Dear Family, March
24, 2014
MERRY CHRISTMAS! I am
pleased to inform you that it is once again Christmas in Michigan! It has
snowed four times this past week. FOUR. TIMES. Excuse me, but wasn't the first
day of Spring this last week? Jokes on us apparently. It was snowing this morning
right before we had companion study so we decided that "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear"
was an appropriate choice for our opening song. I finally understand why
Michiganders never take down their Christmas decorations. We even saw a full
blown Christmas tree in one persons house this week. I think my California
grown body is starting to reject the winter temperatures and clothes that go
with it. I just can't bring myself to wear two pairs of pants, gloves and snow
boots in SPRING. My body calendar keeps saying, "It's March/April and that
means shorts." The elders in my district were giving me a hard time last
week because I showed up to district meeting two weeks ago in a knee length
skirt and regular shoes. I'm pretty sure they kept their comments about my pasty
white legs to themselves.
Besides the fact that
Michigan can't get it's seasons in order, I'm great! I think I had the flu this
past week because I remember getting home from district meeting on
Wednesday and falling asleep and not waking up until 5 the next morning. I
can honestly say that I don't think I've slept for 15 hours in a row before so
that was a new experience. I'm doing a lot better now. Sister Anderton and
Sister Mortensen were able to get a lot of things done (updating our area book,
putting together a map of our area and contacting a lot of potentials) while I
was out so it thankfully wasn't a complete waste of the day.
Transfer numero uno
just ended! I am on my second transfer! That transfer was an ETERNITY. It can't
believe that only a transfer ago I was leaving the MTC. It feels like the MTC
was at least a year ago. I think part of the whole time distortion thing is
that there are really only three days in a week for missionaries: Sunday,
P-Day and the rest of the week. It is really hard to differentiate days so I
think that contributes a lot my whole skewed perception of time. Whenever I go
to write emails I have to have my planner out so I can look at each day and
remember what we did. So. Much. Mental. Exertion. Anyway, here are the changes
for this transfer: SIster Anderton is being transferred to Big Rapids (an hour
North of here and colder. Take that Brazil!) and we are getting a sister from
Mason named Sister Harris. I do not know anything about Sister Harris other
than she's been out about a year and that she is really sweet. I am excited to
work with her and Sister Mortensen this transfer. I am extremely hopeful that
the Spring will thaw out the Michiganders and their hearts and we'll see more
success in the coming transfer. The elders in my ward are making some great
progress with their investigators so there is the potential for some great
things in the Grand Rapids Ward!
We had a miracle this
week. We have been trying to visit a less active member in our ward for weeks
now. We met with her once and had a great time with her and her four and eight
year old sons. She hasn't been active since she started college and we really
think that if we can get her to church, it will rekindle a flame. The problem
that we have been facing is that she won't let us in to her apartment complex.
I think I mentioned a couple weeks ago that everything fell out of my bag but
it ended up being a good thing because it delayed us getting to the door and
getting there right when someone was coming out so we got into the building and
were able to knock on her door. That's how we got in the first time. She missed
the appointment we had with her and we've been trying ever since to get in
touch with her. Last couple times we've gone the light has been on in her
apartment and every time we buzz the apartment, the light goes off. Well, this
last time we went we prayed for a miracle. We prayed that somehow we would get
into her building. As we walked to her building, I was watching intently,
waiting for someone to come out of the building so we could catch the door. No
one came. The light in the apartment was on and we buzzed. The light went off.
We all looked at each other and knew that we were all feeling/thinking the same
thing. Sister Mortensen half jokingly pulled on the door to see if it was open
and to our utter amazement, the door opened. We stared at the door and each
other dumbfounded for a couple seconds. We had been given a miracle. We'd been
given the thing we prayed for. I've reflected a lot on it since and once of the
things I have learned from it is that I shouldn't limit the way Heavenly Father
can answer my prayers. I was expecting that Heavenly Father would answer my
prayer in a couple ways and I didn't give consideration to the fact that He can
answer my prayer anyway He sees fit, even ways I haven't considered. I wonder
how many ways thus far He has answered my prayers and I just haven't realized
it yet. That's a humbling thought. She wouldn't answer her door but we ran into
a guy who "just so happened" to be walking out of his apartment when
we got there and told us that he'd been to our church in Florida. Wait, what?
He liked the church there so we gave him the address to the church here. Then
he went back into his apartment. Heavenly Father produces miracles all the
time. It's awesome.
Here is the best story
of the week: Sister Mortensen and I scare Sister Anderton all the time because
it's hilarious. We were having a family home evening lesson with the Johnson
Family and Brother Johnson told us about scaring the pants off of his son one
night (It involved Trent talking to himself for 10 minutes, Bro. Johnson hiding
in a closet and Connor getting so scared he whinnied like a horse and posed
like a velociraptor. It was hilarious) so naturally we told them about
how much we like scaring Sister Anderton. After our lesson, Sister Anderton had
to use the restroom. Once she was in there, Sister Johnson leaned down to us
and said, "Sisters, go scare Sister Anderton." We then looked at
Brother Johnson and said, "Brother Johnson, YOU scare Sister
Anderton." So he went and hid under a table just around the corner from
the bathroom and waited. It could not have gone more perfectly. We asked
Brother Johnson afterwards what he thought of Sister Anderton freaking out and
he said, "I didn't expect it to be so high." Sister Anderton is a
good sport about it but yesterday when we went over to their house Sister
Anderton made us promise that we wouldn't scare her.
I always don't think I
have anything to say about the week but then I look back and realize that I
write a lot. Before I go, I want to extend an invitation to you this week. We
have been talking a lot with the members about the power of the Book of Mormon.
When we read the Book of Mormon, we are reading the words that God has given to
the prophets and as God's word, there is power in the Book of Mormon. There is
an incredible Spirit that comes as we read the Book of Mormon. I can't imagine
a better book to gain comfort, peace, or determination from. I know that the
Book of Mormon has the power to touch lives in a way that our words can't so my
invitation to you this week is to share a scripture that has touched your life
with someone else. It could be a member, non-member, less active or a home/'visiting
teachee, just share a scripture with them and why it has meant so much to you.
Or even just send a text that says, "Hey, I thought of u. Read D&C
50:40-44". Get creative, be simple. :)
I love you all so
much! Have a fantastic week!
Your Michiganary,
Sister Jensen
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