Mien Hovercraft ist voller aale!

GERMANY!!


(My hovercraft is full of eels! ) and other useful German phrases I get to learn.....

Sister Hayley Jensen has been called to serve for a period of 18 months to the Hamburg Germany, German speaking mission.

Well after all of this waiting it finally came! My mission call came and well.... it is totally awesome!! I never figured Europe for even a second let alone German! As you can tell by my excessive use of exclamation points I am just a little bit excited!!

I report to the Provo MTC on Wednesday October 22, 2008. I hope to have some sort of sweet shin dig before I go and a farewell talk. Anyone that can come should, I'd love the support!

Forgoing tradition I chose not to have people over to open my call. In Draper the mail comes late in the day typically around 3 or 4 so I helped my mom at the school until about 3 and then made my way home. I assumed the mail would come at 4 but thought I'd check the mail just in case. I opened the box and there it was.... the infamous white envelope.

Needless to say I was tearing into the envelope on my driveway. Eventually I made it to the living room where I read the place and the language. After a moment of shock I read the whole beautiful letter.
Amazingly I didn't really cry. In fact, I laughed. I could not have foreseen Germany in ten million years but what a pleasant shock! For a girl who has never left the United States, a year in beautiful Europe is not too bad!

So far what I know about GERMANY:

- Hamburg is the 2nd largest city in Germany ( behind Berlin)
-It is a huge sea port
- The Hamburger originated here
- It has temperatures ranging from 80 in June or July to the negatives in January/February..... sounds alot like Logan, Utah.... Ironic!
- In German, W sounds like a V

Hopefully I will learn more in the coming weeks and years. For now I am excited and anxious to learn. I believe that I was called where I was for a reason. I look forward to doing the work that I have come to love, I look forward to losing myself in the service of my Heavenly Father. I know that with his help I can be an aid in the gathering of scattered Israel.

Go Forth With Faith
Serve With Valor
Return With Honor

Drewdles Returns and other things I was not prepared for...

Drew and I 2006

I can't believe that my final friend is home from the mish! Andrew got back yesterday from 2 years in Cuernavaca, Mexico. He called me right after he got released, funny kid. I thought he had been home a few days but he was just taking off his tag as we spoke!

Needless to say I am SO SO SO excited for him to be home. Drewdles has been one of my best friends since I was 16 and he is probably the most selfless person I have ever met. The first time I met Drew it was like seeing an old friend after years apart, like we already knew each other's lives and needed no introduction. He gave me everything, his friendship, his black-faced relic watch, his heart. All of which I took for granted. All of which I will spend the rest of my life trying to re-earn.

He forgave me.
It is I who still cannot forgive myself.

I went to him homecoming today and saw a man on that stand. I saw a man who finally knew that he is a son of God, that the Gospel has the power to change, to heal, to make whole. I saw a man, confident and unafraid Where a self-conscious boy once was. My heart seemed to explode with a love that has been neglected for so long. What a beautiful creation that man is. If only I had seen that when I was 16.

My heart aches, but more than that ache I am filled with awe, that a loving Heavenly Father would bless me with friends who would see passed my all-too- common selfishness. Bless me with friends who would still care for me even when I have failed each and every one of them.

I am undeserving

I am so proud of you Drew, so proud. You are a far better man than anyone has ever given you credit for. You are my example, my friend.

It seems I am never ready for the great epiphany's of my life. I did not expect Andrew to walk into Jenna's living room one night, I did not plan to go to Utah State, or serve a mission. I was not ready for any of it, so what if I had been ready? Where would my path have gone or be now? Would so many casualties lay in my wake, so many broken hearts to pay the cost of my life lessons? Would the ache in my chest and the fear of the future cease to exist? How I wish...

My good friend Benjamin once said that mistakes can be beautiful. I hope that this is true because I rarely get things right the first time. I hope that the actions of my future will heal the wounds of my past for those involved. For me.

The Eternal Perspective..... waiting for the call!

If I am lucky my mission call is currently sitting in some cart in some post office to be delivered to my house this very day! If I am unlucky, which is common, I have another week to sit and contemplate possible mission destinations. Hope for today!

My thought of the day is short and simple. The Eternal Perspective.
As I have waited (very patiently I might add) for my mission call, it has seemed like a very long process. In reality it has been maybe a month since I actually decided to go on a mission. In the Eternal Perspective, this waiting and the 18 months that I will serve, are essentially not even a blink in my existence. The amazing thing is what we gain during our waiting time or our journey.
I look forward to the next 1.5 years of my life. I have a feeling they will be the most influential and valuable years yet. I have no doubts that my work as a student, employee and most of all wife and mother, will benefit from my time spent in service to the Lord. How short and simple it seems to give up 18 months when compared to the eternal gifts that may come.
How I wish that I viewed my life and the choices I make more often with an eternal eye, than with my human impatience. I think this is one aspect of God that is so amazing. He rarely just hands us things and living in a drive-through world makes His way so frustrating at times. Yes McDonald's is crazy fast and convenient, but is it any good? No!
You mothers Sunday roast has been cooking since 8 am and its now 6 pm. Is it delicious? Of Course!! Worth the wait and work? Of Course! If only I had an always eternal eye to see things for the here and now to grow, but the distant eye to perceive potential.

I have also been reading the BOM more often then ever before... what a cool book. I have always believed it to be a good and true book, but it is truly taking the counsel to feast that has made it so much more real to me. I crave time to read it. Oh how I hope that craving only grows!

There is so much good from the Gospel, I feel privilege to know that and to be able to share it. Good better best. That's all I'm selling. Best.

I'm anxious for the mail to come. Whatever my call, I hope to do well. Thanks everyone for the love and support. I know I get preachy and annoying but why not share what we know? There is no answer to that question!

YSA Summit and Noah's Big Day!

So this weekend I decided I needed to have an adventure. Parker was at a family reunion so I didn't really have many plans. I decided to go to a YSA Summit at the University of Utah. Friday night I ventured (alone haha) up to see Kalai play. I was determined to force myself out of my comfort zone and make some new friends.
Needless to say, it is scary being ALL alone with a couple hundred strangers. Nevertheless, it was not long until I met Fabio. Fabio is an amazing Brazilian who had the guts to strike up a conversation with me. He was awesome to talk to and introduced me to some of his friends. It was so fun!
Saturday my nephew Noah was baptized by my father. It was a special experience to see a young boy testing out for the first time, his faith in a loving Heavenly Father. Although he is young, I know Noah could tell that being baptized was important and that it would make him feel happy and good. I admire his faith and example. I could not have more love for anyone than I do for my nieces and nephews. I hope that Noah remembers how much God loves him and will support him throughout his life.
After that I was able to go back to the U and take a few classes. I took one on feeling the promptings of the Holy Ghost and another on dealing with the trials of life. It is very nice to feel the spirit in the middle of the day on a saturday. For some of you that may be old hat, but for me that is rare and it was so nice. The Summit is essentially EFY for big kids as I call it. It made me miss my days at EFY, where I not only got to flirt with many cute boys, but where I truly can say that I began to understand my Heavenly Father. It is there that I learned to recognize the Holy Ghost testifying truth to me. It is those first feelings that I have turned to time and time again when I have been filled with doubt in my life.
Saturday night I met up with an old friend from highschool, Milena. She is one amazing girl. Being around her is so comfortable and fun. Together, with some other gals, we went back to the U for a dance/ carnival. We had a blast dancing, playing games and meeting new people. I also got to spend some more time with Fabio and his friend Ken. Amazingly, Milena is also from Brazil so I had fun listening to Fabio and her speak in Portuguese for some time.
I think its so beautiful when people speak in another language. It makes me wonder if I will get to learn another language in the coming weeks. We will find out Wednesday if all works out, because that is when I should get my mission call!! Am I nervous?? Actually, no, not really. I may be when I see that I am speaking Swahili in the jungle.... until then... pure excitement!

Someday I will have 2 dogs

Someday I am going to have two dogs, one named Nargini (after Voldemorts snake in Harry Potter) and the other named Bruce (after Bruce Wayne aka batman). People seem to like Bruce but not so much Nargini. Sure the snake is pure evil, but it is also powerful, devoted and brave. Bruce- well batman is the man, hes brave, creative, wealthy,smooth and totally studly. Makes sense to me. That was just a thought.
Well my days at KSL are coming to an end. My Kindergarten Countdown segment aired on Wednesday and I must say it was cute! Not life altering in anyway but still a nice rookie piece. My mom and teacher we charismatic and fun and I cannot thank them enough for their help and insight. I am a little sad to leave Studio 5 now that I am getting the hang of things and starting to find my place. The other side of me is still unsure if broadcast journalism is the job I'd go to work for free for.
I am still waiting for my soul to recognize the work that I am meant to do. Reslife has been the collegiate equivalent of that for me. I would go to work for free any day if it meant working with RHA,IACURH or RA stuff. Fall training begins this saturday and my chest literally aches at the thought that I will not be there. Don't get me wrong, training is boring as sin most days, but I'd sit through it for 50 years if it meant being with my friends, the pro-staff who I have come to see as family- Rich and Megs, Brit. I will most likely take a day or two and hit Logan just to fill, even for a day, the void I have had since choosing this next path.
I was hesitant to join housing in the first place. In fact, I was terrified and now I just cant see me, without it. I hope this next adventure does the same- begins as a scary mystery, slowly morphing into pure passion and love. What is the God if not passionate and loving?
I miss Utah State. What a blessing my education has been. You will find no one with more pride than me for their school. I see old main and my heart swells, I hear the too familiar Scotsman and my arms raise to the sky, I see the A license plate and recognize a symbol of my home. This was where I was meant to go, I knew that the moment I stepped on the beautiful grounds. I cannot wait to go home again.
I am struggling with my decision to go on a mission right now. I know its the right thing to do. I feel a burning in my chest when I think about it. But it will not be easy to leave my life behind. This is one of those moments where I go forward with faith, to serve with diligence and hopefully return to something better than I left. Missionaries are promised blessings for faithful service and I will do my best to deserve those blessings.
There I times I wonder if I am strong enough to do this and I probably am not alone. But lucky for me God has a bigger plan than I could ever think of. I am relying on him to lead me forward. Once I actually have my call I hope to feel a greater sense of purpose instead of watching everyone else go back to school and move forward with life. Its supposed to be hard I guess, I just hope the passion I felt when I first made the choice, will continue to sustain me. My resources are running low but when you know, you just do and that is my plan. I know I have so much to gain, but what I am losing is very close to me too. Which will be better?? Time will tell.

Too True

Quite possibly some of the greatest lyrics ever written. TJ McCloud how I love thee.

"What'll She Look Like"

what'll she look like when she opens her eyes
and sees what she wants to see
instead of this cold mirror's lies
and all the pieces complete
she says with a sign
"I think I'm ready..."
what'll she sound like when she opens her mouth
and all the phrases sound right
as they fall out
and she says "yes" and she's not
scared of the sound
she says she's ready
will she be soft will she be strong
will she be ready to be wrong
will she move too fast or wait too long
will she look me in the eyes
what'll it feel like when she opens her heart
and finds that there just might be
a small missing part
and whether with or without me
she has to start getting ready
what'll she look like when she opens here eyes
will she see just what I see
will it be a surprise
to see that she hasn't changed,
her eyes are just a little wider now
and she's getting ready