Week 65--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 11--Elder Christensen

Hello Family,

 I had a great week this week! We were able to have interviews with President Baird, and it went amazing. I love having interviews with him. We also had our zone conference this week, and we learned more about the Book of Mormon!

  Garden Park is doing great! We were so excited to have 8 investigators at district conference. This Saturday, we will be having the baptism of the granddaughter of one of the members in our branch, so we are excited for that!

  I love working with Elder Christensen! He is a great elder, and he has grown so much in the past two transfers. He has taught me a lot about truly working by the Spirit and loving the people we teach here.

  I have a testimony of the gospel principle of change. As I have been here in Garden Park, those that we have been able to work with have made such amazing changes in their lives just because of the Savior Jesus Christ. I know that He is the only way that we can change to become like our Heavenly Father. It is amazing to be His representative here in Guyana!

  My spiritual experience this week was yesterday. We saw an investigator named Darshanie. We were planning to teach her about the Book of Mormon, but as we got there, the Spirit told us that that wasn't what we needed to teach. We were asking her questions, and we were listening to her, and we also followed up with if she prayed about Joseph Smith and this church. She had, and she said the voice she heard within herself made her feel happy and free and that she slept so well that night. She received a witness that this is true. Then, she started talking about how she just feels so good when we are there with her, but when we are not there, she doesn't feel like doing those good things like reading the Book of Mormon and coming to church. We helped her understand that that feeling is from the Holy Ghost and that the reason we keep inviting her to do these things is so that she can feel the Holy Ghost even when we are not there. When she understood that, she said that she was going to come to church this Sunday!

 I love all of you so much. I hope you have a great week!

 Love,
  Elder Hanni

The pictures below were taken from Facebook. This was their Georgetown Zone Conference.  Thank you so much, Brother and Sister ODair for posting pictures of our favorite missionary.

Week 64--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 10 Elder Christensen

Hello family,

 This week was a great one. Kwesi and Sheniza finally got married! They were able to be interviewed for baptism that day!

 We are doing great here in Garden Park. We had 3 baptisms on Saturday! Kwesi and Sheniza got married and interviewed on Friday, and they were baptized on Saturday along with our nine year old investigator, Akeela. It was amazing. There are a lot of people still preparing themselves for baptism here.

  Elder Christensen and I are doing great. We are enjoying teaching and working with each other. We are having a lot of fun here.

  I have a testimony of enduring to the end. For a lot of our investigators, including Kwesi and Sheniza, the Lord is giving them the opportunity to practice enduring to the end even before baptism. For Kwesi and Sheniza, they were investigating for over a year before everything worked out, but it did work out because they kept holding on.

  A spiritual experience I had this week was with our investigator, Brother Beresford. He is the one with the broken leg. He was so excited that his friends, Kwesi and Sheniza got baptized on Saturday. He was there at the baptism, and it was the first baptism he went to. I think it had an impact on him because when he said the closing prayer at the baptism, he got really emotional. The next day at church, he leaned over to me and said, "Elder Hanni, if I move out from the person I am living with, can I be baptized?" I told him yes, and right now that is his plan. I know that baptismal services are places where the Spirit of the Lord is present, and I know that Brother Beresford definitely felt the Spirit there.

Love,

 Elder Hanni


Here are some pictures of Kwesi and Sheniza's wedding and the baptism.

Week 63--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 9--Elder Christensen

Hello family,

 So, who else saw Elder Redd in the choir? That was sweet! That made me so happy to see him there! I loved General Conference. I was blown away by twelve more temples and two hours of church. That will be nice. Something I tried during conference was putting exclamation points at the end of President Nelson's statements. It was interesting how much more meaningful those statements became.
 We are doing great in Garden Park. There are lots of people we are preparing for baptism right now, so we are spending a lot of time with them to help them get ready. This Saturday, we will for sure be having the baptism of Akeela, but depending on other circumstances, then Kwesi, Sheniza, and Pamela could be getting baptized this weekend too. We are praying for them a lot as we go through this week that they may be able to work everything out. I have faith that it will work out as we do all we can.
  Elder Christensen and I are doing great. We are really enjoying our companionship together. We are communicating well, and we aren't having any problems with each other. We love working here in this area.
  I have a testimony that President Russell M. Nelson is God's chosen prophet on the earth today. My favorite talk in conference was his talk in the Sunday Morning Session. "The name of this church is not negotiable!" I loved that. I know that what he said in this conference is the will and mind of the Lord, and I am so grateful for the guidance and direction we have in these days so that we can prepare ourselves for the Second Coming of the Savior.
  A spiritual experience I had this week was in going to the house of a less active family in our branch. We've been struggling in discerning what we need to do to help them, but this past week, we decided to hold a family home evening with them. When we suggested the idea, the father was very supportive, and he talked about how they haven't done that in a long while. As we did it, the atmosphere was just different because the Spirit was there stronger. It was like the difference between bringing the Spirit unto the hearts of the children of men and when they allow it into their hearts. I was very grateful for that experience, and I know that the Lord is mindful of all the families of the earth.
 Well, Payton, you looked really cute going to Homecoming. I'm proud of you. Cooper, I'm glad you and Grace gave Ellie a bath. That looks like a lot of fun. I love all of you so much! Have a great week!

Love,

 Elder Hanni

Week 62--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 8--Elder Christensen

Hello family,

 This week was a pretty great one. No interruptions or random meetings or anything. Just the whole week to be out working. It was great!


 Well, this area is really great. We've had an exciting week this week. As of now, there are 7 investigators who have baptismal dates this month. We've been working really hard with all of them, and we've been trying to make sure that they do what they need to do. I just love these people here.

  Elder Christensen is doing really well. We've been switching off days on who leads out, and he's learning a lot. He's really doing a great job here, and it's really good to be his companion. We work very well together, and I love the ideas that he has to help us do better.

  I have a testimony of fasting and prayer. Our investigators, Kwesi and Sheniza were supposed to get married this week, but they didn't because of a miscommunication between the two of them that made both of them very mad at each other. We were very worried that they might just call everything off. We didn't really know what to do, but then the thought came just to fast for them, so we did so, and the very next day, they had resolved everything, and they now have a return date to get married in two weeks. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers, and I know that He is always watching over us and that He wants each of His children to follow in His way. He has made it possible for us to do these things. There is always a way.

 A spiritual experience I had this week was yesterday, when we were able to take our branch president to see some of our progressing investigators, and it was just so nice to see the relationship he has with them and how much they trust him. That was a spiritual experience because I know that those investigators know who can help them in certain situations. I'm grateful for the branch president we have in this branch.

 Well, I'm glad it's getting cold over there. Is it colder than Colorado? It's still pretty warm here. I think it's gonna be like that for a while


Love,

 Elder Hanni

PS- I figured I'd send a companionship picture. We're pretty cool.

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Week 61--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 7--Elder Christensen

Hello family!

 Hi. It was a great week this week. Elder Christensen just hit two months on the mission. I can't believe he's already been out that long.

 This area is such a great place. I love it here. As of right now, we are preparing five people to be baptized this month, and we are praying and working very hard so that each of them will be able to overcome any opposition that comes in their way. Kwesi and Sheniza are going to be married this week, and we are so excited for them that they will finally be able to take that step. They are excited!

  Elder Christensen is doing great. He's been working on making sure he knows the doctrine in Preach My Gospel chapter 3, and he's honestly doing a great job. We are unified in our teaching, and it's really good to see his growth and progress so far!

 I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it can answer the questions that we have for the Lord, especially when we need His guidance for something. This week because of the Book of Mormon, the Lord has been able to help me know what we can do to help our investigators continue to progress. I've felt that overwhelming feeling to just keep trying, to not give up, but keep following up with those who are preparing themselves to make covenants with the Lord. I know that's what He wants me to do.

 A spiritual experience I had this week was with a family that we were able to meet. We were contacting one day, and we actually contacted a member from the Linden branch who was staying up here in Georgetown. He said that at the place he is staying, there is this family from the interior that we should come and visit. We went back the next day, and we met this shy but sweet family. They are very poor, and they mostly know English, but they normally speak a language that they don't really write. It was just a spiritual experience being able to teach them. They've never heard of the church before because the church doesn't have a branch anywhere near where they live, but they love learning more about Jesus Christ. The mother said, "I love to learn about Jesus Christ because I need Him to help me." That was really good to hear, and I know that Heavenly Father guided us there so that we could share this message with them while they are here.

Love,

 Elder Hanni

PS- I forgot to mention last week that we got to go to the Georgetown zoo on P-Day. I got some good pictures that I want to send to you.

Week 60--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 6--Elder Christensen

Hello family,

 This week was a great week! We got transfer calls, and I'm staying here in Garden Park with Elder Christensen! I'm excited, and I'm glad to be staying here. My whole MTC group is now officially in Trinidad. I'm the lone survivor here in Guyana, but it's fine.

  Garden Park is really great. We are doing really well here. We were really glad to use our contacting time this week to contact some referrals we've received, and that was really great. I am grateful that we have that time every day to find new people and fill the pipeline.

  Elder Christensen is doing great. I'm glad that we will get to stay together another transfer. He is getting more and more comfortable with talking to people, and it has been really good to switch off with him on who leads every time we contact a different house.

  I have a testimony of personal revelation. This week during my personal studies, I have been asking the Lord certain questions, and every single time, those questions have been answered in the Book of Mormon. I truly know that the Book of Mormon contains the words of life, and it answers the great questions of the soul.

  A spiritual experience I had this week was on Monday. Our seven and eight o'clock appointments fell through right as we were going out to proselyte, and I honestly wasn't sure what to do for the rest of the night after our six o'clock appointment. For some reason, I just felt like we needed to ride through our contact area, so we did so, and as we did, we stopped at an investigator's house. He is someone we haven't been able to see for a while. He wasn't there, but his girlfriend was, and we were able to contact her and teach her a great lesson later on in the week. We also stopped by another family we haven't seen in a while, and we started talking to the sixteen-year-old son. We just followed up with him on if he prayed about Joseph Smith, and he said he did. Then, he said he heard a voice, but he wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not. We talked about it with him, and he told us that it was a small, good voice. We then read in 1 Kings when it talks about the voice of the Lord. Afterwards, he said, "At first, I thought it was my imagination, but now I know it was from God." He knew and recognized the Holy Ghost for himself. We were then prompted to invite him to be baptized, and we did so. He said yes. It was just an amazing experience for me especially since I had no idea what we needed to do that night. I'm so grateful the Lord guides us in this great work.

I love all of you so much. I want all of you to have a great week. I'm so glad you got to go fishing this week. That's nice that it's right by the house. Catch some fish for me!


Love,

 Elder Hanni

Week 59--Garden Park, Georgetown, Guyana

Week 5--Elder Christensen

Hello family,

 I had a great week this week. I'm loving it here in Garden Park, and I don't want to leave this area! Luckily, I will probably get to stay here for another transfer. I'll let you know what is going to happen next week.

  This area is really great. I love being here in Garden Park, and I especially love working with the investigators that we have here. We were able to follow up with some people that we haven't seen in a while this week, and we made sure to have that time available for those investigators progressing the most. We also were glad to begin a new contact area this week. We've enjoyed having that time every day to find new people.

  Elder Christensen is a great companion. I really enjoy learning from him. He's grown a lot so far this transfer, and he's already becoming confident in many aspects of missionary work. It's just nice to be able to see that in him. I'm really enjoying the opportunity to have him here with me in Garden Park. I know that there are things that the Lord specifically needs him to do while he's here.

  I have a testimony of prayer. I know that Heavenly Father hears my prayers as well as the prayers of those that we come into contact with every day. I know that prayer is a sacred time to communicate with our Father in Heaven. I am grateful for the help that Heavenly Father gives to all those who pray in faith.

  A spiritual experience I had this week was teaching Daniel, a recent convert. He's eleven years old, and we were talking to him about the commandment to pray often. We asked him what he prays for, and he said, "I ask Him to give me strength and power to become a missionary." That was so nice to hear from him, and when he gave the closing prayer, he asked Heavenly Father to let him be a missionary when he gets big. I just felt the Spirit very strongly, and I know that Heavenly Father will answer his sincere prayers.

 Well, Payton, I'm glad you're seventeen now. When I left, you were fifteen, and Cooper was eight, so please forgive me if it's hard to believe. Anyways, I love all of you so much, and I know that the Lord loves you and watches over you.


Love,
 Elder Hanni