guess who doesn't have time again

REALLY NEED TO GET BETTER AT PLANNING TIME DANG IT.

seriously though this week was super super super humbling.  I am learning so much and they aren't always lessons that are easy.  I'm really happy but in lots of ways I'm out of my comfort zone and sometimes that's hard.  But the one thing I do know for sure is that the power of the Atonement is 100% real and that it's there for us always.  He is always waiting and ready for any of us, and there's never a point of no return in any sense as long as we will seek Him.  How beautiful this life is!  Also, through the power of the Atonement, all can be overcome.  Ehhh I don't know how to explain this is a good enough way but tl;dr He loves us.  And through that love we can live with confidence and hope and goodness every day.  How sweet it is.

Also this week our oven was broken so I learned how to make cake in the microwave. #americaninnovation

Love you all more than I can say.  Pray for you always but happy for all your adventures.  Really grateful for the chance we have to live the beautiful lives we live wherever we are every day.  Life is good!  Real good.

Love love love,

Sister Hansen

p.s. probs will go back to KZ this week!  Stay tuned!

sos please send american tacos

HELLO LOVELY FAMILY.

the graffiti says "read books"

that's the view from our cute little kitchen 

Sorry my last couple of emails have been so preachy and weenieish.  I am the wooorst.  But that's okay because repentance is real am I right.  But here are some fun facts to start off this email that will be legendary among men:

1. People who think they want hats from Russia have never tried the kit kats here.  (Or the snickers...or the white chocolate twixes...or the bread...hehhhh)

2. Percentage of tiny Russian children who speak better Russian than me: 100%.  Also, bc they have more snow than sidewalks, 

3. Weenie is not a word that really translates into Russian.  Also, they have a word that expresses shock that kind of sounds like zoo-ee-mama so basically life is great.

also, proof that I CAN cook okay

But really, this week was so happy.  Lots of happy random things happened--like McDonalds

mcdonalds in Russia because when else will i ever do that again.

hahahah never in my wildest dreams did i think i would do that but look.  here we are.

or the barbeque thing we had Saturday

sometimes when you live in Siberia you walk into the woods and have

 ward barbecues in the winter...it's a casual thing.

and whatever else--and I want to tell you all about everything always, buuut a few cool things I learned include the following...

First, Heavenly Father loves us as we are and wants us to be happy and confident in what He's given us.  He wants us to be humble but He also wants us to know that He has given us our talents for a reason!  I know the people we are today are enough to do the work He wants us to do today.  I know I know I know.  So carry on and be happy, eh? (Nacho voice)

friendly reminder that in the words of President Uchtdorf, "you can do it now!"  Heavenly Father 

called us as we are right now to do whatever work He wants us to be.  And it is sweet.

ahhhhh NO TIME.  But just know that the Lord lives and loves each of us.  One time this week we missed our bus 

cool art above the metro station (10+ points if you started humming a song when you read that)

blurry photo taken on the metro

and it was late and we were cold and tired and thought it was a bummer.  

(it was SO COLD that day and we were outside for a long time and pretty much no one wanted to hear what we had to say but it was actually one of the happiest nights ever.  i dunno.  it's just that this work literally is such a happy one.  [The picture has been cropped to protect her companion's identity])

But we ended up meeting this miracle of a girl who had all these questions for us and believed everything we said.  We got an investigator, but more importantly, we answered HER prayers.  I have seen His love for me and His children here (who, by the way, are seriously the sincerest and most good-hearted people in the whole world maybe) every day in some way or another, whether it be Him showing me that I am enough through how someone treated me or me showing someone else through something I do that the Lord loves them.  The point is, we are constantly answering people's prayers through our actions and seeing His love through theirs, even when we don't realize it.  That's beautiful.  So just live with that hope this week.  Seek opportunities to serve but also know that no effort is ever wasted.  And that's the happiest.

it's pretty in Berdsk

buuut it's prettier in Akadem.  that's on the sidewalk 

outside our house.  note the snow on the sides!

DANG IT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT CHARITY.  But a few conferences ago--the same one where Uchtdorf talked about forget me nots--Sister Beck gave a talk on charity and said this: "the true measure of our ministry is not the perfection of our statistics but the depth of our charity."  So carry on on that this week.  It's wonderful and it's enough.  Love really is the answer for most of the questions in my heart.  All of them, actually.

I love you all so much!  Miss you heaps but pray for you always always always.

and lastly, a mirror selfie to verify that it is, indeed, sis. anela hansen 

p.s. dad thanks for the hat i stole from you.  i use it all the time 

and now all of russia knows of your swag.  loves

Love,

Sister Hansen

hi again from russia heh heh

(***Note from Leah, Sis. Hansen's Mum):  out of respect for the Russian people, their privacy and security, all blog posts will not disclose any information (names or photos) of Russian investigators or Russian companions. Thank you.  -lh

From March 09, 2015's email:

so fun fact: this week I was in three different countries.   pretty rad (this past week i've been to Bishkek, KG [Kyrgyzstan], KZ [Kazakhstan], Red Square in Moscow) because my KZ visa might have to be started over but seriously it's all good.  I am soo happy.).   i am genuinely so so so happy right now.  and we travel so much here anyway that it's not even a big deal to me.  but basically i was in KZ and found out monday that something was entered wrong on my visa and that i might have to leave the country (bc it'd be illegal to be there more than 5 days) and then tuesday at 4 i found out we were leaving for the airport at 5 bc my time was up and the senior couple was going to bishkek so my comp and i went too.  we stayed the night, came back to KZ the next night, i flew to Moscow the next morning with some other KZ missionaries who never got their second passports in Moscow and then got to Novo early Friday morning and I've been here ever since.  But I love it.  I know this is an opportunity from the Lord to develop things I wouldn't get to develop in KZ due to how missionary work works there and life is great.    

Right now I'm serving aaaand I'm serving with another native Russian (and my companion is SO WONDERFUL) in Akademgorodok and it's pretty much the envy of all the missionaries in Novo.  It's kind of like the Park City of Russia.  The people here are really nice, the town is small and beautiful, our apartment is GREAT and we're opening the area.  This means lots of contacting and such.  But we have seen miracles and life is seriously beautiful.  We're working so hard and we love each other and I just feel so immensely blessed.

outside our church building 

Cool thing: yesterday we had planned to do weekly planning but felt like we should contact instead, and out of "chance" we met "N".  She's theeee cutest babushka and invited us over.  We just chatted but then shared a message with her and we were all crying.  She then told us how just the day before she had been praying to a statue of Jesus Christ in a Russian temple for help and how because of this and this and this (actual reasons but no time right now heh heh), she knew we were the "help" she had asked Him to send her.  She also said she felt like she should invite us over, even though she never invites people--and especially not random girls talking to her on the street--to her home.  We taught her how to pray and testifed about the plan of salvation and Book of Mormon and we now have an investigator!  It was seriously a miracle.  

my skin has actually been the worst lately but me and my comp made plov yesterday and i felt like a russian.  :)

also, 8th of March is really big here because it's a holiday for women [International Women's Day].  Kind of like mother's day.  So for the third hour we had a party and it was definitely a blessing because my comp loves to eat heathily and I've missed cake.  hahaha

with my favorite book evaaa (which just happens to be the fav book of my comp's dad)

Also, it is just amazing to me how when we seek the Lord and to love like He did and to act like He did and to be consecrated before Him, He CAN do His work through us, even through our weaknesses.  I know He doesn't ask perfection of us--just that we do what we can with the gifts He gave us and trust Him.  And I know that's enough for any of us in any area of life.  I am so grateful to Him.  He is so good.  LIfe is beautiful, the work is great and hard and beautiful and I am just happy.  Thank you for all everything.  I love you more than I can say!  

Drinking something "new" in Kazakhstan.  Photos courtesty Sis. "W"

2  Cor 12:9-10:

" 9 And he said unto me, My ^agrace is sufficient for thee: for my ^bstrength is made perfect in ^cweakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may ^drest upon me.

 10 Therefore I take pleasure in ^ainfirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in ^bpersecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am ^cweak, then am I ^dstrong." 

I know this is true.

Love you!  Pray for you always! 

Sister Hansen

do you want to build a snowman?

Actually, no, because there's no snow here.  What the heck.

Hello from Kazakhstan!!!  I have ten minutes left of email time (#awesome #stillbadattimemanagement #buteverythingisawesome #duh)

okay sike i'm literally out of time.  but i love you!!  and i'll write more next week!!  

ALL THE LOVE IN THE WORLD EVER,

Sister Hansen

Sis. Martin & Sis. Hansen in front of Novosibirsk airport (Russia) at 5 AM

(Photo credit:  Sis. Williams)

From Sister Williams, wife of President Williams, Mission President of Russia Novosibirsk Mission:

Dear Hansen Family,

We were so happy to welcome your daughter to the Novosibirsk Mission, and we have enjoyed getting to know her. Her Russian is amazing and she already loves it here! She is with a great Russian companion, and they are on their way to Kazakhstan today. They will be serving in the beautiful city of Almaty.

Kazakhstan is a great country, and the people there are so friendly and kind. There is an established branch there with many good members of the church. She will be learning Kazakh along with Russian! It is a challenge for many reasons but we are confident she will do a wonderful work there. This is a wonderful mission and we know she will do great things!  We will be going to Kazakhstan in two weeks and will be excited to see her again.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful daughter with us!

Love,

  President and Sister Williams

President and Sister Williams, Novosibirsk Russia

 (Photo credit:  Sis. Williams)

These two get to go and serve. 

(Photo credit:  Sis. Williams)

While they were in Russia, they met up with Sis. Hansen's first companion from the MTC!

(Photo credit:  Sis. Williams)

(Excerpts from my correspondence with Sis. Hansen in Kazakhstan [KZ])

"hello!  it's all good!  right now we're sitting in a mall and it's kind of weird because there are a lot of Americans here.  okay...not a LOT, but the last time we were here (we came for lunch on Saturday with Sister C.) i saw more americans in the space of 2 hours than I saw the whole time i was in Russia.  so weird.  but the people here are honestly so so so kind.  and BEAUTIFUL.  church yesterday was awesome.  this week has been kind of crazy and i sort of feel like i've done nothing because it's mostly been traveling, but yeah.  kind of weird though because it's a city but it also has an undeveloped feel about it.  like, it's so beautiful and really nice but i still smell like dirt at the end of the day and our apartment's unfiltered water smells really weird.  hahaha but honestly i really like it here.  the weather is BEAUTIFUL and the people are so good and the food is also awesome.  also my companion is a native Russian and she's seriously amazing.  although it's been humbling to realize that i know like no Russian...ha!  but i have the foundation.  wowowo sorry this is so long and scattered...

"i hope you know i love and pray for you always.  seriously ALWAYS.  yous are in on every fast, too.  i haven't been too homesick (unless i allow myself to dwell on things which is when life is a little harder...proof that selfishness is the worst idea ever.  boom.) but i love you all so deeply.  maybe even more than before, if that's possible.  but all good.  I seriously am SO GRATEFUL for this gospel.  This morning Sister E and I were role playing the first points of the first lesson--God is our loving Heavenly Father and the gospel blesses families--and it was seriously so humbling but so so HAPPY to realize that I have a testimony of these things myself.  Our family is so happy and so blessed and we love each other so much and I know that's only possible through this gospel.  How sweet it is.  And even though I miss you a LOT, I could never deny this opportunity to share the happiest news that's ever been--the news that our Savior died for us, lives today and enables us to do everything happy we could possibly imagine.  Never ever.  I am so blessed to be here.  And I know the Lord loves His people here so much.  It'll be super cool to see how it all works out here.  There isn't much traditional stuff we're allowed to do, even after we get permission to preach, BUT we don't have to preach to love and serve and edify like our Savior would.  Also, Sister W is AWESOME and blinis (bleenies) 

are the best.  Also food here is really so good.  Super fresh. And the chocolate is amazing.  I might gain weight...we'll see.  hahaha...

"it's weird because people here really are super fashion forward.  it's a lot like Russia.  everyone is super beautiful and well-dressed.  I'll look like a hobo here (bc guess who never takes the time to get ready...heh heh.  but in my defense I smell weirder after I shower than I do before, soo!  haha) and come home and shock the world bc I'll know how to be a babe from the people here.  also kids here are SO CUTE and look like tiny eskimos because they're always super bundled up.  so so so cute.  and the people are really friendly.  i'm rambling again.

"got to go unless i want to pay more but love you all HEAPS.  more to come :) loves loves loves."

Sister Hansen