I have served the Lord for 2 years. These past couple days have been so so crazy and hard. I’ve said goodbye to so many friends, missionaries, members, and amis. I will miss Tahiti with all my heart. I already do with this Utah climate my goodness haha!

It was crazy leaving Tahiti; the flight was long and nobody slept; the flight attendants right behind us talked of horses and whales and other nonsense; baggage was marked as suspicious and they stole my cool coral; we hung out in San Francisco for a bit as our flight got delayed; got $150 dollars worth of coupons to buy food because we meet an amazing worker who’s niece just left to Tahiti; and so many other little moments.

The craziest one was definitely seeing my family again. I love them so so much, and it was so weird to see them in person again. Everyone has grown so much! I was grateful for everyone that came to see me and especially for Sister Banner who came to see us all. She’s so sweet to have come, because that same day President Banner had a bone marrow transplant and is now recovering well.

I’m so grateful for every moment of my mission. As I reflect on all the people, friends, family, missionaries, and members that have helped me, I realize how blessed I was as a missionary snd how the Lord looked out for me in every situation. If it was definitely hard, I found out what I had to learn (sometimes, eventually) and what I needed to do to become better. That is the message I learned on my mission: that through Jesus Christ, we can receive all the blessings our Heavenly Father would like us to have. His Atonement pays the price, but we will always have our agency and our choice whether or not we accept His plan.

There are so many people out there that want to have the truth but they don’t know where to find it. We can help by being missionaries, maybe not always as full time missionaries, but in loving, serving, and inviting those that are around us: members and nonmembers ! You will have a stronger testimony and happiness if you do that, I promise because I lived that everyday for 2 years.

Thank you all for supporting me in one of the greatest and most influential experiences I will ever have in my life. I have felt so much love and I hope to continue throughout my life living that same example for everyone around me. Life has been exciting, and I can’t wait to see what will happen next:))

Mauruuru, Koutau Nui, Merci, Thank you !!

Love, Samuel Hansen

Kaoha nui mes chers frères et sœurs !!!

It was a good week, we were able to find a couple people to teach through some members that actually want to do missionary work! A lot of good people, members and non members.

We've surprisingly eaten a lot of American food and drinks this week, which is crazy! Not always easy to get out here, but I've loved it. Feels weird though so my body might get a bit of a shock when I get back haha.

There was a friend that was baptized in the other Elder ward and I was able to do his baptismal interview. We instantly became good friends and he had such an amazing story so I was so happy to attend his baptism, he was a really good example for me and the other people that were present. So many people are struggling to overcome the world, and to see people like Tuatahi do the steps to overcome their challenges are really inspiring.

This next week is my last week as a missionary. Yesterday I gave my departing testimony to our mission and it felt really weird to do so... it still doesn't feel real! It'll become real as I leave Tahiti. Elder Justum and I are doing all we can to help our area before I leave. I'm really going to miss representing the Lord, I hope to continue doing so when I get home, just in different ways:)

I love my Heavenly Father and for this opportunity He gave me to see the work He performs among His children. I've loved my mission so much, I've had a lot of trials but I'm thankful for everything I learned because of those challenges. I've grown a lot and I've become more of a disciple of Jesus Christ. You'll just have to see for yourselves in a little bit of time.

Love you all, and in just a short week.

Elder Hansen

Kaoha nui mes chers frères et sœurs !!

What a memorable week I had this week. Tahiti had the opportunity to be visited by Elder Soares, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, along with 4 other Elders from the Quorum of the 70 (Elders Nattress, Reimer, Godoy, and Bergis).

It was my first time meeting an Apostle and if you never have, let me tell you, you can feel that there's something different with them. Our friends we brought with us felt it too, they felt love and happiness radiate from him. I got to shake his hand several times throughout the week and got to have small conversations with him and the Seventies, what an amazing opportunity. Their messages were incredibly inspiring, and helped me a lot personally.

Our friend Tepoe accepted a white shirt the other day and was so happy that he asked for a picture with us. He's such a cool guy, and had the courage to convince his girlfriend to come to church last Sunday as well! We were so happy for them:)

One of our other friends, Tiare-Tea is liking the lessons and she was able to shake Elder Soares hand as well! We were really happy for her as well.

I love being a missionary. I'm going to miss representing the Lord 24/7 and helping others come to Him with His authority. I'm excited for the opportunities to continuing doing so when I get home though, it brings me a lot of joy. If you have any service opportunities or need help with anything, let me know please so I can keep going on my path of discipleship.

I love you all, thank you all for everything you guys do for me. I've learned a lot, and I continue to learn more everyday.

From your favorite Elder in the Pacific,

Elder Hansen

Kaoha nui !! Eaha te hakatu??

This last two weeks have been alright, our ward needs a lot of help but we work with what we can and it's been a fun time.

We have a couple friends that are really fun to talk to. Two in specific, named Tepoe and Rohi'au have become some good friends ! They are the neighborhood hoodlums and love to learn from the lessons. They just have a hard time giving up some things but we love them a lot. They might come to the states and I'll be their guide so I'll let you know when they're in town haha.

We were able to go to the temple with the family Lanteires this last week, and it was absolutely amazing. It's been about a year since I've been in the temple! I really needed it and it's given me a boost for these next couple weeks. I'll miss the Lanteires family, but I'll have to come back soon.

I have 3 weeks left on my mission! I'll be normally flying home the 6th of September and arrive the 7th... I will be really making the most of the time that's left...

This next week, we will have the opportunity to be with the Apostle Elder Ulisses Soares!! I'm super excited, it'll be my first time meeting an Apostle:) We'll hopefully have some great photos!

I hope you all are doing well, can't wait to see you all in a couple weeks! So many changes I'll have to catch up on, I'm excited to continue progressing on my path of discipleship, with all the lessons and experiences from these last 2 years.

Faaitoito, je vous aimes tous :):)

Elder Hansen

Kaoha nui tatou!!!

Well, we had transfers this last week and the unexpected happened! I got transferred from Erima to Papeete! Even though it's about 5 minutes away it's a huge difference.

I miss the members and friends from Erima so much already. They're amazing people and we had lots of good times.

Papeete is alright, being in a city with lots of busy people is such a change from Ua Huka. The people's mentality is completely different. Even though we are on an island paradise, we see people stressed and unhappy a lot. A startling contrast from the people that barely have anything yet have so much joy and are content. Question that I ponder: what things should we put in priority in our lives, and how much of a different will it make?

Elder Justum is my new companion, he's from Paris France! We've been getting along pretty well, it's my first time serving with a European and we think the same for a lot of things.

Our area is pretty difficult, and ward is trying to come back to life but it's a slow process. We talk/serve with members, amis, and help missionaries around us as well. A couple more weeks remain, and I'll work these next weeks hard! We will soon have the privilege of Apostle Elder Soares to come to our mission! I can't wait:)

Faaitoito à tous Until next week,

Elder Hansen

We received Elder Samuel Hansen's itinerary!

He will be leaving Tahiti on September 6, going through San Francisco and arriving to Salt Lake City on September 7 in the afternoon!

We are beyond excited to see him again!

Kevin, Ana, Dylan and Rosario Hansen

Thank you for your continued love and prayers. They have been very helpful!! Please continue to pray , we still have a long road to travel!

I have continued to do very well with the treatment.  Even though I have tolerated the treatment very well, the body's acceptance hasn't done quite as well, as we still have cancer cells in the bones. We are now in the process of doing  an additional round of chemo to finish killing off the cancer cells in the bone.  That will be followed shortly by a bone marrow transplant.

What this means is that my recovery will take longer than originally thought.  With a bone marrow transplant, I will not be able to leave the United States for at least another year to stay close to the hospital in case of complications. With sad hearts, that means we will not be able to return to Tahiti as we would like.

We have not been released yet but would expect it.We send our love to our wonderful missionaries.

We miss you!  Keep up the good work! Our hearts and thoughts will be with you as we watch from afar. And we will watch!! Congratulations  on your 49 baptisms last month!!!

We send our love to our wonderful , wonderful office staff

And also all our friends/ members throughout the islands, We love you!

Bisous

President and Soeur Banner

Kaoha nui tatou !

Another two weeks have passed here in Erima, Tahiti! The time is zipping by really fast...

Our amis are progressing! We have a couple named Hina and Carlos that are planning to get married in September, and Hina wants to be baptized the same day!! She loves learning more about the gospel and has probably the strongest faith I've seen. She's moving spiritual mountains every week.

Our other friends Michael and Clement are coming to church every week and love coming to the activities. Michael loves va'a (rowing) and Clement loves boxing. We think they both want to be baptized, but they are waiting for an answer. We know they'll find their answer! They're super fun to be with, and Michael especially loves to learn all the details of everything.

We have lots of other potential people in our area which is awesome, there wasn't a lot from last time I was here.

This is our last week of the transfer!! We'll see if there are any changes... I'd love to stay here, for my last 6 weeks:) I'll have to take more photos than this last week...

Love you all, thank you for all you do. Keep holding strong. Fa'a'ito'ito !!

Elder Hansen

(Sorry this email is from last week... Rosario)

Kaoha nui, e Iaorana !!!

Well, I've arrived back in Tahiti! Leaving Ua Huka was about one of the hardest things I've had to do, I'm going to miss those people so much. We got to say lots of goodbyes and take lots of pictures, but not enough to explain my time on this beautiful island. I rode the helicopter away from the island alone in the back, it was quite emotional.

The shock of coming back to Tahiti was a lot more than I was expecting! The noise from so many cars and people, the lights, hot water, and air conditioning was a lot for me. Seeing so many familiar faces has proved to be exhausting but very joyful. I've made so many memories here in the Pacific.

Being in Erima is very much the same, but a lot of things have changed too! There are lots of amis, and many of the original people I taught are now members of the church! I'm so happy with them and the changes I've seen in people since I left.

This first week I served with Elder Halverson and Tehaamatai. I served with Elder Halverson last time here in Erima! He's leaving for home tomorrow actually. Elder Tehaamatai had to be transfered to Taravao today and I received my new companion, Elder Temarii.

I've got about 9 weeks left of my mission! The time has passed by so quickly, and I can't wait to work my hardest these last couple weeks in one of my favorite wards of all time.

I'll try to include lots of photos :)

Koutau nui for your support and love, I know Christ lives and he supports us as we help him in His work. The gospel blesses people's lives better than anything else can.

Until next time,

Elder Hansen:)

Kaoha nui tout le monde!!!

This week has been kind of long, we had quite a few days full of rain, and my bike tire popped and couldn't be fixed for several days... But we're back up and running smoothly now :)

We got hair cuts from our favorite man, Taipi! Today's his birthday so we'll probably stop by to wish him a happy birthday !!

We've had quite a few nights where we had to join zoom calls with our mission on the mountain, because the internet connection is better up there. We build fires sometimes to keep us warm.

One of those meetings, was our transfer calls!

Elder Hiller is staying here, but I'm being transferred BACK TO ERIMA !!! I’m pretty sad to be leaving this island I now call home, but it will be amazing to see the wonderful people in Erima again. I wonder what the Lord would like me to accomplish there! I will likely finish my mission there.

Because of the few flights and helicopter rides to get back to Tahiti, I'll be here on Ua Huka until the 24th of this month. Then I'll begin the long trip back to Tahiti!

I went bowling Marquisian style with a large grapefruit on our patio one night, it went surprisingly far.

We are working on a large ambitious wooden project before I leave, stay tuned to see its progression...

I've loved serving the Lord here in the very small corner of his vineyard, and I'll be working hard until the last minute to experience and learn everything I can here, because who knows when I'll be back here.

I'm nervous about going back and adjusting again. It'll be good to have warm, clean water again!

Koutau nui to'u mau hoa :)

Keep pressing on.

Elder Hansen :)

Kaoha nui tout le monde!

What a week it has been, it's been hard but we are pushing through.

It started off Monday night, where we didn't have enough fuel in our lighter to light some mosquito repellent reils. We told ourselves it would be fine and so we left it... When we woke up we had literally hundreds of mosquito bites on our bodies haha! They itch a lot and we look pretty funny going around.

It's rained a lot this last week which is really good for Ua Huka, it's usually really dry.

One of our amis was making some tiki's, a lot bigger than the ones we work on haha!

As some of you might know, my grandma passed away this last week. I really wish I could be with my family and especially with my mom during this time. I loved her a lot, and even though she's been so far away, I've felt connected to her. Thank you for your messages and for the support toward my family :)

We also had a meeting with President Banner and his wife where they let us know that President Banner was diagnosed with AML, a rare and aggressive blood cancer. They're returning to the states to follow the procedures that aren't available here. We will miss them very dearly, they worked so so hard for us, and even though President Banner was tired or in the hospital, he continued to put his force towards the work. They are great examples. Keep them in your prayers as they face lots of new challenges and change !

What a week right? We had lots of good moments as well, awesome lessons, lots of adventures, and service. We continue to work hard and expect miracles. We are going through some afflictions but the Lord is standing near us and supporting us every step of the way. I know that for myself, and am a witness that God supports us at ALL times. I'm glad I'm serving a mission during this time, to know the gospel is a huge blessing.

Thank you all for reading :) Have a great week, stay safe, and look for the hands of God in your life.

Faaitoito, je vous aimes !

Elder Hansen :)

Kaoha nui mes amis!!!

It's been quite awhile since I've written an email. I'm still here on the island of Ua Huka with Elder Hiller, and we've had lots of adventures these last couple weeks.

Nearly three weeks ago we awaited the Aranui cruise/cargo ship to drop off some important items from the mission. While we sat with some of our friends, a photographer and a journalist began to talk with us and take pictures of us. We asked them what it was for and they were working for the AirFrance, covering an article about Ua Huka and the horses! We were able to interact with them all along the day as they discovered our island and its stories. We even took some funny pictures.

Taipi taught us how to grate our own coconuts, make coconut milk, and cook breadfruit (mei)! We learned a lot and now we know how to live in the wild if we need to.

We've been going to Teiki's wood shop a lot these past couple weeks! We made some more projects and helped him with some products of his own! I love working with wood and seeing this ancient art in the works.

This last week we were able to have some leaders of the district come to our island, as well as the Elders of Nuku Hiva, the island next to us! It was great to be with them, I've missed seeing and interacting with other people. They all gave inspiring messages about families and the temple. Our leader on Ua Huka decided to leave so for the moment we are taking the lead. Presiding on an island is a big responsibility.

I miss all the other people in my life, friends and family too. I really like focusing on Christ and on the mission, I just really hope all of you are doing good too. I'll have a lot to catch up on once I finish my service!

We helped one of our members start building his house this last week. It was really fun and we were able to get a lot of it done.

We are slowly progressing with several amis, and our members seem to be doing better as well. I really hope to stay and see the fruits of everything happening out here. Transfers could be happening in two weeks, I hope to stay...

I was super happy to see my siblings finish high school! What an accomplishment, they're putting that stage of life behind them and going on to bigger and greater things! I was preparing to go out when they were just starting junior year of high school. Time flies by so fast.

Sorry for the long email, I need to be better at getting these out. Thanks for still hearing about all my adventures in the Pacific.

Elder Hansen :)

Kaoha nui friends and family! What a couple busy weeks we've had! Last week was transfers, and we found out that I was staying and Elder Parau was leaving to Tahiti. He was sad but felt good about being on his own island again. We found out on the day of his birthday as we were killing another pig...

Our last couple days together we went to say lots of goodbyes to the wonderful people and members of this beautiful island. Elder Hiller is my new companion! It's pretty funny because he was serving on Nuku Hiva (the island closest to us), and we arrived together to the Marquises! He's from Colorado, super awesome, and is ready to get things really going. I'm extremely happy, things are about to get good.

We've spent this last week building the members trust up, preparing them for the branch creation, and for a trip to the temple in August. Things are hard here, but we're going to try our very hardest to help the most people we can. Jesus Christ faced LOTS of opposition, yet it never stopped him from completing everything His father asked of Him. I want to be like Him.

I cut my companion's hair a little bit this last week and I think we had some guardian angels helping me because I had no idea what I was doing.

We started filming some stories from our neighborhood grandpa, Papi Leon! Even though it's in french, he's quite a character to listen to. He's become an amazing friend of ours.

The time is running out really fast, and the end is becoming more real. I want to do as much good as I can before I leave these beautiful islands to go home. Who knows when I'll be back here? I want to see the progression of the gospel on this island. Ua Huka has become a home away from home.

I hope you all are doing well! I've felt pretty disconnected from all my friends and family back home, can't wait to see everything again in a couple months.

Hopefully more pictures this next week, we're hoping to go more places and see more people! Thank you all for your prayers on behalf of the missionaries, we definitely need it.

Koutau nui ia tatou, e mauruuru roa no to tatou kaoha no vau

Elder Hansen

(This email was sent by Elder Hansen 2 weeks ago and we just received it! His connection to internet is not great and sending emails seem to be difficult and long).

Kaoha nui!!!

We had a lot of service projects this last week, which I love!

Our friend Taipi has a property really far and up in the mountains that has been neglected for a long time, so we went to help him clear the road to the property. It was a long walk but fun to see the "jungle" and get to know our friend Taipi more.

At another service project, we helped fill a ton of plastic pots for our amis to start planting some mangos.

There is so many mangos on this island it's crazy. Our amis neighbor had us for lunch afterwards, and we couldn't help but chuckle about the funny looking plant in their backyard. Marijuana is a huge problem here in the islands. It grows extremely well, and lots of people sit around and smoke all day...

On our adventure up into the mountains with Taipi we found a horse head in a tree. When the Marquises were "discovered", there was nearly 100,000 people that lived in these islands. We are near 10,000 today. A lot of diseases that had never existed for these people did a lot of damage. That's why there was a huge rise in number of animals. There was less people to take care of them and they became wild again and they eat everything. Hunting is the way they control it here and hence the animal bones that are everywhere on these islands. They make for cool necklaces and crafts, which replace the previous human bone ones :)

This next week is our last week of the transfer, and we have no clue what changes will be made... I really hope to stay and see the creation of this branch. My companion does too. We'll see if we both stay! We'll find out this Saturday. This next week should be a good week.

I feel extremely grateful for all the help I've had to get me where I am. As I reflect on these last 20 months, it's impossible to count how many times that members, leaders, friends, and family supported us, gave us food and gifts, and so much more. I've learned countless priceless lessons from all of them. We were called to teach, but I think teachers learn just as much as they teach. Thank you for all you do, even reading these updates. I'm loving my mission:)

Koutau nui mes amis! A pae! Ia mokai!

Elder Hansen :)

Kaoha nui !! It was a hard week but we had lots of good experiences!

On Monday night we had a big family night we prepared for a Papi named Léon. He was a former mayor of Ua Huka, and loves talking to people that'll listen, so naturally we've become pretty good friends. Our theme was on families and miracles, and he almost couldn't stop crying the whole time. 3 years ago he lost his wife and has felt so lost without her. Our messages helped comfort him and he felt her presence. It was an amazing night.

We had an interesting battle Wednesday morning... The day before had rained heavily and we were to do some service for our friend Sumo who lives up in the mountains (think Maui from the movie Moana and that's him). Going there was fine, but coming back down with the mud ended up breaking my bike. We had to call for our friend Taipi to come and save us. With about 7 little kids as our mechanics, we were able to repair my bike enough to ride it around again.

The kids are always around us! I've learned a lot with them and are so much easier to talk to than adults. They're always curious, they (usually) listen and they forgive so easily. Some act better than adults. They wait for us to leave our house, sometimes they can't wait and they beg at the windows and doors for us to come out with them...

On Saturday, our branch president from Nuku Hiva arrived to do some temple recommend interviews, and announced that we would begin the process of preparing for a branch to be established on Ua Huka! As of right now, our mission presidents counselors will come straight here to Ua Huka near the end of May. We have until then to help prepare the members for their incoming responsibilities!

We learned how to build a type of polynesian underground oven, where many pounds of goat and pig heads were cooked for our consumption

We drove with our friend Taipi down to the store, where a cat patrols the iles, and as we drove back we had a beautiful view of the Vaipaee Valley. This tiny island is extremely beautiful, more so when its green. We are quite blessed to be serving here, to see a merciful God stretch His hands to ALL his children, and doesn't forget those on the isles of the sea.

Transfers are slowly approaching and we both wish to stay here. Lots of changes are happening and we are excited to see what waits ahead. Lots of work to do in my last 4 months!

Koutau nui to'u utua hae e to'u hoa !

Until next time,
Elder Hansen