He's back!!!

He's back!!!
HE'S BACK!!!!!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Moving Forward

Hey family!  I am sorry that I haven't written in a while.  We have been very busy.  It is hard to gather all my thoughts and let you know what has been going on over the last 2 weeks, but I'll do my best.
So on Monday the 2nd of September President Hansen called us at about 7:30pm and told us that he needed to talk to us in person and that he wanted us to come down to the mission home immediately.  We were kinda freaking out. Ha ha, just thinking why he wanted to talk to us.  We thought it was because a Sister missionary in our zone was going home or because some Elders in our district were doing something disobedient outside of the mission.  We drove down to the mission home and President Hansen called me in to be interviewed.  When we get in the office he just started asking about the zone and other things so I thought it was just about one of the things I said earlier, but then he just put it out there straight up, "Elder Hansen, I want to call you to be one of my assistants...."  I was like.... "uhhhhhhh..."  ha ha.
We talked a lot more and he told me about what the plan was, what was changing in the mission, transfers, and a lot of other things.  Then he said, "so go home and pack your things because tomorrow you will be with Elder Logan and Elder Hansen (the current assistants)!  So we went back to Farmington.... I packed all night and got ready.. Didn't really sleep.  and at the mission leader council at 8:00am the next morning I was with Elder Logan and Hansen.  So I got to be with both of them until transfers.  I got to learn a ton from both of them, but I still wish I had more time to learn from them. 
Then the next couple days after that we had mission meetings where we presented the new mission vision.  It was awesome.  I had to conduct one of the meetings.  Its a different feeling to conduct a meeting in front of half the mission. Side note -> We have a mission tour in October and Elder Clarke of the Seventy will be there and President says that both myself and Elder Logan will most likely be conducting those meetings... no pressure... ha ha
Anyways,
Mostly we have been working on transfers.  Our area is the YSA in the Pioneer Stake.  But we used to cover the whole stake.  It split 3 ways at transfers and so now we only cover 4 YSA wards.  Its good though.  A lot of work.  A lot of people to teach! :) It is interesting working with people that are the same age as you.  Teaching them is pretty awesome because you can explain things in depth pretty well, but still simple so that they can understand.  So yeah.  Its going to be great.

Then transfer week happened.  Busiest week of my life. Well maybe.  But yeah.  Got everything done for transfers on Monday morning.  We created 3 new zones in the mission.  We had 35 new missionaries come in on Wednesday.  We had 7 missionaries leave.  We drove a big 12 passenger van all over the place.  I drove it most of the time.  It was huge and somewhat hard to maneuver, but its all good.  So the week was just crazy.  I couldn't even tell you everything that we did because I can't remember it all.  I know we didn't sleep much, but thats okay.  People keep saying "you can sleep when you are dead." I don't know how I feel about that. ha ha I think I agree though.  We still take care of ourselves and sleep some, just not as much as other missionaries.  So don't worry mom. ha ha
Anyways, there were a lot of errors in the transfer.  Especially with housing and with cars. It was horrible.  We just don't have enough cars!  We have people with heart conditions and other major problems and surgery and all this stuff and there just aren't enough cars.  We have had about 60-70 new missionaries come into the mission in the last 3 months and we have gotten 0 new cars!  NONE!  Its ridiculous.  They promised that we would have 20 new cars about 6 weeks ago, but they still aren't ready.  We think it is something to do with the General Authorities coming in for conference.  Anyway, enough of my complaining.
We tried to fix all the problems and worked out some things.  

Problems just seem to come up all the time.  President Hansen went out to Wendover this weekend for a district conference. As soon as he left, problems with missionaries.....  It was crazy.  Its kind of scary because he is going to a mission presidents seminar from Thursday till Sunday this week and if we have the same thing happen as last time he left we will be having a pretty rough weekend....  ha ha hopefully all goes well.

We have been planning a lot of upcoming meetings.  We just had a short meeting this morning for Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders.  We need to get them on board and pumped and motivated to baptize weekly and rescue (re-activate) weekly!  So this meeting was devoted to just that.  It was very powerful.  President Hansen is amazing.  So filled with the spirit.  He committed us all to baptize and rescue weekly, and to go out and find another companionship to follow us and do the same.  The time is now.  Things are changing.  The Lord truly is hastening his work.  This meeting was held at the Marriott city center hotel in one of the big conference rooms there.  There was a hot breakfast provided and out cars were even parked for us.  Valet parking.  It was way nice. It was good to emphasize the point of how important this all is and that these missionaries MUST be committed to their purpose and to accelerating this work in this mission now.  It is the Lord's vision for the mission.  Being so close to President I have already seen that he is always being led by the Lord and that every direction that he tells us to take is because the Lord wants us to go that way.  Its awesome.  What a great opportunity I have to learn from such amazing leaders right here in Salt Lake City.  Im so grateful for it.
I love being a missionary.  I love the Lord.  I love His work.

I'll have to wrap this up now.  By the way my companion is Elder Logan from Tampa, Florida.  He is such a solid missionary.  He always knows what to do and what to say.  He has been an assistant for 4 and a half transfers.  Longest assistant to the President in a long time.  I am so happy for the opportunity to learn from him and try to do my best to lift, inspire, encourage, and bless these missionaries.  They are all so good.  I hope they will have the focus and blessing to see success in baptizing and rescuing weekly.  That is what most of my prayers are for right now.
Also, I have been praying for you all especially you Mom and Dad and Natalie!  Please make sure to let me know that everything is okay out there! All this flooding has been pretty scary to see.  I hope you are all doing alright and that the people out there will be able to recover from this disaster.  

Alright.  That was the longest email I think I have ever written. Sorry my thoughts were all over the place.  I love you all so much!  I miss you!  
The church is true.
God lives and He loves us.
Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.

Godspeed.

-Elder Hansen

Peak The Strategy  

Saturday, September 14, 2013

It's kind of late

Hey there. :) Sorry for not emailing this week on Monday. We have been incredibly busy and it just so happens that this is the first time I have a spare moment to email.  A little unconventional. But I think you will see why.  My new companion, while we were working on finishing up some loose ends, told me that I needed to email right now.  So this is it. Try to find me on this attachment.  It is a picture of the transfer board.  Hopefully it will answer some questions.

Love you all!!

Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen

Peak The Strategy

P.S. I may not be emailing on Mondays every week now, but you should still get an email once a week.

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Charles Dohse's Baptism


Alright.  I have very little time to write today because it is Labor day and we couldn't email at the library so we have to email at a family history center that is only open for a couple more minutes....  
Sorry.
Anyway,  this week was pretty good.  We struggled to find new people to teach, but we had a baptism.  Charles Dohse was baptized and confirmed. He is 16 years old.  A lot of real intent to know the truth.  He is awesome.  I'll try to send a picture of the baptism.  So that was great.

The rest of the week was pretty normal.  Just teaching, meetings, exchanges with a district leader.  A lot of stuff crammed into one week.  I feel like there is still never enough time to get everything done that we need to.  But we are trying!

Sad part of the week.  Another sister missionary in our zone is going home for medical reasons... :( Its pretty lame.  I am really getting tired of seeing missionaries have to go home when they really don't want to!  This is like the 3rd one this transfer.  Its hard.  I know the Lord will take care of them and that it is best for them to be at home getting better, but its just hard to see them go.  I have come to feel love for everyone in the zone here just as I did in Tooele and Wyoming.  And seeing them struggle and have to end up going home is one of the saddest experiences I have had as a missionary.  But anyway.

I have no time left.  
I love you all very much!  
I miss you and hope that all is going well.

The church is true.

Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen

Peak The Strategy