Beauftagt von Jesus Christus...

September 22, 2014

"Familie,

Well...what a week.

The week was pretty focused on the Taufe (baptism)!  Our GML (mission leader) is in the hospital so we were in charge of putting the whole Taufe together - cleaning, organizing it, ect.. it was a lot of fun though!  Oh M&A, I shed a few tears today reading their emails, little do they know that they have changed my life as well.  I've never felt more comfortable with inspiration and promptings from the Holy Ghost as I have felt with them.  This whole process has truly strengthened the team and companionship between God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost and me.  It's all just been inspired and truly the Lord's work, I can honestly say I know how it feels and what it's like to be made an instrument in the Lord's hands.  So much prayer, fasting, and STUDY for M&A and to see it all come to this is just unexplainable.  I love them!

So the day before the Taufe we cleaned the church and did some setting up, then we all went to go eat afterwards.  The Zone leaders stayed the night at our place and also Elder Sponseller and his companion.  

The next morning we went to the church early and filled the font!!  What a great sound!  We started greeting people as they came.  The font was all the way full and perfectly warm, then someone lifted the lever thing without us knowing 15 minutes before the baptism.  I just happened to randomly check it and the font was less than half empty!  Oh joy.  I hurried and flipped the faucet to start filling it up again, told Bishoff, but we continued on.  By the time Markus and I got into the font it was half way full.  It was all good though.  It was weird because I didn't know what to expect, but it all just felt natural.  I was really excited but super calm.  But when I put my arm to the square, looked up and saw everyone looking down on Markus and I in the font, then saying the words "beauftragt von Jesus Christus" that is a memory I will never forget!  After the baptisms we all ate at the church and had a great time.  

Sunday was really cool too, to see them get confirmed and be given the Holy Ghost.  They are awesome!  I could speak for hours about them.

The rest of the week went well.  A couple weeks ago we were asked to use an "alternate finding technique" when a lesson falls out.  So we tried it and decided to look for opportunities to play basketball.  We found a couple guys a couple weeks ago and asked to play ball with them, afterwards we told them to call us next time and we will play again and then share a message about Christ.  Well they agreed and they called us this week all excited and we set up a game for Saturday.  They gathered up 10 people and it was really cool.  We played a couple games and then we talked about the Gospel after we played.  They were cool guys and we made plans to meet up and shoot hoops then order pizza and then share our message about Christ.  Be creative when finding!  After Church on Sunday (sorry going back and forth through the week) we went over to the Kern familie, a new family in our ward.  They are awesome.  We did FHE with them and carved pumpkins.  They have 3 kids and the youngest is a little boy who is about 4, we were best friends within an hour and the parents said I already won his heart!  He stuck by my side the whole night, ha!  They were awesome and we had a lot of fun.

Overall...a great week!  Thanks for all that you guys do.  Love you all!

Elder Jensen"

Cleaning the font 

Out to eat the night before the baptism!

Reunited with Elder Sponseller

Elder Jensen, Markus, Alexis and Elder Sponseller on Baptism Day!

 

Church on Sunday

F.H.E. with the Kern Familie 

Preparing for Baptism!

September 15, 2014

"Hallo Fam,

This last week was a good week.

Tuesday we had zone training in München which about took the whole day, it was really good though!

Wednesday we had a goodbye party for Sister Regnier.  M&A cooked and taught us how to make pfannkuchen.  It is going to be hard to say goodbye to them when I leave this area.

Jumping to Saturday, we met with M&A again.  We made pizza together for dinner.  That morning we made a list for them of all the things they should know before the Taufe (baptism), because they want to make sure they flip over every rock before they do this.

Then that Sunday we met with Bishoff, he has been out of town so we updated him on M&A.  We discussed and made arrangements for everything we will need for the baptism next week.  Since the beginning we have really strived to have a member at every lesson with M&A, and we've had a member at just about everything really...because it's so important to have member involvement and for them to be comfortable with the ward and all the members.  They all get along great and have become good friends!  

This week we also picked out our taufe clothes at the church with the help of the members, and M&A have their interview tomorrow with the Zone leaders.  This next week will fly by us!  Continue praying for them and pray that we can find more people to teach.  

Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Jensen"

Crazy Week!!!

September 8, 2014

"Hallo,

YES I am staying another transfer here in Augsburg!!  I love the ward so much and all my Augsburg friends.  

This week went well, rather fast as always.  Tuesday we had a good "last" distrikt meeting all together before transfers and everyone goes different ways.  Afterward I tausched with Elder Harvey in Kaufbeuren.  

On Wednesday we met with Markus & Alexa, we went through the taufe interview questions with a member present.  The member was a big help, also a convert.  

Thursday we met with our 'brothers' in Höchstädt, then we visited Alexa in the hospital (she just had knee surgery).  After the visit we had Sportabend and played volleyball.  

Then came Friday morning...so we thought that is when we were going to get transfer calls.  We are the first ones on the list so if we don't get called by 7:30, then something is 'for sure' happening.  Well no call was coming and I was freaking out (long story short, transfer calls came Saturday morning).  Friday night we also met with a referral, gave him a tour of the Church and answered all of his questions.  

Saturday night was our fireside at the Church.  So that day we were all over the place.  Elder Griffey wasn't feeling well either so he ended up laying down inside the church while I was trying to set things up.  We had a good turn out, over 5 investigators came between the Sisters and us, 2 less actives came too, and our brothers from Höchstädt.  Lots of people to talk too, not enough time!

Then came Sunday.  We are helping M&A get started with family history work and family search, a member is helping us too.  They are so awesome!  During fast and testimony meeting, Markus (M) bore his testimony and told the ward about their baptismal date and invited them all to it! It was awesome.  Then I got up and bore my testimony and told everyone that I have either good news or bad news...and that I'm staying in Augsburg another transfer!  Got a few laughs out of it.  We had 2 eating appointments also (in one day)!  It was a good week.  

Please continue to pray for the people of Augsburg and our investigators.  Love you all and hope you have a great week.

Elder Jensen"

The Anticipation

September 1, 2014

"Hey Familie,

This last week flew by.  Tuesday we had a great distrikt meeting, then I had a tausch like every week.  I left Augsburg for my tausch.  I've been here for about 6 months and have only left the city 3 times.  I went to Ingolstad and worked with another Golden.  

This week we helped so many people move it seemed like, one was the Döring family, I'll miss them.  We had a lesson with M&A on Wednesday, we taught the Gospel of Christ with a member present who is actually a convert.  It went REALLY well.  Then at the end came the Baptism...Markus asked about baptism.  He told us his story and it confirmed not only was his prayer answered but also mine.  He shared how he had said a prayer before Church on Sunday hoping to receive an answer while at Church on whether he should get baptized or not.  I was also praying 'that' Sunday during Church that they would receive their answer to help them make their next big step!  He got his answer but had a little bit of doubt, but later that evening it was confirmed to him!  So...after sharing that with us, he looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm here tonight to ask YOU.  Will you baptize me?"  I don't think a smile has shot across my face that fast in who knows how long, and just the biggest twinkle in my eyes.  Then I said GERNE! (meaning gladly) and we set a date and it worked great!  They realize that this is just the beginning.  There goal is the Temple, they want to get married in the Temple in a year from their baptism.  Gosh, they just make me happy.

On Saturday, we had this huge mission zone/stake choir thing for our München Stake.  It was in Augsburg.  Anyways this choir thing took awhile because we have never practiced together with all us missionaries, then we get together one day and are trying to record a CD! ha. They are trying to earn money for something within one of the wards.  Afterwards we met with M&A at the Church with Elder Sponseller and his companion.  That was great!  

Sunday went well, we taught Sunday school.  It went alright.  It was out of the Old Testament, which is hard enough in English.  We tied the lesson into missionary work and afterwards M&A said they want to bring a friend to our lesson on Wednesday.  We got a less active brother to come to church too!

Overall it was a pretty great week!

I received a text from Markus...I just have to say, their faith is so strong, and it's so cool to see the changes take place in their lives when the Gospel enters it line by line precept by precept.  The Lord's work is great and I'm so happy to take a part in it.  The gospel changes lives, never for the worst, always for the better.  Sometimes it may not make sense, especially when sacrifices are made, but the truth is we all have to be polished and made into what the Lord wants of us.  Again sometimes it makes no sense to us, but that's the miracle of the Gospel.  Then before we know it we take a look back and couldn't be more thankful for all that is has given us and all that it has shaped us into.  

Love you all,

Elder Jensen"

Markus

Alexis

Ich bin immer noch am Leben, bitte KEINE SORGE!!!

August 25, 2014

*TRANSLATION:  I'M STILL ALIVE, PLEASE DO NOT WORRY!!!

"Hallo Familie,

It's your long lost son.  Wow, I can tell you I really don't want to leave Augsburg yet.

So these last couple weeks have been hectic.  Being a trainer = no free time + having a distrikt with 4 Goldens = absolutely no free time!  

Two weeks ago:

So two Mondays ago we went with the Geigers on our P-day.  It was a blast.  They are so nice and will get baptized some day.  The weather was bad, so we went go-carting.  It was a lot of fun.

The rest of the week went well.  I tausched with Elder Vital, the new Zone Leader from Romania.  We worked really well together, we went and taught our Romania family and they loved it!  We met with a less active too.  That week we also set a baptismal date with a "brother." We need to continue to have faith and keep meeting with him, we will see what happens.  That Saturday we also had a picnic with M&A and were able to answer a lot more of their questions.  Now on too this 'last' week...

On Monday we went to the castles again as a distrikt, all in our lederhosens of course.  A member came with us too.  We ended up running late due to miscommunication so we had no time for emails. 

Tuesday we had Distrikt meeting and another tausch.  Tausch was crazy!  Long story short, there was this group of people doing sort of race and they asked to stay overnight at the church.  Anyways after talking with several people (and I know it's a rule that we aren't allowed to stay the night in the churches) I told them No and they weren't too happy with me.  It was just a crazy tausch that week.

The main part of this week...is M&A.

We met with them Friday night at the church with Br. Döring as a joint teach.  His wife showed up later and ended up staying too.  She was able to really explain the temple to M&A and she did it beautifully.  Afterwards we talked about the Plan of Salvation.  I did my homework, I drew and colored the Plan of Salvation on a paper with all these scriptures listed.  We went through it step by step.  The lesson was PERFECT!  They had a lot of questions about the spirit world but we answered them all.  I bore my testimony on our Savior and his atonement for us and how we have no need to fear thanks to him and our loving Father in Heaven.  The spirit was so strong!  I gave them the copy of the Plan of Salvation I had drawn with all the scripture references.  It was a pretty emotional lesson.

Sunday went well, we taught sunday school to the young mens.  Our topic was "temple marriage and why it's so important" to a bunch of 14 year olds.  It went well though.  Lena gave her mission talk in sacrament and it was just what M&A needed to hear.  She told her conversion story and it really seemed to help them.  Another person shared their conversion story too.  I know they want to get baptized!  It could be soon!

Pray that all will continue to work out, pray for M&A too.  Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Jensen"

 companions (Elder Griffey)