Mud on the tires...and everywhere else

Three miles on a mud trail!

After my bike ride through the mud.

Hello hello!

This week has been a great one! I went to my first Zone Conference this week, and that was a pretty cool experience (as long as it was). It was 6 hours of talks and training from various mission leaders. I think that my favorite part was the zone breakout where the zone leaders talked to us about how to properly send investigators over through Area Book (which we needed because people kept sending them as referrals, which helps nobody) and how to have a really effective day as a missionary. It was great!

{insert by Mom about Zone Conference}
Every week missionaries in the same local area meet for a district meeting for 60–90 minutes. One of the elders is the district leader and conducts the weekly meeting. The missionaries learn from one another through training, discussing challenges, and sharing testimonies and experiences. They also talk about how their investigators are progressing.

Every three months missionaries in several districts hold a zone conference, which is held under the direction of the mission president. Many of the missionaries will have to travel to these meetings, which are usually longer than the district meetings and can cover a wide range of topics.

We began our weekly service activity this week. We went and volunteered at a Restore, which is basically a second-hand Home Depot. For our first day, we took a couple of stacks of cabinets and cleaned them very thoroughly, then went and put them on the floor in a...organized manner. We also helped unload a donation truck. Some guy just brought in a bunch of cabinets, a washer, and an oven.

This week, I got to see what would happen to me if I don't really keep myself accountable after my mission. Now, I am not saying he is a bad guy. The less active we talked to is a really cool guy, and speaks very fondly of his mission. He just kind of lost sight of his testimony, and is now against anyone from the church visiting him except for the missionaries, and that is only occasionally. It made me sad, but I do think that he can be reactivated. It is just going to take some time.

Anyway, I also went on my first exchange this week, and I had a really good time! Elder Wells and I went on exchanges with the the Zone Leaders, Elder Bingham and Elder Hadlok. I was paired with Elder Hadlok this time. We had fun because it was pouring down rain all morning and afternoon, and we were on bikes. I actually went tracting ("to travel from door to door attempting to present a message.”)  for the first time with him, and we met this pastor, Matthew, who was a really nice guy. We were able to set up a return appointment with him for the Zone Leaders, which was pretty cool. After a bit of that, we stopped by a library and stood in the bathroom for like 10 minutes warming our hands under the air dryer because it was a really cold rain that was coming down on us, and my hands were FROZEN! Then, to get back to their apartment, we had to bike 2 or 3 miles down a what the used to be dirt path, but was really a mud puddle that was 2 or 3 miles long. Let's just say, the backs of our costs were no longer black by the time we got back. It was fun though, riding through the mud singing hymns as we went.

The day after that, we found a new investigator (if we can get a return appointment of set up). We found him as we were going to see someone else. He was having car issues, and it turned out that all he needed was a jump to get him going. We invited him to church, and he said he would come. He didn't though, but that was because his car broke down again, so I think Elder Wells and I will stop by later this week and see how he is doing

We did get two other of our investigators too church though, which was awesome! I think I mentioned them in an earlier email, but their names are Sylvester and Sessi, and they are great people. Sylvester came dressed in traditional clothing from West Africa, which is where he is from, and it awesome! They really liked church though, especially the hymns. They loved to sing them. I don't know much about how Sessi did during his day since he was with the Young Men for the day my but Sylvester liked Gospel Principles and Elders Quorum a lot.  Now we just need to get them coming consecutive weeks, which should not be all that hard. Well  that is my week! I hope that everyone is doing great! Until next time!

-Elder Jensen

PS:  I actually learned this week how to use family history as a way to contact people, and it actually is a lot more effective than I thought it would be. I think I am going to try it out on someone soon who doesn't really want to hear about the gospel.

My Zone at Zone Conference.  My companion (Elder Wells) is in the middle with the red tie on.

Elder Hadlock and I after getting back from exchanges.

See how wet we are?!

Elder Hadlock, conqueror of the mud trail and his bike

These next photos are from the MTC, at his final temple walk.  They were supposed to be sent with last weeks email, but he forgot his camera last week so he sent them this week.

My branch president and some elders from my MTC district

Elders from my MTC district

Sister missionaries from my MTC district

Provo temple

The fountain up front.  It was kind of busy that day.

A view of the valley

This photo is pretty cool...but after I read his description, I got little happy tears! =)

I wanted a picture of just my name tag at the temple.  I just propped it up against a stairway.  I was going to have it in the center of the picture, but then I realized that if I scootched it over a bit,  Mom could make a quote picture out of it.  You don't have to use it, but if you ever stumble across a good missionary quote, it is there for you to use.

Elder Loftus knows where the camera is...

...and Elder Rhodes also.

Good old Elder Gill

A close up of Elder Blackfoot ALABAMA!