Wow! This week has been so wonderful! There truly have been so many little miracles and blessings. I feel like I've grown so much this week from these experiences and can see the hand of the Lord in all that I am doing. First of all, I am would just like to say that I am grateful for trials. I am grateful for these growing pains that we have in life and the chance to stretch myself and grow in order to become closer to the Savior and also in order to "forget myself and go to work". When I first got here to Arizona, my mission president, President Howes told us that each missionary has his/her own capacity and all that matters is that they try their best and the Lord will love them and bless them and their work for their efforts. There's no doubt that I have noticed that as I've been here in Tempe. I can see that I have many weaknesses and I am not strong in a lot of areas, but I truly am trying my best and through it, I can feel myself grow and progress. I can see the Lord's hand in the work and I can feel love for these people and the love of the Lord for me and for my efforts.
Let me tell you just a few of the miracles that happened this week. We had a lesson on wednesday with Beto, our little friend that has known for a while that he needs to be baptized, but something has held him back. He told us last week, that he would pray about a date for baptism, but when we got to his house that night, he hadn't prayed. So we talked a little bit about that and had a really good lesson, but ultimately we weren't sure what to do to help him. I love him and his family so much and we have grown pretty close to them over that past few weeks, so we feel very comfortable talking to Beto. He loves to joke around with us and started joking about his baptism and somehow we started planning the program for the baptism, but still we had no date. It was so silly! He knew he was going to get baptized, but still he would not tell us when. So we started talking about a potential date for his baptism. We asked him which date he thought might work for him and he became very serious. With the help of his wife, they chose a date that they
thought might be good, the 25th of June. Hermana Norton, the wise little missionary that she is, asked him if he wanted to pray right then and there about that date. We weren't sure if he'd actually do it, but we started getting up from our chairs to kneel and slowly, but surely, he came too. His wife ran and got the kids because she knew this would be an awesome experience. Once we were all together, Beto said the prayer. It was the most beautiful, sincere prayer. He humbly told the Lord that he wanted to follow him and keep the commandments and asked for himself if he should be baptized on the 25th of June. The Spirit was so strong and as the prayer finished and we all looked up, we were all crying. Then they all pulled each other into a big hug. That was one of the most incredible experiences that I've ever had. To see the effect the Savior and the gospel can have on someone to change their lives completely is so beautiful! Beto's wife, who is a member, was so happy! They are going to be a forever family! They are already talking about going to the Salt Lake Temple next year to be sealed before their son leaves on his mission. I am so content...
That was only the beginning of the miracles that came from this week. We also had a family that came to church this week after the first lesson. For hispanics, it's a big deal to get them to come to church after just one lesson, so we were very pleasantly surprised. They are super sweet people and I think they enjoyed most of church. It was a little overwhelming for them, partly because our ward mission leader attacked them by asking them about being baptized. We just pray that they still are interested. We have a lesson tonight, so we'll see how that goes.
Also, another kind of silly miracles happened. We have this awesome family, Maria and Juan, that we've been trying to teach for a few weeks, but have failed to actually teach them anything because everytime we go over to their house, they talk and talk and talk and talk. We never have a chance to get in more then a word at a time because they love to tell us stories of how much Jesus Christ has helped them through their lives. We love hearing their stories so much, but also wanted to share the message we had with them. Also, they tend to feed us a lot when we go over to their house and we'd already eaten that night and were so stuffed. So as we went into the lesson, we prayed that they would speak less so we could have the opportunity to teach and that they wouldn't feed us. One of the silliest sounding prayers that I can remember, but it worked! When we got to their apartment, they were sitting their watching a soccer game, but as we sat down to talk to them, they turned the TV off and told us that they had realized that they hadn't given us the opportunity to share our message yet and they wanted to hear. It was incredible! And we had an awesome lesson with them and they listened enough so that we could teach them. They were super interested in the Book of Mormon and they are excited to learn more about Jesus Christ. What a miracle! And they didn't offer us any food too, which is almost an even bigger miracle! From that I learned that God cares about us and wants to answer even the silliest prayers. He knows how important this work is and he cares about Maria and Juan a lot. So cool!
This week we also had an awesome mission training and I learned a lot about love and about being lovingly bold, which is something I really need to work on (especially the 'bold' part). I felt the Spirit so strong and was just so grateful to be able to be with the other missionaries. There really is a such a strength when we're all together and I learn so much from each of them. This training will continue every friday for the rest of the month, so I'm excited for the blessing of getting to learn and grow more from them.
Well, I don't have a lot of time left, but there are many miracles I've seen this week. I know that the Lord lives and truly loves us. I know that He is there and cares about the things going on in our lives, more than we even realize. This week, Hermana Norton recieved a copy of the by Mark Mabry of staged photographs from Christ's visit to the Americas. Looking at them is a spiritual experience in itself. He did a wonderful job of depicting the love and power of the Savior in our lives.
love,
Hermana Anneli Hansen
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Regaining Confidence
Hello all. It's been a super good and crazy week! We have had a lot of success and a lot of unexpected changes. We got two new elders to share our spanish ward with us: Elder Cuthberson and Burgos. They are super good elders and we're excited to have them with us. Elder Burgos is hispanic, so the ward adores him. But there is a catch to these elders: they were called as assistants to the president (APs). Now in the mission we have 4 APs and they are two of them. For the majority of the transfer they will be travelling all over the mission to give trainings and such, so we won't have their help much. It's a little scary because Hermana Norton and I will have to do a lot of the work ourselves, but it's a good chance for us, especially me, to learn and grow in my capacities. I'm excited!
Also this week I have recieved a lot of needed encouragement from people at home. For what ever reason I've had 3 or 4 people write to me about not worrying and about being confident in both myself and in the Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you! As we've gotten these two new elders in our ward, and they speak spanish perfectly by the way, and still having the awesome example of Hermana Norton, I've felt pretty self-consious. I feel like all of my confidence has left. This morning I actually was able to study confidence and how I can have greater confidence in myself and in the Savior. I know that as I try to do my best, but also to REALLY RELY on the Savior and forget about my worries about being perfect, the Lord will work through me and my personality to reach others. I know I don't have to be perfect, but sometimes I trick myself into thinking that I do. Thank you all for the needed encouragement this week.
This week we taught so many lessons! We were able to teach so many people and to help a lot of our investigators come to Christ more and more. I have been learning to be more bold too. Hermana Norton is helping me with that and to realize that there is a difference between being bold and overbearing, as it says in Alma. I've been trying to be more bold and I have felt the Lord's encouragement and happiness as I've tried to be better. Many of our investigators have showed us a sincere desire to learn about Christ and to follow Him by being baptized when they know from the Spirit that this is true. We are so grateful for the Lord's help this week!
We have been teaching one man, Beto, for a while. I don't know if I've written about him before, but he is married to a member and has been off and on with the discussions for about a year. He knows that he needs to be baptized, but somethings have been holding him back. One of them was that he hadn't read the Book of Mormon before. We have been working with him on that for weeks and weeks and this week, he finally read. And he actually enjoyed it! And he wanted to read more. So for our lesson we read 3 chapters in the Book of Mormon and showed him how to use the footnotes to learn more about what he's reading. He's a smart man and he loved it! Then we asked him about what he was thinking about baptism. Miraculously he told us that he wanted to be baptized and commited to praying for a date that he should be baptized this month! Wonderful! After that lesson we were on cloud nine and had a little party on the ride back to our apartment that night! We were so excited!
One funny thing that has been happening to us lately is that we've had a few different people ask if Sister Norton is my mom. :( So sad! We can't figure it out, but it's always been older people that have asked us that, so we hope the reason is just that their eye-sight is lacking a little. Poor Hermana Norton!
We were blessed so much this week and I know that this is where the Lord would have me be without a doubt. I love the people so much and I've felt that I have known some of them before this life. I know that I need to help them. I know that I can help them as I rely on the Lord and be myself. I was reflecting this week on how my short life has been so far and how different it has been than I have planned. I am so grateful for this chance and for the way my life is going. There really is no other place I would rather be and I am so glad God knows better and cares enough to tell me what He would have me do with my life. Being a missionary is like Heaven!
Have a good week and everyone in Utah, be safe! I'm not sure how serious the warning about flooding is, but I'm worried and nervous! I'll be praying for you!
Con Amor,
Hermana Hansen
Also this week I have recieved a lot of needed encouragement from people at home. For what ever reason I've had 3 or 4 people write to me about not worrying and about being confident in both myself and in the Lord. Thank you, thank you, thank you! As we've gotten these two new elders in our ward, and they speak spanish perfectly by the way, and still having the awesome example of Hermana Norton, I've felt pretty self-consious. I feel like all of my confidence has left. This morning I actually was able to study confidence and how I can have greater confidence in myself and in the Savior. I know that as I try to do my best, but also to REALLY RELY on the Savior and forget about my worries about being perfect, the Lord will work through me and my personality to reach others. I know I don't have to be perfect, but sometimes I trick myself into thinking that I do. Thank you all for the needed encouragement this week.
This week we taught so many lessons! We were able to teach so many people and to help a lot of our investigators come to Christ more and more. I have been learning to be more bold too. Hermana Norton is helping me with that and to realize that there is a difference between being bold and overbearing, as it says in Alma. I've been trying to be more bold and I have felt the Lord's encouragement and happiness as I've tried to be better. Many of our investigators have showed us a sincere desire to learn about Christ and to follow Him by being baptized when they know from the Spirit that this is true. We are so grateful for the Lord's help this week!
We have been teaching one man, Beto, for a while. I don't know if I've written about him before, but he is married to a member and has been off and on with the discussions for about a year. He knows that he needs to be baptized, but somethings have been holding him back. One of them was that he hadn't read the Book of Mormon before. We have been working with him on that for weeks and weeks and this week, he finally read. And he actually enjoyed it! And he wanted to read more. So for our lesson we read 3 chapters in the Book of Mormon and showed him how to use the footnotes to learn more about what he's reading. He's a smart man and he loved it! Then we asked him about what he was thinking about baptism. Miraculously he told us that he wanted to be baptized and commited to praying for a date that he should be baptized this month! Wonderful! After that lesson we were on cloud nine and had a little party on the ride back to our apartment that night! We were so excited!
One funny thing that has been happening to us lately is that we've had a few different people ask if Sister Norton is my mom. :( So sad! We can't figure it out, but it's always been older people that have asked us that, so we hope the reason is just that their eye-sight is lacking a little. Poor Hermana Norton!
We were blessed so much this week and I know that this is where the Lord would have me be without a doubt. I love the people so much and I've felt that I have known some of them before this life. I know that I need to help them. I know that I can help them as I rely on the Lord and be myself. I was reflecting this week on how my short life has been so far and how different it has been than I have planned. I am so grateful for this chance and for the way my life is going. There really is no other place I would rather be and I am so glad God knows better and cares enough to tell me what He would have me do with my life. Being a missionary is like Heaven!
Have a good week and everyone in Utah, be safe! I'm not sure how serious the warning about flooding is, but I'm worried and nervous! I'll be praying for you!
Con Amor,
Hermana Hansen
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
UP and UP
Dear family and friends,
I hope you are all doing super well. I first just want to say that all your letters/packages recently have been such tender mercies for me. I know that I'm very slow at writing back, but I promise that with time, you will all get a letter from me. :)
It has been a really weird week. We had a lot of appointments planned, but many of them cancelled, so we found ourselves with a lot of time and not much to do. We were able to find people to talk to and visit and it ended up being a blessing, but it was a different week. It was also different because we biked almost the whole week. It is actually pretty fun to bike, besides the fact that it's really awkward in a dress, the sun is super hot and draining, and the combination of heat and a helmet does wonders for my hair. :) We had fun though.
This week we had so much good happen with our investigators. Gabby gave us a date for her baptism, June 11 and she is so excited. She told us that the night she decided to be baptized she couldn't sleep because she was so anxious. She also has the whole program written out already. She's a sweetheart! I'm so happy for her!
We also were able to see so much progress on so many of our other investigators. Two of our investigators and praying about a date to be baptized and we are so grateful for that. We know that the Lord is in this work. This week we've really been praying that our investigators can have the desire to read and pray on their own and to have spiritual experiences on their own because they all are having a hard time just reading. And our prayers were answered. As we visited with all of them through out the week, most of them have started reading and really enjoy what they are reading. Last night we visited with this young mom, Claudia, and her two kids. Her daughter, Brita, is about 4 years old and is the cutest thing ever and she actually said the prayer for us in the lesson. It was such a miracle to see the effect of the gospel on this little famiy and how much they are all coming closer to Christ.
This week is transfers and it's really stressful, but exciting. I know for sure that Hermana Norton and I will be here for this next transfer, which is such a tender mercy. But the elders that cover the other part of our spanish ward are being white washed, so we'll have a lot to catch them up on. We're both excited and sad for the change, but I know that it's for the best. The Lord reallly does has his hand in this work and I know that this will be a great opportunity for us to learn and grow.
This week Hermana Norton and I realized something. We've had a problem with just about every single person that we talk to. They all love to talk! They talk and talk and talk and talk some more and we love it, but it often makes us late to appointments and we can't get as much done because lessons or OYMs take a lot longer than they normally do. Something clicked this week that we've been so stressed all transfer about this, but that the Lord is trying to teach us patience. Before I left on my mission, my dear friend Aundrea Frahm told me "Patience is letting go of the worry". How true that is! As I've begun to let go of the stress and control the things that I can control, it's been so much better. And I know the Lord understands our efforts. I'm so grateful to be a missionary!
Con Amor,
Hermana Hansen
I hope you are all doing super well. I first just want to say that all your letters/packages recently have been such tender mercies for me. I know that I'm very slow at writing back, but I promise that with time, you will all get a letter from me. :)
It has been a really weird week. We had a lot of appointments planned, but many of them cancelled, so we found ourselves with a lot of time and not much to do. We were able to find people to talk to and visit and it ended up being a blessing, but it was a different week. It was also different because we biked almost the whole week. It is actually pretty fun to bike, besides the fact that it's really awkward in a dress, the sun is super hot and draining, and the combination of heat and a helmet does wonders for my hair. :) We had fun though.
This week we had so much good happen with our investigators. Gabby gave us a date for her baptism, June 11 and she is so excited. She told us that the night she decided to be baptized she couldn't sleep because she was so anxious. She also has the whole program written out already. She's a sweetheart! I'm so happy for her!
We also were able to see so much progress on so many of our other investigators. Two of our investigators and praying about a date to be baptized and we are so grateful for that. We know that the Lord is in this work. This week we've really been praying that our investigators can have the desire to read and pray on their own and to have spiritual experiences on their own because they all are having a hard time just reading. And our prayers were answered. As we visited with all of them through out the week, most of them have started reading and really enjoy what they are reading. Last night we visited with this young mom, Claudia, and her two kids. Her daughter, Brita, is about 4 years old and is the cutest thing ever and she actually said the prayer for us in the lesson. It was such a miracle to see the effect of the gospel on this little famiy and how much they are all coming closer to Christ.
This week is transfers and it's really stressful, but exciting. I know for sure that Hermana Norton and I will be here for this next transfer, which is such a tender mercy. But the elders that cover the other part of our spanish ward are being white washed, so we'll have a lot to catch them up on. We're both excited and sad for the change, but I know that it's for the best. The Lord reallly does has his hand in this work and I know that this will be a great opportunity for us to learn and grow.
This week Hermana Norton and I realized something. We've had a problem with just about every single person that we talk to. They all love to talk! They talk and talk and talk and talk some more and we love it, but it often makes us late to appointments and we can't get as much done because lessons or OYMs take a lot longer than they normally do. Something clicked this week that we've been so stressed all transfer about this, but that the Lord is trying to teach us patience. Before I left on my mission, my dear friend Aundrea Frahm told me "Patience is letting go of the worry". How true that is! As I've begun to let go of the stress and control the things that I can control, it's been so much better. And I know the Lord understands our efforts. I'm so grateful to be a missionary!
Con Amor,
Hermana Hansen
Monday, May 23, 2011
Sometimes He Lets It Rain
Zone Conference
Happy Monday! It hope all is going well for all. I feel very blessed to have received a lot of letters recently from friends and family and want to thank you all for that. It helps to keep me going, seriously! For me it has been a humbling, but very good week- full of many ups and downs. I have felt very blessed that the Lord feels like I'm ready to grow more.
This week a lot happened. We had zone conference, which was so good. We learned a lot about the Doctrine of Christ and I was reminded of the importance of teaching the basics to our investigators. I felt the spirit so strong and it was just good to be with the other missionaries. It's so fun to meet the many different types of people that we do, but it's also good to interact with people that have the same beliefs and value system as you and that understand you.
Also, I was able to go to the Mesa Temple this week. We get to go once a transfer and it was such a blessing. I love the temple and forgot how much I needed and missed it in my life until then. There is such a peace there! It really is like Heaven! I felt so much that the Lord was with me and it helped to keep me going.
This week has also had it's trials. I've been working on teaching more in the lessons and as I do that, I am very humbled. I learned this all in the MTC, but I feel now like I need to relearn it all. But the Lord has blessed me and I have learned a lot very quickly. One thing that I'm re-realizing is that I'm a huge perfectionist and on a mission, it's not good to be a perfectionist because you are aware of every single one of your weaknesses. So, I easily get discouraged, but now is my chance to overcome this and to learn to be more patient with myself. I was recently reminded of what is probably my favorite scripture right now. Alma 26:12: Yeah, I know that I am nothing and as to my strength I am weak...but I will boast in my God because through Him I can do all things. (That's more of a paraphrase because I don't have my scriptures with me right now).
This week we met a wonderful lady, Gabby, who just kind of fell into our laps. She's going to the English ward, but her native language is Spanish. She has decided that she wants to be baptized and just needs to be taught by the missionaries now. She is a sweetheart. She's been going to church for a while with her husband, who is a member, so she knows most of what we are teaching already. She is very in tune with the spirit, so every lesson is amazing and she understands super easily. She has been prepared by the Lord. She needs to get over smoking, but she's just about done with that and has decided to replace it with Chocolate instead- I love that! She's just wonderful! We just fell in love with her since the day we met her and she makes being a missionary so easy! She'll probably be baptized on June 11. We feel very blessed to have met her.
Other lessons this week have gone well, but we have been having a hard time keeping some lessons. The people forget or cancel on us so often. This week we wanted to invite two of our investigators to be baptized, but both of them canceled on that very night.
Yesterday all four of us missionaries talked and sang in church. It was my first talk in Spanish. I was super nervous, but I think it turned out okay. However, one of our members, Juan, told me that he understood most of it. Hispanics are very honest sometimes... It just makes me laugh. My spanish is growing and I see it every day. I know the Lord is blessing me.
This week, like every week, we had some funny things happen to us. From Juan we were given what he said was "carmels", but what were really cough drops. Also, Hermana Norton recieved a glass dolphin and soap box as late birthday presents from one investigator. Then we were teaching a drunk man and trying to tell him about the gospel, and at the same time there was Justin Beiber music blasting in the background. The guy had no idea what was going on, but we tried!
Well, this is kind of a weird email today. Sorry about all the disorganization. Life is good and I know that the Lord is blessing me. I'm having a great time and really enjoying life. Thanks again for all your support!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Some pictures
A trailer park where we work
This is the front yard of a man in our area that makes robots out of scrap metal.
Hermana Norton and I on her birthday.
Time to De-stress
Wow! What a crazy, but wonderful week it's been. It has been full of miracles and full of learning. We talked to a lot of people this week and found some new people to teach and also had some incredible lessons with other investigators.
Kenny is doing well. He is overcoming his addiction to alcohol super well. We visited him a few times this week and he has barely had any alcohol this week which is huge! And the elders that are teaching him says that he's really be receptive to the lessons and is excited to learn. Yeah!
This week we met a lady named Laura. Her uncle was a referral for us, but ultimately we were led to her. She is a mother of 3 boys, with one on the way with in about a month or so. When we first sat down with her for the lesson, we asked about her husband and she told us that he had died about six months ago. What a shock for us. She was trying to be so strong as she told us what happened and how she is very alone in life right now, but she soon started to brake down. She feels so alone and has been looking for God and for a church the last little bit. We were an answer to her prayer and we feel such a deep concern for her. We haven't been able to meet with her since then, but we've been working on getting the ward involved in helping her with whatever she needs. I love how concerned the hispanic people are with others and how willing they are to give to others in need!
We also have been meeting with a less-active family lately that we love. We're not sure the details, but they were really hurt by someone in the church a while ago and had a lot of bitterness for the church. But since we've been working with them, they have opened up to the church and have such a thirst to learn about the gospel again. The mother is such a sweety! I love her! She's so enthusiastic about life and is a wonderful cook! Her son is about a week away from graduating from high school and has had a hard life. He was in a gang a while ago, but has been trying to shape up and he knows that the church is true and cannot deny that. He's a little stubborn, but as we have talked to him, he has had such a change of heart. The first time I met him, he told us he would never go to church again, but just yesterday he went to chuch and said that he really felt the spirit while he was there. When we had a lesson with the family earlier this week, the whole family was listening so intently and were so excited about the gospel. I even saw the son tear up a little- that's huge! That day they had also made dinner for us and the whole family had spent hours on the food. Oh, my goodness! I love them! And I know without a doubt that God is aware of their situation and just wants them to know of that love and to come back to him. Our goal is to get the son, Hassan on a mission. He opens up to it more and more every time we talk about it. Yeah!
One thing that I'm learning is that conversion isn't the equivalent of one event, it's the process of many events. So as missionaries we need to be constantly helping and re-helping our friends to come to christ more and strengthening their faith.
We've had some funny OYMs this week. People moaning and singing during prayers, people singing Popcorn-Popping, one guy that told us that he was married to Jesus Christ, and many people that might actually be interested in the gospel. The good thing about OYMs is that most people are super sweet to us and really respect us for what we are trying to do. They see the efforts that we're making to help bring Jesus Christ to people. I like to think that God sees us in that light too. In the mission there are a lot of numbers that are pushed on us and a lot of things that we need to always be remembering, but God sees our efforts to bring others to Christ and that is what is important to Him.
One other funny thing happened this week. Literally everyday, we have such crazy situations that we just end up laughing about as we are driving home and getting ready for bed. One of our recent converts, Juan, was talking to us about his daughter and he called her a Gordita, which is a term of endearment to hispanics, but in English it's the equivalent of telling someone they are fat. Juan has been trying to learn english and so after he called her a Gordita, he said in english, "She's a fats!" It was so cute with his little spanish accent trying to speak english and just sounded so wrong in english and we burst out laughing. Good thing Juan also has a sense of humor and he just laughed along with us.
One of the things the Lord has taught me this week is what a perfectionist I am. Because this is the Lord's time, I'm so hard on myself and if I mess up at all, I get very discouraged. Worrying is something that has been a struggle with me all my life, but now I'm just realizing just how much it is affecting me and also how much it affects other people. When I'm over stressed, I'm not effective and neither is my companion. Hermana Norton has been so patient with me and is always helping me to see that even though I mess up, the Lord is still willing to forgive me. He knows that I won't be the perfect missionary, but as long as I'm trying my best, I can feel good about my efforts and feel at peace. And I have seen miracles in my life this week, so that is evidence that the Lord is pleased with us and our efforts. Basically, I am realizing that I need to learn to de-stress fast because it is not healthy and not productive. Discouragement is one of the ways Satan gets to us and now that I am realizing how much that is affecting my missionary work, I am 10 times more motivated to stop that. The Lord loves us and is cheering us on, not waiting for us to fail. I know that is true with all lmy heart!
Well, I better go. We have a lot to do today. Love you ALL!
Hermana Hansen
Kenny is doing well. He is overcoming his addiction to alcohol super well. We visited him a few times this week and he has barely had any alcohol this week which is huge! And the elders that are teaching him says that he's really be receptive to the lessons and is excited to learn. Yeah!
This week we met a lady named Laura. Her uncle was a referral for us, but ultimately we were led to her. She is a mother of 3 boys, with one on the way with in about a month or so. When we first sat down with her for the lesson, we asked about her husband and she told us that he had died about six months ago. What a shock for us. She was trying to be so strong as she told us what happened and how she is very alone in life right now, but she soon started to brake down. She feels so alone and has been looking for God and for a church the last little bit. We were an answer to her prayer and we feel such a deep concern for her. We haven't been able to meet with her since then, but we've been working on getting the ward involved in helping her with whatever she needs. I love how concerned the hispanic people are with others and how willing they are to give to others in need!
We also have been meeting with a less-active family lately that we love. We're not sure the details, but they were really hurt by someone in the church a while ago and had a lot of bitterness for the church. But since we've been working with them, they have opened up to the church and have such a thirst to learn about the gospel again. The mother is such a sweety! I love her! She's so enthusiastic about life and is a wonderful cook! Her son is about a week away from graduating from high school and has had a hard life. He was in a gang a while ago, but has been trying to shape up and he knows that the church is true and cannot deny that. He's a little stubborn, but as we have talked to him, he has had such a change of heart. The first time I met him, he told us he would never go to church again, but just yesterday he went to chuch and said that he really felt the spirit while he was there. When we had a lesson with the family earlier this week, the whole family was listening so intently and were so excited about the gospel. I even saw the son tear up a little- that's huge! That day they had also made dinner for us and the whole family had spent hours on the food. Oh, my goodness! I love them! And I know without a doubt that God is aware of their situation and just wants them to know of that love and to come back to him. Our goal is to get the son, Hassan on a mission. He opens up to it more and more every time we talk about it. Yeah!
One thing that I'm learning is that conversion isn't the equivalent of one event, it's the process of many events. So as missionaries we need to be constantly helping and re-helping our friends to come to christ more and strengthening their faith.
We've had some funny OYMs this week. People moaning and singing during prayers, people singing Popcorn-Popping, one guy that told us that he was married to Jesus Christ, and many people that might actually be interested in the gospel. The good thing about OYMs is that most people are super sweet to us and really respect us for what we are trying to do. They see the efforts that we're making to help bring Jesus Christ to people. I like to think that God sees us in that light too. In the mission there are a lot of numbers that are pushed on us and a lot of things that we need to always be remembering, but God sees our efforts to bring others to Christ and that is what is important to Him.
One other funny thing happened this week. Literally everyday, we have such crazy situations that we just end up laughing about as we are driving home and getting ready for bed. One of our recent converts, Juan, was talking to us about his daughter and he called her a Gordita, which is a term of endearment to hispanics, but in English it's the equivalent of telling someone they are fat. Juan has been trying to learn english and so after he called her a Gordita, he said in english, "She's a fats!" It was so cute with his little spanish accent trying to speak english and just sounded so wrong in english and we burst out laughing. Good thing Juan also has a sense of humor and he just laughed along with us.
One of the things the Lord has taught me this week is what a perfectionist I am. Because this is the Lord's time, I'm so hard on myself and if I mess up at all, I get very discouraged. Worrying is something that has been a struggle with me all my life, but now I'm just realizing just how much it is affecting me and also how much it affects other people. When I'm over stressed, I'm not effective and neither is my companion. Hermana Norton has been so patient with me and is always helping me to see that even though I mess up, the Lord is still willing to forgive me. He knows that I won't be the perfect missionary, but as long as I'm trying my best, I can feel good about my efforts and feel at peace. And I have seen miracles in my life this week, so that is evidence that the Lord is pleased with us and our efforts. Basically, I am realizing that I need to learn to de-stress fast because it is not healthy and not productive. Discouragement is one of the ways Satan gets to us and now that I am realizing how much that is affecting my missionary work, I am 10 times more motivated to stop that. The Lord loves us and is cheering us on, not waiting for us to fail. I know that is true with all lmy heart!
Well, I better go. We have a lot to do today. Love you ALL!
Hermana Hansen
Monday, May 9, 2011
Let the heat begin
Hello everyone! I hope you've all had a wonderful Mothers Day! It was wonderful here to be able to talk to the family and to be able to see them. Skype is the greatest invention ever! Anyway, it's been a wonderful and crazy week. It seems like everyday on the mission something weird happens. I've never seen or met so many interesting people as I have here in Tempe. We just love being able to learn about different lifestyles and seeing how much God loves them all still. It also makes me so grateful for the chance I had to grow up in a family with the gospel. So many of the families that we see and people that we talk to have had many trials in their lives- trials that could have been avoided with the truth of Jesus Christ. But I'm glad that we can be here to help them through their trials and to find hope and joy.
This week we taught a lesson to one man that is married to a member. His wife just went through the temple and seeing her joy in that and her example has really opened him up to the gospel. We had an awesome lesson about the Book of Mormon. The spirit was there very strong and he shared with us some experiences that he's had lately that have lead him to think that God is aware of him personally. He was very receptive to the Spirit and committed to reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it this week. We have another lesson soon and we're excited to see where that goes.
We also were able to talk a little bit more with a man I think I told you about last week-Kenny. We met him about a week and a half ago and felt like we really needed to talk with him more. He's an alcoholic and he's been trying to get over it for a while. This week we went back and visited him and he was very glad to see us. He had tears in his eyes and told us that the last weekend he'd wanted to come to church and had even bought new clothes for it. But the night before he had gotten really drunk and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital. He told us that the nurses told him that he had stopped breathing for a bit. He's in a really bad situation right now, but as we talked to him, we again felt the love the Lord has for him and we told him that this was the Lord giving him a second chance and that we knew He had a plan for him and only saw the best in him. It's so crazy the ways the Lord is influencing people and leads them to the church. We brought the elders in our district by later and gave him a priesthood blessing of strength to begin to get over his addiction and commited him to coming to church. He didn't show up yesterday, but we have hope that he will find the help he needs here in Jesus Christ's church. He's told us before that sometimes he feels ashamed showing up at church because he doesn't feel good enough. We hope to help him see how much he is wanted and needed.
It has been super hot down here! It's already hitting in the 100s and it will only get worse as the summer goes on. We're not too excited about it, but we've heard that in good ol' Utah it's still snowing, so I guess we better be grateful. The people here are really sweet too and give us water all the time to make sure that we stay hydrated.
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time today to write more, but life here is good. I love Sister Norton so much! She knows me so much better than I know myself and knows just what to do when I get stressed to comfort me and also to push me to be better. I'm so blessed to have her! Love you all and hope you are all doing well with life. Please continue to keep me updated!
Con Amor,
Hermana Hansen
We had so much fun skyping with Anneli. It was so fun to see her while we talked to her and her sweet, darling companion was with her the whole time so it was fun to visit with her. Anneli absolutely loves her mission. It is so fun to see her grow in the gospel. I'm so greatful for modern technology and for sweet members that will let missionaries use their equipment. At the end of our hour long visit we were able to give her a group hug. So fun!!!!
Andrea (Anneli's mom)
This week we taught a lesson to one man that is married to a member. His wife just went through the temple and seeing her joy in that and her example has really opened him up to the gospel. We had an awesome lesson about the Book of Mormon. The spirit was there very strong and he shared with us some experiences that he's had lately that have lead him to think that God is aware of him personally. He was very receptive to the Spirit and committed to reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it this week. We have another lesson soon and we're excited to see where that goes.
We also were able to talk a little bit more with a man I think I told you about last week-Kenny. We met him about a week and a half ago and felt like we really needed to talk with him more. He's an alcoholic and he's been trying to get over it for a while. This week we went back and visited him and he was very glad to see us. He had tears in his eyes and told us that the last weekend he'd wanted to come to church and had even bought new clothes for it. But the night before he had gotten really drunk and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital. He told us that the nurses told him that he had stopped breathing for a bit. He's in a really bad situation right now, but as we talked to him, we again felt the love the Lord has for him and we told him that this was the Lord giving him a second chance and that we knew He had a plan for him and only saw the best in him. It's so crazy the ways the Lord is influencing people and leads them to the church. We brought the elders in our district by later and gave him a priesthood blessing of strength to begin to get over his addiction and commited him to coming to church. He didn't show up yesterday, but we have hope that he will find the help he needs here in Jesus Christ's church. He's told us before that sometimes he feels ashamed showing up at church because he doesn't feel good enough. We hope to help him see how much he is wanted and needed.
It has been super hot down here! It's already hitting in the 100s and it will only get worse as the summer goes on. We're not too excited about it, but we've heard that in good ol' Utah it's still snowing, so I guess we better be grateful. The people here are really sweet too and give us water all the time to make sure that we stay hydrated.
Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time today to write more, but life here is good. I love Sister Norton so much! She knows me so much better than I know myself and knows just what to do when I get stressed to comfort me and also to push me to be better. I'm so blessed to have her! Love you all and hope you are all doing well with life. Please continue to keep me updated!
Con Amor,
Hermana Hansen
We had so much fun skyping with Anneli. It was so fun to see her while we talked to her and her sweet, darling companion was with her the whole time so it was fun to visit with her. Anneli absolutely loves her mission. It is so fun to see her grow in the gospel. I'm so greatful for modern technology and for sweet members that will let missionaries use their equipment. At the end of our hour long visit we were able to give her a group hug. So fun!!!!
Andrea (Anneli's mom)
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