MTC Letter #4

O hey hey Familia

OOOhhh the MTC. How special you are. It has been a lovely week (as long as we don't mention the food and the awful things it is doing to my insides)! One sad news though is Hermana Kimes is GONE!!!! That was so sad to see her go! She is literally my favorite person I have met thus far. She will be missed dearly. Quiet time at night now is actually quiet and during study time we actually study the whole time, no more distractions. Sad. She will forever be in my heart. However, because she left us and her companion behind we are now a trio. Hermana Obrigawitch has now joined the team. It has been very interesting having three people rather than two. Now whenever I need a drink or a bathroom break I feel like I have to round up the troops. But its good, we love her a lot so its been easy to bring her in.

I am so excited for today, because not only is it PDAY(I have made up a theme song for Pday...Rebecca Black was my inspiration...My companions love me and never get sick of me)!!! but today the temple is OPEN!!! We are going to a session today and I could not be more excited!! I have missed the temple so much since coming here but that will soon be over! woot! On Sunday we got to do our "temple walk" which means we get to go over and walk the temple grounds, this week was the first time we actually got to go and it was so great. I LEFT THE WALLS OF THE MTC!! I saw traffic, pushed the crosswalk button and waved at all the cars as I did it. I have never appreciated temple grounds so much!

So espanol. It is coming along, this week has been a pretty good week for my spanish. I now try to translate my every thought into spanish, thats a bit annoying. But as we teach lessons I am able to rememeber the words I need and with the spirit I can convey the message I want to. We not only teach Victor and Pedro a few times a week we now go to the TRC. This week was our second week of the TRC, we go and talk to volunteers who are members about whatever they need...en espanol. Es muy dificil!(<---literally that was an accident. awkward) Its a bit awkward and I don't know how to ask the questions we need in order to help them! We talked with Chip and Jeff yesterday not a great success but our second one went really well! It is just so amazing how the spirit just jumps right in when needed. I just love him!!

This week my focus has been on the atonement. On Sunday our relief society and fireside and district meeting (sunday school) were all on the atonement. We also had the oppurtunity to watch a talk that Elder Bednar gave last christmas here at the MTC about the Characteristics of Christ. Life changing talk! It was so amazing! I love that the spirit will teach me more than the people speaking if I let him. The atonement is so REAL! I know I can do this 18 month mission because of the atonement, because I have my Savior at my side and He knows everything I am going through and he knows exactly how I feel. I am just surprised everyday by the love of God. He loves us all so much! I know that because I can feel his love everytime I get frustrated with my spanish, disappointed with a lesson or when I am homesick and just want some letters. He is always there to pick me up tell me to stop whining and realize what an incredible blessing it is to be able to serve Him everyday solid for 18 months of my life. Life is so good and all because of Him!

Well that's all I have for ya'll. Keep me posted on Park City and everything else in yo lives. Love you all oh so very much!!!!!!!!!!

Hermana Hansen

MTC Letter #3

Hola Familia!!

 

I have a list of stuff I wanted to write home about so if I am all over I am sorry! 30 mins is stressful!

 

I have been loving the letters I've been getting! Dearelder is the best ever! We get mail twice a day, after lunch we get the post mail and then after dinner we get our dearelders. My Pday and letter writing is over by the time I get dearelders on fridays so if you wrote me yesterday I won't get to answer that one until next week. I hope that just made sense.

 

So the MTC. Let me just tell you how great it has become! I am finally getting in the swing of things and I am learning so much!! I have come to discover it takes about 3 weeks to really start enjoying this place. Week one is only half a week and everything is new and exciting but its hard to adjust to. Week 2 is when you hit rock bottom. You feel very much like you are in a spiritual prison en espanol. Its hard not to run and jump over that wall and run all the way home. And then you make it to this week, you are comfortable you accept all that is going on and you focus so much more on the Spiritual part of the spirit prison. That is how all of us hermanas have felt at least. We have grown so much this week. The spanish is coming along I'm really praying for that gift of tongues!

 

Pedro, our dear investigator, showed up the other day to teach our class! Yes, Pedro is actually our other teacher!! We were so shocked. I was super hoping to leave those awkward moments behind me but no, not my life :) He is such a great teacher though! We have all already bonded with him so much as Pedro so he is just all of our buddy. Its awesome! We are still teaching him, preparing him for baptism. We are now also teaching Victor, our other teacher. Victor is very serious and super intimidating! We are hoping we can get comfortable with him. Our first couple of lessons with him have been much less awkward so that is postive!

 

On Sunday this week Hermana Bragg and I taught our sunday school class. It went well, we are a pretty good team when it comes to teaching, especially in ENGLISH!! That night we had devotional and Jenny Oaks Baker came, she is Dallin H Oaks daughter and she is an amazing violinist. She played for us it was super good! On Sunday night they show movies after the devotional, this week they showed Legacy!! I can not tell you the thrill it gave me to watch a movie! Legacy has never been so dramatic, spiritual, funny, and romantic! Its so fun to be in a room full of missionaries watching a movie. Oh how easily we are entertained.

 

Just the other day Hermana Bragg and I were outside doing our personal study when a few guys came up to us and asked us if they could take our picture for the new MTC manual. So I mean...I'm famous. But it was so awkward! They were like look into each other's eyes and smile, use your hands to explain a doctrine, laugh, Sister Hansen look her in the eyes. We were naturals obviously.

 

You will all be happy to hear I have discovered the wonderful world of the MTC fitness center. WAAAYYY better than gym! I get to work on a staionary bike while watching conference talks and the joseph smith movie. Its basically what the fitness centers of heaven will be like!

 

Hermana Kimes got her travel plans this week! She leaves on Tuesday!!! I could not be more depressed about this! She has kept me from going crazy with stress! It is going to be so sad to see her go but I am so grateful that I have had her during the first week! I just love her! It will be a new experience doing this without her. Come what may and love it!

 

Speaking of Come what may and love it, the other day Hermana Bragg and I needed just a tiny break so we were watching mormon messages and I watched the come what may one, it was so powerful this time! I went and watched the whole talk after and it was exactly what I needed! It is so amazing how Heavenly Father knows just what I need and right when I need it! I have so felt Him here with me through all of this! Anytime I need a pick-me-up I get the perfect letter from home or read the perfect verse or hear the perfect conference talk! I have learned so much and have grown so much from all of this already! I could not be in a better place doing a better thing! It is such an honor to be able to represent my Savior and learn to be more like Him! I am just loving it!

 

I love you all! Keep the letters coming and the prayers! I have the best support and it makes all the difference!

 

Hermana Hansen

 

 

MTC Letter #2

FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!

 Hello!!! So I have been here for one whole week now! Wow! It has been quite a long week, full of stress, laughter, tears and A LOT of espanol!

So let's talk about our dear friend Pedro. So we have taught him now 5 times. The first two times were just straight up awkward! I may or may not have told him he had to repent of his fish to return to God. I couldn't even get out of the door without laughing my head off. Pedro is a sweet shy quiet little guy and has mastered the "puppy dog look" thats all we got out of homeboy at first. By lession 3 we decided it was time to have some faith and trust in the Lord. Hermana Bragg is way better at spanish than I am, and I have absolutely no issue with looking like an idiot so we make a great team in there. Pedro asks us a question, Hermana Bragg freezes up scared to answer and I start to rattle off all the spanish I know to answer him. She is my dictionary and I turn to her for about every other word. But it is amazing how Heavenly Father gives the perfect answer to all of his questions. I just need to be more specific in my prayers and ask for the answers in spanish! Yesterday we went in for our lesson all pumped up, we had taught him about the restoration, the plan of salvation and the proper authority, so we went in ready to commit him to baptism. We had him hooked but he would not get over the proper authority business, he kept asking what is the difference between his baptism and ours. I gave him all the spanish I had and said "nuestro authoridad es la authoridad de Dios, y the otra authoridad es el authoridad be hombres." that got him and he commited!!! HALLE-FLIPPING-LUEAH!!!! We were soooooooo pumped!!! I can't imagine what that is going to feel like when it is a real investigator! The spanish is rough but it is coming!

This MTC business is pretty hard at times. I swear 90% of my day is study time. study time, study time, study time. There is a reason I went to hair school, i don't love to study. So I am learning to stay focused! Its amazing how Heavenly father directs me to exactly what I need to study exactly when I need it. I do love it here! The food is meh. I'm living on wraps. Also can we just talk about gym time. 50 mins in a gym, Hermana Hansen has no idea what to do with myself. I'm so awkward. Its not my favorite :) I even played some bball with Hermana Kimes the other day. It was just as awkward as you are imagining! :)

I could not have asked for better Hermanas to be with!! They all bring something so unique that we all balance each other just right. Hermana Kimes knows just what to do when I am feeling reeaaaalll low. I love her! God so knows me and my needs. He is the BEST!

So i just have to thank you all for the letters!!! they are all everything I need! I need to hear about what is going on in everyones life, it helps me feel involved and not forgotten keep them coming! 30 mins is not a lot of time to email so dear elder is for sure the best way to communicate with me and I will continute to letter write ya'll individually.

Mama thank you for the package!! It came just at the right time right when I needed it! (also I have a microwave right in my hallway so it is perfect :))

I am so blessed to be here and have to stay focused on living in the present and Keep my eye on eternal perspective! I love you all soo much and your letters are so amazing I can't even tell you! I will write you all individually as well this week. Keep on keepin on!!!

Love Hermana Hansen

MTC Letter #1

Hola familia!!

Oh my goodness I am here! Can you believe it?? I hardly can! So my usual P day will be Fridays and I can email for 30 mins.

So I have been here for 2 days and it feels a lot like 2 weeks! I have done more and learned more in the past 2 days than I have in the past 2 months at home! The days are really long but everyone says after your first week everything is so fast and the mtc time will fly! They don't waste anytime with the espanol. We had a 4 hour class yesterday and the teacher spoke spanish the. whole. time. I am so grateful for the little bit of spanish I have taken in the past or else I would be in even bigger trouble! Its fun to be able to understand some of what he is saying and very frustrating when he goes on for a solid 20 mins and I get nothing! Its like on cartoons when the teacher is just keeps saying blah blah blah over and over again. I'm learning though! Yesterday we learned to say prayers en espanol and share our testimony. I try to say my personal prayers in spanish but there is way too much I want to pray for that I have no clue how to say. This afternoon we have to teach our first investigator. Holy intense! Pedro is his name and we are not allowed to use any english only spanish. uhhh.....hola Pedro? This could be awkward. Thank goodness I have the spirit on my team!

My companion for the next 9 weeks is Hermana Bragg. She is 21 and from Washington. She is serving in Salt Lake. She is super sweet! I like her a lot. She gives me concerned looks quite a bit when I am being my normal "special" self but she is getting used to me. We room with 2 other hermanas and I just love them!! They are both serving in Peru Lima Central, so they are only here for 3 weeks, sad. Hermana Obrigawitch is from California and Hermana Kimes is from Georgia. She is my favorite I must say. She is hilarious!! She has a really thick southern accent which just makes everything she says funnier! I now think in either spanish or with a southern drawl.

I am so grateful to be here. This has been like nothing I have ever done and has been a challenge and amazing all at the same time! I feel so close to Heavenly Father! He really does love His missionaries! I love you all and love love love your letters! keep them coming! Don't leave me looking like a fool when they pass out the mail. Just kidding. I hope all is well at home! I love ya'll! keep on keeping on!

Hermana Hansen

Setting Apart & Airport

Amanda was set apart as a full time missionary on Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012 by President Salmon.

At the Airport July 8, 2012