Week 83

So the past few weeks the Candy Mountain ward has been planning its annual Ward Carnival! Since we have been in Ward Counsel we have been getting more and more excited each week. So this week it happened. Elder Walton and I tried as hard as we could to win a gold fish but we just could not get it done. It was really hard to get 3 ping pong balls in the small bowls that they were in. The sad thing is — it was possible because we saw a lot of little kids walk away with the fish and we came out empty handed. We won a lot of different games though. So I guess we were okay. We were able to have a lot of the people we are working with go to that as well. They seemed to have had a lot of fun.

One of our investigators has a 2 year old daughter who had a blast eating cotton candy and popcorn and wining candy so we feel that was the best part. They also came to Sacrament Meeting this last week and she was able to go to Primary and what not and loved that as well. It made it easier for her dad to want to come to church. It was a good experience. We also had our investigator from Africa come to church with us as well. He brought his less active roommate with him that I thought would never come to church. He had an awesome time as well. He has been working with the Ward Employment specialist to find a solid job. The Ward Employment specialist  bore his testimony and told the whole ward that there was an awesome man sitting with the missionaries and that they should meet him some time. I was a little worried that he said that just because I didn’t want to scare him off but it did the opposite. He loved it and the ward kind of rallied around him. So he now is know by most everyone in the ward which is good. Now we need to help him quit smoking and then he can get baptized. Let’s pray that he will be able to do it. We had a good lesson with our investigator who is on date for baptism as well. She is doing awesome. We only have 1 more thing to teach really then she can be interviewed and then the baptism. I hope nothing comes up last minute that would stop them from coming. I doubt anything will. We are always praying.

We went on exchanges this last week. I went to another area and was able to get back to the roots of missionary work. WALKING. I actually really liked walking and I still do. You get to talk with way more people and help them with anything and everything.  The down side is it’s hard to get see as many people in the day that you would if when you have a car. We were able to interview one of their investigators for baptism. He has an amazing story. The missionaries were tracting one day and had a very strong impression that they needed to knock on this one door. So they did and the baptismal candidate answered the door and and said, “You are an answer to my prayers and I have been trying to find you Elders. I want to take the lessons and get baptized!” So it’s one of those awesome stories. He was so happy when he got baptized yesterday. He was pumped and was laughing out of happiness like the whole time it was good.

Here is a story for you. So usually in a baptismal program after the ordinance and while they are changing we have what’s called a “time of reverence.” We show a video about the gospel or teach a lesson, something along those lines.  So the Elders forget to ask us to prepare something. Then after the baptism one of the Elders came up to us and asked if we had prepared something to do for that. His companion said that we would have something to show. We were a little caught off gaurd but we got up and taught everyone about the gospel of Jesus Christ and read out of 2 Nephi 31. It was so funny. We were really winging it that is for sure. But it turned out really well.

Well, I guess that is all the news for this week. We are pumped for General Conference. It’s Super Bowl Sunday for missionaries.

Sorry it’s a short one.

Elder Hansen WKM

 

Week 82

Wow!! Sounds like you have had a very crazy week this last week. I am glad people are interested in the house. I hope that it will sell quickly. None the less it’s good to see all is well. I feel like Midget is really the star of the show this week as I read the email. I feel like he is getting old. I wonder if he will go swimming in the pool or get eaten by an alligator or something like that.

This week for us was kind of busy but it was really rewarding. We of course had a baptism. The service was awesome and at the end she was in tears. I always know we did our job and the spirit did the rest when that happens. The last 2 baptisms we have had ended that way — tears of joy. It was awesome. Her extended family on her husbands side came down and so there were quite a few people there. The ward showed some awesome support and some other missionaries came and brought some investigators. A companionship of sisters brought one of their investigators to the baptism and then later that night they had a lesson and invited her to be baptized and she said yes! So we have a few more people in the line up for baptism. We had a lesson with an investigator yesterday that went amazingly well. We felt that we needed to move her date up a week. And low and behold that was the only week that her parents were available to be there so it is now on the 19th of next month!! I am so happy to see her finally enter into the waters of baptism. I have been working with her on and off for about the whole time I have been here. I met her family the first night I can into the area.

So we have received some sad news for the Multi-Trillionair. He says he is going to move to Portland in about 2 months. So we have no time to lose if we want help him get baptized. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and we invited him to be baptized but he was not ready. He has a few concerns that we will work through.  He is open enough to change we hope. This week has been full of highs and lows to say the least. We did an interview for someone to get baptized this weekend. She is 17 and knew everything is true. She had an awesome story. But last minute her parents pulled the plug. She was devastated and also the missionaries. They decided that she is not ready and has to wait 6 more months until she can get baptized.

We have been working with a part member family where the husband is going through a lot of medical problems. They have been up in Seattle this last week and came back 2 days ago. He was diagnosed with a form of cancer that formed in his throat. They got rid of that but had a lot of complications. They went back and found out that he has a terminal form of cancer on his liver and has been given anywhere between 3 months- 13 months. They are really going through a hard time so we have been praying for them and working with them. The ward has done an amazing job stepping in and helping. They are helping with meals and what not. They are going to start a special treatment to put everything into remission. If the enzymes in the cancer match up they have a new way of fighting it. Let’s hope for the best.

Well, we have seen some awesome things this week. We are so blessed!

Elder Hansen WKM

 

Elder Walton, Spencer, Heather, Heather’s father-in-law, and Heather’s husband

 

Week 81

Thank you so much for the help on this matter ha. So do you know when I sign up for classes? I have been thinking about school every now and then. I know my end goal is to get a masters degree in something. Either a MBA or something similar. I know that will help because you can’t really be competitive without it anymore. I know that there are a lot of ways to get there and I have a long way to go so I am not making anything permanent by any means. Just want some sort of direction to go from is all. So another class I have to take is Math 108. So add that to the class list. But enough about that stuff for the day.

Sounds like life has been very crazy as you have been hopping back and forth for one side of the country to the other and getting the house all ready to go. It won’t be too long before that is all over and you all are in the new home. Change, though hard, will be good for the family. It’s always a good time to recommit to serving our Savior in many different ways. We have had a crazy week this last week. We had transfers, Stake Correlation Meeting, Zone Training Meeting and a Zone Leadership Council meeting. It was awesome to see how blessed we were. Everything went smooth and all the missionaries were put where they were meant to go. We received a few new missionaries in the zone as well. So we were able to have a very effective and spiritual Zone Training Meeting. We talked about the goals we have set and also about how to incorporate the Book of Mormon into every teaching opportunity that we are given. Here is something that I have learned this week. So we read that when Lehi had his vision he saw Jesus and his 12 disciples descending. They came up to him and gave him a book and asked that he read it. He then read it and his mind was full and he began to receive much revelation and prophecy. Later after they had left Jerusalem they are asked to go back and retrieve the brass plates. They eventually get the plates and now know the commandments they are to keep and the genealogy of his family and such. I learned that the Lord always works through books. That he requires all his prophets and followers to record the things that they do and the prophecy and revelation that they receive. This is so that we as children of God can always have and know what we must do in this life to find happiness and eternal life and exaltation in the life to come. So the Book of Mormon was no different. When the Lord called Joseph Smith to be a prophet it was no surprise that he asked him to bring forth a Book that was pure and had the gospel in it. It just made me more grateful for the things that I have been given. We have been given a challenge in the mission to read the Book of Mormon in 80 days. It’s good but always kind of gives me a little stress. Most of the time when I read It takes me sometimes a few days to finish a chapter because I break it down and truly try and understand what Heavenly Father wants me to learn this time from the scriptures. None the less it’s been a good experience. Elder Walton and I are in the same place and we read one chapter together every day. We just finished Jacob. What an amazing book that is. I love the final testimony that he gives. It’s all about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have felt impressed to read this time with the idea of how does the Book of Mormon help my investigators come closer to Jesus Christ. An interesting thing is that the Book of Mormon on average mentions Jesus Christ every 1.7 verses.

We had an awesome week teaching wise. We were able to have the baptismal interview for our investigator getting baptized in 6 days! She passed with flying colors. She was ready before we even taught her. We are excited to see how this Saturday turns out because there are 4 baptisms that day. This transfer is going to be a good one for baptisms for the zone. We had one this last week, 3 this weekend and a few more down the road. We have truly seen the promise from Elder Ballard come to pass. This last transfer we had a total of 94 baptisms as a mission. The most we have ever seen. We are so excited to see what will come this next transfer as well. We had another lesson with the Multi Trillion-air. He is coming along well actually. We were able to finish teaching him about the restoration. We talked about Joseph Smith and about the Book of Mormon. We gave him a chapter to read and we know that if he really reads it, then he will know that it’s true. He always tells us that if he were to join a church it would be this one. So we need to help him make the final step. He always has funny things he says as well. He went on a 20 minute rant about how he feels like the people in times of the bible did not have as much stress as we do. They only had to worry about finding food and things like that for their family. They didn’t have to worry about paying bills, getting gas in the car and so forth. It was funny because he said all they had to do was just hop on the camel and go where you needed to go stress free. To be honest I don’t think I could agree with that but it made for a good laugh. He is really a good friend at this point so we just keep making baby steps with him and all will fall into place with him.

A lot of the members are really stepping up to the plate and helping us with missionary work. We had a family invite their friends over for dinner and we were able to teach them about he restoration. It was awesome. They had awesome questions. The spirit was so strong. We talked about the Book of Mormon and they said that they were going to start reading it. We are excited because they were so open to learning more. I know the Book of Mormon is true. The book helps me in so many ways. Any time I feel like life is getting hard and not what I read from that book and it always brings me comfort. My problems and troubles are always swallowed up in the Joy of Christ. We had 2 awesome lessons with our investigator who is 11  years old. She is so smart. They came to church yesterday and she told us what she learned at church and she taught be a few things I didn’t know. She was learning about Abraham and she told us the whole story. It was awesome. We talked about the 10 commandments. She loves it.

I love you all. I am so grateful for all the blessings. There are so many miracles that happen every day. I am so happy to be a missionary.

Elder Hansen

 

Week 80

This week has been rewarding on a number of levels. We had an awesome MLC this last week. We discussed so many good things and our big focus for this transfer coming up is using the book of Mormon in every teaching opportunity. We felt the spirit so strong as we discussed the things that we can do to incorporate it into everything that we do. We had some amazing testimony’s from some departing missionaries as well. They talked about the things that they learned and the things that had such a powerful effect on their lives as missionaries. It was so amazing. It always feels like the final testimony’s in the book of Mormon. Teaching what they know and having the spirit teach so much as well. So elder Snow has been the assistant to the president for like 10 months now or something crazy like that. He was just released this last week. He was asked to give his testimony as well. He and I have been through a lot this past few years. Him and I were both in tears and we felt the spirit. He talked about the amazing things that we have had happen as a mission and how excited he is to be going back to lift from the base of the mission. At the end of the meeting we always stand and sing “if you could hie to colob.” There was not a dry eye in the room. I love those meetings. They are always so full of the spirit and really filling. Its always good to get fed by the spirit. Elder Walton and I received the message that we are staying together this next transfer!! We are both so pumped about that. We have a lot of good things going on. We have a baptism on the 22 and a few in the works for the next few weeks as well. We are so blessed. The zone we are apart of is doing well president saw no need in splitting us up because of that. Of course he took it up with the Lord on that matter. He felt that we needed to stay and help what is going on.

We had a lot of good lessons this last week. We have been working with our investigator who is on date for the 22! She is coming along real well! She love the gospel and all that is left is a few small things we need to teach her and the baptismal interview. We are excited to see all this go down. We were invited on Tuesday to go and help with another ward they were having a MTC night and we were invited to help teach about how we can grow charity and love enough to share the gospel. It was awesome. We talked about how we develop charity and love and what holds us back from sharing the gospel with our friends. The main response was not knowing the answers to the questions they ask and also they fear sharing the gospel for a number of reasons. We know that when we develop charity and love it will concur all fear and doubt. We read in Moroni 7;48 that we are giving charity and love after we pray for it will all energy of heart and we become true followers of Jesus Christ that we will be given that charity and love. We talked about what it takes to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. We were able to make a really good list, now the youth need to make the commitment to be true followers of Jesus Christ. It will be awesome to see what will come from the things we taught. Really the spirit taught.

We had a few investigators come to church this last week. We were happy they came, but we were a little worried about what was being taught in elders quorum. I am not a fan of speculation and talking about things that don’t really matter while there is an investigator there. The elders quorum had a little bit of a heated discussion about faith that went in many weird directions. So a word of advice, When you are asked to teach a lesson, teach what you are asked to teach, and nothing more. Ha I know you do that but help others do the same. I wish that everyone would teach simply because there are also people who are coming back to church that still need it simple so that they can understand. I always feel the spirit when things are taught simply and the scriptures are used to help with that. I am so greatful for the scriptures and the things that we can learn form them. One things that the mission is starting up op is reading the book of Mormon in 80 days. We are all getting ready to see what we are going to learn form them.

So do you remember that investigator I told you about that wants to be a multi trillionair? We had another awesome lesson with him this last week. We left him a restoration pamphlet last time we met and he read the whole thing and understood it! He agreed with a lot of things. We hope he reads the book of mormon now so that he can feel the spirit and know that it is true.

We had a little bit more snow this last week but for the most part its been getting warmer. We see people outside more getting ready for spring to hit. The grass is starting to become greener. Its nice. We are excited to have the weather become better. Well I think that is all the news for this week

Elder Hansen WKM.

 

Week 79

Well this week was awesome. It went a little something like this. Monday we went on exchanges with the Assistants. I stayed in my area. We wanted to talk to people and find some new people to teach. So we prayed and decided to tract a place I had not yet been to. We felt like that was a good place to find so that is what we did. It was getting late and we were worried that we were bothering people. We felt like we should keep going though. So we talked to a Baptist guy who was not all that excited to hear our message but was somewhat nice. Talked to a lady who was acting as kind as she could but we could tell that she wanted to try and prove us wrong. Elder Barham,the Assistant I was with, was really good at talking about things that we both believed and keeping the peace. We then went on and talked to a few more people. We then walked up to a house with a truck that had a Bronco’s sticker on the back. I thought he was a brave man for being in Seahawk country. We knocked on the door and the wife answers the door. She was nice but told us she was putting kids to bed and that now was not a good time to talk. So we felt bad about disturbing but felt impressed to ask if there was anything that we could do to help. She told us to pray for her husband who just had surgery. We then saw her husband coming to the door on crutches. We talked and got to know him a little bit as well. He then invited us in and we were able to talk to him for about 30 minutes or so. It was awesome. He was open to learn a little more and wanted us to come back. We taught him the Restoration and about the Book of Mormon. He was a little iffie on the  Book of Mormon but we will work on that when it comes. We set up a return appointment and had 2 new people to teach. It truly was a miracle. It’s so cool to see things like that take place.

So the next amazing thing that happened this week was we were able to have some really good lessons with a lot of our investigators. We feel so blessed because we get to help them come closer to Christ. Later in the week we got a call from a family who we worked with in the past but did not really go anywhere and we lost contact with them. We got a call from one of the fellowships to the family and they had made a huge breakthrough. Their daughters were planning on going to the temple but one of them was not able to find their temple recommend. So they decided that they were just going to have a picnic on the temple ground and as they were getting ready for that the family we had worked with in the past walked by. They decided to invite them to come along and they did. The youngest daughter to the family is not a member and is 11. When they got to the temple they talked about what goes on in the temple and she felt the spirit and she said that she wanted to give the church another try. They called us up and set up a time to meet with them. They came to church yesterday and then after church we had a really good lesson. She soaked up everything like a sponge and loved every minute of it. She is now getting baptized on the 22nd of March. We are really excited. It was a miracle sent by the Lord there is no doubt about that. We have been so blessed.

Last night we had a lesson with an investigator who is quite interesting but is fun to teach at the same time. He wants to be a multi-Trillion-air. . .  He believes that he can do it. I guess it could be possible but anyways — he is really smart. He knows a lot about the church because he has cousins in the church. Last time we met he talked all about economics and how he is going to be a multi-trillion-air and left us no time to talk. He promised us this time he would let us talk so we were able to talk about the Restoration. We asked like 2 questions to him and them he went off about how he believes that the Bible can not possibly contain all the truth and then he went on to teach us all about the great apostasy and things like that. He basically then went on to tell us that he believes we must go to God to find the answer and things like that. Elder Walton Matt (his fellowshipper) and I were freaking out because he already knew so much. He has really been prepared to receive the gospel. He wants to meet again and we are going to talk about how the church has been restored by the prophet Joseph Smith. It will be awesome to see what he thinks about that.

This week I have been learning a lot about how we need to rely on the Lord for help and that sometimes we think that we can do so many different things and then end up burning ourselves out. We need to do what we can and then trust that the Lord will take care of the rest. I love our Savior so much. I know that it’s through him that we are saved. I love this gospel. I love teaching it. I know that He lives and that he loves each of us. We just need to believe him and also believe in him. There is a difference.

Maddy! You are going to love BYUI!!! I secretly wanted you to come up to BYUI.  It will be a blessing to you in so many ways. The Lord has a plan for you! Trust in Him and his plan. There are things that the Lord needs you to do here at school. People that you can touch and people that will touch you in many different ways. I invite you to pray if you haven’t already for understanding of this plan. Pray for help and guidance on how you can help others and make it out on top. This will be the final place of where you can really prepare for your mission. I know that it is true. The temple is so close you can go each week. You have amazing devotionals ahead and fun activities. Plus I will be there. So learn form my bad choice and take advantage of family while they are at school. We will be best friends. It will be awesome. Plus you will have all your friends there as well. Don’t live with them though. Branch out and make new ones. I have seen when friends who live together and how they ended up. It most of the time does not work out. But it’s all up to you really. Get involved as well. Take time to do all you can — to learn all you can. You will do great. This is such an amazing time to be a missionary so get prepped now. Study Preach My Gospel and other things.

Elder Hansen WKM.