WEEK 32 - Huanuco

April 24, 2017

Hola,

Another good week here in Ala Meda!  The weeks just fly by so fast that by the time internet comes around, it is hard to remember things that happened.  Most days we wake up, run, then study and are just out all day and before we know it, it is 9 pm and we are back home.  

Hermana Pliler and I decided to a fast together this week to just help us find more people to teach and help us with the work.  All week we didn't have any news and then Sunday we got 3 more!  It was really a tender mercy and I know that God is looking out for us. 

We have this really awesome investigator named Diego who is just so prepared for the gospel.  He loves reading the Book of Mormon and he has already read like a good chunk into second Nephi,  which is very rare.  He has a baptismal date for May and he came to stake conference yesterday and really loved it, so yay! 

We are also teaching this family called Encarnacion and they are super sweet but very difficult to teach. The thing here is many people are not educated so when we teach we have to go really slow with them. This family is hard because the mom and dad like the way they feel when we are around and teach and come to church, but when we teach something very simple,  they still will not get it. It is hard, and we are trying to think of other things we can do to help them learn and progress in the gospel. They have two kids that understand really well and are so awesome.  One of them is named Angelica and we usually have to ask her to help her parents. 

We are also teaching this really cute couple named Justinia and Maximo who live up in the hills and are super sweet but they also learn quite slowly. We have to read their Book of Mormon with them because they don't know how to read. 

Every Sunday we eat lunch at a members house.  This Sunday we went to a members named Viviana and Fabio.  Fabio is literally one of the greatest human beings I've ever met.  He is basically totally blind and deaf so when we talk to him we basically have to scream but he is just such a happy guy and loves talking to us. He was like ¨I love it so much when you guys come over and talk to me, why don't you come every day! haha!  He comes to church every Sunday and just sits in the gospel principles class probably confused out of his mind but he is still so dedicated and faithful, it is awesome. 

That guy that bowed to us last week, we ran into again, and it was literally the greatest thing of our lives. He bowed to us once again, and it is so incredibly hard for me to keep it together, but I really do hope we keep seeing him. 

Last pday we made homemade Reeses and no bake cookies and played Nertz and I kicked butt so that was fun and today we are playing volleyball at the church! 

Things are going well here in Huanuco.  President traveled up here and we had a zone conference with him and where he talked to us all about obedience. Not that were not obedient, but he talked about the miracles we can see when we are truly exactly obedient. So hermana Pliler and I are really trying to do all we can to be exactly obedient so that we can find new, amazing and prepared people to teach. 

I know that the Lord leads this work, but we just have to be an instrument that He can use to help His children. I know that it is hard sometimes to let Him take control, but I know when we do that we start seeing miracles in the work. I love being a missionary.  It has helped me change and grow in ways I never thought I could.  I LOVE YOU ALL!  

This Wednesday we are going to the jungle!!  Super pumped. 

Love,

Hermana Jensen

My crazy companion - Hermana Pliler with me

Homemade Reeses

At a market buying stuff to make tacos

WEEK 31 - Huanuco, Peru

April 17, 2017


This week was very good!  We have been so busy and working so hard that time is just flying by.  I can honestly say it has been the happiest, funnest time on my mission.  When you just work and put everything you have into the work, there is not even time to think about yourself. 

Hermana Pliler and I get along super well.  We talk spanish in the streets to improve our spanish and when we're in the room, we let ourselves speak english. We live above our pension Marujah whose the greatest, craziest lady ever, but she left with her family this week on vacation to the jungle, so we pensioned with this lady named Dani who is super sweet this week. 

We have made a goal to wake up at 6:30 everyday and go running.  It sucks but I have a lot more energy throughout the day, also to not eat bread or rice and cut down on sugar.  It is hard, but I am way more focused and happy throughout the day. 

We have been teaching this guy named Diego, who is a single Dad and he is 24 years old. We left him a chapter to read and when we got back he read 10 chapters! We taught him the restoration and it is so interesting because at almost EVERY lesson we have been teaching the restoration.and when we start with the first vision some sort of distraction pops up.  I absolutely know it is satan because when we recite the first vision it is sooo powerful, the spirit always fills the room.  With Diego we had to start it over 3 times because distractions kept popping up. 

We also have these investigators named Jesus and Andrea and they are great but Jesus is the hardest person to teach ever. He literally interrupts us like every 5 seconds to just talk. We are so confused with him because he told us that he doesn't believe that the church he goes to right now is the true church but every time we try to talk and ask him questions he is always interrupting us to talk about the bible or his beliefs. We listen and try to explain things but he just WILL NOT LET US TALK. Literally we feel so frustrated whenever we teach him. His girlfriend is so great and wants to listen but she is super quiet and then when we ask her a question, he will answer for her.  It is so rude. The other day we both kind of exploded on him.  He asked me a question and then I started to talk to answer and then he interrupted me for like the billionth time and I was just like excuse me let me finish talking please.  Maybe not the most christ like thing to do but the only way he will listen to us is when we are very harsh with him. We were like next time we come, if you want to listen, TRULY listen to us, you are invited, but if not we are coming just to teach your girlfriend because she wants to listen and wants to learn, but you are not letting her. Anyways, it was a super intense lesson and exhausting. But we have been praying so hard for him because we know deep down he has a desire and he has been reading the Book of Mormon, he just isn't quite ready to listen and learn. I will give an update to see how it goes this next week haha. 

I got your package finally!  Thanks so much for everything, I loved it! Especially the cards and pictures. Also the hair mask.   Hermana Pliler and I were just talking about how we wanted to do a hair mask because our hair has just been so nasty and falling out and stuff.  I just feel dirty all the time and sometimes I look in the mirror, and I am like "oh gosh what has happened to me?"  Something funny this week was that some guy bowed to us on the street as we were walking, it was sooo hilarious, he just stopped when he saw and started bowing and speaking in this language called Ketchewa, it was hilarious. 

Yo se que este es la obra del senor, que nosotras somos instrumentos en los manos de Dios. Yo se que la mision no es facil pero vale la pena porque estamos ayudando personas acercar mas Jesucristo y sentir un cambio en sus vidas. Estoy tan agradecido a estar aqui en Péru para ayudar las personas a tener el evangelio y expirementar mas gozo en sus vidas.

Les Quiero Muchisimo!!

Con cariño,

Hermana Jensen


Pics of my area and by a mural. Also with a recent convert kelly. Also this week, we went to a park with our zone on saturday and we put up these huge posters of Christ, like holy week and every day in holy week and what happened in the life of Christ, it was really cool. Then we gave out photos of Christ to people. The point was to really let people now that we are Christians and everything we teach is centered in Christ. 

WEEK 30 - Huanuco, Peru

April 10th, 2017

Hey!

So this week I was with Hermana Pliler the whole week and it was suupperr fun!  She is from Alpine, Utah. It has been so nice because she is an hermana leader and we were literally just so busy that I didn't even have time to think about myself or home, and it has been helping me a lot.  We went back to Huancayo for leadership meeting and I got to go but I was in the back just listening because I am not an hermana leader haha.  The bus ride was super fun and we tried to stay up all night on the bus but I could not do it haha. Hermana Pliler and the elders that we were talking to stayed awake all night because we traveled at like 9 pm into the night until 5 in the morning, at which time we arrived back in Huanuco. 

The whole week we have been wondering about real cambios (transfers) which we found out yesterday.  President told me that I was only going to be with Hermana Pliler for the week and then I would go open another area with another Hermana.  Yesterday we went to find out about cambios and our zone leader, elder Johnson was like soooo you guys are staying together!!   So I am staying in Ala Meda with Hermana Pliler and we are going to be hermana leaders together! I am super pumped and I think it is going be a crazy busy and super fun cambio. And now both of our spanish is sufficient to be able to talk spanish to each other in the streets and so I am not too worried about not learning more spanish. It is fun because we have a lot in common.  We can also speak in english and about BYUI and music and things.  Something else cool is now I am in the same district as my mother in the mission - herman Spitale!  I am happy because it is her last cambio and I get to be with her when she dies :) I also get to go on divisions with her too now since I am her hermana leader!  If I am here next transfer and they open Cerro de pasco back up, I will also go there to do divisions. haha.  It is so fun being with hermana Spitale because I actually understand her now and can talk to her. My first transfer it was hard to communicate with her.

Hermana Pliler and I have been teaching this couple Jesus and Andrea and Jesus is a Jehovah Witness and just talks and asks a  billion questions and then will not let us talk.  It is soooo frustrating sometimes. We were literally in this super long lesson with them and Hermana Pliler and I were both to the point of tears of frustration because we would try to speak but then he would interrupt us.  We were both just like praying so hard for patience and love during that lesson.  The cool thing is his girlfriend came to church yesterday, but we will keep working with Jesus. 

The ward is really great and I am excited to be a part of it. Also the greatest thing ever about being an hermana leader now is we get to go on divisions!!  So we get to split with the other missionaries in Huanuco and see how they are doing and help them. And the BEST part is now there are hermanas in Tingo Maria.  We will get to go on divisions with them!   Tingo Maria is STRAIGHT Jungle!!!  I've heard it is like the most beautiful place in the whole mission so that makes me very happy :) 

Anyways I love you all tons!  I KNOW that the Lord looks out for each and every one of us. All the crap that we pass through in this life is for a reason and we always grow from it. I am so unbelievably grateful to have the gospel in my life, and I know it changes lives. I am grateful for my family and that we can be together forever. 

Love,

Hermana Jensen

Bus ride from Huancayo to Huanuco

WEEK 29- HUANUCO - I've MOVED!!!

APRIL 3rd, 2017


I am in HUANUCO, Peru.

Hi guys, 

I hope you haven't been too worried or freaked about me this week. I want you guys to know that I am doing a lot better. I think what you said mom about the comp thing was hard. She was super sweet but just the inability to communicate with her, not because of spanish but just because of differences in personalities had an affect on me. I think a lot of missionaries go through this, it just comes at different times in the mission. 

Last Friday I got transferred to this city called Huanuco which is about 8 hours from Huancayo and I lovvveeeee it. It is SO beautiful!  It is like Huancayo but it is more in the mountains and you are just like in the valley and the weather is perfect. It is straight up California. It has been helping my mood to be in the sun and it is like hot but with this just nice cool breeze.  

Something super awesome is I am now with Hermana Pliler, who literally when I talk to her I feel like I am talking to my sister Jamie, no lie. She reminds me soooo much of Jamie. It has been really fun, but I am only going to be with her until the end of the transfer next week and then I am staying in Huanuco but going to a different area to open that area!  I think it could be stressful because I will probably train again but I am excited and hope that I will be ready. 

Hermana Plliler has like a leadership meeting so we will actually back in Huancayo for a couple days for that.  I talked to Hermana Schmid today who was also In Chilca and she told me that area was reallyyy rough for her and super stressful. She said that she suffered in that area because the ward and areas are huge and the ward is full of gossips hahahah. Seriously though!  I love some people in the ward but there are so many less actives because people just gossip like crazy. 

They are actually closing Chilca for hermanas this transfer so I closed my first two areas... Feel kind of bad but they are going to open Mariscal Castilla again this transfer, I just will not be opening it because I think I really needed to leave for a better climate. But I did hear that our investigator Rossie whom we taught who was in a wheelchair, came to conference and is progressing super well! so that makes me happy!   So I said goodbye to Chilca and goodybe to my favorite person in Chilca - Angie. She told me that she just started her mission papers and I am the only one that knows! haha I feel special, but well now you guys know haha.

Conference was so amazing, we got to watch it all and in English. There were so many things I loved about it, but yeah because Holland is amazing I really loved his talk, about how everybody is needed in the church. How  we are all like one big choir with different capabilities and every voice is needed and different. 

I love you guys all so much, and I am determined to make this year amazing. Thank you for being the greatest! 

Love, Hermana Jensen

Angie and me

Week 28, Huancayo, Peru

MARCH 27th, 2017

This week we got permission to go to the baptism of Ana Rosa. She is so awesome! Her boyfriend Alvarro is a recent convert from here in Chilca and is seriously so awesome, super faithful and dedicated to the gospel. He brought Ana Rosa to us and we started teaching her and then sent her reference over to La Florida because that is where she lives and she got baptized on Saturday!  They are just super adorable and amazing!

I love you all,

Hermana Charlotte Jensen

Guinea Pig - tastes slimey

Baptism of Ana Rosa

Angie, one of my favorites! She always makes me happy.  Went on a picnic today with her.

WEEK 27 - Huancayo, Peru

MARCH 20th, 2017

MOM!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I want you to know that Im feeling much much better. Im sending you a recording updating you on everything but this week was much better. I talked to President and he was just like Satan is attacking you! And then he basically told me everything that I needed to hear. It was so awesome, and I walked out feeling incredibly better. Things are hard sometimes, but I honestly feel happiest when we just get out and work. It is when I'm sitting around thinking that I feel the saddest. Love you Mom, and I am grateful for trials because they make us stronger!

The whole fam haha everyone wrote me this week with advice. I feel really grateful for a family who is all looking after me and I know the power of prayer is real. I literally pray so much and so hard all the time now. It really helps me. Ellie also sent me a recording this week, it made me so happy! It has been so long since I heard her voice. 

Love to you all,  
Hermana Charlotte Jensen