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