My Dear Friend Harold. Part 3

A MONTH!!  A whole month since I've written?!  

Life right now for me is like a rug that's been pulled out from under my feet;
                                like trying to walk after riding those spinning things at the park

                                                like having both hands on the saddle of a galloping horse trying to jump on!!

         Do you get the picture??  

It's been crazy awesome exhaustingly wonderful month of my life but I'VE HAD NO TIME to write and tell you the rest of Harold's story! BUT it's here!  It's finished.  And I hope from this last part of Harold's story you feel the spirit of what I've been trying to share with you.

*By the way this is part three people!!  For the beginning of his story click here!  For meat of the story click here!!*

Harold explained to us that night, "I have lost the faith I once had in God. And I want it back." We testified there was a way!

Invited to church and an appointment made to meet with us, Harold walked away from his meeting with the bishop with a new book in hand and a new hope for his life.

As soon as their car left the church parking lot, my companion and I...celebrated!! We were so excited to help someone who had sincere desires to increase their faith in God. Knowing we had exactly what he needed to do so, we jumped up and down all the way to OUR car, then sang at the top of our lungs all the way home.

Abnormal and way boss

To our surprise, soon after arrival to the apartment we received a text from Harold informing us that he had finished reading the chapter we gave him (2 Nephi 2) loved it, and asked "what else can I read?"
THIS IS NOT NORMAL in the life of a missionary. We frantically flipped through our scriptures to find another chapter that would best continue the faith growing journey he had now begun. We landed on Alma 42, skimmed it, knew it was the right one, and sent it along.

The following morning we awoke to another text from Harold! "Read it! Now what?" I looked up at my companion, back down, back up, and the celebrating began again and so did the frantic, yet joyful, scripture flipping for yet another chapter for him to read.

The first meeting with Harold in his home included us opening up to his first Book of Mormon reading, and asking, "Harold, what did you think and how did you feel?"

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."
2 Nephi 2:11

"Well, I felt that it was true. I think verse 11 really helped me understand a lot what Bishop Potter was explaining to me."

"Do you feel like it helped your faith in God increase?"

He answered in the affirmative.

As we taught him about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that beautiful summer morning, something began to happen to Harold. It was like he started to wake up, spiritually. (Although sometimes at our morning lessons he had trouble being awake physically!) He was smiled more and talked more. At the end of the lesson we testified that through baptism by the Priesthood authority we had taught him about he would rebuild his faith, and receive all of God's promised blessings.

"So Harold, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ --" "YES!" "....by being baptized by someone who holds this priesthood authority of God?"

"Oh!...uh..."

He had totally interrupted us and as a result said yes to something he had not seen coming!! We didn't know what to do!! So we just sat there quietly and personally very tensely, unsure what was going to happen, waiting for him to absorb what we had just invited him to do.

He sat and pondered, then said, "Yes. I will!"

We sighed extremely relieved and excited. We extended a specific baptism date for the following month and he accepted. Now it was our turn to walk away from a meeting and I like to imagine that it was Harold's turn to celebrate, jump up and down and sing at the top of HIS lungs!...I've never asked him if that's what went on after we left, so for the sake of the story we'll say it happened, why not?!

A few days later. *ring, ring ring*

My Dear Friend Harold. Part Two

Harold's story continues...

If two seconds ago was the first time you've heard Harold's name, I really suggest you stop, hold your horses, and click right here! So that you can first read Part One of this post series.

Alright, now that is taken care of, roll the second reel of My Dear Friend Harold.

A whole two weeks later, and on another warm California night, the exciting event finally took place of meeting Harold! This night, although another great night in SoCal, had some differences from when we had visited Maxine and first heard about Harold. The differences were that it was a Tuesday instead of a Monday night and instead of this being our fifth back up, it was our number one, top of the rung, first priority, plan!

And the plan was simple. All we had to do was meet Maxine & Harold at the church where bishop was waiting to help. And all they had to do was show up.

A "Mormon" meetinghouse in Provo, Utah

My companion and I tried to make small talk while we waited outside the church for them, but we were so distracted with checking our watches every ten seconds! I was bouncing up and down on my heels praying that they would come and not ditch out or need to cancel. (Which by the way happens all too frequently in the life of a missionary!) Then suddenly, there before us, was our soon to be acquaintance and friend, Harold.

We hugged Maxine and shook Harold's hand. He wasn't what I had expected...

My Dear Friend, Harold. Part One

Me & Sister Hawker exasperated with time!

There are three very simple answers to the question: Why have I not posted in weeks and weeks and weeks??

The first answer: A heavy dose of Writers Block. Similarly to the movie "Stranger than Fiction" I could not think of what I should write next, the difference is that my story doesn't involve death or taxes...at least...not yet...and hopefully not for a while when it comes to the first, and unfortunately inevitable when it comes to the latter.

The second is rather unfortunate: I. Am. A. Procrastinator. 
There I said it! I need to go to Procrastinators version of AA. "Hi I'm Sister Jensen and I'm a procrastinator."  No seriously, ask my mother. I have dealt with
     hardcore
          to the extreme
                stupid frustrating procrastination all of my life!

Thirdly and finally: TIME. Time has not been my friend lately, in fact we are kind of on the outs as of the past two weeks. He keeps slowing up, speeding down, doing cartwheels, laying around, all sorts of ridiculous things, that is making me very irritated with him.

During all this Time of procrastinative writers block, I've done a lot of reflecting.  These ponderings are mostly about the experiences I've had between January 2013 until now. I've thought about the families I've
been able to teach.  These people have changed my life for...forever! I've thought about the good times, the bad times, the door slams, the overwhelming love, the ugly words, the truth, the conversion and the spiritual experiences. But mostly I've thought about Harold.

Harold is who I want to write about; but first I have to preface the rest of this blog post with the source of this idea.  During this time, I came across a blog post about another missionary and his "Harold." Elder Choe inspired me with his story and experience teaching Athena while on his mission somewhere in "Utahland!" So to Elder Choe I say thank you! And to everyone else reading I say, here is the story of my dear friend, Harold.

*This is a true story*
*Names have been changed*

It was a beautiful warm California Monday night when we first heard Harold's name. All the plans we had, totally failed and we. were. frustrated.  We had only one plan left, to go and visit Maxine. We prayed that Maxine would be home and allow us to teach her.  (We plan out our days as missionary's so that we are as effective with our time as we can be.  And it is SO hard when it doesn't work like we think it should...but it ALWAYS works out the way God wants it to.  As evident here because it lead us to Harold.) 

We had been teaching Maxine for quite a while and although Maxine loved us and our visits, we were starting to see that she wasn't interested in acting on the message we were sharing with her.

Alma 56:46-48

This particular summer night, Maxine was very upset, but we had no clue!  This was because when we got there she was her usual upbeat, happy, energetic self.  We shared a story with her from the Book of Mormon about young stalwart warriors and the great faith they had in God, the which they attributed to their mothers. "Maxine" we said, "You are one of these mothers. You have raised your son Larry with so much faith in God." She became very emotional and we learned that her family was really struggling. That they needed help.  They didn't know what to do anymore.

They had recently received into their household a nephew named Don --jk! The nephew was Harold!(dumb joke. I know.)

Course Correction

There's been another real life will of God moment going on this past week. Remember from a few posts ago, "will of God moments" in life are those moments of painful growth, trials we don't understand or difficult course corrections. They are the moments when God prunes us, shapes us, and refines us. Where He says very plainly, "I know what I want you to be and I know what I want you to do and although you don't see it now, this will lead you down the path of happiness." In order to understand this post at all and what I'm talking about, you're gonna need to watch this short video entitled "The Will of God."

Also, in order for me to share this experience and what I have learned from it, we'll need to take a trip down memory lane so that I can fill you in on some events that led to this moment. The best way I can do this is to write it as if I had a journal entry for each of them.  If I had them they would read something like this:

October 5th, 2012
Holy moly!!! You will not believe what happened this morning! The

prophet Thomas S. Monson spoke and...........CHANGED THE AGE FOR MISSIONARY SERVICE!!! I know it was revelation from God and I am so excited for all that will accompany this historic event! Check this: young men can now go at 18 yrs old instead 19 and I am not pulling your leg young women can now go at 19 instead of 21. Oh my goodness!  Am I supposed to go on a mission?? And if I do when?? I feel the spirit saying I should go but I have been working so hard for my
interior design degree!...is it really my turn to go?

Courtesy of Interior Design Facebook

October 16th, 2012
I've still been thinking an awful awful lot about serving a mission.
But it seems like the worst timing ever! I am loving school right
now, IT IS SO HARD but it has been the best semester ever! I am
actually pulling good grades and understanding the classes. My
projects have never looked better, I actually feel slightly
successful. I haven't asked The Lord yet if I should serve....I'm
scared what the answer will be!! But I'm always thinking about it and
weighing my options...

What Will You Choose?

Life.

Life is a series of choices.

In the world there are so many influences pulling you to choose a certain way. Those influences can be simplified to a pull between good and evil. Sometimes we have a choice placed before us by a group of people, pressuring us to follow their crowd. Sometimes the choice happens when we are alone and no one is watching. Inside us we feel the conflict of choice between right and wrong.

What will you choose?

Who will you listen to?

Listen to the goodness in your own heart. Every person born on this earth has been given a moral compass, often called a "conscience." This "conscience" helps us know which side of the choice before us is right and which one is wrong. In my church, we call it, "the Light of Christ." And instead of me trying to explain what it is, I'm gonna let this incredible video do it for me!

                                                                  Patterns of Light: Part I

                             My choices matter. My choices shape my destiny and my character.

If I listen to that light within me, I will be able to make good choices that take into account my happiness now and will bring about lasting happiness. Choosing good, results in good. Choosing bad, results in bad. God wants us to make good choices because He loves us, and knows that will bring us happiness.  Satan wants us to choose bad because he wants us to be unhappy, because he knows wrong choices will pull us away from God.  Misery loves company and he is the most miserable being in existence and "he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself." He's going to lie to you to get you to choose poorly and say:
                                                                                                 "just once won't hurt,"
                                                                              "it will be fun,"       
                                                                                         "it's no big deal,"
                                                                   "it doesn't matter,"
                                               "everyone is doing it."

ALL LIES!
                Just once WILL hurt,
                                             the consequences WON'T be fun,
                                  our choices DO matter,
                                                                      it IS a big deal,
                                           WHO CARES about everyone?  What do you think?  What does God?

I Feel the Earth Move

Sister Moore and I camping out

So last night, as every single SoCalifornian knows, the earth was really shakin! At 9:10pm while making some mission related phone calls, my companion and I felt a thud against our apartment building that made us jump outta our skin! Then after that we were movin' and a swayin'! Our call was lost and we were able to really let out our exclamations (aka screaming, we are girls ok?!) We were pretty shocked and I personally was excited that we were experiencing a real life California earthquake!!

After the earthquake, waved past, our friend, Michelle, texted us all the information on the earthquake and that we should prepare for a possibly bigger after shock, so "grab your flashlights!" For a split second after I read the text Sister Moore and I just looked at each other and without saying a word we both just jumped up and started epic preparations!

We first grabbed our flashlights as instructed. Then we swung our emergency kits and jugs of water to the front door. We stuffed a backpack of what we felt were essentials (journal, family heirlooms, ipad, glasses, wallet, bread, spam etc.) We then changed our clothes to work clothes in case a HUGE earthquake hit and we would be doing disaster cleanup service. What if it gets hot? It's ok we will put shorts on underneath our sweats just in case. I put on my lucky reindeer socks, next shoes were on, and we were camped out by the door!

We had a few people check up on us to make sure we were ok, we told them we were and that we were prepared! Some might laugh at the level of our prepardess! The people who checked up on us sure did! And we even did a little bit too! After all, we had even decided to eat sandwhiches right then in case a full scale disaster did happen and it meant no real food for a while!

It's Like A Real Life "Will of God" Moment

Sometimes events unfold in your life or suddenly come up that cause unhappiness. Loved ones pass away, jobs are lost, best friends move, any number of unpleasant or heartbreaking events. What can I say? Sometimes the plan we have for our lives, is not the one that Heavenly Father has. But we have His promise that it is for our good and for our experience. I am going through one of these events RIGHT NOW in my life, that has caused me to feel very unhappy. I have however learned many valuable lessons from it already and hope that my explanation of it will help you with any unhappiness you may feel at life right now.

While on a Mormon mission, you always have a companion. The Lord commanded them that they go forth two by two. And I mean you ALWAYS go forth with this companion. Imagine an invisible cord was tied between you and another person that is about 15 feet long...that is missionary companionships for ya!

My mission is 18 months long and every 6 weeks, which is called a transfer, it is possible that I will be paired up with a new companion. I have been on my mission for a year, and during that time I have had many companions. Some I get along with great, others...not so great.

My current companion, I absolutely love!! Her name is Sister Spence, and this is not the first time we have been companions. Turn the clock back one year ago, when I first started my mission, can you guess who my companion was? You nailed it, you genius you, it was Sister Spence! We work hard, laugh, talk, play, and tell stories! It has been the happiest time so far on my mission!

Sister Spence and I were sure and reassured that we would be working together for another 6 weeks...but we found out on Thursday that Heavenly Father had something else in mind. Sister Spence will be leaving this area Anaheim Hills and go into my previous area in Garden Grove. When we received the phone call that informed us of the coming transfer and impending separation, we were...let's just say, unhappy, VERY, unhappy, and we were both heartbroken.

My Own Road to Happiness

This one time in my life, I was so not happy. I tried and tried to be happy, but I just wasn't. I didn't have many friends growing up (and by many I actually mean any!) and like most preteens/teenagers I didn't know where I fit in the world, but it definitely felt like nowhere. I felt so completely and utterly alone. That is not a fun feeling. I didn't even have any sure belief that God was there. It felt like my life was pointless and that nobody wanted me around.

I remember this one time coming home after school, I think it was when I was in 7th grade, and I just started crying to my dad. He has always made me feel wanted and special all of my life. Not that I would always listen to the good advice and kind words he gave me. It was during this time that he was my only friend. Anyways, back to the story! We were in our living room and I was laying on the floor just crying! haha! (Now it's pretty funny to look back on it, in the moment, so not fun, now, pretty funny. I think I can laugh about it because I have overcome it!)

One By One

"When upon lifes billows you are tempest tossed; When you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will suprise you what the Lord has done." I believe that everything we are, and everything we have is from God. Last summer I read an article from one of the church leaders of the Mormon faith, one of the twelve apostles by the name of Elder J...effery R. Holland. The article was called, "Lord, I Believe." In it he said, and I am paraphrasing here, "instead of focusing on what you dont' have, focus on what you do have." Around the time I read the article I was going through one of the hardest times in my life. It was trying in every sense of the word. I felt tempest tossed and I felt discouraged. Many times I felt all was lost and that I was very much upon lifes billows. I began thinking why is it this way?? Why can't it be this other way?? I dont' have this, this, OR that!! When I landed on this last inward exclamation, the quote from the article, felt as if it rang through my mind silencing my rantful thinking. "Rather than focus on what you don't have, think about what you do have." I sat quietly for a minute and began to think of things that I DID have. It started very basic and rather broad. It was also difficult at first. "I have a family..." "I have a roof over my head and food in the cupboard..." "I have my health." My whole attitude proceeded to change, and the list grew longer and longer. The next day I came agross the hymn I quoted at the first of this post, and realized that it was the formula that refreshed and awakened me from a spiral of miserable events and thoughts. In truth I felt the song applied so perfectly into my life that I knew that the lesson held within its verses was correct and the obvious outcome of putting into practice the lesson proves it worth and accuracy. My cirumstances hadn't changed. I still was faced with the raging storm, billows and all, but I went from misery to peace; tumult to contentment; lonliness to happiness; and all it took was counting out what I did have, my blessings, ONE BY ONE.

This is my Story. What's Yours?

Hey you! That's right, YOU! You came to my blog! That is awesome. That makes me happy. Why? Because it means that someone somewhere is reading what I have to say. I'm not a gifted writer or some inspired person. I'm just a perfectly average 22 year old girl. I'm not particularly interesting, exceptionally eloquent, or unusually intelligent. I've had a typical upbringing in a suburb called Orem, Utah. I played with my friends, I went to school, I cried when girls called me mean things, I was bored a LOT, but also have laughed A LOT. I've led an ordinary life and the only slightly unique and semi interesting facts about myself are that I was an orphan....for about 6 days till I was adopted in my first week of life and I still have an imagination that can rival a 5 year old.  Just ask my 10 yr old niece, I bet she'd tell you I do in fact, act younger than her! To her I am crazy Aunt Katie!  To the rest of the world right now, I am Sister Jensen, a missionary for my church.  To me, I am just this slightly off beat, head strong, average girl who has found something amazing.

What I've discovered I didn't buy in a store, get from a friend, or steal from my neighbor.

I discovered it!

         I searched it out!

                         I found it!

                                                       I am your fellow traveler.

I have not arrived at the destination but am alongside you to tell you that the destination is not happiness (although it will be fantastic to get there) the journey is happiness. So where are my credentials to make a claim like that? Where's my masters degree, my PhD? Where is the proof that what I'm saying isn't a pile of hogwash? Well...I don't have a doctorate in happiness, I don't even have a degree...like at all...like in anything! (I'm basically a college drop out. I haven't even been to school for over a year now! Long story, I'm a missionary, ask me about it later when you comment.) So back to not having a degree in happiness -- Holy moly is there a degree you can get in happiness?? Cause if there is I'm definitely signing up for that this fall! (I'll be a college kid again) Enough about my lack of college education and the non existence of my PhD in happiness. Why should you trust what I've got to say or even keep reading? Because! I have gotten a education in happiness at the school of hard knocks and from my faith in Jesus Christ!

Now hold on just one second! For those of you who are like oh great another religious blog, give me one more minute to explain!

This is not a convert you to Jesus blog. This isn't a self righteous or self promoting faith blog. This is a down to earth normal person writing their thoughts about life and happiness that has worked for her, kind of a blog that hopefully will make you laugh and think and ultimately lead you to some spring of water that is in fact a spring of happiness! *Breath!* My whole goal is to help you. Like if this blog and what I have to say led you to an oasis or well or a rushing river or large lake of happiness, that would be incredible to me and make ME oh so very happy indeed!.....And heck if it leads you to the source of living water, Jesus Christ, despite what I just went on and on about not writing a Jesus blog, WELL SO BE IT!! I'll be very thrilled for you!! But the point of the blog is the springs and small creeks, and perhaps if I put a really really good post, a river!

Talk to my family, friends, I have a life that I'm trying to live. I'm a real person with real problems and real experiences. You should read my blog because I have a story and it is one filled with real happiness, and from the bottom of my heart I want you to have a life filled with joy too! Why?? Because that is one of the reasons we are here on this often miserable little planet. Let's have a reality check here for a second. Life is hard! It's full of imperfect people and sorrows and trials and challenges and the list goes on and on and how in the heck can anyone ever be happy here?? And yet I truly am!! There are ways to be happy because I KNOW it's why we are here! We ARE here that WE might have joy! God wants us to be happy! I want to be happy! I want YOU to be happy!

If you are already happy and reading this, dude! CONGRATULATIONS! Make a comment! I would love to hear about your life and experiences and your journey of happiness! What's your story? I am positive that it is just as, if not more, inspirational and helpful than mine and we would all enjoy being lifted up by your beautiful and special experiences! The thing is, I am still on my journey to happiness. I'm never gonna quit the journey-ing because I never want to quit the happy...ing. Again, happiness is not the destination alone, it is the journey.

I'm here for you when life gets hard! When those curve balls, knuckle balls and fast balls come striking you out, just read what I have to say. I have no fancy words or methods. It'll jut be real, you and me, hashing it out. I'm here because I had a Friend help me out. Now I want to be that friend for whoever needs one. You are not alone. You are not the only one who is or has been unhappy. I have felt

unhappy and I have felt alone.

So my new friend! Here is my first word on how to be happy, right here and right now. Choose any of the following:

(the creation of your own small idea is acceptable)

Pet your dog, hug your kid, smile, take a breath of fresh air, read a book, tell someone they look great today, look out the window, gift wrap a little trinket you don't want anymore and give it to someone, ask your neighbor what their name is, do that thing you have been avoiding, Just Do! Act! Live! Move! If you're blue find some yellow, if you're yellow find some red, if your green...find a toilet

or a bucket, my blog really isn't going to help with that. It's really up to you! What will you do? Where will you go? I don't know

....but I just know you CAN. Start. Go.

This is my blog about journey's of happiness.

This is my story.

This is my life: and men are that they might have joy.

Sent from my iPad