Week 12: Happy New Years, Cambio means change, Grande & Alto Familia

Happy New Years!!!! haha! Drink some sparkling cider for me tis week, will yea? 

Well, GREAT NEWS, I moved, switch companions. I don't know what to call it in english. In spanish its called Cambios. Combio means change. So yeah! I'm way happy about the change. My new companion is from St. George, her name is Hermana Jolley. I now live 3 hours away from Trujillo instead of 4. All I have to do it ride a bus for  3 hours, and I'm there. :) Its great! I feel a little bit bad because I am happy to leave my old companion, but I know its where I am suppose to be. I KNOW IT! I was way happy when I got the call last night, telling me I was going to Chimbote. Chimbote, has 2 chapels here, because there are so many meimbros. It's amazing! And in my area I have a baptism on the 10th of January. So it will be my first ever baptism in the mission. I didn't do anything for this person, but it's the first baptism I have ever attended while on my mission. Exciting! There are a lot of members here. Which means that there are a lot of people to teach, which there weren't in Casma. Chimbote is really big and my new area is only 1/6 of the city, maybe less. The members love missionaries. So I love them. That wasn't always the case in Casma. 

Because I got to my new area this morning, I haven't unpacked. So I don't have my cord for my camera. Sorry, I have a lot of photos I need to send. Haha. Sorry. Next week I promise!

I was very happy that we were able to figure out how to group Skype, and all! It was amazing to see all of you! Sorry I didn't really share many things. I was just glad I got to hear your voices and see how you have all changed. Speaking of change, I have changed a lot. When I show the photo from my farewell of your whole family, people first reaction is that I have a Grande (huge) family. Then they say that everyone is Alto (tall). Then they ask where I am. And they say that I am a completely different person. Completely different, haha. I thought it was something funny to share, but I also know that it is true! I physically and spiritually have changed. It's a good thing!

How was Christmas everyone? I would like photos!! :) Christmas here was a lazy day. We did service in the morning, and then had dinner as a zone Christmas Eve. Christmas Day we went to Chimbote, where I am now, and had a talent show with all the zones in chimbote. It was so funny. Visit the Mission blog and see for your self!! Haha. I sang in a group, but people said that you couldn't hear us, so it wasn't very good. But I sang! I Love singing! I sing or hum everywhere!

Dad, Justin, Lindsey... Zoey's kitchen you made is AMAZING!!!! Holy cow!!! Make one for me when I have kids! Zoey is so lucky!!! Jana & Spencer, thank you for visiting mom and dad. They are lonely without me! :) haha. jk. Brian, your house looks amazing and I can't wait to come stay at your house when I get back!!! Your boys are so adorable!

I will have a lot to write about next week.I promise! Thank you all for the Christmas wishes I got, and all the love and prayers in my behalf. You all are amazing! Everyone! My friends and Family, be safe, don't loose a finger during all the fun! 

The church is true. Always remember that! :)

Con Amor, Hermana Hansen.

P.s. This Cambio is for the better. I wasn't really happy in Casma. Casma was great, the members were great, and I had a great companion, but I wasn't happy. I just didn't fit! So ITS FOR THE BETTER. Im way excited, and great things are going to happen this week! Love you all.

Week 11: Decorate and Clean, Christmas Eve Party and Moroni 10:4

This week has all been about Christmas!!!! I got to decorate a meimbros (members) tree while the Elders cleaned her very very very dirty house. 

This week has had its up and downs for sure!!! Its been great! I got to sing in Trujillo this past weekend, and it was beautiful!!! You can find photos on The Mission Peru Trujillo blog online. 

This next week is going to be crazy also, because its Christmas!!! I'm having a zone party Christmas Eve because we can't proselyte after 6 pm here because they party way hard here... its what people tell me. So yeah, photos and stories for next week. I love you all, and I cry every time I hear from you, because I love you so much. It's not hard to read our letters so keep sending them!!!! jajaja!!!(hahahah in spanish)

Miracles this week!!! 

Investigator 1. She is a new investigator, we were in our 2nd city, Con Ella. Our lesson was solely on the Book of Mormon. It went great, amazing yeah! The whole shebang. When we were about to close the lesson my companion feels like we need to read something from B. of M.. She loves playing this game, where If you pray, and open your book of mormon, what ever number comes in your mind first, that verse will have your answer. So she starts to do this during our lesson. I start freaking out, because it never works for me... I don't know what is wrong with me but yeah.... So the investigator opens her book to the index in the back. We tell her to open it a little more and guess where she opens it. Moroni 10. Guess what verse she choose..... Vs. 4.... This verse goes perfectly with the introduction, which we had just read!!!! Haha!!! But it gets better. We asked her to pray because in the introduction it says, read, meditate, and pray to know if this book is true! So we get on out knees and she prays. It was an amazing prayer! Then after wards, she stayed kneeling for about a minute and we are just looking at one another, praying she it feeling the spirit we were feeling. When she lifted she head up and opened she eyes she said that she knew the book was true. She read one verse!!!! And she was a completely different person. She is about 45 years old, and she looked (after the prayer) and acted like a new person. Someone who had just shed years off. It was amazing!!!! I love it here. I love when we have an amazing lesson!!! Ah!!!

My computer died twice while writing this email, and I lost 15 mins waiting for it to turn on again!!! Love you all!!! Thank you for your time!!! Love you! I can't wait for Christmas Day! I made a countdown at the beginning of December, and we have 3 days left!!!! Hahahah!!!! Love you! Hope you are all doing good. The church is true!

Con Amor 

Hermana Hansen

Week 10: WATCH IT!, CCM roommates, No order and unfinished

10 Weeks in the Mission Field!                                              

This week we have been sharing the Navidad video from the church. EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH IT!!!! It’s so good. chirstmas.lds.org. Or Youtube, He is the Gift! It’s so good. I love the music! 

For 24 hours this past week I was on a companion exchange to Huarmey(guardmey) with a different companion. That was a lot of fun!! I enjoyed being around the other district there and I learned some cool things from my new comp.

This week I get to spend a whole day in Trujillo with my group that came on the same day. So I will get to see my roommates from the CCM!! I can’t wait!!! On Friday all the missionaries in the Peru Trujillo Mission are singing in Trujillo in the plaza there. All Christmas songs, I can’t wait. I heard that 3 thousand people came last year to hear the concert, and that each year it gets bigger. It’s going to be beautiful!!!

I’m realizing all the houses here are like Grandpa Q’s house. No order, and not completely finished. I also saw a mouse in someone’s house, so that’s way fun. But I’m not afraid of dirt or germs because of grandpa’s house. So I am grateful for that. 

This time of year everyone is busy so we usually end up walking all of Casma, which is great for my health, but terrible for missionary work.

MOM: I want Peanut butter, and mintos in my next package. So yeah! 

Nothing really new happened this week, so sorry. I will have a good story for you all next week! Love you all! Good luck in school everyone, and remember the TRUE reason we have Christmas.

THE CHURCH IS TRUE, and I know it, and will NEVER doubt it!

Love you all!

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

2 Month Mark: Christmas count down, street to street, LLAMA!

I have 16 mes mas!!! OH my. It's so weird. 

I made myself a Christmas count down chain, because it is December, and because on Christmas I get to Skype family!!! So I am way excited. Mom for Christmas I want peanut butter, and resses. And any kind of junk food you think will last 3-4 weeks in the mail. :) 

This week was sad because we just walked everywhere. These people cannot keep appointments, so we are constantly going from street to street. So that was fun. Also people weren't around because of the elections this week. There was a party every night by our house. I live one block away from central park, so that doesn't help either. 

This week was just crazy. And we always had to be on the look out. The locals called this past week "The week of the crazies". And it was partly true. But don't worry nothing happened, and we were protected at all times. 

I SAW A LLAMA!!!! Well, I actually saw two! They were in town for the parties, and they are short! I thought they were bigger. I kept my distance though because their saliva is poison, and they like to spit. I don't care if that isn't true, I don't care to be blind, so I took precautions. 

Its summer. I know you know that, because I tell you every week, but really, ITS SAINT GEORGE here. Everyday its between 24-28 degrees C. And I'm pretty sure thats about 60-100 degrees. Each day is different, and the weather is kind of weird. One day, 100, the next is storm looking clouds. But it has only sprinkled, and I mean sprinkled for 3 hours in my 3 weeks here. 

So I am totally losing weight, but I gain it back from the food. My favorite dessert I had this week was "Torta de thres(3) leches" So GOOD!!!! I love it. I would marry it if I could. It's so good!!!! YUM! I will write down the recipe for when I get back and make it for you!!!! AHA!! In 16 months you can try it for yourself!!! :)

If you haven't seen the new clip the Church has put out this Christmas season you need to watch it!!!! "He is the Gift" is so good. We are showing it to everyone here. I love everything about it! TOTALLY!! It's so good. And the people are really enjoying it also. It's my favorite lesson to teach! haha..... It's really the only lesson I can teach because we rely completely on promoting on the spirit. The people are so amazing. But anyway, WATCH IT!!! Watch it with your families and share it on Facebook, and everything!!!! The world, no matter the religion, needs to see this! 

I didn't get to watch the Christmas Devotional yesterday, so I was kind of bummed about that. I really wanted to watch it. I love this Devotional! Hopefully we will watch it this week sometime.

The CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS IT TRUE!!!!!!! Pray to know for yourself if it is true! You need your own personal testimony! Christ lives!!! 

Keep praying for me. I really need all the help I can get. Love you al! You are the best! I love reading your emails and hearing about your lives back at home! 

Con Amor

Hermana Hansen

Casma Peru Week 2: Thanksgiving Dinner, Baby, and First North American Female Missionary in Casma

Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Haha I forgot to say that last week. For thanksgiving a had a chicken sandwich. I asked my penchinista to make me a pie, but she made me chocolate cake instead!! And I got a huge piece of it too... but the next day! Haha.

Everything is good, other then the language barrier its all good. My companion is such a girly girl... haha.… And I am not. Its probably a good thing too because here I already stand out... If I put on make up makeup everyday I would really stand out, and I would sweat more... , etc., ha.

Im not sure if I said this last week, but last weekend, (my first weekend out in the field) We had a branch conference. President Marler, mission president, came and spoke and so did his wife. It was lovely. I understood the scriptures they read, but that was about it. But all this week people keep expressing thanks for the conference and all they learned. So I have learned a lot. 

This weekend was my real church experience. I got to bear my testimony in sacrament meeting, and I called myself a baby, I was trying to express that I know nothing spanish wise, but now every member calls my a baby when they ask me a question and I have no clue what they are saying... So thats fun I guess. (smile face). We ended up having an investigator come for 2 hours of church which is AMAZING here. We also taught sunday school on the spot. So that was fun. Luckily I didn't have to do anything.

Next weekend we don't have church. Here in Peru, when they have Government elections, it's a law that no church or religion can hold meetings. So we get to study all morning and then go out and teach like every other day. (Smile)

My companion is amazing, and tries to be my mother. She loves to sing English songs.Which is funny because she doesn't know the correct words.… Haha. She just says the sounds. I love it. Makes my day every day.

I started to listen to Christmas songs the day before Thanksgiving like usual. Oh it's going to be weird to have a HOT, and I mean HOT christmas. It is about 90-95 degrees F here everyday here. So hopefully I lose some weight. I am grateful that I lived in St. George, because I could be worst. And I'm not that uncomfortable. Im kind of used to sweating now. (smile) :) haha. I figured out how to do a smelly face on this keyboard. Haha.

Something I found out this week is that I am the FIRST NORTHERN AMERICAN FEMALE MISSIONARY in Casma Peru.  

Spiritual experiences:

My favorite investigator is an old lady. She is so funny, and repeats almost everything we say so she remembers it. She is going to be baptized this month. Im so excited. I've really been struggling feeling the spirit during our lessons. But this one lesson, I could lightly feel it. It was awesome. The MOST AWESOME part, was when she said the closing prayer, I started crying because it was so strong!!! I know she felt it to, because of how strong it was, and because she said she felt it when we asked her about it. :) It was awesome. This week my mission became real!!!

Also this week my testimony of the Priesthood on the earth grew 10x more this week. One of the members here is having family problems and all her children that have left her home are not on so good terms. She called us bawling one day, and her only son that was living with her, gathered all his things and left. So yeah. We called the elders and they gave her a blessing. I was bawling before hand because I felt so bad for her. All she does is love, and rarely receives is back. So sad. And I wanted to comfort her, or do something but I couldn't. I had no words for her in spanish. Not knowing spanish SUCKS!! Especially when you are in Peru. During the prayer I lost it. I love the priesthood. You can always feels Heavenly fathers love during a blessing.

I was also reading about Joseph Smith. READ Joseph Smith History! It's amazing. He was such a strong Human being. AH! I love him.

All is good. The church is TRUE people! Pray to know that it is true!! Heavenly Father loves us and we can do anything through Him! 

Please pray for me. I could really use it with this spanish stuff! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

Casma Peru: Companion, Candy and Opening Prayers

My first area is Casma Peru. This week has definitely had its up and downs!!!! Casma is half way point from Trujillo and Lima, so it's a pretty big city! We took a 3 hour bus ride to get to the closest city the first night, and then spent the night with some other sisters. Then Wednesday  we got up and rode a van for 1 hr.

My companion is HERMANA MAZZEI from Argentina  She is 21 years old. She just finish her training, and now she is my trainer. She has been out on the field for 3 months. It's really hard because she JUST finished... and a lot of the stuff I have, material wise, is different. So sometimes I feel like she doesn't completely know what we are doing. But everyday, we learn a lot, and have fun guessing what the other is trying to say!!! It's a great game!

Right off the airplane, I was greeted by President Marler and Hermana Marler. I love them already!!! We got on a bus, and they showed us the temple  here. Its 3 times bigger then Lima, so it's really big. And in 2-3 weeks we will know the exact day it will be opened, and all those fun dates! I can't wait!!!

My new Hogar, home, is the size of my room in St. George. The bathroom is very small.... Hahah. My knees hit the wall then I go to the bathroom small.... I sleep on the bottom bunk, and the bed is way nice. I sleep like a baby every night. I almost  have everything in place. Its hard because I am to big for my desk and all the chairs here, and the desk itself doesn't have a lot of space, so I am still deciding what I really need each day and what I should put away.

I have two Penchinistas, well 3. One feeds us in the morning. She is a less active member. And then one feeds us lunch and dinner,and she owns a restaurant, so the food here is very good. They eat things we eat here, just in the wrong order.... I had a chicken on a roll for breakfast, and a fruit salad for dinner.… In America they are switched.... So it has taken me time to wrap my head around that. And the 3rd only cleans our clothes... So all is good.

My lessons this week were mostly about the importance of going to church. I bear my testimony about it every time, and I ALWAYS get called on to say the opening prayer. SO that has been fun. I've had some hard times when it comes to lessons. I just struggle. And its hard to communicate my feelings because I don't know the words... HAHA: Thank goodness for my dictionary!!! It TRUELY is my best friend! Really though, its sad how much we use that thing.

Another thing I struggled with was one of the first things my companion would say to everyone I met, that I was learning spanish. I spoke spanish very well but that I only understood when people spoke slowly... People here don't speak slowly. So they don't talk to me. And they ask questions about me to my comp. Its even more difficult when I understand the question but I have to think about the answer... and by the time I figured it out, my comp answered for me and they are talking about something completely different. But I did talk to her and she only does it every once in a while.... Its great!

Someone told me that there were a lot of dogs, and I see a different dog everyday!!! EVERYDAY! And I'm walking the exact same path everyday to breakfast.… It blows my mind.

Food here is delicious. My favorite is the candy here. The have this chocolate cream thing called; Serenata de Amor. Garoto is the company that makes it. So good! It's the closest thing I have to a recess peanut butter cup! The weather is warm. It never rains here, and never a cloud in the sky. Its great!!!  I love it here. I truly do!!! 

All I really have to say is that teaching english is hard. My companion has to learn english. And I have to teach her... Its hard...

I know that I have improved because the other day, I was sick of praying in spanish, because I had said it at every lesson during the day.... Surprise! (smile face) ha. So I said it in English. It was really difficult to think of the words I wanted to say. I kept thinking the words in spanish first. So I was happy to figure that out. I've improved, even if it is a little. All in all.

I love my president, and his wife. The people are funny here. Men always whistle at me because I have light hair and I'm from USA. The women tell me I'm beautiful. The food is wonderful. I work on my tan everyday I'm outside... Im going to have some really bad tan lines after 1.5 years... ha.… I'm loosing weight because I sweat... kind of a lot.... Hehe. And I love my companion. It's going to be a great 3 months here. Its all good!!!

Love you all a lot!!! I miss you all!!! I didn't have time to read all your letters, but I printed them out. So I will read them today and then respond next week! Love you all. Hope the world is treating you well. Attend the temple this week, will you? Tell someone you love them. Miss you all. You are the best. Keep praying for me, because I definitely need it! 

Love Herman Hansen

P.s. My p days is now on mondays. And I will email almost every week around 10-11 am on mondays. Love you!!!