Travis' Email April 13, 2010

Hey Family,

I’m officially 21, that’s pretty awesome. Yesterday was one of my best birthdays ever. We had a zone conference in Campina Grande that we had to go to. President and Sister Fernandes, Elder Jones, and I taught the missionaries about the 6th chapter in preach my gospel that talk about Christ’s attributes. I taught the missionaries about Humility and Obedience. I taught that if we recognize the Lord’s hand in our life taking more time to thank the Lord after he gives us success in our work then He will give us even more success. I also taught that Faith is a spiritual gift given to us because of personal righteousness. If we are more obedient then we will be blessed with more faith. President Fernandes talked a lot about how we will feel at the end of the mission depending on the type of mission we serve. Naturally, that made a lot of missionaries want to change; myself included. Luckily I feel good about the mission I have served until now but I still need to improve a lot. After the conference we returned to Joao Pessoa and there was a little surprise birthday party at the mission home. It was very nice of the President and his wife because I know that they have really really busy lives and they took time out of their day to do that for me.

Last week was also very cool. Last Monday was p-day and for the first time in a long time I actually had p-day. We watched the RM, made lunch for us and the secretaries and we slept. Oh yeah. Tuesday was the zone leader council. After the meeting Pres. Fernandes said to me and Elder Jones, “oh, you guys are going to Natal with me today we are going to have a meeting with some government officials.” They officialized a holiday for the church and asked president Fernandes to speak. He basically talked about the Restoration and then we gave a Book of Mormon to each one of the government officials that was there.

Thursday and Friday I worked in my area where the work is challenging but good. We didn’t baptize last week but if my junior companion does a good job while I’m at the other zone conferences then we’ll baptize a family and 2 twenty year old guys.

I wanted to share with you guys something that I studied this morning.

Well could we reflect upon our lives as individuals. We will soon discover much to prompt our personal gratitude.

First, there is gratitude for our mothers.

Mother, who willingly made that personal journey into the valley of the shadow of death to take us by the hand and introduce us to birth—even to mortal life—deserves our undying gratitude. One writer summed up our love for mother when he declared, “God could not be everywhere, and so He gave us mothers.”

While on the cruel cross of Calvary, suffering intense pain and anguish, Jesus “saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!” (John 19:26–27.) What a divine example of gratitude and love!

My own mother may not have read to me from the scriptures; rather, she taught me by her life and actions what the “Good Book” contains. Care for the poor, the sick, the needy were everyday dramas never to be forgotten.

Second, let us reflect gratitude for our fathers.

Father, like Mother, is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change.

On occasion I have observed parents shopping to clothe a son about to enter missionary service. The new suits are fitted, the new shoes are laced, and shirts, socks, and ties are bought in quantity. I met one father who said to me, “Brother Monson, I want you to meet my son.” Pride popped his buttons; the cost of the clothing emptied his wallet; love filled his heart. Tears filled my eyes when I noticed that his suit was old, his shoes well worn; but he felt no deprivation. The glow on his face was a memory to cherish.

As I reflect on my own father, I remember he yielded his minuscule discretionary time to caring for a crippled uncle, aged aunts, and his family. He served in the ward Sunday School presidency, always preferring to work with the children. He, like the Master, loved children. I never heard from his lips one word of criticism of another. He personified in his life the work ethic. I join you in an expression of gratitude for our fathers.

I really liked this part of this talk, especially the part about the father introducing Pres. Monson to his son. I’m sure every missionary wants both his heavenly and earthly father to have this kind of pride in him.

Have a great week everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Video of Travis at the Airport in Joao Pessoa

Travis's Email April 5, 2010

Hey you guys,

Happy Easter! I hope you all had a good week. Mine was pretty good. Conference was great. Something pretty funny happened yesterday. There’s a man from my old area Jardim Veneza who is special needs who has a bus card that lets him ride the bus whenever he wants and he somehow found out that I was in my new area and he decided to visit me yesterday and he was yelling in the church, elder jenson are you my friend? I have a feeling he will be visiting me more often.

I sent you guys an email on Wednesday so there isn’t that much to write. A family and 2 men that we have been teaching went to conference unexpectedly and liked it a lot. We’re going to work hard to baptize them this week. I hope you guys are doing well. Nate, Scott, Missy, Rachel, it would be cool to hear from you guys.................... Have a good week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Jenson

Questions:

1. What did you do for Easter?
What did I do? I watched conference of course. Conference was awesome. They talked a lot about the importance of strong parents and strong fathers who hold the priesthood. That’s exactly what missionaries look for to strengthen the church.

2. What was your favorite Conf. talk and why?
I liked Sister Beck´s talk because she used parts of Preach My Gospel and applied it to a real life situation, it seems like most members still think that Preach My Gospel is only for the full time missionaries. I also really liked Elder Uchtdorf´s talk about Hope. There’s a self evaluation in preach my gospel with the following phrase; I am confident that I will have a happy and successful mission. This has always been interesting to me. Daily I ask, am I confident that I will have success today; this week? We can all ask, am I sure that the Lord will give me success in my studies, at work, in my church calling? If we can have hope then there’s no need to fear the future no matter how uncertain it could be.

3. You don't think you will be and AP with the new mission Pres? Why?
Usually the assistants spend 2 or 3 transfers as assistants and then they either open a new area or go to a new area.

4 Favorite scripture this week was? Why?
D&C 15:6. What will be of greatest worth to me? This scripture helps me remember my priorities.

Easter 2010

Travis's Email March 31, 2010

Hey guys what up?

Last week was cool. We baptized a man who when I talked to him on the street for the first time I thought he didn’t want anything to do with the church but i felt that we should teach him anyway. When we left a Book of Mormon with him I thought that he wouldn’t even read. He ended up being really easy to teach and baptize. He accepted everything we taught him and asked very few questions, he stopped smoking in a week and was baptized. It was awesome.

Last week we also traveled with President Fernandez to do interviews with the missionaries. It was fun because President Fernandez is hilarious, the whole way he sang old fashioned songs that are from his state. When we travel I usually sleep in a hammock because almost all of the houses here have hooks for hammocks. It’s cool because there’s usually a cool breeze at night.

We spent the weekend in a city called Souza. Currently there are 2 missionaries from Arizona working there including Devan Fletcher’s brother. It was cool to see them and see the culture in that city. It’s a city different from any other city in Brazil and frequently the people there asked the missionaries if they can be baptized.

Yesterday we received some new missionaries and it was transfers. It looks like I will spend one more transfer as assistant to the president and then I’ll end my mission working in another area. So much happened in these last couple weeks that it’s hard to put it all into an email. I’m excited to watch general conference this week.

Unfortunately I’m starting to feel like my mission is coming to an end. I see the new missionaries arriving in the field and I see that as a missionary and as a person I have changed.

I hope you all have a great week; I’m going to eat some rice and beans and then renew my visa in downtown Joao Pessoa.

I love you guys.

See the pics I sent below...

Photos from Travis March 31, 2010

From Drop Box

From Drop Box From Drop Box From Drop Box

 

Travis's Email March 9, 2010

Hey guys,

I would like for you guys that think about this message because what it talks about happens in all of our lives to a certain degree.

However, “it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. … The Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:11, 16). And so it is with faith. It can be enticing to choose doubt and disbelief over faith.

As Jesus returned from the transcendent spiritual experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, He was approached by a desperate father whose son needed help. The father pleaded, “If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.”

Jesus replied, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

“And straightway the father … cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:22–24).

Faith and fear cannot coexist. One gives way to the other. The simple fact is we all need to constantly build faith and overcome sources of destructive disbelief. The Savior’s teaching comparing faith to a grain of mustard seed recognizes this reality (see Matthew 13:31–32). Consider it this way: our net usable faith is what we have left to exercise after we subtract our sources of doubt and disbelief. You might ask yourself this question: “Is my own net faith positive or negative?” If your faith exceeds your doubt and disbelief, the answer is likely positive. If you allow doubt and disbelief to control you, the answer might be negative.

We do have a choice. We get what we focus on consistently. Because there is an opposition in all things, there are forces that erode our faith. Some are the result of Satan’s direct influence. But for others, we have no one but ourselves to blame. These stem from personal tendencies, attitudes, and habits we can learn to change. I will refer to these influences as the “Six Destructive Ds.” As I do, consider their influence on you or your children.

First is doubt. Doubt is not a principle of the gospel. It does not come from the Light of Christ or the influence of the Holy Ghost. Doubt is a negative emotion related to fear. It comes from a lack of confidence in one’s self or abilities. It is inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God.

Doubt leads to discouragement. Discouragement comes from missed expectations. Chronic discouragement leads to lower expectations, decreased effort, weakened desire, and greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit (see Preach My Gospel [2004], 10). Discouragement and despair are the very antithesis of faith.

Discouragement leads to distraction, a lack of focus. Distraction eliminates the very focus the eye of faith requires. Discouragement and distraction are two of Satan’s most effective tools, but they are also bad habits.

Distraction leads to a lack of diligence, a reduced commitment to remain true and faithful and to carry on through despite hardship and disappointment. Disappointment is an inevitable part of life, but it need not lead to doubt, discouragement, distraction, or lack of diligence.

If not reversed, this path ultimately leads to disobedience, which undermines the very basis of faith. So often the result is disbelief, the conscious or unconscious refusal to believe.

The scriptures describe disbelief as the state of having chosen to harden one’s heart. It is to be past feeling.

These Six Destructive Ds—doubt, discouragement, distraction, lack of diligence, disobedience, and disbelief—all erode and destroy our faith. We can choose to avoid and overcome them.

Challenging times require greater spiritual power. Consider carefully the Savior’s promise: “If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me” (Moroni 7:33).

I want to tell you guys that the work I do is sacred. I see miracles every day because I choose to see them. I am tempted by the adversary to think that these miracles are coincidences or results of my own strength but I CHOOSE to believe they are miracles because the Holy Spirit, who testifies of all truth, makes me feel that they are miracles. I hope we can all choose to believe and not doubt because doubts do not come from God. I love you guys

Elder Jenson

Travis Video March 1, 2010

Travis's Email Feb 22, 2010

Hey Mom,

A beach trip from the 1st to the 8th sounds awesome. I’ll be home in time to catch the trip. I should be getting home on July 28th at the latest. Do you think I’m slacking off with the mission rules because I went to the beach? Don’t worry I went with Pres. and Sister Fernandez.

I look forward to receiving the DVD with the videos.

Hey Family and Friends,

I spent this week working hard, suffering a bunch, and learning even more. Yeah I won’t lie to you guys I suffered quite a bit this week. Something that might seem strange to you guys is that if a missionary here goes 2 or 3 weeks without baptizing there’s something wrong going on. This week was tough because the stepdad of the girl that we were preparing to be baptized got a little bent out of shape when he arrived from a trip and saw us teach the girl and her mom on their front porch. He prohibited her from investigating the church. We worked a lot this week with 2 families that were an answer to our prayers and they seemed like they had been prepared by the Lord but they didn’t go to church and are losing interest. A lot of times these things aren’t the hard part but trying to figure out the lesson to be learned is quite perplexing. I’ll just keep working hard and doing my part.

A funny thing from this week was yesterday at church when the elderly lady that we baptized out of nowhere stood up in the middle of the gospel principles class and gave a 10 minute testimony about her conversion story. it was cool and funny at the same time.

Today is P-day and I’m in the mission office helping out Pres. Fernandez. In 2 weeks we’re going to start travelling again to do zone conferences and interviews.

Well, I love you guys. I got to go, there’s a bunch of stuff I need to do here in the mission office. See Ya. Let me know if there’s any kind of news that you’d like to receive.

Elder Jenson

Questions:

1. Tell us three things about your new companion.

Elder Jones is from Texas; his dad was a mission president here in Brazil about 15 years ago, he’s probably the most highly respected missionary in the mission.

2. What was the funniest thing you did this week?

Funniest thing i did this week? I don’t know, we’re putting together a video today with a bunch of pictures that the missionaries sent us. There’s a bunch of funny pictures like these ones that I attached.

3. What is your apartment like?

My apartment is pretty cool; it has crown molding and recessed lighting. Some missionaries say that its the nicest apartment that there is in the mission.

4. What dinner do you enjoy cooking?

That I enjoy cooking? That’s tough. Usually for dinner I buy bread and lunch meat from the local bakery. its fast and easy. Sometimes I make spaghetti, sometimes I make soup. I eat a lot at lunch time so I usually don’t eat very much at night.

5. How far is the temple from your area? Do very many members attend?

The temple is about 2 and a half hour from Joao Pessoa. Once a month there is a caravan to the temple and in the ward where I’m serving I think about 10 members go. In other wards more people go.

Big Big Jenson Family News!

Dear Friends and Family, We have 2 big announcements!

First: Our son Scott and his wife Jenny are expecting a baby! This will be our 11th grandchild. We are way excited about that and we look forward to the arrival around October November time frame.

Second: Our Oldest son Nathan is engaged!! Yes, we were beginning to think it would never happen but he has met a wonderful, beautiful girl, Carissa LaFevers, and we are very very happy for them.

Please join us in congratulating Nate, Carissa, Scott and Jenny!


Congratulations! We Love You!!

Travis's Email Feb 17, 2010

HELLO,

Hey guys how’s it going? Good I hope. This week has been hectic for me. Last week I worked the whole week in proselyting area. It was carnival week so it was a little crazy but not bad. All of the parties were on the beach, far away from us. The only craziness that we saw was a little tradition that the kids do. They get a group together; one of them dresses up like a bear and the march in the streets beating on homemade drums. It’s pretty funny.

So the work in the area this week was kind of nuts. We taught a ton of people that agreed to be baptized but we find out later that they were just being dishonest. But that’s part of the work. At the same time we have a couple of families that we are preparing to get BAPTIZED.

We had a cool experience this week. There is a guy from the ward who works at the local hospital and he gave us a guy’s address that I’m pretty sure the member thought he was possessed. We went there and it turns out that he has epilepsy. We did what we do as missionaries and until now he hasn’t had any health problems and he and his family went to church Sunday. We’re going to help him and his wife get married so they can be baptized.

Yesterday we received 18 new missionaries and one of them is Chris Dellrie from the constellation ward. He’s extremely excited about the mission and he already speaks Portuguese really well, much better than I did when I arrived. It was cool talking to him a little about Gilbert and about the mission.

So Elder Gardner, the other assistant will be going home tomorrow, the new assistant, elder Jones, already arrived and we prepared all the stuff for the new missionaries. It was hectic but we managed to get it all done. Right now we are in the bus station organizing the transfers and I’m almost falling asleep here writing this letter.

 Alright so this week was awesome the next one should be even better, I’ll send you guys some cool pictures next week ok?

I love you guys! Congrats to those who had a birthday sorry I forgot. I had forgotten mine until mom reminded me in her email. Congrats to Scott and Jenny for the surprise, Jenny will have a big belly when I get home and Nate, whoa man that was unexpected. Congrats.

 ELDER JENSON

1. The best thing this week was?

   18 new missionaries arrived. One of them is Chris Dellrie from the constellation ward. Its always fun receiving new missionaries in the airport its fun seeing the reaction on their faces. I took some pictures but I don’t have my camera with me.

2. What new thing did you learn this week?

Among other things, I learned that eating food in the bus station is a bad idea.  No I didn’t get sick but Sister Fernandez gave me a talking to. It was cool this week talking to the new missionaries and seeing their expectations and their worries about the mission. 

3. How hot was the hottest day this last week?

I don’t know, probably about 90 degrees with 2,0000% humidity.

4. What is your favorite drink?

Whatever fruit juice is available. Graviola juice, Caja juice, acerola, mangaba, grape juice with milk, etc.

5. What is your favorite scripture this week?

 I’m not sure which one it is but I think its Psalm 27. “The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Travis's Email Feb 17, 2010

HELLO,

Hey guys how’s it going? Good I hope. This week has been hectic for me. Last week I worked the whole week in proselyting area. It was carnival week so it was a little crazy but not bad. All of the parties were on the beach, far away from us. The only craziness that we saw was a little tradition that the kids do. They get a group together; one of them dresses up like a bear and the march in the streets beating on homemade drums. It’s pretty funny.

So the work in the area this week was kind of nuts. We taught a ton of people that agreed to be baptized but we find out later that they were just being dishonest. But that’s part of the work. At the same time we have a couple of families that we are preparing to get BAPTIZED.

We had a cool experience this week. There is a guy from the ward who works at the local hospital and he gave us a guy’s address that I’m pretty sure the member thought he was possessed. We went there and it turns out that he has epilepsy. We did what we do as missionaries and until now he hasn’t had any health problems and he and his family went to church Sunday. We’re going to help him and his wife get married so they can be baptized.

Yesterday we received 18 new missionaries and one of them is Chris Dellrie from the constellation ward. He’s extremely excited about the mission and he already speaks Portuguese really well, much better than I did when I arrived. It was cool talking to him a little about Gilbert and about the mission.

So Elder Gardner, the other assistant will be going home tomorrow, the new assistant, elder Jones, already arrived and we prepared all the stuff for the new missionaries. It was hectic but we managed to get it all done. Right now we are in the bus station organizing the transfers and I’m almost falling asleep here writing this letter.

 Alright so this week was awesome the next one should be even better, I’ll send you guys some cool pictures next week ok?

I love you guys! Congrats to those who had a birthday sorry I forgot. I had forgotten mine until mom reminded me in her email. Congrats to Scott and Jenny for the surprise, Jenny will have a big belly when I get home and Nate, whoa man that was unexpected. Congrats.

 ELDER JENSON

1. The best thing this week was?

   18 new missionaries arrived. One of them is Chris Dellrie from the constellation ward. Its always fun receiving new missionaries in the airport its fun seeing the reaction on their faces. I took some pictures but I don’t have my camera with me.

2. What new thing did you learn this week?

Among other things, I learned that eating food in the bus station is a bad idea.  No I didn’t get sick but Sister Fernandez gave me a talking to. It was cool this week talking to the new missionaries and seeing their expectations and their worries about the mission. 

3. How hot was the hottest day this last week?

I don’t know, probably about 90 degrees with 2,0000% humidity.

4. What is your favorite drink?

Whatever fruit juice is available. Graviola juice, Caja juice, acerola, mangaba, grape juice with milk, etc.

5. What is your favorite scripture this week?

 I’m not sure which one it is but I think its Psalm 27. “The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Travis's Email Feb 9, 2010

Hey mom, how’s it going?

Things are good here, this week was pretty cool. I did a lot of travelling just like you and dad but I think that the beaches I visited are more beautiful! By now I’m sure you already picked out the paint colors and everything for the house, I’m sure its going well. Hey next week Chris del Rey from the Constellation ward will be arriving and I’ll be there in the airport when he arrives.

Hey Everybody,

Last week I went to Natal with President and Sister Fernandez and Elder Gardner to do interviews. We went in the president’s car and it was a good opportunity for us to converse and get to know them better. They really really do care about the missionaries and they work hard to help them.

We also did interviews here in Joao Pessoa and in Campina Grande. My favorite part was when we visited Campina Grande because we went to a neighboring city called Esperance where President Fernandez is thinking about opening a branch. He said he will probably open the area not this transfer but the next and he said that he wants me to open the area! So I will be the first missionary to work in a city where the missionaries have never set foot! Just in case you guys didn’t know that’s the biggest dream of every missionary - work in a place where the people haven’t heard the gospel. It was also cool eating in cool restaurants and going to shopping malls with the president.

The bad part was that I didn’t get to work in my area very much. We are working with 3 really cool families. We are working with a couple named Claudia and Sandro and we are also teaching Claudia’s parents and they have a baptismal date marked. We are also working to reactivate a few families where the father isn’t baptized. Unfortunately this takes a little work and a little time.

Well this week is the last week of the transfer. The other assistant, elder Gardner will be ending his mission and the next assistant will be elder Jones. That’s pretty much all I’ve got for now. I’ve learned a lot these last few weeks. something that I already knew became more clear for me this week- for a missionary to be successful he needs just three things- faith, worthiness, and hard work. If a missionary has this then he’ll be successful. The church is true!

Elder Jenson

Travis's Email Jan 26, 2010

Hey mom,
I counted and it looks like I will be going home in the end of July. On the 28th or 29th I think. A missionary had told me that it would be earlier but he was wrong.

Hey everybody,
I’m not sure where I left off in the other email.. Last week we had mission conference in the cities Mossoró, Natal, and João Pessoa. That means that we had to travel. Usually the assistants travel in the mission president’s car but he decided to take his whole family with him so we went by bus. It was pretty funny in Mossoro because we slept in the house of the missionaries there along with the president and his entire family. Mossoro is one of the hottest areas and it was pretty hot inside that house but we had a fun time and the conference went well. Me and the other assistant Elder Gardner talked about the fourth chapter of preach my gospel that talks about following the Spirit and President Fernandes talked about how we are all Sheppard’s and how we need to feed the Lord’s sheep if we love Him.

The conferences in Natal and Joao Pessoa also went very well. Last week in our area we helped a family return to church that had been inactive for about 6 years and we baptized their 13 year old son. The parents loved the baptism.

This week we baptized the 75 year old mom of the first counselor in the bishopric. He had been waiting more than 20 years for that to happen. She always said that when God called she would be baptized and when we showed up and said that in the name of Jesus Christ we were inviting here to be baptized she accepted.

Things in the ward are good. The members are way more excited, there are some members that help us out more that any other members I've seen in the mission.

Well things are good, have a great week everyone.

I attached a picture of a beach here in Joao Pessoa. Yeah I photo shopped it a little bit. Enjoy!

-Elder Jenson

Questions:
1. The three best things this week were?
Last week we went to the mall, slept in a high rise apartment close to the ocean and we baptized the first counselor in the bishopric’s mother.
2. The hardest thing this week was?
...
3. If you sleep in different places do you have to carry your suitcase with you?

We take our backpacks with us.

4. Does some one still wash your white shirts for you?

Nobody ever washed my shirts for me I always washed them.

5. The best thing about your new area is?

For a long time there were only 2 missionaries in the area and there are 2 wards there so we have a lot of people to teach and the members are excited because there are more missionaries.

6. How is the ward? How long has it been a ward? How many members? What is the bishop like?

The area presidency asked President Fernandez to help this stake because it has a lot of problems but really it’s not that bad, it something that can be fixed real quickly with some hard work. It’s a really old ward but the attendance in sacrament meeting is about 60 people. The bishop is really humble. In fact I think he’s out of a job right now. He trusts us so I think we will have a good time working together.

Love ya a lot Mom

P.S. I attached a picture of me with some people that I baptized, in the high-rise apartment, with the first counselor in the mission presidency’s family, in the front of a catholic church and with pres Fernandez who was going fishing.

Travis's Email Jan 19, 2010

Alright you guys, this week was crazy. So crazy that I only have about 30 seconds to write, sorry. We have to grab a bus right now to go eat dinner with Pres. Fernandes and his family.

We are traveling this week to have conferences with the missionaries, it’s pretty hectic. Last night we slept in a missionary’s house along with the president and his entire family. We ate frozen pizza and fried chicken, it was pretty funny.

Things are going great; I’m having a lot of fun.

I really liked the news about Max´s baptism. I loooove baptisms, it’s my favorite thing. I’ll have to find some time to write you guys a little bit later in the week.

I love you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Travis's Email Jan 13, 2010

HELLO,

This week was pretty hectic. A week ago I was in parnamirim and everything was so calm and in a matter of a few days I was running around Joao Pessoa, in the airport picking up missionaries, in the mission office working on the computer, having to sleep in the presidents house because we were passing the transfers, working in my area trying to find people to baptize. This week was pretty cool. I think the highlight was when we went to the airport to pick up the new missionaries. It seemed like so long ago when I arrived in the mission. We helped the missionaries get situated, talk a little about the mission rules and what is expected of them and then sent them off to their areas. I don't know how it is in other missions but the assistants in this mission work a lot in their area. This week I worked in the area from Thursday until Sunday. We are working in an area where we are trying to strengthen a stake that has a lot of problems. So far I'm really liking the area, ironically its really close to the area where I spent a lot of my mission. Me and the other assistant, we have junior companions, my junior companion is Elder Dorneles, he is from southern Brazil. He works in the area when I'm not there. He's really humble and works hard. I´m going to take some time send some pictures to you guys, I'll send more details about my hectic life here. Today is P-day and I think I will be spending it working here in the mission office.

Elder Jenson

Travis's Email Jan 6, 2010

Hey Everyone, 

Monday morning I was in my apartment at about 10:00 

am when the cell phone rang. It was President 

Fernandes and he wanted to talk to me. I don’t know 

how it is in other missions but here when the 

mission president calls it’s rarely a good thing. I 

answered, he asked me a few questions, and then 

broke the news. He said, “Elder, you are being 

called to be Assistant to the President.” 

I said, are you sure? He said yes, grab a bus and 

come here as soon as possible. And so I went. 

So it’s pretty good being an assistant to the 

president. The best part is working close to the 

President and learning with him. He has many 

qualities that I want to develop in my own life 

and I know that he receives revelation to guide 

this mission. 

Yesterday was awesome! We went to the airport 

to pick up the new missionaries. I remembered the 

day that I arrived in the mission and it was cool 

to be able to receive the new missionaries and 

make them feel welcome. 

My companion, the other assistant, is Elder Gardner 

who is from Washington D.C. I’m going to have to 

learn a lot of things with him, and fast because 

this is his last transfer. 

When I started my mission I saw the Assistants to 

the President as semi-gods and now that I’m in 

their place I see that they were normal 

missionaries just like me. The responsibilities 

are just a little different. I also realize that 

many of the changes and things that have occurred 

in my mission occurred very subtly. It’s safe to 

say that the life I have here is more complicated, 

my cell phone is constantly ringing, since I started 

writing this email it already rang 4 or 5 times. 

It’s a great opportunity to serve and learn; it’s 

also very overwhelming. 

I’m praying a lot and working hard so I hope that’s 

enough. Our work schedule is basically the same as 

any other mission but I think once or twice a week 

we will have to work with President Ferndandes. It 

should be interesting; I’ll give you guys some more 

details later. 

I hope everything is great with you guys, have an

awesome week! 

-Elder Jenson 

Travis Pics

Travis's New Year email Jan 2010

Hey mom here´s some news, I found out that the day 

that I will be going home will probably be July 

15th so you can make plans for around that date. 

Hello, 

First of all, Happy 2010 to everyone. My new year 

here in Parnamirim was good, it was surprisingly 

quiet because everyone went to the parties that 

they had on the beach. We spent the new year at 

home eating the spaghetti with sausage that one of 

the missionaries made. Yesterday we worked as 

normal and then when we got home we ate and stayed 

up to watch some fire works. It was a good new 

years. 

It's crazy to think that I spent all of 2009 here 

in the mission field and its also crazy to think 

that I will be going home this year! (not to sound 

trunky or anything) 2009 was probably the best year 

of my life and I’m sure 2010 will be better. It’s 

just like a story that Joel Biggs told me and the 

young men about a guy in his mission that said that 

every day was the best day of his life. I’m happy to 

be where I am right now. 

Alright well I’m out of time. I hope that everyone 

can make goals to have a better year. I know I’m 

going to! 

-Elder Jenson