Sweet Testimony Growth

Well... another week bites the dust. Remember when June started yesterday? PSYCH! Does anyone else feel like this year is flying? It's fine.
Monday: Nothing super special happened today... just your normal p-day. Elder Jones did give me a nickname during volleyball... Say hello to "The Cannon." :)
Tuesday: Well, of course we did all of our service today. I am going to be a pro envelope stuffer by the end of my time here! Kathryn (who works at Montebellos) took us out to lunch... at the Mexican Restaurant. :) MY FAV! After service, we did our mormon.org time in Carthage and then headed to meet with the Raisors. They invited Brayan over, and we just had a fun dinner. The kids were all over Brayan, and he took it like a champ. I'm so excited to be a mom. :) We had a little time before coming home, so we did some Formers finding in Hamilton. Don't mind us... just thrusting in our sickle.
Wednesday: Of course, we did some more family history.( Nana- I have found a TON of names on Papas side, but I need to go through and verify them all but I will send you the info when I'm done. It might take a couple weeks!) After that we headed to Carthage again for service at the hospital and then we went to Marks house to have a lesson with him. He is doing okay... he could use a couple extra prayers right now. Then we had an amazing lesson with April. Guys... she is as prepared as they come. She has such a fire in her and she just smiles the entire time we are there. Haha she literally sits on the end of her chair cause she is so excited. I love her.
Thursday: BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!! I saw my family today... :) Well, my Winterset family that is. That's right.... THE PRICES CAME TO NAUVOO!! Oh my heavens, I about died. We had district meeting and we were all having lunch and then they walked in. So Sister Barker got to see them too. We were in Heaven! That just made my week. :) We came back to Hamilton after that and just did a lot of running around. Saw some members and some less actives. Did some finding... all that good stuff. We met with the Petersons, and we got to hear all about Alyssas mission to Taiwan. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry... haha. I see how hard it is for her being home, and it freaks me out. I still got 8 months though. I'm good. :) We had a lesson with the Shallenbergers tonight. We watched the Restoration video with them and it went good.
Friday: Weekie P took up most of our afternoon, and then we drove to Carthage to have another lesson with Mark. Today was a pretty special day in Carthage... it was the Commemoration for the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It was one of the most touching programs I have ever seen. My testimony of the Prophet Joseph and his mission has grown so much on my mission. Especially serving here. I know without a doubt that he was called of God. It was just very special for me personally to remember him and the Patriarch Hyrum. I will never forget that experience. We went to that with the sweet couple serving in the Family history center, and they took us out to dinner afterwards which took up the rest of our night. Before we went home, we went to Keokuk to pick up Sister Barker and Sister Pratt for exchanges the next day. We just had a little sleepover and it was fun. :)
Saturday: I got to go with Sister Pratt for exchanges and she is just amazing! She is from Mesa, AZ so we bonded over that for a while. :) We saw a lot of miracles on exchanges.... we got some sweet potentials and taught some really amazing lessons. It was a good day.
Sunday: We had an interesting lesson with the Shallenbergers this morning... we have decided to just give them some space for two weeks so they can decide what they want. They could really use your prayers right now... Church was absolutely amazing today! April came again, and Alyssa have her homecoming talk!  Because it was the 5th Sunday, the whole ward (minus the primary) got together and Bishop Smith gave the one of the most amazing lessons on missionary work I have ever heard. I was so pumped up and I know the ward was too. Wanna know what the best part was though? April got up and bore her testimony. GUYS! April has only been to church twice and has been taught for like 4 weeks. For all those who just fainted... come back now. I was literally in shock! SHE IS SO PREPARED!!!!!!!!! We hung out with the Grows tonight, which obviously is one of my favorite things ever, and then we headed to the Pageant stage to see an amazing show called, "Our Story Goes On." They basically kind of act out the Plan on Salvation. All you need to know is that it is a complete tear-jerker. Bawling... for days. It's fine. Such a good day.
Well, that was our week here for the Hamilton Sisters, and what a week it was! I personally grew a lot this week... I learned a lot about myself and the atonement and how it not only is changing the people we are teaching, but it is changing me. I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ. It has meant everything to me on my mission. It has carried me through things that I never thought I could handle. Times when I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Looking back... those were the times the Lord helped me grow the most. How grateful I am for his love and his personal concern for me and my mission. I love my Savior with all of my heart, and I want each of you to know that.
My invitation this week comes because of April. Next Sunday is fast and testimony meeting and I want to invite all of you to get up in sacrament and bear your testimony of the Savior. If April can do it, each of us can do it. One of my favorite quotes I have heard on my mission so far is, "More people gain a testimony bearing one, than on their knees praying for one." I believe that with all of my heart. Each of you has a very unique testimony, and it is meant to be shared.
I love each of you very much. I thank my Heavenly Father for my family and friends everyday. Thank you for your examples and your love. I pray that you have a wonderful week!
-Sister Jensen

MY FAMILY!!! :)

The best view in the whole town. :)

A Bit of Home Is Good For the Soul

Holy Moly what a week! It was honestly just one wonder after another...
Monday: Having non-Monday P-days is always weird... we still emailed and then headed to the Criders to help them clean. We got there and there was beautiful skies and then about 20 minutes later we hear one burst of thunder and the rains came down, and the floods came up. Seriously... so cool. That night we had dinner in Carthage with the Raisors, the Saunders, and the Peels. What up birthday party!!!  We played "Who's got the button?" So fun. :)
Tuesday: I received a miracle today that was better than anything I could have imagined... a little back story here. We are NEVER in Carthage on Tuesdays. Literally never. So for us to be in Carthage today was a complete miracle and act of God. SO we are just drivin around to go finding and we drive past the jail and we see a charter bus... My first thought was, "Hmmmm.... A charter bus. There is no way that is Heritage Tours." We decided to check it out. We get out of the car and I walk up to one of the men and ask him where they are all from. He says Utah County. Hmmm... I ask him if they are on a church history tour called Heritage Tours. "Well, yea we are. How do you know about that?" AHAHHSJKGSAFHGYLSAGBEVHSGHUILHGIFGYIYGRUIBAFHVGASYLGHVU:BEHFBVGUIEW:GHAFUIWE:H! I about lost my mind... I asked him if Brother Eliason had done the tour again this year and he said, "Yea... he is standing over there." So of course I started walking towards him... Haha it took him about two seconds to recognize me and about 1 second to burst into tears at which point I started crying. Such a tender moment for me. For those of you who don't know... I went on Heritage Tours 2 years ago and it completely changed my life. So to be able to see them and especially Bro. Eliason was one of the biggest tender mercies of my mission. I was literally on cloud 9 the rest of the day. Ahhh.
Wednesday: P-day. Woo woot! We got the chance to go to the Temple as a district and that was just an amazing opportunity! I absolutely love my district so to be able to be in the Temple with them was such a tender mercy. After that we did our normal volleyball and basketball then headed to the church for institute and on our way home we saw Heritage Tours again singing the Commitment song in front of the Temple! I wanted to jump out of the car and sing with them... No worries though... I composed myself. :)
Thursday: We did a lot of service today and we also got stuck in another GIANT storm. We had to walk about a mile in flash floods. It was great! :) Oh, and the Warners took us to dinner. I love them.
Friday: We had district meeting today and it was so fun! We played the sock game to get to know everyone. Have I said that I love my district? Cause I do. :) Probably one of the grossest/best moments of my mission happened after the meeting. It was just us and the ZL in the hallway and I saw a GIANT black cricket that literally looked like a beetle. Haha I turned to Elder Bankhead and told him I would give him $15 if he ate it. 10 minutes later he was $15 bucks richer. Haha I will show you all the video in 8 months. :) After that we did some cherry pickin and then headed to the Shallenbergers. They need all the prayers they can get! They have been taught by missionaries for about 3 years now, and they haven't had a baptismal date for about 2.5 of those. Well... we extended them a date of Aug 2. Please please please pray for them!
Saturday: We did some family history in the morning and then had an awesome church tour with April! She absolutely loved the feeling in the church. Shocker! We also taught her the Plan of Salvation in the chapel and it was a really cool experience for all of us.
Sunday: April finally came to church!!!!!! The choir sang in sacrament and she even came up with us to sing. Haha she is flippin sweet! There was another crazy storm today so we got soaked after church, but we headed to the Smiths for dinner! Their son came home from his mission last week and him and Brayan are good friends now so they invited him over to.  Halfway through our lesson the power went out cause of the storm so we got to study by candle light. :) On our way home we stopped by the Petersons because their daughter got home from her mission in Taiwan yesterday. She is amazing!!! She is literally our best friend already and she is so excited to help us. I LOVE RETURNED MISSIONARIES!!!!!
Sorry this email is crazy... my mind is always so jumbled. (That's called missionary brain!) It really was just a great week though!
I wanted to include a video this week that is from one of my absolute favorite talks ever!
http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=911029449001
I encourage all of you to watch this video and to read the actual talk!
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/10/an-high-priest-of-good-things-to-come?lang=eng
I have a very firm testimony in the Lords timing and in his mercy. He knows us perfectly and He knows what we need. Trust him and the blessing WILL come... in his timing.
I love you all and pray that you have a great week!
-Sister Jensen

Brother Eliason. :) We went to take the picture and he started to put his arm around me... haha I think he remembered he couldn't do that when I cringed a little... he said, "Well... if I can't hug ya I'll just stand as close as I can to ya." I LOVE HIM!!!

Temple with the District. :) L to R: Sister Barker, Sister Pratt, me, Sister Rasmussen, Sister Warner, Elder Warner, Elder Wardell, Elder Jones (DL)

Some Cherry Pickin with the Evans! :)

After our mile in the storm. :)

Giant storm took down a GIANT tree down the street from us!

Poly Dancing and an Assassin.. HUH?! :)

It was a pretty eventful week if I do say so myself!

Monday: Just a normal p-day. We did do some shopping at Aldis though. Basically it is like a smaller version of Costco. I WAS IN HEAVEN! That night we had dinner with the Criders and then saw Brayan. Exciting day. haha

Tuesday:  Service day!  We helped a sister pack cause she is moving to Cali. Then we went to city hall and Montebellos. We met with the Grows tonight. LOVE THEM! Then the real fun began! We went with the Shallenbergers (our investigators), and the Fletchers to a couple shows in Nauvoo. We saw "Sunset on the Mississippi" and then "Living Legends." Both were absolutely amazing! The Living Legends group is actually from BYU (trunky much?!?) and they travel around and perform. All the Dancers are either descendants of Native Americans, Latin Americans, or Polynesians. They just do a lot of dances that were from that culture. So flippin sweet! The Poly dances made me pretty happy. Haha. :) It was just a good night!

Wednesday: For some reason today, I just realized how tired I am. This area just drains you emotionally, physically, and especially spiritually. I kind of walked a round like a zombie today. We went to Carthage today to see some of our investigators and we also set another baptismal date! Her name is April and she is getting baptized on July 26. Remember to keep her in your prayers! Probably one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me though was who we met that night. No joke... we had dinner with an ex government assassin. Literally. He has been retired about 12 years. The question of the night was, "Wanna know how many people I have killed with a knife?" AHHHHHH! I feel so legit. :)

Thursday: We got to do family history again today and I did a lot of work on my Grandpa O's side. Jensen family- I found a lot of names and will be sending the info to Jamie Brown so ask her if you want names for the Temple. Thanks Jamie! :) After that, we had our district meeting and it was awesome! We had a really good training about having effective ward councils and then an even better training on the Atonement. I love learning about the Atonement, cause there is always something new that you learn. We had dinner with the Petersons and then had an awesome lesson with Brayan. I can now saw I have watched, "The Restoration" in Tagalog. :) 

Friday: Today was kind of a run around day. We did our weekly planning, and mormon.org time and then headed to Nauvoo. We had dinner with a cute senior couple who are serving in the Temple and then we may or may not have gone to "Sunset on the Mississippi" and "Living Legends" again with a family and some less active members in our ward. :) I love serving in Nauvoo! 

Saturday: Not gonna lie... today was kind of a rough day for me. My sister got married today, and it was hard not being there to support her. Today I really caught a glimpse of how much missions are a sacrifice. This is really the first big thing I have missed since being on my mission... It helped me ponder a lot about why I am on my mission. I love asking myself that question because the answer is always different. Today I hit 10 months and I thought about what those 10 months have meant to me. As I pondered, I realized that being a missionary isn't easy. It takes everything that you have and everything you didn't know you had. It is hard being away from family and mission out on important moments in their lives. It is hard. But, at the same time... I wouldn't rather be anywhere else. This is my mission... This is my time to devote to the Lord. At no other time in my life will I be able to give him 18 months  completely and say, "Here. I don;t have kids. I'm not married. I don't have bills. What do you want me to do?" That is very special and sacred to me and I wouldn't change it for the world. But, Congratulations Justine and Chris. I am so proud of both of you and all that you have accomplished and where you have ended up. You two are such great examples to me and I am excited for all that is in store for you. 

Sunday: HAPPY FATHERS DAY! :) It was a fun day that was focused on Fathers obviously. Mark came to church again and that was the greatest thing ever. We can really see that he is excited to get baptized and that makes me so happy. In sacrament, I experienced my first homecoming as a missionary. Gotta admit... I cried the whole time this sweet Brother spoke about his mission. He got home on Thursday and it really just touched my heart to hear about his experiences. Also... not gonna lie... a couple of the tears may have been tears of fear. 8 months people. That is all. BLAH! We had dinner with the Criders again tonight. Brother Crider doesn't have any kids, but tells us frequently we are his adopted daughters, so there was no better place for us to spend Fathers Day. I hope you all had a wonderful Fathers day and that you made sure you thanked the men in your life who have helped you become all you can be. 

Well... like I said, eventful week! It was a good/weird/exhausting/crazy week. Welcome to missionary life, I guess. :) 

This new video totally made me cry. http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?im=true&v=3609934299001

This topic is one I have thought a lot about lately. In a different way though... When I watched this I asked myself, "Who and what am I going to be after my mission?" This can be applied to so many things! "Who do I want to be after a temple session?" Who do I want to be after being a primary teacher?" Who do I want to be when Christ comes?" It is so easy to go through the motions. But, its when we take the Doctrine of Christ from our heads to our hearts that we become "true Christians." That is what I invite each of you to do... ponder about how you can be a better Christian. Pray and ask for he guidance of the spirit. I KNOW that when we try to be better, we are blessed. 

I love each of you very much! I am so grateful for all that you do for me and all the support you give. THANKYOU! I hope you all have a great week!

-Sister Jensen

"It's not the Mississippi... it's the missisloppy." - A 93 year old man from Warsaw. :)

Living Legends. :) MY favorite dance from New Zealand. Notice the frowns... I about peed my pants!

Fathers Day with the Criders. :)

Random truck in Warsaw, Il. What up.

Our investigator Mark gave us some pics of when he was a kid. Haha this was the obvious thing of what to do with them. :)

The Glow of Fireflies and Missionary Work

This week was a really amazing week. Lots of laughs and miracles. :)
Monday: Just a normal p-day with the exception of some shoe shopping. :) We had dinner with the Grahamas and they are awesome! They told us lots of stories which I love, so it was fun. That night the COOLEST thing happened. We had about 20 minutes before we were to go back home so we did some tracting and met Keith. He straight away told us he wasn't going to be a Mormon but then we told him a joke... haha he liked us then. :) We found out that he LOVES family history (shocker.) so we invited him to the family search center with us. Hopefully he comes! We talked to him for so long that we just headed home after. On our way though we passed this guy decked out in tattoos. Like head to toe. He literally FLAGGED US DOWN. No joke... flagged us down while we were driving. So Sister R pulls up and rolls the window down half way (she thought we were gonna die..) and this guy says, "I got into a bad car accident back in February..." *At this point his two kids walk up and stand by him and I thought he was gonna ask for money.. how could I say no? "I decided I wanna change my life around. Can I have one of your books?" Um... what? Say that again? Holy smokes. Talk about being prepared. We have an appt. to teach Weeler and his family this week! :)
Tuesday: I first off have to start by saying something that only a few members of my family will understand. I made the GREATEST Gecko Grill qu
Wednesday: Today we had an awesome zone training meeting! The Assistants came and also a bunch of missionaries from Nauvoo, with Sister Newell being one of them! :) They trained us on how to get the word of pageant out and also told us we would be getting assignments of what we are doing for pageant soon. Um... I'm spoiled. After the meeting, we all went to lunch at Grandpa Johns and it was hilarious! We played this game called, "I can pogo..." Haha blew my mind. You know its a good day when the Assistants to the President and your Zone Leaders are about on the floor from laughing so hard. I love my mission. :) After lunch we headed to the family search center. Just a heads up that I have been finding A TON of names on my papas (Transtrum) side so if you want names to take to the Temple, ask my mom. :) That night we had dinner with the Biesks and then some finding.
Thursday: We had a lot of really amazing lessons today! We had a sweet one with Brayan, our recent convert. He has been struggling a lot lately and we just had a really good lesson with him. We asked a lot of inspired questions and got to the root of his problem. It was just a really amazing lesson and day.
Friday: Good ole' weekly planning today. After that we did some mormon.org time and then some finding. We met with Sister Plessinger and she is just the sweetest lady ever! She has the most amazing conversion story I have ever heard, and it really pumped me up. After dinner we checked on some referrals and did some finding. When we came home for the night... WE SAW OUR FIRST FIREFLIES! Yes. Exciting... I know. :) They were so cool, and you better believe we sat and watched em for a good 10 minutes.
Saturday: Today was a really amazing day. We fasted as a mission and really saw some amazing miracles. We spent half the day in Hamilton and then half the day in Carthage. Carthage really brought a lot of tender mercies for us. We were able to see Mark, one of our investigators. I think I already told you about Mark. About 2 years ago he was supposed to get baptized. A couple days before his baptism his foot blew up. So he took that as a sign not to get baptized. Well... missionaries have been working with him ever since. He has been scared to come to church and get baptized. I know that fasting is a very special thing because of the outcome of our lesson with Mark. He promised he would come to church and he accepted a baptismal date for August 2. For me that is a very tender mercy because that is my birthday. As I have thought about that, I just feel very blessed. What better way to celebrate my birth than to watch a child of God I have grown to love very much experience a new birth. I cannot think of any better way to spend my birthday honestly! Just keep Mark in your prayers. He needs as many as he can get! :) That night we got to go in early cause we didn't have a dinner appt. We decided we needed a companion date night. (See picture below.) :)
Sunday: MARK CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot even begin to describe the joy I felt as he walked into the church building. He had such an amazing time and even stayed 2 hours! He said he wants to start coming every week. I am getting teary eyed as I write this because of how much I am grateful to my Heavenly Father! He loves Mark so much and I have truly felt that as we have taught him. I feel very blessed to be able to be an instrument in the Lords hands to work with Mark. GOD IS GOOD!THE CHURCH IS TRUE! We also had a really amazing lesson with the Shallenbergers. We helped them really understand our purpose and the spirit was so strong. We know they felt it because we can tell that they have this renewed desire to really find out if they should be baptized. To top the whole day off we got to have dinner with the Raisors. They remind me SO much of my aunt and uncle, Jon and Michelle so you can imagine how much I just love them. :) Such a good Sunday.
It has been confirmed to me so many times this week that this is where I need to be. Heavenly Father has sent me here for a reason. These people need me, but more importantly I need them. I have grown to love the people here in the Hamilton area so much.
There is something very special that is happening this next week that I wanted to focus on for my video this week.
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-002-earthly-father-heavenly-father?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-1020-fathers-day?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-04-005-bad-hair-day?lang=eng

esadilla for lunch today. Haha it was bomb! :) Anyways... Today we just did a lot of finding and service. The only crazy thing that happened was a way legit storm. Like lighting every 3 seconds. Haha.. it was so sweet. :)
That's right. It is Fathers day this upcoming Sunday. I absolutely love these videos because they make me think of my Dad. I absolutely love my Dad. He will probably rebuke me for giving this whole shpeal on my email... but hey I am how many miles away? :) My dad is amazing. As a kid I remember a lot of good memories with him: his rice and beans, tang, tic tacs, country music, letting me wipe my nose on his shirt, softball practice, funny jokes, and so many more things. For a couple months before I left on my mission, we would do a monthly daddy-daughter date and I hope that he knows that those were some of my favorite memories with him. Just me and him. Dad- you better believe we are still doing those when I get home. I also remember when I was writing my farewell talk for my mission. I was struggling and he came in and sat on my bed and started helping me. I'm sure he doesn't think that I remember that, but I do. I teach every day that the Gospel strengthens families and that moment for me was the perfect example. Dad, I love you. Thank you for all that you have done for me. I am very proud to be your "Gabes." :)
Also, my Sister Justine is getting married this weekend! Tine- I am so very happy for you and Chris. Know that I will be thinking of you and praying the day goes well. Everybody give them and extra hug from their favorite Sister. :)
Well... I hope that you all have a wonderful week and that you truly take time to recognize the blessings in your life. I love you all!
-Sister Jensen

The chapel overflow... welcome to church in Nauvoo between the months of June-August. :)

Pizza. "The Testaments." Chocolate. Beds on floor. I love companion date night. :)

This was at 9 in the morning in front of our house. It's safe to say that it rained a little in Hamilton...

We were getting a pic to send to a missionary we had served with in Winterset and ended up with this. :)

Ask And Ye Shall Receive

HELLO! This next statement may shock you, but bear with me... this week flew. Ha! We are just starting week 4 in our planners and I had a little bit of a mental breakdown over it last night. People aren't lying when they tell you your mission will fly by. This week was kind of a hard one for me... but there were a lot of little miracles.
Monday: I hope everyone had a great Memorial day! Holidays away from home still throw me off a little, but I am grateful to be here. Of course it was the normal p-day minus the emailing. We did our laundry, grocery shopping, the most intense game of volleyball I have ever played in my life. No biggie. A bunch of New Zealanders came, so you can imagine... a lot of blood, sweat, and tears were involved. We headed to the Peterson's house and got to do some geode hunting. Google them. They're cool. And we also got to swing on their GIANT swing. (See pics from last week.) It was a good holiday/p-day. :)
Tuesday: We did our normal service at City Hall and then nail painting at Montebellos. In between we did our emailing and I got the greatest news! MY cousin Allie decided to serve a mission! Allie- I am so proud of you! Just know that wherever you are called, is where the Lord needs you! It's always fun to get news like that. :) Later that day we got to see a less active and meet with some members. Then came the fun/sad/crazy part... Sister Jensen (the mission presidents wife) came out with us for a couple hours. President Jensen went out with the Zone Leaders so she wanted to go with us. It was fun having her here and learning from her. She gave me some news though that just broke my heart... Sister Cole (my last comp) was going home on Friday. At p-day, she had blew her knee out playing kickball and has to go home for surgery. She told me and my stomach turned upside down. I just cried because I remembered all the growth I had seen in her, and I was scared for Winterset. Sister Matley has only been there for 3 weeks and was now expected to take over the area. Honestly, I took a moment and just questioned why I was sent to Hamilton now. Why couldn't Heavenly Father have kept me in Winterset 1 more transfer so I could have been there? It's amazing how Heavenly Father works though. Like a loving parent, he calmed me down and I knew that the Lord was aware of me and my concerns. I knew that this was a lesson to be learned for all of us. Sister Matley, Sister Cole, and especially me. I am the type of person that wants to fix everything. I like to be in control of things, but this was my lesson. Winterset isn't MY area. It is the Lords. He knows what he is doing. Ahhhhh! You learn so many lessons on a mission. So I just ask that each of you keep Sister Cole in your prayers.
Wednesday: I am sure you are all sick of hearing family history miracles... but I am going to tell you another one anyway. My mom had told me last week that a lot of the work on her Dads side hadn't been done, so I was just scrolling around checking things out when I was impressed to click on a man named Robert. I checked out his info, and decided I would try to find out if he had a wife, and if he did find her info. Guys... can I just say that the Spirit of Elijah is amazing? By finding his wife and connecting the two, I was able to also find their two kids and then 4 grand kids. All of them combined needed over 32 temple ordinances. Tears. Its fine. Finding these names just makes me so grateful that I have family who is willing and able to go to the Temple! That was a good start to a good day. After that we headed to Keokuk to do exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. I am spoiled... I got to spend the day with Sister Barker, my momma. Hahah literally, she is one of my favorite people in the world. I don't think I have ever laughed so much with any body in a day. We did a lot of walking and just reminisced all the good times. :)
Thursday:Today we finished off our exchanges and then headed to district meeting. Sister Rasmussen and I got to do a training together on the Book of Mormon. It was really fun! Then we headed to Nancy's house. She is a nonmember, but her son was baptized by the senior couple in Nauvoo about 2 months ago. She is the sweetest! She is like a pro baker and did cake pops with us. 30 of them. And she wouldn't keep any of them. Hello 500 pounds! SOO GOOD!
Friday: Today was just a normal missionary day. Weekly planning, tracting, mormon.org time, all that good stuff. Heavenly Father did bless us with a miracle though. It was the end of the night, and really none of our tracting had been successful. We had time for one more house so we just prayed that Heavenly Father would bless us with 1 potential. So we knock and the door, and Perry answers. Most enthusiastic guy I have ever met. Not only is he now a potential, but he took a Book of Mormon, a restoration pamphlet, and gave us a referral. Ask and ye shall receive folks.
Saturday: We spent most of the day in Carthage trying to visit our investigators. Apparently no one gave us the memo that no one was suppose to answer the door when the missionaries knocked.... That night though we got to go to the Ward party! Nauvoo 3rd ward knows how to party. The theme was a cruise! They decked out the cultural hall with lights and signs and then had a bunch of tournaments and towel folding classes. Yep. It was so great!
Sunday: As a missionary, I love fast Sundays. It is always good to get a little extra help. :) We had more people than we usually do. After church we headed to dinner with the Mills. They are cute! They are OBSESSED with John Wayne so we got to talk about Winterset for a while. That made me happy. :) It was a good Sunday.
Well, this week has literally felt like a roller coaster. I am getting to the point in my mission though where it doesn't matter if it is a good week or a bad week, it goes fast. It's not fair. But I am very grateful for the opportunity I have to serve. This has been the biggest blessing in my life. I have met people that I cannot imagine my life without now. I have felt my Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ closer to me than ever before. This is hard, but through all the tears and heartache... I have never been happier. This is one of my favorite mormon messages. I have learned this lesson MANY times on my mission. http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=2714780496001
I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Know that I love you all and that I pray for you daily.
-Sister Jensen
What is the definition of a farmer?
Someone who is outstanding in his field. :)

It's a growin! :)

Who cares if the tomato plant dies cause of lack of water. LOOK AT THESE LITTLE GUYS!!!! You better believe that a baby rabbit is on the "when I get home" bucket list. :)

Cake pops with Nancy. :) We are pretty pro now. Its cool.

A Temple Trip and a Geneology Miracle

So... remember that one time that the entire month of May flew by? Yea. Me too. HOLY SMOKEYS! I basically blinked, and this week was gone. It was a full week though!
Monday: Definitely a weird p-day... We usually play volleyball with our district, but for some reason it got cancelled today. So we ended up "shopping" at Walmart. We are so classy. :) We also had to go to a meeting for this place we do service at.
Tuesday: Today during service at the elderly home, they had a big photo booth so of course Sister Rasmussen and I got about 500 pictures with the lil old ladies and each other. Good memories. :) Then we had dinner with the Grows. I don't think I have ever laughed so hard... haha. Their son was looking up phobias online and came across triscadeckaphobia. We decided that it is a fear of eating triscuits on the deck. :) Haha so great! Then that night, we went with our investigators the Shallenburgers to a lecture on Joseph F. Smith at the church building. It was awesome!
Wednesday: Today was one of the best days of my mission. Hands down. It all started with a family history miracle... I went in wanting to find a woman in my family line who only needed her endowment done. Elder Christenson (Him and his wife serve in the center), told me that that is almost impossible, because people usually need baptism and confirmation and not endowment. So we were looking at my family tree for about 30 minutes and doing so research... wouldn't ya know it. On my Dads side, I found a woman who had her baptism and confirmation done in 1999 and for some reason never had her endowment done. MIRACLE!!!! Elder Christensen literally could not believe his eyes. He almost started crying! He said in his 14 months of serving in the center, he has never seen that. Guys... the spirit of Elijah is amazing. Then what made it even better, was that I was able to walk across the street and take that family name to the Temple! I FINALLY WENT TO THE TEMPLE!!! God must have known that 9 months was way too long. I am obsessed with the Temple. Literally. I wanted to sit in the Celestial room all day. Obviously I couldn't... but I would have. It was such a beautiful experience. Especially being able to take my own family name. I have literally been on cloud 9 ever since. :)
Thursday: We got to go to Carthage early cause we had scheduled breakfast with a lady that we are working with. She is not technically an investigator... yet. :) After that we were able to take our investigator Mark on a tour of Carthage Jail. He loved it!! What a great resource. That night we met with the Hunts and they are just awesome! They have been members now for about 6 years, and they are so solid. Brother Hunt is a hoot!! It was a good night.
Friday: Such a crazy day! We got to sleep at the Warners (senior couple in Nauvoo) on Thursday night, cause we woke up at about 5 so we could get to Davenport for zone conference. So fun! I saw sooooo many missionaries that I have served with in the past, and it was fun to just catch up. We received some awesome trainings, and the spirit was so amazing! That really took up our entire day, so by the time we got back... it was time to go home.
Saturday: We were able to do a church tour today with our investigator Tracy and his wife Renee who is a less active. It was a really amazing church tour! We talked about baptism and eternal families, and it was really good. After that we headed to the Higleys and helped them pack and clean some things cause they are moving. I can now say I am a pro fridge cleaner. :) That night, we had dinner with a member in Carthage. She is the sweetest lady! Her name is Donna and she has been a member for about 3 years now.
Sunday: We had to do our weekly planning this morning, which was weird, but we are glad we had time. Church was strange! Basically half the ward was gone and we could not figure it out! Then it hit us... Memorial day! Holidays as a missionary aren't that fun... we like when people are home so we can sneak up on em. :) After church, we headed to dinner at the Saints. Then we did went around Nauvoo a little bit and passed out family history cards. Good night!
This week was crazy, but so good! With my family history miracle this week... I figured that an appropriate video would have to be about family history. :)
http://www.mormonchannel.org/youth-theme-2013?v=2034119583001
My testimony of family history has grown so much in my time here in Nauvoo. If a missionary who hasn't really used a computer in 9 months can do it, then you can do it! Let the Spirit of Elijah touch you, and I promise you it will. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful week!!
-Sister Jensen
How many South Americans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A Brazilian.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
*Joke credited to Brother Hunt.

The original Raccoon River Ward missionaries.

Raccoon River reunion! :):) This is us in a picture.

You better believe we all sat and reminisced on the good 'ole Raccoon River days. :)

Zone Conference picture!

This is what happens on the 2 hour ride home from Zone Conference. :)

I flippin love the Senior couples in Nauvoo!!! We knock on their door to give them a flyer, and they send us home with flowers and brownies. SCORE!

This is what happens when you clean out a Sister missionary apartments vacuum. Nast. Wig anyone?

The Temple with ma companion. :) I am a little obsessed with Nauvoo

Hi Ho Hi Ho...It's Off To Work We Go

This has been quite an incredible week. Holy guacamole. I am absolutely exhausted! I honestly have never worked so hard in my life! The amount of work we do in one day here in Hamilton, is equal to the amount of work we did in 3 in Winterset. So much to do!!! I absolutely love this area though. I am really being pushed and it is such a blessing. Because I am spoiled getting to serve in Nauvoo, there has to be some kind of growth somewhere. On word: Antis. Oh my heavens... they are everywhere. It keeps things interesting though. :) I have to give a quick shout out here to my older brother Taylor. He is 21 today. He is OLD! Kidding, kidding. Happy birthday Tay! I love you! :)
Monday: P-days here are crazy! It is go go go. We do our studies at a members house while we do our laundry, and then email, and then Walmart, and then head to Keokuk to play Volleyball with our district. I thought p-days were suppose to be relaxing... hmmm... Luckily, I don't mind it though. That night, we had met with the Criders. They are awesome! They fed us soup and we showed them "Reflections of Christ." Good trade. :) Then we headed to Carthage to to help a member clean cause she just had jaw surgery. Super fun! I am going to be a pro cleaner by the time I come home. :)
Tuesday: On Tuesdays, we do service at City Hall. I love doing secretary work! Basically, in this area you  do a lot of service cause that is how we help soften the hearts of the people who may not have the best opinion of the church. So after city hall, we head to the senior home and we get to paint nails for an hour. Those ladies are adorable! Reminds me of my Winterset girls. :) That night we had an awesome lesson with Brayan, our recent convert. He was baptized the weekend before I got here and he is stellar. He is so prepared and has such a great testimony. Plus, we got to teach him about the priesthood. My favorite. :)
Wednesday: What day is it? HUMP DAY!!! What the heck. Um. Blah.  Months have just flown by. Honestly, I cannot believe I am halfway done with my mission. It freaks me out.:)  Every Wednesday, we get to go to the family history search center for a couple hours and work on that. This is so when the summer starts, and all the people start coming, we will know how to help them with family history. ATTENTION ALL FAMILY: I will be doing a lot of family history, so make sure you are checking for names you can take to the Temple. And also, any info you can give me to help me find people and enter them in is very appreciated. :) After that, we headed to Carthage and did some service at the hospital there. Do ya see what I mean about service? LOVE IT!!! That night we decided to celebrate since it was both of our hump days. The only obvious choice? Eat Mexican food and go to institute. Yep... good night. :)
Thursday: Today, during our lunch break we decided to do something fun. Tour at Carthage Jail= check. Guys... I am spoiled. Being there brought back so many wonderful memories of heritage tours. After that we visited some less actives and had a lesson with one of our investigators Ray. He is awesome! He is 22, but has the mental capacity of a 3 year old. He is a fun one to teach. :) That night we just went and around so I could meet some more people. Good night.
Friday: Today we woke up at 5 am cause we got invited to early morning seminary. Love it! :) Then, we had zone training in Nauvoo! It was so fun to see and meet all the missionaries in my zone. There were a lot! Our zone is actually the biggest in the mission, so it was a great meeting! After the meeting, all 28 of us headed to a little restaurant and the sweetest thing happened. A cute couple visiting Nauvoo payed for all 28 of us. Guys... this restaurant wasn't cheap, and they payed for it all. They are going to be so blessed!! Oh and fun fact: Nana and Pops- Haley Newell was at the restaurant and she was walking out as we were all walking in. It was so fun to see her!! After that we did family history finding. We are not aloud to proselyte in Nauvoo or talk about the church, but we can pass out family history cards. Then we had dinner with the Bishops wife and headed home!
Saturday: Saturday was a crazy day! Literally just running around all day. We saw a lot of our investigators and had some AMAZING lessons with them.
Sunday: Something was in the air at church, cause people were fallin asleep left and right! Hahaha literally everywhere we looked, people had the whole "head nod back and forth" thing goin. It was HILARIOUS! :) After church we had a couple meeting, and then we stopped by the senior couple's house to drop off a paper. Yea... 2 hours later. Haha they ended up feeding us and just laughing the whole night... I think Heavenly Father understands. :)
As you can tell, my week was jam packed! We had a lot of people to see, and a lot of things to do. I have already grown a lot though in my 1 week here. I have never had my testimony shut down and tried as much as I have this last week. Heavenly Father loves me so much though, that every time I get an anti comment, my testimony just grows stronger. HEAVENS TO BETSY I LOVE THE GOSPEL!!!!!
So Sister Rasmussen and I have been reading a book together this week called, "Believing Christ." It is an amazing book! I can't remember who it is by, but if you look it up it should come up. It is the story of the Bicycle. My mom in her email to me this week, included a video that fits PERFECTLY with what we are reading about: the Atonement. I absolutely love this video. https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-08-008-reclaimed#./2012-08-008-reclaimed?&_suid=140050960539808756507734014409
I have a firm testimony that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, un-celestial beings can be made celestial. If the world was full of perfect people, we wouldn't need a Savior. But boy, do I need him! We are imperfect, but because of Him, we can become perfect.
I pray that each of you will have a great week full of tender mercies. I love you all!
-Sister Jensen
*Still don't have anything on Illinois. But, I'm workin on it. :)

My view coming out of church every Sunday. Just be prepared for a lot of Nauvoo Temple pictures as long as I am serving here. :)

Pretty much pro cooks here :)

The local Hamilton Mexican restaurant knows whats up!!! Kingdoms of glory, say what? :)