Ia ora na, mes amis!!
It's been quite a long week, I have learned much more French and about the gospel. My brain is pretty loaded, and my eyes too haha! Don't worry we get enough breaks, sometimes.
I received my reassignment on Tuesday (September 29) to... the Tempe Arizona Mission! I'm pretty excited, even if it is 10 hours drive away, it will be completely different. My mission is right on the border of Mexico, and has a ton of desert. It will be pretty hot, but more bearable in the upcoming months when I will be serving. I feel it is right for me to go there even if it is for a little bit, I know that I will be needed. There is much work to be done. My parents are wondering if the church could possibly retract the assignment if Tahiti opens sometime soon and my French passport comes in the mail. We will see I suppose.
I received a strong impression Tuesday night that I will be learning Spanish, even though I will be "English" speaking. Spanish would make the third language I'm learning, along with French and Tahitian. This next week will be my last week in French! Afterwards, I will be starting my three weeks of Tahitian, learning from the French language. Hard weeks are ahead...
I've learned so much this past week that it's hard to think about what I could even share with you. I thought about it and my thought was answered in General Conference this weekend. This gospel can be very simple. We are to have faith in Christ and our Heavenly Father; repent and change ourselves daily to try to become better like Christ; be baptized and follow our commitments by taking the sacrament; learn to live by the Holy Ghost and it's promptings; and do these things for our whole life.
Sometimes we get caught up in the details, or we do too much at a time and we fall right back down to where we started. But we must take it step, by step. One thing at a time. Grow your faith in Christ and learn to trust in him. He will guide you if you do so, I can promise that. There are so many things in the world that can bring us happiness, many things, but the gospel brings a kind of happiness many don't think of because they don't know. Eternal happiness!!! That is what this life is for. Through Jesus Christ alone, we will live in a state of happiness for all time and eternity. That is what we all should strive for, because a life-time of happiness we can't even comprehend is more worth it than most happiness found here.
There's just so much I could go into and I want to share but I'll end here and let your eyes have a rest haha! This church is true but more importantly I know God the Father and his son Jesus Christ to be true. We are saved because of his infinite sacrifice for all mankind. He died, for you. He knows you, and everything you have and will go through. Trust and have faith, and I promise you will be blessed. In His holy name, Amen.
I'll be here next week, stay tuned for my last week of french!
Nānā!
--
Elder Hansen :)
