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

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

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

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