A week of tender mercies

Man it has been a week of miracles and tender mercies from the Lord! 

Monday- We went golfing after emailing and shopping! It was a lot of fun and the guy that owns the place let us golf for free, because we did service for him in the past! After that we went to the Shoobridges for dinner and a lesson! It was a great night as usual and it was also Alex's birthday so we got to celebrate with them! 

Tuesday- We had a flat inspection from the senior couple in Narooma! They are the Babbels and they are from AF Utah! Elder Babbel is Sister Backs brother so that is pretty cool haha! They took us out to lunch after that and it was fun to get to know them! After that we went to Debbie's house to do some service and to have dinner! We got a lot of service done which was good and we had home made pizzas for dinner that were absolutely delicious! Probably not as good as the ones Bekah is having in Italy haha!

Wednesday- We helped at the FHC as usual and man it was busy! We had all the computers full and it was awesome! We got to have a lesson as Kylie as well and we set up an appointment to teach her husband later in the week which was awesome! After that we went to Bega to teach the Walker family and we had a really good lesson on faith with them! After that it was a little to late to go to game night so we just went home and had dinner!

Thursday- A full day of service at the Shoobridge's house! We got a lot done and we got to stay for dinner which was awesome haha! We moved bricks for them, moved stuff from the shed down to the bottom of the yard, and cleaned up around the shed and got the place ready for concreting which was happening on Saturday!

Friday- Man what a day this was haha! We called into DTM and then after that we figured we would go around and offer service to a few places and families. All the places we went to fell through so we didn't do any service haha! We went home and got ready and decided to tract! We came across a guy unloading scaffolding so we offered to help! The guy said he didn't have enough insurance to cover us so he declined our help. One of the guys that was helping was the neighbor and he told us to go and talk to his wife she would love to talk to us! So we went and talked to her and she is a lady who loves studying religions so we talked to her for a little and we scheduled a return appointment with her for the following week so that was a miracle! Then we went to teach Kylie's husband Rob. We had dinner with them and then taught him the Restoration and invited him to be baptised! He said yes! We set him on date for June 4th which was the week after transfers so Elder Laga'aia and I wouldn't be here for it but we didn't care we were just stoked he committed to it! So there was another miracle! We were getting pumped in the car haha I felt like so pumped just like before football games when you do the pre game chants haha! 

Saturday- We had a full day of service! We did concreting at the Shoobridges and then after that we went and helped one of Josh's friends move! We were helping him move for most of the day and he was an awesome guy and really easy to get along with! After we helped him we went and got all cleaned up and went to Sam and Mandy's house for dinner! We had sloppy joes and then we read some scriptures with their kids!

Sunday- Elder Laga'aia and I got to give talks in sacrament! He gave a talk on the priesthood and I gave one on Elder Renlunds last general conference talk. It went really solid and it was fun to get to give a talk finally in the branch! I don't know why but I love giving talks especially when I get such good topics to talk on! So after sacrament meeting Kylie and Rob called me over to where they were and they talked about if it would be possible for us to move Rob's baptism up a week so that Elder Laga'aia and I could be there for it! We told them heck yeah we can do that! We told them we would just have to teach him the rest of the lessons that week! Then Rob asked me to be the one to baptise him! I of course told him that I would be honored! So then we taught him the Plan of Salvation and tied the Gospel of Jesus Christ into it and it was solid! The Spirit was so strong and it was just an incredible lesson! That was another miracle for us! Rob received his witness and he didn't want to wait any longer to be baptised! After church we went and did our normal sacrament visits and we went to the Parker's house for dinner since its the last full Sunday Elder Laga'aia and I will be here! It was awesome and I really love that whole family! 

My spiritual thought this week is found in Ether 12:6  And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore,dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.

To receive a witness after the trial of our faith doesn't always mean that it comes in forms of adversity or trials, but it means that sometimes we just need to act on our faith and put it to work so that we can receive that witness! Stay strong and keep taking leaps of faith because the Lord will work wonders through us as we do that! 

Elder Jenson :) 

Would ya look at that JOEY!! (baby kangaroo for those of you who didn't know)

man.. boy got GAME!

GOLFERZ

Look at those eyes... 

I wish I lived with a professional chef...

What up playaaaa

Beaching it up

Looks like his papa

Lookin' hella dope bon fresh

They bought onsies

So this week was pretty good for us here in the beautiful town of Merimbula! We also had the privilege of being interviewed by President and Sister Back which was awesome! Well I will dive right into my weekly recap.

Tuesday- We had a fun time going bowling as a companionship! Elder Laga'aia beat us in the first game, and me being the sore loser that I am had to pay for another game so that I could beat him, and I did hahaha! I was a little rusty the first game but I figured it out! I need my own ball and shoes from home ;) After that we went to Debbie and Mark's house to have dinner! Elder Plata made dinner for everyone and he made a Filipino dish called Adobo! It was delicious! Then we shared a message about mothers and the power that they play in children's lives! 

Wednesday- We came to the FHC and we taught Kylie about the Tree of Life! We were able to break it down for her and she loved it! It was an awesome lesson! Then after that we did some indexing and we also helped out with any troubles that people had on the computers! Then after that we went and did some tracting and as a mission for the week we were using family history for our approach and it went really good for us! People are a lot more open to talk about family history and less hostile hahaha! After tracting we went home and made some homemade lasagna! It was pretty dang good if I say so myself! Then we went to game night and spent the rest of the night there!

Thursday- We went and got my comps haircuts by Cymmon Parker so that they could be ready for interviews the next day! After that we went and did some service at Potaroo Palace and raked a bunch of leaves! Then after that we went to the Smith's house and split a bunch of wood for them that we helped cut up a couple weeks before! After that we went home and had some dinner and called it a night!

Friday- We had to drive up to Narooma in the morning for interviews! We got to have breakfast with Pres. and Sister Back, the senior couple in Narooma, and the sisters serving in Narooma! After Breakfast we got interviewed and my interviews went great! President straight up told me that I will be leaving Merimbula after this transfer so now I know! I had some good talks with him and Sister Back and I am so grateful to have them as my mission president and mission president's wife! After interviews we went back home and did some service for Cymmon. We moved some big granite rocks for her. After that we went to Mandeni to help set up one of their fences that had been blown down! We had to pound in some metal stakes and drill them into the wooden poles to stand it back up. After that we had a late lunch and then we went to Josh and Naomi's to help them move some stuff and they invited us to stay for dinner so that was a good time with them! 

Saturday- We got up and went and had breakfast at the Parker's home with Mitch, Hannah, and their friend that was in town! After breakfast we went to their new house that is being built and stacked firewood and split some as well! After we did that we helped them with a big burn pile from all the tree trimmings  and stuff from their landscaping business. After that we went and helped Josh and Naomi to get some spots ready for concreting! After we did that we went home and got all showered so we could go to this music night that the Parkers were going to play at! It was out in the country and it was a blackboard night where anyone can write their name on the board and come up and play some music! The Parkers did so good! They are all so musically talented! It was a good finding opportunity for us and it got us exposed to some people we have never met! 

Sunday- We had church that went really good! We got to teach primary so that was so awesome! I love the answers little kids come up with! Then after church we did all the sacrament visits that we needed to do and we had some lunch! After sacrament visits we went to Mark and Debbie's house for  Sunday night dinner! We got invited because they were celebrating Mark and Alex's birthdays! It was a lot of fun getting to go to that! The Parker family is so awesome and I love being around them! 

My spiritual thought for this week is from the vision that the Prophet Lehi had about the Tree of Life and it says,  "And it came to pass that I beheld others pressing forward, and they came forth and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree."

Later we learn that the Iron Rod is the word of God. As we cling on to the scriptures and the teachings of modern day Prophets and Apostles we are able to push forward on the straight and narrow path and we are able to withstand the temptations that come our way. As we do this we will be happier and we will have the greatest gift of all, eternal life! 

Love you all have a wonderful week!

-Elder Jenson

Cam and coco mad chillin'

They bought onsies...

.... something weird is going on 

dinner time

Emu

Cute little koala bear

feeding the kangaroos.

A DINGOOOO

Selfie wit G

Mothers day was pretty great

So this week has been pretty quick and pretty normal haha! 

Monday- We had a normal P day and at the end of it we went to the Shoobridge's house to have dinner and a lesson with them! We didn't do anything too exciting today haha.

Tuesday- We had an appointment in Eden cancel on us so we ended up at the Mandeni fun park to do some service for the owner. We helped to get the archery range all set up for him that got messed up by the wind storm that hit. After we got it put back together he let us shoot at the targets for a little which was a lot of fun! Then we went to Debbie and Mark's house and did a little service for them. We got the areas ready for concreting! Then we had dinner and a lesson with them!

Wednesday- We went and taught Kylie at the family history center and after that we did some family history with her and did indexing! After that we had a late lunch and then we went to Bega to teach the Atika and her siblings. After that we went to game night and it was national Star Wars day so we spent the time there playing X wing with one of the kids there! It was a lot of fun!

Thursday- We spent the whole day at Norma and Maurice's house doing service for them! Norma took good care of us and she fed us so much food! For dinner she invited her neighbor over and we got to meet her and so that was a good way to plant seeds! Then we played rumiking with her and I won 2 out of 3 games so I was pretty happy haha! We also saw a wombat in their yard which is the first one I have seen! It growled at Maurice hahaha it was funny and scary!

Friday- We called into DTM and after that we ended up staying home in the flat because Elder Laga'aia came down with a bad cold! We got home and had lunch and then he fell asleep for like 6 hours haha we had to wake him up for dinner! So while he slept Elder Plata and I cleaned the car and then I did some studies and got my laundry done and organised all of my stuff so that was nice! I got to study a lot and it was nice to have extra time to read! That pretty much sums up the day haha!

Saturday- We went and did some concreting for Debbie at her house! They all were surprised that my Dad hasn't showed me how to do it and I told them that it was because he didn't want me following in his footsteps haha! I did pretty good at it though so I think I will do that for a living.. just kidding lol. Then after that we went and helped split some wood with Tom and Josh! After we did that we finally got to eat for the first time and it was dinner time haha so we went and bought a big feed at KFC! After that we went home and we found that we have fetching rats in our pantry hahaha! Elder Laga'aia was getting something out and he saw the rat run away haha we have found poop in the pantry a couple times but we just kinda ignored it and now we know for sure we have rats haha. We went to the store real quick after that and bought some poison pellets and some rat traps. We cleaned out our pantry and put all the food in a big plastic storage container that we bought and then we rigged up all the traps and made little feeding station with the poison pellets and put them behind the stove, and all in the pantry so those suckers are gonna be munching down on some poison or peanut butter and they will get snapped by the trap! Needless to say we should have some dead rats around our flat pretty soon!

Sunday- Happy Mothers Day to all the mother figures in my life, especially to my lovely mother dearest! I love you guys!! So we had church and everything there went good and it was a good time as usual! Then after church we went to the flat and made some lunch! After that we went to the Shoobridges house so that my comps could call home to their families! Then after that we went home and made some dinner and did our studies! 

Monday- I got to speak to my beautiful mother and the rest of my family! It was so great and such a blessing for me to be able top talk to them :) I love my mother and my family and I am so grateful for all that they do for me!! After I skyped we did service at the Shoobridges house for the day and we stayed there for dinner and FHE. In FHE we watched the Mountain of the Lord movie and it was so good I love that movie! 

My spiritual thought this week is on Mothers and it comes from the book of Alma in chapter 56,

 47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

The Strippling warriors knew that their mother's had a testimony in the things that they taught them. These verses show us the power that mothers have on their children's lives! I am grateful not only for my mom, but for all the motherly figures that I have in my life! I am so blessed to have all the great role models that I have that have helped shaped me into the man that I am today. To my mother and the other mother figures I have, I thank you and I love you!

-Elder Jenson

May the 4th be with you

He's so proud of his creation at Maccas (McDonalds for you Americans)

Modern day Katniss "I volunteer as tribute!"

Sweater gang... 

Um hi.. Has anybody seen my girlfriend LaFawnDuh?

Blackfoot lake and our boy

Crikey mates.. Its a wombat

He's eating pretty good if i do say so myself... 

is it even a real picture?

His main man Alex.. He's the cutest. We were lucky enough to meet him on Mother;s Day. 

5K runnin'

Now behold it came to pass that the days had passed and now it was a time to account for what had been done. The servants did labor with their might and did find joy in the service which they rendered. Now I will tell you the story of my people and the records of their dealings with the inhabitants of Merimbula. 

Lol just a little scripture intro for yous! 

Tuesday- We had P day and I went crazy on buying stuff lol. We went to the D.I. and I bought a new suit and a denim button up shirt haha so I look fly! Then we went to the Parkers for dinner that night and it was a lot of fun as usual! Mitch (Hannah's husband) Gave me a pair of his old steel toed work boots and I was so stoked about that! All around a great day!

Wednesday- We went to the Family History center to teach Kylie and we showed her the On the Lord's Errand movie about Thomas S. Monson so she could get to know our prophet a little better! Then we did some indexing and had lunch with Norman, and her husband at the Family History Center! After that we drove down to the far away land of Eden and we visited the Weymouths, a less active family! It went really well and we got invited back for lunch! Then after that we went home and made some bomb dinner, Elder Plata let me be his soux chef for this meal and it turned out way good! Then we went to game night and Elder Plata and I got to play Star wars X wing with him and like 5 other guys so that was a lot of fun and a good way to meet people! Elder Laga'aia did good at being his happy self and talking to everyone!

Thursday- We drove up to Canberra for ZTM and when we got there we went and checked out the Australian war memorial  museum and it was so sick!! I loved it a lot and I want to go back again before I leave haha! Then we went to the Belconnen flat and made dinner for the whole flat and stayed the night there! 

Friday- We had ZTM and it went really good! Elder Yardley is one of my zone leaders and it is really cool to see how much he has grown from the beginning of the mission and to see the missionary he has become! Then we went to Costco for some lunch and I got a piece of pizza, a hot dog, and a waffle cone. Then I got a piece of pizza for the road too haha just because I miss costco pizza so much! Then we drove home from Canberra and then we stopped at the hospital in Bega to visit Coco who was having troubles with her leg, but she is doing good and is out of the hospital now! 

Saturday- We ran a 5k with Sam and Mandy Parker! I finished in 28 minutes hahaha I am out of shape!! Then we went back to their house and we had breakfast and we did some service for them! After service for them we went and did more service out in Wyndham to cut up some wood and load it into a trailer! We had  5 guys on chainsaws and my comps and I loaded all the wood and I got to use a wood splitter to split some of it! Then we went home and made a big dinner because we were starving haha and then we went to bed. My back and legs were so sore at the end of the day hahaha! 

Sunday- We had the baby blessing of one of the Parker kid's new born baby! There were a lot of non members and so it was awesome to get to bare my testimony during fast and testimony meeting to all of them! After church we went to take the sacrament to the Smiths and we shared a message with them! Then after that we went to see Jilly the lady who we met tracting that has cancer and she kinda snobbed us. She told us that she was busy and didn't give us the time of day. We are hoping that she just didn't recognize us or something so we are going to try again next week! So after that disappointment we went to Bega to take the sacrament to the two Elderly ladies and they just make my day! One of them told me that I have gotten taller and she asked if I have noticed haha she is so sweet :) Then after that we went home and broke our fast with a feast of all feasts hahaha good thing I am working out or I would be fatter than I already am from all the food we eat lol. 

So my spiritual message this week comes from last general conference from Elder Holland's talk. He talked about how we get credit for trying to do better and to keep the commandments. All we have to do is keep trying and work hard to do our best and the Lord will be proud of us and he will give us credit! We just need to keep smiling, trying, and loving because Heaven is cheering us on! So keep trying everyone! That is all we can do!  

Love,

Elder Jenson

The Garden of Eden... its been in Australia all this time.

holla at yo boy

boots a member gave him.... brand new practically.

I wanna go there

he needs a selfie stick... who wants to send him one?

spittin' image

war memorial

helicopter flyin

inside the plane

who recognizes this dude? elder yardley and his comp

elder yardley again

LETTERS... sweet as candy. he finally got them

lucky boy

HE is your father.