lazer tag

Yeah look umm.... I will do my best to recall my week haha! I will just give some highlights of what happened! 

-Played Laser Tag with the zone on pday and my team won all 3 games... Not that anyone was keeping track lol.

- We got to have a FHE with Jack and Jordan Amosa! Jack is dating Jordan's younger sister so he is always over at the house which is good haha! 

-We went to a baptism for one of the investigators that the sisters were teaching! He is a cool YSA guy from Africa! He plays basketball with us a lot and he asked me to speak on baptism at his program because he thinks I am funny haha (he is one of the very few who think I am) The service was on Good Friday though so that made it really good! 

- We did finding from 10am-6pm one day because it was Easter weekend so everyone was out of town haha so we had no better options! It was a lot of fun though and we had some good chats with the few people that were at the Unis.

- We taught Tinnai this week too and she is feeling comfortable in the church that she is in right now because it is what she is used to... So we are working with her and helping her receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She is still doing good though and really receptive.

-We went to a sports day yesterday with heaps of the YSA boys. A lot of them are less active and we have been trying to see them for ages!! The only way that we are usually able to see them is through sports though.. It was good though because we got to strengthen our friendship with them and gain more trust! Plus there were a ton of non members there so there is a lot of potential with the whole group! 

Man other than that it was a pretty solid and basic week haha! We are starting to see a lot of progress with our area and the people we are working with! I really love it here and I love my mission!! 

Alma 33:23

And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And behold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will. Amen.

I have been able to see the seed of faith grow in my own life and in the lives of others! It is truly an amazing thing to witness and feel! I know that the promise is true, if we live the Gospel and plant the seed, then it will grow! If we read the Book of Mormon with even just a desire to believe, then we will see our faith grow! I know the Church is true!! Love you all have a good week!

Elder Jenson

General Conf.

Well here is the run down from cold as heck Canberra haha! 

Monday- We had a good sports P day at the chapel with the zone! Then after that we had FHE at Brett Bakers house with heaps of the Less active YSA boys in Belconnen Ward. 

Tuesday- Freakin heck we got roped into some service this day which went for ages!!! We helped a family move and there were some of the YSA boys there from Woden ward so it was really good to get to know them better! After the service we had a lesson with Alysha and it was good because we learned that she just likes the fellowship at church so we just told her to keep coming along then haha. Then we had institute which was super good! 

Wednesday- We had some more service for Zac this day which went good! We just painted the ceilings of his family's house! Then we went and saw Chris Stubbs one last time before he leaves. Then we went and had a good lesson with Jack about the big 3 commandments! After that we went and got dinner before our meeting with the Tuggeranong bishop! We got some names from him to go and visit which was good! 

Thursday- Went and saw Komiti for a quick sec and got a mean feed while we were there haha so blessings for sure! Then we tried to see Jordan but he wasn't home so we went and weekly planne until our mcm with the Clarks! After the Clarks we went and did some ward listing! 

Friday- We had a good ZTM and learned a lot about loving our neighbors! After that we went and did finding at ANU for awhile which was really fun! Then we went and had dinner and got ready for the YSA sport night. We had a good turn out and had some non members there too including Jack so we were stoked about that! 

Saturday- ALL DAY GENERAL CONFERENCE BABY!!!!!!

Sunday- MORE GENERAL CONFERENCE BABY!!! Then we had to go out to work after hahaha we went and had dinner with Jono and his family  which was so good! Then we tried to see Jarom Perry but he is sick so we will go back later in the week!!

Conference was so good man I freakin loved it all!! I loved the quote by Elder Bednar, "Please learn to love being and remaining worthy. Be worthy. Stay worthy." 

I love the feeling of being worthy and it is only possible through the Atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love learning how to be more worthy and about the tools we can use to stay worthy :) 

I also loved the talk by Elder Sabin about being All In!!! We can't ahve one foot in the Gospel and another in the world/sins. We must either be All in or all out, there is not neutral ground! 

I truly felt the Spirit testify to me this weekend that this truly is the Lord's church. He is at the head of it all! The prophet and Apostles are truly called by God and they really do hold all the keys and authority to run and govern the church. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ LIVE!!! I know it without a doubt! THE CHURCH IS TRUE BABY!!!:) 

Love you guys!

Elder Jenson

18 months pants burning ceremony

Monday- We played some footy with the boys from the zone for Pday which was a lot of fun! We are all out of shape lol. Then for the night we went and played some footy with the less active YSA and then did some visits after that and met Jono, one of the YSA in Belconnen ward! 

Tuesday- We saw Chris Stubbs in the morning and it was super good! We just talked to him about the MTC and what not because he goes on his mission next week and he is going to the Provo MTC so he is stoked! Then we went and did some more service for Zac and his family! We did more painting and we hung some doors up hahaha we didn't do it right though so his dad had to fix it but hey its a learning experience! Then we went and had institute to end the night and we were able to set up some appointments with people!

Wednesday- Went and saw one of the YSA from Belconnen ward in the morning and had a good chat with him and a lesson on standing tall as a Mormon! Then we went and had some lunch and did some finding at ANU! We talked to this girl who saw the Book of Mormon musical and she was so keen! She had so many questions and she was stoked to see real mormon missionaries haha her name is Alex and she is from Russia! So we set an appointment with her for the next day to teach her! Then we went and saw Ezra Afele who just got his mission call to Cebu Phillipenes and we are going to help him prep for his mission in the next few months. Then we had a lesson with Jack about Baptism and the Holy Ghost, it was a solid lesson! Then we had MCM and dinner at the Clarks house to end the night! The Clarks are so awesome and Sister Clark makes the best food! Makes me miss my mom's homemade meals :)

Thursday- We saw Alex in the morning and answered all her questions and taught her a little and her response to it all was "Why does this all make sense??" So she is going to hopefully be an investigator when she gets back from her holidays on the coast! Then we had lunch on campus at ANU and went to Focus! We got to talk to a few new people and share what we thought about the topic which was being taught. Then we went home and weekly planned until we had MCM at Brett Baker's house. After that we went and had dinner at Chris Stubb's house and he invited over one of his non member friends that we could meet and we got his number at the end of it all so we are hoping to meet up and teach him again! 

Friday- We had Zone conference all day followed by some interviews with P Back! It went really good and I learned a lot about being more consecrated and also about repentance! We played Jeopardy with the whole zone and my team smashed it!! I got told I couldn't answer any more questions because I was the only one answering! It was fun though haha. Then after all that we had a BBQ with the YSA at the Stake YSA parent's house which was so good! We had some good chats with YSA that we never have had chats with before so that was solid! I did my best card magic trick for them all too and they were stunned hahaha needless to say I felt pretty B.A.

Saturday- Yardley was down here for tradeoffs with us which was sick! We did service most the morning helping someone move. Then we went to lunch with Zac so Yard dog could see him haha. Then we went and had a lesson with Alysha which went well.. we aren't sure how much she is retaining but we will work on it haha. Then we went to one of the YSA's footy games and we got to chat with one of the LA's there which was a big miracle! Then we did some studies to end the night because we didn't get to do them in the morning.

Sunday- We went to Belconnen ward in the morning, Jack came and it was good! Then we went to a special YSA only sacrament meeting at an unused chapel in the stake! It was a good turnout and there was some bomb food afterwards which is always a blessing! Then we did ward listing on the south side the rest of the night and we had no luck haha but all goods!

I just want to testify of Jesus Christ and His Atonement! I know that the power of the Atonement is so real! I have felt my burdens lifted off my shoulders and I have felt forgiveness through repentance. I literally have felt the weight lifted off of me and onto my Savior! I know that he is real, nothing else can bring me this much comfort and peace, that Jesus Christ brings me! I know He lives and I love Him!

Have a good week!

Elder Jenson

week one of transfers

Tuesday- We went to the War Memorial here in Canberra with all the elders from the zone and just bummed around there for the day. Then to end the night we went to institute which went good! There hasn't been as much people lately because it is footy season so they all go to that. Once the season finishes there will be more people though.

Wednesday- We went and visited Komiti in the morning because he just hurt his foot in his footy game so we thought we would share a good pick me up message with him. He will be back in like 6 weeks once his foot heals so he was happy he didn't have to get surgery. After that we went and helped out Zac and his family with some painting in his house. We had to do a lot of sanding and I think most of it ended up in my eyes and not the floor hahaha! After that we went to the Clark's house for our MCM and dinner. We were able to discuss a lot of new ideas and focus in on some of the people we have been working with. Then we went down to the southside to try and see some people but we had not luck..

Thursday- We were pretty slammed this day! We went and saw Jordan in the morning and had a solid lesson with him about repentance and moving forward! Then we went to Focus at ANU and we were able to have a lesson with one of the students afterwards which went pretty good but he didn't agree with some of the stuff we taught but its all good all we can do is teach and invite people to pray about it and learn for themselves. Then we went home and did some weekly planning real quick. Then we went all the way down to the south side again to meet with the YSA parents in the Tuggeranong ward. Then we came back up for Dinner with Bro. Ormsby from Macarthur ward! He is down here for work so he took us out to dinner so it was good to catch up with him and what not. Then we went to Bro Loney's house to introduce Elder Hunt to him and what not.

Friday- DTM was really good as usual! We had to jet out of there afterwards to go and teach Tinnai. We got to teach her about the Book of Mormon and we set her on Baptismal date for the 28th of April!! It was a good break through lesson with her! Then we had to go and do some song practice with the zone for the fireside we were going to sing at later in the week on Sunday. We went and did some contacting at UC after that which was good and we got to teach Alicia again with Megan. We had a good lesson about the P.O.S. and she wanted to come to church! We went and made some dinner after that and went and visited the YSA parents in the Belconnen ward.

Saturday- There was a huge sale at this place called Vinnies (basically a DI) and we went and volunteered at it with Bro. Loney and it was so dang fun haha! We got to work on the registers which was super fun, reminded me of the glory days working at Rumbi! After that we went and had a lesson with David Dwyer about over coming temptations and things of the world! Then we tried to do some stop bys but no one was home. To end the night we went to Chris Stubbs farewell open house at the chapel which was good because he has a lot of non member friends! Jordan was there too so we got to talk to him some more which was good! 

Sunday- I got to give a talk in Belconnen ward about coming to know God and Jesus Christ and why it is important! It was a good topic I had so much to say about it but could only say a little bit haha:) 20 minutes flys when you are up there talking! Jack came to Belco ward which was super good! We went to Ginninderra Ward after that and Alicia came to church! Tinnai text us during church and she said she didn't set an alarm and accidentally slept way too long haha so she didn't make it sadly but she will come next week! After church we went and taught Jack about some of the commandments and it was well received. Then to end the night there was a RC fireside at the chapel and the whole zone was the choir for it so we sang a few songs and listened to some good talks by recent converts! Alicia was able to come too which was awesome!!

One of the ways to know God better is through love! 

1 John 4:7-9

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

I know that God loves us and as we learn to love others we will come closer to Him and our relationship with Him will grow! I love you all have a good week :) 

Elder Jenson

Loves being a missionary

Boy oh boy was it a crazy week this past week! So some big things happened and I am still in Canberra but my new comp is Elder Hunt!! He is one of the bros that I have made from the mission and we have served around each other heaps so we are stoked!! It is sad to have Elder Lee go home, he became one of my best friends out here too. I learned a lot from him he is the man! Elder Yardley on the other hand got called to be the assistant to the President halfway through last week.. none of us were too stoked when he got that call... But he is now working up in Sydney as one of President Back's right hand men. He is going to be a great asset up there! Well here is a quick recap of the week.

Tuesday- We had zone pday which went super good! We had a BBQ and played some touch footy at a park. That night we had a meeting before institute with all the YSA reps and the stake YSA parents. Then we had institute and we played Jeopardy which was sweet! 

Wednesday- We got the call from President Back in the morning that Yardley was leaving so we had to take him to half way to sydney to get picked up by the other AP's. Before we took him up though we took him to say bye to a few people and we helped Zac with some service at his house and got some lunch with him. When we got back Elder Lee and I went and had MCM/dinner with the Clarks and the Sisters. After that we had another dinner appointment with the Perry's (they have 2 less active ysa in their family) Dinner went good and we got to share a good message with them so that was a success! 

Thursday- We went and saw Komiti in the morning and just had a quick follow up with him about his friends he wants to bring to church and what not. Then we tried to see Jordan but he wasn't home. We had a lunch appointment next with a member from Mexico named Alex! He is a good dude haha. Then we had a little class with the Clarks and two YSA that go to one of the Uni's here. After that we got our weekly planning done and had some dinner. Then we went to see the Abels and we followed up on how Trai and them are all doing! 

Friday- We had a super good DTM, and everyone got to bear their testimonies which was so dang powerful!! The Spirit was in rich abundance hahaha but in all seriousness it was a spiritual experience :) Then after that we met with Tinnai and taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She said she wanted to come to church so that was super awesome! After that the Clarks took us to lunch since Elder Lee was going home! We had some bomb burgers!! Then we went to see Jordan which went pretty good, he is struggling with a few things right now so we are trying to help him out. Then we met with Megan and one of her friends she met at school and we taught her the Restoration and it went so dang good! She will probably become a new investigator super soon! Then we went and had a chat with Jack and moved him his baptismal date to the 29th of April so that will give us more time to help him prepare. 

Saturday- We went and saw David Dwyer in the morning and taught him more about the priesthood and he made us some good protein smoothies haha he is the man! Then we went and cleaned the car and the flat! That night we went to two baptisms, one on the north side and the other on the south side! We sang at the second one with all the missionaries so that was pretty sweet! Then on the way home there was a massive firework show going on so we pulled over and watched it haha pretty sweet! 

Sunday- We went to Woden ward on the south and Ginnendarra on the north. Tinnai and her friend came to church and so did Jack so that was super good for us! After church I had to say bye to Elder Lee because he had to go up to Sydney... Then I was in a trio with the Belconnen Elders and we had a good dinner appointment with a family from the ward and then we went and said bye to another family because one of the Belconnen Elders was leaving.

Monday- Did some tracting in the morning with my temporary comp Elder Ferrira and some guy let us in to teach him so that was cool! Then we went and picked up our comps! Elder Hunt and I went and did some finding at ANU for most the day and at night we went to the YSA FHE where we had food and played some games, heaps of the YSA turned up so it was a success!

I was reading in the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 28:3 and it really explains how I am starting to feel about missionary work,

 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble.

I wish I could force people to believe, but I can't which sucks! I do love getting to share this wonderful message with everyone I meet though and it is so amazing when people listen! It is a blessing to be able to serve the people here and I am loving every minute of it! Love you all have a goooooooooood week :) 

Elder Jenson

Short post, forgot his journal.

So I forgot my planner and my journal and honestly all the days have blended into one this week, so I am just going to give you some of the highlights of my week. First off on P day we went and took some hammocks up to the top of a mountain and hung them up in the trees and had a nice chill sesh! We got to have an awesome mission conference with Elder Halleck who is the area president for the Pacific Area! He was super cool and we got to have a big Q & A sesh with him which was super sweet! I got an awesome answer that I needed to hear about prayer so I was indeed grateful for that. We also got to go and see Jordan Amosa this week and he is doing better and better each week. We helped out at his older brother's wedding reception which was fun we got to serve the food and what not which was cool haha. We saw David Dwyer this week again too and he is making some big changes in his life and is progressing super well! Jazmine and Trai finally had their baby which is awesome! We weren't able to see them this week due to that but they are still keen as beans to keep learning the Gospel! We got to see Jack a little bit and we are moving his baptism to the 1st of April so we will do our best to prepare him for that date, but he should be good to go by then! I learned a lot this week about really talking with the Lord and not just to him. I feel like I have learned heaps about sincere prayer and how to tell my Father in Heaven everything that is really on my mind! I love being a missionary and I wouldn't trade this experience for all the money in the world! It is so fun to get to serve people and to be changed for the better through it. I have learned so much and I continue to learn so much each day through study and experiences. I truly do know that this is the ONLY TRUE church on the Earth today! Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father do in fact live and they love each and everyone of us! They stand at the head of this Church and they will never abandon us! I will be forever grateful for the experiences I have had and for the experiences to come over the next 4 months. I love you all and I hope you have a great week! :) 

Elder Jenson

Families can be together forever

Monday- Pday was pretty dang good! We went on a pretty easy hike to this river thing haha and then we just played some random games down there with the zone! Then we walked to the Brett Baker's house (WML for Belconnen ward) and we had a good FHE and dinner with him and David Dwyer! We taught about the Temple and it was a solid lesson for David to hear! 

Tuesday- We went and saw Komiti in the morning and gave him the Sons of Mosiah packet which is just a daily guide for the month of March on getting involved in the missionary work! After that we went to see Jordan Amosa but he wasn't home so we went and had some lunch instead! After lunch we went and did some GQing at ANU and while we were there we got a text from a potential and he was keen to meet up for a lesson so we went and taught him outside a cafe on campus! His name is Zach and he is super solid and keen on learning! AFter that we went and had dinner at the Kivalu's house. Sister Kivalu works at an Italian restaurant and so she made some bomb italian food!! After that we went to institute and the lesson was good and heaps of people came! We introduced the Sons of Mosiah challenge to all of them with Bro Loney (ward mission leader in Ginnendarra ward) He is the man haha.

Wednesday- We had interviews at our flat with Pres and sis Back which went so good! It is just a bro down every time we get to talk with them haha! After that we went and had lunch with the stake YSA reps Zac and Georgia and the Sisters! We got to discuss the Ysa a lot and get some things organized! Then we went and saw Jordan Amosa! He is progressing really well and is making changes to become more active in the Gospel! Then after that we went to dinner and MCM at the Clark's house which was good! Then we tried to do some visits after that but we didn't have much luck.

Thursday- We went and did some visits on the south side in the morning but no one was really home or had time to see us haha so we went and got some lunch after that. Then we went to some bible study thing on campus at ANU and it was super good to meet heaps of fellow Christians haha. It was different experiencing the way that they do things though haha! After that we went and did our weekly planning. Then we went to MCM with Brett Baker and then we had a lesson and dinner with David Dwyer! He is the man. 

Friday- DTM was pretty solid! I had to pee way bad during the whole thing though so towards the end I was getting a little anxious haha! After that we had a lesson with Sinai at the park again about the Plan of Salvation and it was super good! She is progressing pretty well. Then we went and had some lunch. After that it was off to ANU for some finding! When we finished there we were going back to the car and we saw an Asian guy get hit by a car! We ran over to help him out and he seemed to be alright other than his leg was in a lot of pain! The ambulance came and got him and he was doing pretty good so thank goodness! After that we went and had a lesson with Jack at the chapel before our sport night! We taught the Restoration and he was understanding it all pretty well. Then we played volleyball with some YSA and their non member friends. It was super good!

Saturday- Far out such a slow day for us haha we tried to visit heaps of people but no one was home! We did some GQing later in the day which went pretty well for us! Then we went and visited one of the other Elder's investigators because she does people's eyebrows for a living and she did ours for free haha so we had some good chats with her about the Book of Mormon while she made our eyebrows on fleek!! After that we went and saw some YSA guys that live together and chatted with them for a little.

Sunday- We were in church on the south side for the day and it went pretty good! After 6 hours of church we went and had FHE with Jordan and his family! Jack is dating Jordan's little sister so he was there too haha so we had a good dinner and lesson with all of them! Then we went to see Brother Amosa who is in the bishopric in Belconnen ward! We are trying to start teaching his daughter's friend who has come to church with her a couple of times. Pretty solid day.

1.  "I have a fam'ly here on earth.
   They are so good to me.
   I want to share my life with them through all eternity.
2. Fam'lies can be together forever
   Through Heav'nly Father's plan.
   I always want to be with my own family,
   And the Lord has shown me how I can.
   The Lord has shown me how I can."

I love the words to this hymn because it is exactly what the Gospel of Jesus Christ has to offer. God love's us so much that he wants our families to be Eternal! Why would family relationships end after this life, especially when you grow to love and care about your family so much! Heavenly Father is so wise and loving that he provided us a way to be with them forever so that we never have to go through anything alone! This is one of the most beautiful doctrines of the Gospel and I am forever grateful for it! I love my family so much and I look forward to being with them forever and also to be able to have my own family one day that will be Eternal as well! I know this is all true and is only made possible through Jesus Christ! I love you all have a good week!

Elder Jenson