Grants Pass -------> Philomath

Well I'm headed out of Grants Pass!

It's been a good run here for the past 4 1/2 months, but it's time for a change. So, I'm not a zone leader anymore, I got released. Actually, Elder Cho and I both got released. They're white washing a new set of ZLs into the Murphy Creek/YSA area. We must have screwed something up for us both to be booted out, but who knows. My new companion is named Elder Spencer and he's going home at the end of this next transfer. It should be a fun time.

This week wasn't too bad. We figured that I was leaving so we didn't do a ton of stuff. We said goodbye to a lot of the members and investigators we've been working with which was a really tough thing to do. There have been so many people I've grown close to down here, it's gonna be hard to leave them. But I know that there are people that I need to help up in Philomath, so it's all good.

On Sunday, the YSA threw us a party which was awesome. Other than that, there's really not too much to talk about. Haha I'll have more fun things to talk about next week for sure!

Sorry for the lame letter, but I have pictures....

Here's to another good transfer here in Philomath. Love you all so much. Talk to you really soon.

Love,
Elder Jensen

Here's the quote of the week: "Butt kissing works, but only so far. But then you smell like butt. And then you walk into a room and those sensitive to butt smell will sniff you out." ~Bro. Jessee\\

NEW ADDRESS: 212 N 13th STREET #3, PHILOMATH, OR 97370

Bye Bye Grants Pass

Wellsey

Zilly Putty

The Grants Pass 3

Grants Pass 3, part 2

Joe & Marcela Snook

Ray

The Jaramillo's 

Birthday and Stuff

I'm sorry that you've been getting my letters so late lately. It's not my intention to ruin missionary Monday or anything like that, it's just hard to sit down and focus when there's so much going on that I need to do. But, I've got some down time right now, so I'm here to report.

This week was pretty nifty. I think. Maybe? There was definitely a lot of good things that have happened here. On Tuesday, Elder Wells came up from Cave Junction to go on exchanges with me. We had an absolute BLAST! He actually served in the Murphy Creek/YSA area about a year ago, so it was a lot of fun going around and having people recognize him. He's a great guy, one of my favorite missionaries I've gotten to be around. He gave me a ton of great advice and support as we sat and watched the sunset (he goes home at the end of this transfer, so it was a nice capstone to the time we've hung out) ((did that sound sappy? Good, that's what I was going for)

We set up that night for specialized training the next day. President and Sister Russell were there and taught us. The best part was the church's director of vehicles presentation that was given, he was hilarious. Also, we spent a ton of Tuesday morning waxing all the cars in the zone to beat out the cars in the Roseburg zone (who were also at the training). We lost. I was upset. THEY DIDNT EVEN WAX WHAT THE HECK?! Later that night, we bashed with some dudes. It was greeeeeaaaaaatttttt.

Other than finding some new people to teach and setting up lessons, there wasn't a whole lot of new stuff going on here. The best part of the week was definitely Sunday. Murphy Creek had their Ward Conference wherein the Stake President spoke. President Nelson; butt doctor. He's great. The address he gave talked about how if we knew when the second coming was, would we change the way that we lived the sooner it got? The gospel is something that we need to be living at all times; not just something where we say "Oh, I'll do this or that when I get older, or when this happens, et cetera." President Nelson challenged that ideology by saying that this gospel isn't just a checklist of things we do and then BAM CELESTIAL KINGDOM. It's something that we become. We need to let the gospel change us, not have us try to change the way the gospel works for us. I really enjoyed that meeting.

Later that day, we met with Brother Jessee, the stake high councilor over missionary work. He's also an amazing man, one I respect very highly. He gave us great council and commended us for the work we do here in Grants Pass, regardless of the circumstances that surround us. With the mission really harping on everyone for not producing, it was great to get that spiritual confirmation that we're actually making a difference.

And after a birthday filled up with free drinks, songwriting, spicy spaghetti, and a nerf war with the YSA, I'm capping off this week.

Thanks again everyone who takes the time to read and write and pray and support. It really makes everything a bit easier to deal with.

Until next time, look both ways before crossing the street and don't eat the yellow snow (or anything yellow for that matter).

Love and love and other sign-offs,

Elder Jensen

Birthday party with the YSA - pardon my zombie face 

10 Months in Oregon

Hello Again!!!

This week was really great. We saw a lot of miracles and also had a lot of fun. (Which means a lot of pictures for you all wahoo!)

We started off the week by having our MLC on Tuesday. This was a really fun meeting because, unlike other MLCs, we got to do this one at a girls camp in NORMAL CLOTHES IT WAS A MIRACLE #BLESSED.  We did lots of your stereotypical camp leadership obstacle courses and stuff which was a great break from sitting behind a table all day.

A lot of what we learned at MLC was immediately put to use in our missionary efforts. We were lucky enough to commit 3 of our investigators to be baptized!! We were finally able to get in with a media referral nameD Marylynn. Her fiancé is an inactive member named Tim who helped her become interested in the church. When we went over there, we taught them the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the spirit was super strong. They were crying during the first vision, they were willing to keep commitments, and most importantly, they were willing to change their lives. It was amazing!

And to add to the miracles, WE PUT FAWN AND HER OLDEST DAUGHTER JAIDON ON DATE TO BE BAPTIZED TOO!! They went from a family that we found accidentally, to a family willing to come closer to Christ. It's experiences like this that make you really feel like you're making a difference and I love that.

Some other fun missionary things we did this week included teaching the ZTM on Friday, having a MAJOR bashing session with this one guy and his brother in law on their porch, and having a zone wide service project at a part member family's property. All in all, it was a great week capped off with the best thing ever; being able to talk to my amazing family on Mother's Day. Talking with them was a real treat and it reminded of the real reasons I'm out here; for my Savior, for my family, and myself, in that order. With that perspective in mind, nothing out here could be too bad right? :)  

All in all it was a great week to be a servant of the Lord and I'm excited to see where this next week will lead us.

Hope you all have a week that's even better than your last!

Love,

Elder Jensen

Oregon Eugene Mission leadership

Casual Oregonian log stepping

Grants Pass Zone

ZL Power activate (we have no power, just a truck)

Look at the tiny animals ooohhhoohohohoh my gosh

Oregon caves

Cheesy boy band pic

May Day May Day May Day Wee-ooo Wee-ooo Wee-ooo

So this has been another really slow week. We had roughly 8 or 9 of our lessons fall through and not a lot of success when we've been working. It's been a bummer, but I know that if we keep working, we'll find success.

There has been a lot of good that has happened though. We had the baptism for Ray on Saturday. It was such a fantastic treat to see him go all the way from that first phone call when he was talking to us to him being a full fledged member of the church. What made it even more special was that I was privileged enough to be the one to baptize him. After the ordinance, Ray just kinda sat there in the font for a second. When I asked him what was going on, he said that he just wanted to soak the whole experience in for a moment. It was touching to see the change in him and see how far he's come. The spirit was very very strong in the meeting.

Other exciting missionary moments in the life of Elder Jensen ... we did some service for a part member family to try and tame some blackberry bushes. Now, in Oregon, blackberries just kinda grow wild, like weeds. So these bad boys were ENORMOUS. It was a close battle, but in the end, the missionaries won! Not without some injuries on the side of the victors. (seriously those things are supah nasty)

Also, crazy Oregonian story of the week. We were in church yesterday doing Ray's conformation. Everything was lovely and the ward was really welcoming him in during their testimonies, when all of a sudden, this rather disheveled man walks in an sits down on a pew. We don't think too much of it for a while, and then he starts rocking back and forth very strangely. Still, we don't really say much and the meeting goes on. Well, there was a lull in the testimonies as testimony meetings go, so this guy decides to get up and say a few things. He was sun darkened, wearing a variety of Native American jewels and necklaces, with a nice ol' beard on his face. He starts speaking, and at first it's not too bad. You can tell he's not 100% there, but he was still saying good things about building our relationship with God. Then he starts to talk about how everyday is someone's birthday, followed quickly by a discussion about Bigfoot. Then, the singing started. Well, it was more of like a mystic chant of some sort. That lasted for a good minute or two with him capping off his remarks with a deep "Oh Yeah" and then him limping out of the chapel, never to be seen again. Oregon man.

That's about it for our week this week. We're going up Roseburg so we can go to MLC tomorrow in preparation for ZTM on Friday.  It should be a great week. We have a lot of lessons set up and lots of fun things planned so it should be all good.

Take care and don't be square.

Love,
Elder Jensen

We decided to eat fancy

*note* those bottles are filled with WATER if you're nervous
(excellent photobomb by Cap'n Jack)