I Love You Guys!!!

Hey Family,

I love you guys and your emails. I want to take the one C.J sent me and print it off and take it to the apartment, it was awesome and I am super excited for the future as well. Our family is amazing!!! Dad, the advice you gave is really good and I need to apply it more in my mission and just focus on the people and the work, not me. Mom I love your heart, you can feel it come through the computer monitor.

So, Mom, asked me what a Mexican Christmas is like, well I will tell yall. They usually make bonfires in the front or backyard and they make tomales....lots of tomales. We have about 20 or so in our refrigerater. There is also quite a bit drinking and lots fireworks.

Last night we visited an investigator and her family. She is awesome and we put the chairs outside and they gave us tomales as we talked about the plan of salvation. We
spoke of how she is a daughter of God and how the death is something that everyone faces, spiritually and physically. The spirit was really strong as we testified through the God given doctrine of repentance and an opportunity to receive Eternal Life or happiness. The whole time she was fixed on my companion and I. She soon confessed to some bad choices as a result to alot of confusion and stress in the family recently. We then related this feeling with the feeling she had had about a month ago when we started with an earnest prayer to God and then reading 1 Nephi 1 for the answer. We walked away from a determined women in the process of returning to Christ. She is so spiritually intune and we will see her this week.

Elder Hanson

WOW

Hola Familia,

So I am a trainer now....I am learning alot really fast and most of all I need to learn more Spanish. My Trainee is Elder Gaspar from Veracruz. I am also learning how to run an area. I love you guys so much. There isn´t much time to explain a lot of things because I am a little bit distracted. I am learning really fast the importance to rely on the Lord. In the morning I read about how to find people, what to say, and how to....live. By the Spirit. I am so grateful that I really do have my Heavenly Father up there. Praying is a whole new thing. I am really pretty scared to be a parent.

¡¡LES AMO MUCHO!!

Elder Hanson

Answers To More Of Mom's Questions

Have you received your Christmas Package yet?

Not yet. It's probably in the offices so I wont get it until transfers, conferences, etc. because we are pretty far away from Tijuana. We are actually in a different state of Mexico. I think I am the farthest east that you can go in the mission.

I was wondering if Wednesday is transfer day again. I assume you will be staying in the same area? With the same companion?

So transfers are always Mondays but we are ending a transfer this week. We will find out what is going to happen Saturday night, I believe. My companion is thinking that he is going to transfer. He has 6 months in the same sector, a really long time.

The photos you sent last week were great - Elder Ibanez looks like he is a lot of fun. I hope he stays as your companion. It would be fun for him to get to do your Christmas package with you. And I loved the photo you were in! We need to figure out a way for us to get your photos without you taking your e-mail time doing it. I need more photos of you!!!

I am trying not to tell him about it just in case I get a new companion next week.

Have you looked into getting them burned to a CD at a store and then sending the CD home? I will reimburse you whatever the cost is. If there is any way you have access to a Costco there, you can have them copy your photos and I can actually pick up a burned CD here. I am not sure if Walmart or any place else does it that way but it might be worth looking into.

I can look into it but to be honest I am a little more preoccupied with the whole trying to bring souls to the Gospel and saving them with the ordinance of Baptism. But because your my mom and I love you so much! I will try to look a little harder into what I can do.

We really are looking forward to our Christmas phone call and I am starting a list of questions. It would be helpful to know how much time we get to talk with you as well.

So...the word on the missionary street is that we can use Skype. If thats the case then we won't need a telephone card and it will be free. We also will be able to talk face to face, cara a cara. Which reminds me of a favorite false doctrine of missionaries here. They always say that Prophets see God face to face. If you guys have the opportunity try to find a reference. I have but cant find one. Neither can any of the other missionaries

Were you able to even think about it being Thanksgiving or were you busy doing your usual "missionary work"?

Nope, I didn't even realize it really. ha ha. But some people do celebrate it here because it is in the frontera. I heard that it doesn't really exist in the rest of Mexico.

So, are you still experiencing summer temperatures there?

Yeah!!

How is the biking going?

There is a lot of sand but we try to stay on the pavement....and my calfs are going to be HUGE! when I am done here.

Tell us what this branch or ward is like?

The ward is awesome and they really love the missionaries. They cater to every whim. My companion likes to ask for food a lot.

How is the Spanish?

YO VOY!!

I assume your new scriptures are in Spanish?

Si, senora....yes, mam

How is the cooking?

I try to keep it simple so I can study more

Your apartment/flat looks awesome. Really nice. Is it just the two of you there?

Yup!

Any stories this week?

Nope, out of time.

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Elder Hanson

Umm.......yeah

Hey Family: In mexico we have a couple different holidays but I am not sure about thanksgiving. Christmas is going to be really exciting! Everyone makes a huge bonfire in front of their house, cooks stuff, gets really drunk, and shoot pistols up into the air saying arriiiba!!! Really, they do say arribba when they get excited/happy etc.

Also the Music is really interesting in the Frontera (places next to the border) they really like "Banda" which is a type of music that is basically really funny stories put to music. It is the stereotypical Mexico music but it fits perfectly here.

Update: I am learning a lot about Jesus Christ. My life is changing and I am so grateful for you guys. The testimonies I have and the moments in the homes of families when I feel power and I can really cut through all the different philosifies with the power of the truth has been in part from the many years of growth that you all have provided. I will continue to use this gift and try to maintain it for all of you.

Thank you.

Elder Curtis Hanson

Answers To Mom's Questions

How is my busy missionary son? I hope you have more time to write this week. I am including the questions I asked last week, hoping you can answer them today.

Questions:

Elder Ibanez sounds great. How tall is he? What is tall for a Mexican? How long has he been out on his mission?

He is a little shorter than me. Mexicans are usually pretty short. I feel really tall here.

He has 13 months in the mission.

It sounds like you and Elder Ibenez are really working hard. You have not told us about (Pedro) and (Pedrita) - please tell us. Along with any other experiences you can think of..

They were from my last sector and they are great. (Pedro) was a many years alcoholic when we found him in the street. He tried to ask us to help get back to his house and so we carried him to his house stopping every once and while so that he could accuse us of something as missionaries. We helped him into the house as the wife continued to apologize for his husband and accepted a return appointment. We returned as I entertained a drunk husband his wife told a sad story of her, her family, and her alcoholic husband. I also was learning about this drunk man as he tried to explain to me about his previous "Ranch" where he worked in Sinaloa, in between occasional profanities. We tried to continue to visit them and we eventually convinced him to quit drinking for his wife. He had about three weeks without drinking when I got transfered. They were both understanding the lessons. He was reading more of the Book of Mormon than his wife and probably more than all of our investigators. They had just join to church when I was transfered out of the sector. When I left he was still saying that he was catholic and no baptism for him but he also was pretty firm in not quiting to drink and even more so going to church.

So another story.

I had been and am trying to humble myself as I recognized that The Lord is the one who gives success to the missionaries. It was during this time that we received a reference from a member who said that she wanted to be baptized. WE WERE PSYCHED!!! We then spent the next week trying to find her, our golden referal. She eventually found us as she drove up next to us and asked where the church was. YA! Thats the type of investigator she is. We weren't able to make contact with her for about two more weeks. We found her and told her a little about her story. She had just gone through concer treatment and is having to check with the Hospital. Also her family has gone through somethings. There is another man and a daughter. We will have to see what happens because they are not married. I am studying the law of Chastity really hard. We also have someone else but that will be for next week,

Hasta luego,

Elder Hanson

No Tengo Tiempo!

I am out of time so sorry this week. We had a huge conference and we learned about how to find those people CHOSEN in the mission field. This will change the whole way I work and CJ the principles are perfect for finding a spouse.

THanks love ya,

Elder Hanson

Wow! Changes Changes! Questionnaire Answers

Hey Family!,

You have had many changes! It is exciting that you are getting to work in SAN LOUIS RIO COLORADO!!! (I think) Now that you have had a weeks experience, tell us more?

Yeah, it is exciting to work in San Louis Rio Colorado. It is quite a different change. Before I was the junior companion gringo but right now I have been having a lot more responsabilities and worries because people understand me more and I am a lot more forward plus with the Spirit one can do anything that he has too.

What is Elder Ibanez like (looks, personality, missionary style) and where is he from?

He is so funny, he is from Pueblo Mexico and he has the biggest grin. He is pretty tall for being mexicano. He really likes to talk in the lessons and I have to remind him to let me talk as well. He is really funny and a nice guy. I am starting to realize how much of an obedient missionary I am. I am the only one wearing a helmet right now. ha ha. Some times this causes problems between us but I explained to him that I wanted to qualify for all the blessings of the spirit through obedience especially as a missionary. He seems to agree and so we are both praying with faith and hoping for miracles here in San Luis.

We looked up San Louis Rio Colorado in Wikepedia and it sounds like it may be extreemly hot there? What is the temperature for you now?

its starting winter season here so its not too hot which is good.

How do you do your contacting?

We are looking for the Chosen or in other words we testify and we hope that the other person is in tune with the spirit enough to tell the difference between all the different churches. We have to contact about 1 out of 100 to find a Chosen but we also have a lot of help from the Spirit. We think we found a Chosen, Martha, and are anticipating a bautism in the next three weeks or so.

Why is there no tracting in the area?

There is quite a bit of tracting but right now we are getting a lot more references than what we were getting in Tijuana. We are also making plans and goals with Ward leaders to keep them coming and also to allow us to help out more in the Ward.

Why is your house so awesome?

Its just really nice. Today we spent the morning cleaning it from the ages of teenage boys that have inhabitated it. It was rough and we are still not finished.

Do you enjoy biking?

My legs are dieing but it is a lot faster than walking. Here in San Luis most of the roads are Sand....yeah, sand....so we try to hit the pavement as much as we can. It is however completely flat. Which makes me miss Tijuana a little and Utah.

What experiences you can share with us?

I am breakdancing in the morning. ha ha. I had been having a hard time trying to find some type of cardivascular activity to do in the morning until I found that it never says dancing in the white bible.

I will try to think of more experiences to share with you as well. Did I already tell you about (Pedro) and (Pedrita)?

Did you get your Autumn Package? Now that you are farther from the Mission Home, how often will you get to go. I assume you will go there for Zone Conferences - when is your next one? I need to make sure you are able to get your Christmas package before Christmas so I will try to send it soon.

Yeah! thanks! I haven´t been able to get a backpack so maybe could you send me my High Sierra. Its perfect for the missionary work. Also a Carabeaner for my old packback because it broke again.

Thanks love you all!

Elder Hanson

Sorry Blog Followers

Hi Everyone -

I don't know how time has gotten away from me so quickly. Curtis has been out for six months and seems to be doing great. Following are four new posts from the last four weeks. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for your prayers, love, and support of Curtis!

Lisa

Lisa's Favorite Missionary Short Answer Questionnair

Hola Familia,

* What is your exact address? We have been trying to locate your area on google maps and cannot find anything for Riveria Del Bosque. Also some land marks might be helpful - like are you closer to the coast, the border, the airport etc.

Ha ha, as missionaries we cant really share our exact locations with family back home but this is how Ribera del Bosque is spelled. Also I think if you look for branches on the Church website you can see my sector and also my zone, Florido. Also I am really close to the Airport. I think its in Otay. They always fly over.

* About how many members do you have in your branch? (it is a branch isn't it?)

We dont really know but active members about 50. We have quite a few less actives and as missionaries we recently have been really trying to help our little branch run better.

* About how many children, youth, and priesthood holders do you have?

Children are hard to count some times cause they run around to much but I would say about 10 or 15, youth we have about 10 girls and 2 boys, and priesthood holders we have about 20 or less.

* How are the converts you have had doing?

Not to good. They have a hard time going to church and right now we are really focusing this last week in this sector to try and get the mission plan we have running with the members. Its really frustrating and discouraging to see your converts go less active but we are trying to help the ward get going on their responsibilities and I am trying to get to be a really good missionary to help make strong testimony converts

* Have you heard any more information about the Tijuana Temple? Like a possible site for it?

Yeah!!! WE KNOW WHERE ITS AT!!! It is actually really pretty close to Riberas

* How is your health?

Really good. Cardiovascular activity every morning, some strength excersises and trying to work on my splits. I am also starting to really focus on what I eat.

* Any more ear pain? Headaches?

My ears are perfect. Clean them everyday in the shower! Headaches just occasionaly

* How is your back?

Good. My backpack has broke a couple times and we are still trying to find a new one.

* Can you get pretty much whatever you want? Food, toiletries, etc. Is there anything you would really like to request for Christmas?

Something you need, want to share with the people, or just would like to have.

Um....New Scriptures? Maybe...That is just a want though..I will have to think about that one.

* Do they celebrate Halloween in Mexico? Any kind of Thanksgiving? (I am eager to learn all about Christmas traditions they have as you find them out)

Dia de meurte or Day of the dead. Its the halloween here. Its really interesting they put all the favorite foods of the deceased and they believe that they come to eat it. They also have pictures to help identify. Right now we are teaching a family about the Plan of Salvation to clear some stuff up. ha ha.

* Is your next possible transfer date coming up?

This week may be the last week I have in Riberas del Bosque. I may be righting my next email from a new sector or possible be with a new companion. Both sad things.

* What kind of weather have you been having?

Its been really cold for a lot of the mexicans here but I have felt really pretty good. Right now though it is back to hot again. The climate changes have made quite a few people sick. I got sick but I am better now, I ate a bad taco from a street vender. ha ha. Its all good now though with all the meds I took.

* Does it get cold there during the winter time? (are you using your Pajama Pants to sleep in or are they too hot?)

Yes, and Yes. Both and all. It actually rains pretty hard here.

* What kinds of things have you been able to do on your P-days?

My companion and I love to have a really clean house and then we both like to study so my P'days havent been too exciting. We have played soccer, went bowling, and gone to Mission home for visa stuff and etc.

* Have you seen the Ocean?

Yeah, I saw it when I first came but havent seen it since maybe they will move me to San Quintin or Playas wich are both next to the ocean. My companion was one of the lasts to baptize in the ocean in San Quintin.

* Have you been on a temple trip?

NO....

* How often do you get to the Mission Home?

Quite a bit. We often go there for different things like visas

* Where is the Mission Home? Do you have an exact address? (knowing it would be helpful because we are sending you a package with a rep. of Dad's from Tijuana - it should be there sometime between today and next Monday - please let us know when you receive it)

I dont have it right now. I am in an internet cafe. Its in Central but I dont know everything.

* How are your shoes holding up?

Really pretty bad. I am thinking that we should have bought the missionary mall ones.

* Do you need any more socks?

Nope. My socks are good...smelly sometimes but good.

* Are you still wearing your glasses more than your contacts?

I trade off. right now I am really wearing my contacts alot.

Future prospects

Hey Family and Friends!
This email is going to describe a little of the investigators that we have and how we find them...

• Contacting
• This is what we do every day and is our main source of finding people
• Components
• Approaching a person in the street and talking to them
• Knocking doors and talking to them
  
• By the way I have a bam sauce tocador (tocar signifies to touch so in other words its something that we use to touch or knock the fences). Its the lenses from plasma t.v.s and I found it after someone was busting up a tv infront of our house and left the lenses. If your wondering what they look like they are clear stones and remind me of the Urimm and thummin. It also can be used for magnifieing the scriptures for the older people we visit.
• It is not very affective and the amount of baptisms that I have had in this way is....1
  
• References
• These are extremely rare and usually are from people that we contact who usually dont know there neighbors but try to help us out by pointing at some houses. We like them anyway. We also recieve references from members and this can be ideal.
• Components
• Asking everyone we meet if they have references and going to members houses to ask them for some. Recently we have been really trying to implement an inspired plan by the First Presidency with our little Branch but it is taking some difficulty starting. We are pushing our mission leader. ha ha.
• Extremely effective or not effective at all (dependant on the sources efforts to find and give them)
  
• This can be very effective and helpful. When we recieve a reference from a member the investigator already has a support system and a friend, we are just the teachers.
• Even if the reference is from someone that is not there to support it is very effective
• We were given a reference from someone from the states to someone living in our sector. We went to the house and said that so and so sent us. Immediately she let us in and let us teach them. I think it was about three weeks later that both the Mom and the Son were baptized. They had seen us many times before but never knew what we did. The mom wasnt there when we usually do our contacting so she either wasnt receptive to two teenagers at her door or just was never home.
• Miscellanious
• We helped a drunk guy back to his house and now we are teaching him how God can help him quit his drinking and the Mom and daughter seem really receptive to our message.
• We have another family that are progressing really fast that we were able to teach after first being personal tutors for their children in English. The Mom and three children are listening to our lessons.
• We gave service to a catholic woman with her groceries. She wasnt interested in our message but her son that we met is progressing really well and is wondering about how science and religion fit together. I shared how we dont understand everything but through faith we can achieve a perfect knowledge (Alma 32).

Thats all the time I got. LATER!
Elder Hanson

Evangelio, Familia, y Los Profetas

Hey Familia,
So this week was really interesting and awesome. YEAH GENERAL CONFERENCE!!! I have never before felt so many of the messages apply to me and Dad! it was basically a new PMG it was pretty much all about missionary work except for that one about how to raise virtuous girls in the crappy world. I am so studying that one to pieces when I get a daughter.
So I learned about a million lessons this last week but I will try to keep the really neat ones on the top of the list. Saturday morning before Conference I was thinking about Vosotros, Mom and Dad, and how grateful I am to have had you for parents. One of the most evident things that can be seen out here is the contrast of the gospel teachings and everything. The start of my mission I was continually trying to make the best way to be a missionary only to find out that it was already made. I just had one of the frustrating and enlightining experiences this morning. But back to the subject...so I was thinking about my life and how I have had so many good things and some bad things. It became very apparent that the Gospel, or the plan that God has for us, was the source of every piece of happiness that I could remember either from living the Gospel myself or the positive side effects from others living it. I realized that it is the way to perfection. To really become like God and the only things that can stop us from suceeding is ourselves such as not learning what exactly the gospel is, how to live it, or just being to scared to try. We have the perfect plan for happiness. Even if we dont completely understand all the inner workings of it we know it's better than anything that we could come up with and we know at least in part what we need to do to live it. I challenge anyone reading this to put aside their fears, exercise a little faith, and living those principles of the Gospel no matter how small they may seem. I would probably not have been able to see this pattern in my own life if it wasn't for the faithful living of my own parents. Thanks MOM AND DAD!!! One of the most amazing thing is that the Gospel never wears out no matter how many people have used it. It continues to bring happiness and it has from the foundation of the world. We have hundreds of years of scriptural evidence and the continual words of the modern apostles and prophets that testify to the never ceasing functionings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I would also invite anyone reading this to learn more about the Christ, Jesus. We, as saints, sometimes go through life reaping the benefits and lack to see the source. How great our joy and appreciation might be if we only tried to recognize the source of our salvation. READ JESUS THE CHRIST!!! It is perfect to try to comprehend everything the Saviour did for us. It is the inspired compilition of everything the savior is from the Pre-mortal realm until far into the future as compiled in the Salt Lake Temple by James E. Talmage using both ancient and modern scripture.
Being at the battlefront of this war against Satan we as missionaries could see almost every idea that was spoken at Conference and the truthfulness of the message. As a representative of this Church and a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ I invite all of you to live the principles that the Prophets and Apostles have taught in this last conference. I feel that the rift is getting wider and wider. It is becoming harder and harder to be in the middle ground. Please, let's all choose to push aside those things that are stretching and tearing us apart. Let us side more valiantly with the Lord and we might just find an abundance of peace and security in an unstable world.
I Love you a lot, thanks for everything,
Elder Hanson

Conferencia y todo!

Hey Fam,
Sorry, I love you guys a ton and I really need to write to you guys more I was looking in our rule book and I am trying not to include anything to specific like names of people and all that jazz but I will try to let you guys know alot. Also it is really hard some times but in the book it says not to say anything bad about your area or the people you serve in so I have just tried to avoid it all together.
So Tijuana is really nuts. Its really busy, in another language, and their is a ton of dogs. Our sector is pretty big and we just found out that it is even bigger. The pictures I sent last time of the Privadas is only the tiniest part of our sector. We have a more rich area around Matamoros and then we also have a really poor area with house on the side of giant hill going into a valley that holds RB (Rivera del Bosque). We encounter a lot of different people with a lot of different problems.
We are recently dealing with some people that are trying to get over addictions and I am learning alot about how to really help them. Also contacting is really hard here. The majority of people have the idea of All is well as long as you have a faith in God and have a religious belief your good. The most popular phrase we usually here is that it all goes to the same place. Its a bit hard not to be too mean and say there wrong. Instead, we use scriptures. YEAH!!! So we also just had a huge meeting with our small little branch leaders and everyone else like that. They are really kicking the mission into gear with more than just Missionaries doing the work and I am loving it.
My Spanish is getting pretty good as I have been studying and walking and just trying to fill my brain with all the concepts. I also have made some goals for myself that you might find interesting

• I really want to learn the Guitar when I get back
• I want to learn Sign Language as well as other languages
• I am currently working on trying to be able to do the splits

I hope that kind of updated you guys a little bit. I will try to do better with my letters. Also the last baptism we had was with Judith, the mom, and Diego, the son, they are awesome and their story is awesome but I really need to go and I will try to keep you updated. Pardon.
¡LES AMO MUCHO!
Elder Hanson

Sorry no e-mail to post this week!

Sorry there is no new post this week. Curtis is doing fine and there is this one new photo to share. Thanks so much for all your support.

Lisa

A Little News is Better than None!

Hi Everyone!

Sorry Curtis' e-mails seem to be getting shorter and shorter. I guess the fact that he is so busy is a good thing right? Thanks for your continued support and friendship

Lisa

E-Mail Answers!

I gotst cero minutos mas!
Sorry I am really out of time this week so I will just have to answer your questions real fast

So, how are you this week?

Doing good, I just have to remember that people have their agency for a reason. ha ha.

Did you get transferred?

No, I am staying with Elder Martinez which means I am his first two cambio companion.

If so, what is your new area like?

Its the same and sweet!

Have you been able to open up the photos we have been able to send you?

yeah, I love them! Its basically Gmail so everything really works except chat. sorry.

I still need to know if you received your package?

YUP. GRACIOUS! I am already trying to put the recipies into practice

Do you need money to cover the cost of buying another back pack? Sorry yours hasn’t been quite what you wanted.

I might need that. Its just really big and fantastic....but big

How is your back?

Good and tired. I have been sure to exercise it in the mornings.

How is your health in general?

Alright. I have decided that I need about twice as much food as my companions.

Love you all!

Elder Hanson

I am getting a little sentimental at this point in my mission because we are about to have transfers and because of the special change I had half way through my training I think they are kicking me out of Ribera Del Bosque.
I have really come to appreciate my companion. He is 24 years old and is an amazing example and makes it so I dont have to worry on making par but being even better.

In our small little branch we had testimony meeting and Missionary Work and Missionaries were a huge topic. We even had a sister get up and bare her testimony on the need to do more missionary work when she had previously told us that she was a little busy to try and do that. The Spirit aparently was working hard. I am so happy for my first little area and the experiences I have been able to have. Sorry I havent been telling you guys all the stories becuase I just need to write the basics. I will remember and tell you guys when I get back.

As far as Spanish goes I feel really good. I can really feel the Gift of tongues and I know that God wants me to speak Spanish, not only speak it but also be fluent.

Thanks and love you all!
Elder Hanson

Waterless, Waterless......like the Tijuana Missionaries are

Hey Fam!
So I have some news....I LOVE MY MISSION!!! The other day we were about to head back up the hill and to our apartment and as we walked down the road with privadas on both sides, the telephone wires with shoes hanging down from them, all the small side stores selling clothes and tacos, and all of it sillouhetted by an orange sun going down in the distance my mind screamed, I LOVE TIJUANA. I feel like Heavenly Father is giving me the rewards for the good job you guys did as parents in raising me. Thank you.
So I have decided that one of the things I want to do for my mission is completely get rid of the need for contacting in whatever area I am serving in. I hope to complete this goal through my effective organizing skills and I already have a lot of plans. One thing that I am asking if you could send me, Dad, is one of those red books that has all the different organizations and leaderships of the church and what they do. Besides being able to help people know what they should do I could also see what different powers they hold as far as in the church goes. I can then determine how to tweak it for the missionary work. Please hold of for another week if you can so I can hear from the President to see if I have the okay but let me know if its possible.
It was awesome to hear from the family and mom I am doing great, eating more or less well and awesome with the members, I am also skinny because of the sun, the walking, and my very large backpack for a missionary( I am contemplating buying another)
Thank you all!
Elder Hanson

Eva is baptized!

Hey Family!
Exciting news! I was able to see the baptizm of "my" first investigador that I helped all the way through the lessons and I think the conversion process she is awesome and I am so happy she is on the path and can enjoy the many fruits this gospel can lend her. She is a little older but is very lively and fun. She actually reminds me of someone that would be part of the Lewis family. Well I am out of time but here are some pictures.
Elder Hanson

These posts are from the last two weeks as I was on vacation and did not have access to a computer. Hope you all are having a happy day.

Oh, I commented to Curtis that we need him to put the English translation with the Spanish he uses - hopefully that will help those of us who don't speak Spanish!

¡HOLA FAMILIA!

Hey mom and Dad sorry we have had a bit of a hectic day and it was good to hear a little bit about the cruz and the questions are awesome! I do however need to go because I am out of time and needed to write the President a little more this week.
Crazy news is that I am getting a new companion tomorrow. Elder Perez is being sent to Mexicali, sad, but my new companion is Elder Martinez, I think, and he is hispanic but born in Estados Unidos (US). So he is fluent in both English and Spanish. He is supposedly amazing and is really about the rules so I expect to be getting a lot of work done which is great and exactly what Ribera Del Bosque needs.
I wanted to quickly bear my testimony of the basics. In a world that is filled with so many bad and good things we often forget to do those things that we need as Children of God, Heirs to the Kingdom. Remembering who we are and where we are going and what this life is all about is what makes meaning and significance for our very souls say that we are the children of God. Read, Ponder, and Pray! Then act upon the testimony you recieve! Suerte Mucho! (Luck Much) Sorry lots of spanish doesnt have a very good translation
Les Amo Mucho!
Elder Curtis Hanson

Losiento! (Sorry) for the Espanol

Hey Familia (Family),
I will try to write in english but it gets difficult when I have to go really fast. Meses means months and Rama is branch. We dont have a ward we have a branch in a ware house. Speaking of which if you guys have any ideas for what could be purchased or done to help with the reverbrating noise of the warehouse I would love your input. I am starting a budget with the mission money and putting aside money to help with the branch or ward I currently in so if you have any ideas please tell them to me! That would be awesome. I was thinking of hanging giant blankets on the walls and my companion had the idea of better speakers. Currently we have a karoke machine. For some reason its difficult to get investigators to come to church every week. ha ha. No, I think a major reason is that its difficult and people dont want to change.
Wow! thats awesome! Have fun in the Bahamas I have been researching places to go in Mexico and asking people and people say that Cables and Cancun are great but I will keep asking. Also I think that Tijuana is not the greatest vacation spot when I return. It will be a great experience if you guys want to visit but it isnt really a vacation spot. A lot of the other missionaries and citizens dont like but I do!

The Questions

1. Are you eating well? Do you fix most of your meals or do the members feed you and are you adjusting to Mexican food?

Yes usually the members feed us and the food is difficult at times ha ha. I got really sick one night because I think I ate Moleh on accident. There is plenty of food but there is also a lot of walking and a lot of sun. I have actually reached the smallest hole on my belt and may have to purchase another. I didnt even think I was out of shape before my mission!

2. Tell us what a typical missionary day is like and what a typical P-Day is like

Sorry, running out of time, Typical day

Wake up

Run or play soccer with the locales for a little

Return and shower

STUDY STUDY AND STUDY SPANISH

Prayer is in there too

Go proselyting

Lots of contacting and walking, lessons with investigadors, service, etc.

Return to the house

Plan tomorow

Area Book

FRee time, I usually study because I am new and need it, Plus I like it

I also am a big fan of organizing and I may be obsessed

Write in Journal

Go to bed

3. How far are you from the mission office? Did you get your recipe package yet?

We dont receive mail very often but I hope to get some today so I will see if your package is there. THANKS!

4. What is your branch/ward like? Where do you meet? How many members and what is the ratio of Priesthood holders to sisters?

See above

hasta luego!
Elder Curtis Hanson

Lisa's update

Dear Friends and Family -

I have slacked off once again on up-dating Curtis' blog. Please forgive me. Following are his two recent e-mails. I was struggling to get more information from him so I wrote his e-mail in a question format. He seemed to like this and responded with much more information than usual. Hope you find it interesting. Thanks again for your interest. Take care! Lisa

¡Yo tengo tres meses!

Hola Familia!
The baptism went amazing and I was the one to baptize and Elder Perez confirmed in church this last sunday. Things are alright right now my compañero and I have a lot of work to do in our small little Rama. Its really interesting because we don't have a chapel we have a warehouse. Its really hard to hear the speakers sometimes because of the reverberating walls and its even more difficult for me while I am still getting the hang of spanish. We have great hope for our small little Rama despite its small size and long way to go. One of the best things is that we don't wonder about what we have to do next, we have direction and a whole lot of hope and faith. Gracious para la informacion! Glad to hear Bear lake was awesome. My shake was either raspberry brownie or strawberry brownie. So good guess.
¡Hasta Luego! ¡Les amo mucho!
Elder Hanson
P.S
A lot of the people here pronounce my name like Handsome so I get an ego boost a lot. ha ha. And they like to make jokes when they know the english word for handsome.

Respuestas

Hola Familia,

Here are the answers

1. What is the weather like?

• Hot...Hot...and hotter. The day usually goes from alright in the morning to burning in the afternoon and then to a nice temperature again in the night. It's been really nice as of late a little cooler than usual.
  

2. I see from the photos you are wearing your glasses. I hope that is for convenience and not because there is a problem with your contacts.

• I always wear my glasses because of the water here and eye infection and also for convenience sake. One day I plan on wigging out my investigadors and los otro elderes.

3. How are the headaches and ear pain? How is your back?

• The headaches and the ear pain are all but gone. You do have the Urimm and Thummin Mom, my back has been having a little bit of pain as of late but I am doing my exercises and having promises of health so I am not to worried and neither should you be.
  

4. So do the places you tract into have guards as well as the gates? How do you manage to get past them?

• Yeah they have guards, usually. It used to be that they didn't have any guardias but as of late more and more of the privadas have them. Gratefully, my companion is very amable and we usually make friends with the guards. One I like to call "Hefe" (Boss in espanol) and I think he really likes that. The otro is one that asked us questions about our church and we gave him a book of Mormon. He is reading and last week we invited him to church but wasn't there when we tried to pick him up. We hope that it wasn't on purpose. As for the getting past them we simply talk with them and I say a prayer in my heart and we usually find a way. Most of them let us through when we have a cita (appointment) and are very amable. Contacting is almost impossible now but we are making new efforts to find different solutions to this through the ward and other means. We have started to teach ingles for free to try to attract those who want to learn. And I am afraid that I am going to be a teacher. ha ha.
  

5. It looks like you are serving in a more affluent area? Is this the case? Are most of the communities you tract into gated?

• We have the whole range. The privadas are pretty nice but nothing compared to houses around home. Usually they have a small kitchen, a small dining room, a small living room, a bathroom, and I think two or three bedrooms. Very compact. We have some slums but rarely go tracting there. Mostly our work is in the privadas so they are usually gated and all the other houses are usually individually gated.
  

6. What is your house, apartment, flat, like? Do you have other missionaries living with you and Elder Perez?

• We have a nice apartment! It's amazing! I have plans to make it into mission head quarters some day. We used to have two other elders living with us but they moved into a different apartment so now we have an "office". We are in the process of organizing and cleaning. It's pretty nice though and we have a washer! Most other missionaries wash by hand so we are very lucky. Nobody has a dryer really and the sun does a really good job.
  

7. So do you have a new mission president yet? What do you think of him?

• We do have a new mission President and I think he is awesome. He only speaks Spanish and I am still working with my spanish so it's rather difficult to really get to know him. ha ha. He is really awesome though and very clear headed. I am probably going to get to know him better as time goes on. Also, his wife is an ex-missionera. Entonces, understands the work and our job. This is apparently a big deal with the other elders.
  

8. How long has Elder Perez been on his mission? Where is he from?

• Elder Perez is pretty old in the mission and has 5 meses mas en la mission. He is from Tabasco, Mexico. I am his first trainee and we are going to do awesome in this area with the Lord's help.

Lo siento, I don't have my camero with me hoy because I was traveling to and and from the Mission office and stuff. I hope to be able to send you more next time. I am sorry for not explaining a whole lot but I think you can find my area by using Google Maps and typing in Florido.
Gracious! Les amo mucho!
Elder Curtis Hanson

P.S.- I loved the question format
P.S.S- I have my first bautismo this week on wednesday, Sabrina and her Mother Lorenna. Mom, Lorenna is like another mom and never forgets to invite me to eat food or have a drink. She was an answer to prayer my first day tracting the privadas.

Finally Another E-Mail!

LES AMO!

So I don´t have much time! Sorry I was unable to write last week. Things are a little crazy and I am just trying to keep going and understanding the language. I think I am proggressing really fast and the people here are incredible. There is a ton of work to do and I am barely comprehending it because everything is in a different language. My companion is great, even when we don´t get along, I know that he just wants to be a good missionary and help the people. His name is Elder Perez.

Right now we have quite a few investigators and I will send some pictures of some of them, I hope. The latest challenge in our Area is the guardias. Nuestro area is almost totally privadas so the difficulty is getting past the gate. I don´t have much time but I will try to send those photos. I am grateful for all of you and I hope you are all doing well. I am fine and I am sorry for not writing last week.

Hasta Luego!

Elder Hanson