Transfer news and present from Gilberto!

I'll be here for Christmas. :) (Van Nuys) Hermana Penaranda is going up to North Hollywood. I'm getting a companion who I think is just out of training, which will be an adventure. I don't know why people trust me with responsibilities. ;)

I love it here, but it's way sketch. The thing is, the people here are amazing. We have these three families that are really progressing, and they're just so humble and grateful to have the gospel in their lives. My goal for this transfer is to get them all baptized. :) So.... stay tuned. :)

I also got sick this week. So fun....

Gilberto made us a Christmas present! They are adorable rocking horses that make galloping noises when you rock them. Gilberto is the man. :)

Thanksgiving!

Happy thanksgiving, all! We taught our members how to make hand turkeys to celebrate, so now they're basically integrated into American culture. :) We love the familia Cortez!

We ended up having two Thanksgiving dinners, but neither of them were traditional. Some of the missionaries were sad because the food we eat here is so different than Thanksgiving with their families. But to me it felt normal to eat something exciting and different. :) One of our members did try to make turkey, but she felt like it would be dry so she covered it in chile. :) It was really good. :)

I missed being with all of you on Thanksgiving. But honestly, for me, time is flying. I hit my halfway mark at the end of December, and I still feel like I just started! Missions go by so fast. :)

I want to be a missionary Now

Katherine had some pretty hard weeks but she wrote to me that she knows that being a on mission is the right thing for her right now. 

She wrote "Lots of missionaries do go home from my mission, but even with all the (hard things) I've never even thought about that as a possibility. I know anything can happen, but I really do trust the Lord. :) And I know that Heavenly Father will help me to do this, because it's His will for me to serve a mission. :) And even when things are hard, I'm happier here than I would be anywhere else, because this is where Heavenly Father wants me to be. :) (Also, it turns out that the missionary schedule helps me a lot. Sleep and exercise are pretty helpful, it seems. :) )

I know that all of us truly are known to God. :) He knows us, and He is so aware of us. :) He is doing everything He can to help us. :)

Speaking of wonderful weeks, we had 7 investigators come to church yesterday!!!! That was an absolute miracle. :) The work is amazing in this area, and I'm so grateful to be a part of it. :)"

   

Hermana Jensen making missionary name tags for little friends.

It's getting chilly in the Valley. We get lots of photos of Hermana Jensen eating soup.

Some pictures

Hermana Jensen hasn't written a general letter in the past few weeks so I thought I'd send some pictures. 

​It's getting dark earlier: fall is coming!

Hermana Penaranda, Bishop, and Hermana Jensen

Cozy fall afternoons, missionary style. :)

Knock Out

Every day in the Great California San Fernando Mission, the missionaries participate in something called "Knock Out". For two hours, all of the missionaries in the entire mission knock on doors to try to find people who are seeking to find the truth. Before they start, wherever they are in the mission, the missionaries say a prayer. It's powerful to think of all of these faithful missionaries united in prayer each and every day.

Hermana Jensen invited us to pray with her at Knock Out time. We set a timer on my phone and now we stop to pray at that time as well. We have witnessed our faith grow and missionary opportunities expand as we participate in Knock Out with our Hermana. Here is an excerpt of a letter she sent us about Knock Out:

Thank you for always praying for us during knock out. :) We've been having a lot of success during Knock Out lately, and I know that it's because of the faith and prayers of everyone around us. :) Just this week, we had an absolutely incredible experience. I think it was Thursday- we started knocking doors at a specific intersection we had planned, and it just kept feeling wrong. We tried going in several different directions, and finally we walked towards an apartment complex that we had tried opening, but was locked. Just as we got there, someone came out, and we were able to go in! We taught the message of the Restoration to every person we talked to except for one, and we set several return appointments with interested people. The most amazing thing, though, is that at the very last door, we found a family! First, we were just talking with them, and the mom was asking us questions about how our church is different from the Catholic church. We asked if we could come in and explain it, and we sat down with her and taught her the restoration, and committed her to read and pray about it and to learn more! At the end, she gathered all of her kids together, and we had a family prayer with them. :) We're teaching them tonight, and I'll tell you how it goes!

I love you all! 

Love,
Hermana Jensen :)

Faith to conquer fear

This letter is from October 3rd. We were gone so I wasn't able to update.

Hello, again! I love you all!

This week, following our pattern of knocking like Paul, Hermana and I found 6 new investigators! The ones we're most excited about, however, are actually a referral from a ward member.

He invited his sister-in-law to church, and the next week, we set an appointment with him to go teach her. When we got there, we found out that his wife isn't a member, either! We taught them all the message of the restoration, and invited them to be baptized. They're not ready to commit yet, but they will keep meeting with us to try to learn more!

As I testified to them of the restored gospel, I felt such a strong witness of the Spirit. I knew, then, that all of this is absolutely true. More than true, it's the most important thing anyone can ever know or participate in. This gospel is real, and it changes lives.

I love you all!

Knocking like Paul

Hello, all! My trainee, Hermana Penaranda (Pen-ya-ran-da), is amazing. :) We're working hard, and loving life, and seeing so many miracles in this area!

​We love this little walkway. :)

Last week, we felt a bit discouraged about our finding efforts. It felt that we were struggling to testify boldly of the restored gospel, and as a result, we were just turned down at every door.

I read in the book of Acts this week, about the bravery and diligence of Paul. Truly, he's an amazing missionary, and as I read I though about what he would do as he knocked doors. Hermana and I set a goal to knock doors like the apostle Paul!

It was a little scary at first, but as we testified boldly and talked to everyone, we were able to find 4 new people to teach! I know that God's hand truly is in this work! I love all of you!

Gilberto's Baptism!!!

Hello, all! I have the most exciting news ever for this week:

Gilberto was baptized!!!!!!!!

He's an incredible person, with so much faith. The hermanas before me found him during Knock Out, and he wasn't interested, so they gave him a pass-along card and left. But a few weeks later, he called the number on the back asking for a Book of Mormon! He's been reading the Book of Mormon ever since, and actually finished it two weeks ago. And he comes to church every week, even though the first week the missionaries didn't know who he was. :) 

They committed him to be baptized before I came, but when I got here he still felt very unsure about it. He just wanted to make sure he know enough before making this decision. :) We prayed for him a lot, and talked a lot with each other and with him about how to know if he's ready to be baptized. And just two weeks ago, after so many times of telling us he wasn't ready, he told us that he thought he was ready to be baptized on the 10th!!!!!

Next, the biggest obstacle was the water. He's deathly afraid of water, but he knew it was necessary to be baptized by immersion, so he had the faith to go through with it. :) To make matters worse, though, he had surgery on his foot a few weeks ago and it still isn't healed. He's not allowed to get it wet at all, or it'll be infected. :/

So.... we called our mission president, and made sure it was alright, and then made preparations to wrap his foot with a bag for the baptism. We had a pretty exciting trial run: 

But.... It worked! And on Saturday, he had the faith to wrap his foot in a bag and go down into the waters of baptism. :)

He's pretty nervous in these pictures, but afterwards he just couldn't stop smiling. :) 

I'm so, so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this. :) I love this gospel, and I love being able to help other people receive the wonderful joy it brings into our lives. :) I know that this is the true church, and I'm so excited to continue sharing it with the people here! I love you all!!!

Love,

Hermana Jensen :)

Ps. Exciting news: I'm going to be a trainer!!!!! I meet my new companion tomorrow, so I'll send pictures next week. :) Until then!

Cyber Pictures

This has not been a good month for technology in the Jensen family. Katherine lost her camera memory card (with all of her pictures) and our computer died. We are all finally back up and running. Here are a few pictures:

Katherine is the driver in her companionship! We all laugh because she couldn't find her way around our small city and here she is driving in LA traffic! According to Katherine, her companion, Hermana Velasquez is apparently an excellent co-pilot and has really helped her to navigate the city.

Someone sent me this photo of Katherine with her first two companions- Hermana Barfuss and Hermana Warren.

Crazy huge bugs!

Hermana Velasquez convinced Katherine to get her eyebrows threaded at a Flea Market.

Katherine's Mission District

Behind the Wheel

Hi! I love my new area, and it turns out I'm driving! It's been a fun week of trying to remember how that works. :) I don't have a ton of time, but here are some pictures of families from our last ward!

Hermana Ponce :)

Elisa and family :)

Behind the Wheel

Hi! I love my new area, and it turns out I'm driving! It's been a fun week of trying to remember how that works. :) I don't have a ton of time, but here are some pictures of families from our last ward!

Hermana Ponce :)

Elisa and family :)

Transfers!!!

Hello, all! So.... this is the week! I'm being transferred to Van Nuys! I'm excited to meet my new companion, Hermana Valasquez, and get started working there. :)

I'll be sad to say goodbye to the ward; we have a lot of really great members! I'll miss them a lot. :(

​Hermana and Hermano Enciso. :) The absolute sweetest couple ever! Basically my mission grandparents. :)

​La familia Gonzalez! Super nice. :)

​Hermana Leiva! She's an incredible person. :) She does so much to help the ward members, and the missionaries, and everyone around her! She's always telling us stories about times that she shares the gospel with her friends, family, and everyone around her! I'll miss her so much!

I'm sad to be leaving, but I have a real testimony of the principle that God directs this work. He knows His children, and He is in the details of our lives. He's sending me to where I need to go, and He'll do the same for each one of you. :) He knows us, and He loves us, and He wants nothing more than to help us grow. I testify that He lives, and He will answer you if you reach out to Him in prayer. 

I love you all! Have a great week! :)

Hello, all!

Hi! Another great week of missionary work in the great San Fernando Valley. :) This week, we taught our investigators Norma and Jose about baptism. They have a lot of faith, and they say they feel a lot of peace when they attend church and read the Book of Mormon, but they still don't feel like they're ready to take that step. But when we explained what baptism is, and what we promise when we're baptized, they seemed really excited by the idea. We'll keep working to help them prepare!

We also had a lesson with our investigator who had a baptismal date.... I say "had" because she told us she just still doesn't feel ready. She says she's confident that God will eventually give her the answer that she's looking for, but it's hard to help her understand that we need to act in order to receive answers. We feel the Spirit confirming our actions as we read the Book of Mormon, pray, attend church, and seek to follow the commandments of God. But every time we explain that, she just says.... I'm sure that someday God will tell me that I should go to church. Hopefully we can help her to understand that important principle. :)

It's been kind of an exciting week health-wise in the valley..... The California summer was hot enough that a fire started in Santa Clarita! That's just the next valley over from us. Smoke filled up the whole sky, and ash started raining down, and it blocked the sun so everything was super dark. Everyone has been trying to stay inside, but the missionaries are still working like normal. :)

​

That red dot is the sun. :)

Speaking of health challenges, some districts like to meet once a week during our morning exercise time to play sports and have fun together. But our district got that banned last Friday when we broke our district leader's elbow. :/ The worst part, though, is that three days later his companion (a new trainee) broke his wrist playing capture the flag with our zone! Zone activities haven't been banned yet, but we'll see..... We're keeping the two of them in our prayers. :)

We've been pretty busy this week with studies, lessons, Knock Out, and trying to help our ward share the gospel with their friends. Yesterday our ward finally called a ward mission leader, so we're excited to see how that helps them progress! We also just recently called a Second Counselor in the Bishopric, and he's been a huge help. :) The work is moving forward, and I'm excited to be a part of it!

I hope you all have a great week! Transfer calls come next week, so I'll let you know what happens.... I love you all, and I know that this gospel is true! :)

Love,

Hermana Jensen :)

Exchanges!!!!!

After years of being called a vampire, Katherine proves she can tan in the California sun.

Hello, all! This week, we had exchanges, and it was really great to be able to learn from more experienced missionaries. We had some amazing lessons, and felt the Spirit so powerfully. :)

We also had zone conference, and it was so great! I learned a lot from President and Sister Henrie; they're amazing. :) I think the biggest thing I took away from the meeting is that God is helping us with this work. We need to do all that we can, and go forward with faith, and trust in Him. But if we do all of that, He will guide us, and strengthen us, and help us to know what to do, where to go, and what to say. He is so aware of all of His children. :) He loves us. :)

Studying at Zone Conference

We also got to do a service project with Operation Gratitude! It's an incredible program, and I encourage you all to check it out. :) (see pictures below)

I know that God loves each one of you, and He is aware of you. :) I love you all, and I'll talk with you more next week! :)

Katherine's new apartment came with little potted plants.

The Holy Spirit

Note from Katherine's Mom: Katherine had a great 4th of July. She and her companion celebrated with tacos and ice cream. She says that's about as crazy as missionaries get. She also helped the local women's organization make tamales! She says she will teach me how so I don't have to buy them from little kids selling them out of a wagon anymore. :)

food from her favorite taco place

We haven't heard much about her day to day life but this week she had a pretty intense situation. She had someone call the missionaries because they were hurting and contemplating suicide. Here's an excerpt from a letter she wrote me:

We give our number to potential investigators, so they can call us if they want to learn more. But a couple nights ago, we got a call from someone who had talked with missionaries before, and had severe depression, and was contemplating suicide. He told us that he wanted to end his life, and we didn't really know what to do, but we talked with him, and called President Henrie (the mission President), and sent him the number of a suicide hotline. It was very intense. But hopefully it will all be okay. I feel good about how we handled it, though. :) 

*If you are struggling, please reach out to someone. There are people who care about you and want to help. Here is the number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (en espanol: 1-888-628-9454).

I'm so grateful that Katherine is taking this time to serve and share God's love with others. It's great to hear how much she cares for the people in her area. Thank you to everyone who has helped her so far with this journey. She really feels your support.

Here is this week's letter:

Hello, all! This week has been crazy, and I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to testify to you that God is in the details of this work. He leads us and guides us through His Holy Spirit, and helps us to find the people He has prepared to learn more.

Every night, we take time to plan for the next day. We say a prayer on our knees, and then get up and do our best to plan activities that will help the people in our area to come closer to Jesus Christ. And as we do our best to listen to the Spirit, God tells us where we need to go, who we need to contact, and what we need to do. I have seen so many miracles, so many times that we stopped by someone's house just at the right time, and so many people who are ready and seeking the truth of God.

He loves them so much. He guides us to them so that they can be happier, which is what He wants for all of us. I testify that happiness is found by relying on Jesus Christ and coming unto Him. And I promise that, as you do so, God will lead you to where you need to be. :) I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Hermana Katherine Jensen

New Area, Adventures, and Temple Trip #2

Hello again!

It's been a great week here! I love my new companion, and she works super hard, and we've been able to do so much this week! We're in the same ward that I used to be in, which is perfect, because I love the members here so much. :)

This week has been full of adventures, and miracles of finding people and helping people who are ready to hear the gospel. But are you ready for the most incredible one?

Yesterday, one of our investigators came to church with 3 of her kids. We went to the youth class with her daughter, so she sat with a member during Relief Society (When the women of the ward meet together). When we asked her about the class afterwards, she said she loved it! They had talked about temples, and what an amazing blessing they are, and she was so excited that she asked them for the address of the temple.

And then-- as crazy as it sounds-- she invited us to go visit the temple visitor center that afternoon! We found a ride, and got permission, and drove outside of the mission to the temple!!!

The Spirit is so strong at the temple. :) The missionaries there were amazing! We did a tour, and everyone was really touched by the spirit and by the message of God's love for us. He truly has given us temples so that we can be with our families forever. :) It was amazing to see them come to understand that, and have that desire to be sealed as a family, to be together for always. :)

I testify that God loves each of you, and He knows each of you individually. He loves you perfectly, and, just like our parents here on Earth, He wants so much for you to be happy. :) And that's why I'm here, sharing this message of happiness, love, and hope. :) I hope and pray that I can help some of His children to come unto Him. :)

I love you all! I hope you all have a great week! :)

Love,
Hermana Jensen :)

Katherine is growing out her hair again so she can pull it back in the heat. It got up to 120 degrees!

​

Transfer and Temple Pictures

Note from Katherine's Mom- Missionaries are assigned to different areas of their mission. Transfers within the mission happen about every 6 weeks but a single missionary typically stays in one area for several months. We were really surprised to hear that Katherine was transferred already. She is just moving to a different apartment and with a new companion but she will stay with the same congregation. Katherine's areas serve Sun Valley, North Hollywood, and Burbank.

Katherine was able to visit the Los Angeles temple. For more information about how LDS temples differ from regular places of worship, and photos from the inside of temples, please see this video:  https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-02-1070-temples?lang=en

Hello, all!

The best thing ever happened this week: We got to go to the temple!!!!
I feel that my week is best summed up by a series of pictures. :)

 

Oh, and I'm getting transferred to a new area! See the Hermana in the green shirt with long brown hair? She'll be my new companion. :) I'm excited to get to work with her and learn more!
I love you all! I'm sorry about the short email, but I hope you have a great week!

Love,
Hermana Jensen :)

Encounters with dogs and rain!

Hello, everyone! It's been another wonderful week in the Valley! We've kind of had a lot of adventures this week....

Some highlights of this week include:

-Getting dropped by one of our investigators at a baptism he attended. Ouch. :)

-Managing to catch a referral at the only time she was available, and having a great conversation with her and her family!

-Encountering tons of dogs..... 

-I got to translate for about five minutes at the baptism we attended! All the other Spanish-Speaking missionaries were part of the program, so at one point I was the only one available and had to try my best. :) I didn't do perfectly, but it was fun!

-We found a place called "Super Tortas" and had to check it out. The tortas were indeed super. :)

-Our zone has a goal to invite people to be baptized in the first lesson, even if it's just meeting them in the street. We've actually had several people accept a baptismal invite, even when we just knocked on their door, taught them the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then asked them to be baptized! God definitely guides this work, and helps us as we do our best to serve Him. :)

-And last but not least, it rained this week!!!!! Yay!!!!! I've missed the rain, and colder weather, and it was so nice to have it be cold and wet for just a few days. :)

I think that's all for now, folks. :) I love you all, I love this gospel, and I love being a missionary! I know that this church is true, and I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon through the power of God, and that The Book of Mormon is the word of God given to lead us and guide us in these Latter Days. I know that Jesus Christ lives, and He loves each and every one of us. :)

I love you all! Have a great week! :)

Love,

Hermana Jensen :)

A Week of Firsts!

Hello again!

We had another week of working hard, and studying, and trying to find the people whom God has prepared to hear the gospel. It's been a really good one!

We had a zone training this week on planning sessions, and how we really can be led by the Spirit as we plan for the next day. This is God's work, after all, and He will guide us if we let Him. :) So my companion and I have been trying to pray for guidance and invite the spirit into our planning sessions each night, and we've been able to see how the Spirit helps us to know what we should do. :) That's something wonderful to experience. :)

I've had some exciting "firsts" to share with you all this week:

-First zone training meeting! As mentioned above, I learned a lot!

-First time ordering food in Spanish! It was lots of fun. :) We stopped at this little taco place, and got to speak to everyone in Spanish, and the food was delicious!

-First time trying papusas! They're a Salvadorean dish, and everyone loves them.... me included. :) I'll try to send pictures in a minute. :)

-First time being offered alcohol! We were eating dinner with an investigator, and he meant well, but we haven't discussed the Word of Wisdom yet. :) Don't worry though, he also had soda for us. :)

All in all, it's been a great week. :) I've really been able to see how Heavenly Father loves all of His children. :) He truly is our Father, and He loves us and knows us, each of us, individually. :) He has a plan for all of us, so even when things don't make sense, we can trust Him, and rely on Him, and He will help us to be happy. :) 

I love you all, and I'm so grateful for your support and prayers. :) Keep being amazing!

I love you!!!

Love, 

Hermana Katherine Jensen :)

Papusas!

Exchanges and a Talk

Hello, all! This week has been another great one in the San Fernando Valley!

So this week, we went on exchanges with the Sister Training Leaders. Basically, we switched companions for a day, and I got to go teach in English! It was amazing, and I learned so much about following the Spirit and listening for the guidance of Heavenly Father. This is His work, and He helps us with every step of it. :)

I also got to give a talk in church this week! In Spanish! Yeah, that was a little scary.... But even though I didn't speak perfectly, I hope people were able to understand what I said and feel the Spirit. Everyone there was really nice about it, and really patient with me. :) They're a wonderful group of people, and I'm so grateful to be here!

So yesterday, we had a picnic with our ward for memorial day. The missionaries all showed up 15 minutes early to set up tables.... and then we waited an hour and a half for everyone to get there, and get the food organized, and then start. :) But once we did, it was a lot of fun! A couple of people who weren't members of our church came, and the ward was amazing at talking with them and making them feel welcome. :) We played games, and ate a ton of food, and it was so fun!

That's about everything for this week... I love you all, and I'm so grateful to be here on a mission! I know that this church is true, and I know that Heavenly Father loves His children. And it's our job to help them come back to Him. :)

I'm praying for you, and I love you! Have a great week!

Love, 

Hermana Jensen :)