All the small things - 05/20/13

I have only been in a few areas on my mission, but I can tell a big difference in how I've adapted to my new surroundings compared to my other areas. I think maybe I'm still in the honeymoon stage with my companion, but I'm noticing a trend towards an attitude of gratitude and positive thinking. I've learned not to stress out about things, but to work diligently with goals in mind. I'm not the best missionary I could be, and I am trying to improve, but I'm not so darn worried about perfection that it depresses or paralyzes me, either. That's a balance I'm very interested in maintaining. 

I appreciate the fact that there are so many flowers along the sidewalks here in Lasselle. One of my absolute favorite things in the world is to catch a sniff of honeysuckle or jasmine during the summertime, and I have plenty of opportunities to do exactly that, because they have those two plants all over the place around here. I don't exactly have time to stop and smell the flowers, but they are planted everywhere that we bike, so they are often upwind of me so I can catch a whiff as I bike by.

 

I loved going to the Redlands temple this week.   We had to scramble to find a ride, but we got there and I found joy in serving the Lord at his temple. I also met a friend of my grandmother's there. He (Don Taylor) just happened to be working the temple the day that we went, and I saw him in the dressing room and asked him if he knew any Hansens. My grandma knows everybody, I'm convinced. But he wished me luck, and as I was leaving, he handed me a note that his wife wrote while I was in the session. It's in the mail on the way to my grandmother right now. 

I also had the opportunity to find a new investigator at a bus stop this week. He is an alcoholic and is struggling a lot with just living a regular college life, but I think we can teach him the things that will soothe his soul and bring him into the fold of God. He didn't come to church, but he has been calling us about his drinking, so that's something. 

I'm convinced that my bicycle is possessed by a devil, or that it was assembled by somebody who made a deal with Satan himself. Between me and my companion, we spent several hours this week dealing with our bike problems. We were on our way to see that precious potential investigator that I just mentioned, when my companion's bike seat busted and the post rammed him in the privates. We walked back home, let him rest a bit, and spent the rest of the day trying to fix his bike. We ended up getting a loaner from the mission office.  The next day, while on our way to see that same dude, my front tire went entirely flat, and when I went to inflate it, the nozzle thing broke off the tube entirely. We ended up switching the front wheel off of my bike with one from my companion's busted bike, which was not ideal but it worked. So I need another tube, and probably a tune-up. I think first I need to perform an exorcism and cast the devil out of my bike. 

Our one investigator is progressing. The guy we picked up this week will probably progress, but he lives outside our boundaries, so we're going to hand him off after the first or second lesson. The two girls in the part-member family that I hoped to pick up, will probably meet with us this week, but their mom had a seizure this weekend that kind of messed up our plans to teach them. I'm trying to push things forward here, but we've had a lot of speedbumps. No worries though, I'm still pretty chill about things and pretty determined to make the most of this transfer. I feel like I wised up a lot about missionary work during my transfer in Murrieta. I'm also appreciating the things I learned during my young adult years when most of my peers were in college or on missions. I wish to echo what Boyd K Packer wrote: "I would agree I've learned some things I did not want to know. But age has brought those precious truths that make the spirit grow." 

Well I love you guys. Expect to hear from me at about this time every week, if not a little sooner. We make reservations for the library at 9:15 every Monday morning.   Love you all tons!

Posted by Keith Hansen at 6:16 AM No comments:

The Lasselle Ward - 05/13/13

What a wonderful week. I am so glad that things have gone so well here in Moreno Valley so far.

I like being with my new companion. I don't mind being on bike. The Lasselle ward is not that big, and it's almost completely flat. That makes a huge difference! Cole Canyon was literally 7 small neighborhoods and a grocery store, but there were hills all over the place, and I was absolutely miserable biking all over them. Biking up and down the Lasselle ward is nowhere near as bad. I'm going twice as far, but it's all flat. And I like that. I'd also like to think that living with the "S"- family for a transfer and hiking three days a week in the mornings helped my legs get into shape. 

We have one investigator in this ward, and from the lesson I've taught so far, it appears that her progress will be slow. I'm hoping to pick up two more investigators this week, from what I've seen so far. I'm also going to try to start courting the favor of the ward leadership so I can maybe get a little bit more ward support than what we're currently enjoying. I want a map of the ward to hang up on the wall, too. Any ideas on where I could get that worked out? 

Lasselle is a bit nicer area than where I served in Jurupa, but definitely not as rich as Murrieta. There are lots of African American people here. The roads run mostly in cardinal directions and meet at 90 degree angles, which is nice. My zone seems like a relatively good bunch of missionaries. My zone leader is a former companion from Murrieta, and my district includes a former companion from Jurupa. I'm excited to work with my district and help them reach their goals. Being a district leader isn't something I feel like I excelled at in Murrieta, but I think I'm going to do a pretty good job of it now. 

My appetite has multiplied exceedingly since I started biking. I eat way more now than I ever have in my mission before. My body needs those carbs! I'm also drinking a lot of protein shakes, since I inherited a bunch of that powdery junk from two different missionaries. I prefer my hot chocolate or chocolate milk, but hey, it's free, so I'll take it.

I'm okay with most things about missionary housing, like bunk beds and cramped storage and not having anywhere to put all my foodstuffs. But it's rather inconvenient that nobody has showerheads tall enough for me. I've started sitting down in the shower to wash my hair. It's just the most convenient way to get it done. At least we always have enough hot water. 

There are more ice cream trucks in southern California than anywhere else I've ever visited. And the ice cream trucks here in Moreno Valley have the coolest music. One of the ones I've seen plays Fur Elise. Another one plays the Tetris theme. And for some reason, biking around has brought back memories of the last time I rode bikes on a regular basis, which would be when we rode around with the neighborhood kids and played baseball. Also lots of Nintendo 64 games like Diddy Kong Racing. I remember biking home when the music from Diddy Kong Racing popped in my head. That was a blast from the past! I'm amazed at my mind's ability to recall music as it relates to memories like that. 

Well, I love you guys, and I'm so glad that I got to skype home yesterday! It was a lot of fun. Have a wonderful week!

Moving from Murrieta - 05/06/13

My time in Murrieta is over. Today I leave for Moreno Valley, to serve in the Lasselle Ward.  I will be on bike. I am not very excited about any of those things. Luckily for me, I know that things are going to be just fine as long as I have faith. I can do hard things through Christ.

 

My companion is also leaving. After only six weeks in Murrieta, he is being transferred to Menifee.  In any case, an excellent older missionary will be coming in and training a greenie in our two wards. I'm excited for them.

 

Late last night, I realized that I am very blessed to have the challenges that I do, and that I should focus on the victories I've had and not on the places where I felt I fell short. I was reminded of something Theodore Roosevelt said:

 

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

 

I can honestly say that I tried hard to make things work with my past companion, and despite our differences, I can rest assured that I put enough prayer and effort into my companionships that I grew and I will be a better person for it. The peace of a clear conscience is enough for me.

 

Sister "S" was baptized on Saturday, and that was a really cool thing. The number counted for the Zone Leaders, since she was baptized into the Singles Branch, but I don't much care. I just know that Elder "C" and I are the ones that taught her the most and he was very happy to hear that she finally made the choice to join the church.

 

Sister "W" is still waiting for an okay from her Dad, but I bet it's not super far off. There are several people between our two wards that are on track to be baptized by our two new Elders that will be coming in. I think it will be a great experience for them. They could potentially baptize five people all in the first transfer. Two other investigators will take a little more work, but I think they could make the plunge as well. Oh, and Sister "P" wants me to come back to Murrieta to baptize "D". That will be fun! I'm hoping they email me once they get a date worked out.

 

Well I love you guys tons! We'll see what biking around Moreno Valley is like. Happy Mother's Day!

I love your every color - 0/4/29/13

The world is a pretty beautiful place guys! Although I think I've figured out why California is the Golden State. It's because the shrubbery and foliage is typically in a state of brownish-gold color instead of green. I got to see some more of it on a hike this morning, which was a short one that we do pretty often. But this morning it was really foggy, so we couldn't see the sunrise or anything. But a few of the other Elders came with us, including one who we didn't think could make it to the top. But he did! And we were so proud of him. 

Elder "J" and I taught a whole ton of lessons this week. But we slept in a lot of mornings because he's been feeling sick. On Saturday, at a missionary farewell, one of the other guests there mentioned that he's an ER doctor. This wonderfully kind man diagnosed Elder "J" with a kidney infection, prescribed him some drugs, and gave him the medication for free. So now my companion is on antibiotics and anti-nausea medication. I hope he takes them all and gets better. He seems like the type to try and tough it out without the meds and then bring upon himself an even worse bacterial infection.

 

But yeah, we taught a lot of lessons on splits this week. I set it up so we could do splits Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and thus take advantage of our evenings even more. Evenings are by far our most productive hours, and so it makes sense that we try to use them to the fullest. Well, it worked this week, and it turns out that we had a pretty productive week even though my companion slept until noon and didn't feel like working at all this week.

 

I am still concerned for my companion, and I'm concerned about transfers this coming Monday. I've been here since the weekend after Thanksgiving, so my time is probably running short, but I really feel like I would leave a lot of loose ends if I left right now. But that feeling of dread is typically what one feels when a transfer is looming, I'm told. So I guess I will do my best to just keep my head up and keep moving forward. 

The ward members here are so special and dear to me. I love them a lot. I honestly think that Pres keeps me in one area for a long time because he knows how well I connect with people and that sometimes the people need an Elder like that. They know me and they know that they can trust me. And I like that feeling. I'm looking forward to doing the same thing in my next area. 

Fun times ahead! I got some awesome letters this week, one of which was from the Nielson girls that I baptized. They told me that my trainer was coming back to visit them! And last night, I got a phone call from this wonderful man, who will be meeting up with me later today, if all goes as planned. I can't wait to talk to my first companion about how I've grown as a missionary! I will probably spend a little bit of time complaining about how much more I appreciate him now that I've had the rest of my companions, but hey, I'm told that's typically how it goes. 

Keep on trusting in the Lord! His promises are sure. Jeffrey R. Holland said that the most broken commandment was "Be of good cheer." Well, I'm definitely working on that one, and I think I'm doing okay so far. Love you all tons! And be of good cheer. :D

What a wonderful world - 04/22/13

I wish I could share some pictures with you from how amazing my p-day has been so far. The guy we live with took us on a spectacular nine mile hike up in the Santa Rosa plateau, and it was beautiful. We saw a lot of flowers, really pretty poppy flowers especially, and some fauna as well. I will have to upload some pictures in the future and email them off. I felt really accomplished after finishing the 9 miles at a good pace and seeing a lot of pretty landscape, some of which reminded me of home because there were trees all around. I miss my trees. The spirit, the calm, and the peace that I get outdoors, exploring God's beautiful creation, is something that I hope to keep enjoying and appreciating for the rest of my mortal sojourn. I've decided now that my wife needs to enjoy being outdoors with me. I just love the woods and the mountains too much to give up hiking and camping completely. 

After the hike, we had a fun p-day activity at the stake center. It probably would have raised a few eyebrows from the members, but I saw no harm in it, and it was a ton of fun. We played soda pong, a Mormon-friendly adaptation of a popular drinking game. I drank probably 2 whole liters of soda, not very long after finishing that awesome hike. It was a bit nauseating, but a lot of fun. I'll enjoy telling stories about it, and it was fun seeing how close the games were, because I got pretty good at it, actually. But the sick feeling after drinking that much soda was not enjoyable, nor is it particularly healthy. So that probably won't be happening again anytime soon. But it was a fun one-time experience. The sister missionaries all played too, and it was a blast seeing them get into it! One of the Spanish elders, who hails from Mexico City, volunteered to be a referee, and commented on the games like a soccer announcer. It was hilarious! 

I went on exchanges twice this week. Once with one of the members of my district who I've been particularly concerned about. Another with one of the Zone Leaders, because both of our companions left the area to go to baptisms in past areas. The baptisms were at 3. They didn't get home until almost midnight. My zone leader wasn't very thrilled with that. But beside that point, I really enjoyed the exchanges. The guy in my district that I spent the whole day with actually helped me out a lot with the things I've struggled with, and we bonded a lot. I think our friendship is a hundred times stronger than it was before, and that we will be good friends from here on out. Oh, and while I'm singing this Elder's praises, he and his companion hit the Standard of Excellence this week, with 9 investigators at sacrament, 7 member-present investigator lessons, 7 days of 20 contacts, and 22 lessons in total. Hopefully that will help dispel the feelings in the zone that he's not a hard worker. 

We didn't teach as many investigators this week as I would have liked, but we got over 20 lessons because of all the active members we taught as backups. That's a good start, anyways. Our best effort is all that we can do. I felt very strongly in church that as long as I'm trying my hardest, I have nothing to be afraid of as a missionary. I've had my struggles, I have my concerns, but the sacrament felt so completely invigorating this week, that I couldn't help but feel optimistic about things. I know that I am doing my part, and it's up to the Lord to make up for what I haven't succeeded with just yet. I have a lot more faith in the Lord's strength to make up for my weakness. Odd how it often takes a trial for us to realize how strong we are! Ernest Hemingway said that "Nobody knows what's in him until he tries to pull it out." I'm glad that I've gotten this chance to know my Savior a little closer and understand myself a little bit deeper.