WEEK #10

Man, again stressing how blessing you all are to be living in the States, I have been craving a juicy burger with a Dr Pepper and they dont have either of those here! But really, this last week has been kind of crazy. First of all, our power went out the first half of the week. And we dont have a/c, only fans which dont work without power. So our pension was literally a sauna. Which leads to opening windows. Which leads to mosquitos and about 30 bites. So, that part kinda sucked. Oh, hahah and some of the people who also didnt have power thought it would help to go riot so they blocked traffic all night banging on garbage cans and stuff, I thought it was pretty funny. Im starting to gain a bit more confindence with everything as I learn the language, but I still really dont understand what they say, still. So, half the time they ask me a question I just stare at them and they never get their answer. But really, I'm so hyped to get the language down and just talk with EVERYBODY. Don't get me wrong, I make Argentina sound so bad, but honestly I have already met so many genuinely nice people that are always trying to help us. Its cool to see your love for your investigadors grow. Even though I dont understand half of what comes out of their mouths at time, I still feel their spirits and personalities. And you always walk out with a smile on your face as you see them start to change their lives for the better. Like the Mission is the weirdest thing on Earth; It's already been so hard, but I have already had some of the best feelings I have ever felt as well. Well, anyway all is well in Argentina! I should have a picture and story of a baptism next week!

Love, Elder Hansen

la capilla

Surgery on my tie, maybe my first time ever sewing.

WEEK #9

It's really not as relaxed on pday as you would hope cause you have so much prepping to do for the next week.... and asadas ( steak barbecue) and also some soccer. So because of that, I dont really have much time for typing today. Oh, and I forgot my SD card so no photos this week, but I'll send twice as many next week.

 This last week I learned a ton of just about anything. Culture, Spanish, Doctrine, the fact that you have to have a favorite futbol team (Either Boca or River but the correct choice was obviously Boca.) Just everything. Everything is great here, really different, but great. I had the chance to go on splits with an elder named Elder Rogers and teach in a villa. If you dont know what it is really, google villas in Argentina or something cause its nutz. But I was too scared to take out my camera. haha. It was kinda sketchy. It's really different from where I am at though, I'm in an area called Villa Crespo, which is right in the middle of the city. Some people consider it a rich area but in all honesty, I don't think there is anywhere in the states where the people have to live like this. So, really just know what a blessing we have of living and growing up in the states.
 I'm getting used to the Bidet, its kinda nice. lol. But life here is just completely different. Way too much to even begin to explain. Colectivos (Bus system) everywhere. Whole families live in tiny rooms. Oh, and taken houses is the translation for them, when people go into abandoned houses or buildings and just start living there for free so eventually you have 300 people in one building just cause it literally doesn't cost a dime, and it smells bad. But we taught in an abandoned school that had like 80 crazy little kids running around and just living in the halls, and they really don't even have a house, its just families lined up in the halls of this school, yet they are so happy still. It's really such a cool thing to see. Sorry, I suck at explaining things. haha. Hopefully, you will be hearing about a baptism in the next few weeks! My asada is about to start so I gotta go, but love and miss all you Americans!

Elder Hansen

WEEK #7/8 Officially in Argentina!

Wow, this week has been so crazy, I dont even know where to start! I finally made it to Argentina Tuesday morning and jumped straight into the work. Well tried to jump straight into the work but I literally dont understand a single thing anybody is saying to me. People joke around saying "thats not the language they taught me in the mtc" but I can honestly say this is a whole different language. lol. Yeah, it's testing my patience a little bit learning a new language. But, I made it. My mission pres. is so cool, on the first day I got there, we raced eachother on ripsticks and I don't think there is any other missionary that can say they beat their mission pres. in a ripstick race.

Argentina is so much different than the States. I could probably name more differences than similarities for sure. Their food is great, but dessert sucks. In my opinion, anyway. They like pan dulce which is basically like bread with nasty chewy fruit chunks in it. And their Flan makes me wanna throw up cause of the texture. And if they offer you soda, that means carbonated water, which is gross. But at every house they offer you coke too, which is definitely a positive. Coke is really like the only soda here and its huge, everybody has coke.

Hmmm, another difference.. No toilet paper, but they have another thing that kinda looks like a toilet that just sprays your butt with water and your good to go. Thats pretty cool.

Everybody has a dog. And when they take their dog out, they just take it out to the sidewalk. So there is dog crap everywhere!

If your American, your automatically super rich. So yeah, I've already had a guy offer all 7 of his daughters to marry me just cause I'm American. Weird, I really didnt know how to react.

Yeah, I dont know, it's super humbling being here. Like, we went and taught at a house that was maybe a little bigger than my room at home, with 7 people living in it! And there were holes all over in the walls and just so crowded. So be grateful for living in the states, cause you're really so blessed.

Ahhhhh, my comp. His name is Elder Moffitt. He's a white kid from St. George and he's literally helping me out so much. Well, he's basically doing all of it cause, like I said, I dont understand a word really. It's a  rare thing for me to understand a complete sentence and it kinda sucks.

Well, yeah hopefully I pick up everything soon. The mission might be the realest thing I have ever done. It's so difficult but I know it will also be the most rewarding.

 

 Love all of you.

Elder Hansen

Elder Cruz y yo

 

 

Home sweet home

 

 Mi compañero Elder Moffitt

 

 ¡Buenos Aires!

WEEK #6

It was a great week in the MTC! But I do have to say I'm pretty excited to be leaving in only 2 days. Things are finally starting to get real which is kinda nerve racking but I really am so pumped to start learning and teaching down in Argentina. Partly nervous cause I emailed Grant in Spanish and he typed back telling me I'm the biggest gringo, which isn't super encouraging. But I hope everybody had a good Christmas! Christmas was definitely a different experience for me, but I wouldn't say it was a bad experience either. wellll, it was alright lol. We got to hear from another general authority though, Russel M. Nelson! His talk was great and way encouraging for the mish field. I guess we are pretty blessed to have listened to 3 different apostles while here in the MTC. I also got to talk with the fam, which was fantastic, I really just missed their voices so much. And I get to call again at the airport so that's a bonus. I started packing and it's going to take a miracle to repack and make weight so everybody please pray for my packing.. Pleaaaasssseeee! It's weird how fast you become close with people too, it's going to be sad saying bye to some of my closest homies, but oh well I guess we can just chill after the mish too, right. Hopefully my emails start getting a little bit more eventful when I'm in the field haha sorry. Until next week in Argentina!

Much love, Elder Hansen

 

Number 1 homie Elder Peterson de Logan, Utah

 Christmas morning with the gang!

WEEK #5

Im pretty much a veteran of the MTC now days, and it feels good. But really this week was so dope, I don't even know where to start. Well, last Saturday after email time I broke the Wall Sit record for the MTC which was super funny, actually. A maestro noticed we looked super dead cause that is just what the MTC does to you, you are constantly so tired. But anyways he decided that we would have a wall sit competition to wake us all up. It was kinda weird cause I was in a suit but yeah I got 33 minutes and found out I beat the old record by like 10 minutes it was dope.

           On Tuesday the elders in my district got to give another blessing to a hermana in our district who has been sick for like 4 days which would suck super bad being locked inside your tiny residence. But yeah she asked me if I could anoint the oil and if Elder Stout could give the blessing. It is so awesome to be able to let the spirit flow out of you like that. The spirit is so strong.

            And yesterday I got my flight plans which means I can stop stressin over my Visa, I think. I'm going to be on a 21 hour flight which I feel like is forever, oh well though cause it will be way worth it after I finally land in Argentina. I am really so hyped to get there, but at the same time nervous cause I won't be able to communicate like at all haha Especially since I heard they have weird Italian sounding accent called castellano or something like that... and just because it will be real spanish.

             All and all though a pretty great week in general. I still haven't heard anything about Christmas and whats going on here in the MTC. I have my fingers crossed that either Pres. Uchdorf or Elder Holland will come speak to us though that would be awesome. It still hasn't snowed? which is weird and everybody is starting to dis Utah about not actually the best snow which makes me mad.. especially when it's kids from like Wyoming talking crap. Uhmmmm, still a ton of class time which has its ups and downs. I don't know, sitting so much isn't really my thing, but I'm learning a ton which is great, I guess. My companion is still a Canadian Goober, hes super nice though. The food is either really good or it sucks way bad. There is no in between. Yeah another great week. 

Elder Hansen

WEEK #4

This week in the CCM.. not much new, they keep you on pretty much the same schedule everyday, which gets kinda old. The food is still really gross. But I think I'm getting a hold of things pretty well, it's about time. Only 16 more days until I leave for Argentina though and Christmas is in less than 2 weeks! I just want to know which general authority is going to talk on Christmas, hopefully Pres. Uchdorf haha. I guess that is definitely an upside to the CCM. All the devotionals are so awesome. We get to hear from a 70 or somebody high up in the church talk twice a weak on Sundays and Tuesdays. We haven't had one bad talk yet, they are easily the highlight of the week. 

Spanish is coming along great or at least a lot better than I thought it was. Our teachers are all so awesome. 

Oh, I don't know how I almost forgot to write about this. On Thursday one of our teachers, Hermano Wolfe, had heart surgery and he didn't even tell us about it until Wednesday night, which is kinda crazy. He was just like, "I'm not going to be here tomorrow, I have a minor surgery..... on my heart." 

which was kinda crazy, hes a cool dude. But anyways he asked us elders on the spot if we could give him a blessing. I didn't get to actually say the blessing but, still, as I put my hands on his head I could feel the spirit so strong, it was unreal. Like, I had the chills for the rest of the day. He recovered fast enough that he was back into work the next day after surgery. Soooo nuts. 

But yeah, that's my week in a nutshell. 

Much love, Elder Hansen

 Low quality for the win! Temple with all the Elders of the zone.

  My face when he tries telling me Wyoming is better than Utah..... 

The homies in my district.

WEEK #3

Not much new has happened in the MTC this week, but its crazy how fast the days are going by. You are so busy you don't really have time to think about anything else besides how you can better serve the Lord, which is a good thing I think lol. I don't really have any awesome stories or pictures from this week, it really has just been gospel, Spanish, sleep, eat, repeat. We had a new district come in so we are finally not an 8 man zone, which should make sacrament meeting a little more exciting. Tomorrow I get to bless the sacrament and bare my testimony in Spanish, and I'm actually like super pumped for it. I've already learned so much here and taught some lessons in Spanish and I think the investigators can some what understand me, which is crazy seeing though it hasn't even been quite 3 weeks. The gift of tongues is so real. Like I said not much has happened here, but you guys are all in my prayers. And here are a few old pictures cause I didn't even have time to try and take some new ones,  you are scheduled for the whole day plus I'm only in Provo so you guys have all seen it.

Well much love, ya boii Elder J Junnky

 My thug face with our dirty room in the background, but the dirty room isn't my fault. Promise.

 You would be surprised how excited everybody was for these lights lol