we must be llamas

title this week is thanks to something anz boscan said on tuesday night during evening devotional. it's golden. just wait for it. 

anyways! this week was solid! last friday we had our last lesson with Gennaro because Fratello Sloan wanted to switch it up and give us a new investigator for our last week. we taught him about the word of wisdom and totally rocked it without ANY notes. how bout that! unfortunately, it was our last lesson. and even though he wasn't a "real" investigator, it was all real to me. i'm going to be honest it was sad. i almost started crying during the closing prayer of the lesson with him. the love of God is REAL. not just for us, but for his other children. the best thing of all is that we can feel his love for them. i don't know who all i'll be meeting in italy, but i already love them with all my heart. that, to me, is a miracle in itself. 

also....FLIGHT PLANS! woot woot! we got them last friday and because i've been demoted (not actually demoted. pres Taylor always says to remember this isn't a corporate ladder, and i've taken that to heart) to district leader, i got to go and get them! ahh my heart was beating so fast! we're leaving monday morning at 3:50 AM! yay for early mornings. 

me and Anz Ridd in front of the temple last week

Sorella Crandell and Sorella Dustin plus me and Anz Ridd in the back. 

friday was also the day that the elders in our district received 5 bags of chips and 5 bags of salsa. our mothers love us too much. 

sunday night we had a musical devotional from the BYU mens choir! that was really fun to listen to. however we did have to say goodbye to the Thai elders. sad day. they're doing a good work, but they're going to be missed.  

me, anz Ridd, and Elder Dugquem [(who's actually half Thai) going to Thailand], 

who told me that he'd date Anela when he gets back. 

He played volleyball in college and he's 22 rn, so uh, who knows? 

me, Elder Earl (going to Thailand) and anz Ridd

gonna miss these guys.

not much else happened on saturday or sunday, but i did get to teach priesthood on enduring to the end. that was such a cool experience for me because as i was teaching, i had all these thoughts that just came to my head and started guiding me and telling me which way to go. the lesson that i had actually planned wasn't even used. i learned just as much as everyone in priesthood did, and afterwards, pres Taylor told me it was the best lesson he's ever been to. #tryingnottobrag

really though, it's ALL about following the guidance of the spirit. and this actually leads in perfectly to the experience on tuesday. i can't remember who gave the devotional, but it was AWESOME. he talked a lot about being bold and not being afraid. this gospel is a message that will LITERALLY save their souls. and if i truly love them, i will not be afraid of talking about this gospel. he also talked about how we cannot be hirelings. we must be shepherds. we must sincerely love them, and we MUST follow the spirit. only then will they know that is is the voice of the Lord, and not our own, calling them back to the fold. love love love that. that night in our district devo review, we talked about who we really need to be, and anziano boscan made a point of saying "we can't actually be shepherds because there's only one perfect shepherd, but we can't only be sheep. therefore, we must be llamas. because when wolves come, llamas don't run away. they charge." bahahaha. i thought that was hilarious. 

me and sorelle smedly e anderson.

  aaaannndd also my comp in the background pretending to be a dinosaur.  

we also got new italian missionaries yesterday! ahh they're so fun. i remember when i was in their shoes a few weeks ago, haha. one of them actually speaks fluent italian because he lived in italy for 6 years, but he's from the Philippines. he also speaks three other languages, including english. cool kid. 

here's me and anz ridd being too cute hahahaha

besides that, i was reminded of some cool scriptures this week. Romans 1:15-16: 

" 15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.

 "16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

 how glad i am for this opportunity i have to serve the Lord in such a beautiful country. may your roads be valleys of peace for all the days to come. 

the glory will ever be to God. 

all my love. 

Anz Hansen

P.S.

Excerpt from his personal email to us:

"Devo was also really cool. i talked about it a lot in the group email, so i won't explain too much more, but going there and listening to him really brought me back to the basics. love the people. be diligent. lead by the spirit. and all the way back to loving the people. that's really what it's all been about for me. LOVE. serve because of love. preach the gospel out of love. try for love. i'm downright scared of trying to speak this language, but i KNOW that the Lord will magnify my efforts. and like i said, if i truly love the people, i will be willing to do anything for them. and that's what i'm going to do. 

last night though i was feeling COMPLETELY overwhelmed with the language. we did a district language study last night, and we tried talking about past subjunctive stuff and it was literally going straight in one ear and out the other. NOPE. i tried keeping it all happy and stuff and staying focused, but i was on the verge of tears. that's when Sorella Dustin reminded me of my mission scripture. Alma 26:12. 

" 12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boastof my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

no, i don't know everything. no, i don't know how to speak the language. i don't even know how the lord will help me understand all of this, but i have complete confidence that he will make it work somehow. i don't know how or by what means, but in his strength, as long as i give it my best, i can do all things. that brought me peace. good times, good times.

may the glory ever be to God

anz hansen"

sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa

title this week is an italian tongue twister which basically says "above the bench, the goat lives. under the bench, the goat dies." 

yup. 

this week was pretty much the same as last week. seriously. everything is the same here day after day after day. for that reason, everything is going by WAYYYY faster now. i only have 11 days left in the MTC! 

 this is where i get to study like erryday #blessed

pretty picture of the mtc

this is me emailing this morning! so happy :)

that's absolutely crazy! 

there are a few things to talk about though. the flowers in the mtc are at full bloom and they're all really pretty. our classroom is on the ground floor and right outside the window is a bunch of flowers, and people stop by to take pictures of them (or with them. literally saw an elder pose with the flowers like they were his girlfriend one time) all the time. 

that's my comp studying. 

pretty picture of the Temple grounds.

and here are some flowers!

we also had some demo teaching with one of our teachers this week. we focused a lot on being able to recognize the needs of the investigator. we thought of them like an iceberg. 

yeah you can see the top, but underneath the water it's an entirely different story. there's so much more to them that we have to recognize in order to connect with them on that spiritual level. it was an interesting lesson that spanned two class sessions. lots of good stuff there. 

i learned this week that we've learned almost all the tenses in italian, which totally blew my mind. italian is coming along a lot better than it was before. it's really awesome! still hard, but wayyy fun.

this is anz boscan sleeping during the devo on tuesday hahaha. 

anyways, we started working on gerund form this week in italian and to practice we were repeating after our teacher. "noi stai pregando." which means "we are praying." however during the repetitions one of the elders interrupted and asked a question about how to conjugate the verb die (morire). sorella francom answered the question and we got back to repeating after her and instead of saying noi stai pregando, she said "noi stai morendo" which means we are dying. afterwards she started laughing her head off. bahahaha. 

also the thai elders in our building had their p day on tuesday and met david archuleta

in the temple, and got a picture with him afterwards. on tuesday nights we have special devotionals, so we all thought that he was going to be the speaker because why else would he be here. ended up being someone else, so we were a little disappointed. but that devotional was AWESOME! 

we've had some more lessons with Gennaro and Alessia, and those were wayyy good. me and my comp are getting way better at teaching lessons, and we've committed them both (well...partially) to baptism! no they're not actually real investigators, but still! it was such a cool experience. 

we also did skype trc which is where we teach members from italy via skype. that was....an experience. i don't know why we felt like it was any different, but that lesson def didn't go as well as it could've gone. however, she does live in our mission boundaries, and she said if we're ever in her city we should contact her and she'll invite us over for food! ahhh that's one of the things i'm looking forward to about leaving the mtc. the food here really isn't that good, but that's not going to be the case in italy! we were also told that they eat cookies and milk for breakfast literally erryday. what. but hey! JUST TWELVE DAYS TO GOOD FOOD! 

btws my comp literally flirts with everyone here and i'm basically forced to stand by and listen to him talk to every girl even though it's against pg 33. #page33islife. 

"OPPOSITE SEX 

Never be alone with, flirt with, or associate in any other inappropriate way with anyone of the opposite sex. Do not telephone, write, e-mail, or accept calls or letters from anyone of the opposite sex living within or near mission boundaries. The only exceptions are for communications between sister missionaries and their 33 Missionary Conduct 35996_000_co02_hdbk.qxd 06-01-2006 12:18 PM Page 33 mission leaders, mission-related telephone calls (such as calls to confirm appointments), and letters of support and encouragement to converts (see “Communicating with Converts” on pp. 36–37). Report immediately to your mission president any situation that might cause you or your companion to violate this standard. You and your companion should not visit or accept rides from individuals of the opposite sex unless another responsible adult of your own sex is also present. Always obey this rule, even if the situation seems harmless. You can often avoid these situations if you emphasize teaching families and involve members in every teaching appointment, if at all possible. Do not counsel members or nonmembers on personal problems. Refer members who need counseling or professional assistance to their bishop. If you feel a nonmember needs such assistance, talk with your mission president. Do not counsel missionaries of the opposite sex, even if you are serving in a leadership position. Such talk can lead to inappropriate feelings and relationships. Always refer such cases to your mission president." (Missionary Handbook, page 33 and 34)

speaking of page 33, i saw an elder break the rules on tuesday night. he and his companion were with a tripanionship of girls and he gave one of them a two second hug and i shouted at him and then he ran away hahahaha. keep the rules, aye?

me at the temple :)

and another temple picture! so beautiful :)

lastly: super cool experience this week that happened yesterday during comp study. we were walking around trying to find a spot to study and met a guy from california who has volunteered for TRC. 

a lot of the TRC people that speak english are actual investigators who want to learn more about the church, so we stopped and talk to him about life for awhile. we eventually got the point where we started talking about the gospel and basically we had an impromptu 45 minute conversation that ended up in us committing him to read the intro to the BOM 

and moroni 10:3-5 

" 3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 "4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 "5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know thetruth of all things."

and it was AWESOME! he doesn't always feel like God is there and he feels more like it's a choice to believe than it is to actually know, but i wanted him SO BADLY to understand that God is there! while talking to him i could feel the love of Christ for him! Andrew (that's his name just fyi), GOD IS AWARE OF YOU. and not just of Andrew, but of EVERYONE! that was another huge thing that hit me during our conversation with him. we are all children of God. all of us collectively, but each of us individually. he loves us yesterday, today, tomorrow, and every day afterwards. it's a wonderful gospel to be a part of. 

and this is elder earl! he's from north carolina and he's going to thailand. the italians and the thai missionaries have some super close relationships! love love that guy. 

me and president donahoo! he's in the branch presidency, and i love him. 

(excerpt from his personal  email to us, his family): "i've also learned a lot this past week about why i'm out here and about my own feelings. i'm out here not to learn italian, but to invite people to come unto christ. 

that's literally what it says in the missionary purpose. our purpose is to invite and help. that's all i've got to do. i also read 2 nephi 31:15

"15 And I heard a voice from the Father, saying: Yea, the words of my Beloved are true and faithful. He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved."

this week and at the end it talks about how all we have to do to receive eternal life is endure to the end. nothing in there talks about being a perfect missionary. i don't have to change lives. i just have to keep on trying and trying. that's definitely something i can do. i'll work as hard as i can for every day of this mission not just because i love the people, but also because i know the lord will magnify my menial acts even if i can't see that happen. someway, somehow, he will bring to pass his righteous purposes. i take so much comfort in that. literally all i have to do is work as hard as i can and then jump in with both feet. peace and valleys, trials and mountains."

have a most wonderful week everyone. 

may the glory ever be to God. 

anz hansen