LOL

January 30, 2013

Hey everyone!!!!!!!!

This week we actually had a pretty good one! I was really frustrated for most of it with my Spanish and our investigators. But looking back on it, it was really good.

Yesterday I got my stuff!!!! Finally!!  I'm lovin it! I got letters, The package from mom and dad, From jane and Steve (the amazing picture of Gabriel), Also a package from Natalie, Joel and Sheila. Let's just say that it was a really happy late Christmas! Haha MOM the pillowcases that you made are so dang sweet! Also my companion loves the stuff that you guys gave him! He is now drowned in talks from General Conference that he can hardly understand... hahah but he doesn't care. I also love right now to have my patriarchal blessing! I read it this morning and I just felt the Spirit so dang strong! Thank you so much everyone for everything! I loved it for sure!!!

We had a big meeting with President Brough in the Capital yesterday and that was awesome as usual. I know that he is called specifically of God to guide us and help us with everything here. He talked a lot about the hope. That is something that I have been lacking a little bit bit I'm really working hard to get that back. I notice that when I just keep my head up and keep walking, I feel the best and the days go by so dang fast. 

We're still not having hardly anyone in the church. But we're still working really hard with the investigators that we do have. Josue left and we have no no no no idea where he is haha. Another lady that wanted to be baptized got in a huge fight with her husband and moved and we have no idea where! What the heck is happening here is Sipacate???? hahaha But it's all good. All we can do is work!

Right now in Sipa there is a huge carnival that is going on in all of the streets! There are rides and all that cool stuff. Tons of people that just sit in the streets all day and sell random stuff! It's crazy! These people do that for their jobs. Just travel from city to city in Guatemala selling stuff and staying in that one city. We've talked to a lot of them and hardly any of them have real houses and I just am thinking how hard that kind of life would be. We are so blessed!!

I'm having a lot of fun still here. I'm trying to keep my head up and work really really hard and just be obedient. President Brough told us something yesterday. He said that we may not see the results of our work and obedience right now in the mission but those blessings will come for sure. Later in our lives with our future families. I'm a firm believer that what I'm doing right now will bless my future family. I love being here and speaking Spanish haha. The language is coming along but it's far from perfect. I'm a little nervous for changes because we're getting a ton of missionaries in this change, Which means that I might have to train. I will do it if I'm called but I'm a little nervous haha.

It's sad to hear about Grandma M but I know that she's happy to be where she is with Gabe and Grandpa M. She lived an amazing life! 89 years old! That's so amazing!

I love you guys so much! Thank you so much for everything that you do for me and also everything that you guys sent me! Keep praying for me and my companion, we need it haha. Have a great week everyone and I will talk to you soon! The time is going so fast!!!!!!

Love, Elder Hanson 3

WHOOOOOOOO

January 22, 2013

Hey everyone.

This week was another solid week! We're feeling a lot better about everything and we found a couple people that are ready to be dunked!! Hopefully... haha. But everything is going really well. It's still really hot and now we have to make the permanent switch to bucket showers. Instead of only like 4 days out of the week we get to take bucket showers every day! Now I know I'm in the same Guatemala as dad was. By the way, I promise that it wasn't me that broke the shower...

We found this guy named Josue Hernandez and he is a freakin stud! We have a date for him for the 3rd of February and that one is actually looking good. When we find a person that can actually understand what we're talking about, it's really really exciting. Also we found a lady that had already went to chruch a bunch of times named Hilda Colindres and she is really sweet haha she's so funny and is always saying swear words in Spanish and that's always quite funny. Rightnow those are the two people that we are really focusing ourselves in. With Abdias, he gained his testimony but can't be baptized because he has school every single Sunday and can't come to church. So if we baptized him, it wouldn't be that good because he'd just be inactive. But things are looking up right now.

We had the opportunity to go to the city and listen to Elder Christofferson this week. First of all, he speaks perfect Spanish. It was so dang amazing!!!! We had all of the mission south and all of Central and also all the north mission! It was freaking packed!!! He walked into the room and immedietely the whole Spirit of the room changed. I don't know how people that have come in contact with GA's can not just feel the Spirit and want to be baptized! It's just something different with them. They are really called of God and have seen and done things that we can't even dream of. He talked about repentance and how important it is to our message. Because that's really what we're doing right now. Teaching the world how to repent and come unto Christ through the Atonement. It was really so amazing and such a huge spiritual boost for all of us. 

I've been writing to Chris almost every week! That stud muffin. And my boi Colly Wolly! Ready to kill it tomorrow!!!!! I hope that everything will turn out good for my little chodemiester. LOL. I can't wait for Lars either! You guys better let me know where the heck he is going!! Man it's crazy how things change and how things just stay completely the same. Like Gus, still getting grounded from Xbox every other week and then getting it back again just like it's Christmas day all over again! Pilas este cuate!!!

Well I'm loving it right now. I'm lucky to be in such a great mission with such a great President and great missionaries. I have no idea what I'm gonna do when changes come haha I just try not to think about it. We still have about a month until that comes. But everything is good for the moment! I love you all and thank you so much for the support that you all give me. I always have you in my prayers!!

Much love, Elder Hanson <3

HEYYYYYY

January 15, 2013

HEYYYYYYYYY

First of all WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH THIS WEEK??????? at least my boi colly wolly is going to get out on his mission!!! This last week was a straight up struggle! We didn't have the baptism of Abdias because this chambone dropped out literally 10 minutes before church. Also all of our other investigators that had dates for their baptisms dropped out on us. It's getting really frustrating. All i can do is keep my head up and try and find people that will be able to understand the importance of this message.

So proud of my boi Colin for getting out there and gettin it done!! YEAYH BABY!! I know he'll totally kill it out there. Bummer that he has to go the MTC in provo for now. What the heck is going on with the Visas to other countries?? No one can get these freaking things!!! That's got to be really frustrating. I didn't need a visa to come here because here we can stay on our passport for 2 years. CALIDAD. All we can do through all these changes and challenges is keep our head up and never ever ever lose the faith. It says in Eter that if we lose the faith WE ARE NOTHING YO. Just gotta keep your head up like my boi 2pac always said. But seriously, we always have to have the faith. Love the joke of Colin by the way.

Here's the story with Abdias...We had his interview on Friday night and he didn't pass and had to talk to President Brough. That never ever happens. So the next day we had to have the interview by phone with President and everything went good with that. He passed and seemed really excited for his baptism the next day. All he told us was that he was going to visit his aunt that night and talk to her about everything that was going to happen. We didn't see anything to worry about. The next day, Sunday, we called him and I asked him if he was ready. He replied in English ''I'¡m not ready'' I was like ''WHAT??????'' I guess he talked to his aunt that night and she told him a bunch of crap about everything and that all the stuff in the church isn't true and it's a bunch of lies and so he didn't want any more after that. That was soooooooooo frustrating. Me and my companion were pretty dang mad and frustrated and bugged after that. But like I said, we always need to maintain the faith. We just needed to calm down and say a prayer. We had a couple investigators in Sacrament Meeting but right now we're not looking at anyone that we're going to be able to baptize in this month.

The question for our investigators this week was, ''Do you want to be baptized? Yes or no?'' If they answered no (which all did), Adios que le vaya bien. or in other words we just dropped them. Because we know that for every person that we don't baptize, there is someone else that is ready for the Gospel.

We had splits this week with other missionaries and I stayed in Sipacate with the district leader and my companion went to the other area. All I can say about that is I have no idea what I'm going to do when i have to get a new companion haha. But that time will come and it will be weird for a minute but it will all end up good.

We have an awesome opportunity this week to get to hear from Elder Cristofferson in the Capitol! Normally the coast doesn't get to go because it's so dang far but this time we do! WHOOOOO! That will be a big spiritual boost for the whole entire mission. On the 29 is the zone conference when I'll get my stuff (hopefully). I guess the package from the family and the backpack are in the office right now. One of the sister companionships went there and she told me that she saw it haha but who knows when I'll get it. LOL...not! 

But everything is going good here. I know that I'm always going to have problems and challenges with the people here but we just need to keep our heads up and keep working. There are always people that are looking for the truth but just don't know where to find it until we knock on the door, or gate or cement wall haha. I love you all!! Thanks for all the support!!!!!

Love, Elder Hanson

January 8, 2013

HOOOOOOOLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAA

1.  How is your testimony growing? Yeah I really feel like it is. I love teaching and helping people. Or should I say, trying to help people haha but yeah i love to study the Book Of Mormon every single morning and i get a lot out of the that usually.
2.  Do you feel like you get a lot out of your study time? Yeah if I really focus myself I can get a lot out of it. I love the Book of Mormon and reading about the awesome prophets. Lots of times when I read, I feel the spirit so dang strong! The words in this book are so so so powerful!
3.  Is it true you can't go in the water? Yeah it´s true. We can´t even like dip our toes in the water haha it´s pretty wild but it is probably something really good for our safety. 
4.  Please tell me you got my Christmas package by now... NOPE hahahaha I will probably get it on the 29 of this month when we have our zone conference, If i´m lucky haha but it´s all good. I´ll get it eventually.
5. We just got your package.....WHOOOOO FINALLY!!! It´s some pretty cool stuff and I thought you guys would like it. I don´t know what you´ll use it all for but whatever it´s cool to have at the house!

Whoo!!! We didn´t have a baptism this week haha but that is okay because it would have been really forced and the kid wouldn´t have gone to church after. We can´t just baptize for numbers out here. We went to visit this kid like 6 different times this week and it takes about an hour to get to his house, and that´s if we don´t teach anything to anyone. So it was a really big waste of time and a ton of money! We found the kid one day in the street and we told him to come to his house with us and he just darted off running. This was the moment when we realized that he wasn´t a really good option for a baptism haha. 

We have a baptism planned for this week and that one is going to be sure. He is named Abdias De Leon and he is 16 years old. He is freaking awesome!! He came up to us in the street one day and wanted us to visit him. We went to look for him and we couldn´t find him. We were really disappointed with that. He found us again in the street! We talked and went to his house and talked to him and right off the bat he wanted to get dunked baby!!! We´ve worked really hard to have a baptism and I really believe that this was a blessing straight from Dios that this kid just fell right in our laps,... TWICE!!! WHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I really had a good week and we taught like freaking animals. 40 lessons!!! That´s insane. No one does that. No one. My spanish is gettting better and better every day. I am loving to speak it and get better at it. I´m really grateful for the opportunity i have to be here learning such an awesome skill. I know that´s not why i´m here but it´s a good perk haha. I love just listening to people and seeing the progress that i´ve made. I love being here!

My companion completed 1 year this week and to celebrate we bought a cake with ice cream!! hahaha and then for dinner we had Cup and Noodles!!!! WHOO!!!! So lucky we are! He says that it´s really so crazy how fast the time flies. I believe him too. It seriously just seems like yesterday I was packing my bags with mom and getting ready to go. I really am so grateful to be here helping people. And I can´t wait to do more!!! I love you all and can't wait to hear from you!!

Until next week,

Elder GOOOOPPPPPPSSSSSS HANSON

Happy New Year!

Feliz Ano Nuevo

Did Arnulfo ever come home?

Arnulfo is no where to be found!!!!!!! what the fetch haha but we're really working hard with his son and that kid has a good desire but he is always working haha. We have a baptism planned for this week with this patoho that is 10 years old and his parents are less actives. That's gonna be good. We have a goal of 5 baptisms this month and we're gonna freaking do it!!!!!


Do you ever go to the beach at all?
We want to one of these p days but we never have time to do it. All we would do there is play freaking soccer and everyone that knows me knows that i can't do anything with my feet. I'm like a freaking dork wad with my feet haha


Have you gone fishing yet? 
No we haven't gone fishing but we have kicked frogs in the street and killed a couple chickens each. Actually for Christmas dinner i ate a chicken that i killed with a member. Needless to say it was one of the grossest things i've ever eaten. Not only because of the taste but just for the knowledge that i killed this thing. It was so weird haha


Is your Spanish comprehension improving?  
One thing that I have noticed with my Spanish is that when i learn something i remember it way better now. Like if someone teaches me a word I can usually remember it. That's something that is really helping me.


Do you have the boo constantly? 
No actually not very much at all. We can't eat out of the street para nada so it's just in the house and fruit and with the cocinera. There are these things that we can eat from this restaurant in our area called Gringas and it's funny because that is the food and also it's a white girl haha so i always say, ''yo quiero mi Gringa'' and it has a nice sneaky double meaning. I'm just really funny like that i guess...

Well Christmas was good and the best part was talking with you guys.  I got a little homesick right after but all was good with it after. We had a pretty fun day that day but didn't teach much on Christmas eve or Christmas day because no one was in the house. They were all in the playa!! But we had fun anyway. 

I am SO FREAKING JEALOUS of Les Mis. I knew it would be amazing. With the Hobbit i didn't expect the greatness of the trilogy. But still I am jealous haha. 

I don't really have a lot of stuff to tell you. We're always working really really hard and walking like crazy. My feet are really a lot better. I hardly notice them anymore. I gave a blessing today in Spanish and it was hard. I was pretty scared to do it at first but after I put my hands on his head everything was good! I actually gave a pretty good blessing in Spanish and I was pretty pleased with myself.

I'm glad you guys had a great Christmas! That sounds so fun all the stuff that we do every year. It's crazy that it's already the New Year! I can't believe that it was a whole year ago that we were in the house with colly wolly, Chris and fat nat doing literally nothing! ''It's in the Bible blank blank'' hahahahaha Guess  who!!!!! Freak so great! The time goes by so fast when we are working hard and teaching a lot. We are really working hard on trying to find people that are going to recieve the gospel and it's not working quite yet! But very soon!!!!! We are always having fun though. Last night we bought a whole ice cream cake and we are going to start off the new year with a nice bang with this delicious beaut!

Let me know when you guys get stuff. Freaking mail down here sucks so bad. I've sent like 10 letters out but i don't think any have gotten there. I haven't gotten the package or anything else from anyone but that will probably get to me around the middle of this month when we have zone conference. It's hard to be disconnected but it's probably something good for me. 

I will send pictures to you guys next week because right now I'm not on a computer that i can send them! I love you so so so much! always praying for you guys! I hope all is well and i know it is! Let me know how everything is! I love to hear from all of you. 

Much love,

Elder Hanson