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Another quick six weeks has come and gone. Elder Johnson and I are
staying together for another round! Our zone hasn't changed that much (thank goodness! We have a strong group of missionaries). In fact, 2 missionaries got transferred in our zone, but just moved to a different area within our zone - pretty rare! We've already seen improvement in this transfer as compared to last. I'm super pumped to just baptize everyone in Annandale!!! Our investigator, Alfred is doing really well! He's come to church pretty consistently for 4-5 - ish weeks, and he's bent on learning more about the church. He and his brother, Osman (member; baptized in Missouri), are so sweet! They have difficult living conditions, but they're staying faithful. The person they're living with is a total tool. He's thrown out their mattresses, changed the locks, and destroyed the hot water heater. He's doing everything he can to get Alfred, Osman, and his two little kids out of his house. He's even pastor! He professes to know the Christ, yet he treats his brothers like trash. Osman and Alfred don't have anywhere to live. One night, they had to sleep over at their fellowshipper's house, the Andersen's. They also don't have jobs - they're both qualified, honest men, hard workers, but nobody's hired them. Despite all these trials, they're staying true and faithful to the gospel - they come to church consistently, read the scriptures, and pray often. They do all they can to make ends meet, and allow God to make up for what they can't do on their own. Because of their faithfulness, Alfred found a job last week! He's working at a hospital full time! The Lord will prosper those who keep His commandments! I know that to be true. We had the best dinner ever on Sunday night with the Spaldings - I have never laughed so hard in a member's home! Sister Spalding is from Hong Kong, and Brother Spalding is probably from Utah, or something. They have 4 kids, their youngest is 14, so they're all kinda grown up. Sister Spalding is crazy! But she's a great cook, and she'd do anything for the missionaries. After dinner, they pulled out a torture machine. It was a shocking toy, with two joysticks connected by a black cord. In order for it to electrocute you, two people have to hold the metal handles. It goes through stages 1 - 5; 1 being the weakest and 5 being the strongest. I got all the way to level 4 and I wimped out. :p it was so painful! It made my muscles contract uncontrollably! That thing was crazy! Our other investigators are doing okay. The referrals we've received were promising at first, but they aren't returning our texts or calls, so now we're in the finding mode. It's tough to get an appointment with Lenny, she's pretty slippery. She wants to go to the YSA ward, but she's 30, turning 31. When you turn 31, you've "aged-out." All she wants to do is marry a handsome, young Mormon boy. We hope that's not her only reason why she wants to come to church! Other than that, everything is going swell! Elder Johnson and I are working hard, and we're hoping and praying for more miracles! Thank you for your support! Love you! Elder Tanner Hansen Sent from my iPad This week was awesome - I've learned a lot about myself, and Elder
Johnson and I have been adopted by a Muslim family until you come to pick me up. :) The Egyptian family I told you about the group Email said that we are their responsibility until you come and pick us up, then they don't have to worry about us. :) they are so genuine - they made us promise to go back after our missions to introduce you to them! I heard some really, really good news today! Elder Walters is serving in Alexandria 2nd ward, the same one I was in 6 months ago. He called me to say that Addis Denegda is on date for baptism on August 2nd!!! :D Elder Grow and I found him , and taught him all the lessons in the first couple of weeks. He took us out to get Ethiopian food twice, and was on date for baptism until he went to California to find his mystery child (apparently he got around in Sacramento). With no success, he came back to Virginia. Elder Walters found him at the New and Returning member fireside in Mt. Vernon and basically out him on date for baptism right there. Addis just barely got back from California a week ago and is being taught by the Colonial 1st ward Sisters. He wants to get in contact with me! Sweetsauce! Shalom! (I know that's not a Muslim word, but it works).
This week was packed with Muslim stuffage! Ramadan has been going on for about 20 days, and some of our good Islamic friends who observe it have been telling us all about it. For those who can't use a search engine, Ramadan is basically when Muslims fast for 40 days. They do it about every nine months, since it follows a lunar calendar. This time of year must be one of the hardest to fast from sunrise to sunset! We have an Egyptian family that we do service for 1 - 2 times a week that invited us over to break their fast with them. We first helped one of their family members, Amy, for 3 hours in her yard. She always puts us to work! This time we did a lot of weeding and digging, weed whacking and mowing. It's actually pretty fun to see it all come together - Elder Johnson and I call it "our yard," because we've done so much work on it. While we're out their working, Amy always asks us what plant would look best, or where we could move a rock, or whatever. We always tell her, and she's kind enough to try out our ideas, but then she moves it back to where she wants it. Although Amy isn't really interested in taking the discussions, she always asks us questions about what we believe while we're working - we've basically taught her lessons 1 - 3! She's always shocked when she hears things that are similar between our religions. We told her about when Jesus fasted for 40 days before he began his ministry, and she loved that. Her heart is certainly softened from all of the service we've done for her. After service, she invited us into her home (which is ginormous) the next night for a Ramadan feast! There was fried chicken stuff, Egyptian macaroni, beets and peas, salad, and lots of other dishes. I can't remember what they're called, but they have fancy Arabic names. I had to at least try everything that was there! Amy lives with her 90 - something year-old mother, and her three siblings. The children all take care of their mom, since she can't care for herself. Amy said she never attended college, but she did a marvelous job of raising four successful children who all achieved a higher education. Amy is a pharmacist, her brother, Moody, is a lawyer, her younger sister is a scientist (biologist, I think), and her youngest sister is an... Astronaut. Jk, I don't remember :). But it's something awesome. They are all incredibly hospitable, and they're are more Christlike than most Christians! Before we started to eat, they gave us a cup of dried fruits soaked in water. I think they were dates, I'm not certain. They drink it before every meal to raise their blood sugar. It was pretty tasty! After I finished my first plate, they insisted that I eat more - and more, and more... It was nuts! I had like three plates filled with food! I can't tell you how many times they asked if I wanted more food, and I can't count on my fingers and toes how many times they said, "this is your home!" It was a fantastic night. Oh! And the best part was when they whipped out the desert! I was already stuffed to the brim, but I told myself that I could fit more. I don't remember what it was called, but it was dried noodles with honey or something. It was actually really tasty! I asked for a little piece, but they scooped a helping as big as a horse. I don't know how I did it, but I ate it all. All I can say is, The Lord hath been my support! I love experiencing all the different cultures here - it's awesome to learn about other people's religion and background! We also taught Alfred this week! Alfred is from Sierra Leone, and he is brothers with a recent convert, Osman. Osman comes to church regularly, and Alfred will tag along when he's in town. Right now they're in a difficult living situation, and they're both searching for jobs. They had two interviews each this week, so hopefully something comes from that. Alfred was a pastor in Africa, so he's very familiar with the Bible - especially the New Testament. We taught him the Plan of Salvation and he loved it! He paid attention and asked great questions. He accepted and understood everything that was taught. The only things that really keep him from baptism are the trinity, and priesthood authority. But once we get past those obstacles, it should be smooth sailing. Learning about, and teaching, the Plan of Salvation and teaching it has been one of the greatest eye-openers for me. We have all fallen short of God's glory, and the Savior has redeemed us. If we are obedient to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will receive "all that the Father hath." Without the Savior, living the principles of the gospel (faith, repentance), would have meant nothing - it wouldn't have mattered how well we lived our lives because there wouldn't have been anything worth living for. But, because the Only Begotten of the Father performed the atonement, there's a bright future and hope for us all. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." 1 Peter 1:3-4 This veil of tears is challenging at times. But, if we remain "steadfast and immovable," our rewards in Heaven will overcompensate the injustices dealt, seemingly incessantly, by mortality. I believe in that with all the conviction of my soul! I've felt the Savior's atoning sacrifice work through me, giving me perseverance when it gets hard to endure, and blessing me with resilience when the world strives to tell me I'm not good enough. There's too much evidence for that not to be true. The GOSPEL is true, and we are living the great plan of redemption! Thank you for all that you've done to support me and my family! Love you! Elder Tanner Hansen Hello!
Another week in 'Little Seoul' - transfer outlines are due on Tuesday (transfer outlines is where we put who we think should stay or go in the zone - they're always due 10 days before transfers). It's crazy how quickly things have gone by! Elder Johnson and I are probably going to stay together for another 6 weeks. We're hoping for it, at least. You never know until it springs up on you last minute. We had a meeting with the Stake Presidency, all the Bishops and Ward Mission Leaders in the stake, and President Riggs. We had a lesson scheduled with Lenny at the Curd's home at the same time the meeting was going on. We didn't want to reschedule because it had been so long since we've seen her, so we instead did a full split. I went with Bro. Dixon (WML) to the Stake correlation meeting, while Elder Johnson went with Bro. Curd to teach Lenny. It worked out fine in the end. My presentation went well, and Elder Johnson made it safely to the Curd's home. Only dilemma was, Lenny never showed up! The duration of the meeting, I kept thinking about how awesome the lesson was going, I was confident some serious baptizing was going on! But she didn't show up - she said she forgot about our appointment, so she went to her aunt's house instead. The troubling thing is, she doesn't have a cell phone, so we have a hard time getting a hold of her to reschedule. It was okay, though. When I showed up at their doorstep after the meeting, we taught their family about faith. They had their niece and nephews over from Texas for the week, so they sat in, too. When we got back to the apartment, Sister Curd texted us, 'thank you for the spiritual thought; my nieces and nephews challenge their parents all the time about the church, and I think that was something they needed to hear!' #Browniepoints! Later on in the week, we had an appointment with a less active member, Lester. He told us to swing by on Wednesday, I think. We got there during the Argentina vs. Netherlands game when they were doing shoot-outs. When Argentina won, Lester went ballistic! He's not even from Argentina, he's from Honduras - he only likes them because they speak the same language his country does :). After the game, he took us to Starbuck's. We got smoothies and he got a frapaccino or something like that. We listened to him for about an hour, then we had to go to another appointment. He told us was going to hang out at the restaurant a while longer. Later that night, Lester texts us and gives us 2 referrals! Two Muslim guys asked Lester about us, and expressed interest in taking the discussions. We go their phone number and Facebook info, and scheduled an appointment with them for Friday. We were a little bit nervous, because we checked out their FB profiles and they had a bunch of stuff on their proving Christianity false. It turns out two of them, Dawud and Amid, was super nice and sincerely wanted to learn more about the church. The other guy wanted to argue. Thankfully we took most of the conversation and taught them a lot about e plan of salvation, the restoration, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. By the end, they accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and a restoration pamphlet. They texted afterwards and wanted to schedule another time we could meet! Thanks for all you do! Love, Elder Hansen Sent from my iPad Hey all!
Monday was so sick! We payed soccer with the Spanish program at some outdoor turf fields in Fairfax. It was hot, humid, and sweaty, but we had plenty of water. Our team won, and we got the styrofoam trophy painted gold. It made me really miss soccer! It also doesn't help that almost every living soul here watches the World Cup, and talks about it incessantly. :p but that's okay. We had 2 lessons with investigators taught in member's homes planned, but both cancelled, so we spent the majority of our night with less actives and knocking doors. Tuesday we had an exchange with the Burke elders. I went to Burke with Elder Gledhill, a missionary I went to the MTC with. In fact, he was the first missionary I met prior to entering the MTC that was going to the same mission I was. He and I both served in the Reston ward together our first 2 transfers. It was a great reunion. He just got transferred into the Burke ward, so he didn't really know where we were going or who we were going to visit. We street contacted around a lake, got lost biking in the woods, and somehow, we eventually found our way to a less active member's home. He was a 60 year old man, baptized as a child, but he won't come to church or read the scriptures. He doesn't believe in Jesus Christ, and he won't do the things he needs to to develop that testimony. It was good bough, to visit with him and help him feel the Spirit - even if he doesn't recognize it. When I got back to Annandale, Elder Johnson had some fantastic news. Apparently, they taught a guy who basically said he wants to be a member of our church. He was in a conference in Chicago, and he overheard some Latter-Day Saints talking about their church, and that sparked his interest. He wants to find more opportunities to serve in his community, so he referred himself on Mormon.org. Elder Johnson and Elder Miles taught him about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, invited him to be baptized, and he said "oh yes, I'll be baptized - with all of my heart, soul, and conviction!" He's out of town, like the rest of our investigators, but when he gets back, we're going to teach him the gospel until the cows come home. Wednesday and Thursdays were blurs, I don't remember what happened one bit. Friday was pretty good - in the morning, we had to drive to every companionship in our zone to give them their new insurance cards, then we had to come back to do our studies and weekly planning. By then, it was time to go to an Independence Day dinner with some members of our ward, the Young's. Brother Young told us, "Do ya'll want some Sprite, or Coke? 'Cause I don' drink water on the 4th of July." It was pretty funny :). We drove down to Fairfax to see some fireworks (we were allowed to do that until 10:30). The roads were lined with cars, there was literally no place to park. Even the 'no parking' zones were taken! Every parking lot, every green field, every square inch of Old Town Fairfax was either occupied by a lawn chair, or a can of beer. It was so stinkin' crowded, we just drove up and down Main Street in time for the finale. Thankfully, we beat most of the traffic on our way home. Saturday Sisters in our zone requested a blessing. One of the Sisters was really sick. Elder Johnson and I went and helped. I don't remember much of what I said, but I do remember the feeling of peace and quiet penetrating the room. She was in tears by the end of the blessing. It was a good opportunity. Lenny came to church! We just need to get an appointment with her, we haven't taught her in a couple of weeks. Every time we have something, she cancels. Hopefully we can see her this Monday. We also had a mysterious non-member Russian stranger show up to church. His name is Alex, and he came to church because he was simply curious. He had a Mormon co-worker who was very kind and righteous, and Alex wanted to know what he believes in. He's currently stationed in Fort Belvoire for 3 months to receive training before he goes to Poland for 2 years. He was very kind, and he said he'd come to church next week. Thankfully, the ward members were kind enough to welcome him and invite him back to church as well. I asked him if we could talk to him later in the week, but he said no. Other than that, not much really happened. Kinda slow, with nothing really climactic or exciting. But it was still a good week. Thanks for all you do! Love you! Elder Hansen Sent from my iPad This week was sooooo short.
Seriously, this transfer has flown by! Elder Johnson and I are rockin' it here in Annandale - we had 3 investigators come to church, and lots of less actives came, too! It was pretty awesome. We were sitting in the sacrament meeting, hoping and praying to see some of our investigators walk through the door. We were sweating bullets, because they were playing the opening hymn, and nobody was showing up. Suddenly, blam-o! 3 investigators walk in! Janu, Sita, and Lenny. Janu and Sita are really cool - Sita is from Nepal, she came to the U.S. And married a dude from Nebraska. Their son is Janu. I've never met the husband, but apparently he's been to church in the past with Janu and Sita. He's in Vermont, now. Janu is 16, and he's kinda investigating the church on his own. On a mission, you get the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. When those darned investigators walked inside... I was struck by the Spirit - it pierced me! It was like a new chamber in my heart opened up that I didn't even know was there. I felt Christ's love for our investigators. I felt really accomplished in that moment, because my whole mission I've been working on loving everyone, seeing them as children of our Father. Sharing the gospel is so much easier when you love those you share it with. That's one reason why we're expected to develop Christlike attributes. As our love for others increases, so does our ability to speak with boldness. "Perfect love casteth out all fear," (Moroni 8:16). We had apartment inspections this week. It was only the 2nd time we've had inspections since I've been here - usually they do it every other transfer. Bunch of piles!! My first apartment inspection didn't go so well, the Senior missionaries doing the inspection were super strict and condemned us for not clearing the air ducts of dust and lame stuff like that. But this time was great! We passed with flying colors - our apartment wasn't even super clean :). Today was awesome - we had the Annandale Zone, first ever, annual World Cup! It was so much fun! The Spanish zone showed up, and we 4 games of English vs. Spanish. Elder Johnson and I showed up a little late, but that's okay. We showed up in style with our $10.00 Italia soccer jerseys :). It was really hot and humid, but we had plenty of water to pass around. Our ragtag team of English heroes took the World Cup! Pictures coming to you soon... We also stopped by our investigator, Romelo's house Sunday night. He is from... Bolivia? I don't remember. Somewhere in South America. We were talking to him on his doorstep about the World Cup, when his 2 year old daughter comes running out. He beckoned her, telling her to come inside. He said, "Illana, come back inside! Woodpeckers, woodpeckers!" Apparently, his daughter is terrified of woodpeckers, he was trying to scare her inside. It was pretty darn funny! Well, that's about all that happened this week. Love you all! Thank you for the support and love! Elder Hansen. Sent from my iPad |