11 April 2011 Message

On Wednesday Maxine and I visited a less active family here in the Brockport Ward.  Their names are Sterling and Carma Mason.  They both have health problems which prevent them coming to church very often, but they still live the gospel.  As we visited with them and asked about their younger years and their family, Sterling said he grew up in Springville Utah and graduated from high school there in 1954.  As we talked more Sterling said he had an uncle who lived in Mapleton when he was younger, his name is Harold Barker, who all of our Jensen family know well.  Sterling said he used to go pick fruit for the Barkers, as did some of our Jensen family.  He is also related on his mother's side to Lela Averett, one of Tom Wilson's aunts.  He is also related to George Hone, one of Leo Hones’ sons.  He worked at the old Eddington Cannery in Springville before it was shut down.  When he graduated from Springville High School he went to BYU and graduated with a degree in math and statistics.  He spent most of his life working here in Rochester for Eastman Kodak Co. and he also taught evening classes in math and statistics at Rochester Institute of Technology.  He and his wife own 50 acres, mostly hardwood trees which they use for heating their home and they also have an old wood stove on which they cook, also using the wood to burn in the stove.  Their kitchen with the wood stove and an old round oak table reminded me of our Jensen home growing up.  They have a good sized patch of raspberries and do a lot of canning and food dehydrating for their home storage, including dehydrating their raspberries, they do it well enough that the raspberries look like they were just picked.  They did 10 bushel of apples last fall.  Sterling does resemble the Barker family look.  He said Richard Barker died last year, but Reed is still alive.  This was quite amazing that we come all the way to New York and find people with connections to our Mapleton and Springville growing up years.  Just thought I would share this with you.

Also on Thursday evening the Rochester Stake High Priest Quorum had their annual High Priest Quorum meeting in the Palmyra Church 1/4 mile from the Palmyra Temple; then following the meeting we went to the temple and all participated in doing temple ordinances.  The 2nd Counselor in the Stake Presidency is a son of Gerald and Neva Hutchings who are Jay and Lonnie's close friends, he came to me and introduced himself, another small world experience.  Of course I recognize that these experiences come about by divine design, not by coincidence.

We also visited with a Sister Dumont who has not been active for years.  She has some health problems which prevent her from attending church meetings.  In visiting with her I think she really never got a testimony of the gospel when she was baptized.  She said she was baptized as a teenager because her mother told her she should join a church; and she chose the LDS church.  She was taught the discussions, the Anderson plan version, but she does not have much knowledge of the church.  Brother Davis, the High Priest Group Leader in the ward was Bishop when she asked him to marry her to the person she chose to marry.  They had two children and then were divorced a few years later.  We will continue to visit her and see if we can help her develop a testimony.

During the week Sister Jensen and I did apartment checks on all of our 12 apartments.  We called the missionaries ahead of time and arranged to come when it was convenient for them to be there so we could meet them and they could also meet us.  The apartments were in pretty good condition.  We provided some things they needed for their apartments, mops, light bulbs, and few other things.  A few of the missionaries needed a few more things which we have picked up and will get to them on Monday before or after the Mission Office Staff Meeting.

We express our congratulations to our grandson Austin and his fiance Josie on their engagement to be married.  We are happy for them and hope Austin will send us a picture of her or call us on Skype so we can meet her electronically.  We are glad that congress approved the federal budget for the rest of the fiscal year so Brandon and Chris still have jobs for which they will get paid.  We are also glad those in the military will get their pay so their families can carry on in their lives at home.  Chandler and Holden , we would love to hear how you are doing in your rodeo competitions; how did you do in the Fallon rodeo?  We have had letters from a few of the grandchildren and would love to hear from more of you, either by snail mail or by email.  We hope all of you do well during the rest of the school year, and that those who are going to graduate actually do graduate.  How are things going for you McKenzie?

We very much appreciate you remembering us and all the missionaries in your prayers, prayers are answered according to the wisdom and timing of Heavenly Father.  We know the gospel has been restored and Joseph Smith is the prophet of this dispensation; President Monson is the Lord’s prophet today.  The Book Of Mormon was translated by the power of God and contains the doctrines of Christ, who is the author and finisher of the great plan of happiness, which makes it possible to return to Heavenly Father after this earth life is completed.

We love all of you, we consider all of you family.

Love,

Elder & Sister Jensen, Mom & Dad, Grandma & Grandpa, Richard & Maxine