Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Transfer time - it's happening

Hi Mom!!!
I absolutely love your owl pillow!!! Thank you for sharing the picture as well as the story about Mandy. That is so encouraging to hear, but I am little confused because no one told me that Mandy was moving to AZ.... I just started reading Mandy's letter and all of a sudden I read that she was moving. Exciting... but weird. So I guess I have big news too. I am being transferred!!! Actually, our area Evergreen is being combined with another ward, because we will be losing about 50 missionaries within the next few transfers, so we are being taken out of the area. I am kind of sad to be leaving Sister Peters and the people that I have grown fond to, but I am excited for the new possibilities of serving in a new area. This week has brought forth a lot of hard work and trying to prepare our area for the new missionaries. We have seen a lot of miracles, and I am excited to hear about what happens to my little Evergreen area. Thank you for the package!!! I have worn both of the Thermal bottoms already, (because I got my package on Friday), and I have given out many of the rings and silly bands!!! Today I get to go to the Calgary temple!!! I am excited to spend sometime in the house of the Lord. How is the Phoenix temple? You said that it was the second most beautiful temple that you have ever seen next to the Ogden temple (which I am excited to go through).
I love you so much and can't wait to tell you all about my new experiences. I will be giving a letter to Sister Gardner to put in the mail when she gets home (because she lives in Mesa), so hopefully you will get that soon. I must say that I have never been so calm about transfers or about doing this work. I can feel my love for the gospel growing, and I hope that that will continue in an upward motion until I get home, and then to continue to grow when I am back. Let me know how the move is going for Mandy. I will be praying for her!!! Also... I would like another skirt... but only after you have made one or two for yourself :). I love you lots!!!

Sister Kelliann Jensen 

Good Morning to all of my lovely family and friends!!!

Sorry if I forgot to mention last week that this week is transfer week and that I wouldn't be emailing until today!! I always seem to forget something when I am emailing home :). Any who... it really is crazy what a difference a week can make! (Crazy news to follow....)
So to start off I guess I will just break the news. Last Thursday we got a call... from the Assistants to President.... on a Thursday.... which would normally mean that I would be training... however that was not the case. I was sitting in our apartment filing things into a binder when Sister Gardner looked down at the phone and noticed we had a missed call from the Assistants. She looked over at me, threw me the phone excitedly, and I nervously called them back. Of course they didn't answer, but I promptly left a message and began waiting. About 5 minutes later they called back and told me news that I didn't expect.... They are going to be combining our area with another area and ward, so I am leaving this area and they are taking missionaries out of Sister Peters’ house. :(.  Although at first I was rather sad, the idea that I could be going anywhere, but that I still had a week in my first area left, drove me to really work hard this week. Now this left me trying to decide if I would be going South or staying North in the field..... and this morning I got on my email I saw that I will be staying North in Calgary!!! I still don't know where I am going or who my new companion will be, but I am excited to see the new opportunities that await.

Now, back to Evergreen!!! It is really cool to see the will of the Lord pan out. After we found out on Thursday, nearly every one of our appointments with new potentials fell through, and we really only had two lessons with Janet and Doug. Janet is still progressing, and we pray that as she is transferred over to the new missionaries that she will continue on the path that will lead her to Jesus Christ. The really cool thing about all of this is that as we have been preparing our area for the change, we have had the chance to do a lot of finding and tracting. We have found a lot of people that would be willing to have missionaries come back, as well as given away many copies of the Book of Mormon. Our area seems to be getting prepared for this change, and it has been a pretty great week seeing the hand of the Lord in the lives of those around us. Stay tuned to find out where I end up and who I will be with.

Because of the changes coming up, and Sister Gardner going home this Friday, this Sunday I gave my first talk in church since I have been out. It was a really neat experience to be able to use my new skills and the assistance of the spirit to give my talk. As ward missionaries, (four of us spoke), we decided to base all of our talks on the hymn "Because I have been given much". Originally, I wasn't going to speak this week, but would wait until I got my new companion, however when we received the news Sister Gardner asked me to speak in her place. The really cool thing about this was that I have been receiving inspiration for my talk since the day before, and then when she asked me, everything seemed to fall into place. I based my talk on the line "I cannot see another's lack and I not share, MY GLOWING FIRE". I talked a lot about being a light and a beacon, letting God work within us, and letting our trials mold us into stronger fires that bring hope and light to others. As I have been out, one of my favorite scriptures has quickly become Ether 2:24-25 which says
 24 For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea; for the mountain waves shall dash upon you. Nevertheless, I will bring you up again out of the depths of the sea; for the winds have gone forth out of my mouth, and also the rains and the floods have I sent forth.
 25 And behold, I prepare you against these things; for ye cannot cross this great deep save I prepare you against the waves of the sea, and the winds which have gone forth, and the floods which shall come. Therefore what will ye that I should prepare for you that ye may have light when ye are swallowed up in the depths of the sea?
I am excited to see what this new transfer brings and how I can bless other people with the strength that I have received from my Father in Heaven. I know that He knows each of us personally, and He wants us to align our will with His, that we may be able to grow and receive the blessing that we need in order to become the best people that we can. When the winds come, I encourage you to ask your Father in Heaven how you can see these winds as blessings, and ask for the strength that you need to overcome. I love you all so much and will let you know what is going on next week. Have a great week.

Love you for Always,
Sister Kelliann Jensen

Hi Dad,

It really does seem like I am not going to able to recognize that house when I get home, haha. However, as long as the people that I love are still there, that makes all of the difference. It sounds like things have really been going well at home. Mom told me that Mandy had a cool experience with prayer and that they are moving to AZ??? Wow... I am excited to see how that goes. I have been really blessed to not get sick since I have been out. Actually, my lactose intolerance hasn't seemed to be bothering me at all since I have been out. I bet you when I get home it will return, but until then I am glad for the relief now.  I still try my hardest to avoid things that could potentially upset my stomach, but it is so nice to not really have to worry when a member forgets. I love you so much and I excited to tell you all about the exciting things that happen in my next area. I am being transferred; however I am staying in the North somewhere, so I won't be going to Cardston or Lethbridge. I love you lots!!!

Love Sister Kelliann Jensen






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