December 29, 2014--Two Letters!!

Dear Family,

It was really wonderful skyping with you guys too!!! Everyone looks like they are doing really well. I got my package!!!!!!!!! The assistants came from the office to do exchanges with the zone leaders and they brought mail!!!! You spoiled me big time! I loved everything so much! The clothes, the jewelry (especially the bracelet), the peppermint bark, the CDs, and the much needed shoes!!! Wow it was so fun. Also it was like I got 2 Christmases. I got to speak to my family on Thursday, and open presents on Friday. Awesome!!!!

Hermana Hilbun is an angel, and we get along great. I’m learning a TON from her. This is her second to last transfer. I really have been incredibly blessed with the companions I’ve had. 

Be sure to tell Becca thank you soooooooooo much for the package she sent me, it was very sweet. The headbands were cute and I loved the candy!!!!!

Sorry I wanted to send pictures but this computer is annoying,

Love you lots

Hermana Hansen

I had a wonderful Christmas!!!!!

We got to have Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas day lunch with La familia familia. (That really is their name). They are amazing! It was wonderful to talk with my family!!!!!!! I love you guys!!!

Christmas in the DR is crazy. There is music BLASTING in our neighborhood 24/7, except for the hours of the day that we don’t have power.  It’s been playing LOUD for 2 weeks. Christmas day we had power all day, so when I woke up Christmas morning, the music was still playing. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for your prayers! Have a happy new year!!!

Hermana Hansen

December 22, 2015

Wow I have no more time to write! But this was a good week. My new companion, Hermana Hilbun is amazing!!!! She is always so happy. I love serving with her. 

La Romana is awesome. The members here are great. We had an awesome ward Christmas dinner with a nativity drama and lots of Dominican food. We had to leave after the food, but I heard the members of all ages stayed until 10:30 dancing. I love the Dominican Culture, why don’t we do that at our Christmas parties? =) 

As we prepare for Christmas, I invite all of you to allow the true meaning of Christmas to come into your hearts. Remember Christ, and move more closely to him. Please watch this video.christmas.mormon.org

Merry Christmas!  I love you all.

Hermana Hansen

December 15, 2014

Another crazy week. Really, I think all weeks in the mission are crazy. It’s pretty hard to get bored.

Another transfer has come and gone. I thought for sure I’d stay in San Pedro since I’ve never stayed with a companion for more than one transfer. I thought, statistically speaking, it was more than likely for me and Hermana Greenstreet to stay together. But no. Me voy )= I’m headed off to La Romana tomorrow. I’m moving further into the countryside =) I’m really, really sad to be leaving San Pedro. I love it here, and I have fallen in love with the people here. I love serving them and teaching them, and I love being served and taught by them.

The mission is a really beautiful thing. You get to meet so many wonderful places and people. My least favorite part of the mission has to be the constant stream of goodbyes, whether that’s companions or members or investigators. I have shared extraordinary and beautiful experiences with the people of San Pedro and I love them with all my heart. I know I’m cheesy.

It’s especially hard to say goodbye to Jhoan. I have had the blessing of teaching him from the beginning of his conversion experience. He has taught me so much about faith, joy, gratitude, and obedience to Gods will. His testimony has strengthened mine. I know the Lord has a plan for me in La Ramona, so I’m excited for the new experiences I’ll have and the amazing people I’ll have the chance to love.

I love what President Uchtdorf says about goodbyes.  I’m paraphrasing, but he essentially says, the reason why goodbyes are so hard is that we are eternal beings, we are meant for forever’s, not for endings. I’m sad to leave but I know I’ll see the people of San Pedro again, and I’m excited for my new beginning in La Romana.

I love you guys!!! Thank you for your love and constant prayers!

Hermana Hansen

Happy Day!

This was an amazing week. Jhoan got baptized!!

His baptismal service was absolutely beautiful. He was so happy and excited. He brought his family and his coworker from the capital who introduced him to the church, along with her family and other friends he has from the capital. A lot of the other young adults came to support him too. It really was a beautiful service.

He asked me to share my testimony, and I felt blessed to be able to share my testimony again before he was baptized. Our ward mission leader, Chester, baptized him. I know Jhoan came out of the water a new man. Because he had faith in Christ and repented, baptism freed him from sin. He was so happy, he was really speechless. He shared his testimony in the form of a poem to us after he was baptized. His faith in Christ and his desire to follow God's commandments never ceases to amaze me. On Sunday he was confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

I am so blessed to be here. I cannot put it into words. I often think of the scripture in Alma 26:16, where Ammon cannot adequately express his feelings. There is nothing better than helping people come unto Christ. This is the Lord's work. 

Sunday afternoon we went to teach Jhoan. We talked about what it means to endure to the end. We ended up talking about how enduring to the end has a lot to do with following the spirit and sharing with others the joy of the gospel that we have already received. Jhoan shared with us D&C 18 where it talks about the joy we receive when we bring souls unto Christ. Jhoan gets it!

Once we have received the gospel of Jesus Christ the next step is to share it so that others can partake of the joy it brings! (Luke 22:32) Wow. When he read that scripture I started to ask him what he thought it meant but he asked me to share what it means. Haha the tables were turned. 

I love you guys so much! Hope you received all my photos. I sent a ton!!

Love 

Hermana Hansen

Baptism Day Selfie

Me & Hermana Greenstreet

 Jhoans Baptism & Confirmation

Pday at the Beach

Estrellas Baseball Caps

(they are the baseball team in San Pedro)

I love Hermana Flores

Me & Hermana Greenstreet

One of the many stray dogs in the DR

Transfer Day 

Rain!

Hermana Vargas teaching us how to make pera pina. YUMMMMM best juice ever!

Even Elsa can't stop this heat!

Me and Hermana Fox having fun

Te quiero loca

Our Thanksgiving Feast

=) =) =) =) =)

Wow, this was one of the craziest weeks of my mission! But definitely one of the most rewarding.

Last week, our investigator Jhoan decided he wanted to get baptized. We invited him to be baptized on December 6th and he accepted. We knew that teaching him everything he needed to know before the 6th was a huge goal considering we had only visited him 2 or 3 times before. But we had faith and kept moving forward.

We visited Jhoan every day this week. Each day a challenge was put in our way that made it look as if we wouldn’t be able to make it to Jhoans appointment, but every day a miracle happened that made it possible. I know that everything worked out the way it did this week because God made it possible.

Jhoan is so prepared to be baptized. I have never taught someone who has such an incredible understanding of the gospel, and a desire to follow Christ. Since I have known Jhoan, I have seen him change for the better as he has accepted His Savior and put into practice His teachings. Maybe it’s cheesy to say, but there is a light in his eye that wasn’t there before.

I am blessed to have the privilege of knowing Jhoan and being a messenger of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is such a wonderful example. When I asked him why he thought he should obey certain commandments, he said without a pause, “Well, we should follow ALL of Gods commandments…always.”

I cannot wait for this Saturday when I will watch him follow Christ by entering the waters of baptism and making a covenant with his Heavenly Father. I am also grateful for Jhoan´s friends who through their words and deeds introduced Jhoan to the gospel. 

I love being a missionary. Some days are really, really hard. But the opportunity to share with others the gospel of Jesus Christ and watch them change for the better makes it all worth it. 

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Hansen