Week 12 - A Prompting and a Papaya

Familia!

I really feel like I was just here writing you yesterday, this week went by so fast. I'm starting week number 8 in Costa Rica and on the 29th I'll have finished my third month. I really can't explain how crazy that feels. I just started, when did three months happen? haha I really hope it slows down a little. 

This week was a challenge. It seemed like almost every single one of our investigators had to work or was gone on vacation. But the people we did get to teach, we had really good lessons with. I'm feeling really good about February.

So spiritual experience of the week. We were contacting and trying to just find anyone new we could. We had just gone down an entire street and found nobody so we stopped at the corner and tried to think of somewhere else to go. We just sat in silence, both trying to listen for something. I said a short little prayer and when I opened my eyes, I was looking at the house on the corner of the next street over and I got an incredibly strong prompting to go there. A woman answered the door and invited us to come share our message. She told us she had talked to the missionaries before, but they had stopped coming after a while. We kept talking and found out she had very little belief in God and Jesus Christ. She was receptive to our message, but it didn't seem like we were getting anywhere. We talked for a little while longer and I really couldn't figure out why I had felt so prompted to come here. We finished the lesson and were about to say the prayer when her husband came out and introduced himself. He said he had some problems and he wanted to pray with us to get help. I then realized why we had come here. He told us he wanted to hear the lessons and meet with the missionaries again. It was such a great experience for me, because it taught me how quickly I can start to doubt my impressions. We went back the next day and he was really interested and I have a really good feeling we might be able to baptize him. I just need to remember who's timeline I'm on and that even if the results don't come in my timeline, doesn't mean they won't come.

Funny story connected to that. After our second visit, they gave us papaya as we were leaving, but neither of us really like papaya so we decided to go give it to one of our investigators who had just moved into his new house as a sort of housewarming gift. His wife answered the door and, feeling pretty proud of our idea, I proudly presented our papaya to her. I watched as her face changed to a look of confusion and I'm pretty sure a little disgust, but she accepted it anyway. I guess no one likes papaya.....

Anyway, hope all is well at home. Love you all so much.

Elder Hansen

Week 11 - Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Walmart

Family!

Well I wish I could say a lot happened this week, but honestly there isn't too much haha. It was just a pretty slow week. We didn't get to contact a lot of people and a lot of our appointments fell through so we had a lot of time to do contacting.... a lot of time. But that was actually really good for us because a lot of our investigators are getting to the point where they just need to find out for themselves and there's not much we can do so we need to start finding more and more people.

We contacted a whole little neighborhood and I felt super accomplished after that. It was like we were really making a impact in our area. As we were walking out I started singing Battle Hymn of the Republic and got really inspired. Then it started raining like none other and I'm pretty sure my umbrella is on its last legs already haha. Also there are vents in the top that are supposed to help if it's windy I assume, but they just let water in usually haha. But it was a really good moment for us I think, because we just had been a little disappointed but it was just funny to laugh at the rain and how wet we were getting.

We went to the President's house yesterday for breakfast because our zone hit our goal for baptisms in December. We had chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips and they were the most delicious things I have ever eaten. I haven't had pancakes in almost 2 and a half months and they were so so so so so good. It was a nice break from beans and rice haha. After that we had some extra time so we went to Walmart because Elder Nielsen needed to and it was like Christmas for us haha there were so many things that we couldn't find anywhere else and we'd probably not see again for a long time. So we took full advantage.

Other than that, not much happened this week. Still working hard, still loving life. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

Elder Hansen

Week 10 - A "Best Two Years" moment

Family!

This week was a pretty great week. Not too much happened, but I had one of the most spiritual lessons of my life on Wednesday night. We were on divisions because Elder Duran has to go on divisions with other Elders every few weeks since he's the district leader. He went with Elder Gonzalez, who is on his second to last transfer and I got to stay in our area with Elder Nielson. Elder Nielson is the only other American in our little district of six in Siquirres. He's from South Carolina and we've really become good friends and so I was really excited to get to work with him. Wednesday night we had an appointment with a member of the branch to just check in and see how he's doing. When we got to his house, there was something off and he wasn't as happy as he normally is. We talked to him for a little bit and then he told us he had drank a beer with some of his friends the night before. He looked so distraught and ashamed, I just felt so bad. He told us he felt like he had failed and that it was all over for him. We talked for a while about repentance and the steps that he had to take now. At the end I bore my testimony of repentance and as I was talking I felt the Spirit stronger than I ever have in my life. I was telling him that everything was going to be ok, and then I started to say "that's why I'm here" (just like The Best Two Years, right?) and in that moment I felt the Savior sitting next to me, guiding me to what I should say and reaffirming my testimony. I just started crying and felt so much love for him and for Christ and for the chance that I have to be here and for everything. And then he started crying and that just made me cry more and it was the most powerful moment I've ever experienced. I honestly don't think I can fully describe it. I'm just so grateful for this opportunity. The chance to help someone feel the love and the joy that comes from the gospel is unlike anything else. It's not always easy, but it's so worth it. 

The rest of my time with Elder Nielson was so much fun. We got to work together for 2 days and we just rocked it. We talked to everyone we could and met so many more people and made some contacts with people that I really think could be baptized. I got to be the senior companion since it was my area and I was really nervous at first because it meant I had to initiate all the lessons and take the lead with a lot of things, but it taught me a lot about how much I didn't know I knew. I wasn't perfect, but by the end of the first couple lessons, I had so much more confidence in myself and my ability to speak and understand and teach with the Spirit. It was an answer to a ton of prayers haha. 

On Sunday we had over 120 people in church! We had to go get more chairs for people to sit. It was such a special feeling to see the difference we were making. We're working really hard to get as many people to church as we can, and to see them walking through the doors is so rewarding. Our goal is to get a ward in Siquirres, and if we can keep working hard and helping people come to church, I know we can make that happen. Something President Wilkinson told us is that we are "Always happy, never satisfied".

I love you all! I hope you had a great week!

Elder Hansen

"With Elder Nielson before our soccer match"

Week 9 - Happy New Year!

Heiner's baptism

Happy New Year!!!

also Happy Birthday Maren!

We had another baptism! Heiner was baptized on Saturday and he asked me to baptize him, which was really special too. He bore a really powerful testimony after the baptism, and his sister, who is already member, shared her testimony about her conversion and then reactivation. It was an incredibly spiritual service. 

Earlier this week, we went contacting and found a few women and some children sitting on their front porch. We introduced ourselves and they invited us up to teach. One of the of the men who were at the house came outside, and he told me he spoke English. I was really happy to hear that so I started talking to him. He then told me that he hated organized religion. A little less enthusiastic, I kept talking to him and he told me that he was a recovered alcoholic and that before he would have beat the (stuffing) out of me and Elder Duran. Having no idea what to say after that, he reassured me that he wasn't trying to make me nervous, which didn't help at all haha. But Elder Duran asked me a question so I rejoined the other conversation and we taught a short lesson and then left. They said we could come back next week, so we'll see how that goes. 

Later in the week, we were walking back from a really good meeting with an investigator and we stopped on the side of the highway. We were waiting to cross when car came flying by and hit a puddle that perfectly splashed all over us haha. I have no idea why but it was the funniest thing that has ever happened to me. I laughed for the next 20 minutes straight. But I learned something really important. Not to make this more than it is, but I learned that it really is possible to smile and to laugh in every situation. No matter what happens, I can be positive and happy. And if I can keep that in mind, I don't see why I'll ever be unhappy again.

We got to go to the beach yesterday for P-day! It was so beautiful and I managed to get an even better farmers tan. Also, I burned the tops of my feet, so that's been fun to walk with, but it was totally worth it. We played soccer, obviously, and I had 4 goals so that was pretty fun. I got to be goalie for a little while too and that was so much fun haha, you would've been proud of me McKay. They all called me the white Tim Howard haha.

So anyway, really good week. Great start to the new year. I love you all and I hope you all have a phenomenal week!

Elder Hansen