Let it Snow!

February 26, 2013

How are you guys doing? How is the weather? Is it warming up yet? We just got 2 pretty big snow storms this week. It put down another 10 inches of snow. Tell Alex Happy (28th?) Birthday for me. I got the Valentines package the other day. That was nice. Thank everyone for all the goodies. Especially for the Star Wars stuff ha, and the heart box with a mustache on it. Thank you for the money. That really helps. So things have been going pretty good this week. We are planning on 2 baptisms this Saturday. One seems pretty shaky though. I think it will get postponed. We still haven't gotten the car back yet so we are still walking a lot. That's really cool that Karlie and Mallory got their calls. I already heard that she got called to Korea, but I didn't know that Karlie was going to Japan. That is pretty exciting. If she leaves in April then it looks like we will get off our missions at the same time. Well, hope all of you have a good week. I attached some pictures to this email so you all could check them out. 

Take care/ I love you.
Love Elder John Daniel Jensen

The Days Go Slow, but the Weeks Fly By

February 19, 2013

Good to hear that Rhea's surgery went ok. How are things going in Fairbanks? I'm doing pretty good. Have you gotten any mail from BYU-I about anything? or any particular tax forms?? Could you send those to me please?? So far the trailer seems to be doing a lot better. The trailer we have now is actually fine, it just doesn't handle the winters too well. The owner is actually the Relief Society president. She said she gave us the best trailer that was vacant, all the other ones are even worse haha. It will be a lot nicer when we get our car back because we can get more work done and have more time to find and look for a new place. So far this week has been pretty good. It went by really slow because everyone has been getting sick with the flu so half of our lessons got cancelled and we had nothing to do but tract. The family with the non member/ catholic dad and daughter are still doing really well, and still have plans to get baptized in March so that's good. They seem to be really solid gators who have been prepared by the Lord. Right now they are the main focus because all of our other gators are struggling with really keeping commitments and don't really seem like they want the gospel, they just like the company of the missionaries. all in all its has been a good transfer so far. It's crazy that it's already half over. The days seem like they go by slow but the weeks just fly by, it's really weird. We also started teaching this boy named Travis he is really cool, I think he is 8. He plans on getting baptized in March as well, so that's exciting.. Well I hope you all are having a good week. Take care. I love you guys

Love, 

Elder John Jensen

John got a BBQ (It's his favorite way to cook)

February 12, 2013

How are you? I have been doing pretty good. We definitely are staying busy with all the teaching that has been going on. We have had to go on a lot of splits with priests recently because we have a lot of appointments double booked so we have to divide and conquer. Our trailer is doing a lot better. The roof is still leaking but everything else is working good. The trailer we live in is over 50 years old apparently. The stake presidency is looking around for a better place for us to live for location and living standards and also one that is free since the mission pays about 600 per month for the trailer. Today was pretty good. Went to a sock store and got some new socks, it was good because I needed some nice socks for all the walking outside. I also got a mini BBQ so we can start grilling instead of using the oven. Maybe you know some good recipes for cooking hamburgers and hot dogs? Maybe even steaks? Yesterday for dinner we had lamb steaks at this member's house for dinner and than he took us out to his barn and showed us all the brand new baby lambs. It was really cool, and we got to hold the new born lambs. That was out in Honeyville, the farm town. We recently picked up a new investigator out in Honeyville who is Catholic and wants to be baptized, so that's really cool and super rare. Out here most Catholics turn us down. This guy seems really solid and cool though. Both him and his daughter plan on getting baptized in March. In the same town there is this little store that an older lady owns and she is one of the few nonmembers in the area so we always visit the store and buy HI-chews( missionaries love HI-chews) just so we can talk to her and be like "Are you sure you don't want to meet with the missionaries?". So far she hasn't budged, but we got her little son really interested. We hope that turns into something good. We should be out visiting a lot more when we get the car back. The office says it should be about another 3-4 weeks. We had to ask a lot of people( to drive us around for p-day) before we found someone who wasn't busy already. P-days have been a lot more chill lately. We went to the Temple this morning and did initiatories, which was pretty cool. The Brigham City temple is really nice. Since it is so close we will probably go every week. Has there been any ward temple trips recently?? Now that Brianna is 12 she can go down to Anchorage and do baptisms for the dead! Well I got to go. Have a good week. I love you all.

A few weeks later...

January 31, 2013

Hey guys,

How are things going? Sorry I didn't E-mail the last 2 weeks. Didn't have much time. We recently moved into a trailer park so that took up a whole Tuesday, barely had enough time to read the emails before I had to leave for a lesson. and then last week for some reason the computers were not working. These last 2 weeks have been pretty good. We had zone conference last Thursday, that was really good. My mission president used to be a motivational speaker so he gives really good talks. This weekend was really fun. I had a baptism in my old area so I got to go back to Benson and see my buddy Harold get baptized and we also had one of our investigators here in Brigham City get baptized as well. This 9 year old boy named A.J. was the second and we also got to see him get confirmed on Sunday.

So the other week we moved into this trailer park...

The trailer is pretty cool, It's actually a lot nicer and gives us more space than our last apartment. So that's good. The pipes freeze up really easily though. We had a little colder weather than usual (-5) so everything got frozen, so now we are told to keep everything dripping until march so they don't freeze again. Yesterday it got down to -7 and my comp pulled the car over and pulled out his camera to take a pic of the thermometer ha. He is from Cali so It must have been a big deal for him to be in negative temps. I thought it was pretty funny. Things here in Brigham are getting a lot better. The work was super slow over the holidays, but now it is picking back up. I met a member who used to cut hair for a living, so me and my comp got haircuts from him the other day. It's nice to serve in Utah because almost everyone is willing to help out the missionaries in whatever way they can. Do you guys see any of the missionaries back home? Have you invited them over for dinner yet? Did you guys get to watch the CES Devotional on the BYU channel. Pres Uchtdorf talked. I heard it was really good. Today for P-day we just kind of chilled for a while and then went down to Ogden to go bowling. I was able to finish reading the book Jesus the Christ. That book is really good. Been doing a lot of reading lately. I think I'm going to start the book The Miracle of Forgiveness, but just listen to it on CD so it's easier and I won't be tired of reading when it's study time for the scriptures. So how are things back home? How is the weather? Done anything fun recently? How are the sports going? I hear there isn't a lockout anymore for the NHL and that the 49ers and Ravens are going to the super bowl. Well hope you all have a good week. Love ya

Love Elder Jensen

(a second email...)

Things getting fun up there in Fairbanks? I'm doing pretty good. The trailer is pretty cool. It gives us lots of chances to meet new people who aren't members. Most non members live in the poor parts of town so it's good to have all the work close to home ha plus it's good because living in a trailer humbles people which makes it easier for us to get our foot in the door and share the gospel with them. We already got 3 new gators in one day so that's a plus! Transfers were just last Tuesday so I got my new comp on Wednesday. His name is Elder Jorgensen. He is pretty fun. He is from Vegas. Seems like the church is getting a lot bigger over in sin city. So I have been taking lots of pictures but I forgot the chord that connects to the computer so I can't download and send them to you guys in emails. :( if you could, can you look for it and then mail it to me please. How is Alex's family doing? I drive past Washington Terrace quite a bit whenever we have to go to the mission office. So Mitch already left? To the MTC or the mission field? Well hope everything is going well. hope you guys have an awesome week! Love ya

Love Elder John!

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2013

Happy New year!  How was your New Years? Mine was good. For New Years Eve we went to a members house and had a little party/BBQ, (steak kabobs and grilled shrimp) it was pretty good. We could only stay there till 9 though (because of mission rules) so we where in bed when it was officially New Years. I met a guy at the party who is stationed on Ft. Wainwright, so he must be in the same ward as you guys. He was just down in Utah visiting family. Things are going good in my new area. I haven't been asked to talk yet so that is good. We found a few new people to teach. This 9 year old girl Acacia and this other lady who I forget her name. We were going to have a baptism for this girl Amy this week but when we went to go over to visit with her yesterday we found out that she is in prison now for doing drugs. (That is pretty common here I guess, we are in the ghetto part of Brigham City) So that's a bummer. That will delay her baptism for quite a bit. We should be having a baptism next week though for this 9 year old boy, AJ. Hopefully since the holidays are over more people will be less busy and able to have the lessons. These last 2 weeks have been super slow because we pretty much had no teaching appointments because everyone was busy and canceled them. How have things been in Alaska? BTW I should be sending a package home, I found another one of nicks shirts I still have. I hope you guys have a good week! I love you.

Love, 

Elder John 

Ogden Mission Dec Newsletter

December 17th, 2012

This is the newsletter from our president and should have some pictues in it of the whole mission conference. I am the one wearing the dew rag towards the middle in the silly picture and I am on the edge of the "O" in the serious one. Hopefully you can see it well on your computer.

John's First Week at the Missionary Training Center (MTC)

October 24th, 2012

Well, it's going good. The MTC is pretty cool. I have two comps here. Elder Vickers and Elder Seamon. We got Tri-companionships going on. They are pretty cool. I'm the senior comp and they are the junior comps. The first few days of the MTC were kind of hard to get used to, but it's fun now. All the buildings look the same here! It's easy to get lost. ha. I found out that I will be here for a little over 3 weeks. I leave the 6th of November. Today is my first P-day and the end of the first week at the MTC. I got to go to the Provo Temple today, that was cool. We ate breakfast there ha I didn't know temples had cafeterias. The food at the temple is a lot better than the food at the MTC. How are things in Alaska? How is everyone doing? The gym time is fun here. I'm pretty much a boss at 4 square ha ha. Also it snowed today!! I should be taking lots of pictures so I'll send some later.

Love John (Elder Jensen)