WEEK 10

WEEK 10

Hola Familia y Amigos!!! 

It is honestly so amazing with how fast this week has flown by! I hope that the same feeling will come as this week passes, because as you know NEXT WEEK is Mother´s day!! ¿ Enserio? It is so great to hear from you dearest family and friends. I really do feel your prayers and I pray for your successes daily! Mom WAY TO BE!! I admire your strength with the new cleanse you are on. I tell people often how much I admire and love my family. Sometimes this is how we relate to people we talk to on the street. I find myself talking about my mother-daughter relationship often and I find such strength in the wonderful parents that raised me! Thank you for giving me so many opportunities to grow, to prepare, and to encourage my faith to grow. This has given me strength in order to overcome the obstacles I face! 

Lately new challenges have come into my life and slowly, yet surely, I have found strength in the Lord by turning to Him.  It is not stable yet, but like a mustard seed, I desire for my faith to become a grand tree in the Lord someday. It is amazing and discouraging with how fast hard work can be undone. Like building a tapestry…lots of hours weaving back-n-forth, and yet with one snip of the scissors it can all be gone, ripped, torn, and never the same. It is the same with words. They can be sharp, and if used unwisely can make or break a relationship. This has happened while I have been learning a new language, sure I make mistakes and I attempt to speak what I know, and for the most part conquer the challenges at hand. But I do have an English speaking trainer and that can be difficult too.

Have we become too sloppy and laidback with our language that we have forgotten how to master the main form of communication within ourselves? Do we throw things out just to be saying them? Or do we weigh their individual and intrinsic value and make a difference by the words we choose? I feel that those who master their tongue--the written and spoken-- will find a freedom that I have not yet mastered. However, I have this feeling that if mastered it will bring a great freedom and happiness. May our words reflect the perfect example of Christ as each day we strive to become more like Him. Here is a mental quote I tell myself to help me remember this: J "Who we are--words describe us, actions define us, thoughts create us."

It is never the same day twice here! It gets pretty hard to continually "roll with the punches" and when you finally stop rolling, you find yourself battered and bruised. It is frustrating really. After so much hard work it is difficult to be so physically exhausted, mentally drained, emotionally misunderstood, and spiritually imbalanced. My goal is to figure how to create a balance here in the Mission field.

I have such a new found testimony of Prayer! I know the Lord cares about the one. He calms the raging tempests of our hearts and minds. The condescension of Christ and what He did for us is a testimony to me that He knows me and He cares about my well being. I know that through prayer, an earnest desire, and exercising faith in the Lord, He will help me, he will lift me, and he will encourage me in all my righteous efforts. 

I am so grateful, muchas agradasida, for the help I have been given from Him so far, especially with the challenge of, “Can I really do this?" After asking this I was prompted to read my patriarchal blessing. There was this one sentence that stood out above the rest, it reads (I feel comfortable sharing this J) "I bless you to welcome service in the Kingdom, and not shrink from it". That’s it. I have been shrinking.  Everything is new here. There is nothing similar. I am not really feeling like the same me anymore... but I feel like this is all for the better!! :D

I have found my prayers becoming more sincere and the Lord taking my heart and helping me, probably more than I deserve. SUCH strength comes through the Lord! I know that the Lord will not give me anything that I am not able to overcome without His aid. "If a small sparrow cannot fall without his notice and neither can a great nation rise without his aid", then I know He is aware. I like to think that the great nation could be this great missionary work we are doing. It is rising quickly and we all get to "catch the wave" and rise with the new challenges and embrace the blessings. I know I am meant for something great. The Lord is preparing me. I just need to learn to see things as the Lord sees them!

All my love family!

Hermana Hansen