Hola de..... LA SERENA‏

 

Hayley with her new companion, Hermana Delgado

Buenas días mi querida familia!!

The rumors from the members of Chorrillos are true, I´M IN LA SERENA! In Hermana Page´s old sector!! It´s so fun, I´m meeting all the people that she talked to me about!!! AND it´s GORGEOUS and flat (good for my ankle!) and the ward is AWESOME. We have seen a million and one miracles (6 books of Mormon in one day and 6 new investigators, AND one of our investigators sang in ward choir AHH) It´s just great. I miss Chorrillos a lot still, and Hermana Sanford (she´s like a sister and best friend for me!) But that's normal after 6 months. Luckily I have an awesome ward so it´s not too hard :)

My companion is Hermana Delgado! It´s her third change, and she´s AWESOME. Super obedient and super diligent! She´s from California, like Hermana Evans!! (who also came up north!) Spanish is hard for her, but she´s working on it and I just hope I can help her! We speak ONLY Spanish together, and I remember when I started, it will come one day :) 

Stories from the week... I actually want to mainly talk about things before getting to La Serena! In Chorrillos on Monday we found a FAMILY!! From a kid that comes to the English classes there, Franco. It was a miracle, I know that they are going to get baptized there :) We also got to go out with the two new hermanas in the mission on Monday!! It was SO awesome. They were just so excited and ready to learn! It made me remember how the beginning of the mission was for me.... It made me sad and happy at the same time. I am so excited for those two girls, Hermana Rhoener (spelling?) and Hughes. Hermana Hughes actually went to OVALLE to start, so we talked the whole way on the bus! She´s awesome, she is going to do so many things in the mission!

In the cambios meeting, I literally just bawled the whole time. It was the last time that I saw President and Hermana Kahnlein, and they spoke and I just cried and cried. They are so amazing. I can´t even express how much they have helped me and changed me. I hope that i can see them again and that they know how much I love them and appreciate all they have done for me. I also cried the whole time because it was my last cambios meeting! We were singing called to serve and all i could think is how grateful i am for the mission. I have changed so much! God really has taken me in his hands and changed me to be closer to who He wants me to be and who I want to be. I sat there and thought of my first changes meeting, so nervous and excited and full of hopes and dreams for the mission. I sat there with Hermana Sanford, Evans, Cook, Watt, Morris, and i just cried. It has been so amazing. I sat in that same room where i first arrived and I am SO different! The mission has been nothing that i expected, but it has beyond exceeded everything i could have hoped for. I love my Savior! I love the opportunity that i have had. What a blessing it is to serve Him and get to know Him! I am so excited to work in this time that I have left, so I can give Him a worthy offering. 

Another cool thing is that on the way up north (7 hours in a bus WOO) I got to sit by Hermana Evans!!! :D I love her so much. I also got to talk to Elder Gonzalez from Mexico (my zone leader here in Serena now, and my friend from the whole mission, we were in the CCM together!) and Elder Bojorquez, my super good friend and zone leader from Valparaíso and the old assistant! He goes home with Hermana Evans and I. We just sat and talked about the mission and all the things we have learned and the biggest miracles we have seen and the hardest times and the best times... And we all gave advice to Hermana Hughes haha. It was awesome. I think that´s how it will be in heaven, we will meet up with our old friends and family and just talk about what an amazing ride life was. The funny thing is, I am the most grateful for my hardest times. That was when I have seen the most miracles. 

Anyways, I´m going to end this now, but I just am so grateful to be here. I am BEYOND excited to be here in La Serena, and I am really going to make these 6 weeks COUNT! 10 BAPTISMS, NOTHING LESS! :) Love you all, and hope you have a great week!!!

Hermana Hansen

 

Baby booties a member in Chorillos made for Hayley

Saying goodbye to dear friends Nora and Juan

Saying goodbye to Hermana Sanford

Cute comps

The four "Hansens" in the mission

Hayley with Hermana Hughes

Old comps reunited for the long bus ride north.  These two have known each other since the very beginning - meeting for the first time in the Atlanta airport 16.5 months ago.