Dear
Family,
It has been 2 weeks since I emailed, so it is hard to know where
to start! So much has happened and I really cannot remember any of it, but I
will do my best to hit the highlights.
Last week we had Christmas zone conference. It was weird to be
there thinking about what happened at last Christmas zone conference, and then
even stranger to look around and realize that I was the sister that had been
out the longest. About half of the mission gathered together, so the few were
older sisters were missing. Regardless, it was a fun zone conference. There was
a talent show, a white elephant gift exchange, and some good training. I have
to say though, the best part was having lunch catered by Costa Vida. I haven't
been around anything like that since leaving Meridian in March. It was a good
zone conference :)
We were able to catch more people at home on the days leading up
to Christmas. It is always good to start getting to know people in your area,
you start to feel more settled and more love for the area. One night we were
not sure who to visit and so we looked in our area book in the potential
investigators section. There was one family we decided to try. We had to park
at the bottom of this hill and walk up to their house. Right as we got out of
the car this dog started running towards us, but the owner was near by and was
able to calm it down. Walking up the hill we joked about how hard it was to get
up this single hill, and how tough we had it. It is hard to believe how blessed
we are here in this mission with our car, housing, and members. Anyway, we get
to this house and we meet this super nice family, and the mom told us that
there was a member in our ward who was telling her that there are sisters again
and she was going to have us meet her. We had never met this member, so it was
cool that we ended up meeting her friend anyway. We are planning on teaching
them in the future :)
Another time, we went to visit with some other members. They
couldn’t let us inside because a pile of wood was blocking their entrance, so
they talked to us outside for about 30 minutes. Finally, at the end of our
conversation, they mentioned that they have been helping their neighbor, an
older lady. We went over and she was really nice and and we plan to visit her
more another day.
Christmas Eve and Christmas were wonderful because the members
are so welcoming here! We spent time in a couple of different homes just
enjoying their families. I think my favorite parts were playing a board game with
an 8 year old and sledding right on the edge of a frozen lake. I just can't
think of a more perfect place to spend Christmas.
Usually I am a bit depressed after Christmas because its my
favorite holiday and I am just kind of sad when it is over. That was not the
case this year because Heavenly Father blessed me with the best post-Christmas
sealing. On Friday I had the opportunity to attend a sealing in the Meridian
Temple with Sister Shurtleff. A. was sealed to her now husband, J. A. was the
very first person I taught that was baptized. A. really didn't need the
lessons, she already knew everything was true beforehand, the lessons were
really just a formality. But I am not complaining because I love her and it was
the best experience to teach her. Her husband, J., was just a friend then and
he helped us to teach some of the lessons. Sister Smith and I came down from
McCall on Friday morning and we attended the sealing at 1pm. This was
the very first sealing I had attended, and it was everything I imagined! A. was
so beautiful and seemed to glow with happiness. The Spirit is so strong in that
temple, and I felt it in abundance as A. and J. were being married for
eternity. And of course it was even better because I was with Sister Shurtleff,
or I guess she is Kathryn now, who is one of my favorite companions. Later that
evening, Sister Smith and I also got to attend a baptism in Emmett for someone
Sister Smith taught. Baptisms are also my favorite thing, so it was really just
the best day ever. I have felt so very blessed recently and am doing my best to
express gratitude to Heavenly Father for such an outpouring of love.
Yesterday Sister Smith and I gave talks in one of our wards, and
we were the only two speakers. On top of that, it was packed all the way back
to the end of the gym with vacationers. The cherry on top was that Elder
Erekson, the area authority, decided to show up. It was a bit stressful,
but we filled our time and many people came up and talked to us afterwards, so
that was good. We went to the same family's home that we spent Christmas Eve
with and had a big breakfast for dinner and taught them the Restoration. We
couldn't be out driving around, so we came home, drank sparkling cider, and had
some deep life talks. That was on New Year's Eve. It is quite unbelievable to
me that it is now 2018. It is really scary but also really exciting to think of
what the coming year holds for me. Again, I am just so grateful for this chance
to serve a mission, I have had more blessings and joy than I could have ever
imagined.
Love,
Sister Jensen
