Typical Lila--praying for trials because her mission isn't hard enough!

Sister Jenson and Esau with Josh on his baptismal day.

Hello Friends, Romans, Countryman! (That just never gets old to me! :-) )


Mission life has been going excellent!

This week I have a stronger testimony of prayer and an even stronger desire to watch what I wish for! After the spiritual high of awesome missionary meetings and General Conference I told the Lord in prayer that I wanted these next few months to be the hardest of my life up to this point. I had always heard missionaries talk about how hard their mission was and I never felt it was really that hard! (I guess student teaching with 10 students with severe disabilities and I was responsible for all of them was more stressful for me.) Don't get me wrong, a mission has stretched me and my faith is much stronger and vibrant then it ever was before. So I told the Lord that I was willing to work hard enough to make my last 6 months as a missionary the hardest so far.

Well, the Lord has started to answer my prayer. This week we didn't have anyone feed us, I didn't feel the best, only 1 of our investigators came to church, and 95% of our appointments canceled on us this week, and we had to give a lesson in Sunday School about priesthood organization that was tough to prepare for. I was talking to my Zone Leader about this lesson and mentioned what I had prayed for and he said "Sister Jenson, why did you do that????" I responded "I know, I know." He said "Well, the Lord sure does answer our prayers!" So now I have been asking the Lord for the strength and inspiration to deal with the difficulties that may be upcoming. I am doing all I can to qualify for the Spirit so that He will be able to be with me always, because I'm going to need it!

I did a close reading of 3 Nephi 27:27 because I had to talk about how it applied to being a trainer for a missionary meeting for all the new trainers. At first I didn't know how it applied at all, but then as I read it over and over again different parts of the verse stuck out to me

"And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."

"And know ye"= I was given 2 weeks to prepare to be a trainer, just as Christ was preparing and forewarning his apostles.

"that ye shall be judges of this people" = judge in Israel= bishop, a bishop counsels and gives guidance and is there to help people progress, I shouldn't get angry at people or be harsh but try to help my greenie just like a bishop would.

"according to the judgment which I shall give unto you" = God is going to help me to be a good trainer, if I ask him he will give me help and answer my questions.

"which shall be just."= I can completely trust the answers I get from God and I can trust him. Even if I don't want to do what he prompts me to do, it will be the best thing and I will be successful if I follow him.

"Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be?" = manner/type = in the end there will be 3 types of people Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial. What kind of person should I be? I should act Celestially now, just as I want to be in the Celestial kingdom then.

"Verily I say unto you, even as I am" = "I am" was a title used in the Old Testament as another name for God. Christ declared that he was that same person (I Am) to the people in the New Testament. Christ was there from the beginning and he has a very Eternal perspective. If I am to be like him in training a new missionary I should consider not just the time that I will be with my greenie (new missionary), but also the rest of her mission and the rest of her life. I will have some effect on her and that effect is going to carry on with her in some way.

I hope that all of you are having a wonderful week and that you do all you can to have the Spirit with you to deal with the crazy world out there!

Love

Sister Lila Jenson

Lila is still going strong!

Lila had a fun birthday last week and enjoyed being treated to a frozen yogurt by her companion, Sister Esau. They baked a cake and shared it with their missionary district. But it's pretty much back to work as usual for a missionary!
This week she'll be going to a "Train the Trainer" meeting because she's getting a new "greenie" companion from Georgia. She'll be staying in Lawton and her companion Sister Esau will be leaving. So goes the life of a Mormon missionary!
For the record, Lila has had 8 different companions in 10 transfers. (A "transfer" happens every 6 weeks. Sometimes they stay in one area for several "transfers" but they may get new companions.)
Lila is still working hard to teach their "investigators" as well as look for new people to teach. They are also teaching several families who have been "less active" and are now coming back to church.
Here are some pictures of a recent baptism and her district.

Sister Lila Jenson, Danny, the brother who performed the baptism, Sis Esau

Danny and his son

Lila's district all eating in a line in the church's kitchen.

Lila's current district in Lawton

Sister Taylor and other sisters (including Lila)

The obligatory "crazy" distirict picture. :-)

How Am I Becoming a Disciple of Christ?

All of the missionaries in Lila's mission were asked to prepare a 2 page response to the question "How am I becoming a disciple of Christ?" for a vist by Elder Packer (the Apostle's son) later this month. Here is what Lila wrote:
Connecting to the Vine: Thoughts on Discipleship


In discussing the questions "How am I becoming a disciple of Christ? and What am I learning in the process?" we might first ask, "What is a disciple of Christ?" In John 15:1-6 the Savior told his apostles, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” The Savior says that he is the vine and we have to connect to him. Becoming a disciple of Christ is simply the process of learning to connect to that vine.

I have learned that independence doesn’t sanctify me. It is only through the Atonement of Christ that I can become exalted. If I was determined to be independent of God or Christ’s help I would land myself in the Telestial Kingdom. It is only through accepting Christ’s help and Atonement by learning to connect myself to that vine that I will become a disciple of Christ and a celestial person.

To connect to the vine I have to be willing to receive instruction. Just as is said in the sacrament prayers “that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them” (D&C 20:77). I know that giving our will to God is a key aspect in becoming a disciple of Christ. As I am working on this process of turning my will over to the Lord I have learned that I can become like God; but it’s going to take a long time and it will only be possible through a power much greater then my own: the power of Christ’s Atonement.

Christ told his followers repeatedly that if they were to be his disciples they would have to be willing to give up everything. He told Joseph Smith in modern revelation, “Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. And whoso is not willing to lay down his life for my sake is not my disciple” (D&C103:27-28). Part of being willing to give all to God includes listening and obeying God’s commandments. Christ expressed this in the Doctrine and Covenants “He that receiveth my law and doeth it, the same is my disciple; and he that saith he receiveth it and doeth it not, the same is not my disciple, and shall be cast out from among you” (D&C 41:5). Thus acting in obedience is essential to being Christ’s disciple. Because of my obedience to the Savior I am learning to be steadfast and immovable in the gospel and have been able to avoid many pitfalls of sin.

After we are willing to accept Christ as our Savior and strive to do his will we must accept his gospel. As James E. Talmage explained in his book Jesus the Christ, “Acceptance of Jesus as the Christ implies obedience to the laws and ordinances of his gospel” (pg342-343). Through partaking of both baptismal covenants and temple covenants I am beginning to see the power inherent in those ordinances. I have learned for myself that there is a great strength in covenants. As I have been able to be in the temple and feel the Spirit there I have learned to better listen and follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I am better at sensing the peace and calm I feel when the Spirit is near. Christ explained, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27-28). I know that as I learn to listen to these promptings I will be better able to recognize the voice of the Savior and have a greater desire to be a disciple of Christ and to follow his commandments.

One of the commandments that Christ gave to his followers was to love others as he had loved them. “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:34-35). Loving others is a key sign of being a disciple of Christ. When Christ asked if Peter loved him, Peter said,“Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep” (John 21:17). Along with feeding people spiritually, Christ also implored us to nourish them physically, “And remember in all things the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted, for he that doeth not these things, the same is not my disciple” (D&C 52:40). Becoming a missionary has opened up my eyes to the potential of all of God’s children and has allowed me to feel greater charity for those around me.

So “What is a disciple of Christ?” Someone who loves others not just in word or emotion but in action; they apply Christ teachings into their lives through obedience, and express this obedience through the principles and ordinances of the gospel. In my personal journey to become a disciple of Christ I have found that the process is not anything that has stemmed from my talent or personal ability but stems from the Savior. Ultimately all the spiritual knowledge I have gained are all things that have increased my ability to rely on Him.