Sunday night I took a bus with my companion back to Santa Maria to renew my visa. It´s a six hour bus ride. We left at six in the afternoon and got there at midnight. We then slept in the house of the Mission Secretaries. Our bus back to Quarai was for eight at night and so after we renewed my visa and ate lunch we helped around the Mission office and did contacts in the downtown area. So last week I introduced myself to the ward in Sacrament meeting and gave a talk on obedience. It went well. Mission experience and solid scripture study really helps with planning a talk
Some Elders and members think I´m Brazilian when they first meet me because I'm starting to speak really well. Of course, when I speak for long periods of time, everyone knows I´m American but it´s something cool to have some people think I´m from Sâo Paulo for a minute or two.
I've always wanted to go to college then round up a spouse somewhere and come back to carry on the Hanson line in the Shoreline ward. Too bad Shoreline is such an expensive place to live. Rick should end up back in Shoreline too. We´ll make mini-houses of Israel. Except they´ll be houses of Hanson.
My companion goes home in October and maybe I´ll stay in Quarai until he completes his mission. Quarai isn´t as bad as people say. We´re trying to work hard and we should be baptising in no time. I´m really pushing myself to be a better, more understanding teacher. I´m trying my hardest to never lose hope, even when an area is difficult. In the end of John, Jesus says how when we preach the Gospel we have to let the Lord carry us to places that we wouldn´t have gone to before.
I love all of you. I know that this Church is true.
Elder Hanson
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
Quarai
I´m the companion of Elder Carmo (from back in São Borja) again. This doesn´t normally happen but it´s happening now. Elder Carmo goes home in just a few months but we´re working hard.
I was transferred to a place called Quarai, It´s not as tough as some other Elders said it would be. A majority of the Elder´s who call it the pit of the mission have never been here. There used to be five branches and they were fifteen priesthood holders away from a stake. Unfortunately many of the members moved away and many went inactive and now there is only three branches.
Our branch is in the Center of the city and has a decently sized group of members who are active. In the other branch areas here there are streets named after Joseph Smith and Zarahemla etc. but most of the people have already heard the message there. In our branch, there´s a fair amount of people who haven´t received the missionaries before.
I know we´ll have success here.
The area is large. We´re on our way to baptizing a young man (18 years old) and he just needs to come to the Church again and progress a little more but he says he wants to be baptized. We´re doing a lot of contacts here to try and find new investigators.
We live really close to Uruguia and some of the other Elders went there today for P-day. I think we´ll go next week and we´ll take pictures of some things around there. There´s supposedly lots of cheap stuff around there.
We´re living in one decently sized apartment with two other companionship's (we´re six in total) and unfortunately there´s only one bathroom. How fun.
I think I´m going to eat some Churasco today.
Love ya!
I was transferred to a place called Quarai, It´s not as tough as some other Elders said it would be. A majority of the Elder´s who call it the pit of the mission have never been here. There used to be five branches and they were fifteen priesthood holders away from a stake. Unfortunately many of the members moved away and many went inactive and now there is only three branches.
Our branch is in the Center of the city and has a decently sized group of members who are active. In the other branch areas here there are streets named after Joseph Smith and Zarahemla etc. but most of the people have already heard the message there. In our branch, there´s a fair amount of people who haven´t received the missionaries before.
I know we´ll have success here.
The area is large. We´re on our way to baptizing a young man (18 years old) and he just needs to come to the Church again and progress a little more but he says he wants to be baptized. We´re doing a lot of contacts here to try and find new investigators.
We live really close to Uruguia and some of the other Elders went there today for P-day. I think we´ll go next week and we´ll take pictures of some things around there. There´s supposedly lots of cheap stuff around there.
We´re living in one decently sized apartment with two other companionship's (we´re six in total) and unfortunately there´s only one bathroom. How fun.
I think I´m going to eat some Churasco today.
Love ya!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Phone Home...
We spent a nice afternoon talking with Elder Hanson. He truly is loving every minute of his mission. He shared many spiritual insights. His testimony is growing abundantly as he is helping others to find theirs. He works with leadership in the Church who are young in their callings but are learning. He is always busy and is happy that he is. Since they're always on the move, he's really thin but says he loves the food, other than things with mayonnaise. Fall is just beginning and soon it will be cold there until about September. He will be transferred on Tuesday, May 15 and at this juncture, didn't know where he will be. Although he will miss out on up-coming baptisms in TrancredoNeves, he knows transferring is all part of the mission and is looking forward to the next part of the journey. Since he talked to us on Sunday, he wrote a short excerpt this week:
Oi,
Well I loved talking to you guys yesterday. I won´t be able to
find out about my new area until around 3 or 4 in the afternoon here.
I´ve already talked to you guys a whole bunch because of Mother's Day
and I´m a little busy today. I will go visit some of the people who
have dates marked for baptism and I´ll also visit the recently
baptised couple. It will be tough leaving this area. I love this
Church and I love this work. Stay strong at home and remember to pray
for me. Love, Elder H.
Oi,
Well I loved talking to you guys yesterday. I won´t be able to
find out about my new area until around 3 or 4 in the afternoon here.
I´ve already talked to you guys a whole bunch because of Mother's Day
and I´m a little busy today. I will go visit some of the people who
have dates marked for baptism and I´ll also visit the recently
baptised couple. It will be tough leaving this area. I love this
Church and I love this work. Stay strong at home and remember to pray
for me. Love, Elder H.
Monday, May 7, 2012
TALK TO YOU SOON!!
Oi Family,
I hope everything is going well at home. This last week was a lot of
fun. We had a family night with some investigators and Lucas and
Lenize were there. Lucas bore his testimony and said how he´s only been a
member for about two months but he´s happy to have been baptized
during the "dispensation of the fullness of times". I was real happy
to see that he´s already progressing and talking like he´s been a
member for more time.
We had scheduled for a member to give this older woman who´s our
investigator a ride. About twenty minutes before Church she called and
said that she was on the other side of town. We ran to the members
house to tell them about the change. They went to where the woman was
supposed to be and didn´t find her.
We´re teaching a few people and we should actually baptize this month.
Knocking doors is bearing very little fruit. We´re on the hunt.
I´m hoping to stick around here for the next transfer. I love to see
Lucas and Linize and we´re helping them study and progress. If I stick
around I´ll also be able to hear what they think of their first temple
trip when they do baptisms for the dead.
Cross your fingers for me so we can find new investigators this week.
I´m in a hurry.
So six thirty here in Santa Maria we´re going to call. It will be
right after Church. I think we´ve got about four hours difference.
Anyways `ll call you on Sunday. Love - Dev
Love you guys,
_ Elder Hanson
I hope everything is going well at home. This last week was a lot of
fun. We had a family night with some investigators and Lucas and
Lenize were there. Lucas bore his testimony and said how he´s only been a
member for about two months but he´s happy to have been baptized
during the "dispensation of the fullness of times". I was real happy
to see that he´s already progressing and talking like he´s been a
member for more time.
We had scheduled for a member to give this older woman who´s our
investigator a ride. About twenty minutes before Church she called and
said that she was on the other side of town. We ran to the members
house to tell them about the change. They went to where the woman was
supposed to be and didn´t find her.
We´re teaching a few people and we should actually baptize this month.
Knocking doors is bearing very little fruit. We´re on the hunt.
I´m hoping to stick around here for the next transfer. I love to see
Lucas and Linize and we´re helping them study and progress. If I stick
around I´ll also be able to hear what they think of their first temple
trip when they do baptisms for the dead.
Cross your fingers for me so we can find new investigators this week.
I´m in a hurry.
So six thirty here in Santa Maria we´re going to call. It will be
right after Church. I think we´ve got about four hours difference.
Anyways `ll call you on Sunday. Love - Dev
Love you guys,
_ Elder Hanson
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