Happiness here in Pforzheim!

March 11, 2014

"Hello Fam,

I am sorry about no email yesterday and have to keep this one really short, but I promise I'll write more next week.  Yesterday for P-day we went with the Setners (our Branch President and his wife) to this little dorf called Bisingheim.  Wow.  It was a beautiful day so we went on a hike and picnic.  It was so much fun and literally took the whole day.  The hike was really really long but we saw so much.  Hikes here are different, literally you just wander around - follow little signs.  We walked through huge vineyards, over bridges, through old (old) villages and towers, little forests, and then had a picnic on the edge of this vineyard that overlooked all this various farming ground.  It's so hard to describe how truly beautiful it was. 

I can't even begin to explain how much the Branch and everything has turned around from when I first got here.  I love them so much and will miss them like crazy.  I've been here for almost 8 months now and feel like I'm one of them (these last few weeks particularly).  

Sunday, "G" came to church with us, we had priesthood leadership konsel so we had to be there early and picked him up on the way.  We had really good lessons with him this week and some joint teaches too.  We had a joint teach with "G" and the Johnsons at church, he can speak some English and likes too.  It was really cool.  After church we went home with the Wengerts and ate with them, first time I've had a eating appointment out of no where and on a Sunday on the mission.  We will be eating with the Johnsons (new young couple from Utah) on Wednesday and they will be cooking us mexican food!!  Ich freu mich schon!

We had 5 joint teach lessons this week!  Never have had that many.  It's so cool to look back at when I first arrived last September to now, it's crazy to see how much I've changed along with the area.  I'm not going to lie, European missions can be really tough, especially when it comes to the work with members and the people respecting you or even listening to you.  Yeah I may not have seen a baptism yet or may not even come across people wanting to be baptized or asking to be baptized while on my mission.  But I know I can still make a difference. WE ARE making a difference, if not with non members of the church, with members of these little branches, and if not with anyone - with OURSELVES.  That's why I love missions so much, especially my mission.  It's humbled me in different ways that no where else could.  We are so blessed in so many different ways.

Again so much has happened this last week and just know it was a GREAT week.  As always here in Pforzheim.  Too much to say, love you all, love the Branch here in Pforzheim, simply love the mission - especially my European mission.  It's a "finding" mission one can say, but it's my mission and that's why I love it.

Mach's gut Familie. Vielen Dank für alle die Geburtstag Wünschen.  Ich liebe euch, Ich liebe diese Kirche, und diese Evangelium.  Die Kirche ist wahr, und Ich weiß dass!  Ich bin sehr dankbar dass Ich in dieses Wunderbaren Evangelium aufwachsen konnte.

Liebe Größe

Elder Jensen"

Pictures from the hike on P-day