12/15/13 Baptisms for Christmas!

All right so hello everyone!! Let me just start off by saying that this week was amazing!!! Even though at times as you are walking around its a million degrees you have a ton of people always saying hey joy and americano.......I have never done anything more rewarding than serving a mission. I had an amazing exprience this week where it just hit me, even though we had just got punted and we were now heading out to a really far area, the thought just hit me where I was so happy and I could just feel the spirit so much. It was a very amazing experience for me and I was very grateful for it. I know that our Father In Heaven knows our needs and will help us and give us strength when needed. So last saturday we had three investigators who passed their interview so we will now be having a baptism three days before Christmas!! White Christmas no??? yeah even though I won't see the brilliant snow that is just reflecting the wonderful sun, I will see three of God's Children with the biggest smiles on their faces and witness something even more beautiful than a fresh white Christmas. I'm not gonna lie,  at times I do miss the cold.......like I always say it is so hot here in the Philippines. We also have our awesome part member family who has now returned to church!!!! Four weeks in a row they have gone to church. And their kids will now be baptized on the 28th!!! Me and Elder Flores are definitely seeing the blessings of our hard work. I have never been happier to be serving. and I am also way excited to skype my family on Christmas!!! That will be absoluteley amazing!!! It has been seven months since I have talked to them!! But yeah that is about all that I have to report!!! I love you all

Happy Holidays!!

love Elder Hansen







 

First Group Email! 12/09/13

So Unker, (that would be Elder Unker) has been talking me into doing a weekly letter or something so that people know what I'm doing out here in the mission.....I'm not the best at expressing what is happening here but I will try my best. So last p day our whole zone went to a mall. Keep in mind its the Philippines, not America.  But we went to a mall and decided to go inside and Christmas carol because its December....in the Philippines, once its September that means it is now Christmas! It's the BER months octoBER novemBER.... which just means that it is kind of cold....but anyway we went caroling.  No one wanted to at first but once we all started singing it was actually way fun! I enjoyed it...the people gave us weird looks though...and some took our pictures so it was fun. But this week was good.  An Elder that was in my house in my first area just moved into this house so we get to be together again in the apartment.  He is way funny. We also decided to stop by a school that has a bunch of home made Christmas trees out front and we took some pics.  The people were a little shocked we were doing that but its okay....they wanted pictures too. The members are way nice here though and the work is so much better when they come along. We are trying to get them more excited about missionary work especally since we have some baptisms coming up we feel that they will be more excited to do missionary work. One of our families we teach is actually a PM family who went less active in 2008 they have now been to church 3 times and two of their kids will be baptized. Hopefully in December but if not the first Saturday in January.  The Mata family (mata means eye by the way in Tagalog) but they are way sweet! So that's about what is going on so far right now.....but yeah I hope you are all having a great holiday season! Love Elder Hansen

 Elder Hansen and some Missionaries apparently play basketball at 5:00am twice a week. So they made jerseys.  29 is Elder Hansen's baseball number from High School.  Staying in the spirit of the Gospel, his team are the Nephites!

Below:  This must be one of the homemade Christmas Trees that was in front of the school.  Oh to be wearing short sleeves at Christmas time!

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving Update 12/02/13

Dear Family!!!!!!!!! Happy late Thanksgiving!!!!  I'm sure you had a great

Thanksgivbing with lots of food and what not!! I  took Elder Flores out to Pizza Hut for Thanksgiving hahaha it was soo good. I payed for him because he has never eaten there before. This email will just be a gratitude email.....

Thank you for the opportunity you gave me to be here on the mission. Thank you for the love you have shown me through out my entire life. Thank you for the support, advice, counsel, partys, baseball games, Lake Powell trips, going to Arizona, Cali, Georgi, New York etc.....Thank you for teaching me how to be the  person that I am today, with out you two in my life I would not be the person I am.   Heavenly Father gave me to you because he knew that you were the right parents for me and through your guidance I would be doing what I am doing now for the people in the Philippines. I want to thank you for taking me to church as a little kid and doing your best to keep me in the church. The changes you and dad made before I was born has now changed many life. If I wasn't a member of the church, if I didn't grow up in the church maybe Brother XXXX would not have been baptized...our decisions effect the eternities. Maybe if we were not sealed in the temple in 2009 I wouldn't be here right now and I would not have been able to help the people I have met so far. Maybe some of my friends would not be on missions at this time...so I want to thank you for all of the great decisions you have made in your lives. I am very thankful for my mission and all of the things that I have learned and how I'm am changing in my heart.  Look up the definition of repentence in the bible dictionary it is really a perfect definition. I have so far had a great time in my mission I have not only blessed the lives of others but I have been blessed by so many other people. All of the members I have met,  all of the investigators,  it really is an amazing opportunity!! I love you all so much and I am very excited to be able to speak with you whether it be on skype or phone! This week has been a great week but there is always more work to be done. One of my batch mates just got called to be a zone leader so that is way cool I'm way proud of him!!

I love you all so much! Dad I will read all of the references you have given me so I will write you a letter with my interpretation or insights about those scriptures, you are really the light in my life keep up the good work at home.  keep your testimony bright, remember we are always being watched so let your light so shine forth!!!!! I love you all love your son

Elder Hansen