I'm drawing a blank on the witty subject line.
September 18, 2018
Welp! That is one more transfer taken care of. It goes by a lot faster when you randomly switch companions halfway through. That being said, here's some transfer news!
- Elder Browning has left and I'm currently waiting for my new companion, Elder Harris.
- Elder Harris is fresh out of his training.
- This transfer will only be 5 weeks for some reason.
- I only have 5 weeks left in Andorra because missionaries can't be there for longer than 2 transfers.
- I get to teach yet another missionary the area.
- This will be companion #12 in "the field".
- Every companionship in our district has a new companion.
- All of the sisters who were in my group go home today
So yeah! Elder Browning left. I mean, his residency is expired and he doesn't have a valid driver's license, so it was kind of necessary. I've been holding my breath when crossing the border (which we do quite frequently) for weeks now. It will be nice to not have to sweat it with someone newer in the mission that still has valid documents. I don't really know anything about him, so this will be a fun learning experience. The two and a half hour-long car trip to our area should be a good ice breaker.
This week was pretty chill. I drove a lot. We spent a larger part of our P-day afternoon hanging out with the youth of the branch, playing Uno. It was fun, but also draining. Spanish speakers make so much noise. Especially when the average age of the people in the room is 17.
On Tuesday we did not have District Meeting because it was moved to Wednesday, so everything felt a little off. We went around visiting different less-active members on a list that we have, trying to get in contact with them and see what's up.
Wednesday, we drove on down to Lleida for district meeting, and after lunch I drove back up with Elder Willden for a companionship exchange. We met with a recent convert that evening and went over The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Her name is Jhoselin and I believe that I have mentioned her before. She's doing well. Just trying to live the life of a moral teenager in one of the most immoral parts of the planet.
Thursday morning was spent filling out the mountain of paperwork that is required by this mission for an exchange report. I've really come to appreciate simplicity since this mission change. I've also grown much more sarcastic. Probably not the greatest thing but *shrug* whatcha-gonna-do? We drove back in time for lunch, then I drove alll the way back to Andorra with Elder Browning. Ya boy Abdiel couldn't meet, but we were able to have a nice dinner visit with the Sweetwoods. The Sweetwoods are an American family consisting of a mom and her son. They just moved up here from San Diego and they're really nice! I ate macaroni and cheese (homemade) for the first time in over a year and a half. With them in the Andorra group, we have more English-speakers than Spanish-speakers at church. Funny how that works out.
Friday was pretty full! We had our weekly planning in the morning and in the evening we had our first session of English classes with the youth of the branch. It went well, but once again, very loud. We then had a little activity with some members in Andorra in the house of a member named Carmen. She's a little crazy and unique, but she has a big heart and we all love her for it.
Saturday twas pretty full as well. We helped clean the chapel in the morning and helped out Pájaro with a spiritual dilemma. Stay strong after your missions, kids. Anywho, after that we ate lunch, studied, then headed right back on over to the chapel for a lesson that ended up not happening because the lady stood us up. Our evening was pleasant as we drove up to La Massana in Andorra and visited Isabella's home. Home is an understatement. Her mother is a lawyer and her German step-dad works in banking. The place had at least five levels. Her parents were very nice and we actually ended up eating dinner together. Before eating, Elder Browning and I explained the Restoration of the Gospel because 1) we already agreed to go over the lessons with Isabella again to help her get down the basic doctrine of the Church, and 2) to let her parents know what kind of stuff we're teaching their daughter and let them know a little bit about where we come from and what we believe. It went well! Her parents were very respectful and nice about it, but probably not too interested in it for themselves. After dinner, we moved a mattress down to the basement for them. The step-dad speaks English and Spanish, and her mom primarily speaks Spanish, and we went back and forth between the two languages frequently throughout the evening. It was fun! That evening we received the transfer call letting us know that Elder Browning was heading out and Elder Harris was moving in.
Sunday had another solid set of church meetings, and Elder Browning was able to get all packed up....not too much more to say about that, sooo that was the week more or less.
Now for a sec, I would just like to draw your attention toward the link that I have shared down below:
This is a link to the most recent Face to Face that covered certain topics of Church History and it impressed me a lot. On top of that, the Church has come out with a history narrative of the modern-day Church called Saints and I would highly recommend it to everyone. It's available on the Gospel Library app and there's hard copies available somewhere, but anyway it's really good and it has a great way of grabbing your attention and holding it until you suddenly realize that you've read three chapters when you meant to finish a sentence. This book, while not a replacement to what I've been studying, has been a great source of nourishment for my knowledge of how the Church began in this last dispensation. It's real, and honest, and really helps you see just how much those first saints had to sacrifice and make do with to take those vital steps to establish Zion. Do yourself a favor and look into it.
I know that this is the true church of God. I know that He has called a prophet to lead His children through these trying latter days. Your Heavenly Father loves you and knows that you can overcome any challenge that comes your way through faith, obedience, and the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
I hope all goes well over the next couple of days. Until next time!
Elder Jensen :)
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