HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I'm sorry I don't have very fun titles for my e-mails. My creativity doesn't extend that far. This week was INCREDIBLE though! So much has happened, I don't even know where to begin... but I'll try :)

So we saw A LOT of Elena and her family this week - good sign, right? We hope so! We're working on members stopping by in between our visits and lessons so that she doesn't just have to see/talk to us, but that she can makes friendships with those in the ward. We went to dinner (at IHOP - Chicken and Waffle... YUM) with Elena and her daughters on Monday and brought a member that lives on her street. It was great! A fun, relaxing atmosphere where we could talk about how she liked church, etc. We eventually found out that Elena's main concern is with being baptized a second time. She was baptized as a Christian into the Russian Orthodox church at 27 years old. She feels like it would be a "double standard" to be baptized AGAIN. So... we knew we needed to teach about the priesthood.

On Thursday, we had a lesson at the Bratts house. Brother Bratt served his mission in Ukraine but spoke Russian, so he love chatting with Elena and she loves it too! We talked about the priesthood - what it is, why it's important, and how it will bless her! Elena has been suffering with pain from her past cancer surgery, where some nerve endings were damaged. She received a priesthood blessing from Brother Bratt and another member of the ward. The Spirit was strong and though I think she felt it too, she didn't like to admit it too much :) I think it's something she'll remember forever though. Plus, Brother Bratt offered a prayer at the end in Russian and I think that made her feel the Spirit even MORE!

Then on Friday, we went to the Temple Visitor Center with Sister Erickson from the ward, who is also a single mom and suffered a bout with cancer. Lana and Liza LOVED the temple! They thought it was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. We got it set up earlier with the Visitor Center to provide a Russian sister missionary to lead our tour. Elena was SO EXCITED! It warmed her heart, I know. We watched Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration - which is definitely a powerful movie. We realized then HOW MUCH information we've been giving to Elena and that we hadn't really asked much about her understanding! So that's what we'll focus on this upcoming week.

At the Trunk or Treat party on Saturday, Elena and her daughters came, but ALSO Sun Jung and her family! I was SO SURPRISED! Because they don't know much English, I was afraid they would be too shy to come. But they CAME!!! Her little daughters loved all the games and candy. They met MANY members, all of our Korean speakers in the ward, and even considered coming to church the next day (though they did not). But it was so successful! I love activities like this where EVERYONE feels welcome!

We have definitely had a blessed week. We want to focus on finding more investigators this week because all of our time and attention has been centered on Elena and Sun. This is good, but there are more of God's children waiting to hear the message! So we have to go find them.

I find myself using this quote by Elder Richard G. Scott A LOT when talking with members, non-members, and other missionaries about the Atonement. This was said by him just this last conference:

"The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of past poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy."

I am SO GRATEFUL for this knowledge - to know that God looks upon my weaknesses not as rebellion, but with mercy! I hope you all remember that. Don't be too hard on yourselves, but be hard enough that you have the desire to improve.

I love you all! Thanks for your prayers and support - it's working!

LOVES,

Sister Hansen

 

Pictures:

1)TEMPLE! Sandwiched between us are Lana (7), Elena, and Liza (9)

2)Sun Jung and her family at Trunk or Treat!

"There can be MIRACLES, when you believe..."!

I know I've used that song lyric before as a title, but it's because it's TRUE. And because I always love a good Whitney [Houston] and Mariah [Carey] duet :) Anyways, we've experienced some powerful changes this week that I'm so incredibly excited about!

First, I'll talk about Sun, our Korean investigator. She read even MORE chapters in the Book of Mormon and even told us that she's understanding it more easily now. Of course, she had a question about why Nephi just HAD to kill Laban, but who doesn't, right? Haha We focused our lesson this week on addressing the Spirit and helping her learn how to recognize it. We asked how she feels when we meet with her and she said she feels "comfortable". DEFINITELY a feeling of the Spirit, if I do say so myself! And the fact that her comprehension of the Book of Mormon is increasing is another Spirit indication. I'm so grateful for how the Spirit works in SO many ways!

Because we only meet with her once a week, we knew we needed to take it to the next level. So we had a member of our ward, Brother Featherstone, meet us in front of her apartment. He served his mission in Korea and still knows the language quite well. We didn't know WHAT to expect when we knocked on the door ('cause we didn't plan this visit with her), but her husband opened it (who we haven't formally met) and he tells his wife "Oh, your missionaries are here!" She got so excited!!! She let us right in (which I was a little shocked because there was us, Brother Featherstone, and a laurel we had out on an exchange with us - 5 people total!). But it all worked out :) They let us in and gave us apple cider. We got to know her husband a little bit and chatted with her cute little Korean daughters too (9 and 6 years old)! Turns out, the husband would LOVE to learn about what we're teaching Sun, but he is incredibly swamped with full-time school and work in DC. We understand, and we KNOW that as we continue to teach her, she will share with him what she's learning! I'm excited for that day :)

So here's where our BIG miracle comes in - Elena (our Russian potential investigator) is now our ACTUAL investigator and even came to church on Sunday with her two daughters. And stayed ALL THREE HOURS. I was on an exchange with a Sister Training Leader, Sister Paramore, on Tuesday and we stopped to see if Elena had read any of her Russian Book of Mormon. She said she had glanced at it, but that she wanted us to stay and teach her daughters about the Ten Commandments. Soon enough, Sister Paramore was inviting her to church and we were teaching doctrine! She said she would come and we could meet with her that Friday. One of her daughters, Liza, is 9 years old and is now a new investigator as well! So on Friday, we watched the Restoration movie with a member family and it was powerful. Definitely something that resonated with Elena, Liza, and Lana (her 7 year old daughter)! They all enjoyed church and we are having dinner (and a lesson) with them tonight at IHOP! Please pray for this family - there are some tough struggles they need to overcome before they fully let the Spirit in and realize that this gospel is the TRUTH.

I'm so grateful to have met the people that I have on my mission. Members, non-members, acquaintances, EVERYONE. At church on Sunday, I just had a little Spirit-induced epiphany and thought "I am so blessed to be surrounded by these people!" Especially Elena, to see how members have helped her thus far and how they will continue to look out for her - no matter what happens. I KNOW that this is Christ's church, full of His disciples, because I have seen countless examples of His love come from these faithful members.

Continue doing what you're doing and just as we learned in Conference, look for how you can "improve day by day"! Your influence does more than you realize. Remember that!

LOVE YOU ALL,

Sister Hansen

 

Picture: This picture was taken at our Day of Service Activity. We're standing with the Elders that we served alongside last transfer, Elder Day and Elder Munton. BOTH are from Southern California... figures! haha

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY.....

 

LUCKILY... the rain did go away. Did anyone see the forecast of the East Coast lately? What a nightmare! We had three straight days of just DOWN-POUR. Not a light mist, but a heavy fall. It was CRAZY. I went through 6 pairs of socks and 3 pairs of boots in 3 days. Absolute mayhem. BUT... it has stopped and the beautiful Fall weather has set in. The leaves are changing and I'm LOVING IT!

 

 

So I know that I mentioned that our teaching pool is lacking right now. But I think I failed to say that we do have ONE investigator - and she's PROGRESSING! Such a miracle. Let me tell you about her:

 

 

Her name is Sun Tuang and she is from (you guessed it) South Korea! Just like Huneok (who we got to see, by the way. He is moving to Ballston, VA this week - SAD). She has lived in the US with her family (husband and two little girls) for two years while her husband goes to school at Georgetown and works. She is the CUTEST. Unfortunately, we can't understand much of what she says and she can't understand us :( We bring our Korean member so that helps A LOT, but we are really learning how to teach simply! So we were able to get her a Korean Book of Mormon in the hopes that she understood the importance of it and would read it. Found out at our last lesson that she read 4 chapters! FOUR CHAPTERS!!!! This is huge! Haha I was so excited. She said that she was confused, but in my mind, I thought about how the Spirit guided her to read the word, even if she didn't understand much of it. THANKFULLY, we picked up Korean pamphlets and this should help us in our teaching. Pray for Sun and her family!
 

The majority of our work is with less-actives. The one I told you about last week, Monica Charmok, is doing SO WELL. She joined the church 18 years ago and was only active for 2 years. And though she's thought about going back for a long time, something always stopped her. Monica told us last week that she feels closer than she's ever been. She suffers from anxiety and depression, so going to church can be difficult for her. BUT we missionaries are good at starting with the basics. We are getting her to pray VOCALLY (remember that counsel?) and to read her scriptures each day - we know that this will REALLY prepare her for entering into those chapel doors again. She even told us last week that she was once on track to enter the temple and how she desires to have that be her goal again. AMAZING!

 

 

I feel so blessed to be working with Monica. She reminds me a lot of my beloved Sister Bradshaw from Great Falls. Missionary work extends to more than just baptisms - I'm a firm believer in that, CLEARLY! Haha but seriously, I can see the Spirit work within these women and its changing their lives! All they need is someone to show them and a lot of love and support from the ward. I feel blessed to be a part in their returning back to that which they once loved and knew to be true. It's humbling really - take nothing for granted... especially the GOSPEL!
 

Thank you so much for all of the love and prayers! I feel them all! Have a wonderful week and enjoy the FALL - before it's gone!

 

 

Loves,

Sister Hansen

 

 Picture:

This is our Zone at "Gifts of the Heart"! It's an annual event where members of the church donate things they don't want and it turns into this GIANT one-day thrift store where less-fortunate members and nonmembers can take stuff home for FREE. It's really cool! We got to help out :)

 

 

 

WHAT A WEEK!

WHAT A WEEK!

So something I failed to mention at the start of last transfer is that Sister Mitchell and I (who are still together and in Oakton!) have been assigned to teach an English As a Second Language class (ESL). These types of classes are HUGE in the DC area because there are SO many different nationalities. Well, this week was our first class! We hold it on Fridays in the morning and afternoon, an hour each. We have it in the community center of a government housing project called Yorkville in Fairfax. This complex is comprised of nearly 90% political refugees and most of that 90% being from Somalia. So no English... no matter how long they've lived here. It's a challenge! But I LOVED IT! It was SO MUCH FUN. I taught students from Morocco, Korea, Pakistan, China, and Lao. It's so cute to see how HARD they work on they're English. Some take notes and everything. We even had two ladies come to BOTH classes, just so they could learn more. One lady from South Korea thanked me for speaking so clearly and being a good teacher... warmed my heart! I LOVE being surrounded by so much diversity. Probably, hands down, the best part of this mission.

For conference this weekend, we had a miracle! We watched Saturday morning session as a less active's house. Her name is Monika Charmok and she joined the church 18 years ago, but has been less active for a long time. She has some anxiety and depression issues, so I wish we had watched Elder Holland's talk with her! But we actually found out THAT DAY that this was her first conference she had EVER watched. AMAZING! She currently has a roommate (temporary) who is from Arizona! Her name is Carla Mannes, and she is a HOOT. She is a member of the Church and really helped get our Sister Charmok involved in this conference session! So grateful for her. So grateful for GREAT members!

Well, I really did LOVE conference. I don't even know where to start with my favorite parts. But I was looking over my notes today and something jumped out at me. It was from President Uchtdorf's talk, when he responded to "Why join this church?" The first point he mentioned - "Because it is a church that was restored by Christ HIMSELF." Have you ever thought of it that way? I don't think I have. We tell people all about Joseph Smith and his role in the Restoration, but none of that would have happened had Christ not appeared to him in the first place! But I LOVE THAT. This is HIS church and it was brought back in HIS time, with the partnership of our loving Heavenly Father. It's incredible!

I'm so grateful to be a missionary at this day and time. Thank you all SO much for your love and prayers. I know I say this all the time, but they mean the world to me!

LOVES,

Sister Hansen

PICTURE:

1) This is Hermana Ward! Who I went on the Spanish exchange with. She's da best!

TARGET FUN!

HELLO ALL!

This week went by EXTREMELY fast. We had lots of meetings and different things going on.One of the meetings was a Half Mission Conference, where we talked about the baptism goal as a mission for the rest of the year. The goal is for 166 baptisms - one per companionship per month. YIKES. Sister Mitchell and I are ready to WORK. We've lost most of our investigators this week due to different reasons, so we're ready to find the ELECT.

 

So we had exchanges (when you mix-up companionships) with the Spanish Hermanas from Spring Lake Ward! They went really well! Hermana Stanford came to Oakton to help Sister Mitchell out - that's when they found us a new investigator, Jerome! (Who we now have to drop because his wife won't let him learn :( ) And I went with Hermana Ward to Sprink Lake. It was great! I wish I could have been of more assistance in the language department, but I could actually understand MOST of what was being said. Hermana Ward asked one of her investigators who she would like to say the opening prayer during a lesson. She offered herself and a member that was present as "Espanol" prayers or me, an "Ingles" prayer. Her investigator chose me! Haha so I said a very simple prayer in English and though I know her sweet spirit couldn't understand too much of what I said, I hope she felt the Spirit!

We had a miracle in bringing a referral from the Hermanas to the New Member Fireside last night! We called him at 6:30, got a member to pick all us up, and went an hour later! I've never seen the work hasten so quickly! Sadly, we had to hand him over - but to the Oak Marr sisters... WHOM WE LOVE! (They live in our complex and we give them rides everywhere because they're on bike). So I couldn't be happier. Can't wait to work hard to achieve this baptism goal - we're gonna make it!

I so appreciate all of your love and prayers. I feel them everyday! Some days, I find myself so EXCITED to go out and find people, even though I know rejection is inevitable, and I really think it's because of the prayers you're sending my way. So THANK YOU!

Again, apologies for a short message. Next week will be of more substance :)

LOVES,

Sister Hansen

PICTURE:

Us messing around in Target :)

PRAY VOCALLY

HELLO ALL!

 

This week went by SO fast. Can you believe transfers are in a week and a half? So insane. Sister Mitchell and I have NO idea about what is going to happen. She wants to train again (not because she doesn't like me [maybe], she just loves being a trainer) and I... don't know what I want! Haha but what I FEEL like is going to happen is that I will be staying in this area at least another transfer. A missionary pointed out to me that there are "mover" missionaries, that get transferred every few transfers, and then there's "stayers" - like me. Great Falls for 6 months, Oakton for... who knows! I do love the ward and have a strong desire to increase their own efforts in missionary work. We'll see what happens!

 

So a woman I have yet to tell you about is Elena Novikova. We met Elena outside as she was doing some lawn renovation in her front yard. She is originally from Moscow, Russia and has been in the states for over 10 years. She has had a VERY VERY sad and hard life. And because she's quite the talker, Sister Mitchell and I have tried to listen and be supportive to her. But after visiting her about the fourth time, we FINALLY had a lesson with her! By the end, she wanted to read the Book of Mormon, and she offered the closing prayer! We were so elated.

 

...But then, we went back to see how she was doing and it was not good. She had been crying, saying that she recently had talked with her relatives in Russia who want to practically disown her because of decisions she's made. She even told us that she tried to open the Book of Mormon but the Holy Spirit told her not to (doubtful)... that it's not HER book. SO DEPRESSING. She feels a sense of loyalty to her family and the Russian Orthodox church. After all this, we said a prayer with her and then she dismissed us. We still keep in touch with her and pray for her daily. It's hard to see someone who could use the gospel SO MUCH and then to deny it. Please pray for Elena, that her heart will be softened!

 

A miracle we had this week was when we were in an Elena's neighborhood actually, and we saw someone parking a U-Haul outside her house. We were so confused! We waited for the person to come out and then went up and talked to him. Turns out, his name is Amit (ah-meet), and he lived around the corner but needed a place to park his U-Haul for the night. He is originally from Nepal and his wife just moved to the US one week ago! As we taught him a little about the Restoration, he says "You need to help my wife learn English!". We told him we'd love to! He then said "How about right now?" So he takes us to the apartment where they're living, which is with his wife's sister and roommate (and their children). We spend the rest of the night teaching about the nature of God, the Spirit, and prayer! Renu, Amit's wife, was so great. She enjoyed the lesson and took hold of the chance to practice her English. So much so that she offered a prayer in English at the end! It was simple and beautiful.

I hope you all took my challenge to pray vocally. It really is life-changing, and I notice it's power now more than ever with my investigators. But what's so important to go along with that prayer is the SPIRIT. We were asked to memorize more scriptures on our missions, so the one I chose this week is D&C 8:2-3:

2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.

How AMAZING is it to know that the Spirit we feel when we pray and when we receive revelation is the SAME spirit that Moses had when he performed this almighty miracle?! I love how God works. He's no respecter of persons. There aren't multiple kinds of Spirit, testifying of Him - JUST ONE. And we have it, or at least can feel it! Seek it throughout your day. It is there, I promise.

 

I love you all! Thanks for YOUR prayers on my behalf. They bring the Spirit into my life, even more so! Have a wonderful week :)

 

Loves,

Sister Hansen

PICTURES:

1) My new LONG nails! I'm a happy girl :)

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

 

Seriously though guys! It was an amazing week. THANK YOU for all of the birthday wishes! 22 feels old, though I know it's not. The mission is just so... young. Haha nonetheless, I had so many kind missionaries and ward members wish me a happy birthday! It felt nice :)

The BIG event of the week though was Friday - Zone Conference and NATIONALS GAME. To start with Zone Conference, we learned about the importance of having investigators offer a vocal prayer in the lesson. It can be difficult because the Bible technically talks about praying in "secret" and in your "closets". But how HUGE of a step it is when we DO get someone to pray out loud! D&C 19:28 talks about how praying vocally is a commandment! So this is something we're working on applying more in a our lessons. Had a great example occur this past week:

We found a new investigator! Her name is Geeta, and she's a busy mom of a 4 year old son, named Darin. She is Hindu and comes from Mumbai, India. We found her tracting and talked about prayer, the nature of God and baptism on her door step. She invited us to come back a couple days later, where we were able to bring a member with us! Well, the time came for us to have a closing prayer and we asked her to offer it. She seemed a little hesitant, but then asked, "What if you said a prayer first? Then I can model my prayer after yours!" We were excited! I said a short, slow prayer, asking for the Spirit to remain and testify. Then SHE said a prayer, expressing thanks for her family and for us. It was TENDER! Our member was so excited that she prayed, that she start light clapping as soon as the prayer was over hahaha. But the Spirit was there, and Geeta felt it. We look forward to seeing her again really soon!

Now to the NATS GAME. What a TREAT!!! Since it was only three days after my birthday, I considered it a birthday game. It was INCREDIBLE! Being there with the whole mission, talking to everyone, people seeing our tags and asking questions, riding the Metro at midnight and being so swamped... IT WAS THE BEST. It will be such a great memory for me! I have met so many wonderful missionaries here and love spending time with ALL of them. Heavenly Father knows I love baseball and friends... He truly blessed me this week :)

To repeat what I said earlier, I know the importance of praying out loud! Think about it... we can write our testimonies down wherever we went, but when we get up and say our testimony in sacrament meeting - how much more powerful is the Spirit? To vocalize our testimonies is to bring the Spirit one hundred-fold! The same goes with prayers. Always have a prayer in your heart - I'm working on that as a missionary. But I challenge all of you to say at least one vocal prayer a day. Keep that Spirit present in your life!

Love you all and thanks again!

LOVES,

Sister Hansen

PICTURE:

1) Happy Birthday to me! Hahaha this is at a member's house for dinner. Sister Mitchell made it known it was my birthday, so the lovely member put a candle in my vanilla pudding :)