Week 8--Elder Ortega
Hello Family,
This has been a great week. We had our last zone conference with President Egbert on Friday. He will be leaving at the end of June. I will be sad to see him go, but I am so grateful for all that he's been able to teach me. The topic of the zone conference was on temples, and it made me so excited to go back to the temple. Also, I was able to get the package at zone conference, and I opened it up this morning. Thank you so much for the package. I really loved the ties a lot. I'm wearing one of them right now. The beef jerky was also much appreciated. Please tell Brother Marsh thanks for the tide book. His strait analogy is one of my favorites ever.
Garden Park is doing really well. President Heera is working really hard, and I feel like our branch councils are really helping the branch to be unified and take action. We have started following up more with our contacts that we make, and that has been really helping us to stay in touch with those that we contact so that we can give them every opportunity to hear this message.
Elder Ortega is a really good companion, and I feel like both of us can be very open with each other. Our purpose is the same, so it is very nice that both of us can help each other with our weaknesses, and we are able to strengthen each other every day.
I have a testimony that the Lord knows what He is doing. I love Mosiah 4:9, especially the part that says "believe that man doth not comprehend all the things the Lord can comprehend." As I continue to grow as a missionary and as a child of God, I know that my growth and the skills and talents I have are not of my own, but they are of the Lord. He is mindful of everything we go through, and He has a plan to help us progress in the manner best suited for our eternal destiny. I am so grateful for that.
My spiritual experience this week happened on Friday and Saturday. After zone conference, we went to see a twelve-year-old investigator named Aaliyah. We followed up with her on her prayer about Joseph Smith. She said she prayed, and then she listened and focused for the answer, but she didn't feel anything. We decided to just go on with the lesson because we were talking about the Book of Mormon, and I had faith that talking about that would help us to find a way to resolve her concern. As we talked about how we can know if the Book of Mormon is true, we decided to read Moroni 10:3-5 with her. After we read it, she said, "When I read this, I feel something." We asked what it was that she felt. She said she felt a good feeling. We asked her where that feeling came from, and she said, "It came from God." We then asked her to ponder what it would mean when she prays that night about the Book of Mormon and feels the exact same feeling she just felt. She thought for a minute, then said, "Then the Book of Mormon is true." We committed her to do that very thing, to pray that night. The next day, we called her and followed up with her on how it went. She said, "At first, I didn't feel anything, but after a while, I felt the good feeling. This is the right book." I know that the Book of Mormon can truly be the keystone of our testimony as we exercise faith in its principles.
I love all of you so much, and thanks for all the birthday wishes!
Love,
Elder Hanni
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Week 43--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana
Week 7--Elder Ortega
Hello Family,
It's been a great week this week. I'm really loving being a missionary here in Guyana.
We have had a good week in Garden Park. We had to stop teaching a few people because they were not progressing or they need some time to make a decision, but I know that that was the right thing, and they understood why we wouldn't be able to come anymore. We were also able to find a lot of people this week just by doing simple acts of service. It has been really nice that people have allowed us to help them, and it's always good to talk about the gospel after service.
Elder Ortega and I get along really well, and we worked very well together this week. Something both of us are doing well with is continuing to study the doctrines in chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel. That has helped us to teach in unity and also teach for understanding.
I have a testimony of the gospel. Sister Sandra had kind of a rough week after her baptism because of the opposition that Satan throws at us when we do good things, but she has stayed strong. She has been steadfast. "Steadfast" is one of her favorite words in regards to the gospel, and it has been something she has told herself again and again so that she can stay strong. I'm grateful for her example. Even though it has been a hard week for her, because she continued to live the gospel, she made it through, and she continues to feel the Holy Ghost in her life.
A spiritual experience I had this week happened on Saturday. Sister Shequila, the recent convert from the Bel Air area, has a best friend who lives in our area, and on Saturday, Shequila came with us to teach her friend the first key lesson. It was really cool to be able to go teaching with her because she really is excited about the gospel. The lesson was one in which I felt the Spirit because Sister Shequila's testimony is very powerful and sincere, and her best friend talked about all the changes that have happened to Shequila ever since she decided to be baptized. It was just a very nice experience to be able to go and teach with someone who is new to the gospel but whose testimony is so strong.
I'm excited that everyone is either done with school or finishing this week. It's also pretty crazy that all of those people are graduated now. It doesn't feel like it's been a year since I graduated. I'm very excited that Drake and Trey are going to be going on missions soon.
I love all of you so much, and I hope you have a fantastic week. Good luck with everything!
Love,
Elder Hanni
Hello Family,
It's been a great week this week. I'm really loving being a missionary here in Guyana.
We have had a good week in Garden Park. We had to stop teaching a few people because they were not progressing or they need some time to make a decision, but I know that that was the right thing, and they understood why we wouldn't be able to come anymore. We were also able to find a lot of people this week just by doing simple acts of service. It has been really nice that people have allowed us to help them, and it's always good to talk about the gospel after service.
Elder Ortega and I get along really well, and we worked very well together this week. Something both of us are doing well with is continuing to study the doctrines in chapter 3 of Preach My Gospel. That has helped us to teach in unity and also teach for understanding.
I have a testimony of the gospel. Sister Sandra had kind of a rough week after her baptism because of the opposition that Satan throws at us when we do good things, but she has stayed strong. She has been steadfast. "Steadfast" is one of her favorite words in regards to the gospel, and it has been something she has told herself again and again so that she can stay strong. I'm grateful for her example. Even though it has been a hard week for her, because she continued to live the gospel, she made it through, and she continues to feel the Holy Ghost in her life.
A spiritual experience I had this week happened on Saturday. Sister Shequila, the recent convert from the Bel Air area, has a best friend who lives in our area, and on Saturday, Shequila came with us to teach her friend the first key lesson. It was really cool to be able to go teaching with her because she really is excited about the gospel. The lesson was one in which I felt the Spirit because Sister Shequila's testimony is very powerful and sincere, and her best friend talked about all the changes that have happened to Shequila ever since she decided to be baptized. It was just a very nice experience to be able to go and teach with someone who is new to the gospel but whose testimony is so strong.
I'm excited that everyone is either done with school or finishing this week. It's also pretty crazy that all of those people are graduated now. It doesn't feel like it's been a year since I graduated. I'm very excited that Drake and Trey are going to be going on missions soon.
I love all of you so much, and I hope you have a fantastic week. Good luck with everything!
Love,
Elder Hanni
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| My District! |
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| Nice Sunset! |
Georgetown West Coast Zone Activity
Once again the Senior couple, Brother and Sister Odair have put pictures of their zone activity with the missionaries serving in that area. We are so thankful for them and their service to our missionary.
Week 42-- Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana
Week 6--Elder Ortega
Hello Family,
It was so good to see all of you yesterday. I really loved seeing all of your faces. I'm really glad that all of you are doing so well.
Garden Park is doing really well. I really love the members here because they invite our investigators to branch and district activities, and our investigators are really loving going to those activities. There is a closeness among the members here that is really wonderful.
I'm excited to be able to continue to work with Elder Ortega. He is a great missionary, and we are both excited about this area. We really love working together here, and I continue to learn from his example. Elder Ortega is a very sincere missionary, and I can tell that he loves the work.
I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Over this past transfer, I've been able to teach it many times, and as we helped Sister Sandra prepare to be baptized two days ago, we went over the gospel of Jesus Christ with her. As I continue to study it and teach it, the Spirit continues to confirm it's truth to me, and what is amazing is that it keeps making more and more sense. I love that our Heavenly Father teaches us with plain and precious truths.
My spiritual experience this week was teaching Sister Sandra after her confirmation yesterday. She told us, "I'm so happy now. I'm listening for that whisper." She really felt the Holy Ghost because I just kept writing inspired answer after inspired answer down. It was incredible. She said, "He really is like a blanket. I'm warm now. I used to be in the cold," "I was miserable. Now I have peace." "God kept watch on me the whole time." She has been an investigator for over a year, since before I was even a missionary, but I am so grateful that Heavenly Father prepared her for this wonderful Mother's Day weekend.
I love all of you so much, and I hope that this week is a great one! Always remember that you are loved.
Love,
Elder Hanni
Hello Family,
It was so good to see all of you yesterday. I really loved seeing all of your faces. I'm really glad that all of you are doing so well.
Garden Park is doing really well. I really love the members here because they invite our investigators to branch and district activities, and our investigators are really loving going to those activities. There is a closeness among the members here that is really wonderful.
I'm excited to be able to continue to work with Elder Ortega. He is a great missionary, and we are both excited about this area. We really love working together here, and I continue to learn from his example. Elder Ortega is a very sincere missionary, and I can tell that he loves the work.
I have a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Over this past transfer, I've been able to teach it many times, and as we helped Sister Sandra prepare to be baptized two days ago, we went over the gospel of Jesus Christ with her. As I continue to study it and teach it, the Spirit continues to confirm it's truth to me, and what is amazing is that it keeps making more and more sense. I love that our Heavenly Father teaches us with plain and precious truths.
My spiritual experience this week was teaching Sister Sandra after her confirmation yesterday. She told us, "I'm so happy now. I'm listening for that whisper." She really felt the Holy Ghost because I just kept writing inspired answer after inspired answer down. It was incredible. She said, "He really is like a blanket. I'm warm now. I used to be in the cold," "I was miserable. Now I have peace." "God kept watch on me the whole time." She has been an investigator for over a year, since before I was even a missionary, but I am so grateful that Heavenly Father prepared her for this wonderful Mother's Day weekend.
I love all of you so much, and I hope that this week is a great one! Always remember that you are loved.
Love,
Elder Hanni
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| Add caption |
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Week 41--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana
Week 5--Elder Ortega
Hello Family,
We are doing great in Garden Park. I love being here and we are so excited for Sister Sandra's baptism Saturday. We started a new contact area this week, and as we started it, we felt a confirmation that this is where the Lord needs us to work right now.
I love being with Elder Ortega. This week, we have been able to get to know each other better, and that has really helped us to be able to work more in unity. We are grateful for the chance to serve together.
My spiritual experience this week was in finding a new contact area. In our previous contact area, it just didn't feel right. We were able to set up return appointments with those that we contacted, but all of them kept falling through, and it felt like no one was interested. We began praying to know where we should go next, and we felt that we should go to a certain area. We went there, and as we were there that morning, we were able to find a referral from some other missionaries. That was really nice. We then went down the road a little bit, and we were able to talk to a lady outside of her gate. She turned out to be the sister of one of the members here. That was even better. We went down the road a little bit more, and we helped a lady fetch some sand, and we were actually able to teach her a lesson because she was interested. That was a great experience because the Lord was able to guide us to all those people, and I know that He as prepared more in that area to receive the gospel.
We are planning to try to be skyping around 6:00pm out time, which should be 4:00 your time. We will do our best to start then, but we will see how the computer works and everything. I'm so excited to be able to see all of you. Know that I love you and pray for you every day. The Lord knows you and loves you.
Love,
Elder Hanni
Hello Family,
We are doing great in Garden Park. I love being here and we are so excited for Sister Sandra's baptism Saturday. We started a new contact area this week, and as we started it, we felt a confirmation that this is where the Lord needs us to work right now.
I love being with Elder Ortega. This week, we have been able to get to know each other better, and that has really helped us to be able to work more in unity. We are grateful for the chance to serve together.
My spiritual experience this week was in finding a new contact area. In our previous contact area, it just didn't feel right. We were able to set up return appointments with those that we contacted, but all of them kept falling through, and it felt like no one was interested. We began praying to know where we should go next, and we felt that we should go to a certain area. We went there, and as we were there that morning, we were able to find a referral from some other missionaries. That was really nice. We then went down the road a little bit, and we were able to talk to a lady outside of her gate. She turned out to be the sister of one of the members here. That was even better. We went down the road a little bit more, and we helped a lady fetch some sand, and we were actually able to teach her a lesson because she was interested. That was a great experience because the Lord was able to guide us to all those people, and I know that He as prepared more in that area to receive the gospel.
We are planning to try to be skyping around 6:00pm out time, which should be 4:00 your time. We will do our best to start then, but we will see how the computer works and everything. I'm so excited to be able to see all of you. Know that I love you and pray for you every day. The Lord knows you and loves you.
Love,
Elder Hanni
Saturday, May 5, 2018
Week 40--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana
Week 4--Elder Ortega
Hello family,
This week was a great week. Today, ELder Ortega and I are going to Giftland, which is like the only mall in Guyana. It's like going to America, so it's going to be weird, but I'm excited. We had another great week in Garden Park. Our investigator, Brother Kwesi, drives a minibus full of investigators and other people that he invites to church on Sundays, so we are seeing a lot of investigators at church on Sundays along with other people we don't teach yet. He is helping us find more and more prepared people to teach.
I love being with Elder Ortega. We are able to have a lot of fun, and we are also both very motivated to work hard all day. I really enjoy that, and we are seeing success. We keep praying for our investigators, and we know that the Lord is answering our prayers. Elder Ortega is a missionary who does well in all aspects of the work.
I have a testimony of prayer. There are a lot of people in our area who are preparing themselves for baptism, but like most people preparing for baptism, there are obstacles and other challenges that get in the way, but I know that the Lord has been answering our prayers on behalf of our investigators. We have slowly been seeing all of the progress in small ways, and I know that the Lord is little by little removing their stumbling blocks.
One spiritual experience that I had this week was at church. We had 10 investigators there along with others we don't teach yet, so in Gospel Principles Class, we asked each of them to introduce themselves to everyone. It was very interesting what each of them talked about. Most of them are preparing for baptism, and they were very excited for that. As the introduced themselves, they said their names, and most of them said: "I'm preparing myself for baptism." I was excited when Sister Abiola introduced herself because she told everyone that she is preparing herself to be baptized on the 26th of May. I think those introductions really had an impact on those who were at church for the first time, and I really felt the Spirit as they introduced themselves because it was a confirmation to me that these investigators have truly been prepared by the Lord for this time. They have a true desire to come unto Jesus Christ.
I am super excited for everyone to be done with school. Summer's going to be pretty great. I'm glad you're actually getting some warmer temperatures there in Colorado. It's nice and warm here all the time. It's getting to the point that when it rains, it feels kind of cold even though it's not.
Anyways, I hope you have a great week, and let's not wait until the next family reunion to get back together.
Love,
Elder Hanni
Hello family,
This week was a great week. Today, ELder Ortega and I are going to Giftland, which is like the only mall in Guyana. It's like going to America, so it's going to be weird, but I'm excited. We had another great week in Garden Park. Our investigator, Brother Kwesi, drives a minibus full of investigators and other people that he invites to church on Sundays, so we are seeing a lot of investigators at church on Sundays along with other people we don't teach yet. He is helping us find more and more prepared people to teach.
I love being with Elder Ortega. We are able to have a lot of fun, and we are also both very motivated to work hard all day. I really enjoy that, and we are seeing success. We keep praying for our investigators, and we know that the Lord is answering our prayers. Elder Ortega is a missionary who does well in all aspects of the work.
I have a testimony of prayer. There are a lot of people in our area who are preparing themselves for baptism, but like most people preparing for baptism, there are obstacles and other challenges that get in the way, but I know that the Lord has been answering our prayers on behalf of our investigators. We have slowly been seeing all of the progress in small ways, and I know that the Lord is little by little removing their stumbling blocks.
One spiritual experience that I had this week was at church. We had 10 investigators there along with others we don't teach yet, so in Gospel Principles Class, we asked each of them to introduce themselves to everyone. It was very interesting what each of them talked about. Most of them are preparing for baptism, and they were very excited for that. As the introduced themselves, they said their names, and most of them said: "I'm preparing myself for baptism." I was excited when Sister Abiola introduced herself because she told everyone that she is preparing herself to be baptized on the 26th of May. I think those introductions really had an impact on those who were at church for the first time, and I really felt the Spirit as they introduced themselves because it was a confirmation to me that these investigators have truly been prepared by the Lord for this time. They have a true desire to come unto Jesus Christ.
I am super excited for everyone to be done with school. Summer's going to be pretty great. I'm glad you're actually getting some warmer temperatures there in Colorado. It's nice and warm here all the time. It's getting to the point that when it rains, it feels kind of cold even though it's not.
Anyways, I hope you have a great week, and let's not wait until the next family reunion to get back together.
Love,
Elder Hanni
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| May the force be with you. |
Georgetown Zone Conference
We love it when the Senior couples post pictures of our favorite Elder!! These pictures are taken from Facebook. It appears Elder Hanni is loving his mission. We sure love seeing his adorable face and seeing how well he is doing. He pretty much ROCKS!!
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| Georgetown Zone |
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| Elder Allen, unknown missionary, and I |
Week 39--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana
Week 3--Elder Ortega
Hello Family,
This week was a great week. I got to have an interview with President Egbert, and then we had zone conference. It was sweet.
We are working hard in Garden Park. We have been really enjoying ourselves. Something that we are striving to do is to schedule out our week so that we can give priority to those who are preparing themselves for baptism, especially since there are quite a few preparing themselves for that. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the members to fellowship these wonderful investigators.
I really enjoy being Elder Ortega's companion. We are able to be happy no matter what happens to us in a day. That's something I enjoy. We have also noticed that we truly do teach and give input 50-50 as a companionship, so it has been nice to listen to each other and to follow the spirit as we proselyte in this area.
I do know that I feel the Spirit guiding me as I work. A lot of times, I do not recognize that I am being led until afterward, when I receive a confirmation from the Spirit that the things that we do here are what the Lord wants us to do. I am so grateful for the guidance and direction that comes from the Spirit in all aspects of missionary work.
I had a lot of spiritual experiences this week. I loved having my interview with President Egbert. He was led by the spirit to teach me what I needed to learn. Another experience happened later that day. We went to the return appointment that we had set for the man that Elder Ortega had felt prompted to speak to. He wasn't there, but a woman came to talk to us, and she said that her grandmother was a long-time member and that she herself had been going and back and forth between our church and the Catholic church. Then she said something very unexpected. She said, "I'm thinking about being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." That was a confirmation to me that Elder Ortega had been prompted by the Holy Ghost to talk to the man. We are so excited to go back and help her find the truth.
Here are my 5 inspired answers
1. From Brother Terry in Bath: "Joseph Smith is just like me. If God answered his prayer, then he will answer mine." Later on, he said, "I did what you told me to do. I prayed about the church, and I got the good feelings."
2. From Brother Deo in Bath: "I don't know how to read, but I prayed about the Book of Mormon, and I feel it is true."
3. From Sister Trishel in Canje: "Ever since you've been meeting with me, I've been feeling those good feelings that I used to have with my family."
4. From Brother Shane in Canje: "After I prayed about the Book of Mormon, I felt a happy feeling all day, and looking back, I remembered what you told me. I know that I received my answer to my question. The Book of Mormon is true, and the church is true."
5. From Sister Abiola in Garden Park after being invited to be baptized after reading Alma 5:62: "Yes, I am ready. and I want my children to follow me."
Sister Abiola's answer is probably my favorite answer because of the confirmation I received during my interview with President Egbert from the scripture, 1 Nephi 8:12. She is going to love this fruit of the tree of life.
I know that writing down inspired answers in inspired. I read this in Mosiah 26:33: "And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them..."
Mom, that's a really good idea to ponder and write what the family learns in scripture study. I don't remember the spiritual experiences I have every day unless I write them down, and Mosiah 26:33 is a confirmation to me of the importance of writing down things we hear from the spirit.
Love,
Elder Hanni
Hello Family,
This week was a great week. I got to have an interview with President Egbert, and then we had zone conference. It was sweet.
We are working hard in Garden Park. We have been really enjoying ourselves. Something that we are striving to do is to schedule out our week so that we can give priority to those who are preparing themselves for baptism, especially since there are quite a few preparing themselves for that. We are looking forward to continuing to work with the members to fellowship these wonderful investigators.
I really enjoy being Elder Ortega's companion. We are able to be happy no matter what happens to us in a day. That's something I enjoy. We have also noticed that we truly do teach and give input 50-50 as a companionship, so it has been nice to listen to each other and to follow the spirit as we proselyte in this area.
I do know that I feel the Spirit guiding me as I work. A lot of times, I do not recognize that I am being led until afterward, when I receive a confirmation from the Spirit that the things that we do here are what the Lord wants us to do. I am so grateful for the guidance and direction that comes from the Spirit in all aspects of missionary work.
I had a lot of spiritual experiences this week. I loved having my interview with President Egbert. He was led by the spirit to teach me what I needed to learn. Another experience happened later that day. We went to the return appointment that we had set for the man that Elder Ortega had felt prompted to speak to. He wasn't there, but a woman came to talk to us, and she said that her grandmother was a long-time member and that she herself had been going and back and forth between our church and the Catholic church. Then she said something very unexpected. She said, "I'm thinking about being baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." That was a confirmation to me that Elder Ortega had been prompted by the Holy Ghost to talk to the man. We are so excited to go back and help her find the truth.
Here are my 5 inspired answers
1. From Brother Terry in Bath: "Joseph Smith is just like me. If God answered his prayer, then he will answer mine." Later on, he said, "I did what you told me to do. I prayed about the church, and I got the good feelings."
2. From Brother Deo in Bath: "I don't know how to read, but I prayed about the Book of Mormon, and I feel it is true."
3. From Sister Trishel in Canje: "Ever since you've been meeting with me, I've been feeling those good feelings that I used to have with my family."
4. From Brother Shane in Canje: "After I prayed about the Book of Mormon, I felt a happy feeling all day, and looking back, I remembered what you told me. I know that I received my answer to my question. The Book of Mormon is true, and the church is true."
5. From Sister Abiola in Garden Park after being invited to be baptized after reading Alma 5:62: "Yes, I am ready. and I want my children to follow me."
Sister Abiola's answer is probably my favorite answer because of the confirmation I received during my interview with President Egbert from the scripture, 1 Nephi 8:12. She is going to love this fruit of the tree of life.
I know that writing down inspired answers in inspired. I read this in Mosiah 26:33: "And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them..."
Mom, that's a really good idea to ponder and write what the family learns in scripture study. I don't remember the spiritual experiences I have every day unless I write them down, and Mosiah 26:33 is a confirmation to me of the importance of writing down things we hear from the spirit.
Love,
Elder Hanni
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| Picture of a rainbow after Zone Conference |
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| Elder Sheilds and I |
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| Elder Bigler and I |
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