(this is what happens when you are in turkey and can only refer to yourself as a volunteer and also don't speak turkish and have convos through broken english and google translate)
Hello dear ones!!
I am the WORST because I am already 5 minutes over but everything is AMAZING. Basically, the Saturday of the baptism was amazing. There were little bumps throughout (examples: the water was too hot so 20 minutes before everyone got there we had to take buckets and speed empty half the font...everyone in the service was in jeans...she had to be baptized twice...little kids were going crazy and were all over...the talk on baptism came after the baptism because she was late...the whole thing started an hour late because people aren't always on time here...etc etc) but despite all that, it was just such a sacred and JOYOUS day!! I really felt what they talk about in D&C 18:15.
" 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one a soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"
Our little quick meeting with her before the service where we just shared one last scripture and bore our testimonies about what she was about to do and heard hers was so tender. The church is true! And the Savior and His Atonement and His love are so real and enabling and it changes lives. I know that with all my heart. And her testimony after was just fire. She talked about truth and the Savior and His love and the forgiveness and healing she has found and she KNOWS it!! To the depths of her soul. And getting to see and feel that was so special. Plus, we made spaghetti lasagna type stuff, and everyone totally loved it. Thanks, allrecipes.
Turkey was UNREAL.
Sisters at the Metro after our flower shop adventure (Turkey)
a street in Istanbul
Really one of the happiest and most sacred and uplifting and enabling and instructive experiences of my LIFE!!
Inside the Aya Sophia! (Turkey)
We met and heard from Elder Holland, saw bits of Istanbul, ate some KILLER food (really friends, turkish delight is all they say it is),
turkish. delight. wooooow it is TASTY
met some BEAUTIFUL people, saw miracles (like the fact that one night I said hello to a woman who had met one of the senior couples there AND spoke perfect english. In a city of 20 million people.), got laughed at trying to say "thank you" and became a family with the missionaries there. It was so special. And we are a team! And there is no time to rest. There's a LOT to do but we gotta get to it! WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORK!!
the ATKIN COUPLE. They are just finishing up their mission in Turkey and are THE CUTEST COUPLE. Seriously just so happy and SO DANG CUTE. They just have such happy hearts and so much love and humility and willingness to give and laugh, and the last day--when they'd already gone--President told us that he was the owner and inventor of Skywest and Cafe Rio. So, I mean. That's pretty cool I guess. ;)
Friday was a sheepishly hard day. We slept and did weekly planning and that evening we translated institute for the Johnsons and did some contacting, but it was hard to find motivation to get things done...which is super ironic because we had just felt SO MUCH FIRE AND FAITH and determination to do things better and do things right. But it was also a good lesson for me because--despite the weirdness and laziness I felt at the beginning--as soon as we contacted the first person and took those steps forward, we felt so much love and desire and I knew that was a blessing of work. I love that! Saturday was really wonderful. We met with that girl--N--and she agreed to be baptized! We are still meeting with her and want to be sure that she understands what all this is and is committed to it but she feels it and she herself had come to the conclusion after talking to M (who is 16 and the best member missionary out there) that it's something she needs. Right now she's tentatively set for December 5th. Seriously a miracle. And then yesterday was just a great day. We had another meeting with N before church, there were like 5 people with real potential that just showed up to church wanting to be taught and learn more (THINGS ARE CHANGING HERE! Seriously. It's unreal.), had a killer lesson on missionary work and all was just really good. I also had an epiphany about the Atonement. I thought about all the times I have felt fire and desire to get out and work and talk with everyone I see with all my heart...and then didn't do it because we had "errands" to run or because "maybe my companions won't want to" or whatever it may be. I thought about the times I put those promptings off in some sort of fear or hesitation and how often I've told myself that things will be different. And THEN I realized that that is BOGUS! If the Spirit tells you to do something, you should do it, and if you aren't doing it--for any reason--it's on you and you need to repent. And I was feeling really guilty about that Saturday night and Sunday morning. I'd repented and pleaded with the Lord for forgiveness and for peace and for the strength to change, and while I did feel that He would help me be brave enough to change and serve Him the way I should, I still didn't feel peace about what I had done wrong (or at least for everything I hadn't done yet). But thinking about the prodigal son and the adulterous woman during sacrament meeting really changed everything. Forgiveness and fresh starts, regardless of how much time we've wasted in the already short time we've been given, is the promise of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. And I just need to believe that. Faith is what will make me whole. And I believe Him!
the sisters and a few of the turkey elders as we were finishing the conference on thursday. I LOVE THOSE MISSIONARIES. they are such dang good people and such good examples and so fun and last week was just like being with family and it was WONDERFUL.
Other than that, last night we had an AMAZING lesson with A, the woman we contacted on the bus last month. She really felt the spirit and the desire and urgency about reading. She had never felt that before! We had a lesson about the Restoration and bore the sincerest testimonies and cried and the spirit was so strong and it was amazing to see the difference between a good lesson and a lesson with the Lord. She is really going to read and pray about it! For the first time she really believes that we may actually have truth! And she will find out for herself! It's a miracle.
Basically, life is BEAUTIFUL and the love is so real. Love and pray for you always, my dear. Carry on, carry on :)
with the sisters outside of the Blue Mosque before we went inside...it was just us and about half of the Turkey elders since President didn't want us in too big of a group, and even though the elders aren't used to having sisters in their mission, they obviously know enough because we got there and they were like "alright, we'll give you all a few minutes to take pictures before we go inside"...heh. #sistermissionarieslovephotos
ALL THE LOVE,
Sister Hansen
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