February 14th, 2016: Training Elder Woodland

So I finally got to meet my trainee! His name is Elder Woodland from Spring Creek, Nevada. He's 19 and played soccer just like me. At President Zarbock’s house when we were waiting to see who our trainees, one by one every person got called until I was the last trainer standing down stairs. So when this 6'-3" big old kid stood up I thought, "Well crap”, Elder Woodland is a super cool guy, we both play soccer and have similar interests. It's amazing to see how in just 4 months on Pohnpei how my language has progressed. Also another thing I just realized is that after this transfer I will be at my 6 month mark. It's crazy to see how much I have changed and matured in such a short amount of time. Seeing Elder Woodland come into the mission and him being a fresh missionary it makes me wonder how much of a "greeny" I was when I came in. I have learned not just the language or how to teach about the Gospel but I have learned basic life skills. I can now start a conversation with anyone and talk about anything. I can register a car, get my driver’s license, buy groceries, negotiate rent, and so many things that I thought would come after I'm married or at least college. All these things and I'm doing them in a different language and on the other side of the world. It's crazy to think just how far away I am from home yet sometimes I feel so close. I can't wait to see you all after two years and see the before and after of all the changes that have happened. It’s weird to train Elder Woodland who doesn't know any language, and just barely learned the pamphlets and the lessons. It has really given me an idea of what parenthood will be like. Having someone come into the world who knows very little about the world they just came into, teaching them how to talk and behave and then teach them to be fearless and go out on their own. It really is like parenthood accelerated by 50x. Granted there is a vast gap between training a 19 year old man and a new born baby but it is giving me a taste of parenthood. It is crazy how fast my mission is going and how fast I am already training. At this point I could train 2 or even 3 missionaries by the time I finish. Whatever happens one thing that my testimony has grown the most in is that there is power in prayer. The more I pray the better the day. When prayer is my first answer to every question it really does make everything fall into place. I know it might seem like common sense but saying it and actually doing it are two different things. Just the other day we did the math of how many prayers we say in an average day and we realized that we say between 25-30 prayers every day. Times that by 730 which is 2 years and you have upwards of 18,250 prayers that I will say on my mission. I never realized what a gift prayer really is and how much it truly does help. I know that sometimes we take prayer as something we do just to say we did it and to check it off our list of things to do. I know that when we honestly pray to our Heavenly Father every morning and every night it won't seem like He's all the way in Heaven, but that He is right there beside us putting His arm around us. I know that God loves us and as we see the world through our Spiritual Eyes and not through our corrupt Earthly, Human eyes, we will start to see the beauty and the gifts we have that we all too often overlook. I love you all and I can't wait to return with honor and say that I did my best. But enough talk, I've got to get to work!  See ya in two! 
-Elder Hanson

February 7th, 2016: Training in Guam

So it's official, I'm training! Right now I'm in Guam getting trained on how to train. My new companion will be here on Wednesday. We will go back to Pohnpei on Friday and we will start working hard in Kitti! As of right now I don't know what his name is but I will find here soon. I'm super busy running around Guam doing all these things. Last night we got to Guam at about 4 in the morning, slept until 6:30, a whole 2 hours, and then work up and started working. At the Assistants house there are about 40 Elders sleeping in one house and it is packed. Now there are tons of people emailing and super loud so I will be fast this week but I'll write a lot next week. Thank you all so much for everything that you have done. I'm so grateful for all the prayers that you all do every day for me. Know that I am praying for all of you every morning and every night. I know as I now train that I will need to pray more than ever.  I love you all and I will give you all a better update and better email next week. Know that I love you all! 

-Elder Hanson

January 31, 2016: Settling In

Last week after E-mail my companion and I and a couple other companionships went down to this really, really expensive and really nice part of Kolonia down by the docks. We asked the owner of a nice bar/restaurant if we could go and sit and eat our cheap local food that we had. They said we could and that we could come back every week- so we will. It is seriously one of the coolest places I've been to because there are like 10 ships wrecks and the water is just calm and wavy. There are sharks and fish everywhere and it is awesome. After going there is really made me realize how much Pohnpei has become my Home and that now it doesn't seem like I'm on some crazy island in the middle of the Ocean but it just feels like home. Seeing such an awesome place like that really helped me realize how lucky I am. I was thinking of home and things that I remember and it hit me that now Pohnpei seems like home. Utah seems like some far away distant place and it's weird to see how fast you can adapt and fall in love with a place. All of the green that is everywhere I really have appreciated it all and how green it really was. All of the little cool huts and all the cool people really helped me realize how amazing Pohnpei really is. I don't have much time this week but I've been trying to give a challenge each week and I would like you all to take ten minutes from the hectic and busy American day and just take a walk around your house or look at the little things, the things that you would miss if they were gone. Look at the carpet in your house and imagine if it was dirt, look at your flat screen and imagine that it's your laundry hanging on a clothes line. Look at your concrete side walks and think of a dirt trail. All of these things and many more I took so much for granted and never gave them a second thought. Now that I don't have any of them I have really come to realize how great all the luxurious things we have that to us are just common place to most people. I love you all and the people are what I have come to appreciate the most. My parents, my family, and my friends are really who I am come t appreciate the most. To all the people I have every laughed with or met I love you! I miss you and I know that even though I love you all there is something that I want to do more and that is my mission. I love you all and can't wait to see you all in two years!

Elder Hanson

January 24th, 2016: I'm Teaching an Apostle

 Now that you all are hooked and wanting to read my email I really am teaching an Apostle, but he may or may not be of a different religion. In the Protestant church they have Apostles and they are the equivalent of a Bishop in the LDS church. He is a Wohnpoaron in the Pros and we actually didn't know that until our 3rd lesson with him. He was really interested and asked lots of questions and really liked what we teach. He is one of the nicest people here and every time we go he gives us sugar cane, which is delicious or ohch which is bananas. It's so amazing to see how people are prepared by God. I can see that he is a spiritual man and that his relationship with God is strong and true. As we have been teaching him he says that although he never knew about some of the stuff we teach it all feels right. He and his wife are one of the coolest and strongest couples that I've seen. They always build off of each other and they truly love each other. The other day we asked him to be baptized, and after thinking for a couple minutes of spiritual silence, he turned to his wife. I can only imagine the thoughts that were going through their minds as they tried to see if the other person felt the way the other felt. At the time the wife hadn't received a testimony of what we taught and still treated us a little like the "enemy". Every time we go to teach them I can see her mortal person will start to give way to the spirit of truth that is exploding inside her. When Rodger looked back at us he said, "Right now I can't give you a for sure answer, there are lots of things that I have to do to make sure that this is right and what God wants me to do." Even though it wasn't a yes it felt like was. If you think about the situation and our relationship it really is amazing. Two 18-20 year old kids go to this 65+ year old that's the equivalent of a Bishop of another religion, saying that there’s more to what you believe and what you know,  here let us teach you. His whole life revolves around his calling in the Protestant church and to even think about baptism is life changing for him. I can tell that he has felt the spirit and continues to feel it as we go and teach him. I know that there are lots of things that have to happen before he gets baptized but I know without a doubt that eventually he will be baptized. He truly is a servant of God and did what he thought was best, now that he has felt that this is what God wants him to do, I know he will follow. It is amazing to think that the spirit works on everyone, even celebrities, presidents, kings, everyone! All it takes is to feel the spirit at the right time and to be humble enough to change. I will always remember the Tom family and for their love and acceptance, even though I was not in the area when they were baptized I know that they will be happy and I will be happy for them. Baptism is the first fruit of repentance and it truly is a fruit. It leaves us clean and pure and on top of that it gives us the opportunity to have with us the gift of the Holy Ghost when we live worthy of it. What a great gift that is that I think I took for granted for so long. I know that for at least myself, the sacrament has taken on a whole new meaning. I see it clearer now and see it as the miracle and the promise that we renew each week. It truly is amazing and I am eternally grateful for the opportunity I have to renew my covenants each week. I hope you all will do the same.  
-Elder Hanson

January 17th, 2016: A Positive Attitude Brings Positive Blessings!

This week was a rough week for us. Monday and Tuesday we had an exchange with the District leader and an Elder from my intake (the group I came to Micronesia with). They haven't been getting along the best so we tried helping them through their disagreements. Then on Wednesday Elder Hurst and I were really sick which really sucks. On a mission you really don't have anything to entertain you while you are sick. You just try to sleep the most you can and eat and drink. There is no Netflix on a mission and no TV for you to watch and entertain you. Because we were both really sick we just decided to stay in on Wednesday. We tried going out but quickly came back in. On Thursday we were still recovering but had a solid day. Things had been dragging us down lately and on Friday and Saturday we had a really rough day. Saturday finished off awesome because I got to see two of my investigators from Mesihsou get baptized, Melsor and Senna got baptized and I got to see both of them because I was giving a talk about the Holy Ghost after. It was really, really cool to see them glowing after and so happy. I asked Senna what she felt like after her baptism and she said four words that hit me like a ton of bricks. She said "I feel like Heaven" She speaks kinda broken English so when she said that it was amazing. She pointed up and said I feel like God knows me and is happy with me. It was seriously one of the coolest things ever. Sunday morning we were back to being sad which I really didn't like. I decided that we were going to have faith that God would work miracles in our lives and in our area and that I was going to do everything I could and have a positive attitude. By the end of the night we had 5 people on baptismal date.  One of them asked us straight up to be baptized. It was a huge testimony builder that when we push forward with a positive attitude and faith, God WILL bless us. I am so grateful that Kitti is on fire right now. When we came here it was really dead and nothing was happening. Within 3 weeks we have gotten over 26 investigators and now have 5 solid baptisms that will happen around the end of the transfer. I am so grateful for all the blessing that God blesses us with as we work hard. I know that God will only bless us if we work hard. We have definitely been working hard lately and have seen the blessings. This Church is so true. It's not just the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints but it's the way back to God. The way that God has organized for us to return. He has given us His authority to work with His power on Earth so that we can have His blessings in Heaven. When you think of how hard this world is and then think of what we get in return, we get way more than what we worked for. Eternity is not something that starts after we die. Now is part of Eternity. Our Eternal Life started when we chose to come to Earth and chose Christ. Every single one of us will inherit Eternal Life because of that very important decision. I know that we all made the right choice, and because of it God will bless us infinitely. God is our Father. Not just some imaginary person that we talk about. He is someone that we can talk to, and He talks back. He talks through our feelings and through miracles in our lives. It's only when our eyes are open to the miracles that He works that our prayers are answered. In the couple of months that I've been here I have seen more miracles than I have in my whole life. Now they just seem like common place. I have really had my eyes opened to how often God works miracles in our lives. I can't believe I had been so blind in the past. Even just looking back at my life knowing God was always working miracles in my life. In fact I'm still alive because of one. I know God lives and that the Priesthood is truly the authority to work in the
name of God. That is something I know I took for granted before and I think a lot of people do. It is not just something to take for granted and throw it around. It is the power of God on Earth. I know because I've seen it and I've used it. God works miracles when we have Faith that they will happen. I know miracles happen, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Skyping for Christmas!

January 10th. 2016: Language Mastery

Language master!

Don't let the title fool you because I am in no respect a master of the beautiful language of Pohnpeian. I did however finally pass off all of the things to get my language mastery. I was really frustrated that I didn't get it by Christmas but I got it faster than most.

  This week was crazy and we had a lot of crazy cool spiritual lessons and experiences. The first spiritual lesson was with one of our investigators named Rosanne. Her daughter Roxanne is a member and she is really interested in the church and likes what we teach. We tried putting her on baptismal date the last lesson but she said she would have to think about it and pray. This lesson we did something we weren't planning on doing but it was totally spirit driven. We decided to just do a akis en kepese which means just getting to know them. Elder Hurst started and did an intro and a little story about why he went on a mission. Then I did the same and told about how when I was 3, I fell out the window and my dad gave me a blessing and I was healed. I know you've all probably heard that story at one point or another so I will move on. After I finished Rosanne talked about how her son had to go and have surgery and had to go all the way to the Philippines to get it. Then she mentioned how she could only see her son for 3 minutes before and after the surgery. She talked about how it was the most heart-breaking thing for her and how she wishes she could've spent more time. I related how that’s the same with God. How our prayers are usually only a couple of minutes and then we say Amen and we are done. I talked about how God is, He wants to talk to us and help us and make sure we are OK all the time and sometimes we don't give him the time that we need and the time He wants. Then we did an analogy that I really like which was that baptism is like a surgery, like the one her son had. Where her son even though he didn't know that he needed the surgery, the doctor knew and if the doctor did the surgery the child would be helped immensely and he would save his life. We talked about how God is the surgeon in our lives. That how, through His tool, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, He can work a miracle in our lives and take away all the bad in our lives and leave us with only the good. Then on top of that He gives us help or medicine like the Holy Ghost. That if we live worthy or take the medicine it will help us in our lives. The whole lesson was super spiritual and we could all really feel the spirit. After the lesson Elder Hurst talked about how that was one of the most spiritual lessons he's had on his mission and it was literally a perfect lesson, not because we did what preach my gospel says or what any book says but we followed the spirit and really listened to our investigator. 

Another one really led to my life being saved. All day we had been receiving a certain referral and we just kept saying we will see him after our appointments that day. We were walking back from one referral to our car to go to another appointment when we got a text from one of the sisters in our zone. She asked if we would go see that very same referral because she felt like we needed to go see him. We decided to pray to see if we needed to go to the referral or go to our appointment. We got the impression that we needed to go to the referral which was up the hill from our house. So instead of driving down the hill to our next appointment we walked up the hill to the referral. About half way up the hill we heard a huge crash which scared us but we kept walking. Right after that a guy called us over and we started talking to him. It turns out that he used to get taught by missionaries and that he knew what they taught was true. Now that the missionaries had left he really wants to feel good again and feel like he felt then. He also told us that the referral we wanted to go see wasn't home so we walked back down to our house. On our
way out to our appointment we had to help move a huge tree that had fallen on the road. That loud crash from earlier was a huge tree falling. We didn't think much of it besides just a huge tree fell. Then as we were driving all the dots connected and we realized that if we had gone to our appointment we would have been right under that tree when it fell and we could've been dead right now. As soon as we realized what God had done for us we pulled over and thanked Him as much as we could. 
It was really a huge testimony builder to see how God had been preparing us all day to listen to the Spirit and how He was preparing to work a miracle in our lives. 
I'm so very grateful for the gift of the Spirit and what an indispensable gift it is. Without it, missionary work would simply cease to work, and mankind would be lost in this dark world. I would urge you all to kneel down and thank God for the Gift of the Holy Ghost, something I have taken for granted and I think we all have at some point. It truly is our Heavenly Father looking out for us during our time here on Earth. I know that God lives and helps us every day. I've really noticed the little miracles that happen every day in our lives and I know that I am on the right side. I love you all and hope all is well and that the Spirit will guide you through hard times. I love you so much but it's only a fraction of how much God loves you all. I know He lives and loves us. In the name of our Brother, Jesus Christ, Amen. 


-Elder Hanson