Wunderbare Woche! (wonderful week)

October 14, 2013

"Halo Familie!

It has been a truly amazing and busy week full of walking and talking and other missionary doings!  Beginning with Monday...same old regular P-day, I think I'm going to go "kaufe" (buy) some things.  Tuesday was zone training.  It was in Stuttgart, I really enjoy our zone leaders Elder Gibbons and Elder Horlacher.  Top Lads.  After zone training I had my second Tausch in Ludwigsburg!  The district leader, Elder Morrill, had it with Elder Peterson, my trainer, so I went with his companion Elder Peppinstock.  He is only one transfer older than me so a Golden as well.  He is a native German, doesn't speak any English, so I was forced to speak the German language for a whole day!  It was really hard and my brain just hurt after but it was really good for me because it forced me to speak it!  While on this "Tausch" we taught a new member "G" that the sisters baptized in August.  (There's a set of sisters in Ludwigsburg too).  She is an older Nigerian lady!  She is awesome!  She goes back to Nigeria the end of this month, and she only spoke English.  So I guess in Africa "JEN" means a woman and she kept telling me "Elder Jensen...you are not a woman...why is your name JENsen."  Then she said in Africa a "john" is a male so she called me her "JOHNson son" and she is my Nigerian Momma!  I will miss her but we will stay in contact.  She really wanted to cook us a feast before she leaves but we told her I was going back to Pforzheim the next day.  She was awesome and had a strong love for our Lord! After that Tausch I came back to Pforzheim and Elder Morrill and Peterson had a great tausch, they found like 10 new people!  

The rest of the week we had a lot of street contacting, but we do it differently now.  We just talk to people like a friend, and ask them what is important to them in this world and what is their purpose...they usually say families.  Then we begin teaching them the gospel right there! We found 20 PUs (potential investigators) this week and gave out 15 Book of  Mormons!  It was awesome!  Elder Peterson and Elder Morrill got a hold of "P" during their tausch, which is a MIRACLE!  They made an appointment too, but the day of he text us and said don't come by and that he no longer needs us.  It was a dagger to the heart.  We didn't know what to say, so I said lets pray and see.  I was still confused at first but then I came across this scripture in Alma 37, I believe, that talks about leaning unto the Lord for all our helps and crying unto the Lord.  I felt like we should share that with "P" so we did through text and let him know we loved him and we are here if he needs help.  I felt a comfort after - who knows what will happen, but I feel like he'll eventually come around.  

Friday we have our usual English course with the Russian and Roland and Bruder Kämeling.  Roland we could tell was different, he just had something about him.  Well he usually gives us a ride home after.  Usually on this car ride, he asks a lot of questions about our church, we don't speak about it at the English class.  This day he was asking all these questions about missionary work and he was really nice.  The time felt right and Elder Peterson said that we would be happy to teach him and his little family if they wanted.  He has a little 1 year old and 2 month old.  He said YES!  We see a lot of potential there as well, we have been taking it really slow with him and just becoming friends with him. So this Sunday our branch choir sang, a whole 4 people, haha.  Sadly it was just sad.  After Church, the head person in charge of the choir "asked" us to join.  We had no choice, so now we are in the Branch choir and we had singing class after church.  Our ward college started this week in Pforzheim so we gained some college students in the ward.  We had probably close to 25 members on Sunday!  We told  some members how we found a lot of success this last week and they were all really happy and supportive.  

It's gotten really cold here this last week,  I was 'European' and had on all these layers and wore a scarf.  Yes I wore a scarf, they are cool here and it was really warm!  It's really humid here so it makes it feel a lot colder.  Elder Peterson and I like to think we are chefs sometimes, we cooked us some spicy curry this week, it was pretty good!

It was a good week!  I love this mission and it's crazy how much you learn each week and how much more you grow to love our Savior and gospel.  I was truly blessed to have been able to be born into our Church.  Everyone has to make the decision for themselves if they believe or not, obviously I made my own decision otherwise I wouldn't be half way around the world trying to learn German and sharing what I love so much!  We are all so blessed!  Love you all and hope you have a great week!  Please pray for our investigators, I love you and am thankful for all the support.

Liebe,

Elder Jensen"

General Konferenz!

October 7, 2013

"Hey Fam,

This week has gone by pretty slow waiting for General Konferenz and trying to find people to teach.  General Konferenz was amazing and I hope you all listen to what they told us!  The Lord is TRULY HASTENING HIS WORK!  I get to witness it everyday, and you guys do too!  I hope we all listen to what Elder Ballard challenged us to do...even though St. George is mostly members of the church, reach out to just 1 person from now until Christmas and MILLIONS will feel the pure love of Christ.  I wish to share with you all the notes I took from General Konferenz because this one was really neat as a missionary, but not enough time.  No worries though I'll let you all read them - in 22 months, haha.

So this week... 
Monday was P-day, normal P-day, we ate at KFC, best KFC I've had and they had ICE!  We looked at european suits in this factory store for most of the day, then we went to "M's" house for FHE and had german pancakes.  
Tuesday was District meeting, we meet in Stuttgart so it takes up most of the day.  
Wednesday we met with "J", the less active who lives in Calw, we went over the Familie Proklamation to the World, she really enjoyed that and really believed it, she has two little kids of her own. 
Thursday.  Thursday was just a tough day.  It was a national holiday here in Deutschland, so the whole town and city pretty much shuts down.  We had lunch in Königsbach with a couple from the ward.  We gave them the sacrament and then shared a message on the spot about how infant baptism isn't needed, all children are perfect in God.  I told them how it was my nephews birthday today and he is turning 8 and so excited to get baptized and how big of a deal baptism is.  They fed us lunch and showed us their little garden and had me pick their apples since I'm tall.  That went well but we still had the rest of the day, all our other appointments for that day had been cancelled.  All the stores were closed and no one was out on the streets to even street contact.  So we had to go "klingling" or door knocking, which is not that successful, especially here in Germany.  With not a single person giving us a chance to come in or say more than one sentence I was loosing my faith.  Nothing was going good, when we door knock it makes us sound like we are trying to sell a free book called the Book of Mormon, but we are doing so much more than that.  After hours of that with no success it was time to come home, I came home and opened that picture of Jesus with a light and mom's little note that said "keep the faith going..." it was just what I needed and it's hanging up on my desk.  It meant the world to me that day!  
Friday is weekly planning, so that takes up most of the day.  We called "P" cause we haven't met with him for over a week, he hasn't been feeling "good." He told us how he wants to take a little break and hung up on us.  It was devastating, but we cannot get devastated.  We just need to pray that his heart will be softened again and he will realize he needs this gospel in his life.  Later that night we drove to Stuttgart on the Autobahn with two members to set up all the chairs for General Konferenz the next two days.  There were 5 of us and the chairs had to be set up perfectly so it took us about two hours.  On the way home I asked one of the Bruders what he knew about the Dierks family (the family with all the kids we ran into on a previous week).  I remember reading in the record book how he helped joint teach them in the years past...so he told us what he knew and we told them how we were helping them move later this month, so now he is willing to help with that!  
Saturday and Sunday we spent watching Konferenz.  Saturday we watched the morning session live in the afternoon, then Sunday we watched the Priesthood session in the morning, the Saturday afternoon session in the afternoon, and then the Sunday moring session live in the evening.  It was all great!!

Yeah, it was a slower week, we only found 2 Potential Investigators.  But this next week is bound to be better.  I love you all and hope you are all doing great!  

Bis Spater"

SCHWARZWALD

September 30, 2013

"Halo Familie! 

Another week already, crazy!!  So this week I entered the Black Forest for my first time...and second...and third!  On Wednesday we had an appointment with a less active member who lives in the town of Calw.  It's a little town deeper into the Black Forest!  It was the prettiest ride on the sbahn or train.  We went through all these tunnels and it would be pitch black then you would come out on the other side and there was just a huge opening of valley and hills with trees and streams!  One of the prettiest rides I've ever been on!  Calw is an older german town and the person we were going to teach lived up on the top hill - where there is more green fields and hills without trees.  We taught "J" and she had a good testimony.  She believed in the Book of Mormon, believed in Joseph Smith and that God knows us, but she has a problem with the Church standards.  That's really hard to teach.  She shared some personal stories with us and afterwards me and my companion were talking how if you have a real testimony of Christ and the Book of Mormon, you just begin to know that the Church standards are of Christ.  We have some scriptures and topics we'll teach her next week. 

The next day we had to help a ward member pack up and move.  It was a long day of moving and heavy lifting!  He lived in Bad Wildbad, a BEAUTIFUL stadt in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest).  We drove there with Präsident Setner, Bishop and the 1st Counsilor on the Autobahn through the Schwarzwald.  I didn't know which to enjoy more - the beautiful scenery out the window or the crazy drive there, as fast as you can possibly drive around all these windy roads through the forest!  It was about an hour drive.  The next day we returned to Bad Wildbad but on the other side of town.  It was the most beautiful little city.  It's where a lot of older people live.  There was a clear water river running through the town, then an alley of trees.  Rolling hills with houses scattered and different patches of trees changing colors.  It was really pretty!  Well we went here searching for "M", this man who came running up to us about two weeks ago in Pforzheim.  We had his "address" but it just wasn't there...we found the street and everything - but no house.  We called his mom, because that is the number he gave us and she said she didn't know where he lived and that she didn't have his number.  We were a little confused because people don't usually run up to us.  So after searching for "M" for 2 hours we came down the hill and worked our way back into main town to catch the little trolley back to Pforzheim.  So yeah, this last week I went to the Black Forest three different times, three different ways and they were all pretty!

The coolest thing, I found the local Basketball gym, haha!  We stopped and watched for a little bit - two german clubs playing.  They weren't bad athletes and varied in ages from 18-50.  Some of them had really good shots and could even dunk, especially this one, he jumped out of the gym!  I was so tempted to play with them.  They had a mini Oktoberfest down the main street here in Pforzheim this week, roasted pig, beer everywhere, and everyone in there lederhosens!  It was really crowded.

This week I was really thinking about what truly separates me from all the other 18 year olds we come in contact with.  There was a nice 18 year old who wasn't a member who helped us move on Thursday.  I thought of many things, but the one I studied more was the Priesthood. The Priesthood is such a great thing we have been blessed with.  We all know the just of Priesthood and what it is, but I wanted to know more about Melchizedek.  So I found out as much as I could about this great man that we call this great priesthood, which it's real name is The Holy Priesthood after the order of the Son of God.  He was a really amazing guy that I can't wait to meet someday.  I am really excited for General Konferz this week!!  WE GET TO HEAR FROM THE PROPHET!  We watch it in the Stuttgart Stake Center.  Everynight I have tried to read a previous talk from the past General Konferz  I strongly suggest you all read the talk: "Of Regrets and Resolutions" by Uchtdorf, it is really good! We found 11 PUs, or potential untersuchers/potential investigators.  That is really good for this mission!  

I love you all and hope you are all doing well."

Old church in Calw

 Bad Wildbad river

Bad Wildbad church

On top of the hill (Black Forest)

Searching for "M"

basketball gym in Pforzheim