Playing futbol at the church!
Hey Family!!
Thank you so much for the letter and the updates. You guys are all awesome! Bishop Maxwell!! Wow. That sounds good haha, you will have to give him my congratulations and my best I'm sure he will do great. Sounds like volleyball just about takes up all your time, but I'm glad you were able to have a thanksgiving dinner. I think last Monday we ate left over pizza and some pasta. About the typical meal here but it was good! I never starve so you don't have to worry.. I mean I would love some turkey but what can ya do.
I hope things turn around for the Volleyball team. Sports are often difficult, especially when you are one of the top teams because every other team really wants to beat you. Just need to stay positive and remember its only a game. Sounds like things are rough in Lethbridge and Kamloops, I pray things turn around for Russ. The last thing he probably wants is another long summer, no fun.
I cannot believe that it has been 2 years since those 4 kids passed away, it seems like yesterday. But with all my heart I know the Plan of Salvation is real. We actually taught a lady about it this week, she had lost her mother just a couple years ago. As we bore testimony of it she was overcome with tears. The more you live these principles and you share your beliefs of them, the more they are implanted in your heart. I am grateful that I will be able to see those kids again, our Lord is so loving and has thought of everything for us, his children. I hope that others can feel the same comfort from his love.
This week in Lujan has been fantastic! Best week by far, as I start to get more used to the routine and the Spanish, things get easier. The Spanish is still super hard, but I have been trying to talk more and more everyday which has helped. Sometimes it's a bit embarrassing when I say something and nobody understands haha, but the only way I can learn is by struggling through it. Its crazy how many words there are to learn, just think about all the things around you and all their names.. and then the fact there is a different word for everyone one, its crazy. The biggest struggle for me is probably the sentence structure, everything seems to be backwards. When we say baptismal service, they say servicio bautismal. Just little things like that make it hard, but Elder Valdes is good at helping me.
We were able to do some great things this week! We had 2 noche de hogar, (FHE), with members and our investigators this week. With both we watched the Joseph Smith Restoration video and then after we all just shared our thoughts and feelings. It was so powerful. There were many tears and great things said. I have learnt the effectiveness of working with members. It is good when we share our thoughts about these things, but when they see their friends and peer sharing their testimonies it is so amazing. They can relate to them a lot. Then after these FHE we sat around and they all played guitar and shared matte. I don't know if I have explained matte yet, but they are obsessed with is here. They have a little metal cup and they put little herbs in it and sugar and then hot water, thats it, then they drink it. We aren't allowed to as missionaries, but they drink it all the time here. I personally think it looks gross.. but who knows haha. Also they love to just sit around and play music, everyone here knows how to play guitar.. except for me! haha. So they all take turns playing and singing, its quite a cool culture. They are all so laid back and chill, just like to enjoy time together doing things they love. Its pretty cool.
We played futbol on Wednesday yes! And I am so bad haha. It was super fun, but soccer definitely is not my thing. I think there was about 10 of us there playing, all ages. For about 45 minutes then we had to go back to our pension. Its amazing the love they have for soccer, they could play it all day if they could. Its also such a good way to get investigators to be familiar with the church and the members. Most people are timid to come to church, but if you invite them to play soccer they will almost every time! Then after they meet everyone they are more willing to come to church, its a good transfer. But we are going to try to play soccer every Wednesday now, so hopefully in 2 years my soccer skills will be prime!
As far as lessons and members, I••• and O••• are both still getting baptized this Saturday! We have taught her all the lessons, and O••• just needs to be taught tithing, so we are praying that he will take it well and be willing. So we would love your prayers, and hopefully we will have 2 more souls in the church on Sunday! I am super excited and have a lot of faith in both of them. O•••'s growth has been phenomenal. The first day we met him he was pretty grumpy and had a lot of negative things to say about life. But the other day we were over at his house helping him paint some stuff, and he had music on and was dancing! Can you talk about a change. Its hard for him to recognize it, but he has so much happiness in his life now. He is praying everyday and trying to read, and the blessings from the Lord are so evident in his life. I was also able to give a Priesthood Blessing in Spanish this week to a man named A••••••. I was sooo nervous, but I felt that it went well. Things are good.
I have an interesting story for you though. Saturday morning I woke up and was going out to our kitchen when I saw glass all over the floor, and in the middle there was a giant rock! So I looked at the window, and sure enough there was a giant hole where someone threw a rock! I guess not everyone here in Argentina likes us haha. But the best part is that we went out for the day as usual, and when we came back at the end of the night there was a frog in our pension! Someone thought it would be funny to put a giant frog through the whole in our window inside haha. So Elder Valdes got the broom and yelled "hockey" as he shot the frog out the door back outside. It was definitely interesting, but they are supposed to come today and fix the window.
So yesterday was dia de Madre, Mothers Day, here in Argentina. Weird I know, so they had the primary presentation and everything! It was so cute, just all these little argentine kids singing in Spanish! They sang Childs Prayer and it melted my heart. So today even though its not Mothers Day in Canada, I thought I would share why I love my mother.
I love my Mother because she has been the greatest example to me in my life. She never wanted to put herself first, and always cared more about our happiness than her own. I love her because she always worries so much about us It shows how much she cares. I love that she would sing Childs Prayer, and read to us when we were little. And I love that she took the chance to listen to the discussions, and to get baptized, because that decision has changed all of our lives for the better. I love you mom!
I love all of you, thank you all so much for everything. Have a fantastic week in Canada!!
Love, Elder Hansen.
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