Travis Speaking Portuguese with his Companion

Questions to Travis:

1. Tell us more about your companion; has he been a member all his life? (You have a little monk in you too.)
He was baptized when he was 11, all of his family are members but they’re all inactive. He worked in a pizzeria before the mission; he has a fear of dogs and cars.
2. What did you do for p-day last week?
Well by the time I got back to our apartment after writing email to you guys, it was about 2 o clock because the place where we pass internet is far away from our house. We went grocery shopping, made lunch, and then took a little nap.
3. Tell us what you would eat in a day.
Oatmeal, pancakes, French toast, or a smoothie for breakfast, rice beans and boiled chicken for lunch, spaghetti or an egg sandwich or something for dinner.
4. We haven't received your SD card when did you send it?
About 2 and a half weeks ago. You should receive it some time this week.
5. What food do you miss the most?
Sub sandwiches, pizza, and milk....all these food questions are making me hungry.
6. Funniest thing that happened this week?
I don’t know, its been raining a lot and I got really, really dirty yesterday. I also taught a donkey a few gospel principles.

New Pics from the SD card Travis sent home

Travis shares what he received for Christmas

Travis & his Comp have lunch

Travis's email Feb 16, 2009

Oi, Como Vai? (Hello, how are you?)

Hi everyone, this week was a good one with my new companion, Elder Vieira. He is quite an interesting creature, it cracks me up. When he arrived he deep cleaned and rearranged the entire house, I’m not quite sure why, he’s just a little quirky I guess. He only eats crackers and ramen noodles and he won’t let me make food for him. He’s an extremely calm individual that doesn’t talk very much but he does like to sing the Brazilian national hymn and other patriotic songs in his deep lounge-singerish voice. He doesn’t understand my sense of humor but I think he’s catching on. We have a good companionship and the work is going well,
I’m learning a lot from him.

The work this week was good; we taught some really good people who were searching for the truth. One day, we were walking down the street to an appointment when we passed by a house that had a woman watching TV with her three kids. We kept walking for a little bit and then I stopped, looked at my companion and said, ´wait a second, these people are going to listen to our message. So we went back and knocked on the door, clapped our hands actually, and the woman came out. I told her that we were missionaries and our work is to help people and their families to have more peace and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before I finished talking she invited us in. We taught the lesson and when we finished she said that she had never heard a message so beautiful and that she couldn’t wait to read the Book of Mormon. Later that week she was talking to a Pastor of an Evangelical church and she asked what he thought about the Book of Mormon. Of course he said that he read the book several times and that it is filled with lies. She then told him that she knew that the Book of Mormon is true and that a man of God should be able to recognize that. It was very cool. We are having lots of experiences like that and the work is going really good.
Life is good here, its raining a lot and I like it.

Have a good week everyone!

Elder Travis Jenson

Special Thank You to the Scouts...

Hi Constellation Ward Scouts! I wanted to take a second and thank you guys for the package and the letters that you sent me. It means a lot to know that people back home in the ward are thinking about me and missionaries always love to receive packages, especially packages with candy!

Life here in Brazil is fantastic. The kids here like to fly home-made kites and play soccer in the streets. The people here are really cool, sometimes the food is weird, and the mission is awesome. It’s never too early to start your preparation to serve a mission Scouts!
Thanks again!

Elder Travis Jenson

Lessons I Learned As A Boy

Travis's Email Feb 9, 2009

Heyyy Youu Guyyyys,

We just had transfers and guess what....I’m staying in the same area for another transfer. My companion is Elder Viera and I’m here in the bus station waiting for him to arrive from Natal. I really thought I was going to be transferred, in fact I packed up all of my stuff last night, but it’s ok and I like this area.

This week was good, we baptized a man that I never thought would be baptized while I was in the area and with his baptism their whole family are members of the church. Last week he went to church with his family out of the middle of nowhere, we went and visited him after the lesson and he accepted baptism. We promised him that he would be blessed in all things because of his decision and he told us later that shortly after we left he received a phone call and after a long time searching, he got a job. It was very cool. And to top it off, the bishop is going to buy us pizza because we completed a family.

We had a woman and her two children who were ready to be baptized also. When we found her and her family they were all sick with Tuberculosis but after a priesthood blessing everyone was better within a matter of days. She told my companion later that when we taught her the first lesson she saw a light around me when I recited the first vision and that’s how she knew that we were teaching her the truth. It was very humbling to hear that and i was very grateful to know that I’m being blessed for my hard work. Her and her 2 kids were going to be baptized Sunday but her daughter had fallen out of bed and got hurt so she was in the hospital with her. Hopefully her daughter will get better and they will be baptized next Sunday.

That’s about all that happened this week. So it looks like I will be spending Carnival here in Joao Pessoa. Some stuff has already started; people basically just wreak havoc in the streets, beating drums and doing who knows what. It’s pretty crazy. One night we were going to our house and a locally famous DJ was putting on a show close to our house and that was pretty crazy.
Hey, I got the pictures from the wedding, very cool. The pictures look like they’re out of a wedding catalog or something.

I hope everything is great back home, love you guys.

-Elder Travis Jenson

Questions:

Hi Trav,

1. Is Stuart Hamblin still in your district?
Yes. In fact, he’s sitting right next to me.

2. Give details of the area you are going to.
It’s a lot like the area I’ve been in, in fact it is the area I’ve been in. I will be staying in the area for at least one more transfer.

3. Who will you miss the most and why?
Um...

4. What are the buses like? AC?
I’ve never been in one of the buses that we use when we go to a different area but I think they have ac. the buses we use to get around the city don’t have ac.

5. Are there lots of people who beg on the streets; or is it like here, only in certain places and on the street corner?
There are definitely more beggars here. Here in the city there are a ton and in my area everyone asks if I have 10 cents that I can give them.

6. About how much money does the average person make in a year? Do they have a minimum wage there?
I really have no idea. I think the average person in my area makes about 100 dollars American per month.

Love Ya a lot !!!!!
Mom

Love Ya too

Scott & Jenny Wedding & Fam Pics Collage

Follow the link below to see a YouTube video
of selected pictures from Scott and Jenny's
wedding:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDyUHfT1CZQ

Scott & Jenny Wedding Pics (individual)

Hey Everyone,

This week was awesome. We started off the week with a visit from the apostle Elder Quentin L. Cook. I got to shake his hand and he spoke to us for about 2 and a half hours. He spoke to us about not underestimating the importance of the mission, establishing the church and about teaching people in a way that will help them fulfill covenants now and for the rest of their lives. It was really cool to hear him speak. When I looked at him he just looked like a normal man but when he spoke it was really powerful. His wife also spoke and told us of the love she has for missionaries and missionary work. Afterwards, they ate lunch with us and sat at the table next to mine. It was good, very good.

So it looks like a visit from an apostle was all the motivation we needed to improve the work in our area. This week we brought 9 investigators to church. A man who I never thought would come to church, Joares, showed up with his family. We stopped by his house afterwards and he accepted the invite to be baptized next week. Everyone in the family, besides him, is baptized so we will be completing a family when we baptize him. Talk about a miracle! Out of nowhere he became receptive to the gospel. Also, a woman came to church with her husband who is a member and if we baptize her that will complete another family. So that’s 2 families that we could baptize this week.

The teacher of the Gospel Principles class didn’t show up so the bishop asked me to teach. I think the investigators liked it and my companion said that he’s never heard me speak Portuguese so well. In the last week of the transfer everything seems to be working out. I’ll be sure to include the baptismal pictures in my next email if I get a chance to send email with the transfers and all. I’ve been in this area quite some time and honestly I think I’m ready to work in some other areas.

I'm really grateful this week that God fulfills his promises. I was a little worried for a while but I never doubted that the Lord would do his part. That’s all the time I have for now, talk to you soon!

-Elder Travis Jenson

Questions:

Hi Trav,

1. What will you miss most about your area if you get transferred?
Oh I don’t know...there are a bunch of small things that ill miss but I’ll mostly miss the members here.

2. Is there a lot of crime in your area?
It depends on the part of my area. There’s a part of my area that is really, really poor that has a lot of crime but most of that happens after 930 at night. From what I know, the neighborhood where we live doesn’t have much crime.

3. How for is the jungle area from where you live?
About 20 minutes on foot.

4. What was the funniest thing that happened this week?
An old man stopped on the street and gave us about 15 minutes of marriage advice. Look here kid, you have to marry a girl that has a job!

5. Its Dad and my anniversary today (Mon.) what should I buy him? 35 years can you believe it!
A cane....grandpa! Just kidding dad. You guys could go on a little trip somewhere, I don’t know.

Love ya a lot!!!!