I don't really know if I'll be able to find the words to express everything about the past two years. Even if I could write forever, I still wouldn't have the words. I've had so many life changing experiences and seen so many miracles over the last twenty four months. I've learned so much and felt the love that our Savior and Heavenly Father have for us in true abundance. It's been an incredible ride.
I can't take you through every conversation I've had with people; from every homeless man yelling at us, to all the insightful and spirit filled lessons. I can't tell you every single miracle I've seen; the small or the large. And I can't share every personal spiritual experience that I've had. But, I can share with you all the things that I know for myself to be true, independent of anyone else, because I've come to find them out for myself by the Spirt of God.
The first thing I know is that God loves us. He loves us SO much. So much that he allowed his only perfect Son to live, die, and live again, so that we could do the same. I can't thank him enough for that gift to us. I've seen the love of God in the people of Oregon. No matter the circumstances we face, the mistakes we have made, or the questions we may have, God is always there. Always. We spiritually and physically cannot cannot drop lower than the light of Christ shines. He's descended below all things and is there to lift us up, all we need to do is reach out.
I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I've had the amazing opportunity to study the Book of Mormon in depth over the course of my time in the mission field. That Book has changed my life, and I've seen it change the lives of others. It's brought so much peace and comfort to my soul, answered so many questions, and given me so many answers and so much direction. There's no way that the Book of Mormon could have come about other than the way that Joseph Smith said that it did; by the gift and power of God. I've truly come to love the scriptures, and I couldn't imagine myself living without the guidance and spirit they bring me.
I know that the church is true and the Restoration happened. Joseph Smith was and is a prophet and the first of this dispensation. I know that that office has been passed on and that we have a prophet today. I know that the organization and doctrines taught in the church are inspired from our Heavenly Father. I'm so grateful for the members of the church that I've had the opportunity to serve and be served by. It's such a blessing to know that wherever you go, they'll be a network of people that love and care about you and are willing to help in any way they can.
I've come to know for myself that God truly answers our prayers and knows us each personally. Countless times I've found myself on my knees or praying in my heart for either myself or others. Every time, and in His own time, Heavenly Father has comforted me, strengthened me, answered my questions, and forgiven me of my flaws and mistakes. Even when we can't see the end clearly, He can, and He will guide us along. I know that everything that we go through is for our good in the end. Every trial, every challenge, every mistake, every shortcoming, and every experience we have will pull us closer to our Heavenly Father, so long as we have faith that it will.
Oh man there's so much I wish I could write.
I love Oregon. I love the people here. I'm so grateful for the investigators, companions, leaders, fellow missionaries, members, and everyone that I've had the opportunity to work alongside. I know that the Lord calls us to where we need to be, when we need to be there. I'm so grateful that the Lord has allowed me to serve here and now. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had for anything in the world.
The point I'd like to close on is one near to my heart. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. I've seen my own life and the lives of others changed so much for the better. I've seen a homeless part-member family living in a tent on a bike path become active members with callings, jobs, and a home. I've seen an anti-Mormon investigative journalist have his heart softened and grow to love the Book of Mormon. I've seen life long inactive members come back and become some of the strongest carriers of the spirit that I know. I've seen the little changes that people have made in their lives that have brought them closer to their Savior. And I've seen the effects of Christ's gospel change my life.
The church hasn't always been something that was super important to me. I could say that I was a more active member of The Church of Me, Myself, and I. The church was just kind of--there. And frankly, I didn't care too much about it. Never would I have imagined that I could be where I am now. The Savior has changed my life. Being his representative, living his gospel, studying more about Him, and focusing all my time and effort on His purposes has blessed me incomprehensibly and changed my very nature. I've come to know that the gospel is so much more than just a lesson we learn in Sunday School, or an excuse to kill three hours on Sunday; it's a way of life. It's THE way of life, from He who is the way, the truth, and the life. Because of Him, the Plan of Salvation is possible, forgiveness is possible, and we can become so much better than we ever possibly imagined. I am so grateful for Him and I love Him so much.
I couldn't put it better than the words of my favorite hymn:
"Nearer, dear Savior, to thee,
Nearer, nearer to thee--
Ever my anthem will be
Nearer, yet nearer to thee!"
Thank you everyone for all the love and support you've shown me over these last two years. It's changed my life. I am so grateful for the chance I've had to come to know these things for myself, and I leave them in the name of our Savior and Friend, Jesus Christ, amen.
Be fun, have safe.
Elder Chase Jensen
Monday, July 17, 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Medford 23: Independence Day, Interviews and Investigators
Our week was really good! It was a to slower than the last week but still a good one nonetheless.
On Tuesday, we spent the celebration of our county's independence by pruning pears, eating hotdogs, and meeting President and Sister Orton! They're such great people, and I'm excited to see how the mission is influenced under them.
President Orton is a lot more soft spoken and mellow than President Russell, which was really weird at first. They shared some wonderful thoughts with us and we had the opportunity to learn more about them. They even took time to interview us each briefly so they could see us and talk with us. It was really sweet. I wish I could have more time with them, but I know they'll do great and the mission will too!
The rest of the week was spent going around and contacting as many people as we could from the finding adventure last week. It was actually rather difficult, but still a good experience.
We had a lesson with this young man named Tommy which was really great. He's the nephew of a member of the ward who's looking into the church. He's going to be a bit of a process, but I think the spirit will work on him!
Some bad news, Pheona and her family kinda just disappeared for a week or two, so we haven't seen her in a while. That means that she won't be getting baptized before I leave, which is a bummer. But it's all the Lord's timing and not mine!
We also got in contact with this family of former investigators who have a lot of potential. We tried to teach in the midst of crazy kiddos and dogs that just NEEDED to play fetch. We eventually were able to get to a great spiritual discussion!
And we went back down to California again for another baptismal interview. It's such a pretty place and the drive was super fun as always. I got to hang out with the Yreka Elders for a while which was also super nice!
Today we spent the day in Ashland. We played frisbee, volleyball, ping pong, basketball, bummed around the city, and had some really big pizza! It was super fun and a great way to finish off p-days.
There've been so many emotions this week, I tell you what. It's so crazy to think that two years have come and gone so fast. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. The people I've met, the things I've learned, the testimony I've strengthened, the trials I've faced, the fun I've had, I've loved it all so much. I'm going to miss it, but, like I said, it's all in the Lord's time and I'm needed elsewhere now!
The church is so true, darn it. So true.
See you next week!
Elder Jensen
On Tuesday, we spent the celebration of our county's independence by pruning pears, eating hotdogs, and meeting President and Sister Orton! They're such great people, and I'm excited to see how the mission is influenced under them.
President Orton is a lot more soft spoken and mellow than President Russell, which was really weird at first. They shared some wonderful thoughts with us and we had the opportunity to learn more about them. They even took time to interview us each briefly so they could see us and talk with us. It was really sweet. I wish I could have more time with them, but I know they'll do great and the mission will too!
The rest of the week was spent going around and contacting as many people as we could from the finding adventure last week. It was actually rather difficult, but still a good experience.
We had a lesson with this young man named Tommy which was really great. He's the nephew of a member of the ward who's looking into the church. He's going to be a bit of a process, but I think the spirit will work on him!
Some bad news, Pheona and her family kinda just disappeared for a week or two, so we haven't seen her in a while. That means that she won't be getting baptized before I leave, which is a bummer. But it's all the Lord's timing and not mine!
We also got in contact with this family of former investigators who have a lot of potential. We tried to teach in the midst of crazy kiddos and dogs that just NEEDED to play fetch. We eventually were able to get to a great spiritual discussion!
And we went back down to California again for another baptismal interview. It's such a pretty place and the drive was super fun as always. I got to hang out with the Yreka Elders for a while which was also super nice!
Today we spent the day in Ashland. We played frisbee, volleyball, ping pong, basketball, bummed around the city, and had some really big pizza! It was super fun and a great way to finish off p-days.
There've been so many emotions this week, I tell you what. It's so crazy to think that two years have come and gone so fast. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world. The people I've met, the things I've learned, the testimony I've strengthened, the trials I've faced, the fun I've had, I've loved it all so much. I'm going to miss it, but, like I said, it's all in the Lord's time and I'm needed elsewhere now!
The church is so true, darn it. So true.
See you next week!
Elder Jensen
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| Medford Zone ft. President and Sister Orton |
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| NoCal |
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| I may need some new socks |
Monday, July 3, 2017
Medford 22: Doormageddon
Happy (almost) 4th of July!
Our week was absolutely fantastic here in Medford! I've definitely seen the hand of the Lord in everything that we've been doing lately. There have been so many miracles this week and we've been so so blessed.
I had an idea a few months ago to try a challenge; knock a thousand doors in a week. When I talked to Elder Searcy about it, he was super on board so we packed up and hit the streets. Every spare minute that we had was spent knocking doors.
We met some really awesome people during our escapades this week. We met stoner rock and roll teenagers, Christian poets, old crazy men, lots of Catholics, a few new members, and lots and lots of really great people!
We didn't knock as many doors as we would have wanted, only bringing in about 333. BUT MIRACLES BECAUSE WE FOUND 13 NEW PEOPLE TO TEACH!!!!! It was fantastic!
On top of all the knocking, we were able to find an investigator that was hiding from us named Rebecca. Elder Searcy fixed her truck and that got her interested in us again! She has a really deep conversion, but has some social problems she's trying to face. It'll be really good for her to be a part of the ward soon though.
We also sat down with a family named the Willards and had a really good lesson/conversation with them. They also made pretty bomb brownies, which was swell.
We had an exchange with the Zone leaders, the last on my mission. I got to go with Elder Johnson for the day and we had a blast visiting a ton of members from the First Ward. It was so great to see so many people again. We had a dinner with two of my favorite families from the First Ward too, so all in all, it was a good way to end the week.
That's about it. Stay tuned for next weeks letter. Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Jensen
Our week was absolutely fantastic here in Medford! I've definitely seen the hand of the Lord in everything that we've been doing lately. There have been so many miracles this week and we've been so so blessed.
I had an idea a few months ago to try a challenge; knock a thousand doors in a week. When I talked to Elder Searcy about it, he was super on board so we packed up and hit the streets. Every spare minute that we had was spent knocking doors.
We met some really awesome people during our escapades this week. We met stoner rock and roll teenagers, Christian poets, old crazy men, lots of Catholics, a few new members, and lots and lots of really great people!
We didn't knock as many doors as we would have wanted, only bringing in about 333. BUT MIRACLES BECAUSE WE FOUND 13 NEW PEOPLE TO TEACH!!!!! It was fantastic!
On top of all the knocking, we were able to find an investigator that was hiding from us named Rebecca. Elder Searcy fixed her truck and that got her interested in us again! She has a really deep conversion, but has some social problems she's trying to face. It'll be really good for her to be a part of the ward soon though.
We also sat down with a family named the Willards and had a really good lesson/conversation with them. They also made pretty bomb brownies, which was swell.
We had an exchange with the Zone leaders, the last on my mission. I got to go with Elder Johnson for the day and we had a blast visiting a ton of members from the First Ward. It was so great to see so many people again. We had a dinner with two of my favorite families from the First Ward too, so all in all, it was a good way to end the week.
That's about it. Stay tuned for next weeks letter. Have a great week!
Love,
Elder Jensen
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Medford 21: Roooooooad Trips!
Our week was really scattered and hectic, but great nonetheless!
On Tuesday night, a few other Elders from the south and I all buckled down and drove up to Eugene for our last temple trip as missionaries. We stayed the night in the Assistants apartment (which was a blast - 12 or so Elders in one apartment is hilarious.) and then the following morning, we met up with everyone else and drove to Portland! It was such a great session and it was awesome to see everyone I'm going home with one last time.
The temple is so great. It was also the last time I'll see President and Sister Russell before they go home, which was a sweet experience.
On Saturday, we helped a less active member move some stuff out of his apartment, and then we geared up for a road trip to Yreka, California so Elder Searcy could do a baptismal interview. It was the second time I've been in California on my mission, and it's crazy how much a group of people can change in less than 50 miles. The drive down there was gorgeous though, and we didn't even get asked any fruit smuggling related questions when crossing the border! Wahoo!
Because of the excessive amounts of road tripping, we didn't get a whole lot of things done, but we were able to find some great people to teach and get out and about a bit.
It's really been a great last few weeks and we're seeing the Lord's hand in our lives everyday.
I love being a missionary!
I love you all so much! Have a great week and talk to you soon!
Wahoo,
Elder Jensen
On Tuesday night, a few other Elders from the south and I all buckled down and drove up to Eugene for our last temple trip as missionaries. We stayed the night in the Assistants apartment (which was a blast - 12 or so Elders in one apartment is hilarious.) and then the following morning, we met up with everyone else and drove to Portland! It was such a great session and it was awesome to see everyone I'm going home with one last time.
The temple is so great. It was also the last time I'll see President and Sister Russell before they go home, which was a sweet experience.
On Saturday, we helped a less active member move some stuff out of his apartment, and then we geared up for a road trip to Yreka, California so Elder Searcy could do a baptismal interview. It was the second time I've been in California on my mission, and it's crazy how much a group of people can change in less than 50 miles. The drive down there was gorgeous though, and we didn't even get asked any fruit smuggling related questions when crossing the border! Wahoo!
Because of the excessive amounts of road tripping, we didn't get a whole lot of things done, but we were able to find some great people to teach and get out and about a bit.
It's really been a great last few weeks and we're seeing the Lord's hand in our lives everyday.
I love being a missionary!
I love you all so much! Have a great week and talk to you soon!
Wahoo,
Elder Jensen
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| The 26 missionaries leaving July 18 OEM x PDX |
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| President and Sister Russell |
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| Poor quality picture of the MTC group |
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| Oregon ------> California |
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| Not sure if the thermostat is broken or if it's just that hot! |
Medford 20: A Lot of Lasts
My week was really good. It's so hot over here, my goodness.
It's been really nice to get to know the ward and the area and everyone in Medford. The ward is great. The area itself is way nicer than Phoenix, but there are still some less well to do areas, but overall it's way nice. There are some really gorgeous houses.
Being with Elder Searcy again has been really fun. It's kinda like we just picked up where we left off, but we've both grown a ton. He's a good stinking missionary now. We've been tearing it up!
We've seen a lot of miracles and have really been living the missionary life. There's a ten year old girl named Pheona who hasn't been baptized yet (her parents are both members) so we've been meeting with her fairly regularly. We've set a baptismal date with her for the 1st of July (but it might be the 7th) but we're super excited for her! She's a pretty solid ten year old and her family is super great.
On Wednesday we had Zone Conference in Central Point with the Medford, CP, Grants Pass, and K Falls Zones. It was really nice to see a large number of missionaries in one place. It was really surreal that it was my last one. It was also President and Sister Russell's last Conference too, so the spirit was super strong. I had lots of thoughts and memories from my mission come flooding back. I'm really going to miss this place when I'm gone.
On Saturday we did some volunteer service at the Special Olympics. It was SUCH a blast! We helped officiate the Bocce tournament for all the athletes that were there. It was really swell to get out and help. We also leaned that I'm garbage at bocce.
This upcoming week we're having a lot of fun too. On Wednesday we're going to Portland for the last temple trip and then on Saturday we're going to Yreka, California for a baptismal interview. It should be a blast!
I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week and talk to you soon!
Love,
Elder Jensen
It's been really nice to get to know the ward and the area and everyone in Medford. The ward is great. The area itself is way nicer than Phoenix, but there are still some less well to do areas, but overall it's way nice. There are some really gorgeous houses.
Being with Elder Searcy again has been really fun. It's kinda like we just picked up where we left off, but we've both grown a ton. He's a good stinking missionary now. We've been tearing it up!
We've seen a lot of miracles and have really been living the missionary life. There's a ten year old girl named Pheona who hasn't been baptized yet (her parents are both members) so we've been meeting with her fairly regularly. We've set a baptismal date with her for the 1st of July (but it might be the 7th) but we're super excited for her! She's a pretty solid ten year old and her family is super great.
On Wednesday we had Zone Conference in Central Point with the Medford, CP, Grants Pass, and K Falls Zones. It was really nice to see a large number of missionaries in one place. It was really surreal that it was my last one. It was also President and Sister Russell's last Conference too, so the spirit was super strong. I had lots of thoughts and memories from my mission come flooding back. I'm really going to miss this place when I'm gone.
On Saturday we did some volunteer service at the Special Olympics. It was SUCH a blast! We helped officiate the Bocce tournament for all the athletes that were there. It was really swell to get out and help. We also leaned that I'm garbage at bocce.
This upcoming week we're having a lot of fun too. On Wednesday we're going to Portland for the last temple trip and then on Saturday we're going to Yreka, California for a baptismal interview. It should be a blast!
I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week and talk to you soon!
Love,
Elder Jensen
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| Zone Service at the Special Olympics |
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| Beat the heat |
Medford 19: Running Through the 6th
This week has been really good! The move into the 6th Ward apartment
was easy for me, I didn't even really need to pack at all, just get it
there.
We've had the ZL's living in the apartment for the last week, so that was super fun. The place is a mess from having six Elders living in it within two weeks, but we're going to get that taken care of here pretty soon.
More on the work side of things. The transfer has started so well. It's so good to back with Elder Searcy again. I was his first companion, and he's going to be my last. It's a good feeling! We've both grown a ton over the past 10 or so months and the change has been so good. We're both working hard and seeing miracles already. It's been such a blessing and such a humbling experience. We're also both still huge goofballs, so I guess some things never change.
But our week. The ward has been awesome with the double transfer in. We've met a ton of the members and have really connected well with a lot of them. Our Bishop and his family are some of my favorite people I've ever met. We had dinner with them on Tuesday and have already started working with some of the referrals we've gotten from them. There's also this Ward missionary named Margie who's the sweetest old Southern lady in the world. We had a lesson with her next door neighbor and she was just a gospel rockstar during the whole thing! So we're hopefully going to keep working with her and her neighbor Kim on baptism.
We've also found a ton of really cool people to teach. Elder Searcy had a great rush of inspiration and shouted under this guy's garage door asking if he wanted to talk to us. We ended up teaching him the Plan of Salvation for an hour and we're going back to teach him more. Better yet, he knows the Bishop's family well so there's an in there.
We were walking down the street when I spotted a dollar in the bushes. I picked it up and this guy from across the street says ,"Did you just pull that dollar out of that bush?" To which I said "Well...yeah?" He thinks for a moment, obviously mesmerized by my ability to create money from my fingers and says "Woah...spend it...wisely." I was cracking up.
Also, we went down to Klamath Falls for a baptism that Elder Searcy was a part of. We drove down with a recent convert from 5th Ward to watch his (the driver's) sister get baptized. It was so good to go back to the old stomping grounds! I haven't been there for like 18 months and it was great to see members of the ward again.
We had our last round of interviews with President Russell. It was really tender. He's been such a great mission President and I've been so thankful to have him there for me. We also talked about going home stuff, which was weird. It flies by so fast kiddos!
That's about it though! Have a great week. See you soon! 😉
Adios!
Elder Jensen
We've had the ZL's living in the apartment for the last week, so that was super fun. The place is a mess from having six Elders living in it within two weeks, but we're going to get that taken care of here pretty soon.
More on the work side of things. The transfer has started so well. It's so good to back with Elder Searcy again. I was his first companion, and he's going to be my last. It's a good feeling! We've both grown a ton over the past 10 or so months and the change has been so good. We're both working hard and seeing miracles already. It's been such a blessing and such a humbling experience. We're also both still huge goofballs, so I guess some things never change.
But our week. The ward has been awesome with the double transfer in. We've met a ton of the members and have really connected well with a lot of them. Our Bishop and his family are some of my favorite people I've ever met. We had dinner with them on Tuesday and have already started working with some of the referrals we've gotten from them. There's also this Ward missionary named Margie who's the sweetest old Southern lady in the world. We had a lesson with her next door neighbor and she was just a gospel rockstar during the whole thing! So we're hopefully going to keep working with her and her neighbor Kim on baptism.
We've also found a ton of really cool people to teach. Elder Searcy had a great rush of inspiration and shouted under this guy's garage door asking if he wanted to talk to us. We ended up teaching him the Plan of Salvation for an hour and we're going back to teach him more. Better yet, he knows the Bishop's family well so there's an in there.
We were walking down the street when I spotted a dollar in the bushes. I picked it up and this guy from across the street says ,"Did you just pull that dollar out of that bush?" To which I said "Well...yeah?" He thinks for a moment, obviously mesmerized by my ability to create money from my fingers and says "Woah...spend it...wisely." I was cracking up.
Also, we went down to Klamath Falls for a baptism that Elder Searcy was a part of. We drove down with a recent convert from 5th Ward to watch his (the driver's) sister get baptized. It was so good to go back to the old stomping grounds! I haven't been there for like 18 months and it was great to see members of the ward again.
We had our last round of interviews with President Russell. It was really tender. He's been such a great mission President and I've been so thankful to have him there for me. We also talked about going home stuff, which was weird. It flies by so fast kiddos!
That's about it though! Have a great week. See you soon! 😉
Adios!
Elder Jensen
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| Young Man on Small Creek (2017) |
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| The Peterson Clan |
Monday, June 5, 2017
Medford 18: Medford ---> Medford?
So, we've got crazy mission news as always.
Earlier this week, Elder Zilles' companion had to go home for some surgery, so he was stuck with us for the rest of the week. I've been Elder Zilles temporary companion for almost as long as I've been with real companions now.
On Friday we got transfer news, the last call of my mission! And things went down. They took Elder Green and I both out of Phoenix and now we'll only have one set of missionaries in the First Ward.
Elder Green is going to go to Gold Hill, and I'm going right across the street to the Medford 6th Ward. And my companion? Elder Searcy, my trainee! It's super weird, but it's also going to be super fun!
The rest of the week was spent cleaning up our apartment and moving everything into the 6th Ward apartment.
On Saturday we did something really cool though. There was a service project that involved us building really small houses. It was a blast and it was a great opportunity to get out and in the community.
That's about it.
Love,
Elder Jensen
Earlier this week, Elder Zilles' companion had to go home for some surgery, so he was stuck with us for the rest of the week. I've been Elder Zilles temporary companion for almost as long as I've been with real companions now.
On Friday we got transfer news, the last call of my mission! And things went down. They took Elder Green and I both out of Phoenix and now we'll only have one set of missionaries in the First Ward.
Elder Green is going to go to Gold Hill, and I'm going right across the street to the Medford 6th Ward. And my companion? Elder Searcy, my trainee! It's super weird, but it's also going to be super fun!
The rest of the week was spent cleaning up our apartment and moving everything into the 6th Ward apartment.
On Saturday we did something really cool though. There was a service project that involved us building really small houses. It was a blast and it was a great opportunity to get out and in the community.
That's about it.
Love,
Elder Jensen
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| Medford Zone! |
Medford 17: I've Been Here Forever!
Things have been going well, but still super slow. We're walking and talking and knocking all day long, but not a lot is happening. We haven't found a lot of new investigators and no one is really getting ready to get baptized, so I'm not sure if they'll keep us around here. It's a bummer because Phoenix is a great place! The people down here are so great and there's so much good, but its a small area and not a lot of people are interested.
It's started to get really hot. Like upper nineties hot. In May! Our central AC doesn't work too well either, so we huddle around the swamp cooler thing we have whenever possible. We're back to running between shady spots to keep cool.
We also stop in at the local Jack in the Box to get water. We're like regulars, it's really funny.
We've gotten back in contact with some of the people we've been teaching lately! Patrick and Southern are doing well! They've both been reading and praying, now we've just got to get them to church. We also got back to seeing Chris! He's another that, once he's at church, he'll be hooked. The poor man just lost his job on top of all his medical baloney, so we're really hoping to help him out however we can.
A man in a pirate costume rode by on his bike and shouted "You boys from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? GOD BLESS YOU." It was fantastic.
I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the mission lately and I'm just so grateful and happy that I decided to serve. There have been so many blessings that I've seen and the growth I've felt both spiritually (and pretty much all other 'allys) has been amazing. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, even if it's hard sometimes. The church is super true. There really isn't a way that it isn't!
Love,
Elder Jensen
It's started to get really hot. Like upper nineties hot. In May! Our central AC doesn't work too well either, so we huddle around the swamp cooler thing we have whenever possible. We're back to running between shady spots to keep cool.
We also stop in at the local Jack in the Box to get water. We're like regulars, it's really funny.
We've gotten back in contact with some of the people we've been teaching lately! Patrick and Southern are doing well! They've both been reading and praying, now we've just got to get them to church. We also got back to seeing Chris! He's another that, once he's at church, he'll be hooked. The poor man just lost his job on top of all his medical baloney, so we're really hoping to help him out however we can.
A man in a pirate costume rode by on his bike and shouted "You boys from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? GOD BLESS YOU." It was fantastic.
I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the mission lately and I'm just so grateful and happy that I decided to serve. There have been so many blessings that I've seen and the growth I've felt both spiritually (and pretty much all other 'allys) has been amazing. I wouldn't trade this experience for the world, even if it's hard sometimes. The church is super true. There really isn't a way that it isn't!
Love,
Elder Jensen
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| This is pretty much the entirety of Phoenix for you |
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| R-L: Patrick, Southern (asleep we think), Bruce the dog, and Shai. |
Medford 16
Hey there everyone. It's Elder Jensen.
Things have really been heating up down here in Oregon (not the work though, the weather. It's gotten up to like 95 already.) But really, things are going great.
We've been really getting after it lately and even if results aren't raining in, we're still working hard!
Thank you all for the birthday wishes! It was a great day. It's weird to think that 2 decades have already passed. I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate than in the service of The Lord! We spent a lot of the day acquiring free food and doing normal missionary stuff, so nothing too exciting.
On Wednesday, we wandered for MILES out in the sticks of our area looking for people to teach. That kind of thing happens when you've pretty much talked to everyone in your area already. We traversed up this dirt road looking for this lady who was a former investigator. We found her house, but didn't find her. Instead we found her daughter, a professional artist. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and set up a time to come back! When we came back on Monday, she wasn't there. But her mom, who we originally went out to see, was! So now we've got a family to teach.
On Friday after district meeting, we went on exchanges with the Elders in 6th Ward. I got to go out with my main man Elder Zilles again. From day one we've been chugging along and it's been great to be around him this much. We got Sonic shakes at the end of the day, so it was a blast!
On Saturday and Sunday we busted our buns looking for people to teach without too much success. We received a list of members to visit from the ward and that's been really great to go through. We've found a lot of people who want to get back in to the swing of the gospel which is great!
On Monday, we had Zone Conference. We had the Klamath Falls Zone come up and we were very spiritually uplifted. It was a sweet meeting, even if it did take 8 hours to get through all of it.
Other than that, not too much to report on. Transfers are in two weeks, so we'll see what gets shaken up and where. Then only one more six week stint! Time sure flies.
Have a great week everyone. Be safe and love one another and Jesus loves you.
Until next time,
Elder Jensen
Things have really been heating up down here in Oregon (not the work though, the weather. It's gotten up to like 95 already.) But really, things are going great.
We've been really getting after it lately and even if results aren't raining in, we're still working hard!
Thank you all for the birthday wishes! It was a great day. It's weird to think that 2 decades have already passed. I couldn't think of a better place to celebrate than in the service of The Lord! We spent a lot of the day acquiring free food and doing normal missionary stuff, so nothing too exciting.
On Wednesday, we wandered for MILES out in the sticks of our area looking for people to teach. That kind of thing happens when you've pretty much talked to everyone in your area already. We traversed up this dirt road looking for this lady who was a former investigator. We found her house, but didn't find her. Instead we found her daughter, a professional artist. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and set up a time to come back! When we came back on Monday, she wasn't there. But her mom, who we originally went out to see, was! So now we've got a family to teach.
On Friday after district meeting, we went on exchanges with the Elders in 6th Ward. I got to go out with my main man Elder Zilles again. From day one we've been chugging along and it's been great to be around him this much. We got Sonic shakes at the end of the day, so it was a blast!
On Saturday and Sunday we busted our buns looking for people to teach without too much success. We received a list of members to visit from the ward and that's been really great to go through. We've found a lot of people who want to get back in to the swing of the gospel which is great!
On Monday, we had Zone Conference. We had the Klamath Falls Zone come up and we were very spiritually uplifted. It was a sweet meeting, even if it did take 8 hours to get through all of it.
Other than that, not too much to report on. Transfers are in two weeks, so we'll see what gets shaken up and where. Then only one more six week stint! Time sure flies.
Have a great week everyone. Be safe and love one another and Jesus loves you.
Until next time,
Elder Jensen
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| Springfield reunion |
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| The Medford Zone in red |
Medford 15
Hey there everyone, it's your old pal Elder Jensen coming at you live
from Phoenix!
Things have been going well the past few days. I've started to feel the effects of being in an area for a while, so we're shaking it up a bit and getting out into places we usually don't get to all too often. And as always, we've been walking a ton. It wouldn't be a week in Oregon without walking a few dozen miles every few days!
But first, let me take a second and give a shoutout to my Mom on this the day after Mother's Day. My mom is the best, plain and simple. I'm so grateful for her and all the selfless devoted service and sacrifices that she makes for me and for everyone around her. You rock Mom! Thank you, and I love you so much!
We also had the opportunity to give the lesson in Relief Society this week, which made me think of all the wonderful women in my life growing up. Thank you for all you do too!
Ok back in it. We started the week off with interviews with the mission President. He's getting to the end of his mission too, so it's been really evident of the love that he has for all his missionaries. We had a really good chat and the training beforehand was great too. It set the mood for the rest of the week.
We did a lot of work for the cemetery this week. The guy who runs the service, Stan, is the man. We were able to have ten Elders come and work on Friday morning and that graveyard is looking fresh. Just in time for Memorial Day!
We did a lot of finding and contacting this week, but everyone disappeared? Maybe it's just Phoenix, but NO ONE answers their doors. We hear people all the time behind doors say "Oh (darn it), it's those (lovely) Missionaries again." And then they won't open. Such is the life.
We ventured out in to the east side of Phoenix this week which was an adventure. Both of us really, really had to go to the bathroom, so we wandered for a while attempting to find the proper facilities to do so. After a miracle that is a random gas station, we knocked around and found a new investigator! Inspired bathroom search = Success in proselyting?
On Saturday, Phoenix did a city wide garage sale. We spent a lot of the day walking around talking to people as they perused the neighborhoods. Note: people like you a lot more when they're selling you things and not when you're knocking on their doors. It was really fun though!
This pday, we finally did the hike I wanted to. It's a big old peak called Roxy Anne. You could see the whole valley from the top. It was marvelous!
That's about it for me. I hope all of you have a great week and remember just how much Heavenly Father loves you! Talk to you next week.
Look both ways when you cross the street,
Elder Jensen
Things have been going well the past few days. I've started to feel the effects of being in an area for a while, so we're shaking it up a bit and getting out into places we usually don't get to all too often. And as always, we've been walking a ton. It wouldn't be a week in Oregon without walking a few dozen miles every few days!
But first, let me take a second and give a shoutout to my Mom on this the day after Mother's Day. My mom is the best, plain and simple. I'm so grateful for her and all the selfless devoted service and sacrifices that she makes for me and for everyone around her. You rock Mom! Thank you, and I love you so much!
We also had the opportunity to give the lesson in Relief Society this week, which made me think of all the wonderful women in my life growing up. Thank you for all you do too!
Ok back in it. We started the week off with interviews with the mission President. He's getting to the end of his mission too, so it's been really evident of the love that he has for all his missionaries. We had a really good chat and the training beforehand was great too. It set the mood for the rest of the week.
We did a lot of work for the cemetery this week. The guy who runs the service, Stan, is the man. We were able to have ten Elders come and work on Friday morning and that graveyard is looking fresh. Just in time for Memorial Day!
We did a lot of finding and contacting this week, but everyone disappeared? Maybe it's just Phoenix, but NO ONE answers their doors. We hear people all the time behind doors say "Oh (darn it), it's those (lovely) Missionaries again." And then they won't open. Such is the life.
We ventured out in to the east side of Phoenix this week which was an adventure. Both of us really, really had to go to the bathroom, so we wandered for a while attempting to find the proper facilities to do so. After a miracle that is a random gas station, we knocked around and found a new investigator! Inspired bathroom search = Success in proselyting?
On Saturday, Phoenix did a city wide garage sale. We spent a lot of the day walking around talking to people as they perused the neighborhoods. Note: people like you a lot more when they're selling you things and not when you're knocking on their doors. It was really fun though!
This pday, we finally did the hike I wanted to. It's a big old peak called Roxy Anne. You could see the whole valley from the top. It was marvelous!
That's about it for me. I hope all of you have a great week and remember just how much Heavenly Father loves you! Talk to you next week.
Look both ways when you cross the street,
Elder Jensen
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| Oregon is very adamant about dogs and their bathroom habits |
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| Phoenix isn't all too bad ;) |
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| In case we forgot which state we were in |
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| Golly I love this place |
Medford 14: Spring? Summer? Both?
These last few days have been good. There's plenty of walking to do and lots of people we're talking to. I've been doing my best to try to break up the monotony and keep looking for ways to keep my head up. I've had a lot of really good experiences that have helped me as things have been winding down. I'm kinda understanding the whole "Enduring to the End" thing for sure 😉
But things have been good.
We've been really getting after it and seeing a lot of success. We've been trying to sort through our investigators and seeing who's really invested in, well, investigating! While it's been sad to let some people go, I know that it's for the benefit of the work.
We had good lessons with a few of our investigators like Ben and Anthony and a less active man named Tom who's SUPER great. He bought us lunch one day. It's been great to see as we've been getting out and about, there have been blessings coming from it.
Speaking of which, we found some swell new people to teach. We were walking around and we were both just DEAD tired, but we decided to make a final push before dinner. We were able to find two really solid investigators in about 2 minutes! Diligence pays off!
Small talk: the weather. The weather in Oregon has been just ridiculous lately. We went from 92 degrees one day to 35 a day later. One day drowning in sweat, the next, drowning in a torrential downpour. I've never experienced all four season in a week until I've been here. It was nutso.
I need to mention this before I forget again. This happened a week or two ago, but it's vital information. We saw a high school girl fight in the cemetery. I looked over and all of these teenagers congregated in a circle, phones out, and WHAMO. Hair pulling. Cut foreheads. I was completely in disbelief! I walked over there, weedwacker in hand, and told them all to break it up. We didn't really know what to do after that, so we went and got pizza.
Ok back to the week. This Sunday was incredible! The spirit was just super strong and the classes were great. It was just a really positive way to end a less than exciting week.
And last but not least, crazy Oregon story of the week! So we were walking down the street Sunday night and we see this couple hanging out of the side of the road. To paint a picture, this guy has no shoes, a big floppy hat, and is holding an vapor cigarette, so your typical Oregonian. He says something like "I want the two of you to feel the energy out in this situation and give me just one sentence. That's all I want. Huddle up!" So, we huddle up and talk amongst ourselves trying to figure out what the heck is going on. We decided on a quick message and said proudly: "Men are that they might have joy!" The man thinks for a second and says: "That's beautiful man. Bring it in." We proceed to hug it out. It was a good time.
Love, Elder Jensen
We've been really getting after it and seeing a lot of success. We've been trying to sort through our investigators and seeing who's really invested in, well, investigating! While it's been sad to let some people go, I know that it's for the benefit of the work.
We had good lessons with a few of our investigators like Ben and Anthony and a less active man named Tom who's SUPER great. He bought us lunch one day. It's been great to see as we've been getting out and about, there have been blessings coming from it.
Speaking of which, we found some swell new people to teach. We were walking around and we were both just DEAD tired, but we decided to make a final push before dinner. We were able to find two really solid investigators in about 2 minutes! Diligence pays off!
Small talk: the weather. The weather in Oregon has been just ridiculous lately. We went from 92 degrees one day to 35 a day later. One day drowning in sweat, the next, drowning in a torrential downpour. I've never experienced all four season in a week until I've been here. It was nutso.
I need to mention this before I forget again. This happened a week or two ago, but it's vital information. We saw a high school girl fight in the cemetery. I looked over and all of these teenagers congregated in a circle, phones out, and WHAMO. Hair pulling. Cut foreheads. I was completely in disbelief! I walked over there, weedwacker in hand, and told them all to break it up. We didn't really know what to do after that, so we went and got pizza.
Ok back to the week. This Sunday was incredible! The spirit was just super strong and the classes were great. It was just a really positive way to end a less than exciting week.
And last but not least, crazy Oregon story of the week! So we were walking down the street Sunday night and we see this couple hanging out of the side of the road. To paint a picture, this guy has no shoes, a big floppy hat, and is holding an vapor cigarette, so your typical Oregonian. He says something like "I want the two of you to feel the energy out in this situation and give me just one sentence. That's all I want. Huddle up!" So, we huddle up and talk amongst ourselves trying to figure out what the heck is going on. We decided on a quick message and said proudly: "Men are that they might have joy!" The man thinks for a second and says: "That's beautiful man. Bring it in." We proceed to hug it out. It was a good time.
Love, Elder Jensen
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| What season is it? |
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| Zone Hike |
Monday, May 1, 2017
Medford 13: Biking on the Sun
Hey there everyone!
This has been a good week. It's been getting hot over here in Oregon and we're feeling it. Walking and biking around in this weather has been quite the experience.
Speaking of, on Saturday (who needs chronological order anyway) we went biking eeeevvvveeerrryyywhere. Xavier, one of the people people that I was teaching in Springfield got baptized this weekend. In order to Skype in, we had to bike the whole six miles in the heat of the day through busy Medford traffic to the church so we could see it. It was quite the trip. We got a bit sunburned and Elder Green almost fell into a river. Good times.
We've been visiting Patrick and Southern a lot lately and they're doing really well. We've been reading from the Book of Mormon with them and they're coming out of their shell. We're hoping to get them comfortable enough to come to church. They're going to be a little bit of a project, but we're making lots of progress!
We also taught a few new people that we found and had a really good lesson with this lady named Cecilia. We taught her the Restoration for about 45 minutes and then she had a TON of questions for us afterwards. It was great. We feel like she could really make some progress.
Other than hifiving homeless guys, getting cussed out by a part member family, holding pigeons, and going on a hike in Ashland, not too much else has happened. We're just out and doing the work.
Have a great week everyone! Don't feed the wildlife.
Elder Jensen
This has been a good week. It's been getting hot over here in Oregon and we're feeling it. Walking and biking around in this weather has been quite the experience.
Speaking of, on Saturday (who needs chronological order anyway) we went biking eeeevvvveeerrryyywhere. Xavier, one of the people people that I was teaching in Springfield got baptized this weekend. In order to Skype in, we had to bike the whole six miles in the heat of the day through busy Medford traffic to the church so we could see it. It was quite the trip. We got a bit sunburned and Elder Green almost fell into a river. Good times.
We've been visiting Patrick and Southern a lot lately and they're doing really well. We've been reading from the Book of Mormon with them and they're coming out of their shell. We're hoping to get them comfortable enough to come to church. They're going to be a little bit of a project, but we're making lots of progress!
We also taught a few new people that we found and had a really good lesson with this lady named Cecilia. We taught her the Restoration for about 45 minutes and then she had a TON of questions for us afterwards. It was great. We feel like she could really make some progress.
Other than hifiving homeless guys, getting cussed out by a part member family, holding pigeons, and going on a hike in Ashland, not too much else has happened. We're just out and doing the work.
Have a great week everyone! Don't feed the wildlife.
Elder Jensen
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| Secret Passageways |
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| Don't worry, we looked out for trains |
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| We found President Monson's pigeons |
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| Splashland |
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| Take a hike! |
Medford 12: Walk This Way
This week was pretty good. It was super long. Definitely one of the
longest weeks ever. But it was still good!
We did a ton of walking. So much walking. My feet are super done and my brown shoes are super full of holes. Good thing I've only got a few weeks left! 😅 BUT everything's still good.
My new companion is named Elder Green from Dallas Texas. He's actually from the Ward that Hailee Hendricks is serving in right now. Funny how things work huh? He's a good guy and we're getting along pretty well.
Things are really really slow. All is well though. Honestly, there isn't too much to write about.
We had some good lessons with a few of our investigators. We sat down with Patrick and Southern and read from the Book of Mormon with them. The spirit was really there and we're going to be working with them a lot.
We also went out to lunch with Tom our less active friend! It was super sweet. He's such a good guy. We're going to hopefully start teaching his non member wife here soon.
That's really about it. Man, emailing is super hard. Sorry for being lame. I love you guys so much!
Have an awesome week!
Elder Jensen
A couple of Oregon sunsets this week....
We did a ton of walking. So much walking. My feet are super done and my brown shoes are super full of holes. Good thing I've only got a few weeks left! 😅 BUT everything's still good.
My new companion is named Elder Green from Dallas Texas. He's actually from the Ward that Hailee Hendricks is serving in right now. Funny how things work huh? He's a good guy and we're getting along pretty well.
Things are really really slow. All is well though. Honestly, there isn't too much to write about.
We had some good lessons with a few of our investigators. We sat down with Patrick and Southern and read from the Book of Mormon with them. The spirit was really there and we're going to be working with them a lot.
We also went out to lunch with Tom our less active friend! It was super sweet. He's such a good guy. We're going to hopefully start teaching his non member wife here soon.
That's really about it. Man, emailing is super hard. Sorry for being lame. I love you guys so much!
Have an awesome week!
Elder Jensen
A couple of Oregon sunsets this week....
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Medford 11: Easter 2K17
Hey everyone.
I hope you all had a Happy Easter. I know that we did here in Phoenix!
This week was pretty mellow. We did a lot of service and attempting to contact people that we were working with. It wasn't all too successful, but we still had a good time walking ourselves all over creation.
We were able to have some good lessons this week. We've been getting to know Patrick and Southern, the part member family we're teaching. They're super cool. We mowed their lawn with an old school rotating lawnmower. It was intense.
We had Zone Conference this week too. It was a great meeting and the spirit was super there! It was combined with the Klamath Falls and Central Point zones. It was really great to see so many friends from around the mission all the while being super spiritually uplifted.
Easter was so fantastic! This past week, I really did a lot of in depth study about the last week of the mortal life of the Savior. Study coupled with pondering really helped me to grow my testimony and appreciation for Him and the Easter season. I'm filled with so much gratitude for the sacrifice that He has made for us and for me. I really love Easter and wish that it was as big of a deal as other holidays, because it celebrates the most important event to ever happen. I'm so grateful for this gospel and all the blessings it's brought in to my life.
In other news, transfers have happened here in the good old OEM. Elder Davis is going up to Santa Clara, and my new companion is named Elder Green from Dallas Texas! He's fantastic and I love him already. This is going to be a great transfer and I'm super excited for the next few weeks here!
Thank you all for the love and support. Keep up the good work. Talk to you all soon!
Smooth Sailing,
Elder Jensen
I hope you all had a Happy Easter. I know that we did here in Phoenix!
This week was pretty mellow. We did a lot of service and attempting to contact people that we were working with. It wasn't all too successful, but we still had a good time walking ourselves all over creation.
We were able to have some good lessons this week. We've been getting to know Patrick and Southern, the part member family we're teaching. They're super cool. We mowed their lawn with an old school rotating lawnmower. It was intense.
We had Zone Conference this week too. It was a great meeting and the spirit was super there! It was combined with the Klamath Falls and Central Point zones. It was really great to see so many friends from around the mission all the while being super spiritually uplifted.
Easter was so fantastic! This past week, I really did a lot of in depth study about the last week of the mortal life of the Savior. Study coupled with pondering really helped me to grow my testimony and appreciation for Him and the Easter season. I'm filled with so much gratitude for the sacrifice that He has made for us and for me. I really love Easter and wish that it was as big of a deal as other holidays, because it celebrates the most important event to ever happen. I'm so grateful for this gospel and all the blessings it's brought in to my life.
In other news, transfers have happened here in the good old OEM. Elder Davis is going up to Santa Clara, and my new companion is named Elder Green from Dallas Texas! He's fantastic and I love him already. This is going to be a great transfer and I'm super excited for the next few weeks here!
Thank you all for the love and support. Keep up the good work. Talk to you all soon!
Smooth Sailing,
Elder Jensen
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| The last pic of the First Ward Gang |
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Medford 10
Happy Easter week everyone!
I hope that this week finds everyone well. Things have been going really nicely down here in the Medford/Phoenix area. We've been getting back into business lately.
We did a ton of service this week for a bunch of different places. We did a lot of yard work for the local cemetery in Phoenix, more work at the pear farm, and helping an older sister in our ward. It was so great to be able to go and help others while we're out here.
There was a Zone Training Meeting this Friday that was really great. We talked a lot about the importance of using the Scriptures in our teaching and how to personally study them. It was a good meeting and I really got a lot out of it. We also got sushi afterwards, so that was tops.
We had a few lessons this week with some of the investigators we've found the last little while. We found a family to teach which is great! They're awesome and met with the elders a while ago. Hopefully they'll get going here pretty soon.
Super best part of the week; we went on exchanges with the elders in 6th ward! Me and Elder Zilles killing it, just like the good old MTC. It was so much fun. We all bought huge tubs of ice cream and knocked a lot of doors. It was a grand old time.
That's about it for this week. We have a zone conference and transfer calls, so we'll know what's going on.
I hope you all have a wonderful week. Thank you for all the love and support!
Godspeed,
Elder Jensen
I hope that this week finds everyone well. Things have been going really nicely down here in the Medford/Phoenix area. We've been getting back into business lately.
We did a ton of service this week for a bunch of different places. We did a lot of yard work for the local cemetery in Phoenix, more work at the pear farm, and helping an older sister in our ward. It was so great to be able to go and help others while we're out here.
There was a Zone Training Meeting this Friday that was really great. We talked a lot about the importance of using the Scriptures in our teaching and how to personally study them. It was a good meeting and I really got a lot out of it. We also got sushi afterwards, so that was tops.
We had a few lessons this week with some of the investigators we've found the last little while. We found a family to teach which is great! They're awesome and met with the elders a while ago. Hopefully they'll get going here pretty soon.
Super best part of the week; we went on exchanges with the elders in 6th ward! Me and Elder Zilles killing it, just like the good old MTC. It was so much fun. We all bought huge tubs of ice cream and knocked a lot of doors. It was a grand old time.
That's about it for this week. We have a zone conference and transfer calls, so we'll know what's going on.
I hope you all have a wonderful week. Thank you for all the love and support!
Godspeed,
Elder Jensen
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Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Medford Something or Other...
Holla!
Hey everyone. It's Elder Jensen here in Phoenix.
Things have been going really well. This week was a lot slower than the last, but it's still been great.
A ton of people canceled on us this week, so there was a lot of walking and knocking with not a lot of people behind the doors. It was kind of disappointing, but we're working on keeping things going. We were still able to find a few people to teach. It was awesome.
The best part about this week definitely had to be general conference. Holy cow, this one was just PHENOMENAL. I swear that they get better and better as time goes on. This one was also super special because it's the last time I'll listen to conference before I go home.
We watched all the sessions at the church because all of our investigators flaked out. But it was such a spiritual experience nonetheless. Some personal favorites included her addresses given by Elder Renlund, President Uchtdorf, and our dear prophet President Monson. I took a whole slew of notes and was on a spiritual high for the next few hours.
That's honestly been the extent of the week. Hopefully this next one is better!
Love you all! Take care and don't be a square,
Elder Jensen
Hey everyone. It's Elder Jensen here in Phoenix.
Things have been going really well. This week was a lot slower than the last, but it's still been great.
A ton of people canceled on us this week, so there was a lot of walking and knocking with not a lot of people behind the doors. It was kind of disappointing, but we're working on keeping things going. We were still able to find a few people to teach. It was awesome.
The best part about this week definitely had to be general conference. Holy cow, this one was just PHENOMENAL. I swear that they get better and better as time goes on. This one was also super special because it's the last time I'll listen to conference before I go home.
We watched all the sessions at the church because all of our investigators flaked out. But it was such a spiritual experience nonetheless. Some personal favorites included her addresses given by Elder Renlund, President Uchtdorf, and our dear prophet President Monson. I took a whole slew of notes and was on a spiritual high for the next few hours.
That's honestly been the extent of the week. Hopefully this next one is better!
Love you all! Take care and don't be a square,
Elder Jensen
Medford 8: 9-9-9
Hey there everyone!
Oh man this week was fantastic. One of the best weeks of my mission for sure! I've gained a testimony of diligence over the past week, but I'll get to that in a minute.
There's a church welfare farm in Medford that we've started doing service at during the week. We've been hanging pheromones in the trees so that moths won't get into the pears and lay worms, because that's nasty. So pretty much it's been moth birth control on a stick. It's kinda hilarious.
We also taught some really swell lessons this week. We've gotten back in contact with Chris. He's doing pretty well, but still recovering from stuff. He's super excited for general conference this next week!
We also taught a lesson with Patrick and Southern inside their house. It was superb and the spirit was super strong.
Ricard is doing great! He's the funniest man I've ever met. After we taught him the restoration, he was super concerned why Brigham Young got a college named after him and Joseph Smith didn't. It was hilarious. We're moving his date back a little bit because he's smoking, but we're going to fix that!
So, the coolest thing happened this week. We decided to do a 12 hour tracting day on Saturday. 9 to 9 just straight knocking doors. 239 doors to be exact. We were out ALL DAY LONG. It was honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had on my mission. You wouldn't think that 12 hours of door knocking would be fun at all, but I had a blast! We found nine people to tech on Saturday and finished with 12 for the week! It really spoke to me that when we're turning our time over to the Lord, he'll take it from there. It was so great!
That's about it though! Have a great week everyone! Thanks for all the support!
Be nice,
Elder Jensen
Oh man this week was fantastic. One of the best weeks of my mission for sure! I've gained a testimony of diligence over the past week, but I'll get to that in a minute.
There's a church welfare farm in Medford that we've started doing service at during the week. We've been hanging pheromones in the trees so that moths won't get into the pears and lay worms, because that's nasty. So pretty much it's been moth birth control on a stick. It's kinda hilarious.
We also taught some really swell lessons this week. We've gotten back in contact with Chris. He's doing pretty well, but still recovering from stuff. He's super excited for general conference this next week!
We also taught a lesson with Patrick and Southern inside their house. It was superb and the spirit was super strong.
Ricard is doing great! He's the funniest man I've ever met. After we taught him the restoration, he was super concerned why Brigham Young got a college named after him and Joseph Smith didn't. It was hilarious. We're moving his date back a little bit because he's smoking, but we're going to fix that!
So, the coolest thing happened this week. We decided to do a 12 hour tracting day on Saturday. 9 to 9 just straight knocking doors. 239 doors to be exact. We were out ALL DAY LONG. It was honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had on my mission. You wouldn't think that 12 hours of door knocking would be fun at all, but I had a blast! We found nine people to tech on Saturday and finished with 12 for the week! It really spoke to me that when we're turning our time over to the Lord, he'll take it from there. It was so great!
That's about it though! Have a great week everyone! Thanks for all the support!
Be nice,
Elder Jensen
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Medford 7
This has been a really good week. We've had a lot of great things going on.
We found an investigator named Ricardo a few weeks ago and went back to see him this week. We didn't think much of him, but he's SUPER solid! We set a date with him for in April. He was so touched with the message of the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong. We're going to be seeing him often over the next few weeks.
We also met with some super interesting part-member families the past couple days. One was just the most stereotypical redneck family and the other was the complete opposite, the stereotypical hippie family. There was so much false doctrine thrown around. The latter group had a man that was balding in the front, with dreadlocks in the back. I call it the Drullet. There was also a lot of meditation going on. It was weird.
We really busted our butts this week. I'm trying to finish strong and make everyday I have count until I'm done. We also went to the temple, which is always a huge blessing. I love that place so much.
Thats it this week. Love you all so much.
Have a great week!
Elder Jensen
We found an investigator named Ricardo a few weeks ago and went back to see him this week. We didn't think much of him, but he's SUPER solid! We set a date with him for in April. He was so touched with the message of the Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so strong. We're going to be seeing him often over the next few weeks.
We also met with some super interesting part-member families the past couple days. One was just the most stereotypical redneck family and the other was the complete opposite, the stereotypical hippie family. There was so much false doctrine thrown around. The latter group had a man that was balding in the front, with dreadlocks in the back. I call it the Drullet. There was also a lot of meditation going on. It was weird.
We really busted our butts this week. I'm trying to finish strong and make everyday I have count until I'm done. We also went to the temple, which is always a huge blessing. I love that place so much.
Thats it this week. Love you all so much.
Have a great week!
Elder Jensen
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| Spring for life |
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| Medford Zone (minus the Sisters) |
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| Cute lil temple |
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Medford 6: The Phoenix Continues
Howdy All!
This week in Phoenix was really slow. We tried pretty hard towards the end of the week to find some people to teach and get around to all our people, but there wasn't a whole lot of success. No one's home man. But we're still working hard to get 'em going!
We took some members over to Drake's house to get him into more fellowship with the church. The lesson went ok. He has a lot of misconceptions about different points of doctrine, but after some time he'll be ready to go I know it!
So, we accidentally went to Grants Pass for a service project. There were these guys who needed some wood cut and said that the project "wasn't very far away". Yeah. It was the most unprofessional and thrown together service ever. But it was fun!
We also got transfer information a day early?? Our mission President called us on Thursday and told us that we were staying together for another transfer in Phoenix and that he sees really big things happening! We're excited for this next transfer together.
We had a Zone Training meeting on Friday. The messages shared were awesome and the spirit was super strong. Elder Davis and I had the chance to present on charity which was really neat. I was grateful for the opportunity.
Thank you all for the support! It means so much to me. Have a great week.
Be good or be good at it,
Elder Jensen
This week in Phoenix was really slow. We tried pretty hard towards the end of the week to find some people to teach and get around to all our people, but there wasn't a whole lot of success. No one's home man. But we're still working hard to get 'em going!
We took some members over to Drake's house to get him into more fellowship with the church. The lesson went ok. He has a lot of misconceptions about different points of doctrine, but after some time he'll be ready to go I know it!
So, we accidentally went to Grants Pass for a service project. There were these guys who needed some wood cut and said that the project "wasn't very far away". Yeah. It was the most unprofessional and thrown together service ever. But it was fun!
We also got transfer information a day early?? Our mission President called us on Thursday and told us that we were staying together for another transfer in Phoenix and that he sees really big things happening! We're excited for this next transfer together.
We had a Zone Training meeting on Friday. The messages shared were awesome and the spirit was super strong. Elder Davis and I had the chance to present on charity which was really neat. I was grateful for the opportunity.
Thank you all for the support! It means so much to me. Have a great week.
Be good or be good at it,
Elder Jensen
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| Medford Zone for Life |
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| First Ward - bad lighting, good people |
Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Medford 5
Howdy Folks! It's Elder Jensen.
This week was really sweet. We had a lot of great things going on.
On Tuesday, we went on splits with the Zone Leaders. We did some service for a member in Phoenix stacking firewood. Then we went to the hospital because Elder Bunker got himself a nice case of swimmer's ear. How he did that, we're not sure. We gave him a lot of grief for that.
Wednesday we had Zone Conference in Central Point. The meeting was combined with us (Medford), Central Point, and Klamath Falls zones. Packed house. It was a pretty good meeting and got me pumped for the rest of the week. I also got to see some good mission friends which is always a treat.
On Friday we went on exchanges with the Elders in the 6th Ward, Elder Perterson and Wagstaff. We had a ton of fun and got a lot of work done. We also got lost in a vineyard, which we thought was kind of funny.
We've had some really good lessons this week. Church didn't freak Drake out!! He actually really enjoyed it and wants to come back. We're hoping to invite him to be baptized here pretty soon.
We also got back in with Patrick. We really emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon and why we need to read it regularly.
We finished out the week with a tracting extravaganza and found 4 new people to teach! It was awesome.
That's about it. I hope everyone has a great week! Lots of love!
Eat Fresh,
Elder Jensen
jensen.chase@myldsmail.net
This week was really sweet. We had a lot of great things going on.
On Tuesday, we went on splits with the Zone Leaders. We did some service for a member in Phoenix stacking firewood. Then we went to the hospital because Elder Bunker got himself a nice case of swimmer's ear. How he did that, we're not sure. We gave him a lot of grief for that.
Wednesday we had Zone Conference in Central Point. The meeting was combined with us (Medford), Central Point, and Klamath Falls zones. Packed house. It was a pretty good meeting and got me pumped for the rest of the week. I also got to see some good mission friends which is always a treat.
On Friday we went on exchanges with the Elders in the 6th Ward, Elder Perterson and Wagstaff. We had a ton of fun and got a lot of work done. We also got lost in a vineyard, which we thought was kind of funny.
We've had some really good lessons this week. Church didn't freak Drake out!! He actually really enjoyed it and wants to come back. We're hoping to invite him to be baptized here pretty soon.
We also got back in with Patrick. We really emphasized the importance of the Book of Mormon and why we need to read it regularly.
We finished out the week with a tracting extravaganza and found 4 new people to teach! It was awesome.
That's about it. I hope everyone has a great week! Lots of love!
Eat Fresh,
Elder Jensen
jensen.chase@myldsmail.net
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| Zone Conference with friends from home Elder Garrett Peterson far left and Elder Calvin Pace far right are both from our Stake |
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| Johnson and Jensen reunited |
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| Exchanges in the vineyard |
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| Elders Quorum |
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Medford 4
Hey there everyone!
This week was pretty grand. It was one of those weeks where it doesn't feel like a whole ton of things happened, but looking back there was. It also just fllllleeewwwww on by. The days are getting shorter and shorter and it's reminding me that I've only got so much time left. I'm really grateful to make the most of every day I have!
Some of the highlights of this week:
We did a lot of service for different people, both members and non-members. I'm always grateful for the opportunity to do service, even if it's just moving some boxes around or helping an older sister work her computer.
We were able to nab a new couch during one of the moves which was a huge blessing!
We did a lot of finding for people, but I guess that's not what was in store for us this week. We did teach a lot of lessons though. I can now say that I've met pretty much everyone that we've been working with regularly, so I'm all up to speed now.
We met with two really great investigators this week, Drake and Chris. Drake is an older father who's looking for a new church and really has enjoyed our message. He even came to church this week! 🎉 Unfortunately it was the most non-investigator friendly church service EVER. It was Ward Conference, we sang "Oh my Father", had the most off the wall discussions in Gospel Principles, and had a member pray to Jesus. Poor Drake!
Chris is also super sweet! He's a younger guy who knows SO much. He's one of the most interesting people that I've ever met in my life. He's super humble and really seeking for truth, and thinks he's on to something with the church. The guy has already read the entire Book of Mormon. He's super solid. We were able to give him a blessing due to some health problems he's been having, and he really appreciated it. I'm excited to keep working with him!
Other fun things included biking to diner in sub 40 degree temperatures, dealing with the crazy Oregon weather, nursing Elder Lambson back to health, and making outrageous amounts of pasta for six Elders. It was a blast!
That's it for this week. Thank you for all the prayers and support! Talk to you next time.
Something inspirational,
Elder Jensen
This week was pretty grand. It was one of those weeks where it doesn't feel like a whole ton of things happened, but looking back there was. It also just fllllleeewwwww on by. The days are getting shorter and shorter and it's reminding me that I've only got so much time left. I'm really grateful to make the most of every day I have!
Some of the highlights of this week:
We did a lot of service for different people, both members and non-members. I'm always grateful for the opportunity to do service, even if it's just moving some boxes around or helping an older sister work her computer.
We were able to nab a new couch during one of the moves which was a huge blessing!
We did a lot of finding for people, but I guess that's not what was in store for us this week. We did teach a lot of lessons though. I can now say that I've met pretty much everyone that we've been working with regularly, so I'm all up to speed now.
We met with two really great investigators this week, Drake and Chris. Drake is an older father who's looking for a new church and really has enjoyed our message. He even came to church this week! 🎉 Unfortunately it was the most non-investigator friendly church service EVER. It was Ward Conference, we sang "Oh my Father", had the most off the wall discussions in Gospel Principles, and had a member pray to Jesus. Poor Drake!
Chris is also super sweet! He's a younger guy who knows SO much. He's one of the most interesting people that I've ever met in my life. He's super humble and really seeking for truth, and thinks he's on to something with the church. The guy has already read the entire Book of Mormon. He's super solid. We were able to give him a blessing due to some health problems he's been having, and he really appreciated it. I'm excited to keep working with him!
Other fun things included biking to diner in sub 40 degree temperatures, dealing with the crazy Oregon weather, nursing Elder Lambson back to health, and making outrageous amounts of pasta for six Elders. It was a blast!
That's it for this week. Thank you for all the prayers and support! Talk to you next time.
Something inspirational,
Elder Jensen
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| Squad |
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Medford 3
Hello Everyone!
Things are going well over here in the Medford Phoenix Metropolitan area. We've been working to increase our teaching pool and hopefully start working with a lot of our investigators. We're making a really big push as a Zone, and Mission wide, to help investigators move toward baptism so we're hoping to see results.
This week was super fun. We went on a two day exchange with the Zone Leaders and it was a blast! I love those guys so much and we were able to get a lot of work done whilst enjoying ourselves. We spent a lot of time trying to track the investigators to set up appointments. That wasn't really successful, so we're going to be focusing on that again this week.
We also had interviews with our Mission President on Thursday. They were so great, President Russell is a fantastic man. He really helped me through some of the concerns and thoughts I was having as my mission is starting to wrap up. I really felt the love and confirmation that what I'm doing is right and that everything is going to be ok! We also had some super sweet training on the Plan of Salvation and the tree of life, which was very insightful.
We had some great meetings with people this week. Our investigator Susie is pretty interested in what we have to say after we smoothed out some of the issues from past missionaries. The spirit was totally there and we feel she got a lot out of our meeting as we reestablished expectations.
We also had another lesson with Deva our less active friend. She's such a great lady, I love her! She was having a lot questions about her personal testimony and why she hasn't felt a huge "burning in the bosom" type experience. We talked and testified of the small and the simple things we can do to continue to build our testimonies. It was fantastic!
Other fun things from this week; I taught Elder Davis how to ride a bike, we had some Indian Food, and we accidentally walked all the way to the city south of us called Talent. It was adventurous.
Thank you all for the support and the prayers! It really means so much I can't begin to tell you!
Have a great week!
Keep it real,
Elder Jensen
Things are going well over here in the Medford Phoenix Metropolitan area. We've been working to increase our teaching pool and hopefully start working with a lot of our investigators. We're making a really big push as a Zone, and Mission wide, to help investigators move toward baptism so we're hoping to see results.
This week was super fun. We went on a two day exchange with the Zone Leaders and it was a blast! I love those guys so much and we were able to get a lot of work done whilst enjoying ourselves. We spent a lot of time trying to track the investigators to set up appointments. That wasn't really successful, so we're going to be focusing on that again this week.
We also had interviews with our Mission President on Thursday. They were so great, President Russell is a fantastic man. He really helped me through some of the concerns and thoughts I was having as my mission is starting to wrap up. I really felt the love and confirmation that what I'm doing is right and that everything is going to be ok! We also had some super sweet training on the Plan of Salvation and the tree of life, which was very insightful.
We had some great meetings with people this week. Our investigator Susie is pretty interested in what we have to say after we smoothed out some of the issues from past missionaries. The spirit was totally there and we feel she got a lot out of our meeting as we reestablished expectations.
We also had another lesson with Deva our less active friend. She's such a great lady, I love her! She was having a lot questions about her personal testimony and why she hasn't felt a huge "burning in the bosom" type experience. We talked and testified of the small and the simple things we can do to continue to build our testimonies. It was fantastic!
Other fun things from this week; I taught Elder Davis how to ride a bike, we had some Indian Food, and we accidentally walked all the way to the city south of us called Talent. It was adventurous.
Thank you all for the support and the prayers! It really means so much I can't begin to tell you!
Have a great week!
Keep it real,
Elder Jensen
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| Medford 1st Ward Gang |
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| Elder Davis: Balance Master |
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| Rain biking builds character (I hope) |
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