Nov. 1--Gente dos Elders

Oiiiiii hello world! Sister Jensen checking in again :) This week was awesome and full of excitement! Our branch here in Patim is growing and changing and I feel so blessed to get to watch it all happen. This last sunday we had 3 new people speak and it was amazing. One of them was a less active we were teaching so its cool to hear his side and testimony. One of them specifically spoke in Portuguese to help us sisters understand and not gonna lie, somehow I still understand a little portuguese even with all the criolu around us. Miracle. hahha just kidding we always speak portuguese between us sisters so we're still learning and hearing it. But luckily we're able to understand a good amount of things. Not always able to respond correctly, but understand more or less, yes. Sometimes theres an awkward silence if both me and my companhion didn't understand but its not too often and the people here are super forgiving. Also one of the miracles we've been witnessing lately is the interest and love we feel from tons of our friends even when we cant always connect or understand them they still have this desire and interest in our message. Its amazing to see. Yesturday we had a lesson with one of our friends here in Patim, and we were getting the vibe that she didnt really want to continue learning more but our lesson with her yesturday  was amazing. We introduced the Book of Mormon and she was so happy the whole time, literally on the edge of her seat listening to our simple testimonies in portuguese, and our broken attempt at criolu with a smile on her face. Amazing. So humble. A simple thing like the Book of Mormon can bring so much peace into our lives and help us feel happiness. She told us she would read a part everyday before we even invited her to. Awhh amazing. Being able to serve here has already been so humbling. The people dont always have some things we think of as essential but their attitudes are inspiring. And their faith is so strong! Everyone believes in God. And faith is our foundation. One of my favorite scriptures is Moroni 7:33, "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." Awh! and according to President Nelson, all we need to triumph over any one of our trials is faith. 

Other story from this week! our friends Djumas and Queila had their baby! And baby Morôni is literally perfect! We shared the perfect verse with them in Alma 48:17 which says, "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men." It was so cute to see the reaction on Djumas's face when he read that part. We should e more like the prophet Moroni, but Jesus also taught us to be more like children; humble, meek, submissive, trusting. Its interesting to remember that newborn babies are spirits that were just with God. Dont worry.. definitely trying hard not getting baby fever here hahah :) 

Anyways, but big news is that Friday night we got a phone call from President saying that the next day we would be receiving another sister! And I love her so much already. She was already serving here in Fogo so not super crazy new but she was serving in the city and I have been reminded that I love living out here in the country. A simpler, quieter lifestyle that I have grown to love. Sister Cobb is awesome and now we have 3 americans here and boy is it a party! My first time serving in a trio and I'm super excited! 

Also Happy Halloween! Halloween isnt a big thing here so our day wasnt dramatically different... Actually i said happy halloween to one of our member friends and he responded and said thanks its your day! hahaha and Halloween in portuguese is day of witches so i guess im a witch now? guess I gotta go learn some magic hahah but that night we played cards and ate soup and cake so a party in itself! 

For my title.. we were helping our neighbor clean her clothes and hang them up to dry and someone called her on the phone and she mentioned that the gente dos elderes were there helping her. This means people of the elders, which makes sense since they've never had sisters before us but still funny. My companhion and I got a good laugh out of it. We are the people of the elders here haha :) Gotta love it. 

God is good! The mission is amazing and I am so grateful for all the experiences I've already had, the lessons I've learned, and friends I've made here in Cabo Verde. God is truely with everyone of his children and I'm so grateful for his hand in MY life. Thanks for reading and being a part of my mission and life! Grateful for each one of you! Hope you have a fantastic week! Love you all! and believe it or not God loves you even more!!! 

Sister Jensen ♡

rain during church! and sister carvalho... :) love her 

and our new trio! 

Oct 25--yo no posso talkar dretu

Oiiiiii gente!! This week was amazing, full of learning experiences and blessings. Literally could not do anything without the help of the Lord so everyday is full of blessings to be honest. :) But luckily God loves us and is willing to help. Sometimes I think about us, two americans who dont know the language walking around trying to talk to people about Christ. Its definitely an amazing calling.

Anyways, this week we were able to get everywhere on time with our Yaci rides so we didnt have to wait in the street for 2 hours for a car to pass, or hike up Monte Grande to visit people there. BLESSINGS! our creole class is really kicking in.. our lesson on telephone calls turned out successful! But our yaci to Monte Grande is earlier than needed so this time we packed a sack lunch and ate it on halfway through our walk to Monte Largo. kkkk yeah, we stopped on the side of the street, through the dead plants to some rocks in the shade and ate our apples there :) quite a scene for anyone that passed. Luckily only one car did and I think we remained unseen kkk but we made it to our lessons and were able to eat lunch so id call it a success. 

I literally love the members here. They are the most faithful and humble people. and oftentimes hilarious without knowing it! And during lots of our lessons the member or less active member in the home will give their testimony or help explain some things. One family were teaching, the dad is a less active member with a rock solid amount of faith and is the sweetest dad to his two daughters.The mom is catholic but is willing to hear and talk about religion which is perfect! Anyways, this week we were explaining the plan of salvation and the less active dad mentioned marriage like 15 times, i think without realizing it, when explaining how we can live with our families for eternity in the Celestial kingdom. kkkk so not sure whats gonna happen next but theyre amazing :) literally the cutest family 

Another fun fact, we left our last lesson a little bit late from Monte Grande and had to run down the mountain in the dark again, racing the call from the elders to check if we made it back home safely before the hour. haha but we did and all is well! 

So for my title, the Caboverdianos like to use the english words they know with a horrible english accent with their portguese and creole. Literally the funniest thing ever to hear and since language is always a big part of our lives here i think its one of the funniest things to hear now that i can understand the words. Literally laughed at our trilingual sentences for about 30 minutes during our walking in Monte Largo and Monte Grande. My title is one of my favorites.. with spanish, english, portuguese, and of course creole. :) and so true... its hard to speak correctly so its easier to just say it like it is. 

Anyways, LOVE you all to the sun and back and love updates on your lives too! sorry mine are always a scatter of thoughts and stories... writing never was one of my strong points haha but i do it out of love! ♡ I love this gospel and am so grateful for this calling to help and serve. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you or if you have any questions about anything under the sun! send em my way ;) Hope you all have a fantastic week! 

Sister Jensen ♡

sorry... next week ill try to be better at taking more pictures 

Oct. 18--Light and Water

 

haha hello friends and family! Another week another email! Wow the past three? (yikes sorry) weeks have been CRAAZZYY I had my first baptism here! general conference! transfers! buttt good news is I get to stay here in Patim! Sad news is im officially out of training and have to learn to live on my own now haha but my new companhion is awesome and is full of faith! We are two americans here together in an area where most everyone only speaks creole so our time here together has been an adventure! BUT if were meant to understand creole and learn it quickly, the Lord will provide. But right now im still a little shocked how much God trusts us to do His work. Missionaries arent perfect and we're still learning tons everyday but God calls us to go preach His gospel, and with this calling we are promised His help. :)

Yeah, so life update, Im still here in Patim, Fogo! but with a new companhion Sister Carvalho who is amazing! I have tons to learn and I love the opportunity we get as missionaries to learn so much for ourselves and through our companhions. 

With us being two americans, our work here has changed a little but I hope all for the better. We try to have more lessons with members which is a great help for us and I hope for them too. They love feeling a part of the work and they are all showing more interest in missionary work which is so fun to see! And a huge blessing for us since once in a while there will be a part of the lesson where our "american creoloe" doesnt cut it, but thats when the member jumps in and my heart melts with gratitude. ♡ 

We have also been able to find more new people to teach here as our branch is beginning to grow and our friendships with the people have blossomed into an interest in our purpose here. Its amazing to see and Im so grateful for the loving outgoing spirit of Sister Cardoso that helped everyone here accept and adjust to missionaries as well as be our friends :) 

well Ill explain a little about my title... so these past two weeks here in Fogo the electricity and water has been off and on. As missionaries we teach of christ and thought the connection was quite fun as one day Sister Carvalho prayed for the light and water spiritually and then literally as well. hahaha Because Christ is the light of the world and the living water! but dont worry, haha all is well! back to having light daily, and water most mornings! :) 

But this week, not having light brought one of my favorite memories on my mission so far! Monday night we didnt have light here so my phone died while chatting with my family which left me a little sad which added on to the stress of not understanding much that week, didnt help. But we had a lesson that night with Olavin to review and decided to play Jeopardy with questions to review each principle of the Restoration. In his house they had one candle lit and we were all seated around in a circle with his family. Adorable! but it gets better... he then proceeded to answer every question correctly even ones about stories in the Book of Mormon which he has only been reading for a month ish and which is in portuguese with the more confusing words of the scriptures. This makes it a little harder for people to understand. But Olavin knew every answer and the endings of stories in the beginning of the Book of Mormon! I was speechless and extremely proud of him! I felt like the Grinch when his heart grew 3 times bigger! Awhhhh amazing! And after church on Sunday he came up to us as asked us what the plan was for today since he wanted to help us teach. I am so touched by his love for the gospel that grew so quickly and is so strong already. 

Anyways, thanks for being a part of my exciting life here in Cabo Verde! I love you all and know that Christ loves you even more! Hope you all have a fantastic week!

Sister Jensen ♡

fotos: our batism a while ago... but was amazing! 

some missionaries and i with a head of a hammerhead shark 

Oct. 4--The Last Supper

 

Olá! Wow this week was crazy once again! So we got news about transfers and Sister Cardoso is leaving! awhhh anways threw our week for a loop since we had planned out our last week together and visiting the whole world and having them all come to church one last time with her but she leaves tomorrow morning haha BUT my new companhion is awesome!I got to serve with her for a couple days when I arrived in Praia and super stoked for our time together in Patim. I already know that we'll have jokes for daysss haha also will be fun to see how serving with another American will be like! Accepting all prayers for the gift of tongues! thanks 

also this week will be the last supper because only my companhion has cooked for the last 3 months haha! But dont worry.. Ive tried to learn a couple receipes, so we'll survive haha

anyways, ALSO THIS WEEK WE HAD THE FIRST BAPTISM OF PATIM! and wow was it amazing! We had a car pick everyone up and literally think we packed in about 30 people when they usually fit 15 comfortably.. yea Olavin is famous... But it was amazing and so spiritual. All the sisters here in Fogo sang the Primary song Im trying to be like Jesus together in portuguese awhh awesome and Olavin bore his testimony and boy was he prepared to hear the gospel! Literally so receptive to each principle and willing to do anything for the Lord. One of the phrases i love most in his prayers is that he prays for strength to follow the path to Christ and although its difficult it isnt impossible. Boy did I learn a lot from his faith and desire. Even after our lessons, he wants to come with us to teach others. Awh otimó! Yeah hes awesome and we had an amazing batism between conference sessions. Also, last thing, this man watched all of conference with us. Yeah he's dedicated. haha 

Other than that.. we missed our ride to Monte Grande this week so we hiked a mountain in skirts! haha each week new adventure... my chacos are really coming in clutch haha 

We had a devotional this week that was powerful. Something I really liked was that Jorg Klebingat asked us missionaries if when we teach others that through the Atonement we can be changed and have a change of heart if we really believe this and know it to be true. We cant teach this if we dont know it for ourselves. Then in conference we learned about the biking team and their efforts to improve together. Soooo this week I am going to choose one of my weaknesses and try to change this in myself to help me to be able to testify with more conviction. And since i am a missionary I challenge all of you to try this as well. Use the power of the Atonement and help, support, and love of Christ to change a small characteristic or thing you wish you were better at. :) haha And let me know how this goes next week! I would love to hear your experiences! thankkkssss love you all 

Fun thing this week! Today we all traveled as a zone to Monsterios which is beautiful with green mountains on one side and the beach on the other. Their chapel is literally placed right in between these. gorgeous! And of course played some soccer and ate lunch together! Kinda sad cause lots of missionaries are leaving Fogo this week so there were lots of goodbyes today but also this week will be exciting as everything changes. Weird as this is kinda my first experience with transfers haha.. Im reminded that Im still new to lots of things in the mission, but Im excited for the growth that comes from change. 

Hope you all have a fantastic week! Love you all!! 

Sister Jensen 

sorry dont have all the pictures from this week but ill send a few that I have 

the beach! 

and a meal with a member!!! 

Sept. 27--the volcano is indeed real

 

Helloo!!!! 

dont worry, Sister Jensen is still here, just been a little busy :) haha this last week we had our zone conference here in FOGO wooohooo and fun fact were actually the biggest zone here in Cabo Verde! so on Monday we woke up to a call around 6 in the morning saying the Yaci that was picking up all the missionaries had already got the elders and was coming our way so we packed our things and got ready in a hot minute.  Since our conference started early the next day we stayed the night in the city there that night.... but our activity was super fixe! first we played a little soccer before pilling 20 missionaries into a yaci that usually fits around 15... keep in mind that we had just finished our game of soccer in the sun so we were all a little sweaty hehehe anyways pretty much took a tour of the island as we drove around to the volcano! woohhooo and now I feel satisfied to keep living here in Fogo. haha and then we had lunch at a members house close to the volcano and with all the missionaries at one table like thanksgiving! awhh and the food was delicious! That night we ran around the city dripping sweat before returning for interviews with President haha And the next day was Zone Conference! My second one and still amazing... President Wunderli is amazing and its awesome to get to see and witness the revelation he receives for us. One thing I really liked and have already started using is teaching the Plan of Salvation with some of the commandments incorporated into it with the purpose and why of the commandments in mind. Super cool! 

Also the work here is amazing. Literally the people are so receptive to the gospel and super friendly. Also tons of less actives. haha funny story, at church our friend who was literally so ready to receieve the gospel and has a date to be baptized this Saturday !!!! anyways he invited one of his friends to meet with us after church and we show up and haha sure enough he's a member too haha so hopefully slowly well find all of them and bring em back to the fold :) My companhion was joking around and asked him why he hadnt called us over and announced that hes a member too haha cause he said he'd seen us walking before :) anyways, hes cool.. excited to get to be his friend :) 

Also, Friday we set a record for I think the most miles in a day. We have a couple areas so we got a referal to a family who lived in another town further past Monte Grande called Monte Largo haha fitting name huh? and the Yaci only goes to Monte Grande so we walked about 40 minutes on thus road in the middle of nowhere with no houses, nada. But i cant lie there were some goats on the side of the road, and a couple donkeys haha 

Then after our lesson we walked back to the bottom of Monte Grande to have a lesson with one of our friends who is also awesome. This walk was about an hour and a half, definitely got a little sun :) But wait theres more! Then after visiting Monte Grande, we continued our journey back down the mountain to Patimmmmm :) only about 35 minutes so not too bad, but woowaiiss my legs were tired that night haha I kinda felt like the pioneer kids and started singing the primary song, The Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked.. haha and all this on the birthday of Sister Cardoso... yeah shes strong :) but we celebrated with a family that night here in Patim 

Anyways, I love our area. Since were out here in the fora (country) its much much cooler and calmer. awh i love it :) Anyways, hope you all have a fantastic week! love you all to the sunnn <3 hahaha if any of you ever need anything or want to talk to someone im always here for ya! 

Sister Jensen ♡

pics:

sisters de Fogo and the volcano 

the path in the mountains around the volcano 

our matching district for zone conference! 

Sept. 13-Called to Serve 💙💙

 Olá! Wow this week was marvelous! 

First of all, last week we had a devotional with our mission, over zoom of course, but it was phenominal. Since we just received a ton of new missionaries President wanted to let every missionary watch it in their native language and it was amazing how strong I felt the Spirit. First of all I understood each word hahaha and second Elder Bednar is just so powerful. His wife mentioned an old talk by him named Called to serve and assigned to labor. And I realized that I needed to change my mindset from trying to learn Portuguese because of my call letter and serve the people. And this meant learning creole. So this week has been way better as my language studies have helped me understand a little better. And our english class and creole class is always a blast as well. kkkkk But Im grateful for my foundation so far in Portuguese and will continue to study and speak it dont worry kkkkk 

Anways, secondly our friends are amazing and i either learn something in each lesson or laugh extremely hard. 

Funny story this week we taught a less active family in Monte Grande about expressions of amor e how they can show their appreciation for each other more. And the girl started touching her boyfriends arm more and leaning on him but after like 5 minutes of this while talking he pushed her off and saud sinta la! hahah like sit there and in the moment it was hilarious so me and my companhion started laughing so hard. Then their baby girl copied us and threw her head back and did a little cackle. anyways, love them. 

Then our new friend here in Patim has an incredible amount of faith and desire to follow Christ. We had only taught him one lesson and he mentioned how this is what he wanted. He is so diligent in everything and prays constantly. He even reminded us to end our englsh class with a prayer.... yeah hes amazing. and yesturday we taught him again and he mentioned how he has been extra happy since hes been meeting with us and agreed to be BAPTIZED! awhhh never knew my heart could be so happy. :) 

Also helped that before the lesson we got invited to a birthday party for a member of their family, and we ended up playing a little soccer outside their house for like 45 minutes with all the little kids. Definitely a little harder in a dress but still a blast. 

This week we had our district meeting in the area of the elders in Cova Figuera and wow is that place gorgeous! 

Sad thing is we arrived quite late cause the Yaci we woke up at 5 to catch was full... But we made it eventually and it was definitely worth it. Ill attach some pics.

Anyways, I know God answers our prayers. I know being able to be a missionary is a gift from God to be able to feel this joy for others. I love Cabo Verde! I hope everyone has a fantastic week! Love you all but remember God loves you more! 

Sister Jensen (Djensen) 

ahhha how our friend spelled my name with our pronounciation clues for english class 

Sept 6-Du bai!

 Olá amigos e famíliaa!!! 

This week was a roller coaster once again! well i guess ill start at our last p day which was a blast! We went to the town here in Fogo called São Filipe and had lunch with all sisters in Fogo including the 2 brand new sisters! Awh its crazy to see even newer missionaries here and they are straight out of the MTC as well. We had a huge group arrive which is super exciting because in just a few months the Cabo Verde mission has doubled. and the next set of missionaries will have gone to the MTC in person! Anyways... sadly since were all on different islands I havent gotten to see all the missionaries in person but we made sure to party with the new sisters in Fogo! Anyways, back to the story... we had lunch at this restaurant that serves really good pizza. These young men were controlling the music and dancing so we had a pretty entertaining show during our lunch, but when they left we asked if we could choose songs too haha and pretty much had a little karaoke party since the restaurant had a little stage. Dont worry.. we definitely sang the portuguese efy bops :) 

And my title is a line of a popular song in creole here meaning like lets go! im learning the chorus so hopefully my creole will improve with this too haha 

Anyways, then we had some great lessons this week with all our less active friends. Its awesome to see our branch grow each week with more members returning. And miracle of the week! 

So this week has been one of the rougher ones for me and at the start of church I was just feeling a little sad but didnt know exactly why. And so I prayed  to feel more peace in my heart during our hard times. Right after I felt so much comfort in my heart and then during fast and testimony meeting ALMOST EVERYBODY bore their testimonies! we do only have about 25 people at church in our branch but it was so moving to see the faith in each of the members we've been teaching. God answers prayers! 

Also we started our first english and kriole classes this week. We begin with english but then after we switch and everybody teaches me kriole. Its a good time and Im beginning to realize the differences in kriole de Fogo e Praia haha And theres actually no formal or correct way to write Kriole so im learning to learn and study differently too 

Anways, hope everyones week was awesome and bem vinda Setembro! 

I love you all and wish you all the best! 

Sister Jensen 

Aug 30-TRANSFERÊNCIAS!?!

 Helllooo friends and family!!! 

Wow, one transfer already done... and I still have so much to learn.. haha but good news, this week i had my first kriolo class :) woohooo during splits we had an english class planned which was super fun for me to see since we're about to start one here in Patim too. But then we switched and started some basics of Kriole which was quite helpful. Im trying to learn some basic questions to help me communicate a little. haha 

This week was full of firsts. First family night with a family that we helped reactivate here and some other members. It was awesome! We gave a little spiritual thought about our choices. We collected everyones shoes and placed them in a y shape on the floor. Then asked a couple people to try to follow the path of shoes all the way to the end. This was to help us realize we can't follow two paths at the same time. Our choices can either help us follow the path towards Christ or Satan. I love how genuine the people here are. Afterwards we had a little discussion and a couplee of our friends shared their thoughts. awhhh so fun! Also fun fact, here its considered a little rude or strange to carry cakes around not covered so everytime we make a cake for these events i get the privledge of carrying it and just say sorry to everyone around me. pretending i dont know this is weird haha 

Then this week our neighbor made cachupa and gave us some so yesturday i got to try one of the most famous meals here in Cabo Verde. It was super good, and made me feel kinda new again haha :) 

Miracles of the week: 

We were teaching a less active who has a super strong testimony, just has trouble getting to church cause every day someone has to feel their animals in the morning. So my companhion and I are praying to figure out a way to help them. But at the end of the lesson the little brother said he wanted to be baptized, this sunday! haha my companhion explained that we needes to teach him a little more first but his desire was so pure and genuine. Then he wanted to say the closing prayer and was a little nervous but when his brother teased him about how he needed to know how to pray to be baptized he immediately started his prayer after this. He then proceeded to come to our activity Saturday all by himself and church the next day. He is the cutest and i admire his efforts to choose the right so much. 

Another miracle of this week was that one of our less active friends here in Patim has had a problem drinking and we challenged him to stop and when we visited him you could see the change. He was so happy and when we invited him to our family night tonight he was super excited! Im so grateful for the chance to see the blessings of the gospel change peoples lives. 

Anyways, sorry I dont have more time. Im so grateful for my mission. I love the gospel. Christ loves you and knows you!! 

Sister Jensen <3 

Cabo verde :) 

Aug 23--Rain and Miracles!

 oiiii! tudo bom? 

this week has been crazy once again..  and I've accepted that every week will probably just be crazy haha 

This week we have water again! blessings and also received a ton of rain which indicates the best time for planting. so the whole world here has been planting this week. Perfect for service so Sister Cardoso and I helped our neighbor and her family semiar (the name of the process) which usually takes the whole day and quite tiring but I actually thought it was kinda fun haha probably cause it was my first time. It started raining on us which made it even more fun and cooler as well haha I still love the rain! It poured the day before and we were in the city working on my visa again so we looked crazy walking back and forth between the bank, police station, and other buildings dripping wet but it was so fun and much cooler which I loved! And we have entered rain season so well probably receive more rain YAY! This is the time Cabe Verde turns Verde, green! Haha 

Miracles of the week, lots of our less active friends came to church on Sunday which was awesome! And our primary class is also growing and it's so fun to get to teach them the simple doctrines and watch their knowledge grow each week. And I get to learn more words in Portuguese as well which is hilarious cause oftentimes the kids will help me. :) 

Cute story of the week: Last night we went to visit one of our friends, Djumas and his family. Let me set the stage real quick..  it's pretty dark outside and we walk around the their back porch area and he's swaying back and forth while holding their baby girl to this slow romantic music. Literally the cutest thing ever, and me and my companion just danced along with them for a little bit until they noticed. It was so cute and I just wanted to freeze time in that moment. So calm and sincere awh! And then that same night

both of them prayed without hesitation. And the night before they read the book of Mormon together! Awh I love getting to watch the progress of others, brings me so much joy as well! Getting to be a part of this work is truly a blessing. 

The church is true, the book is blue, and GOD LOVES YOU! <3  

pics:

soaking wet but thriving 

planting those seeds 

our cute weekly primary photo

Aug 10--Child, student and unemployed!!

 Hey everyone! It's me again! haha sorry I didn't get the chance to write an email last week, so sorry about that, hope you didn't miss hearing from me too much. I know it can be pretty devastating for some of you. haha just kidding :) 

So first I'll explain my title. So this week we had to work on renewing my Visa since here it expires pretty frequently. We went to get a physical from the hospital and the receipt paper declared me as a child, student, and unemployed. So my companion had a good time laughing at that since I always joke about how I'm a child. I literally never have to cook for myself, it's great so far! haha 

Anyways, these past 2 weeks have been crazy! So many things happen but then I go to write an update and I always end up forgetting somethings. Awh gotta love my "Dory" memory. haha This week we had zone conference which was amazing! The mission president and his wife are always traveling, but it was SO fun to get to see them again! And of course party a little haha They arrived Thursday so we headed to town early that morning and got to play a ton of games on the beach with them! We dont swim, dont worry, haha but it's awesome to get to be on the beach and reminds me of our many beach trips in California! Except the sand here is black. Of course all the Americans got fried. Sorry mom, apparently I still haven't learned to wear sunscreen. But the bad tanlines are definitely already here. and here to stay for the next while :) Then that night we stayed with the sisters in the town for the night before Zone Conference the next day which was awesome! So cool to be with all the missionaries on this Island and hear inspiring words from President and Sister Wunderli. They are literally the best. And if we memorized D&C 4 we got a cool chique new bag with the mission logo on it. So now my companion and I look super fresh walking down our street in Patim. haha Then this weeks update is that we came home Friday afternoon ish and found that we didn't have water... haha so today marks day 3 without water! it's been quite the adventure and Im starting to pray to be able to bless the rains here in Africa ;) Anyways, if you thought the lack of a mirror would hurt my appearance, now I dont always get to take a shower so I'm really sorry mom and Sister Daines, I know this is probably hard for you to hear. haha BUT! I'm learning lots and know that through our experiences we are becoming the people God wants us to be. 

Then Sunday, not even having a month here, ya girl was asked to speak in church for 10ish minutes! awh my poor branch here in Patim. I hope they were able to understand me, but then again the Spirit is the teacher so they didn't really need to understand me right? jk It wasnt that bad and I'm super grateful for the opportuities I get to practice and use the Portuguese I know. 

Funny story this week! We were riding on a Yacci (giant white bus/van that goes from the town to our small rural towns out here) and this man gets on and sits next to me and see my nametag and asks if I'm a missionary and I respond yea! he then proceeds to preach to me in his strong accent and a mixture of english Portuguese and I don't know what else, he mentioned Hebrew? anyways funny thing he mentioned was that he was the prophet that everyone had been talking about. And he mentioned to me that all the people in America need to get up and repent. My companion started laughing and had to look out the window. He was talking pretty loudly that eventually the bus driver turned up the music. Anyways, something i learned is that I don't know much about all the tribes of Israel, so maybe I'll study that more this week, but I think I am a pretty good listener so hopefully he could tell I was trying to understand :) 

Other updates:

It was one of the sisters here birthday on Tuesday so while we were working on Visa things we got to have lunch with other missionaries. And I learned apparently our zone here in Fogo is the most unified and closest which makes everything a blast. 

Blessings: One of our friends from another small town in our area came to church and told us he wants to study the scriptures more with us and start coming to church every sunday! The cool thing was to get to church on Sunday he paid for a car on his own to get here and was way early. He's awesome and I'm super excited to get to learn more from his example and faith. 

Another family that has now come to church for 4 weeks in a row.. wohoo! one of their other daughters and her kids came with them Sunday and at the end of our second hour, her son asked his mom if they were leaving right then, and when she responded yes, he said he wanted to stay. awhhh I guess our primary class is kinda fun ;) haha 

And I know lots of you like to hear about my language updates as well. haha so depending on the day and how I feel about my Portuguese affects how well I can understand people. 

Quick spiritual thought:

I realized a pattern in my personal study that has proven that my Portugese and abilities here are all in the hands of the Lord. Everytime I'm feeling discouraged and lost with the language, when I read the Book of Mormon in portuguese I can understand most of it and this helps me feel so much peace, and motivation. (which is always exactly what I need) When I feel like I can understand things better and get a little prideful about my language, it's way harder and those chapters all of a sudden have a ton of new words. haha The Book of Mormon is powerful and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to read it daily. And I challenge you all to take a little time out of your day this week to read a chapter and focus on how you feel as you're reading, and after. 

Anyways, I love Portuguese and the people here! Mission life is crazy but also amazing! I am so grateful for this time to be here in Cabo Verde learning so much. Sorry this email is a little long but I love you all and hope you all have a FANTASTIC week! God loves you! 

Sister Jensen 

A talk I read this week and loved, if you want to check it out!

I Believe in Angels

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/44godoy?lang=eng

pics!! 

beach day 

lunnchhhh 

our primary class! <3 

Aug 2--EVOLUTION!!

 

Oi amigos e família! 

So quick explanation about my title... so each week my Portuguese gets a tiny bit better (according to Sister Cardoso) and I've stopped walking into the street as often and such and when Sister Cardoso notices something like this she always comments EVOLUTION! haha which I think is hilarious 

This week I had a mini Christmas! MY SUITCASE ARRIVED! Awh the best thing ever.. I had almost forgot what I had put in there when the security guard was asking me. haha we counted and I last about 15 days without it. and coincidentally I was wearing the same dress as when I arrived the first time so it looked like I had just arrived to Praia, if someone just looks at the photos they'd never know. haha but that was a blessing. So this week I've been excited each morning to choose a new outfit. It's the little things in life! 

This week was a little crazy like always. Literally every day has a new surprise for us. and right after we realized and commented on this, we got a call about renewing my Visa here which apparently is a process. So that's our next adventure to tackle! 

Anyways, Monday we went to the bigger city on the island and hung out with the other missionaries here. Got lunch, looked at the ocean, played some efy games, the usual. Side note, games are quite hard to explain and demonstrate in another language. But it worked out. 

Fun fact: When we walk back home at the end of each day, we pass the more popular part of town and I'm learning, thanks to evolution, to not respond to "branca" or "Americana". I usually turn around instinctively and smile and wave but Sister Cardoso has tried to teach me otherwise. Hopefully I eventually stop completely. 

This week we continued to teach and visit all our new friends here which is always a blast. This week we were teaching this family and I tried to contribute but my Portuguese was horrible and far from smooth or comprehensible. haha But then the dad prayed at the end and it was so genuine and powerful I started crying! haha yeah I know, big surprise. But it was awesome. I was reminded that we're not the teachers, the Spirit is. And the Spirit will help testify of the truthfulness even when we can't. :) 

I'm so grateful for this chance to develop a stronger relationship with my Savior and study and learn about the gospel more each day. It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Love you all and let me know if you have any questions, or if there is anything I can do for you! 

Have a fantastic week!

Sister Jensen 

 

pictures:

- our branch's first primary class! 

- Sister Cardoso and I repping the sun when it decides to hide 

July 26--Try your best then Laugh:)

 Hello friends and family! believe it or not, it do be Monday again! This week was my first full week in the field and I am already learning so much! I arrived to the island of Fogo on Tuesday night and then my first area that next day. My trainer, Sister Cardoso, and I get to open the area of Patim which hasn't had missionaries for almost 2 years. And before us it was only elders (thus meaning there is not a mirror in our apartment) haha. 

We had an activity Saturday night which was a hit and tons of people came and had fun! Thus meaning that some of them came to church the next day too! And even better news is that our branch here in Patim is starting to have a second hour next week so us sisters get to help teach primary and the other classes! I am beyond excited! The Lord is watching over all his children here on earth and will bless us when we try our best. And if life gets hard just remember to laugh! :)

My trainer is literally like my mom here and it is so comforting. Funny fact is that since the roads here aren't paved sometimes I walk kinda crazy so she now holds my hand everytime we walk around on the streets which is so cute and funny to me since I should have learned how to walk by now. She is amazingly patient with me and has taught me how to serve with love as she practices Portuguese with me all day every day and is still willing to joke around with me. It's exactly what I need :) Dont forget to find a reason to laugh everyday! 

Spiritual message of the week:

I was feeling discouraged about Portuguese because I've been trying to practice a lot but many of the people here speak Kriole and prefer to speak Kriole so its hard to speak and practice with them. I was blessed to experience multiple times the very next day where I was able to understand what the person was saying and participate in the conversation. I love to talk to people and this helped me feel peace and more patience with myself. I know God is aware of us and listens to each of our prayers. There's not a day in our life He doesn't know about and He will not give us anything we can't handle. I love my Savior and am so grateful for this time in my life to be a missionary! I love the gospel and the message of peace and love I get to share with people everyday. 

Hope everyone has a great week! I love you all! 

Sister Jensen 

July 19--First time in Africa!!!

oi!! I arrived in Cape Verde and it is amazing!!!!! I'm so happy to be able to be here cause I already love it. Some basic updates, it is humid and quite warm, but the beaches are beautiful, the people are literally the best even though I've only been here for 3 and a half days. The first few days it was kinda a shock to finally be here after traveling through two nights, so I definitely was exhausted, but now it's starting to settle in, and I just couldn´t be more excited. For some reason, I've imagined this moment in my life for a long time and now I'm here, and so I'm still wrapping my head around that but I'm so happy, and excited. 

Right now i'm living with 6 other sisters in the capital, Praia before transfers. and guess where i'm going.. FOGO!! que fixe right? my favorite word in english.. fire.. is actually an island and i get to go live there hahah as you can tell im quite excited. I leave by boat tomorrow afternoon with another one of the sisters here. That is also a little miracle because after 2 days of flights and airports, I was starting to not feel as excited for flights, and God knew this, so for this first transfer I get to travel by boat! a good way to get to experience the ocean without breaking any rules :) And my companions are awesome, so kind, loving, and extremely patient with my portuguese since half of them are natives. They are all amazing examples to me! 

So for these last couple of days, we arrived Friday afternoon, and learned they lost some of our luggage so I have been a little down on some of my things recently but luckily i had the important stuff in my carry on, but not much so it's been fun. we got to go drive to see the temple in construction which is super exciting!! The members here are definitely excited as well as us missionaries!! haha then we got to have dinner with the mission president and his wife who are literally the best. We had a training saturday and figured out lots of logistical things as well as got lunch at a nice place here right next to the beach, yep, almost paradise haha

Sunday was amazing and I think it is going to turn into my favorite day. The members here are amazing and so friendly. Even if I can't respond with much, they are so patient and will try to understand and help me. LITERALLY so nice.

Miracles:

- i was feeling a little overwhelmed the first few days and one day i was reading my scriptures and in Mosiah 24 God is comforting Alma and reminds him that He will ease his burdens that, "ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions"

This was exactly like my situation, and i know God will assist us in our afflictions and can  help us do all things. 

Anyways, I wrote a lot for only being here for 3 and a half days, but I love you all and hope everything is going well! 

Sister Jensen 

and as i promised, no more zoom screenshots.. :)