GIANT ENGLISH CLASS

May 27, 2019

Feliz Memorial Day!! As for us we completely forgot it was a holiday so we drove all the way to the computer lab and realized it's closed, so I'm typing this on my phone (face plam).

I'm sure all of you have been dying to know how our English class went last week after going viral on Facebook. OVER 50 PEOPLE SHOWED UP. It was literally the best day of our lives. We were surprised because there was a huge storm happening but that didn't stop anyone! It was a huge success and everyone loved it. The best part was that afterward a ton of people messaged us on Facebook saying how much they loved it and a lot of the conversations led us to sharing parts of the gospel with them!!! We know this is going to lead to awesome teaching and finding opportunities 

We had 4 people we are teaching come to church on Sunday!!! That's huge for us. A couple in Council Bluffs, Iowa we have been teaching for a while now took the huge step and came even though the ward is all in English. We went to the first part of their sacrament meeting (they aren't in our area) to get them settled before having to race back to ours to greet Yonatan and Borys that were coming to our branch! 

Everytime we have a lesson with Yonatan we are so blown away. We teach him every other day and give him a chapter to read in the Book of Mormon between visits. On Thursday we asked how Alma 34 went, and he said something like this: "Well I didn't know who Alma was, so I read Alma chapter 1 to get some background, then I read Chapters 30-34 but I reread Alma 34 like 4 times to make sure I  understood everything it was saying." And then he tells us in DETAIL all the things that liked and felt as he read. Wow. I have never met someone like this before. He said normally when he woke up he would watch TV but instead he just listens to General Conference talks because they're more fulfilling. I had no idea how close you could get with someone in just a few short weeks. The gospel really does connect people  A member took us out to eat Tacos this week and they took Yonatan too and we just laughed and ate a bunch of tacos and just had such a great time. 

A huge miracle happened for Borys too!!! After much much fasting and prayer, and after being turned down by his boss a few weeks ago when asking for Sundays off to go to church, his boss rearranged some stuff at work and said that he can have most Sundays off!!! Hallelujah! 

I doubt this part will even be interesting to you because this wouldn't matter to anyone else that isn't a missionary But sleep and safety are 2 things that are like very important in missionary work because you can't do missionary work without those things. But on Saturday night at like 10:25 our fire alarm started going off and we were a little worried because the Safety Zone video about the Co2 detector freaked us out a little (these sisters' detector went off and they had to wake up the whole apartment building to save everyone from DYING). But there was no smoke so we turned it off, said our prayers, promised Heavenly Father that if it went off again we would do something about it, and went to sleep. Well a few short hours later at 1:00AM IT WENT OFF AGAIN. It scared me so bad I literally flew out of bed. We called our President and he told us to deactivate it and go to sleep Haha. Long story short we think our neighbor was smoking and set it off lol. Probably one of the wildest nights of my mission. Goes to show how wild missionaries get 

Guess what happens this week? I'M HITTING MY ONE-YEAR MARK. This has been a roller coaster of a year. I've had extremely hard times and extremely amazing ones. I've seen a lifetime of miracles. But the most important thing that happened is that my relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ has grown immensely and that is something that has changed the course for the rest of my life. When you put Him first, everything else falls into place . 

Con amor,

Hermana Hansen

Pics: 

1-2: ENGLISH CLASS! We split them into levels according to how much English they knew so here are the 2 groups.

3. A selfie Yonatan sent us with his cute kids

4. A lesson we had outside at Yonatan's house when this random cat just climbed into my lap and sat their for the remainder of the lesson Haha it was very distracting 

5. Eating tacos with Yonatan, the elders, and Ricky! After dinner Yonatan asked Ricky to baptize him all by himself Haha we were so proud 

Going viral on Facebook

May 20, 2019

Queridos hermanas y hermanos,

I had a few other subjects in mind but I feel like going viral on facebook was one of the craziest things that happened so it won haha. The other subject lines I considered were "double baptism" and also "BORYS IS GETTING BAPTIZED" so I'll fill you in on everything! 

Going Viral on Facebook:

First things first. So the past couple weeks we have had very little attendance at English classes. We've done almost everything we knew how to do: post up fliers, hand out cards, and text members who don't speak english. Still, we have had like 3 or less people there every week. So we tried something different this week. One morning we joined a private Spanish facebook vend/trade/buy page for Omaha and posted about English Class. We turned off the data and did studies, and about an hour later when we turned it on my phone was BLOWING UP. We are talking TONS of people messaging me about english class. Long story short we threw together a sign up sheet and we have 112 people signed up. I have been getting non stop messages ALL WEEKEND haha. Is this what it feels like to be famous?? Hermana Jorgensen and I were so excited at first but now we are a little scared to see what tomorrow's class will be like... Hopefully this will turn into a teaching opportunity for some of these people and not just pure chaos haha. We had a meeting with the teachers though and we have a plan! We'll let you know how it turns out next week ;) 

Double Baptism:

This weekend a lady named Erin got baptized in our branch! Her and her husband found the church about a year ago and have come SO FAR to get baptized. He got baptized in September and due to some legal issues she couldn't. Through much work, prayer, and fasting, she got permission from the 1st presidency last week to be baptized!!!! So we were able to help her make the final step into the waters of baptism on Saturday and it was so beautiful. Borys came with us and I was translating for him and he whispered to us, "The next baptism is going to be mine!" Our mission President was there and we introduced Borys to him and Borys was in shock that he met him. His eyes were literally huge haha. Anyways, the elders also had a baptism on Saturday it was a big day for our little branch :) So amazing seeing all these people making covenants with God!

BORYS IS GETTING BAPTIZED!!! 

So we have been working with Borys for a long time now. The only issue keeping him from being baptized was that he works on Sunday during church. He already changed jobs hoping to get Sundays off for church but they still make him work on Sunday haha. Last week Borys finally got enough courage to talk to his boss this week to ask for Sundays off, and he said no. He literally called us and we are pretty sure he was crying! He was so heart broken! But the past 2 weeks he randomly got Sundays off so he came to church! We called our President and asked if we would be allowed to baptize him because he has been to church a few times now and is literally doing EVERYTHING he can to get baptized. Our President said that if he gets the day off for his confirmation and just keeps doing everything he can to try and get Sundays off, he can be baptized. When we told him he almost fell over he was so excited. He talked to his boss yesterday and he got work off on June 9th so he is getting baptized on the 8th!!!

The best part about this is that Yonatan (the other guy from Guatemala we're working with) is getting baptized on that day too!!! AND that's the day that Elder Renlund is coming to visit our mission. So basically that is gonna be the best day of my life. 

I'm convinced that there is no fuller joy than bringing people into the fold of God. A lot of people congratulate us when we tell them that we have a few baptisms coming up, but then I remind them that we didn't do anything. Heavenly Father has been preparing them, and the Spirit taught them, not us! After all, we are only just servants of God! Like He said, "but behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand." (3 Nephi 21:10)

Los amo,

Hermana Hansen 

Pictures:

Not sure what order these will be in but:

1. A selfie that Borys, Yonatan, and Rogelio (guy elders are teaching) took at family home evening. They're all investigating the church and are all becoming best friends it makes us so happy!!!

2-3: Erin's baptism:) 

4-5: Me!

I never want to leave

May 13, 2019

Buenos dias!!! 

I hope you all had an amazing mothers day and got to reflect on all the amazing women in your life! I am so thankful for your example and testimony Mom, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you! (Literally haha) I know I say this a lot but THIS WAS THE BEST WEEK OF MY MISSION! Haha I never want to leave. We literally doubled our teaching pool this week. I have like 1001 things to write about but I'll try to just pick a couple things that I have learned this week.

When we show God we are willing to work, He rains blessings on us:

This week on Tuesday and Wednesday we worked like as hard as we could and knocked the doors a lot of people with potential, and no one answered/was interested. But we showed God that we were willing to work hard, so on Thursday he just started POURING blessings on us like I have never seen before! We got a referral from Salt Lake for this guy named Yonatan that requested a Book of Mormon online. He is in his 30's and his parents have been members in Guatemala for 10 years. He's gone through some hard times that have humbled him and prepared him for the gospel!!! He seriously just ate up the lessons we taught him and read a TON in the Book of Mormon and then he came to church on Sunday!!! He is so amazing and prepared!! 

Technology is changing missionary work:

I have a lot I could say about this. But to start, throughout my mission I have seen a giant change in the way missionary work is being done. I feel like it was a common thought that the only way we could find people to teach was by knocking on doors. This is changing!!! A lot of missionaries here have been posting Books of Mormons in the buy/sell/trade page on Facebook. This lady requested a Book of Mormon from them and she spoke Spanish, so they referred her to us! She is also so prepared!!! She had so many questions about the church that we were able to answer for her and she is coming to church on Sunday! All from a post on facebook! We would have never found her if we were just knocking on doors. 

Last night we saw in our car and just spent a couple hours just communicating with the people we were teaching over Facebook messenger! We were sending videos/scriptures and having conversations with like 5 people at once about the gospel, teaching and fellowshipping them from our phone! It's impossible to be in 5 places at once. But it is possible to teach 5 people at once that are all in different places at the same time over technology! The Lord is hastening his work and it's through technology!   

The Holy Ghost changes lives:

One of the most amazing things I've seen this week is how the Holy Ghost works through people. 3 of the people we are teaching literally said the exact thing this week. Something along the lines of: "Every time I read the scriptures I get this feeling of peace and comfort in my heart I can't exactly explain it." THAT IS THE HOLY GHOST! It's been such a blessing to be able to help people identify that. I think as members of the church sometimes we forget how powerful the Spirit's influence is, because we have been living under His gift and guidance for so long. It's so special to be able to see it work through people that haven't recognized it before. I am so blessed! 

"Missions are hard:"

I've been thinking a lot about when people say that missions are hard. The reason that missions are hard is because we literally have to change our desires so much. To be successful and happy we have to learn to put off the natural man and throw what we want out the window. All of the times in my mission that I struggled were because deep down I did not want to be doing what I was doing. Through prayer, fasting, scripture study, and the miracles I have witnessed through obedience - my desires have changed. I feel one with God and His will for his children. That is why I feel so happy! This quote by Neal A. Maxwell says it all: 

"When you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!"

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!!!

Love, Hermana Hansen :) 

Pics:

1. Hermana Gubler came to visit and so we had a lesson with Borys with her!!! 

2. A card we made for someone we're teaching :)

Dale dale dale no pierdes el tino Porque si lo pierdes, pierdes tu camino Ya le diste uno, ya le diste dos, ya le diste tres y tú tiempo se acabó!

May 6, 2019

Hola familia y amigos!!!!

My subject line is a little rhyme they say when you hit the piñata at parties (they did it at our branch cinco de mayo party). Transfers already happened!!!! This was the fastest 6 weeks of my life. I am muy muy scared that time is going by so fast. When I first got out 6 weeks felt like a lifetime and now it feels like a day. But Hermana Jorgensen and I are safe and we are staying together :)

 

Tuesday was like the best day of my life. ALL OF THE HERMANAS CAME DOWN FROM THE BOONIES!! 2 of them are going home and 2 of them are training so they drove down for the training meeting and slept at our tiny apartment. I almost cried how happy I was to see all my old companions. I was so excited my whole body was like shaking. I LOVE THEM. We ate popcorn and pan from Borys together and laughed the night away (until 10:30 and then we went to sleep lol). 

This week we had a lesson with Griselda (we are teaching her and her family in Council Bluffs, Iowa). I just wanted to tell you a little about them/how we found them. A Spanish member that lives there called us and told us she had a friend she's known for years that was interested in the gospel. We started teaching them a few weeks ago and WOW they are so prepared. They told us they used to meet with Jehova's Witnesses and they told us that it is different with us. They feel happy and calm and it feels right. THE SPIRIT! Griselda told us that she will never cancel an appointment with us because she knows that meeting with us is the right thing. Her and her husband read the Book of Mormon together and they said that it just feels right. There is a quote in Preach My Gospel from Boyd K. Packer that sums it up perfectly. It says: "The Holy Ghost can work through the Light of Christ. A teacher of gospel truths is not planting something foreign or even new into an adult or a child. Rather, the missionary or teacher is making contact with the Spirit of Christ already there. The gospel will have a familiar ‘ring’ to them.” That is exactly what is happening with this family. The Spirit has been making contact with the light of Christ in them, and they are recognizing truth. I am so blessed to be a missionary so I can witness the changes the Spirit makes in people. Please pray for Griselda and her family!

I think cinco de Mayo is my new favorite holiday!!! We went to a festival they had in our area and passed out a bunch of English class cards. Oh I forgot to mention that we had english class this week and it was a SUCCESS!!!! Thank you if you prayed for us haha. We had 5 whole students there and it was awesome. We also had a branch fiesta with a lot of Mexican food and it was iluminada. Pictures attatched. 

The best part of this week though was that BORYS CAME TO CHURCH! He randomly got the day off of work and came. Even though he didn't mostly anything, he had the most spiritual uplifting experience. It was such a blessing that he got that day off, because now he knows how important coming to church is and it will give him more motivation to talk to his boss. We had an amazing lesson with him over Facebook messenger this week. We literally just had a straight lesson with him over chat. He had people over and couldn't leave but he said he could message, so that's what we did! He promised us that he would talk to his boss before the end of this week. He fasted with us and quite a few others in the branch that his boss will react well :) Thanks for all those praying for him. He is so close and ready for baptism! 

I loving being a representative of Jesus Christ. We see so many miracles and blessings every day. Something I really reflected on this week was Christlike love. I understand it now. I feel like my ability to see people as Christ does has immensely increased since the beginning of my mission. When people tell us about the hardships they are going through it hurts my heart in a way that it didn't before. I want to help them. I can't relate to them and their problems, but the Savior can. And I can help them turn to Him. He is the source to all relief and to all peace. I love Him!!!

Que tengan una buena semana,

-Hermana Hansen 

Pictures (they probably won't send in order):

1. English class! Look at all of our students! 

2. Some sister missionaries that moved into our apartment. We hangout with them every night now!

3. Hermana Jorgensen and I at our branch fiesta!

4. The Hermanas that came down to spend the night!!!! I love them so much

5. Hermana Espinosa came out with us for a day while her companion Hermana Iverson was in training meetings/the temple. We went and saw Borys and he gave us more pan from his panaderia! Blessed.

6. Me with some ice cream a member bought us :)