I finished the last week of the MTC!!! It's crazy, it's gone by so fast. I have so many things I have to talk about this week so we'll just get started:
I first just want to thank so many people. SO THANKFUL for my wonderful teachers Soeur Holt and Frère Miller (and Soeur Corrigan and Frère Sebra from French). They had so many stories, helped me grow my testimony so so so so so much and helped me learn languages I never thought I could grow at the point I am at now. I want to thank the other missionaries in my group too, their testimonies and their knowledge and light has helped me become such a better missionary and without them I wouldn't be as happy as I am. I'm so thankful for my family, for dealing with all my weirdness, and for all the support they give me and the love they show for me:) I am so grateful for my companion Elder Anderson too, he has such an AMAZING testimony and we have become such a strong companionship. I hope all my companionships will be like this, he's helped me grow so much and we have done so well teaching together it makes me so proud of the effort we made.
I can't thank anyone however as much as I need to thank my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ. I have personally grown closer to them over these 9 weeks more than I ever have in my life. I have personally seen their works in my life. I have seen miracles happen and I'm learning more everyday to put more trust in them.
I went to the temple this week!!! It was amazing!!! I loved it and I really wish I could go again but it seems it may be awhile before I can... I'm glad I could give many of my family or friends an opportunity to go, I finally got to see why it's so important to continue going and be in the Lord's house. The spirit I felt in there was AMAZING. Please don't take the temple for granted, even when they open again.
I leave for Tempe Arizona on Tuesday, two more days left!!! We still have our hope for Tahiti though. We received word that the mission president and the mission department approved me to go to Tahiti this week!! But we are still waiting on a response from the Pacific Area Presidency... so we'll see. Super close though!!
I don't really have much of a spiritual thought today but something has been lingering in my head since Friday in my very last class of the MTC. Frère Miller told us that we need to use the gifts given to us from God to further the work, that there is a reason we were chosen to serve at this time; we will need to use our own personalities and talents because that's what God wants!! This idea is perfectly relatable to your own lives!! You have special talents and abilities given to you from God. You are here on Earth during this specific time because of who you are!!! Be you!! That is who God needs, and that is what the people around you need. Keep trying to be happy and spread charity in the world, we need it so much!!!! I hope you really take that to heart, it's pretty important.
I will speak to you all in the next week about my adventures in the first week in the field!! Always feel free to send me any emails about anything, I'd love to hear from you:):)
A faaitotio to'u mau hoa!!! (Be strong my friends!)
See you next week!
--
Elder Hansen :)
