Well, what a crazy and unexpected week. There were so many good things about this last week. So many miracles, trials, blessings, and surprises. First of all, let me wish McKay Hansen and Rachel Burr, two of my very best friends happy birthdays this week. I am so blessed to have you two in my life and to be able to love you. Happy Birthday!
This week was the beginning of what they call the "Monsoon" season down here. The funny thing is that because it's so dry here, it's really should be called the "dust storm" season because there hardly ever is rain. Ever day there are beautiful clouds and the skies give you every sign that it's going to rain, but yet there is still intense heat and no rain. Instead there are crazy winds that blow dirt around like crazy. This week on tuesday we had a crazy dust storm/monsoon/whatever-you-want-to-call-it. It was a big cloud of wind and dirt the size of the whole valley (about 60 miles long). It was super fast and did quite a bit of damage to a lot of trees around here. That night, luckily, Hermana Norton and I were in a lesson, so we didn't get caught by it. But we talked to some elders that were trying to ride their bikes it it and they told us that their bikes were falling over as they tried to ride them. As far as I've heard, it's the biggest storm that they've had here in over 20 years. Every night since then there has been beautiful clouds and the sunsets that Arizona is famous for. I promise to send pictures soon! It is beautiful and kind of a tender mercy to me, because of the beauty that I get to see and also because the clouds cover the heat of the sun just a bit.
This week was kind of a slow week for our area. Just trying to find people that are ready for the gospel. Luckily, because we're spanish, we have a huge area that we share with many english elders. And they have given us a lot of referrals, especially this week, that have turned out to be such tender mercies. We've met and taught many people that have been prepared to hear about God's great love for them and we're excited for that. The week still had it's fair share of disappointments too and some days it was hard to be excited, but I am so grateful for those days this week. Because of them I was able to more fully turn to the Lord and learn to rely on Him. And I felt His love this week maybe more than I have the whole time I've been here in Arizona. God truly brings blessings out of our sorrows.
This week we also had two HUGE blessings in our ward. On thursday the Elders in our ward had a wedding/baptism and on saturday, we had the baptism of Marcos and Stephanie. They were both amazing experiences and the Spirit was so strong. I can't believe how much the Lord has blessed us in this ward lately! These people were truly, truly prepared and ready for this blessing in their lives. The Spirit was there so strong and the ward was so supportive of these people. What a special step it was for them and what love they were able to feel from not only the ward, but from their Father in Heaven. What a beautiful blessing and end of the transfer.
Today is the last day of my second transfer here in Arizona and specifically in Tempe. I have learned so much this transfer about being loving and about being bold. I know the Lord is helping me to grow in my missionary abilities and in my Spanish. I count my blessings every day that I am here in this mission with these people. I also am happy to know that this next transfer I will still be here in Tempe and still be with Hermana Norton. Yeah for that! I love this area and am not ready to leave. The elders that have been in our ward have also been travelling APs. Because of that, they know the plans for transfers and they gave us some hints that Hermana Norton and I would be together again. We are so, so happy! I love Hermana Norton and she is fast becoming one of my dearest friends. After our missions we plan to go to Mexico together and we already have plenty of people from our ward that have offered to let us stay with them.
Basically, the life a missionary is a dream. I love it and am so blessed to be here on a mission.
love,
Hermana Anneli Hansen
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Time Brings Change and Change Takes Time...
This has been a week of change. There have been so many crazy things happen with our investigators and our area and it all just feels so different. I am realizing that I'm not as good with change as I thought I was. This week Hermana Norton and I had a realization that a lot of our investigators that we have are not progressing like they should and we aren't sure they are as interested as we thought. So, through out our whole week we've been pondering and praying about each one of our investigators and what we should do for them. We love them all and would love to keep teaching them, but we want to do what's right- to teach the people the Lord really has prepared for us. This week we had to stop teaching one lady and it just about broke my heart. She loves the church, but can't come to church or get married to her boyfriend right now and because of those things, she isn't super motivated right now. But she knows that she has seen many changes and miracles in her life since she learned about the gospel. One day she'll be ready to make this step, but for now, we have felt that it is best to give her some time. That will probably be one of the hardest things for me on the mission-to let go of people that you care about. But God has a plan, I know it! And I know He has a plan for our investigators and He knows best what they need. It reminds me of the scripture D&C 100:16 "Let your hearts be comforted... for all flesh is in my hands. Be still and know that I am God." God knows what He's doing and I trust in Him.
This week I have also learned through many experiences that I need to be a more bold missionary. Boldness has never been something I liked, but slowly I am seeing that it can be a good thing and I'm trying to put it into practice. Because of the Hispanic culture, these people aren't going to read and pray unless we really spell it out for them. And they can't know for themselves that these things are true if they don't study and pray. So, we know that it's important to be BOLD with them about doing their part, so that we can truly help them, as representatives of Jesus Christ, come to Christ. Being bold does not mean that we have to be mean or that we have to force them to do it. There is a huge difference between being "bold" and being "overbearing". My new goal is to learn to be lovingly bold. I think as we show these people that we truly care for them-that we are here to help them and serve them, (like Ammon or-- better yet-- Jesus)- then we can be a little bit more direct with them because they know that we care about them and just have their best interest in mind. Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out how to do all of this and how to work up the courage to be more bold, but I know that I'll get there. Pray for me!
This week has been a very good week. We had the last of our trainings from President Howes and it was so inspiring. There is just something amazing about having a group of powerful missionaries together in the same room sharing stories and insights with each other. I love the spirit that comes with being a missionary. I love learning about how I can be more like Jesus Christ. This morning Hermana Norton and I were talking about service and we realized that all that we do everyday is service. We're truly here to serve others and to give our time to other people. I need to be more selfless and to be more focused on the work so that I can help these people more. This week we had a training specifically focused on Spanish work and we realized how important it is to speak spanish as much as possible. Hermana Norton and I need to work on that. Right now, Spanish just seems like the language I teach in. It's not my language yet, so I need to make it mine more, by speaking it more. I know the Lord will bless me with that too. I'm so grateful to be a missionary and so grateful to be able to serve among these people. This week in church I just felt so at home. The sisters in the ward have really opened up to us and they trust us a lot now. That feels so good! Now if I can just get them to forget that I can sing! At every little meeting I go to, they seem to ask me to sing. I don't like it at all because I just get so nervous, but it's probably good for me...
This week we also had a "sister's training". But it wasn't really a training. It was more like a girls night where we just ate dinner, got to know each other, and talked about being sister missionaries. I loved getting to know the other sisters more and just being with them. I love Sister Howes so much! She is such a sweetheart and such an inspiration to us as sisters.
Anyway, what crazy email this has all been. I hope you all at home are doing well and loving the summer. It's super hot here and it's getting to be monsoon season, so it's getting pretty humid too. I'm trying to love it and enjoy it while I have it, because I know that before I know it, I'll be in the snow again...
Well, have a great 4th of July everyone!
Love,
Hermana Anneli Hansen
This week I have also learned through many experiences that I need to be a more bold missionary. Boldness has never been something I liked, but slowly I am seeing that it can be a good thing and I'm trying to put it into practice. Because of the Hispanic culture, these people aren't going to read and pray unless we really spell it out for them. And they can't know for themselves that these things are true if they don't study and pray. So, we know that it's important to be BOLD with them about doing their part, so that we can truly help them, as representatives of Jesus Christ, come to Christ. Being bold does not mean that we have to be mean or that we have to force them to do it. There is a huge difference between being "bold" and being "overbearing". My new goal is to learn to be lovingly bold. I think as we show these people that we truly care for them-that we are here to help them and serve them, (like Ammon or-- better yet-- Jesus)- then we can be a little bit more direct with them because they know that we care about them and just have their best interest in mind. Anyway, I'm still trying to figure out how to do all of this and how to work up the courage to be more bold, but I know that I'll get there. Pray for me!
This week has been a very good week. We had the last of our trainings from President Howes and it was so inspiring. There is just something amazing about having a group of powerful missionaries together in the same room sharing stories and insights with each other. I love the spirit that comes with being a missionary. I love learning about how I can be more like Jesus Christ. This morning Hermana Norton and I were talking about service and we realized that all that we do everyday is service. We're truly here to serve others and to give our time to other people. I need to be more selfless and to be more focused on the work so that I can help these people more. This week we had a training specifically focused on Spanish work and we realized how important it is to speak spanish as much as possible. Hermana Norton and I need to work on that. Right now, Spanish just seems like the language I teach in. It's not my language yet, so I need to make it mine more, by speaking it more. I know the Lord will bless me with that too. I'm so grateful to be a missionary and so grateful to be able to serve among these people. This week in church I just felt so at home. The sisters in the ward have really opened up to us and they trust us a lot now. That feels so good! Now if I can just get them to forget that I can sing! At every little meeting I go to, they seem to ask me to sing. I don't like it at all because I just get so nervous, but it's probably good for me...
This week we also had a "sister's training". But it wasn't really a training. It was more like a girls night where we just ate dinner, got to know each other, and talked about being sister missionaries. I loved getting to know the other sisters more and just being with them. I love Sister Howes so much! She is such a sweetheart and such an inspiration to us as sisters.
Anyway, what crazy email this has all been. I hope you all at home are doing well and loving the summer. It's super hot here and it's getting to be monsoon season, so it's getting pretty humid too. I'm trying to love it and enjoy it while I have it, because I know that before I know it, I'll be in the snow again...
Well, have a great 4th of July everyone!
Love,
Hermana Anneli Hansen
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