December 10, 2013

"This week was, well, AWESOME. just like every other week. I LOVE THE MISSION!!! we had som crazy experiences, i´ll talk about two of them-

Élder Perez and I have been running into the challenge of doing all of our street contacts. in the hussle and bussle of running from one visit to the other, we´ve forgotten to teach those people inbetween! in D&C 61: we read, "But verily I say unto you, that it is not needful for this whole company of mine elders to be moving swiftly upon the waters, whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief." we have to share the gospel with EVERYONE, but just those we are currently teaching. My companion has never seen a street contact lead to baptism. i have been extremely blessed to see many brought to christ using this method, so i decided that if we did our part the Lord would do the rest. i left our house with the determination to find someone "perishing in unbelief." as the day progressed, we talked with everyone. We had varied sucess, some passed their adresses while others passed their distaste for us with bad looks, quickened paces away from us and some with the need to "bible bash." after we finished our work we felt accomplished enough to buy a cake mix for us to bake before we returned home. while in the market, a man came us to us with a thick accent from São Paulo and asked us, "hey you guys are mormons, right?"

we responded in the affirmative and he said, "Ive always wanted to know what you guys believe, when can you pass by my house to teach me?"

my companion and i were floored!! we quickly grabbed his address and promised him a visit. we returned home with such a strong tesimony to share the gospel with EVERYONE. we never know who will accpet our message, and if we open our mouths the Lord will guide us to those with open ears!!

One night while visiting our investigators, we showed up at a dark home... seeing as our plan fell through, we looked to our planner for plan b, when we felt the impression that we were needed at a different investigators home(the parents of Thaís, a recent convert). They live closeby so we showed up to find they had company! The wife´s brother(Galileio) was there with his wife(Carla), and after getting to know them better be began to share with them our knowledge of eternal families and the restauration. as we shared the first vision, Carla broke down into tears. she told us of the sweet feelings that had touched her as she heard our words. we explains that this is the spirit of the Lord, and that the Lord is calling her to follow him. Thaís then bore her newfound testimony about the validity of the message, and how she came to know for herself that it is real. Carla told us that we had home in a pivotal point in her job, marriage, and life. She expressed though tears her gratitude for our message and how she would return home a changed person. she wasnt planning on visiting her in laws that night, and neither were we!! but the Lord sometimes has different plans, how important it is for us to follow spiritual promptings, shes preparing herself for baptism!!

I grow closer to Christ every day here in the field. Im learning a ton form my companion. he has done an excellent job in molding himself into a missionary while still maintaining who he is! its incredible to see, ive always thought that to be a proper instrument i had to kill of pieces of my past and who i am that aren´t "in accordance" with missionary conduct. Hes shown me how it doesnt have to be that way! A chameleon doesnt stop being a chameleon to blend into its environment, he simply changes his shade to a more desired color. in the same way, we arent expected to throw out god-given attributes to become something we arent. He only asks for us to wash off the "color" the world has painted onto us and to mold ourselves into the way the Lord wants and needs us to be! i havent completely understood that untill now, the Lord gave me talents that i havent been using. the Lord wants us to be perfect, not the same! and we´ve all been given different tools to get there, lets use them instead off following a herd of half potential and limited results! President Uchtdorf talks a little about it-
"But while the Atonement is meant to help us all become more like Christ, it is not meant to make us all the same. Sometimes we confuse differences in personality with sin. We can even make the mistake of thinking that because someone is different from us, it must mean they are not pleasing to God. This line of thinking leads some to believe that the Church wants to create every member from a single mold—that each one should look, feel, think, and behave like every other. This would contradict the genius of God, who created every man different from his brother, every son different from his father. Even identical twins are not identical in their personalities and spiritual identities.
It also contradicts the intent and purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ, which acknowledges and protects the moral agency—with all its far-reaching consequences—of each and every one of God’s children. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are united in our testimony of the restored gospel and our commitment to keep God’s commandments. But we are diverse in our cultural, social, and political preferences.
The Church thrives when we take advantage of this diversity and encourage each other to develop and use our talents to lift and strengthen our fellow disciples."
Im more ready to apply ALL of myself in this work, these people need this gospel we have, and our varied talents capacities and opportunities will help them recieve it!"

-Elder Kelland Hansen

November 2013 letters

Dec. 2

"This week was incredible! Eduardo Gavarret gave a great discourse, with tons of focus on the Book of Mormon and its role in the conversion process. he also spoke of the many changes that are happening in missionary work and how we will be able to adapt our work routine to have the most sucess. I learned a ton and plan to apply all of it!

Our mision president invited us to bring a question with us to the mission tour. being the day after thanksgiving with christmas right around the corner, i thought of the question- how can i maintain my "gas" through the holiday season, though the rest of the mission, and through life? unfortunately there wasnt time to ask questions, but as i was helping the predient pack up his stuff into his car, i saw Elder Gavarret on the side alone, so i took the opportunity to go for it... the answer he gave me was realtively simple(as the doctrine normally is, you dont need to be a rocket scientist to follow christ!)- DESIRE. he invited me to study daily the topic and remind myslef of the desire i have to preach this gospel. that has been the gas that has gotten me this far, so why change the fuel?? Im excited to see how this study and application will affect the work and my progress towrads perfection!

This month we as missionaries(Vila São Luis once again has 4 missionaries :D) are organizing an activity for the youth called MISSIONARY OLIMPICS. the youth will earn points for certain missionary efforts throughout the month, and whoever has the most points at the end will win the gold! the youth are pretty excited about it, as they have already filled our planners with references and visits. this is helping us out a ton with our teaching pool. we´ll need tons of investigators for us four to stay busy here, and what better way to find people than competitive youth?? i feel the ward is starting to "accellerate the work!"

this week i had to chance to look back on the progress ive had so far as a missionary. im grateful for all of it, especially with my developed communication skills. i remember when when driving off in my car to ignore life´s problems used to be my solution. now im capable of sitting down, expressing myself and resolving problems in an orderly and productive fashion. i can see how it has had an imense

impact on my mission, and im grateful to know that i have been molded to be a person more like christ! i love this work, it saves lives... including my own!!

Até a próxima semana!

Élder Hansen"

Nov. 25  

O Missão Maravilhosa!!

Im so incredibly happy here in Brasil!! Im feel my potential being attained and my relationship with my father strengthening every day. Miracles are happening here!!

we had many progessing families attend church this week, its been a blessing to how the focus on families, the first social unit organized by God, beings forth the richest fruits. We baptised a young girl named Luzia, whose mother is inactive and father had never been to church. As she left the water, her mother remembered the sweet spirit of her own baptism many years back, confessing through tears of the long forgotten testimony she has of the restored gospel. The father was well recieved, now with an open heart and a desire to know more, the door is open for us and the spirit of the Lord!

I LOVE MY COMPANION. i dont know how i got so "lucky" on my mission, but i have always had beside me a true friend and a brother in Christ. I´ll be so lost to find myself alone after the mission...

the weather´s on a roller coaster, one day its blistering heat and the other is downpour like ive never seen... last summer i was saved from the famous summer here in Rio by serving in the countryside of Resende, but now that our mission is divided there is no cool breeze mountinous paradise to escape to... and i hear it only gets worse!!

Not to go for the "glory of men," but it looks like the service project we did here went viral! its incredible to see how the simple desire to be as Christ and serve my fellow man can have a global impact nowadays. What a blessing to know that doing good is truely worthwhile!

Eduardo Gavarret from the seventy will be meeting up with our mission this week... im preparing myself for a spiritual feast!! i´ll let you guys know how it goes!

I promissed my mother that i would bear my testimony about the Book of Mormon, and seeing as it is her birthday this week(everyone has my permission to dote and spoil her beyond reason!)-

The Book of Mormon has been the essencial tool in my conversion. for me it is like the fire that heats water. When the fire is "lighted"(through daily studying to understand its meaning for me and then applying, not just putting my eyes on the page) the water begins to heat. does it boil in the first moments? no, but the contuation of keeping the fire burning soon has the water boiling over. The importance of an honest daily effort to read is great, if the fire goes out, the water will soon simmer down to its former state. this "boiling water" or real conversion leads us to divine strength, guidance and blessings. And the best part is that all we have to do to learn of its truth is ask the author... our all knowing and loving Heavenly Father! Looking back i cannot imagine my life without this anchor, all that i am is owed to my family and this divine book they provided me!

Im grateful for soooo many things, including the fact that this is the last thanksgiving im gonna miss for the rest of my life :P Im grateful for everything the Lord has given me, including all of those who are reading!! Thank you all for the support and love, untill next week!!

Com amor e alegria, Élder Hansen

Nov. 4

i think the hour we have to email gets shorter every week! SO MUCH TO SAY. so here we go!

i threw myself into the work like never before this week. With my companion recuperating, we had to do some divisions to save our progress here. Doing the work of two missionaries is HARD. but i loved it!!! i viewed it as a way to show the Lord that i have repented of past deeds and am willing to go the extra mile. MANY MIRALCES FOLLOWED!!! i wish i had a year to descive them all!

perhaps the biggest miracle happened in me. im humbled to see that the Lord has put me on the path that leads me to him. Alma 32 came to mind as i am striving to be humbled by the "word" not by "poverty!"

we had an incredible event this week!! on Nov 2 theres a holiday called O Dia dos Mortos, or the day of the dead.  in the center of rio theres a cemetery in which hundreds of thousands come on this day to pays respects to lost loved ones. there was a cemetery filled with suffering sons of God, so what did we do? our mission grabbed our members and our plan of salvation pamphlets and went to work!

after 5 hours of contacting in the sun, the mission produced over 5000 contacts, over 2000 lessons taught, and almost 1000 references!!! Many baptismal dates were marked on the spot, and countless miracles happened as we strived to preach of the plan of happiness to all who would listen. I was sooooo priveliged to be a part of this force for good. it was incredile to see me being used as an instrument in the hands of the lord to encounter those who are lookin for answers!

i felt more than ever that i am fufilling my baptismal convenant to cry with those who cry and to comfort those in need of comfort. is there a better way than to help our brother understand Gods love and perfect plan for us? many tears were shed and hope was iluminated as we preached of our Lord´s holy ways. My testimony of our Gods plan has grown so much, im so grateful for life and chance that we have to prepare to meet God!!

Élder Hansen