hiiii everyone!
and again, this week has just flown by and i'm back at pday writing another email, trying to think of things that have stood out from the ordinary in these past seven days. things are going well here! we officially reached our one month mark in the mtc, and the rest of the missionaries who came in with me get to say that they leave this month--they head out on august 30th, but i'm here til september. AND the newest district that just came in like two weeks ago, i was talking to the sister that's in our companionship now, and she was telling me that HER departure date is september 10th. mine is september 15th. they came in after me, and they're leaving before me. i kind of wanted to punch myself in the face when she told me that. oh well. the mtc is good, and there are definitely still a lot of things i need to learn and prepare before i can be ready to head out to tahiti. but sometimes, when i look at the posters of tahiti and hear the stories that my teachers tell me about it, i'm just like GAAAH WHY AM I STILL IN AMERICAAAA!!! but then i try to teach my lesson in tahitian, and i'm like OH THAT'S WHY. whooops, thanks perspective!
anyway, this has been a good week. on sunday, for relief society, mary n. cook came to speak to us (i can't remember if she's still in the young women general presidency or not, but regardless, her talk was pretty much about young women stuff). it was good, and i thought of you, mom, and how much you would've enjoyed it. we've been having really good devotionals and firesides lately too, one most recently about charity--huh imagine that, right? :)
anyway, my days are mostly focused around tahitian now, since that's where i am for class, and preparing for outside of class. sometimes, being the only one in my class is cool, but also kind of awkward. like, for example, when we sing hymns to start and finish class, with, you guessed it--just me and the teacher, and only one of us knows tahitian (hint: it's not meeeee!). and also because neither of us are great singers. so it's cute. and painful. probably drives the spirit away more than it invites it, but hey, our hearts are in the right place. things are coming along though--my teachers always tell me how much progress i'm making, but then i'm just like, "yeah in reference to WHOM?" haha. but yesterday i illustrated and explained and answered questions about Lehi's dream (1 nephi 8), all in tahitian. i felt pretty legit. even though i may or may not have made up some words. and the other day, i started teaching my first tahitian "investigator" (where the teacher will role play and i have to teach them the lessons). anyway, the back story about him was that he had already received all the lessons from previous missionaries, and really liked the missionaries, but only because they were bad and broke all the rules, so then they got sent away and i'm the new missionary. anyway, so we started the lesson and he was like "oh you're the new missionary! what happened to the old ones?" and i was like huh. i have no idea how to say that they got sent away, nor do i want to be like yeaaah they were naughty so had to go bye bye, so i was just like, "uhhh....they went back to america. yup!" and he got this confused look on his face and was just like "hmm ok..." and the lesson went on. and then afterwards, my teacher was like "yeah i didn't know if i should throw you for that curve ball, but one of the previous missionaries was tahitian so he wouldn't have gone back to america." haa! note to self: probably don't just make stuff up when talking to investigators. haha, it was funny (maybe you had to be there? i'm imagining you laughing right now regardless) and my teacher made fun of me. good times. but we also talked about the missionaries in tahiti, and he told me that there are pretty much two groups: les Babylons (ones who break the rules) and les prophetes (ones who try to keep the rules). sooo i figured since i'm a girl and not really allowed to be a prophet or whatever, i'll just have to be a babylon. hee. just kidding.
also, funny tahitian story: the word "mahu" means like a fog or a cloud, so when i was studying lehi's dream, i had to use "mahu poiri" which is like mist of darkness or whatever. and then my teacher was like "yeaaah be careful with that word, because it can also be an insult. it means 'transvestite' too." so i'm like COOL. one day i'm going to be explaining to my investigator about the dream and instead of telling them about the giant mists of darkness that they have to walk through, i'll end up telling them that they're going to have to walk through a GIANT GROUP OF DARK TRANSVESTITES!! adorable. juuuust adorable. that's one really cute thing about tahitian--one word has like a bajillion different things it can mean, or holding the vowel for slightly longer can change the meaning completely (i.e. fog vs. tranny). but apparently there are also a lot of transvestites in tahiti. who knew.
so this week i've been trying to work on changing my default face. because apparently my default face makes people think that i'm going to MURDER them. aaand that's not REALLY the message i'm trying to send people as a missionary. you know, murdering vs. trying to save their soul or whatever. there's kind of a big difference. but sometimes, i really just don't pay attention, and so i don't have any particular expression on my face. but apparently my face is so constructed that when i don't think i have any expression on my face, i look like i'm in a fit of rage or something. so i've been trying to work on having a more pleasant default face. the other day, i was trying to have a happy look on my face, and i was like "hey sister sandoval what does my face look like right now?" and she was like "i dunno, like melancholy?" and i was like DANGIT!!! and she was like what?!! because apparently she thought melancholy meant content. haha! i dunno. sometimes it's kind of irritating because i'm like I DON'T WANT TO SMILE ALL THE TIME. but then i think i probably should. anyway. that and my posture, i am trying to change. so i don't look like a homicidal hunchback. seriously. i get made fun of. and then i see some of the senior sister missionaries, and how they're like hunched over and i'm like, "oh my gosh. that is a vision of my future." and i immediately try to stand up straighter.
anyway, i just realized how much i've been rambling in this letter. this week has honestly been a good one--full of highs and lows, as usual. but there is starting to be more of a rhythm to them, where after a low, immediately comes something to lift me back up. oh by the way, there was one day this week that i didn't get any letters at all and it was the saddest day of my life, and my district made fun of me because normally they hate me about how much mail i get. AND SISTER ISRAELSEN SENT ME BLONDE BROWNIES!!!! i love her. i'm going to write her to say thank you, but i'm sure you'll be able to relay my elated gratitude sooner. they're gone now, of course, but i thoroughly enjoyed them. i averaged about 4 a day. no big deal. coincidently, i weighed myself this week: gained 4 pounds since i've been here. anyway, back to spiritual things: we had a workshop this week about learning to teach by the spirit. and honestly, in the beginning i didn't really take it seriously because i was feeling a little ADD and just drawing pictures of super mario brothers and dinosaurs (yeah i know, i'm REALLY mature, get over it), but in the end, we did a little demo where the teacher was role playing and we were all teaching him together, and honestly, it's like i had spiritual word vomit (but in a good way). i don't even know where they words came from, but they just spilled out of my mouth and i felt like i was on fire. it was a little surreal. but it was so great, and just an even greater testimony to me that i've been sent here to do God's work, and He's going to help me to do it. i was reading my patriarchal blessing a few days ago, and there was a line in it, warning me about satan's awareness of my purpose and how he will try to cloud my vision of who i am as a daughter of God with power and purpose. and i think that is true--one of his main tactics is to get us to doubt ourselves, to forget who we are and what we are capable of when we put our faith and trust in the Lord. so then i'm like "get the heck out of my life, satan, i've got a job to do." and go to work. i rejoice in the scriptures, for they are mighty in coolness.
anyway, i'm almost out of time. so i'll stop rambling now. oh, by the way, mom and dad, your tales of biking a bajillion miles have inspired me to maybe do something other than lay on the grass during gym time--i biked 7 miles on the machine the other day--weee! also, pass on my congrats to erik and ally! i can't believe i'm the aunt of champions! that's so awesome. tell wendy to give me her address so i can send her stuff too! i love you all and think about you so much. i miss you, and hope you are doing well. thanks for all your love and support--it means everything to me.
love,
soeur Hansen
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