Week 12 - October 24, 2016 - Gallipolis, Ohio

Wow, what a week! A lot of incredible stuff happened this week! Holy cow! It's getting colder here. Winter is definitely on the way! Like literally my feet are ALWAYS cold! It's kind of the worst but I'm super used to it now haha! ANYWAY, here's some highlights of this week!

First off, how's the Book of Mormon challenge coming along? I'm going to check up on how you guys are doing with that challenge every week because I KNOW it will bless your life and answer any questions you might have :) I know the Book of Mormon is true! I've felt it! 

INVESTIGATOR UPDATES:

So D----. She was REALLY sick this week. It was kind of scary actually. We called her 3 times during the week to check up on her and she sounded like she was just dying. We were only able to teach her once this week but it wasn't for that long! We just asked her the baptismal interview questions to prepare her for her REAL interview and that was it. Please pray for her that she'll feel better. She needs all the prayers and blessings she can get right now! Thanks guys!

B----. Okay remember last week when I told you guys about all the crazy stuff that went down with him?? Okay well he's back now! YES!! He actually continued reading out of the Book of Mormon the entire time he was gone! We were so pumped when he told us that! He said that he feels it's true and wants to learn more! He's so awesome! He's more at peace since we last saw him. He and his mom seem to be getting along better! So everything (as far as I know) is fine and dandy again with him! He wants to become a better person. So please keep praying for him! 

R----. Oh. My. Gosh. She is one amazing woman! Holy cow! Okay so we had a lesson with her on Wednesday night and taught her about the Spirit World. We went really in depth about the spirit world and I was actually getting really worried we weren't going to get the entire lesson in that night. But the lesson went really well and after we were done teaching about the Spirit World, she started crying and told us that we gave her A LOT of peace about her mom who passed away, not knowing much about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I then extended the invitation to Robin to be baptized and she said yes! WAHOO! Her baptismal date is November 26th! So please please pray for her that she will be prepared for that day! She really is an incredible person!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

Write down everyone who has impacted you the most in your life! Seriously! Write them down and write down HOW they've impacted your life. Then tell them. Tell those people that they've inspired you and blessed your life for the better and HOW they did so. It will mean the world to that individual! And I guarantee that they will tell YOU how YOU'VE blessed their lives as well! :)

FUNNY MOMENT:

First off, for those of you who don't know what "salty" means, it means mad! Hahaha! Okay. So I was on exchanges on Tuesday with an elder named Elder Crook. He's our district leader. We decided to go tracting at like 8 o'clock at night and we decided to try this house. This guy walks out and we soon found out that he was a baptist preacher! He then went OFF about how Joseph Smith...  I was like...."what"? Haha! We never got a chance to talk the entire 10 minutes because he was talking and then he slammed the door shut. Elder Crook and I just stood there in shock of what just happened. Elder Crook went on to say, "Oh my fetch. My salt level is OFF THE CHARTS!" He was sooo mad it was hilarious! He started mocking him and said "Elder Hanson. Didn't you know that Joseph Smith... Book of Mormon... Fetch!" Hahahaha! I love Elder Crook.  It was so funny!

Thank you all for the amazing support you've given me! I know this church is true and I know that my Redeemer lives! My tesimony of the Book Of Mormon is growing so strong.  Hope you all have an amazing week :) love you guys!

D&C 11: 10-12
Mosiah 7: 33

- Elder Hanson

On Splits with Elder Crook

"Onions have layers." - Shrek

Week 11 - October 17, 2016 - Gallipolis, Ohio

Wow! This week was a crazy but an awesome one let me tell ya!  I've come to realize that apparently Halloween is a big deal here Haha! But the thing is, nobody trick or treats on Halloween! Like what the heck?? They, instead, trick or treat the Thursday before Halloween. Uhhhh k? Haha! Anyway, that's the fun fact for the day! Actually another fun fact: I gave my very first priesthood blessing on Friday! I gave it to a sister in my district. It was a really really neat experience! Then last night, I gave another one to a recent convert! It was so cool AND THE SPIRIT WAS SO STRONG! 

How's the book of mormon reading going everyone?? I Hope you all are taking advantage of this AMAZING opportunity to read 8.5 pages of the book of mormon every single day so you all will be done reading the B of M just in time for a "White Christmas" :) It will bless your life tremendously! I promise! That's good that you're reading mom and dad! Keep reading because it will bring you so much joy and peace because every word in that book comes from God!

Okay so update on our investigators!

B----. Ummmm we're not sure what to do with him anymore. Here's why. Hold on to your purses because this story is sad and crayy! So on Tuesday, we went over to his house and saw him sitting on his porch smoking. He looked really upset. Like REALLY mad. We walked over anyway and he told us why he wasn't in a good mood. His mom was really mad at him for no apparent reason and it just made him mad. SO we tried to calm him down by talking about prayer and how that can bring peace. He told us "Guys, I'll see you in a couple of days...maybe." Then the situation got heated like I've never seen before. I've never said so many prayers during a situation in my life! Please pray for him and his mom. He was really progressing and we KNOW THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRISTcan change him for the better. So PLEASE pray for them.

On a happier note... D----. She's doing great! We set up her baptismal interview for November 3rd! So we are going to do our best to make sure she's ready for that! Even though she's already FLIPPING ready! She's one amazing woman! Let me tell ya!

R----. We're gonna try and get her set on a baptismal date this week. She just has a hard time keeping commitments. She really wants to become more like Christ. So please pray that she keeps her commitments this week so she can progress and come closer to Christ!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

Share your favorite hymn with someone you know! Now I'm not saying you need to SING it, I mean you can if you want to but share what your favorite hymn is, WHY it's your favorite hymn, and how it has blessed your life!

FUNNY MOMENT:

Okay so Gus and his wife Crystal are having a baby. I think I already told you guys that. But anyway, we walked into their house on Friday and Crystal was just BAWLING on the couch! My companion and I literally just stood there not knowing what to do. Gus walks in and is like "Babe what's wrong??" She replies, "I sp-sp-spilled a little bi-bi-bit of my soda on m-my pants." I had to turn my head because I didn't want her to see me try not to laugh. Gus then replied, "Girl. You're pregnant. You're raging with hormones. You're fine. I love you." HAHAHAHA! I couldn't contain myself anymore. I started laughing when he said that and then soon everyone started laughing! haha!

Love you guys! And to answer some of your questions: I'm doing well :) I LOVE THE FOOD! I NEVER COOK! I'M EXERCISING! Overall, I'm sleeping pretty good! I'm driving now :) and no I don't have an ipad and I want one SO BAD! UGH! Good to hear about the Patriots :) Tom Brady is FIRE! There's a member here, Phil McCombs, who updates me on sports and it literally keeps me sane! So thank you BOTH for that! My companion hates sports.

I'm super grateful for family : ) That's something that I've come to appreciate on my mission so much. Like, Oh my gooness! I have the BEST FAMILY! Tell Kate Happy belated Birthday from me! Tell  Uncle John that I love him like crayy and I'm praying for him.  I hope you all have an amazing week :) lOVE YOU ALL! Thanks for your support and prayers :)

D&C 9: 7-8
2 Nephi 32: 8

- Elder Hanson

Slap Ya Mama! seasoning

Silly District - At least they are having fun!

Gallipolis Sunset

Week 10 - October 10, 2016 - Gallipolis, Ohio

Wow! What an amazing, humbling week full of miracles! Like not even kidding. The leaves are finally starting to change colors and because there's a lot of trees here, it looks like "fruit loops" as our Mission President would say. Haha! It's true though! But anyway, yeah this week was pretty siiiiick.

Okay so first of all, it's crazy that I've already been out for over 2 months! What the actual what?? Time freaking flies when you're sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ! Lol. But yeah it's crazy!

Also, remember last week how I challenged you all to read 8.5 pages of the Book of Mormon a day? How's that going?? I know that you will receive and recognize so many blessings by doing so! I know that it is true!

Update on our investigators!

D----. She's still progressing and like I said in my last email, she is DETERMINED to get baptized on November 12th! Please just keep praying for her and her husband B--- because they just recently had a friend that was living with them move out. Her friend was outraged that D--- was becoming a Mormon. D--- was really really saddened because of that. So please pray for her! Satan, like I've said, is doing his absolute best to diminish her faith!

B--- and D---. Here's a miracle story. So we were really really worried that B---- wasn't all that interested anymore because his uncle is not doing too well and he has become really depressed over it. He even stopped reading the Book of Mormon for a while. We went over many times to see if B--- was doing ok but he never answered. Until Saturday night! We went over one more time and he and his friend D--- answered! He was still really sad but we began talking about the Book of Mormon and he said he started to feel better afterwards. Then get this. Literally out of nowhere he said he wanted to come to church with us next Sunday. AHHH!! Like for reals I was so hyped! The Spirit works in mysterious ways guys! So I'll update on that next week, oh my goodness guys the church is true.

So last week we found a new investigator named R----. I mentioned her in my last email. Here's yet another, miracle story. So we were teaching the Restoration to her and she was really accepting of it and said it all made sense, until we got to the Book of Mormon. She said she wasn't too sure if the Book of Mormon was "legit" because she had heard bad things about it. We did our best to testify of its truthfulness and Joseph Smith, but she wasn't buying it. So then it came time for us to go and she asked me if I'd give the closing prayer... so I did. During the prayer, I prayed that Heavenly Father would testify to her through the Spirit that the Book of Mormon was true. After the prayer, she looked up at us for a second and then said, "You know what? I just got a confirmation from the Spirit that the Book of Mormon is legit." OH MY YES! I don't know what else to say about that experience other than that this church is sooooo true! The Spirit really is the teacher when it comes to missionary work!

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK:

Write down your blessings! You know that hymn "Count your many blessings"? Do it! I did that Friday night and it humbled me greatly! I literally sat down and named off a bunch of blessings the Lord has given me, big and small. Then I wrote them down as I named them off one by one and like the song says, "and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." It's so true! So throughout this week, I want you to count your many blessings and write them down! I promise that you will receive a lot of happiness and comfort as you do so!

FUNNY MOMENT:

So on Thursday night, a member of our ward decided to make dinner for us and bring it to our apartment. She's a really sweet old lady. Like honestly, she is the sweetest lady you'll ever meet! So as we were helping her get the pots and containers full of food out of her car, she said to us, "I'm so happy to do this for you guys! You mean a lot to me! But know this. If I don't get these pots and containers back by next week... I will find you... and I will kill you." Yes ma'am! Holy cow! Never in my life have I ever felt so threatened by a sweet, innocent, 83 year-old woman. So, out of fear, we returned the pots and containers the next day. Haha!

Thank you all so much for your love and support and your prayers for us and the people we teach! You are all amazing! Love you guys! Have a great week!

Matthew 16: 28-29
1 Nephi 16: 28-29

- Elder Hanson

Week 9 - October 5, 2016 - Gallipolis, Ohio

Wow! What a week! Okay, so first off let me just start off by saying sorry for not emailing on Monday! We had transfers this week and whenever we have a transfer week, our Pdays are on Wednesday! So my bad for not letting you guys know ahead of time lolllz! My Companion and I will be staying in Gallipolis, Ohio. But WOW! This week was great! I mean it had its ups and downs but so does every week haha! And can we talk about the fact that General Conference is freaking bae? Like I fetching love General Conference! Okay so I'll talk about what happened this week now lol.

Again, General Conference is the best!! The messages that were shared, I know for a fact, came straight from God! I know now more than ever that Thomas S. Monson is the living prophet on the earth today! And that his 12 Apostles are apostles of the Lord! I felt the Spirit so strong during all of it and I now have a greater love and appreciation for General Conference! One of my favorite talks was Elder D. Todd Christofferson's because he talked about how Christ's love can help us reach our full potential. He said, "As we choose to accept, instead of resist, the help of our Redeemer, he can help us and lift us up to the full potential that we have." Each of us has a specific purpose in this life. If we put our faith in Jesus Christ's unconditional love and His Infinite Atonement, he will help us find our specific purpose! I know that to be true! Ah man! I love conference!

Okay so I got some good news/bad news about D---. The bad news is we had to push her baptismal date to November 12th instead of October 29th. She had a family emergency and had to spend the $50 she had raised so far for her marriage license. Sooo they need more time to raise the $60. But the good news is that she is COMMITTED to November 12th! She said, "I WILL be baptized on that date!  Oh my goodness! She has a lot of faith! But guys, the adversary is literally doing everything in his power to make sure she doesn't get baptized. Please please please pray for her! She's so ready for baptism it's not even funny!

So this week we had dinner with a less active members as we do once a month.  After dinner we had a lesson with them about General Conference and let me tell you. The Spirit completely took control of that lesson because we talked about General Conference for a few minutes. Then literally the rest of the time we talked about missionary work and then they expressed their gratitude for us and what we do as missionaries. The Husband even said, "The reason I invite you guys over and give you my absolute best is because I treat it like Jesus Christ Himself is coming over to eat with us." Wow. I had never been so humbled in my entire life! The Spirit was so strong during that lesson and his wife even set up an appointment with us to come back and talk to her which she hasn't done with any other set of missionaries before! So WAHOO! So hyped!

Not much else is new with the rest of our investigators like B---, D---, The M--- Family, etc. Other than the fact that they are all progressing towards baptism! We are going to try and get them on date this week because we believe that they're ready! I'll let you know next week how things go :)

CHALLENGE OF THE WEEK: WHITE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

Okay so for those of you who don't know, my Mission President has asked all the missionaries of this mission to read 8.5 pages out of the Book of Mormon a day starting from the very beginning (the title page)! He testified to us that if we did this, it would unite us all as a mission and that we would gain a stronger love and testimony of the Book of Mormon. So I challenge all of you to do the same! Take some time to read 8.5 pages a day from the Book of Mormon starting TODAY! If we do this continually until the very end of the Book of Mormon, we will finish it in 2.5 months! Just in time for a WHITE Christmas! I promise that as you do this, we will, not only be united as followers of Christ, but we will grow closer with the Lord as well!

FUNNY MOMENT:

Okay so remember last week when I told you about how I naired my right leg? Lol. Well you bet your apple-bottom jeans I naired my other leg while on exchanges!  I just couldn't handle it. But I had some trouble this time doing so. So here's what happened- I put it on my leg and the bottle of nair (little did I know) said not to keep it on longer than 10 minutes. So, naturally, I left it on for 20 minutes!! Why didn't anyone tell me that Nair BURNS? Like what the actual? Now my left leg is a little red at the moment but it's silky smooth. Hopefully it heals! Looollz! 

Anyway, truly thank you all for your amazing love and support! Remember that God loves all of you so much and so do I :) hope you all have an amazing week! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true!

Mosiah 24: 14

- Elder Hanson

Noah in Point Pleasant on a Split

District Meeting is so fun!

Noah and the Mothman!

Hot Day on the Ohio River