Week 5 - Interpreter

Hola Blog Readers,

The days are flying by as i count down the moments until I am on a train to malaga! We have a map of spain in our room and so sometimes we take pins and spin around in circles with our eyes closed and then stab the pin into the map to see where our first area is going to be. Usually I end up either in Portugal, or the Mediterranean Sea, so I don´t know how accurate our method is, but point is we are all super excited to find out where our mission field experience will begin.

Although there hasn´t been much to really share with you in the past week I did have a couple of really awesome experiences.

Thursday and Sunday nights, all the elders pile into one of the 6 person rooms and we have a little spiritual thought and some elders give their testimonies. Its always really spiritual and an awesome experience. Well, this past week, we had some new elders come who are learning Italian and on their way to Italy this week. One of them is from Italy and speaks pretty good English, but the other is from Uruguay and speaks none. As we started the meeting, he quickly looked around and asked for someone who could possibly translate for him. All eyes looked toward me and one of my companions who spent 5 years in Mexico when he was younger, but then his eyes turned to me too. So I willingly “volunteered” to translate the meeting for him. Of course it was really scary because I didn´t want to mess up peoples testimonies, and even though I asked them to speak slowly, they didn´t; however, I have never felt so comfortable speaking Spanish in my life. It was like the words were just spilling out of my mouth and although Im sure there were tons of grammatical errors and wrong conjugations, he was able to understand everything perfectly. It was truly a miracle and an amazing experience for me.

The park this week, as usual, was awesome. One really cool experience my companion and I had was with this guy who was watching his wife and daughter play at the playground. We shared with him the message, gave him a Book of Mormon, and then got his name and number. As if that wasn´t already amazing enough, as we walked by him again we saw that he was actually reading the book with his wife and sharing things that he liked with her. Often times, especially at the park, we don´t get to see the fruits of our efforts, but when we get to see that little change in people it makes all of the rejection worth it.

I love this work so much, and it makes me so excited knowing that I´ve only really gotten a small taste of it. I can´t wait to let you all know where I am headed for my first area and tell you how the real streets of Spain are. As my last week in the MTC, I will close with a short testimony.

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the same gospel that he established while he was on the Earth during His ministry, has been restored in this day. That the same ordinances and authority which He and His apostles held is on the Earth and have been restored through a modern day prophet. That prophet was Joseph Smith, and I know that he was in fact a prophet called by God. I testify that although I was not there, I did not see him walk into the grove of trees, I did not see him kneel in prayer, and I did not hear the voice of God the Father, I know that he did. I know that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that by their command, he restored the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. This church, is the only true church with the fullness of the restored Gospel and the authority to act in the name of God. The evidence of that is the Book of Mormon. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God for people today, and that if you desire to come closer to Jesus Christ and to know if the things I have said are true, you can do so through reading and praying about this book. I invite all who read this, who have not read the Book of Mormon to do so. I have read it and seen the effects it has had in my life. My family has read it, and I have seen the effects it has had in their lives. I know that if you read it, you will see the effects it can have in your life. I promise that if you act on this invitation, you will know, with the same surety and conviction that I have, that these things I have said are true.

I will be anxiously awaiting the opportunity to write you all again, but until then I wish you well!

Elder Jenkins

Things I Learned This Week

1.       You will never speak Spanish with your mouth closed

2.       “We are not monks, but we aren´t monkeys either” – one of my favorite quotes for us at the MTC

3.       “Today I was refined” – I am here to learn Spanish from the teachers, but I learn more of how to be a good missionary from the sisters. This quote was by a sister after a really hard day at the park. There are no bad days, just days when the Lord is refining us

4.       If we build upon the rock of our Savior Jesus Christ, when we hit rock bottom he will still be holding us up

5.       “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

6.       Be a John the Baptist kind of companion

7.       Eating 75 Maria Cookies in a day will give you a really bad stomach ache

8.       Never miss an opportunity to testify about what you know

Week 4 in the MTC - the real Madrid!

Blog Email

Qué Pasa mis amigos! Elder Jenkins just checking in for another weekly update of life here in Spain at the Missionary Training Center. Not a whole lot of new things happen, and all of us missionaries are just chomping at the bit to get out in the field. Our mission Presidents sent us all the weekly mission newsletter, which just kind of put salt on the wound that we aren´t out yet; however, I know I still have much to learn in this next week and a half!

This week, our P-day schedule was a little mixed up because we have a member of the quorum of the 70 coming today to talk with us, along with some people from the Spanish Government. Because of this, I have 2 excursions to tell you about. Last P-day, we just went around and saw some sights in the city of Madrid. We saw the Madrid Royal palace and then went to one of the most well known cathedrals in Madrid. I promise its well known…even though I don´t know the name of it… but Both were amazing buildings. Its incredible to think of the people who build them so long ago and what they were able to do with the resources that they had.

This week, I went to the Museo Prado, which is apparently a pretty big deal, sort of like the Luv – or however it is spelled – of Spain. Basically it is a giant art museum and even though I´m not the most artsy person I can still appreciate how much art has had an impact on world culture, and as a missionary it is interesting to see how growing religious ideas and views are displayed in the various works of art.

This week, it just happened that our weekly Saturday visit fell directly on Valentine´s Day, so we got to walk around and look at all the happy couples having a lovely Dia de san valentin in the park. Luckily I had my trusty companion for the week so that I wasn´t lonely: Elder Yashanin. He is a native Russian who speaks no English and knew only one word of Spanish, “regalo” – meaning “gift”.

Before coming out on his mission, Elder Yashanin was in the Russian Special Air Force, which doesn´t mean a whole lot to me but all I know is that he jumped out of airplanes and has practically no fear. He would just march up to anyone, stick out the Book of Mormon and with a smile say, “Regalo”. It was a great way to force me out of my comfort zone and talk to people I might not have normally talked to. It was a hard day, not being able to speak to my companion, but it forced me to use my Spanish more to talk to those around me.

Other highlights of the week have been that we had a Dia de Todo Español, which means from the moment we woke up to the moment we shut our eyes for bed the people in my district spoke only Spanish. It was super hard and frustrating at times, but when we were finally finished with the day it was a huge confidence booster. It´s scary to think every day is going to be a dia de todo español in two weeks though, but one step at a time. Additionally, they had a zone conference for the missionaries in the Madrid Mission here and they got Dominos pizza. By the end, there was one pizza left and even though it was ham and mushroom all the missionaries split up the one pizza into tiny pieces so we could all have some. It wasn´t as great as my beloved papa johns pizza from home, but it was still magical.

Its hard to believe the days are counting down until I´m actually out in to the field. The anticipation of knowing where my first area will be or who will be my trainer and will he speak English is killing me! I do love it here in the MTC and I gain a stronger and stronger testimony every day that this truly is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that this is His church on the earth today. Thanks for keeping up with me all who are reading and I look forward to telling you all about my final week in the MTC next week! Hasta Luego!

Things I learned this week

1.       Never be afraid to ask, whether it’s a baptism invitation or an invitation to simply know more, the worst that can happen is nothing

2.       I always figured older people would be nicer and at least smile when they rejected you… That’s definitely not the case

3.       A motivation to stay with your companion at all times is so that a million people don´t ask, “¿Trabaja aquí?”

4.       Don´t keep yourself from doing something amazing by not trying

5.       Take time when you are cutting your own hair, or it will end up a lot shorter than you want it to be…

6.       If you ever think life is too hard or that the Lord asks too much, its not, and he doesn´t

Week 3 in the MTC - Speaking in Church!

Hola Friends and family! 
I can´t believe Im over halfway done with my time here at the MTC. Part of me feels like Im still barely beginning and the other part of me feels like the time has been dragging by.
Missionaries from the Madrid mission came to the MTC yesterday to go to the temple and it was pretty unreal to think that I will be one of them, walking the streets of spain, in only 3 weeks!  Last P-day was a pretty awesome experience. I got a chance to go toEstadio Bernabau, which is the stadium for Real Madrid Futbol Team. “For a patriotic Spaniard and 

true fan like myself it was almost too thrilling to believe” But really, I thought I wouldn´t be too in to it because I don´t know a ton about soccer but it was insane! The stadium is ginormous, for one. We pretty much just went on a tour, looking at all the trophies the club has won (which is probably the longest part of the tour!), looking at the locker rooms (of course I had to sit at the same place Ronaldo sweats at…) and we actually got to go down onto the field and sit on the side lines in the players seats, which are actually super cushy racing car like seats. It was super awesome. The best part of course was standing at the press conference table and reciting the entirety of the Pink Panther press conference scene.      

Not a ton of new things happen here at the MTC every week, but I figured I would give you guys a sneak peak of my life here. Most of the time is spent in the classroom with my district of 8 people. Three sister missionaries, Hermanas Olsen, Didricksen, and Rossberg, an elder companionship, Elder Adcock and Elder Harvey, and then my two companions Elder Doxey and Elder Porritt. All of these other missionaries are awesome and help make the time in the classroom pass by a little easier. We also have three teachers, one for each part of the day. Hermana Martinez, Hermana Ganaza and Hermano Ponsoda. Each ofthem has a VERY distinct accent, some which are easier to understand than others. Hermano Ponsoda would probably have to be my favorite. He speaks zero English and just got off his mission in Madrid 6 months ago. He is so solid in the gospel and teaching and helps a ton with our Spanish.  Another really cool thing they do here in the mtc is that thepresident doesn´t announce who is going to be speaking in sacrament meeting on Sunday until after the sacrament, and you have to speak in your mission language. He went pretty easy on us the first week by pretty much calling only native speakers to give talks, but this week I just had a feeling that I was right in his crosshairs for speaking, and I was right. It was my first talk as a missionary, totally in Spanish, but it was an awesome experience and a great opportunity to boost my confidence in Spanish. The weirdest part was having a translator standing next to me, translating my every word for the people in the congregation. So I heard what I wanted to say in my mind in English, translated it into Spanish, and then heard what I actually said as it was translated back into English. Sometimes it was like a game of telephone where I was really surprised at what came out after that entire process, but for the most part it went fairly smoothly.     

 Sorry I don´t have more exciting things to tell you all about. I´m sure things will pick up once I travel down to Malaga, but for now its just studying, teaching, and trying to prepare to find those people who are ready and willing to listen to the message we have to share.It´s hard, as Ive said before but there is nothing I would rather be doing. I hope all is going well with all of you and I love getting emails to hear how you are all doing. Until next week mis amigos!Elder Jenkins5 Things I´ve learned this week
1. Waking up 5 minutes early is definitely worth first pick of the showers
2. Mensaje vs mesaje. One letter is the difference between askingpeople if we can share a message, and a massage…

3. One of the zone leaders said something I really liked, especiallybecause when you are trying to learn a new language you have a lot ofdoubts. The Lord himself called you to this mission, which means thisis the place and the language which he feels you will be mosteffective in teaching his Gospel. That thought helps me get through alot of rough lessons and misunderstood questions.
4. The Lord has established his church on the earth today. Look forthe talk by Tadd R. Callister called “what is the blueprint of christschurch” if you have any doubts of that.
5. You can never eat too many Gullon Maria cookies, I probably have 8packs a day

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto
men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all
men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before
me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto
them."
Ether 12:27

Week 2 The MAC CHICKEN and Real Madrid 2/5/2015

The sound of Elder Jenkins is starting to get more and more familiar
as I realize that I am actually a missionary! It´s a crazy feeling,
but at the same time it’s the most fulfilling feeling that I have ever
encountered, even with my limited experience so far!
I love this country more and more every single day. Last P-day, we
traveled to the Puerta Del Sol in the Heart of Madrid. It is pretty
much Spain´s equivalent of Time´s square and is filled with stores,
street performers, and such beautiful buildings. I got to try my first
real Spanish food outside of what they serve here at the MTC, and of
course it had to be churros and hot chocolate. What I got was
definitely not what I was expecting, however. The churros has zero
sugar or cinnamon, and the hot chocolate was super thick, and
impossible to drink. Luckily someone told me that you don´t drink the
hot chocolate, you dip your churros in it. It was pretty good, but the
chocolate they have here tastes like semi-sweet chocolate you would
use to bake with, not really what I was expecting after coming from
American chocolate. ALSO, I passed a Mcdonalds and was ASTOUNDED when
I found out that no one in my family decided to tell me that they came
out with a MCCHICKEN BIG MAC sandwich. I´m hoping it´s not just a
European thing so that I can eat them for the rest of my days. I have
yet to try it but I´ll be sure to let you all know when I do.
Today, we are going to the Real Madrid Futbol Stadium so that should
be pretty exciting. Apparently it´s like the Mecca of futbol and a
place that you have to see before you die if you even like sports at
all.
Some of the greatest experiences I have had here at the MTC have been
the scariest as well. One of those is most certainly the Park. There
is a park in the center of Madrid that used to only be open to
royalty, but is now open to the public and the wave of Mormon
Missionaries who ambush it at 2 oclock every Saturday. We get assigned
a brand new companion, usually someone who doesn´t speak Spanish and
is here learning Russian or French so we can help them understand
Spanish, and we hit the streets of the park to preach this gospel to
anyone who will listen. It´s an eye opening experience as you quickly
realize the rejection that is impending for the next two years of your
life, but at the same time a day of rejection is totally worth the
couple of people who decide to listen to the message. It is crazy to
think how much someone´s life could be changed just because I said
hello to them at a park and tried to give them a book in broken
Spanish.
We also do a LOT of role playing here, all in Spanish of course. We
have teachers who pretend to be investigators who we teach every day
for two weeks. At the beginning, it was kind of hard to take the role
plays seriously, but as we got to know our investigators and their
stories and taught them the lessons became very real. The situations
that we are put in are real life situations and the spirit that is
present is absolutely authentic. It´s honestly breathtaking when you
walk away from a lesson where the spirit was so strong. Role plays
also give us a lovely repertoire of stories from missionaries who are
still trying to get the hang of this language. For instance, in our
first lesson, we decided to kind of stray of the lesson plan. Now I am
in a trio companionship, and so as two of us deviated, one of the
missionaries kind of missed the memo. So one of my companions bore his
testimony about the family and how our investigator could see her son
who passed away again, I followed and testified about the same, after
which, my third companion chimmed in about how Jesus Christ
established a church when he was on the earth. We got quite an
interesting look from our investigator needless to say. This week we
will get new “investigators” and I get to start this whole process
over again.
The best part of the MTC is by far the devotionals that we get to hear
everyweek. Because we aren´t in Provo, we don´t get the luxury of
being in the same room as the apostles and other speakers, but we do
get to watch them in our classrooms and the spirit is the same. The
talks that we hear from those inspired men change my view on this
work, this gospel, and how I am to live my life. Additionally, we get
the amazing devotionals by the mtc president here. He has so much love
for all of us and I can definitely feel that he cares about us and
this work more than anything.
Food Update: Food is still a working progress, but I am working hard.
I was so excited when I walked into the comedor and saw that we were
having hamburgers and hot dogs one night!...Until I tasted them. I
would say out of all the things I love about Spain, there are
definitely some things I miss about America.
I am so happy for this opportunity that I have been given to serve the
Lord in Spain. Today we also got to go to the temple here in Madrid
for the first time and thinking about how I was with my family the
last time I was in a temple was a little disheartening, but I have
faith that they are okay and have had a spiritual confirmation
multiple times every day that what I am out here doing is the best
thing I could possibly be doing right now. Thanks for all the prayers
and the thoughts. Until next week, Adios.
5 Things I learned this week: (I decided to drop down from 10 because
that’s a little audacious for just the MTC)
1.      I actually have found that I ENJOY writing in my journal – congrats
Mom, 19 years of nagging finally paid off ;)
2.      There is Power in Planning for lessons, even if you already know
everything you are going to teach. Putting in the time to plan makes
all the difference.
3.      The weather in Spain is CRAZY! One second it´s sunny, the next its
hailing, and we even got some flurries this week. It´s pretty cold,
but all that I hear about Malaga is how hot it is, so I´m excited to
see if I can last in the frying pan.
4.      I got the answer to one of the questions I have always wondered
this week. “How do I know if a prompting is from the Holy Ghost or if
its just me?” The answer, in the words of Elder Bednar, “Quit worrying
about it and press forward. The Lord will guide you, but he shouldn´t
have to yell at you!”
5.      If you can, find the talk on the Character of Christ by Elder David
A. Bednar. It is one of the most powerful talks regarding The Savior
and who He was that I have ever heard.

Here are some pictures from the MTC!