Monday, July 6, 2015

Week 57: Moving, divisions, baptism, etc...!‏

Dear family and friends,
WOW, this has been a very full week!  I will try to do it justice with the time I have remaining!
1) We moved!  On Tuesday morning, we packed up the entire house.  Then we called the zone leaders and ran around our area again trying to find the landlords of the three house options we had.  No big deal, we only had to move in to the new house that the same day... we had plenty of time.  It was crazy, but we finally got in touch and made an agreement with one of the landladies and went to find someone with a pickup to rent.  We had everything moved by about 6:00 PM.  An adventure, for sure.  And I didn`t come completely unglued this time like I did when it happened to us in December.  :)
2) I did divisions for the first time!  I got to work with Hna. Gallagher (gringa from Utah, woohoo!) in Nindiri 2.  She finishes her mission this transfer with my companion.  We had a day of miracles (mostly because I was terrified that we wouldn`t be able to find new people and I prayed REALLY hard), and I think we both came out of divisions feeling more excited about the work.  I loved meeting some of their quirky and wonderful investigators and converts.  I could write a whole email about that day, but for time, here are some highlights: One (slightly drunk) son of an elderly less-active lady told us that he had dreamed that two foreigners would come talk to him, and that he needed to listen to what we had to say.  He accepted a baptismal date.  I mean, he WAS rather inebriated, but it was still a cool experience?  Also, I got to meet their golden family who has been attending church for the past three months but is waiting on a divorce to get baptized.  The wife said, ¨Our life was terrible before.  We felt like we were living with the devil.  But when the sister missionaries came to our home, we felt peace and knew that their message was true.¨  Pure Ensign moment!  Anyway, it was fun and weird to work with a gringa companion for a day!
3) Wendy!  We contacted her in her house on a typical dirt road.  Her dog almost killed us, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me out of harm´s way.  She has two little boys ages 4 and 2 and her husband is atheist.  As we shared with her, she cried and talked about how her mom went crazy after her father deserted them, but God was always by her side.  She doesn`t attend a church, but she felt something when we were talking with her.  She was ready early to go to church on Sunday with her two boys, who have a LOT of energy.  Sacrament Meeting was an adventure, but she liked church and is preparing for baptism.
4) Luisa got baptized!  My trainer, Hna. Aquian, baptized her daughter Francis two transfers ago in this area.  Luisa stopped working on Sundays and now was super prepared for baptism.  She has such a sweet spirit and is always at church early and goes on her own with her two (also rambunctious) children.  Her husband works a ton... haven`t met him yet, maybe we can start teaching him too.
5) Despite how rosy my mission life seems, we`re actually struggling to have more success in this area.  We went two days without committing anyone to come to church or setting a baptismal date, which in this mission is basically a sin.  On Friday, it was just so bad that we were laughing as we left a super negative appointment... the Catholic aunt told us she would never listen to anything from our church, and one of the teenage girls whispered to the other, ¨I don`t want to go to this church.¨ The other responds, ¨Me neither!¨  Sunday was a disaster in terms of investigators in Sacrament Meeting.  Here`s the good news: trials have helped my companion and I come together and for her to trust me more.  We have great unity now, and we have kept up our ¨ánimo¨ even though things are tough.  I know good things are coming!  I feel a lot of hope and know that setbacks only make us work harder and trust more in the Lord.
I feel so happy being a missionary!  I couldn´t have said that at every point in my mission, but I am loving the people, the other Hermanas in the zone, my companion, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It`s so true, guys.  Please live it!
I LOVE YOU!
-Hermana Hansen
Photos:
Luisa!
Moving!  Pardon the horrible hair.
Happy birthday, Elder Jovel!  My (huge) district.




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