Learning from Trials

Sorry that I'm slow getting Brett's update posted this week.There are few things in life more rewarding for a parent than to see the evolution of your children. I really enjoy reading about how the Holy Ghost is influencing him, and his deepening appreciation for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

So things have been pretty crazy here at the MTC. My emotions have been a wild rollercoaster. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in a matter of seconds. We've been teaching alot, and its amazing. I love how the Holy Ghost takes over the lessons, and my mind is filled with the words to say and the direction I need to go. I know the Lord is blessing me, and I'm grateful for it. We took a detour off of the routine teaching schedule of The Restoration, Plan of Salvation, and so on. We decided that we needed to teach of Jesus Christ and the atonement. It was magical. While the restoration and the Plan of Salvation are important, I think the first and most important thing investigators need to learn is to have faith in Jesus Christ and realize the role he plays in our lives. I know that Christ is my best friend, and that he will always be there for us.

He also mentioned that he is learning the importance of working together with his companion, making compromises, and striving to follow the inspiration of the Spirit as they teach.

We are an amazing companionship, and while our testimonies and teaching styles are polar opposites, they work wonders. We dominate as missionaries, and I really appreciate him and his testimony. He gets a little emotional (he cries) but I know that its because he's feeling the spirit and thats how it affects him. I'm not personally the crying type, but I know that there was a reason why we are companions, and I'm learning tons from him, and I think I'm teaching him a few things as well. 

He closed with this:

I love you guys and I love the gospel. I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us. I know that he gives us what we need. It may not be what we want of what we expect, but I know its what we need. He is always watching over us, and he knows best. I know that if we put our trust in the Lord, we can't go wrong. Instead of thinking "Why me?" try and think "What am I supposed to learn from this trial"

For Gramps

For those who are not aware, while serving as a missionary we only get to talk with Brett on the phone twice a year - Christmas and Mother's Day he gets to call home. His Grandfather (my Dad) passed away on Tuesday. I really didn't want to wait until Thursday for him to find out, and I definitely didn't like the thought of him finding out in an email, so I called the Missionary Training Center. I spoke with a very kind man who is a member of the District Presidency who told me he would talk to Brett (and his cousin McKay, who is also in the MTC preparing to go to Finland) and convey the sad news. He gave Brett permission to write some thoughts without waiting for his typical Thursday email.  We received this yesterday -

It's weird to think he's gone. I'm gonna miss the old stinker. I always remember that as a kid, I would love going to Grandma Hansen's house because she was so nice and loving and she spoiled us. But you had to stay far away from Grandpa Hansen, because he was a grumpy old man. But as I grew older and got to know him, I realized that he isn't a grumpy old man, but that he is actually one of the nicest people I've met. He cared for the people around him, and thats something that I wish was more prevalent in the world we live in.

When I think about Gramps, I think of how he made the best sugar cookies in the world. Christmas time was the best time because it meant cookies from Grandpa. I'm going to miss that.

Brett baking with his Grandpa

 I also think of our meeting before he went into heart surgery. He was laying in the bed, and he grabbed me by the arm, and with tears in his eyes he said "I love you Brett." I'm going to miss that. I remember visiting him in the ICU after his surgery. He showed me something really cool that day. He had tubes going in and out and bandages everywhere, but he still had the strength to shoot me one of his goofy grins. He said "Hey Brett, you wanna see something cool?" I said "Sure Gramps." Grandma leaned over the bed and kissed him on the lips, and immediately his heart monitor went crazy. He said "Even after 50+ years of marriage she is still my heart throb." I'm going to miss that. 

I remember taking him to and from dialysis. We had alot of inspiring conversations in the car rides. One day I asked him "Grandpa, what advice do you have for a young punk like me?" He gave me 2 scriptures and some advice that changed my life. The first one was Matthew 22:37-39. It talks about how a lawyer asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest. Jesus replied that Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighboor as thyself. He told me that I have to love the people around me, and love is the answer. I know as a missionary, if we need to have a Christ-like love, or charity for those we come in contact with. I know that "If ye have not charity, ye are nothing." The second scripture he shared with me comes from Proverbs 3:5-6. He told me to trust the Lord and to believe in his plan for me. I know that sometimes I don't understand why the Lord does what he does, but I know that I need to trust his higher understanding and believe that he knows best. I'm grateful that my grandpa could come up with exactly what I needed to hear right on the spot. I'm going to miss that.  

I know that I'll be able to see him again though, which makes me happy. I don't think its coincidence that I was reading Mosiah 15 this morning during my personal study before they called me in to tell me the news. I can't wait to see him with some brand new legs and a brand new heart with that big goofy grin on his face. I love this gospel, and the peace it brings me. I'm grateful for the knowledge that familes are eternal, and that I will be with Grandpa again. I love my Grandpa and the example he set for me. 

I love you Gramps, say hi to Jesus for me.

Every family has those little catch-phrases that are significant within the family but might not mean much to anyone else. From time to time, as different members of the family make trips to the temple, if anybody has to stay behind it is common for them to say, "Say 'Hi' to Jesus for me."

 

Here is the family letter he sent us today:

To say this week has been a rollercoaster of feelings wouldn't quite fit the emotions I've gone thru. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, this week has been quite the testimony builder for me.

As far as the MTC is concerned, this week has been fantastic. Me and my companion weren't exactly working together as a companionship, but after a long discussion on Saturday, we set some things straight and our performance has greatly improved. I'm happier, our spanish is flowing, and the spirit is with us. Every day we are constantly striving for improvement, and every day the Lord blesses us with spiritual experiences. Being a missionary is amazing, and I love serving the Lord by spreading the good word.

I lost my Grandpa this week. Its been hard. Today at breakfast I saw McKay. We hugged and we both asked each other how we were handling it. We're both handling it pretty well, but it still hurts that he's gone. I didn't really want to cry in front of everyone in the cafeteria, so I tried really hard to hold it in. It caught both of us off guard, and it's weird to think that he's gone. He was and is a great man, and I am proud to be a Hansen. I know that I'll see him again, and that he's probably having a good ol' time hanging with Jesus.

I'm really struggling to find stuff to say, my mind is kinda preoccupied at the moment. Sorry that this week's letter is so short, I don't really know what else to say. I love this gospel, and I know that it's true. I love the peace and comfort it gives me with the knowledge that death is not the end. I love my Savior and Best friend, Jesus Christ, and I know that thru his atonement we can become cleansed from not only sin, but also from the pain of losing a loved one. I love my family, and I wouldn't want to spend eternity with anyone else. God be with you till we meet again.

Elder Hansen

Movie Mania - MTC Week 3

In Lynne's letter to Brett this week, she mentioned that we have seen a few movies lately. I guess it got him thinking and put a theme to his reply -

Its funny that you called it movie mania, because Elder Elzey is going to be a film major, so I've been hearing a lot about movies. It doesn't really bother me that I'm missing all these movies, I'm actually doing pretty well at this whole 'focusing on the mission' thing. I'm surprised I'm not homesick or anything.

So I have been eating healthy. I haven't had soda in days, and most days I eat the salads/wraps. It has helped me stay awake, and I feel better about myself now that I'm eating healthy and running during gym.

Things are pretty sweet here at the MTC. One of my teachers, Hermano Rapp, really vamped things up this past week. We had 2 back to back "Lets Go" lessons that were beyond words in their amazingness. The first one was about greatness. We talked about how in Satan's Plan there was 100% passing, but everyone would be mediocre. It's human nature to be mediocre, but Heavenly Father in his infinite wisdom provided a way for us to be GREAT! We can be Gods, and it's a disgrace to ourselves if we don't be the greatest we can be. I am on the quest for greatness, and I will not settle for being normal. In the words of Dumbledore "The time has come for us to choose to do that which is easy or that which is right" (that might not exactly be the words he said, but it's the general gist of it) 

The other cool experience he shared with us was actually a talk by Jeffery R Holland given at the MTC a few years back (I highly recommend watching it) Its called "The Miracle of a Mission" I don't think I can give it justice, but something that really stuck out to me is that when you study, study. When you pray, pray. I know that the MTC can get repetitive, but if we dedicate ourselves to our studies, our missions will be the greatest and most significant time of our life.  

Something cool that I thought you guys might find interesting is how I've learned to find peace in my scriptures, more specifically the Book of Mormon. I'm not sure if you guys are aware of this, but at the MTC you have 16 hour days of almost constant studying. As you can probably imagine, it gets rather intense and its easy to burn out and get frustrated. I found that whenever I get frustrated, I can always turn to my scriptures and find peace in there. It calms my soul. I have really gained a new love for the scriptures and I know that they are inspired of God.

I love you guys, and I love the Gospel of Christ.

I went looking for a link to Elder Holland's talk, and can only find references to it. Hopefully I will be able to post a link to the actual talk soon.

Surprise! Week 2

Well, we got surprised today with an email from Elder Hansen. We thought that since his first email came on Saturday, that he would be writing to us again on Saturday. Typically when the missionaries get to their assigned areas, they have Preparation Day on Mondays but while in the MTC it is different. With so many missionaries there, they can't all do laundry and send emails home on the same day. He surprised us. His P-day is Thursday, at least until the end of August.

Naturally, he was a little disappointed that he didn't have any email waiting for him from me or his mother. But he realized that we were probably expecting to write on Saturday. In his words:

So life is good here at the MTC, or in espanol, the CCM. I have two teachers here, Hermano Heap and Hermano Rapp. They both are excellent teachers and are complete opposites in personality and teaching style, but I think its awesome to have the two different approaches to teaching the gospel. Hermano Heap is a very relaxed, serious kind of teacher, and Hermano Rapp is a very energetic and joking kind of teacher. The spanish is coming along slowly but surely. One day I'll be able to speak it. A really cool spiritual experience I had on this week was at a devotional on Sunday. Sister Jenny Oaks Baker, the daughter of Dallin H. Oaks, played the violin/shared her testimony with us. It was incredible! She is a fantastic violinist and she had every missionary in there in tears. She played "Amazing Grace", and thats when I really felt the spirit. The words came to mind as she played that beautiful melody. The atonement really is amazing, and I'm grateful for Christ's grace that he offers to all of us, no matter what we've done.

His district is made up of the following 12 Elders, along with their destinations after learning Spanish:
Elder Coon - California San Bernardino
Elder Fredrikson - California San Bernardino
Elder Allen - Philadelphia
Elder Schaat (District Leader) - Honduras
Elder Stauffer - Philadelphia
Elder Mailo - Philadelphia
Elder Rogers - Philadelphia
Elder Wright - Philadelphia
Elder Barlow - ?
Elder Elzey - ?
Elder Peterson - ?
Elder Hansen - Honduras
I am assuming the other 3 missionaries in his room are going to Honduras, but he didn't specifically say that. He says they all get along really well. Hopefully we will be receiving some photos soon and I will post them.

He is not a big fan of the MTC cafeteria food, or how his body is reacting to it. Just wait 'til he gets to Honduras!

He closed with this:

I love you all, and thanks for your love and support. I can tell you guys are praying for me.

Love,
Elder Hansen

Hola from the MTC

Well, Brett asked me to create a blog to keep people updated about his mission, so here goes. I know some of you will be surprised to know that a computer geek like me has never created a blog before, but it is true. So bear with me and I will do my best to filter out most of the embarrassing stuff Brett writes.


For those who were not aware, Brett was called to serve in the Honduras Comayaguela Mission. He reported to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah on Wednesday, June 29, 2011. Since his older brother Jared (who served in the Arizona Phoenix Mission for his first year, and then in the New Mexico Farmington Mission for the second year) was scheduled to fly back home to South Carolina that very same day, meaning they would go over 4 years without seeing each other, we decided to take a little road trip. We got permission to pick up Jared a day early so Brett, Lynne, and I went to Farmington on June 28th and got him. Then we drove to Provo, giving them a day to spend together. The trip included stops at the Monticello Temple, Arches National Park, and the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. Brett and Jared thoroughly enjoyed their 27 hours together, as far as we could tell.


Unfortunately, while using an unsecured wireless connection at a cheap hotel in Farmington, my laptop was compromised and rendered unusable until I got home so I was unable to do much emailing - or I guess I should say that the prospect of doing it on my iPod did not appeal to me in the least. So while I got his email on Saturday, it has taken me until today to spread the word. Sorry.


He started off great, putting his mother's mind at ease, with the following: "Hola! How are you guys? Life is pretty sweet here at the MTC. I'm loving it here." His companion, Elder Petersen, is from Salt Lake City, Utah. The other two missionaries in their room are Elder Elzey and Elder Barlow, and they are also both from Utah. I almost feel bad for him, being around so many Utahns (just kidding!), but he says they are great and they all get along very well. After only a few days he has already started praying in Spanish and has learned to bear his testimony in Spanish (although he didn't actually do it in the email, which was a little disappointing to me).  He isn't very excited about the food (typical) and says that Gym class is the highlight of the day. He loves playing basketball.


He pointed out that while he is in the MTC (the next 8 weeks) it is really easy for you to send him mail. You can go to DearElder.com and they deliver the same day to the MTC. I will encourage that, as well. Missionaries love to get mail. I fear it will not be so easy once he gets to Honduras.


He closed with the following:
"I am always exhausted at the end of the day, but I love it. The gospel is amazing and Jesus is my best friend. Prayer works, and la iglesia es verdadero. I love being a missionary, and I love being part of the work."


Makes a dad proud.