Hermana Hansen in Peru: October 2016

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

OCTOBER 24 2016 TANTA WAWA SEASON!!

OCTOBER 24 2016

Muy Buenas Tardes!

I hope everyone had a lovely fun-filled week!

Fun Fact. Its wawa tanta season! In other words they are selling these delicious little breads on every street corner! Im not proud to admitt how many I have consumed this week, but just know it was a good amount.

This week we had divisiones with Tamburco. I love being able to be in my first sector! Walking the same death hills, seeing members and people we were teaching, it really is such a blessing! We went and visited a family that the hermanas are teaching, Faustina y Leonicio. When I say we had to hike a mountain to get to their house, I really mean....we literally hiked a straight up mountain to find this family. I didnt even know people lived way up there. But hey we made it. We got there, and the mom explained that they really didnt have any time because they were harvesting potatoes. The typical Idaho girl in me got all excited and said we would love to help them for a little bit. So after the lesson, we went out, skirt and all, to go help them harvest their potatoes. We went up and offered this cute little 70 year old panay that she could rest for a little while and that we would keep working. She looked me up and down and finally said, "Well, you have to be strong to do this type of work..." Yup. Totally roasted by a 70 year old panay. But shes right. She was like 4 foot 5 and still stronger then me. But she was kind enough to let me help her for a little while. I love these people so much.

This week we met Norma and her daughter Marina. Marina is about 23 years old with a little baby boy. Last week she came to church. She explained to us that her aunt in Lima is a member of our church, and knew that we could help her. She didnt tell us much more, but explained that she was very sick, and didnt know what else to do. Later that night we went to visit her and her family, and we found her mother Norma. She was so happy to see us. We sat down and Norma began to explain everything. Her daughter Marina had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer, and that after the church meetings, had traveled to Lima to recieve more treatments and tests. Norma was completely broken inside, but I was amazed by the amount of faith and strenght that she demonstrated. She said that her daughter had told her that we could help her, and went off to look for us that morning. It broke my heart to see a mother so desperate, and so scared for her daughter. But I know the faith of this family, the faith to act and look to God we bless them forever.

I read a talk this week, that had the question, "Does the Lord trust us to be an answer to someones prayer?" I have thought about that alot. My mom shared with me a quote from President Monson that I loved. "The sweetest experience I know in life is to feel a prompting and act upon it and later find out that it was the fulfillment of someone's prayer or someone's need."

I testify that there really is nothing better. I know Im not perfect, and I still make mistakes every day. But I hope to live in a way that the Lord can always trust me to act upon the impressions that He gives me to help someone in need.

Have the splendid week everyone!

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

Sunday, October 23, 2016

OCTOBER 17 2016 IF ONLY I COULD TAKE HOME A PANAY....

OCTOBER 17 2016

Hello Everyone! Im sorry Im just really slacking in the writing deparment these days. Today, we all went as a zone to the deepest canyon in South America...Just one of those cool things you get to do when you serve a mission in Cusco Peru :) So I've got like zero time. But no worries, it was another week of traveling!

Heres my top 5 for the week.

1. I ate Subway for the first time in....like a really long time. Without lettuce of course but hey. It was Subway. And it was delicious.

2. Consejo de Lideres was amazing. Lots of changes are happening here in the Mision Peru Cusco. Its so beautiful for me to see the worth hastening in this part of the world.

3. Rainy rainy rainy season has begun....which also means its mango season. A mango a day makes it a good day.

4. This week I had a heart to heart with a missionary who is just starting her mission. I couldn't help but just cry with her because its so easy for me to relate to her. I was so grateful for the chance I had to share what I learned from my experiences at the beginning of my mission. Never have I grown so close to my Savior, as when I started my mission.

5. We contacted a little panay this week. She was so darling. We had a nice little chat in some broken spanish/quechua. Then she put the little picture of Jesus Christ we gave her in her little bowler hat for all to see. All love these people and their sincere desire to love Jesus Christ. Its something that comes so naturally to them.

Sorry again for this somewhat lame email. Let it be known that it doesnt reflect how much I loved this week and how much a love being a missionary. Because its much much more. :) Have a fantastic week!

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

OCTOBER 10 2016 LIFE ON THE ROAD

OCTOBER 10 2016

Sending warm thoughts to all from my cold rainy Cusco today! This week, we kinda just bummed it around from house to house, traveling from here to there. We had divisiones with Andahuaylas this week. They are amazing. And they were very sick with parasites soooo we were busy getting all that figured out. Just one of those cool things you get for living in Peru :)

This week we started teaching our sweet little Isabel Herrera. She was a reference from a member, and has come to church a few times, and even came to General Conference! She said she loved it! She has such a pure heart. She's the mother of 7, and honestly just an incredible woman. She only speaks a little bit of spanish, mostly quechua. So we have to get really creative when we teach without a translator. Its more like acting out the lesson...and sometimes that gets pretty entertaing hahaha but hey. Its what you have to do. She doesnt know how to read, so we have been teaching her, and in return, she teaches us stuff like how to kill guine pigs, how to make yarn, and how to speak quechua. Just all the typical stuff ill need to know when I get back home.

Today, we traveld to Cusco for Consejo de Lideres this week! I am excited to hear what President has to teach us. I love learning so much from our leaders and from other missionaries.

Well, sorry not too much to report to you all this week! Just another week on the road!

This week I was able to reread a talk that has made a major impact on my mission.

"Love is the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ."

I have seen such a diference in my mission as I have tried day after day to work, with the love for my Heavenly Father, as my motivation. There is such a difference when we do something because we have to do it, and when we do something out of love. That is when we are converted. That is when we are changed by what we are do. And that is when we are changed to become more like our Savior Jesus Christ.

Have the best week ever! Tupananchiskama!

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

WE CELEBRATED THAT I GOT ONE MORE CHANGE IN ABANCACITO!!! SO BLESSED!

MY COMPANION IS TOO DARLING! CELEBRATING (IN MY CASE ...MOURNING) 15 MONTHS...

I DONT KNOW WHY BUT I FOUND A TON OF BIRDS THIS WEEK....

EMILY AND FAMILY

WALKING IN THE COUNTRY ...

PERUVIAN ART

OCT 3 2016 CONFERENCE!!!

OCTOBER 3 2016

Well. I hope you all just loved General Conference as much as I did. Also, did you all catch that Peru Cusco Mission shout out? Eh? Cool stuff.

Not going to lie, I left my notebook with all the wonderful things I learned from General Conference at home, and I cant upload any pictues...asi que....this email is going to be a little lame. Just know that it was another wonderul week in the life of Hermana Hansen.

Tuesday we traveled to Cusco to do divisiones with Hermana Baker and Hermana Ruiz. Oh how I love my Cusco...altitude sickness and blue skies.

This week we were teaching Emily about prophets, and that this weekend we would be able to listen to him speak. She came to the Sunday morning session with us. When President Monson got up to speak, we told her that he was the prophet. Her eyes got really big....and she whispered..."Oh! There really IS a prophet!" haha yup. And how grateful I am to really say, Yes. there is a prophet. :)

I hope everyone got a little flame burning inside of them to do some missionary work after General Conference! We are here to have JOY! How do we find joy? Through our Savior. So share the joy you have with those around you. There are people waiting for you to invite them to learn more about their Savior.

I love you all very very much. Make this week the best one ever.

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

Sunday, October 2, 2016

SEPT 26 2016 HE HEARS EVERY WORD!!

SEPTEMBER 26 2016

Well...This week was simply perfect. I just cant ask for more. :)

Monday night, we were coming back from a cita. We were in a part of our sector where at that time, there is zero light, and not very many taxis or buses. So when we started heading up, and a taxi came up behind us, we were so grateful. We got in, and right off the bat, the taxista was super rude. We kindly listened to him as he went off complaining and making rude comments. At the end, we asked if he had had a bad day. He started to chuckle, and apologized for what he had said. Not long after, he really opened up and shared with us his sincere desire to become closer with God. We pulled up to the house and he turned off the car, and just kept talking. Hermana Arana and I just looked at eachother, not really sure what to do. But we felt like we should just stay and listen. After about 10 mintues, he stopped and looked back and asked, "Do you guys need to go?" We told him that it was alright, and he kept right on talking. We sat there just listening for 30 minutes. He told us that all he wanted was to help his family, and do what God wanted to him to do. We shared a small message, and at the end, we asked him if he wanted to say a prayer. As he prayed, and talked to his Father in Heaven, the spirit filled the small taxi. He thanked us, and said he would be waiting for us to pass by Sunday to visit him and his family. Well Sunday we passed by, and we found his wife. Long story short, she said that I seemed really familiar. We found out that about 8 months ago, she was sitting on the lawn of a mormon church, waiting for her husband to pick her up, when me and my companion went up and talked to her. I dont remember that at all, but she said that she remembered that day when some jovencitas came and talked to her for a little while.

As she told us that story, I couldnt hold back the tears. I told her, "Well, I am so grateful that we have found you again." and she said, "me too..."

Miracles happen every single day.

Saturday we had our Noche Blanca! Oh. Its so beautiful to see so many dressed in white. From our zone, a total of 7 people made convenants with God that night. A very special spirit indeed. :) The change that has happened with Athoni, Marina, and Sythinia has been incredible. Yesterday we were visiting them, and Marina told us, " Im just so happy now." I guess thats what I love most about being a missionary. Watching the gospel bring an unexplainable joy into the lives of His children.

"Believe in God, believe that he is, and that he created all things, that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth, believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

-Mosiah 4:9

I believe in God. And I know that He has power to do all things. And that His plan will ALWAYS be better then our own.

I love you all very much. :) I know I tell you all that every week. But its true every time. Have a fantastic week.

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

FOUND A LITTLE PIECE OF IDAHO!!

THIS WAS PROBABLY THE TRUNKIEST PACKAGE IVE GOTTEN MY WHOLE MISSION!! HA HA HA

SO MANY GETTING MARRIED!

PUTTING UP HIS TV ANTENNA....WHAT EVER WORKS..

September 12 2016 HELLO FROM THE OTHER LAND OF POTATOES

September 12 2016

Today my mom sent me an email with this title. Gave me a good laugh. You dont know how many people I can talk to just because I can talk about potatoes hahaha. Thanks Dad.

We spent the majority of this week in Cusco for our Consejo de Lideres. Monday, we had a big pday with all the elders and hermanas, with Presidente Herrera. We all played soccer and ate some good ol pollo con papas. Tuesday was Consejo! Such a full day of good training! We can see that there are changes coming to the Peru Cusco Mission. It has been an interesting experience for me during my mission to see how our Father in Heaven has started preparing the hearts of the people here in this part of Peru. I feel like they have been in a stage of preparation, and now, they are ready to accept the restored gospel. I feel very blessed to be apart of the work in such a special part of the world.

Well, Wednesday, we traveled back to Abancay. Buuuuuttt through a few (or not so few) unfortunate events, it wasnt quite as tranquila like it usuallyis. Long story short, we were left literally running behind the only bus that leaves to Abancay, with all our luggage in our hands, begging for it to stop. Pero bueno, they left us stranded. After many hours of looking all over Cusco for someone to take us to Abancay, we finally met a nice little traxi driver who was willing to make the trip. The trip to Abancay is pretty dangerous, especially at night, so we were sooo grateful that we found someone to take us. After a long night, we finally made it home!

Marina, Synthia, and Anthony are wonderful. Anthony is going to be baptized the 24 of September! The conversion process of this family has truly been incredible. Honestly, I just cant tell you all much more. Simply put, I am just really happy, and I just really love what I am a part of.

The other day, we were talking with our pension about a little family is the rama. She is a single mom with 7 kids, living in a very difficult situation. We have been trying to see what we can do for her and for her kids. The other day, the oldest daughter Ruth (12 years old) was over visiting our pension. Somehow they got on the topic of pizza, and very quitely Ruth says, "I have never had pizza before..."

I really started thinking about that, and I was so suprised. I cant every begin to count how many times I have eaten pizza in my life. Its something so ordinary, something so normal. We talked about that and compared it to hearing the gospel for the first time. Sometimes for us, who have grown up with the gospel, its something so normal...so ordinary. We dont realize that for someone, it could be the most delicious thing they have ever taken part of. That is something I have seen a lot of in my mission. I truly did not realize all that I had. Having the gospel was something so "ordinary" for me. In my mission, I have had the oportunity to know people, who have never even heard of the "mormons" or La Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Dias. And for the first time, they get to take part of the joy we find through our Savior Jesus Christ.

I love you all very very much. Have a fantastic week! :)

Con Amor,

Hermana Hansen

TRAINING WITH THE PRESIDENT