I hope y'all had a fantastic new year. We made it ladies and gentlemen. 2020 is here. The year of perfect vision. I've got a vision for the end of the year, and I'm excited to carry it out.
Let me just start with thanking my mom. She knows, more than anyone, that making goals and New Year's resolutions for me was like pulling teeth without the numbing. Very very painful. I simply did not enjoy it and didn't have a long enough outlook. Well, let me tell you, I was better about it heading into 2019 last year, and this year I was all for it. I'm grateful that she stuck at it with me. She is the absolute BEST! I am really excited to grow and try to reach the goals that I have set, led prayer and the Spirit. I'm excited to see who the Lord would have me be. I love seeing the changes, looking back a full year ago, and the differences that I have seen in my life, in where my testimony has been tested and grown, and more than anything, how I have been able to get to know the Lord, as a friend and older brother. He has worked miracles inside of me and continues to do so.
This was a pretty great week. Not everything went exactly went to plan, there were no INCREDIBLE miracles, but more of a week full of little tender mercies. My dad always told me out on the ball field to never let my emotions get too high or too low. To stay even and consistent, and focused on the task at hand. That principle applies so well in the field, and I feel like even in life. This week, I got to see the hand of the Lord work through little things, and they brought me joy. I just felt consistently happy this week. That's not to say I don't feel like that every other week. I'm pretty sure I've never ever felt so consistently happy my entire life than being on the mission. However, I feel like this week, I just recognized it more than usual. I'd love to share some with yall!
Yesterday at church, one of my good friends Alberto came to H2. I never got to teach him, but he was baptized in H1 when I was just out of training, and I sat with him pretty much every Sunday. He's the best, I call him mi carnal, because he's just the best, like a brother! I was so excited to see him! He's still strong in the gospel! Reminded me of Alma 17:2 when Alma's joy was so great when he met up with his friends the Sons of Mosiah, and his joy was even greater seeing that they were still strong in the things of the Lord. It was a huge blessing seeing him.
Also, a huge tender mercy was being able to see another one of my friends, Andy, open up his mission call. He wasn't sure when he was going to go serve his mission when I got to the area, but he knew it was going to be soon. In the short time I've known him, I saw him prepare to put in his call, put it in, and receive his call. That's was a really neat experience. He got called to go serve in the Chile Concepción South Mission. We got to see him open the call and Hermana made some amazing pozole! It was a great night, a night full of celebration! If you want to see the video, the Hermano had me recording on his phone using Facebook Live, so go check it out!! I was brought back to when I got my call. Undoubtedly one of the most spiritual experiences of my life, if not the most spiritual. It was a clear physical manifestation that the Lord knew me personally and what I needed and who I needed to be around. I am so grateful for that moment, I will treasure it forever, as I know Andy will treasure his moment opening his call.
This cracks me up. The big supermarket around here, Fiesta, hires a few guys with trucks to walk around the neighborhoods, in apartment complexes, etc. to pick up shopping carts and bring them back. People just take the carts, and this guys job is to find them and take them back.
We made some musubi and Elder Cram was getting full.
This beauty salon has it right!
We also got to meet a pretty neat lady this week. We meet a lot of cool people in this area, but wow was Lidia prepared. She actually stopped us at a complex and said that she was actually taught by missionaries over at her Godmother's house, nearly 10 years ago. She said she loved it, but could never get in contact with us again! She asked for a Book of Mormon and wanted us to come back this week. So that's the plan! We got to share our testimonies of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the prophet Joseph Smith. We also got to bear witness that we have a modern-day prophet on the earth today named Russell M. Nelson. She really wanted to learn more about that, because she realized that it would be extremely necessary to follow the Lord's commands to a T. We agreed to meet this Wednesday, excited to see how it goes!
Also, kind of a funnier tender mercy, we were walking through one of the sketchier complexes, and out of nowhere we hear "Aye, Élderes, quieren comer?". Of course, that perked our eyes and ears up, of course, we wanted to eat. We turn to our right and there's our friend Felipe with a huge box full of homemade donuts with cream inside of them. They're called Enamorados. Holy cow, that might have been the best thing put in my mouth ever. They were like malasadas, but I don't know, they may have been better. It turns out that Felipe is a member from Mexico and was only here visiting his son for the holidays. Still cool to make that connection and get some free donuts. The church world truly is small.
New Years was fun. We had to be in a little earlier, and for good reason. We came out the next day with SO MUCH firework residue like everywhere. The number of M-5000 firecrackers we saw was ridiculous. I attached a picture of a huge used firework that we saw. It was like that everywhere. It also probably wasn't the safest, so it was a good call for us to be in by 8pm.
This week I've been able to study some of my most favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon, starting with Alma 17. The Sons of Mosiah are so amazing. Such great missionaries and great examples. As the sons of Mosiah pour out their hearts and souls in prayer and fasting, begging the Lord to impart just a little bit of his Spirit and make them instruments in His hands, the FIRST THING the Lord does is speak peace to them. V. 10 "And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted" After which God commands them to go unto the Lamanites, that they may suffer many afflictions, but in the end, they will bring about the salvation of many. I LOVE how the first thing that the Lord does is visit them in peace. He comforts their restless souls. After, he provides them with a very hard task, but because of the comfort that was given to them, it gave them the security and confidence to go and do. I know the same can happen to us in our lives. At times we are dealt a hand that seems too tough, that there's little chance at making it out. I know that when we come to God in fasting and prayer with an unsettling issue, he can calm our souls. He may not take away the problem, but he will always make you aware that he is mindful and there to carry you and bear you up, every step of the way. That right there is true joy.
Love yall much, hope you had a great week, and trip in Thailand! Hope you got back safely and without too much jet lag!!
Can't wait to talk!
Elder Brett Hansen
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