Dear Mom....

So first of all, yes I got your package thank you so much!!! Second of all, thank you for sending that other package! I ordered those patriarchal blessings a little while ago but totally forgot because they took forever! Also as far as flooding goes, we are okay! Apparently this is normal, but normally we don't get this much until the end of August and we just started flooding season 6 days ago...haha so yes this is shaping up to be a pretty wild summer, I can't wait to see my first hurricane :) (jokes jokes I don't think a hurricane has made landfall here in a little while) we haven't been affected to much but apparently the flooding out in the edge of our zone was really bad. We've got six Elders over there pretty much for the entire day.

Anyway, aw 117?! That's CRAZY! That's so hot haha, but I definitely miss the hot weather as compared to the humid Texas weather. I'm glad you guys had a good week of summer though!! Tell Ethan that day camp was one of my favorite parts of my cub scout adventures. It was so much fun! Also let Lizzy know that I am super proud of her, that is AWESOME! Tell her that she needs to get super good at saving her money :) (#lessons that I wish I hadn't been stubborn and would have listened to mom and dad better) Also yay for Katey and swim team! Always my favorite part of the year, she's going to be a really great swimmer :) Also yay for you and Dad!!!! That's so great that you guys are going up to girls camp and AP camp!!! You guys are the best because you're able to take that on. You and Dad are my role models for real :) Glad you guys had a good week!

We had a good week this week! Still working hard on finding new people to teach, this week we decided to start focusing on our recent converts so now all of Sandys (the girl from last week) aunts have a date for the end of June and we hope that the two little girls in the family as well. Rather than that we're still working with Levy, it goes slow but he always makes constant progress forward. We have goals to find more people this week so we can get some new people to teach (which yes will include some knocking doors so we can get the real mission experience :) ). But Leiry was baptized this week! It was a great service, the ward has basically adopted her because her member mother is super inactive and so we had a TON of support from the ward. 

Thank you for your letter this week it really helped me, to be 100% honest it's been a pretty tough week.  I am doing so good mommy I love my mission so much. I feel as if I have changed so much and it was never all at once, it was like you said, here a little and there a little and slowly I have becoming the person that my Heavenly Father wants me to be. I know I was never the perfect kid, I really am sorry for all the headaches I caused you and really for everything that I did that was rude, offensive, and just dumb. I now know who I am and who I'm supposed to become. I know my divine potential! Along with that, though, I am not perfect- but I have gotten really really good at trying. That talk from Jeffery R. Holland always gives me hope because he says we receive eternal life based on how hard we try. My goal in this life is not to become perfect, but to become perfect in trying to become like my father in heaven. I LOVE MY MISSION. It makes me a better person and each day I am doing better and better. I will forever be so grateful that you and Dad always taught me hope, that I need to keep moving forward no matter what. I have learned that no matter the trials life tosses at us, if we keep moving forward we will make it out on the other side alright. I love you so very much, thank you for all you do as my mother. I hope that you know how much I love you. Have a great week!!!!

Love,

Elder Jensen

 Elder Jensen trying his hand at Empanadas!!

 Leiry is baptized! :)

Hey Mom and Dad!!

Dear Mom,

Thank you so much for your email, as always love you lots :)

Actually this week was kind of boring, we didn't do too much! It was just a normal fun week of missionary work! Thank you so much for sending those packages, I will try to get them today! We did receive a new companion, his name is Elder Smith and he's pretty cool!  It's good though, we've had a lot of fun :) Yes he will probably be my companion once Elder Sharp leaves. (He's only got 5 weeks left!) We'll see though :)

Leiry is awesome! She decided to move her date up so she will actually be baptized next Sunday! We're super stoked :) We did a lot of finding this last week so this week we'll spend going through the list to find who actually has interest and who doesn't. No exciting adventures but just another great week :)

I'm so glad you got to go to Kyley's and Quinton's farewell! I'm so excited for all of these missionaries that are leaving, a mission is the BEST experience in the entire world. Wouldn't trade it for anything! It changed my life and continues to do so every day, for that I am super grateful :) I'm sorry that this week was so crazy, always remember that you are the best mother in the world and that will never ever change. I would not change my childhood for everything. I now see that everything you and Dad did for me, has helped me become the missionary I am today. I wouldn't be able to do this without you and Dad. That story about Ethan made me laugh so much!! Thank you so much mother, you are the best :) 

The how of missionary work. Honestly, it does just take practice and it really comes when we just befriend everyone and find those friends that we have that are ready to listen to the gospel. That's why we work with members. We know that's the only way to find prepared people! Especially in the US as Spanish missionaries we rely so much on member referrals. Not everyone is always ready to listen, but if we befriend everyone we find those that are ready! As we just love them and help them through service, people see our example and eventual the conversation just naturally turns to religion. That's the how to missionary work, love people and serve them!! :) Thank you so much for everything you do mom, you really are such an example to me. I wouldn't be who I am without you. I love you so much and miss you guys so much :) Hope you have a great week!!

Love,
Elder Jensen :)

Hey Dad!

Thank you so much for your email, as always I miss and love you guys a lot! That's exciting that school is over, I can't believe it was a year ago when I graduated! Time flies in the mission and I love it!

We had a good week! Our investigator Leiry will be baptized next week, but we've run out of people after that so we worked really hard to find new people. I even tracted for the first time!!!! We weren't sure what to do so we started going door-to-door. Some interesting responses for sure haha :) We knocked on one door and this guy came to the clear door and yelled "mormons?" and we were like "yeah!!!"...then 15 seconds of awkward silence then "see ya later!!!". Super funny and awkward just thought I would share, it reminded me of some stories that you told me about your mission. But it's good for me I've gotten way tougher skin since being a missionary :) I've learned that being offended is a choice we make! And when we are offended we take away our own agency! So why would I make that choice? Learning that has blessed me SO much. 

That's so awesome, I am so happy and excited to hear about all these missionaries that will be leaving for the field. This is the best experience in the world and I wouldn't want to trade it for anything. It sets you up for the rest of your life! I've learned so much and I can't wait to learn even more in the next 15 months. I am so grateful for you and mom. You both are such great examples to me in word and deed. Thank you for everything you do for me dad, love you!! :)

Elder Jensen

20,000 Leagues Under Houston

Hello friends and family!!

I hope that you are all well and happy. Another week in the second-best but surely-most-humid state in America has been conquered and Elder Jensen escaped with only minor scratches.

This week we got to go with our English Class to the Houston Downtown Aquarium!! ​

And Elder Jensen dueled with a stingray (actually just petted it with two fingers then got scared because jumped at me).

​

It was a great week! I hope that all you are doing well and that you have the greatest week. Miss you and love you all! :)

Elder Jensen
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Stayin' Alive...

Hello dear family and friends!!

I hope that you are all happy and well. Though most of you already know Elder Jensen is literally the worst at writing and really just remembering to do things in general. So to sum up the last few weeks here's some picture highlights :)

​Houston turned into a ocean. We've had three storms that have left flooding in the last 4 weeks! Luckily our car is a transformer and turns into a submarine when it starts raining.

​We got to take a field trip with the African refugees in our English Class to the Memorial Bird Park. We got to go fish catching and between all of the kids we caught like 50 fish in 10 minutes. (The poor tour guides didn't realize that they were super-athletic refugee kids till it was too late)

We went to a forest and picked up trash. Elder Jensen fearlessly led the group through the only trail that was completely covered with poison ivy​, luckily my foolish mistake only led to two people getting poison ivy.

Anyway, life is good I love my mission. No matter what keep moving forward. Love you all!

Elder Jensen

No we just walked in the water to church....President Hall says swimming is against mission rules but says it's only swimming if you move your arms :)

Hey mommy!!!

First of all, tell Lizzy and Kate that I AM SO PROUD OF THEM!!! That's great I'm sure they did a great job :) Also thank you for the bag!! Also are nonny and lee still there? Tell them I love and miss them very much!! :) Thank you for your spiritual thought, they are always exactly what I need. You are the best in the world thank you for being such an amazing mom :)

My week was pretty crazy!!! 5/6 days out of the week we were serving and 6/6 days it rained this week!! The worst damage was on Monday but we are all actually pretty okay :) Our apartment is about 4 feet above street level so although our street was underwater we were okay! Most of the damage in concentrated in the Northern part of Houston, overall our mission was pretty alright. More news to come on that! The city is still assessing damage in the North and President Hall says we might have some organized service up there come the next few weeks! For now, everyone is good and damage to our mission was pretty low :) It was a crazy week though! We only taught like 2 or 3 lessons a day because pretty much everyday we were working at our Bishop's apartment complex. They are at street level, and in a valley-like area so the damage there was pretty bad. It was good though we got the whole district in on it and got some 100 something hours of service combined, it was a great week :) made me really grateful for working with Brother Pratt because a lot of the work was taking our floors which is what I did for a good couple of weeks :) Rather than that a pretty normal week haha! Once again I am super grateful that everything on me is waterproof so getting rained on is a pretty normal thing now :) 

It was a great week just to be able to serve. It's really need to see how ingrained we are to the community here. The city and President Hall worked together this whole week because they know he has an army of bilingual young adults literally jumping for joy for the opportunity to serve. It was so neat to be able to walk around Bishop's complex and see that people KNOW who we are. They wave us down to come help because the yellow shirts have become such a common sight. We also teach an english class to kids inside a school! We are a part of the community here and it's so great. We meet so many different people and have so many opportunities to stop what we're doing, forget about our problems and just help others around us. Best experience of my life, I am so grateful to be in Houston at this time, I have learned so much and am sure I will continue learning until the end of my mission. Thank you for everything you do for me and for the great and wonderful example you are to me. I love you lots!! :)

Elder Jensen

The Second Reign of Elderes Jensen and Sharp

Hello friends and family!

This week was awesome, we had a lot of great experiences but sadly enough Elder Sharp and I have bid farewell to our other companion, Elder Escobar who is moving areas to be with 2 new companions. The good news is that we're staying! We have a great area and we're really happy to stay, the members are great and make serving a mission so much fun. We also said goodbye to Hermana Wood, a missionary who has now returned home to Utah because she finished her mission! So overall a week with lots of goodbyes but with a lot of good as well!

This week's good again came as a result of the refugee kids that we teach. The lesson this week revolved around our families and what they mean to us. Then we broke into small groups and got to hear the stories of these kids and their families. They were amazing. Filled with so much sadness but to hear how strong they were astounded me. One boy named Thaer is from Iraq and when he was 10 years old his father was killed in front of him because he was accused of working with the Americans. One year later he's set the goal to become a doctor and is already working towards it. Then we heard a story from Francis, our 16 year old from Sudan, he told of how his mother passed away from cancer and maltreatment and how he and his brothers were left alone with their father. His goal is to grow up and play for the American national team. It had been so amazing to hear these kids stories and to see how strong they are. It's really impressive because these kids have been through so much yet still press forward and work to become the best they can be. I know that if we trust in God and keep moving forward, everything will work out in our lives. Get out and serve others and everything will be alright in the end :)

Love you all lots!

Elder Jensen

Last selfie with the original Houston 8th group (ft. Trina as the English Class Coordinator)

Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi (and Elder Jensen, Escobar, and Sharp)

Buenos dias familia y amigos! Los quiero mucho!

I hope this letter finds all of you happy and having a great life! I do have to apologize, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! It seems like we never have time to email and I never have time to write everyone! But alas, I am alive, happy, and well :)

These last couple weeks have primarily been crazy because we have helped a member of our area prepare to serve a mission, just like us! So that involved going to the temple, and that messed with our preparation days. Anyway, it was an awesome experience, our dear friend Emily is now training in the Utah Missionary Training Center, just like I was some 7 months ago! It was really exciting to get to go through that adventure with another missionary. Overall things have been good, we have a few investigators that we've been consistently working with and the work is moving along!

The best part of this last week though, was a new class that we have begun teaching in the local elementary schools. All Spanish missionaries in Houston are certified to teach English because it takes up a large chunk of our service time so thus each set of missionaries has 1-3 English  classes that we run, and they're always super fun! There has also been a huge influx of members f our class because of the large amount of refugees that are arriving from African nations. One of the biggest and hardest problems in the Greater Houston area School District has been making space for the refugee children, many of whom have never had formal schooling and come from backgrounds with very different cultural practices then our own. A few weeks ago the school board met and asked anyone if they knew where to find the LDS missionaries. 

Coincidentally enough, our English class coordinator is a member and sits on the council sometimes so she decidedly volunteered us to become English teachers for the school! It's been a few crazy weeks of coordinating but we finally have begun teaching in the school! :) It's such an awesome experience! We get to teach 6-16 old boys and girls from Africa how to speak English! It has been a humbling and awesome experience to be able to work with them. They are all so sweet and kind and treat us so nicely. Though they have suffered abuse and many of them have been damaged emotionally and physically but they are still the most loving people on the planet.​I have been so blessed to work with them and they have changed my life forever. I know no matter our backgrounds, who we are, we can always find hope as long as we keep moving forward! I hope y'all have an amazing week!

With much love,

Elder Jensen

The Houston 8th Ward Missionary Squad with Emily