And then there were 5 September 28, 2022

 Hello my sweet family !!

This week has by far been the craziest week of my mission. Lots of things happened that I will never quite understand but I can share the results.

Sister Burdon came this weekend and stayed with us. Despite the terrible circumstances that warranted the visit, it was a pleasure to have her in our apartment for a couple of days and to have her join in a few lessons and visits. She is truly a remarkable woman of poise and humility and so much love and patience for everybody. 

Because of a few very extenuating circumstances, this week our country went from having 9 missionaries to 5. It has been a wildly difficult adjustment and it's only the second day. I am now one of 2 sisters for at least 2 months in Macedonia, something I never quite imagined I would be. The weight on my shoulders feels nearly unbearable but this is why we have a Savior.

Despite the struggle this week has been, I have felt immeasurable amounts of peace. Peace that makes no sense, that lasts even in chaos, that brings an eternal perspective to all things. 

And even though it felt like there was nearly nothing productive that happened this week, we did have the most wonderful thing that anyone could experience on their mission, our friend Teo was baptized. Now this was not something that I feel any particular ownership of. While I did get to teach Teo for the last 2 months, I feel as if I learned more from him and his faith than I could ever have taught him. 

Sometimes as a missionary it is hard to see the results of our efforts. Teo was taught for a year and didn't even believe in God for most of it. One of the missionaries that found him was only in Macedonia because he couldn't get his visa to Greece. He didn't even know Macedonian. But because he chose to stop Teo, our branch grew one person this week. 

I saw this quote in a conference talk recently that I feel adequately sums up how I feel:

"A journalist once questioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta about her hopeless task of rescuing the destitute in that city. He said that, statistically speaking, she was accomplishing absolutely nothing. This remarkable little woman shot back that her work was about love, not statistics. Notwithstanding the staggering number beyond her reach, she said she could keep the commandment to love God and her neighbor by serving those within her reach with whatever resources she had. “What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean,” she would say on another occasion. “But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less [than it is].” Soberly, the journalist concluded that Christianity is obviously not a statistical endeavor. He reasoned that if there would be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety and nine who need no repentance, then apparently God is not overly preoccupied with percentages."

I did not have a baptism this week, nor did any other missionary. Teo was baptized because he chose to make the changes he needed to and because he chose to follow the spirit. I am grateful to be a missionary who could witness the Atonement of Jesus Christ alive in such a new believer. I am grateful for it in my own life. 

I love you all. I am so grateful I did not have to live one day without the knowledge of Jesus Christ's restored church and his gospel. Macedonia has been quite possibly one of the hardest places I've ever lived, but I am so grateful for it.

Please pray for Sister Chamberlain and I as we begin our time alone here. I know we're not truly alone but it is a large task looming over us. Pray that our language abilities will match the circumstances we are in, that we will be able to find God's children who are ready or need this message, and for us to be inspired on how to help our struggling members.

Со љубов,

Сестра Џенсен