Hey, it's Elder Jensen. In New Zealand. On my mission. What are you guys up to? I'm exhausted. All that I keep thinking is endure till it gets better. If there's any pattern I have noticed on my mission, it's that Heavenly Father tries and tests us then He blesses us. The challenge is to not give up or lose faith until it gets better. It will. It always does.
So I'm training now. It's pretty ridiculous. On his first day, my new missionary, Elder Hoffman, from Layton, Utah, invited two people to be baptized! I didn't do that till probably my third transfer. He has a girl that is writing him and he talks about her quite regularly. Haha. It's funny. We're pretty different, Elder Hoffman and me, but it just gives me heaps of room to grow.
The next lesson that we had with one of the guys Elder Hoffman invited to be baptized -- his name is Tawera -- was mean. We had asked him to pray about the date that we set for baptism -- the 24th of September -- so we followed up in this lesson. He said he prayed three times, once sitting down, once on his knees, then once on his knees out loud... and nothing! He said he prayed for some kind of sign that that was the date he was supposed to get baptized and he didn't get or feel anything. But then he started to smile and kind of laugh and said that he did, however, randomly turn to a scripture right after praying: Alma 32:17 (and some other verses before and after verse 17). You should all go read that one haha. It was funny. We helped him recognize that as his answer and now he's planning on being baptized on that date. It was a miracle. God answers.
Elder Hoffman said he is loving things so far -- we've had some powerful lessons and I've been blessed to have acted on the promptings from the Spirit to find people in need. I'm glad I've been able to help him establish great expectations for his mission and I hope to continue the learning. I've also learned heaps. When we study the things the Spirit directs us to study and do so by the Spirit, diligently, Heavenly Father rewards us with the opportunity to apply our studies throughout the day or week. This isn't just for missionaries. It's why it is so important to study the Gospel every day.
Since I have been on my mission, Auckland has had a tornado, snow, and an earthquake (a small one), none of which have ever happened or at least haven't happened for decades. The summers are getting hotter and the winters colder. Something big is going to happen soon, and I'm excited! Haha I love this work and I'm grateful for everyone's support. I want to apologize to anyone that I have let down or said something stupid to. I'm really trying my best to be all that I can and to be more like Christ. I'm sorry for times when I've been prideful or appeared to look down on others. You can slap me around when I get home.
I love you guys. Thanks for everything. School's back in! Have fun! Use this time while you have it to learn and grow. Don't take for granted the amazing opportunities you've been blessed with.
Lastly, everyone is a child of God. Really. Try to look at people like that. You knew these people before this life. And you knew there would be challenges. Try to understand each other. Be patient. Open your heart to those around you. Love ya. Bye.
Elder Jensen
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