Mochilera

Content Hermana Hansen after a two hour nap. 

Love the new schedule for pday.

The wall above my desk. Brings me so much happiness :) 

Maestra Hansen with her English class!

HOLA! 

This week was CRAZY! We traveled so much!! (and so the subject line!) We literally spent SO MUCH time in the busses. I am so tired haha. We went to San Jose on Monday and Friday (5 hour bus ride each way) and we didn't buy our tickets in time so we didn't have a seat...the joys of a mission in Costa Rica :) And we went to Liberia two times, which is a two hour bus ride each way!! So yeah it was a crazy week. 

But even though it was a lot of traveling, we saw SO many miracles this week! We have a solid investigator named Marbel. She is the sister of a less active, and we just found her knocking doors. But we only had two lessons with her. In our second lesson, she told us, ¨I prayed, and I know that this is TRUE!¨ And she even remembered her date for her baptism! :) She came to church yesterday and LOVED it. She was so happy. The miracles are coming and I love it so much :) 

We had a district meeting this week and reevaluated how we are working. We realized that we were depending more on ourselves, and less on the Lord. We quickly repented and worked the way the Lord wanted, and He blessed us with 16 INVESTIGATORS in the chapel as a district (four companionships). It is just really interesting how the Lord works miracles always, when we allow Him. He is always here to help us, but WE MUST ASK. 

I know without a doubt that this church is true. He lives. Jesus Christ directs our church, and His church has been restored. I have no doubt that He came to the earth to suffer for us, and that He died for us. He knows every part of our lives. He loves us and wants to help us. He is our older brother. I am so grateful for all of the support, prayers and love that I receive every week! I love it here, and I am almost tica :) 

Love always, 
Hermana Hansen

Also, we taught primary this week and there were like six little gringos, and it was so hard to teach in English!! I was dying. haha. Everyone was laughing at me! It really is true that you are called to teach the gospel in the language, and you can't do it any other way. 


Also, I know the day I am coming home. hahhaha #trunky BUT I am not going to tell you it! Maybe when time gets closer. It also isn't my fault that I know, the Elder told me against my will! haha 

A mud mask that my investigator gave me!! 

It has volcanic ash from the volcano here! :)

Ya tiene un mes! 

It's tradition to buy a special ice cream when you have a month in the mission :) 

Two gringas with classic Costa Rican empanadas :) What a sight!

Completely 100% happy

NEW BACKPACK!! Finally content :)

My id card....offically tica! 

The reunions are the best, seeing missionary friends :))))

ummm I tried bubble gum milk...only in Costa Rica

Time with my favorite Hermana Bucholz is the best time

President's house for the month check up

Heyyy family and friends!! 

As you know by the subject line, I am on cloud nine. YES the mission is so hard, YES we don't get much sleep, YES people reject us everyday, but at the end of each day, you only remember the successes that you had, the great lessons, the happiness that you felt, and all the wonderful relationships you made. I am so happy. And learning more and more about the culture of Guatemala each day :) 

Yesterday we had the chequeo de mes! We get up at 1:30 am to catch the bus to San Jose, a 5 hour trip. It was really long, but we just slept the whole time :) and then we went to the house of President with all of the new missionaries in this transfer and the trainers :) It was the best day. Such a tiring pday, but SO wonderful. We divided up into rooms, the news and the trainers, and it was so nice. With the APs we just talked about what was frustrating about training, and what things we could do better. It felt SO good to talk to others who had and were going through the same thing. I felt like I had just gone to my check of the month, that was just 3 months ago! President pulled me into his office after, and told me that I was doing a really good job, and that my daughter knew everything that he asked her. (We have to memorize a bunch of scriptures and things!) He said that he is really proud of me. It was worth every second of this past month. Every tear I have shed and every moment I have wanted to give in the towel :) 

So we had a bunch of activities this past week for Week of Miracles! We did a really fun activity in the park to contact people! Also, the elders in our district came to our area for a day to work with us! To find new people and IT WAS SO AWESOME! We found so so so many miracles. We are working with a guy named Douglas, who gave up drugs and alcohol on Christmas and is ready to change his life! HE CAME TO CHURCH AND LOVED IT! and he actually set the next appointment with us saying, "When can we meet again to talk more about the Gospel?" So many miracles happened this week. We also found a lady named Priscilla, and she is like Jose Smith, been to every church and didn't feel right in any one. We are working really close with her. MIRACLES AND MIRACLES! So many the I can't tell them all. Just know that estamos echando fuego aqui en Santa Cruz. Also a BUNCH of less actives came to church on Sunday. It was such a wonderful time. 

I know without a single doubt that Christ lives. He has a perfect body. He died, was resurrected on the third day. He suffered every single thing that we could ever feel, so He knows us better than we know ourselves. I know that with the help of the Atonement, we can receive strength every single day, strength to seguir adelante when times are hard. He lives. and He guides our church. This gospel is perfect, and representing Christ is the best thing ever. I am so happy and my Spanish is becoming better :) 

I love you all! Thanks for all the prayers. I am so happy. All of the showers I took while crying, the nights I cried myself to sleep, the appointments that fall through, are all WORTH IT. This is the best time of my life. And I am loving the Costa Rican culture, Gallo pinto and all :) (Mom don't worry I know how to make it, so we will make some when I get home :))) 

xoxo

Hermana Hansen

We were matching #cute #family 

Obsessed with the little boys that live by our cook

The daughter of the member we eat with every Sunday :) Nazareth! 

Basic breakfast here, pinto, eggs and an apple

The members taught us how to make pupulsas! A things from El Salvador! 

Waiting for the bus at 7 pm in San Jose #momdontfreakout

6 months #notcounting

We have investigators that sell coconuts for their work, and they gave us some! 

My first one here in Costa Rica. So good. 

Also, how cute is the little guy??

Hi, we are obsessed with these chips. 

(also my daughter is as tall as I am when I am sitting down) lol

HI FAM! 

So FIRST I am literally so happy. :) Also, I officially have been away from my house for six months. Not sure how I feel...

Alright so President came to our zone conference, and it was SO awesome. We have to memorize, in Spanish of course, a whole bunch of things as a mission, and one of them is the Standard of Truth that Jose Smith said. And we were all practicing everything with President, and he asked Hermana Chub if she knew it, and she hadn't learned it yet. SO then of course I had to say it because I am the mom. SO I said it in front of my zone and President. It was so intimidating but at least I knew it :) 

When President came, he bought us McDonalds! It was my first McDonalds in like eight months, and I didn't like McDonalds at all before, but I sure enjoyed every bite :) 

Here in Santa Cruz there are HUGE parties that started on Friday. WE have to be in the house at 6 pm because of it! Not to scare you mom, but there is literally NO one in their house! There are huge parties and everyone comes, even gringos!! But right now I am in exchanges with my STL. :) 

My daughter and I are literally so awesome. She is such a hard worker and trying to be better everyday. She is always wanting to practice with me the card that we have to memorize :) She makes me so proud. I am so honored to have this chance and privilege to train her! Even though it is exhausting and sometimes it really tries my patience, I love every minute. This week I learned to enjoy every second of my mission. 

I know without a single doubt in my mind that Christ lives. I know that the Atonement was not just for the sorrows and troubles in our lives, but also so that we can receive strength in our hard times. I have learned to use the Atonement a lot in my mission. For strength, comfort, and to tell Satan to get away. I love the mission and the mission work. I am so happy, amidst all the tiredness and stress. I love it here and I feel more and more Tica everyday!! :) 

Love you all so much!! Enjoy the snow :) 

Hermana Hansen

Just two happy gringas :) 

hahah YES I found these in Costa Rica.

HECK YEAH President bought us McDonalds! 

upe buenas

Cookies homemade from my mom...what a blessing :))

Elen and her daughter and her niece :) 

A recente convert :) haha love her 

When you see your best friend in the mission and cry tears of joy. 

My bff in the mission, look how different our skin tones are hahah

After 4 months of waiting for this package....finally got it :) #costaricaprobs

HELLOOOOO my favorites. 

How is everyone?? I am just a little sunburned, tired, excited missionary here in Costa Rica.:) 

So first, I have to tell everyone that I am no longer a gringa, because this week I GOT MY ID CARD for COSTA RICA! So I am officially Tica for this year until December :) So now I tell everyone that I know that I am now Tica :) 

While we were in San Jose, I saw my beloved Hermana Carrillo #blessed. When she saw me, she literally RAN and tackled me. It was quite the experience :) I will send a picture of us. She is literally my bff here in the mission :))) It is quite a beautiful thing in the mission that we are able to have and develop such strong relationships! 

So being a mom is HARD! I may or may not have had a little breakdown this week, BUT luckily we have such incredible leaders (STLS) that help me SO MUCH! :) I am so grateful for the power of prayer, the Atonement, and leadership this week, and always. 

Sooo this pday was literally sick. We went to African Safari, it's like a petting zoo but on steroids! I am gonna send a BUNCH of pictures, because I took a million. It was SICK. We rode in a huge ATV around a Zoo and fed the animals :) It was literally the happiest thing. I enjoyed every second. It was also FREE because the stake pres pays for the missionaries to go every 4 months. HECK YEAH :) We also ate a really fancy lunch, which was a #bonus. 

I am happy, but this is hard. I know that the mission is gonna be hard. I know that I can't do this without the Atonement :) I am trying harder each day to be better!! 

I love you all! And fyi...I get cards every 3 weeks, so if you have an urge to send me one I wouldn't be mad :) 


hermana hansen

We are a family in the mission! 

We are both training, and we arrived together. #missionlanguage

Could not pass up this chance to take a name tag picture :) 

We are zona San Roque!!

My baby

Zone 

ahhah selfie with zebra.....:) 

annnnnd 3 seconds later the giraffe ate my hair....

Me every morning eating breakfast... 

Week one as a mom

We were in a trio while we were waiting to receive our hijas!! 

Best 2 days EVER!

Temple trip with the trainers and the babies!!! 

What an incredible experience.

MI HIJIA! Yes this is serious. She is literally 4 feet tall. 

Yes we get really weird looks everywhere we go! Yes I love her.

Hi everyone!! 

This week was absolutely NUTS, so bear with me as I spill ALL THE DEETS. 

The news that everyone (my mom) was waiting for....my hija is Hermana Chub from Guatemala! She is LITERALLY 4 feet tall (there is a picture to prove it) but she is so awesome. I mean we definitely have our differences, with the culture and all BUT it's so fun. It's been fun to learn about the culture of Guate because I have only had comps from Columbia! The stress of being a mom, teaching her everything, and managing the area has been A LOT! It's been a long week of constant prayers and lots of silent crying in the shower moments (moms don't cry in front of their kids) BUT I love it. I get the chance to help her become a missionary, and hopefully a missionary viva y dinámica :) 

SO we got to go to the temple as trainers and the new missionaries! It was incredible because I understood SO much, and because the spirit was so strong. There is something about the Celestial Room in each temple that just takes my breath away. It is also the last time I will go to the temple in my mission unless I train again, so I took every second in :) 

We are doing good here in Santa Cruz! I have really amazing leaders that help me so much. I am really just getting lost in the work, thinking less about my needs and more about my investigators and the members and mas que todo, my hija :) 

One last thing, I got a blessing on Sunday night, because I was feeling an IMMENSE amount of stress, and it said basically that my mission will not be easy, but that I will grow a love for it and it will always hold a place in my heart. OH NO. I mean I knew that it wouldn't be easy but now I know for sure....*panic face* so here we go :) I am really ready. The blessing helped me a TON and I know that the power of the Priesthood is real. WE have the authority and power to work miracles and baptized and be sealed in the temple, because Jose Smith was foreordained to restore the church! I LOVE THIS GOSPEL AND I LOVE COSTA RICA

I am so stressed and tired and my body is so tired each day at the end of the day but I am so happy and I love it here more than anything!! It's hard but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else :) 

all my love 

Hermana Hansen 

New year, new comp y soy una mama!!  

I had a friend in my shower the other day. 

I learned later that if he bites you, your tongue goes numb and your arms too. GREAT