How you liking the rain, Arizona?

Date: 01-29-2018
Companion: Sister Keetch
Area: Portland Stake, Sunnyside Ward

Hello hello hello everyone!

It is constantly raining here now and I love it so much, but I love it more because I'm now in a car and wow, machines make all the difference when you're trying to get to the other half of your area in 2 minutes even though it take 10 minutes to drive there. Also machines can help your skirts begin to fit again, by making your legs their normal size. Which is nice because skirts are good (I guess?). Also if you can name the movie I quoted I will give you 2 quarters (im looking at you Jedi Master Leduc). 

I don't know if I can ever explain how happy it can make someone when they help someone else make a decision to come closer to God.

This Saturday Bonnie, Noe, Brian, and Tony were all baptized! I've never had the privilege of watching a family make this step together and I'm so glad God has given me this opportunity.

Being able to be apart of their conversion has been such a tender mercy for me and has strengthened my testimony so much. It has also helped me to find SO MUCH joy! In chapter 26 of Alma, he talks about how much joy he has been able to feel in bringing people to a knowledge of God, and Jesus Christ, and how this knowledge of them can help us find happiness and peace in our lives.

If you want to find more Joy in your life, help others have a relationship with Jesus.

A couple of other things that happened this week:

We got to go to the Temple. God is good.

We had zone conference and I got to see my pal again.

We went over to sister Smellies and i buried myself in her foam pit. Not quite sure if it counts as swimming or not so don't tell anyone....

We had a lesson with a recent convert and she has the cutest baby and I just wanted to hold him.

GOD IS GOOD FAM. Alma 26: 16 "I cannot say the smallest part which I feel."

P.s. I ate 300 cookies and I'm not even mad about it.

☀️FIND JOY☀️

- Sister Emma Hansen

1. Sister James & Sister Hansen

2. & 3. Bonnie, Noe, Brian, and Tony baptism (with Sis. James and Keetch)

4. Temple Trip

5. Sister Hansen & her pal Sister O'Very

6. Swimmi . . . . er, I mean jumping into foam pit

7. Sister Hansen, Sister Smellie (Smay-lee) and Sister James

8. Cutest baby!

I love weddings, drinks all around (sparking cider of course)

Date: 01-22-2018
Companion: Sister Keetch
Area: Portland Stake, Sunnyside Ward

1 year on the mish. 2 decades old. 1 wedding. 4 baptisms (hopefully)
HOLY COW THIS WEEK HAS BEEN SO CRAZY!

I turned 20. Which is gross because I have the maturity level of a 12 year old boy. I've been on the mission for a year which is also gross because I still feel like I just got out of training about 2 weeks ago.

BONNIE AND NOE GOT MARRIED THIS WEEK?!? WHAT THE HECK! it's been so crazy to see their desire to come to Christ and be sealed in the temple as a family for eternity. In the marriage ceremony our bishop told them they would have another wedding in a year and Noe says "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we get to that temple in a year" and I've never felt the spirit so strong.

Two really amazing things happened this week and I feel like I've been able to talk with Heavenly Father.

1. I got a little bit frustrated Friday because I felt as though we could have been being more effecting at the time. But I could tell that what we were doing at the time was helping Sister Keetch. We ended up only having a little bit of time left and we decided to heart attack one of our investigators. As we were walking out of the complex this little girl who is 10 years old, walked up to us, asked if we were Mormon missionaries and when we said yes, she began to bare her testimony of how she knew what we taught was true and that she wanted to get baptized but had lost contact with missionaries when she moved back into her mom's house. The spirit was strong. I knew from this that God was telling me it was okay. That we had been effective and that He was happy because of us. If we had "been more effect" like I felt we should have, we would have missed this girl.

2. Bonnie and Noe and their family hadn't shown up to church and it was about 20 minutes in. If they didn't show up then they wouldn't be able to he baptized. I was pretty frustrated and feeling really defeated. I begrudgingly told god "fine, we'll do it your way." And then I got mad at myself. If I really was submitting myself to the will of God, then I wouldn't be mad about it. So I prayed again, sincerely telling Him that we would do whatever it is that he needed this family to do. And right then and there, for some random reason my eyes went to the door and in walks the family. I felt God say to me "thanks for trusting me." And I now realize that God just wants us to trust Him. He has a good plan for everyone and he doesn't just want us to do something out of spite. He wants us to do follow His will because we know that it will be the best plan of action.

I love you all so much!

P.s. they're getting baptized on Saturday please pray for them!

☀️FIND JOY☀️

Same Area, Different Companion

Date: 01-15-2018
Companion: Sister Keetch
Area: Portland Stake, Sunnyside Ward

"Yo I'm elder Harris I like trucks and stuff 😚 I am from Gilbert AZ it is like 7 degrees there. I'm in my new area now and I need this 👨‍🚀. For the moon landing. I don't know what else."

Alrighty, tbh, I don't have much to say this week except the fact that sometimes you just gotta have hope that everything will be okay. Hope means that you continue enthusiastically, and persevere.

Hope also means that you will not give up and you know that God will take care of everything.

Have hope, because when you have hope and faith, God can truly take care of everything. Have faith that all will be well.

All is well brothers and sisters

☀️FIND JOY☀️

- Sister Emma Hansen

Portland's the illest.

Date: 01-08-2018
Companion: Sister James
Area: Portland Stake, Sunnyside Ward

Portland is pretty sick.

So am I.

I'm pretty sick. With a cold. And headaches.

So because of this, not much happened this week. Also, we ended up having to go on exchanges with some sisters so we weren't able to do much.

BUT HERE'S WHAT I LOVE.

Sister James and I have been trying to do all that we can, and sometimes I get really down on myself because I feel like I should be doing more. Especially this week, because I've been sick. But as we've tried doing all that we were capable of doing, God blessed us.

BONNIE AND NOE ARE GETTING MARRIED ON THE 20TH AND THEN GETTING DUNKED THE 27TH WITH THE REST OF THE FAM!!!!!

As we do all that we can, and show God that we're truly trying, He will bless us. Because He looks at our hearts. He knows what we truly want and what our desires are. If our desires are good He will bless us.

Have a good week y'all that's all I got I'm sorry.

Also sister James is getting transferred and I'm getting a car. God truly answers prayers I can testify that to you.

☀️FIND JOY☀️

- Sister Emma Hansen

2018, Mt Everest, and "totally doable in 9 minutes"

Date: 01-01-2018
Companion: Sister James
Area: Portland Stake, Sunnyside Ward


Hi. Sorry it's been a while. I hope y'all had a merry Christmas! 

This week we've had tons of adventures and let's just say it's been pretty RAD.

We decided we were going to take a bus to the other side of our area to go to try contact someone a member told us we should stop by. We got off the bus and looked over and turns out, we had to hike to the top of mount Everest because that's where this house was. We hiked all the way up there for an our 30 minutes just for this lady to look at us, point to her "no soliciting", tell "that includes religion", and slam the door shut. It was like I took a drink from the Pacific Ocean this lady was so salty. But, as we started making our way to another house we found this really pretty walking trail that was a short cut. God has created this earth that we might FIND JOY.

Something I have been thinking about a lot this week is time. During one of our district meetings we were given the challenge of teaching the plan of salvation in 9 minutes or less. Sister James and I were panicking. A lot. Our zone leader told us he would read us something from preach my gospel, and after 10 minutes of looking through the book he finally goes "totally doable in 9 minutes." Lol. We thought some profound words were about to come out of his mouth. But we prepared diligently and gave the presentation and not gonna lie, it was pretty dang good! The spirit was strong.

Later in the week I studied the talk "your four minutes" by bishop Gary E. Stevenson in the April 2014 general conference. This talk is all about how we don't have very much time here on this earth, and even though we've spent thousands of years preparing for this time when we were in the premortal world, we can mess all that up here in this earth life if were not careful. But then he goes on to say, that our 4 minutes are not up. And there's never a time it's too late, so long as the master says we still have time to change. I promise you there is still time! You're still in your 4 minute race! Don't give up and don't quit. We have not blown our 4 minutes! I've been thinking about this so much this week. I'm about 2 and a half weeks away from my year Mark. I could look back and think I've blown my mission. That I haven't worked as hard as a should. That I haven't done all that God has wanted me to by now. But that doesn't mean that these next 6 months are over with. I still have 6 months to work as hard as humanly possible and change and grow as much as I can.

There is never a time it's too late.

I've been reading about Alma, Aaron, and Ammon. They have been able to feel the most joy because of the happiness they brought other people in bringing them the gospel.

It's never too late to find joy.

It's never too late to share the gospel with others and not only bring joy to them, but yourself as well.

I'm so grateful for all of this. I cannot put into words my gratitude for my Savior. I can't explain my thoughts about how incredible the Book of Mormon is. I cannot explain how much love and joy I have felt from my Reedemer and my Father above. If you want more peace, happiness, joy, or purpose in your life. Read the Book of Mormon. It's never too late to start. Your 4 minutes are not up.

☀️FIND JOY☀️

- Sister Emma Hansen

P.s. we almost got in a car accident, almost crashed on our bikes 3 times, almost broke sister James's ankle, had a(n herbal) tea party, told an investigator we were going to light her on fire after she was baptized (2 nephi 31:13), had my portrait done by a 5 year old, got a coconut from a lady who's house we cleaned, walked 3 miles in the pouring rain, and took Bonnie and Noe and their family to the Temple.

P.s.s. Bonnie and Noe are engaged.

P.s.s.s which reminds me. I'm mad at everyone who has gotten engaged/married since I've been gone and haven't told me/sent pictures. I'm Saltier than the lady who answered the door and pointed to the no soliciting sign.