Busy Week

Dear Family and Friends, Of course, it has been another great week in the mission field! There is so much work to be done and not enough time to do it. I'm so grateful to be here and to be serving the Lord. This week was a bit of a tough one. Andy, one of our investigators who has been progressing toward baptism, kind of went MIA on us. We finally got back in contact with him and found out that he's been going back to his old ways. It was really hard to hear and see. We've also had a hard time with some of our recent converts who haven't been coming to church. I must admit that I was getting very discouraged about it and I just felt as if my efforts were for nothing. I was reading in the scriptures during my personal study in Alma 29 and came across a verse that really helped me. It was verse 9. It reads: "I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy." I looked up the word instrument in the dictionary and it said, "A tool used for precise work" Then, I looked up precise and it said, "clear and detailed." So, I learned that the Lord uses us as his instruments to do the clear and detailed work. I love this. Before, I was looking at all the things that weren't going right and getting discouraged. But I learned that Heavenly Father knows His children and He knows what they need. He uses us to reach out to others and to play a part in the details of their lives. It's the small and simple things that really make all the difference. All that I can hope to do is to bring some soul, (that could be one or many) to repentance and perform the detailed work that God cannot do himself. It really is a blessing! I have seen miracles and I know that missionary work is all about love. When love is our greatest motive, we achieve the greatest results, because we are doing things for the right reasons! That is why without charity, we are nothing. I am amazed the more that I study the attributes of Christ at how perfect he is and how imperfect I am. I would encourage you all to study Chapter 6 in PMG about Christlike Attributes. Study them in the order that they are in. (They're in that order for a reason!) There is so much to learn when studying the character of Christ. The challenge I would like to leave with you this week is to study one attribute and figure out what you can do to cultivate it in your life. I promise that you will feel closer to your Savior and have a stronger desire to be like Him. I love you all and I am so grateful for your love and support! Love, Sister Jensen