This last week has
been pretty awesome. First off remember those ring bells that have cameras on
them? So I decided to stop earth bending when people didn't answer because
yeah, they definitely film you. So I took a new approach! Now whenever people don't answer the door, I
just get right in front of the camera and say something like "after
centuries of being lost, original truths have been restored by a loving God
through a living prophet. We have evidence of this that you can hold in your
hands, read, ponder and pray about for yourself!" Then I hold the Book of Mormon
and just say "comeuntochrist.org."
Well, Elder Dodson
thought it was funny for the first few times but then he just thought it was
pretty stupid. So I do this every time, contacting the world one doorbell at a
time. Well finally Elder Dodson does it. He's seen me do it a million times and
finally decides to do it himself and says, "Correct principles of
salvation. Comeuntochrist.org." So we continued knocking the street until
we came to the other side and this lady comes out and was like "Don't you
respect NO soliciting signs?" We said, "No, we are not selling
anything" and she was like "I saw you on my ring bell. What do I have
to do so you don't come back?" She did not think it was very funny haha.
The first response from his first doorbell contact! My boy Elder Dodson is
going to be a doorbell contacting wizard!
We also we're able to
go on exchanges with the Spanish Elders which was pretty unique since I
literally do not know a lick of Spanish, so my man Elder Tu'avao had to teach
all the lessons mostly on his own that day. But whenever I saw a white or black
person you know I was running after them. Now I know what it's like to be a
language missionary I guess haha. I got to ride a bike that day that had no
brakes and my comp for the day was like "Oh yeah we use our shoes as our
brakes, forgot to warn you." Still alive and definitely almost got hit by
cars at least three times. Thank goodness for helmets. Anyway, after the
exchange was over we hit up this Mexican ice cream place which had Mexican Twinkie
(called Gansito) ice cream which was legendary. Like probably just as good as Coldstone.
So that day was pretty awesome. I love riding bikes!
We also had zone
conference. This was President Bingham's last one and it was absolutely
phenomenal. Talked a lot about pre-earth life and what it means for our
missionary purpose and also about how to stay active for the rest of our lives.
Mind is always blown with that man as my teacher, he will be missed. But also
we have one more MLC with him so we are extremely blessed and excited!!
Also we were tracting
this week in Naperville and we road our bikes to the area we were going. There
was this group of kids outside, they kept following us around. We talked to
them and asked them about summer, if they're happy school was out, what sports
they like to play, etc. One girl said she liked to do gymnastics and showed us
she could do the splits, so naturally I did a backflip and all the little kids
started freaking out. Then after we finished knocking the neighborhood we grabbed
our bikes and Elder Dodson was like "You all wanna have a bike
race!?" They were all super pumped so we had a race on the little court
they lived in and then they were like "When are you coming back?" Well,
only one family said we could come back and their kids were outside playing and
so we told all the kids we were going back to teach those kids’ family and
those kids looked so smug. All the other kids were like "Why aren't you
coming back to teach my family?" So I'm pretty sure like half the kids are
going to try and convince their moms to let us come back and teach them haha.
Jesus taught the children, so we are too haha. What a diverse place though! There was a Russian kid, an Indian kid (there
are so many Indians here if I haven't mentioned that already), two African
American kids, some white kids, Lithuanian kid, etc. It was pretty awesome! We’re
excited to go back and teach that family!
That's about it for my
week! I had a few thoughts from zone conference and also many of my studies.
President Bingham gave us a poem he wrote called "saved by grace"
which literally threw down. It was legendary. I've talked to several people who
tell me they're saved by grace and my studies this week really dived deeper
into that. I found myself jumping around in the scriptures. As I was reading in
Mosiah 4:2 I noticed it said "apply" the atoning blood of Christ.
Thought it was interesting that it said "apply" and not
"accept."
I also read a bunch
from 2 Nephi 2 and Moses 4. Something that really hit me hard in Moses 4 was in
verse 1 when Satan says "I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall
not be lost." As we all know Satan's plan required no opposition and no
consequences. We would all be saved, but where would be the growth? The
infinite divine potential we all have in ourselves? The power of the Atonement
of Jesus Christ needs to be applied. Not just accepted. Satan's plan was to
have us saved; Christ's plan was to let us choose to become something.
I'm grateful for the
chance we have opposition in all things that gives us the chance to exercise
our agency, the chance to "apply" the atonement of Jesus Christ, the
chance to not only be saved but to become something. In the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints we don't just stop and be happy at the fact that
we're saved, but we try to show we're grateful by becoming what God would want
to have us to become. The church is true. The gospel of Jesus Christ makes us,
the children of God, of infinite worth with divine potential. I'm grateful for
Jesus Christ and the role He plays in my life!
Well I hope everyone
has an amazing week!
Love, Elder
Jensen
1. Legendary ice cream
2. My old comp at Zone Conference (Elder Jensen) and we just happened to be wearing the same ties
3. Me and my current
comp, Elder Dodson
4. Missionaries trying
to teach the people of Naperville like:
5. $
6. Neighborhood squad
7. A dope bird’s nest
8. Saved by grace
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