Lake Shore 2

This week has been AWESOME! My new area is super cool. I mean it has been one of the dream places to go since the beginning of my mission in YSA, and it covers where I used to live, so I'm a little familiar with the area. Still trying to figure it out completely though because it doesn't have the same grid system as the South Side does, so it a little harder to find your way around. It's right off the lake though so super cold! 

My new companion is named Elder Christensen, and he's been out for 3 months so just finished training. (No more 12 week YESSS!!) He's from a place called Jerusalem, Utah which I didn't know existed and I don't think anybody else does either. It's like by Moroni, Utah which is another place nobody probably knows where it is. So he is yet another country boy companion I've had in the big city! He's super awesome, really great at talking to people, especially white people which I'm not good at because I just came from the South Side.

This area is way diverse and so I've been pumped to find a lot of people from Africa this last week! I can't help but want to talk to them a little more, even though God is no respecter of persons.

Since we're opening this area, we've been finding all day every day for the past week! No knocking doors because it's the city, so we hit the streets every day! And because we didn't really have a teaching pool, we did public transportation instead of riding bikes for the most part because we needed to talk to more people anyways. But we were stoked and blessed to find 10 new people to teach this week and now we kind of have a teaching pool! 2 of them are Nigerian, and 4 others are from Uganda and Ethiopia. It will be super cool to teach them!

Were also in a ward with another companionship who's actually a trio, but there are no boundaries so occasionally we'll see them street contacting. We went on exchanges with them last week and the problem is now they're starting to hit up some of our Hotspots to find a lot of good people haha! It's pretty legendary though!

Sorry it's a little short, this week was mostly just finding and next week we'll do a whole lot more finding because we are trying to get that teaching pool huge! Pray for the hearts of the people in Chicago to be prepared! Have an awesome week!

Elder Jensen 

Seeya Southside

Holy smokes! My time on the Southside has come to an end! I've been here for 5 transfers and have grown to love this place so much!

We got our transfer calls yesterday and I will be leaving to the Lakeshore 2nd ward which is straight up to the Northside of Chicago! Still in the city, still on bikes (thank goodness because parking is terrible up there). I'm going back to the zone that I started out my mission at and I've even been on exchanges to this area before! Still a zone leader as well. I'm super pumped!

The last week of this transfer has been absolutely legendary. It has gotten extra COLD this week. Like its 3 degrees right now with a wind-chill making it like - 13 degrees. So we rode the bikes as long as we could but frozen snow and more flats made us have to call it quits for the past few days.

We were able to do exchanges with the Assistants this week which was super fun, Elder Van Tassell, one of my past companions, came down here with me. It was super fun, we had an incredible day on the bikes, went in for an appointment at 4:00 pm and came out to find an inch of snow on the ground. Right before an appointment 3 miles away... So we biked in some gnarly snow and as we were going there was snow dumping from the sky, and of course my companion took his bus card again so we didn't have a bus pass haha. By the end of the night there was probably like 5 inches on the ground and somehow we got 2 flats, so we had to tap out and scramble 2.50$ to hit the bus part of the way back, and then walk. It was SO MUCH FUN! We got to see all the recent converts we baptized together, and it was pretty cool to say goodbye to all of them and of course eat a lot of Nigerian food. 

Darlene has been hearing all the stories about the Nigerians feeding us and she has also wanted to feed us so bad, but always says "if I cook I'll kill you!" so this week she got us a pizza and we had probably the most normal member meal I've ever had here on the Southside haha. It was super legendary and lots of fun! 

Other than that we've been doing the usual finding, teaching, and soon baptizing. One of the families we found is progressing really well and will be baptized by the end of February. We're super excited for them! 

I'm going to cut it short this week, but I hope everyone's week is phenomenal! 

Elder Jensen 

Pics:

Gabriel and Ronke 

Darlene's BOM 

EJ the wannabe thug and I 

Bisola and Eniola 

Snow biking 

District pics 

Blizzard Biking

This was probably one of the most legendary weeks in my mission!

We started off going on exchanges with another one of the district leaders, Elder Sloan. He is serving directly down south like 100 blocks in the Morgan Park ward, still sketchy, but a little more suburbia and is kinda out of the city into the sketch south suburbs a bit. Super sick area! Elder Sloan is my man! He came on his mission at the age of 20 and he played basketball in college and is seriously such a beast. He dunks on us every single pday but sure makes you feel like you're good at basketball if you're on his team haha! Super cool though that day because we still got to knock doors because it's suburbish, but still kinda like the South Side.

This week we also had another exchange because our district leader wanted to do one in Englewood, so he came here and I went to South Shore. I've been on like 7 exchanges this transfer and have left every time! So Elder Heffner knows the area now like a pro! After that exchange we switched back in the morning and made a big breakfast because it was Elder Heffner's birthday! It was a straight fire day until the entire day rained and we got completely soaked. Another missionary in the district lost his bus pass and so we lent him mine and were stuck with only bikes this week, which is what we do anyway, but holy smokes we had some gnarly weather.

On Elder Heffner's birthday we were riding back from the Lowe building and got completely soaked, like from head to toe. COVERED in road grime. It was CRAZY AWESOME! Riding in the rain is wild! But then the next day it got even more intense! The day was another rainy one, but we were slammed busy in the Lowe building for most of the day and once we came outside at night, we saw the wind going crazy, the snow everywhere on the ground, and the snow still coming down pretty much sideways because of the crazy wind. So because we had no bus pass, we proceeded to bike home in it! The side roads were crazy slipper but the main ones were OK for the most part! It was crazy! Elder Heffner only biffed it on the very last turn home. If was pretty fun actually biking in snow, who would've thought!

We had some awesome miracles this week. On Friday we were walking out of the Lowe building when we saw one of our recent converts, David Rotimi, who just got baptized in December! We were kinda confused to see him because he moved out, but he told us he was by to visit a friend. We decided to follow him to meet his friend in the building, and he ended up introducing us to A FAMILY OF FOUR! The family included a single mom, whose name is Bisola, and her three teenage kids who are already good friends with some other members in the building. We taught them a lesson and they already came to church this weekend. They are so solid! Super pumped we found two new families and we have some pretty awesome individuals we're working with too. The Lowe building has been one of the most interesting and incredible ways of finding I've been able to be a part of in my mission. You see a Nigerian recent convert in there and they're visiting a friend? FOLLOW THEM! As weird as if sounds it has almost always resulted in a solid new person for us to teach.

This will probably be my last week in Englewood, I've been here for over 7 months now and am pumped to see some last week miracles here! Everyone have an awesome week!

Elder Jensen 

Chicago in 2020

This week was another great one! We had MLC out in Naperville so I got to go on a double exchange with the other  zone leader. MLC's are going to be crazy until the burst of new missionaries slow down because the split ZL's have to get together for the MLC and then prepare a zone meeting the next day, which has been pretty legendary. Our zone meeting went super well and we're super pumped for the month of January! 

I also was able to go on an exchange with one of the district leaders out in Westchester, it's like part suburbs part not. Super cool area! You still knock doors but there are SO MANY PEOPLE!!! it's like the most condensed suburb I've ever seen. We also both had ingrown toenails so we set up for a surgery a while back and the deed has been done! Probably one of the goofiest sets of missionaries you could ever see, both tracting with some bloody toes. But we found some awesome people! It was a great time. 

This Sunday was legendary. Ever since we've been on the bikes, we've seen a lot of success biking to the Lowe building early on Sunday mornings and trying to get everyone to wake up and come to church, and then we can even ride the bus with them if they're willing to come. This Sunday however at first it seemed that nobody was answering, and it was pretty disappointing. When we got to church there was a new Nigerian family there, and we went and talked to them and they just happen to live in the Lowe building! It turns out they were friends of one of the recent convert families in the lowe building and were invited to church! We were able to set up an appointment with them for this next week and were so pumped!

This transfer will probably be my last here and there isn't going to be another baptism till after transfers, so my number one goal was for Elder Heffner and I to find a new Nigerian family for him and his next companion to baptize! And it looks like we may have just found them! They told us they want to start coming to church more regularly and we'll get to start visiting them! 

Also one of the people we were teaching woke up at 3:30 am to get ready for church haha so we're super pumped about her as well! Super good times! 

At church in Sunday school for the recent converts and investigators they had us all introduce themselves and something they wanted to do for the new years so I said in yoruba "my name is elder Jensen (orukomi Alagba Jensen) and all the Nigerian recent converts started freaking out it was so funny haha and then all the missionaries said their new years resolution was to eat more Pounded yam, fufu, and Jolloff rice. So we're all in haha. 

Our recent convert friend Gabriel told us a couple weeks ago at church that he wanted to host all of the elders at his house, so this Sunday we did just that! He made us a huge lunch of Nigerian food (and went soft on the spice what a homie). He thought it was so awesome to have all of us there that he had all the missionaries pray over the food. 

Also this week we got to stop by the Rotimi's after church which was legendary because they just had their new baby boy! They said they were having a "christening party" right before transfers and we had to come and eat their food haha. 

Hope everyone has an awesome week! 

Elder Jensen 

Flat Christmas

This was probably the most memorable Christmas of my entire life! This will be one I'll never forget and it was the best mission Christmas I've had so far. Christmas Eve was a crazy day. We had several lessons on Christmas Eve and Christmas day because the Nigerian community gets work off, and they are super down to have us come by! On Christmas Eve we got a flat tire, fixed it, got another one, fixed it and got to our appointment late, and then got another one!

At this point we had to cancel our lesson because there was no way we'd make it, and we were going to play Santa Claus and bring some Nigerian members some gifts donated by the ward members. We had to have the other elders drop us off at the Lowe building, with flat bikes. We stored the gifts at Darlene's house so the kids wouldn't be able to find them, and grabbed them on Christmas Eve and dropped them off at about 9:00 pm when they were all asleep so they wouldn't see that it was us. Then we had to book it home to try and make it home on time with flat bikes, we just stuffed them on the bus and tried to get home -- super cool Christmas Eve.

I don't think I'd ever imagine myself in the middle of the Southside of Chicago, with flat bikes and listening to the few Christmas jams I have on my phone waiting to get home. I literally have never been happier. It was an awesome night! Elder Heffner and I got home and went to sleep, woke up early on Christmas morning to go on a morning jog to the other elder’s apartment to borrow some tubes and patches to get through the day. Luckily the weather was awesome those two days! Christmas Eve was actually crazy! Lots of people were out and about and there were sirens like all night. There must have been lots of wild stuff going on! Either way it was the best Christmas Eve of all time!

On Christmas day we fixed our bikes and rode to the bishop’s house for a breakfast and then to the church for district council. All the elders got together and went to the Lowe building and sang to a few recent converts and they loved it even though we sounded awful haha!

That evening Elder Heffner and I went to a recent convert’s house named Virgie, and she made us a Christmas feast! She made Greens, dressing, (I guess that's what African American people call stuffing) ham, Sweet potato pie, red velvet cake, and she insisted we eat all of it. We were stuffed full after and then had to jet to another appointment like 6 miles away. We rode there super-fast and it was awesome. But when we walked in, the Nigerian family we were visiting who is in our ward, put a massive ice chest full of rice on the table and said that all of the elders were not leaving until we had finished it. Elder Heffner and I were already stuffed and could not contribute more than a couple spoonfuls of rice, and the other elders there on their own haha.

When we were all about to burst and had no hope left, we realized we had probably only eaten 1/8 of the rice given to us, we ran out to the car, grabbed a big garbage bag and hid it on our laps. We put probably 3 pounds of rice into this garbage bag and stuffed it in my massive bag pack when nobody was looking haha! AND THEY STILL GAVE US A MASSIVE PLATTER TO GO! Good thing I'm in a bike area or else I would literally be huge. The portion sizes are unreal haha. It was pretty good though.

That night we started an exchange with a district leader Elder Noble and I went to south shore with him which is a super sick place and they do a lot of contacting right by this African store so we hit that place up and got some new Nigerian people to teach which was sick! It was a super good day with lots of good finding.

The next day it was good to be back with Elder Heffner in our area, and it turns out while on the exchange they had gotten two more flat tires so I think we were having some major bad luck. One investigator in our teaching pool said we could come by and he offered us some food! So naturally we said yes even though we had just eaten lunch and biked and drank tons of water. He made white rice and chicken with pepper stew. This pepper stew officially broke the record for the hottest thing I have eaten in my time here, and in my entire life. It was so hot we were sweating, coughing, snotting up and we're even crying if we shut our mouth haha. We were breathing heavy this stuff was HOT! But we were able to put it all down and teach the lesson with red faces.

The funniest part was when we hopped on the elevator after; we went down one floor before Elder Heffner grabbed my arm and pulled me off, and the proceeded to throw up everywhere on floor 19. One of our formers we were teaching saw us and let us use his bathroom to clean up and stuff, but poor Elder Heffner is still trying to adjust to the spice haha! Good times.

On Saturday night one of my old companions Elder Dodson came to visit the mission and took us out to grab some Giordano’s pizza which was legendary! His mom was a little paranoid to be on the south side at night, but I had no fears in the world as we were right by the church in Hyde Park, the nicest part of our ward boundaries. It is actually in the sister’s area because it's so nice! Then the people next to us proceeded to start screaming at each other and beating each other up until the manager screamed at them and chased them out, and called the police. It was pretty sad that my past comps family had to feel endangered, but at least they got to experience the south side! And it was great pizza!

That's about it for our week, we got another flat on Sunday on the way to church but we're able to make it. Got soaked on the bike and I've been loving every minute of it!

Hope everyone has an absolutely amazing week!

Elder Jensen

PICS:

Virgie feast 

Hood hotel  

Edibo family presents and tree

Being Santa on Christmas Eve 

Christmas morning jog

Infinite Jolloff Rice 

We Finna Have a Black Christmas

I really don't get the weather in this place and I don't think I ever will haha. This week started out way cold, like 10-20 degrees but now all sudden were in the 40-50s again which I'm OK with because it feels great to bike in! We had some polar biking days this week which was pretty cool! (Literally)

This week was awesome! I love being with Elder Heffner, he loves to bike in whatever weather and it's been making us get around so much faster than with the slow bus. We put on a lot of miles this week and my legs could be huge soon!!! Also we fixed my brakes this week so now I have less of a chance of not running into traffic!!

This week we had our Christmas zone conference which was super awesome and spirit led. There is nothing better than seeing the energy to get missionaries going even though the cold and dark is coming. To prepare for zone conference I went on an exchange with the other zone leader Elder Shupe to the west side, a glorious land where 13 people got shot two nights ago (and that was in the nice part?! Pray for Chicago and the cursed land of Illinois, they killed a prophet so it’s their fault) but it was pretty legendary we got to have a great time. 

The family we baptized last week the Rotimi's moved from out of our area to the other Elder’s area, and we helped them get everything done. They were super happy to get out of the Lowe building with 22 floors and elevators always breaking down and bug infested (yup that's my prime proselyting place the good ol Lowe building). They still live in the ward which is way good and in a much better home and area.

It's been pretty incredible to see several of the families we've baptized in that slummy building have been able to move out and get a much nicer place in a much better neighborhood with way better schools and closer to the church. The Lord's blessings are real! It's going to be cool because I'll go on an exchange there this next week and go do a lesson in their new place.

That's pretty much all that happened this week, excited for Christmas and blessed to be here with the best of people! Everyone stay blessed these holidays and have a Merry Christmas!

-Elder Jensen

Covenants Made, Elder Jensen Stayed

I'm so pumped that I get to stay here another transfer. For so many reasons!

First off, Elder Heffner is the man! He is actually like the next level super human generation of missionary. And this man likes to bike like me so we've been on the bikes every day this week! Polar biking!!!!!!!!! It's super awesome! He's from Susanville California and has only been out for 6 weeks so I'm kinda like his second trainer, but in all reality he is training me and is going to make this place his own.

This week has been kinda stressful because we were preparing for the baptisms this week, but everything went well and I know prayers from family and friends helped everything go smoothly!! Crazy tender mercies! One of the coolest things is our mission president was able to come to the Lowe building on Wednesday and interview the Rotimi Family for baptism! They passed with flying colors and it turns out that David and Yetunde did a hotel business back in Nigeria and that's what president does! So that was pretty sick and it was cool to take president around in Englewood and in the Lowe building.

Our District leader Elder Noble was able to come and interview Gabriel, Ronke, and Joseph as well which was awesome because it's always legendary to have 4 missionaries at once in the Lowe building.

I was able to interview the people in the DL's area and their names are Bola and Estonia and they are also super awesome! We had a super great Nigerian baptism! 7 people in the Hyde Park Ward Got baptized and 8 people in the Chicago stake! Our zone crushed the goal we set for December and are still looking good for the next few weeks! It's going to be a white Christmas for Chicago!!!! (Except kinda a black Christmas because we don't really have a lot of white people we're teaching)

Anyway, we no longer really have anyone we're teaching solidly so it's time to hit the find grind again and find some more people!!! We're pumped to get this place booming again and are trying to find some more Nigerian families!

Hope everyone has an amazing week! Invite as many people as possible to church next week cause it's going to be legendary!!

Elder Jensen 

1. Abiola family (Recent converts from like 3 months ago)

2. Ronke baptism

3. Gabriel baptism

4. Rotimi family baptism

5. Bola and Estonia