Week 17 in CO - Apr 27

Hey everyone!

     This week...what to even say.... sorry this will be kinda short

 

     We saw some amazing miracles but also a period of heartache.

 

     We are teaching a part member family who I love so much! Last transfer we took a chance one day and stopped by and started teaching them. Now, the young woman we teach says that her non-member husband wants us to teach him! We went over for their son's birthday to help them for a bit and it was a blast! It is a witness to me that we can't just be missionaries. We have to be people that others can trust and love. Heavenly Father gives us personalities for a reason and now it is becoming something more. I don't know what I would do without the people I have in my life now! One of them is Stella. We had a bit of a scare this week that broke my heart but God hears and answers our prayers and now everything is okay and she will be baptized on the 31st of May.

 

     Another young woman we are teaching is going to start FHE in her family in order to help her husband feel the Spirit and soften his heart. She is an example to me of acting in faith. She has been doing everything we have asked her to do and knows that the church is true. And because she is willing to act on the answers she has received, we and she can see that the Lord is softening his heart and it is a miracle!

 

     Next weekend, we are going to be doing a temple tour with a few of the people we are teaching and I am so stoked!! Also, I just realized how terrible my English is and I am so sorry!

 

     This week I realized what a treasure it is to be a missionary. There were a few things we got to do that are so precious. We got to help Ivancito with his homework and then last night he told us he wants us to teach him so he can get baptized! It's little things like that are the moments I have come to treasure. The Savior gives us a tiny portion of the love He has for these people and we get to feel it. When that love motivates what we do, it changes everything. We had a Stake Women's activity about women in the scriptures and it was so amazing! If I could be half as cool as them it will be a good day!

 

     Next week I celebrate my 6th month mark...and that is super depressing because that means that I only have a year left! And technically I won't be a greenie anymore and that scares me to death! I have no clue what I am doing still! My Spanish sounds like nails on a chalk board..not really but you get the idea...but it is times like the ones above everyday that that stuff doesn't matter. And that gives me the assurance that one day it will be okay. Because that is why the Savior did what He did. So that everything will be okay if we trust Him...because that is the only intelligent thing to do. I am so excited for all of you who are willing to take el desafio del Libro de Mormon! You are all going to love it! A common saying among the missionaries in this area is "The Church is true and the Book is blue" amen to that!

 

Hope you all have an amazing week!!

Love Hermana Hansen  

 

Week 8 in CO - Feb 23

Goooooooood Afternoon everyone!

I pray life finds you all well and happy!

     This week was super crazy and filled with a ton of interesting experiences. By the way don't judge my spelling, I am learning Spanish not English.....

     Anyways... if I could pick a week that I had really bizarre happenings this one would be it. 

     The saying "there is a first time for everything" has probably been the theme of the week. Tuesday was the day that odd things started showing up. I went on exchanges with the sister training leaders here. They are English and that was  really weird to teach English because literally in Denver it is all Spanish!
 

     So we went to visit someone and it made my life to be in her house. There are so many things that I held that would give my mother a heart-attack! Sorry mom...you can skip this section if you want..

So she has like 9 snakes! Crazy right?! And then she has a ton of mice and a couple guinea pigs and a ton of fish. We held the guinea pig and then a couple of the mice. A baby one nibbled on my finger...good thing that her teeth weren't sharp! She was going to let us hold the snakes but then realized that they hadn't been fed and would smell the mice...good call!
 

     We had a really great lesson with her and it was a testimony that studying the scriptures is a good thing. Especially scripture mastery.. thank you Sister Steel and Sister Mason!!!!
 

     Afterwards we went to contact a referral and on the way stopped to talk to a woman and her kids. Turns out they didn't speak English so I flew solo but it worked out and she wants to learn more. Yay! Then the last crazy experience of the day was when we went to visit one of their investigators. He is only a couple years older than us and is going to school. We go into his house for the appointment and we realize that he has so many hookahs in his apartment. Aside from Alice in Wonderland I have never seen one in real life and it was slightly exciting in a very odd way. In the corner he had one that is only a few inches shorter than me...party time?! I didn't know that they even made them that big! After talking with him we determined that the word of wisdom is next after we saw the giant jug of moonshine on his desk...my Dukes of Hazzard experiences helped me recognize that. It was an exciting moment for knowing that the Word of Wisdom is of God and saves sooooo much money!
 

     It was a great exchange and I have determined that God calls amazing amazing sisters to be sister training leaders! The two I have known so far are amazing!
 

     We did a ton of tracting this week and it was really great. Especially the people we found and the great lessons we were able to teach. These people are amazing. I love all people...creepy hispanic men are harder to love but I love them none the less.
 

     But we also fulfilled prophecy. So in this apartment complex we are tracting there is a stairway access to the roof of a vacant apartment. And like a nerd I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to fulfill a prophecy in the Book of Mormon it is 2 Nephi 27:11 about the Book of Mormon being declared from the rooftops...nerdy? yes. Fulfilling?...yes. I have pictures for proof. It was great.

2 Nephi 27:11

 

     Then we narrowly escaped death many times in the crazy storm! Drivers here are nuts in the snow!
 

     Sunday we spent hours and hours shoveling snow and rediscovering our neighborhood. And we walked to our closest person to teach and it took forever! We couldn't drive in the snow so it was really cold and really snowy. But we learned that "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven" and those blessings were in the form of tamales. The elders brought us leftovers from their dinner appointment and it was the best!
 

     Missions are great! It is hard everyday but also worth it everyday as well. I love it and am so grateful that I didn't go to Chile as crazy as that sounds. 

 

Have a great week and I love you all!!

Hermana Hansen

Week 9 in CO - Mar 2

Good morning everybody!

This week has reminded me a lot of the Princess Bride. Why...well you will have to read to find out.

There is one part in that movie when Prince Humperdink is telling Wesley how terrible he is and how much he is going to regret doing everything he has done. But Wesley can't say anything because he is hooked up to The Machine. All he can do is look at the guy and await what is going to happen. 

On Monday night we went to visit a couple of investigators and the mother-in-law was there...We started teaching about the Book of Mormon and she stopped us in the middle of explaining who Nephi is. She was like, "No, the Book of Mormon cannot be true because never in my life have I heard the name Nephi"....oh ok my entire life has been a lie....

We kept going and pretty soon she stops me and stares me down and asks me if I was born into the church....yes?...Now is the time when I felt like Wesley. I sat there as she told me how dumb I was to be out here wasting my time for a message that no one would listen to or believe. She told me how ignorant I was because I had never looked for the truth and I couldn't know anything because I hadn't experienced any other form of truth. In that moment The Machine sounded like a better option! Then we got to hear about how she was born and raised Catholic and will forever be Catholic...I'm glad she doesn't have to look for the truth that she was born into....all I could do was bear testimony. That's all any of us could do. But we left and invited her to try it out and see for herself. Fingers crossed. Maybe we will tie her up next time like Wesley did to Humperdink...that will be interesting....

The rest of the week has been more like the Fire Swamp. The quick sand part has been snow...soooo much snow and ice and cold and more snow. 

It seems like every time we saw any headway we got attacked by a million ROUS's at one time. There were a couple days when we got dropped by almost every single one of our investigators. Our record was 6 in one hour. All of them were different places. It was great...NOT! No one would come to the door and if they did they looked at us and slammed it in our faces. 

But on the bright side yesterday we got out of the Swamp! And it was great. We found a couple of families and some really awesome people and it turned out okay.

I learned this week that praying for faith, patience, and humility is not a good combination! I suggest one at a time. But God answers prayers and gave us a week to help us develop all three. Now it has been so much less chaotic! Like Augustus Waters says, "I'm on a roller-coaster that only goes up my friend."

​"Oh look, I've been impaled"  Sorry but the opportunity came and I took it.

 

I hope you are all doing great! I love you all! Until next week,

Our District

Hermana Kylie D. Hansen

Week 11 in CO - Mar 16

Good day all!!

 

     I learned a very powerful lesson this week. "Beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder" just kidding. That was just a really clever sign we saw. But in all seriousness someone has the gift of witty sign making in the city of Denver. A homeless man we saw this week was holding up a sign that said, "I bet you can't hit me with a cheeseburger" Pure genius. And another was on the front of a bingo place, "Support Bingo. Keep Grandma off the streets" It was great.

     This week resembled a roller-coaster. Monday afternoon our investigator, Grace, made us come get our nails done. Which would have been perfectly fine if she stayed with just blue. But then she pulled out pink and rhinestones.....no. Just no. But I kept them on for about a total of 3 days so it is a record! Just ask my mom...That night we taught some people and then went back to teach Grace and Luis about the Book of Mormon and it was a sick lesson! Then chaos started and our stress levels skyrocketed!

 

     Not much happened until Wednesday when we went back to teach someone we found during exchanges. We got done teaching and she was like "this sounds really familiar I think I have met with missionaries before..." Score!! She is golden! Thursday we had a great day! And tied it up with a Law of Chastity lesson with Grace and Luis! And they said they would keep it!!! They are the best!!!! Friday we had a bomb lesson with our investigator Lucero and she basically taught us the lesson so it was great! I have determined that one of the only reasons Hispanic men answer our questions most of the times this week are because they like my eyes....then they avoid us every time we try to come back...I want brown contacts........

 

     Saturday was ridiculously exhausting. One woman we teach had her entire life fall apart and it was the most stressful thing of my entire life! We had a couple of BOMB lessons with a couple people so that was fun but exhausting. 

 

     Sunday was really really stressful. Luis said he was coming to church but he never texted us or showed up and Grace didn't know where he was and he like disappeared and we were freaking out about that and about a few other people who's lives had turned upside down and then he texted us and all was well. We went to see them and they agreed to live the Word of Wisdom! They are my favorites!

 

     This week helped me to see that the Lord is in every detail of our lives and knows what is best. He sends us help when we need it. One of our recent converts was telling us a story of this man who had so much faith and was convinced that God would save him. So this flood came and he refused 3 times to get help from the Coast Guard and others. He knew God would save him so when he died he was really confused. They were talking about what happened and the man was like, "I had so much faith that you would save me. Why didn't you?" And God was like, "I tried 3 times but you wouldn't take the help."

 

     Sometimes we don't recognize the help that He sends us until it is too late. Hopefully we can all do better with that because He sends us the help we need all the time and a lot of the time He sends it in the form of other people and I know for a fact that this is true. 

My two favorite people ever! Grace and Luis!

     I love you all!

 

     Have a great week!

 

Love,

Hermana Hansen

Week 14 in CO - Apr 6

Hello everyone!

     This week was absolutely crazy! Just like every week...

 

     Monday was great! We had some super great lessons and put our investigator Stella on date for May and she is totally down for it! Now we just have to put her down in the water....She is amazing! I love her a lot! Tuesday we got to teach Luis so it was a great day. Whenever he doesn't text back we joke about whether or not he died. But I learned that I will never do that ever again because he got in a really bad car accident on Monday. Someone hit him from the side and he smashed into the guard rail and flipped his car 3 times. The person that hit him drove away and left him hanging upside down, held in by only his seat belt. Thank goodness Heavenly Father was watching out for him! Some lady saw the whole thing and pulled him out. Now he just has a few scrapes, broken rib, and hemorrhaging in his brain...God is real! He is planning on getting baptized this weekend but we might move it so he has some time to heal. Wednesday was a great day! We went to the temple and it is literally the best way to start a day! Then we had our district meeting and taught some great people. One of which was Lucero and she invited a friend over to hear about the church. What an amazing missionary! And she isn't even a member yet! As always we tried to see so many people but no one was home so we went to go visit Grace. She is doing great! We saw Stella again and it is so sad to see people you love hurting and she was hurting badly but doing much better now! She has a job and is progressing more and more everyday!

 

     Thursday we had our Zone meeting which was super awesome! We are now starting to sing in lessons before we start teaching...I feel like Chad in High School Musical...um I don't sing...but I guess we do now! Most of the rest of the weekend was really insane! We ran around trying to find people for their appointments but no one was ever home! Saturday made it okay though because of Conference!!!!! It answered questions I didn't even know I had! And like always Elder Holland gave the best talk!..Just kidding they were all amazing! Especially the ones in Spanish which I can now understand! I loved Conference so much! It was exactly what I needed and so many others. I am so grateful for a living prophet who tells us what the Lord wants us each individually to hear. I know that as we heed their words, the crazy things in this world will be easier to handle.

Easter Sunday!

 

This is Stella! One of my favorite people ever!

 

 

Love,

Hermana Hansen

Week 16 in CO - Apr 20

Good morning everyone!

     This week has been a roller-coaster of emotion! I have determined that the talk by Hugh B. Brown about the currant bush will be the theme of my mission. This week we saw it happen in the lives of the amazing people we teach, especially Luis.

 

     Due to some legal issues he can't get baptized yet and it was literally the most crushing phone call we have ever had to make. He is so ready and loves the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and knows it is true and he can't join the church yet. That was a currant bush moment to the max. He had been doing everything he was supposed to and doing do much better and feeling so much better and now he can't take that step yet. But Heavenly Father has a very special plan for that young man and now he gets the chance to learn all he can and be 100% solid before he enters into the waters of baptism. And he is still as amazing as ever!

 

     Grace moved out of our mission so we can't teach her anymore but she has been reading and praying and it is so hard. We went to their apartment complex during the week and randomly we went to talk to a group of men and it just happened to be Luis' dad who just got here from visiting in Mexico like 5 days before we found him. It was so amazing to be able to testify to him about how much Luis has changed and how he could have the same change in his life. With God there are no coincidences. 

 

     Stella is doing great! We went over to see her this week and she prayed after the lesson. She plead to her Father in Heaven that everything can work out so she can be baptized and get the Holy Ghost. It was such a powerful witness that we don't do anything as missionaries. All we are here for is to teach them the information and how they can do it on their own because the Spirit is the real teacher.

So funny story for the week...we were doing service at the Action Center and they had Hermana Smock and I paint a set of table and chairs for kids. So..I was leaning on my side to get the other side and my wrist and elbow gave out and I smacked my face on the table top and got a bloody nose...We were in the bathroom FOREVER trying to get it to stop. Thank goodness that it was near closing and no one saw! I got to go clean up the murder scene after we got it stopped....not the most graceful I have ever been....But Hermana Smock got a kick out of it so that is all that matters.

 

     One of our members asked one of her friends if she wanted to take the lessons and she said yes! So the member invited us over for Family Home Evening. The amount of miracles that came out of that lesson are crazy! So this family has been pretty less active so having FHE is a BIG deal! Active families struggle with it! It was really great and Ivancito (little Ivan) said the prayer at the end..which doesn't happen. It cracked me up! He started, "Nuestro Padre Celestial...is everyone's eyes closed?..." I love little kids! They are the best! And now that I can understand the word that are coming out of their mouths it is even better.

 

     So after FHE, we got a return appointment with the friend and she said she wanted her whole family to be there to listen to us! So we went back on Saturday and they were all sitting in the living room waiting for us. Um that NEVER happens! There is a reason that it is its own point in Preach My Gospel to invite the whole family in to hear the lesson....they stole our job......

 

     So I have a challenge for all of you! Hermana Smock has a goal to give 50 copies of the Book of Mormon before she goes home at the end of the transfer. Which is so awesome even though we have like 10 left out of all the ones we had. But I have really grown in my appreciation of the Book of Mormon. I am starting it my 3rd time since I have been out here and there is no doubt in my mind or heart that it is true. And this week as we have shared it with everyone I have seen how much I know that it is the Word of God. So I want to challenge each one of you to share the Book of Mormon with someone but also to get a paperback copy of the Book of Mormon and start from the beginning and mark every single reference to Jesus Christ. Our mission president has us do it in our first transfer and it helped me see just how much it testifies of Christ. So, will you do it? If you will, you can send me an email that you accept it...please :) But I promise that it will bless you lives more than you can imagine. We have to read it in 42 days the first time but you don't have to if you don't want to.

 

     The longer I am out here, the more I know that the Church is true and following Jesus Christ is really the only smart thing to. It is the only way to true and lasting happiness even though the world may say differently. I used to make fun of people who quoted Church movies and scriptures in normal conversation... but now it's me. I have seen both sides; people who follow Christ and are blessed and those who don't and wonder why life is so hard and heartache so evident. I have seen some of the most broken families and individuals healed by the name of the Man I am privileged to wear every day. This decision to serve has changed me forever. I am not the same person I was when I left Providence, RI almost 6 months ago and I am more grateful for that than I would ever be able to express. And it is because Jesus Christ lives and He is our Savior. He is also our perfect older Brother and Friend.

 

     If you haven't seen the Easter video the Church did please go watch it. helives.mormon.org

 

I love you all!! And I hope you have a great week!

Hermana Hansen

Week 15 in CO - Apr 13

Good morning everyone!

     This week has been soooooo long! And I couldn't be more grateful! 

 

     Monday we went to go get Luis some stuff for his baptism on the 12th and it was so great! We got Cafe Rio for dinner. When I had Cafe Rio my first day in the mission, I thought that the hottest sauce they had was like liquid fire but now its got nothin on Picante! Or Tapatillo! Or basically anything we consume on a regular basis...

 

     We got to see our investigator Stella and she is doing so well! We saw her a lot this week and every day we could see how much she is changing as she prepares for her baptism on the 3rd. 

Another miracle that happened this week was that we found a youngish girl and her mom. They were literally the last door we knocked on at an apartment complex and they are so ridiculously prepared that it blows my mind. We went to see the girl on Saturday and brought a member and after the lesson she came to church with that family on Sunday!! It was one of the happiest days ever! And she is reading the Book of Mormon and  she is just amazing! 

 

     As hard as tracting is sometimes, I know that it is one of the greatest blessings that we have been given as missionaries. Through tracting and knocking every door possible, we have been able to find amazing people like Yaritza and Luis.

 

     This week was also kind of sad because a lot of people that we had been teaching dropped us but then we were able to find so many people that the Lord has been preparing. As a mission we have been working on member present lessons and this week we saw the fruits of trying to get members at our lessons. We also have been trying to focus on referencias from members and this week we received a ton of them! And one of them is now preparing for baptism. It is through things like this that we know that Heavenly Father is in the Work. That the Lord really is preparing people and ways to find them. 

 

     I'm sorry that this one is so short but we don't have very much time today. 

 

     Love all of you!!

 

     Have a great week!

 

Love,

Hermana Hansen

Week 13 in CO - Mar 30

Oh my goodness hello everyone!!

     This week has been one of the hardest weeks for me internally. Quite honestly it has been one of the most difficult weeks I have ever had inside my own head and heart. Now I will explain...

 

     So Tuesday we had transfers and it was really really hard but also really exciting! I learned that my new companion would be Sister Smock..well new old companion. And I was so stoked at first because..well she's my "mom" and the first 6 weeks I was with her she changed me so much! I am already not the same person I was when I left and that is thanks to so many things, especially that first transfer I had. That is one of the reasons that it was so hard to leave Eagle was because I saw myself change so much and I knew at that time that Heavenly Father sent me there for a reason and I thank Him for it everyday. So far the Lord has blessed me with amazing companions! Well I have only had 2 outside of the MTC but I know He brought them into my life for a reason. So on Tuesday I was really excited to be with Sister Smock again but then I had to realize all over again how utterly amazing she is...wait one sec while I make sure I took her off my email list....that would be awkward....anyways, she is seriously my mission role model because of so many things and now she gets to change my life even more and now I know that God really does hear our prayers and He answers them...not in the way we expect because all I said was I am grateful for Him giving me amazing people like her to look up to and next thing I know BOOM we are companions again...didn't expect that one at all...

 

     This week was very surreal because this time it was not me who was new to an area. We went to see so many of my favorite people here and I was the only one who knew them...my how the tides have turned...

 

     We found a lot of really great people and I love doing this work! I was seriously humbled as I had to realize again how awful my Spanish is... #fluent companion....oh well it'll get there.

 

     Let's see...who did we see...

 

     This week we saw Grace a couple times and I still love her a lot! We didn't get to teach Luis but we saw him so that is always a great thing! Most of the other people we usually see we just had to schedule appointments because they were busy...

 

     Taking over an area is not very fun especially one as big as ours...however, it is definitely an adventure. But the people kept it awesome! We saw so much of that heartache that has been in the lives of the people we have been teaching go away this week or at least get better. And with each heart wrenching trial that has been happening that I had to explain as background info for Sister Smock, Heavenly Father helped me realize just how much I love all of these people. Wanting the very best for everyone so much and yet being there to witness them reject it hurts a lot. But then they accept it and it is the most joyous feeling in the world. I think that is how the Savior must feel. He performed the Atonement for each and every one of us and yet sometimes we reject it. I can't even fathom how hurt He must feel, knowing He did everything He possibly could and yet we turn our backs on Him again and again. But still He waits for us time and time again to come back to Him. There are no lost causes or 3rd strikes...He is always here for us to pick us up and dust us off when we fall down.

 

     I learned a lot this week about humility...like for starters I wouldn't recommend praying for it because Heavenly Father answers prayers. And oh by did I get a lot of humility this week! I really got to pinpoint a good number of my weaknesses as a person, missionary, and everything else that I am. But I also felt the love that Heavenly Father has for each one of His children that we talked too and that is what matters most.

 

     This truly is the greatest work in the world and I am so grateful to be a part of it. The part I dislike the most is that it is going by so stinking fast! There is so much to do and so many people out here and not enough time to do all we need to do! But I know that He puts us in the places we need to be in our lives and He brings people into our lives for a reason. In just a few weeks I have been eternally changed by the people that He has brought into my life and I wish I could list all of them but I would never have enough time.

 

     I know that God has a plan for each of us and that He knows what we need when we don't. And He knows who to send us and when to send them.

 

     This next weekend is General Conference and I pray that each one of you will watch it and bring questions that you have because really God will answer through the mouths of His servants!

I love you all and I promise to write more next week but we don't have enough time...

 

Love you! 

Hermana Hansen

Week 12 in CO - Mar 23

Hey everyone!

 

     Well I am officially no longer a baby but I am also destined to never have the same companion for longer than a transfer. I will be staying in Denver so that's exciting and also ridiculously nerve-wracking! I pray my new companion has a lot of patience! She is gonna need it!

 

     This week was crazy! And stressful. And sometimes I wanted to hit my head on a wall...so basically it was like every other regular missionary week! 

 

     At the request of my Grandmother I will now start talking about food again. Yes the food is as good as Eagle but also the grease content is much greater here. But it is sooo good! I eat tortillas like candy. And I have come to the decision that if there are not quesadillas in Heaven I am not going! I have learned the art of the perfect quesadilla and we eat so many! Basically I just love food and that will never change. It is just one of those things that helps me know that there is indeed a God and He loves His children.

 

     Well on to the other important items of missionary work. Um this week we saw a lot of people so my brain only recalls so many. We saw Luis and Grace..surprise! They are my favorites! And they are doing so well! And yesterday Luis used his work break to come to church.... How amazing is that?!?! He is the best! They are both progressing so well and miraculously they aren't moving now so they are super solid for baptism on the 12th of April. They are both getting Sundays off so they can come to church and now we get to see them in the mornings because they changed their schedules to meet with us. I love them so much! I am so excited that I get to stay with them!

 

     Let's see...what else...OH! We went to see one other investigator we have. The things that have happened to her in the last couple of weeks break our hearts so much! But she took the biggest step ever and now she can start healing. She has been investigating for 13 years and was almost baptized 3 times but she said now is her time. WOOHOO!! We are so excited for all of the changes that are happening in her. It is a testimony to me that we go through the things that we go through so we can help other people. There are a lot of things that have happened in my life that are so stinking similar to her...for example we take the same medication....it was kind of a odd conversation but hey whatever works! She is now doing really well and we are going to see her tonight. We were talking with her yesterday about how every time she feels lost the Lord sends missionaries to find her and then she was talking about getting baptized and we were joking about how if she doesn't do it this time, the Lord will just keep sending us and we will always find her. Kinda like a Once Upon a Time situation..."I will always find you. Always. If you love them and they love you, you will always find them." Not quite the same but hey it works! 

 

     The other day a very important lesson was solidified. We tracted into an older Caucasian lady who thought we were from the Government....um no. So she started yelling at us about how everyone need fired and sued and how much she hates foreigners and that they all need to die.....um well that's what they are trying to escape so no. I am so glad it was dark and she couldn't see how red our faces were getting from anger. Grrrrrrr! That get under my skin so much now! Jesus said love everyone and that includes everyone who risks their lives to get to this country on the thread of hope that life will be better for them. God gave us this country as a free nation where all of His children could have the things they need regardless of the color of our skin or language they speak. We teach people who risked literally everything to get here so that they could raise a family and not live in fear of being killed every day. That is why God sends us as missionaries to everyone. Because He wants all of His children to have the chance to know the truth regardless if they don't speak the same language or look like us. One thing President Murdock told us this week was that we are not entitled to anything. We all have to put in the work and the effort to make the world a better place than we found it and God gives each one of us the opportunity to do so. Are we gonna take it? 

     I love you all!! Have a great week!

 

Love,

Hermana Hansen

Week 10 in CO - Mar 9

Hey everyone!

     I hope life is great for all of you...if not... "ask the missionaries, they can help". This week was one of the most bipolar weeks of my entire existence. But it ended with greater miracles than I have ever imagined.

 

     Pretty much the first two days of the week were super stressful! Either no one was home or they told us not to come back. But we are missionaries..we can help you... That's okay people reject Kirby vacuums too. At least we aren't the only ones. I don't know why anyone would ever reject a Kirby though! But Wednesday we got to go to the temple so that was pretty much the best way to start the day ever! We went on exchanges and I stayed in our area. I am proud to report that I didn't get lost and we didn't die. So mission accomplished. I learned the value of GPS's though....that's probably why the Lord gave Lehi the Liahona....it is important to the Lord to not get lost! That night we went to see one of our investigators Luis. We bundled up for a cold lesson because we can't go inside because he lives alone. So we knocked on the door and a young woman opened. She is about my age. And wouldn't you know it she just moved in with him because they have been friends for years and she took his extra room because she had no where else to go. He is so nice! He did that with another one of his friends that didn't have a place but they are guys so they share. But pretty much Grace, his friend, is so awesome too! They are both ridiculously prepared!

 

     We exchanged back on Thursday and then went to Sisters Conference...I felt like I was in young women's again. We passed around notes and had to write something nice about everyone. Gone are the days of interpretive dance battles to hymns...I miss that one a lot!

 

     At the end of the day, we went to Luis' house so that we could talk with them a bit more. It was great! Turns out he plays the guitar and trumpet and from there the two of them just kept getting more awesome because they like the same things we like. AND LUIS LISTENS TO LINDSEY STIRLING!!! They are the best!

 

     Saturday and Sunday were AMAZING! We determined that we would try to talk to every single person we could and we saw so many miracles! We have a ton of new people to teach and Luis came to church! He works the night shift and ends at 8 and church starts at 9. I would have gone home to sleep but he came to church! He also wants to get baptized on the 22nd of this month! We had a baptism for one of the other companionships and Grace and Luis came! After, Luis was joking around about just jumping into the font right then and getting baptized now.....both of them are so awesome!

 

     There is a reason that the Lord asks us to knock doors as missionaries. If we hadn't we never would have found so many of the people that we are teaching right now. "..for the Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men save He shall prepare a way that they may accomplish the thing that He has commanded them"

 

     In a year and a half I might go into selling Kirby's......

 

I love all of you! Have a fantastic week!!

Hermana Hansen

Week 7 in CO

Hello all from the frozen city of Denver!

This week has been so crazy I might even go crazy! The miracle of the week is that I didn't die. I will explain.

Monday kinda stunk to be completely honest. I hate packing and it feels like I had just put all of my stuff away before I had to start all over again. Note to self...space bags are an invention from Heavenly Father and are amazing! Other than that I have learned that missions are kind of like being cremated. You have little bits of yourself eveywhere. That's really gross but you all get the idea. And Heavenly Father definitely has a sense of humor! I was on the transfer train heading across the mountains and when we were passing Dotsero, Gypsum and Eagle, the currant bush talk played on the cd in the car I was in. I usually love that talk but this time it felt like a punch to the face and hard to take. Mostly when it got to the part  when the man says, " How could you do this to me God? I was doing everything I was supposed to.." and then Heavenly Father answers back,"  I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be.." and then the man says, "‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me." Ouch!  Lots of goodbyes later and I am now in Denver. It's great but a whole lot different.

It's a lot like a new country, a new mission and the people are awesome. There are a ton of creepy children of God though... Pepper spray is a must.

I started out the week by getting a very nice case of food poisoning from Sonic. So I was out of commission for a bit. Lesson learned = never trust a free hamburger. 

Between then and now it has been a very stressful few days. But what makes it better is that my new companion could be twins with Hannah Hutchins. Not just because they are the same height but they are so stinking similiar it is a riot. For all of you who know Hannah you can see why being her companion would be sick! So yeah it's a hoot! We have done so much tracting the past few days and each time makes me want to hit Satan really really hard. He is the worst!

I have a couple favorites. 

One day we were tracting out these sketchtastic apartments and this lady opens the door. Keep in mind that it is winter so I am super white, blond and blue-eyed and Hermana Harper is equally white. Anyways this lady opens the door and we start talking to her in Spanish and she just says, "I don't speak Spanish." and slammed the door in our faces. I was like, "great neither do we" but didn't get it in fast enough. Well eternal salvation will come knocking at your door another day. 

My other favorite happened yesterday. We went to knock some trailers and it had started hailing at that point. So we come to one and we knock and the guy inside takes down the plastic over his door, sees us and is like, "nobody's home". We literally see you. You are looking into our eyes. That's okay though....planting seeds planting seeds. Sometimes I just want to chuck a handful at people and pray that at least one sprouts.

I learned a powerful lesson about how the Savior must feel when we don't choose to accept Him. Like these two people, we kind of have our moments of rejection. He knocks and sometimes we open but don't choose to leave the door open enough to receive Him. Do we tell the Lord that "we don't speak Spanish" and deny His Atonement to have power in helping us to change and become better? Or sometimes we don't even open the door and refuse to make the effort at all because it's really hard. 

It takes a lot of faith to open our hearts to Him and in the multitude of slammed doors in the past few days I saw this example as well. We knocked on this one lady's door and taught about the Restoration and she prayed at the end. This may not seem very significant but it is. While we were teaching, she wouldn't let us in her house. With each page turn in the pamphlet, we could see her heart softening and she wanted to pray at the end. She opened her door all the way and let us in. Then she exercised faith and prayed to Heavenly Father. She prayed for her children and that she would know where God wanted her to go and what He wanted her to do. We are going back this week to finish the lesson but I know that she will progress because I saw her countenance change in a matter of minutes. That's what this gospel, the church does. It changes us if we let it. When we let Christ into our hearts, we become who He wants us to be. When we do what He asks of us, when we are obedient, He blesses us beyond what we can ever imagine. 

I had to go to a meeting this week and our mission president was talking about obedience and how important it is. He was saying that if we were trained in our first 6 weeks to be exactly obedient as a missionary then that would shape our entire missions and our lives. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father blessed me with such an amazing trainer for my first 6 weeks. I know that Hermana Smock's example has set the tone for the rest of my mission and life. No pressure....but we all have a long way to go and it's because of righteous example's like her and like so many others that we are able to push forward and learn all that we have to learn. The only example we have whom we can follow perfectly and never fear for following down a wrong road is the Savior. It's never going to be easy but it will always be worth it!

 Have a great week everyone!

Love,

Hermana Kylie D. Hansen

Week 6 in CO

Hey everyone! 

Well this week started out really good and I was so pumped but then it ended kinda crummy... No me gusta......This is the story of my first real heartbreak...and it broke real good...

After our normal p-day activities on Monday, we went to Simple Supper which is a thing that the ward hosts every month on the first Monday. It is basically where we have a dinner for anyone in the community who doesn't have food. They come and we serve them and talk to them and eat with them. It is a blast and you get to meet a very large range of very different people! But I love it and getting to know people and seeing the gratitude in their eyes for what Heavenly Father has done for them is something I will never be able to explain. After Simple Supper, we tool some leftovers to a few families who had gotten sick or we felt that needed it. It truly makes you think twice about the blessings the Lord gives to each one of us when we trust Him, obey His commandments and work as hard as we can.

We went to teach a man who is extremely spiritual but doesn't really like organized religion...if I had a quarter for every time I heard that I could buy the Breakers Mansion in Newport, RI...It was really interesting..We got maybe a sentence in the entire time. We brought a member with us who basically taught the entire lesson..not exactly what we planned but hey it works out.

The lesson reminded me of how the doctrine of Jesus Christ clarifies everything in life. As C.S. Lewis once said, " I believe in Christianity like I believe in the sun, not because I can see it but because by it I can see everything else." What a smart man!

I love the Holy Ghost! It is 100% real!  We went to see one of my favorite families in the world, the Fernandez family. They are amazing! They have 3 sons and 2 of them are members. The oldest has been a member for awhile and is sealed in the Temple to his wife and they have the most adorable little boy ever! And the youngest is a my age and got baptized the Sunday before I came to Eagle. The middle one and their parents aren't members...yet. They are some of the most loving people on this planet. Tuesday, We saw Cesar, the youngest and he is amazing.His testimony blows my mind! He exemplifies what we call quiet dignity and it is amazing to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people. They are the coolest!

We went to walk some dogs and that is like the best job ever! But between the mass amount of chihuahuas and other little dogs that look like Ewoks, I have determined that I will never ever own a little dog!

We went to see Marcelina, a woman who got baptized the same day as Cesar. Her testimony blows me away as well! The things that she has gone through in her life are evidence that Jesus Christ makes everything better. Always.

Then the miracle happened... We walked out of her house and  OYM'd a guy on the street. He started talking about how it was super weird that we were there because he had been thinking about if God was really there. Now I know that every time we have a strong "let's go get that guy" that is exactly what we need to do. He hasn't really ever read anything in the Bible so we gave him both a Bible and a Book of Mormon. He asked us which book we liked better..um...they are both great...but we really like the Book of Mormon. We started talking about some of the differences and how they both work together. Then he looks at us and is like, "Why do I need this one (Bible)? Because this one (Book of Mormon) sounds way better." Sister Smock and I looked at each other and told him again about how they were teammates..we marked a passage in the Bible and the Intro in the Book of Mormon. He has a ton of things that he wants to make better so hopefully he sticks with the program!

After we saw him, we went to see one of my favorite people ever! She is so amazing and that lesson confirmed that the Spirit guides our word when we listen. It was super powerful and she inspires me so much and reminds me of myself.

 Almost every single cita we had  on Thursday fell through. But that's okay because miracles happen everyday! Marcelina came to our dinner appointment and lo and behold she speaks amazing English! We had no idea! She came to an English member's home with us and they had an entire conversation! She is an inspiration!

 After District Meeting on Thursday, we went to see Brother Abbott. He is like another dad! I love how easy it is to love people when you take the time to get to know them and develop a relationship based on the love that Christ would have. If only it was easier to love people this way! But with Brother Abbott it is that easy! He is so awesome and one of my favorite people...I guess I say that about everyone. We met a little family and the dad, Edgar has been so prepared by the Lord. He wants the priesthood in his home for his family and he actually read the stuff we asked him to and prayed in both lessons on Thursday and Friday. He felt the Spirit so strong and wants to come to church so bad but can't ask for Sunday's off yet. His family is so cute!

In the same trailer park we met a teenage girl named Skyler. At the end of our lesson, she was super excited to read the Book of Mormon.

Saturday and Sunday were a couple of the best but saddest days of my life. Saturday we met Antonio who was baptized in Utah about 7 years ago but hasn't been able to go to church much since then. He just moved here and is living with a recent convert. They will help each other out so much! I am so excited to see how much they grow! We saw the Fernandez family again and taught the middle brother with the youngest. I haven't ever been so excited for someone to be reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it as much as this family. I pray everyday that he continues to get answers to his prayers and can join his brothers. That will be the best day ever!

Saturday night we got the news that I was being transferred. Literally I felt  my heart break in half. We did not see that coming at all! So Sunday was really really painful. These people were my first and it hurt physically. I have never felt anything like this before...it is not fun. But the Lord is in His work and He knows what is up. It is the hardest to leave Hermana Smock the most because she has changed me so much and the Lord knew that I needed her. I think I still do but I guess He has different ideas. I have no clue where I will be going but I am so grateful that I got to serve in this little valley. Part of my heart will always be here with these amazing people. 

We don't know the Lord's plan for us but we know He has one for everyone. I thank Him every day for that. These people have changed my life for the better and I pray that I will be able to see them again.

Love you all!

   

Hermana Kylie D. Hansen

Week 5 in CO

Hey everyone!!

So we only have a week left in my first transfer! What?!?!?! I have no idea how that happened! It was like one second I was pulling up to the MTC and now I am only around the corner from 6 months..WHAT?! It needs to go by slower!! Anywho..onto the weekly report...

Monday:

After P-day we went to contact one of our member referrals and she was so awesome!! She is about 15 and just wants a relationship with God and the Savior. Well you know what Elder Nelson says..."Ask the Missionaries, they can help." And now she is on date for baptism. After we saw her, we went over to the home of a really good friend of a family in the ward. He isn't a member but he is super spiritual and has read almost every single religious book you can imagine..including the Book of Mormon which he really loves and we really love talking with him. He is another person who it is fun to see that Heavenly Father has been in the details of his life..I love those!

Then we went for a 8pm member lesson and talked about the Book of Mormon. I thought I loved the Book of Mormon before my mission but I quickly found out that it is not even close to how much now! I love it. As long as it is true, then everything else is as well...cool promise huh! 

Tuesday:

This was probably one of the scariest days in my entire mortal existence thus far. No joke. We had exchanges again and this time I stayed in Eagle..so I was in charge for a whole 24 hours..whoever came up with that idea has a screw loose...Just kidding because it was the Lord. But I only got us lost once and we were still in the right area just took the wrong road! And we put two people on date for baptism...not too bad..I am still alive and didn't make anyone go apostate due to my cruddy Spanish...It was a good day! And I went on the exchanges with Hermana Arnold and it turns out she knows a ton of my friends from the stake...weird Mormon small worlds..But its super fun! 

Wednesday:

We exchanged back so I was very happy about that!! Then we went to see a recent convert and talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ...I love that one...its so good! Then we went for dinner and the azada tacitos were so spicy my eyes were involuntarily watering....I would say it was fun but it really was not at all..and yet they were so good! American food is so boring!

Then we went to see/track down some of our peeps and talk to Bishop. Good day! 

Thursday:

After District meeting we came back to teach one of our less actives. We watched the Mormon message, "The Will of God" It is one of my favorites and I cried..again..and again....one of my favorite parts in that whole thing is when the man says, " How could you do this to me God? I was doing everything I was supposed to.." and then Heavenly Father answers back,"  I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be.." and then the man says, "‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me."

And I have found this in my life to be true and I see it in others now...He knows who He wants us to be and He loves us enough to help us get there. It hurts a lot but it will get us there.

Friday:

Another exchange day..and I stayed again..but I didn't get us lost once! Yay!! We had all Spanish appointments the rest of the day...yikes! But they actually went really well...prayer is real!

It was a super fun day! And I learned that no matter what, if we give the Gospel a chance to work in our lives, it can change anyone for the better. Christ  can and will change everyone for the better if we will let Him!

Saturday:

Before we exchanged we found a new investigator! It was exciting but scary all at the same time!

After we came back we had dinner and then went to teach my favorite blind person in the world! He has the best stories! One of my favorites this time was when he was talking about how he used to play football when he was younger and going to school. It was a school for blind people and they all had to play a sport. So he did football and wrestling and something else. But one game, their coach told all of them to just run at anything they thought moved..not the best advice in the world... So they were tackling eachother and then their quarterback ran into the goal post. That mental image cracked us up for a solid 5 minutes! Then he was telling us about how the quarterback felt really dumb for awhile afterwards.

So like a super smart person I was like, "well I bet he laughs about it now." And he was like, " No he is dead. Most of my friends are dead now..." That awkward moment when.......

Now I have a big apology to make when I get to the other side......

He is one of the most hilarious old men I have ever met!

Sunday:

I love Sundays!

Church was great as always! Then one of the members was leaving for his mission so we had a poquito fiesta para el... And the food...man I love being a missionary..we had tamales..my knew all time favorite food and some other traditional Spanish dishes and it was so good..But they fed us so much and then we had a dinner appointment not even a half hour later..I felt like I was going to die but here I still stand!

We went to teach a couple of our new investigators and had a really amazing lesson with them. The dad (26) asked Sister Smock and I to sing one of our church hymns....ummmm que???? We politely declined and I have never been so grateful for leaving our hymn books in the car! But in the end of the lesson I made the mistake of saying that everything is possible through Christ.... So the man was like.."So sing!" I almost died of a heart attack.... English singing on the fly is one thing but I don't know hardly anything in Spanish!!!!! But we sang I am a Child of God so it turned out ok...They made me say the prayer but before I started the guy looked me in the eye and was like, " Todo es posible por medio de Jesucristo,"  Pues!! It is a good thing I have little brothers who tease me or this spanish guy would have got a piece of my mind in English because he doesn't know it! But thats okay..Jesus said love everyone and it is a lot easier to do as a missionary!

Our last lesson last night was with a recent convert who is phenomenal and he has such an amazing testimony and love for the gospel and he is being an amazing example to his family! 

In short I love being here doing this work in this tiny valley! The people are amazing and I pray we can find all of the people that the Lord is preparing!

Love all of you! Have an amazing week!!

Hermana Kylie D. Hansen

Week 4 in CO

Hey everybody!

Well this week was another crazy one! I have decided that one of the worst things about being a Sister Missionary is being hit on by older men...It is simply the worst!

But on to the more interesting parts of the week....

Monday:

After the usual fun stuff associated with P-Day and preparing for the week, we deep cleaned the car because Zone Conference was the next day. It was sweet and smelled so nice! And it was super shiny until some very kind child of God decided to splash mud all over it! But that's okay.

I also had to pack for exchanges. Then we had a couple of appointments that were super awesome!

We contacted a referral from a young woman in our ward...she is so coool! and we will be putting her on date for baptism when we see her next! Yay!!

Then we went over for a Family Home Evening with the Molinars who are one of the coolest families ever! And they invited one of their friends who is investigating the Church but his parents aren't as cool with it....yet...  ;) One of the daughters is leaving for a her mission in a couple of weeks so we taught her and the family and the young man who wants to learn more. After we finished, it was her turn to teach us. She did so well! She is already a fantastic missionary! After the lesson, Hermana Molinar made doughnuts...from scratch...and I came a little closer to heaven a little more each bite. We ended the lesson and an amazing day!

Tuesday:

I am convinced that every day has a moment that can change us and boy did this happen Tuesday! Joseph Smith once said. "I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force...knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty." And I know that this is true. We woke up super early to go to Rifle for Zone Conference. I have not cried so much since I watched The Fault in Our Stars. I learned that we can never do anything that will keep the Savior from covering everything for us. He covers our weaknesses, faults, sins, mistakes and He truly knows how to help us because He has lived every moment of our lives. I wish I could share everything I learned and how much my testimony was strengthened but there would never be enough time.

Also at Zone Conference they had an amazing lunch that resembled everything I ever grew up with including funeral potatoes. And to make it even better, Sister Smock and I were in the final few with the best/ most clean car. She had never gotten it before now! Yay! 

After Zone Conference, I stayed in Rifle for exchanges. It was so much fun!! One of the miracles that day was that we went to visit a remarkable lady who has been coming to church for over 10 years but wants to wait to be baptized until her husband reactivates and can baptize her. She is from Idaho Falls so we talked for a really long time about the area and restaurants and cool thing to do and of course the Idaho Spud candy bars. the best candy bar in the world. So she walks over to her freezer and pulls two out and gives them to me. I almost cried no joke.  Then we started talking about how much of our family lives there and she might stop in on some of mine. I gave her Grandpa and Grandma's address and phone number so if you guys get s surprise visitor or call don't freak out. She took a picture of me and my exchange companion Sister Chandler so she has proof! She is amazing and I hope that withing the next year I get over there to Rifle! But not yet! I don't want to leave Eagle yet!

We went to see a couple more appointments but no one was home so we went back to their apartment. It was a very very long and spiritually and emotionally draining day. Sleep was very welcome.

Wednesday:

While in Rifle, we did service at a Thrift Store. Then we went to see a less active who is super funny! She is like 75 and she has the funniest outlooks on life! Sister Chandler and I were about to leave when Sister Smock and Sister Moody showed up at her house. Sister Smock loves this lady so it was great! After we left, Sister Smock and I headed home. It was a really pretty drive through so many canyons! It's beautiful here! I am so grateful not to be in the city area! I miss small town!

The rest of the night went so fast! And before I knew it it was Thursday!

Thursday:

I love miracles! And some totally happened today!

First we went back to visit a lady and her mom. They had been investigating the church for awhile but stopped and we didn't know why. Last week during weekly planning, Sister Smock and I were looking through our area book and thought we should talk to this lady and her mother. So we stopped by last week and she told us that she had been cleaning out a bunch of papers and found a card the missionaries had given them a while ago with their number on it. She was just thinking that she should call again when we knocked on her door. Now, I have heard of this happening but it was my first time experiencing it first hand...so I was blown away!

When we visited her on Thursday, she told us more about her life and how many times in the last few weeks she would think of the missionaries or the church and there would be a set of missionaries everywhere she went when she thought about it. It was really really cool. Sister Smock was like, "well I am not just saying this because I am a missionary but it seems like God is trying to tell you something." And the lady was like "I think so too" I love being a missionary and seeing how much the Lord prepares people...and I just got here so I can't even imagine what else is around the corner.

After we saw her, we went to visit one of my favorite people so far. Well I say that about everyone... Anyways.. This man is one of the strongest men I know. He has had a rough go the last couple of weeks and it breaks my heart every time he tells us about something else that happened that shook his faith. But he continues to work and grow from his trials and he is such an inspiration to me. Some people just have that parent personality that makes you love them to the point where they feel like another one of your parents and this is true with this amazing man. He is picking up where he left off when in went less active and he inspires me every single time we meet with him. The members we bring with us to see him are a testimony to me that the Lord sets up people so we can strengthen each other from our experiences. 

With the time that was left in the day we did some finding and went to visit another less active who is originally form England. Wow she is amazing! And the fact that her last name is Hayes makes me love her even more!  She has had a really rough last while but is coming back even stronger. I love how much each of these people strengthen my love for my Savior as I see His hand in their lives. It is truly remarkable.

Friday:

We had weekly planning and when we were finished we went to check on a few people to invite them to church. Then we went to dinner with a member who cooks amazing food! After dinner, we went to teach an investigator but he wasn't home but one of our less actives was so we started to teach her and then the member that we had just been eating with shows up out of the blue because she had been prompted by the Holy Ghost to stop by this lady's house. And it turns out that she had an experience and testimony that was exactly what this woman needed! It was amazing! 

We went to teach a recent convert and I was shown again that the gift of tongues is real! I had no clue what was going on in a specific part of a section of scriptures he was reading with us but  I was all of the sudden given the words to describe what was happening and how it related to his/ our lives..blew my mind!

Saturday:

Revelation is real! In Zone Conference, we learned that our mission is upping a whole bunch of the standards of excellence and one of those is that we are now committing everyone we teach an entire first lesson with to a baptismal date. Yikes! But it works! We taught the first lesson to someone and she accepted March 1st!!! Obedience is real! 

Then we went to a dinner with a member and her son is leaving on a mission next week. While we were eating, he came home for a second with one of his childhood friends and we started talking to him and he wants to start meeting with us! Yay! 

We went to go find some people and tracted into a lady who had had the missionaries over before but because of scheduling issues, they had to stop seeing her. She agreed to be baptized if she found out it was true. She wouldn't agree to a date but she is reading and praying to know. It was a really great day!

Sunday:

Sunday's are great! Super busy but great! After Church we went to the mission prep class that our ward mission leader is teaching with the missionaries who are leaving in the next couple of weeks. It was great to realize how much that class really does help!

We went to see a couple who are less active and that was one of the most...interesting.... visits so far....

We went to dinner with a member couple and then went to see a couple of investigating families.

One of them are a part member family and their oldest and youngest sons are members. The middle one and their parents are not. But this family is so amazing! They work their tails of for everything they have and they do it because they love each other and want to help support one another in all of their lives and they are a huge inspiration to me! I can't wait for the day at some point in the future where I pray that they will enter into the House of the Lord and be sealed together for time and all eternity. 

All in all this week has been so amazing. I say that every week but that's because it is true. Each week I grow a firmer in my conviction that I know that this truly is the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth today. Everything He brought to His church 2000 years ago is found here. He invites all to come and to learn for ourselves if He truly has called a prophet today. And as a servant of the Lord and His prophet President Thomas S. Monson I testify that this is true. And the prophet stands in front of us to lead and guide us when we are willing to stand behind him and obey the things that he asks us to do from the Lord.

I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives. And though He may not move mountains for us, he gives us the strength to climb them. Sometimes we slide back down and have to start over but He is always waiting for us, to pick us back up and dust of off when we fall and help us continue climbing.

I pray that I get to stay in this amazing area for a long while with Sister Smock. I pray that it is at least until she goes home. Fingers crossed!

I love you all! May God continue to watch over and protect you is my constant prayer.

I leave these things with you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

 

Hermana Kylie D. Hansen

Week 3 in CO - Jan 19, 2015

Hello Everyone! How are all of you? 

We had a fantastic week! I am super grateful that I got a ridiculously hardworking companion! Sister Smock is amazingly fantastic! 

Monday:

Mondays are P-days so they aren't incredibly packed with a ton of activities but last Monday was pretty full! We have amazing youth in my ward and two of them are leaving on missions soon. So we have set up this system where we gave the the folletos (pamphlets) for all of the first 3 lessons (The Restoration, Plan of Salvation, and Gospel of Jesus Christ) and each Monday night we teach it to them and then they practice teaching it to us. Throughout the week they study the lessons from Preach My Gospel and the folletos so that they are ready for each Monday night. It's makes for a really awesome FHE activity! 

Tuesday: 

After our studies we went to the animal shelter here and played with the cats and walked one of the dogs. It was fun but I learned the value of carrying a lint-roller everywhere you go! 

Then we went to talk to one of the coolest men on the planet who is going through a really rough time. My heart broke in a gazillion pieces while we were visiting with him. He is working on coming back to church and I loved seeing how strong he is. If I were in his shoes I don't think I would be handling things as well as he is. It goes to show that if we have faith that is solid in the Savior no matter what we can get through everything He calls us to pass through.

Then we did some tracting...but either no one was home or they looked through their peephole and saw who was on the other end. Yay for peepholes...just kidding I do not appreciate them as a missionary...they get in the way.

I also had COSTCO pizza for the first time..it is so good! That is like the only big store around here in our area...and members who have memberships are awesome! After dinner with this member family, we brought the daughter with us for a lesson we had with an investigator...(WHO IS ON DATE FOR BAPTISM ON FEBRUARY 15!!!!!!) She is so awesome! We talked about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and it was such a powerful testimony to me that Jesus Christ really did prepare the way for us to follow.

Wednesday:

We went to the animal shelter again. We played with cats.

Then we went to an appointment with the sweetest old blind man ever! He was baptized last spring and he is huge into skiing. That concept was kinda hard for me to understand the first time but now it makes sense. We helped him with his computer because he couldn't figure out how to put it to sleep. By his computer he has the Bible in Braille...and we think our Bible is big. That one is like 10 volumes of like 1000 pages each. That's dedication! He tells the greatest stories but they take forever so our lessons are more like spiritual thoughts. We talked about faith in the Savior. Faith is a hard concept for some of us to understand but he gets it because that is how he has to live his entire life. Before we started talking about it, he thought that faith was something he really struggled with because past experiences have made it really hard for him to trust people. We talked about how the only person that we can really have 100% faith in is Jesus Christ. We can trust Him completely even though we can't see Him. We can see other people but they often let us down. But Christ never will.

We went to have dinner with an amazing family who has several little girls and the middle one reminds me so much of my youngest sister. She was even wearing  the same shirt that Jillian has. So that was really fun!

It was so amazing to see how much the Lord blesses us when we live the commandments. We went to see our investigator who is getting baptized. We read some chapters from the Book of Mormon and talked about a few of the commandments. I realized the the Lord doesn't give us these things because He thinks it is fun to tell us what to do but because He knows that as we obey them we will grow and change into the people He knows we can become.

Then we went to our 8pm member lesson and this couple is so awesome! They are a Spanish couple who moved here from Mexico and they have amazing stories of how they came into the church and how living the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ blesses their lives.

Thursday:

Thursday was awesome! In the morning we went to translate for a Temple recommend interview and that was a truly powerful experience. It was with a mother who recently joined the Church a little over a year ago and she and her son are going through the Temple for the first time together before he leaves on his mission. It was a surreal experience.

We went to visit another investigator and she has the most adorable children ever. I say that about all children but it is true so that's all that matters!

We had dinner at our Bishop's house..I love food! It is a good thing the Lord has planned a half hour of exercise every morning...

Our next visit was with a young man who has been a member for about three weeks. He just got the Priesthood and his testimony is so inspiring. The young woman who is going on a mission helped us teach the lesson. She is going to be a fantastic missionary!

We watched "Finding Faith in Christ" with a recent convert who is preparing to go to the temple this year. I have never watched it in Spanish before but it was just as powerful! I know that we don't need to have seen Him to know that He is the Savior. We don't need to have been there to know that He did what He did. We didn't need to have seen Him be crucified to know that He died for us and that He lives again.Next, we went to see a referral and he is so nice. He is just a genuinely good man and he wants us to come talk to him evr now and then about spiritual stuff. He has talked to the missionaries in the past a ton and has read the Book of Mormon clear through and he has done this with almost every other  religion and he pulls parts from each of them to apply to his life.

Friday:

Weekly planning...takes forever! But it is great.

We went to visit some of the less -actives. We had a door-step lesson with the man who is having a really hard time. He is a Ute fan and knows that Sister Smock is a die-hard Cougar. So she borrowed my Ute shirt for the lesson to make him smile. And he did! Then he started crying during the lesson a couple of times and it felt awful. Imagine someone ripping your heart out and throwing it into the blender on the puree selection then sticking it back into the freezer to try to piece it together again. Yup that is what it felt like. But in the end it turned out a bit better. The sun rays could be seen through the clouds. I found a really cool scripture in 1 Nephi that talks about how the Lord chooses us in the furnace of affliction because that is how he helps us become better. Like a sword or a diamond we have to go through intense heat and pressure before we can reach our full potential.

We helped read ski wax so that our blind man could label them before he goes skiing. There is a first time for everything! He is fantastic!

Dinner was so good! The member who had us over makes amazing Mexican food and I ate little tacos filled with pieces of heaven and a hint of lime. 

Most of the other appointments we had fell through or cancelled on us so we went to see another of our recent converts and read Alma 32 with him. Then we tried to track down some of the former investigators in the area and had some luck and one of them answered the door. Answering the door is always nice. Now I know how the Kirby salesmen feel...

Saturday:

We had Sisters' Conference in the morning. That's fun. We had a break activity where we had to interpretive dance to hymns. I got "If You Could Hie to Kolob". I pray those stories never surface and everyone forgets about it rather quickly.

We went home and had lunch and stuff and tried to visit some people before dinner but that didn't happen because no one is ever home! But then we went to dinner with a recent convert. She made these enchilada things that completed my day of awesomeness. You make the homemade tortillas and then soak it in hot chili sauce that is boiling on the stove then put cheese slices, beans, meat, and lettuce and tomato. American food is utterly boring and flavorless. Just kidding but Mexican food is superior. Always.

Then we found some new Spanish investigators and it's super exciting!

Sunday:

Sundays are amazing. We had Spanish sacrament meeting so I led the music. And the talks were fantastic! We had 4 of our investigators at church and 2 of our less actives so that was sweet!!

And I saw the guy who plays Levi Savage in 17 Miracles. He is in our ward here. It through me for a loop mentally because his hair was a different color and he was in a suit and tie. But I had a mini mental freak out! I am stoked to officially meet him hopefully this next week.

We went to deliver some notes after church and then after training hour we went to dinner. And we had these meatballs straight from heaven because they were deer meat and some barbecue sauce that is directly from the celestial kingdom! The members here are so amazing

After dinner we went to visit some members and others who have kinda been having a rough week but less than half of them were home.

So we tracted out some of the houses and encountered some very not nice people who had no use for us or the message we share. We know who to send the next missionaries to!

We had our 8 pm memer lesson and I really love them because it helps us get to know everyone and helps us practice. For this one we had a less active young man who was with this member family. It was really cool because we could feel the power of the Restoration and how much the Lord loves us to help us always know the way to return to Him.

This week was another testimony to me of how much the Lord truly does for us when we keep His commandments. It was also very evident that we have to decide which side we want to be on because fence sitters never get anywhere. We have to determine whether or not we will go in with both feet. When we learn how to do this I know that it can change lives because I have started to see that.

I know that these things are true and that they really do help us to grow closer to our Savior.

 

Hermana Kylie D. Hansen

Week 2 in CO - Jan 12, 2015

Oh boy! Life is officially insane!

This week has been super crazy but also super awesome! We found a ton of new people to teach! Since the two of us are the only missionaries in this valley we have all of the Spanish and English people and everyone in between. One of my favorite people we found this week are a young couple who were just married a little over a year ago. They are local small town high school sweethearts and they are adorable. They remind me of a couple in Idaho just minus the Gospel. I am so excited to continue teaching them! Perks of being a greenie: I got to give a talk on Sunday, everyone asks me to say all of the prayers, and because of amazing teachers in Seminary, the lessons are easier and Scripture Mastery saves my life. If only these were the only consequences...

 President Brigham Young once said something to the effect of, " A testimony is grown stronger by the bearing of it than on the knees asking for it." I have seen this so many times this week as we try to take the invitation Christ extended to all of us, "Come, Follow Me," into the world. I have felt the power of Joseph Smith's words describing what he saw. I am so grateful for amazing MTC teachers who urged us to memorize those verses because when you know the words, the power of that surreal experience is manifest in my heart and in the hearts of all who will heed this great message. Elder Bednar came to our mission this week....And because we are over the mountains we didn't get to go but I am glad I got to hear him on Thanksgiving...made it somewhat bearable. I have discovered that authentic Mexican food is probably the best creation in existence! I have never had so many tamales in my life! But it is a price I am more than willing to pay...they are so good! And pico de gallo....aw man...I have discovered that food is a Sister's new man..and I am in love. There will never be another satisfactory substitute..for the next 16 months anyways. They feed us so well and now I know that cutting down our allotted driving miles was a revelation! A common saying in this mission is "Go big or go home. But don't go home big." Now I see why.... Earlier this week my companion and I reenacted a holy war...I will attach a picture and it will make sense...it was fun!

 This week I have gained a stronger testimony of how God gives us the things we go through so that we can relate to other people and how they feel. I was on exchanges in Glenwood and had an experience with someone there that made my heart ache but I knew that it would be okay in the end. I have felt the heartache that she felt in this situation and shared how I came to know that no one really knows how we feel entirely but the Savior of us all. And because Elder Holland fixes everything, one of his quotes from "None Were With Him" helped her in that moment. Moral of the story = memorize Elder Holland quotes. The quote is, "Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are...Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”

 I know that He lives and that He has restored His church on this earth and it is our job to help everyone return to His fold. What an amazing opportunity is that ?!?! And we can learn how to do it through the words of the prophets in the Bible, Book of Mormon and from the mouths of latter-day prophets of God. One of the apostles that came to the MTC told us that President Monson receives revelation for us each and every week and those revelations come to us through General Conference and the monthly Church magazines...I should probably start reading those.... May our God continue to bless you all and watch over you is my constant prayer,"

 With a lot of love,
 Hermana Kylie D. Hansen