Some Fun Pics

I Love Guatemala

Hey fam, what´s going on,

it's good to hear from you.  For dad, sounds like the harvest is going good, but i hope that all will go well with that.  Hope that the weather will allow you to finish and everything.  I can´t even imagine that there´s snow, because here, the weather´s always exactly the same basically.  Maybe try and send me a picture of the new  tractors you got too, if you can, or if not, just wait till mark comes up or brian and they´ll do it for you.  I was actually thinking of brian the other day and how hard czech must have been for him, or for anyone.  spanish, alot of words are the same, and it´s easier to understand then talk, but czech, i can´t even imagine, but he´s way sharp so i´m trying to follow his and marks´example.   Mom, i´m jealous that you´re going to grandma camp, that´s awesome, though, ahha.  And when you say that you are having withdrawals, can you imagine my withdrawals, haha.  nah, it gets better as it goes, so i know that you´re taking care of my sobrinos, (nephews, but not necessarily masculine, it´s like hermanos is for siblings), and that their favorite uncle will be returning in a few short 21 months.  But anyway, this week was great, guess what, we had two baptisms!  One girl named gabriela is nine years old, and her mom is mirna, so hopefully mirna follws next, and then a man named Alrio.  He´s 70 years old, and is alone, and lives in the house of his nephew who said if he got baptized he would kick him out, so we´ll see how that goes this week.  We´re going to visit him tonight, and bring him to a fhe, so if he has any problems, he´ll let us know. I baptized alirio because he asked me to, and then Elder Rodgriguez baptized Gabriela, it was a good experience.  Also, for the baptismal font, we had to fill it up before, so it got filled pretty good, but then the water ran out.  It does that here, i´ll explain later, so it was raining and we figured that was a blessing from Heaven, so we got the garbage can and the mop bucket and filled it with water running off the roof, and then dumped it into the font. I love Guatemala, we told the bishop after and he just laughed haha.  But don´t worry it was sanitory, it´s better than baptizing in a river or something. the water was pretty cold, but everything was alright. 

    I´m sending some pictures and a video of the house.  Today, as a district,  we went to El mirador, or a spot on top of a mountain, so that´s where a few of the pictures are.  and also, i´m sending some of the baptism as well, there was another girl that got baptized but she´s a written member so her dad baptized her, that was good too.  About our ward, it´s great.  It´s pretty much normal there´s about 150 members that attend each week, or less depending, but it´s great for missionary work.  The bishop is awesome, and is really responsible and everything.  I just feel kind of like a member of the congregation, and no i haven´t talked yet, and usually for fast sunday, we just give time for the members to talk.   we have amission leader, and ward missionaries that help us too, so all of that funtions pretty good. i asked my comp about halloween. and they don´t have it i´m pretty sure, but i think they celebrate day of the dead on the 2 and 3 of november, but i´m not actually sure, so i´ll let you know when it happens.

  i don´t feel that old, so i can´t believe i´m turning 20, also that´s awesome about colton homer, where´s he going again?  let me know how everything goes this week, and thanks a bunch mom for everything you do, i´m looking forward to the package.  Life here is just normal, and i usually forget i´m in a different country altogether.  Lovew you all, and tell everyone hi for me, i´m praying for you all and hope you´re doing the same.

Love,

Elder Hansen

October 3

Hey family,

it´s good to hear from you.  Conference was great.  We watched it at the stake cent, Brasilia, in english.  And i watche dwith 6 other north americans.  It was way good.  I liked elder cook´s talk too, and elderHales, i think, where they t5alked about God knows the intent of your heart, and he´s always on our side, so it doesn´t matter what else happens, as long as we´re trying our hardest.  I really liked those.  It was fun, it really was like the super bowl, probably better actually, cause it was sort of a vacation day, so it was good.  We watched all 5 sessions, it was great. I have a picture, so i´ll try and send that, i hate these computers though.  We use them at an internet cafe, and they´re pretty good, it´s just hard to send pictures and everything.  Everything here is going good though. The daughter of mirna and this other guy might get baptized this week, so i´ll let you know how that goes.  Alriro, the other guy, is 70, and is kind of senile, but i think hearing the missionary discussions has helped him.

  Our apartment is pretty nice i feel like.  It has a stove and microwave and sink and everything, but the stove doesn´t really boil water, cause it doesn´t get hot enough, but it´s all good.  It has two bathrooms, which makes it nice, but i´ve been taking a cold shower for more than 2 weeks, cause the heater thing on top of the shower burnt up, and then the mission hasn´t bought a new one yet, and all this. It´s good though, i actually think that i burnt it up because nobody told me how to use it, but that´s alright haha, i´m paying the price now.  oh ya, on my fb page, i meant write that i am able to email anybody i want, because the mail here is so bad the president said that we could.  In most missions, they can only email family, and write letter to everyone else, so that´why. But what is the email of cheri and romney, so i can email them next week, o and also the email address of natessa. 

  i saw a picture of malea the other day, haha, what a cutie, but i´m sure she´s growing up fast.  Sounds like all is going good at home, and that harvest is good as well.  I hope bowen and hallie get feeling better, that´s no fun to be sick, haha. But i haven´t really been sick here, the food hasn´t affected my stomache as much as i expected so that´s good.  The language is going good too, i´ve realized i will never be able to speak perfect spanish like i thought, haha, but i´m still gonna work hard at that.  my comp aqt the ccm was named preston Deuel, so if you have time or whatever to look him up, that would be good.  usually on p day, we play football right after email, so we´re going to do that in a little bit.  I ´ll try and send pic tures, idk when, but ya, it´s probaly better just to mail me hard copies, i think that would work better.  Thanks for everything family, and you´re always in my prayers. it´s fun serving,  We have choppped wood, and last night we pushed out a car that got stuck in the middle of the street, because the roads have huge pot holes in them, kso that was fun..  one more email, Garrett Mackay´s haha.  I´ll try and write more next week, as well as send pictures, it´s just hard to get them on here and everything.  i´m working hard, and it gave me comfort to know that my whole family was together watching conference at exactly the same time as me and feeling the same feelings that i was.
Love,

Elder Hansen

September 26

Hey family,

how is everything going.  This week was good.  Noone got baptized, it was just too quick for this lady named Mirna, but i think later she will be ready.  This week was good, it flew by pretty quick.  That´s awesome that dad got a new pickup, hope all goes well with that, haha.i´m excited for jeffrey.  That´s awesome that he´s serving, and it´s hard, but i think a mission is the only place we can grow this fast spiritually. I also am looking forward to general conference.  It´s going to be great, i know it. 

Happy birthday, btw, mom and alysha, i forget the dates, one is on the 25th I think.  But hope all was well with that, and that you both had a good birthday.  The same goes with Romney and uncle Gary, I didn´t know his birthday was in september.  Sounds like Jared and Alysha are doing good, so that´s good for them.  I heard about the crash with the semi truck, that´s too bad, i feel bad about that.  I feel like right now for language, my spanish is bad, and my english is worsening, so i can´t wait for the day that i understand better and speak better, but i know this stage is necessary to improve.  This week was pretty good though, as far as that goes. 

  Also, can you send me some pictures that i took at mirador, and just some pictures of a tractor or combine or something, so i can print them off and show them to whoever wants to see them.  Also, mom, did you change my facebook page that has my addresses to say that anyone can e'mail me? If not,when you have time, just change that if you would.  That´s so funny that britanny is in the same ward as brianna, and also that´s cool that she got a new car, i wish i could see it.  i don´t think i have much else to say, but that i´m trying, sincerely, as hard as i can.  I know that the Lord will bless me, and it´s sometimes hard to see those blessings, now and later, but i have a testimony of this.  I´m trying to change and be better in everything to be more christ like.  a mission helps you realize your weaknesses though, haha, so that´s good i guess.  i´m trying to love the people, and i have felt this love for them.  Thanks for everything, and i´lll try and send some pictures to yáll.  Btw we eat lunch with memebers every day, so that´s great.  Thanks for all, and have a great week, i look forward to reading your email next time.

Love, your elder

Elder Hansen

SEPTEMBER 19

Hey family,

how´s everything goind.  Right now i´m trying to send my pictures, but none of these adaptors are working, and i brought the wrong adaptor, fr my camera, which isn´t a problem, because i can use other stuff, but it would just be easier witht he adaptor.  I talked to alysha about her part for clara, that´s so awesome, and i´m proud.  Who did jared go with to the football game?  and i´ve realized how much you helped me mom growing up and everything, so thanks for being such a great mom, your family´s successful because of you.  I also do have brigham´s address, he sent it to me, so i´ll try and write him, i bet he´s doing pretty good.  thanks for keeping me up to date with the family and stuff, i love hearing all that, even though i don´t have time to reply to all of it.  i hope brianna´s doing good, is she dating anyone yet? haha.  Also, me and my comp can go to the temple open house if we get 10 investigadors so we´re trying to invite everyone we can.  This week flew by it seems like, or at least time is going by faster, and everyone night, i can´t believe it´s night already, so that´s good.  The hardest thing for me is eating with the members sometimes, and that´s only because they talk to me and i don´t know what they´re saying alot of the time so i feel bad, like i´m shunning them or something, haha, but i think they all understand.  I just try and be happy all the time, and that´s the best  solution. 

My companion´s great, he´s so friendly to everyone, and he loves talking to people.  Also, it seems like he has an answer for every question, so i´m trying to learn all that i can from him, especially how to talk to people, how to get return dates, how to interact basically.  He´s good at those kinds of things, and at not being intimidated by other people, that´s mostly probably cause he speaks spanish though, haha.   he´s a funny elder though, and that´s funner than being with someone that´s dead serious, but he is also serious when it comes to the gospel and those kinds of things.  Mirna said she wants to be baptized, but said this saturday is too soon for her, but we´ll see today when we meet with her.  She also has a daughter who´s nine, and she said she would be baptized as well, so hopefully that works out, otherwise we may have to wait two weeks for them to baptized, after general conference, so we´ll try and work that out. 

There are some funny sayings here, like if somone doens´t know an answer to a question they just say  saber´ which means to know, but translated as who knows i guess, and que le vaya bien, which is travel safely basically, everyone says it, and of course provecho for meals and everything.  There´s others, o ya, people say hombre alot regardless of gender, they´re just like, si hombre or calidad hombre, even if it´s a woman, haha.  And calidad means quality, but they use it to mean cool, but everyone says it, even grandma´s.  Can you imagine G'ma saying something like ´that´s cool man´ cause i can´t, but that´s what they say, so it´s great.

Thanks for everything, i´ll try right now to send pictures, good luck with everything, and i look forward to hearing from you next week.

Love,

Elder Hansen

SEPTEMBER 12

Hey family, how is everythinjhg going.

This week was pretty good.  My pday is monday, the food here is amazing, and I haven't had a sketchy meal yet.  Our ward is so good, so we eat lunch at a member's house everday.  We eat breakfast with a lady named zoila vasquez, the bishops mom, but we pay her monthly for breakfast and for rent.  This morning we had hot chocolate that was so stinkin' good, probably the best i've had, haha.  But the apartment where we live is on the 2nd floor more or less, it's different because the streets are up and down and everywhere pretty much here, so basically is on the 2nd floor, and the building i think is four floors.  The city here is kind of similar to guatemala city it seems like.  Just hilly, and cement like houses everywhere,  But most of the houses we have been in are decent, and aren't dirt poor.  I don't really know what people do for work, just the normal stuff i guess.  IN the area where i'm at, its all city, and it's not a huge area, so we haven't ridden buses everywhere, we just walk.  I'll have to ask someone if they know where santa eulalia is.  That's cool that it's pretty close, and also I think Barrias is close, or whatever it's called where Ramos was from.  But that might be closed to missionaries because it's dangerous, idk.  Things here are really mild though, at least where i'm out, because there's never any incidents, or drug people, or anything that we have run into.  Idk of anyone that's been robbed here either haha.  In the ward i'm at there's like 4 missionaries serving from that ward, and 3 more got there calls this past week, so they are a strong ward.  I think the hardest thing about the language is just trying to understand the members and stuff when we're at their house eating and stuff.  And also, i have a hard time remembering alot of people's names, because i'm not use to them, so i'm working on that.  I hope we have a baptism soon, i feel like we might.  There's this one youth named jordy that could be baptized, another older lady name Mirna, and maybe another kid named Margarito, but who knows.  Anyone, we're working hard, and i'm starting to enjoy it more and more.  It seems like my eyes are opened everyday, because at first when i came here, it's just surreal because everything is so new and stuff, but now i'm starting to get more used to it so it's good.  that's so funny that they call jared bruce junior, haha, It seem sweird to hear my name, cause i don't feel like a bruce anymore, elder hansen is just normal now, haha. It's great though, I hope all goes well with marissa and the baby, and especially with aunt colleen, tell her sienta mejor, from Bruce.  I hope all goes well this week, and give everyone my best.  Also, could you do me a favor, if you don't have time it's alright, but  i want the emails for ferny, kris, and Zach, and bryce, just because now i can e'mail them,and i 'm not sure what their email is exactly.  Thanks for everything, and have a good week.  Thanks for the prayers.  Love you all, good luck with harvest.

Love,

Elder Hansen

SEPTEMBER 5

Hey family,

how is everything going.  This week was kind of crazy being the first one and everything.  I'm serving in Huehuetenango in the area Brasilia and ward Calvario.  My companion is latino we speaks no english, and his name is Elder Rodriguez.  He's from San marcos in Guatemala.  He's good, but i feel like he's still not sure what the mission is all about, which is pretty understandable because he hasn't been a member that long, but he does have a strong testimony. He got in a bible bash with a lady, and was really confrontational with her, and I felt so uncomfortable in the lesson.  But that's not what the gospel is all about, it's about them feeling the spirit, and them desiring to hear more, not bashing on other people's relgion and everything.  But I think the rest of the time has been pretty good.  Time is kind of slow, so you know what that means.  Dont' worry though, i'm doing good, and all your support helps me so much, just to think that you want me to succeed and are rooting for me.  I hope i can grow during this time, and that I can learn spanish, and work as hard as I can to share this with others.  Anytime we don't work, everything feels slow, and I am seriously anxious to just go work.  Coming from the farm, as well as the CCm, i'm not used to just chatting with people.  I'm glad everything is going good at home.  I'm happy that Malea was able to be blessed this week.  I do have everything i need, and my bedding is fine, i think i just left the bed sheet or something, which i don't need anyway because i have two flat sheets.  The food here is so good, and we usually have lunch and dinner everyday with a member.  I feel spoiled because we haven't cooked once, but that's good though. The trip to xela was about 4 hours, we rode a little bus over there with about 15 of us then we got to the mission home, chatted, and then stayed the night in a hotel.  The next day, we got up and then had a meeting, and then rode a chicken bus for about two and a half hours to huehue.  the whole day was pretty fun.  You probably finished up grain harvest today, so that's awesome, good luck with potatoes, and I hope all goes well with that.  I have  testimony of this work, and am trying my hardest every day to understand how it works, and to understand the what i need to do.  Thanks for everything and for your support, and I know that this church is true, and it's message is powerful. Love you all and I hope to hear from you next week. 

Love,

Elder Hansen