Chickens in Trees, Travis Scott and the Temple

HOLA AMIGOS Y FAMILIA!! 

Hey y'all!! Hope everything is going great, I loved hearing that my family went to the temple this last week!! You all have been so awesome!!  The Sacramento temple will always have a special spot in my heart.  I am so grateful for the chance I had to go to temple.  To have the chance to make more covenants with God, is something so special.  There is nowhere more sacred than the temple.  There is so much power in that building.  

The reason I say that is because I had the coolest experience this week.  Elder Handy and I got to go to the Houston temple with Patricia.  (See pic below.)  We drove up with Wilson and went and did baptisms.  She brought the name of her cousin who was shot in Ecuador years ago, and she just cried so hard.  It was so spiritual.  Also President Guthrie and his family were there, and it was Hudson's first time doing baptisms in the temple, it was so awesome.  

Basically this week was a lot of getting to know the members in my new area, and the people we are teaching. Mom, I made it out the ghetto.  This place is sooooo different than the city.  It is Travis Scott's hometown.  It is a much slower pace of life than the heart of Houston.  I like the area.  I do miss Elder Handy because he was an awesome companion but my new comp, Elder Wilkinson, is another great guy from a small town in Idaho.  He is a boxer! 

I brought my bike with me on this move. I’ve had to fix that thing like six times already.  We live way out in the boonies. Boy are we not in Houston anymore.  In this place we work at a lot of trailer parks and houses.  The nicer parts kind of remind me of Pleasanton.  The sketchier parts are exactly that, a little sketchy.  There are a million vicious dogs around here.  I've also seen chickens in the trees, and people preparing for cock fights.  It is definitely different.  Can't just go knock an apartment complex.  We actually need to drive from place to place.

We are playing basketball today and then going to throw the ball around.  I’m looking forward to it.  

Here’s a little glimpse of the areas I’m working in. 

Chicken coops!

Chickens in trees.  haha

Elder Wilkinson staring off into space.  haha

We are having a a great time, Elder Wilkinson and I.  We want to just go teach everyone, and wow, there are some prepared people in MoCity.  I must say though my favorites are Gabriela and Rafael and their family.  They have 2 little girls, Franchesca and Sofia that are 7 and 6, and oh my gosh, they got me wrapped around their fingers. They are adorable. Gabriela shared with us her testimony of how when she walked inside the church, she felt the holy ghost and knew it was true.

I hope you have a great week and go kill it out there as disciples of Christ. Go read 1 Nephi 19. Always remember to hear his words!!

Love you all!

Brett

Elder Hansen

NEW ADDRESS BELOW!!!

6303 Sienna Ranch Rd.

Apt 3210

Missouri City, TX 77459

Baptism, Transferred and BASEBALL!

Hola a todos. 

We began with a BANG! So this week we started with an amazing baptism of PATRICIA!!! We were so blessed to see her conversion. At the end of her baptism, she wanted to bear her testimony and she did. It was such a powerful testimony and brought tears to my eyes. It was a blessing for me to see her take this amazing step. 

I also had an amazing opportunity to go do service with President Guthrie at the Houston Astros Urban Youth Academy. We ran a clinic out there that was amazing. It was so fun. We did long toss, got to do some PFP's (pitcher fielding practice) and helped the kids with their mechanics. It was so fun! And I had an amazing time using a talent I have been blessed with to go help bless other lives.  The Vice President of Business Operations, Marcel Braithwaite of the Astros is a member of the church and has a great relationship with President Guthrie. It was such a huge blessing. I also got to send Dad a phone number of a kid's father that needed some advice on summer ball. It was so cool being able to help out people using baseball.

Elder Handy is a great companion.  

President Guthrie FaceTimed Brad Penny on the way back home. hahahaha  (Brad Penny played pro ball for many years.)

I hear Ben and the family are at Vandy, and I hope it all is going well. I remember my time there and it was so amazing. I am so blessed to be able to go there after my mission and play. They are the best.

Oh and.... I GOT TRANSFERRED. I am now in Missouri City!! Fun fact, it is the hometown of Travis Scott!! Apparently it is about to Pop! It is the place where all missionaries want to be. I am so excited. My companion is Elder Wilkinson. He is an AMAZING missionary, but this is his last transfer. He is the Zone Leader. I am the District Leader. The other Zone Leader here is Elder Ledezma, my mission dad, and he's our neighbor now. Really weird they aren't companions, but whatever, I am not complaining. Wilkinson is amazing! So now I switched zones. Currently in the Houston South zone.  I am so excited that the Lord sent me here. I know this is where I am supposed to be.

I just want to leave a little spiritual thought. John 13:1,8, and 13-17. Jesus is the perfect example of charity, and his perfect love never fails. Even though no one washed his feet, it didn't matter, he went and washed his apostles feet. Go wash some others feet (metaphorically) even though they maybe didn’t wash yours. 

I will not be able to respond very well today, since I am unpacking and doing a lot trying to get accustomed to the new area. But I want you all to know I love you all so much!! I hope you all have a great time, especially my family at Vandy!! Love them so much!!

Brett

Elder Hansen

www.brett.hansen@myldsmail.net

Miracles, Trios and Ismael

Hi Family and Friends!

I’m so glad to hear that you had a great week!  This was a week for the record books in phone calls. Not going to lie, it was wild. We are exhausted, so we made sure to put in a P-day nap today.  Here’s a picture of the great people I get to work with!  Guess I should start from the beginning. 

TUESDAY: Elder Handy got sick really bad. Like couldn't eat anything for 24 hours bad. So, luckily enough, the AP's were doing their computer work. So we headed up to their apartment, layed out the situation, and decided it would be best if I went out with Elder Whetzel. Then, later on that night, Elders Jewkes and Oakey came in from Kemah (about 40 miles away) for a doctor's appointment the next day.  So they slept over. So I went out with Elder Jewkes for the night proselyting. Found a really cool guy named Diego from Colombia. He was awesome! He is trying to learn English and said he would like for us to come over and talk to him more about Jesus Christ! He was really excited to get a Book of Mormon!

WEDNESDAY: Elders Jewkes and Oakey leave, but we get an update from mission headquarters that we are going to pilot a program and that now every Companionship needs to have 10 hours of community service every week. This is going to be a change because we usually are right around 3.

THURSDAY: We get a call from Sis Anderson, the Mission Nurse, asking us if we could have an elder join us for the day. He wasn't getting along with his companion so they had to split. So we took him and became a TRIO!!  Then THAT NIGHT, we go over to Patricia and Estefany's house. We see boxes outside of their house, we knock, sure enough they're putting stuff in boxes. They tell us they haven't told anyone yet, but they're moving to Miami on Tuesday (tomorrow). But Patricia did tell us *MIRACLE* that she wanted to be baptized before she leaves. She started crying, I did too, the Spirit was so strong. She said that she knew this was a big move to make, and she needed to show God that she was on his side, because she needed him on her side. The it was a straight answer to pray because we have been praying for her for days. So, we set the day for Monday night (tonight).

Friday: We drive the elder to China South area. That took some time in the morning. We go over to Patricia and Estefany's house with their friend, Wilson and President Guthrie. President Guthrie wanted to interview her and they had a great experience. She is so ready and prepared. It is amazing. 

Saturday: We baptized Ismael. He was a MIRACLE referral. This kid has read half the Book of Mormon, memorized all the lessons, and everything. It was amazing. It was a beautiful baptism, and he was such an example to me. An amazing 9 year old. He told me that he knew that he wanted to show God that he loved him and wanted to live with him forever. His mom is an amazing person as well. 

Sunday: Had a great Stake Conference. Elder Torres (of the 70) gave a great talk on the difference between a testimony and conversion. A testimony is believing, but conversion is having our actions lined up with our testimony. My goal every day from here on out is to be more and more converted.

Yikes!  That’s a lot!  haha

Just a spiritual thought for the day. People always wonder about the Book of Mormon and how it's related to the Bible. Well the best connection in the both books is in John 10:16 and 3 Nephi 15:21. I love finding connections like this. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I can say that with zero doubt in my mind. It changes lives. If you've ever had any interest in what the Book of Mormon is, ask for a copy and read it. It will change your life, because it definitely changed mine!

Les quiero mucho!! Que les vaya bien! Dios vive, Cristo vive, y su iglesia está aquí, ahorita!

Brett

Elder Hansen

Elder Hansen

8585 Woodway Drive  Apt #217

Houston, TX 77063

brett.hansen@myldsmail.net