Monday, April 23, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Living the Dream!
Hi everyone!
This has been the best week of my mission. Iwona got baptized, and we´re having another baptism this weekend, with our investigator Allessandra! She´s been investigating for about a year, now, and she is so ready!
But that´s not all. We got some amazing news in the mail today, from the mission office:
"Es gibt so viel Erfolg in der Mission, wir wollten euch nur kurz Bescheid geben. Es wird getauft wie verrückt! Vorletzte Woche, gab es 9 Taufen (wir haben die Zahlen seit 2006, und es gab noch nie 9 Taufen in einer Woche), 5 Taufen letzte Woche, und 8 werden diese Woche getauft! Das ist durchschnittlich über eine Taufe pro Tag!"
And for those that don´t speak German:
"There is so much success in the mission that we wanted to tell you all about it. There are baptism like crazy! The week before last, there were 9 baptisms (we have the numbers from 2006, and there was never that many baptism in one week), 5 baptism last week, and 8 more will be baptised this weekend! On average, that is a little more than one baptism per day!"
The revelations for Germany are really coming to pass! We can just feel it in the air. And so many crazy miracles happened this week that I don´t even know where I could start! Hard work is being paid off, and the whole mission is feeling a new spirit of hope. It´s such a good feeling.
Sister Bognar and I are working hard and having fun. Things are going really well. Everyone please pray for Allessandra as she gets ready for her baptism!
Love you all, enjoy the pictures,
Sister Jensen
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Happy Easter
Hallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister JensenHallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister JensenHallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister JensenHallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister Jensen
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister JensenHallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister JensenHallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister JensenHallo!
I hope you all had fabulous Easter celebrations! We had a good Easter here, too. In Germany, they have a four-day Easter weekend, beginning with Karfreitag (Good Friday) and ending with Ostermontag (Easter Monday... no idea if that has real religious significance, or if they just get an extra day off work. :)) It was a good opportunity to talk about Jesus Christ, and to go door-to-door singing Easter songs. I think I sang, `Christ the Lord is Risen Today` about 100 times.
Another fun Easter tradition here is to have an Osterbaum, which is the same idea as a Christmas tree, but for easter, and not a pine tree, and they hang decorated blown eggs on it. Some are really cool.
We had some really good lessons this week, and there are some new people we´re really excited about, too. Also, my host sister from the MTC, Sister Braaksma (the one who greeted me, took my luggage, and showed me around the MTC) just got home from her mission, and her home ward is Duisburg, Germany, so I see her at Institute every week! It was such a random coincidence. But then it hit me... she was in the MTC at the same time as me, so if she´s home, I must be going home soon, too! Weird.
My two favorite quotes from this week:
“The greatest battle of life is fought out within the silent chambers of the soul. A victory on the inside of a man’s heart is worth a hundred conquests on the battlefields of life. To be master of yourself is the best guarantee that you will be master of the situation. Know thyself. The crown of character is self-control.” - Unknown author, quoted by President Kimball
"your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin to choose eternal life!" - Randall K. Bennett
I have been studying apostasy, and I read some really interesting verses about it in the New Testament. Everything makes so much sense when you understand the pattern of prophets and apostasy, and when you understand that, then it´s so obvious that a restoration had to happen. If I was a theologian, and I didn´t have a knowledge of the Restoration, I don´t know how I`d even tie my shoes in the morning.
Iwona´s doing great and is very excited for her baptism this weekend. We called her yesterday, and she had been feeling really depressed because her friends are still being so weird around her and not talking to her because of the church, and she was feeling lonely, but then she said, `So I just went out and talked to some people about the church, and gave them some of those cards you gave me´ (passalong cards). If only everyone had that attitude! And one time we called her in the evening, and she was reading Doctrine & Covenants to her kids as they fell asleep. I am just so impressed by her. I feel like I´m the one who´s learning from her, not the other way around.
That´s about it for this week! I love you all!
Sister Jensen
Monday, April 2, 2012
Our Hilario(us) New Investigator
Hello, everyone!
I was really re-charged and inspired by General Conference. It was a little hard to concentrate while juggling investigators' kids, but I still had some really strong impressions that came to me while listening to the talks. I'm sure you've all had similar experiences, but I could have sworn a few of the talks were talking directly to me.
This week, we got a referral! (One of 6 referrals I've gotten my whole mission). In most parts of America, missionary work is almost entirely referral-based, but in Germany they are few and far between. This one came from the Hawaii temple Visitor Center. A family from Germany -- The Hilario family -- was on vacation there. They hadn't planned to visit the temple, but they decided to go, just to use the bathroom. They met some sister missionaries there who spoke their native language (Tagalog -- they're from the Phillipines), and in the end asked if they could have a tour after all. A few weeks later we got the referral that they wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon, which we delivered, and they invited us to come back and teach their family! We're meeting with them again on Wednesday.
Other than that, everything's going really well. I registered for my BYU classes last week, including German 330. :) Should be good!
I love you all!
Sister Jensen
I was really re-charged and inspired by General Conference. It was a little hard to concentrate while juggling investigators' kids, but I still had some really strong impressions that came to me while listening to the talks. I'm sure you've all had similar experiences, but I could have sworn a few of the talks were talking directly to me.
This week, we got a referral! (One of 6 referrals I've gotten my whole mission). In most parts of America, missionary work is almost entirely referral-based, but in Germany they are few and far between. This one came from the Hawaii temple Visitor Center. A family from Germany -- The Hilario family -- was on vacation there. They hadn't planned to visit the temple, but they decided to go, just to use the bathroom. They met some sister missionaries there who spoke their native language (Tagalog -- they're from the Phillipines), and in the end asked if they could have a tour after all. A few weeks later we got the referral that they wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon, which we delivered, and they invited us to come back and teach their family! We're meeting with them again on Wednesday.
Other than that, everything's going really well. I registered for my BYU classes last week, including German 330. :) Should be good!
I love you all!
Sister Jensen
Monday, March 26, 2012
Hello Everyone
Hello everyone!
I have a crazy story for you today. We gave Iwona a conference talk about temples, and she called us and said, "We're going to have to talk very seriously next time we meet." We were a little nervous, but figured she just had questions about temples. Then, the day of our next appointment, she called us and said, "We can't meet at my house today. Instead, I want to meet you in the Altstadt" (Altstadt is the middle of the city, where all of the bars are, and it's always really packed). We had a really weird feeling, and so we asked her if everything was okay, and she said, "Yes, everything's fine, but today I'm going to be talking, and you're going to be listening."
*GULP*
We thought for sure she was going to tell us she doesn't want to meet with us anymore. Well, we went to the Altstadt, and Iwona was acting really mysterious. The only place where we could find a little peace and quiet was in the St. Andreus Kirche (a Catholic cathedral). We sat down on the steps, and said, "So... what did you want to talk about, Iwona?"
"Yes. My baptism?"
"What about your baptism?"
"When is it? And what else do I have to do?"
And then we set a baptismal date with her, right there, on the steps of the cathedral! I think it was one of the happiest days on my mission! She is so cool, she has such strong faith, and she is ready! But man, she really gave us a heart attack, haha. We had been panicking the whole afternoon.
She'll be baptized on the 14th of April, so I'll be here for it!
Another cool thing is that I got a letter that same day from Grandma Jones, where she said she had been praying for Iwona. After we set the baptismal date, I pulled out the letter and read that part to her. She got a little teary-eyed and said, "Oh, I like your grandmother." I know a lot of you prayed for Iwona. Thank you so much. I know it made a difference.
That was definitely the highlight of the week, but we also found some really cool people and had some amazing, faith-building experiences. This week we really saw how fasting and prayer works. I've been studying about the Holy Ghost, and I'm learning so much. There's always something new to learn. I'm also trying to read the Book of Mormon again before I come home, and this time I'm reading it backwards (starting in Moroni 10).
I love you all!
Sister Jensen
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sister Bogner and I are staying together!
Hello, everyone!
It's a beautiful day, and I have marvelous news: Sister Bognár and I are staying together!
We had totally given up on the idea; in our mission it's really rare to stay together for so long, especially when both of us are so 'old'. It's about the best gift I could ever have! I'm ridiculously happy, and we both have the feeling that something great is going to happen this transfer. We're full of a lot of hope and faith!
This means I will end my mission here in Düsseldorf, with Sister Bognár. My hungarian vocabulary is growing every day. I'm a little bit weirded out to think that I'm in my last transfer, but I'm not trunky, and I'm working hard right up to the end. There's a really great quote from C.S. Lewis that describes how I feel:
“We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes in the airing cupboard.”
Anyway, enough of that topic. I may have mentioned it last week, but Iwona finished reading the Book of Mormon (in less than two weeks! How many of us do that?) and she said it was like she was hungry for more. She told us that she's ready for baptism, but that she's really scared at the same time, because her best friend stopped talked to her entirely because she's meeting with us. On one hand, it's easy to say, "Well, she wasn't a very good friend, then," but either way it's really hard on Iwona, and she's lost a huge source of friendship and support. She's afraid of what others will say -- especially her family -- if she gets baptized. Please pray for her!
Lots of miracles are happening in our mission right now. We had a conference call with our mission president and he told us some stories that blew my mind. There's a promise for Germany that there will one day be 100's of stakes and dozens of temples. Right now, you can count the number of stakes in Germany on one hand, and there are two temples. That means that something is going to change in the next few years, and we're already starting to feel it!
I love you all, thank you for your love and support.
Sister Jensen
P.S. I'm attatching a picture of me with Iwona and her kids, as well as a picture from the cathedrals we looked at last p-day. The last one is of Sister Bognar and I in a confessional. (we had some things to talk about). :)
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Kelsey
Quick question for you Kelsey. If you are checking what I post to Kristin's blog and see this, could you please send me your e-mail address at barbaraellenjensen@gmail.com. Hope you are doing well.
Kristin's mutter
Kristin's mutter
A few good quotes
Hello!
I hope you're all enjoying the change in weather as much as we are! I have heard a lot of people sneezing around here, and to me that is a beautiful sign of good things to come.
Mostly, today, I wanted to share a few of my new favorite quotes:
"And it is my duty to say to you that the need was never greater of new revelation than now. ... Men have come to speak of revelation as somewhat long ago given and done, as if God were dead. It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake. "
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness -- they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strenth of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means -- the only complete realist."
- C.S. Lewis
So those are my thoughts for today: 1) That God lives, and that we have revelations today, and 2) to encourage all of you to 'walk against the wind' this week, and by doing so find out how strong you truly are. A good tip for that is to "stop doing today one thing you know you shouldn't do, and never do it again!"
Some other quick notes:
- Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming to Düsseldorf this week! We'll have Zone Conference with him on Thursday. He is also holding a meeting for members and investigators, and Iwona is going to come, along with a few other people we're working with. Speaking of which...
- Iwona called us this morning to tell us that she read the Book of Mormon until 2:00 AM this morning becuase she couldn't put it down. She is now in 3rd Nephi! Please pray for her.
Lots of love,
Sister Jensen
I hope you're all enjoying the change in weather as much as we are! I have heard a lot of people sneezing around here, and to me that is a beautiful sign of good things to come.
Mostly, today, I wanted to share a few of my new favorite quotes:
"And it is my duty to say to you that the need was never greater of new revelation than now. ... Men have come to speak of revelation as somewhat long ago given and done, as if God were dead. It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake. "
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness -- they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strenth of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means -- the only complete realist."
- C.S. Lewis
So those are my thoughts for today: 1) That God lives, and that we have revelations today, and 2) to encourage all of you to 'walk against the wind' this week, and by doing so find out how strong you truly are. A good tip for that is to "stop doing today one thing you know you shouldn't do, and never do it again!"
Some other quick notes:
- Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming to Düsseldorf this week! We'll have Zone Conference with him on Thursday. He is also holding a meeting for members and investigators, and Iwona is going to come, along with a few other people we're working with. Speaking of which...
- Iwona called us this morning to tell us that she read the Book of Mormon until 2:00 AM this morning becuase she couldn't put it down. She is now in 3rd Nephi! Please pray for her.
Lots of love,
Sister Jensen
Monday, February 27, 2012
Cool Book of Mormon Stories
Hey, everyone!
I just have a cool story for this week. But first, if you haven't seen this video yet, got watch it: http://www.youtube.com/MormonMessages#p/c/4E784EC0770935C0/5/3dNYpXZIN_c
It's about five minutes long, and really good.
Anyway, the hightlight of my week (and this shows how us missionaries are so easy to please): We have an investigator, Iwona, who I love a lot. She is so cool, and she knows the Bible really well. The only problem is that she never read in the Book of Mormon. We explained that the Book of Mormon is a major part of our belief, and, essentially, is the difference between our religion and all other Christian religions. We also explained that we are promised that we can get an answer about its truthfulness if we just read it. But she never "got around" to reading it.
But anyway. We kept meeting with her, and she was always pretty skeptical, and asked a lot of complicated questions, and always wanted proof for things. That was also okay, because that's what we're here for -- to answer questions -- but the spirit wasn't there. There was always an edge of contention. She was trying to prove the Book of Mormon to be wrong without reading it. So, finally, we simply asked her again to read the Book of Mormon: at least one page a day. She said, "Well, if I'm going to read one page a day, I might as well read a chapter a day."
We came back the next day, half-expecting that she hadn't read anything. She had read 10 chapters! She said that the words really spoke to her. She still had questions, and we gladly discussed them, but that contention and "bible-bashing" wasn't there. It was just nice. We came back two days later, and she had read until Mosiah 11! (about 170 pages in). I can't even describe how she had changed, but there was something different about Iwona. She was glowing. She looked so happy and beautiful. And I mean literally beautiful. I think that may be one of the best-kept beauty secrets in the world.
We later found out that Iwona's friends and former pastor are trying to get her to stop meeting with us. They told her that we're some weird cult, or that we're dangerous, or that we're going to grind her children's bones to make our bread or something, and she told us, "I told them to get lost. I'm going to find out if it's true or not, and no one is going to stop me."
There's a power that comes just from reading the Book of Mormon. The words written in it are powerful, but there's something else in the book that has almost nothing to do with the words on the page. I don't know why anyone wouldn't read it. I mean, if it's true, it's the most amazing and wonderful message in the world! If it's not true, it's still worth reading for curiosity's sake, because 14 million members throughout the world read it in 200 different languages and base their lives on it.
The only reason I see for people not reading the Book of Mormon is lack of time. It is kind of long, I guess. But the audiobook can be downloaded for free! :) I think you can download it here: http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon/
We also had Zone Conference this week in Dortmund, and that was cool. What else happened? Lately I feel like the days feel like weeks, and the weeks feel like days. I'm having a great time, though. Sister Bognar and I are enjoying what little time we have left together as companions! We think we're going to get split up for our last cycle. But luckily that's not for another three weeks.
Love you all!
Sister Jensen
P.S. Pictures!
No.1 - Spring is (almost) here! These were the first blossoms I saw.
No.2 - Sister Bognar and I eating "Wunderbars." Sometimes, when appointments fall out, or we get a way bad rejection, we just need chocolate.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Hello, everyone!
Man, I think every week is the new best week of my life. Yesterday, we had a whole day where everything was going just perfectly! At the end of the day we decided to count up how many miracles we had seen, and we counted 13. Some were small (like miraculously catching the tram to church), and others were a little bigger. For example, we haven't been able to get ahold of one of our investigators for almost a week, and we were sitting in the train thinking, 'Man, I wish we could just talk to him...' and just then he called us and asked if we could meet that night! We had a really powerful lesson with him. He's one of those rare people who is genuinely seeking truth. And he's a 21-year-old guy. There are so many other things he could be doing, but he takes time out of his social life to see if our message is true.
Oh, I was also in Hamm again this week, on a split. It was cool to be back there. I have so many good memories from that city!
This weekend is Karneval, and it's really big in Köln and Düsseldorf. Everywhere we go there are people dressed up in costumes. It's basically like Halloween mixed with Mardi Gras, except it's the whole weekend (from Thursday until Monday -- today is the big day), and people get way more drunk. Also, unlike Halloween in the states, EVERYONE dresses up here. Older people too (like 60, 70, 80-year-olds, even). And the costumes are sort of more... I don't know. Silly. Or wacky. I don't know the right word. Like how you'd picture cheap costumes in the states. And the most common ones are hippies (like 1970's hippies with flower-print bellbottoms), American Indians, and clowns. It was really funny to go to the train station and see a sea of costumes.
Sometimes it's not so funny, though, because there are so many drunk people smashing beer bottles all over the place. We were told by the mission not to go downtown for the whole week. It's so packed and there's so much broken glass on the ground that drunk people who fall down get cut up way bad. Also, we were in a train yesterday (Sunday) and a big fight started on the train, and we were with our investigator's little kids and they were crying and scared because people were screaming and pushing and throwing glass bottles. The police were already waiting at the next stop, though, and they broke it up. But that was only after three or four people dressed as policemen for Karneval tried to break it up, haha. I think they were also drunk, and thought they were real policemen.
We had a really cool experience this week: We doored into a man and offered to sing him a song for Karneval, and he was really touched by the music, and he told us that the day before he was considering committing suicide, but then he didn't, and he prayed to God saying that he wanted to find the truth, and whatever God sent him as a sign, that was the way that he would follow. Then the next day, we were there. We talked to him for about an hour, and made out an appointment to come back. I almost couldn't believe it. It was like a story straight out of the Ensign. God really does look out for his children.
There were about ten other cool stories from this week, but they'll have to wait! I never even get time to write everything in my journal anymore because so much happens every day! I am just loving life right now. It is the happiest time in my mission.
I love all of you so much! If you get time, please pray for our investigators. We have so many who are so close, and they could use your faith.
Lots of love and hugs,
Sister Jensen
P.S. I attatched a picture. It's of all 6 of us Sisters up in the north part of our mission. After our split we met in Dortmund and all went out to lunch.
From Left:
Sister Bognar (my companion), Sister Garlick, Sister Bulloch (from Cedar City), Sister Floyd, Sister Jackson, and me!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day
Guten Tag!
Well, we finally got some snow here. This whole winter was freezing cold, but with no real snow. In honor of the occasion, here's a song Sister Thaden and I wrote last year (to be sung to the tune of 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland')
Klingels* ring, no one answers
In the street, awkward glances,
With three pairs of tights, we're still freezing tonight,
tracting in a winter wonderland.
(chorus:)
By the Bahnhof** we can have a Street Preach
Singing songs until the sun goes down.
Hopefully we'll find some people to teach,
at least until the J Dubbs*** come around...
(*Doorbells, **Train Station, ***Jehova's Witnesses (JW))
Something really cool happened this week. First, I have to tell the backstory. We were contacting in some Student Housing about 5 weeks ago, and we talked to a 21-year-old guy who had just barely heard something about our church on TV. He had a few questions, but for the most part he was just being really flirty with us and sort of making fun of us. We gave him a card and a Book of Mormon anyway, not thinking anything would come of it. But then, last week, he called us up randomly, and asked if we could meet up and tell him more about our church! It was really cool. We still didn't know what to expect, but we met with him and he was totally different. He was really serious, and said that he wanted to learn more about us, because he was looking for the truth. Since then, we've taught him twice and he came to a ward activity and loves the ward already! We're going to pass him off to the Elders, though, since he's a single man. But it was really cool to see that you never know how even a short contact with the church can affect someone!
That was probably the best story from this week. We've been running around like crazy! It's such a good time of my mission right now.
Sister Bognar says hello!
All the best,
Sister Jensen
Well, we finally got some snow here. This whole winter was freezing cold, but with no real snow. In honor of the occasion, here's a song Sister Thaden and I wrote last year (to be sung to the tune of 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland')
Klingels* ring, no one answers
In the street, awkward glances,
With three pairs of tights, we're still freezing tonight,
tracting in a winter wonderland.
(chorus:)
By the Bahnhof** we can have a Street Preach
Singing songs until the sun goes down.
Hopefully we'll find some people to teach,
at least until the J Dubbs*** come around...
(*Doorbells, **Train Station, ***Jehova's Witnesses (JW))
Something really cool happened this week. First, I have to tell the backstory. We were contacting in some Student Housing about 5 weeks ago, and we talked to a 21-year-old guy who had just barely heard something about our church on TV. He had a few questions, but for the most part he was just being really flirty with us and sort of making fun of us. We gave him a card and a Book of Mormon anyway, not thinking anything would come of it. But then, last week, he called us up randomly, and asked if we could meet up and tell him more about our church! It was really cool. We still didn't know what to expect, but we met with him and he was totally different. He was really serious, and said that he wanted to learn more about us, because he was looking for the truth. Since then, we've taught him twice and he came to a ward activity and loves the ward already! We're going to pass him off to the Elders, though, since he's a single man. But it was really cool to see that you never know how even a short contact with the church can affect someone!
That was probably the best story from this week. We've been running around like crazy! It's such a good time of my mission right now.
Sister Bognar says hello!
All the best,
Sister Jensen
Monday, February 6, 2012
Happy News!
Hello, everyone!
Well, a lot happened this week, but the best part is that Sister Bognar and I are staying together for another transfer! It´s the best possible news we ever could have gotten! Seriously, the past six weeks have been the best of my mission, and now I get six more!
We were scared because a couple of new Sisters came in and neither of us wanted to be trainers (since we both trained last time) but we´re both among the oldest Sisters in the mission, now. I´m only one transfer "older" than Sister Bognar.
Anyway, it´s a beautiful day. Really cold, but the sun is shining, and I think spring will come early!
Sorry this email is so short. We´re healthy, happy, and having the time of our lives! Miracles are happening!
Lots of love,
Sister Jensen
Well, a lot happened this week, but the best part is that Sister Bognar and I are staying together for another transfer! It´s the best possible news we ever could have gotten! Seriously, the past six weeks have been the best of my mission, and now I get six more!
We were scared because a couple of new Sisters came in and neither of us wanted to be trainers (since we both trained last time) but we´re both among the oldest Sisters in the mission, now. I´m only one transfer "older" than Sister Bognar.
Anyway, it´s a beautiful day. Really cold, but the sun is shining, and I think spring will come early!
Sorry this email is so short. We´re healthy, happy, and having the time of our lives! Miracles are happening!
Lots of love,
Sister Jensen
Monday, January 30, 2012
Living like a Narnian
Hallo,
We had a pretty great week! We talked to a lot of really cool people and have lots of appointments with new investigators set up for next week, which is always a good feeling. (Although, statistically, about 50% of all appointments fall out, but that's why we make back-up plans!)
I just wanted to share really quickly how much the Book of Mormon means to me. I read something in Ether a few days ago that I want to share:
"And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and floods which shall come..." (Ether 2:25)
In this verse, it's talking about how God literally prepared the people to cross the ocean to the promised land, but I though it fits really well figuratively as well. The 'Great Deep' can also represent life. The waves try to bury us, the winds blow, and the floods come. But God knows all of that, and he will "prepare us against these things," so that we can "have light when [we] are swallowed up in the depths of the sea."
There is so much to learn in the Book of Mormon. And the best part is that it's not just beautiful literature that could possibly be true. It is true. It comes from God. And that means that when it says in the Book of Mormon that there's life after death, there IS life after death. When it says in the Book of Mormon that prayers are answered, prayers ARE answered. When it says that keeping the commandments of God will lead to happiness, it WILL lead to happiness. When it says that Christ is real -- and that he really came, and that he really saved us from sin, and made it possible to change -- then it's true. We can count on it, and we can live like it's true.
There are so many different opinions and philosophies in the world, and if I tried to test them all out, I would get so confused and twisted around, because a lot of them make sense, at least partially. But luckily, I don't have to! I can trust every word on every line on every page of the Book of Mormon.
Sometimes I just want to go up to people, hold up the Book of Mormon, and say, "You should read this book. You don't know it yet, but it will change your life. I said goodbye to my family for 18 months just to give this book out to people... for FREE, for heaven's sakes. What can you lose? Read it, and ask God about it!"
Something I hear almost every day is, "You can't know that there's a God. What proof do you have that there's a God?"
To that, I quote Alma and say, "What proof do you have that there's NOT a God? "The scriptures are laid before thee, and all things denote there is a God; even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, and its motion, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."
There's a quote from C.S. Lewis, from one of the Chronicles of Narnia books, that says, “I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.” That's how I feel about my faith sometimes. People can say what they want, but I'm on Christ's side, and I'm going to live like a Christian, no matter what.
I love you all so much! I hope things are going well at home. We're still hearing stuff about Mitt Romney every day. I'll have to study more about it when I come home.
All the best,
Sister Jensen
Monday, January 23, 2012
Singing In the Rain
Guten Nachmittag!
Diese Woche war AUSGEZEICHNET! (awesome week)
We had so many miracles that I don't even know where to start! We were running around like crazy and contacting every person who came into view, and there were so many times where I just thought, 'I am in exactly the right place at the right time. Only God could be organizing this.' Also, I don't know why, but I just feel such a LOVE for Germans! It came on really suddenly, but for some reason I just feel this super deep love for Germany and Germans and the language and the weather and everything. I feel like I'm living in a dream!
It was really rainy this week, but we went contacting along the Rhine a lot, and it was so cool, with the stormy weather and all. I'll send pictures next week. And we talked to so many cool people who were just out there, in the rain, staring at the river and contemplating life. I realized that coming on a mission is probably the most selfless thing I will ever do. I'm always tired, I'm usually cold, people point and stare and laugh at us, (or think we're Jehova's Witnesses), and yet something about the whole experience is just so satisfying. And it's so worth it when I can bear my testimony of Christ to someone and see that light in their eyes glow a little brighter. That probably sounds really cheesy, but what the heck. I'm a missionary. Most of what I do is a little cheesy. :)
I read the coolest talk this week, and it really helped me change some of my attitudes about life. It really helps me to get up every morning and just be excited for a new day!
'Forgetting those things which are Behind', Kenneth Higbee
http://lds.org/ensign/1972/09/forgetting-those-things-which-are-behind?lang=eng
Sister Bognar and I are having such a good time and working hard. We tried this diet last week, it involves eating this really weird cabbage soup. But after a few days we were like, 'Oh, forget this, let's go get milkshakes.'
We also had Zone Conference this week, and I had an interview with President Schwartz. It had been 6 months since my last interview. He gave me some suggestions and said some things that were exactly what I needed to hear.
Anyway, I love you all so much. I come home in THREE MONTHS. I'm kind of freaking out! Oh well, I have lots of work still left to do before I come home.
Oh, Sister Bognar says hi!
Lots of love,
Sister Jensen
Diese Woche war AUSGEZEICHNET! (awesome week)
We had so many miracles that I don't even know where to start! We were running around like crazy and contacting every person who came into view, and there were so many times where I just thought, 'I am in exactly the right place at the right time. Only God could be organizing this.' Also, I don't know why, but I just feel such a LOVE for Germans! It came on really suddenly, but for some reason I just feel this super deep love for Germany and Germans and the language and the weather and everything. I feel like I'm living in a dream!
It was really rainy this week, but we went contacting along the Rhine a lot, and it was so cool, with the stormy weather and all. I'll send pictures next week. And we talked to so many cool people who were just out there, in the rain, staring at the river and contemplating life. I realized that coming on a mission is probably the most selfless thing I will ever do. I'm always tired, I'm usually cold, people point and stare and laugh at us, (or think we're Jehova's Witnesses), and yet something about the whole experience is just so satisfying. And it's so worth it when I can bear my testimony of Christ to someone and see that light in their eyes glow a little brighter. That probably sounds really cheesy, but what the heck. I'm a missionary. Most of what I do is a little cheesy. :)
I read the coolest talk this week, and it really helped me change some of my attitudes about life. It really helps me to get up every morning and just be excited for a new day!
'Forgetting those things which are Behind', Kenneth Higbee
http://lds.org/ensign/1972/09/forgetting-those-things-which-are-behind?lang=eng
Sister Bognar and I are having such a good time and working hard. We tried this diet last week, it involves eating this really weird cabbage soup. But after a few days we were like, 'Oh, forget this, let's go get milkshakes.'
We also had Zone Conference this week, and I had an interview with President Schwartz. It had been 6 months since my last interview. He gave me some suggestions and said some things that were exactly what I needed to hear.
Anyway, I love you all so much. I come home in THREE MONTHS. I'm kind of freaking out! Oh well, I have lots of work still left to do before I come home.
Oh, Sister Bognar says hi!
Lots of love,
Sister Jensen
Monday, January 9, 2012
Seeing Seeds Getting Harvested
Hallo!
Well, it's been a really good week! Everything is going really awesome with Sister Bognár! We found lots of new investigators last week, we taught more, and we're just having tons of fun together! Even though the weather is pretty gross (rainy and windy), we're having a good time. She cracks me up. My German is getting better, too, because we always speak in German together, and her German is awesome.
What I wanted to talk about, though, doesn't have anything to do with what's going on right now, but about something from six months ago, in Friedrichsdorf. There were two people I worked with in Friedrichsdorf who I grew to love. Peter and Karin. They both just became so dear to me, because they were among the first people I ever taught, way back with Sister Thaden, and I saw them pretty much from the beginning, and taught both of them the whole nine months I was there. I saw both of them make so much progress. Peter, for example, never prayed, because he said he wasn't even sure if God was there, and praying to him felt like talking to himself. By the time I left, he prayed every day, his faith was stronger, he had more hope and light in his life, and he felt the influence of the Holy Ghost in his life. He also came to church every week. With Karin, it was similar. I saw how much she changed the more she learned about the gospel. But even though they both made so much positive progress, neither of them were baptized while I was there. There were so many times that I thought, 'They'll never fully accept Christ, they'll never be baptized,' but I loved them so much that I couldn't ever give up on them.
Well, this week, I got a package from Peter with a nice Christmas present and a card that said, 'Thank you for being a star that guided my way' (but in German). He still isn't baptized, but it's so nice to know that I helped someone and brought them closer and actually made a difference in their life.
Then, last night, the Friedrichsdorf sisters called and said, 'You'll never guess what happened! KARIN is getting baptized on Saturday!' I couldn't believe it! I was like... jumping around and laughing and was so happy! Sadly it's too far away for me to visit for the baptism, but I'm just so excited for her and happy that what I taught really did make a difference. Some people just need more time than others, and we just have to be patient and love them and genuinely want what's best for them. In missionary work, we're always talking about 'planting seeds', and that sometimes you don't ever find out what happens to the people you teach or talk to, but you still do it, in the hope that you're 'planting seeds'. Still, it's so rewarding to see what happens to a seed you planted. :)
Anyway, that was the highlight of the week. We did have one other... *ahem*... interesting experience. We taught one of our investigators about tithing, and she said she didn't have any problems with it. But then, yesterday, during fast and testimony meeting, she got up to bear her testimony, which started thus: "I have made a huge mistake. But actually, it's not my mistake... it's the missionaries' mistake." (We knew, already, that no good would come of the rest)
In any case, she then said that there was no way she could ever pay tithing, and that the church seemed so nice and friendly but that it asked too much of people. Then she said that she could never be baptized, because tithing was too hard of a commandment to follow, and that it was our fault, as the missionaries, for waiting so long before we taught it to her. Luckily the ward was pretty good-humored about it.
That was pretty much it! Talk to you next week, love you all,
Sister Jensen
Well, it's been a really good week! Everything is going really awesome with Sister Bognár! We found lots of new investigators last week, we taught more, and we're just having tons of fun together! Even though the weather is pretty gross (rainy and windy), we're having a good time. She cracks me up. My German is getting better, too, because we always speak in German together, and her German is awesome.
What I wanted to talk about, though, doesn't have anything to do with what's going on right now, but about something from six months ago, in Friedrichsdorf. There were two people I worked with in Friedrichsdorf who I grew to love. Peter and Karin. They both just became so dear to me, because they were among the first people I ever taught, way back with Sister Thaden, and I saw them pretty much from the beginning, and taught both of them the whole nine months I was there. I saw both of them make so much progress. Peter, for example, never prayed, because he said he wasn't even sure if God was there, and praying to him felt like talking to himself. By the time I left, he prayed every day, his faith was stronger, he had more hope and light in his life, and he felt the influence of the Holy Ghost in his life. He also came to church every week. With Karin, it was similar. I saw how much she changed the more she learned about the gospel. But even though they both made so much positive progress, neither of them were baptized while I was there. There were so many times that I thought, 'They'll never fully accept Christ, they'll never be baptized,' but I loved them so much that I couldn't ever give up on them.
Well, this week, I got a package from Peter with a nice Christmas present and a card that said, 'Thank you for being a star that guided my way' (but in German). He still isn't baptized, but it's so nice to know that I helped someone and brought them closer and actually made a difference in their life.
Then, last night, the Friedrichsdorf sisters called and said, 'You'll never guess what happened! KARIN is getting baptized on Saturday!' I couldn't believe it! I was like... jumping around and laughing and was so happy! Sadly it's too far away for me to visit for the baptism, but I'm just so excited for her and happy that what I taught really did make a difference. Some people just need more time than others, and we just have to be patient and love them and genuinely want what's best for them. In missionary work, we're always talking about 'planting seeds', and that sometimes you don't ever find out what happens to the people you teach or talk to, but you still do it, in the hope that you're 'planting seeds'. Still, it's so rewarding to see what happens to a seed you planted. :)
Anyway, that was the highlight of the week. We did have one other... *ahem*... interesting experience. We taught one of our investigators about tithing, and she said she didn't have any problems with it. But then, yesterday, during fast and testimony meeting, she got up to bear her testimony, which started thus: "I have made a huge mistake. But actually, it's not my mistake... it's the missionaries' mistake." (We knew, already, that no good would come of the rest)
In any case, she then said that there was no way she could ever pay tithing, and that the church seemed so nice and friendly but that it asked too much of people. Then she said that she could never be baptized, because tithing was too hard of a commandment to follow, and that it was our fault, as the missionaries, for waiting so long before we taught it to her. Luckily the ward was pretty good-humored about it.
That was pretty much it! Talk to you next week, love you all,
Sister Jensen
Monday, January 2, 2012
Hello Wvweyone
Hello everyone!
This week was the best week of my mission! I have a new companion, Sister Bognár, and she is so awesome! We get along so well. We're already having so much fun and teaching more and finding more. Seriously, this is the best companionship since Alma and Amulek.
Sister Bognár is 23, from Kerekegyháza, Hungary, and she is SO funny! She plays volleyball and loves missionary work. She already served in Düsseldorf before (from Feburary until July), so she is excited to be back and already knows the members and some of the investigators. My companion, Sister Hansen, went down and took her place in Darmstadt, and Sister Bognár came up here! It has been so great these past few days. I know great things are going to happen here!
I attatched a photo that we took at transfers in Frankfurt. I'm on the right side standing next to Sister Hansen (red jacket) and Sister Römer, my old companion. Sister Bognár is on the far left, with the purple scarf. President and Sister Schwartz are in the middle. Oh, and for Grandma and Grandpa Jones, Sister Bulloch is also in this picture (third one in from the left).
On New Year's Eve we were home by 6:00 pm and had some time to relax and set goals for the new year and stuff. New Years in Düsseldorf is kinda crazy. They have a lot of fireworks that sound like weapons (like machine guns and bombs and shotguns and stuff), and they were going off all night and it sounded like World War Three. The next day we were up and fresh and heading to church by 8:00 am, and the busses and trains were full of drunk and hungover people, haha.
Yesterday, Sister Bognár and I were out doing some door-to-door, and just singing songs for people, and we met some super nice people. With one lady, we sang her a song and then told her that we knew God loved her and was always there for her. She almost started crying and said, 'Yes, I hope so, but sometimes hard times come and it's hard to believe that.' She lost two very close loved ones this Christmas, and was really doubting if God was even there, and we just told her we knew that he was there, and that he cares. I know that's true. I'm glad to be here, bringing light and hope to people, because I know I couldn't live without it. I know there's a God, and he wants to hear from us, and we can pray to him at any time and pour our heart out to him, and he will be there to comfort us.
I am loving life, loving the mission, and feeling great! It was so nice to Skype over Christmas and see Mom, Jess, Matt and Melinda. I love you all and pray for you, and I hope everything is going well!
Have a happy new year!
Sister Jensen
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