Elder Jenson Mission Blog: First week in the land down unda wasn't the most fun.... but it got better!

This first week in Australia has been a rough one for Elder Jenson, luckily he's feeling much better and has decided he likes being a missionary and serving in Australia haha. Please keep him and his companions in your prayers!

Man what a week it has been! Australia is a different place! Flying here was so long and the thought of airplane food makes me sick! hahaha heres the week run down!

Monday- Left the MTC for the airport at 11:30! We Finally flew for San Francisco at 5:30 and it was an easy flight because it was super short! Well thats really all that happened on Monday hahaha

Tuesday- We flew to New Zealand from San Fran! Man do people stare at us a ton! People act like we are aliens but I think that its cool in a weird way! No one really wanted to talk to us in the airports haha they just stare at us and then we say hi to them and they hurry and look away like they're shocked we can see them hahaha. The flight to NZ was cool.... jokes! (Australian slang) The flight was 13 hours but we just slept for like 8 hours of it! The coolest part was the tvs in the headrests...... that we couldn't watch!! hahaha

Wednesday- We Landed in Sydney from Auckland NZ! We got picked up by the mission president and the other Elders who had been here for awhile! We drove to the Mission office and we met with the President individually and then just all hung around for awhile! Then we had a testimony meeting with all the new missionaries and the trainers! After that we Got assigned to our trainers! My trainer was Elder Kim a 26 year old Korean! My area was Tuggeranong in Canberra area which was 3 hours away from Sydney!

Thursday- This was a tough day for me... I woke up and was experiencing serious separation anxiety. I couldn't stop thinking about everyone at home and everything at home! I honestly hated Australia and was ready to go home. We Talked to a kid at the park named Jordan! We walked him home and taught him the plan of salvation and I was feeling good and not homesick anymore!

Friday- The anxiety continued! My plan was to email home and tell everyone that I was coming home. My thoughts were consumed by the anxiety that I had. I made up my mind that I would just make it to Monday then fly out of here! My Comp and I went and knocked doors for awhile then we came home because he didn't feel good. We ended up falling asleep at like 5 then we ended up sleeping until like 6 the next morning.. it was nuts. All this time just gave me more time to think about home and what my plan was for when I got there like school, job and etc.

Saturday- We went and did service for the Knight family and they fed us breakfast! The whole time I was still full of anxiety and ready to go home. When we got back to our flat (apartment) I called President Back. I told him I wanted to go home and all the feelings that I had. He talked me down for awhile then he said that we would get me on the phone with my stake president from back at home. I talked to my stake president and told him the same things! He told me how he went through the same thing and that the power of the Atonement is a huge help for this! He told me how we have to experience sadness, pain, and sorrow before the unexplainable joys we feel after! After about an hour later of talking to them I still just was so set on going home that I called my mission president again and said i want to go home. He had his assistants pick me up and bring me to Southerland (sydney area) so that I could be reunited with my MTC comp Elder Yardley and his trainer Elder Smith! He told me that he sent me to a rough area with a foreign comp that was probably too much for me to handle right off the back and i think he was right. I drove to Sydney with the assistants to the president and was brought to my new companionship. I still really hadn't prayed for help or really tried to just serve others to get my mind off things because i was too set on going home.

Sunday- Went to church and my mission president came to the ward we are in. We talked in person and I still was feeling depressed and just so numb and ready to go home. I went through the day and started thinking about the Character of Christ, Turn outwards and serve when the natural man wants to turn inwards. I realized i really hadn't called upon God to help lift this burden and I hadn't used the power of the atonement to give this burden to Christ. I decided that I would try really hard to serve and to continue to pray for strength. Ever since that moment I haven't felt 100 percent better but it has gradually gotten better as time moved on! We went and rode the train around and talked to people and went to the beach to talk to people and stuff. Doing that i could feel my old fun and happy self come out again and i remembered how much i love sharing the Gospel with everyone! So then i realized that i'm not going home because I will be just fine! Later that day we got fed dinner at the church by islanders and oh my gosh!!!!! It was so good! Chicken, Lamb, Wings, bread, O Tai (islander drink look it up!) I was so full and we got to take all the leftovers!

I love my companions and the area i am in. I don't hate Australia anymore or the mission! I know time will start flying by as I continue to serve others and work hard! I feel like my normal self again and I am so happy to be a missionary! I will still have hard days but through the atonement anything is possible! and having awesome comps make it way easier! Its nice to be with two Utah boys hahaha we call ourselves the triforce! I love ya all heaps!

Heres some cool things about Australian slang. Damn and Hell aren't curse words here haha fat-in-come means like oh thats cool haha and far out is what you say when something is cool too haha its more for the new generation. You can put the word az after anything and it just makes it more dramatic. for instance you would say thats cool! but here you say thats cool-az! Its awesome hahaha well love ya heaps mates!