Clumsy

Hi! Really fast, here are some pictures of my leg. I realized I never told you all the story of me falling down and dying..... 

Basically, I was standing on an ottoman in our apartment, and it wasn't very stable. So, being myself, I let it flip with me on top of it! My legs went one way, my head went the other, and my left leg hit and slid against the corner of the ottoman. 

Picture evidence:

So.....I have kind of a gash on my leg now. But It's been a good conversation starter with the ward, so that's always good!

I love and pray for you all. I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Katherine Jensen :)

Kat in Valencia

Hello, all! I love you very much, and I'm excited to be talking with you again! 

I'll send pictures in a little, but picture me in a trench coat that's slightly damp, sitting in a fancy apple store that's owned by a member. We get spoiled here..... Like, a lot. :) I'll tell you all about it soon!

Note from Mom: We didn't end up hearing very much from Katherine last week. We did find out through the mission Facebook page that Ana and Jose were baptized! We also found pictures of Katherine helping with Operation Gratitude. She sent me a private message that talks a little bit about her experiences as a missionary. We were talking about what it means to be able to reach out and help others:

I know just from what we see as missionaries that there are people in this world who go through so much. It's so hard to see, especially because you just love them so much. My old district leader, Elder Smith, had a saying that he would pull out whenever we were overwhelmed by All the Hard Things. He would say, "We're the ones who fight back. We see so much suffering and pain in the world, and there are so many people who need help. And we have the absolutely humbling privilege of fighting back. We're fighting for them, to help them. We're on their side, and Jesus Christ is giving us strength. And we can change this. We can change lives."

I think of that a lot when I'm discouraged or worried about others. It hurts to see them in pain, but it's so worth the heartache to be able to help them, even just a little bit. :)

Project gratitude: Missionaries gave valuable logistical and sorting services, enabling Operation Gratitude to further their mission to: "send 200,000+ care packages, this new year, filled with food, entertainment, hygiene, and handmade items, plus personal letters of appreciation to Veterans, First Responders, New Recruits, Wounded Heroes, their Care Givers, and to individually named U.S. service members deployed overseas and their families waiting at home." 

Katherine's companion (Hermana Hadley) is the cute sister on her left with the glasses.

Hermana Starke at Ana and Jose's baptism

Baptism Pictures!

Hi!!!!! It's been a crazy day, so I don't have much time, but Kimberly got baptized!!!!! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and love!

Hermana Starke put makeup on me.... awkward. :/ And we went on a walking adventure with Kimberly! (AKA she lives a five minute walk from the church. :) )

Classic baptism photos :)

Partying with the ward afterwards :)

It was an awesome day, and the Spirit was so strong. :) I was so grateful to be part of i!!!!

Sorry, a lot happened this week. :) We took Ana and Jose to the temple visitor's center! They absolutely LOVED it. :) They're getting baptized this Saturday, and I'm so excited!!!

And..... I'm getting transferred. Boo. :( But, I know that Valencia is where I need to be. :) Here's a selfie for you with Elder Jensen (my primo) before we got split up!

Selfie with Elder Mahlum, district leader extraordinaire. He's saved our lives so many times this transfer. I'll miss him a lot!

Last and most important, Hermana Starke. I love her so much, and it's been great getting to be her companion! I know she'll take good care of the area, and I'll see her soon for the baptisms we have coming up! She's amazing!!!!

I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!

Hermana Jensen :) 

Crazy Week, Crazy Miracles

Hello, all! Happy New Year!!!!! This week has been all over the place, so I think my best bet is just to use bullet points. Bear with me. :)

Alright, things that have happened in the last 7 days:

• 2017! That's a thing, and I'm really excited for another year in this amazing and sometimes crazy world. :) We celebrated by going to bed early and trying to ignore the wild party upstairs. Our walls are kinda thin, though.... ;) I hope it's a good year for all of you!

• Fire! Like, the telephone pole outside of our apartment caught on fire. At maybe 6:30 in the morning. I called 911, and the fire department came, and it was all just one big adventure. :) Everyone's fine, though, and the only bad thing was that our power went out for a few hours. We went and did our morning studies in another sister's apartment, which was kinda fun. :) 

• Ana and Jose committed to baptism! They're honestly the sweetest people ever, and I'm so, so excited for them. :) It will be the 21st, so send prayers their way and watch for pictures!

• We got food at this Thai place, and they gave us free coconut ice cream. It was SO GOOD. We will definitely be heading back. :)

• A sewage line in our apartment broke, so our whole complex smells like a portapotty.... It is disgusting. We will be raiding the febreeze aisle today for sure. :)

• We have everything set up for Kimberly's baptism on the 14th! Her parents just need to get married, and then they should be following close behind. Prayers for them would be appreciated, too. :)

• Last but not least... I hit my halfway mark! I am officially over the hill, and to be honest, I'm kind of bummed. I love my mission, and I never want it to end. I still have 9 amazing months, though, and I'll be sure to make the most of them by serving with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. :)

Love and prayers to all! I miss you!
Love,
Hermana Jensen :)

Katherine told us that the Bishop (her pastor) has basically adopted them. We met him via Facebook Live on Christmas and he told us (en espanol) that "His family grew when Hermana Jensen arrived." 

Hermana Starke, Hermana Jensen, Bishop and his family

Merry Christmas!!!!

Things are still just keeping on in the Great San Fernando Valley, and I hope you've all had a Merry Christmas, and soon a happy new year! It definitely doesn't feel like Christmas here, since we can comfortably walk outside without a jacket… I'm still bundled up but that's because I'm me. :)

Us + la familia Calderon!

So, Christmas Eve, we got together with half the mission and had a big Christmas devotional. Hermana Starke sang a solo of "Oh Holy Night", and absolutely killed it! We also sang "Silent Night" with Elder Mahlum and Elder Smith, two of the elders in our district, but their voices cracked at the same time about halfway through..... Everyone died laughing. :)

In honor of the Christmas devotional, my companion forced me to wear makeup. It was kind of hilarious to see everyone's face when they saw me.... The missionaries all said it looked good, but the members just said it was weird. ;) I'll definitely leave that one on the shelf for a while.... :)

​Christmas in the mission was a little different, to say the least. :) It definitely still feels like early fall here, but everyone was wishing us merry Christmas and being pretty friendly, so that was good fun. :)

We got to go caroling with the missionaries in our district, too, and it was so great! People absolutely loved it. :) It happened to be raining, though, and by the end Hermana Starke and I were soaked.... We just kind of shivered and shot dirty looks at the elders in their warm shoes and long pants. ;) They had to bike home, though, so we ended up about even. :)

We've been dealing with a lot of drama right now, which is kind of par for the course for a Spanish ward... I love these people a lot, and it keeps life exciting. :) And we've been blessed with some really incredible people to teach, which is really humbling. :)

I know that this church is true, and I know that God really does direct us. He loves each one of us, and He will always be here to catch us when we fall. He is in command, and He loves us, so we never have a reason to fear. :) I love you all, and I hope you have a happy new year!

Love,
Hermana Jensen :)

​Christmas pajamas ft. my feet :)

Temple Pictures and Christmas Devotional

​I love you all! Going to the temple was our Christmas present from President and Sister Henrie. :) It was so great. :) I love you!!!!

San Fernando Zone- Katherine and her companion, Hermana Starke are twinning. 

Surprise Baptism!

This week has been full of miracles. :) I love you all!