OF US ARE PERFECT.. but we can be CLEAN. through continual repentance we can be clean. Yes we will make mistakes but when we repent we are cleansed! How amazing is this thought.. in 3 nefi 8:1 it explains that we can only see miracles if we are clean. I invite all of you to develop a pattern of repentance in which you can repent immediately and be clean so the spirit can work miracles with you! I testify of repentance that its real and its all possible through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! 

We have a baptism coming up this next week.. but I won't be here I don't think because we get transfer calls this Saturday!! But I am so happy for sweet Dariany!! She is literally gold.. and is so excited for her! I love her!! 

Have a great week my sweet family and friends! I love you all so much!! Se me cuiden!! :))

LOVE HERMANA JENSON

Frangel!! our lider misional! (mission leader) He gets his call soon!! .)) 

Carla and I!! I love her with my whole heart! She had a theater production! 

Mango conventions!! Best day ever!!!

9 month pregnant belly! Hahahahaha (DISCLAIMER BY MOM.... SUPPOSEDLY THIS IS A MISSION TRADITION WHEN YOU HAVE BEEN OUT FOR NINE MONTHS YOU TAKE A PICTURE LIKE THIS)

DONT' MESS WITH THE MOMMA PIG

 

This week was great!! GOD IS A GOD OF MIRACLES!! I testify to that! :)) 

I just would like to tell you guys that I am so happy.. but the reason I am so happy is because I know this gospel is true! It's as simple as that, my happiness is eternal happiness! And everyone of us can have that. Even when the whole world seems to be going wrong. This gospel brings us hope, love and happiness! 

We have a new investigator that is getting baptised on the 25th. Her name is Dariany! She is amazing and completely dedicated to the gospel. She is really a golden investigator and since we invited her to be baptized she hasn't stopped telling everyone about it! A real ray of sunshine, she was literaly just waiting for us to come and teach her!  

The coolest part is that we have been praying so hard for someonw just like her and doing everything we can to allow the Lord to help us and her. And here we are climbing this glorious mountain to baptism together! :)) 

These are my fav pigs.. and they had babies!!!! So clearly I wanted to hold one... lets just say.. I was chased away by the mom. :) But so cute!!! 

 



This is Dariany on the right!!! 



Carla and I ..she is my bff!!



Church sports activities!