Hola!!!
It's scaring me how fast the weeks have been going. We're on our 5th week and we'll be out of here before we know it. It's pretty scary considering I still don't know Spanish, but I know with hard work and the help of the Lord it will come.
This week me and my companion got assigned to be the new sister training leaders! It's given us the opportunity and blessing to befriend the new girls in our zone.
The best part about being a missionary so far is the PEOPLE. If you know me at all I'm like 90% extrovert, so being with people constantly gives me enough energy to make it through the long days. I've gotten so close to everyone in my district and my teachers, we've become each other's families. Saying goodbye to them is going to be SO hard because I don't even know if I'll see a lot of them again. But I also know that I was sent to the Mexico MTC for a reason. So I could be with these people, to be with my companion, and so I could meet the president.
This week my poor companion and another one of my roommates have super bad coughs that have resulted in a few sleepless nights (no exaggeration), poor girls. But by some miracle I've been able to have sufficient energy to last our long days filled with lessons and classes. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with energy as I've strived to be an obedient missionary. My companion received a blessing from the zone leader in our district because she was feeling pretty sick, and it was truly amazing. He blessed her that as she studied the scriptures and was obedient she would get better. And that night after studying our scriptures she slept through the night. The priesthood IS REAL and it's truly the power of God. How amazing is it that OUR CHURCH is the only church that has the same priesthood that Christ's church had thousands of years ago.
We have like 33 new people in our zone which insane, the CCM is expanding every week! When I got here there were about 150 people, now we have almost 500 and it's just going to continue increasing! There's a group of Haitians that just got here and they'll be trained in their language of Creole. Me and some others in our district have befriended the Haitian teachers that came this week and they are some of the coolest people I've ever met. They know Creole, French, Spanish, and English. What remarkable people.
When the Haitians first came we went and greeted them and they gave us all hugs and they have the SWEETEST spirits. I seriously felt like crying seeing their shining faces, we couldn't speak to them because they don't know English or Spanish but if there's anything I've learned at the CCM it's that love is a REAL language. And the Holy Spirit knows all languages and can carry that love into each other's heart, regardless if there is a language barrier. This work is hastening and it's universal. So amazing.
I experience the language barrier every single day, every HOUR in the CCM -- but through the love we have for each other we make it work. You should see us with the Latinos at lunch, it's a literal Fiesta. We bond over songs that we both know and find any way that we can connect and just find ourselves laughing our heads off. This one Latino Elder drenches his rolls with mayo during lunch. Couldn't tell you why, he says its delicioso. But we got a KICK out of that.
We have felt this love for each other, the CCM workers, the Latino missionaries, members that we've taught in TRC (when we teach volunteer members that live in the Mexico city area). How amazing.
I love this work. I love these people. The Lord has SO much in store for us and a plan for each of us individually. I know thst for a FACT. I know I'm still only in the CCM, but it's still not easy. I am so far from perfect and have SO far to go. It's truly such a humbling experience -- but it's already brought me closer to Christ than anything else in my life. I've only been out for like 4 weeks, but if I came home now I would live my life differently.
Love you and miss you all, you're in my prayers! Hasta proxima semana <3
-Hermana Hansen
It's scaring me how fast the weeks have been going. We're on our 5th week and we'll be out of here before we know it. It's pretty scary considering I still don't know Spanish, but I know with hard work and the help of the Lord it will come.
This week me and my companion got assigned to be the new sister training leaders! It's given us the opportunity and blessing to befriend the new girls in our zone.
The best part about being a missionary so far is the PEOPLE. If you know me at all I'm like 90% extrovert, so being with people constantly gives me enough energy to make it through the long days. I've gotten so close to everyone in my district and my teachers, we've become each other's families. Saying goodbye to them is going to be SO hard because I don't even know if I'll see a lot of them again. But I also know that I was sent to the Mexico MTC for a reason. So I could be with these people, to be with my companion, and so I could meet the president.
This week my poor companion and another one of my roommates have super bad coughs that have resulted in a few sleepless nights (no exaggeration), poor girls. But by some miracle I've been able to have sufficient energy to last our long days filled with lessons and classes. Heavenly Father has truly blessed me with energy as I've strived to be an obedient missionary. My companion received a blessing from the zone leader in our district because she was feeling pretty sick, and it was truly amazing. He blessed her that as she studied the scriptures and was obedient she would get better. And that night after studying our scriptures she slept through the night. The priesthood IS REAL and it's truly the power of God. How amazing is it that OUR CHURCH is the only church that has the same priesthood that Christ's church had thousands of years ago.
We have like 33 new people in our zone which insane, the CCM is expanding every week! When I got here there were about 150 people, now we have almost 500 and it's just going to continue increasing! There's a group of Haitians that just got here and they'll be trained in their language of Creole. Me and some others in our district have befriended the Haitian teachers that came this week and they are some of the coolest people I've ever met. They know Creole, French, Spanish, and English. What remarkable people.
When the Haitians first came we went and greeted them and they gave us all hugs and they have the SWEETEST spirits. I seriously felt like crying seeing their shining faces, we couldn't speak to them because they don't know English or Spanish but if there's anything I've learned at the CCM it's that love is a REAL language. And the Holy Spirit knows all languages and can carry that love into each other's heart, regardless if there is a language barrier. This work is hastening and it's universal. So amazing.
I experience the language barrier every single day, every HOUR in the CCM -- but through the love we have for each other we make it work. You should see us with the Latinos at lunch, it's a literal Fiesta. We bond over songs that we both know and find any way that we can connect and just find ourselves laughing our heads off. This one Latino Elder drenches his rolls with mayo during lunch. Couldn't tell you why, he says its delicioso. But we got a KICK out of that.
One of the "investigators" we have has been very difficult to teach because we struggle so bad to understand her. We couldn't really find her needs because when we'd ask questions we would just kind of nod and smile, pretending like we understood, but it was really going right over our heads. We realized that we were struggling because we didn't really LOVE her or connect with her as well as we were with our other investigators. We've learned that one way to recieve the gift of tongues is to love the people. So we prayed hard to find the love in our hearts that God feels for her, and to help us focus on her and her needs. After we did this we were able to understand nearly everything she said to us -- we found her needs and were able to share what she needed to hear. We truly felt more connected with her. LOVE is a real language.
We have felt this love for each other, the CCM workers, the Latino missionaries, members that we've taught in TRC (when we teach volunteer members that live in the Mexico city area). How amazing.
I love this work. I love these people. The Lord has SO much in store for us and a plan for each of us individually. I know thst for a FACT. I know I'm still only in the CCM, but it's still not easy. I am so far from perfect and have SO far to go. It's truly such a humbling experience -- but it's already brought me closer to Christ than anything else in my life. I've only been out for like 4 weeks, but if I came home now I would live my life differently.
Love you and miss you all, you're in my prayers! Hasta proxima semana <3
-Hermana Hansen
Pictures:
1. Selfie with my companion!
2. This was so funny. So if you swing my umbrella really hard it opens up like a light saber, so naturally I swung it like a light saber a lot. I was reciting the 1st vision in spanish and I swung it out right as I was saying "directamente arriba de mi cabeza" and apparently I launched it so hard that the top came off. Whoops. I guess it's true what they say, the spirit gives you strength! Luckily I had time to buy another umbrella at the tienda before the next storm -- I got to the CCM just in time for rainy season. It rains every day!
2. This was so funny. So if you swing my umbrella really hard it opens up like a light saber, so naturally I swung it like a light saber a lot. I was reciting the 1st vision in spanish and I swung it out right as I was saying "directamente arriba de mi cabeza" and apparently I launched it so hard that the top came off. Whoops. I guess it's true what they say, the spirit gives you strength! Luckily I had time to buy another umbrella at the tienda before the next storm -- I got to the CCM just in time for rainy season. It rains every day!
3. Me and my comp bought matching CCM t-shirts at the tienda!
4. These are the Hatian teachers, Hermano Jaques and Reymond! We love them.
5. Our district at volleyball this morning!
6. My comp <3
7. A selfie with the new Hatian district! Love them!
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