EL LIBRO DE MORMON

Shout out to my mommy... because it was mothers day here this Sunday and wow  love my mom. She is the best human ever and has so many christ like qualities that we should all strive to have! I love her so much and she is super pretty and talented! And I am so grateful she is my dear sweet mother and most of all my very best friend. Honestly she is my best friend! Love you mommy and happy Dominican dia de las madres!! :)))) xoxo 

This week was full of amazingly hard work I think my companion might want to kill me.. just because we worked so much. She told me she has never been this tired her whole mission. I guess that is a good thing! :)) Haha 

So our focus these last few weeks as missionaries has been in the Book of Mormon. I would like to say that I love the Book of Mormon with my whole heart and that I KNOW its true! But this week I had a few experiences that really strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon and its power!

First.. as you guys know the area where I am right now has a lot of inactive members, so we were visiting with a member that is super faithful and strong in the church for 27 years. His name is Elvin.. he explained that he has one boy that has served a mission, and one waiting for his call, how in 27 years he has only missed 2 sacrament meetings, just a really faithful amazing member and disciple of Jesus Christ. And so I felt the need to ask him what he thought the difference was between his faithful membership all these years and these people who had fallen away from the church. he looked at me with such sincere eyes and told me.. ITS BECAUSE I READ THE BOOK OF MORMON EVERY DAY! And he never misses! I just had tears swell up in my eyes as this amazing member told me the sole reason why he is as faithful as he is.. by the POWER of the Book of Mormon! It was a very touching moment! He has read the Book of Mormon over 30 times in his 27 years of being a member of this perfect Gospel! 

The other experience that I had is with a new investigator that we have named Paula. She is great, she loves the gospel and has so many amazing questions and is so ready to accept the gospel along with her mom and dad! :) Well we went to visit them and the parents had to run an emergency errand so she was home alone. We taught her about the Book of Mormon... as I was baring my simple testimony of the Book to her of its grand power and its perfection tears just welled up in my eyes as I felt the spirit so strong. Its simple, but I know without one doubt that it is true!! :))) Paula also felt the spirit and is reading the book with much dedication! :) 

I encourage all of you to read and pray if you dont know its true.. and if you do.. read and pray! 

I love you guys!! Have a great week!! 

HERMANA JENSON

 

COUNTRY SIDE



FOUND A FRIEND

 

 

I FOUND POMAGRANTITE!!! THIS NICE YOUNG LADY CONVINCED A MAN TO KNOCK THEM DOWN FROM THE TREE FOR US!ª 



THE BEACH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I LOVE YOU GUYS! (half way through the mission this week)

SO THIS WEEK WE HAD A CONFERENCE IN AZUA... THE HOTTEST PART OF THE MISSION WITH ELDER CORNISH!!! 

It was amazing and I received so many promptings from the spirit of how I can be a better missionary! 

Also I was asked to lead the music in front of every missionary in the south!! HAHA IF YOU KNOW MY FAMILY.. THERE IS NO MUSICAL TALENTS TO BE FOUND IN MY WHOLE BODY!! But as usual I said I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT I'LL DO IT!! With a good laugh and the assistant said YOU DON'T KNOW HOW? Like I was the only hermana on the whole planet that doesn't know how! Haha but long story short I did it with a smile and so did everyone else....I think because they were laughing at me! Hahaha!!! 

Elder Cornish asked us to write down every morning what the atonement had given us that day or in what way it impacted us or what we learned for 7 days.,.. I challenge you guys to do the same! Write down every morning what the atonement does for you!!!! 

This week as I was doing some reading during lunch in the Liahona.. of Junio 2016... READ IT ITS SO GOOD! I came across a quote that I love! 

¨Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made¨ 

President Marion G. Romney

Don't just serve people... make serving people a part of who you are!:))) 

I love you all so much! and I love serving as a full time missionary!:)) 

have an amazing week! 

HERMANA JENSON

How excited I was that we got a ride.. Hahaha sorry my face is ugly! Bahaha

THE RIVER THIS WEEK! My compa first time

HERMANA RILEY!!!

ELECTION TIME

Hello family and friends.... I LOVE YOU ALL SO  MUCH! I AM GRATEFUL FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU!! YOU HAVE BLESSED MY LIFE WITH YOURS! :))

So this week was elections that happen every 4 years here in the DR. ITS CRAZY TOWN, EVEN CRAZIER THAN NORMAL! And its so awesome!!

Everynight there was a giant parade that lasts like 20 minutes with people running and screaming down all the streets and on there motorcycles, with 80 people in one car and booming music that you can hear and feel in your chest (mom that makes me think of you) Haha 

We were not allowed to leave the house yesterday because of the elections and church was only an hour! But it was a cool experience. Now people are celebrating for who won and its even crazier! Haha 

We saw a miricale this week.. so the other hermana's had a baptism this week of a sweet woman named Karan. We were on our way home from a district meeting in the morning and due to the elections, a 1 hour ride turned into a 3 hour one and we still had to clean the chapel and prepare everything. My companion and I decided we would help to make everything go faster, in a fluster I entered the font to fill it up.. NO WATER (meaning none available) we hurried and called everyone. Then we got down on our knees in the font and prayed for a miracle...we were searching for water and then hermana Larson had the impression to call Hno. Erik one more time .. HE ANSWERED.. told us where an extra water switch was and SHHHHEEEEWWWWWW ... we heard the water spewing out of the font!! Immediately we four got on our knees in a prayer of thanks with tears in our eyes! It may sound like a little thing.. but I KNOW THAT THE LORDS HANDS ARE IN HIS WORK GUIDING AND LEADING AND HELPING US.. EVERY SINGLE ONE! 

My companion is so awesome! I love her and she loves me! Its great like that! We have so much fun!:)) and we have seen the Lord put a lot of people in our path as well! I have learned a lot about being humble and having a willing heart. We hear that so much that we need to be softened.. its so true. When we are willing, put God first, love His children... that's when He can truly truly help us!! I KNOW THIS GOSPEL  BRINGS BLESSINGS OF ETERNAL HAPPINESS AND IS TRUE! I also know that this work never ends! and I am so grateful to be a part of it! :))

Love you all!! 

HERMANA JENSON

We went on a hike by our house.. hermana Larson on our morning run discovered this

This is all of Ocoa!! BEAUTIFUL

GREEN MOUNTAINS

 One of the rivers that we cross!!! Haha ft. hermana Larson!! She is my kind of woman!

Our old zone!!! 

Random guy on the street celebrating the elections while we were waiting for hours to get to ocoa!!

I MUSTACHE YOU A QUESTION!! HAHA

 A little dress up never hurt no body.. Hahaha
 (I haven't changed too much)

My compa!!! 

Our room.. hermana Larson and I made a photo wall that is in the shape of the DR!! Haha

DEAD GIANTS RATS IN THE STREET! HAHAHA 

I FOUND MY FAMILY!!! OINK OINK!! HAHAHA 

Long time no see... Haha (MOTHERS DAY CALL)

WOW, what a great opportunity to see my family and talk with them yesterday!! I love you all so much! I am so grateful for the love that I felt yesterday! ESPECIALLY TO TALK TO THE BEST MOTHER AND BEST FRIEND IN MY WHOLE LIFE! My mom is the best, and she is so loving and beautiful and I couldn't have been more blessed to be her daughter! :)))

ALSO THANK YOU TO ALL THE OTHER MOTHERS THAT HELPED MAKE ME INTO THE WOMAN THAT I AM TODAY! I LOVE YOU ALL AND ASPIRE TO BE MOTHERS LIKE YOU! :)) 

 

*This week was full of running around

*Rain

*My companion saying goodbye

*Rain

*Laughs 

*Rain

*Rearranging our whole house with hermana Larson

*Preparing for our new comps

*And helping our old ones move on to bigger things! ::)

We recieved transfer calls this week and I am recieving a new compa... hermana Varela!!! She is from Costa Rica!! Wahooo I love latinas... photos to come!! :)) and hermana Larson is getting hermana Lopez from mexico!:)) yay!! 

We are very excited and ready to work hard to help people come to this gospel! 

I love you all so much! God is a God of miracles...! Never forget that! HAVE FAITH! 

LOVE HERMANA JENSON



translation: It doesn't matter if the journey is long when the destination is your heart

Hermana Mijangos is going back home to Mexico

One of Rachel's favorite families

Wouldn't be a true Rachel picture without a silly face

April showers bring.. well..more showers!

Well this week I was soaking wet.... all week long! We have had crazy terrible storms here everyday starting at two. The exact hour that we need to leave to teach! Haha (satan) But we go out anyways, and return soaking wet. I have looked like a wet poodle all week! 

+wore plastic bags on my head

+blow dried my scriptures cause they got soaking wet

+crossed giant rivers

+jumped in every puddle I could this week! 

+also my comp and I on our way home this week found snails.. like giant ones and we ended up taking 8 of them home and naming them after everyone in our district.. and then we forgot about them woke up the next day... and they were all gone.. .so now we have 8 snails in our house somewhere.. hahhah! wooops.

But most importantly we were able to watch my dearest Carla enter into the waters of baptism this week! :) Despite terrible storms and huge difficulties these last few months I was able to see a true conversion in one special daughter of God. She is so strong and so sweet one little thing after her baptism. I was waiting for her when she got out with her towel and she just looked at me with tears in her eyes opened her arms and says ¨Give me a wet hug right now, Thank you so much¨ then later that night we were walking her home and she just looks at me and asked me if I would help her prepare for her next step.. Her mission! I almost couldn't answer her! I love her so much and how much she loves this Gospel! :)) She is going to do great things in her life!:)) 

The rest of our zone also had baptisms this week.. we called it a NOCHE BLANCA... White Night?? ha sounds weird in inglish! But everyone wears all white! :)) 

This week is transfers so I will be receiving a new companion... don don don! Because my comp is ending her mission! 

I don't have much time! But i will after the mission!!:)) Love you all!! and I'lll talk to you on Sunday!! WHAHOOO!! CANT WAIT TO SEE YOUR FACES!!:)))

Love you all with all that I got!! 

HERMANA JENSON

Carla and I! :))))

¨Do a funny face¨ I think my funny face embarrassed her..!!! Haha we were dying laughing! 

Carla leaving the font! 

CARLA!! 

When we went to Parra and it started storming.. this our branch president president Sierra.. he is sooo funny!

The branch!!! I LOVE THIS FAMILY OF MINE!:)))) 

Wet day number 1 

Wet day number 2  this is Anairis. She is so awesome and loves to teach with us all the time! 

This is the river we had to cross.

How we felt after we got across!!:)) with hermana Larson! 

Yay my housemates are awesome and I have 8 months in the mission

Haha little bugs in our water.. maybe why I had an ear infection! Don't worry all is good now!! :))

The Lord Prepares His Children!

Hola familia! :) I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO MUCH!
But I love being a missionary more!:)) Haha

This week we had a lot of intercambios!

I was able to have one with our hermana leader Hna. Tamayo from California. We went to go visit some new investigators. A family that we had only had the opportunity to talk to the mom and daughter but when we arrived the husband was there. We began to talk to him and he was completely uninterested. I felt a really strong impression to talk about the blessings that the Lord gives us in our everyday lives, and asked him if he had noticed blessings from God in his life and instantly he opened up and started telling us about his life and how he really does need the gospel in his life. Now they are all working towards the waters of baptism for the following month! :)

Another intercambio that we had I left with hna. Larson.. my bff.. and we visited Carla. She is going to be baptized this Saturday!:))) We were talking about temples with her and wow I wish you guys could have been there, she just expressed her desire to go to the temple to have an eternal family and the goals she has to get there! I was filled with the spirit so strongly that I could literally feel how proud our Heavenly Father is of her and the decisions and changes she has made. She didn't always have these goals and I have had the privilege to see the atonement completely change her life! :)))

Another day we were walking in the street and passed by to one of our lecciones and she wasn't there so we paused for a second without saying anything to each other and waited.. and like one minute later the cutest old lady just walked up to us and told us to come to her house.  She lives alone and was born with a body defect that her one of her arms doesn't function, but she was so receptive to the Gospel and what we had to share about the plan of salvation.  She wants to see her parents again :) and we have the way that she can! The next day we passed by to get her for church and she was sitting there waiting for us-- and even though she can't read she was still the loudest one singing in the sacrament meeting! :)) What a sweet spirit that we were able to get to know this week! :)

Sometimes when one door shuts.. another one opens up! :) Listening to the spirit is so important! I challenge each of you to live worthy to have the spirit with you always, honor your covenants with God! :)

I love you all and I love being a servant and representative of Jesus Christ!:))

Have an amazing week! :) Eat some ice cream for me!:)

HERMANA JENSON

EAR INFECTION/VISIT TO THE CAPITAL

Helllllllooooo my family!!!

Please forgive me for not writing very much these last couple weeks! But my mom told me I need to try harder soooo I hope this will give you guys a little more info about me and my little ol life here in the DR!!! 

Well I don't know where to start.... 

I got a letter from my sista hermana Murdock in Cali!! thank you love you and from mis abuelos! thanks grandma for your sweet letter!! Made my day! Glad grandpa is eating healthy! I'll be praying for you guys!

I received these letters on Sunday! Wow such a special day.. Sunday! :) My favorite person I think in all of Ocoa is Rudy.. and he is now reactivated. He came this Sunday to get us for church in his best church clothes on his newly fixed bike.. that I payed him 60 pesos to buy a new tire for.. which is like one dollar! He seriously is so amazing and so humble and such a leader in his family. He brings new friends to church every week and we are soon to reactivate his whole family! :) He just barely got his first tie this Sunday too! Never underestimate the example that you are to those around you.. no matter how young, little, big, or old you are!! WE ARE ALL DISCIPLES OF CHRIST!

I have an ear infection.. so we went to the capital for two days this week to get some medication and see some doctors! but I am doing better now!! :)) 

I gave a talk this week at church.. again.. :) I was thinking a lot about how we can all strengthen our testimonies... and in a meeting of missionaries this week we talked about how we know if our investigators are truly converted, One of the ways is to see if they are reading in their book of Mormon! This really is the keystone to our religion. I know that the Book of Mormon is perfect, I know that if we read it we will gain a deeper testimony and understanding of this perfect gospel, but most importantly I know that we will learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ and through and with Him and His teachings we can become like Him!! Read the book of Mormon.. and if your aren't.. start right this second. Each one of us needs to be more consecrated members of the church.. and reading the scriptures is one of the ways that we can! :))

Remember the atonement is real,, I have seen it work in peoples lives here to change completely around. Trust in this atoning power.. it is perfect and can work for you!!!:)))

Love you all so much! Praying for you all always!!

HERMANA JENSON

Have a rockin week! 

I ASKED IF SHE WAS HAVING ANY LUCK IN THIS AREA, THIS WAS HER RESPONSE:

Yeah I am having success.. really with my last transfer not really working much I have felt like a terrible missionary.. like I have never felt worse in my life. But now we have a baptism in the next Saturday and many more that are to come! So yes now we are seeing success! :) 

This is Rudy.. coming to get us for church on Sunday morning!!:))) Hahahah love him with my whole heart! 

Our crew to visit the menos activos in Parra this Sunday.. please note that Rudy has his new tie on!:)) (he is in all blue)

This is the view of Ocoa from Parra. Those little buildings (middle left side) is where I live! Haha

My companion and I back in the CCM!!! Haha we ate lunch there after a doctors visit!! Wow I felt like a queen eating there!!:)) Haha I actually realized that I have learned Spanish... yay!! 

My companion doing surgery.. well just really wanted to be a dentist for the day..!! She told me that's what she wants to study now when she gets home! She is such a goon!