there'll be JOY JOY JOY JOY JOY

GOOD AFTERNOON FROM ASTANA HOLLA HOLLA

first, a few stats from this week...

haircuts gotten on the mission to make my hair as short as it was in probably january of this year: 1

times i have gotten my palm read by a random woman during sacrament meeting: 1

times "christmas without you" by one republic came on and i didn't cry: 1

times we have subbed for an english teacher in a university: 1

times we heard someone play "mary did you know" at the pulpit: 1

times i sang "the Christmas song" for a uni english class: 2

times i laughed at my companions' (read: sister johnson's bc sister slight is an ICE WALKING MASTER) falls on the crazy ice that's everywhere: 12

times Heavenly Father repaid my laughter by letting me fall on the ice: 3

times i shouted "нет"(no) while falling: 2

times i've seen a comp off all the way to the airport and felt that bittersweetness: 1

times hearing primary kids sing Christmas songs made me cry: 1.6

GOD IS GOOD!

for. real. i don't even know where to start.  this week was just so lovely and getting on today and reading all your messages of love and faith and happiness and warmth just made me cry happy tears.  from Dad and Mark and Tay seeing Elder Holland 

They met in the airport in Atlanta, Georgia :)

to Mark's team killing it 

Mark's La Roca Team competed in National Premier League over the weekend in North Carolina. They are currently in first place!

to reminders of my dear friends to Tay graduating to Tia figuring out her soccer thing with Heavenly Father to Sister Carter's encouragement to Sister Waldie's message to Kaitlin's card to every little reminder of the love of our Heavenly Father, I am just so touched by the fact that He cares enough about each of us individually to orchestrate little moments in our lives.  He's the Creator of the Universe and is All Powerful and is in no way obligated to care about us, but every day there are tiny evidences of His personal concern for our daily lives.  Whether it's seeing an apostle in an airport or feeling sunshine for the first time in a while or just a stranger smiling at you, the Lord really loves us and makes it a point to let us know.  And it's beautiful. :)

This week was a really good one.  We spent all the time we could meeting with less actives here (there are like 12 local members that are still on the radar and most of them are less active to inactive) and it was special.  These people are honestly just so warm and goodhearted and even though it's really hard for them to be members here and there are times that they struggle, I know the Lord has such big plans for them and a tremendous love for them.  They really are the House of Israel and I know He just wants them to know their potential and live up to that!  Which, you know, is really His wish for all of us, but getting to extend that love to these pioneers is really special.  Learning a lot about the patience with which the Lord tends to us.  He cares a lot more about our direction than our speed, and getting to feel that to others is also humbling.  Plus, this week really built my testimony that the church here WILL grow!  That someday, there will be branches and wards and native missionaries serving in their own country.  Families will gather in these buildings and the Lord's work will go forth here.  And what a pleasure it is to see it in the very beginning :) 

Besides that, we spent a good amount of time contacting this week (but not as much time as we will spend this week...holla at that "we had two companions that had served here for 8 months leaving the mission two weeks in a row and everyone wanted to meet with them in their last respective weeks and now we just get to do work without the extreme demand woohoo" life!!  hahah but really), and it was GREAT!!  N--a 21-year-old less active here who is actually the coolest ever--nailed it while talking about his "mini mission" in Russia.  He said something about how missionary work is hard and sometimes doesn't seem very fun and that we don't always see the results of it, but that there are those moments when you think a little deeper and just feel really happy because you know you're doing the Lord's work and that you're where He wants you. That's something I studied quite a bit last week...just the idea that while the Lord does have high expectations of His servants and His people, He also lets them feel capable and loved and forgiven and worthy.  He wants us to feel that!  He wouldn't have allowed His Only Begotten Son to suffer and live such a hard life if He didn't think we were worth it.  And that kind of love isn't really comprehensible, but it is brilliant. 

One time I really felt that love this week was while we were with the Christensens.  They're an American family here with the embassy and I seriously love them.  They have 4 kids and it was so refreshing to talk to kids again.  I love that kids are always so happy and good and witty and bright.  Plus, we had American box mix brownies and the Christensens got me to LOVE LOVE again because they told us their story and I ALMOST DIED.  MAGIC, I TELL YOU.  Love is just magic.  Everything was already happy but then President Christensen got asked what his most effective contacting line was while he served in Samara.  For the next hour, we got to listen to his insights and to the profound lessons he learned on his mission and it was so needed.  He understood the fact that sometimes people don't listen and that sometimes, even though you're giving all you think you can give, we don't really see the results.  You love people and you work and you want to see success for the Lord and for these people and it still seems to go nowhere.  It was cool that he understood that.  But even more, he then talked about those quiet moments the Lord so graciously gives us where He just confirms that we are in the right place doing the right thing and following His will.  When we are fully committed to Him, He does give us those moments of affirmation--whether it's feeling the spirit testify through you or loving someone so much you know it's not just your love or even just a feeling--that keep us moving along.  And then at the end of the mission, you just realize what a miracle you've been a part of and how special the love the Lord grants to missionaries is and your heart is full and it's all worth it.  It's hard, but it's good.  So keep giving it.  And I LOVED that.  D&C 123:17

"17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us ^acheerfully^bdo all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the ^csalvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

is real and I know that as long as we really do seek to give it--without excuses or hesitation or laziness or holding back--He multiplies it all.  The blessings, the efforts, the impact we can have.  And it is good.

Lastly, this week I learned an UNREAL AMOUNT about relying on the Lord.  Right now I'm with Sister Johnson and Sister Slight and they are both great missionaries and I'm really enjoying it, but Sister Johnson is leaving on Wednesday and I will be the trainer.  There were just so many occasions when I realized how much in the branch and for Sister Slight and for the work here in general is going to depend on my use of my personal agency after that and I felt so overwhelmed.  I don't always make the choices I should and how can the Lord trust me with this responsibility I'm so ill-equipped to handle and all these doubts just came to the surface, right?  Especially yesterday, I just felt SO SAD AND TOO SMALL FOR THIS.  And then I prayed.  And I turned to the Book of Mormon, because the Book of Mormon is really just a big story about a lot of people who themselves couldn't do what the Lord asked of them and then relied on Him and did it through His power.  And I read Ether 3.

Chapter 3

The brother of Jared sees the finger of the Lord as He touches sixteen stones—Christ shows His spirit body to the brother of Jared—Those who have a perfect knowledge cannot be kept from within the veil—Interpreters are provided to bring the Jaredite record to light.

"1 And it came to pass that the brother of Jared, (now the number of the vessels which had been prepared was eight) went forth unto the ^amount, which they called the mount^bShelem, because of its exceeding height, and did ^cmoltenout of a rock sixteen small stones; and they were white and clear, even as transparent ^dglass; and he did carry them in his hands upon the top of the mount, and cried again unto the Lord, saying:

 2 O Lord, thou hast said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and do not be^aangry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are ^bunworthy before thee; because of the ^cfall our ^dnatures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires.

 3 Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth, and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been ^amerciful unto us. O Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; but behold these ^bthings which I have molten out of the rock.

 4 And I know, O Lord, that thou hast all ^apower, and can do whatsoever thou wilt for the benefit of man; therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy ^bfinger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness; and they shall shine forth unto us in the vessels which we have prepared, that we may have ^clight while we shall cross the sea.

 5 Behold, O Lord, thou canst do this. We know that thou art able to show forth great power, which ^alooks small unto the understanding of men.

 6 And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the ^aLord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his ^bfinger. And the ^cveil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared ^dfell down before the Lord, for he was struck with^efear.

 7 And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen?

 8 And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should ^asmite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.

 9 And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me ^aflesh and blood; and never has man come before me with ^bsuch exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?

 10 And he answered: Nay; Lord, ^ashow thyself unto me.

 11 And the Lord said unto him: ^aBelievest thou the words which I shall speak?

 12 And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and ^acanstnot lie.

 13 And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord^ashowed himself unto him, and said: ^bBecause thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my ^cpresence; therefore I ^dshow myself unto you.

 14 Behold, I am he who was ^aprepared from the foundation of the world to ^bredeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the ^cFather and the Son. In me shall all mankind have ^dlife, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my ^esonsand my daughters.

 15 And never have I ^ashowed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man ^bbelieved in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own ^cimage? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.

 16 Behold, this ^abody, which ye now ^bbehold, is the ^cbodyof my ^dspirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh.

 17 And now, as I, Moroni, said I could ^anot make a full account of these things which are written, therefore it sufficeth me to say that Jesus showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner and in the likeness of the same body even as he ^bshowed himself unto the Nephites.

 18 And he ministered unto him even as he ministered unto the Nephites; and all this, that this man might know that he was God, because of the many great works which the Lord had showed unto him.

 19 And because of the ^aknowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the ^bveil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had^cfaith no longer, for he knew, nothing ^ddoubting.

 20 Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could ^anot be kept from within the veil; therefore he ^bsawJesus; and he did minister unto him.

 21 And it came to pass that the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt not suffer these things which ye have seen and heard to go forth unto the world, until the ^atime cometh that I shall glorify my name in the flesh; wherefore, ye shall ^btreasure up the things which ye have seen and heard, and show it to no man.

 22 And behold, when ye shall come unto me, ye shall write them and shall seal them up, that no one can interpret them; for ye shall write them in a ^alanguage that they cannot be read.

 23 And behold, these ^atwo stones will I give unto thee, and ye shall seal them up also with the things which ye shall write.

 24 For behold, the ^alanguage which ye shall write I have confounded; wherefore I will cause in my own due time that these stones shall magnify to the eyes of men these things which ye shall write.

 25 And when the Lord had said these words, he ^ashowedunto the brother of Jared ^ball the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he^cwithheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.

 26 For he had said unto him in times before, that ^aif he would ^bbelieve in him that he could show unto him ^callthings—it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things.

 27 And the Lord said unto him: Write these things and^aseal them up; and I will show them in mine own due time unto the children of men.

 28 And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that he should seal up the two ^astones which he had received, and show them not, until the Lord should show them unto the children of ^bmen."

And I laughed and I cried, because that's exactly how I feel.  Like all I have to give Him is just too much, and even though He asked for a solution this was all I could come up with and it won't suffice--unless He is touching it and I do it through Him.  And that's really how it is!  It's all about faith and about intentions (studied about those today.  SO GOOD.  2 Nephi 25:23-29

"23 For we labor diligently to write, to ^apersuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by ^bgrace that we are saved, after all we can ^cdo.

 24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we ^akeepthe law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

 25 For, for this end was the ^alaw given; wherefore the law hath become ^bdead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

 26 And we ^atalk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we ^bprophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our ^cchildren may know to what source they may look for a ^dremission of their sins.

 27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given. And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.

 28 And now behold, my people, ye are a ^astiffneckedpeople; wherefore, I have spoken plainly unto you, that ye cannot misunderstand. And the words which I have spoken shall stand as a ^btestimony against you; for they are sufficient to ^cteach any man the ^dright way; for the right way is to believe in Christ and deny him not; for by denying him ye also deny the prophets and the law.

 29 And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and ^aworship him with all your ^bmight, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out."

reminded me about why we're out here and why we work so hard to become better.  Not just for ourselves!  But for the Lord and for the children He has that He loves so much!) and doing it for other people.  And it's humbling.  And it's hard and lots of times my ego still dukes it out for first priority.  But YOUR EGO AIN'T YOUR AMIGO.  ya heard?!  and it's a good life.

ANYWAY, love you forever.  Keep smiling.  Prayers for you always.  And I hope you are enjoying this lovely holiday season!!  Stay warm, love others, be the good in someone's life today and seek the Lord's hand.  I know He really hears our prayers and that He answers them when we listen and give Him the chance to speak.  It's a beautiful thing.  The church is true!  And God is good.  Hurrah for Israel :)

ALL THE LOVE,

Sister Hansen

cold

HI LOVELIES!!!  sorry for the lack of a good email this week but here it is summed up in .5 seconds.

- i am learning SO MUCH about finding joy in the journey and in the daily!  because yes, Heavenly Father wants us to be good and to grow and to help others feel His strength in their lives...but He also wants us to feel His love and satisfaction.  and if we're living right and doing our best, we should welcome those feelings in.  woohooo!!  happy yeah!!!

- KAZAKHSTAN WILL GROW!!!!  in the words of brother willardson yesterday:
"the church is true and it's super true in Kazakhstan."  TRUE. 

- the people here are AMAZING

- it is COLD

- "whether you're here for yourself, someone else or a lot of someone elses, i don't know.  but i know that we are all here for the Lord, and that as we give what we can give, He will play part of His plan through us."

mannnnnnn i have to go and i'm sorry this is the worst, but i just really, really love you.  and i'm thankful for you and for this beautiful work that's going forward!  and i hope you have a lovely lovely week.  hurrah for Israel!

ALL THE LOVE,

sister hansen

other drafts of this email: 

goooooood afternoon from Astana!  

it is cold.  my insides are dying.  and life is SO HAPPY!!

this week was a good one.  Monday-Wednesday, Sister Waldie and I basically just ran all around Almaty saying goodbye to people.  we met with less actives and with actives and former investigators and with regular investigators and it was just happy business.  highlights include...

- our meeting with recent convert A!  turns out that everything is a-okay and that she's just figuring out some things like we all are.  but she really inspires me in the sense that whenever questions about the doctrine arise, instead of taking the easy path of immediate doubt she constantly shows her faith and takes them to the Lord in prayer and scripture study to get HIS answers.  and He answers her!  and that's a really powerful principle i think everyone could apply and find joy in.

- the time we met with Sister V--a Russian bab in our ward that has us clean her floors and feeds us waaay too much food--and she wouldn't let us do any sort of service (btdubs, epiphany via C. L in the branch: "God's way is love.  Christ's way is service.  And because of that, when we serve people with love, we draw closer to them."  She loves to serve AND she loves to give others chances to serve her.  At her house we're always doing something to help and it's great because it's true--that's how we get out of the natural man a little more and shape deeper bonds with the Lord.  And I hope to serve and let others serve my whole life as well!) because we were leaving and it was sad.  At one point, we sang a whole pile of Christmas hymns.  That's already happy but then she had us sing Angels We Have Heard On High 3 times in a row from start to finish so she could remember the melody and for some reason it was SO cute and happy that I just started laughing out loud during the chorus.  She just smiled and the sunlight was streaming through the window just right and it was a sparkle in my day!! 

- Wednesday night...we ate dinner at our house and then went to take a cake to a branch president's wife for her birthday.  Turns out, she and her husband and kids were out doing fun things and just the branch president's dad was there.  He is this adorable old Korean man who loves sister missionaries and despite our constant argument that we only had 5 minutes and that we could just drop it off, he had us come in and in the traditional Kazakh hospitality way, have a FULL KOREAN MEAL.  A good chat, spiritual thought about Christmas and ONE HOUR later, we were out and on our way to the C family.  They're from Russia and are so dang cute.  It's a mom and dad who are just the realest parents and three little girls.  I LOVE BEING WITH THEM.  Their house is always full of games and messes and remarks from their girls (who are like TINY BRILLIANT ADULTS) and it's not perfect but there is just so much love there.  It's a real home!  They fed us our THIRD dinner of the night and we had such a good spiritual thought and there was just a lot of love.  Plus, their 6 year old just started going to preschool and in the 3 days she's been there, has already taught about and gotten her entire class into a habit of praying over the food.  woohoo!  Missionary work!!  Families!  These things change the world in case you didn't already know.  Families CHANGE THE WORLD

the story is not over!!

HI FRIENDLY FRIENDS!!  

This week was a little rough in terms of missionary work but it was a good one nonetheless.  We said a lot of goodbyes and those were pretty tender.  Sister I in particular ended up being a special experience.  Throughout our time here, we've gone out to visit her at her little cafe every once in a while and it has been wonderful to see how things have grown between us.  In the beginning, she would let us eat there (and usually try to stop us from paying, even though she's running a new business that needs all the help it can get) but would kind of avoid our conversations.  We would call her most Sundays after church just to say that we had noticed she wasn't at church and to see if we could help at all and she would usually shut that down too.  After a while, we stopped trying to push the gospel at her and started trying to have conversations with her.  As we've sought to love her more as a person and share the gospel in the little things we could do--not out of obligation but out of the sincerity of our hearts--she has really opened up.  She would sit and laugh with us and show us pictures and tell us stories here and there and she even told us that it's been really hard for her to see M (her daughter's son who is still having a really hard time) and A (her daughter, the RS president) suffering and to not be able to help.  It's just been getting better and better and this last time was the very best.  The day itself had been kind of frustrating and all of our meetings had fallen through and things just seemed to go wrong, but it all led up to us being at her cafe while she was closing up.  She was the last person there and was getting ready to leave.  We told her we didn't want to hold her up and that we just wanted to say goodbye because we're leaving and she got really serious and asked us to sit down.  She then--in her cute little apron and bandana, sitting behind her cash register--gave us a lot of really, really good advice.  She told us never to fight with our mothers and that family is the most important and just told us all the things that are in her heart as a mother and a strong member of this church.  It was kind of a sacred moment.  She then told us about why she doesn't come to church.  She said it's hard because she works all week and is really tired by Sunday, but that even more, there's a lot weighing on her heart.  She doesn't feel like she's needed or really loved there, she's afraid of offending people--because even though she does love the branch and the members, she doesn't want to be fake with people and wants to speak her mind, she's lonely because she doesn't have a husband, and right now she doesn't feel like there's anyone that she can trust with her problems or to have answers to them.  She doesn't even think these answers are in the Book of Mormon right now.  She then told us about Paul Pieper 

and the role he played in her conversion and acknowledged how good it was and felt sad because she doesn't think moments like that can happen for her right now in the church or in our faith.  We just listened with patience and love and praying to have understanding, and then after all this, Sister Waldie started testifying with all the sincerity and love in the world that even though Paul Pieper isn't here anymore, we still have access to that spirit and that individual help because that's the promise of the Restoration.  God lives today!  He knows us today, hears our prayers, knows our hearts and DOES give answers in the Book of Mormon.  She encouraged her to live seeking those deeper waters and the spirit was so strong.  And then I testified about the fact that she really is a pillar in this branch and with that Christlike love and strong faith she has, our ward needs her and what she has to offer, and that that's what Heavenly Father wants, too.  I was just floored at the fact that the Spirit had helped this lonely woman open up her heart to a few teenage girls and then that He had given us what to say.  I really felt that He was testifying through us and it was so special and knew that in that moment, we'd been led to her and that we really were "successful missionaries".  God loves all His children and the promise in PMG is true--as we listen with love, it will be given to us by our friends and the spirit what to say.

Besides that, this week was filled with a lot of things, both good and bad on our part.  I don't feel like it was my most productive week as a missionary and I don't really have any way to justify that.  But this week I learned a lot of lessons about the Atonement, what it means in my life and how I can apply it better.  We are ETERNAL BEINGS!!  I have been reveling in that all week.  I have spent so much time feeling guilty that I'm not a perfect missionary and that my mission won't be perfect and that even if I start today and hold out until the end, I probably won't be everything I want to be for the Lord in the little time I have left.  But in the great, glorious plan of our merciful God, I love that that is okay.  He wants us to begin today, every day, to build our foundation for the ETERNITIES He is preparing us for.  Every day, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ 

and the Priesthood power restored through Joseph Smith,

If you would like to know more about the Prophet Joseph Smith, please click on the 

Joseph Smith link above the picture. :)

is a new beginning of all of eternity!  It is so beautiful.  It is so happy.  And it's a good life.  So last night, I spent some quiet time before bed and evaluated with myself and the Lord the things I did well this week and the things that could have been better.  I then made a few specific goals about what I want to do differently.  I think they can all be summed up in the scripture I chose to "ponderize" for this week (1 Samuel 15:22): 

"And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?  Behold, to obey is better than to sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams."  

I am free to choose according to my own will and every day, I can choose to repent and to be obedient and better if I simply want to.  That is the promise of the Atonement and it beautiful and something I want to be a part of TODAY.  So I will!  And that's that. :)

Also, this week N and A both had some problems and aren't really progressing right now, aaaand A--who just recently got baptized--hasn't been to church or kept an appointment with us since she got the Holy Ghost while we were in Turkey.  Which is kind of sad.  But we are still hopeful!!  And loving and praying for them and we're ready to work this week!  Because hey, the promise about the field being white and ready to harvest doesn't have fine print saying "applies to all places excluding Kazakhstan" you feel me.  No one can say it better than Elder Faust--"the harvest is the Lord.  Your responsibility is to thrust in the sickle." #tru

Which brings me to an Elder Eyring quote that's been a rock this week:

"There is yet another way the Lord will magnify you in your call to His service. You will feel at some time, perhaps at many times, that you cannot do all you feel you must. The heavy weight of your responsibilities will seem too great. You will worry that you can’t spend more time with your family. You will wonder how you can find the time and the energy to meet your responsibilities beyond your family and your calling. You may feel discouragement and even guilt after you have done all you could to meet all your obligations. I have had such days and such nights. Let me tell you what I have learned.

"It is this: If I only think of my own performance, my sadness deepens. But when I remember that the Lord promised that His power would go with me, I begin to look for evidence of what He has done in the lives of the people I am to serve. I pray to see with spiritual eyes the effects of His power.

"Then, invariably, the faces of people flood back into my memory. I remember the shine in the eyes of my child whose heart was softened, the tears of happiness on the face of a girl on the back row of a Sunday School class I was teaching, or a problem that was resolved before I had time to get to it. I know then that I have done enough for the promise made by Joseph Smith to be fulfilled once again: 'Let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.' 

"You can have the utmost assurance that your power will be multiplied many times by the Lord. All He asks is that you give your best effort and your whole heart. Do it cheerfully and with the prayer of faith. The Father and His Beloved Son will send the Holy Ghost as your companion to guide you. Your efforts will be magnified in the lives of the people you serve. And when you look back on what may now seem trying times of service and sacrifice, the sacrifice will have become a blessing, and you will know that you have seen the arm of God lifting those you served for Him, and lifting you." (Rise to Your Call)

Sorry the computer made this dumb but my dears, THIS IS TRUE!!  As long as we do all we can with the Lord and with all our hearts, seek to do what He's asked of us, ESPECIALLY for those around us, He WILL always make up the difference.  I challenge all of us, me included, to better a) recognize those evidences of His hand in the lives of those around us and b) live to make sure He can do things through us.  What a glorious task, aye?

Anyways, have to go, but sure love yous with all my heart.  Pray for you always.  Keep working hard and being good and being happy.  Only onward and upward, loves :)

LOVE,

Sister Hansen

by stevedocwra on 

холодец, молодец (Aspic, well done)

(холодец--look this up.  ate it for the first time last week :') 

холодец = Aspic: "a dish in which ingredients are set into a gelatin made from a meat stock or consommé" (Source: Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspic])

also ate tiny octopus soup aaand liver last week!  

remember when i didn't even like onions?  my name is sister hansen and i am GROWING!! hollaaaa)

What up beloved homies.

This week was a super good one!  I feel like time is just going faster and faster and it is BLOWING MY MIND.  Do you realize that a year ago I was speaking in church?  And we were celebrating Thanksgiving by roadtripping to Las Vegas?  Is this even real life?!  AHHH.  I wish it would slow down but I guess if it won't stop that just means we can't stop either.  "WORK WORK WORK...the greatest secret to missionary work is WORK." #truuuuu and life is good!!  Also, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Mum and Dad!  Really hope it's a special one even though it's already bound to be because I remembered the date (the 27th holla holla) for the first time in my 20 years of life.  Love yous :')

Alright alright alright.  This week was super special.  With Christmas coming up and with the fact that He is the center of this work aaand the entire gospel, I've been thinking about the Savior a lot this week.  I added reading the New Testament to my personal study and am in 3rd Nephi in the Book of Mormon and as I have read it with questions about how to help others and how to change myself and how to love Him more and live better, I have really been so floored at His love for us.  As His crowning and probably most talked about attribute, I know that's cliche, but He really does love us all in a perfect and complete and absolutely individual way.  It's been special to read the Bible and see specific and concrete examples of this love.  

One story I have been thinking about all week is in the last chapter of John.  After being with the very Son of God during His mortal ministry--something you would assume would change people forever--they decided to go back to their ships and live out their lives in their comfort zone, doing what they knew.  But I LOVE what happens when Christ comes back and calls to them to throw their net on the other side.  Peter, as soon as He realizes that it's the Savior, without hesitation jumps right in and swims as fast as he can back to His feet.  Peter then gets asked if he loves the Savior and gets told to feed His sheep.  From my studies on this and also Elder Holland's talk from October 2012, 

there were SO MANY INSIGHTS I've had on this throughout the week.  It's really changed how I want to live my life, with the time I have left on the mission and throughout the rest of my whole life!!  I want to live in a way every day where the Savior could ask me if I love Him, hear a confident and ready "yes", and be able to see it in the way I live every day.  Peter is such a real example for me, too.  Throughout Christ's ministry, he was constantly immediately "jumping" all in for the Savior (like the time he walked on the water) and then maybe falling short of the glory of God like we all do (like the time he denied knowing Jesus).  I feel like I can relate to that a lot.  So many times I've immediately affirmed "of course I would follow Thee, don't be crazy" and then lived a little less than that.  But this particular story taught me a lot about the character I want to have and the character of the Savior.  I want to be like Peter and so willingly and wholeheartedly follow the Savior in every instance, even when I'm sheepish because I got caught sleeping (or in this case, fishing when I knew that there were things more important than fish), and I want to get to the point where I not only return and repent and retry wholeheartedly and without hesitation, but also STAY there.  To hold myself to the desire and passion of the moment even when the moment itself has passed.  Really love how Elder H. talks about how this was the pivotal moment in Peter's ministry and how if he hadn't been 10000000%, wholeheartedly, ALL IN for the Lord before this point, he was now.  That's the kind of attitute I want to have and the kind of effect I want the mission to have on me and I know that means that I have to live like that every day...which brings me to the Savior.  Even though He must have been a little disappointed in Peter and the disciples, He just called them again to the work, accepted them and told them to go and feed His sheep.  He frankly forgave them and just asked them to give all they could.  So I commit!  Like an elder in my district said, "it's okay to be chastened".  So often on the mission I just want to be perfect and get sad when I'm not, but He doesn't want us to be perfect just for the sake of goodness--He wants us to feed His sheep.  To lift and love His people and help them receive the healing and joy and forgiveness and peace and strength and power of the Atonement and the Savior in our real personal lives.  Also, Sister Waldie and I have been listening to "Come unto Christ" (the youth theme last year, apparently?) and watching the video approximately 28349082309482309x EVERY DAY.  

And the coolest thing is that I really feel how this is changing my life and my heart and the way I think about and treat others and myself!  And so it is my job to help others do the same.  AND THE WORK IS SO SWEET.  leggooooo.

(Fall pic) "from that super happy pday we had up there with the elders.  kazakhs have this tradition/superstition that they do NOT sit on the ground ever because they think you'll go infertile if you do so they do that squat--we call it the "Пацан (meaning "kid") squat" heh heh"

Ah ah ahhahahahhahhahah I AM SO BAD AT USING TIME but here are a few other things:

- all the missionaries here in Almaty spoke in church yesterday to pass along the message we got from E. Holland at the meeting for members and we were asked to speak for only 5 minutes and guess who spoke for EXACTLY FIVE MINUTES AND GOT A HIGH FIVE FROM THE SECOND COUNSELOR OH YEAH HOLLA AT YA GIRL.  also i really love Russian a lot a lot.

always the one not doing a patsan squat.  hahahah

- there's a single mother and her son in our branch that are really struggling and one day we felt like we should just call them and say hello.  Their living conditions are pretty bad but she just found work (something everyone here is struggling with right now) and things are getting better.  She mentioned in passing that they didn't have enough money to buy groceries this week but that all was okay.  That night, we had a little extra time so just bought a few things and went to their house.  The gate to their area was closed so we had to call instead of just dropping them off and that was embarrassing, but we just went in and said hello.  When they asked why we were there and we pulled out the groceries the mom burst into tears (which happens pretty often so we weren't too surprised) but then the son--who's this 10 year old kid that is SO adorable and tender hearted but not moved too deeply by stuff like this--also started bawling and they both just said thank you.  The mum told us they'd just been talking about their situation and she'd been promising that things would change soon and that if they relied on the Lord, He would provide for them and literally as she was talking about it we had called.  And we gave them so little but the love in that room was so divine and we all just cried and hugged and Mormon Tabernacle Choir was playing in the background and it was just so special to get to be the good in someone's life in that way.  Mosiah 2:17 is real, homes.

" 17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn^awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the ^bserviceof your ^cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

- We haven't met with N yet this week because she is working SO MUCH so she probably won't be baptized before we leave this city but that's okay because she is amazing and will someday.  A that just got baptized hasn't been to church since we've been home from Turkey and we're kind of worried about her but she's been in touch and we're trying to meet with her and we pray for her a lot.  And then there's A--the contacted A.  We met with her last night and talked more about the Restoration and the living prophet.  We watched a talk from President Monson and she really liked it and she told us that she really does feel something and has been praying all this week but feels like she hasn't received an answer yet.  We got to testify about how answers do come while we act in faith even when we don't "know" and we got to share our own experiences and it was so special.  I don't really know how to convey it with words but there is so much love in that little family and they are 3 of 4 people I've met and worked with on my mission that I really feel like are 100% family to me now.  They are just trying their very best and they have so much sincerity and pure intent and with hearts like that, I KNOW the Lord will answer their prayers, that they WILL recognize it and that they will be baptized.  Her 14-year-old daughter even mentioned that she wants to become a member of our church last night!  And.  I don't know.  I just know that Heavenly Father has such a big plan for them and loves them so much and I feel that every time I'm with them.  BEING WITH THESE PEOPLE HERE IS SUCH A PRIVILEGE.  They're our brothers and sisters indeed.

Alright alright I have to goooo but I love you all heaps and heaps and pray for you always.  Thank you for all you do.  Have a happy happy Thanksgiving my loves and enjoy some pecan pie for me!  Love you with my whole heart.  Be good, be safe, be happy :)

love,

Sister Hansen

"ahhh...you're missionaries?" "yeah! yeah...wait, no. no, not that"

(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 ^asoul 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

i stand all amazed

Hi hi hi loves! 

WOW.  Wow.  There is so little time and so many feelings in my heart and all I can really say is wow.  God lives, this is His very own church and my dears, He is so, so, so good.

A lot has happened since last week (almost accidentally hiked to Kyrgystan in the snow last Monday...got my eyebrows threaded (read: cried a bit and now have great eyebrows)...saw an amazing, amazing human being--who at one point couldn't bring herself to even think of Christ as the Savior--testify of Him and His perfect love with power and conviction at her own baptism into His church...came to Turkey and fell in love with Istanbul...so dang many things, people) but because of time I'll just tell you about this weekend.  On Saturday, after having the most humbling and wonderful and beautiful baptism for A, we got on a flight to Turkey.

In the Blue Mosque in Turkey! :)

Yesterday, we got to go to sacrament meeting in the church here in Istanbul and I was blown away.  We met some of the members before and heard their stories and felt their faith and their love and all throughout that time and sacrament meeting itself, I just knew that I was in the presence of spiritual giants that Heavenly Father Himself is so proud of and loves so much and it was so special.  They have made so many sacrifices but love so much and are so willing to do all they do because they KNOW this is God's.  From the branch president--who is a Turkish convert who served a mission and married an American and had a great job and life there but decided to sell everything he had and come back here without any jobs or any promises because he knows the church is true and because he knew the call to help establish God's work in this part of the world was far greater than any sacrifice he made--to the man living in the city closest to Syria who singlehandedly opened a branch and has had 10 baptisms in the last few months just from sharing this precious gift that has changed his life with those he loved to the Pakistani people that came to the French people behind me to the happy family in front of me to the littlest kid in that audience, these are just people of such great faith and such great hope and surety that they are following none else but the living God.  Wow.  We were all together for an address from E. Holland (it was like a fireside for this region of the world) and it was so good. He talked about how the lives of pioneers have never been easy and never will be but how the little things we do--no matter how little we feel like they are--are not insignificant.  And he talked about the brother of Jared and told us how the Lord does 99% of the work and often lets us do the last 1% on our own and lots of times, we feel super ill-equipped to do that because we already rely on the Lord so much for everything else we are doing.  but when we show our faith and give the Lord our rocks (in his words, "the most uncreative, unimaginative, bland answer anyone could have given.  ROCKS!!  The Lord gave him this incredible blueprint and figured out everything except for lighting and had done it all, and even in the midst of that the best the brother of Jared could come up with was stupid rocks.  But the Lord saw this and said there had never been such great faith shown before.") with love and faith and offer up all we have, even when it's little, He will do the rest.  He also talked about the responsibility we have as individuals and in our branch to help the church and its members be able to be recognized by the Savior as His when He comes again.  woooow.  that was really big for me.  that really is the goal, you know?

 the Kazakh missionaries on our Sunday morning walk with President down to the Bosphorus.

along the Bosphorus.  Istanbul is seriously GORGEOUS and I want to live there someday. 

Today we had a session with him and there were so so so many amazing things he taught us I don't even have words to share them all right now.  He told us to never get down on ourselves or the work and talked about the fact that this is pioneer work and said so many things I needed to hear and gave us so many beautiful compliments and instruction and promises and it was amazing.  But in the very end, hearing him talk about the things we need to do to keep our faith alive (deep waters. we have to swim in deep waters, and keep kicking and stroking even when we don't feel like it ourselves), hearing the testimonies of the wives that were there, hearing him testify purely and with power and authority that this IS the truth and it is God's, hearing him plead before the Lord for us and this area and the work and our families and our happiness and faith and success in a kneeling prayer at the end and finally singing one verse of "God be with you till we meet again" and reflecting on the power of the spirit we had felt throughout that whole morning and being sad that it was ending but knowing that we WILL once again meet in a very literal way at the feet of our Savior...it was one of the most sacred and beautiful and special days of my entire life.  i don't really have words to describe that realm of feeling.  But I know what I felt, I know what I know and I know that there is no path backward.  This church is true and it IS God's.  He lives!  He loves us with a perfect love.  He sees our struggles and our growth and our efforts and our struggles and He is with us and I know that as we learn to use prayer the way He intended us to and then work and love and repent and act, we will know that He is leading us and He will confirm our faith.  Joseph Smith was a prophet and God did appear to him.  Thomas S. Monson is the Lord's prophet today.  The Book of Mormon is the word of God, the gospel is a life of love and second chances and Christ, our Savior, lives.  What a MIRACLE!!  What a privilege.  Wow.

 part of the Aya Sophia!  It's a church that was built by Christians but taken over by Muslims and turned into a Mosque throughout history and now it's just a museum.  SUPER gorgeous there

I love you all with all my heart and pray for you often, and I know the Lord is aware of you.  Thank you for your love and your faith and for being mine.  I love you I love you I love you.  I hope you have the happiest week and feel the Lord's love for you personally because that is real.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Sister Hansen