Caminando en Chiapas: Meet the Mormons

Monday, July 20, 2015

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

Monday, February 23, 2015

It's true. I'm Mexican.

So you know you're a Mexican: when you actually start to like and somewhat even crave Mexican chocolate that you hated when you arrived; when you put chile on everything (even fruit); when you can eat from a taco stand in the street and it doesn't even phase you; when you can't eat a meal without a tortilla; when jaywalking across a busy street in the middle of the day doesn't even bother you because there's no such thing as crosswalks; and when you don't even notice the bugs in every single house that grossed you out when you arrived. Welcome to Mexico. Miralo vos (watch out), because this guera is officially a Mexican.

Hermana Salazar from Sonora and Hermanas Hansen & Juarez

This week was awesome because we had a multi-zone activity on Tuesday!! Which means I got to see a bunch of my friends from other zones, and I got to wear PANTS. Which was only cool until about 1 pm when I was blazing hot, uncomfortable, and wishing I had on my airy skirt to keep me cool and feel the breeze on my legs.

Hermanas Hansen and Coronado

All in all, I learned that skirts are way better than pants (triste (sad) missionary brainwashing.... whoever thought I'd say that?) The only thing pants are good for is for doing headstands. So, I did a lot of them. Unfortunately, I don't have any photo evidence because I was doing them spontaneously....but just know I'm practicing (just for you Hermana Bunderson!)

Remember the head standing Hermanas during those good old MTC days?

During our activity, we went to the zoo, played futbol on blazing hot turf, and watched 'Meet the Mormons' (in Spanish of course) which was freaking awesome!!

Hermanas Allen, Hansen & Juliana

When David Archuleta sang the favorite song of every missionary in the world at the end (Glorious), Hemana Juarez and I about died...and then we realized he was singing in Spanish and we both screamed and I dropped my camera. It was super awkward, and I'm pretty sure Presidente George along with all the elders who were sitting behind us were just shaking their heads. Hahaha. OHHHH GLORIOSO ES.

So I had a weird experience yesterday that really made me think about being a consecrated missionary, and how Satan tries to get us at the littlest things...because he knows we are smart enough to avoid the big and obvious ones.

Hermana Hansen, President and Hermana George, Hermanas Coronado & Juliana

Por ejemplo (for example)....yesterday we were teaching a new investigator. In the house right in front of us, they were watching MOCKINGJAY. I saw a flash of J-Laws face, went pale, and about died. To resist the temptation (because I could see the TV through the window literally right next to the head of our investigator), I stood next to our investigator across from my companion and turned my back to the window with the TV.

Hermana Dansie from Idaho

The lesson went great. As I was inviting her to pray, I turned a bit to look at her...and right behind her I caught another glimpse of FREAKING PEETA STRANGLING KATNISS! I hurriedly turned my back again and composed myself quickly. But, it didn't matter...woof the spirit was gone.

Luckily the spirit was still with her. She prayed great and no pasa nada (nothing happened). But, it really made me think about all the tiny things that Satan puts in our path to try to distract us.

As missionaries, there is two things that are our downfall. Disanimo (discouragement), and distractions. Mexico is full of the world. Billboards, music in the streets, media, just everything. And it's literally impossible to avoid every single form of worldly media when living in Mexico. But we can do things to keep us focused, to keep us from getting distracted. It's one thing to live in Mexico... and another to live of Mexico.

We (Mama & Papa Hansen) enjoy reading Elder Portlock's blog...they thought it would be funny to get a picture together...since Hermana H's parents are his "blog stalkers".

But, Satan tries to get us with the smallest things. He knows I'm a Hunger Games freak, and tried to get me. Even though the small glimpse of the movie was unintentional, it was enough to drive the spirit away and distract me for a small second. Distract me, as I'm teaching someone how to communicate with God. With their Father in Heaven. This is the LAST THING that He wants. And if we are not careful... not just as missionaries but as people in general, that's how he can get us.

Hermana Hansen saw her cousin from Idaho at the multi-zone activity

So that's my goal for this week...to be a more consecrated missionary. To completely focus myself in the work, in these children of His that he's entrusted me with. In this world, it's easy to get distracted. But, if we do things to constantly have the spirit with us and guide us, we can conquer Satan.