Happy Tears :-)

My last letter from Guatemala . . .

Os pregunto si ya quedó todo hecho? Os digo que si . . . Ya quedó todo hecho . . . Quuuuuuueeeeeee raro . . .

This was a good, good last week but, I’m sorry, I can’t understand that I’ll be with you all again someday. I feel like the Mission is a dream and when it ends, so does everything. I can’t comprehend that I’ll be home. I’ve been so caught up in this for so long . . . But I’m happy . . . Happy to know that I do get to hug you all again. I guess that’s the faith, huh? Believing in something that I can’t really understand? Weird . . . Thank you for all of your support. I have officially not seen you all for over two years now. That is just strange . . . I officially know now what Mom talked about at home so frequently about those nervous feelings in her stomach. LOL . . . I’ve felt like that for a week now . . . This goin’ home stuff is tough . . .

As far as the jobs there, whatever is cool with me. I’m down to learn. But, remember . . . I haaaaaaate math unless it’s additional and subtraction. Thanks for helpin’ me out with that!

And, how cool that Dylan won the Male Singing Award! I got robbed of it . . . LOL . . . JK . . . But, yea, Dylan is amazing. Don’t worry, bud, I got your Pick Jesus shirt all packed away for ya . . .

As far as Ilse, Lesly’s sister-in-law, she was not baptized on Saturday. It was very strange because she seemed so sure, but when my Companion and I went to the Capital for Zone Leader Council, we called her to see how she was and at what time she wanted to have the baptism, and she said she wasn’t ready. We went and had some great visits with her when we got back into Peten, but she was just convinced that she wasn’t ready even though she is. But, that’s okay! I guess in that situation, I just have to accept God’s will even though I don’t fully understand it. I’m not sad, though . . . I know she will take that step someday soon . . .

Well, as far as Concilio this week, it was good. President talked a li’l more than normal ‘cause it was his last Concilio as well. He and Hermana Torres go home on June 29th. They gave us lunch in their house, as always, but it was really strange ‘cause the house was soooooo empty. While I was there, I had my last interview with President. He just asked about what I’m gonna be up to after the Mission, where I’m gonna go to school, what my spiritual experiences were on the Mission, and then he just gave lots and lots of nice compliments. The comment that made me feel best was, “I always knew I could count on Elder Jensen, and I always did. Any Zone or Companion he was watching over, well, I knew it would be just fine”. That made me feel good. I’ve always felt like if President is pleased with my work, God is probably pleased too since President Torres is called to act in God’s place in this part of his vineyard . . .

Hey! Happy Birthday, Dallas! How weird! 30, man! Wow . . . You’re a li’l older than Torry Holt . . .

Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you have a toothbrush, deodorant, a shaver, and shaving cream ready for me when I’m home? I’m not planning on bringing mine home. They’re old and used up . . . Thanks!

Well, as you all guessed, this last Sunday in Church was very, very hard. The whole meeting was really normal, but when I gave my testimony, I almost cried at the end. And just singing the last hymn in Sacrament Meeting, knowing that it would be my last time singing in Spanish in my own Ward, it was just tough and pushed a few li’l tears outta me. I’ll sure miss Guatemala. There are some great, great people here.

Other favors, can you guys get me a black, or black and silver, or black and grey, or grey . . . Or something like that . . . Tie? I’ve given away so many of my ties that I don’t have any that match my suit any more. Sorry! Thanks!

Also, can you guys make sure you tape the USA vs Canada Soccer game tomorrow? I would like to watch it when I get home . . .

As far as how I’m leaving my Zone and Area, I feel like I’m leaving it in great shape. The Zone has 40 fechas . . . My Area has 3 fechas and my Companion and his new Companion will baptize this month. I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father that he gave me the chance to serve my last change here and pick everything up. I’m goin’ home a happy man . . . I know I’ve done what I could . . . All that I could . . . I really, really have . . .

Well, I love you all so much! I don’t really believe that I’m gonna see you all soon . . . But it’s exciting! LOL . . . I love you all so much! Never writing you guys an e-mail from Guatemala again! See you sooooooo, way too soon!

"I have a lot to get done!"

Heyyyyy!

Wow . . . What an overwhelming e-mail . . . LOL . . . I can’t believe how close everything is! My stomach hurts . . . LOL . . . In a good way, but it hurts . . .

Thanks for the “Happy Birthday” wish! It’s been a cool birthday so far. Lots of people have called me to with me a Happy Birthday. To celebrate, we are gonna go eat at a restaurant called “Friends”. After that, we’re going to eat cake with four families . . . LOL . . . So that will be filling! But it was cool that so many wanted to celebrate with me. Plus, yesterday, I already shared a birthday party with a li’l four-year old girl who is the daughter of one of my converts, so that was fun, too! Today, we gotta get in all the celebrating, though, ‘cause tomorrow morning we head to the Capital again! You know that nice, long, fun trip for Zone Leader council! LOL . . . Last one! Number 11! LOL . . . Everyone laughs at me for that . . .

But, yea . . . I only write you guys one more time and, “boom”, I’m home . . . Weeeeiirrrrrrrrrrrrd . . .

I’m excited that Kendall’s baptism is going to take place after I’m home! That’s so cool that Jason is gonna be able to do the baptism. That’ll be huge for him and he will never forget it just as I never forget when I baptized Allie.

I’m excited to speak in Sacrament Meeting and to report to the High Council. But, could you find out what I’m gonna be speaking about asap? LOL . . . I just know I won’t have much time to prepare the talk once I’m home . . .

And . . . Question? Dylan’s graduation is the Friday after I get home, right?

Well, this week was very special. We really responded well to our Zone Conference and Interviews as a Zone. We baptized four people this week (one in my Area) and we also went up by over 15 fechas in just five days! We also have five more baptisms planned for this next week (one in my Area). I really feel like we have this Zone in shape now and I’m very relived. Now we just gotta hold on to our goals and put some more fechas in our Area and, “boom”, I will feel 100% good about going home.
The baptism this week was really cool ‘cause Lesly was baptized by my Companion and it really seems like the family is gettin’ reactivated. Even a brother that hadn’t come to Church in forever came to the Confirmation. Now Lesly’s sister-in-law is the one we are hoping to baptize this week. Very, very cool stuff . . .

Well, I love you all soooo, sooooo much! This week is gonna fly by because of all the things I need to get done! Love you!!!!!!!

"I'm gonna finish strong"

Hey, family!

Wow! I’ll only have two more times to write you all after today! How weird, huh?

Thanks for all of your fun updates yet again . . . You haven’t let me down in two years. You’re the best!

Very cool that you guys got to have so much contact with General Authorities this week. They always have a special spirit about them. Too bad Elder Ballard couldn’t stay at our house . . . LOL . . .

Hey . . . Did you guys already start inviting all my friends to that big party? I’m just a li’l nervous to see everyone so fast again. Huggin’ girls and stuff . . . Weird . . .

And . . . Thanks for your advice. I won’t bring anything home that I won’t use. Thank you! I think I’ll for sure meet the 50-pound weight limit!

And . . . Good, good job with your reading of the Book of Mormon, Mom! I really love that book, too. My testimony of Jesus Christ has been strengthened sooooo, sooooo much by it . . .

Welllllll . . . As for me . . . This week was interesting . . . It was interesting ‘cause we weren’t allowed to work on Tuesday ‘cause of this whole drug movin’ problem. Now we have to be in our house every day at 7pm instead of 9pm. It makes work much tougher ‘cause now we got out to visit at 9am and no one is in their homes at that time and we lose the visits at 7pm and 8pm at night which are the best hours of the day to find people in their homes. Soooooo . . . It’s a li’l struggle but we will get over it. It will last a month, though, the being home at 7pm thing . . .

This week I got to do two Divisions. One was with Elder Smith in my Area and the other was with Elder Francks in Dolores. They were very interesting Divisions. The one with Elder Smith was amazing because he is from my group and I had never been able to serve even near him until now. He is known for being very spiritual and I sure loved the guy! He works hard and loves what he does. He was a Zone Leader for seven changes and was made a Trainer for his last change. I respect the guy a lot because his perspectives on everything are Celestial. He understands and gets the vision of how everything affects you eternally.

The Division with Elder Francks was fun, too . . . His is in a very tough area but we were able to have a successful day.

Hey! I finished the New Testament this week! That was my second time on the Mission. Maaaaaan . . . I understood it soooooo much better this time!

Also, yesterday we had Zone Conference and on Monday we had Zone Interviews. That’s why I hadn’t written you guys yet. Wow . . . What a great two days. I feel renewed. It was exactly what I needed for my last two weeks. I’m pumped to achieve some new goals before I leave my Zone behind. I had to give my last Zone Conference testimony . . . Weird. I almost cried, but didn’t . . . Don’t worry . . . I’m soooo excited, too . . . I’m gonna finish strong.

President and Hermana Torres gave great talks . . . It was their last trip to Peten as President and Wife of the Mission. My Companion and Elder Williams (a kid I trained for a day before they put me with Elder Mortensen to train and is now the AP . . . Kinda cool) gave great talks as well. Great two days. Great, great, great . . .

Well . . . I sure love you all! I’m very safe . . . Hit me up! See you soon!

The coolest lesson of my whole Mission . . .

Hey, hey, hey!

Good to hear from you!

I’m glad you loved all the videos! I mean . . . c’mon . . . you gotta love all of ‘em . . .

Well, as for me . . . I have some very cool pictures that I’ll be showin’ you all when I get home! Last Monday, just my Companion and I went to Tikal. Elmer let us in free, took us into some secret tunnel, bought our bus ride home and bought us lunch! It was really, really nice of him. To get to the tunnel, though, we had to take a path that they almost never take . . . LOL . . . The path was actually invisible because it was covered in trees and brush and fallen trees because they really never go there and it is off limits to everyone. Sooooo . . . We took a chain saw and a machete and our hands and went to work to clean the trail and get to the tunnel. Once there, we had to un-nail the cover to the cover to the tunnel and climb way down in where there was no light! LOL! You should have seen the size of those spiders and cockroaches! Ahhhhhhhh! Gross! The only light was the flash of our cameras! There were really cool Mayan paintings down there, though . . . They were very good artists. The wall they drew on was so far down because, supposedly, that wall belonged to a king. When they killed him, they buried that whole level of land and then the next king had his own new level of land, and when he died they buried everything and so forth . . . It was pretty cool . . .

This week, I had one of the coolest lessons of my whole Mission. We went to Las Cruces on Divisons and we found a kid that just got back to Guatemala from St. George, Utah . . . LOL . . . Random, right? He lived in St. George the past 12 years and isn’t a member. I taught him the first lesson in English (the Restoration) and it was soooo, soooo special. I honestly got the chills teaching in English . . . LOL . . . I can’t wait to be home and share the Gospel in my own language.

My pants were crusty this week . . . Lots of sweat . . .

Oh . . . Talkin’ about clothes . . . What clothes do you want me to bring home? My pants? Shirts? Socks? Bed sheets? I feel like everything is pretty beat up, but lemme know what you think . . . I dunno if you think Dylan will want to use some. Lemme know . . . Hee, hee!

Well . . . I gotta bounce! We have early lessons today . . . I love you all! Take care! See you soon!

"Heavens of Happiness"

Hello!

One month!

It was great to talk to all of you! I really did miss talking to Ashley and Tom, but that’s all good. I’ll see ‘em soon!

Well, you guys know everything that’s goin’ on in my life . . . I just thought that since my Mission is now comin’ to an end, I’d share a li’l bit about how I feel about these two years and about the Gospel of Jesus Christ in general.

Ummmm . . . Where to start . . .

Before my Mission here in Guatemala, I really wasn’t a very good example to many people . . . LOL . . . I wasn’t a bad kid either, don’t get me wrong . . . But I for sure could have been better. I personally apologize to all of my friends and family members to who I’ve been a bad example. I also apologize to those that I have done stupid things with or around. Sure, everyone knew I was a Mormon ‘cause I didn’t drink or smoke . . . LOL . . . But I did some things that I shouldn’t have and it makes me feel bad that I wasn’t the 100% great example that I should have been of this Church.

I really didn’t understand the reality and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ until I got out here. Once I started really reading the scriptures every day and started praying with a sincere heart many, many times a day, I really started to feel a change. It wasn’t that I just didn’t wanna drink or smoke, it was that I don’t ever want to be around alcohol or any kind of drug . . . LOL . . . It changed me from not wanting to cuss to not ever wanting to hear another cuss word in my life. I understand that these things will be around me forever because they are part of the world, but just ‘cause I’m in the world doesn’t mean I have to be part of it.

I honestly know that God loves every single one of us and wants the best for every single one of us. He knows me and all of us individually. Once I really learned that, not just be hearing it, but by feeling it, I could just feel a nice, peaceful change in me. I don’t plan on going home and never leaving the house ‘cause everyone is bad . . . LOL . . . But I do plan on just trying to live a little higher. I don’t plan on goin’ home and being a weirdo and only talk about Jesus either. But I do plan on having my actions reflect Him a lot, lot better.

I honestly know for a fact that Jesus came to Earth to pay for every single one of our sins and He calls us to repent, be baptized, and come unto Him. I know that His Gospel, authority, Church, and teachings were restored (because they were 100% lost after his crucifixion and because of the death of all of those who held the authority to lead the Church) by a Prophet named Joseph Smith. I don’t worship Joseph Smith, but I do thank him for all he did (even giving his own life) to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to the Earth.

If Joseph Smith was a Prophet, it means this Church is the only true Church to baptize and help us make other sacred promises with God. But, if Joseph Smith was not a Prophet, the Mormon Church is one of the biggest lies of all time. I know this isn’t a lie. I have gotten down on my knees and asked my Heavenly Father in prayer if this is the true Church and He has told me, “yes”, through His still, small voice and by promptings in my heart. Yes . . . This is His Church.

Through the power and authority that those called hold, families can be sealed together and live together forever and not just for this short life. The heavens would not be heavens of happiness without my family.

These two years have changed my life. I no longer feel the urge to find worldly happiness . . . LOL . . . I no longer want to have seventy pair of shoes and spend all of my money on hats and jackets . . . LOL . . . I know the only way to be happy is to be humble and live the commandments.

I CANNOT wait to see all of you again (family and friends)! I hope to still have all of my friends when I get home. It’s been so long, but I love them sooo, sooo much. I just wanted to share my feelings real quick . . .

Just ‘cause I’m a good Christian, though, doesn’t mean I’m gonna take it easy on the basketball court . . . LOL . . . I love you all soooooo much! See you in a month!

The Lord blesses the obedient!

Ahhhhhh!!!!!!!!

I am very happy that I get to fly to Los Angeles with everyone else! I was a li’l worried since I was the only one going to California . . . I was worried they would send me to another place than all the rest buttttttt, no! So, I’m happy!

Hey . . .Thanks for the video of Dylan singing and talking! LOL . . . I loved how he was wearing his hat just like I always did. I left some gangster in him. And, wow! What a great voice Dylaln has! He almost made me cry! Nooooooo lie . . . I am so proud of that kid . . .Words can’t really explain it. I’m waitin’ on his DearElders sooooo anxiously, though . . .

And, yes . . . I got the package from Grandma and I should get the other package on Wednesday ‘cause we will be in the Capital for Zone Leader Council. DearElders and all that usually get to me a week to two weeks after they are sent. Sometimes they’re faster and sometimes they’re slower, but it’s usually right around there . . .

And I can’t believe about James! All I could do is make a sad, angry face. I’m very happy that he is well, though. I’ve been thinking so much about that kid lately . . .

Happy Birthday, Uncle Ed!

Okay . . . This was the hottest week of my Mission bbbbyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy faaaaaaaaarrrrrrrr! LOL . . . There were times that I just wanted to throw in the towel . . . LOL . . . It was a tough week, but we worked hard and were blessed with success, putting three more baptismal dates. Oh is going to be baptized for sure on the 21st of this month. We actually put the fecha with him yesterday as an answer to our Fast. Cool, cool stuff. I also read Dad’s DearElder to me about his Mission and it always seems to inspire me. I know the Lord blesses the obedient and hard workers . . .

Oh! I talked to Elder Legua this week . . . He says “hi”! LOL . . . Just so you know . . .

I know Dad wants me to write something special and I will, I promise. I’m gonna write it next week, though, so it can be well thought out . . .

As far as those who came to the Zone . . . We got Elder Smith! He went to Zone Leader the same time I did and is from my group. He has been a successful leader his entire Mission and I look forward to working with him sooooo much. I really respect the guy ‘cause his vision on everything is so Celestial and never worldly . . . It’s amazing. It should be a very fun Change. Also, they split up one District and made two, soooo . . . That’ll help as well! And, we have three brand new missionaries in our Zone being trained by Elders smith, Snell and Sakievich, so it’s lookin’ like a good, solid, fun, successful Change . . .

Well . . . I sure love you all! Hit me up!!!!!!!!!!!