Hey family! One day I will try to write you an email in all spanish and let you try to figure it out... but maybe not today haha. I think that would take too long for both of us to figure out! Thanks for filling me in on life and sports! Its always nice to hear what is going on around the world. We don't hear much here, the odd thing about soccer and the world cup preliminaries.. all the teachers talk about how Argentina is the best! I bet by the end of my mission I'll have a serious love for soccer.. it will be interesting to see. Sounds like summer is starting to wrap up over there.. we actually get to go on the computer each day to do a program called TALL.. its an online language program, so i have a weather app i check occasionally to see Magrath. Just getting ready for another winter hey? I don't think I'll miss that too much. The weather here is crazy too.. we had one day about a week and a half ago that was 28 degrees and sooo humid. It felt easily hotter then any day we had back home this summer and its winter here! The teachers said it was nothing compared to summer, so I'm definitely going to die this summer! The humidity is intense for a Canadian boy like me.
PS thank you for the candy!! haha i was so surprised when I saw a huge package sitting on the table for me. Best family in the world no doubts! It was a great surprise though and Ive been enjoying the taste of home! My companions love it too and say thank you haha. When did you send it?? I actually got it last thursday about 2 hours after I emailed so i never got the chance to say thanks till now! But i appreciate it.
Carter sounds like you are living the life! Volleyball, road trips, toga! What more could you ask for! I'm glad you are having fun though, definitely the point of life! As much as you need to focus in sports and school just enjoy it! That tournament sounds intense but it's awesome to hear that you guys are always right up there contending, even with the bigger schools. Shows a lot about your guys heart and dedication! How are practices going these days? Dad running you through the ground yet? Cause if he isn't he should.. haha. Cart man I want you to know I play basketball everyday here, so in 2 years when I get home I'll be ready to take on the MHS high school basketball star! Well I guess ex star since by that time you will be graduated! CRAZY. haha I will definitely get owned but those were some fun times we had on the drive way this summer! Even if things did get a little intense at times I loved it.
It definitely gets harder and harder each week in here to think of stuff to write about. The first couple of weeks i wrote in my journal everyday, now its like 2 or 3 times a week. Please don't hurt me mom. Things are just so routine that its hard to think of new exciting things. I just try to write down feelings or interesting lessons we had... but Im not so good at the whole feelings thing yet. One day.
As for your questions. I sleep on a bed that is probably 6 feet long, but the bed frame is about 6 foot 6 . so i am just small enough to squeeze in it haha. I actually sleep like a baby on it because I am so tired at the end of each night. We have bunk beds and since I'm the senior companion I sleep on the top! Takes me back to the good old days of sharing a room with Carter! haha. I never did hear from Carson so maybe try to Facebook him or something? If he doesn't get it thats ok but I would love to hear from him and see how his preparations were going and if he has gone through the temple yet! Do you guys know much about him?? I don't really play hymns much down here mom so I am good for now thank you, if I ever need it I will let you know!
We have never actually seen any other missionaries while we are tracting, but we have seen a couple of members which has been cool. In the compound we stay in there is the MTC, Temple, and a hotel across the street for people who travel a long way to come to the temple. Its actually a sweet set up, there are big groups of mormons that come every once and awhile, some from 20 plus hours away! I can't imagine having to do that, some serious dedication. So there are sometimes kids running around and we talked to them. But we go to the hotel sometimes to help clean for service and we saw 2 missionaries that were actually serving in my mission! We never talked to them long but one was from Minnesota and one was latin. I just told them I was in their mission and that I would see them in a couple weeks! haha. Those are the only missionaries we have seen, but i know a couple other people have seen some while they are proselyting.
Yes we do go proselyting with our MTC companions, so its me Elder Smart and Elder Oliver each week. A trio is interesting but its fun. I think its gonna be weird when I only have one companion, in just 5 days! Crazy.
Onto proseltying this past Saturday. So to answer your question dad our first 2 weeks we were in the same area, then for our last 2 weeks we switch to a new area. So this past Saturday we had a new area and it was actually in the Buenos Aires West Mission! So sweet that I was able to proselyte in my own mission. I told everyone in my district to get as many refferals as possible so I could baptize them all next week when I get out into the field! It was another cold day but thankfully the rain stayed away this time, it was much easier to talk to people and there was way more people out on the streets. We had a lot of success early on which was nice, we were talking to people like crazy, but nobody really seemed super interested. They just want to know what we have to say, but as soon as we talked about the Book of Mormon or anything that didn't go along with their Catholic religion they would say no thanks that's not for me. So although we were getting lots of contacts we weren't having the success we wanted. We stopped for a bit to eat, and then after we said a prayer and were feeling something good would happen. But it was even worse, the next half hour nobody would talk to us. But we stayed positive and then finally our prayer was answered. We met a really nice lady in her 40s, she wasn't overly interested but she wanted to know about our church and what we believed in. We talked to her for a good 15 minutes, but the same thing she wouldn't take a Book of Mormon because her husband wouldn't like it if she came home with one. With about half an hour left before we had to go we finally met a person who was really interested. She was in her mid 20s, and her "really good guy friend" whatever that means, that was with her knew about the church because his mother was a member. But we ended up talking to this girl for 20 minutes. We taught her about God and his plan for us, we talked about the Book of Mormon, we taught her how to pray. It was actually so interesting. As much as we have had success before she was the first one that really just had that light in her eye. She said she would pray about the Book of Mormon and start reading it! We were way excited about that. It was definitely a good day, but its crazy how just one person can change it from good to great. We are definitely going to try to go back by her house and visit her on Saturday to see how she is doing! Although it will be our last chance to see her, I think it will be sweet if we are able to teach her again and see if she is progressing. It makes me excited to get out into the field and start, were you can actually build real relationships with your investigators. Crazy that in only 5 days i will be out of the MTC and off into the real world! I'm super excited but also a little nervous, but I know that it will be great. It will definitely be an overload of Spanish but it will come!
We actually did see a golf course on our way driving to proselyting dad. It was sweet.. it seemed like a decent course but since it was just there winter it was definitely a little brown and not in peak condition. It made me want to golf so bad haha. But you quickly forget about those small feelings because we are so busy.
Thanks for the thing on the Atonement and the Spanish quotes! I wish I knew if they translated over correctly haha. I can tell the overall meaning of what they are saying but the word for word translation is impossible still. The amount of stuff we learn here in the MTC is amazing. I wish you guys could sit in on one of our lessons and see the knowledge and the power our President has. He has taught us some stuff that I could never imagine, and its so hard to remember it all but its so cool. I have definitely started to desire to learn more and more about the gospel. I cant lie when I say i was never a big scripture reader back home, but now our hour or personal study where I just can read my scriptures is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love Elder Russell M Nelson's talk. I cannot imagine being Christ and going through all those things. I admire him for going through those things for us, and because it was the will of the Father. We learnt about how when Jesus was on the cross and said "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Because it was the first time in Christ's life where the Father completely left him. Christ had to go through these things on his own. I have really started to appreciate and recognize the Atonement so much more in my life. People out in the world know nothing about it, and its cool to be able to share with them the fact that they are able to be forgiven of all the wrong they do.
I love you guys so much and appreciate your example. Keep being the amazing people you are and I know the Lord will bless you. I know the Lord loves you. Thank you so much for raising me in this church. It is a blessing to me more everyday.
Since we leave the MTC on tuesday we get some time either monday or tuesday to email oor families and tell them we are leaving! I'm so excited. So I will talk to you then and give you more details!
Love, Elder Hansen.
No comments:
Post a Comment