Pictures from the last few Weeks!

Sisters Specialized Training Meeting! Such a spiritual experience and so fun to see other sisters in the mission!

Zone Conference! Truly a blessing! I love it when Missionaries counsel together with the spirit as their companion. Most memorable part:
We are looking at a five story building that has collapsed. The top three stories are still intact, but the bottom two have been reduced to dust. We are talking about what it means and a missionary says, "It is interesting that the Building had 5 stories, like the Gospel of Jesus Christ has five parts (faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end). If we focus too much on Baptism and up, our building will collapse because it is not built on a sure foundation. We must first have a solid testimony of our savior that leads us to repent, and then be baptized in order for our building to remain intact when the storms come."
It is so true. I know that as our faith in Christ becomes our foundation, we cannot fall. Helaman 5:12

Anyone remember Luis?

Well he just got baptized on Saturday!

He has truly acted on his Faith in Jesus Christ, repented and now has entered at the gate which leads to life eternal. This truly was one of the most special days of my mission. It has reminded me of the impact I have had on those I have been able to serve and the impact they have had on me. I am so grateful I have had this time to serve the Lord and that he has shaped me into who I am today.
(can someone send his picture to Sisters Phillips, Torres, Takaki, and any other sisters that have worked with him?)

In other news, some of you may remember some of the people I knew back in Tampa!

The Marreros went through the Temple together! One step closer to being an eternal family.

Jennifer had her baby Sebastian.

This week has just been amazing.

We started teaching our neighbor Karen, and I am so excited for you all to get to know her as she progresses towards baptism! She has such a strong foundation of faith already and we are so excited to help her build upon it!

I love you all!

Hermanita Jensen (: <3

Hola mis amigos!

Another crazy few weeks!

Still Clear in Clearwater

The training was awesome and I am excited to apply it to my own Missionary Work!

Also, we visited someone on Tuesday that has their own beach as their backyard!

I love the view in Florida!

We are working with a Part Member family and we visited them for dinner and a lesson on Tuesday last week. I would say they experienced a "change of heart." We chatted during dinner about our lives, getting to know each other, and then we sat down for our lesson. We talked about the Book of Mormon and inquired about how his reading had been. He told us that he read 1 Nephi 1, but felt that he didn't put enough thought into it as he read, because he didn't get very much out of it. He said that he saw some similarities between it and his life, but that he felt something was missing. We told him that it was amazing he had read and that he could connect it to his life, we testified that if he started with a prayer and had a question in his heart, he would receive that missing piece. The answers to his questions. We testified of the importance and the power of the Book of Mormon and then we turned the time over to Jeffrey R Holland by playing his testimony if the Book of Mormon. After the video, there was a powerful spirit in the room. We testified again that the Book of Mormon had passed through trials and tribulations to get to his hands and that if he turned to God in earnest prayer, he would receive his answer. At that point, we started talking a little more about his questions, about the sealing power and having his family with him forever, and he reached across his son to hold his wife's hand. That was what really struck me. He loves her so much and wants so badly for his family to be eternal, it was visible in his countenance and in his mannerisms that he is more concerned with the temple than the font. We said a kneeling prayer, he offered it. There was a hush in the room as he started and began to pour out his heart to God. He expressed the love he has for his family and his desire to be with them forever. He pleaded for wisdom and guidance and promised he would do his best to search for it. At the end of his prayer we were all teary eyed a choked up. Sister Harper turned to him, while we were still kneeling and asked him to be baptized in March. He said yes. It was an amazing experience and I will never forget it. They came to church on Sunday and he came to the Gospel Principles class. Normally he just goes to Gospel Doctrine. We will be meeting with them tomorrow and set the stage for an eternal families and Temples lesson this Saturday. I can't wait to see this family sealed! (:

I read a scripture this week in Romans 8:18,38-39 that really helped me feel uplifted! Go check it out!
Also, the Mormon Message "My New Life" is absolutely amazing! I think that moms are some of the strongest people I know, especially my own mom who had a birthday this week! Happy Birthday! 🎂I hope it was great and that you did something special! If you all could do me a favor and give my mom a hug in my behalf sometime when you see her this week, it would be much appreciated! Her birthday was on the 9th, but between then and Valentines Day tomorrow, I'm sure someone will get around to showing her the love I have for her!

Hermanita Jensen (: <3

Some pictures from our day at the beach today!

Hola mis amigos!

This Tuesday, we had an awesome training about how to become better
missionaries and how to increase the level of missionary work in the
Ward. It was some good time for self reflection and I am hoping to
overcome my own weaknesses and let them become strengths in the Lord
(thank you Ether 12:27!)

A Year in the Life

Hola mi familia y amigos!

So first off, Feb 3rd marked my one year! 

Primero, ¡el 3 de Febrero marco mi primer año en el campo Misional!

We got ice cream to celebrate the special occasion, and then I got Emergency Transferred to the Clearwater Ward in Dunedin Florida. Let me explain...

Obtuvimos helado para celebrar la ocasión especial, y entonces fui traslado de emergencia al barrio de Clearwater en Dunedin Florida. Déjenme explicar...

So the Hermanas and I were having a wonderful time in Cortez, speaking Spanish and doing our thing...

Las hermanas y yo estábamos teniendo divertido en Cortez, hablando español y haciendo cosas...

When we got the call that God had other plans in store... President called us Thursday and asked me to get ready for a curveball. He said that an English sister was suffering from some medical conditions and needed to get better treatment at home, so I would be needed in Clearwater the next day, speaking English. It was interesting because I felt completely at peace with that decision and I knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that that was where God needed me. We finished out our day Thursday and Friday we headed out to Tampa to meet up with my new companion, Sister Harper. 

Cuando recibimos la llamada que Dios tenía otros planes en mente... el presidente Cooper nos llamó el jueves y me pidió para estar lista por una curva. Él me dijo que una hermana misionera de ingles tenía problemas médicos y necesitaba recibir mejor ayuda en casa, y me necesitaba en Clearwater el próximo día, hablando inglés. Fue interesante porque me sentí mucha paz con la decisión y sabía yo cuando él habló que Clearwater era donde Dios me necesitaba. Terminamos nuestro día el jueves y el viernes fuimos por Tampa para reunirnos con mi nueva compañera, hermana Harper.

Before we left, I got a card from home! Such a miracle and what a blessing! My mom shared some scriptures that helped me feel, once again, peace about the new change and that as I looked to God, He would strengthen me. My favorite was in 1 Nephi 17:3 and my companion later pointed out verse 13 as well:

"3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness.

13 And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led."

Antes de salir, ¡recibí una carta de mi casa! Un milagro y bendición de verdad. Mi mamá me compartió algunas escrituras que me ayudaron, otra vez, sentir paz sobre el nuevo camino y que si confiara en el Señor, Él me fortalecería. Mi favorita era en 1 Nefi 17:3, y mi compañera más tarde añadió el versículo 13 también:

"3 Y así vemos que los mandamientos de Dios se deben cumplir. Y si los hijos de los hombres guardan los mandamientos de Dios, él los alimenta y los fortifica, y provee los medios por los cuales pueden cumplir lo que les ha mandado; por tanto, él nos proporcionó lo necesario mientras permanecimos en el desierto.

13 y también seré vuestra luz en el desierto; y prepararé el camino delante de vosotros, si es que guardáis mis mandamientos. Por lo tanto, al grado que guardéis mis mandamientos, seréis conducidos hacia la tierra prometida; y sabréis que yo soy el que os conduce."

Since being here I have indeed seen that God is guiding me and that it is part of His Plan that I be here. The Ward is amazing and have welcomed me, the Bishop is awesome and has such a fire to do Missionary Work, already so many people have offered to come out with us or wanted to teach their friends about the joy the gospel has given them, and it is wonderful. 

Desde llegar aquí yo he visto que Dios está guiándome y que es parte de Su plan que estoy aquí. El bario es maravilloso y me han dado bienvenido, el obispo es muy bien y tiene un fuego para hacer la obra misional, ya muchas personas han ofrecido salir con nosotras y enseñar a sus amigos sobre el gozo que han recibido del Evangelio, y es maravilloso. 

My biggest miracle this week though, was finally meeting the Munk family...

El milagro más grande esta semana, era conocer a la familia Munk...

One year and 5 days ago, I stood in my living room as members from my ward and family friends came to see me off to Florida. Everyone was congratulating me, wishing me luck and it was inspiring. One Sister, however, saw the potential blessing from God that had been sent by my call to the Florida Tampa Mission. She expressed that she had a brother living in Dunedin Florida, which happened to be in the boundaries of the Mission. She gave me a card and asked me to deliver it to the family with a Book of Mormon and that special Missionary Spirit, if I ever served in the area. On Saturday, we were trying to find someone to visit and Sister Harper pointed out an address to me. I realized that I am IN DUNEDIN. I told her that I knew someone here and needed to visit them, but that I couldn't remember the name or address because I had sent off the information nearly a year ago thinking that I would never serve in an English ward. She started searching through the members that lived in Dunedin and within 10 minutes we had located Andrew Munk, brother of this wonderful Sister back in Oregon. We payed them a visit that night and met his wife, Sarah. We are going to go back next week, because Andrew and his daughter have birthdays this week. God is so good. His timing is so perfect, and I am so excited to see where this miracle takes us. I know I am here for a reason, probably a few reasons, and I am so grateful that the Lord has a perfect plan and that I have the privilege to be apart of it. 

Hace un año y 5 días, yo me puso en pie en mi casa mientras que miembros de mi barrio y mis amigos me rodearon para enviarme a la florida. Todos estaban dando me felicidades y esperándome suerte y fui inspirada. Una hermana vio la bendición potencial De Dios que ha sido enviado por mi llamamiento a la misión de florida Tampa. Me dijo que tenía un hermano que vivía en Dunedin FL, que estaba en el area de la misión. Me dio una carta para dar a él si me encontrara allá. El sábado, estábamos buscando algo para hacer y la hermana Harper me dijo que estábamos en Dunedin. Le dije que yo conocía alguien que vivía aquí, pero no sabía el nombre ni la dirección. En 10 minutos ella me ayudó encontrar la dirección y fuimos para visitarles. Conocimos a la esposa, Sarah y vamos a pasar otra vez en una semana. Realmente es una bendición. Dios es lo mejor, su plan y su tiempo son perfecto, y estoy agradecida de ser parte de su plan.

Hermanita Jensen (: <3