Priesthood Power and another Rescue

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BECKHAM!!!!!! I LOVE YOUUUUU!!! 

I love Tapachula. 

What more can I say? I love...not putting on makeup because I'll just sweat it all off anyways. Running through rainstorms. Contacting and inviting 12 people to baptism at once in a creepy combi while a remix of Enrique Iglesias plays in the background. Talking to people in the street with machetes like it's no big deal. Crossing hammock bridges, and way dinkier woodboard slash bedframe bridges. Catching butterflies. Avoiding stray chickens. Countless laughs and ideas shared during planning meetings with my best friends the zone leaders, and the girls on intercambios. Preaching the gospel. I love it. 

So I don't think I've really said anything...since the first time I had lice. Well they never really went away. I've been living with lice, using the shampoo like no ones business and killing all of my hair for like 3 months now. 

SO I got desperate and the mission doc said, "Well why don't you ask for a priesthood blessing?" 

Like, duh. I know it seems like something stupid. BUT LICE SUCKS OK. 

So I awkwardly asked Elder Brass and Elder de Jesus for a priesthood blessing... to cure my lice. Of course, they gave me one. And I am not kidding you people! It was the most powerful blessing I have ever felt given to me! Elder Brass said, "Jordyn Kylee Hansen, con la autoridad del sacerdocio del melkesidec que poseo, pongo mis manos sobre tu cabeza, y mando que todos los piojos SALGAN DE TU CABEZA." 

Hahaha! I'm not kidding you. It totally worked. HAVEN'T HAD LICE SINCE. Three months of freaking lice and all I needed was a little faith, humility and a priesthood blessing. Just too easy.

 Enjoying my lice free hair. THANK YOU PRIESTHOOD BLESSING FROM ELDER BRASS. 

So this week we had another rescue in Tuxtla Chico. But it was even more amazing and way more awesome. I'll write more next week. 

Also, we sadly had to drop an investigator Hermano P, who had 4 asistencias. But... suddenly he said he doesn't believe in god... and well... in his prayer he pretty much dropped us. He prayed out loud that although he loved us, that we would never come back to visit him. Haha. OK. Cool. 

But, on Sunday, we found an awesome investigator who has 2 asssistencias and wants to get baptised! Totally golden. I know the Lord has blessed us for our efforts!!!! 

Love you all and miss you!! 

Hermana Hansen

PS Hey so I have a birthday video for Beck, and pictures of this week and everything...but sadly I have a virus on my memory card and this computer doesn't read it. Soooo...I'm in Tuxtla right now for the leadership conference and hopefully I can get one of the assistants to take of the virus and send the video and pics next week. 

The Rescue: ChocoMilco

Sup peeps?

So this week was another AMAZING week here in Bonanza. Something that I have absolutely loved about being here in Tapachula...that puts my mission experience on steroids...is that our zone is totally united. We all just love each other. It's like a huge family, which makes working every day and helping everyone else on intercambios...and with other activities so much more fun.

 Elders De Jesus and Brass with Hermanas Hansen and Ortega

One of these amazing activities we did in the zone was...as Elder Brass and I like to call it....EL RESCATE: CHOCOMILCO (the rescue of Xochimilco). Haha!

So there's an area in our zone that was a little...dead. Ghost townie. Like hasn't had a baptism in a while...everyone keeps to themselves in their houses and so it's hard to find new investigators... and doesn't have investigators progressing... etc etc. Xochimilco (but I can't ever pronounce it right, so I started saying the name 'ChocoMilco' and it stuck.)

I went on intercambios with Hermana Cook. Afterwards, when we were giving our informe to Elder Brass and Elder de Jesus I said, "I'm gonna be honest guys... they need a Rescue." 

 Tapachula Bonanza Zone

What is a rescue? Something that Elder Brass came up with when we were working in Grijalva and that I named. It's when an area is super dead and we come together as a zone and work during the morning to contact, find new investigators, and pretty much invade the whole area with missionaries so we can find the escogidos. But, we took it to a whole new level.

Singing at the Rescue

Elder Brass had the idea to get a giant speaker hooked up, so we could put on an announcement about the movie "Meet the Mormons", sing hymns, etc etc to get people out of their houses. He said, "I know there are escogidos there... if they won't come out of their houses... and we can't knock doors... we will just have to call them out!"
 

So we did. Then I had the idea that Hermana Cook could play her violin and we could walk the streets contacting people and drawing people out of the houses with the music...having a lesson in the street, inviting them to baptism, and finding the escogidos.

Hermana Cook

On Friday, we first divided all the missionaries up, and everyone went to work in a different area for 2 hours. Then we all met up, stopped combis, sang hymns in the speaker, and announced to the whole Chocomilco about the mormones.

It was SUPER AMAZING. Everyone was so excited, and we really did find some escogidos. We found a lot of people who accepted baptism, one couple that has all the church attendances but just needs to get married, and another couple of people who also have all the church attendances. It was an unforgettable experience. 

I'm so grateful to have an amazing zone, zone leaders who work with us and support us ... and my big family here in Tapachula Mexico. I'm never leaving! 

LES AMO UN BUEN CUÍDENSE MUCHO

Hermana Hansen

 

A la mecha TAPACHULA LO AMO.

Yes, you heard me. I'm in love with Tapachula and I don't care who knows it!! I'm never coming back to Utah. Sorry peeps. If you want to see me in 7 months you´ll all have to get your butts down here because I'm preaching the gospel in a wonderland full of Bridges to Terabithia, volcanoes, butterflies, sheep tacos...and I am never ever leaving. I better not get transferred. Like ever.

Bridge to Terabithia

Also, lame because my mom (Hermana Martinez) went home this week. That makes me sad! And even more sad because that means I'm gonna be at my year mark soon. Hermana Ortega and I are praying that in this October's conference President Monson makes the announcement that girls can serve for 2 years. HOLLA @ U MONSON.

So my big Sis Hermana Ortega is my new comp... and it's kind of the best thing ever because this is Hermana Martinez´s old area so everyone knows her and loves her here and knows that we are her hijas (daughters) so they love us too! :) Hermana Ortega is from Pachuca and is literally the best ever. We are having the funnest time together! We love to work hard and so we are killing it here in Tapachula, BONANZA.

So apart from all the miracles, I honestly had the best experience of my life this week because I rode in a moto taxi tricycle (a motorcycle hooked up to a little cart thing) like 3 times. It's only 5 pesos per person to go wherever you want in Tuxtla Chico.

We had intercambios with Tuxtla Chico (which is like the most magical area in Tapachula) right on the border of Guatemala. The Hermana I was with even bought some American clothes for 20 pesos from a lady in the street (who we then taught how to pray haha). When we asked her how she got the clothes across the border she said, "Well across the river duh!" Like it's totally normal to illegally swim American clothes across the river to sell... no big deal.

The Shire

 
Also everyone and their dog seems to have a machete here. There was this one guy walking towards us with a huge machete and when he passed I (dumbly) started using my water bottle as a machete to hit Hermana Morelos. Suddenly (he somehow saw me) he turned and pointed his machete at us and started following us. We were freaking out inside but tried to stay calm.

When poof, out of the ground, pops up a random lady that Hermana Morelos knew! She was taking her clothes (in buckets) home to dry from washing them in the river. We ran over to her and tried to help her. Talked to her for a bit...but the machete guy was still watching and waiting for us! Luckily, after like 5 minutes his other machete friend came over and they went into some house...probably to slaughter a giant iguana or something. But yeah, that's the last time I joke about machetes in Tapachula. Oh, what fun we have on intercambios. 

So MIRACLES....

Hermano P., (the only progressing investigator we had when I came into the area) miraculously came to church on Sunday. He wasn't going to be able to come. He had asked for work off the Sunday before to come to church, and when he asked his boss for permission again she didn't give it to him. But we just told him to keep praying and asking and everything would be alright.

So we called him Sunday morning but he didn't answer. Thinking he was working, we went to church a little sad.... only to find Hermano P. sitting there!! Apparently, his boss went somewhere for the weekend, and the other guy he was working with told him it would probably be alright if he skipped. So he skipped work to come to church!!! He's progressing super rapido to get baptized 1 de agosto!! 

So we honestly did not have any investigators to get baptized this transfer minus Hermano P. So we fasted on Sunday, praying that we could find new investigators that miraculously could have gone to church a few times already and could be baptized this transfer. We decided to contact an old reference that we hadn't found, Hermana P. Well, we didn't find Hermana P., she doesn't live here anymore. But we did find two of her hermanos. Her daughter has been to church three times, and her son once. They can both get baptized in this transfer!! We connected super well with them. They both really have a desire to know what church is true and to be baptized.

 

When we walked out of the lesson we were practically jumping for joy and Hermana Ortego told me, "Hermana, I know that these transfers were inspired and you were sent here for a reason with me. Did you not feel the spirit so strong that we knew them before? I am sure we both knew them in the pre-existence. I know we are here together to help them finally be baptized." 

I love Tapachula! And I love my Zone. I'm working with Elder Brass again, and it's his last transfer. He told me he prayed for me and his former companion, Elder De Jesus here. He said he wanted to work with us for his last transfer, so he could leave Tapachula with a bang. Haha! I love our zone leaders and my comp, en serio, and I love all of the Hermanas in our zone. I'm so happy to be here! I'm happy, working hard and seeing miracles.

Love you all!! 

Hermana Hansen

 Bridge to Teribithia

Moving day from Tuxtla Pimienta to Tapachula Bonanza!

Saying Adios to her Tuxtla Pimienta posse

Cacao .... what they use to make posol

Nos vemos en la selva

I've been dreading writing this letter all day because I just have so much I need to say and so little time and IT'S STRESSFUL! OKAY! I'M PANICKING.

Well goodbye to the city... cuz I'm headed to the jungle. 

Kidding I have no idea how much of a jungle it is...but it's on the border of Guatemala so you never know. I'm headed to Tapachula, Bonanza...my trainers old area...and with my big sister, Hermana Ortega! We are just following in our mother's footsteps haha. It's pretty cool cuz we get to be capacitadores together!! :) Let's just say..... HACE BASTANTE CALOR (it's very hot) and it's rainy season. I'm praying there's a few more mango piñas up there.

My big sister in the mission.. and my new comp!!! Hermana Ortega 

(we didn't even know we were going to be comps when we took the pic!! haha)

So it's kind of weird cuz I wasn't really expecting a change...and I haven't even been saying goodbye to any of our investigators or members. So today should be...interesting. 

I will miss this area. The ward is amazing, and I love the people here. I'm also gonna miss my comp a bunch. It's gonna be hard to say goodbye, but I guess we will see what the Lord has in store for me in Tapachula. 

This is a weird cambio because my mom (Hermana Martinez) goes home this week! That makes me sad and feel old. Also Hermana Hickman and Hermana Humphrey go home....the celebrity bloggers that I read before I came on the mish! So it's like an end of an epoca...and on with the next. Weird. I will miss them! They are all amazing missionaries.

 The best Zone Leaders!

Presidente is also closing a lot of areas because there is only one Elder coming in this transfer. Yep, ONE. And a bunch of Hermanas and Elders leaving. SO HERMANAS GET ON YOUR GAME AND SEND IN YOUR PAPERS SO YOU CAN GET CALLED TO CHIAPAS CUZ WE NEED YOU!!!!! The mission is shrinking pues!! 

So this week was USA's Independence Day and literally the best 4th of July I have ever had...weird because I wasn't even in the US. There weren't any fireworks or BBQ's...but we had two miracle baptisms. Really something we have been working for this whole cambio. Hermana J. and Hermanito P were baptized by their son and brother, Hermano S. 

 Best day of my life!

Hermano S has been a member for about 10 years. He got baptized when he was about 9 and is now preparing for a mission. Countless missionaries have passed through trying to teach his mom, but she never wanted to listen. Actually it seems like all the missionaries were scared of her (we were as well...but we didn't tell her). But poco un poco, she made a HUGE change.

Really it all started when we did service and made mole with her. Remember that story from a few weeks back? Yep, that's Hermana J. Poco un poco she started opening up to us, and we started to see her for who she really is. Instead of the Hermano S's scary mom who didn't want anything to do with the church...we saw her as a brave, strong woman. A single mom who has suffered a lot, but who wants nothing more than a good life for her kids...and to live with them for eternity. 

 

We knew she was really getting converted when she told us, "I don't care what the neighbors think, or who sees me enter that church. If God tells me to get baptized there, you better believe I will do it." 

And so she did. 

Honestly, I think a huge factor was the scary hospital incident last week with my companion. Hermana J. came running to the hospital in tears when she heard what happened. I think the incident really made her think about what is important in life, and that's what helped her make the decision to be baptized. 

  
I love her and her family so much. 

Voy a extrañar mis niños :( 

After 10 years of trying, it just took the right amount of love, service, and patience to get to her heart. I know Hermana Guarcax and I were here exactly for her, for this reason, to be used as instruments in God's hands and finally help her to the water's of baptism. 

Man, it's gonna be hard to leave them.

More than anything what I have learned from this experience is the gospel changes lives. It doesn't matter who you are or what the situation is, the cure for everything is applying the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to our lives.

Farewell Hermana Guarcax and Tuxtla Pimienta

Love you all.

Nos vemos en la selva (see you in the jungle).

Hermana Hansen

 

Last time wearing this dress cuz I gave it to Hermana J for her baptism present

Pizza on intercambios

 Zone conference!

 Called to serve in...Chiauaua!!!