Equipped with the Gospel

By Sarah Cutler

Children all over the world love living the gospel—just like you! This month let’s meet Sally Jensen of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Q is a letter that doesn’t get used very often, so it might seem surprising that 10-year-old Sally Jensen’s hometown in New Mexico uses “q” twice in its name. It’s lucky that Sally likes spelling because “Albuquerque” can be a tricky word. But spelling’s not the only thing Sally does well.

Living in New Mexico

Sally thinks New Mexico is a wonderful place to live. She likes the many different cultures. Even though it’s a desert, New Mexico also has many climates. There are dry desert plains and mountains with pine trees, little canyons with streams and hills of white sand, vast caves and extinct volcanoes. There are lots of places to camp, hike, and backpack. Sally goes with her family on backpacking trips that can last for several days. She says camping in New Mexico is especially good because there are hardly any mosquitoes.

Loving Family

Sally loves her family. She has five brothers and sisters: Maggie (12), Katherine (8), Levi (6), Ann (4), and Lars (1). The thing Sally likes most about family home evening is that they can all be together. She loves being with her extended family too. Sally’s favorite places are her grandparents’ homes in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle, Washington. She likes going to Idaho every two years for a family reunion.

Making Music

Sally plays the violin. She is in an all-violin folk music group that performs in many places. They even played for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where hundreds of hot-air balloons from all over the world take off from Albuquerque.

Living the Gospel

Sally tries very hard to be obedient to her parents. She pays her tithing, attends church, and keeps the Word of Wisdom. She also tries to show Christlike love to her younger brothers and sisters by helping them with things they can’t do themselves. She gets them drinks of water, helps them get dressed, makes their beds, and reads to them. By helping her brothers and sisters, Sally helps her whole family.

Remembering Japan

When Sally was younger, she and her family lived in Japan for three years while her dad worked there. She learned to speak and write Japanese very well and made many good friends at school, in the neighborhood, and at church. When she was eight years old, her family moved back to America. Now Sally misses her friends in Japan, but she remembers the rice paddies, the ocean, the trains, the mountains, and the fireworks. She also remembers trying to catch eels with her bare hands at a festival.

Sharing the Gospel

No matter where she lives or travels, Sally shares the gospel with people she loves. Her best friend, Ariel, goes to a different church. Sally’s family and Ariel’s family have talked together a lot about their churches. Once Sally went to one of Ariel’s church services. When missionaries knocked on Ariel’s door, Ariel’s family invited them in to talk.

Sally’s Hobbies

Reading
Math
Riding bikes
Knitting
Playing the violin
Playing chess
Baking

Where in the World Is Albuquerque, New Mexico?