Photos from Madeira and Alverca

 

 

 

Ingrown Toenail

Well, these are the lovely picure of when I got my ingrown toenail on my mission. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't want anyone to get worried, but my toenail is all better now and doesn't hurt at all. It was worth it because I have been struggling with the ingrown toenail for a long time. But all is well in Zion. Love, Elder Spencer Jensen

 

9-10-12

Dear Family, Well, We had transfers again today. I will be staying here in Alverca as zoneleader for my last transfer with an Elder Harvey. And my other comp will be going to the mission office. This week was a very busy week. We had to go to Lisbon about everyday and we had meetings with President and the stake president and then we had a mission conference. It was amazing, we had Elder Rasband from the Presidency of the Seventy and also Elder Richards, Elder Rocha and Elder Teixeira from the Seventy and also Bishop Causé from the Presiding Bishopric. It was a very spiritual experience and we learned a lot from them. We as the Lisbon zone leaders had to organize everything for the meeting but it was very cool. We learned a lot about missionary work and it was amazing how Elder Rasband followed revelation even during the meeting. We had a question and answer session with them about missionary work. Love, Elder Spencer Jensen

9-3-12

Dear Family, This week is going to be very busy for us. We have mission council tomorrow and then Saturday a bunch of General Authorities will be visiting Portugal and they are going to have a private conference with the missionaries and we have to clean the chapel that it will be in because it is part of my zone. But it will be very cool and then on Sunday there will be a big conference with two stakes and one distict. it will be a very busy week. We have been teaching a family that we found and they are very cool. We had a lesson with them last night and they were very open to the message and they have a lot of potenital and they have been to church before. But I would like to see them baptized before I go home. But other than that we only have a few weak investigators, but I am trying to do my very best and use all the knowledge that I have gained to help the people in Alverca. We had a vbery interwsting experience this week. We had to go to another area all of a sudden to do a baptismal interview. So, we were getting onto the subway and this man starts talking to us and asks us how to get to a certain place,l which just so happens was the place that we were going to. So, we talked to him and found out that he already knew the Church and stuff like that and that he was from Vila Real. So, I got suspicious because he kept asking about the sisters and I remembered that there was a stalker from Vila Real and liked the sisters. So, he told us that on Sunday he would visit the ward where certain sisters were in my zone and that he had a surprise then we said we would be there too and he got real nervous and started to ask a lot of questions. So, we told the sisters after we got off and then we called President and he told us to go to their church on Sunday and that he had already talked to this man before and that they had worked out a deal where he wasn´t allowed to talk to the sisters and if he was interested in the Church he needed to talk to the stake president in Porto. So, my comp and I went there and he was there and we made sure he didn´t talk to the sisters too much and then after the meetings and what not we took him aside and told him that he wasn´t allowed to talk to or go to any ward in Portugal where there are sisters and that he needed to leave and go back to Vila Real and we told him we talked to our mission presdient and he got really aggitated and told us that we had ruined everything and that it was all our fault and that he didn't go there to do anything wrong. And then he just got up and left. It was pretty funny. And by the way, this guy is about as tall as Mom and skinnier than Ali haha. But he somehow got our number and called us later and told us that we had ruined everything for him. But it was a funny story and the sisters were grateful that we had saved their lives haha. Love, Elder Spencer Jensen

8-6-12

Dear Family, Well, I got transferred to the mainland again. Now, I am zone leader of the Lisbon zone and my area is called Alverca. It is a very cool area and has a lot of people. I am getting used to walking and it has cause a couple blisters but nothing that I can't handle haha. My new comp is from Brazil, his name is Elder Costa. He is cool and only has nine months in the mission and he has a lot of fire to work. It will be good to help him and to also learn from him. Today we had mission council and Elder Teixeira, the Area President, came and gave us a training. He taught us about the power we can get from our calling and how being a good leader and a good missionary is learning to repent very quickly haha. And he also spoke about how we should focus on finding and baptizing families and that is what will help the Church grow in Portugal. I will have to write a letter with all that I have learned lately with President Fluckiger. He is an amazing teacher and has a huge knowledge of the Gospel. He has taught us a lot about the process of conversion and how that works. But things here are going great and I am going to put my best into the last few months that I have here in Alverca. Thanks for all you guys do for me. Love, Elder Spencer Jensen

7-30-12

Dear Family, So, this week was better than most. We marked a man named Sidónio for baptism. He is very cool and we found him sitting on his front steps one day and we decided to talk to him. We left him a Book of Mormon and he liked it a lot and he has a very strong testimony of its truthfulness. But he will be baptized this weekend, it will be very cool. Also, we have found a new neighborhood and it is very cool. All the people there love us and know who we are. Whenever we go there a ton of little kids run up to us and give us high fives and they all know our names haha it is very funny. It will be sad when I have to leave because of all the friendships that I have made here. But the Work is the part that I love the most. I have learned a lot since I have been out here, but I guess the most important thing I have learned is that the Book of Mormon really is true. With the reading and praying and seeing the effect it has on others, it has to be true. Thanks for everything. Love, Elder Spencer Jensen

7-17-12

Dear Family, This week was a pretty good week. We didn't aptize but we found a man that is very elect. His name is José. He is a very humble man and he is 73 years old I think. We were preaying for who we could baptize this weekend and I had the feeling that we would find the person taht day. But we decided on another person. Then that same day we were knocking doors in a neighborhood taht we just found and he let us into his house and we said a prayer with him and marked an appointment to come back the next day. So, we came back and taught the Restoration and asked him if he wanted to be baptized like Christ was and he said he would like that very much. It was a very cool experience and he came to Chruch and he loved it too and when we took him home from church we asked him if he wanted to be baptized this weekend and he said yes. It really was a miracle, he is a very humble man and knows a lot about the Bible eventhough he doesn´t have very much education. Yesterday we had zone conference and Pres Fluckiger came and we did a division with him afterwards and he came to a lesson with José and José said that he would like tobe like Jospeh Smith haha He is really prepared by the Lord to accept the Gospel. I will tell you all about his baptism. Thanks for all that you guys do for me. Love, Elder Spencer Jensen