Life!

Originally written on March 30, 2015

Allyson with Sister Lowry on a carousel at the Children's Center  

Life as a missionary is wild, surprising, challenging, and refreshing. Even though we have the same schedule everyday we experience the softest and loudest of feelings. We have ups and downs and there is no knowing when your plans will change. Some days we go out and have no success and other days we have the most. Life as a missionary is a hard but wonderful thing.

I don't have much to say this week. But I think that paragraph that I wrote kinda explains the week I had. It was a great but challenging week. We had lots of ups and downs. We had some investigators drop us. But it is okay. I have learned that the Lord prepares people and I have realized that those people are not ready yet. They have a long way to go and so do I.

Vicky is doing well. She is getting more and more ready for baptism! She still has some hurdles to get over but I know she has the right desires and she has friends in the ward which makes it even better! She will stay when the missionaries leave.

I have been reading the New Testament and it is great! You all should read about it! Especially with Easter coming! I love learning about Christ and all the things he did. The more I learn about him the better person I become. One of my favorite chapters is John 15! Go read it! It talks about the Atonement! 

I love being a missionary and love sharing the gospel. It has an impact on everything I do and how I want to live my life! Oh, and Women's Conference was wonderful! The family is the key to everything in this life! Without my family I would not be the person I am today! I love what Cheryl A. Esplin said " See it. Share it. Live it. Defend it." I will defend this gospel with everything I have in me!

I love you all! Have a grand week!

Pictures will be provided next week!

Love Sister Hanson

Spring is almost here!

Our tags and these hearts that change color in the sun

This week was great! We had a lot of stuff happen. We went to Strides again and helped on Tuesday. We threw hay and I took a allergy pill thinking that would help me. But it didn't help much. I was stacking it and took me a day to breathe the right way again! So I guess I should probably stay away from hay. Even though my dream as a child was to grow up on a farm... ahaha I love farms and things like that. Oh and the weather was good here for like a week then it went cold again! Hopefully it will warm up soon. So we can just walk everywhere!

Okay, some miracles this week. Vicky came to church again and she loved it! She is progressing well! We got her excited for the temple that is coming by doing some family history with her. We also got her on baptismal date this week! She wants to get baptized on May 9th. But she is so ready so I think we will try to move it up to sometime in April! We also taught her the Word of Wisdom this week. She drinks coffee and tea so we will have to help her with that. But she does not smoke and everyone in Indiana and their dog smokes. Hahaha Hopefully, I get to be here for a least one more transfer to help her to baptism and she is making lots of friends in the ward! That is very important! Be friends with everyone! (my advice this week)

Next miracle. We went to a less active's house and talked to her 12 year old daughter Alexis! Alexis goes to church with her grandma in Martinsville (Scary town). She loves the church. So we talked to her about the BOM! She told us that she has always wanted to know if it was true. She has always relied on her grandma's testimony and now she is on the road to gaining her own. The hard thing is getting her to come to Plainfield ward with her mom. Her mom has no interest in religion even though she is LDS. Alexis has not been baptized so we committed her to be baptized on May 9th also. I don't know what it is with that day but it is the best day ever! (Day before Mother's Day!)

Oh and now some fun facts. Emily a girl that just came home from her mission! Came out with us and she is so great! She went to a California mission speaking Spanish. She gets so excited when she sees Spanish people in Plainfield because she loves speaking Spanish. Her GPS was still in Spanish when she came out with us. She is a great teacher and was a blessing that day! I hope when I get home I can go out with the missionaries!

Well, I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Allyson

A cool abstract photo of us missionaries in Plainfield

5 Miracles (If only I could be 17)

Selfie with President Cleveland

Well everyone I got to go to church this week! yayayayay! I love church with all my heart! I have had the busiest week of my life to date! We were just go go go this week! There are lots of people to visit and talk to. The snow has been melting and things have been warming up a bit! So that is always nice!

My apartment has a gym! I have my own bathroom! It is true! We have a great apartment! And to tell you the truth it is actually not too loud where we live!

This week we picked up 5 new investigators! I am so excited about that! One in particular that are my favorite are Veronica and Eric! These people are great! We met them while stopping by less active houses and we started talking to Veronica and she asked us if we wanted to come in! So we did and taught her about family history! She seemed kind of interested! So we set a return appointment! We went over to help her set up an account on Sunday! Her husband was there and he started asking us questions! We were able to teach them about the BOM! Wow that was powerful. I got to bear my testimony about it and because I was able to do that my own testimony grew of the importance the BOM has in my life! I read the BOM because it helps me understand God a lot better! I helps me know how merciful he is! He will always be there for us no matter what. We talked a lot about how our church is different from others! They are Nazarene. I have never heard of that religion in my life before but I guess it is the closest one to our religion. haha They are great! We are going back over on Tuesday! To teach Veronica! I am so excited!

Also we taught Vicky this week! She is as great as ever! We taught her the restoration and

asked her if she would be baptized. She said she had to think about it. But she is on the right track. She has already been baptized once in a baptist church but she wants to make sure she is making the right decision. She is so much fun but has lots of things to do before she can make that commitment. But we learned her daughter is a Mormon. Hahahaha Funny things. Everyone is related to a Mormon somehow.

Well those are just some miracles this week! Love you guys lots.

Love Sister Hanson

Allisonville street! My name almost!

Plainfield Indiana!

Allyson in her new area and with her new companion Sister Lowry

Welcome to Plainfield Indiana! I am with Sister Lowry. She has been our for 3 months and she is a wonderful missionary! She is from Richfield Utah! So I would tell you about the ward but church got cancelled on Sunday. Just my luck right! haha It was because of the snow! We got about 1 foot yesterday! Church seems to be cancelled all the time, every where I go! We were able to still have the sacrament! A family got permission to do the sacrament in their home and they wanted us to come and partake also! It was good I could definitely feel the spirit! But so far Plainfield is a great place and there is so much work here to do. We have a pretty big area and lots and lots of ward members to help us! Oh and let me tell you about my apartment! I get my own Bathroom! I get my own walk in closet! Wow this place is just great! There is lots of things to do here!

Okay to go on I am senior companion and I get to drive the car now! I have been driving a lot now! Crazy! I got to brush up on my skills! I drive a red car also so I really got to watch my speed. And there are cops everywhere! Since I am down in the south I get to go to the Louisville temple! Wooooooooo! I am so excited We will probably go this transfer too! Oh my address is:

4345 Trenton BLVD

Plainfield, IN 46168

So this week we taught one of our new investigators Vikki! The sisters that were here before me and met her in the Walmart bathroom and taught her a lesson right then and there. Haha. She is great we met her at Arby's and taught her about the BOM! She
loved it and and she wants to know if it is true! We also found out she has met with missionaries before! and at one time she had a BOM! She has the right desires and she wants to come to church but works on Sundays so she can't right now so hopefully she can come soon!

It is soooooo cool here I have been able to teach a lot here! It is great the ward members that I met yesterday are great! There are so many members around us that want to help too! Oh and guess what! We have a normal sized chapel! We have a gym and there are missionaries everywhere! OH and I get up and work out everyday at 5:45 because we have a gym  in our apartment complex! Wooooooo! Everything is just bigger in the city! I love it but it will be so hard to get to know everyone! Our ward mission leader is great too! The funny thing is he served his mission in Indiana and he served in the ward that I am in now!

Well I love you all and hope you have a great week! Oh and one more thing we had like a mini Women's conference here in Plainfield with a bunch of stakes combined. And we went to this one class where she talked a lot about what our purpose here on life is. We all have a different purpose here in life so I encourage you all to take a look at your patriarchal blessings this week and think about why God sent you here to the earth at this time and for what purpose!

Love Sister Hanson

Allyson's new district

Baptism Week!

Allyson with a kid

This week has been the coldest and the most stressful week ever, but it has been worth it! JULIANA got BAPTIZED! WHOOOO! I know that is why I needed to stay in Plymouth for 6 months to get her to baptism! Yesterday was the hardest day of my life! Our little branch had 5 people get baptized yesterday! The best thing ever! The Padilla Family! They are the best! I wish I could stay just for them! That family was found by the elders and baptized in 7 weeks! They are so strong!

I also had much fun this week! I love this branch so much! We have had meals every day this month! And all the members have been wanting me to come over and do things with them. There is just not enough time for everything. We fed some baby goats. So that was fun!

We had mission conference this week! It was wonderful! And you know like always I have to play the piano at it! It really is a talent I am thankful for! And sometimes it is just fun to play around on the piano! I love music! But back to mission conference. It was great! President Cleveland committed us all to find someone to do temple work for on our missions. So I took the challenge and found some one on our family tree! I found a woman named Gunnil She was born in 1667 and I don't know much about her other than that. She was born in Sweden. Hopefully I can find more about her! I want to challenge all of you to find someone to do temple work for! Family History is so great! And that is what the conference was all about!

This week has been a bittersweet week because I know it is time for me to leave but I don't want to! I love this area with all my heart. But now that Juliana has been baptized I know she is in good hands with her mom and Sister Peel! I have had the best of times and the worst of times here. This area will forever be my home! I love Plymouth! 

Love Sister Hanson

Juliana

The Padilla family and Juliana

Allyson with the Reed family

Happy Valentines Day!

Horse and buggy in Plymouth

Well it snowed again this week! Surprise hahah! Church got cancelled again so we just watched church movies all day! It has been really cold lately. Like 10 degrees and under. Hopefully when I get transferred I will go south where there is no snow! hahaha. Transfers are on the 25th and president told me I am leaving because Sister Peel is getting a greenie! 

This week has felt like it has gone on forever and I don't know why. This week has gone good! We taught a lot of people and had lots of fun!

We taught Juliana this week and she is doing great! I know she is ready to be baptized but now it is up to her to show up to it and go through with it! Every time she prays she just radiates. Her prayers just keep getting better and better every time she says them. She is a ten yea
r old and doesn't remember much of the things we teach her but the things that stick with her help her with life! I am so excited for her to get baptized! I think that is the reason I am staying in Plymouth for so long!

I learned lots yesterday! One thing I learned is that Reading the scriptures, Pondering and Praying are something we need everyday! If we don't do those basic things everyday then we are not growing in the gospel. We are letting Satan into our lives. I love the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 10:5. We should be praying always. When we do we don't let the things of the world and of Satan into our lives.

Well That is my message to all reading my email today! I love you all very much and am excited to go to a new area! Life is good as a missionary! 

Love Sister Hanson

Our District's Valentine picture

Missionary Work and Miracles!

Allyson with her companion Sister Peel 

Well this week was skiwampus (don't know how to spell it)! You get the idea right! Well we had church which was wonderful! I got to speak and people though it was great! I don't know why I was nervous because I know everyone in that branch and I talk to people all day long. It must be mental. hahaha 

We are working with a less active in our branch and she is great! Sister Schnieder! She is great we decided to be bold in a lesson and talk to her about coming to church! She hasn't come in a while and she wants to go to the temple! So we decided to be bold! and I guess why I am telling this is because when you have the spirit and you feel prompted to say something do be afraid to say it! God knows what we need and he answers our prayers through other people and you don't know whose prayer you could answer! So be bold when you know you need to say something! 

We have been trying to find people to teach but we just can't seem to find any. So we have been praying a lot! We just got to get out there and work harder especially since the weather is nicer!

Juliana is doing good! She looks like she will be ready for her baptism on the 22nd! I am so excited for her! Hopefully she will accept the fact that she is getting baptized soon! I think everyday she is getting closer!

Well I love you all! Here are some pictures of our neighbors wicked icicles, And me being twinners with dad! Me in front of a big pile of snow! WHooooo

Allyson

Allyson in front of a big pile of snow...

...like her dad 32 years ago in Pennsylvania.