Hillary at the Pentagon!

 

LOTS to update you on this week! I apologize for the late send of this e-mail - preparation day was CRAZY. We actually were able to go on a tour of the Pentagon, guided by a member of our ward that works there! Pretty neat (see attached picture)... definitely helped boost my patriotism. The 9/11 Memorial was special too!

So to start with Chad - he's doing... okay. He did a little researching of his own on the internet and was discouraged, to say the least, about what he found. Remember, Chad is a very intellectual guy. He likes the facts and even admits to struggling with the "faith" part (SO IMPORTANT). We had two lessons with him this past week, and they just didn't go as planned. However, he came to our ward Christmas party, to church, and to a Christmas Concert held on Sunday night. I would say his testimony lies first in the people of the Church, then in the church services themselves, and then... somewhere down the line... the actual doctrine and Restoration of the gospel. So our focus this week is to get him BACK to focusing on the basics - the Book of Mormon and PRAYER. I know, without a doubt, that THIS is what will help him with his objections and concerns. We have a lesson with him tonight and plan on getting him to focus more on his heart than his mind, and that way, the Spirit will fuel his desire to find out if the Book of Mormon is TRUE scripture! Keep him in your prayers :)

Brother Garlock is doing well! He is coming to church this Sunday, and we will meet with him afterwards. After a VERY long lesson this past week on the second floor of a trendy McDonald's in Arlington, we finally discovered what his major concern is. He's very personal about it, so I won't share it on here. However, I know that all he needs to remember and understand is that God has not forgotten him. We're working with him on praying in front of us (at the end of lessons and such), but he's being a tough cookie. I think that the more we remind him about the beautiful simplicity of the gospel, his testimony will allow him to open up more and be willing to PRAY!

Marvin is our NEW less-active member that we're working with. He is what you would call a "golden" less-active (similar to a "golden" investigator), meaning there is no pushing or shoving on our parts in order to get him to come to church. He just comes and LOVES coming! Even he can't explain why. We know why (the Spirit), but his main concern is understanding WHY God is leading him on this path back to the gospel. He desires to make more mental sense of it. If you haven't gotten the drift of this e-mail yet, every man we're teaching these days is QUITE logical in their thinking - this makes for a challenge! Nonetheless, it's a challenge that Sister Anderson and I need to work with and face at this time. So Marvin was baptized at 13, but after his parents divorced soon after, he stopped coming to church. He just started coming back two months ago... over 20 YEARS after he was baptized! He told us he has known for the last few years that something has been missing in his life. We're SO excited he's found it! We get to go to the Temple Visitor's Center with him and his less-active 70 year old mother to see the lights, have a tour, and watch the "Britton Family" perform. Can't wait!

I'll leave you with a final miracle. So this past Sunday, all the missionaries in the Mount Vernon Virginia Stake performed in that Christmas Concert (previously mentioned). It was a very cool experience! We sang a mash-up of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" and "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" done by Larry Clouse, a member in the Mount Vernon Ward (you can find him on Facebook and probably Youtube). The spirit was really strong! Apparently, a man named Gaspar, who I thought was a MEMBER of our ward and who I happened to talk to after the concert (without knowing this information), went up to the stake president and said, "I want to be baptized!" So we're working with him on that! Met with him last night - he's been investigating for over 20 years and just wants to be baptized outside :) Pray that Gaspar will understand that TRUE importance of baptism!

I'm so grateful to be out here, learning from these wonderful men! My own testimony has been strengthened CONSTANTLY as I try to listen to and understand their concerns. I'm so thankful that they're not my own! But when it comes down to it, I KNOW that each man can receive revelation directly from our Heavenly Father in order to resolve their own troubles with the gospel (says Preach My Gospel). Thank you for all of your prayers!

LOVES,
Sister Hansen

"BURR, It's cold in here!..."

"BURR, It's cold in here!.....There must be some HUMIDITY in the atmosphere."

 I try to be clever, but sometimes it doesn't work. :)

This week was so great! Lots and LOT of miracles.
Update with Brother Garlock: We had a lesson with him this week and somehow decided to invite three other ward members to come and offer testimony. Maybe a bad idea :( It scared him a little bit because he didn't like the idea of being "fellowshipped". He didn't mind one person coming, but to have a room full was just too much. Can't say I blame him! We weren't actually planning on one of them being there, but he came anyway. But all is well! Brother Garlock is still wanting to meet with us. We're really trying to help him overcome his aversion to praying. Please continue to pray for him and that his heart will be softened! He didn't come to church yesterday, though he totally could have :( We're not giving up on him! Plan to teach him a very personal lesson this week on understanding the roles of the Spirit and how those work in prayer. Fingers crossed everyone!

A BIG miracle this week - we received a referral from a girl in a singles ward nearby. She met a man on the bus two months ago who she would talk about the gospel with. His name is Chad, he's 40 years old, and he's blind! Chad is a Christian and has a strong knowledge of and faith in the Bible. He was willing to meet with us and we talked about the Spirit and how that is how he'll know if this is really true. Because he has a more "intellectual" perspective on things, the Spirit is a little hard for him to grasp. But his desire and intent is TOTALLY there! He reads chapters we assign and came to Church for all three hours. He even listened to the Christmas Devotional by himself! I'm in AWE of what he's willing to do to find out more - can't say I've EVER had an investigator like this before. I feel very blessed to be teaching Chad. He is SO outgoing and has a great outlook of life. Please pray for him too!

The thought I wanted to share this week is actually from a talk in the October 2012 Conference Ensign. It's Pres. Uchtdorf's "Of Regrets and Resolutions". I read it during studies this week and noticed how much he stressed the importance of being a DISCIPLE. Looking at the word "disciple", I immediately noticed how similar it is to "discipline". And our mission president has a GREAT definition for "discipline":

Doing something you don't want to do, when you don't want to do it, because you KNOW you should.

Think about how this correlates with our desire and responsibility to be a disciple of Christ. Here is what Pres. Uchtdorf says:

"How do we do this? By following the example of the Savior, by incorporating His teachings in our daily lives, by truly loving God and our fellowman. We certainly cannot do this with a dragging-our-feet, staring-at-our-watch, complaining-as-we-go approach to discipleship... For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be."

I LOVE THAT. I love that Pres. Uchtdorf basically said that being a disciple of Christ WASN'T the easiest thing in the world. 'Cause it's not. Just like how being disciplined is NOT easy! BUT... how blessed we are when we just buck up and DO. And as we continue to DO, we will BECOME. And then... only then... will it start to be a little easier.

I am so THANKFUL for this gospel and I know with all my heart that it's true. I love you all and again, feeling your prayers constantly! Seriously. Have a great week!

Loves,
Sister Hansen

Pictures:
1) I took Sister Anderson out for her birthday to Don Pablos!

'TIS THE SEASON!! 'TWAS DELICIOUS!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We started off our day at a Pie Party, where I had five different slivers (not slices, don't worry). 'Twas DELICIOUS! A member's brother had it at his house in Vienna - it was great fun! Then later that day, we had actual dinner at another member's house. He also invited 12 other members of the ward (see picture below). I had so much fun! It was nice to just sit down and get to know people on a more personal level. Sister Anderson and I shared a Thanksgiving message about the importance of being grateful. We encouraged them to write down at least one thing they are grateful for each day - then we plan to follow up! I know they'll see miracles as they apply gratitude more in their lives. A quote/story I shared with them is as follows, from Robert E. Quinn's devotional address to BYU-Hawaii "Let They Confidence Wax Strong in the Presence of God":

 

I was in a meeting with some professional colleagues. One of them is a highly accomplished woman. She told us that she kept a gratitude journal for 18 months. We were impressed. Then she told us that she stopped. We expressed disappointment. She picked up the implicit message and told us she quit because she no longer needed to keep the journal. We were curious.

She told us that her father was a very critical man and she grew up with the same negative orientation. If she heard a wonderful concert, but the soloist missed a note, she remembered the mistake, not the beautiful music. She related to people in a similar fashion. Rather than celebrating their gifts and the things they did right, she looked for their flaws. She constantly corrected people and they were often angry. She lived in a world of negativity. It was a world she created. Keeping the gratitude journal changed all that. In fact, she felt she no longer needed to write because she said she was now "living in a continuous state of gratitude." 

This woman was proactive. She chose to live in gratitude. By doing so, she actually rewired her brain. Think of it, by proactively cultivating one of the attributes of Christ, she transformed herself and was blessed to live a constant, positive state.

In Alma we read, "Worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you (Alma 34:38).
This scripture suggests that, wherever we are, we can be in the presence of God. It suggests that, if we can live in a constant state of gratitude, we can keep the covenant we make every Sunday. We can "always remember Him."

Isn't that neat? As we choose to be deliberately grateful each day, we are keeping our baptismal covenants - who knew? I didn't! It gives me even MORE cause to have gratitude, knowing that as I do, I'm remembering Him.

We were blessed to have some miracles this week - especially involving those that are less-active in the Church. The first is Brother Garlock, who was raised in the Church, but like many of us, became frustrating that God wasn't giving him the answers he wanted. So he "boycotted" God by giving up on reading, praying, and going to church (BAD IDEA). He moved to the DC area and the Elder's Quorum President found him and sought our help. We've seen a HUGE change in him as we just took the time to teach to his needs. He was at church yesterday - for all 3 hours! AND we met with him for a short lesson after that. It was great! He made friends and you can tell he was feeling the Spirit. I'm so grateful to witness these changes! Just like Brandon Flowers of The Killers said, [paraphrased] "I realized I wasn't done. There was still a fire burnin' in there!" This is the case for all individuals that have felt the Spirit even once in their life - they remember its goodness and blessings and they seek to have it once more. DON'T GIVE UP!

I'm so thankful for this holiday season! So many opportunities to invite people to come closer to Christ through activities and spiritual gatherings. We're trying to use the Temple Visitor Center as much as possible because the spirit felt there is UNBEATABLE. You Northern-Californians, invite your friends! They'll never forget it.

I love you all! Thank you for your examples - I'm always learning from you!

Loves,
Sister Hansen

BLAME IT ON THE BED BUGS.....

Yes, it's true. "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" has now become my reality. I didn't even know these things were real, to be honest with you! But we found out on Wednesday that our bedroom has been infested with bed bugs. My poor companion had no idea, though she has had bites/rash all over her body for the last 6 weeks. The minute I saw these things though, I knew we had to report it to the office. And I'm glad we did because this is SERIOUS. We've done a LOT of laundry and vacuuming this week, and we're waiting patiently on exterminators. As of now, I do have bites all over my body too, but I felt a calming reassurance telling me this morning that "this will go away". I just have to be patient :)

Despite the drama surrounding that predicament, we had some precious events occur! First, we took a less-active to the Temple Visitor's Center (LOVE that place!). We walked in and found out that our tour would be led by one of the same sisters that did our tour with Anne! Oh, I was so exciting! This sister is about 4'10" and dresses SO cute. Haha she immediately recognized me, with a new companion no less, and we embraced in reunion! The lesson was incredibly powerful, just like Anne's was. And though each woman has such a different story, the Plan of Salvation was what they needed to hear. I'm so grateful to know that this life isn't it, and that we can get through this life with the Atonement. We can use to become better each and every day, and to heal the things we going through - like bed bugs! Susan, our less-active, was deeply touched and was ready to change her life around after that lesson. She is moving back to Pennsylvania, so we won't see her again, but I know that that lesson will stick with her and help her make right choices!

We were also blessed to have had a conference with Elder Teh of the Seventy! He talked about many things, but the overall theme was doing missionary work by the Spirit. Without the Spirit, our teaching, finding, and planning is not in the will of the Lord's. One thing that stuck out to me as he taught us was that having the Spirit with us, and having people feel it, doesn't mean their agency is taken away. He quoted 2 Nephi 33:1-2:
1 And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.
2 But behold, there are many that harden their hearts against the Holy Spirit, that it hath no place in them; wherefore, they cast many things away which are written and esteem them as things of naught.
Notice how Nephi says that the Holy Ghost carries our message UNTO their hearts, not INTO. Though we may allow them to feel the Spirit, it's their choice to accept it INTO their hearts. Let us not be discouraged though! Because without them feeling the Spirit in the first place, they wouldn't even have the choice to accept or reject it.

I'm so grateful for this gospel and the peace it gives me in my life! Though this trial I'm having is SO not the end-of-the-world, sometimes it feels like it is! And when I do feel that way, I know I can turn to my Heavenly Father immediately and He will comfort me. Everything - missionary work, healing, you name it - happens in the Lord's time. Let us all exercise that patience and remember that He knows best!

I love you ALL!

Loves,
Sister Hansen

1) My companion, Sister Anderson, and I!

GOOD BYE FAIRFAX; HELLO ALEXANDRIA

Goodbye Oakton, Hello Mount Vernon Stake!

So my new ward is Potomac Mid-Singles Ward, where I get to serve the 31 to 45 year old singles. WOO! They are GREAT! Very professional, outgoing, and a pretty strong desire to share the gospel. Most (even the women) have served missions, so that's helpful! Sunday was great - the talks were all about missionary work! Very fitting. I hope that we can show these members that they can trust us with their friends and that they will be more inclined to invite their friends to the many activities that the ward holds!

My new companion is Sister Julie Anderson from Olympia, Washington. She is VERY outgoing and enthusiastic - it's like she's been here longer than 6 weeks! But... that's how new she really is! So I am finishing up her training. Shouldn't be hard - she's an AWESOME missionary! And loves to talk just as much (if not more) than I do :) I didn't get a picture with her yet (lame, I know), but I promise I will have one by next week! To prepare you, she is a 6 foot, red-head. Gotta love it!

I'm going to keep this e-mail short this week. But I will share with you one scripture that I just love. I pray that I haven't shared this with you before: Alma 7:11-13.

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and ^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. 12 And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit ^aknoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the ^bflesh that he might ^ctake upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

This is a very well-known and well-used scripture in the Church. But one thing that a member told me in Great Falls was that there is a specific order to this scripture! Notice that Alma states that Christ suffered first for our pains, afflictions, and temptations, THEN for us to overcome physical death, and THEN for our sins. So often we think the Atonement is JUST for repenting of our sins and asking for forgiveness. This is true, but it's SO MUCH MORE. It's the center of everything we want to do and be in this life! If you desire to be a better person, which I hope we all do, then we NEED the Atonement. Ask Heavenly Father how you can use the Atonement more so in your life and I KNOW that He will answer you by the power of the Holy Ghost. I say that because it's happened to me!

I love you all and thank you so much for your righteousness and charity towards all of God's children. You're an inspiration to me and help me to focus on improving DAY BY DAY!

LOVES,

Sister Hansen

1) Me on a piano in Merrifield Shopping Center :)

MOVING ON TO ALEXANDRIA!

(DAD note: Hillary has been transferred to Alexandria we found out 11/16/13. Her new address is under "Keep in Touch" on her home blog page)

 

This week has been BANANAS. But busy is good. Transfers are tomorrow and I'll be OUTTA HERE. I'll miss Oakton and it's amazing ward members. It's been a wonderful second area, and I look forward to experiencing more of what Northern Virginia has to offer.

So the Washington DC South Mission has officially started online proselytizing. Meaning, we're on FACEBOOK! I am going to create a new account soon as a "sister" so look for an add from me (or add me): Sister-Hillary Hansen. For those of you who remember, I was EXCITED not to have Facebook for the next 18 months while serving a mission. I was quite addicted when I was home and at college. So the cleanse has been quite nice. Now that we are required to get on, I'm a little nervous! I pray that Heavenly Father will remind me of my purpose and allow me to share the gospel with so many more people through social networking. Our sole purpose of getting on Facebook is to uplift others and help them come closer to Christ. Whether it's members, non-members, less-actives, or recent converts... doesn't matter! So look out for posts from me and be sure to "share" them or "like" them and help your friends find out more about what I'm doing out here and what the message is all about!

We also get iPads and iPhones on December 11th. PRETTY CRAZY.

Sister Mitchell and I had the lovely opportunity of going to the Temple Visitor Center again this past weekend. We went with Carla Mannes, who is a member of the Church from Arizona, and she brought her non-member friend Anne. Anne had a powerful experience in the hospital a few weeks prior when some Elders from the DC North mission were able to give her a blessing. She felt something and immediately became more interested in the gospel. She's read every pamphlet and is working on reading the Book of Mormon. She actually lives in the Oakton boundaries, and we're hoping to be regularly teaching her soon! Anne is a very special lady, who has a strong faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. She's experienced a lot in her life and I can see how the gospel would bless her and her family IMMENSELY. I pray that she will continue to meet with us and have the desire to lay claim on all the blessings God has in store for her!

We also had a lovely dinner a few nights ago with Mrs. Orrin Hatch (Elaine Hatch). Senator Hatch and his wife live in the Oakton ward. Brother Hatch had to go out of town, but we enjoyed the time we spent with Sister Hatch! She's a sweetheart and gave us lots of yummy food to take home. We invited Sister Hatch to introduce herself to her new neighbor! Let's hope she does it! Inside scoop: Her and Brother Hatch wrote each other his entire mission and never went on a formal date until they got married. Too cute!

Well, I love you all! Thanks for the prayers and support - it means everything! I read Alma 5 this week, and I absolutely LOVE these verses. I use them quite often out here on my mission, but I think they'll be my favorites forever. Verses 45 and 46:

45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?

46 Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me.

Alma Jr., who's talking here, saw an angel in his younger years, but he NEEDED to feel the Spirit in order to know if any of this was true. So don't underestimate the Spirit, whatever you do! No... you didn't make yourself feel that feeling or think that thought. It is and always will be Heavenly Father communicating to you what is right and true. So grateful for this precious gift and pray each day that I can learn how to use it more in my life!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Loves,

Sister Hansen

LOVING THIS FALL WEATHER!

 

I am LOVING this fall weather! It is getting a smidge chilly, but overall - a LOT more pleasant than the humid summer. I am grateful! I actually took a picture of how wonderful and beautiful the leaves here are - enjoy (I know I do)!

This week, we found two new investigators! David (44) and Barry (40) are brothers, and Barry has Down Syndrome. We found them tracting back in early September (our second week here!). We had given them a Book of Mormon and went to check back on them repeatedly. We would set up return appointment after return appointment, only to have them always fall through. However, David was sincere and really DID want to meet with us so this time - it finally happened!
The lesson was powerful, and you can tell that they both felt the Spirit! As we asked David how he has felt the Spirit most in his life, he said that being with Barry has been such a blessing to him. He feels that he's learned so much from Barry's kind heart and forgiving nature. So tender! When we shared Joseph's First Vision, we asked David what it would mean to him to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. He said, "I'm open to it!". These were all good signs that pointed David to the direction of saying "Yes!" to baptism, even after he had a previous concern of already being baptized in the Methodist church as a baby. The conviction he had as he said "Yes" prompted us to put him and Barry on date for November 30th.

They agreed! Unfortunately, the two brothers are extremely busy with Scouts and Special Olympics but they were able to come to church last week. We're praying hard that they'll read from the Book of Mormon and feel the Spirit so that they will know for themselves that this gospel is true. Yet again, member support is HUGE here, and one of the reasons is that David and Barry are of simple financial means. They don't have a car, so a member was able to pick them up for church and for the lesson we had. All in all, I'm VERY excited to keep teaching these two wonderful, humble gentlemen. Before we left, David asked very kindly, "So am I able to get this priesthood?" AW! We explained that he could after baptism. I'm so excited to see their progression over time. Pray for David and Barry!

In other news, have I told you about Ms. Maxine Dennis? If I haven't, shame on me. This woman is (and I say this lovingly) - CRAZY. She is originally from New Orleans, Louisiana and has been a member of the Church for 12 years. She has had CONSTANT struggles with the Word of Wisdom since a couple months after her baptism. However, Maxine has a STRONG desire to go to the temple finally. So we're really working with her on "cleaning" up her act. It will be hard, but I know she's capable! She's just a little bit (a lotta bit) stubborn. This is a picture of us in her office. She's on the Board of Directors of a cooperative owned by HUD. This is the place where we hold our ESL class, which is still going great by the way!

We had interviews with our mission president this week and he focused on talking about our work with members. We're going to focus on teaching them the missionary lessons so they have a better understanding of the basic doctrine and can, therefore, teach it to their friends! A scripture that the Oakton Stake is using for their theme next year is Jacob 1:7, which states:

7 Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest...

 

We must PERSUADE them to know about this gospel! There is no other way. I think a lot of members get nervous that we're trying to convince people into something they don't want to do. But if we contemplate how it's blessed OUR lives, we should want to help them have it in ANY way that we can.

 

Thank you ALL for your love, support, and prayers. I feel so blessed!

LOVES,

Sister Hansen