America, America...! <--- This is even worse, Jake. What does that even mean...?

Dear Young and Old and In Between,

 

This week has been one of interesting circumstances. I was sorely afflicted with an upset tummy, to the point of much trembling and vomiting. However, it may be inferred that such tribulation is only a means of our Heavenly Father to bless us, testing us to reward even further than He already has. I really think that's what it was. It came out of nowhere, bombarded me for approximately 24 hours, than dissipated almost entirely -- still have a cough. It made me realize how much I missed my investigators, how much I wanted to be able to go and teach them and make sure that they were still on track. There are all kinds of problems (Satan... tricky devil...) that can beset investigators in the short time between our daily visits. So yeah, basically I was a little sad that we could not go out and work. It was a good growing experience though, seeing as just a few months before I would have been glad for the opportunity to take a rest. I'm loving the work more and more! The sickness also gave me a greater appreciation for the Atonement. Throwing up was almost too much for me to handle. I was and am so grateful that He went through that specific trial for me. I was in lots of pain, but still happy haha. Our Saviour has been through it all -- He knows how it feels. Please remember that, okay? So ask for help. Think of Him in times of hurt.

 

Man, I am such I slow typer, it's not funny. It doesn't help that I have to read all my e-mails (actually it does, because they make me happy, they make me laugh, and they make me so proud to be the brother and son of such incredible people -- but it doesn't help you guys because then I don't say as much here...). Thus, this e-mail shall proceed to go forth in much shortness of content.

 

This week... Kofe and Te-ehu Tia were baptized! They are amazing people with powerful testimonies of the Gospel, with kids that I swear were raised in the presence of angels (seriously, they probably were). Their kids are recent converts of about two months. Not sure if I mentioned that before. Anyways, a member did the baptisms on Saturday and Elder Cunniffe and I did the confirmations yesterday. They are going to the temple on the 9th of July with the ward to do baptisms for the dead with two of their kids -- first time in the temple for all of them. Someone try to tell me that is not the most fulfilling thing in the whole world. Actually, they plan to be sealed in one year (which I will be able to go to!). So that's better.

 

John and Moe are doing better than ever. We set John's partner for the 16th as well, and she is coming along.

 

The message of the Restoration is true and changes lives. I love it. I love you all. Talk to you next week.

 

Love,

Elder Jensen

 

P.S. Family, please don't give up on me -- I want so badly to answer your e-mails... I loved them so, so much! You are so amazing to me and I am so happy to see how many blessings each one of you is recieving.

 

P.P.S. Thanks Dad. Love you.

Tamaki: The land of milk and honey

Hey everyone,

 

Happy Father's Day! I actually had no idea it was Father's day yesterday. I don't think they celebrate it here. But Dad, I love you! You are the CFO -- Chief Father of Oysters.

 

I don't know if I'll have time to reply to anyone's emails individually, but I just want to say thank you so much. Really, you don't know how much all those meant to me. The past couple of days I have had a really hard time. I've been getting sick (you don't have to send anything Mom!), but I don't think that's it. I still don't really know why it's been so hard, but your emails gave me a lot of strength. Meg, you made me cry again. Miracles do occur. You're right. Don't ever forget that. On Thursday, on a tradeoff, we saw one of our sets (set for the 16th of July) on the street -- John -- and set up a time to meet with him the next day. He was with a friend who was walking ahead of him -- apparently not interested in talking with us -- so we asked John if his friend would like to join us on Friday. He said, "I dunno," so we asked his friend, Moe (pronounced Moy -- Cook Island), and he said sure. So we came over on Friday, read 1 Nephi 2 with them, discussing how Lehi was willing to leave behind everything for God and how Nephi had to pray to know his father was a prophet, then asked them how much they would give up for God. They said, "Everything." We asked them to read and pray to know this is true, then set Moe for baptism, same day as John. It was a miracle! At the beginning of the lesson, Moe was hardly paying attention. By the end, he was engrossed. We came back Saturday and he had read and prayed and said he felt so good after he prayed. He told us it's true. John said he had read and prayed, too -- a couple of times actually -- but he hasn't really felt that it's true. Then we talked about the Plan of Salvation using Alma 22 (I think... just in case you look that up and think, "what were they thinking -- that hardly talks about the Plan," just know that we weren't planning on teaching the Plan -- we followed the Spirit, which is amazing), and at the end John said that while we were talking about it, he came to know it's all true. He just felt it. The power of the doctrine. Then yesterday, they both came to church -- miraculously, since we had to wake John up at 8:10, and Moe's wife told us he said he was sick, but I guess John went and persuaded him to come. Then they came to a fireside in the evening, where our member fellowship told them about the Word of Wisdom... good thing they already had the spiritual witness. Someone mentioned drinking later and Moe said, "Nah, we don't do that anymore." Awesome!

 

I love this work, so much! It's really challenging, but worth it! I love you family! And I love all you great friends. Thanks so much for the package Mom! Loved everything!

 

The church is true!

 

Love, Elder Jensen

It's me...again. Sorry

Family and Friends,

 

I don't have much time today, so sorry. I have a question for all of you. What more do you all want me to include in this big e-mail? I just kinda write stuff and hope you care. Do you want to hear about more investigators, about my preparation days, about my companion, about my area, I don't know...? Please send your ideas and suggestions to the family of Elder Zachary Jensen and they will fill me in. Also, family, you don't have to send your ideas and suggestions to yourselves. That's dumb. Just tell me if you have anything.

 

It was cool because we talked to this guy this morning before we came to e-mails and he is less active and he knows three or four keen people. Pretty sweet eh? It was a miracle because usually we don't proselyte on P-days.

 

Okay, sorry, love you all, thanks for everything. Bye!

 

Elder Jensen

 

P.S. Take your complaints about the lack of longevity of this e-mail to anywhere other than me. Thank you.

 

P.P.S. Emergency! Kelsi Foutz, I need your address! Someone hunt her down please. Kelsi, Send me a letter. Hope everything is great.

Mir-a-cles

Hey everyone,

 

Ah, I was going to tell you about some miracles right away but you probably want to know if I got transferred. I did, to Auckland. South Auckland. Otara, to be exact. The stake is called Tamaki. My ward is Tangaroa. It is a mean ward. I'm loving it already. The name of my new companion is Elder Cunniffe (Australian). He's been great. Since I've been with him, I've been reminded of an e-mail that Elder Samuel Whiting sent from the MTC ages ago. He said he and his companion have pretty much nothing in common, except the Gospel, which is fine, since the Gospel is their life. That almost exactly describes Elder Cunniffe and me. Thanks Sam. Elder Cunniffe is humble and willing to make changes, not stubborn and stuck in his ways like other companions I've had who shall go unnamed.

 

Father, this new flat is tiny. You were talking about Bridger's flat. Yeah this is more like his. And it's a wreck. Completely disgusting. Mom would honestly faint if she had to live in it. Nasty smell. Sticky surfaces pretty much everywhere. Ants. Fleas. Rubbish all over the place. Crusty bathroom surfaces. Shower curtain falling off. And more. Don't worry, we're cleaning it today. There's only so much I can handle.

 

On another note, this area is pumping! Actually, that's not exactly true. Check this out: a missionary in this area did a very, very bad thing. A thing which will cause him to be sent home, if he hasn't been already. And we found out about this terrible occurence because we went to visit a less active member on Friday and basically helped her to decide to talk to Bishop about something she did. Yeah, we later found out from her what this missionary did. It still feels surreal to me. I think wild stuff is understatement.

 

Anyways, Tamaki Stake is supposedly the promised land for saving souls. And we're pretty sure that it was because of this rogue missionary that numbers bombed last month. A few missionaries before him didn't help the area either I hear. Still, none of this matters because my companion and I set some goals for the area that have allowed us to accomplish heaps. We have invited someone to be baptized every day of this new transfer (only three days, but still). I swear to you all that nothing we have been able to accomplish would have been possible if not for our very specific prayers of faith. We have set the parents of three recent converts for baptism on the 25th of June because we prayed to have the opportunity. We prayed for referrals and received five today from Elder Cunniffe's mom. A sister missionary from here is serving in his home ward. We prayed for a family to teach. I think two of these referrals -- plus another from a member in church -- are families. I don't even know how to describe how much my testimony of prayer has grown in the past three days. We have followed the Spirit as closely as we could and miracles have risen from the dust. This has probably been the best half-week of my mission.

 

I'll tell you about one miracle that we had no control over. We invited Kofe and Teehu to be baptized and they accepted (in large part due to our brilliantly inspired member fellowship -- by the way, we prayed that he would be inspired). We invited them to church and they were very apprehensive. Next week, they said. We weren't able to resolve their concern. We prayed hard that night that they would come and guess what! they didn't come.... Just kidding! They did, and the ward was so incredibly welcoming, it blew my mind. We talked to them later last night and they said they had been talking about church all day. They also read and prayed as a family. Their kids are so happy to see their parents accepting the Gospel.

 

I love this work so much. We've been so incredibly blessed to see literally every one of our prayers answered. God lives. He knows what we need. But He wants us to ASK. He who is clean, whatsoever he asketh in the name of Christ, if it be right, it shall be given him. It's true. But don't take my word for it. Try it. The Gospel is amazing! Share it! Mosiah 4:26 -- the Gospel is that thing which you must impart, if you have it.

 

Thanks for everything! Love you guys.

Elder Jensen

 

P.S. Happy birthday soon SJ! Hopefully we'll have a baptism on your day. That would be a mean present, huh? I'll let you know.