hey everyone!
i gotta write fast because there's no time but i have BIG NEWS.
first of all--guess where i am?
NOT IN FAAA!!! i got transferred last thursday (i found out wednesday morning that i was getting moved--transfers here come like a theif in the night, lemme tell ya). anyway, i'm now currently serving on the island of MOOREA. guys. i realized when i got here that i'd been in the total ghetto for the past six months. MOOREA IS PARADISE. it's so beautiful. our house is literally 30 seconds from the beach. there are crabs in my front yard. seriously, it's so beautiful.
so now that i'm on moorea, this means a couple of things. first of all, no more car. i'm now officially a bike missionary. let's talk about the bike situation. first of all, since i've been in the car for the past sixth months, this means that i have become a total fatty. which means that on the bike, WOOF. so hard. the other day, my companion (all the while on her bike), literally starting pushing me up the hill on my bike, haha. i was getting there, just very slowly. guhhh the hills here...they kill. but i'm adapting to the bike. actually i really like it better than the car. it's kind of surreal sometimes, being on a bike. and i feel like a total dweeb with my helmet, but whatever I'M OBEDIENT SO I WEAR IT. also. it's really REALLY hot. i am a sweaty, disgusting mess ALL OF THE TIME. people laugh at me because my face gets so red. and my hair. oh my hair. it's either plastered to my skull from sweat, or all over the place because of the wind. guys, i'm a mess. also makeup has become the stupidest thing ever, so i'm not even messing with that anymore. get ready for photos chock fulla ugly coming next week maybe! although now that i'm here, the internet is less of a surety. at faaa we just went to the chapel, but here it's a little more complicated. so i guess don't worry if you don't hear from me one week. but i'm gonna do my best to keep the emails coming.
let's see what else...oh yeah the water here is non-potable. go figure the place where i want water the most is the place where i can't get it out of the faucet. also going to adapt to that. and the mosquitoes here are a bajillion times worse. but again, adapting. anothing thing about this sector is that...well, the sisters here before kind of totally burned it. when i came in on thursday, we had no fixed lessons and no progressing investigators (which basically means that there aren't people that we're teaching that are moving forward). basically what i'm saying is that we're going to have to work our butts off (hopefully literally because man my skirts are getting tight) to get some investigators and lessons. this sector needs soooooooooo much work. and it's kind of a shock to come into it, because we had so many investigators and lessons and potential at faaa...but, the other day, i just had this really strong sense of peaceful assurance. i had this thought--"just be patient and work hard. it's not always going to be like this." my companion and i plan on fasting twice a week, going around to commit members to help us, and to recontact ALL of the former investigators in our area book to try and boost our sector. yeah, it's kind of overwhelming, especially since our area is HUGE--22 kilometers (which i think, according to my high school cross country reference, is about 17 miles?), but i know that if we're obedient and faithful, God is going to help us have success in this area.
really though, the members here have already made me feel so welcome. today i learned how to make baskets out of palm tree leaves. totally legit. and the pineapple here is world-renowned. and THERE'S A JUICE FACTORY DOWN THE STREET FROM OUR HOUSE. free testing. next pday? i think yes. we only have one ward that we're in charge of, so i feel like i'm going to get to know everyone a lot better than at faaa, where we had three wards. funnily enough though, i kinda miss good ol' faaa. i was pretty sad to say goodbye to some of our investigators and members there, especially since there are some that have made such good progress. but i know that i'm going to love it here. even if i'm a sweaty gross disgusting mess all the time.
oh yeah. i forgot to say the other really important thing...i'm going to be a trainer for the new sister missionary coming in. what?! i'm gonna be a mom! i'm kind of terrified. like i have to teach this kid all about how to be a missionary, and i've only been here for 6 months. I don't even know how to be a missionary yet, it feels like. but, i'm gonna try my best to be a good trainer for her...is this what it feels like to be a parent? terrified that you're going to ruin your child's life? i'm kind of exaggerating. but not really. hopefully it'll be good!
anyway, i gotta wrap this up. people are waiting for me, and we're going to go pick taro (purple potato thing) from their garden and then go play tennis. oh yeah did i mention that i already have tan lines? oooooh yeah. i'mma be black by the end of my mission. i love you all!
love,
soeur hansen
