Feeling Much Happier

Hello Family,

Well I am still sick, it sounds like I have been trying to cough up both lungs for the past 2 weeks. I finally found my soggy cough drops and have been using those, they don't seem to be helping much. Today I woke up with sinus drainage and everything is muffled in my right ear. Life is really fun, I am going on 2 solid weeks of cough tomorrow I am so tired.
I had an emotional break down on Friday...don't freak out, the traveling sisters came to help us work on our companionship and played an EFY song that I used to listen to on the way to the temple sometimes, and I just bawled. Then they talked about accountability and forgetting yourself and I just asked them what they thought I did. I explained my feelings and frustrations, how I am trying really I am, I was sobbing so hard every inch of me was shaking, then I would cough for a while then sob again. Completely ugly I am sure and afterwards I was dead tired but we had weekly planning then work. I worked with Sister Quilacio. Amazing even though I was dead tired we went out, not only did we go out we went out and tracted and taught and OYM [Open Your Mouth, i.e. street contacting] and with the Spirit. It was amazing, in my exhaustion I just had to rely on the spirit and wow. At the end of the day I was surprisingly happy. Then for evaluation instead of the usual you did this wrong, and this and this. She told me that I was good, that I was teaching people not lessons, that my desire is in the right place I just need patience it will come. Having that affirmation that these feeling are the Spirit, that made my heart sing, it felt like a 1000 ton weight was lifted off of my shoulders. So even though I am still coughing and feel sick I am happier now than I have ever been. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father for knowing that I needed to hear that He knows I am trying.
We had a family that we have been working with for a month come to church on Sunday...Yay! I gave the closing prayer and I swear I said it really loud into the microphone but I guess not I said amen and went to sit down and everyone was still bowing their heads. In response I just coughed and then shrugged then walked off to greet our investigators who walked in late. Kind of funny though.


What else... we did a service project in Tanay on Saturday, we tore down a house that was tilted by the storm. I have never seen so many bugs, and spiders as big as my hand and cockroaches... but I know that I have the spirit with me because I was able to stay completely calm and do the worked that needed to be done. Amazing what can be done when we have the help of the Lord. 1 Nephi 7:12. I think.
[Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.]
Well I got your package this week, I had to pay the AP's 40 pesos [about 87 cents] to pick it up but so worth it, I only opened it and grabbed your letter before we had to come e-mail. Thank you so so so so much. I also got Megan's letter, one from Elder Plaizier and Sister Garrett (2 from Brazil, how cool am I!) Just kidding. I got some laughs at district meeting because I was smiling so big.
The work is still hard but I am feeling much happier, thank you for your help and support. I love you all. I still live on your prayers, and miss you all like there is no tomorrow. We had an American sister sent home for health reasons this past Friday, there are so few of us already it makes me sad to see her go. I am trying to get better I really am.
I love you.
Sister Rebecca Jensen

One more week done

Hello Family,

After a super long and hard week I am writing again. So I got sick last week...sore throat no voice....still have no voice and a great cough a week later...don't sleep much because I am coughing, pero [but] life is still good. We are still doing the work and people are still listening to my raspy cough ridden tagalog. Yes we were hit with the Typhoon, it was a scale 2 (whatever that means) and we went out to work, thank heavens for crocks because there was a lot a lot of rain and water. Then at night it was upped to a scale 3 and Sis M just said it was a little rain, so we didn't shut our windows or anything...bad idea. She sleeps on the floor by the door my bed is right under 3 windows...ya scariest night of my life. Wind, rain, tree limbs hitting the house, lightening. I don't think I have ever prayed harder for my investigators in their little huts or my ears to stop hearing the tremendous noise. Wednesday was interesting no one wanted to listen to us because there was so much to clean up. We didn't have water for 2 1/2 days and power until Saturday. That was fun, we planned by candlelight.
We went to the temple this morning, we got up in the wee hours of the morning to take a jeepni to White planes before 6 for the first session. We got there and the session was full of other missionaries, only 33 people per session, so we waited. Even though the clothes there don't really fit and everything is short, it is still the House of the Lord and it made me miss home more than ever. Yes I am still struggling with the homesickness thing. Well after that we went bowling in Tanay, which is like a 2 1/2 hour jeep ride, they pack us like sardines and it is hot and sometimes you just cant help but laugh. There is a joke, I don't remember if I told you it already. How many people can you fit on a jeepni? Isa pa (one more) always isa pa. There are times when there are so many people jammed in there that when they take corners everyone has to sway because one person does. Awesome. I don't think I will ever complain about riding in a car again, still feel queezy after almost every ride, some of the elders say that they still feel sick even after 2 years of riding them...so I am not too worried,
As for the work, I can understand a lot more this week. I keep surprising myself by answering questions that they have asked, sometimes Sis M will translate and I will be like, wasn't that in English. I am still not convinced that it wasn't English. Who knows either way Tagalog is coming. 16 Days until Transfer Sis M reminds me of the days until transfer every day. Who knows what will happen. I assume I will stay in the area and she will leave, she says that most greenies stay in their first area for 6 month. 6 months...that seems like so long. Tomorrow is my 3 month make. Yeash.
Trek...I love trek, I am so excited that it is only a few days away. I remember it being hard but so fun, there are days when I am here hiking up a mountain trail in the rain, sliding down the hill as I try to get up it, getting covered in mud and sweat and I remember women's pull or that last day we had to circle around when I didn't know if I could take another step I was so tired and thirsty...but then it was over, and I was in a bus home with a paces popsicle. Well it helps me put another foot down and continue onward... I did it then I can endure now.
Our investigators didn't want to come to church this week, with the storm they just don't want to listen. Slightly frustrating, but I am hoping that this week they will remember what they felt while listening to our message and realize that they want the gospel in their lives.

I love you all.
Have a wonderful 24th of July, set some fireworks off for me.
Love,
Sis Jensen

Note: For those of you who are concerned, the cough/sore throat combination indicates a typical cold/flu situation and NOT tuberculosis or some other pernicious tropical disease. - Emily

Sorry LDS mail was not working yesterday

Sorry about not being able to write yesterday we did try, but the mail system would not let us on, so we got permission to write this morning.
Family,
What a week, a lot of firsts for me. I started to teach tracts, and parts of lessons, and I had my first splits with the sisters trainers, I got my first sunburn...its been a long week.
Well life is still hard and hot. I am trying to keep the faith and continue onward, trying to learn patience. Trying... For all of you who are wondering the heat is like you are in a sauna just after someone has poured a lot of water on the coals, all of your pores open and you sweat a lot, a lot. Pero [But] since it is rainy season the nights have cooled down and the mornings are nice, but if there are not clouds the afternoons really heat up. The Food is delicious for all you who have asked, nothing at all like what I ate in the states, they eat a lot of meat, and everything is fried. I have yet to try something I really don't like...well I didn't really like sardine soup, that was not my favorite. We do eat a lot of fish. And Rice is a must. They think I am weird for always eating tinapay bread! I miss my lead bread, wheat bread here is practically non-existent. The fruit is amazing though, I had a pineapple smoothie yesterday and the lady took the pineapple from the display washed it and chopped it up and put in the blender...amazing. The mangoes are huge and they eat them with salt, which I don't really like the salt part, but they are so sweet.
Well we had a lot of investigators come to church 10 of them, I was really excited. But there could always be so many more, we invite everyone we contact to come and everyone we teach. It is so sad when they are progressing and so we confirm a baptismal date with them, excited yes awesome, please continue coming to church, then they don't show up. The next week please come, please please come it is so important...then they again do not show up. This work is hard, it is asking people to change who they are and what they are used to. That is why the Spirit is the vital to this work.
We had a water fight for P-day yesterday with a combined district activity. It was fun but after we played basketball and I got sunburned. Not too bad I did put on sunscreen earlier that day but enough to be red last night, this morning I am just brown. Still feel super white, I have a feeling I am going to feel super white until I go home and look tan next to all of you, except for Clark, you tan child you.
Well that is about it for this week, not much new just still going. We have interviews with Pres. DeLeMare this Thursday so we need to get a lot of work done in the next few days to be able to meet our goals.
I love you all, thank you so much for all of your support.
Love,
Sister Rebecca Jensen

A few Photos from the MTC

Hera are a few of the photos Rebecca sent us from the MTC. We haven't seen any photos from the Philippines yet, but I'll put 'em up when they come!



Most missionaries pose with the MTC sign. This is classic.



Becky said that "This was the part of our zone that showed up for pictures.
Elder Northrup is indeed on the ground. Yep."



"Filipino Happy Birthday to Sis. McCormack."



The Sisters Jensen:
Sister Jensen, Sister Jensen, Sister Jensen, and Sister Jensen.
"These are really our heights, we were all tall, blondish, and blue-eyed!"



"Piesta! Party the night before the sisters left for the field.
Yes, lights were all out by 10:30 and quiet time was observed."




"Coordinating sisters!"
Sister Elwood was Rebecca's coordinating sister before Rebecca was the coordinating sister.
"She was the best coordinating sister I could have ever asked for."



"[Philippino] sentence structure review I wrote for Sister McCormack."




She was in District 2C. Can you tell?

Week 2 and Not So Blue‏

Hello Family,
I am going to start this off by telling you all how much I love each and every one of you. This week has been hard but good. I have been reading a lot of the talks that I printed off at the MTC and Jesus the Christ about the atonement, and that along with all of your prayers I am able to say that I ended this week with a smile. Life is still hard, yes, uncomfortable at times but the Lord has called me here and like 1 Nephi 3:7 the Lord will provide a way.
Baptisms are amazing!! We had 4 on Saturday, they were Sister Daniel's and Sister Miras's so I was exceedingly blessed to be able to take Sister Daniel's position and help prepare them for their baptism. Oh what a happy day!! There is a power and a peace that comes from watching people take such a leap of faith, the Spirit gently reminded me that I need to take my own leap of faith and trust that I am supposed to be here, and be here with this companion.
What else, we finally got me food for the apartment, I am pretty sure we don't keep food in the apt because of the bugs, but I keep everything in the fridge so it is good. I have found just like with my MTC companion if we sincerely look for ways to get along we will, we are both working for the Lord so even if we don't understand each other when doing the work we are both pulling in the same direction and sometimes we need to humble ourselves and just ask.
If you can't tell I am in a much better mood. Our District meeting this morning was inspired, it was about how to strengthen and unify your companionship and I am just so filled with hope about mine, I know this week if we both work hard we can both meet our goals and really learn to love each other.
Our investigators are doing well, having a hard time progressing, I pray so hard each time we are in a lesson so I can help them in any way, sometimes I will be able to say things in Tagalog that amaze me, and other times I just trip and stumble with the language but I know that I try to do it with the spirit, because honestly nothing I say really matters unless the spirit is there to drive it home. We tried to take 2 of them on the Temple Walk this Saturday but one was out drinking on Friday and we only took one. It was still wonderful to go to the temple, not in it, but still around the grounds and explain its importance. I love the temple!!! I miss going weekly. The Manilla Temple is gorgeous, I will have to send home pictures. A lot of the Filipino investigators there asked to have a picture taken with me, I am still so uncomfortable with all of this attention, but it makes them so happy. Still amused by that.
Well this week we have a lot of lessons and some high goals, I really want to work hard, honestly I do but sometimes I just get to caught up in not knowing the language and not understanding my companion and sick on the jeeps and well like I said earlier life is still hard, but this week we are going to take 1 day at a time and work work work. Also we are going to try it with a smile, I get so many comments about not being happy just because I am so tired all the time, sometimes it is all I can do in lessons to stay awake, but I know that if I really work at it, I will be able to stay awake enough to show them how happy the gospel really has and does make me.
I know this Church is true, if I didn't there is no way any of us would be down here, but it is TRUE and Christ lives. I love how many opportunities I have to testify about the Savior, even if that is all I can do in a lesson or a tract I love it. Christ did everything because He loves us, and so if we truly find that love or as close to that love in this life then we too will be motivated to help others, to lift them with they fall to help them smile and feel appreciated. I am working on it, charity is a life long quest and I do believe I have just really begun mine.
I love you all, have a wonderful week. Thank you so much again for all of your prayers, I really am so thankful.
Take care.
Sister Rebecca Jensen

Here I am

Family,
Thank you for talking to me at the airport...sorry I cried through most of it. Being a missionary sure is emotional. Wow reading your letters makes me want to cry...good grief it has been the longest 5 days of my life and now typing that it has been 5 days my brain is trying to figure out where those last 5 days have gone. I am in the Laguna Zone the Morona Branch. What a wonderful place...it is about 2 hours (good traffic) from the mission home, so yes jungle and city. I do indeed shower everyday out of a bucket with the same ladle I use to flush the toilet and clothes are hand washed...oh life is exciting. Other than that, it is hotter and muggier than I though possible, I don't even bother with makeup anymore I just wipe it off anyway. And the people think I am the most beautiful thing they have ever seen I get called barbie, beauty queen, America,...etc... they don't see many Americans, so a tall blond blue eyed one is like wham...ya I have never had the desire to walk in a room and have all the heads turn but I sure know how it feels now. Last night we were tracking in this gorgeous mountain village and all of the village children came up and flocked around us asking my name. When I responded with po and in Tagalog they laughed and were surprised and followed us it was really fun. I really do not like all of the attention but it does get us into many doors everyone wants to know why an American girl like me is in their country trying to speak their language. I am so lucky we have 4 baptisms this Saturday, our branch is fantastic we have members come out with us just about everyday and their fellow-shipping couldn't be better, I am amazed by them. They are also trying to help me learn Tagalog. My companion is native to Cebu so she is new to Tagalog but picked it up quickly since they are so similar...she speaks so fast and quiet I have a super duper hard time hearing her. It is super frustrating, a lot of times I will ask a question and she will not answer it, she will just answer "puwede" which is you can...well yes I can but what is better. So frustrating. Yup if you can't tell it has been a hard few days, I am so glad to be here but it is a lot harder than I ever expected. So I told my companion I am lactose intolerant, she says she is as well but doesn't care to avoid what she eats... but she tells all the members for me, surprisingly almost everything the members have tried to serve me has milk...which baffles me...still can't figure that one out. I cannot wait until I can understand this language. The members were talking about me in front of me on Sunday just friendly talk but still it hurt why not try and ask me, ya I cried after dinner at my Branch Pres house I was just so frustrated with them talking right there about me. Yes I know I can't understand everything but I do usually get the jist of it. Oh wow, this is not how I wanted it to sound. I love my companion I am just getting used to her and her ways and the Filipino ways and cultures and mannerisms. So we don't keep food in the house, I have never been more grateful for the granola bars I brought with me...ya if a member doesn't feed us we don't eat...ya perfect weight loss plan. So every night when we get in I seriously just crash, it is funny how tired I really am, but seriously I have had no extra sleep from the time we got here to now, that first night we went tracting and teaching and here we are still running. This morning we had zone conference in a different city about an hour away, we took a jeep nee (sp?) I feel so sick I am still swaying. I have no clue how I am going to solve that problem for the rest of my mission. Still dizzy which is probably why this letter is so random. We are in some random dark room in the city of Mornona trying to type letters, but at least it is cold. We got permission to go to the mall today and get me a really good umbrella, it has UV protection. My comp being native loves my skin and is always making sure I am wearing sunscreen and using an umbrella, really sweet of her. So I got to see Elder Sweat from my MTC district today, I about cried of joy to see someone I knew, then Sister Jensen walked in, there are 2 of us in the same zone. I love it!
So my alarm clock died on the way over but luckily I wake up every morning to the roosters that live outside our apartment in the jungle of trees...yup the view still astonishes me. There are times I cannot believe where I am and what I am seeing. Random note thank you for the crocks, they are fantastic for the rain and keeping my feel cool plus all the natives love staring at name brand shoes...
I know that there is probably a ton I am not including but I am not kidding when I say my head is spinning. I am so sorry. I love you all, thank you so much for your prayers. I know that it will get harder and that times will be rough but hopefully I can find my footing and get into a pattern and things will be better. Until then I am just holding on hoping not to be flung off into who knows where.

I love you.
Sister Rebecca Jensen

Photos from the Field

We received an email from Rebecca's mission president's wife this week, as well as some photos of Rebecca with her trainer (at least, that's MY guess) and the mission president and his wife:


Dear Jensen family,

This is just a note to let you know that your Sister arrived safely in
the mission field in Quezon City today. She is
tired, but excited to go and do the work she was called to do. I'm
attaching some pictures so you can see for yourself that she is alive
and well.

Just a note concerning mailing. Do not send anything
via FedEx unless there is an important document to be signed or
something like an ATM card. The FedEx partner here, Air 21, charges
terribly high duty on most all packages. A U.S. Postal Service
International flat rate box costs less and will not receive duty. Also, most American goods can be purchased here, especially candy, so you
could actually save by putting a little extra "birthday" money in your
son/daughter's account and let them buy their own. If you do send a
box, put a religious picture over the seal on the opening. Most
Filipinos are very superstitious and they will not open or inspect the
package. The best place to send packages is the P.O. Box 13873 Ortigas
Center, Pasig City 1600 MM PH. We have just moved the mission office
and I don't even know the physical address at this point.

Thank you for your love and support for your missionary.

Blessings,
Sister Ho Ching