HURRICANE OTTO!!

We bought smoothies last pday and went shopping in a DI type of store. 

I almost felt like I was back in Utah....:)

 Hahah We are so tired. 

This is my district, minus Hermana Carrillo :) 

Ummmm we were told to stock up for 7 days of food for the hurricane....

and so we bought the XL loaf of bread....

I am alive, don´t worry mom :) So in case some of you didn't hear, there was a HUGE hurricane that passed through COSTA RICA this past week! Everyone was constantly updating us, and it was pretty crazy!! Luckily, there wasn´t too much of damage here in Santa Cruz. President had us buy a bunch of food so we could be prepared for a few days if anything happened!! We spent all of our month's worth of money that we had left on food!! 

So Thursday (Thanksgiving) was totally normal! Of COURSE I thought of all the things happening in the US with Thanksgiving (TRUNKY) but it was just another day here! The only thing that happened was that Guanacaste was in a red alert, so we had to go back to our house at 5:00 for the day! So I spent my Thanksgiving night studying, while listening to rain and wind outside. I was pretty nice to be safe from everything!!! :) But then on Friday we worked like normal!! 

We saw a miracle this week! (well a lot, but I only have time for this one to tell :)) We have an investigator named Michael (reminds me of my grandpa!) and he came to church with us! It was the primary program, and he LOVED IT! He's 11, he loved primary and went home and told his mom, "I want to go to this church every week!!!" :) He also really wants to be baptized!! USH!  yaya miracles!! We are working really hard with him so that he can progress towards his date!! 

I know that this church is true. Some nights I kneel by my bed, crying because the day was so hard. I realize that everyone has different missions, and God knows exactly what I can handle!!! I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be here. I am so grateful for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and that we have this wonderful gift from God to help us in our lives!! I love testifying of the gospel in every lesson. I am so happy, with all of the trials that come from a mission. 

Have a good week!! Thanks for everything! I love you all!! 

ps Last night we were on the phone with our DL and we had our front and back door open (that is what ticas do) and  a CAT ran into our apartment!!!! WHAT! hahah Hermana Carrillo was chasing it all over, trying to shoo it out! Pretty hilarious :) 

pss We also literally live in a hotel. I can't remember the name, but it's literally a hotel! They are building a pool...hahaha 

All my love and a sunburn.

Hermana Hansen

Ummm welcome to Costa Rica in November....

Perks of a Colombian comp...she makes delicious food for me :) 

Enjoying the puesta del sol :) 

Fresh Starts

just two happy sister missionaries studying :) 

HELLO!!! 

So I literally don´t have any time, so sorry in advance if this email is crazy and doesn't make any sense :) I am also starting to lose my English, so if words are mixed up, this is why!! 

SANTA CRUZ! Literally I feel at home here. As much as I can feel, surrounded by Spanish speakers and being gringa :) Pero our area is HUGE, I haven't even been to every part of our area! It´s like the size of Salt Lake, but ALL of Salt Lake. There are buses about 20 minutes out, to get to the outer parts of our area :) Also, there is a BEACH in our area, but we can't go around there because of.....well swimmers. hahaha. 

Hermana Carrillo and I are literally the best. We are just laughing all day long in the street, as we walk to our appointments :) I am literally so happy. She is 28, and yet seems so much younger. She is so happy all the time, and it helps me and raises my spirits!! 

So we are in a ward, and there are elders in our area as well! We eat lunch with them everyday, we have a member that cooks us food :) and our ward has about 85 members! There are a few gringo families, and yesterday I was talking to them in English, I realized that I have started to lose my English!!! I am like in the awkward halfway stage, I don´t know everything in Spanish, and yet I am loosing my ability to speak English!! It´s pretty cool though that I am so immersed in the culture that I am loosing it! Hermana Carrillo was a English teacher before her mission, so she knows English, which is helpful! She also helps me with my pronunciacion!! 

I GOT CALLED UP YESTERDAY IN SACRAMENT MEETING TO BEAR MY TESTIMONY AND HOLY COW IT WAS SO SCARY! But it went really good! The people here tell me that I don't even have that bad of a gringa accent!! YAY! :) 

I know with my whole heart that this church is true, and I am so happy for the privilege that I have to represent Christ and preach this gospel to others!! I also LOVE having the ability to learn Spanish!! I am so happy here and I wouldn't want to be anywhere but here!!! I love you all and THANK you for all the support! My testimony is growing each day, and I am loving it here. Know that a girl in Costa Rica is thinking of you all and praying for you!! If you aren't saying your morning and nightly prayers, DO IT!!!! 

Love you all,

Hermana Hansen!

ummmm we did service this week....:)

mi agenda!! ( it´s ok to be jealous, other missionaries :)) 

TRANSFERS

Our last bus ride together :( 

HAHHAHA our DL, entonces somos una familia! 

The CUTEST little girl of one of our investigators! 

We were having a lesson over the phone, and she came outside and sat by us, 

closed her eyes during the prayer and like was so reverent! I was dying. 

HOLIS! 

Hi family and friends!! Literally my world is turned UPSIDE DOWN. I got transferred today!!! So we knew that one of us, either Hna Henao or I would be transferred, because she has almost 6 months in Grecia! We were standing in the street, just got out of a lesson, and we get a phone call from the ZL´s. Literally my heart was pounding SO hard! They said "do you have something to write this down, Sisters?" and then told us that HERMANA HENAO IS STAYING IN GRECIA, and I am GOING TO GUANACASTE!! The city is called Santa Cruz. Immediately we started BAWLING our eyes out, and rightly so! I was all ready to take on the area, I had taken down the names of all the cities, the less actives, and everything! But the Lord needs me here in Santa Cruz!! 

My new comp is named Hermana Carrillo, and she is also from Columbia!! She is 28, and so nice! I think that we are gonna get along just great :) I literally have no idea what is going on or where anything is, but it will be good! She just told me "we need to find nuevos, because we just baptized all of our investigators!" haha so I´m pumped!! It´s literally so hot here. 

Let´s talk really quick about saying bye to everyone last night. WOW I never even realized how hard it would be!!! i was literally crying saying bye to Hermana Marta, and Joselin. I don´t even wanna talk about saying bye to Hermana Henao! literally the hardest thing. It was like saying bye to everything I know, every person, routine, and member! But it is how the mission is :) Our DL was literally so sad to say bye to me! Man the hardest and best part of a mission is all the friendships you make!! 

President came to our Zone Conference! So we have to memorize a ton of things, and he was there, with Sister Laboriel, asking everyone the whole thing that we have to memorize. LUCKILY I knew every single thing that he asked me!! It was SO nerve wracking, in front of the whole zone! We also had interviews with him, and of course I cried. But he said that my Spanish is so good, and he thought I had a transfer more than I actually do!! He wrote down next to my name `5 months` and I literally don´t know how I feel about that!! 5 MONTHS!!!!!!! I just can´t describe how I feel about that...

SAYING BYE TO JOSELIN WAS THE HARDEST THING! She wasn´t in her house yesterday, for us to pass bye and say bye!!! I just told her bye over that phone, and we both started to cry! But she will be baptized this 10 de diciembre, and she will be such a strong member! She is literally the perfect investigator!! :) She has an answer, she doesn´t drink coffee, and she is married! ah. This is the hardest part of the mission!! 

I know that Jesus Christ lives. God is helping me in every step of my mission! He is with us in our lives, and HE WANTS to hear from us, we just need to pray! I learned a TON this week about charity, and serving others. I am totally becoming a different person, and changing. I am going through the refiner´s fire. President said something this week during the conference `the mission is a marvelous opportunity to change` and it´s SO true!! I literally am different from 5 months ago :) But still Emily Hansen, just a better person :) 

I love you all! Have a great week, and I´ll be here sweating and preaching and learning :) 

Hermana Hansen

My life...scriptures and a nice durable cellphone :)

Just a squirrel eating a banana...normal :)

HEY FAM!! 

The closest missionaries! 

They live about a 50 minute bus ride away, and they are our bffs.

The STLS! aka the best Sisters ever! 

If I had to pick a favorite person here, it would be LUIS! 

Doesn't his face just melt your heart??

How is everyone that I love with all of my heart?? 

A few things: We got a text from our leaders this week, and due to problems with LICE with the Hermanas, we now have to wear our hair up, in a bun or ponytail, for proselitismo!! The Elders make SO much fun of us, but its cool. I thought that is something funny that happened this week. 

So we have this thing in the mission called LPE, and it is basically a contacting. We have to have 15 each day, and its basically just inviting people to church and giving them a pass along card! However, since we are in the best district ever, the DL set a goal for 20 LPE before 5 pm everyday! Its super awesome, and it keeps us motivated and working hard!! 

We saw SO many miracles this week. So our area is HUGE and we have a little pueblo called Poro, and we felt like we should drop it from our weekly schedule, BUT this week I had a prompting that we needed to spend a day there again, and that DAY one of our antiguas texted us and said that she wanted us to visit her and her family! MILAGRO!! So we visited them and THEY ARE SO SOLID! Fabiloa and Jose. and they have a date for 10 de Dicimebre! So keep them in your prayers!! Also, I had a feeling that we needed to visit another one of our antiguas, and we went yesterday, and she starts telling us that she has received an answer that this church is true!! WHAT THE HECK MIRACLE! We had not taught or talked to either of them in like 3 or 4 weeks! What a miracle. God is totally in our lives, and He is here, helping us and leading us to those who are prepared!!

Also, I have been thinking a LOT about why I am here this week. I KNOW that there are people who need me and my testimony here, and I am here to help them come to Christ!! I love it here, it is so hard, and I cry a LOT, but I am coming closer to Christ then I ever thought possible! Also, Cor 10:!3 is the best scripture ever!! :) 

All my love and a BIG hug, 

Hermana Hansen 

My desk :) Quote courtesy of my mom!

Gyanabana...I think. The most DELICIOUS FRUIT EVER! :) 

daily breakfast #blessed