Message 21 November 2011

Message—21 November 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Monday we did not have Mission Office Staff meeting since President Christianson had new missionaries arriving.  At 5pm on Monday we went to President & Sister Christianson’s home to meet with the President and the new missionaries and participate in the orientation of two new sister missionaries.  One is Sister Fetuli from Tonga, and the other is Sister Hatch from the North Ogden Utah area.  Sister Jensen made a very tasty fresh apple cake with a caramel sauce which we took to the orientation meeting.  We had dinner at the President’s home along with the rest of the office staff in the kitchen; and we also served President and Sister Christianson and the new sister’s and the AP’s and ate the apple cake for our desert.  We then did our part of the training; then the President invited us to stay and listen to all of the training he provides for new missionaries.  He is an awesome teacher and knows the scriptures very well, as well as quotes from many General Authorities.

Tuesday was transfer day.  We meet at the church building on Westfall Rd. in Brighton, (part of the Rochester area) for the transfers.  We go to these transfer gatherings so we can take items missionaries have asked us to get for their apartment and give them to the missionaries or the DL’s or the ZL’s to take back with them.  We also pick up from the missionaries, any clothing that has been left by missionaries who are going home.  We then sort through the clothing and save the good things and discard what is not useful, and then take the rest to a Goodwill store.  The Goodwill stores are like our DI stores.  Tuesday afternoon we went to see a few additional apartments which Elder and Sister Moses could look at on Wednesday.  Then also in the afternoon, Sister Christianson called us and asked if we would take care of a problem for her.  We went to one of the apartments where we have sister missionaries, to see if we could determine what kind of insects we could find that have been biting one of the sisters.  We suspected bedbugs, but after a thorough search of the apartment we could not find any bedbugs or spiders.  We decided we would make arrangements to go see the sister and try to determine what the bites looked like.  As we were leaving the apartment, Sister Jensen saw a large mosquito on the inside of the window by the front door; so we wondered if that is what the source of the bites was from.  We explained to the sister what to do that night so we could determine for sure what kind of insect was the source of her bites.  Tuesday evening Elder Moses called to get the addresses for the possible apartments we had located for them to look at, so they could go see the apartments on Wednesday, and decide which one they wanted, that would be safe for the asthma with which Sister Moses has trouble.

Wednesday afternoon we attended our District meeting, which was held in our apartment.  The training was about sacrifice.  For part of the training, Elder Olson, our DL, used the church produced video about John Tanner.  John was a part of the restoration of the gospel and the church at the time of Joseph Smith.  John Tanner is the grandfather of Vasco and Wilmer Tanner, who were two professors who taught me at BYU.  Wilmer Tanner just died a few weeks ago at the age of 100; he almost made it to 101.  Vasco Tanner is the father of Carol Tanner Smith who hired me as a student to work in the BYU Library after Maxine and I were married.  Carol then taught me how to be good librarian which I have done for the last 40 years.

Wednesday afternoon we went to the Mission Office and met Elder and Sister Moses who just arrived in the mission on Tuesday afternoon; they had stayed at President Christianson’s home Tuesday night.  After getting acquainted with the Moses’s; we went to Palmyra to the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center where the site missionaries, including the sister missionaries have a training meeting every Wednesday evening at 7 pm.  While there we found the sister missionary who had the insect bites.  When we saw the bites we were quite certain the bites were from mosquitoes.  We explained to the sister that we were sure the bites were from mosquitoes and told her to let us know the next morning if she had any more bites after doing what we instructed her to do to get rid of the mosquitoes.  She has not had any more trouble with the bites since then.

Also on Wednesday while at the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center we learned that two sisters who had just been transferred to a new place; one of the sisters was the new missionary from Tonga, had experienced some difficulties with people in an adjoining apartment.  After learning the details of the problem and also learning they had talked with President Christianson; we also called the President to see what he would like us to do about the problem.  He told us to find them a new apartment as soon as possible.

Thursday we spent some time on the internet, trying to find a new apartment for the sisters we talked with Wednesday night.  After searching and not having any success, Sister Jensen remembered there was an empty bedroom at the Palmyra White House, where there is room for six sister missionaries.  We called the President and asked if we could move the sisters into the empty room at the White House; he said that was a great idea.  Thursday evening we drove to the sister’s apartment and met them after they completed their assignment at the Grandin Building.  We met them at their apartment about 7:30pm and helped gather their personal items and the food items that needed to also be moved.  We then loaded their things into their car and ours, and went with them to the White House apartment and helped them get their things moved in.  They will be able to stay there for a few weeks while we find them another apartment.

Friday we checked six apartments in the Rochester Zone and then on Saturday we checked six apartments in the Palmyra North Zone.  Sunday I attended the PEC meeting for our Ward Mission Leader who was delayed getting home from Moscow Russia from a work assignment.  We also had great meetings during our regular three meeting block.

Today, Monday, we left our apartment at 9:20am and drove to Fairport to attend the Mission Office Staff Meeting.  After the meeting we stayed for a farewell lunch for those who have office space in the same building the mission office is in.  These people are moving to a different office building close by.  We had also invited the lady who is our Postal Carrier and delivers our mail to the office.  Sister Jensen got up early enough to make some home-made rolls to go with the soup and other things that were made by Sister Servoss, and Sister McVea.  In the afternoon we drove to the Buffalo area and checked the three apartments we have there.  After finishing the apartment checks we drove to the home of Richard Grapes, who is long time member of the church in North Tonawanda, which is in the Eastern outskirts of Buffalo.  His son Rick Grapes was home for Thanksgiving and we had made arrangements to visit with them and have dinner with them.  I worked with Rick in the BYU Library for about the last 20 years or so.  Richard took us to eat at Ted’s Hot Dogs; which is a popular place the local people eat.  We then drove home and arrived at 9:20pm.

It is past my bedtime, so I am going to close this message.  We hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving gatherings this week.  We hope you will take time to think of the countless blessings you have received in your life, and express to Heavenly Father your gratitude for all of your blessings.  If we will seriously think about our lives we will be able to recognize how blessed we truly are.  We hope you travel safely wherever you go and that you will appreciate your families and express your love them.

We love and appreciate all of you and thank you for the influence for good you have been, and continue to be to us.  We are so deeply grateful for your kindness and love and help in our lives; and for your prayers and thoughts in our behalf as missionaries.

Love,

Elder & Sister Jensen