Pioneer Trek!

Hey!! how is everyone doing??!?!  Thanks for your letters and stuff.  ..     word. .  Anyway,

This week was packed with good stuff!  We played ultimate frisbee last p-day which was fun to play for the first time in a while!  Then we had a mission training meeting on Wednesday!!  It was great!  Learned a lot about how to be a better missionary and how I can help people more fully come unto Christ.  I learned how to be more bold in what we have to offer.  .  This week we even invited a couple people on their doorsteps to be baptized!  They said no, but it was still good to know that we have to be bold in our invitations for people to change or else they won't especially in this area.  Anyway, I also learned how I could improve my efforts more and just try my hardest and renew my efforts to give it my all for these 2 years.  It was a great meeting. . It was from 8:00am till 5:00pm though . . So we were pretty dead afterward, but we still managed to find a new family that we are going to try to teach the gospel and get baptized.  So that was a blessing!  We had plans to take an investigator to temple square again, but they cancelled 30 minutes before we were supposed to go . . :(   it was lame, but we'll try to get them to go again soon. 

We had the opportunity to do a lot of service this week!  We helped 2 non-members who love missionaries prepare their house to be painted by moving a lot of furniture and taping the baseboards, etc . ..  Im glad I painted for those summers back in high school cause now I can do these things pretty quickly and we might get the opportunity to help someone else paint their house as well.   Anyway, that was fun and we taught a little to them and he bought us pizza for our service.  It was good!  He is an awesome guy! He has  some tumors on his spine so he couldn't walk well or do much of anything, but he has been getting better lately and they gave him some more shots of cortezone and other steroids and things to help him.  So yeah.  And by the end we said a closing prayer and he was crying when we left because of this seemingly simple thing for us to do that he appreciated so much.  So that was good. ..  But then we went to do more service for someone in the ward. . . . . .  They are hoarders . . . ..    errr whatever you call them .. .  .They have soooooooo much junk!  We cleared out a whole garage full of just random stuff. . . . It was ridiculous and it took quite a bit of time. . .  And some of this stuff was heavy like the 7- 94 puond bags of cement that I carried and the bench saw that was just solid iron . .    and a bath tub . . . .   and some other big stuff. . . . well in the process I think I may have pulled a muscle in my side. . . .   its like behind my ribcage or in it . .  or somethin . . .basically it hurts a lot when I try to sleep at night so I haven't rested well for the last 3 or 4 days . ..  like sunday night I woke up at 3am and I never could get back to sleep because I was so uncomfortable. .  I took 12 advil yesterday throughout the day, but it didnt help much.  Im sure it'll heal sometime soon so Im good, it was just a little lame for the trek we did yesterday! It made it a bit harder to pull the carts and stuff. 

Anyway!  I dont have much more time to write, but we did get to go on the pioneer trek yesterday at "This is the place"   . . It was fun! We got to experience a lot of cool things and we were at the top of this mountain and could see the whole Salt Lake valley just like when Brigham Young was up there!  It was sick . . I'll try to include some pictures if I have time!   

Also the Brigham City Temple dedication was on Sunday!  I loved it :)  It was the first I have ever seen (we just watched it at the stake center where it was broadcast)    . .  but it was soo cool!!  Boyd K. Packer was there, L.Tom Perry did the dedicatory prayer, Russel M. Nelson was also there!  It was sweet.  :) I love the temple.  I can't wait to go there again soon.

Well I love you all!!  Wish I had more time to talk!!

You all have great weeks!  miss you guys,    Godspeed.

 

Love,

-Elder Hansen

 

Peak The Strategy

 

P.S.  Mom, could you ask our stake president, president Williams,  if there are any tickets left for conference in Salt Lake?? And if so can you see if you can send them to me so that we can take more of our investigators???  Thanks!  Love you all!

 

Peace.

Sup

Hey Family!!!  Well holy cow. .. .    . . . . my fingers are like spazing out from all the emails I am writing!! Thanks for all your emails!! They mean a lot to me and make me happy :)    So good to hear from all of you!
Well  consequently . . . I have like no time to write this email today  . .. . .  oops!!  but i'll try to type super fast and get out as much as I can! 
This week has been good, but hard..  Still can't get anyone baptized. . .    people are so flakey . . it drives me crazy sometimes, but we just keep our heads up and help however and whenever we can!  We gave 3 or 4 blessings this week, so that was cool :)  The priesthood is such a blessing in my life and I am grateful I am able to use it and actually witness miracles happen out here!  A girls ankle was sprained and we gave her a blessing and then at church this Sunday she was completely fine!  I feel so blessed that we get to see things like that happen by the power of God!  Its so real .. .  This gospel is true . ..  it has been true, and it will always be true no matter what happens in these last days. . .  All the smartest people in the world can't disprove this church, Christ's church on the earth today and they cannot dampen our faith . . . I am so grateful for this gospel and that I get to be out here serving at this important time.  It is such a blessing.  Anyway,
We tracted a lot, but nothing good came of it really. . . . so that was lame . . .    but we are trying.  We did service for some people . . My hand got some crazy blisters from using a pick axe to take out a stump for an old lady . . It was good though . . .oh and we had a crazy dinner this week!  We ate with a Pakistani family and their food was sooooooo spicy!!!  It was nuts  . . . Elder Driskell and I were like sweating and our sinuses we all crazy and it was just intense . . . but it tasted really good actually!  We hace rice and curri and chicken and stuff it was great..  Then for desert we had this weird dich named Kied . ..  it was some sort of wheat thing . . .it was good though.  . .  Anywho,
I think that is about it for this week . . We are still super busy which is good, but it is getting really hard to find new investigators to teach in this area . . so yeah  . .
Well I think thats all!! 
I love you guys!  I hope you are having great lives!  haha . . .  word
Here is a picture of my new comp Elder Driskell and I!  Oh and a picture of our apartment.   sick . .
Love,
-Elder Hansen
Peak The Strategy

P.S.  Last week we got $100 just from people giving us money!  It was crazy!!  Looks like we will be eating well this week! :)  haha
 

Not a letter from Michael

(Monday, September 10, 2012)
Well, this week POOR Elder Hansen lost his whole email at the library when something happened unexpectedly to the computer he was using. He was also frustrated because he lost the email he was writing to President Winn.

Here is an excerpt from his brief message explaining that he lost everything:

ANYWAY . .. .
What I wrote in my other email.    . . . .       Stake conference happened.   We got to go to the conference center to see it in person because it was a regional conference including 69 stakes . . .   so yeah . . It was sweet . . Elder L. Tom Perry spoke and it was amazing. . . . . .   but I wrote a lot in my other email about it, but now all that is gone and I dont want to write it all over again . . . . .. . sorry . . .. . . . but yeah . . My new comp is Elder Driskell.  He is a boss . .  He is already a great missionary so yeah .   . .     I am glad I get to "train" him.     word . . . welllllllllllllll . . hmmmmmmmm . . . .. . .         .   .           .




ughhh . . . not much more to say. .   We played a sorta mean prank on my new comp. . hahaha it was awesome.  There is a family in one of our wards that loves missionaries so they had us over and I told my comp that they were nonmembers and that he had to teach them the law of chastity.  It was awesome hahaha sooo funny. . Their son (an RM) was pretending to be gay. . haha it was a little mean, but it was all in good fun! And I think my comp has forgiven me :)  haha hmm

 well . . .     .     I love you all! Thanks for all your emails and letters. .  You rock . .
The church is true . .
Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen

Peak The Strategy  


It's me, Christie, again - since tomorrow is Monday, we should get an email from him! I sure look forward to Mondays now!! :) :) :)

Transfers

Hey just a quick email today.  Transfers happened, I am staying in the
same place.  Cannon Zone B - Pioneer Stake - 32nd ward and 25th ward.
      Its great.  There is one difference from transfers though.  I
have a new companion.  Elder Allen left to the South Salt Lake Zone,
and I am training a brand new missionary.  Crazy right?  I haven't
been out for very long, but president wanted me to train apparently so
thats what is happening.  My new companion is Elder Driskell.  He is
from Nashville.  He is a great guy.  We got to street contact in
downtown salt lake yesterday.  It was a great experience for the both
of us.  I love this gospel.  Well . ...  . .    I'll write more on
Monday.  Love you all.  Have a great week!
Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen

. . . Word

Hello Family!!!!! I am emailing pretty early this week because we are gonna go play disc golf in Holladay!   cool right?  Yeah and then right after that we are going to the Bee's game!!   As a whole mission.  It will be sweet.   But yeah Im excited for those things.  Thanks for the emails and letters.  They are truly appreciated.    Word.
Well . .   this week was pretty much the same. .   We didnt get to teach with President again!!  Its ridiculous.   Errbody cancels on us when he wants to come teach with us.   Its lame.  But oh well!  We had interviews this week which was nice and a zone meeting to try to pump us up to find a new investigator every day of September!  It will be super hard, but it is possible with the Lord's help and the help of the wards.  So yeah ....  hmmm what else.   Well transfers are on Wednesday.  I am pretty sure I am staying in the same area, but I won't know for sure until tomorrow morning.  And then I think I will email quickly on Thursday about it.  So yeah.  Oh and the stake president asked me to speak at the priesthood leadership meeting on Saturday at 4 . .   Its a stake wide thing.   So that will be interesting I spose.     We have stake conference this weekend, but its also a regional conference so there will be 22 stakes attending and it is held in the conference center in SLC.   so that'll be fun to go to!  And then on the 23rd is the dedication of the Brigham City Temple!  Church is cancelled and we go to the stake center for a broadcast of the dedication.  Im excited! I've never seen a temple dedication before. So yeah  . . its gonna be sick.   ha ha anyway . . . .
hmmm I think that is about it for this week.   We were supposed to have a baptism this weekend, but the Lady cancelled on us. .  She has been pushing back for the past 4 or 5 weeks now!  Its super frustrating.  But I think we finally figured out her real concern and so we are trying to resolve it soon.   But other than that we are teaching a lot of people.  The struggle is that nobody comes to church!!!!! We have like 7 investigators in the 32nd ward, and only 1 of them showed up to church yesterday when they all said they could and would come the day before. .  .   Its ridiculous.  But we're tryin.    .      Well I gotta go.  sorry this email is pretty boring. . .  just the same old stuff. .  ya know??  haha well I love you all! Have an awesome week everyone! 
Peak the Strategy
Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen

Mission Tour

Hey Family!  How are you all doing this week??  I hope everyone is
doin well.  Thanks for your emails and letters.  You guys are awesome.
Well this week was interesting.  We taught a lot more and found some
new people to teach which was awesome!  We also had Mission Tour!  Its
basically like a zone conference meeting, but with more like 4 zones.
It was sweet.  Two elders from the first quorum of the seventy came
and spoke to us.  Elder Foster and Elder Whitting.  They were awesome!
 It was a very good meeting.  A little long (3 hours straight)  but I
learned a lot and got a lot out of it that applies to where I am
serving right now and how I can be a better missionary.  It was great.
  We also heard from our mission president and his wife.  They both
gave great talks.  It was cool :)
Hmmm what else was this week.   We did service for a couple people. .
.  We just worked every day . .  Same old.  haha.
So I forgot to tell you guys that President didnt end up coming out
with us the other week to teach, but he is coming out to teach with us
tonight!! So hopefully it will be a great lesson and we can invite
this new investigator to be baptized and he will accept.
Anyway,   not much else . . .  I spoke in sacrament yesterday.  They
told me I was going to speak about 1 or 2 hours before it started.  So
I didnt really prepare anything specific, but I think it went okay.
We ate at a Brazilians house and we are supposed to eat with them next
week as well and they are planning a Brazilian barbeque.  mmmmm  Im so
excited for that!  haha . .
Oh yeah! we were supposed to have two baptisms last Saturday, but they
both cancelled on us.     :(  One was sick and the other one fell off
the face of the planet. .   Seriously.  we can't find him anywhere!
hah . .  but I did get the opportunity to go back up to Farmington on
Saturday and see one of the investigators I taught, Tiffany
Montgomery, be baptized!  It was great!  I got to see Elder Miller
again too. It was sweet.  I hope to see them get sealed in the temple
in a year err so.  I will still be out here and I asked if I could go
and they said yes.  So Im gonna try to make sure it happens.  Word.
 Well  not much else to report.  Life as a missionary is great.  Very
rewarding.  also very draining . . haha Im getting pretty tired, but
its all good.  The Lord will help us have strength to do all the work
He needs done here.    So yeah . .  Well I hope you all have a
fantastic week!  I love you all.
Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen

Peak The Strategy

P.S. This is a picture of Tiffany and her family and us.  Wordski. .
That was probably pretty self explanatory, but whateva.

Yo

Hey Family!! 
Thanks for all your letters and emails!  I  miss you all.  Hope everything is going well for you guys.  I can't believe school is starting.  Woah.  Soo weird.  Anyway, some stuff happened this week.  Just the usual.  There was a baptism for the elders right next to us and the woman who got baptized was super prego!   yeah she was pregnant.  like a lot .     . . like she was in labor when she came to the baptism!  It was crazy! She was in the hospital and they were going to give her drugs to help the pain and stuff but she said she had to leave to go get baptized so she made it back to the area and was like 2 hours late, but she still got baptized and once she did she stopped having contractions and was doing much better! It was a miracle!   Still a little weird though. .   a woman who is in labor getting baptized.    Word!

Well other than that, we are trying really hard to get the work going in this area.  We are fasting and praying and working hard. . I just want it to pay off soon . haha  .  but anyway,  we found out that some other elders are teaching someone in our area..... they call it poaching!  Its stupid.  Its not supposed to be that way, but he is not "comfortable" in our ward so he is going somewhere else.  Bleh   its okay though. . Whatever is best for the investigator!!!  Anyway. 

Im gonna make this short today.   Cause I want to go play basketball and stuff for a bit..... wordski.  But I love you guys! 
I got to go to the Salt Lake Temple today!! :) it was awesome!!  Its so cool that we get to move room to room and it is done live! :)  Its fun.     We also went to temple square with an investigator this week.  It was sweet too!!  Went to downtown Salt Lake City a lot this week.      Also we teach a lot of Sudanese people!  We can go out of our zone and even out of our mission to teach the Sudanese people actually!  because they have a program in our ward for them.   So yeah. .  Its sweet :)

well have a great week!!!!
Love you,
Godspeed.
-Elder Hansen
Peak the Strategy