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