Jensen, Emma

We had transfers last week and everything has changed for me! I am living in a new house, in a new ward, with a new companion. I also don't have a car anymore.  It's so weird because I have lived in the same house my whole mission and I have been in the same ward for the past 7½ months. Leaving my ward was the hardest thing ever! If I could have stayed in Hauula 2nd ward my whole mission I would have! They are the most amazing people ever and I am going to miss them so so much. I am now covering 2 YSA wards which is really weird. I was in YSA my first 6 weeks in the mission field but it's different this time because now I am serving on BYU-H campus. It has been such a big adjustment! Hauula 2nd ward covered about 1/3 of my mission boundaries and most the people in my area werent members so we always had lots of work to do. Now my ward consists of 3 student apartment buildings and all of them are members. I know it just takes some adjusting but right now I feel very unproduc...

This week consisted of lots of member meets which is awesome because I love the members in Hauula 2nd ward so much!  BYU-H was putting on a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and President Bassett told all the missionaries that we could go if it worked within our schedule. Obviously we made it work in our schedule. It was so fun, and all the students did so good! When I first type in the the name of the musical it auto corrected to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat. After seeing the play I think both titles are pretty accurate. My friend at our online teaching center, Nickola, is amazing! She has so many questions and we have recently started studying the Book of Mormon together. Right now we have been focusing on ways to find peace in our lives through Jesus Christ. If anyone has any FIRE scripture verses or chapters in the Book of Mormon on peace they want to share with me you would really be helping a girl out. I read the Book of Mormon in...

I hit my 9 months on monday:) Crazy that it has been that long! It feels like it has only been a couple months but it also feels like it has been years since I have seen my family. Something that is super unique about the Laie Hawaii Mission is that all the Sisters that serve here get to serve together at the Visitors Center their whole mission so we all get really close. Last week they announced that they are taking 8 of the sisters and sending them to the Hawaii Honolulu Mission permanently. Everyone is so sad they are leaving but we are also very excited for them and the people they get to help. One of the Sisters leaving is Sister Ko, my companion right now:( It was Ben's and my Dad's birthdays this week so I got to call them twice which was so fun! Really nothing happened this week besides that Oh we did go bowling today and I crushed it! Marie you would be so proud of me:))  A scripture I have been loving this week is 3 Nephi 18:24 "Therefore, hold up your light that...

So I am not officially at 9 months yet but today is my half way point:) I have been a missionary for 286 days and I get to be a missionary for 286 more These past 2 weeks have been slow, lots of appointments fell through and not much success at our teaching center or visitors center. We went to the temple this week to do Endowments. I just love the temple! God is great! He has made it possible for us to have a place to do the work for people that have already died. That is just so awesome to me that He loves everyone SOO MUCH that he wants everyone to have the opportunity to live with Him again, even if you didn't learn about His gospel in this life. In 2 Nephi it says "he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him". If you have the opportunity to go to the Temple this week, take it:) I promise you that you that you will find strength from your ancestors that you are helping Basically that is all that happened th...

The Visitors Center carpets were being cleaned this week so we had to walk around barefoot our whole shift. I think I have grown accustomed to taking my shoes off whenever I am inside so I thought it was so fun We had so many amazing lessons this week with our friends and our members The best part of my week was that my grandma is in town! I got to give a tram tour go my grandma, aunt/uncle, and cousin and it was so fun! I was shaking when I saw them cause I was so excited haha. I also got to go to dinner with them last night and my little cousin kept saying "in starving for ice cream!" So obviously we had to go get ice cream after so she wouldn't starve A kid from Kahuku, Iam Tongi, has made it into the top 3 finalists on American Idol and her is here on the north shore to film his home town. All the locals are going crazy showing there Kahuku pride At Zone Confrence this week we focused a lot on Obedience, Forgiveness, and Charity. These are 3 things that I have been pe...

I thought alot happened this week but as I am looking back through my journal basically nothing happened We started teaching a part member family this week. The parents are members but all their kids are unbaptized. There family is so sweet and I am so excited to teach the lessons to kids. Trying to find fun ways to teach kids is so hard but I am excited for the challenge. On exchanges this week I went into my STL'S area. It was so good! She gave me a lot of great advice on how to be a better missionary and a better companion:) While I was at the Polynesian Culture Center passing out tram reminder cards I got completely FRIED! I look like a tomato!  That is about all that happened but something that I was reading in my studies this week was Ether 6:7  "And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompa...

I felt so strongly that I was leaving the area but nope, I am staying in Hauula 2nd ward! I have grown so close to some of the members of this ward and I am so excited to be with them for another 6 weeks:) Kawehi got baptized this week! It was such a beautiful baptism and he was soo happy afterwards:) so many of his family members and ward members came to support him. When we were talking to him on Sunday after church he was holding his membership certificate and he was telling us that he was excited to take it home and frame it. We have gone over to his house a couple times since the baptism and everytime I talk to him he is just smiling soo big! People always talk about members having this glow to them and I honestly have never noticed it. Maybe it's because I have grown up in such a member populated area idk but when I see Kawehi he is radiating the light of christ and is shining so bright! I feel so blessed that God gave me this opportunity to help Kawehi grow his testimon...