Hello hello dear
family!!
What a week. Things were
a little crazy up until at least Friday...as far as figuring things out
logistic things and learning how to get around the area and all those fun
details. But even though understanding how to be a good team together and how
exactly to accomplish what the Lord would like us to here is a process, things
are much better and we feel much more settled. At the beginning, while things
around us were hectic, I wasn't sure how we would learn to work together or be
effective here. But this week we have seen a lot of miraculous things happen,
both in missionary work and in our relationship as a companionship! First of
all, Sister Symons is dynamite.
I can tell she's the kind of person that has
been a missionary for a long time. She has a really strong foundation of the
gospel, both in understanding and in her personal testimony. She knows that
members are the key and wants to testify to everyone about Jesus Christ! She's
constantly opening the mouth and not allowing the language to be a barrier for
her. Sometimes I feel like she's teaching me more than I'm teaching her. But
I'm really grateful for this humbling time to get to serve together. I feel
that the Lord is supporting and guiding us as we have righteous desires and
seek to make righteous, faith-filled choices and it's a real blessing to get to
serve here with her.
This week we really saw
the power of the Book of Mormon
and some of the blessings of contacting, both
here and in Astana. In Astana, the sisters told us about some people Sister
Slight and I had contacted that they are now meeting with and that are reading
the Book of Mormon!! That was amazing, especially because one of the people
that wants to meet with them is a girl I contacted on the bus a few months ago
that Sister Slight and I BOTH knew we had to talk to...and pretty much shut me
down after hearing that we were from church. We saw some of their influence
here this week when we got a call from a random number and a man said,
"excuse me sisters, but you promised me a Book of Mormon and I would
really like that please." Miracle! We weren't sure who he was until we met
with him and realized it was a man Sister Slight and Sister Peterson had
contacted while they were down here in Almaty! He identifies more with Atheism
because he's a scientist, but he really wanted a Book of Mormon and listened as
we testified about it when we gave it to him.
We really felt the spirit guiding
us as he was with us, even though our interaction with him was short. On top of
that, he asked about church and wants to come next week! And what makes allll
of this EVEN BETTER is that that morning during church, we'd felt prompted to
ask A--the girl that the sisters and I taught in November--to write her
testimony in a Book of Mormon. We weren't sure who to give it to because there
were a few people we were supposed to be giving BoMs to that day but once we met
with Ab--that man--we knew that he was the reason. The Lord really guides the
work, and I truly see that getting to share the message of the Restoration
through the power of the Book of Mormon is strengthening both my faith and the
faith of the people here.
Along with that, this
week we met with a man that we contacted earlier in the week and it was a
really good learning experience. While we planned the lesson, we figured it
would be best to talk about the Book of Mormon--sharing a simple background and
then some answers to questions of the soul we have found. It ended up being a
lot about Jesus Christ, and the lesson itself was really good, but he didn't
really listen to us. He kind of heard our ideas and the things we shared from
the Book of Mormon but then tried to teach us what he felt was true. It was
like he always knew better than we did. We handled it the best we could and it
turned out okay but was awkward and a bit frustrating, and in the end he said,
"well, it doesn't matter that much anyway because there's basically no
difference between religions anyway." He still took a Book of Mormon and
we ended on fine terms but it taught us a huge lesson--that we need to testify
of Christ and meet people where they are, but we always always need to do what
it says multiple times in Preach My Gospel and share our unique message of the
Restoration!! We had talked a bit about Joseph Smith with him and he didn't
really listen to that, but we realized that when there ARE people that are
listening, we need to share the message of the Restoration of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ with them in a clear, compassionate and astonishing way.
We realized today that
members and their families are pretty much the key to missionary work here and
anywhere in the world and are going to try really hard this next little bit to
figure out how to work with them more effectively, especially to gain their
trust and to help them share the gospel with their loved ones. We're really
excited for the next few weeks and are going to work hard and do our part so
the Lord can do His, and we feel that lots of good things are going to happen!
One thing that gave me some hope this week, though, was meeting with Sister F.
She told us her conversion story--which I'd heard before--but for the first
time, I heard her say that she came to church two years after her initial
invitation from the missionaries (good to know that I know Russian a little better
now...growth! haha). TWO YEARS!! The missionaries that she loves and calls her
own and that she thanks and praises and tells literally EVERYONE about have NO
IDEA that they even helped her--and through her, her daughter and her
friends--come unto Christ. As we're trying to work with members, non-members
and contact to share the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, truly
no effort is wasted. Not one!! We just have to do our part and trust the Lord.
And it's such a joyous work to be a part of.
Last thing is just a
thought about being made whole. I thought about that a lot this week,
especially because with the end looming ever nearer, sometimes I have a really
hard time feeling like I've becoming or am becoming all that I could or should.
Which is a poisonous thing to do, I know, but it happens sometimes.
However, as I prayerfully studied this week, I found a lot of gems, including
this one:
"Daughter, thy
faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."
(Mark 5:34)
In the end, all of us
are flawed and come up short in one way or another. And realizing the
disparity between who we are and who we want to be is sometimes painful.
But I know with all my heart that what makes us whole isn't our cool abilities
or talents or characteristics or even best efforts. Our faith in
Christ--the only one who IS whole--is what heals our hearts and changes our
lives and characters. It's what enables us to have "no regrets" when
we ourselves just aren't enough. And I am so grateful for Him. For
His mercy, for His Atonement, for the times He has lifted me up and for His
reality. He really loves these people and He really loves us, and I pray
and hope that you feel that as you walk on YOUR waters and battle through YOUR
storms.
Love and pray for you
always, my dear ones. See you next week on skype :)
love love love,
sister Hansen
Sister Hansen
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