I have defied the odds.....

So this week was nuts... 

Monday evening I had a cool experience at dinner.  Some random dude asked us how long we had been out as we were waiting for a member at a restaurant. Then as we are taking our seats he calls me over and asks me to explain what being a missionary is like to the girl he is with... at the end of a cool conversation where he pretty much teaches the restoration the girl accepted a Book of Mormon... but she wouldn't give us her address :(

On Tuesday we had district meeting and then we took zone pics... those are some of the pics. We also taught Douglas about prayer... and he prayed!!

It was awesome! Then he came to church on Sunday too!! So that is awesome!! So Happy!! The night time was filled with everyone asking if I had been called by Pres... Nope.

Wednesday- We taught Lyn and Lanice. It went ok, we struggle to focus on one topic with Lyn and Lanice. We often wander down non-doctrinal paths :( The evening was again filled with goading wondering if Pres had called.

Thursday- We taught this guy named Jako. He moved in beside a kind of less active family and they told the sisters to tell us to go by. We did and he was super excited to talk with us. After we told him the Joseph Smith story he was like "OH! so that is what happened... I had never heard that... I though the book of Mormon was about Joseph Smith" hahaha good ol' rumors will get you. More goading that night saying that tonight was the night pres will call.... still nothing YAY!

Friday - Weekly planning.- And trying people all day. ( no goading tonight as it was to late in the week)

Saturday- We started the day teaching Anthony, the young kid we found last week. He has some great member fellowship already. It was a good restoration lesson and he was so excited to read the book of Mormon he was like " I am going to take this everywhere so I can always read it!" We anxiously awaited transfer calls all day.... and nothing ever came, but like our whole zone got called and told to pack.... so we assumed we were staying, but weren't sure. we got a sad text saying that our recent convert and slipped up and made some mistakes and was in the hospital and needed a blessing. We went and Ministered to her... she is doing ok please pray for her. We took a couple elders who had been told they were splitting up out to dinner. Then at like 630 Pres. called... but it wasn't to be assistant. Then we saw Robert- he was the drunkest ever this time hahahahahah. We are trying to get on some form of a gospel topic and he asks us "So have you looked at the moon recently? I can't see the other side! it kinda looks like that thing from star wars" yup so pray for Robert too.

Sunday- Church- DOUGLAS CAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy! Taylor didn't because he was sick. Then more blessings to a sister and to Misty and dinner( so good). Then finally the calls came at like 9:30 pm. So against all odds!! Me and Elder Smith will be companions for one more!! So that means in total I will serve 5 transfers in desert knolls ward and 3 in the YSA!! Also defying the predictions of all my roommates, my district zone, most of the mission and lots of members I am still a zone leader. So that is nice.

Love you all

Elder Jensen

Drifting through Phelan

So we went out this place called Phelan. It is awesome.... imagine like Twin Butte or Glenwood or Hill Spring or Leavitt or Mountain View but population 12000 haha it is crazy! so much fun... we  went out there to find a potential and the address didn't exist so that sucked but it was fun... we only just about got the corolla stuck like 5 times haha. Just Kidding...

This week was weird. We taught Tyler. He has a few concerns with the word of wisdom and isn't sure if he is ready to commit. But he says he is pretty sure this is the true church. 

We went on exchanges with the AP's. I was with Elder Millano. He is one of my favorites! He is so cool. We had a good day and found a few potentials.

We taught Taylor on Friday. He is doing well... same  struggles, but he can still meet his date... he just needs to try!

We also found two new this week.  One was with us at a dinner at a members. His name is Anthony. I actually taught his dad like 4 months ago and never met him. But during our dinner though we were asked to explain 'salvation' to him. So we did and then we asked if he would be interested in taking the lessons from us and he said he would be! So cool!

And the other is a potential from forever ago. But we finally got in and taught her about the Book of Mormon! Her name is Dizelle and she was super happy to read the Book of Mormon!

Sunday we had regional conference for all of Cali, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and BC. It was super cool.

We also had Zone meeting this week! It was awesome!. We did this awesome role play of a morning routine and how a good routine leads to good studies. That along with some great training made for an awesome meeting.

Love 

Elder Jensen

we may or may not have put all the beds in one room hahahah

#squadchiefs

So this week was nuts.... like I don't even know where to start. so I guess I will start at the beginning.

Monday- we taught an investigator named Juan. He is struggling in life. Trying to figure out how to be a dad and things like that but it was a struggle lesson as he was helping his kids with a science fair project.

Tuesday- District meeting and a blessing for a sister in the zone. In the evening we taught Robert... that was interesting. He had a "friend" that was "just passing through" over hahah she seemed like she'd been there for a day or two and wasn't leaving very soon, but she was nice to us. She asked us about women being wisdom. We didn't know what to say so I said well I have always been told that dad is the head of the house, but mom is the neck that turns the head. Robert was super drunk and loved that and he freaked out and cussed up a storm and told me he was going to get me a promotion. Then his friend was reading some verses that reminded me of "How great thou art" so I was muttering the lyrics under my breath. Robert somehow hears me... like I don't even know how, he was so drunk. SO not wanting him to think I was talking about him I tell them it was lyrics to a hymn and his friend is like "oooooh sing it!" Me and Elder Smith look at each other and are like.... uhhh that's a bad idea you don't want us to sing. Anyway somehow they got us to sing and then he kicked us out of his house. We were that bad.... not really.... but he was touched by the hymn that is for sure.

Wednesday - was exchanges we had a good day didn't teach anyone though.

Thursday - Mission Leadership Conference! It was great! I loved it and I got to see some of my Favorite missionaries ever ! So that was awesome!

Friday- Planning and more planning. We also picked up a guy named Cyle who recently moved in to the YSA ward and went and taught Taylor. He is still struggling, but he should meet his baptism date.

#squadcrew hike on P-day, we are #squadchiefs

Saturday - so at like 11 pm on friday after we are asleep we get a call that we need to get to the hospital and help administer to a sister missionary there. So we wake up and run down there and come back as fast as we can. And before we can fully fall asleep we get another call at like 12:05 am from a different set of sisters that we need to come give one of them a blessing. That poor sister was so sick she couldn't move or speak. So we rush to their place and minister to her and then come home. By time we were asleep it was like 1:30. And at 8 am in the morning we had a meeting with our stake high counselor over missionary work. Then we tried/attempted to proselyte and plan our zone training meeting. Then while we are eating dinner we get yet another call from some sister's who had a rough experience and needed some comfort. So that was a spiritually exhausting, but and amazing and faith-building day! NEVER EVER EVER be scared to ask for a blessing!

Sunday - So we had a meeting in the morning with our stake presidency and mission presidency. and then church... Kenny stood us up... that was sad. Taylor came though!

We also called the sisters who were sick and they are all a lot better so that is good.

Early morning sunrise on P-day hike

We went hiking this morning. 

Elders Hurren, Jensen, Smith and Topham

three 2015 Toyota Corolla's in a row......ha, mission life

funny little cactus we found

Love

Elder Jensen

PS.   This week, everyone here was like 'Are you worried about the storm?' and I was like 'what storm?'...and they were like 'the big one out east... like lots of snow and stuff'..... I was like 'oh no we do snow all the time. And we don't live out east.' 

The Mojave Flows!

So to explain the title...

There is this river that runs north right through the middle of the entire desert and like for ever ago it used to flow above ground.... but now it is just below ground (kinda like on Sahara). But because it has been relatively cool and really wet it is now flowing above ground. First time I have ever seen it do that... so it has been alt least 2 years since it has... probably more like 15 hahaha.

This week was another busy but good week. We set a date with Kenny. It is a little farther than expected but it is the day he wanted. He is going for March 16. Its his brother's birthday and his brother passed away like 6 months ago so it has some personal meaning for him. He has been to church the last three weeks in a row and is determined to be baptized!  We have high hopes for him and his wife, Sabrina. She is  a member and at our last lesson with them she talked tons about how she wants to get to the temple. And then at church we saw her paying her tithing.

We also found a new investigator in the YSA ward. His name is Tyler. He was a former, but he said that he would be willing to meet with us again.

Also meet with Mario and Liz on Sunday night. They are really struggling in life. they have no purpose in life other than to provide for their son. We explain what God intended for us, but they couldn't see how it would bless them so that was really saddening and frustrating.

On Friday we had Zone conference. it was kinda a follow up to the broadcast we had last week. President asked me and Elder Smith to train on something our Zone needed. So we talked about how we get people to progress. It was pretty good. President thanked us a bunch after so I couldn't have been too bad.

On Sunday we had church...der.... Both Kenny and Taylor were at church. After church we had dinner and then later a lesson with Taylor... the whole YSA Elders Quorum presidency came ( kinda over kill but oh well!!) It worked.  They were super bold with him. Me and Elder Smith hardly had to say anything. It was so cool!

Love you lots!!

Elder Jensen

[I received a text from a lady in California with these photos and the text read, "Hello Jensen family...ask your son about Sucking the guts out of grasshoppers! He's great!" So I asked him and this was his response]

 That was at our bishops house. So you take these cookies called tim tams (some people call it sucking the guts out of grasshoppers some people call it a tim tam slam). Then make hot chocolate. Bite two bits off of opposite corners then use it as a straw to drink the hot chocolate. Be careful.... it will melt and fall apart. So you gotta be fast and get it in you mouth quick.

Also peanut butter filled cookies are good for it as well.

Love 

Elder Jensen