2 - 20 / Day 191 There's No Comfort in Change and No Change in Comfort.

Sister Penalba & Me

Well it's time for a new transfer a new companion and hard new assignments! 

Welcome to a transfer of Love, Patience, and extra service. My new companion is Sister Bondare from Latvia... my lil European Diva :)   She's very sweet and beautiful, that's for stinkin sure. 

I've been called to be a District Leader... wooohooo. But not really though. I don't feel like I'm capable of having that responsibility and not a good enough leader or example for it either.  Sister Bondare & I are also the apartment coordinators which means 200 Sisters come to us when things break, things are missing, and to make sure Apartments are clean and tidy! YAYYY. It's been constant things to do and get for 2 days straight now.  Like I said... it's gonna be a transfer of love, patience, and charity. But that's good 'cause I really need to work on those things. The Lord is so aware of what you need to learn & do... He always finds a way to make it happen. haha.

I was sad to say goodbye again to Sisters going home & Sisters going outbound. I took Sister Peters to the airport at 4:45 in the morning the other day... Gonna miss that punk more than anything EVER. So sad we can't talk to each other when they're gone outbound. 

Things have been great with missionary work. There's always lots to get done & many people to help. 

Sandra: is as good as ever of course. Enjoying living the Word of Wisdom and has replaced her love of Sweet Tea with Apple Juice.... sounds like a Mormon already:) ahha. Her love for us is such a blessing. I'm dying to meet her. One day one day.

Hannah: We met her on chat & she's a super cool girl. She grew up around Mormons and saw how happy and solid they always were and now wants that in her life. Her situation is a lil complicated though because she works in a Jewish school and lives with some people she works with. So no one can know she's meeting with missionaries or else she'll get fired. We taught her the first lesson & she was super open to everything. Everything religion related is really new to her though, especially prayer! So baby steps to a new her. She's awesome & we look forward to helping her more. Her athiest Boyfriend has a Mormon best friend too. 

Lots of new Investigators this past week so we're happy to start teaching and getting to know them. 

I always wish SOOO badly that I could just teach them in person & gain a real relationship with them instead of just over the phone. Outbound is gonna be a dream come true.

I really stink at writting email.. I'm sorry! I feel like I can never ever put into words the things I'm experiecing and how truly amazing all these people are. Wish I was a better writter and knew how to put these things into words but it's just impossible. And with how much time we already spend on the computers I just get sick of spending even more time typing and staring at the screen. 

So if you really wanna know how awesome this all is you're gonna have to come find me after I get home and sit down with me & my journals:) haha

Sister Bondare & I are determined to loose weight this transfer. This 13 pounds I've gained has GOT TO GO. I'm soo nasty, ewwwwww. 

Hope you all have a wonderful week. 

I've got lots to learn and lots to improve  upon... it's a constant uphill battle... but I'll eventually make it to the top.

Sister Bondare and me

Jacob 4:7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our ^aweakness that we may know that it is by his ^bgrace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.

xoxoxo

-Sister Hansen

2 - 13 / Day 184 Alright ... I'm Spent

It's been the craziest past few weeks ever! I'm pretty much drained in every way. 

Wednesday (last pday, Feb 5):

It's been a constant battle for the past few weeks not knowing if my companion was going home or not. So after emailing we had to go to President's office for her to talk with him. And afterwards we were filled with so much hope really thinking she was staying. I had so much faith that the Lord would find a way for her to be able to stay if it was his will. 

Thursday:

We got lots done. I went on exchanges with my CRAZY District leader from Tonga, Sister Muli. We took a million tours that were so spirit filled and it was awesome. We felt on fire :) I also finally got a hold of a referral I got back in November. Her names Deandrea & she's from Alabama (I'm convinced I'm going there outbound) haha. But she's awesome. She was meeting with missionaries before she went to college and was so interested in the church. Lost touch with the missionaries when she left for college. And I got her number from her friend who's a member. So I called her and she's excited to take the discussions again and get back into learning about God's will for her! So sweet:) 

Friday:

The whole day long we were sooo happy thinking Sister Vasconcelos wasn't going to go home cause President hadn't said anything about it. We called Paul and he's awesome! He's been meeting with the local missionaries now and is on date for baptism on MARCH 1st!! YAYY! He's been going to church for a straight month now & loving it. His son Andrew is also going to Mutual every week and really enjoying everything about the church. 

We also got to call and teach Sandra! Oh my goodness. I literally LOVE her sooo much. Her cute lil' southern Alabama accent is so awesome. I found out she used to be a strong Jehovah's witness but left the church after one of the teachers told her she would never be blessed with children, and that was just God's will for her.  She thought, YA right! We taught her the Word of Wisdom last week and she has so much faith in it. She even said she is willing to give up soda, too, because she wants to please her Heavenly Father and keep a strong healthy body! She told us yesterday how she totally and completely relates to Joseph Smith and thinks it's the best miracle in the world that God & Christ appeared to him. She told us how she strongly disagrees with the trinity and since we do too, our church must be true, and if she cant have sweet babies in this life she knows God will bless her with them in the next life.  She is literally an angel & loves us sooo much she always says, "hugs through the phone &  I love yall sooo much," hahah! 

We had desk assignment at night and then President called us to meet with him.. we found out my companion was going home Monday morning.  Most flippin' depressing thing ever. I felt sooo horrible for her. 

Saturday: 

We hardly got anything done because we were both so disappointed and sad. And I spent so much time just sitting on the couch nexts to President's office while they worked everything out and she made calls back to Brazil.

Sunday: 

Sacrament was THE WORST! It was all about how grateful we should be to be missionaries and gave us so much motivation to just go out there and work! My compi just sat there and cried, and I couldn't even look at her cause it just made me cry knowing she was leaving. You know the saying "when it rains it pours" well it really does! That night we went home so she could pack and when we got to the door I realized the key had gone missing and now I have to pay $30 to get a new one! SHOOT ME. So instead of packing, we sat in the hall for an hour waiting for our roomates to get home cause we couldn't walk back to the square after dark! And no one knew she was leaving the next morning and kept asking us what was wrong and why we were so sad but we couldn't say anything. 

Monday: 

In the morning we just went out to breakfast and got a few last minute errands done. Went back to the apartment and President & Sister Poulsen picked us up to drive to the airport. Most depressing car ride of my LIFE.  I said bye to her at the curb and then President walked her in :(.  The whole drive back President & his wife were making small talk getting to know me better while my heart just tore to shreds!  I found out my new companion was going to be Sister Penalba from Panama... her companion was also being sent home.  So it was a really hard day for us & then my District leader made us go to District meeting even though I'm not in their zone anymore and it was just a big cry fest cause no one knew my companion was leaving.  It's pretty hard to understand my new companion cause she's still learning English.  But she is sooo sweet & her Spanish investigators are on FIRE!  I had to move apartments into a nastyyyy old one & i'm not very happy about that but whatever! 

Tuesday & Wednesday: 

Sister Penabla and I had just been trying to pull ourselves back together after all the maddness we've been through the past few weeks with trying to help & encourage our companions. But we were able to receive blessings from President Poulsen. He's the most inspired man I know... and such a blessing to this mission. After talking with him and receiving a blessing I could just feel the burden and the saddness lifted off my shoulders. We've gotten so much done since then and have just been lifted by the spirit. Which is a true miracle.  It's crazy the happiness and joy that can come when you're filled with the spirit and just focused on serving and helping others instead of focusing on all the crap you've had to go through and the pain you're feeling. We've been able to teach soooo many lessons this past few weeks and I WISH I could speak Spanish sooo bad. I'll get it one day. 

I'm freaking out cause I don't know what this next transfer has ahead of me. But I know I can endure and over come the things I'm yet to face. I miss my companion a lot but I know it's time to move forward and work hard! 

I don't know when my next pday will be because transfers are on Wednesday! 

Happpy Valentines day to all of  you & Happy 6 months into the mission for me! haha. 

Time goes by so fast... it's crazy the growth you can go through while serving a mission. It's stinkin hard some days and at times (like these past few weeks) I really don't know how I'll make it. But everything always seems to work it's way for the better. I'm so grateful for the spirit and prayer. I know it's gotten me through all the challenges I've faced so far. Everytime I feel the spirit, it gives me so much motivation to become better and see the potential I hold. 

I love you alll!!! 

xoxoxoxo

Sister Hansen

2 - 5 / Day 177 Surely, this has been 'A Week'

Greetings and Pictures this week!!

North 1 Zone Break the Fast -- Fabulous Fiesta!

SNOW .... again.

Music and the Spoken Word.  YaY MoTab!!

Nate's Valentine's Day Pres!!

1 - 29 - 14 / Day 169 A Week of Laughter

A Sunny Day -- WHAT A MIRACLE!

Okay seriously... I LOVE MY COMPANION. I've never laughed sooo hard during my mission than I do with her. Everything that happens to us is just ridiculously hilarious. To the point, during companionship study yesterday, I fell to the floor crying & laughing sooo hard 'cause she thought we were having an earthquake when the lamp fell! HAHA. Or when I almost got hit by a car 'cause I was too busy talking to her that I didn't look at the car flying down the street, and she tried to warn me, but couldn't think of words fast enough and then I walked out in front of the car & just SCREAMED "ahahhah!!!!!" the driver must have died laughing seeing my face.  Okay this probably isn't funny at all to read.. guess you just had to be there! :) Moral of the story is I LOVE how much fun we have together & how much work we always get done. When my brothers told me... have fun, but work hard and your mission will be the best EVER. It's true. The best times on the mission are when you're having fun and working your booty off. 

What we do when no one answers.

What we do when everyone answers their phones!!
(And no making fun of us.  We matched on accident.)

We've gotten a ton of new investigators in the past 2 weeks & they're all just great! I'll share a few.


SANDRA: She came on Chat asking about what happens to us when we go to Heaven. She found out about our church because she was internet researching whether we could have kids in heaven since she isn't able to here in this life. We shared with her a little bit about the plan of salvation, and she said it brought tears to her eyes knowing that she lived with God before she came here & knowing how much He loves her brought her so much peace. I shared that awesome quote by Elder Holland..." some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don't come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come." She said it's her new life motto & we're calling her for the first time tomorrow! SO EXCITED. And she's actually in Corinne Woomer's mission, so I'm praying it's in her area & we can teach her together! YAY!


STEPHEN: He came on chat asking for where to read conference talks, so I told him to look on lds.org hahah, but I wanted to get to know him and see if there was anything else we could do to help him. So I asked him a couple questions and came to find out that he had taken all the discussions before, but stopped because he didn't think the church was for him. But he is now realizing how important the teachings of the gospel are. He sees how corrupt the world is getting, and then he always ponders about the lessons that the missionaries taught him. He has Cerebral Palsy, and has a deep love and belief in God because of it. He knows Gods the only one who has comforted him and helped him through all his life trials and physical trials. We invited him to read a chapter of the Book of Mormon before we called him next and he said, "no thanks, I'll read all of Nephi instead," ahahah OKAY SIR Not gonna complain with that! hahah We're calling him on Friday! :)


PAUL is back: He finally answered his phone & went to church this past Sunday. And didn't just go to church by himself, but brought his whole family with him! YAY. He's wife was soo closed off to the church before, but she said to him this week " I really love how family centered that Mormon church is. I guess I'll come along with you. And we should bring Andrew (their son) with us 'cause he needs a good strong youth group to be apart of." Paul is already wanting to be baptized of course, we're just trying to get him on date.... & maybe his family now too! MIRACLES DO HAPPEN :)


And, I've been able to get a hold of some people I've been dying to talk to who never answered their phones in the past! YESS:)

Pretty Reflection Pool

The Recent Converts are doing GREAT:
Myriam got her Temple Recommend two days ago... and was complaining to us on the phone the other day about how she can never get her school work done 'cause she's too busy & happy reading the scriptures... hahah! If only all of us could have problems like that :)
Ben has been called to be his ward mission leader & is STOKED about it. He got his patriarchal blessing on Sunday and shared some stuff with us. AMAZING. He's already got 3 lessons to help out with this week :)
This quote by Thomas S Monson just keeps popping back into my head this week every time I start to feel tired or annoyed.. "Shall I Falter... or Shall I Finish" I just think of how much I've learned & grown since being here & I'm soooo grateful. This gospel brings so much eternal happiness into my life & into soo many other peoples lives as well.

LOVE YOU ALL!

-Sister Hansen

Ishmael: Miracle Baptism in Brasil.

1-22-14 / Day 162 This Week FLEW By!!!

This day next year I won't be a missionary anymore... that really scares me because I know how fast time flies by! ahhh.

I miss the sun and flowers soo much!

Well we got to move into a new redone apartment & it is way nice! Sooo happy about not having a bathroom with lifted mold-growing floors!  But we aren't allowed to put pics up on the wall, so I'm going to have to get creative here & figure something out! haha. 

Okay, we were freezing.

Love my li'l baby!!

There have been so many anti's on the square this week & it's just the funniest thing in the world to me. I feel like they think they tear our spirits down & make us question our testimonies when really it just does the total opposite. I walk away and laugh in my head when they say things like, "Did you know those stars on your mormon temple symbolize the Devil?" or "I hope you just stop deceiving people. I really do fear for you and your salvation," or "Here take this pamphlet that teaches the truth... it will help you so much (called Security on that one) hahaha.

All the languages!

Investigators are doing great!! 
Myriam: Was baptized on Saturday & is just soooo happy. She couldn't even hardly describe what she was feeling to us! Told us she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. We sent her a card with pics and a cute Temple Square necklace in there too... figured that was the best we could do since we couldn't be there. 

Myriam is baptized!!

Myriam with friend and sister missionaries.

Ben: Has been called to be a ward missionary in his local ward, and is sooo stoked about it! He's a great kid & has made some hard changes in his life since being baptized.

Carlos: Gave his first talk in Sacrament on Sunday & talked about how he wants to serve a mission right after high school... after church someone gave him $100 to start his mission fund! AMAZING. He's going to be a powerful & effective missionary someday. YAY!

We had some super sweet inbound call miracles this week. 

Jessica: She called in trying to find a local church building and I totally thought she was a member!! Come to find out her 9yr old son is investigating the church because he's been with his grandma a few times and her husband is a member, but travels all the time so can hardly ever get to church. She called in looking for a church because she was out of town for a funeral and just wanted to go somewhere she could feel comfort and peace! She said she just really wanted someone to pray with, so I asked her If I could pray with her, and she was like really you would want to pray with me! So sweet! So we said a prayer and then I got to know her a lil better. She had a kid at 16 (her 9 yr old) and has just felt like no church would ever accept her because of the bad decisions she made as a teenager.  But has recently come to know that that is so not true. She loves the things she's learned from the church so far & was sooo happy when I told her I wanted to keep in contact with her! Can't wait to call her this week.

We had a few other cool stories, but like always I don't have enough time to type it all out. 

We got our new mission president & wife this week! The Poulsens. I love them. They are soo down to earth and just great! I can't wait to see the amazing things they bring to this mission. 

I've been sleeping like a baby FINALLY! I'm already losing weight from actually getting good sleep.  That's a miracle in and of itself!

Last Explore Day, w/ Sis Vasconcelos at Humanitarian Center.

Exploring the State Capital! 

We have had early morning meetings every single day this past week and so I didnt get one work out in.... so stinky! We're hitting the workouts hard this week!

Sister Vasconcelos is probably one of the best tender mercies the Lord has given me so far in the mission. She truly is so sweet & we have a GREAT time together. Always laughing and having fun. She said to me this week "I have no idea what I'm going to do when you're not my companion anymore I love you so much... no one is ever going to be the same as you," okay soooo sweet! LOVE HER! 

Hope all is well back in the real world!! 

-Sister Hansen

Announcing!

Sister Peters & I.   LOVE HER

So Fun!!

Gorgeous Sunsets 

P.S. (Oh & I got to announce on Sunday after Music & the Spoken Word! SO FUN!)

1-15 / Day 155 Faith = Miracles

Well this week has been just as amazing as usual.

Some cool person made this in the snow!

I've decided that I'm going to SAVE AFRICA & here's why: haha
Lethu: I don't know if I've already talked about her. I probably have.
But she is a referral I got from Kendl before he left & I just LOVE HER.  She has such an intense and deep love for Christ! But she has this ridiculous fear of reading the Book of Mormon because she's afraid it's going to take away from the knowledge she already has. Oh man... if she only knew! We talked about how it will only add to the knowledge she has and bring her even closer to Christ, but she's just too freaked out. I asked her to just have enough faith to read one chapter and pray about it, but she wouldn't. I didn't want to take no for an answer because I know how awesome & special she is, but she will only get better by reading it. So I asked if I could read it with her on the phone next time we call her and she agreed! So, I need to do some intense praying about what we should share with her next. But I know she feels the spirit when we talk and after everytime she sends the sweetest texts telling us how much she LOVES us and it's just so cute!
Ibrahim: He's from Ghana! I acutally got him from another Sister who was going outbound and she wasn't able to ever get ahold of him but I DID! YAY! He's AMAZING. He has a friend from the UK who's a member and she has just been a crazy great influence on him and caused him to want to learn more about Jesus Christ and how he can have a personal relationship with him. I've been teaching him through email cause the phone connection just stinks! But his first question to me was... If I was a member of the church here in Ghana how could I be a powerful and great influence on all those around me? OKAY PURE JOY CAME ACROSS MY FACE READING THAT! We've shared some stuff with him over email & I'm just anxiously awaiting his response! SO GREAT : )
Back to America now:
Myriam: Oh man, bless her sweet little soul! I just love her!! She is getting baptized on Saturday and is just sooo happy about it. She got back to school the first week of January and talked to the Elders about the baptismal date we talked about... they of course were sooo excited. She told us the prayer that they said at the end of the lesson touched her heart and gave her so much peace and happiness about being baptized. She got home that night and was just getting things ready for the next day & to go to bed when she thought "hmmm I should open up my Book of Mormon" And so she did... just decided to open it up and read the first thing her eyes saw which was Mosiah 10:18 "Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?"
She started crying & texted us RIGHT away telling us what happened and then we started crying!! haha. Oh man, the Lord works in mysterious ways that's for sure! This church is SOOOO TRUE, things like that just don't happen by chance!
I have had some pretty amazing experiences this week. Too many to type! haha.

My new district.  YaY!! Together again with Sister Asay!!!

There are 10 things I've really learned from serving this mission so far that I KNOW will bless my life here and after the mission forever...
1. Knowledge and love of Jesus Christ: If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here and I truly couldn't get along day by day without his love and without his amazing gospel! He is the reason for ALL of this.
2. Knowledge and love of the scriptures: like I've said before, I truly thought I loved the scriptures before I got here but that has changed times a million.
3. Increase of love for my parents: HOLY COW! I am eternally indebted to them for allowing me to be here and encouraging me, praying for me, and loving me every single day while I'm gone!
4. A love for the mission and those you meet: Oh man I could go on for days about this so I won't even get started.
5. Appreciation for Hard Work: I've never worked this hard in my whole entire life. I feel like a HUGE boulder when I hit the pillow each night!
6. Assurance that the Holy Spirit is available to all: if it wasn't for the spirit no one would be baptized and I know that for sure. It is not because of me that people are changed and know the church is true it is because of the spirit.
7. Understanding of the importance of team work: Temple Square is all about helping each other out and being there for each other! I know exactly why I was called to this mission and it's such an amazing place to be.
8. Value of personal virtue: I know that one of the biggest converts from this mission is ME! I've grown so much and I have really seen how much the Lord truly does love me!
9. The Faith to Act: This week I've had so many thoughts in my head like, "Okay just say Hi as you pass by those people over there... & then instantly I think NO go and share something with them," & we've been able to experience some amazing miracles just because we had a lil faith!
10. Ability to Pray: I used to laugh when I saw my mom praying for like literally an hour long & now I've turned into her & its just hilarious to me! Now when I get back home no one in the family is going to let mom or I say the night prayers! hahah I LOVE PRAYING!

I hope you all are just doing amazzzingg!!!!

-Sister Hansen

Okay, somebody didn't sleep well last night.

We had a Hawaiian goodbye for Pres Seppi (going to be Mission Pres in Thailand),
and our sweet Gillettes.  Their last day is tomorrow.

1 - 8 / Day 148 Gahh! Thought I was caught up when ...

So, in case anyone hadn't noticed, during the holidays, I got very behind on updating Emily's blog.  And I wasn't going to say a word about it.  Until ... I realized ...  that I left out a lil' piece she came across and wanted to share in her Jan 8 letter, which post I just published, without the piece she wanted included.  Oopsie. Here it is: 



Feast Like a Flamingo

By Whitney Hinckley

These funny birds taught me a lesson about being a recognizable member of the Church.

The first time I saw flamingos in real life, I loved their beautiful, rich pink color—it was very different from the bubblegum pink of the plastic lawn ornaments I’d seen.

I was at an aquarium and learned that flamingos’ bright pink color comes from the food they eat, which contains high amounts of beta carotene—a pigment that causes an orange, pink, or yellow color. That means that if flamingos don’t feast on the algae and brine shrimp they usually eat, their feathers will eventually become white—and we might not even recognize the white birds as flamingos!

After that day, I started to think about those flamingos in a way I never would have expected.

I thought about what I feast on and if it changes how others identify me. In 2 Nephi 31:20, we are encouraged to “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ.” I thought about the stories of how people not of our faith describe the members they know as having a “glow” around them or a light in their eyes. Could it be that by our feasting, instead of turning pink like a flamingo, we receive that light from Christ? We receive the Lord’s image in our countenances when we are born of the Spirit (see Alma 5:14). We are recognized as disciples of Christ because of that identifying factor.

If pink flamingos are any indication of good feasting, the opposite is also true. When a flamingo stops eating the nutrient-rich food he needs, he becomes ill and pale. When we stop feasting on the word of Christ, we also slowly become spiritually ill and lose our bright, godly countenances. Eventually, we would no longer be recognized as a faithful follower of Christ.

The more I thought about this, the more applicable the flamingos in the aquarium became to me. They were pink because they were doing everything right. They were not ashamed to be pink—they are supposed to be pink, and because they feasted they were pink. They were beautiful. They were identifiable.

As children of our Heavenly Father, we can all be beautiful too! It’s a beauty that comes from inside, by feasting on the right things. We should want to have Christ’s image in our countenances. We can be just as identifiable as members of the Church as a flamingo is for being a flamingo.