4/27/2015 I Love Frailes

I'm in love with my new area

It's part of the capital, but it doesn't feel like a city. It's a super calm small town that's tucked away off the freeway. I see the ocean everyday!

There are so many members here, and they are awesome.

I've never had such a small area, and the ward is huge!

My new companion is Hermana Fife from Alaska. She is incredible. I'm also living with Hermana Greenstreet again and Hermana Valdez from the DR. 

I'm very happy and having a fantastic birthday!

We are going to the temple tomorrow which makes me super happy.

Hermana Hansen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

Birthday Pizza!

I call this the artichoke castle. It was one of my

landmarks in La Romana. If I ever got lost in our

ginormous area. I always thought of you mom

when I saw it because you love artichokes!

Familia Santos La Romana

4/20/2015 Transfers :(

I hope you enjoy all the photos. But now I have no time to write! As usual, I had a great week!

Transfers are tomorrow! I'm leaving the campo (country) and heading back to the capital, a zone called las Americas.

I'm very sad to say goodbye to Hermana Meldrum--again. She's the best companion ever. Who knows, maybe we will be comps again. I'm really going to miss La Romana, all of the members and being in the countryside. But it'll be cool to be in the city. I am very happy to go wherever the Lord wants me. 

I know this is the Lords work, and I am so blessed to be here.

I love you guys! 

Love Hermana Hansen

Beautiful Dominican Republic!

Where the Cruise ships leave the harbor

If you zoom in really close you can see a presidential candidate's poster.  If you speak Spanish it's funny. Sooo Dominican!

Dominican Travel

Baptism of Pablo Alberto Severino Guerrero

Hermana Meldrum, Pablo & Me!

Hermano Ozoria, next to Pablo, Ward Mission Leader Hermano Carlos Trinidad, going on a mission to Mexico in July. He is also the Elders Quorum President.

Me & Hermana Meldrum

Half of La Romana Zone

Hermana Wilkis, Me & Hermana Beti in La Romana

Exchanges with Hermana Collins

La Familia Familia. The Bishops family

Making caramel popcorn at Hermana Celeste's house,

with her daughter Yeisi, her grandkids, Pablo,

and her sister Hermana Anacasilda Rosario

Making pera pina with my compa.  Best juice ever!

My neighborhood is called Barrio Chicago.

I love it, and feel right at home!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

New Easter dress from home!

Me and Hermana Meldrum

4/13/2015 What a Beautiful Week.

Pablo was baptized! I feel so blessed to have seen his conversion process from the start. I remember the first day we met Pablo. He was broken physically, from his motorcycle accident, and spiritually from a long stream of very hard trials. I remember the first day we taught him. He was so sad. He wasn’t sure if God existed, but he decided to pray and ask God for himself. He received an answer, and since then has moved forward with unfailing faith. Willing to do whatever it was that God would have him do. 

I remember the first Sunday after we taught Pablo we got to church and there he was. We asked him how he got there since he had a cast up his entire leg. He had crutched the almost mile walk to the church building. From that day on he has never looked back. He continues to face very hard trials, but he is being healed by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Being able to teach Pablo has been such a testimony builder for me. The atoning power of our Savior Jesus Christ has no limits. If we can just have faith in him, he will work miracles in our lives. Maybe we can’t see it right now, but before we know it we will look back and stand all amazed at the Lord´s grace.

Had you asked me back in January if I thought Pablo would have been able to overcome all of his challenges and be baptized, I believe I would have had my doubts. But here we are. I have learned from this experience to never doubt the power of the Savior. To expect miracles. To always have faith that the Savior can change any situation or heart.

I love you guys! Have a fabulous week! I invite you all to exercise your faith in Christ. To follow His commandments more completely, then to pray to your Heavenly Father and pray for strength and for His grace, to pray to become more like His son. I know your prayers will be answered. Mine have countless times, and I know God loves all of His children.

Love 

Hermana Hansen

4/6/2015 Como estan??

In the DR they celebrate Easter all week. Everyone puts blow up pools in the streets, and lots of people go the beach. They all eat habichuelas con dulce (sweet beans) Yum!

This week was great! For starters, it was CONFERENCE weekend. It was absolutely wonderful. Haiti is getting a temple!!! The Haitian members here are ecstatic. I keep on thinking back to the Haitian sisters who I roomed with in the MTC. When they came to the MTC, it was their first time in the temple. Now they will have their own temple and be able to go frequently and make sacred covenants with God as individuals and as families! I am so happy for them. Haitians have a very special place in my heart, just as Dominicans do. I am so grateful that I get to serve with these wonderful people. 

I would also like to share my testimony about living prophets. This church is led by prophets and apostles. They receive revelation directly from God. It is extremely important that we follow their guidance, and when we do the windows of heaven are opened and the blessings are infinite. 

I know President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. Just as Adam, Noah, Abraham and Moses. 

I think more than anything from this conference, I learned about grace and the atonement of Jesus Christ. As the speakers gave their talks, the Spirit whispered to me over and over again to put all fears aside and simply put my faith in Christ. As I do, I know I will see miracles and healing in my life and the lives of those I love. Faith is never wasted. When we believe in our Savior and in His power our lives are changed. Often not in the ways we expected, but always in the way that will bless us the most eternally.

I know God lives. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you and me, and all of His children. Jesus Christ suffered death for all mankind so that if we believe in Him, and follow His example we will be healed from all of our infirmities and cleansed from all of our sins. I know that He rose from the grave on the third day, and because He lives, I too will live again, forever. Because of His grace, and if I am faithful, not only will I live again but I will live forever in His and the Father's presence in a state of unlimited happiness (Mosiah 2:41). I also know that because He lives, I do not have to walk this path alone. He is always with me. 

Pablo will be getting baptized this Saturday. I am so happy for him. He has been completely transformed. The atonement has healed him mentally, physically, emotionally, and most of all spiritually as he has come unto Christ. I can’t wait to see him make this sacred covenant of baptism with God. 

Love you all,

Hermana Hansen

3/31/2015 I love being a missionary! I couldn't be in a better place.

I want to share with you all about Pablo. He plans to be baptized on April 11th. I am very excited for him. The atonement of Jesus Christ truly has worked miracles in his life and heart. When I first met Pablo he was rather sad. He was going through a lot of really hard trials. As he learned about how to put into practice the gospel of Jesus Christ, he has become so happy. Recently, he has had even greater trials come into his life. Even though he has some really hard, sad moments he is still able to find peace and joy because of the gospel in his life.

Teaching Pablo has also strengthened my testimony of the Book of Mormon. Pablo is already in Alma. He reads the Book of Mormon every day. Before he knew if any of the rest of what we taught was true, he held firm to the witness he had received that God exists and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible are the word of God. Reading these sacred works changes hearts and lives as we put into practice their teachings. 

I love you all and am very grateful for your prayers and support!

Have a great week.

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Hansen

Another beautiful view from my apartment

Hermana Meldrum and I made an Easter carrot cake.  Yum!

Hitchhiking in the DR

Caves in the DR

03/23/2015 The Hermana Meldrum-Hermana Hansen team is back in business!!!!!!!!!!

I received a call on Monday from the mission president that my new companion was going to be Hermana Meldrum!  She was my first companion in San Pedro! I love this sister. We make a really great team. We bring out the best in each other. We are working really hard and having so much fun.

I think more than anything I love teaching with Hermana Meldrum. I feel like the Spirit is really present in our lessons.  It feels so good to be back in this companionship. It’s like we never stopped being companions, and have just picked up where we left off. The 3 transfers we had apart we grew a lot. Now we have even more to learn from each other. 

This week our area has faced a lot of opposition. I think 90 percent of our appointments fell through and very few people wanted to hear our message. BUT I’m not losing faith. I’m excited to be working here and I KNOW that as we continue with faith the Lord will bless this area. I do not doubt that. 

I have learned so much this week. I was reminded again and again for our constant need of the Savior. It is His power that brings this work forward. I am merely His servant and I know that as I trust in Him, He will make me into the missionary He needs and will work miracles in the hearts of those we are serving. I’m so grateful for my Heavenly Father and the constant flow of blessings He sends my way and to those I love. 

Oh and congratulations Adriane and Mckay!!!

Con mucho amor, 

Hermana Hansen

Paradise outside my window!

Adios Hermana Hilbun

Hermana Given and I, only had a week together 

but she was a wonderful companion and I learned

so much from this incredible sister!

Stake Conference with Hermana Meldrum

An Aguacate (Avocado) as big as my Head!

Aguacates, YUM!

This is called a tuvi. Dominican women wear them everywhere so that their hair stays straight.

They are actually a wonderful invention.