Hello from Medicine Hat!

So sorry for not telling you last week that Pday was moved for this week to Tuesday here in Medicine Hat. President came down yesterday from Calgary for our last interviews with President before he and Sister Nicholas finish there mission on the 1st of July so our Pday was moved. Things have been going crazy in 5th ward. I am adjusting well and actually feel like I adjusted as soon as I got here, however that doesn't stop things from being a little crazy as the transfer begins!!!

Highlights of the Week!!!!

Did I tell you about #MayNiftyFifty??? As of the Beginning of May we as a mission had 30 people on date to be baptized and 100+ people considered progressing. As President Nicholas met with the leadership in our mission, the topic was discussed as to why the numbers of progressing towards baptism and on a baptism date didn't match. So President challenged us as a mission to put 50 people of date by the time the next Missionary Leadership counsel happens (which will be tomorrow). The first few weeks of this goal didn't really seem to get us anywhere, except that as we tried we noticed that in the numbers missionaries were truly considering whether or not an investigator was truly progressing to baptism. We had 29 on date the first week,  23 the next and 35 and 43 the last two weeks. As of yesterday our total numbers landed at 49 with two days to go!!!!!!

Here is our contribution to this goal. We had one investigator on date when I got here named Lori for June 26th. She is the sweetest lady and I am excited for this gospel to help her in her life. We also had two other progressing investigators named Kevin and Gerald. Kevin as of this week is no longer in investigator which was a sad moment that was very challenging to me and Sister Allard. It is really sad when the world steps in and takes it's effect on us.

That news aside, on Sunday neither Lori or Gerald could come to church, but we were able to get Gerald to come to bible study that night. It was a pretty good bible study (we actually taught it last week, I never thought that I would teach Bible Study... read Mark 10:13-27) about the parable of the Wheat and the Tares. Afterwards, Sister Allard and I talked to Gerald for a couple of minutes about his progression and how he feels. He told us that he has felt like this is where he needs to be but that he is scared... long story short we put Gerald on a baptismal date for July 25th!!!! On the last day in May!!!!!

Other Highlights...

So Medicine Hat really reminds me of Saint George, Utah. Not really in color but in size and the people. I have really enjoyed it, although it is weird to me to live in a city other the one that is the size of Calgary and Phoenix which are roughly the same size. Medicine Hat is about an hour away for both the Sashkatiwan (I have no idea how to spell that) boarder and also about an hour from the U.S boarder. Our area is very small compared to my other areas however about an hour outside of town is another part of our area call Manyberries. It is a very small town with maybe a population of 20 people, but on of our members lives out there. On Saturday about 35-40 members of our ward both adult and children went out to Manyberries so do a service project. We cleaned up the yard, weedwacked, hammered in some railroad stakes, took down a fence, moved some rocks and the biggest project was to paint there house. We had a great time painting that house which we almost finished. Even little kids got in on the job and we painted it a rusty red color (kind of like an old barn). I wish I had taken pictures but after about an hour the rain started sprinkling and I was already covered in paint (haha). It really did look nice though and we enjoyed a nice meal of hotdogs, watermelon, and Puffwheat squares. (For those of you who don't know what that is it is basically Honeysmacks cereal covered in gooey chocolate and cut into squares.

I have really enjoyed working in Medicine Hat. I feel like I am really learning how to rely on the Lord here, and it is so fun to be with Sister Allard and to watch her blossom into an even better missionary. She is so cute and I really love being able to teach her more English. Many times during the day she asks me what things mean and how to spell them (she might be asking the wrong person on that one...). This week we learned the word goo, gooey, and Leisure among other things. It is funny how things come up in conversation. My goal for this transfer and the rest of my mission is found in a talk by Elder Michael T. Ringwood from this past conference call "Truly Good and Without Guile" at the end of his talk he says "All I really want in life is to please my fathers—both earthly and heavenly—and to be more like Shiblon". I love you all so much and hope that you know how much I love you. I am so sorry for there past weeks and my lacking in writing... but I am still here and do still love you!!!! Today we will be moving to a new home. The members we live with now have had the missionaries for a little while, and so things are still as crazy as ever. I hope that you all have an amazing week!!!! 

Love Sister Kelliann Jensen 

Hi Dad;

Silly goose, but I guess I know exactly where I get it from because I can't even count the number of times that I have sent an email without finishing it. I can't believe that my video is that popular that they are showing it in Primary!!! I wish that I could tell Sister Kendrick haha!! It sounds like you are having a pretty eventful week this week. We will be moving today as well to a new members house. I can't tell you how excited I am that Mandy and Tyler will be living in Arizona when I get home. It is really amazing to me that I will be able to finally have a relationship with my siblings and my sister especially. How is Josh doing?? I heard from him last week! Tell Adelle that I love her and that I am so proud of her for making this choice to be baptized. We got to attend a stake baptism on Saturday after our scourge out to Manyberries and see 3 8 year olds be baptized. It was really a tender mercy because I am missing Adelle's baptism. I love you so much!!!

Sister Kelliann (p.s my ward hasn't figured out that I am musically talented yet... it is a new record... the difference of living in a more Mormon populated town).

Hi mom!!!

How was your flight to Utah??? Things are actually going the opposite of settling in until tonight, haha. We are moving tonight to a new members house so I had to repack (which I didn't actually even fully unpack) yesterday. It has been good living with the Saretskys. Brother Saretsky is not a members, but they have had the missionaries now for about 7 months. It is a thing in the Medicine Hat stake for the missionaries to live with members. The stake president really promotes it and I really enjoy the time that we have to spend with them. We will be moving to the Shaws tonight so that will be really fun to get to know more members!!! Sister Allard is seriously the cutest thing in the world. She tries to teach me French but I really am awful with the accent and the "air" (I have no idea what that means that is just what she calls it). I did learn all of my colors, numbers, and letters in Sign language with Sister Kendrick.

Thank you for praying for me to feel at home... it is kind of funny, there is this member in my ward named Brother Lawrence and all I can think of when I am with him is Danny. It really is funny and I think it is because of the testimony that he has and the true conversion to the gospel. Also Sister Allard and I both remind each other of our sisters. It does feel homey here I just have to get used to all of the changes and the difference in size. I am not really supposed to go onto google so I was wondering if you could tell me why it is called Medicine Hat?

We had our last interviews with President Nicholas yesterday (which is why my email is late) and he told me something that really hit me and that I hope with help you while you are with your mom. The Lord will never give us anything that we cannot handle nor are capable of. So those feelings of insecurity and worry... those don't come from Heavenly Father. So pray and know that as long as you are trying your best the Lord with consecrate your efforts. Have you thought about studying with Grandma?? I think that she would enjoy it if you could have an awesome spiritual conversation based on the Book of Mormon. I know that I really enjoy being able to have those with you. I love you so much and will be praying for you this week!! So sorry again for the cruddy emails lately. Sometimes as a missionary home just doesn't seem real so it can be hard to really get into them but I promise that I will do better. I love you so much!! Medicine Hat is definitely what I am more used to weather wise. It was about 30 degrees yesterday which come out to about 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Have a good week!! Say hi to Grandma for me!! Tell her I love her and that I am sorry for the lack of letters lately!!

Love Sister Kelliann