18 Months of Memories

Note from parents:
Hermana Hansen returns home in less than a week!  Can't believe how fast the time has passed.  One of our requests to our hija while she was away was to let us experience her mission with her through photos.  We hooked her up with a family one drive account and we were very blessed that most weeks the process worked very well.  It was such a blessing to be able to live a very small part of the mission with her in this way.

We've taken a few of the photos from every week of her mission and compiled them here to try and capture at least a small part of what she experienced.  We are so grateful to all the missionaries serving throughout the world for the sacrifice they make and the joy they bring to others through the message of the Savior.  Missions are hard both physically and emotionally.  We are so grateful to all her companions and mission friends, her friends here at home, President and Sister George as well as all the wonderful people in Chiapas who have helped her over the past 18 months!

Most of all we're grateful for the Savior and His gospel and the joy and hope it brings to all of us.

Music credits for the video:
David Nevue - Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Ludovico Einaudi - I giorni
Jon Schmidt - Hymn of Nature
Plumb - Lord I'm Ready Now

Random Facts about Teopisca...

*Along with stray dogs and cats, there are stray horses and cows... roaming through the streets. We will be contacting in the street and my companion usually has to pull me out of the way of two things, 1. mototaxis or 2. a stray horse or cow. It's whatevs.

*We had a pretty strong earthquake a couple of weeks ago, and ever since there's been weird weather. It started out raining and now its freezing cold in the mornings and super hot during the day. (Not quite Tapachula hot... but you know).

*Along with the hobbit hills, the water truck plays hobbit music.... it's very fitting.

*How people give direccions here. 

Me: Where do you live?

Them: Over there!

Me: But where over there? 

Them: Over there! You can't miss it.

Me: OK, on what street?

Them: Oh... I don't know. But it's right by the corn mill! 

Me: Ohhh, OK, so on calzada de panteon?

Them: Yeah! Right over there!!

Me: OK, what number is your house?

Them: Oh... it doesn't have a number.... but I'll describe how you get there! You go walking down this street... and right in the corner there's a 2 floored green house. I don't live there. You just keep going and you pass a little store and 4 or 5 dogs.... it's not there either. Like 4 or 5 houses before the first green house I told you about.... yeah that's my house. It's a block house, with a black door. (AKA.... EVERY SINGLE HOUSE IN TEOPISCA)...

 

*There is constant marimba music.

Christmas Dinner

 

*Locked doors are unheard of.

*People grow their corn, cut their corn, mash their corn, and make handmade corn tortillas IT'S DELISH.

BIENVENIDOS A TEOPISCA THE LAND I CALL MY HOME.   

That's all for today, it was great to see you all on Christmas!!! 

Hermana Hansen

 Since we didn't have power on Christmas morning..we made s'mores for breakfast

Two Gringas in Mexico

Hermana Hansen with her new GRINGA companion,  Hermana Yorgason

Yep, you read it right! My new companion is a gringa from Provo, Utah. She's almost 6 foot, blonde, and about to die (she's leaving after this transfer.... :() But even though she's dying mission wise...she is definitely not dying ANIMO (excitement) wise. She is THE HAPPIEST missionary I've ever met and tiene un BUEN de ganas a trabajar (she has a lot of desire to work). She's the best.

Hermana Yorgason decorated my desk..."Welcome to Pimienta the best area in Chiapas"

It's so weird to have a gringa companion... I hope it doesn't halt my Spanish progress because sometimes we get talking and before we know it we moved onto Spanglish and sometimes full on English! We don't even realize it!! But, we are working on it... jaja.

That awesome moment when members of your ward take you to a marimba restaurant for lunch

I'm already learning UN BUEN de su ejemplo (a ton from her example) , and I'm remembering how fun it is to be a missionary!!
 

And being a capacitadora (sister training leader) isn't as scary as I thought it would be... it's actually super fun!! So far I like it even better than training (but we haven't had any intercambios (exchanges) yet so we will see...). Even though it's a lot of work and pressure it really is just a beautiful job. I get the opportunity to work with, and help, and learn from, and love all the hermanas in my zone. It's awesome!

Also, our zone leaders are Elder Brass (who was an assistente to the mission president) and Elder Carreon (who is my same generation). We get to work with them a lot, and they are super funny and bien chido (very cool) as well!! It's gonna be a fun transfer.

SO my area. It's called Pimienta. My area is tiny.... like 8 blocks. We can walk the whole thing at a slow pace in like less than 15 min. We have an AWESOME bishop, an AMAZING ward mission leader, and UN BUEN de ayuda (a ton of help) from the ward.

Like, we are all a team. Just how it should be! I totally miss all the members in Central. But, the members here are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING as well. I've already found a new mission mom, Hermana C!! 

So some funny stories from this week....

I got electrocuted. Bad extension cord. Don't worry, I'm fine, my arm just tingled for a few hours. I felt like the kid from Moonrise Kingdom (maybe only Katie will get that reference....) 

 Hermano P. beat us in an arm wrestle with one finger!

Some joven told me that if we procreated our children would have beautiful eyes. I just blinked at him and Hermana Yorgason responded, "Guess we will be teaching you next about eternal families." jajajaja

I'm attempting to learn two native ancient dialects that people speak here, Centahl and Sotsil. People usually just laugh when I attempt. Ho on ish Ouish Hansen!!!!

YEP I'm with an American....

That's all for now... LOVE YOU ALL... TENGA UN BONITA DIA (have a beautiful day)

Hermana Hansen

Pictures from Hermana Hansen's last day in Central

 One last selfie with Hermanas Hansen, Cook & Juarez

Recipes!

With my bestie, Hermana N., who is getting married in APRIL

Farewell for now Hermana Juarez & Central

Intercambios, Chasing Butterflies and a Baptism!

Intercambios with the best Capacitadoras in el mundo (Hermanas Juarez, Hansen, Coronado and Juliana)

Dudes, tomorrow I turn 5... months. I don't want to talk about that actually, because time is passing way too freaking fast... so moving on.

We had intercambios (exchanges) this week and it was possibly one of the greatest experiences on my mission thus far. I worked with Hermana Coronado from Texas for a day and honestly it was a day that changed my mission life! 

 

I learned so much. I feel like I can now be a more efficient missionary with UN BUEN ESTADO DE ANIMO (a good frame of mind). She taught me how to work hard but still have fun. 

For example, while we were trying to find a reference we ended up finding a beautiful butterfly and chasing it down an entire street trying to catch it..until we lost it when it went inside a huge Christian "temple". 

Pancake tacos cuz we are Mexican

When we turned around, we found one of our menos activos (less actives) in the ward staring at us... After which he waved and said, "Uh... buen dia hermanas" and ran inside. Hopefully he keeps coming to church even though we are weirdos... haha. 

And Hermana Coronado is going to BYU when she gets back so the chasing butterfly madness doesn't have to end! 

 Hermanas Coronado & Hansen & cute Chicas

With mis chicas

 

 

This week I was able to witness a huge miracle. One of our old investigators got baptized! I say old because he's technically not our investigator anymore...but here's the story. 

The former Hermanas de la Salle found Hermano A. and helped him start to change his life around. After they both got transferred, the new Hermanas de la Salle started teaching him...until they looked at their map and realized that he wasn't in their area. They assumed that he must be in ours.

All of the Hermanas who taught Hermano A

So we started teaching him. We fasted with him and helped him to STOP DRINKING! (He's been sober ever since the fast). We worked with him, encouraged him and taught him and everything! Only to realize that he wasn't in our ward...but the ward Juarez.

So they taught him for one more week and he was baptized in their ward. But through it all, it really doesn't matter where he was baptized. We really are just instruments in the Lord's hands. 

 
I'm so happy for him to start his life over, free of his old habits. It just goes to show that with God, nothing is impossible. 

He had tried to stop drinking many times before, but only with fasting and prayer he was able to do it. 

 

What a great way to start off the New Year! 

Love you all and hope you have freaking awesome goals in 2015!

Hermana Hansen 


A few more photos from the zoo visit last week, holiday fun and missionary life in Tuxtla Central.

 

christmas dinner yummmm

 

feliz año nuevo pues

I was feeling sick so mi hija took my backpack (LOL) boyscout style

Dad you asked for some 'real life' photos from the streets...