Women in the Church: Part 2

I am a beloved spirit daughter of God, and my life has meaning, purpose, and direction. I am  devoted to Jesus Christ, my Savior and Exemplar. I am a woman of faith, virtue, vision, and charity.

I will continue to increase my testimony of Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture study. I know that I can speak with my Father in Heaven. He hears me, he answers me. It may not be the way I want. It may not be the way I expect. But He will answer. I have the gift of the scriptures, the Book of Mormon, the Old and New Testaments, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Each one holds treasures of knowledge and guidance. Each one contains answers to those prayers. 

I will seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. As I live the commandments and keep the covenants I have made, I qualify to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. I will strive to act upon its promptings. 

I will dedicate myself to strengthening marriages, families, and homes. I will work to strengthen my own family. I will continue to prepare myself for my future family. I will strive to strengthen those families around me as a teacher, a member of my ward, and a neighbor. I know that families are the main unit of the Plan of Salvation, and I will do everything in my power to support the family unit. 

I know the importance of and find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood. There is no higher calling in this life or the next than that of mother. As Elder Holland stated so eloquently in this past General Conference, “Today I declare from this pulpit what has been said here before: that no love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child.”

I find delight in serving others. There is no faster way to forget one’s problems and struggles than to serve those around you. I will look for ways to do good around me and leave others better than I found them. 

I will continue to love life. There is so much good and happiness in the world. Some days I have to look a little harder to find it, but it is there and I will enjoy it. I will continue to love learning. I know that there is so much knowledge in this world. I will find ways to continue my own education and learning. 

I will stand for truth and righteousness. I will bear my testimony. I will stand for what I know is right, even when it may not be convenient or popular. I will strive to be an example of Christ and His gospel. 

I sustain the priesthood as the authority of God on earth. I sustain President Thomas S. Monson, his counselors, and the Quorum of the 12 as the only men on Earth who possess all the keys of the priesthood. I sustain local leaders as those called to minister in my little corner of the Kingdom. I sustain my father as the priesthood leader in our family. I sustain my future husband as the priesthood leader in my home. 

I REJOICE in the blessings of the temple. I strive to attend the temple regularly to remind myself of the covenants I have made there. I understand my divine destiny- as a member of the Church, as a woman of God. And I strive for exaltation.

(Part 1 in case you missed it)

Women in the Church: Part 1

My name is Jessica. I am daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, and a niece. I am a teacher, a friend, and a neighbor. 

I have faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His Atonement for me. I have faith in the Plan of Salvation, and the personal plan Heavenly Father has for me. I have faith in the Book of Mormon, its origin, and its teachings. I have faith that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, that he talked with them face to face, that they called him by name, and that the Father bore witness of His Son. I have faith in our latter-day prophets and apostles and their ability to communicate Heavenly Fathers will for the Church and its people. 

I know that I have inherited divine qualities as a spirt daughter of God. I have a purpose on this earth, a mission that is unique to me, that only I can fulfill. I will continue to work towards becoming more like my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ. I will use that divine nature to become the person they want me to be. 

I have individual worth in the eyes of my Father. I am known to Him personally. He hears my prayers and answers them. He loves me more than I can comprehend. I am of infinite worth to Him. 

I know that I have come to this earth to gain knowledge. I am here to learn and to grow. It is my responsibility to gain knowledge, and to pursue an education, both spiritually and temporally. The knowledge I gain in this life will be used in the next. I know that we are to “seek…diligently and teach one another words of wisdom…even by study and also by faith.” (D&C 88:118)

I know that I have free moral agency. I have choice. I can choose good over evil. I know that I do not have the right to choose the consequences for those actions. It is my responsibility to accept what may come because of the choices I make. I also know that all people, regardless of religious beliefs, race, gender, or culture have this same right to choose. 

I know it is my responsibility to serve others. I have covenanted with my Father to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and help bear others burdens. I will build the kingdom of God through righteous service. 

I will have the courage to stand for what I know is right. I will “stand as a witness of God at all times, and in all things and in all places.” I will make my actions consistent with what I know is right and what my Father in Heaven wants me to do. 

I know that a virtuous woman is priced “far above rubies.” I will keep myself temple worthy, make choices that keep me clean and pure. I will base my thoughts and actions on high moral standards. I will live as an example to others, helping them live virtuous lives. 

My name is Jessica and I am a daughter of God. 

#jessbrain 4.0

Can we talk about how much I love my job? The #1 question I get from people about this job is if I miss the classroom. Honestly, not as much as I thought I would! It has really surprised me. I love that I get to watch these new and prospective teachers learn and grow and mature. When that intern has that grand classroom management moment or teaches a really great lesson, it is just like watching little kids grasp that math concept that has alluded them for so long. I love that I still get the chance to model teach every once in a while. It isn't quite the same as having your own group of kids but I get to teach everything from 2nd to 6th grade. But most of all, I love that I still get the love from the kids. As I was leaving a room the other day, one of the more difficult students in the class ran up and gave me a hug and said, "Bye, Miss Jensen! I can't wait until you come again!"

I overheard my brother the other day say, "Families that hunt together, stay together." It has been on my mind ever since. When you ask most hunters why the hunt the automatic response is always something about meat in the freezer, which is true, that is definitely an added perk. However, for our family, I think there is more to it. As far as looking forward to something, the 3rd weekend in October comes in a close 2nd to Christmas, even if I am not the one with the tag. There is something about spending all weekend together with family. Deer hunt weekend is about more than hunting. It's about supporting one another and their success. It's about late night card games and puzzles. It's about inside jokes and stories that will be told for 20 years. It's about spending time together in the truck, hiking together, enjoying the natural beauty around us. It's about family.


Do you ever hear a song and instantly fall in love with it? I don't even know where I heard this song of the first time, but it has quickly become my new favorite. The band that sings it isn't very popular. (This may be their only single...) but I love it. 

In other news, Fall has flung!! (Is flung a word? If not, it is now.) My favorite season is officially here and in full swing. The colors, the cooler temperatures, the smell, sweaters and boots and hoodies!! It is all wonderful. Seriously, how can you not love this??

Progression and Patience

Have you ever been cruising along in life and all of a sudden you start having this internal, personal struggle with something that you haven't ever really struggled with before? Well, I hadn't...until now. There have always been the ups and downs of life. There are the constant things that come around (work, dating, etc.) but all of a sudden, something that has been so easy all my life has become this giant stumbling block. And I don't really know what to do about it.

A few weeks ago, I was attending church with my family and the speaker asked this question, "You may be righteous, but are you progressing?" That really stuck with me and has been on my mind. I feel like for the most part I make pretty good choices in life. I try to be obedient and do the things Heavenly Father would want me to do. But, am I doing them in a way that will move me forward in an eternal sense? Where do my actions fall on the good, better, best scale?

I was contemplating this while scanning Facebook the other day and a friend had shared this wonderful quote from Elder Richard G. Scott and it hit me like a ton of bricks:

Ok... apparently I am ready to grow. So what? I had my scriptures sitting on my lap, but I just wasn't in the mood/mindset to open them up. (Does that make me a bad person?) I started thumbing through all the notes and handouts I have kept in the front cover and found one that simply said, "Patience, Neal A. Maxwell 1979" Turns out (with some help from Google) that it is a talk he gave at BYU in 1979. As I read through this talk several different parts stuck out to me.

"Patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much but being willing, nevertheless, to submit to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the 'process of time.'" 

"Patience permits us to cling to our faith in the Lord when we are tossed about by suffering as if by surf. When the undertow grasps us we will realize that even as we tumble we are somehow being carried forward; we are actually being helped even as we cry for help."

"Patience is always involved in the spiritual chemistry of the soul, not only when we try to turn the trials and tribulations into joy and growth, but also when we use it to build upon the seemingly ordinary experiences to bring about happy and spiritual outcomes."

But the one that struck me the most was, "Sometimes that which we are doing is correct enough but simply needs to be persisted in patiently, not for a minute or a moment, but sometimes for years."

I don't know why this problem is my problem right now. But, maybe that's not the point. Maybe the point isn't why, but how. How well will I deal, patiently, with this trial? How can I cling to the Lord as I am tossed about? How can I turn this trial and tribulation into joy and growth? How can I patiently (not indifferently) use this trial to progress?  

Making Other Plans

I don't think I really understood what John Lennon meant with those words until recently. If you had asked me a year ago where I would be and what I would be doing right now, I would have told you I would be teaching 4th grade at Provost Elementary, probably living in the same apartment, attending the same ward, etc. I wouldn't say that I was unhappy at the time. But I wasn't happy either. During the next 12 months, life would happen.

Almost exactly a year ago, a colleague sent me an email early one Thursday morning encouraging me to apply for a different position at a different school in Provo (a non-teaching position, more of a leadership role) but my application needed to be in that morning. Somewhat impulsively I applied, had an interview the next day, and after an excruciatingly long weekend, I found out I did not get the job. This was somewhat of a relief considering the school year had already started and I know now that things worked out the way they should have. However, this one act of applying for this one job was the catalyst that changed my future. 

I soon realized that maybe it wasn't the job that I needed. It was the fact that I was ok with applying for the job. I was open to change that I had previously fought against. Something changed in me that day. I knew my time at Provost was going to be shorter than I originally thought. I didn't know what was coming, but I knew it would happen. 

Fast forward to spring time. After several long months, and I mean LONG months of problems at work, struggles with new co-workers and the leadership at the school, I knew I had to start looking for a new job. I didn't know where I was going or even where I wanted to go. I started to apply for every single open teaching job in the state of Utah. And I mean every opening from St. George to Logan to Roosevelt to Blanding and everywhere in between. I had several interviews and several job offers, but none of them seemed quite right. I couldn't get my head and my heart to agree. I eventually accepted an offer in Sandy. I liked the school. I liked the principal. It seemed like the perfect fit. Things were falling into place. But, yet again, life would happen. (Looking back I know I should not have accepted this job. It never felt wrong so I went with it, but it never really felt right either.)

About a month after accepting the job in Sandy, I got another email from this same colleague encouraging me once again to apply for the same position I had applied for 8 months earlier but at a different school. Once again, I applied and didn't get it. This time it hurt a little more. The timing was better. I felt better prepared and more qualified than before. 

Soon after, my colleague asked me to trust her one more time. This job was more of a long shot than the other two had been, but it couldn't hurt to try. It was a whole new position- working with BYU interns and student teachers. I had never done anything like this before. I didn't even go to BYU so I didn't even have the student perspective. The first question in the interview was "What experience do you have with the BYU education partnership?" The only answer I could give was, "Practically none," and right there I knew I wouldn't get it. Why would they hire someone with no experience and no knowledge of the partnership? But they did. "Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." Never in a million years would I have planned for this. 

In the middle of this job mess, I was accepted to join a group of teachers on a trip to Finland to study their education system. It was one of the most unique and wonderful experiences of my life. It is not often you get to travel with 30 other people (most of them strangers) who share in your passion for education and teaching to another continent and through 4 countries learning from and growing with them every step of the way. I learned so  much, not only from the people of Finland, but from the people I was with. They are each such strong and gifted people. They affected me and my life in ways they will never know. 

I had the chance to spend 10 days with my best friends in New Jersey/New York/Philadelphia this summer. You know you are best friends when after spending every waking minute together for 10 days you don't want to kill each other and still don't want to leave. Sometimes I feel sorry for Curtis though... the only boy in the group, the only non-teacher... He puts up with a lot from us. 

My family made an impromptu road trip to California for my great uncle's funeral. When you picture road trips with family, I am sure most people picture fighting and not getting along after being stuck in the car for hours with your siblings. Not me. We have never really been like that. I love road tripping with my family. It has been a long time since we have done a true road trip and I think it was much needed for us. Plus, Marcus and Katie got to go to their first MLB game and we got to reconnect with family we hadn't seen in a while. 

 It has been a year/summer of changes and new adventures. Somewhere along the way I think I changed. I morphed into someone that was ready for all this change. 

Forever and Forever in Tooele

Maybe it is all the changes in job/moving going on in my life right now. Maybe it's because my sister has been so focused on the Miss Tooele City pageant the last 4 weeks. Maybe it's been all my traveling. Maybe it's the conversations with an old friend recently.  Maybe it's my recent obsession with this Zac Brown Band song (and how it reminds me of my parents every time I hear it.) I don't really know the reasons why, but lately have been thinking about my good ole hometown.

Growing up I always heard comments about wanting to "get out," how there was nothing to do, about how "small town" it felt. I always wondered if there was something wrong with me because I never really felt like that. It didn't bother me that the only place to shop was (is) Walmart. It didn't bother me that the main source of entertainment on Friday night was the football/basketball game at the high school. It didn't bother me that no one knew where Tooele was or how to say it. None of it bothered me.

The more I have grown up and matured the more I have started to appreciate the legacy that has been left for me in this small town. (Yes, I know Tooele really isn't that small any more, but in my mind I still see the it with a dirt road for 1000 north and when you hit Koevene's you were out of town.) I kind of love being able to say that both my parents were born and raised here. My grandma graduated from Tooele High. I am pretty sure 80% of the town had my grandpa as a teacher at the jr. high. Most people in Tooele know my dad as the one that drives the fire truck around town. The kids in town stop and get chocolate from my mom in her classroom at the high school or have had her as a sub at some point. My siblings and I all have a stuffed animal white buffalo, earned through some achievement in high school. Every member of my family owns some sort of royal purple attire and we wear it proudly.

I had never really thought about where I would end up living with my future family, but the more I think about it the more I would love for it to be right where I grew up. Where my kids can play "Annie Over" at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Where they can sit on the curb and eat a popsicle every day during the summer. Where they can play baseball on the same fields their grandpa and uncle played. Where they can get up early during the summer and listen to the marching band march all over town practicing for the parade. Where they can hear the story and meet the people behind Parker's Park and the brick with our family name on it. Where they can listen to the stories of Grandma and Grandpa hanging out in front of Tate's Mortuary on Friday nights (because that's apparently what the cool kids did in the early 80's). Where they can listen to mom tell stories of hanging out in the Macey's parking lot (because that's apparently what the cool kids did in the early 2000's). Where they can fish in the same reservoir my grandpa took me fishing. Where they can hike and have picnic's up Settlement Canyon. Where they can ride the wheelers up to the copper pit overlook. Where they can watch the homecoming parade every fall as a kid and be in the parade as a teen. Where they can light the "T" before graduation.

That's the dream, but if it never happens, if I don't "stay until I die," I will always be able to say that my heart will always be "forever and forever in Tooele."

Dear Children (2014-15)

Dear Children,

This year is different. This time I am the one that is not coming back. As I have finished the year, it has given me a much different perspective.

For the first time since I began teaching, I did not have a student with major behavior difficulties. I did not have to have the district psychologist in my room 3 times a week. I did not have anyone get suspended. I did not have any fights. I did not have to drag anyone (literally) in from the playground and for all of that I thank you.

This is the group of kids I have been waiting for. I knew from my first year, when these kids were in kindergarten, that there was something different, that I NEEDED these kids.

I always say I have learned more from you than you learned from me, but this year I feel like we learned together.

I've learned that a smile, a hug, and a high five can turn an entire day around.

I've learned that there is still something magical about the Magic School Bus.

I've learned I would rather have strong, confident students who know they are loved than the highest scores in the school. (Not that scores aren't important, but it's not what is most important.)

I've learned how important it is to see inside your heart.

I've learned that I will fight and fight and fight to get whatever is best for YOU, not just what is easiest.

I've learned that I need the Holy Ghost at school more than I need it anywhere else.

I've learned that passion is the best motivator.

I've learned kindness really is a chain reaction.

I've learned (or re-learned) how important time to create is - to play, to imagine, to have fun!

I've learned how important forgiveness is, and how important it is to give it quickly.

I've learned that no matter how hard and crusty you are on the inside, somewhere buried deep is a desire to learn, grow, and be better than your circumstances want you to be.

I've learned that my attitude is what you take with you and if my attitude stinks, so does yours.

I've learned to let the little things go. Our classroom doesn't need to be perfect.

I've learned that we really can make easy happen with hard work and learning. (Because in my room we don't use the "e" word.)

I've learned that you will always be mine.

Love, Miss Jensen