All is Swell

This week was excelente! Haha Christmas was awesome we did a contacting activity downtown and then we did some service and then ate dinner. We ate tamales and turkey and pie and stuff, it was good. I had to go on exchanges with 2 of the Elders in my district this week which was fun. We had a few problems but I believe all is swell now. [He had to confiscate an IPhone and find 2 AWOL elders. Eek!]

David on the Roof, and the Monkey Bread he made for Christmas.

Yeah it was a calm week, I hope you all had a great Christmas! I am sorry I don't have very much to say but I love you guys and have a good new year!

Elder Jensen 

Feliz Navidad

So this week was super good! Ummm on Wednesday my comp went down to Saltillo to go see the doctor, so while he was there I went and lived with the other Elders in my ward with was super fun. We were together until Thursday night which was our ward Christmas party. We sang some hymns for the ward and after the party we went and picked up my comp at the bus station. Poor guy he missed the party. And then we baptised Emmanuel, a little dude, but he's super chill. We helped his family come back to church and he got baptised, it was a super cool experience and it was the first time my comp baptised someone! And today is the official first day of our diet! My comp has to loose weight for his back and I just want to be skinnier, so we bought some diet stuff and yeah I am excited. I hope all is well and that you have a great Christmas! 
Con amor,
Elder Jensen

Monclova the beautiful, the city of 2 lies

Hello! This week was really good! We will be baptising sunday, and yeah this week has been awesome. We had our holiday conference friday and that was super fun, I got to see some of my old comps. And saturday we went to the hospital, my comp has been having back issues so we are heading down to Saltillo this week to see the mission doctor. But yeah that's the only bad thing. But all is good up it in Monclova. Hey - want to know what they say about Monclova?

Monclova the beautiful, the city of 2 lies: 

1. Its not beautiful 

2. its not a city

Hahaha that always makes me laugh 

Anyways love you guys!

Elder Jensen

                                                David and his greenie companion.

 This is a typical dinner, grilled chicken from the chicken stand by the house with tortillas and 
chills wraped in bacon filled with cream cheese. 

Christmas at Mordor

Hello! This week was really good! We have started a new initiative as a church He is the gift. Its super powerful, and our part of all of it is we have little cards the we pass out and we carry a little dvd player and we offer to share the video with everyone, its super efficient, I have had the best numbers of all my mission thanks to these cards! And if you guys haven't seen the video, you should look it up on youtube! Funny story so I was on exchanges this week and we walked by a rock band, so we stopped and contacted the house went and jammed with them for a bit and then talked about the church it was sweet! Well I hope you guys are all enjoying the Christmas season! 

Con mucho amor!

Elder Jensen

P. S. [David was sad that Nicole & Ivan won't be here at Christmas, he wanted to speak Spanish with Ivan. Also he met a missionary who went to the same school as Ivan - Elder Velema.] 

Pictures: 

One is of the big factory by my house [Mordor] and how they put up a star

another is of the mountain of hamburgers we ate today

other is of all the missionaries in my ward

Is it gonna be spicy? Es que va a ser picante?

This week was really good, I went down to Saltillo on Monday and picked up my new comp and then we headed up back to Monclova Tuesday evening on the bus. It was awesome - we had some really good meetings. So my new comp's name is Elder Roldan. He is from Peru. He's pretty cool, is very confident, and it will be fun to work with him. Umm everything is normal here. It's gonna get cold again :( But yeah all is well. But so funny thing my comp hates spicy food. I have actually come to love it, but he has been very worried all week about if the food is spicy or not. It's kind of hilarius. But yeah all is good!

Love you guys!

Elder Jensen

David & his 1st Companion

Dave's getting a greenie

This week was very good, and it went by super fast! I did divisiones with Elder Rose the other American in my district one day, another day was the zone conference, and then yesterday I received some crazy news! So well tomorrow I will receive my first kid in the mission. For those of you who don't know, I will be training a new missionary! Also I will be District Leader so I am the leader of a group of missionaries. Today I will be heading down to Saltillo and I will be trained on how to be a dad and then I will be back tomorrow night! The area is doing really good, I am happy to be here for more time. All is well down here in Monclova. I hope all is well with you guys! 

Elder Jensen

If we tell you something, will you get mad?

This week was COLD! It was super hot here 3 weeks ago and now its freezing! I don't even know what happened! 

This week was really fun, we have found a lot of people who want to get baptised and we are hoping that they will progress. We are nearing the end of this change and we are excited to see what will happen next change. Funny story from this week that we were eating dinner with a family after church, and they all start to look at us and ask if we say something will you guys get mad? We said of course not! So they told us that we all look fatter than we did when we got there! NOOOOO! We all freaked out so now we are on diets! But this is something that always happens in this ward all the missionaries get fat here and the sisters think its so funny. I don't think so - but they do cook good here! 

Hey - I am pleased to announce that i was able to get with my birthday money:

1. Jacket

1. sweater

1. sweat pants

5. pairs of pants

3. pairs of socks

1. pair of shoes

1. pair of slippers

1.scarf

I think that is some smart shopping!

So yeah we are all fat down here! But I hope all is swell for you guys! 

Con mucho amor, 

Elder Jensen

In Other News: David is a famous boxer!

[Just an aside - I told David that if the people in Brazil think that his cousins are Barbie & Ken, so who is he? His reply: "that's who they think I am" and a link to this Mexican boxer. Okie Dokie then.]

This week was awesome. The works is normal we continue finding new people to teach and its awesome. BUT! This week was really amazed me was the people here! They just love the missionaries so much, its 100% different than the united states. So today was my birthday and the entire ward was just so nice to, First the bishops wife who owns a cake shop made me a cake! Then this morning we went and ate a birthday breakfast with another family, we had a birthday lunch, and after this we will be heading out to a birthday dinner, I haven't felt so loved in like a year! I am very grateful to be here. Also more than one year ago I entered the MTC a lot has changed! But the mission is the best and I am super happy to be here. I hope all is well back at home, I love you guys!

Elder Jensen

Transformed into a Translator

This week was exclente! We are continuing working hard and looking for new people to teach! We are working hard with a family of 10. 7 or them are members and 2 can be baptised. So we are working with them alot, it's rather fun to see a family that big, that are always getting into trouble and its rather hilarious to be with them. Also yesterday in church the bishop brought his boss, who is a member who was visiting from the United States, and had me be his official translator so that was fun! He was a cool guy and caught me up on all that has been happening for the past year! And it's starting to be cold here so that is a relief - the heat was rough. Ah! Also my comp decided that he wants to lose weight so we went on a diet and we are going running in the morning, it's pretty fun, and I have been running farther than I have ever in my entire life! A mile and a half easy! It's not a whole ton but way more than before! But yeah all is good here in Monclova, I hope all is well with you guys!

Con amor,

Elder Jensen 

 Also! One of the photos is of that factory that is by my house, it dumps hot metal sometimes and when its does the whole sky lights up - it's pretty cool! 

Like a Fire is Burning

This week was really good! we have been working hard trying to find people and we found a new family! We were able to talk to alot of people this week and something interesting about this area is that EVERYONE knows about the church! 

Our ward has our own little church building and its in the middle of everything around here and everyone knows about us its cool and kinda hard. Cool because it's easy to talk with people but hard because everyone already has their opinons but that's okay!

Also I am now 1 year old in the mission! Half way done! Kinda crazy! There is a tradition - so I burned a shirt and it was awesome! I am happy and I hope my next year will be even better! I love you guys thanks for the support! 

Elder jensen

Cool times in the land of Mordor

This week was super good! I arrived in my new area and I love it! Its super green and beautiful! So the main feature of Monclova is that there are 2 huge factories that look like Mordor that are on the outskrts of the city. (Picture of Mordor included.) 

Google Earth Mordor

And my new comp is cool, his name is Elder Rodriguez and he is from Mexico - like the state of Mexico. The area is cool but the other missionary who was here left nothing and we have to start from 0. But yeah I am happy. I hope all is well! This is the second time I have been with the elder Rezendez, he is the missionary in the other half of my ward. We were together in my first area, and he is comps with a new American, so I have to help him alot with translating English so that's pretty fun. But yeah the ward is cool, area is cool, comp is cool, I am excited to be here! I hope all is well over there in the good ol USA! 

Elder Jensen

Baptism & Transfer!

This was a fantastic week! We worked a ton with Martin and he got baptised on saturday! He was very happy and it was a rather special experience he has had a lot of dificultades, but finally after 3 years of investigating the church he decided to be baptised! Elder Norseth came out to work with us on Tuesday, he was my comp like 6 months ago when my comp went home early, now he is asistente del presidente and he said I was doing a really good job so that made me feel good, sometimes its easy to get down when the work gets tough, but his visit helped me a lot. And today we received the changes, so tomorrow I will be heading out to Monclova! I have been in Saltillo for 1 year so I am excited to head out! Its sad to say goodbye to everyone but they are very nice to us and it helps a ton. 

So all i know about Monclova is 

1. in the summer it's like 125° outside 

2. They eat a ton of tortillas and coke

3. the people are super cool

4.It's super cold in the winter

I am excited! We will see what happens I hope all is well with you guys! 

Con amor

Elder Jensen

The Anger of a Thousand Lions, or a Chihuahua

Hello! This was an excelente week! Last Monday we recived a reference in my area that is one of my converts so we got to go vist her which was really fun! Umm Martin is progressing really well and we are very excited for him. This week we have been focusing alot on Martin but there are a few famlies that are progressing nicely with us. I really enjoyed conference this weekend I thought it was excelente! I really enjoyed all the talks! So well, next week are changes again so we will see what happens! But funny story from this week, we were with a family and when we finished their little chihuahua just attack my comp without mercy and without fear and with the anger of a thousand lions, it was super funny and made my day. Also so we got to watch confrence in English and one of the pictures attached was our tv. That tiny little tv was how we watched conference - it was sweet! The other picture is me on the bus. But thanks for the letters and support! Have a great week!

Elder Jensen 

11 months

This was a great week! Martin is really progressing well now, and he is super excited for general conference, he is one of those investigators that just gets it, he understand everything so it super fun to teach him! And Saturday was my comps birthday so it was fun to go party with some members for him. We ended up eating a ton of food this day because literally every single person that we saw wanted to give us food. And umm yeah the night before we got tacos(pictured below) and then the next night we ate dinner with this family that is investigating the church (also pictured below) Everything is good, its starting to cool down a bit so that's a relief. OH I completed 11 months in the mish this week that kinda freaked me out, my comp got super happy, but I don't know it makes me a little sad knowing that one day it all will end, but the good thing is i still got another year! and a month! But yeah this week was good, I hope all is good in the good ol USA! 

Con Amor

Elder Jensen

Spiritual Antenna

So this week was super good! It was the Mexican independence day so we had a fun family home evening at the church and I got a SWEEEEET Mexican tie! It was kinda funny, so i had to do divisiones with my district leader this day and he told everyone in his area (because we are in the same ward). And his investigator bought it for me! It was sweet! And so we just reactivated this family and their son who isn't a member started going to church and it is all very exciting there. And yeah everything is going good here! So funny story my comp just knows how to do a lot of things so we end up helping members with stuff alot, and the other day we are fixing a members satellite signal. As we were fixing it and I was below telling my comp if the tv looked good, and literally everything it looked good was because he became the antenna and I guess he gets a good signal! It was funny. But yeah everything is good here I hope you guys are doing great! 

with much amor

Elder Jensen

Delicious cactus

This was good! It was rainy and cold but good! One of our investigators moved so that was sad, she was gonna get baptised. And then e just worked hard, i don't know not a ton happened! But I am alive and happy. Today and tomorrow people ae celebrating the Mexican Independence day so that will be cool, but we aren't allowed to do anything :( Umm I ate a tuna this week, which is the fruit of cactus, it was good, but SUPER full of seeds it was impossible to eat! I am sorry this week was so boring! I hope you guys are good! I am good! Stay safe, have fun! 

Love 

Elder Jensen

Pitbulls

HEY! So this week was awesome! We are working hard, and we have a TON of new people to teach! We are excited and we had more people in church than we have had before! We are excited to keep on working! So! Funny story, a ton of people here have pitbulls so I have grown accustomed to play with a pitbull like its nothing but my comp is still kinda of scarred of them so we ate with this family this week and I was just sitting there having fun with this little pitbull, and my comp was just freaking out the whole time! He could not handle it, I think he thought I was playing with a demon or something along those lines, it was hilarious.

But yeah everything is calm here, Next week is Mexican independence day s that will be fun! We are playing to go down town and just eat tacos all day! It will be sick! I hope you are all doing goood! Have a happy Mexican independence day!

¡Viva la resistencia!

Elder Jensen 

A Fish Named Jackson

Hey! This week was super chill, we are working with the daughter of
one of one the people that was just baptised and she came to church
today and we are excited! I am sorry to report that everything is
normal, we got changes today and we are staying the same. I finished
10 months in the mission this tuesday, its kinda fun to be with my
comp because we have the same time in the mission so we can celebrate
together. So, funny thing that happened this week was me and my comp
went to a pulga ( which is just a huge group of people in tents
selling stuff) And we bought fish for one of my converts because she
has an aquarium I named my fish white guy because that's what everyone
here calls me, and my comps fish is named Jackson!

Yeah everything is good here and this computer that I am using is super 
bad. I can't upload photos but I'll send em next week! I love you guys!
Elder Jensen

Mysterious Ways

Hola! This week was an awesome week. We just worked super super hard, and we are finally working all day, we haven't had down time of canceled lessons or anything like that, its awesome! We have just a ton of work to do, its pretty nice. So awesome blessing, so the other elders in our ward changed houses the other day and when they left their landlord asked them if they wanted to keep the couches and they said no because their new house has couches soooo WE GOT THEM :D I haven't had a couch since the mtc its amazing! 

We also just found this less active family who were a pretty bad situation and we showed up at their house the moment that they needed help, so that was cool! God works in mysterious ways! For example it just started pouring other day, like super super hard rain and we were heading to another lesson and this car pulled up and said hey Hermanos! Get in! So we did and they drove us to our lesson and like half way through the ride I realized they were not LDS just some nice Christians who wanted to help it was awesome! But yeah I am good, everything is going really good here.I hope you are all doing great! 

Con mucho amor

Elder Jenseñ

New Transportation

So this was an exclente week! We are still working hard, and sometimes its difficult but I am feeling good! So funny/crazy story, so we got a reference this week of a family that wanted to take the lessons so we went over and were talking with them and they just moved here from Torreón (another city close to Saltillo) And we were talking and they told us they had already taken the lessons from a Elder who was from Saltillo, and I totally know the Elder! He left on his mission when I was in his ward! Kinda cool! Also, this week was the primary program, and it was just as enjoyable as it is back home! All the kids had matching outfits - it was sweet. And to end the week I got to ride a bike that looks like its from Nacho Libre! Yeah that was my week! Love you guys hope you are doing great!!

Elder Jenseñ 

Breakfast with the Captain

This was an excelente week! We worked super hard. We have been looking for new people to teach all week. So far we have had little success but we are getting there. Also it has been hot! I mean the heat here in nothing compared to the rest of the mission but its been hot! Like 100 more or less. Honestly everything is going good, and normal. Today we made these freaking delicious fried sugar tortillas, it was amazing. Also in good news - this morning I found captain crunch which makes super super happy. But yeah honestly it was just a normal week. 

Funny missionary culture tip, so if you are American you just have to give your all to Spanish. You always have to be talking with members BECAUSE if you don't they make fun of your Spanish - and when they do that it's even harder to speak. This has been happening to an Elder in my ward. It's kinda funny, but also kinda sad. But so yeah when you are in Mexico you gotta speak or they will make fun of you! hahaha Okay but I hope you are super good!

Con mucho amor

Elder Jensen

Today We Climbed a Mountain

Well so this was another good week. It's really nice to be in charge and to have the opportunity to use all that I have learned in my mission and really apply it to the work. Sometimes it can be hard but is super cool. Also the sister who was baptised last week, her son is really progressing. He was praying about if the church was true and he got in a terrible car accident, like super super bad, but nothing happened to him! He and everyone else involved in the accident were completely fine, and he understood that to be his answer from god, that he really is watching us, and how much he cares. It was really cool. I am having a lot of fun here as well, today we climbed a mountain and it was really cool, we watched the sun rise and it was sweet. I hope you guys are all doing really well, I love you!

Elder Jensen

The world of Elder Jensen

Hey! This was an excellent week, I got my new comp Elder Hernandez, he's pretty cool, from Puebla. We have the same amount of time in the mission. Also we had another baptism this week, Letti. She is really really cool. She just accepted the Gospel immediately and is kinda like our mom - it's sweet. She wanted to make us breakfast the other day so we went over and she made us pancakes with yogurt and apples on top. Weirdly it was super good! And today we went down town and enjoyed some touristy stuff. But yeah everything is good here in the world of Elder Jensen, I hope you guys are doing awesome! 

Love you!

Elder Jensen

Seniors, Shoes, Sewage

So this week was really good! We came to a close to this transfer and my companion will be leavingtomorrow and I will be Senior companion here with a Elder Hernandez. I am excited to be Senior comp here it will be an adventure! And we have been working alot with some investigators here and we expect them to progress alot this next change! 

The biggest adventure we had was due to the excessive rain here, so when it rains it RAINS it doesn't joke around, and the drainage system here just can't handle it, so we have to figure out how to cross rivers like 24 times every day. This is rough, because if your shoes get wet, it's game over for your shoes - they start falling apart on the inside. With that in mind me and my comp were trying to figure out how to get out of one of these situations and basically we ended up on a tiny island in the middle of a road, without hope, and just as I was about to enter the disgusting sewage water, and the moment after my comp entered, a hermana arrived to save us in her car! It was sweet! 

Also we made the BESTTTTT tacos in the world this week, it was truly a extraordinary experience. 

Corn tortillas 

Avocado 

Cream cheese 

Ground beef and cheese 

And a chipotle chile 

It was a truly magical! I loved them. 

But yeah I hope you guys are good! Love you!

Elder Jenseñ

P.S. I had to remove a pool of dirty water from our backyard so we won't have a ton of mosquitos in our house!

I clean the font

Well this was a great week! We had a baptism, Berenna was baptised. So we arrived at the church in the morning to clean the font and to fill it with water, and it was full of dirty freezing water. We didn't have keys to the drain control sooooo we had to remove all the water by hand! So I am just alot bigger, taller, etc than all the Mexicans, so I had to get in the water and with a bucket and scoop out the water into trash cans that had wheels. Then they brought the cans outside to dump them and we were exhausted after this, so we look a little tired in the picture. But yeah it was really cool, Berenna was really happy! It was a excellent day! But that was mostly what we were focusing on all week, so yeah! 

OH! Also I learned how to make torillas! And there was a rainbow! 

Hope you guys are doing great! 

Con amor 

Elder jenseñ