Prince of Whales

What a week! This week started out great as one of our investigators
accepted to be baptized! The lesson was very spirit packed and
inspired, and it just worked out perfectly. We taught a lot of lessons
that day, it was just a great day. Wednesday, President Robinson and
Sister Robinson flew down and we had a great district meeting and
interviews. I was asked to give a training on "Eternal Life" by
District leader Elder Brätt, that's al the direction he gave me right
before we went to sleep the day before district meeting. So I had the
hour of personal study to prepare the next morning, and I tried to
prepare all that time but nothing was coming to me, it was just such a
broad subject. I was really nervous because going to district meeting
I pretty much had nothing, President was there, and he announced my
training as the first one so I got to start us out haha. I was just
rating like crazy. Well long story short the training was great the
best I've ever done of all the talks and presentations I've given at
church, and everyone felt the spirit very strongly. That was the best
district meeting we had ever had, all of the trainings were great and
the video feed didn't cut out once until the closing hymn, it just
worked out perfectly. Later we had interviews, Elder Modlik took most
of the scheduled time with President so I got to talk with Sister
Robinson for about 40 minutes. I talked with President for about 15
minutes and then he said anything else? We won't see each other for
mother long while. I took that as I'm staying it Ketchikan and Elder
Modlik is getting transferred north in a week, but I guess you never
know until you know. I'm just glad he was actually there. The rest of
the district had to do Skype interviews.

Thursday was the day long awaited for, we were heading to Prince of
Whales. We showed up at the ferry and loaded up at 2:30. The ferry
departed at 3:30 and it is a three hour ride with good weather, which
we had. We docked at Hollis at 6:30 and drove off and had a 45 minute
drive to the Birds who we were staying with. They fed us dinner and
then we taught two of their friends they had over, and we planned for
the next day. We stayed in a tiny little cabin that they have very
rustic, and fun. The next day was a wet one. All of the people we had
planned to meet that morning and afternoon fell through so it was a
tract. It was blowing hard, and raining harder. My rain jacket worked
fairly well at keeping my sheet dry but the rest of me was soaked. The
water was pouring off my jacket into my pockets and I could feel a
stream of water running down each of my legs. It was cold too, around
40 degrees. A gay drunk native told us we were hot and that we would
have lots of converts if we kept doing our hair and plucking our
eyebrows. That's something I'd never expect. We tracked until 1oclock
at which point we went to the church building for trainer trainee
meeting over Skype and at which point it immediately stopped storming
and the sun came out and it was beautiful. Elder Modlik had a tooth
filling fall out a couple weeks ago and the dentist on POW is an
investigator so we went to go have his tooth repaired. The dentist was
awesome, we talked about dentistry and he showed me all the things he
was doing to Elder Modlik, I loved it, and we talked about religion
too. He invited us over for lunch after church on Sunday. On Saturday
we started out the day going to a cross country meet, anyone on the
island with kids was there so we went and talked to as many people as
we could. They had races from kindergarten up to senior all in a row,
it kinda reminded me of Dubois. We also went to Hydaburg which is the
Hyda tribe town, there wasn't much for us there as they are very very
closed off to outsiders...especially white ones. For dinner we went to
Thorne Bay to eat at the Shwabbs, they will probably send you a
picture. Sunday we went to church and I met someone who lived in
Greybull for a long time. We went to the dentists for lunch. He knows
more about our church than most members and we had an amazing
discussion and visit, it didn't last near long enough. He believes it
is all true, and wants to join, but hasn't received a witness the Book
of Mormon is true and if he joined his it would cause a lot of
troubles in his life, so he isn't all the way willing to join...which
is probably why he hasn't received an answer, real intent. But he is
awesome and I love him, I really hope I get to see him again.  Not
much else worth mentioning happened, except a drunk native born again
old lady tried to start a fight with Elder Modik after one of our
lessons.

Prince of Whales is a majestic, beautiful place lost in time. As we
drove around you almost expect a some ancient creature to come walking
out of the trees or to see a Native approach you like it's the first
time a white man has been there. If I had spent anymore time there I
would have never wanted to leave I think. There were whales, and
seals, and sea lions, and dolphins, and black bears, and deer, and
eagles everywhere. I want to go back someday, it's a special place, a
lot more special than Ketchikan or anywhere else I've been so far
here. The members there are amazing and very very willing to help with
missionary work or anything. They miss and want missionaries bad, it's
sad. Hopefully we can set up a way for there to be missionaries. It
would be very hard to be a missionary there, but special, And now I'm
back in Ketchikan, we are going on a hike here in a little bit I
think. I wish you all the best! Always remember him, that you may have
his spirit to be with you. And always love him, it changes how you
live and it's the only way any of us will get anywhere. Until next
time.

Oh and tell the Muchmores thank you for the package, I appreciate it.

Elder Jensen

Two Week update

Well the past two weeks have been very busy, and not very rainy, it's
been nice. We have been having lots of lessons and have two
investigators on date. They are both single moms and they just happen
to be sisters, it's weird how that happened. There has been lots of
miracles, every day it seems. Elder Modlik is very good at listening
to the spirit and because of that the most amazing things happen. I
hope to one day be half the missionary he his. I feel like I am
watching a movie sometimes with how perfectly things work out. I know
when I am not his companion anymore and have a mere mortal for a
companion it is going to be a struggle until I learn and am humble
enough to hear and follow promptings for the spirit like him. It makes
me sad to think that this short time is the only time I get to serve
with him. It is what it is though I guess.

Wednesday is interviews with President Robinson. He flys down
Wednesday Morning and stays until Thursday. I am sure he is going
halibut fishing.....he always does when he comes down here. There are
lots of benefits to being President haha. So I am excited to see what
interviews are all about. I am just excited to see and talk to him
it's been so long. And it will be nice to have another soul at
district meeting. Our district is Sitka, White Horse, and Ketchikan, I
haven't met in person half of my district.

Thursday is the day long awaited where we go tonPrince of Whales
Island! We stay until Monday. Elder Modlik and i have been waiting and
preparing for this day for a long time. We fasted and prayed and felt
like that was the right time to go so we called the Assistants to the
President and had us book ferry tickets. The ward mission leader over
there has 8 set lessons for us and we have to figure out the island.
We will have to be very sanctified and spiritually in tune while we
are there, because it is a huge island with not a lot of people. I
think it's twice the size of Delaware with like 8,000 people a lot of
which are just here for summer of vacation. We will be fasting a lot,
and I am hopeful it will be a big developmental trip for me. But I am
excited.

Last p-day we went zip lining, it was a blast. I will send pictures of
that maybe they aren't on my camera. I saw my first seal this week,
and a sea otter. They were both very cool to watch. And last night the
whales were going crazy, bubble net feeding. It is one of the most
amazing hunting techniques I've seen. Search Humpback bubble net
feeding. It was happening right out side the window while we were
visiting one of our investigators. I wish I could have got some
pictures, it's nearly impossible to though with this iPad case.

Last Thursday we were talking to a less active native (we teach each
and talk to mostly natives) and he made us eat smoked hooligan.
Hooligan are these super super super slimy eel and the natives love
them. See if you can find a picture online. Anyway Elder Modlik and I
each had to eat this whole raw eel. It didn't taste too bad, I got it
down but it was so oily to this day four days later my mouth is still
oily and when I burp it taste like oily hooligan. They make hooligan
grease out of then which is even worse, the other Elder have to eat it
when they go to Metlakatla(the Rez) and it is bad. They put a whole
bunch of these eels in a box and set it in the sun for a few weeks or
month then scrap the oil off the top and put it in a jar, then they
put it back in the sun for another few weeks and repeat. Each
consecutive harvest is stronger and grosser until it's just rotten
fish. It usually goes from 1-4 or 5 scrapings and the bigger the
number the more native you are haha. This guy had 3 and said he liked
us so he wasn't going to offer it to us. We prayed and said thanks
when we got in the car and left...not really but yeah. And we didn't
have a dinner appointment that day so I didn't get to wash I down with
anything until 9oclock at night. We had two dinner appointments all
week, hopefully we will have more next this week.

Our old ward mission leader got released. We are pushing hard for our
ward to get in the game and join the hastening and our awesome Bishop
is all over it. He called Brother President Thomas (he just got back
from mission president a month ago from Winnipeg) as the new ward
mission leader. Big things are going to happen me thinks. I just hope
I don't get sent away in two weeks for transfers.

I guess the miracle for the past couple weeks is our investigator
Jade. She hates Mormons...a lot. She has had lots of bad experiences
with Mormons and just straight up hates them but has been meeting with
us, and has made a ton of progress. She is too the point where she
knows it is true. And it kills her. We asked her to be baptized and
her first response is "I won't be a Mormon!" but she would join the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We will see what happens
it is difficult. Also we were driving to an appointment and we passed
by a guy waiting at the bus stop. We felt prompted to talk to him so
we turned around and pulled over and talked to him out of our window.
He said "Hey you need to come over, I am on my way to court right now,
but here is my number. Call me and come by next week." We see him in a
couple of days I wonder what will happen. Oh and some shirtless Santa
Clause wearing suspenders and sweats tried to tell us Mormons were
assassins, that was the highlight of yesterday. You see the weirdest
things on your mission,


Anyway I'm out of time. But I challenge all of you to read Alma
Chapter 5 today and repent! I love that chapter right now. And I love
you all!

Short Email

Hey sorry everyone...this week is going to be a short email. I am
doing great, we are teaching tons and having great lessons. The
weather is so perfect here. And we've been having really good meals
and the members are taking awesome care of us. We went zip lining
today and saw two bears...one climbing the tree right next to us. It
was pretty awesome. I will have lots of pictures next week. We have
been pushing the Book of Mormon more than ever and I'm loving it. I
have lots to learn about being a missionary. It's great to hear how
everyone is doing. I love getting all your emails it's a huge boost
and motivator for the week. I feel so blessed to be a missionary in
Alaska. President is flying down for interviews on the 16th which is
also exciting...no Skype Interviews! I'm tired of all the Skype
meetings. I have read the Book of Mormon almost twice now. I think my
brothers need to start a challenge with me haha. Keep up the good work
in football boys! love ya all!