I cant believe in less than a week I will be flying across the world to a whole new place but I am so excited as well to have this opportunity.
Yesterday, we had in-field orientation all day and I realized how blessed I am to only be learning Tagalog (even though I will probably learn ilongo) in the field, but to see all the different languages like Thai. The Lord knows that I could not handle that and that Tagalog is the language for me.
Monday, Sister Blake and Sister Glick weren't feeling well and so Sister Edrington joined our companionship. It was so strange to be a trio and not just the two of us. Sister Edrington and her companions have been teaching this investigator named Leah, who is here and is being taught by multiple sets of missionaries. We got to help teach her with Sister Edrington Monday night. This was a super helpful but hard experience for me because we had been told that she has some things that she does not want to overcome about feeling worthy and I realized that as we taught her, she really doesn't feel worthy. She told us over and over again that we don't need to do anything to be saved by the Savior. We talked about the experience in the Bible of Peter and Jesus on the water and how Peter lost his faith and the Savior reached down and saved him. She said that she didn't believe that the savior only saved him because he called out and said save me, but because he is the savior He will always reach down and save us. It was really interesting to hear her point of view on it all being someone who has heard so much about the Gospel but still be able to teach those who are trying to teach us. She really made us rethink the things that we think about the Savior and his role in our lives. He will and already has saved us but that does not mean that we are saved. We must prepare ourselves to be willing to be in His presence and to accept the gift that He has given to us. If we don't feel worthy of this gift it will be so much harder to be accepting of the gift and the things that He has done for us. This is why our works are so important, we don't work to be saved, we work to be able to look the savior in the eye and say I did everything in my power to be able to help you just as you helped me. That is the lesson that we need to recognize from the Savior and it is written all over in the scriptures.
Tuesday, we had an amazing devotional, by the first counselor in the presiding bishopric. He is from France. I loved his talk and how he spoke to all of us missionaries. He also played a piano duet with a man he met while serving elsewhere in the world and it was beautiful. After the devotionals on Tuesday we review in our districts, Sister Glick came and was shaking like she had Parkinsons disease. So after the song, I went back with her to let her lay down for a while and just rest. It was so nice to be able to talk with her and to get to know her better, and while I was there her shaking calmed down but after I left it got so bad she ended up going to the ER that night. It was really funny because she had a blessing before she left, and the Elders of the other district gave it to her. When Elder Bray found it he was like, no way she is my sister I want to give my sister's their blessings. He says he doesn't want daughters but we all know the truth.
Wednesday, Sister Blake had the appointment with her doctor and they figured out what was wrong with her, she has a problem with her heart that they need to treat medically and so we learned that she would be going home the next morning. That was so hard because we all wanted her to be able to come with us and we really didn't want to leave without her, but she felt such peace knowing that she has a work here and that she gave everything to her mission. I thought a lot about the dates of our missions and how our calls only tell us that it is anticipated we will serve for 18 months. I realized her mission and her purpose was to be in my district and to show us all the unconditional love of Jesus Christ and the love that we can have for the Book of Mormon. And her mission was not not fulfilled because she was sent home early it instead was completely fulfilled in that she did everything she was intended to do while here in our lives. So, in all of our eyes and in the eyes of the Savior her work here is done and if she is able to at some point serve a mission elsewhere it will be for another purpose.
Thursday, we got to teach over skype again. Only this time it was so strange because the person we were teaching was on the Trax over by Valley Fair Mall and was super close to you all. It was hard also because we kept losing him and couldn't get a hold of him for like most of the time. But it was really cool to talk with someone in Tagalog and realize how much we can say.
Friday was a long day. We went to In-field Orientation which is just the last workshop to prepare you for the field but it is 10 hours long. We also decided that for our last sunday here we are going to sing in Sacrament meeting and Sister Blake is able to come and join us. We chose "I'll go where you want me to go" in some Tagalog and some English. I get to accompany our district. I am super nervous because I have not played the piano in so long and I miss it. But it will be good, I just know it.
I can't believe 6 weeks has already gone by and that I am now ready to be around the world. I can't wait to go and participate in the Lord's work. I know that we are given so many things and that the Lord is merciful to each of us in our own individual ways. I was reading yesterday in Alma 9:16 I think and it talked about how merciful the Lord was to the Lamanites that He did not take them off the earth and he did not punish them for the foolishness of their fathers and that they were never taught the gospel by their parents and He does the same with us. He knows the things that we need and He gives them to us, but if we are unwilling to accept them then that is where we are sinning. We need to accept the gifts that are given to us and we are still on this Earth because we need to learn something more to be more able to help the Lord and to be able to use all the gifts that we are given.
Sorry, I am short on time so no Tagalog today
Mahal Kita,
Sister Hansen
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