Kam's letter this week (just to dad and mom)

You'll be fine, and it's good to be nervous every once in a while. I don't feel like writing a long group email so I am going to send a short group one and reply to you two. My new companion is pretty socially and mentally handicapped, but he's here and on a mission so they are trying their best with him. imagine a super old washed up druggy skateboarder who thinks he has a broken back but it's just in his head and that's him but he's only 24. I understand the mental fear of oh my back is hurt with my knees but his is on a whole different level and he just completely fades out and stare into the air for hours at a time if you don't give him a lot of attention, so at dinners he gets a plate and just stares into the distance until we Leave, he doesn't really eat. And in the car if I stop talking to him for a second he goes into a stupor and is gone, lessons too, all the time. And he has a knitting needle (prophetic pointing tool he calls it) he always carries and he can't focus unless it is in his hand and pointing at or circling something in the air. If I ask for directions or for him to read something he has to get it out and point at stuff until he gets his bearings and then he can function.  All he talks about are plants and plant parables, the parable of the sower 90% of the time but sometimes mustard seed, or tree of life, and when ever we talk gospel that's all he talks about in every situation. And when he talks about himself he's always talking about how the skate life is this and that, and his life is so much harder and army's of demons are surrounding him tempting him and his temptations are harder, and all he wants to do is veg.  And then he always complains that people don't like him and he can't figure out why. None of the missionaries have any love or patience  for him, except me, and a lot of the members don't, and his last companion wasn't very good to him and just gave up, so the area is super dead, nothing going on at all. I probably sound pretty proud saying that but I'm trying my hardest  to take it seriously. I have a lot of love and patience for him but it's is going to be a very difficult transfer and it's going to be very hard not to burn out. I can already feel it a little bit. But yeah that's were I am now. President really has given me a challenge, and I will probably grow from it a lot and hopefully I can help him a lot too. Anyway that's all the time I have but it's difficult here, and there are real bush people here, I finally feel like I'm in Alaska, for real. It's a cool place.

Transfer Week

Transfer calls came in....on Friday...so the Lord needs me some where
else. I'm getting transferred to the Kalifornsky Beach ward, which is
a ward that was just formed on the Kenai Peninsula, so pretty much I'm
Heading to Kenai, Alaska! And right at the start of summer! My new
companion I'm pretty sure is Elder Reynolds, he just got done being
trained, but President never told me if it was him of not. And then
President called this morning and said he forgotten to tell me Friday
night but I'm the District Leader. I'm pretty nervous to be District
Leader and I'm really sad to be leaving the Tongan ward, but it's
impossible to be sad having to go to Kenai for the summer.

The ward is really sad, they are all trying to feed me one last time
so I will probably gain another ten pounds before I actually get out
of here. And man I'm going to miss the Lu Pulu and lu Sipi, the Tongan
food. They are excited for me to go to Kenai but we will miss each
other. I've never been so well taken care of in my life, (sorry mom)
but they are preparing me to go back to the bush. they get me anything
they think I might need and most of the time don't even ask if I need
it, they just give it to me. New shoes, a new coat, all the personal
items I'll need, a bunch of groceries, and while I used to feel bad
getting all this stuff especially a few of the families are some of
the poorest people I've met, as to things of the world. now that I
understand their culture and their life and their love it makes me
feel good to know I could earn their love and respect to such a
degree. I've really fallen in love with these people, on an island of
their own in the diverse sea that is Anchorage and Alaska. I'm really
going to miss being the only blued person in the ward, and a lot of
other things. They are all confident I will be back, which is probably
true because everyone comes back to anchorage, probably 70-80% of the
missionaries in this mission are in the greater anchorage area.

As for the work this week. We found a new investigator that is pretty
Golden, and put another one on date for baptism. Besides that not much
happened. We have been trying really hard to get members to invite
people to church so we have been working with them a lot. And I bet we
will have 30 nonmembers at church on Easter Sunday, but I won't be
there, sad. Also it snowed a ton on Friday and Saturday, like 14inches
and the roads are terrible, and the drivers here are crazy, so I'm
glad I don't have to drive all day through anchorage. Anyway I'm out
of time so have a great week. Here's a moose that was walking by our
truck when we were about to back out. And dinner at a families house.

Last Week of the Transfer

This transfer is seven week transfer, so this was week six of seven and it felt like it. Elder Naa and I were pretty burned out and motivation was hard to come by. We grinded pretty hard and managed to have a normal week, but it was a struggle. Towards the end of the week it got better though, Monday-Friday were hard and we hardly got into anyone, but then Saturday and Sunday were great and rejuvenating. Saturday we met with a lot of people, we found another less active family had a very spiritual lesson with them and they committed to come to church on this Sunday and every Sunday following (they added that) and then they showed up on time and had a great Sabbath. Sunday was great, President and Sister Robinson came to our ward with no warning as well as the stake president. And nobody was showing up to church, it was the emptiest ive ever seen it. It was terrible. Then 15 minutes late everybody and their dog showed up. I guess the time change got to everyone. But the ward was so alive. All of the talks were about missionary work, the bishop and first counselor (only spoke in Tongan but I got most of it) and there seems to be the desire right now in the ward. Our mission president talked to our ward mission leader and at least for sunday he seemed way more motivated. Our Stake president gave our ward the goal of having 20 nonmembers at church for Easter Sunday and Elder Naa and I are really excited and behind that 100%. And based on what was being said it sounds like Elder Naa and I will be staying here another transfer together! Yay Tongan ward haha, we will find out on Thursday when we actually get the transfer call, but there is a good chance Elder Naa and I will be companions for a quarter of our missions.

On Wednesday our district had the opportunity to go the Temple. Elder Naa and I did Initories, and had a wonderful time. I love the temple.

As for a fun story, Saturday we ate at a members house, the husband is half Samoan-Tongan, and  the wife is Native Alaskan. And they live with the wife's parents, so we had native food. We had Moose roast, fried hooligan eel, rice, and beaver. Beaver is weird tasting meet, I don't like it. And for desert we had Eskimo ice cream(lard, seal oil, and berries and I don't know what else), its not that great either. But my companion loved it, the polys from the islands love the native food, so I guess next time we will have more native food.

Oh and mom you jinxed me. I got sick the same day you asked and having been fighting it all week, that probably adds to the lack of motivation. I made it 9 months with our getting sick. But with Daylight savings we are getting a lot more sun, so that makes things more positive. Enjoy March Madness everyone! But don't forget to get into the Easter Spirit, its strong and has the power to change lives. It is the spirit of keeping our covenants and always remembering Christ, and what he has done for us. You all need to watch the new Easter video and share it with some one, make the missionaries lives easier and bless yours. Have a great week! Hallelujah!

Elder Jensen 

weekly update

I'm really not sure what to say about this week. Just an average week.
We got a brand new truck recently and It's been super nice having the
new truck because now we can listen to talks and Tongan music all the
time and I truly feel like I'm and "treasuring up continually the
words of external life." Because now we can use a usb where as before
we only had a very limited selection of CDs. We had, I think an all
time high of four member present lessons this week. They are all part
member families and it felt good to be a part of that work.

We also had Iditarod service this week, which was fun. It was the
ceremonial start of the Iditarod through Anchorage and it was through
the city so cars would drive over and ruin the snow track so we hand
to shovel more snow and make a track again when ever a dog team came
through, it was long, but fun and we got to talk to a lot of people
with out our pros. clothes one. Elder Na'a stepped in dog poop and it
really stunk things up and our truck smells like it. I don't remember
if I told you about the other service for the Iditarod we did when we
packaged and shipped all the dog food and straw for bedding for all
the checkpoints, but we did a lot for it. It's cool to be a part of,
and the race actually started yesterday so you can check up on that.
Yay dog racing!

As for a miracle this week. We got into three Tongan homes this week,
people we had never met before. Evidently Wednesday from 3-5 is the
time for Tongan people because we tried those houses that we knew were
Tongan and all of the but one answered and three of them let us in. I
don't think any of them are elect but it was very good to e in a none
members home again. They pretty much only talked to Elder Na'a, but
they asked me a few questions, where I'm from, are there any Tongans
there ect. Two of them were Methodist preachers and one was not a
preacher. It was fun because one of the preachers wife, is Mormon, a
returned missionary and still very much has a testimony of the church
so she loved us and took good care of us. It's really interesting
because a lot of the nonmember Tongans believe The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints is true they are just stubborn and fell
like they have to be loyal to the church they were raised with, and to
their parents. It's frustrating.

Oh it's also Fur-Rondey here like its a big celebration before the
Iditarod where every one wears their furs. All the furs are cool and
the shops, they had a Reindeer race and a out house race, one of the
wards has an out house they enter every year and their missionaries
race it, it's fun, but hard to have a big celebration in Alaska in the
winter, it really kills a lot of spirit.

Well I can't think of much else to say, just an average week up In
Alaska. Trying to talk to people and find Tongans. Ofa Atu!

After the service

Koe taimi alu vave pe.

I blink and a whole week passes. This week was the week of finding. We
tracted into or were referred to 10 Tongan houses this week, which is
probably a mission record. We have only met two of the families it
just knowing we're some of the people live is a huge deal. One of the
families had previously been meeting with the Tognan missionaries but
they were slothful and left absolutely no record of them and they
didn't know why they stopped coming by and then we miraculously
tracted into them. The other we stopped by do get some alterations
done for some clothes and the lady turned out to be Tongan and said we
could come by.  We are very happy to have found them. Then this Sunday
everybody seemed to be at church, it almost felt like a stake
conference.  And best of all an older lady who we have been trying to
work with forever came to church. It felt so good. Really nothing else
seems worth mentioning and I'm out of time so love you all. I'll send
a bigger email next week.


Kam's idea on Cole's mission call

Yes, it's his cousin. He doesn't have a big head, I have a big head. (He made me say that).

I think the pacific islands are where it's at, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand, Fiji (but all the Tongans say it sucks) Kiribiti(that would be crazy) Austrailia, or even Hawaii, learning a new language would be cool to. I think serving those people in a first world country are probably the best missions. Probably the best mission is the world in Tongan speaking in Salt Lake (they have three Tongan stakes there) you would be treated better than any other missionaries in the world, and you would have lots of teaching opportunities and baptisms, if that's what your looking for.  But not the Philippines, or Japan, like not Asian that's be so hard. You can send the use one and we will see if it fits, I'm not sure.