Diligence is key to success - 10/24/11

Here is Brett's email from this week - 10/24/11
I guess I need to explain to him the concept of Choice and Accountability. Telling someone they need to get married is one thing. Telling them when they are going to get married is another -

Hola Familia!

     I think its pretty funny how you guys had stake conference this week, because we did too here in Honduras. It was alright. The choir was painful, the speakers weren't noteworthy, but I still felt the spirit. That's whats really cool is that you can feel the spirit anywhere and at anytime. We had a Seventy come, and he spoke for over an hour. It didn't float my boat, but whatevs. Life is good :)

Give Tyler a hug for me, and tell him that he should still be planning to go on a mission. I can't describe in words how amazing a mission is. I would say something about girlfriends being a hindrance to going on a mission, but that would make me a hypocrite. :)

This week was pretty interesting. On Tuesday we had interchanges with the Zone Leaders. It was my first official interchanges in the mission. We had one earlier, but it was only for half a day and with my District Leader. This was a whole day, sleeping in the other house and everything. I wish I got more out of it. I learned that Zone Leaders are constantly being called, which is pretty annoying when you are trying to teach a lesson. Also, we didn't really have very much success that day, we only taught 1 real lesson and we tried contacting, but that wasn't working out for us either. But I really enjoyed it, and I learned more about the small things than big things. Diligence is key to success. This week we had a ton of success teaching wise. We worked hard, and our numbers show it. But of course there is opposition in all things. We have to get 2 of our investigator families married, which to be honest has been a really big pain. Anyways, a couple of weeks ago our investigators asked for their full names, ID number, etc. We thought they were just going to get the paperwork and we would turn it in when they were ready. Nope, they got the paperwork, turned it in, and told us we had a week until the marriages. Well, with our first couple, the guy is super positive, and we've taught him all the lessons and he is golden. His wife we've seen twice. She is only home on Sundays, and she has successfully dodged us every Sunday this entire month. We told him that he was getting married, and he said yes. He told her the next day, and she said no. He spent the whole day trying to convince her, but she wouldn't have any of it. Its frustrating, because he wants it so bad, but he is being held back because she doesn't feel like she's ready, and we can't ever talk to her. Our other couple is super positive for baptism, but not for marriage. We had taught them 3 straight lessons on the importance of marriage, but they still aren't ready or willing to commit to anything. Then we told them they are getting married on the 28th. We haven't heard from them since. This makes 3 days straight of no contact. They haven't been home and won't answer the phone. But I'm still smiling :) I love being a missionary, even when things don't work out the way you want them too. Every day is a growing opportunity, and I have been constantly growing for these past two months in Honduras. I love it.

I love you guys too. I'm grateful for the home that I was raised in. Thanks Mom and Dad, you guys are the greatest. Thanks for your prayers; I can feel your love when things are rough. :)

Elder Hansen

English Fast

Getting behind again - this is Brett's email from 10/17/11

Hola Familia!

We are starting a transfer long fast of English today. So yeah, writing you guys is the only English I get to experience for the next 6 weeks. The loser has to buy the other companion ice cream, and I love ice cream, so I'm going to win.

This week has been AWESOME! Lots of work and lots of fun! I got 2 packages on Saturday, one from you guys and one from Grandma. I'm kind of embarrassed to say that the only thing left food wise is about half of the jar of peanut butter. My companion also got a package, and his went fast as well. It was nice to have American food.

So this week we worked hard and we found 17 new investigators, which was 8 shy of our goal, but I'm okay with how many we got. We've got a ton of people that we are currently working with and I'm super excited. Of course right when I thought that we couldn't find more positive people, we found 3 families in one day! Doubt not, Fear not.

I made french toast the other day, and it was delicious. You would be proud of me mom, I almost made it as half as good as you do. :) My companion loves me because I can cook some pretty awesome french toast.

Saturday we spent a lot of our time working with one of our investigators names Juan Carlos. He is golden and ready for baptism, but his parents don't like it at all. His mom refused to talk to us, but we were eventually able to talk to her. After a lengthy lesson, she said it would be okay if his dad said yes. Well, his dad lives in Kentucky, and hasn't seen Juan Carlos since he cheated and left with another woman 11 years ago. I don't know why he should be a part of this decision, but what do I know. Well, turns out that his Dad thinks we are a bunch of devil worshiping cult members who worship Joseph Smith and deny Christ. That was quite the interesting phone call. But even after we convinced him that we don't eat babies, he still said that a month and a half of going to the church and reading the Book of Mormon is too soon to be baptized........ Good news is that we can baptize him in December. The bad news is that either me or my companion won't be here. We're working on trying to fix that.

So I've been reading and rereading the conference talks from both both sessions of 2010 while we're waiting for October 2011. Its amazing! I can't believe I didn't realize how good they were before now. How did I sleep through them? Speaking of which, my sleeping problem isn't much of a problem anymore. I know that ALL things are possible through Christ who strengthens me, and through the power of the Atonement we can change and even transform ourselves into something better. I like this quote by Richard G. Scott. "We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day." I know that's true. I also like a talk that Elder Bednar wrote in this past months Liahona. He talked about Lehi's vision, with the Tree of Life and Iron Rod. So the difference between those who ate the fruit and were ashamed and those who ate the fruit and stayed faithful were the ones who consistently held to the iron rod. We need to consistently read our scriptures, pray, go to church, have family home evening and serve. Its the little things that matter most in our lives. Read or reread Uchtdorf's talk on the things that matter most if you have the time, its amazing.

Finally a Missionary

Brett's note from 10/10/11:

This week was pretty normal. We had a Zone Breakfast on Tuesday, and that was fun. My zone is pretty much the greatest. I really love spending time with the Elders, plus free food, and I am one happy boy. On Wednesday we had our reunion for the new missionaries/trainers. It was pretty awesome to see all of my old friends again. I feel like I'm the spoiled rich fat kid, because me and the other Elders that are in the city are fed all the time and it seems like all the missionaries out in the boonies are sick and starving. I'm told I should count my blessing and stuff my face, because when I leave the city, I'm gonna wish I had the food storage on my body. I'm excited for whatever happens, and I love being in Honduras.

It hit me this week that I am finally a missionary, that this is what I've been waiting for my whole life. Its everything I expected and more. I love being an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Life is amazing. Yesterday we had a Family Home Evening planned with one of the members in the ward and two of our investigator families. We've been working on this for over two weeks, and of course both of our investigator families cancelled about 20 minutes before it was supposed to begin. That was frustrating, but it just means that we need to work harder at finding new families. We aren't going to drop them, but we are disappointed that they shafted us... again. But its all good because we had a baptism this week. We had 4 baptisms in total, one from us, and 3 from the other 4 missionaries in the other ward. About 75 people showed up, and it was pretty crowded, but it was good. We have another baptism planned for this Saturday, and we are hoping to add another one for this Saturday. I love you guys, and I know that having a good attitude is key to having a good life. Agency is beautiful, so use it and choose to be happy.

Elder Hansen

Monica the Monkey

Here is Brett's email from 10/3/11:

First off, Conference was AMAZING!

I think that's all I need to say, Love you guys!

Hahahah, just kidding! This week was pretty amazing! On Tuesday I twisted my ankle pretty bad, but I feel pretty good now. I have a sick looking bruise around my ankle, so I feel like a man with my battle scar. That's right, who needs doctors when you have faith? Hahaha, I'm joking about not needing doctors, but I'm completely serious about the faith part. I know that with faith, anything is possible.

On Wednesday when we were out looking for new families to teach we found one! And they had a pet monkey! How crazy is that? I got to hold it and take a picture with it. My companion held it after me, and then Monica the Monkey left a nice smelly present for him. It was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen. The family was soooo embarassed, and we were laughing our heads off.

Our numbers weren't too great this week, and we got stood up a lot by our investigators, but I'm still loving every moment of it. Familia ________ has a baptismal date for the 29th of October. We've got to get them married by then, so that is going to be exciting. It'll be my first of many, or so I hear. It seems like no one here is married, but from what I hear its a long hard process to get married. The joke is that if you're married in Honduras, you're Mormon. I'm excited for them, they are golden.

Conference was amazing. I loved every minute of it, and Sunday Afternoon I was longing for more. I listened to it in English along with all the other Gringos (white people) because none of our investigators showed up. I was kinda upset, but the words of the Prophet/Apostles cheered me up. I felt like a lot of the talks were written just for me. The power and intensity and spirit was incredible. I only fell asleep once for about 10 seconds. My District Leader took great pleasure in slapping me in the face to wake me up. It was during the Saturday Afternoon Session when Elder Uchtdorf was speaking, and I really did listen to his talk.

We have a baptism planned this Saturday, and our goal for October is 15 souls. Its a big goal, but we are going to work hard and we are going to do it! Its crazy to think that I've been in Honduras for a whole month! I've been a missionary for 3 months! Ahhh! Its going by too fast! The bad news is that I've been told that it goes by even faster you're last 12 months. I love being here. I know that a mission brings more happiness than anything else in the world. There is nothing more satisfying that giving everything you've got to something greater than yourself.

Cool quote for you guys
"There is no growth in the comfort zone. There is no comfort in the growth zone"

Love you all
Elder Hansen

The Lord has a plan (9/26/11)

Last Monday we had a unique opportunity - our Stake got permission to have the Columbia Temple open on Monday (typically closed for cleaning, etc.) for us to have a special Stake Temple Day. We all went as a family but we missed having Brett, Jared, and Grandpa. Here is Brett's letter from 9/26/11:

I'm glad to hear that you guys are going as a family to the temple. I know that our purpose as missionaries is first get people into the water and then into the temple. Temples are crucial for our salvation. 

So my life. Hmmm, where to start. It rains here everyday. We got caught in the rain the other day without our gear, and yeah, we had to go back to the house and change. We missed our appointment, but when we called them from our house they weren't home, so I guess technically we didn't miss it  because they wouldn't have been there. But I loved it. We were laughing the entire time, and it felt really really good. I love how the rain sounds on the roofs of the little shacks we visit. Its soothing to my soul. 

Our investigator that we had planned for baptism this week kinda flipped on us. Not only did she not want to be baptized, but she also told us that she was returning to the Pentecostal church and that nothing we could do or say was going to change her mind. We tried to change her mind, but she is pretty stubborn and determined. So yeah, we lost her. We also lost another one on Sunday. We have been inviting him for church for as long as I've been here, and we've even brought him a car twice. Both times he was at his house, talked to us, and didn't come. We've decided that its time for us to move on, if he doesn't want to progress, than we can't really fix that. We've taught all the lessons and the importance of going to church about 5 times now, and he still doesn't have any drive in him. But its okay, because we found 10 new investigators this week, and 3 families that we set baptismal dates with. My favorite family is still Family _______ (I feel bad having favorites, but they are amazing). Hector is golden. He reads every day, and is an example to everyone in his family. He's come to church for 3 weeks, and every week he brings someone new with him. He has a very powerful testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon, and he taught his cousins the other day for about 45 minutes straight. It's pretty sweet when the missionaries can sit back and watch their investigators teach other investigators the Gospel. 

I gave a talk in church yesterday as well. The bishop didn't think I could do it, but I did. I spoke for about 12 minutes, which I think is hilarious because I can't even speak for that long in English. Hahahahaha! But seriously, I know the difference is the Holy Ghost. Its not that I was a bad person before the mission, but more that I am a better person now than I was before. The Holy Ghost and blessings in your life are directly tied to your obedience and faith. Trust God and keep His Commandments, and everything will be alright. I really like the song "Lead Kindly Light" I like how it says "one step (is) enough for me" We don't need to see the whole picture, one step is enough for me. I don't have to see where I will be in 1, 2, 5 or 10 years, I just have to see where I'm going and what I'm doing right now. The Lord has a plan for us. Take it as it comes, little by little. The Gospel blesses us with the knowledge that no matter what happens, everything will be alright.

I love you guys. You're amazing!

Elder Hansen

Getting Wet (9/19/11)

I guess I need to put someone else in charge of updating these posts. Here is what he wrote on 9/19/11:

Hola Familia!

Things are going pretty sweet here in Honduras. The rainy season unofficially started around Wednesday, and it rains pretty hard every day several times a day. We are always wet, either with sweat or rain water, but to be honest, it doesn't bother me at all. It actually feels really good.

I don't really know much about my Mission President. He seems like a nice guy, but he knows about as much English as I know Spanish, so yeah, we communicated a little, but I'm excited for the day I can actually have a real conversation with him in Spanish. 

Okay, so on Saturday we had a baptism! I was the one who did it too! I baptized Johnathon. He is 13 years old, and we've been working with him since I got here, so it was pretty cool baptizing him. We are currently working with a lot of people, but my favorite investigators are by far Familia _________. Hector, the dad, is about 20, and he is progressing really really well. He reads all the time in the Book of Mormon, and knows where all the books are. His testimony is growing tremendously, and he is an example to the rest of the family and they are excited too because of his excitement. We had 6 people show up to church yesterday, which was awesome, but we were expecting 12. The other 6 people told us they were coming and everything and we checked and double checked and offered rides and everything and they still didn't show up. It was a little disappointing, but our lesson with Familia _______ made me happy again.

So I had a rough patch this week. My stomach was just killing me for about 5 or so days. It finally calmed down, and I'm back to being regular again, which is nice. My Spanish is growing daily, but its still not where I want it to be. I know that this is a test of my patience and diligence, but those are two things I am not good at, so I guess this is good for me. So some other small details about life in Honduras. There is one temperature for the water: Ice Cold. Showers are interesting..... hahahahaha. Its quite the shock to go from sweating and hot to purple and shivering. But I love it, and I'm getting used to it slowly but surely. Breast feeding is public is acceptable and normal, and that's always awkward. And being on time is something unheard of. If the activity is supposed to start at 5, don't even show up till 5:45, and it'll start around 6.

So life is good, and I'm loving it here. I took out some money a couple days ago, and I'm going to go shopping for a rain coat today. I love you all, and I'm grateful for your prayers.

Elder Hansen