Last Blog Entry From Joao Pessoa, Brazil

Date: Mon, 6 Jan 2014 18:08:10 +0430
Subject: this week
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net

Hello Everyone

So this past week....

Yeah this week we had a good turn out because the family that we found or well someone gave to us as a reference, the whole family decided to go to church. they are all marked for this Sunday to be baptized. it’s a mom, dad, and 3 sons. everyone seems promising except for the dad. he lacks a little bit of faith. he believes in his church and thinks it would be difficult for him to receive an answer that he should follow another church when he already likes the one he is at. but the rest of the family seems to be liking everything. understanding and progressing. we will be going to their house tonight and is sure hope that they all still want to be baptized.

That’s really all that is happening in the teaching area. Oh but I guess I never really said the news about what happened with our mission now. We have a new rule that states.....we cannot baptize anyone with 16 years or less unless....they either will be baptized with their parents, parents already baptized, or they have been going to church for at least 3 months alone. Also, this didn’t come from our Mission President; it came from the Area Presidency. We now just have to start focusing more on families and men or well adults. I understand, but it did cut our baptisms down a little bit. Yeah, it is a change, I will be fine I suppose, I have faith! And I am praying as well for this family!!

* Actually the family fell through. We found out that they are not married and we can’t baptize the children without the parents. My Mission President didn’t allow it. Oh well, tough luck I guess!

That’s ok then working with Dan again and I don’t need to email Dan. I think I may not start until the 26^th and Dan can just tell me when I get home, as I have Dr’s and Dentist appointments that next week. The only bad thing about me being home without work means no money until then! One thing though, I don’t know if I will receive my last allowance on the 15th because that would be my last day. I don’t need much because I still have the 20 dollar bill from Nan that I can use in the airport, but can I have $25???  Ok thank you a lot, and I am doing good with budgeting, I just had to ask. But I know that I will help out back home -just ask!

Oh and packages - nothing!  Maybe I will get them when I go to the mission home on the last day. If not I hope that they will just be sent back home. Oh and my favorite type of ice cream....I honestly don’t know anymore, maybe lemon, or cookies and cream, snickers, or mint chocolate chip.

We have a sister missionary here from Australia. It’s our missions first! She is actually very good looking, I only met her once. But anyway it would be nice to visit those countries.  Man I wish I would of gone out now then, if missionaries are being sent there now.  WOW! Australia and New Zealand. you have got to be kidding me!!!!

Please don’t give me a bunch of clothes. My shoe size is 11-11.5 but why?  If you’re thinking about buying me shoes, I really would like to know what they look like before you buy them, but Romeos would be fine actually,

What is planned for the open house?  I am excited to go home and watch a little bit of football. And if would love a Seahawks jersey!!!!! Don’t worry. We could move the party to be during the game if it is on the Saturday!

I looked at the weather reports for Atlanta Georgia on the 15-17 and it says that it shouldn’t be too cold like right now. Like it should of already passed. But if do think that maybe it might be delayed by a little bit going from Atlanta to Seattle. We both know that your gonna show up a little late lol. Or at least 5 minutes early at the most! Everyone with the name Jensen is always late! lol.  But I really thank you for everything!  Also, if Dr.Pepper isn’t on a deal, and Mt.Dew is, I kindly accept Mt.Dew as well lol. I can’t believe its next week!!!!!!! !!!!  But I have to go now. I love you a lot and I will talk to you soon, I do have to go, I love you and I will probably talk to you next week, on the Monday or the Wednesday hopefully!

love,

elder adam jensen

 

Super Trunky!

 

Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 15:44:24 -0200
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net

So this past week....

We worked and worked and worked. I ate a lot and gained a few pounds. But on the plus side, my pants still fit!! And, we found an amazing family! 4 people actually. Mom, Dad and two sons. The mom and dad didn’t go to church due to work, but the boys went and they loved it. We told them to get the parents excited for next week. They all said they would go next week. Maybe if they all go, this family will be my lasts baptisms on the mission. That would be nice to baptize a whole family right at the end. The boys are twelve years old.

I am sorry I am so late emailing today, I couldn’t get on. The stupid internet here has always been horrible. But the LAN house - like crashed!!  I really have nothing else to say actually. That’s really all that happened. People had Christmas dinners, but since nobody eats until midnight, we didn’t eat anywhere! But we did happen to find a pizza place open, so we ate pizza with nice cold Coca-Cola! Merry Christmas Elders!

I am getting super trunky; I am just missing and remembering things from back home. I am trying to stay focused, but I didn’t know how hard it would be near the end. I would like it that everyone goes to the airport, especially the ones that wouldn’t be able to come over on the 18^th for the Open House and because our house is kind of almost in Canada!

Howard comes back the week after me from Porte Allegro, I know that Ammon will be over a lot or I will be there a lot and Emily emailed me as well - She is having a good time, but obviously a little frustrated that she doesn’t have her visa to Fortaleza yet!

Missionaries who were leaving to go home used to be able to go to the Temple the night before they left, but we stopped going to the temple when the new Mission President came. Usually the ones leaving from their mission would go as there last day, but we don’t do that anymore. Kind of sad, but it’s like whatever!!

With our Mission President, we will have lunch with him, and then we will leave to visit something’s, and then we have our interview and then that’s it. Nothing more. Then the next day we get all of our stuff and go to the airport. I am flying out of Atlanta through Delta at like 9 in the morning or something like that back to Seattle.

I would love to visit Brazil again. But, no I would not extend my mission even if I could. I would only stay in Brazil if I could without being as a missionary.  I love the people here and I always want to visit them, the only thing is that I could not live here forever. It’s the same apartment as before, when I had this area in Campina Grande, in total there are four of us and it is still the red and white building.

What is planned back home for New Year? On New Year’s in our mission, we literally can do nothing! Nothing is planned and nobody even invites the missionaries to anything. We have no plans for New Year because we have to be inside by 9:30 p.m. I would leave and go to a member’s house and eat the food and see other people, but it’s at midnight and not everyone in the house wants to go!!

I still have money and yes I was able to get the rest of the money out of the Credit Union finally!

Please just bring my coat to the airport, but in all honesty I think I will be fine when I get home. It will be like continually taking a cold shower when I arrive. I already take cold showers, so I think I will get used to the cold again – it won’t take long – lol!

But I have to go now. I love you a lot and I will talk to you next week. Hopefully it will at the expected time next week around 5:30am your time!

Oh, and I already assumed I would speak on the 19th. Who else will be speaking with me?

love

 

elder adam jensen

Christmas in Brazil and Skyping~!

 

Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2013 18:23:22 +0430
Subject: weekly email
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net
To: jensens6@msn.com

Hello Everyone,

So this past week.....

I did a division (splits) with the Mission President’s Assistants, we marked a few people to be baptized and we visited a lot of in-active people because the ward here needs it, but when Sunday rolled around and nobody wanted to go to church or still be baptized, so it was not a rewarding Sunday. Well in the morning it wasn’t, but Sunday night we met up with the Zone and we all sang Christmas hymns at an orphanage. It was very spiritual and sweet, except if thinking the missionaries were singing super loud, but at the end we hugged everyone and gave them our Christmas hats (like the Santa Claus ones) but that was literally my week.

Oh but on Saturday there was an amazing lunch. There were a bunch of people, and my companion and I won bingo which was just chocolate, but it was a good Saturday!!

I am doing well, but I saw that you went to the hospital - was it like a concentration camp this time like you said last time with me?  How are you doing Mom?

Do you know what Gavin bought me for Christmas? He bragged about it a little when he emailed me and he said it was very expensive, I am very curious!!  That’s really nice of Gavin and Lindsey, but I am excited to know what he got for me and I hope he likes the gift if got for him.

On Christmas Day we will have a bbq at the Bishop’s house. He is from the South, so it should be good!! For Christmas night we will be Skyping and then hanging out with our Zone Leaders. On Christmas Eve, we don’t yet know of any plans and if we will have dinner because everyone likes to eat at midnight!  I will be Skyping at about 2 p.m. Your time, is that a good time for all of you?

I have already written to grandma and she already wrote me back and she told me about how she has read the Book of Mormon, D & C and the New Testament but she won’t finish before the end of the year!

Your Christmas Eve plans are great and I would like this tradition every year with no worries and nobody coming over and what not, just a show/concert and dinner, I would enjoy this very much.

On the 17^th after I get back, we can eat lunch back form the airport and then go to President Southworth’s home and he can release me. As I am coming home around noon, if we go out to eat then we would probably see him at about 4 or something like that. If I have to wait until the night time it would be kind of annoying, I wouldn’t want to go home and then leave again just for him to take my nametag off, blessing and be released.

But I have to go now. I will talk on Wednesday – Christmas Eve.

I love you and wish Dad a late happy birthday!!!

love,

 

elder adam jensen

Less than 30 days left!!

Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 11:58:21 -0200
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net

Hello Everyone

 

So this past week.....

 

Nothing happened. We worked and nothing happened. Well we had some people commit to baptism and wanting to go to church, but nobody went to church. We also had a transmission, so it was in the Stake Chapel. I wasn’t too happy that nobody went to church, but what can in do? I just need to keep praying and working.  I can’t stop now. I only have 29 days left, so right now is when in need to work my hardest!!  I was thinking exactly the same thing as you when you said just worry about the mission and think straight!  Everyone here is being nice to me and not wanting to fight with me. They are all like, Oh well he will only be here for a couple weeks. NICE!

My companion is shy and very quiet, but when he needs to speak he does. He likes to joke around when it’s just him and in. He looks like he is from the reservation, but a little darker than the rest of the Indians here. He says he’s not Indian, but I think he doesn’t know if he is or not.

We are in the same area and it’s the same ward, but the area for the Missionaries was divided, so we stay on one side and the other Elders go to the other side of the city. I still see Neide, but she doesn’t really talk to me. I know that she was talking about me with other missionaries, but I don’t really care anymore.  Also, there are no sloths in the trees, they just very small monkeys.

Christmas time, people eat turkey and other food at about midnight on the 24th and then have lunch together on the 25th. Not too many people decorate, but it’s decorated enough to realize that you’re close to Christmas.

I am enjoying the daily letters with the Christmas stories that you sent. The story from yesterday, I had heard the story before, the one about the three trees - except of course I had heard it in Portuguese…lol.  I don’t think someone stole the other package this time, but still no package! I think that tomorrow is our Christmas conference, so maybe I will get it tomorrow. I sure hope so!  If not than I will get it in the beginning of Jan. don’t worry its ok!!

I will Skype from the church building like last time, technically there is a rule that we have to do it in the church building, but not all Missionaries keep this rule.

But I love you a lot and I need to go now. I hope you have a great week and I hope that I will have more to write next week.

Love

 

elder adam jensen

Christmas BBQ

Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2013 11:27:29 -0200
Subject: weekly email
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net


Hello Everyone!


So this past week...

Well I got here on Wednesday at about 6 p.m. except I had to wait at the bus station for a half hour because the other missionaries didn’t get there until 6:30, but it was like whatever. We started off visiting some people that I came to love the last time I was here and all of them were so excited to see me. It was a good refresher to happiness lol. But yeah, we only have a few solid investigators, but one of them is a man named George who went to church and still wants us to visit him and his family on Tuesday. Except next week I am praying and hoping that he will bring the rest of the family next time. On Sunday it was just him. Yeah I was moved back to Campina Grande which I find is a good thing because I liked it here, or well most of it here. I am visiting a lot of members that are less-active at this moment. Some members have fallen away since I left which isn’t a good thing. But yeah the area was divided so I don’t have to go out to the farm areas anymore. But I am still senior companion. When I left this area the first time, there was an attendance of about 100 people, but Sunday was really bad. There were only 56 people. I was shocked to see that very few people went to church.

Hopefully next week it will be better. I know that some people are just lacking in faith, but I can always help with that, but yes I am doing good and I am not in trouble, it’s just that the President wanted to talk to me because I didn’t want to spend more money waiting for another missionary that would travel to a whole different area than where I am at - and because someone told me the transfer just one day before the transfer, the President was more mad about that. The fact that someone told me one day before!! Ridiculous!! The new President just doesn’t trust anyone and doesn’t really care for the real needs of the Missionary; he just wants the mission to be how he wants it and no exceptions -but Oh well!! I don’t know why I have moved the last three transfers. Our new President likes to move people around a lot, it’s weird, but I am fine with it. I like it here in Campina Grande. 

In the ward here, they had a ward BBQ as a Christmas party - and it was a lot of meat!! I ate a ton!! I think I ate a little too much, because I didn’t feel too great afterwards. The only problem that the ward had with this BBQ is that about 90 people from the ward went to the BBQ, but didn’t want to go to church the next day, kind of ridiculous I would say!

Well I wasn’t able to talk last week due to traveling but I am doing good and only 35 days left. I am a little sad because I miss home. some people here have fallen away, like the ones I thought would stay. Some people have divorced; some people are talking bad about the church now. It makes me sad because I have so much love for these people, but can’t do anything!

My new companion is Elder Garcia from Bolivia. He is about 5'3" or 5'4" and he has about 3 months on the mission and speaks very well already! He’s. already fluent in Portuguese except he doesn’t like to speak much during a lesson, well I am trying to help him open up a little more as the days go by and I am finishing Elder Garcia’s training I am still the Senior companion and nothing more. This makes me happy with that, I don’t have as much responsibility but this week wasn’t bad. But Elder Garcia is about Mom’s height or maybe a little smaller. I make jokes about his height every day, it makes me laugh but that’s about it. One good thing though is that we had a guy come to church that liked it and wants to bring the rest of his family next week. I sure hope that it all goes well and he actually gets his family to go.

I am sorry. I didn’t even realize about your birthday. I have been a little lost lately, not thinking about anything some days I am like a robot. You guys just went to Gavin’s for a dinner for your birthday? Or you were sick and stayed home on your birthday?

The scripture you left was interesting. I forgot that scripture. I just remember reading it once or hearing it once. it was either a video from Neil L. Maxwell or from seminary, oh well doesn’t really matter, but it’s very interesting.

I am very excited for the packages, it’s just they haven’t arrived yet. how much did they cost? the packages?

How is everyone doing? a little stressed out due to Christmas. I think that you will be happy when we all leave the house and have families because then it would only be one present per family. It would be a couple for each child. I am realizing that it’s better to have less children because you spend less for Christmas, but having more children you have a bigger tax return after Christmas. so which is better?!?!?

I love you a lot and I will talk to you next week at about the same time. we moved back to the morning. I hope you have a great week and with a lot of health. I pray for you and everyone back home but I need to go now.

love,


elder adam jensen

and no package still. Sorry!!

A New Companion and A New Area - Kind of...~!

 

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2013 15:53:20 -0200
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net

Hello Everyone

 

So this past week...

We baptized Iliane on Sunday, and then she got married on Tuesday. It was a whole lot of running around to get her baptized. On Sunday morning, the things that happened were ridiculous, but we managed to get her to church and to be baptized. I was super happy and so was she! My companion obviously baptized her because he was in the area for longer and she started to progress when it was only him there.

Other things that happened...I had to travel the whole day yesterday my P-Day and transfer day. I had left Rio Tinto at 6:30 a.m. and got to João Pessoa at about 8 a.m. and then I traveled to Campina Grande afterwards. However, I got to Campina Grande at about 10 a.m. and received a call at the same time to return to João Pessoa so that I could talk with the Mission President, but he wasn’t at the mission home until 2:30 p.m. Well, I waited and waited and I talked with him, and then got another bus back to Campina Grande at about 4 p.m. and arrived here at 6p.m. It was ridiculous, but what could I do? I didn’t have any time yesterday to write back home, and I only have like 10 minutes today because it’s not p-day anymore. I only have time to write what happened and why I didn’t write until now. I saw President because I wasn’t able to travel with someone due to money and time, and because I knew where I was going one day before they told everyone. He was angry because of this, it was all a little confusing and miss-communication, but that’s what happened and he is fine with me now!

Other than that, I am good and I am happy I returned to Campina Grande, the same area that I served the last time I was here. Everyone was so happy when they saw me - or well the ones that I visited, I gave them all hugs!!

My new companion is Elder Garcia. He is from Bolivia. I will say more next Monday. I don’t have any more time. I am sorry. I love you and I will try to talk more on Monday.

I only have 41 days left. and it’s going by fast already!!!!!

love,

elder adam jensen

We doubled our lessons - almost!!

Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 15:36:17 -0200
Subject: weekly email
From: adj1991@myldsmail.net


Hello Everyone,

So this past week....

Our zone had a goal for this week that we would double our lessons. The Mission asks of us to do at least 25 in total, so doublling would be at least 50 lessons. Our zone leaders promised it would help to have baptisms and new investigators and they would all be at church. WELL., I was like ok –sure I will do it!! I need all the help I can get anyways. Well, we now have two baptisms set for next week, and two really good and nice people that truly seem like people that will stay in the church for a life time, but the sad news we only finished the week with 49 lessons!! WHAT A BUMMER! But hey at least we tried.

I realized that it’s actually hard to double the lesson count when you only plan to have 25 lessons it’s as though your whole planning goes crazy. Usually you pass in each house for about 45 minutes and get to know the person, understand their needs and give a lesson. Yeah, it was more like 20 minutes for each person instead of having 5 people per day, you ended up having 10 appointments each day – CRAZINESS!!  Oh we didn’t baptize anybody either, but the other missionaries that live with us did. I was happy for them and their baptisms. They had two people a brother and sister that are very reverend and willing and trying to do their best in everything. I like them a lot!!
 
My companion points out young women lately and I can’t say or something is blocking me from caring about other women, it’s actually kind of a nice feeling!! But my companion has been out for only 4 months. and he is more trunky than I am! I am working hard and trying – it’s though he just hasn’t found his purpose yet…but he is great and will on his Mission!   Also, here in the northeast it is so hot out, so it gives girls a reason to wear clothing a little tighter and a little smaller that’s kind of how I see it. I can see them, but it’s like I only see what’s wrong with them - like, hmmm - not for me – more modesty please! But yeah, that’s funny about Jacob needing his bedroom so hot, but yeah the room can be 85 degrees, but we all sleep with a fan on, so like 75 degrees in the room is perfect…hahaha!

I bought a couple things with my birthday money, but I have most of it stored in my wallet at the moment, no stores here accept debit/credit cards so I took all the money out and if I have something that I really want to buy, and then I will, but for now I am saving it until those moments. Also, a suit would be nice, but it’s not something I will need. like it’s not a necessity at this moment, So it can wait.  

So when I get back....I haven’t thought about this in a long time like what would I like to eat after the airport? To be honest I was thinking that we could either.....go to a small place, like Red Robin/Applebee’s or somewhere like that or we can go to the Temple together as a family and whoever else goes to the airport that is a worthy member can join us, but then maybe we will have to wait until the following week, I need to get released first. It would be nice to have a few things back home when I get there, but there is no need to go and buy stuff just for me when I get back. Obviously, I love Dr.Pepper and Mt.Dew, but really there is no need to go head over heels for when I get back, if you want, really, we can just relax :D I know that you said that you thought this day would never come or you wouldn’t make it the two years, but hey here it is and really I never thought I would make it either!!!

I know that Thanksgiving is Thursday but we’re not planning on doing anything together at the house, it doesn’t exist here so it’s just another day like always. 

The cereal package still hasn’t arrived or the last time I checked it hadn’t. I know that you sent another one too for Christmas, I hope it arrived now because the Assistants will be here tonight, and I think they will bring packages and letters!! If you mail anymore packages, and whatever things are in it don’t say what’s in the package. The mail people can steal it, I know that it is not quite being honest, but really it is ridiculous that way! 

Well that’s all that really happened this past week, but hey I have to go now. I love you so much Mom.

love,


elder adam jensen

I miss you a lot!!


 
 

 

My birthday...was good ...until

 

From:	Adam Jensen (adj1991@myldsmail.net)
Sent:	Mon 11/18/13 9:30 AM

Hello Everyone,

So this past week...

 

This past week was alright, not much happened. We had some people that said would go to church, but as always nobody went. There was a huge holiday on Friday, but when you have a holiday on Friday; it doesn’t end until Sunday night. Even the people that want to be baptized gave us excuses to not to go to church. Ridiculous!

 

My birthday was Sunday and Sunday night we went to a member’s house to have cake and joke around a little bit, it was really nice and I love this family, but it got ruined when another member showed up and at this time we were just passing a soccer ball back and forth like you do with a football you know. Well, he yelled at us and said that were huge slackers and that we weren’t keeping the Sabbath day holy and tried calling our President. Yeah - don’t like that member anymore!  We were there to help that family feel more needed and fortified within the church, and we were passing the ball around with her sons so that they can have the desire to be missionaries one day. But NO this member just had to come around and ruin everything! I left without saying anything because I didn’t want to get myself into trouble.  I do not like members that think that because they don’t do something on Sunday means that nobody can do it on Sunday! It’s the same stupid thing about caffeinated soda. WE CAN DRINK IT!  If you want to pass a ball around to make the time go by faster and to be more united as a family, then do it! Ugh things that just can ruin your day!  Also, I’ve noticed that when members say something we should try and ignore them, other members of the only true church should do the same. There is a reason we keep our opinions to ourselves sometimes!  Yeah the week was different but alright!  Oh and I will get online at 2 p.m. my time every time. I say this every week!

Yeah Jacob wrote. He told me that I have to bring back a type of juice for you guys, but I don’t even like this type of juice, the drinks he brought home are not that good. Something you really have to get used to, but nobody drinks it where I am at.  In the northeast, it’s not a common drink. I will bring back some good stuff for you. Things that you will actually use and enjoy. Hard to find but I’ve already got a small list going. So Jacob brought back chimarrão and guanará. Chimarrão is a lot better cold because you mix it with other fruity drinks. I will bring a drink back for you. Maybe you will like it. It’s a lot better with milk. Guanará is good, but it’s not the best. It’s a lot better freezing. Like just taken out of a below zero freezer… And hmmm… looks like I will work with Jacob and Ammon at the shop if it doesn’t work out at the high school.

Lunch was good today and the conversation was good. My companion is great…we support each other.

I am very happy for Kallie; I have no idea who her fiancé is. But I’m happy for her -about time!  Ha yeah - Ammon is excited for everyone to be back home.  

Thank you for all the help, especially with furniture and what not. I know I will need it later.

I will answer all the questions you want. I have to go now and I am sorry that I can’t write more until later. If I stayed another missionary will get upset, as there are not enough computers today, so I will wait and get back on in about in an hour or so. I love you and I will talk soon. So I will get back on in about an hour and 15 minutes.

These years are the best two years for my life. I have learned a lot that I will be able to apply in my life afterwards. I know that I wouldn’t have understood living simply and loving everything around you even when there is nothing like here in Brazil. Living up the moments. How to truly treat a person for who they are. Be blunt and how the gospel really blesses our lives. How we can stay on the path. How the lord helps us in mysterious ways. Everything that the life needs and more. I know what my priorities are.  But I am very happy that I had a childhood where it was mostly outside. Playing. Having fun. Getting scrapped up. Not wasting time with video games and sitting inside. I was blessed to be born when I was.

That said, when we go back to Disneyland, you can come too. It would be nice to have the whole family. You know something I never realized when we went to Disneyland. Is a picture in front of the castle? I have never realized it’s there. Never really seen it. And I was talking about the castle at Disneyland and yeah I was talking about Cinderella’s castle.

Sure I would like the big red tent. The top tarp doesn’t really work, but it’s a good thing that during college I bought a huge tarp, and yeah Dad put money in the account – thank you!

I can teach you some Portuguese until I come home. Oh I can tell you during the phone call at Christmas. Have you already put the lights up?

Today, my plans are basically nothing except for visiting a family that has a birthday today.

I need to go now. Love you and talk with you next week. I miss you a lot and I can’t wait to speak again

Well that’s all that happened,

Love,

elder adam jensen

Two baptisms coming...

From: "Adam Jensen" <adj1991@myldsmail.net>
Sent: November 11, 2013 9:34 AM
Subject: Re: Hello Sunshine

Hello Everyone,

So this past week...

It was a bust!!  We invited a bunch of people to go to church and to be baptized and what happened? Nobody went to church. Maybe we are just talking to the wrong people then. But luckily we actually were very blessed with at least 2 people at church that really needed to go. A woman that was planning on getting married, but her husband is a lazy bum. Cool, but a lazy bum. The other was a total shock, she always said that she would go but has never gone. Every week is the same. But she finally went, and we have to go to her house tonight or tomorrow to see how she felt and if she liked church. I hope so because I want to baptize!!!!

The girl that went, which was a surprise, shocked me again when I asked how old she was. She looks at least 18 and acts 18 as well. Well she looked me straight in the eye and said 13. I couldn’t believe her, but everyone told me that it was the truth. Ridiculous!

The other women that went almost didn’t go because every day she has to get water out of the huge well they have. It’s about 20 meters deep and the water they need is a lot. We went there after lunch to fill up her water tank. We got about 40 buckets full, but it still wasn’t enough to fill the tank. I am still a little tired from pulling the water out of the well. She is very nice though and really wants to be baptized, but her husband is lacking a lot, like helping in the house, going to church and supporting her. I’m tired of lazy men here. They need to actually be a man and fulfill their responsibilities. But last night he called us and said he wanted to cancel the wedding - Yeah we got to go back there to change his mind. They need to get married!!!

We played soccer in the morning. And nothing is planned after this. We have a family home evening planned tonight. I hope there is going to be pizza. It would be amazing!!!! But so far that is it. Maybe I will try and get new investigators at a break dancing tournament. I want to learn. Actually I am learning little by little how to break dance. Or at least hip-hop. Have to do what you got to do to get new investigators and baptisms lol.  My companion is good!  Hey I actually know how to dance. Thanks! lol. But for break dancing, I think about 80% is from the US. The rest is from here, and depending on where you are in Brasil you will hear different music.  Other parts are just music from the US, and other parts are just samba and other parts are like a country music mixed with an accordion music. (It’s bad!)  but I like it!

Hey I have to go now though. I love you and everyone else. Thank you for everything!  Well that’s all for this week.

love,

elder adam jensen

The following is excerpts from a letter that we recently received which took three months to get from Brazil!

“Well, by the time you get this, I don’t know if I will still be in Itapororoca, I actually hope I stay, I have less than three months left and I know by the time this letter comes you will have already received my flight plan! I am so excited to come home and be free!!! LOL  I love being a missionary but man I would not be able to do more than two years. I feel bad for the missionaries that stayed for more than two years back in the day!

In Itapororoca we received 220 Reals each month and 172 Reals is spent just on traveling to a city 15 minutes away each month. I did ask the President if we could receive more money to baptize each week because that’s our training, it is to baptize each week with no exception. But the President looked at me and said that I now have to baptize once a month instead. It is kind of hard and ridiculous because he and all the other leaders really get down on you if you don’t baptize each week. This is very frustrating! But we will endure!

Time flies by so fast and on the 23^rd only 12 more weeks and then I am back home!!

Love

Adam”

Another Baptism and Final Travel Itinerary - Elder Adam Dane-Philip Jensen!!!!!

November 4th, 2013


Hello Everyone


So this past week....


This past week was annoying but rewarding in the end. We are working very hard and walking forever, but the Lord is so grateful that he blessed us again with another baptism. Her name is Eduardo she is 9 years old and is a grand-daughter to someone that was baptized 3 weeks prior to her baptism. She is awesome and understands everything, she is very smart and I know that she really was baptized through conversion. It's amazing how the Lord works, even with children as young as she is.


Next week, I don't know who will be baptised because out of the 13 new people we were able contact and teach, none of them went to church. Having church in the morning in Brazil is so much harder for people to go to church. Every single job here is Monday til Saturday. The only day people have time to do things, like, clean the house, the clothes and buy food, run errands is on Sunday. I think that is why we teach on the Sabbath day a lot more than anything else, except for the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am enjoying my area a lot and I am walking a ton!! We walk a little bit further here in this area because we have to walk about 45-50 minutes until we see houses in our area, but either way the people are very blessed and I am happy to serve them here in Rio Tinto.


I miss you all and now I know that I will see you all on the 17th at noon! don't be late!!


love,


elder adam jensen