August 11

ok this weeks email goes like this

FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

 

k no. but thats what was in my heart yesterday (sunday). you know what i hate? when people make fun of other people. it BUGS me. bad. no. ok heres how it went. we were at church and theres a lady in the ward who has a mental illness of some sort but it's not obvious. She tends to sleep through meetings, and wear shirts too tight and skirts to high to church.  in relief society we had a lesson on eternal marriage. one of the sisters made it a point to say that she was still single and waited for everyone else to laugh. then in the other class she was called out for falling asleep. then in sacrament all the members turned to eachother and laughed when she sang SUPER LOUD. stop. stop stop STOP. it was all i could do not to get up and rebuke the whole congregation. i was so mad. she's also the ONLY member in relief society there on time. she's also the ONLY member who is doing her family history. she's also the ONLY member who sings loud and proud the sacrament hymn. and the only member who talks to us before church starts and says sisters there are SO many Less actives down where i live. they are so kawawa. what the point of their membership if they are just going to be LA. let's go visit them. i said what time? she says saturday. i say DEAL. oh wait... the elders have a baptism on saturday. she says sisters it's ok. ill just go visit them anyway. they need people to help them come back. UMMM YEESSSS. We are commanded to LOVE our neighbor. that is the second commandment only to love your God. how can people say prayers and give talks about love then mock their brothers and sisters. that's not going to fly. Not with the Lord and NOT with me. we're going to talk to some leaders.

that was the fire and brimstone portion. 

 

but life is GOOOOOOOOOOD. PEACHY AND HAPPY AND I LOVE LIFE :)

we contacted these old lolas this week. they didnt really let us get a word in edgewise but the lesson wasn't for waste. because then their dog came waddling out and made my life. first ill just say what they said they feed their dog: bread. bread and milo instead of water and dog food. this poor poor dog hahahaha. it looks like someone stuff a good 3 or 4 full sized pillows into its torso. IT WAS THE FATTEST DOG I HAVE EVER SEEN. hahahahahaha i laughed and then asked if i could take a picture of it. i don't usually do that but this thing was HUGE. so fat and cute hahaha. 

also we had a WEDDING THIS LAST SATURDAY. it was masaya. it'll be more masaya when she gets baptized though and then they go to the temple one day. *sigh* so cute. i love life. everything is masaya. thats missionary work. if you want to be happy serve a mission. but don't just serve, give your whole self to the mission and the Lord will change you and make you masaya ;) 

go google translate masaya now. 

love you all

from your masayang sister

sister hansen

August 5th- k worlds shortest lamest email

(sorry everyone this is Rachel's sister, I fell behind on her emails because I was moving out to school and life just got crazy... but I will catch up on all of them right now! and good news she will be home in roughly 3 weeks!)

heh heh heh. 

im obedient. 

hence the title. 

ive got 10 minutes to win it 

ready go

well piddig came to our apartment on monday cuz there was a land slide that almost got to their apartment. i was just a little one though... daw. and i was just grumbling in my head like how long are they going to be here, are they going to eat all our food and what not. being selfish and lame. but then president pulls up with sister barrientos and all the sisters in the back. and all my murmuring feelings faded away. and he gets out and cheerfully says "We brought you the refugees!" and i was like "that's good cuz this is camp" hahah. man he and sister sacrificed their whole evening to rescue some scared kawawa sisters. and I love those sisters. so i gave myself a mental slap and welcomed them in. 

I love being a missionary

love sister Hansen

this weeks line came in a law of chastity lesson... haha isn't that just the lesson where all good missionary moments originate (if you've seen the district you'd understand) hahaha but we're teaching a bunch of kids and we're just like so in short the law of chastity is you have to be married before... and hannah (shes 8) goes before kissing!!! uh... hahah yeeeahhh... kinda. haha we were going to say live in but we just left it at that. \

also after a super good lesson where we just expounded doctrine and testified tatay pio turns to sister ieremia after she said something particulary magaling and goes you're so smart!.... pwede na magasawa! (basically means you can now get married) hahahahahaha i just laughed and laughed. 

July 28th Battle with princess

well this week we battled with princess again... and lost. here's what went down. princess was our invesigator right who was so golden the angels were singing as we taught her. but she was being taught by other missionaries too diba? yeah well we went to her house and it was over from the begining. shes like sisters these are all my beliefs now. im now one of them. and in my head im just like no no no no no no nooooooooooooooo. don't do it!!! so she tells us how Christ is just a person not a God in their religion and im like WO UNTO THE LIAR. i dunno who is feeding her these lies but i was filled with the spirit and we just started to testify of christ because it's all we could do. Mean while her LA cousin grandpa and grandma are just sitting there listening to this. And i kid you not had she not been past feeling ANYONE could have felt the spirit that entered the room. we were so desperate trying to save her soul I just felt this surge so i prayed and told Him I'm going to open my scriptures (this never ever ever works for me. but this time... it did) and read the first thing i see. Well i open to Mosiah 3 and the first thing i saw was verse 10. which talks about how christ rose on the thrid day and i read that until verse 13. Shes not changing though... so im thinking. no. we've lost. but then the LA (less actives) in the room start being like girl what are you thinking? haven't you read the bible? and virtually every one of them bore their testimony to her that Christ lives in their own way.

And i realized no we didn't lose. We strengthened the faith of 3 LA in Jesus Christ. And as long as We're on the Lord's side we can never truly lose. Cuz this is the truth. 

other good moments: We go and teach another LA and an investigator. so we follow up? did you guys read? "yes" mmmm... whatd you read about (our one investigator we'll call him bob) says confidently "wars!" ahhh... never heard that before. we don't let you get off that easy. who was warring? ".... i don't remember" well what book was it in at least "....*awkward silence*" sister ieremia goes i bet it was 1st nephi? and he goes"yeah THAT was it" hahahahah THERE IS NOT ONE WAR IN FIRST NEPHI. WO UNTO THE LIAR. hahahah i just started to laugh and they might have got the smallest bit upset but it was so funny. 

 

i also had a guy tell me he was a binata pa (still bachelor) like 3 times when i mentioned Lesson 2 plan of salvation. he's like im siiiinnngggllle and in my head im like (AND YOU'RE GOING TO STAY THAT WAY WAHAHAHAHA) haha i just left him a pamphlet. I love this work. its so much fun. PEOPLE ARE SO MUCH FUN. they make me laugh. may i be smitten to never stop serving ;) 

i love life

i love you all

sister hansen

July 21st

sorry im still sending pictures from... long long ago and far far away on judea's plain. my brain hurts... haha so this might not be the most exciting letter. um lets see so yesterday we're out proselyting. k wait it gets better. then we got punted. so we're sitting there assessing our plan and thinking and i notice this guy down the street. so i stare at him. well he's staring back at me. and its far enough away its awkward but not terribly. so we sit there in an akward staring thing and in my brain the spirit is like talk to him! and the devil was like he's sooo far away. that's so awkward. so i sit there with this inner battle in my head. as the evil thinking started to win. he walked half way over. FINE. haha so i was like sister lets talk to him. so we're all yo bro. how's life.... yada yada yada.... we're missionaries! "im INC" well that's GREAT! we're mormons! (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) he says its bawal for us to talk to other religions... i asked him do you really believe your church is true. "yes" ....more awkward staring except this time its more like an assesment of his soul on my part. well then i said we have a pamphlet... and i went on to share about the restoration and stuff and his eyes were glued and something in his head (the spirit) was like yes yes yes. and then i asked again brother can we come back. he said he's not there too often cuz of work. basta. we'll try brother! the spirit guided us to him so we better at least give it our very best effort. that's pretty much how the work goes. every day there are miracles and happiness and apostasized people that have gone back to catholic.... eh hahaha. mostly i just love pictures of Christ, my planner has His picture, my journal, my study journal, I've got a poster from a friend magazine from the 90's hanging in my room. Im a filipino now now, im a filipino now now. bangity bang. bangity bang (its the im a little airplane now song... you SHOULD know it haha) yeah more adventures and greater creativity next week friends and fam :) LOV EYOU MUCH MORE THAN I LOVE FRIED BANANAS. WHICH IS TO SAY A LOT. as in ( a filipino saying they say to mean super... but it doesn't mean that. but HERE IT DOES. hahahah ) 

love sister hansen

Pictures

im going to try to send pictures to ya'll this week... problem being they're super big. so hopefully they get to you!! hahaha....

 of course they cant be as big as my face right now...

 so there was these other missionaries that were trying to teach one of our investigators, and bust  into the middle of the lesson. Well i wasn't having that so I went at them with the bible. They came at me with their fists. I won. hahaha no.

But it makes for a great story as dad would say. No we played bull rush on the cement for a zone activity and me being the graceful, quick reflexed missionary i am, decided to go for a running trip... leading home with my shoulder and my face. now the right side of my face looks like i surgically implanted a golf ball there. im not lady gaga. im a missionary. WHY DO I HAVE A GOLF BALL IN MY FACE. on the bright side i was protected not to get a concussion or anything. so thats a blessing.

um what else. we found this investigator this week... she is like the kind of investigator that  starts telling you how she was going to sleep but then she remembered "hey i need to pray" but then another voice said "you're tired just sleep". and she's all there were two voices.

and also she says stuff like "I know God answers prayers but not always how you want but in the way that's best for you. But sometimes when you really really need something He answers right away."  and in your own head you're all 2 nephi 32:8-9!! and elder Scott's talk!! and then these angels pop out from behind her chair and start singing hallelujahs and stuff and you're just like quiet angels! later well party over this found soul. she's currently being taught by these other missionaries that don't believe Jesus is the Son of God. .... I could say a lot of things about that doctrine... and those preaching it. But instead I just told her that guess what?? JESUS IS THE CHRIST. AND THIS CHURCH IS TRUE AND YOU JUST GOT TO READ THIS BOOK. and the angels kept singing and she commited to come to church. woooo.

also i got pricked by a cactus this week. I told sister Barrientos. She's a nurse. She checked up on me that night. I told her it was red and blue and purple and green, itchy and swelling and that I need to probably be confined (ie go to the hospital) She told me to take an antehystamine... any brand willl do. 

and then i was like thinking.... 

ah

hahahah reason number 7 my mission president and wife are the best. They're funny :) 

Love you all! enjoy the pics of hannahs 2 weeks ago. (ps hannah you have the best resort. you should have told us! (as in you're twins!... what? no... no way. mum should have told us hahaha funny joke) 

loves  

as always

sister hansen :)

July 7th

hey ya'll want to know what i did this fine independence week.

saved some souls.. or attempted... still working

 

OH AND I WENT TO AN ISLAND PARADICE NAMED AFTER MY SISTER. PLAYED SOME BEACH VOLLEYBALL AND FIGURED OUT PROBABLY PRETTY CLOSELY WHAT THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM MUST LOOK LIKE. most beautiful things ive ever seen in my life. it was a bit of a sensory over load. 

also i realized stuff like that is PRETTY SWEET. but its SO temporary. like by the end of the day i was like that was fun. lets go back and help some people! wooo! (said like bella on how it shouldve ended twighlight... cept she wants to eat some people... gross. that's not in the diet)

 

Other thing is it was fast sunday. so i fasted. profound i know. no it was profound actually. I was fasting for charity and courage (because charity is a gift bestowed not like a spiritual muscle you exercise and it gets bigger and stronger... see talks by elder holland and moroni7:45 and 46 i think... yata) but anyway.

 

I got PLLLEEENNTY OF EXPERIENCES on both. on the small scale playing piano for sacrament... on the large scale... ridicule for being obedient to mission rules. you know what president said. its better to offend man than God. pretty sure he was quoting a bunch of apostles. so i walked down the steps feeling like today im going to need to be bold. and i was. on the charity end of things. One of our investigators came to church... she has a small child. well he's kinda makulit so she took him out and walked with him and stuff well after church she looked oddly discontent. I mostly just brushed it off. then that night we went to teach her and she let on that her 500 pesos (like 12 bucks) had got lost at the church when her toddler was playing in her bag. she had gone back and looked for it. wala. well i bore my testimony about finding thing and praying. she said that was all the money they had for food. we told her we'd go and look for it.

 

after the lesson she VERY timidly asked if she could borrow money. from us and our fellowshipper. they are SO poor. she said they only had a cup left of rice. man. my heart. i didn't know if it was ok so we asked president if we could stay out later and look for her money at the church if it was even unlocked. he said ok. i prayed so hard the church would even be open. it was :) mind you we've been fasting all day and our church is on top of a hill then theres another 80+ steps to the top. i was dyyyyiiinnng. hahah but it was ok. we searched that place up and down and prayed. nothin. man. ok. well president texts us later that night and asked if we found the 500. we said no but that we wanted to go back this morning and look again. he said if you don't find it you can just give her the 500 or buy her grocceries ( my president is so  CHRISTLIKE) He told us we could be charitable before I even asked if we could give her money (i need to be more charitable) but we gave her money this morning. she was so shy to take it. but she texted us later saying maraming maraming salamat. long story short. people are more important than money. i want to volunteer at an old people home, a homeless shelter and the developmental center when i get back. I LOVE PEOPLE. I LOVE THIS WORK. AND I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

-sister hansen

I ate a bug :)

true to the title i did indeed eat fried bugs this week. not just any bug. we're talking 1-2 inch fried flying beetles. It tasted like dirt. I crunched it up and then spit the shell out. and you dont eat the heads. but anyway... so that was fun. They all laughed at the face I made... 

i SHOULD have pictures but this computer shop doesn't let you use usb's...

NEXT WEEK. 

 

todays miracle came after a meeting. President was took us all to inasal (super yummy chicken and calamansie resraunt deal) but anyway sister ieremia and i didn't bring the pouch (the thing we store our fare ie: pamasahe in.) so we were poor. we were digging in our bags for loose change and came up with 91 pesos. well usually its 50 pesos to go to the mission office and another 70 or so to get back to our appartment near NFA. I was like no WORRIES. its oooook. We'll just pray and bargain. so we did. the first guy let us get there to the mission office to grab supplies for 40 pesos. (while there I found a UKULELE... and remembered I forgot all the songs i once knew, but i was happy... so if you want to send me like how can i be or i am a child of God chords/ copy paste the music to an attatchment i wont complain :) then i can play it next p day over there) ANYWAY. after we got supplies a tricee driver pulls up (go figure why all my miracles happen to happen concerning tricees) and i just started praying in my head please take 50 please take 50.. "brother makano hanggang NFA?" how much to NFA. he thinks for a minute then says... 40. 

MIRACLE. 

 

little miracles are everywhere if you look for them. 

 

Another little mind blowing moment came for me on thursday or friday (i dont remember exactly which.... old woman status) but we were walking and we were finding because we were SO punted. most punted i've been since coming to laoag. We'd walk up to people (we're literally 4-5 feet away) and be like hello! and if they didn't get up and walk away they'd just ignore we existed. kinda like those soldiers that walk around the palace in england and don't make a face... yeah. these people could put them to shame. its like talking to a wall. so we did that for like 2 hrs and found near the end a part member lady who's husband was a member before he died. and she never listened to the missionaries before but now.. she really pondered everything we were saying. (que out of the world music and me thinking someone in the spirit world is helping) but my crazy moment was when i was thinking man... we have the knowledge that can CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND SAVE YOUR SOUL AND MAKE YOU HAPPY AND GIVE YOU ENDLESS PRINCIPALITIES POWERS AND EXALTATION. YOU SHOULD BE PARADING US ON YOUR SHOULDERS AND GATHERING CROWDS TO LISTEN TO OUR MESSAGE. I was like none of you know this. WHY WONT YOU LISTEN. then i remembered Chirst. He was despised and rejected of men. no He was the one that should have been carried around from crowd to crowd and praised. and yet he was not. so if that was how He was treated then I'm glad to play a small part like that too. BUT WE WILL FIND THE PREPARED WHAHAHAHAHA ;) I love you much.

 

NEXT WEEK IS PICTURE WEEK 

peace love and charity to you all. 

-Sister Hansen