ESTO NO SE HACE y hola de........‏

HOLA FAMILIA de... VALPARAÍSO. 

This should be way longer but I did a ton of stuff with my visa today ( I'm staying in chile, WOOO ) and have barely any time left!!! So super quick, yeah? yeah.  First of all, being in a trio for a few days was awesome. We put a baptismal date with the family of 9, but then Tuesday night the zone leader called and.. ME FUI. Cambios came and I went. 

So first I totally freaked out because I wasn't really expecting it and I hadn't packed anything!!  Soooo I packed like crazy and called everyone and was really sad, but then here comes the big news. The next morning when I was eating breakfast before heading to get on the bus for the transfer meeting, PRESIDENT CALLED. And I am now officially a Sister Training  Leader with less than six months in the mission and 4 months in the field! Do I know what I'm doing?? NO. Honestly I thought I was gonna throw up when he called. But this has been so humbling, and I really understand that the Lord qualifies the called. The spirit I've felt has been incredible, the Lord has been carrying me this whole way and I am so blessed.

Here's the rundown of my new info: (OH and my first trainer, Hna. Puertas, is a sister training leader now too!! WOO :) and I got to see her!) I am in the zone of Valparaiso, in the sector of Placilla, which is a little bit outside of Valpo! It is GORGEOUS here, and it is so crazy, I went from the most dangerous and poorest sector to the richest and safest sector of the mission and from a tiny branch to a huge ward hahaa. I live in a really nice apartment and all the people here have a ton of money! But they are so awesome. The ward is a DREAM, the bishop asks us if we can have Family home evenings in his house with our investigators and makes sure we always have members to go with us and the members are willing to go!! 

 

My companion is Hermana Barros from Argentina!! She recently turned 13 months in the mission, and she is AWESOME. We get along super well and are always laughing. She is an amazing missionary. But we're also opening a new sector in addition to the sector  we already have, so we have a TON of work to do!! And I already did interchanges for the first time as a sister leader ,and it went way better than I thought. It was a super spiritual experience actually. I'm learning so much and it hasn't even been a week!! AH. 

But that's basically it!! We have a few golden investigators but the rest aren't progressing, and Hermana Barros only has one transfer more than me so we are both getting to know the area. So, we're off to find new investigators!! Lots of contacting and exploring and getting lost haha, but I love it. I miss Ovalle SO much, it was so hard to change, but I know that I am going to love it here. 

Tell you more next week!! love you!!

hermana hansen

 

 

 

**Hayley did not have much time to email this week, but she did respond to my question when I asked her to describe a "Sister Training Leader".  Here is the response:

 "Ok as sister leaders we have to be examples in everything, we go to leader counsel with the zone leaders and other hermana leaders with president every month and then split with the zone leaders to train our zone with what we learned. Then we do intercambios (exchanges) with the hermanas in our zone and in my case the zone next to ours too because there aren't sister leaders there and help them set goals and show them an example of how to be a good missionary basically. It's the most responsibility I can have as an Hermana."

Here is another explanation from the LDS news room website:

 http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-adjusts-mission-organization-implement-mission-leadership-council

Sinusitis, bautismo, y un trio.‏

Cold snap in Chile = Sick Hayley

HELLO FAMILY.

Good news first or bad news first?? Let's go bad news-haha. OKAY. SO last week on Monday I had a pretty high fever and felt congested, but I just went to bed after planning and plowed on throughout the week. But then on Thursday I (embarrassingly enough) had a breakdown in the house of my favorite investigators. This is after just a little bit of sleep every night and fever every day if I didnt take something to calm it down. (Familia Lopez, with J who got baptized and N etc. - they're like my family here in Ovalle!!) AND THE VERDICT FROM THE NURSE WAS: what I like to call, the Wendy sickness!! A sinus infection hahaha and I'm up all night coughing!! I laughed when she told me, and I thought of you Wendy :) But don't worry, I feel WAY better now, I got on antibiotics and now the sinusitis is gone, but I'm still up coughing in the night, BOO. But we only stayed in the house for a few hours Friday morning because it stresses me out to not go out and work! But the Lord blessed me and I made it through. And mom, just for you, familia Lopez took care of me so much! She gave me Vaporub and herbal tea that helps with colds and Tylenol and everything. The whole ward helped me out. On Thursday night we had to walk back to the pension after my breakdown and it was 30 minutes away in the cold.  I was praying that I would be able to make it, and someone from the ward that doesn't live in that area just so happened to be driving by and drove us home! :) Little miracles. I love seeing answered prayers and how Heavenly Father takes care of me in little ways!!

DONE WITH THE BAD NEWS. On with the good :) "I" GOT BAPTIZED THIS WEEKEND!! WOOHOO!! :) Finally after postponing his baptismal date three times, it happened!! And it was amazing and everyone cried a little bit. He is such a sweet kid, and his mom wrote him a note saying that he arrived at the right place at the right time and she knows this is the right and true path and she will always support him. AKA SHE'S GETTING BAPTIZED IN AUGUST :) Her only problem is that she thought that it was a requirement to wear skirts, and she has a medical issue that she can't. BUT the relief society president happened to be with us in this lesson and explained it all! :) So the parents and grandma I'm almost 100 percent sure are getting baptized in August. They're amazing, and I love them so much! :) 

We also found a family of 9!!!!! We found them on Saturday and THEY CAME TO CHURCH THE NEXT DAY. This is a miracle my friends, it takes SO much usually to get people to come, and they came the next day when we barely knew their names!! So I'm a happy camper :) They were totally prepared by God too, they said they identify with Joseph Smith, because they too are looking for the true church and they prayed about it and the missionaries arrived! I love things like that, it's really the truth that God prepares people little by little to receive the gospel. :) 

Besides that, we've had a pretty normal week!! An awesome new young couple moved into our branch, and they're super excited to help us teach, so that is awesome for us! 

There are cambios (transfers) this Wednesday, and Hermana Plothow finished her mission ( :((( ) So we are in a trio since yesterday until Hermana Lucas's new companion gets here! Everyone says that I'm leaving this cambio, and I'm so sad about it. :( I'm hoping I'll just be put as Hermana Lucas's companion so I can still do interchanges in my sector haha. But I really will go where the Lord wants me to go :) Maybe I'll get put with Hermana Puertas again! We'll see. 

Fun fact: I'm learning how to knit and crochet. Turning in to an old lady here in Chile! 

Anyways, I love you all SO much, and miss you guys!! I hope you all have a great week, until next Monday!

hermana hansen

The super sweet photo a boy drew for Hayley

I's baptism

 

Elders taking a selfie

 

Hayley learning to knit

Que el diablo no nos lleve por su camino....‏

Hayley in front of the missing house

HELLO FAMILY.

Okay so this week again wasn't too exciting haha EVERYONE is sick!! Including me a couple of days, but it was just a cold so we're over it. But today it's sunny and beautiful and we survived interviews in the house with President Kahnlein and so I am super happy! :)

Starting out with the fourth of July, we did nothing special except I wore red white and blue and we did our companionship study in English - hahaha. It was a good time. My companion CANNOT speak English, so we had some good laughs. BUT WE'RE WORKING ON IT :) I was also sick that day so not much exciting happened haha. Good news, my permanent retainer completely broke off so I don't need to go to the dentist! WOOHOO. 

Crazy story of the week: We had a MARATHON lunch, and then after every single family offered us food, and my companion threw up and I almost did, so that was fun haha. I think Chileans show their love through food.... YIKES. Seriously we get fed way too much here. Please don't judge me if you have to roll me home outside of the car by the time I get home!!

But really, it was a good week. The branch is going to the temple in August, so we're working a lot with the less actives so that they can go! A lot of them set the goal, so I hope it happens :) Also "I" didn't get baptized this weekend either, GAH. but this Saturday is for sure for sure. The miracle of the week is that J and I's dad was going to come to church only for the first hour, but he liked it so much he stayed the whole time and afterwards couldn't stop talking about it!! LETS GO FAMILIA LOPEZ!!! :) They're totally getting baptized this next cambio. It's amazing to watch their progress and the hand of the Lord in the lives of the people. 

Two funny stories: One, we had planned this family home evening with a less active family, and they had called us and said they couldn't do it. So we passed by a week later, and not only were they not there, but THEIR HOUSE WASN'T THERE. Literally the house was gone, just garbage where it used to be. What the WHAT. Seriously we were dying we were laughing so hard. First time for everything, right?? Also with Familia Gallardo, our golden family who's getting baptized in a couple weeks, the little boy C is continuously cracking us up with his prayers. This week he has prayed that the devil won't take us down his path and that we wouldn't get murdered by anyone this week. So, don't worry, I'm safe from murder until next Wednesday! 

Besides that not a lot has happened. We cleaned a bunch, had interviews, i learned how to make lemon pie Chilean style and Chilean bread (SO GOOD). 

 

I just want to close with how grateful I am to be here and to be a missionary! My first convert, M, bore her testimony yesterday in sacrament meeting about how happy she is to have found the truth and how she finally feels the peace that she´s been looking for and how the gospel changed her life. That is why I am here. I am helping people realize their true potential, and to be happy, and to see how much their father in heaven loves them and start on the path so that they can return with Him WITH THEIR FAMILIES. Missionary work is a miracle. How lucky are we to have so many miracles happen every day and to know where we are going and how to get there. T

he future really is as bright as our faith. 

i love you all!!

hermana hansen

 

Where did the house go??

View of Ovalle

 

Cute little "I"

Learning to make Chilean bread

QUE FRÍO Y FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS DAD!!‏

 

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Hayley with J

GOOD MORNING FAMILIA

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD IN A COUPLE DAYS!!!! :))) HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING DAY!!!!

OKAY SO. This week was a little boring and little disappointing but ya know it´s still all good in Canihuante B!!! It is SO COLD here these days though, my companion is having trouble sleeping at night but I sleep like a rock evidently and am out at 11 until 7 when the alarm goes off haha. BUT somehow in the afternoon it still manages to get a little hot!! Oh Ovalle.... 

Okay I'm going to say the bummer things first, I  didn't get baptized this weekend because he got pneumonia and has to rest for 7 days. Our golden family lost their baptismal date because they didn't come to church because they were sick as well. And Chile got eliminated from the world cup. MAJOR BUMMER. But!! Here are the plus sides:  I is going to get baptized this Sunday now and his dad (another investigator) now can come!! WOO! And the family has a new baptismal date, just not in this cambio - YEAH. And I heard that Chile played really well but I really can't talk because I didn't see the game - haha. But I can say that Saturday there were quite a few depressed Chileans - haha. 

We did see miracles though!! Two of my very favorite investigators, A and N, are a couple that are having so many trials thrown at them I cant even believe it. We showed up at a SUPER hard time for them. We all bawled our eyes out and felt the spirit super strong and they committed to set a wedding date and are going to get baptized in August!!!! :D I have no idea if I'll still be here, cambios are coming up and everyone says I'm a goner, BUT I am still so happy for them :) And yesterday we visited just N because A works 10 days and rests 10 days working in the mines in Antofagasta. She is sick and he's out working now, and her little 1 year old son was just  bawling and bawling and we couldn't figure out what was wrong. So, we called a brother from the branch and he came and gave the baby a blessing and he IMMEDIATELY calmed down and was perfectly fine. Seriously, the power of the priesthood is incredible. 

Besides that, not much happened this week!! Just working hard. The mission finished reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish today, so awesome! It's so pretty all colored with the colors president asked us to use haha. Oh and EMBARRASSING STORY OF THE WEEK. I was in intercambios (companion exchanges I think is how you say it in English) and I LOCKED MYSELF IN THE BATHROOM OF AN INVESTIGATOR. Gosh dang it Hermana Hansen. Hahaha - I am going to be embarrassing myself for the rest of my life. But hey life is boring without laughing, right?

I love you all, the gospel is true, hope you have a good week, give dad a hug for me on his birthday!!! :)

love, 

hermana hansen

 

I & J

I & J

The sweet note Hayley's comp wrote her to celebrate 5 months in the mission

Five month celebration :)

 

¡¡VIVA CHILE!!‏

 

J's little brother who will be baptized this week

BUENAS DIAS. 

Okay I have to start out with that "We are Young" is playing in this cyber cafe and I don't know how I feel about it. Anyways, Chile is CRAZY these days. The whole world cup thing has got everyone freaking out like none other. But oh my gosh it is SO FUN. This is the biggest temptation so far on my mission to not go cheer and ver el partido (watch the game) with everyone. I settled for buying a big Chilean flag and some little ones and hanging them up in our pension and cheering at night after planning haha. And for the game against Holland (which is gonna start in ten minutes AHHH) I'm in red white and blue. VIVA CHILE. 

So this week was amazing. I don't have time to write everything but I'm gonna try!! Starting out with last week. It was really good!! We taught a TON of lessons, like 30, because I pumped up Hermana Lopez (also fasted and prayed that she would be excited to go out and work) and she's finally starting to be more obedient and actually go out and work in the day!! PATIENCE, PRAYER, FASTING, AND FAITH ARE POWERFUL. I can testify of that. Yikes the game is about to start haha everyone is freaking out here AHH. But fun. 

Okay back on track. SO my district had been having a hard time finding new investigators, so my district leader had us all fast on Wednesday, and because of that fast we have found 8 new investigators this week and set baptismal dates with 3 of them!! And its a family!! AHHH :) Seriously so many miracles in the mission. Things are hard so that you can enjoy the blessings of the miracles after. Also a recent convert that we've been working really hard with FINALLY said he's going to go on a mission!! THE BEST. In not so spiritual news, today someone didn't believe that I only have 5 months here in Chile because supposedly I'm speaking like I've been here for years. YES. Studying during p-days is paying off hahaha.

The game has started and there are like 5 tvs in here showing the game hahaha I LOVE CHILE.

Okay now i'm gonna tell one miracle and a funny moment. MIRACLE. So J (who got baptized a couple weeks ago) her brother is getting baptized this Saturday. But that's not all. Her mom and her grandma have been coming to church and listening to us for like 6 months now and are super amazing. But they are scared of the dad, who works for seven days in Antofagasta and then comes home for seven days. Siete por siete, its really normal here. Anyways he's super catholic so they were scared. BUT it turns out that his best friend just recently died, and he was LDS!! So the dad went to an LDS funeral service!! and he LOVED it!! He felt the spirit super strongly and everything. AND get this, it turns out he is really good friends with our branch president! So the branch president came with us with our appointment with them yesterday, and holy cow, the spirit was SO strong. The mom bore her testimony to the dad and everyone was crying and we gave him a Book of Mormon and he's going to start coming to church and investigating!! AHHH. I know that the whole family is going to come in to the gospel, and he is going to be a branch president or something because hes an amazing guy. And his name is Walter of all the names in the world!! haha so funny. But honestly, it's true. The Lord prepared people for us to teach. Everything happens at a certain point for a reason. I am so blessed to be a part of this work! I have so much faith in this family, and it all started with J´s baptism, which was also such a miracle full of faith and prayer. Missionary work is a miracle. 

Okay a little less serious. FUNNY STORY. So we set an appointment on Wednesday with this old woman that has no teeth and is half deaf and blind during the Chile vs Spain game because everyone was going to be watching the game and we thought that she wouldn't. OH NO. We get there and she is screaming insults at the tv and yelling about Chile and how she's CHILENA CHILENA. Seriously one of the funniest sights of my life. I love Chile so much hahaha.

Anyways, a lot more happened, but I don't have the time to write it all!! Basically, I love chile more than anything. The mission is the best thing that has ever happened to me. This gospel is the most true thing in the entire world, and the Book of Mormon has the power to change lives. I am so blessed to be a part of all of this, and I couldn't be happier!! I love you all and I hope everything is good at home!!

love,

Hermana Hansen

 

 

A couple more cute photos with Hayley, her comp and their friend

 

VIÑA Y FELIZ DIA DEL PADRE!!! :)‏

HELLO FAMILY

How are you guys??? And HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO DAD even though I know that he's off motorcycling somewhere haha crazy. This week was good!! I have a lot to say I think so hang in there for a little haha. 

First off, it rained again, and there was another earthquake hahaha so THAT was fun!! This rain was CRAZY, it was literally pouring but it was so awesome. We are all covered in mud now, but Ovalle NEEDS it!! And it was nice to sleep to the sound of rain again, it reminded me of home in Washington :) Now its getting hot during the day again because Ovalle is crazy, I am going to be so sad when I have to leave this zone haha.

Big fun news, WE WENT TO VIÑA!!! :) Oh my goodness it was crazy but honestly so so fun. So we got up at 2:30 am and this family drove us to the Ovalle sur building downtown.  Then we all sat as a zone half asleep talking until the bus came!! I got on and saw Hermana Morris and Hermana Smith, two of my roommates from the MTC!! I totally freaked out haha. then basically everyone slept but of course I cant sleep in cars haha but it was fine, I was too excited!! THEN we stopped in Los Vilos to pick up that zone, and I was already expecting to see Hermana Bluth, one of my companions from the MTC, but then HERMANA FRANDSEN also got on!!! Oh my gosh I almost cried. I was so excited to see them!! So not fair that they're in the same zone, but it was so good to see them. But at this point it was like 4:30 am so everyone slept and I sat and freaked out inside and read the Book of Mormon a little bit haha. Then we finally got there around 8:30 and I saw EVERYONE!! Elder Draney - elder pederson - elder rupert - hermana watt - hermana evans - elder dalton - elder martinez - elder duran etc, etc ALL of my friends from the MTC!! :) And then best of all, HERMANA PUERTAS!!! Ahhhh...I literally cried a little bit when I saw her. She is seriously so great. I miss her so much! 

Then was the conference with Elder Robbins! It was the best. Honestly so amazing. He's in the presidency of the first quorum of the seventy!! We got to shake his hand and everything and say "hi" to President and Hermana Kahnlein (seriously the best mission president in the world) and then it began! He let us ask questions and he answered them, It was so awesome!! The best part was that he spoke Spanglish the whole time haha it was awesome. But really, the spirit was so strong, you could almost touch it! We talked a lot about the spirit, about looking and listening before speaking, using our agendas like liahonas and the importance of faith, having a positive attitude as we obey (because he said he could feel we are a really obedient mission but that even laman and lemuel were obedient, the key is our attitude haha) And a LOT more!! Ah it totally pumped me up (spiritually that is). Afterwards we took a picture as a mission and got right back on the bus and headed back and got to Ovalle around 7:30 and we went out and taught until 9:30 as usual hahaha it was really fun, but OH MY GOSH was I exhausted this whole week!! I'm going to catch up on some sleep after we get back home before p-day is over haha. 

The rest of this week was pretty normal!! We had exchanges and that was really fun. I spoke a lot of English with Hermana Plothow (after almost 3 months speaking hardly any) who goes home after this cambio and I am so sad about it!! We put another baptismal date with our investigator C and her kids, she is AMAZING and I'm so excited for her. :) Hermana Lopez has a sinus infection so we had to stay inside a couple of days, but it was good because Chile was playing in the world cup one of the days and everyone else says no one paid any attention!! It was funny, I could count the goals because literally everyone was inside watching it and you could hear the cheers and boos from anywhere!! And to end it all, yesterday I spoke in church and prepared the lesson for gospel principles. Oh AND I'm the ward pianist, I don't know if i had told you guys that before haha it was a little crazy but I love this branch so I'm okay with it. 

WOW that was a lot, but it was a crazy week!! I really hope you all are well, I love everyone so so much and have THE BEST week!!!

love, hermana hansen

WATCH THESE VIDEOS

http://www.mormonchannel.org/joseph?v=870618547001

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages/topics/book-of-mormon?v=1256696369001

Hayley with Hermana Watt - her first mission friend

Hayley with Hermana Avery and Hermana Puertas

Hayley in VIÑA!

On the bus heading to the conference

Hayley & Hermana Lopez (her comp)

Hayley with her MTC roommates on the bus

Hayley with Hermana Puertas and her trainer

Hermana Puertas

Hayley with Hermana Bluth (MTC comp)

Hayley and her MTC companions: Hermana Frandsen & Hermana Bluth

Making bread with M

Yummy bread!

LLOVIÓ EN OVALLE!!!!‏

Hayley with her little buddy A

BUENAS DÍAS DE OVALLE.

Yup cambios came and went and I´m still here with Hermana López, WOOHOO. Seriously so glad that I´m still in Ovalle, I was way scared for a little because everyone thought I was going to head South! But nope, only 3 people left the zone AGAIN. So that means that probably half the zone is leaving after this cambio, and there´s a high possibility that I am also out of here after this, so I´m going to make the most of this cambio!!

My district leader, Elder Wilkes, stayed for his now SIXTH cambio here! haha - we all laughed so hard, that´s like 9 months basically in the same sector. But I love my district so am way happy that nothing changed. ANYWAYS - we´re headed to Viña del Mar tomorrow, but we have to be at the chapel tonight at 3 IN THE MORNING to take the bus for six hours to get there by 9 for the conference at 10. And then we get on a bus again at 1pm and then head back and get here around 7pm again and have to go out and work again. YEAH MISSIONARY WORK! But I´m way excited to see the whole mission and hear the seventy speak, so I´m okay with it.

Anyways, this week has been okay. We didn´t have a lot of success this week because Hna Lopez really wanted to participate in this activity that our branch was putting on for the district. So we lost a lot of time with that, but it was good because the members love us even more now! And also IT RAINED HERE!!! Tuesday and Friday!!! Which is a miracle!!! Ovalle has been in a drought for a long time (it´s all anyone talks about hahaha) so everyone was pretty happy.  It only rained a little, but this is a good sign that it´s going to rain more this winter! woohoo! 

Funny story of the week, I locked us out one day, YIKES! The branch president´s wife came over to ask us a favor and I  thought I had the keys so I shut the door and realized I DIDN´T HAVE THEM. Ahhh...so Hermana Lopez climbed over the house and got in through the back door that I had thankfully left unlocked hahaha - it was bad. GO HERMANA HANSEN. But it all worked out so i´m happy!

I just want to end with saying that I know with all my heart that the Lord answers prayers, and that this gospel is possible. It´s in our favor. We can really do whatever thing the Lord asks us, and I know this for sure, from experience! I love you all so so much and I hope you have a great week!! :)

Love, Hermana Hansen

 

Hayley with N, one of her investigators

Hayley and her comp dressed up as Ursula's eels for a church play

Hayley & comp as eels

The little mermaid

Noche de Hogar (family night) birthday party for M's granddaughter