Conference week

Hello my dear family and friends!

Well it's been quite the week! The weather has been getting better and I think that summer is -finally- around the corner. It actually doesn't rain as much as you think. I think it's only rained like 3 times. It's mostly just really cold and windy. I can't believe how fast this transfer has flown by! It is already the end of my first transfer and I will be staying in Nottingham with Sister Lewis. Haha apparently, I get to participate in my first "dodge call" tomorrow night, when everyone calls each other and tries to figure out where everyone is going, who will be the next DL's ZL's AP... etc. Missionary culture is so funny. We are expecting a ton of new missionaries this week! Making our mission the biggest mission of England. I think there will be 9 new sisters this transfer and like 13 next transfer! There was a new announcement about leadership in the mission. Sisters will now be able to participate in Leadership Training Council as Sister Training Leaders or something like that. So that's cool! Sisters are taking over the mission! ;) To answer your questions Dad, we do call-ins on Sunday nights at 7 pm to report our numbers for the week.We report on Investigators baptized and confirmed, investigators with a baptismal date, investigators who attend sacrament meeting, lessons taught to investigators with a member present, other lessons taught, progressing investigators, referrals (contacted and received), New investigaros, and lessons taught to recent converts and less-active members- otherwise known as "LARCS". The standard of excellence is to have about 10 member presents and 7 other lessons, but my companion said that she has actually never seen that happen her whole mission. I'm sure it's possible though and when I'm a trainer, I'm going to find a way to make it happen! haha.  I continue to see so many miracles here in the mission field. It's amazing to me how many people are being prepared to accept the gospel. This week, we have committed Shirley and Matt to baptism. Matt will be baptised on Saturday and Shirley on Sunday. It's going to be a busy week as we will have to make daily contact with both of them and make sure they are ready. On Tuesday this week, we taught Margaret again. She is so funny. She said that she loved the musical fireside and that she really wants to come back to church except she works every Sunday. We are going to send over some visiting teachers and get her involved in Relief Society. When we left her house, she gave us big hugs and told us that we were her guardian angels and that she would never forget us. Haha. It was so cute. That night, I was having a really bad headache, sore throat, and I thought that my ear infection was coming back. I woke up Wednesday morning and it was still really bad. Well, we had been asked a couple weeks ago to help out with a stake primary activity so I sucked it up and got to work. I was so glad that I did! It was just my companion and I and the zone Leaders. The stake had put together this "mock missionary" activity for ages 8 and up. They had the kids come and gave them little missionary badges that said "future missionary" and then gave them all passports and boarding tickets. They boarded a plane and watched a movie on the plane ( I think it was a mormon message) and then they made their way into our room. We were in charge of putting together a mock MTC. First, we introduced ourselves and said a little bit about why we decided to serve a mission. Then, we had them recite "Our Purpose" with us and made a game out of it by writing it on the board and erasing a few words at a time so they had to remember it. I felt the spirit so strong as those cute kids said in loud voices, "Our purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, Repentance, Baptism, Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the end." It was brilliant. The Lord is preparing his future missionaries! After that, we explained companionships. We put them in companionships and gave them a puzzle to put together with questions on the back that they had to ask their companion. It was so cute. Then, we had them do some role plays. We had them pretend that their friend invited them to a party on Sunday and what they would say. Then, we had them invite a friend to church. They were naturals! It proved to me that if kids can do it, then so can we! Lastly, we gave balloons to each of them and we wrote on the balloon a fear that they might have about sharing the gospel. One of the little boys came up to me and said, "I have 3 fears. 1. Chavs (Chavs are kind of like rebels that live off of government support and bully other people), 2. Gangsters, and then he said, I have to whisper the third.... 3. Murderers!" Haha I had to try so hard not to bust up laughing. Oh I just love kids. Then, we let each other children take a pin and pop the balloon, to signify letting go of their fears of missionary work. It was a great experience. Afterward, I asked the Zone Leaders to give me a priesthood blessing. Wow. I am so grateful for worthy priesthood holders! I felt so much comfort from the blessing. You may not believe this, but the next day, I was completely healed. I haven't had any problems since the blessing. The Lord really DOES take care of his missionaries! Well, General Conference was an interesting experience! We watched it at a stake center in Nottingham. On Saturday, we watched the first session at 5:00 pm and then Sunday we watched the second and the third at 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm. (Our time). It was amazing! I don't think I've ever been so excited for General Conference. Haha. I loved Sister Dalton's talk about Daughters of God. It was so powerful.  So I have yet to listen to the last session and we will probably listen to it this week at the library for companionship study. I loved Craig A Cardon's talk about forgiveness and the atonement. I love how he said, the Savior WANTS to forgive us! That is so true. For someone who loved us enough to suffer for all our sins, it only makes sense that he wants us to fully grasp the atonement and to be forgiven of him. I'm so thankful for the atonement in my life. EVERYONE, even missionaries, need the atonement! We are not perfect and everyday I feel as Nephi did, weighed down from the sins that so easily beset me. But I rejoice in my God, for he has redeemed my soul. I am encircled about in the arms of his love. It's amazing to me how much peace I feel amid the conflict of life because I know that everything will work out in the end. I know that everyone can feel of that internal peace that comes from living according to the commandments and striving to be more like the Savior every day. I love you all SO much and I'm so grateful for you in my life.

With all my love,

Sister Jensen

P.S. Mom, can you send me the cinnamon roll recipe?  Also, I did get the memory card and the socks and the candy. THANK YOU SO MUCH! You are the best parents ever.

The first picture is of me in front of the famous Robin Hood statue, the second is of our church building in Toton and the third is with our goofy Zone Leaders, Elder Eckelt and Elder Wilkey, who are both English :)