Merry Christmas!!!

December 25, 2013

We were SO excited we got to Skype with Gabe on Christmas day!!!  The connection was a little frustrating at times but it was so good to see his happy smiling face!  He is doing awesome and absolutely loving his mission!

Bis Übermorgen

December 23, 2013

"What up Fam!

I'm going to keep this one short with it being Christmas week and we get to talk more in a couple days.  Some of the highlights of this week...first one being - my courage!  My mut just changed this week, I wasn't scared at all to talk to everyone!!!  I went on a Tausch with Elder Wasden in Heilbronn this week.  I talked a lot on that Tausch, I just figured why hold back?  It went well and we got a long.  I feel like the mission has changed me so much already!  

We had a sweet surprise Christmas party with this family from Weihingenz.  They are a really cool family - the mom is a new member but they go to the Stuttgard ward.  

This week was good, I don't know what happened but I wasn't shy at ALL with the language and I have talked to the coolest people on the buses and trains.  It's my favorite thing, I just go sit by people and start talking to them, ya know share some crazy stories, laugh, try telling jokes...they usually I get an opportunity of them asking why I'm learning German or why I'm over here and I get to tell them about missionary work and our purpose.  It's really cool and I love it!  I love Elder Peterson and I will miss him as a companion when we split because we have become best friends!  We will talk more about my investigators and a lot of other things in a couple days!  FROHE WEIHNACHTEN!!! (Merry Christmas)

Liebe Große

Elder Jensen

P.S. Today Elder Peterson and I are going to put on our santa hats and deliver all the members in our Zweig a little box of chocolates, I'm excited!  We delivered one earlier this week when we had a member lesson and they LOVED it!  It was really cool!"

Elder Peterson and Gabe's "Christmas card" picture

 Gabe's side of the room decorated with Christmas lights :)

 All the Christmas loot

Nach Stuttgart

December 16, 2013

"Hallo family,

I'm really sorry but I am going to have to make this email short and sweet.  Elder Peterson and I are headed to Stuttgart today for our P-day to see their Weihnachtsmark (christmas market) and such.  So some quick info on this last week…not a whole lot happened, in fact it was a rather slow and uneventful week.  We were excited to start a new week.

Monday we ran into Sister "E" and she said she is not ready to be baptized anytime soon sadly, but we are still working with her and meeting with her - just taking it slower.  She needs more time.

On Wednesday was our Christmas party as a zone!  That was a lot of fun and that is when I received my Christmas package!  President and Sister Miles were there too so that was cool.  We played bells, did a white elephant exchange among us missionaries, had a pot luck lunch, had ROOT BEER, watched a little of the Christmas devotional, and then Sister Miles played us a song on the flute.  It was fun and really helped it feel like it's Christmas!  Missionary work is 24/7 so it's been hard to realize it's the holiday season.

This week we met with this guy who speaks English, it's weird teaching in English.  He really loves Jesus and knows the bible.  Anyways his computer was out and he was on youtube so I told him I know these videos that are really good if he wanted to look them up - our church bible videos (they are my favorite thing here on the mission - haha).  He pulled some up and started asking us some questions about the Book of Mormon while they were playing so that was cool.

Christmas is different here…the Christmas markets are great but other than that I don't know how much else they celebrate Christmas. Thanks for your emails, I LOVE them all.  Let everyone know I love them and wish them a happy holiday.

Liebe Große,

Elder Jensen"

A couple pictures from their zone Christmas party!

 Gabe and his companion Elder Peterson (sporting their Christmas ties)

All of the Stuttgart Zone at the Christmas Conference

Neu Distrikt

December 9, 2013

"Halo Familie, 

So this week was a little slower, the missionary work always seems to get a little harder and slower during the winter.  It's as if the people change with the weather…we only had two lessons this week, but we had a whopping three joint teaches!!!  KRASS!

Tuesday was our first distriktsversamlung with our neu distrikt (new district).  The district is REALLY young, my companion doubles everyone in missionary age.  I went on a tausch with Elder Graver in Heilbron, we were in the same MTC group so it was nice to catch up with him.

Wednesday we had an amazing joint teach with Sister "E" and President Setner.  It was really cool and  President connected with her and got a long great.  We talked about modern day prophets and read a talk from the Liahona and Sister "E" loved it!  We tried to tie in the Word of Wisdom too.

Thursday we had a dinner appointment with the Wengarts, which was cool and we got to sit and visit a little. 

Friday we had sprachkurse in the morning, we talked about family traditions during the holiday season.  Later that day one of our lessons got cancelled so we went out "finding" in the freezing cold, really cold wind and then it started snowing too!

On Saturday we had weekly planning and then we went out to stop by peoples places during the day.  That night we ate at the Mittlealt market and watched a fire dancer and an old Mittlealt band, it was really cool and they are all dressed up.

Sunday was busy!  We were in charge of teaching Priesthood the first hour, then we had an investigator class the second hour and then Elder Peterson and I gave a talk the third hour in sacrament.  When you have a small and older ward you end up giving a lot of talks.  After church we had choir practice (haha).  On the way home from church we were riding the bus and two ward members started talking to this lady that sat next to them and they introduced us as missionaries from our church.  Member work is amazing!  It's definitely different than member work back in the states.

I hope you are enjoying this Adwentszeit, a member planned out our Christmas so that's really cool.  Christmas Eve we are at the Setners house, Christmas day we are at an older couples house and then 2nd Christmas (yes Deutschland has a second Christmas on the 26) we are at the Wengarts.  I love you  and hope you're enjoying the holiday season.  Just know I am doing more than fine and I love it here, I'm trying to make the most of my mission because it really goes too fast - I can already tell.

Liebe Elder Jensen"

Middle-ages Market

A P-Day to Remember!

December 2, 2013

"Hello Family, not a whole lot happened this week sadly, it was still a good week though.  Probably one of the highlights was last Monday, our p-day!  We went to Stuttgart to the young adult center, which is about 4 floors high and we had zone Thanksgiving.  The senior couple and a local German who LOVES missionary work cooked us a Thanksgiving feast!  It was so-o-o good!  Turkey, stuffing, yams, potatoes, fruit salads, fruit and dip, homemade pumpkin pie, and ICE for our drinks…it was a little taste of America.  It was with our whole zone so it was cool, like a big family - our mission family. Of all the people the German sat next to me, haha, so I got to speak German throughout our feast while everyone else was talking in English.  Afterwards Elder Oviatt and I went to the top floor and shot some hoops and played the piano and sang, it was really fun!  When we got to the bahnof to come back to Pforzheim (train) it started to snow!!!  It was like the Polar Express, ha.  Once we got back to Pforzheim it was snowing pretty hard!  It just so happens that the Christmas Markts opened that day, opening day it snows.  I can't even begin to explain how HAMMER the Christmas markt is, the smell is indescribable - smells like Christmas, roasted nuts, fresh bäkeri smell, hot chocolate, Christmas punch, brot wurst, fresh cut wood, fire, and all these other sweets. It's very cool and has such good food, we have eaten there about everyday for at least lunch or dinner.  I get a kinderpunsch, which is Weihnachtpunsch (christmas punch) but with no alcohol, each one comes with a little christmas mug that you can keep so I am racking up on those.  It was really cool to see it all in the snow!  Right by the Weihnacht mark was a Mittleart Markt - middle ages market.  It has good food too, people dressed up, middle ages booths, fresh wool things, fire performances, black smith, archery, and so much more!  It's really cool too!  

Tuesday was our last Distrikt meeting with our old district :( it was sad but really good, I'm going to miss a lot of the Elders.

Thursday was Elder Peterson's birthday so I attempted to make him french toast for breakfast and treated him out to our China buffet for lunch.  And I wrapped his package he got so he could open it by our little Weihnacht tree!  We did weekly studying planning Thursday.

Friday we had a sweet lesson with a girl we met on the street the other week, "D."  It was our first lesson and we had it in the bakery since she is a female.  We got to know each other a little better and tried answering her questions.  Her father died 4 months ago from cancer - which sparked her interest to know the answers to questions such as: life after death and the purpose of life… it was a great lesson.  I shared some personal family experiences too.  Life doesn't always make sense, but does it ever?  I said how we must hold fast to our faith and how it gives us strength and comfort when needed.

Then Saturday we had a lesson with Sister "E" which was a little bit stressful.  She scared us a little saying she doesn't know if she can commit to baptism yet, it was quite discouraging.  I went home and wrote in my journal after that and about me and Elder P. conversation walking home.  '...You grow such a love and appreciation for our Savior while serving these short two years - and not just by studying and sharing his message with others everyday, but also by having the slightest, smallest chance to somewhat see how the life of the Savior was.  I mean the Savior himself was perfect in everything!  He truly taught through perfect example, and despite all the PERFECT sermons and messages Christ shared which couldn't have been any clearer or more simple - all the miracles he performed and by simply the perfect life he lived, people STILL spit on him, rejected him and his teachings, betrayed him, and eventually even persecuted and crucified him. BUT despite it all he still had a perfect love for them.  Christ has truly paved the way and shown the example of how to go about all things -- even missionary work.  We try our hardest, with out frustration or disappointment, to bring them closer to Christ and our Father in heaven.' Missions are tough, it is challenging.  We grow such a love for the people we teach and care for them so much that it literally HURTS us when they drop us or don't accept certain things.  But we must remember the Lord has been there and he knows how we feel.  

Anyways despite our lesson with Sister "E" I just knew she would still come to church on Sunday, so after our lesson with her she said how she was coming to church tomorrow.  I was in charge of planning the lesson for her at church, I offered for us to walk with her to church too. It was like a 40 minute walk, uphill, haha! But we do what we can - whatever it takes for our "friends of the Chruch."  

Church went great!  We taught our branch the Family Mission Plan and they were all so excited and willing to get involved with the mission work!  Some of the ladies even invited Sister "E" to a fireside during the week!

Sure do love you guys and hope you have a great holiday season at home!  This was always one of my favorite times of the year, and it's so "toll" here in Germany!  Missions are just amazing.

Liebe Elder Jensen"

District Meeting

Christmas Market

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 25, 2013

"Schönen Guten Morgen liebe Familie!  

Today is Thanksgiving for us…they don't celebrate it here in Germany so we are headed to Stuttgart to have a zone thanksgiving feast!  Oh yeah and I am staying here in Pforzheim!  Elder Peterson is too.  About this week, Tuesday was our Tausch.  I was here in Pforzheim with Elder Piepenstock, while Elder Peterson went to Ludwigsburg with Elder Morrill.  It went well, Elder Piepenstock doesn't speak any English, but I could speak to him a lot more this time and express my thoughts more.  We got a long and it was fun.  We went to Bad Wildbad to check on this person they knew but we couldn't find the place, it was about a 30 minute train ride.  The ride was cool because I talked to this middle aged lady the whole way there!  I think she was getting a little upset though because I couldn't understand everything she said but at least I gathered the mut or courage to talk to her.  I pulled out some pictures of my niece and nephew that I had just received and showed her the pictures and she loved them.  Then I showed her one of our whole family and we started talking about families - she told me this story about her son and how they don't really keep in touch and how it makes her sad.

On Wednesday Elder Peterson and I had an eating appointment with a sister and her daughter.  We had lamb and fresh veggies, then finished if off with star fruit and ice cream and then some Christmas tea!  I always said I didn't think I would get used to the mineral water or carbonated water here…well I have, it's all we have and I LOVE IT.  I can't remember the last time I had regular water.

Thursday we went and stopped by a lot of peoples houses through out the day then that night we had a stake thing in Stuttgart.  It was really cool, Bruder Wengert and President Setner gave us a ride there.  The meeting was all about hastening the work and working with our missionaries (all of us missionaries from the Stuttgart stake were there).  I'm telling you the work is truly hastening and it's from the members.  Members work is HUGE!  Missionaries are here to übersetzt or support the members.

The next day, Friday we went and stopped by some peoples again and we ended up meeting with this sister we met on the street.  We went to her restaurant she works at, answered her questions and talked a little more about the gospel.  Friday we were also finally able to meet with Sister "M" (the lady we met over a month ago on the street who stopped us and was interested in family stuff).  She was really cool and the lesson went well.  We talked and got to know each other a little more at first, then her baby fell asleep and we started talking about temples.  She thinks our temples are so beautiful...and it led into the first lesson!  She seemed touched and the spirit was there.  We were suppose to have a lesson with Sister "E" that night also but she called and cancelled.

Saturday morning was cool, Bruder Wengert came to meet with us in our Wohnung and talk about how we could work together.  It was really good and the right intentions were there.  He wanted to make posters and cards, and it's neat - but sadly we don't have the money too.  He wanted to make a HUGE poster or banner and hang it up down town that says, "KIRCHE JESU CHRISTI, WIR HABEN EINE GEMEINDE HIER IN PFORZHEIM…"  It's cool how they want to get involved and work together.  Afterwards we went and visited a member together, "M" and his mom.  Then we weekly planned.

Sunday we only had 6 men, including us in Priesthood, probably a total of 14 people at church.  Transfer calls came and a lot of our distrikt will change.  Elder Peterson and I are the only two that stayed together.  I love this mission, and even though Pforzheim is known as the "armpit" of our mission for some reason, I'm growing to love it.  The ward is small but you can't help but see potential in them.  I'm happy to stay another 6 weeks here in Pforzheim and just want to speak the language now!!  It will come, I have just got to be so patient with it.  It will improve.  Love you all and hope you have a great thanksgiving!  Christmas markets are starting up this week and I'm excited, I had my first kinderpunsch yesterday, and kept the glass.  They serve it to you in a christmas glass or mug and you can keep if if you want or return it for one euro.  Everyone says it's a lot smaller here (the christmas markets and what not) but I still think it's HUGE and AMAZING! 

Bis Nächste Woche

Liebe Elder Jensen - got to say it like a German now (yenn-sen)"

Companions! (Elder Peterson)

 Getting ready for the Thanksgiving feast!

 Thanksgiving spread

Yum Yum!

It's Beginning to Look like Christmas!

November 18, 2013

"Halo Familie,

haha I don't know why I put that as my title, probably because it's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas.  Germans love their Weihnacht and they have started building the Christmas markets down town, and they set an ice skating rink in the innderstadt.  They have two huge trees set- up down town and decorated and lights all over the streets and trees, they are not turned on yet though.  Pforzheim is known as the place where no one wants to really serve in our mission, but it's my first area and I LOVE IT! I've grown to love all the people here too, so I am happy!  Here's a little about my week...

Monday:  P-day, same old same old.  We got our hair-cuts, I got a German hair cut because I went on the opposite side of the hair place as Elder Peterson so I had to explain how I wanted my hair cut on my own, haha needless to say now I look "really" German, but it's okay.

Tuesday:  We had zone training in Stuttgart, Stuttgart takes about an hour, bei train to get there.  I really enjoy zone training and gatherings where we get to see other missionaries.  That's the thing with our mission, it covers SO much ground that you never see any other missionaries.  We have an average area size and the next closest missionaries to us are about 1 hour away.  Some bigger areas the closest is probably 3 hours!  After zone training we had a Tausch (splits).  Elder Morrill came to Pforzheim and I led the Tausch because it was my area.  I love Elder Morrill and learn so much from him by what he says and by his example.

Wednesday:   In the morning Elder Morrill and I had a lesson with a random guy I started talking to on the street.  We had the lesson in the Backeri (bakery) while drinking hot cocoa and he drank coffee.  I have always wanted to have a lesson in the Backeri so that was really cool, ha.  The guy took a book of mormon and he said he'll call us, so we'll see.

Thursday:  We helped the Dierks family at their new house and we bought the kids pizza.  We helped tear off/scrape off the wall paper in the kitchen.  I love the Dierks family!  We invited them to our Branch Christmas party too.  Also that night, we went over to President Setners and shared with him the Family Mission Plan.  Our mission has been stressing so much about member missionary work and this family mission plan we've created as a mission along with a short little dvd.  He was excited and all for it, and he wants us to share it in church in Dezember.  It was really cool.  I think me and Elder Peterson are going to stay another transfer together here in Pforzheim and I hope we do!  We are finally starting to pick things up!

Friday:  Friday is weekly planning day.  After weekly planning we had about 5 hours left of the day to go out.  We usually have sprach course but it got cancelled.  We went up on the hill by our house and delivered an italian BoM to a girl we had contacted on the streets.  We decided to check by a few other contacts that lived nearby, one was a family we found going door to door and we gave them a book of mormon about two months ago but haven't been able to make contact with them until now.  Turns out the lady has been reading the Book of Mormon and she loves it!  She is an immigrant so she doesn't know German too great, she has lived here for 7 years.  We taught her a little bit and told her to keep reading, then she offered us spaghetti to take with us, that never happens!  So we took our homemade spaghetti with us back to our place while it was still hot.  After we ate we decided to go back out and we were able to run into this girl "J-L," she had just got back from a vacation in Africa.  We helped her carry her bag, she broke down telling us her story.  It was such a sad story!  We shared a short message with her and then we were off to meet with Sister "E."  The lesson with "E" went really good, we taught the plan of salvation.
Saturday:  We stopped by some more contacts and then we met with Sister "E" again and taught her the second part of the plan of salvation.
Sunday:  Elder Peterson gave a talk in our branch, it was gemeindeessen - where we eat as a branch after church, everyone brings homemade food and it's so good.  And the best part, Sister "E" showed up to church!  She wasn't showing up and we were panicking, then we walked across the street to see the bus times and saw that they weren't running that day.  I said a prayer and a few minutes later in walks Sister "E."  I was so happy.  
Yeah it was a really good week!  All of the city setting up Christmas is making me so excited, you know I love Christmas!  Love you all and hope you are all doing well.  Transfer calls are this Friday but I think we're staying, I HOPE we are!  Please pray for Sister "E" she is so close to baptism!
Liebe, Elder Jensen"