Happy Memorial Day - 05/29/12

He is already learning so much ... and his mission is just beginning.

Happy day after Memorial Day! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. Elder G and I are just peachy. Our lessons seem to come and go in spurts. One day we had six lessons scheduled in one day, and four of them canceled on us. But the lessons we did teach were pretty spectacular! My family of four (the Nielson family) is still on date for June 10th. They came to church and the ward just loved them! I knew they would. It seems like they are going to keep their commitments and keep progressing just as wonderfully as anyone could ever ask of them. It hasn't been entirely easy, for sure. The daughter's grandfather, who they live with, is against them joining the church. The mom gave up tobacco but still smokes an electronic cigarette occasionally. They don't have churchy clothing, so they felt a bit underdressed at church. They almost ran out of gas on the way to church. But they came, and they sent us a text message thanking us for teaching them and helping them get there. We just wanted to cry.

Oh, and I don't know anything for sure, but it seems like our friend (S) on parole is finally getting her letter to the First Presidency written. Our mission president called us yesterday about getting her to write down her testimony to include in the letter. Elder G and I were so excited! We just bought her a study journal on Monday, now we have some excellent news to deliver with it.

 

It's amazing to me how the things that I study in Preach My Gospel are immediately applicable to the work at hand. I had questions about finding and using our planning resources, so I looked in Preach My Gospel. The very next week, our training program had us review those same chapters. I started feeling that we needed to work more closely with the ward members. That same week, our training program had us read about working with the ward. Then we attended my first Ward Council, and I think the gears in my head are starting to mesh as I see the big picture.

Bishop L gave a beautiful testimony of our determination to be good missionaries at Ward Council and encouraged everybody present to try harder to focus on helping the missionaries. This is especially odd because this bishop is not very emotional at all, but we had him in tears as he talked about how hard-working we are. I guess that all the tracting we did, including the time he pulled over and talked to us, paid off. Oh, and our Primary President prayed for us and our families at the end of Ward Council. You have been blessed.

I'm starting to understand how kindness is its own reward. Matthew 25:40 helps us put our service in perspective of the Savior. D&C 4 talks about how serving others brings about our own salvation. We are taught from childhood that helping other people brings us happiness and lays up in store treasures in heaven, so we are personally rewarded eternally for helping others on this earth. I see that, but I also see something more.

I told Elder G that being a missionary is the coolest thing, because I get to spend two years making friends. For me, I'm not looking forward to a pat on the back or a bigger inheritance in the kingdom of God. I'm looking forward to meeting these people in the spirit world and being their friend. There are a lot of people that we talk to that I won't baptize. Some of them, I'll probably only see once. But because I have tried my hardest to serve them, I have come to love them, and I hope to take that love with me to the spirit world and beyond. Hearing their story and feeling that connection is more than enough of a reward for me.

Our dinner appointment for Memorial Day forgot they signed up, so they left us money instead. Our first pick of restaurants didn't work out, so we ended up trying a pizza place that we'd never been to before. On the way there, we saw a girl with a sign that said "Homeless and Hungry". I asked Elder G if we could share our pizza with her. So we ended up having a picnic by the side of the road with a homeless person. Her story struck me so deeply, that I could not get her out of my mind that night. I know that we can't baptize a person without a permanent address. Teaching her probably wouldn't yield any measurable key indicators of missionary success. But I felt like we did what Jesus would have done that night. Maybe someday our paths will cross again. But if not, I am looking forward to seeing her again, spirit to spirit.

Perhaps as a result of my two-hour nap that day, I couldn't fall asleep that night, so I got out of bed at 11:20 and started praying for her. I didn't get back in bed until after midnight. My mind poured over all the friends I haven't heard from in years. I want so badly to just bring everybody to a greater knowledge of the truth. Maybe I'll get that opportunity, maybe I won't. But I prayed for the blessings of heaven to be given to them. If nothing else, I feel more at peace now. And the things I learned from the Lord will remain with me forever.

Good luck guys, and God bless.

Rejoice Evermore - 05/21/12

Things are continually going well for for Elder Tyler.

Another week in paradise! If paradise is the inside of a microwave. The "inland empire", as the Californians call it, is hot and dry. But despite my sweaty shirts, I seem to be doing all right.

I have a new favorite scripture! I know I'm not supposed to assign all of you guys homework like my investigators, but everyone should memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

 

Don't feel like tracting? Get over it. Rejoice evermore!

 

Nobody answers your calls? You're doing your job, and God will bless you for it. Rejoice evermore!

 

Investigators won't keep commitments? Love them anyways. Rejoice evermore!

 

Salt Lake sends you a media referral to an address that doesn't exist? Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff. Keep on working. Rejoice evermore!

 

Didn't teach a single lesson today? Don't worry, be happy (they read that song to me at the MTC). Rejoice evermore!

I encountered some reminders of my past life this week. I tracted into a potential investigator that reminds me of an old friend from home. Sadly, I don't think she's going to let us into her house to teach her, based on how our phone conversation went last night. But I'm looking forward to trying my hardest to share the gospel with her, and I know that we'll be friends in either this life or the next. Sometimes, you can just tell these things, and that's how it felt.

At 5:58 on May 15, I walked into our dinner appointment and was reminded that a computer game I've been looking forward to has now been unleashed on the world (Diablo 3). The wife of the house had her PC hooked up to the TV, and the husband and another young married couple had set up on a card table in the living room and had been playing it since they got home from work. While it was fun to ask them how it was going, it was comforting to me that I wasn't really that jealous. I'm having so much fun serving my mission, and there is absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be. I'm serving a much higher calling now, and I'm glad that I can push everything else aside and focus on being a better missionary. I'm constantly asking my trainer for help and looking into Preach My Gospel and the scriptures for answers on how I can be more effective. In fact, I'm eager to get good enough at my calling that I can start training missionaries myself.

 

This week also reminded me of a few of my weaknesses. I hate feeling like I'm wasting time that could be spent proselyting. One night, we got back to the apartment at 8:30, and I had received 4 letters in the mail that day. I really wanted to open those letters. But I told my trainer that we needed to hurry up and get back on the street. I couldn't turn in early knowing that I could have contacted more people that day. But that's only one instance where I was strong. I can think of a few where I didn't jump up and head out to do more work, or where I let someone walk by me without me offering a proper testimony. I can surely do better at that. I was actually a bit peeved that I had to set aside almost an entire day's worth of proselyting for a multi-zone conference, but the training and teaching that went on made up for it. I'm learning to have faith in the meetings that we're supposed to attend.

I also had my first experience with exchanges. There are only 4 elders in my district. One of them is widely regarded as the strangest and most annoying elder in our zone. I got to spend all day Saturday with him, living in a converted barn, and riding on a borrowed bike. I prayed so hard that I would be patient with this elder. As it turns out, he and I got along quite well. It's just that I haven't been on a bike since I was 11, and 14 miles on bike was rough. Every time he'd take me up another hill, I'd be praying that I wouldn't die on the way down. It was hard. I could hardly walk by the time the day was halfway done, and he still took me out again in the evening. I need to get stronger. But I'm very glad that this Elder and I learned to love and understand each other.

My time is running out. Next week is Memorial Day, so I'll be e-mailing a day late. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Hello Family!

It was great to see and talk to Tyler yesterday. To see him wearing a headset, as he so often did on his computer at home, was a nice flashback. He is so happy - truly filled with Joy. But it was one of the few glimpses we have seen of the 'old' Tyler. He has already changed so much in the short time he has been gone. And it's good, very good :)
Here is what he wrote this week:

Skyping for Mother's Day yesterday was tons of fun. Next time we should try and coordinate a way to get me and Brett on together for at least part of the time. I'm glad that Jake and Matt were excited to hear from me, and that they followed the rules about standing in front of Mom and talking in turn. I'm also pleased that you guys saw how excited I am to be here. It's definitely a pleasure to serve the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. I haven't had this much drive and purpose in my life in a long time, probably ever.

I had a phenomenal experience last week in the Library. One of our investigators is living out a halfway home right now, so we meet him at the Library to teach him the gospel. He's super committed to reading the Book of Mormon, and wouldn't leave us until we had assigned him seven chapters to read. The halfway home is a private number, and we're not allowed to call him there, but he calls us every single time he says he will, and he's always kept his commitments. I don't know when we'll be able to baptize him though, because he's still on parole.

Anyway, we just got done teaching him about the doctrine of Christ, when my companion and I stopped to get a drink of water by the door to the library. A young girl asked us if we were missionaries, and wanted to give us her address and phone number. Turns out that she and her mother had taken the missionary discussions in Ontario, CA two years ago, and were ready to be baptized when they moved around and lost contact with the church. The very next day, we met with this girl, her mother, and her twin 8-year-old sisters, and they all wanted to be taught and start coming to church, ASAP. Elder G. and I praised the Lord for this blessing as we ran out to the car to grab a few Books of Mormon for the twins, and decided to ask them if they wanted to get baptized on June 10. Turns out that is the mom's birthday! And all four of them want to be baptized then. What a gift from God! So excited!

I've got a few choices ahead of me that perhaps you guys can help with. Anyone who's known me for any length of time knows I like to bake. I'm tempted to buy a bunch of flour and sugar and butter and start baking cookies for my investigators and companions. But that money may be better spent on staples like peanut butter and spaghetti and milk. (Look at me trying to be all responsible! Next month I'm buying nothing but ramen and root beer, haha.) [Editor's Note: Money will be deposited this week for baking supplies - no need to send flour, sugar, or butter]

If anyone can hunt down a granola recipe, I think Brother and Sister Smith made some delicious homemade granola. My friend Megan Somes may have posted one on her food blog, too. I think it's called Recipes From the Pickle Boat or something like that. I just remember really liking it, and I hope it's more economical than buying cereal.

I've also inherited a decent amount of canned goods that have been donated to the Elders and nobody wants to eat. If anyone knows a palatable way to eat canned salmon, I have nine cans of it. There was also Jello, popcorn, and three muffin mixes in this pile of unwanted food, which surprised me. But then I found that this apartment doesn't have anything to bake on, so I bought a muffin tin at the dollar store so I can actually make use of the muffin mixes.

Jared made the comment that I'm probably tired of people giving me advice. The opposite is actually true. I'm open to any and all suggestions for being a better missionary. I would like it if you could label the source of this information, though, as either something you did on your mission, something you heard from an uncle's best friend, or something that was taught to you at the MTC or from the mouth of an apostle.

Finally, a scripture for you all to enjoy:

"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Mom and Dad, thanks for putting aside your lives that I may enjoy mine, and for supporting me until I finally got my chance to serve this mission.

Love you guys tons!

Elder Hansen

First P-day in California

When missionaries leave the Missionary Training Center (MTC) they get to call home from the airport, so even though we didn't get any more emails from Tyler between April 26th and today, we did get to talk to him on the phone on Tuesday. It was fun to hear the excitement his voice.

It's funny to hear him refer to the other missionaries as 'kids' but I assume they consider him an old geezer, since he's 5 years older than most of them.

Here is the email we got from him today (names shortened to initials):

There's so much I want to say and so little time! I have seen so many miracles in my short time here in the field. And the days are just packed. We haven't been able to meet our weekly goals, but we go to bed exhausted every single night, so I don't feel too bad.

Getting to California was eventful. I didn't pack during the day on Monday, because I felt like I should attend all my classes and take my studies seriously. I had from dinner onward to do laundry and pack. Well, after I finished laundry, everybody wanted to say goodbye to me. My room was full of kids from the younger district until 11pm while I tried to pack. Then, we slept from 11:30 until 1:30, at which point the Elders leaving for Canada woke up to get ready. Elder P [Tyler's companion] and I carried their luggage downstairs, and then had to wait around until our appointment at 5am. We didn't want to risk sleeping in, so we stayed awake by talking to the security guards at the front desk. One of them served their mission with Jared, which was kinda cool. My stomach was still in knots as I tried to brace for the life-changing events ahead of me.

Around 5am, we got on the bus and went to the SLC airport. Then we had another couple hours to burn while we waited for our flight. After less than two hours in the air, which I spent sleeping like a brick, we were in Riverside with the President, the APs, and the Office Assistants. Ginger Ale tastes way better at 20,000 feet, by the way. In any case, the knot in my stomach from the night before hadn't gone away just yet. In fact, it got worse through orientation at the mission office, and the testimony meeting at the mission home.  I met my trainer, a splendid young man named Elder G who will be leaving for Ogden Utah after my twelve weeks of training. Luckily for us, I got a car area, and we were issued a brand-new car that very night. But despite a priesthood blessing from President Smart and Elder G, and some medical advice from the mission nurse, I still felt horrible. As we were dropping off some Elders on our way to the apartment, I opened up the door to the brand-new Ford Fusion and puked all over the street four times. But I didn't get any on my new suit or the new car!

Since then, things have been wonderful. I'm serving in the Jurupa 1st ward (everybody pronounces it Jarupa for some reason), and the members feed us quite well. My very first dinner appointment dyed the food green since I'm a greenie, and one of our part-member families that we're teaching bought me a green care basket full of green stuff. The stake president is a David Hansen. My zone leader, Elder Larimer, knew an Erik Hansen who wore a lot of Nike from Oregon. An elder from my MTC zone is the nephew of a family in my ward. There's lots of little connections already. The six degrees of separation usually connect in 3 or 4 degrees for LDS folks.

I'm still amazed at all the teaching I've done! I don't feel like a very good teacher yet but I'm getting better, and my trainer is all kinds of complimentary. We've stumbled into some very lucky circumstances with several of our investigators and I can't help but see God's hand in it. Hopefully you guys can see it too!

Love you tons, guys! I'm looking forward to a mission full of miracles and hard work!

Elder Hansen

The Thursday Message (April 26th from the MTC)

Due to a little miscommunication between Tyler's mother and father (about who was supposed to be updating this blog) we didn't post his other emails from the Missionary Training Center. He sent us a short note on Sunday night, April 22nd, to inform us that he wouldn't be writing on Monday - his district was moved to a new building and got a different preparation day (the day they get to write home) so he wrote to inform us that we would have to wait until the following Thursday (April 26th) to hear from him. Here is what he wrote:

Well, I'm kind of wondering if this will be the only Thursday e-mail I will send. By next Thursday, I'll be in California. May 1 is my departure date, and I think I board the plane at 8ish. I left the itinerary at the residence.

I'm very grateful for the DearElder letters that I've received from my family! I've also gotten some handwritten notes from friends at home. In one day, I got a letter from [a non-member friend] asking lots of good questions about the church and missionary work, [a less-active friend] praising me for my righteous desire to serve a mission and offering all kinds of encouragement, and [an institute buddy] saying that her bishop told her to pray about getting endowed. How great is that!  [Another friend from home] sent a care package through DearElder the next day, too. I'm pretty darn spoiled.

Jared sent me a bunch of engagement pictures, which are all very nice. You should print me one so I can remember that I'm about to have a sister-in-law. Tell Allison that she gets the highest of honors, being my very first sister on this earth. Mom has been waiting for this for a quarter of a century. Have fun in Hawaii, you two little lovebirds. And send me those Questions of the Soul, if you get a chance.

How has the institute attendance been since my departure? I hope daddy hasn't gotten too sad and sickly to enjoy his lovely institute class. Today I did some initiatory proxies at the temple, and the blessings there are really inspiring! Maybe Dad just needs some more marrow in his bones.

Congrats on planting another garden, Mommy. Hopefully you won't kill off all your vegetables this year. It seems that teaching is going quite well, too. Jared didn't get the job at the MTC, but maybe Tanner will get a job scooping ice cream. Then he'll get huge biceps like his brother... well actually unlike any of his brothers so far.

Last Sunday, M. Russell Ballard told me that there would never be a more important time in my life than my full-time mission. This Tuesday, Russell M. Nelson told me that I'm in the strong minority. Don't be discouraged because I'm outnumbered, because I'm on the winning team. He laid out some basic doctrine in very easy-to-understand bites. But he also left me a blessing, that I would be able to feast upon the doctrine of deity, that I would teach with power and conviction, that I would have health and strength, that I would have knowledge that the apostles love me, and that my family would draw closer to the Lord because of my service.

I have made several great friends in my district, in my zone, and in my teachers since I've arrived here. I've seen miracles nearly every day. I get down on myself, I learn new things, I am pricked in the heart, and I am uplifted all the time here at the MTC. Despite my companion being a huge whiner, I love him tons and I'm enjoying my MTC time.

A scripture for you to enjoy: Ezekiel 36:26.

The Missionary Director said something similar to this: If Christ bled at every pore, it ought not surprise us that a price will be exacted when we serve as saviors on Mt. Zion. At the end of the day, He wants you to be absolutely exhausted... Have the courage to stand up and be counted as one of the elite soldiers of Christ!

As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free!

Love you tons, guys. See you on the other side!

Make sure Grandma Hansen knows how much I love her! I love you grandma dearest!