Exchanges and Transfers

This week seemed to fly by. It was a lot of fun and I learned so much! Friday we went over to the bishop’s house and we did a new thing called “Member Madness- a Bracket That's Sure to Win”. It is just a new way to get members more involved and super excited about ministering and about being a member missionary! It went so well. We watched “The music of the Gospel” and the video is such a good one! I highly recommend watching and seeing what ways you can work on the dance steps! The bishop fed us and it was so good! Butterbeans are really weird and I don't know if I like them but the broccoli salad was so so good! I even ate mashed potatoes, so see Dad, I don't have a disorder. 

We had exchanges. This is where Sister Sanders and I split up for 24 hours and go with a Sister Training Leader. We just learn new ways to progress the work in Orangeburg and find new ways that we can find more people to teach! I stayed in Orangeburg with Sister Lowe and had to drive. The car has Tiwi. It is a little car thing that informs you when you are speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, stop to fast, and things like that. So it was hard but I managed to get through! Sister Lowe and I went finding and found an abandoned train station. It was so cool that we decided to take pictures by it! We even saw a hawk by the side of the road it was so cool! We had a miracle happen too! We found a new investigator and he seems like a super nice guy! His name is “T” and he has had a lot of trials of his faith but he has seen how his faith has grown when he is relying on the Lord. So we introduced the Book of Mormon and shared Alma 32 ( such a classic chapter), we related it to him! He liked it and kept the Book of Mormon and we are starting to teach him! 

We have been getting a lot of Book of Mormon and Bible referrals and I know that it is the Lord helping us to find the people who are more ready to hear what we have to teach! We did the flea market again and focused again on family history! So many people that we meet used to come to church so we kept inviting them but no one has came yet. That’s okay though, we are planting seeds! We also talk to a lot of Jehovah Witnesses'. I have a goal to start teaching them. 

On Saturday we discovered what the prophet said about the term "Mormon" and "LDS" and I think that is so cool! It will be a big change but we do need to remember what our church is focused on and that is Jesus Christ! 

Transfer calls were today and this tells you if you are leaving the area you have been in and where you will be going! I didn't get a call so another 6 weeks in Orangeburg and I am excited! There is so much that we can do to change this area and make it the best! Our elders are getting white washed out so on Thursday we will get 2 new elders who are not familiar with Orangeburg. It should be fun! 

We explored South Carolina State University and went to a museum about a massacre that happened and then we just walked around! It is an old but really pretty campus but nothing beats USU campus! 

A good read for the week is in Mosiah. It’s the story of Abinadi. He has the best testimony and he was not afraid to stand up for what he believed in! His faith is so strong and it is so cool to read! Well, I love y'all and have a blessed week! 

Love, 

Sister Jensen 

Women do not get our figures from bread and water alone

This week was so good! We were only without our car for half of the week! It is so nice to have it back because there are so many random 10 minute storms that come out of no where, so it is nice to have that constant protection and the ac in this heat and humidity is a real plus! 

We had interviews on Tuesday. Sister Sanders and I went last and after we were finished, they took us out to lunch! I love President and sister Innes!

The Thompson’s fed us again and it felt like a Sunday dinner at home!!! I am so super grateful that I could have that feeling on my mission!

WE GOT A NEW INVESTIGATOR!!!! She is the coolest person ever! (Y) is so prepared and so ready to hear the gospel and see the blessings that it can bring in her life! We found her from a Bible and Book of Mormon referral! She said she ordered both of the books because she knew it was time to grow closer to God!! How stinkin' cool is that?! She also wants her sons to grow closer to God so hopefully we can teach the whole family! 

We taught E again using Facebook video call and it is so cool to see him want to grow closer to our Heavenly Father! I hope he knows and feels that what we are teaching is true! He started reading the Book of Mormon on his phone but the font was too small so we had to teach him how to make it bigger. That was a fun conversation! This week we had like 4 other Book of Mormon and Bible referrals so the work is moving along here in the big O! 

We did some service at the soup kitchen this week and gave out a Book of Mormon to a kid from Portland Oregon! Hopefully the other missionaries there can find him since he was only visiting!

We  also had a relief society activity this week. We learned how to make bread and all sorts of jam! One of the sisters said that we women do not get our figures from bread and water alone. It was a really cool activity and members brought some non-members and they want to come back, so that will be super cool! 

Saturday we went to the flea market and we did a family history and lemonade booth. Everyone was super into it and hopefully they call us for any problems they may run into! 

Can I talk about Belmont for a minute. It is a brand of ice cream here and it is the best ice cream I have ever had! Peanut Butter S’mores is so so good! 

We went over to Brother and Sisters Blacks and they are just the cutest old couple ever! They have a dog named Diggity after the Mickey Mouse Club House song... this dog is so cute! They just sit around and do family history together so they helped us get started and they know a lot so hopefully I can continue to find people and add them to my tree! 

My challenge of the week is to have everyone fill out a 4 generation chart and add it to family search! 

Well, I love y'all so much and I hope y'all have blessed weeks! 

Love, 

Sister Jensen  

Same ol' Bailee with the silly faces (seems like she has met her match lol)

A week of walking

Well this week seemed super slow just because we walked everywhere! Our car was supposed to be done on Friday but it wasn’t and now they say it will not be ready until this Friday, so pray for us! Walking makes it so much easier to not have much energy by the end of the day, so major props to all the missionaries who do that!

I guess I'll start off by saying the things I've learned from a week (so far) of being a missionary that needs to walk everywhere.  

1-Everyone one in the South will wave to you as you walk past or honk at you. 

2-People who are already outside will ask if you have water to make sure you that you don't die in the humidity while you are walking. 

3-People will cat call at us and I don’t like it, AT ALL. It's actually pretty gross! 

4-On Sunday, you can tell who is driving to church because they are dressed super fancy and all the ladies are wearing big hats! It is pretty cool to see! 

5-Just like in Utah, there are not a lot of people on the roads on Sunday, so it's a lot safer to walk. South Carolina doesn't have sidewalks so it's just us walking in grass or on the road.

This week we have 2 new people we are teaching! One (S) is the sweetest old lady who just serves everyone she meets! We normally teach her out on her porch and it's so fun! 

Then we still have E. We are doing Facebook video call lessons with him and he is super open to hearing what we have to teach. He just wants to continue to have the happy feeling that he feels when he talks to us. I love that! We also received two Bible and one Book of Mormon referrals. The people seem super cool and I cannot wait to meet them! 

We went over to a member house and they let us teach them a lesson. And…they fed us! The food was so good and I ate like a teenage boy because it was so delicious! 

The Lord will magnify anything you do and make it ten times better than what you could've imagined it to be!

A good read for this week is 2 Nephi 27. It is probably my favorite chapter so far in the book of Mormon! 

Well, I love y'all so much and I hope y'all have a blessed week! 

Love,

Sister Jensen 

Magic Eye books are the worst!

This week was really good! We saw a lot of success and also saw how the efforts of our hard work has been paying off! 

We had a zone conference and there was a lot of talk about setting goals and planning and it really helped us to make better goals and also showed us how we can better plan those goals out. 

We found out that we get to use the gym in our apartment complex, so I'm pretty pumped about that. 

I was so excited! I wanted to have some good ol’ homemade banana pudding and we finally got some. It was so yummy and didn’t disappoint. 

We have been able to do a lot of service for Cathi. She is getting ready to move so we helped her pack and…she gave us food! It was so SO good! She also gave us a Magic Eye book and I can't see any of the pictures in it, so that’s cool. 

We are having a hard time getting in contact with S & S this week but I'm not giving up on them. They know how special the spirit and baptism are and I know that we can teach them so much more. I was able to meet Miss F for the first time. She has amnesia and you can see that it's hard for her to remember, but we have an appointment with her this week and I am looking forward to it. 

We have a new investigator (E). He was a Bible referral from a long time ago (Bible and Book of Mormon referrals are people who go online and order a free copy from mormon.org. We deliver and talk to them and hopefully get someone interested in learning more out of it!). We went and visited with him and told him about the Book of Mormon. We told him how it can bring you peace and how it helps you grow closer to God. He said that's something that he wants and accepted the Book of Mormon. We have a meeting with him and  I am excited to see how how it all plays out! 

We were able to watch some training videos on how to use technology and social media properly and it has us SO excited! 

We left a card at a house and we actually received a call back (which is crazy because that never happens). When we tried to set up an appointment with him, he kept talking about how he was really busy so we set up a time to do a Facebook lesson with him. We are excited to see how that is! 

The rain in South Carolina is SO crazy and can also be really scary! We had to pull over during a storm this week and the street started to flood! It was not a fun experience at all and then we had to drive home. It was hard because we could not see a thing! Although, I think that driving in the car is better than having to walk, which is something we are experiencing this week because our car is in the shop. 

A new favorite character in the book of Mormon is Nephi’s wife! Y'all can try and figure out why she's my fav! 

I love y'all so much and I hope y'all have a blessed week!

Love 

Sister Jensen 

Preachers and Flea Markets

This week was so insanely busy but that just means that the work is moving along and hopefully (fingers crossed) we find more people to teach! 

We had a district meeting and I was able to meet my district for the first time. It was weird and I found that when you put us all together you just get a room full of awkward and it’s so great! I love being a missionary! 

We went to a farmers market. It was about the length of a street but there were a lot of fresh produce and a lot of nice people so I think that it was a success! 

We meet this girl who was just leaving but she said we were welcomed back whenever which is another super cool thing! 

We have a mother and son investigators (S & S) we were able to give them a tour of the church. We went into the baptismal font to show them and they just thought it was the prettiest thing ever! I loved seeing the spirit working through them! The mom turned to her son and said one day we will meet there! How amazing is that! I can't wait for the day they are baptized! 

We met with a member, Sister Mixon, and she asked us to come and help her plant flowers in the fall! I miss planting flowers so I am a happy child! 

I have noticed that in the South a lot of people have no trespassing signs and beware of dog signs and they mean it! Some dogs are super scary! We were almost chased by like 5 dogs so it was super duper fun! We had one person open the door and then kept saying no, no, no and then shut the door so that was super fun too! 

Being a missionary is honestly the best! 

We went to the flea market on Saturday. A “preacher" (everyone in the South say that they are a preacher) stopped by and "preached" to us for 30 minutes. It was the most intense and scary thing in the world! I would not like to be taught by a preacher! A Lot of people took pamphlets and were super interested so we are hoping that if we keep going we will be able to find more and more people to teach! 

Sunday was great and sacrament meeting was so good! I said the closing prayer.

Today we played frisbee golf at the most confusing course in the world with frisbees from the dollar store! It was a ton of fun! I love being out here and feeling the changes that are happening with me! 

If you want a good read this week read in Alma 20 or Mathew 8! 

Well, I love y'all and remember to always be happy!

Love,

Sister Jensen 

Porter Rockwell by Nashville Tribute band is our fav song so thats why it's written on our feet!

At the Flea Market 

"Did Bishop give you that...that TRAITOR"

Story time for the title! It was my first Sunday and I found out that Bishop Redmond hands out candy to the little kids.  We were talking to this little boy and he was eating the candy and this girl walks up. She asks him where he got the candy from and he said the bishop. She turned and said, “Bishop, that traitor”. I found out later while at our apartment that the little girl was the bishop’s daughter. 

Wednesday was my final hours in the MTC! We had to be to the travel station at 6:15 to get to Trax and get to the airport by our flight at 11:12. Leaving the MTC was weird. It had only been 3 weeks that I was there but I hadn't seen other cars or people in what it felt like as so long! It was FANTASTIC! Trying to talk to people on Trax and having them ignoring me was amazing because I knew they were real and that they weren't paid to speak to me! 

We got to the airport safely and were allowed to call home! It was so good talking to my family! It made me happy to hear how great they were doing! 

From Salt Lake we flew to Georgia. This airport was really confusing and big! By the time we got off of our plane, we only had about 15 or 20 minutes to get to the next gate and on our plane to South Carolina. We got off the plane and tried to find our gate, we (all 14 of us going to SC) had to ride the tram and get there. We booked it and got to our gate with like 5 minutes left to go! What a thrill! When we arrived, the airport people said they were just about to close the gates and we made it just in time! Definitely a tender mercy of the Lord!

We landed in South Carolina and met President and Sister Innes and the assistant to the presidents! It is so SO pretty here! There is so much green but there are not any mountains so that's the one downside! I have not seen any gators, snakes, or turtles!  So I take that as a good thing! Thursday I meet my trainer and new companion, Sister Sanders! She is just so amazing and such a great teacher and helper! I also got to my first area which is Orangeburg. It is so cool here! The humidity isn’t too bad and it is actually making my normally dry skin feel so SO nice, so thats a plus! We also get to drive everywhere and we have a 2018 Chevy Malibu, so the air conditioning is a blessing! 

My first lesson was with a recent convert about the temple! I LOVE THE TEMPLE!Brother Kendrick is amazing and so ready to go through in September! We also taught an investigator named Rosalee. She has some concerns and isn’t really grasping that this church is the only true church, so we are going to teach her about the Spirit and about receiving personal revelation! She committed to be baptized in August so we will see if we can get her prepared for that! We ran into Miss Jo and she said that she is going to put us to work and I am really excited about it. In the South, they don’t really like females to lift or do any hard labor and I just want to serve and help others so I am excited she wants to put us to work! The people I have met are great and they are so sweet! Southern Hospitality is a real thing and its pretty cool! Cheerwine is a drink I tried and holy crap it is so weird but so good! Sister Sanders explained it as a mild, cherry Dr.Pepper without the Dr. Pepper.

That is just a little about my week! I love y'all (I am getting better at Southern) and the church is so true!

Love, 

Sister Jensen

 

She has arrived

MERICA

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday and I just love everything about it! My whole district wore red white and blue and I LOVE patriotism, so it was quite spectacular, if I do say so myself! One of the Elders mom sent us a package full of red white and blue candy and flags so the elders got creative in how to wear the flags. Walking into breakfast everyone was singing the National Anthem it was the weirdest thing to walk into but also the coolest thing! We were able to stay up late and watch the stadium of fire fireworks show! Holy Hannah they were so SO pretty and just made me feel like a 5 year old (not a new thing). We went outside and hearing them was so SO cool! I had so many people tell me to never lose my child like excitement and to also remember to be always stay humble! 

The next day we were able to be a host to the new missionaries. It was so much fun to help these sisters feel loved and welcomed within the first two minutes of being there. The two girls I was able to host ended up being companions, how cool is that!? Also, one of them just broke down in my arms and it was the hardest thing. I had to try and comfort her and not cry myself! I now see them walking around the mtc and they are so happy and I am so happy for them! 

Our TRC Makenzie went great. I got to invite her to be baptized and she said yes. I was so happy and the spirit was so SO strong! 

I cant wait to go out in South Carolina and just teach and really love the people that I meet! It is going to be hot and humid and I am not looking forward to that part but I know that the Lord will bless me! 

Yesterday was pretty hard because it was the last day seeing all of our teachers and having all of our district be together. It was super sad. I was fine all day until the final prayer. Our teacher Brother Dube said it and in the prayer he said every persons name and that’s when I lost it! Then our district said goodbye and we said our final prayer outside together. Everyone was crying even the people who I thought didn’t show any emotion! I am so SO lucky I have gotten to know these people and they have made such a big impact on my life. 

I love this church and gospel and cant wait to go and teach to the people I have been called to serve. 

ONE MORE DAY HOMIES TILL I’M IN SOUTH CAROLINA! 

Love, 

Sister Jensen

Stay High With Me

In one of our classes our teacher said to stay high with him, meaning stay spiritually high, then he said it was the only time we would hear those words in the MTC. 

This week was alright, I guess you could say. We taught Hannah, our Investigator, and it went pretty good. Some days were harder than other days and I think it’s just because we each felt like what we wanted to say was better than what the other person wanted to say. So we focused a lot on making the lessons smoother and how we both need to teach and to listen to the Spirit so He can guide us. Our lessons are feeling a lot smoother and we have made up some hand signals for when we feel like we need to cut in. It’s pretty legit, if I do say so myself! 

We had our Sunday Devotional and I am still in the choir. Most of the time just mouth the words because the notes are to high to sing, but it is still a very spiritual experience!

Wednesday the new missionaries came in and it was fun to say welcome to the MTC and see all their eyes roll from how much they have heard it! 

On Thursday I get to be a host and welcome everyone in and I am super excited! I still find times that I can use the word homie and also let others know how I am a straight gangster! 

I connected with an elder from being a gangster and quoting all the shows he used to watch! It’s fun to randomly quote The Office, Parks and Rec, and even Brooklyn 99, so thank you Dank 214 gals for pushing me to watch those shows! I am forever grateful! 

Mom and Dad, I got your package thank you so much! Everyone loves the mints and granola bars and I am now "Mom" of the district which isn’t something new to me. Grandma Allred, thank you for your letter it meant so much to receive it! 

I leave a week from Wednesday! I feel like I just got here and yet I am already leaving! I might actually miss the MTC! 

One of the Elders in our district has a future wife list and another elder put me on the list, so that’s cool! 

Spiritual moment share of the week: we were able to clean the temple and take all of the glue off the walls from the previous wallpapers. It is sticky and time-consuming but it was also a very super cool experience. The whole time we were doing it all I could think was that we are cleaning His house and we need to make it as clean a possible! 

As usual I love you all and I love hearing from you! 

Love, 

Sister Jensen