Week 15: Choir Director, Less Active Members and "Man Up"

This week I got to play choir director and help the young women with their song for New Beginnings. It was very hard to teach people how to sing. And they don't really sing, they are just softly singing.... :) All in all, I think it turned out well and I help them as much as I could. They sang Daughter of a King by Jenny Phillips, which is a wonderful song!

This week was a roller coaster... And I have developed a stress eating habit.... Which has made me sick..

This week we had 11 Less Active members attend church! It was amazing! One lady that came has a special place in my heart. Every time we go and see her, she just pops like a water balloon and spills everything. She has had a really sad life, but we are always there when she explodes into tears. Which is really good, because we turn her to the scriptures. AH! I just love her! AND SHE CAME TO CHURCH! Ah! It was amazing. We don't have new people to teach so this week we are teaching A LOT of less active members to help them come back to church and not be less active members. When someone is labeled as a less active member, we have to teach them all 6 lessons and they have to attend church 3 times to remove that label. We call it saving Almas(souls). It's really fun!

This week I have killed 3 cockroaches.... And one charged at me while I was in the bathroom. It was funny, and my companion likes to make fun of me when I scream. I only scream when I see them, and then I attack... So I "Man-Up" all the time. The insects are huge here, and the cockroaches are bigger then my thumb. They are huge! When I go back to st. George, I will not be afraid of the .5 inch long ones we have there. 

Life is a roller coaster here. But its good! I love you all! Thank you for all the love and support! All of you really help me get through the week. It's amazing how much time flies. Soon it will be April, and I will have 1 year left in my mission. :( Love you all. The church is true.

I forgot my camera cord, so next week you will see some really funny photos! Sorry!

ConAmor,

Hermana Hansen

Week 14: 1 Nephi 21:16, Understand the Atonement, All I hear is blahahahahah ;)

Well, this email is going to be small, but I still love you!!

This whole week, every time I read the scriptures, I could relate it to mission life. To my, this is a sign that I am supposed to be here. Also, the scriptures have taken on a new meaning. They aren't just a story. I tell the people here all the time that the people and prophets are their ancestors, which is true because the book was written here in the Americas. I tell them that grandparents have things that only they can teach children. Their grandparents are trying to teach them something. They just have to read it. But these people lived wonderful lives, and we can ALL relate to them. SO READ THE SCRIPTURES.

1 Nephi 21:16  "Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."

 My companion shared this scripture with me this morning. I have NEVER seen this scripture before! I love it! It's talking about Christ! When it talks about walls, I think of a huge cement wall in a maze, like the movies. We have to climb it. Christ interlocks his fingers and lifts me up with his hands. He helps me over the wall. I hope that makes sense. This week I have really felt the presence of the Savior in my work. We haven't had much success these past couple of weeks, but I'm starting to understand the phrase, "Missionaries will come to understand the Atonement during their missions." Its true. I've had some doors slammed in my face, and some not so nice things said to me that at the time I didn't understand, so my companion had to explain it to me after. Its sad because I know that our message is TRUE and its unique, no other church or religion has what we have! I know this more then ever now. Because I have seen these peoples lives with our gospel, and how it has changed their lives with the gospel. I understand a lot of things now that I have never understood before.

The church is so new here. There are so many little things that they do differently here, because they don't know what else to do. Example: they close the baptisms font doors. They open them long enough for the prayer, the baptisms and then they close them again... PORQUE(why)? I have no clue... And no one sits on the stands. The people that talk don't sit on the stands... only the bishop... It's so weird. So its just the little things that I'm starting to notice that they don't understand.... Its kind of funny. Because if you ask someone why they don those things, they have no clue why. :) 

They people are starting to realize that I don't really speak Spanish... I only freak out/freeze up when the questions start. I very much dont like it. It's so hard. AHA! But everyday I remind myself that I have 8 weeks in the field. So I think I'm don't really well. I understand everyone except men that mumble... When they talk all I hear is blahblahbbluuuuggrljdh. It's so much fun! :) Well. Love you All! Thank you for everything. And someone eat waffles this week for me! The church is true. And I promise that it's the little things that we do everyday that strength our testimonies and help our burdens!

Hermana Hansen

No time for picture this week. But I did take a picture on Lucas{s birthday that I will send out next week! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO LINDSEY JENSEN! The women that looks like she love BASKETBALL... hahaha... get it because your pregnant? Love you. And will someone please tell me about the Superbowl when it happens. Who is going to play? LOVE YOU!

Week 13: Sleeping old lady, 1st baptism experience, American candy. PHOTO

I had some funny experiences here, ready?

1. We visit this old lady once a week and sing a hymn with her and it's a blast because she is an old lady. This week, we went right after she ate. And i don't know what is with these people, but if they eat, they need a nap right after... so during our visit, she was really tired.  She fell asleep when we shared a scripture with her. She would fall asleep for a minute or 3, wake herself up and start the verse over again, and then fall asleep. She did this 4 times, by the 4th time I almost peeped my skirt, so we had to leave and let to take her nap. 

2.Monday, I got the opportunity to have Hermana Marler, presidents wife, teach with us for one night. It was awesome, and she praised us for our lesson. We taught the plan of salvation, but used a talk from last may, "Your four minutes". Read this talk. We focused on Noel Pikus-pace and her olympic life. Its was amazing! My favorite part of the story, is when she finally took 2nd place, she ran to her family and said"we did it!!!" I related this part of the story to after life. When we die, I want to be able to run to Jesus Christ and hug him and say, we did it. Because its through him that we live with heavenly father again. And its through him have everything is possible.

3. I HAD A BAPTISM THIS PAST SATURDAY!!!! and it was awesome. The boy is nine, and he has been raised in the church, because he lives with his aunt. But he has waited to be baptized so him mother could attend, and she lives in chile. So she is here this week. At the baptism she said a few words, and it was touching. Im glad that he waited for his mother to be there, because i know that she felt the spirit! It was amazing!!!

4. My companion is amazing. We are so similar, but different in the ways that it makes this companionship stronger. She finally admitted that i was funny, so that means she likes me. I know this companionship is going to be good. In the mission, we have these terms. Our first area is where you were born, your trainer is your mother, and when some one says that you killed some, means that you are their last companion. President Marler aid in my interview with Him this past week, that I will kill my mother. Because she is my trainer, and she only has 4-ish months left. Which is about 2 combios left. So I will be her companion until the 2nd of may. Which isn{t a lot of time when you are a missionary. I don't want to kill her. She is freaking amazing. She isn't getting chruncky, which is what they call people when they start to not really care, start to want to go home, things like that. They start to become sloth like. SO yeah! I get to kill my mother of the mission. But really. Our lesson, when we have lessons, are really good and the people follow through with the commitments. The problem is just getting lessons and finding new people to teach.

5. The ward and members are really funny. They purposely talk really fast, so i have to ask them to slow down. They do it every time i talk to them, and they laugh when i ask them. But its just a game and it's actually funny. The people always ask me when i am getting my next package, because they love american candy. they love resses and chocolate for America. It's really funny. 

Thats all I have time for. Love you all. The church is true, and this work is amazing! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

3 Months: New Area, Stomach Bug, Sleep talking in Spanish

This week I will hit my 3 month mark!!! I really only have 12 more cambios... which is weird to think about!!! AHAHA! Time is flying by! Only 15 months more!!!

My New area is the bomb.com! The people are so amazed to know that I only have 6 weeks into the mission and they say that my spanish is really good... Which mad me really happy to hear. I really do love it here. My apartment is a lot bigger and everything is just a lot easier here in Chimote. The city is like Salt Lake City, where it just keeps going. Streets and houses everywhere. Its huge. And I can see the ocean. Its summer time right now, so everyone is going to the beach everyday. Which sucks for us, because we walked all the way to their house, and they aren't home. But I'm glad that they are enjoying their summer.

This week had been really great! The members here are amazing. They truly love and live this gospel. Which people didn't in my last area. Religion is such a big part of their culture, that they have to live it everyday. The church is so young here, the leaders are 20-30 years old. ALL the leaders. But I do have one old man that is a leader. But only one. My ward is awesome. AH! These people have changed my life. They have made me see why its important to truly live your religion... because religion is a part of us. 

My second day here, I got sick and had to sleep all day to recover. But I am better. The food here is different then in my first area. My stomach has really had a ruff time this week with the food. So if you could pray for my stomach and the penchinesta that make the food, that would be grand. 

Story time: SO I was sick, and totally drugged and stuff. I slept for 5 hours straight and had a really high fever of 101.8. So yeah I slept my fever off. All good. The next day my companion  asks, "Do you know that you talk in your sleep?" Yes, yes I did know that. So I asked her what is said.... "You invited someone to church. And you were talking in spanish" Im sorry... WHAT? I slept talk in spanish!!!! Yeah baby! So that was a great thing.

Today we had a multi zone P-day with president and sister Marler. I played soccer all morning and only got a little burned. 

Life is good this week. Love you all! Thank you for everything you do for me. Hopefully I will get my packages this week! :) AH... Ive been waiting for these. Love you all! The church is true. And the mission is changing my life! 

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

P.s. I ran out of time for a photo and I didn't take any this week... so NEXT WEEK!!! IT'S THE FIRST THING THAT I WILL DO!!!