TIME FLIES!

Holy cow, this week has gone by so insanely fast. Sister Mitchell talk about that so often - how fast the mission is going! I want to make sure that I'm learning all the lessons that I should be learning before time is up. Nonetheless, I love being tired at the end of each day and thinking about all the people we met and hopefully made an impact on. Helps me to know that I'm doing what God would have me do.

This past week we taught Huneok again! He hadn't read the chapter we assigned him because... he can't read in English. He told us he could! So I'm not holding it against myself :) Haha BUT our Korean ward member gave him a Korean Book of Mormon, so we read with him the chapter we assigned. It was Alma 22, about Aaron and King Lamoni's father (I think? Forgive me, I get characters confused sometimes). Anyway, Lamoni senior wants to know if there's a God and Huneok recognized how he is similiar to Lamoni senior in that he has that small desire as well! Unfortunately, the desire isn't as big as we would like him to have yet, but we keep promising him many blessings in regards to knowing there's a God.

How amazing is it though to know that we have a loving Father in Heaven? But how easy is it to forget that knowledge when you get too wrapped up in the day to day living and the sadness/stress of life? It takes WORK to know that your Father is there - praying, reading scriptures, going to church. These things bring that Spirit which allows us to feel that He really is watching over us and guiding our paths. We just have to put our acts of faith FIRST, and KNOW that blessings will come.

So anyway, Huneok... PRAYED AT THE END! It was in Korean, so I couldn't understand any of it. But the Spirit was strong! Our member later told us what he had said and he prayed to "please help me to see how this will help me". YAY! We were very excited. We look forward to teaching him again this week.

I'll have you know that I acted in TRUE missionary fashion and rode my first BIKE this week! YES. I was on bike from 3pm to 9pm last Thursday. It was amazing... and hard! But I actually did like it. Gives you a lot of time to think and ponder. But we met some amazing people that I'll tell you about next week (maybe) :)

As for updates, WE GO TO THE NATIONALS GAME THIS FRIDAY NIGHT! And guess what? DC North mission is going also. AND we are dressing in our proselyting clothes (typical - suits and skirts/dresses). So there will be a total of 500 Mormon missionaries at the stadium. How amazing is that? Look for me on the jumbotron! I'll be wearing a bright red skirt and blue and white rugby shirt (yes... I've already planned to wear the appropriate Nationals colors :) ) We also have zone conference on the same day (in the morning). So it will be a LONGGG but exciting day :)

Thank you all for your love and support. I love my mission so much and can't imagine being ANYWHERE else right now! Your prayers have helped me to be confident and strong and I deeply appreciate them.

LOVE YOU ALL!

-Sister Hansen

LIVE IN OAKTON

Hello all!

 

This past week has FLOWN. A lot of things are going on and the work is getting exciting! We're hitting the pavement quite often, but blessings are unfolding right before us! Sister Mitchell and I each have very different strongsuits, so we're working on utilizing them to the best of our abilities so that we can leave this area better than we found it!

So last week, we actually found two new investigators! One is actually a former investigator of the Vienna Ward. It's an Oakton recent convert's daughter. Her name is Bell - she is 21 years old and works at Victoria's Secret. (So retail hours make it a little difficult for her to put church as a priority). We didn't expect to teach her that day! We were visiting her mom, who had just gotten home ten minutes prior, and she mentioned that her non-member daughter would be over any minute! We got excited. She came in and was SUPER nice! She talked about what the Elders used to teach her and invite her to do. So we invited her to take out her Book of Mormon again (AND download it on her iPhone) and pray to know if it is true and HOW it can bless her life. She said she would! We asked if we could see her before she left on her vacation (with her boyfriend and his family :/ ) and she told us Friday (of this last week)! We were excited that she wanted to see us before leaving, especially so last minute. But sadly, it wasn't able to happen. We will definitely get into contact with her when she returns! And focus on helping her feel the peace and security she is looking for!

 

We also found another investigator through... TRACTING! Shock. Not really :) But his name is Huneok (Huh-nook) and he is from Korea. He was a very nice man and said quickly that he was Buddhist. We asked him how being Buddhist has blessed his life and he said that he gained PEACE. Well... we told him that there was MORE peace to be had in his life through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He mentioned he was busy but said to come back the next day at 6pm - and come back we DID! And with a Korean member by our side! So incredibly helpful. During our lesson, he admitted to wanting to meet with us mainly to work on his English. We said "Sure! That works for us! Let us teach you English through these messages!" He agreed! Turns out he has a wife and child that are back in Korea and he will be moving back in April. So we have 7 months to change this man's LIFE! He doesn't believe in God, so we're helping him come to that understanding. I'm so excited for the day when he realizes that he DOES have a Father in Heaven that loves him and his family!

We're already seeing so many miracles here. I feel very blessed! I know that as we keep relying on the Lord, He WILL direct our paths. Exhaustion is so real, but so is the Spirit... and its what keeps us going everyday! Speaking of the Spirit, I am currently in the Isaiah chapters of 2nd Nephi in the Book of Mormon (yikes). But I've found some golden nuggets, for sure! One of them being 2 Nephi 21:2 -

2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

Talk about some SERIOUS blessings. As we rely on the Spirit, we receive wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge of the Lord... all of these things I truly want! So I will work on praying mightily for the Spirit each and every moment of my mission so that I can do God's will and not my own.

Thank you all for your love! ENJOY BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!

Loves,

Sister Hansen

PICTURE:

1) Sister Mitchell and I went to the temple yesterday! Wonderful experience (and yes, we saw the new video :) )

 

 

HELLO OAKTON

 

YES. I am in a new area! And YES... it's only five miles away from my old one :) Haha but I have to tell you what happened at transfers -

So Sister Udall is training this transfer and my MTC companion, Sister Mitchell, had a trainee who was ALSO training this transfer. But neither her or I were training. So we had to sit with a BUNCH of other missionaries who had to wait for transfer meeting to start, as we waited for these companions to have their "trainers" meeting. So Sister Mitchell and I spent nearly four hours together. Chatting about our areas and companions and what we think is going to happen at transfer meeting. It's great! I haven't got to spend that much time with her since the MTC, so it was pleasant.

Then transfer meeting starts. Her and I, naturally, are sitting next to each other. President Riggs starts calling out the stakes, in alphabetical order. Each stake goes by and my stomach is tossing and turning, not knowing what is going to happen. Who will be my companion?! WHERE AM I GOING?! Finally, he gets to the LAST stake - Oakton. So I figure, "Okay, I'm in Oakton!" Then I hear my name called so I stand up, so nervous. President Riggs then says "You will be paired with Sister Mitchell as co-senior companions" EEEEEE!!!!! I got so excited!!!!! She was sitting right next to me and stood up and we hugged! Hahaha we were so stoked that we didn't hear where we were going! Hahaha so we had to go ask the Assistants. Silly us!

So we are serving in... Oakton Ward! As the brand new set of missionaries. The Zone Leaders have been serving in this ward and still do, but the work is so on fire here that they got a set of sisters - US! What does this mean? It means we start from scratch! No area book, potentials, former investigators, NOTHING. Pretty daunting. But we're here for a reason, right? So lots of prayers to be had to find those who are ready and willing to hear the gospel!

Went to the ward for the first time on Sunday. SUCH nice people! And a VERY active ward! Senator Orrin Hatch is in our ward (haven't met him yet though), and our bishop is the top heart surgeon at Inova Fairfax Hospital. He even took a class from Russell M. Nelson in college! Lots of lawyers, just like my last ward, and foreign service guys. Feels very familiar to me! I look forward to getting to know them all!

Well, I don't have much to write this week because everything is so new. But I want you all to know that this gospel is TRUE. Sometimes I talk certain things out with my companions and we always say, "The gospel just makes SENSE!" And it does! In my mind AND heart! That's the important part. I'm so grateful that this Church was restored by Joseph Smith - I can't imagine my life without the blessings of the gospel! I hope you all cherish it as much as I do and PAY ATTENTION to how the Spirit works in you! That is how you'll be confident of your testimony!

Love you all!

-Sister Hansen

PICTURE:

1) Me in front of our new apartment! YAY!