July 21st 2008 Letter

Hello,

Glad to here the good news of the week, things have been pretty good here too.

I´m getting put into a trio, the other elders that are from Spain and France and I are going to be together...not a whole lot of English. My compainion takes off in 2 days, he's been great, I´ve learned a ton, I am kind of nervous about this whole change. But we are also moving pisos today and when he leaves, it's a way nicer piso, the only reason the church can afford it is that it is owned by the president of the district, and he gives us a deal. But I'm excited to get that going, and get to work with the new guys!

here's the new address:

c/ Gonzalo Berceo 6, 1(degrees sign) F

26005 Logroño

All is well here, I am still getting used to talking with everyone in church and stuff, spanish is still an everyday challenge.

Great to see all the letters, I am so grateful for them.

take care,

-Elder Hanson

Well Hello Everyone

First things first, DONT MAIL ME ANYTHING!!!! I am moving to a different apartment, and won’t be able to get anything! So keep the packages, and love letters to yourself, and hold on for just one more week (I know it’s tough, but you can do it), and I’ll mail you my address!...but kind of an interesting thing about the reason I am moving, they sold our piso, for 350 grand! And that’s Euro, with the exchange rate at what is...wow that’s a lot of cash for a 1 floor, 1 bath piso, without air conditioning. So we are kicked out, and they found us a new one, it’s pretty nice, it’s a lot closer to the middle of the city, so that should be nice.

This week was great as usual, but we had Zone Conference, so it was even better. It was in a town 2 and a half hours away by bus...at 10 in the morning. So we were supposed to wake up at 5 to get ready, our bus was scheduled to leave at 6:50...we sort of slept through all 3 of our alarms, and I was the one to wake up at 6:20 by chance, and that was just great, we all were running, and shouting in different languages, but we did make it to the station on time, just without food. But the conference was great, an interesting fact, over half of our zone will be going home in the next 2 months...they said the average age for our mission as a whole will be 5 and a half months by that time, my trainer (who is going home next week) said that he was training me pretty well because there are pretty good chances that I could be training before the end of the year. It’s nuts. 

Zone conference was great though, Pres. DuVall is great, he gave some great talks, and then I got my package with all those letters in it from the mission home, and all the old letters from the Spain MTC, and such, it was awesome, thank you thank you thank you to everyone that wrote, I’ll be sending my reply letters off once I get my new address.

Besides that, we’ve still had some relatively good times here with our investigators and such, we are finding a lot of new people, and trying to keep those that are truly interested and want to know more. The ward here is still great, I love the fact that I am starting to really understand things when I go to church. Like I can understand jokes, and stuff, ok not all the time, but it’s amazing, little by little, this whole Spanish thing is actually going somewhere!

So I got some comments on my food habits, I just need to clarify this; I don’t eat like I did last week every day ok! Here’s a normal day, at 8 in the morning I eat a bowl of cereal, usually cornflakes with some coco pebbles on top, SOME, very few, they are expensive. Then I will eat a banana. Lunch is at 2, we eat something pretty healthy, rice with tuna has been this week’s favorite, ya, it get’s a little old. Then we eat again at 10 once we are done planning, and I usually have a peach, or apple, and then a sandwich. That’s about it! Sometimes we eat other stuff between 2 and 10, and that’s just to keep ourselves awake if we are knocking doors. So last week’s food was a big deal!

Well anyway I am glad to hear everyone is doing well, I have only gotten 1 letter to my apartment, and yes, it was from a girl. Alright well until next week, take care, I hope you know that you are all in my prayers, Thank you, for writing, it does make the days better, it really does!

Thanks again for everything,

-Elder Hanson

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

This has been the best week by far in the mission! We kicked it off, as you know, by winning the euro. cup! My companion and I ate at a member’s house, and we ate ice cream that night. Then on p-day we ate ice cream again, then on Wednesday it was Elder Sayaz´s birthday so we went out to eat for lunch at the good old "Drunken Duck" a great place for missionaries, we know. But it was extremely delicious, and they had a TV there that I did watch, I’m sorry but I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. It was about the Olympics, and had a large part about the 2002 Olympics that were in Salt Lake, it was cool to see home. And we got ice cream after that too. (Note from the evil Step Mom: Does everyone get the point that I didn't feed this kid enough ICE CREAM while he was growing up?!) But then of course, Thursday was our country’s birthday, so we went to the German store; it’s really cheap, and bought hot dogs and buns, and marshmallows and a ton of chocolate, (that’s way cheaper, and better than ours in America...its awesome) and we made s’mores! It was genius, we cooked them in the oven, but here is the problem with that, they don’t really turn gold. The way that you know they are done is when they slip off the end of the hanger and fall on the bottom of the oven and smoke goes everywhere, so we just had to watch them and be fast, but it was so nice to eat all that stuff. 

Then the next day a less active member had us over for breakfast, where we ate pancakes; I must have eaten 10, plus all the fruit...man. Then of course we finish off the week with a fast, that was much needed, and now I’m here!

Well besides the food, it’s also been one of the best weeks as far as the missionary work too. The thing is, we’ve had some good investigators, but then they hmmm hawww their way out of the visits once we ask them to be baptized, and they just had a hard time being truly interested. Well this week we have had some success with those I would never expect. Last Sunday a man came to church that we invited one day just on the street. We do this about 25-30 times a day, it’s nothing new, and most of the time people don’t just come to church from a short contact. However, Eduardo did. He smelled like smoke and beer, and had a sweet nose piercing. Anyway, he was a little hung over in church, so we sent him home with a return visit set for Tuesday, I really didn’t think he’d show, but that was my lack of faith. Well Tuesday rolls around and he shows up with a friend, still smells like smoke and all that, but is there. We taught him the first lesson, and said we’d teach more in a few days with a member. The next lesson we had the 1st counselor in the bishopric come, and he flat out told him to stop drinking and smoking so he could feel the spirit, to which Eduardo said ok, it makes perfect sense, I understand. He wants to truly change. I was impressed with Eduardo, because all through our lessons he is alert and attentive, asks good questions, and reads when we ask him too, and truly wants to know more. I just haven’t seen this type of an investigator yet in my mission, so this just gets me excited.

There is another story this week, we ate with a member, like I mentioned already, named is Alexis. He’s a younger guy, late 20´s, he’s a Spaniard, served a mission, but when he came back he had school, work, a stake calling and 3 ward callings, so he got all busy and couldn’t handle it all, so he stopped coming to church. But we ran into him on the streets, so he had us over for breakfast. We mentioned that we play Futbol every Saturday morning and invited him to that. He came, and had a good time. We didn’t invite him to church, we thought we’d just take it one step at a time, but he came yesterday, it was really awesome to see him there!

 That’s just a good example of why we go to church, it isn’t so the perfect people can become more perfect, it is so that we can all be uplifted, and whether it’s been a while since we came to church, or we smell like smoke and have some things in our lives we need to change, the church is still there for our benefit. That kind of stuff is what makes me want to keep doing this every day, knowing that with money, gas, and happiness in general getting harder and to come by, the gospel stands out in such a unique and incredible way. It is such a uniting force, I don’t like how religion has to always be so polarizing, it really is only there for good.

Anyway, just about out of time!!

Hope all is well, thank you so much for all the mail, I do love it!

Take care,

-Elder Hanson

We get picture's this time!!!! Yea me! let the scrappin' begin!

Brett has finally graced us with some pictures! I'll put a few on this post and then you can go to the left side bar, (soon) and I'll have some slide shows that are more chronological. 

Plaza Mayor

Brett's dinner at the CCM (aka MTC Madrid)

Brett enjoying? afore mentioned meal.

Brett hasn't giving us any names really, and with the pictures coming to us digitally there isn't an easy way to attach names with faces. I can tell you that that's Brett...2nd to the left, in front of the Madrid Temple...that's about it.

Here in America we have Spanish markets, Italian markets, Chinese markets... So, I guess this makes sense huh? 

And now on to the letter for June 23rd, 2008

Hello from Hot Logroño!!

This week has been hot! My companion told me that before I came, he had not seen a day without rain in Logroño his entire time, and now since I've been here it´s been a killer! Nothing at all! I will never complain about Disneyland again, (the heat, and my feet hurting part) I mean at least you aren't wearing a church shirt, and shoes, and dark pants with a tie on! I just sweat all day, I guess you just get used to it...they don't have air conditioning in hardly any apartments here, especially not ours, and being on the top level of our building isn't exactly the coldest place in the world. Sometimes I don't know why I even shower in the morning...

Did you like all the pics? They show vividly the fact I gained 12 good pounds!!! Ya, wow they are starting to come off I can tell you that much...But also they show that I really was on a 9 week vacation, because I was spoon fed every meal, was in an air conditioned building all day, was next to the temple, I could feel the spirit really strong all day, it was so nice! I will admit, I miss it like crazy.

But things are improving as far as the language, but on Sunday we ate at a member´s house (which was sooo nice not to make our own food) and I just had to sit there quietly, not saying too much, because I just didn't understand what they were saying...the accents are tough, and change a lot from person to person! But little by little it´s moving along.

I love the investigators we have, they are good, they are all fairly new because so many dropped us, so we have been trying to seek out families, because that is what everyone tells us to do, especially this branch, there are a lot of Spaniard families who have a lot of kids here. Sacrament is kind of like home, there are kids running around, and crying babies, and enough teachers and deacons to do everything, this will be a ward pretty soon I guess, that´s what I hear...but it's in Spanish so if  I´m wrong don´t hold me too it OK!?

We had an awesome p-day, we played Frisbee and ate ice cream! I loved it, wow it was so nice to relax a little!

Anyway thank you for everything, and all the news updates!

Take care,

-Elder Hanson

Hello America!!!

I am here in a little old town called Logrono...I think it is spelled that way??? But I got here yesterday after flying into Bilbao, driving up to the President’s house, and then eating, talking, getting my credit card, and all that good stuff, I got on a bus and took off or 2 glorious hours and drove south east to this little town. I got my first companion, his name is Elder Anderson, he’s a good guy, he went to Olympus high, and grew up around me!! He’s on his last transfer, just about outta here, so he knows his stuff, and is fluent in Spanish. Anyway our apartment is pretty nice, I like it, we live with 2 other elders, one is a native that I served with during the CCM experience in Madrid, his name is elder Sayaz, he’s so funny, he doesn’t know much English, but enough to make  me laugh. I also live with another elder who is from France, he is a native of there, but his mom is fluent in Spanish, and spoke to him only in Spanish his whole life, so he’s fluent too...Let me tell you, I don’t talk a whole lot. but otherwise everything is really good here, I am excited to see what things are really like, we did talk with some natives, they were pretty nice, and we have some appointments tonight, but we have a bunch of our day that will be knocking doors, I’m ready to see how that goes...

But anyway how are things there?? My p-day is on Monday, but I can email you now to tell you how i am...Plus a cool thing about the mission is that we can email whoever we want! Family, friends, anyone really!!  So tell everyone that!! I would love to get email!!

Ok, for the package though, I don’t know how soon you can send it, but I’d love to get something sometime!! And if you could maybe throw in a jump rope?? I can’t find one around here...and everyone just has the free ones you get at gold’s gym, so I didn’t think you could maybe just swing by and pick one up?? I also figure it’s light enough too....

Any way tell Nancy that I here her songs all the time being played by my companions here and in the MTC, everyone loves the EFY music, it’s good stuff!!!

I’d love to hear from you!!! Hope all is well take care!!

Oh and by the way, this is the address of the apartment...

Apparently we can send pics now, so ill figure out how to do it next week...

Calle Somosierra 25, 4ºD

26002 Logroño (La Rioja)

Spain

Love you all-

-Elder Hanson

E mail letter from Brett!

Well good morning to the Land of the Free!!!


I just realized that I really don’t have much time here to email, and I am going to be in the field on Tuesday I thought I might have to just write one letter, and just have you forward it to everyone, I’ll be able to write others when I have the time, but wow how I really don’t have any time!!!!

So here’s what’s going on over here:

I leave on Tuesday to Bilbao, and get on with my mission!!! Monday is the 2 month mark since I’ve been in the MTC...doesn’t feel like it at all. As the saying goes "the days go by like weeks, and the weeks go by like days" I cannot express to you how true this statement truly is!! I mean we get up at 6:30 every morning, and start going, going, and going! And all I do is sit inside all day, and when it is time for me to go to bed I’m all tired, and fall right asleep at 10:30, I cant imagine when I actually get out there, and walk and walk...and walk some more. (Did I mention our mission has no cars, bikes, and apart from the city mission, no trains or other public transportation. the average weight gain on our mission is minus 30lbs. Well some Elder told me that, I believe it too, because the first 10 pounds will just be coming off what I put on here in the MTC. (Actually I think I’ve gained 12 lbs...But who’s counting right?) Brett could use a few extra pounds! :)

I just have to mention Elder Rob Swenson. I love this Elder, I think you’ve mentioned him to me, but he is one of my favorite people here. He is in my district, and we just talk a lot. For sure after the mission we will be friends, but I could honestly see us rooming together. He didn’t go to BYU, but he’s gonna go to UVSC and we’ll just hang out. He and I talk about Cardin sometimes, he always mentions how much he loves the Cullimore family, and how cool Cardin is too.

Well today was the last time I’ll go to the temple for 2 years (ok 22 months...but again who’s counting?) But I just loved being in there with everyone, especially my companion. Elder Moore, who has been with me all these 9 weeks, is the man. I am so blessed to have such a great first companion. I hope we can be later in the mission, and throughout our lives.

I got my hair cut again today. It’s the 3rd time since I’ve been in the MTC. It grows so dang fast. Well I guess I should mention my wonderful 89 euro razor I bought. Yes I did spend just short of my life savings on it, but it’s ok because every morning when I wake up I have something wonderful to look forward to. That’s what I spend my money on. That and McDonalds...5 euro for a Big Mac meal. (Don’t do the conversion it just hurts more and more every time)

Well I’m loving the food here, fish is getting better to choke down, and all sea food really tastes the same when you use half the bottle of Tabasco on it, so that’s my little trick I can pass on to you!!

I will have to stick up for Spain and say we get the best chocolate here, it’s straight out from Germany!! And it’s way cheap!!

Anyway I’m almost out of time; I’ll email you later if I get the chance!! Otherwise the next time will be in Bilbao!!!

-Elder Hanson

Email from Brett May 8th.

Spain Madrid Temple.

Brett Lives about 150 feet away from it, on the same property. 

What a beautiful view to wake up too.

Hello!

well first off we´ll cover the business...We are going to the stores today for p day so i´ll see if they have the paper or whatever...i heard the chinese stores have some cheap paper, mainly it is just strange here to buy things, and with the dollar exchange rate at 1.7 dollars to 1 euro things aren´t looking cheap. However i must say that the church gives us 30 euro a week while we are here in the MTC so that should help!! I´ll email you later on today to let you know how the trip to the store goes. 

Anyway glad to hear the trip to st george was fun!! I mean you did it all for me...essentially...i´ve made you do a bunch of junk since i left, sorry about that, but just know that i am exrteeeeeemly greatful for it, and with my praying at least 20 times a day (and no that is not an exageration) you all find your way in there somehow....

But the volley ball thing, I swear you are good! You´ll be fine don´t worry, just try and not get kicked out for yelling at the kids or the other coach or something!!! (Morgan's V- ball Coach had to work so he told me I was Coaching last Saturday YIKES! Luckily his wife Celeste showed up and we team coached.)

Also if you see Bryce´s mom tell her hi for me, me and Elder Sansing talk a lot, agian it is really nice to see anything that has some resemblence of home....

But things are pretty good here, the food though...maybe it´s just me but Provo had it way better than here. I mean i´m getting used to the whole sea food thing, but in provo  it was unlimited seconds and the lady´s wouldn´t get mad if you didn´t eat everything off your plate!

We had to do some visa stuff yesterday...we went into town in a car, that was so strange....i haven´t been in one of those for a while.

But the best thing here by far is the park. Every saturday we get to go to the park and preach the gospel for real! i was so scared, ¡¡¡¡¡i dont speak spanish!!! we are supposed to talk to everyone on the metro on the way there and all we see in this huge park once we get there!! We got new companions for the day (that had been in the ccm for a while and could speak half decent) and we went out. half the time as we would start to talk they would get into some random conversation and i wouldn´t know what they were saying. but after some hard times we got talking with an older man, just about the birds and the trees, and he was helping us with our spanish, and then we started to bring up the gospel. with him knowing that we were his friend first, and that we actually cared about him and what he thought, he was more readily able to accept what we wanted to teach him. We gave him a Book of Mormon, or Libro de Mormón, and then it was time to go. but i can tell you it is amazing to actually work and see what we will be doing for the next 2 years!!

i´m excited to get out there, but first i´ve gotta learn this language!

I´ll get back to you in a few hours...

Love Elder Hanson

Some day I'm hoping he'll send some pictures. I'm having withdrawals.  :)