Tyler May 28 2010

Dear family,

I thought i would just write and tell you that i will most probably write to you back on next Wednesday. This week was transfer news for us and so President asked me to be a Zone Leader in East London and so I will be doing the zone leader stuff in East London. I will be in the 2nd ward but It is good to get back to see some acquaintances since this is my first area. We spent most of the day yesterday to get here from George on bus which was like a good 9 hour bus drive from George to East London, Elder Bradshaw and I ended up getting here at like 11 o'clock Thursday night. We are going to fly back to Cape Town to have a zone leader council with President Probst on Monday and so me and my companion Elder Hydenrich will be flying to Cape Town on Monday and then come back to East London on Tuesday, so I will most likely email you back on Wednesday. Elder Hydenrich is from Johannesburg and so he is pretty cool. There is four districts in East London and there is three new missionaries in the zone. Two of them are from England so that is pretty cool because I like the English elders. Well take care have a good weekend.

Love Tyler Hansen

Tyler May 24, 2010

Dear family,

This week has been kind of a strange one. There was actually a tragedy in the mission this past week. President Probst has been going around to the different districts and zones telling about the death of Elder Zulu from Zimbabwe. We had our interviews on Saturday and it was nice to seek some counsel from a very wise man who knows how to handle situations because my patience is running low. He told us about the death of Elder Zulu. Have you heard it on ksl news or anywhere? I really felt bad for President Probst on having to deal with that situation he said that he hopes that he doesn't have to have another week like this past week. On Monday while President Probst was at a mission seminar in Johannesburg he got a call from one of the Elders announcing the tragedy. I never met Elder Zulu but he was located in Mtatha which is the furthest east in the mission. They decided that they were going to go to the sea on this past Monday p-day. He said that they started to take some pictures on the rocks and basically one thing led to another and they were on the beach and a wave submerged them he said. Elder Zulu was carried out to the sea and he could not get back. They had the search crew after him but it was to late and so he drowned. President Probst didn't tell the details of everything but they must have been swimming in the ocean. As you can imagine it was very difficult for President Probst to tell the family and I think the mission as well. He gathered zones together to tell each zone about it but we didn't go because we are out in banishment and we are kind of our own small zone out here. but I heard he compared it to kind of like an emergency transfer on going to the next area except to the spirit world. Heavenly Father can do many things but wont take away someones agency from them so he compared it to an emergency transfer where things happen to create it such as someone in the branch that is extremely attractive and a distraction or companion problems or anything of that nature. I think that a majority of his family is not members and so hopefully it will provide a way for them to accept the gospel. President Probst just wants us to pay a tribute to him by working harder in mission but I am wondering if he is going to buckle down obedience even more since this incident happened. This past week we went to Mossel bay and located some less active members out there. We went to go see bro Goodger who is a counselor in the branch presidency but on our way out there we received a prompting to see the Meyers and so we were able to see the Meyers family who live in great brak river. I was glad that we went out there because when we got there they were living in some pretty bad circumstances of poverty. Eric and Loraine have been super less active members for quite a while but they have been pretty scarce for money lately. Eric was gone on a trip to Port Elizabeth since he is a truck driver but he hasn't been very busy at all lately in the last couple of weeks. There house didn't have a roof cap and the place around them really looked like a hole. She said that her baby Ersula has been sick over the past few weeks and has gotten to the point where she is constipated and cant go to the bathroom. Elder Jordan (a zone leader from port Elizabeth) and I were able to give her a blessing on Thursday and so hopefully everything will work out well and I really applied the council Elder Oaks gave in the last conference on administering a blessing. I just wish more of these type of people would give us a call because I would love to come and help fix up there house and help them at their home but they are to self-dependent and wont ask for some help. We have been tracting out some of the richer white areas of George lately and we were able to meet up with a guy named Joe Hall who is from near Pretoria. He said he was an owner of a diamond mine and he has a couple of cottage homes in the denneoord area. We will meet with him this Wednesday and so I am pretty excited about that since getting into white peoples homes it is a little more difficult especially when your with a black companion and a lot of white people around here are very racist. Well thanks for everything. have a good week.

Love Elder Hansen

Tyler May 10, 2010

Dear family:
I don't think your server is accepting much of the messages that I send across. Your server thinks that is must be junk mail or something and so it is just kicking everything back that I send, so maybe i will try to make it sound as if it was as junk mail or anything. I will send some pictures of some past things that we have done like being with the Odells and going to the cango caves.
I really look forward to this upcoming week because we are going to do some exchanging and I will be going with Elder Bradshaw of the district, and president will also be coming to George this Saturday, so I look forward to that. On Wednesday the zone leaders will be coming and staying with us and I will be going with Elder Jordan who is from Johannesburg. We might be able to go to Mossel bay and see bro. Goodger of the branch presidency. Mossel bay is about 50 kilometers away from George and so it will be good to go out in that area and also look up some less active people who reside in the area. With our finding efforts we have been able to find quite a few people who work here in George and reside in the Mossel bay area. We met this lady a couple of weeks ago and she works for a safety firm and she was very accepting to what we had to say. She attends the dutch reformed church and she just got recently married and she said her husband is currently unemployed at the moment. We were able to give her a book of mormon to help her and her husband get through the crisis and provide the spiritual strength to endure. We have a couple that is near to baptism that stay in the coulered area and they reside in pacelsdorp. I met them tracting there and they are just loving the book of mormon at the moment so we just hope that they can progress towards getting a testimony and being baptized and being a strength to the George branch. Well thanks for everything have a good day-

love elder Tyler Hansen

P.s. hey grandma it was good being able to speak with you. thanks for the email and the birthday wishes, have a good week. Can you please tell my parents they need to fix there email it isn't excepting any mail. Thanks alot grandma and grandpa for being there always! have a good day! love Tyler

Regan's Home

Elder Regan Kay Hansen, is now home and has been released as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the Florida Tallahassee Mission.

his Homecoming address will be July 25th in the Nibley 8th Ward Chapel at 10:30 AM

Regan, July 12, 2010

Well this past week had a lot of changes but it saw us through adjusting and changing to accomplish those things that the Lord saw fit for us to do.

Monday we started off the day with Elder Bawden finding out that he was getting transferred to Daphne. I really felt that it was coming and I hope that his adjustment will go well with being here for so long. We were also able to spend sometime doing are emails and helping him to get prepared for having to move. We were able to visit with the Parkes family and let others now about the changes. We had dinner with the Fairchild's which went really well and then Elder Bawden began packing and getting things all in order.

Tuesday we had a really good district meeting and were able to focus on how we can become more successful missionaries in His service. We talked about different things that come through be a successful missionary and about how we could all individually improve to become better. We then had lunch with the Parkes, Odom's, and Jordan's over at the Parkes home. It was a good time and Elder Bawden was able to say his goodbyes. We then headed to visit Dayton so he could say goodbye and talked with him about a few referrals that he has for us. We stopped by the Martyn's and talked a bit about the Elders Quorum with him and will be working with him closely about doing service in the future. We visited a few other members that Elder Bawden wanted to say goodbye to and then had dinner with the Madison family. We had a really great dinner and were able to share a few thoughts with them. We finished the night by Elder Bawden saying goodbye to Brother Serrano and the Fairchilds.

Wednesday we began the day with Brother Blackburn taking us up to the Theodore building to see Elder Bawden off and a few other missionaries. As we waited for Elder Marshall to arrive we did some cleaning. Elder Bawden had been there for a long time and we cleaned up a lot of things that had collected since the apartment had opened up. We had a lesson with Kimberly Evans who is a recent convert and talked with her about how reading has been going. Ever since she was able to get a Quadruple Combination she has been very consistent with reading and you could see the change that it has made. We came back and met Elder Marshall at our apartment and allowed him to unpack and get things set up before we took him shopping. We had family home evening at the church and had a great lesson on testimony with Sister Byrd. Elder Marshall was able to meet a lot of ward members there and most of the leadership of the ward.

Thursday we went with Brother Cogsdell up to visit with Brent Taylor who is one of our investigators. We had a really good lesson and Elder Marshall and I stayed with one of his friends, while Elder Mackay and Brother Cogsdell taught Brent. We had to split because his friend wasn't interested in the church and just wanted to argue so we just talked and listened to him and allowed him to just talk. We stayed up and Saraland and visited with Allen Peoples and found out that he is transferring back down here for school, so we will be seeing him a lot more. We visited with Sister Coker and her grandson's were there Mathew and Keith. It was great because Mathew is one of our investigators and it allowed us to also see how their family was doing. We visited with a few referrals and found Chrissy and Jeremy Weaver. We were able to share a bit of a message and set up a return appointment with them. We stopped by and visited with the Juarez family and Sister Juarez has been really busy with school. We then went up with the Brother Martyn and Brother Hearn to finish a service project for Sister Mathie.

Friday we started off the day with Planning which went really well and I was able to help Elder Marshall understand and become more comfortable about the area. We were able to update records and talk with a lot of referrals and get them all worked out. We went out and did a little bit of tracting as we around a few less active families that we have been trying to see. We talked with Sister Thompson and invited her to church and activity night. We also visited with the Johnny's who are a recent convert family and they have been doing really good. We then had dinner with the Parkes and Jordan's at the church before activity night which went really well.

Saturday we started off by going to the flea market and visiting Sister Bross and we talked with her daughter. They are both less active but we are hoping to get them back. We then had lunch with Sister Seats and talked with her about how she has been able to help Melissa. Melissa is one of our investigators and we thanked her for her help and support for her. We went and visited with the Blackmon's and found out that Brother Blackmon is in the hospital so we decided when we got back down to visit him. We visited the Wyser's also and were able to talk with them and invite them to church. We visited with Brother Rosales and were able to help him feel a little better because he was dehydrated and he had been having a hard time and we helped him about by listening to him. We had an appointment with Caroline and had a great lesson on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were able through the Spirit to commit her to baptism on August 7th. I am sad to say I won't be there but everything will go well.

Sunday we had a really good day at church and the spirit was very strong and the lessons all taught us many new things. We were able to have Melissa and Mathew both at church and there were quite a few less active members that showed up to church. Sister Fairchild taught Gospel Principles for us and we were able to spend more time interacting with our investigators through a discussion setting. After church we came back and after lunch visited Brother Blackmon in the Hospital and gave him a blessing. We then came back and did some studies and while we were studying we received a phone call from a member in Birmingham asking if we could give his a grandson who was in the hospital in Mobile. We were able to visit and administer and everything will be alright. We then went to dinner over at Dayton's and talked with him a little bit with doing service and inviting him to church. We ended the night by visiting with Brother Serrano and I said my goodbye's to a lot of people.

It is sad that my time has now come to a close but everything is in God's hands and he will bless his children continually. I know that the Gospel has been Restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and he brought forth the Book of Mormon through the gift and power of God. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and gives us a witness that truly brings the Gospel to us in the fullest. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is powerful and it doesn't only redeem us but it enables us. I know that President Monson is the Modern Day Prophet in these latter days and he is guiding Christ's true and living church. I know that my mission in his hands and strength will always carry me through anything with the patterns of success I have been able to receive in his strength.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan July 5, 2010

This past week was a very trying week for all of us because we were able to go out and do even though not to many things happened for us. We were able to set up an have some great lessons that really allowed us to feel the Love that our Heavenly Father has for his Children.

Monday we had the normal p-day stuff with shopping and doing our emails. We stopped by Brother Martyn's and talked with him about things in the Elders Quorum. He just got all of his counselors called and they are working on finding those that they can bring back into full activity. We continued after by having dinner with the Fairchild's which was really good and we were able to do some service for them after.

Tuesday we started the morning off by tracting for a little bit which went well. We were able to testify and ask for referrals, which allowed us to stay in the right spirit and be focused on what our purpose is. We stopped by the Campbell's in the afternoon and talked with them for a little bit. They have some family members that are hoping to do the stop smoking program in which we hope will peak their curiosity about he church. We continued with a bunch of tracting throughout the day and talked with quite a few people that we picked up as potential investigators. We visited Sister Hall for a minute and invited her to church. She has been busy with her courses she teaches up at University of South Alabama. We then went to family home evening which went well and the spirit was able to share with me some great insights. We then went and had dinner with the Fairchild's which was great and helped them move a few things.

Wednesday we went to the church and helped set up different things for Sister Jett's funeral. We were able to get a lot of things accomplished which helped take pressure off of the family. After lunch we visited with Kimberly Evans and read in 3 Nephi with her. She has been able to get back in the routine of reading everyday and the change in her life has been great to see. We went and taught a lesson to Melissa and answered allot of questions that she had from reading. She was able to read 1 Nephi 2-3 and she personally learned tons of new things. We focused with her to continue to read and pray which she committed to do. We stopped to see how Sister Mathie has been doing. We were able to catch her at home and she has been doing pretty good since Brother Mathie passed away. We visited with Sister Thompson and invited her to church but she didn't make it. We then went to Sister Jett's wake and talked with a few family members and were there to support in anyway that we could. We then finished the night over at Tyler and Chelsa Colvins home which went well. We were able to give Chelsa a blessing before her surgery tomorrow which really helped her.

Thursday we attended Sister Jett's funeral service which went well and the spirit and the messages shared really touched every one's heart. Sister Jett was truly an example of one who serves and never complained about anything. We had lunch with the Parke's which went well and then we came back and started planning. We were able to set some great goals that will help us to continue to focus on being diligent in the Lord's Service. We visited after with the Weatherington's which went really well. Brother Weatherington has finally gotten to slow down at work and it sounds like they will be able to attend church more often now. We then tracted for a bit and went to Brother Serrano's. Brother Serrano is doing well and even though he has been having to work on Sunday's he has really kept his focus on reading everyday and it has helped him out a bunch.

Friday we went with Brother Cogsdell to visit an investigator in Mt. Vernon but he wasn't home at the time and we set up a new appointment with him. We visited with the Cogsdells for a minute which was great. We then visited with the Christianson's which went well. They have both been really busy with a new child and work which has really kept them from being able to do allot. We then came back and had a great Zone Conference. It was wonderful being able to meet President and Sister Jensen and I am sad to say that I don't get to meet and talk with them more. The spirit was very strong and there was a strong sense of unity throughout the entire zone. We had dinner with the Curtis's after which went well and we are now going to share with them the home teaching message each month. We visited with Sam Smith after and invited him to church. He said that he would be there and we were excited.

Saturday was a pretty busy day all around for us with service and visiting with many people. We started the day with Bishop's storehouse which went great and even with the truck being late we were able to get all the orders out and on time. We then had dinner with the Morris's which went really well. We then went and tracted and talked with some really great people and taught a few lessons but we weren't able to set follow up appointments with them at the time. We had dinner with Ryesha Henderson and her family which went well and we were able to invite them to church. Ryesha's husband isn't a member and a lot of her family there are less active. We finished the night with a little bit of tracting and had a great lesson with Caroline. We answered her questions and shared a little bit more in detail some of the principles about the Restoration. We should be able to set a Baptismal Date with her this week which is great.

Well we definitely stayed really busy today and had a really great turnout at church even with the Holiday. Melissa was able to make it to church and we had a lesson with her and some of our recent converts which went really well. The spirit was very powerful and the testimonies that were shared touched my heart and strengthened my testimony in so many ways. After church we tracted foro a few hours which was great and then we visited with a few members. We visited the Blackmon's and they are doing pretty good. Brother Blackmon told us that he would be at church next week. We had an early dinner with the Hearn's which was great and we were able to spend few moments with them. We then left and visited with a few potentials that didn't end up panning out but that is just fine. We finished the night after a few more visits and tracting by spending sometime with the Parkes and watched some fireweorks.

This week even with the many opportunities that didn't show anything in numbers means nothing compared to the spirit that we felt being used through us and around us. I know that this week that everyone that we saw was able to feel the spirit that we always strive to carry.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan June 28, 2010

Elder Regan Hansen is in his last two weeks of his mission.

He is flying home out of the Mobil Alabama Airport on Wednesday July 14th arriving home in the afternoon at the Salt Lake City Airport

His Address to the Nibley 8th Ward will be July 25 at 10:30 am at the LDS Chapel on 3200 South in Nibley Utah.

We are excited to see him Return With Honor after serving the Lord Jesus Christ for the Past two years in the Florida Tallahassee Mission.

Regan June, 28, 2010

This week has seen its different challenges but it has also opened up many promptings of the spirit to bring us to a new understanding of submissiveness for the Lord. We were able to see a change within our investigators that only the spirit and the Lord could bring into their lives.

Monday we had a really great opportunity to strengthen our unity with a new ward member. We were able to spend sometime on p-day with Brother Blackburn and went on some trail rides. It was really fun being able to talk with him and find out that he is willing to go out with us and help us when he can. We continued out the day with our emails and taking care of some shopping and cleaning that we wanted to do. We were also able to visit with the Parkes family which was really great. They are probably the family that I will remember the most from all of my mission. We finished the evening with dinner at the Fairchild's and did some service for them as we were there.

Tuesday we were able to have a great District Meeting that continued to allow us to act upon those things of which we are receiving. The spirit was able to commit us all to do better and we committed that we would act upon it and continue to strive to follow all promptings that we receive. After lunch we visited with Brother Serrano and were able to answer allot of questions that he had concerning the spirit world. His father passed away a little bit ago and many of his family members had questions that he was trying to get better answers for. We had a lesson afterwards with Joe Hickman and we had to be bold with him. We taught the Restoration and focused on how the Priesthood and been restored but he is still very staunch in his Catholic ways. As we expressed our love and concern in such a bold fashion I felt that it broke a barrier that he had up. We will follow up with him this week and from there we may drop him. We continued to do some tracting afterwards which was really good and then we went to the church to help for the set up of Brother Mathie's funeral. We were able to get a lot of different things accomplished and were able to take much of the burden off of the Relief Society sisters backs. We then went with the Theodore missionaries and Elder Bawden did the baptismal interview for Edlyn which went really well.

Wednesday we started off with Elder Bawden's doctors appointment which went really well. He found out that everything was good and he didn't need to come back for anymore follow up visits. We came back and did some studies before starting on our way. We tracted a little bit before lunch and testified to some great people. After lunch we traveled and visited with Sister Kimberly Evans and watched Finding Faith in Christ. As we were there her neighbors brought over some anti-literature for us. We used it as an example that if they brought anything in the future over to just through it away. We were able to then leave and throw away the material ourselves. We then had a really great lesson with Melissa and we focused allot on the Atonement and it healing powers. We watched Lamb Of God and it gave her a real sense and understanding of what Jesus Christ went through for us. We answered further questions for her reading that she had and left her to continue reading in the next chapter. We came back down for Brother Mathie's wake and funeral service. The spirit was very strong and the messages that were shared touched many hearts. We then had dinner with Brother Martyn and discussed things about the Elders Quorum. He is the new president and is wanting to set up things so we can help them and they can help us.

Thursday we started out with a great lesson with Caroline Chebet. We were able to talk with her and she came with a lot of great questions. We asked her how her reading went in 3 Nehpi 11 and she asked a few questions. We followed up about her watching the Restoration and she wasn't able to so we decided that we should watch it with her. The spirit was so strong as we testified and as she watched that she felt a change come into her life. We were able to see the change within her countenance and the spirit was able to answer questions she had in her heart. She committed herself to read and pray to know if what we shared was true. We are planning this next week to set a baptismal date with her for around July 10th. We then went and tracted for a bit which went pretty well. We were able to testify to many people and found a referral for the spanish elders. We went and visited with Evalyn and it was a very night to day appointment. This time she wasn't very open and she really didn't pay attention at all. We felt it may be because of the person that was there, so we are going to follow up and see if she is still open to learning. We visited with the Klug's which went well and found out that Brother Klug will be having surgery soon for the cancer he has but it hasn't spread which is good. We had dinner with Sister Seats which went really well and we left a thought on Ether and invited her to church. We then did some service at the Olsen's and helped cut down a tree with the High Priest and Elders Quorum.

Friday we began our day with planning and we were able to update all of our records. We were all able to do allot of different things and work in unity to accomplish all that was needed. We were able to set some really great goals that will stretch us to keep being diligent and improve personal and companionship goals that we are focused on. We were able to have lunch with the Parkes and Odom's which was really great. We were able to talk about a few different things and working on setting some plans for service up. We went and visited with a media referral that we had which went well. Roderick Fisher said that he would watch the Restoration DVD and we also gave him a Book of Mormon to read. We said that we would follow up next week and he was very open about it. We then visited with the Baylors which went really well and we were able to invite them to activity night. We came back and had dinner then headed to activity night which went really well and a few families showed up.

Saturday we started by visiting with a few potentials but didn't have any luck with them. We went and visited Ryesha Henderson and talked with her for a little bit. She invited us back for dinner on July 3rd and that will give us a good opportunity to talk with her husband Andrew who isn't a member. We then continued before lunch to try and visit other less active members and did some tracting in between. After lunch we went to the flea market and visited with Sister Bross and Sister Evans. We are hoping to get Sister Bross to come back to church but she has been reading the ensign while she is working down there. We then visited with a potential and we still have to follow up next week with her. We visited with the Johnny's which went really well and we were able to answer a few questions for Brother Johnny about them moving soon and getting things set up. We had dinner with a less active member which went really well and we invited him to church but he wasn't able to make it. He has been talking with a few friends that we will be teaching soon.

Sunday we started the day with PEC which went well and we were able to discuss a lot of things of which have been happening and seeing where they can help us. At church a member from Missouri brought one of his friends who lives in the area to church and we were able to teach him and set up an appointment to visit him this next week. It was great to feel of Brother Taylors testimony already and will be looking forward to seeing him this week. Melissa was also able to attend church which was great and we had a good lesson in Gospel Principles. They both stayed for sacrament meeting which went really well and the spirit and messages shared were powerful. We ate lunch at the church and then quickly went off to tracting. We had a really great discussion with a few people but they weren't interested in hearing more. We then visited with a few less active members which went well. We stopped by and visited Sister Gover and we will be setting up another time to visit her. We also visited with the Blackmon's and Wyser's which went really well. We ended the night by visiting a few other members and finished with the last Conference Call with President Summerhays.

This week has brought us a new understanding of staying in the right spirit that way we will always be able to instruments in his hands and be able to witness the miracles that happen within our Investigators lives.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan June 21, 2010

This week has been a great week but it has also been extremely warm and it is not going to stop. We have just been very careful with making sure we have enough water and that we are trying to talk with everyone because it allows us to break and share the gospel with them which is great being able to talk with more people.

Monday we spent most of our preparation day helping the Parkes by painting and doing service for them. We were able to get much of the task accomplished and were able to spend sometime talking with the kids and having them help us paint and work hard. We then got cleaned up really quick and headed off to dinner with the Fairchild's which went really well and we spent sometime sharing a spiritual message with the kids. We then went and tried to visit with a few less active members and made phone calls for those new referrals we received and those we needed to call.

Tuesday we had a really great district meeting. The spirit was able to have us all commit to different things that individually and as companionship's will strengthen our efforts within his service. We were able to spend some time focusing on some goals to set us companionship's and we were able to set a goal as a district to be more diligent in those things of which we committed to. As a district we had a lunch together and were able to get to know and talk with each other some more which allowed us to strengthen our unity as a district. We then went and did our emails very quickly and then got back to work. We visited with Brother Martyn who is the new elders quorum president and we discussed with him some things that we are going to try and do together to strengthen within home teaching and with members. We went and did some tracting which went well being able to be out and trying to talk with everyone. We headed for dinner at the Fairchild's which went really well and we then went and focused on taking care of phone calls and some last minute things we needed to get for a lesson.

Wednesday we stopped first thing in the morning so I could give a shot to one of the Fairchild's puppy and we then headed off and began to tract. We were able to talk with quite a few people and found some potential investigators we are going to follow up with. We then headed up after lunch to the Saraland area and visited with Sister Thompson. She has been very busy with her garden and it has really been growing good. We invited her to come to church and we are hoping that she will choose to make it. We then traveled up to visit with Melissa who came to church this past week. We had a really great lesson with her and she opened up really well to where the lesson was taken to the end result of sharing about the Plan of Salvation. It is so amazing at how beautiful the spirit guides and teaches. We then had dinner with the Cogsdell and Hayes family which went really great. We shared a thought with them and quickly headed off for our lesson with the Young Women. We had a lesson on missionary work and how through their examples they will carry the Light to their friends.

Thursday we began with having some really great planning. It really helped us to spend sometime all working on updating progress records, teaching records, and other records that we have been working on. We were able to set some really good goals but more importantly we were able to set goals that will help us to be more diligent and patient in our efforts. After lunch we went and visited with Joe Hickman and really focused with his comments and were directed to teach the Restoration. We then went and followed up with Lindsey who we talked with last week and ended up talking with her and also her boyfriend Brad. We were able to answer allot of their questions and a lot of his interest was peaked as we discussed a bit about the spirit world. We then continued to do some more tracting which went really well. We had dinner with the Odom's and shared a message with them before we headed off to the Johnny's. We talked with them about the importance of the temple and keeping them focused on getting there.

Friday we started off in the morning by taking in our car and getting the 2nd recall notice fixed on it. We were able to get a little bit of extra study in and we talked with allot of people there about the gospel. We then visited with Sister DeGuire which went really well and we were able to offer service to her and invite her to church. We then started out in the afternoon doing allot of tracting and talking with allot of people. We were able to visit with a few less active member just to get some water and see how they were doing. We then got some new tires on the car and talked with a few people in there. We went back out and continued to tract before we went and did some service for the Fairchild's and helped them clean up so they could prepare to paint.

Saturday we began with service at the Bishop's Storehouse which went really well and we were able to get allot of things accomplished. We delivered a few of the orders for some of the members in the ward with the Morris's and then went to the Mathie's with them to do some more service. We visited with Sister Jett which was great and she is doing pretty good. She has lost a bit of weight but she is still holding on stronger than ever. We came back and Elder Bawden helped Brother Fairchild do some primer while Elder Mackay and I went out and did some visits and some tracting. Elder Mackay and I had dinner with the Blackmon's and visited with their granddaughter who is not a member. We will be following up and seeing if she is interested this next week. We then came back after doing a little bit of tracting and helped for the last hour before coming in that night and helping with the primer at the Fairchild's.

Sunday we didn't have any investigators at church but we were able to feel the spirit throughout the meetings and really were strengthened. Brother Tyler had his girlfriend at church but we were not able to set up an appointment with them at that time. We were able to help Brother Mathie at church because he has just been getting worse and worse and we found out last night that he passed away. He was a really great man and someone as many of the other that I have learned from their example and will remember it for the rest of my life. We visited with Brother Lambert after church and then continued to do some tracting. We were able to talk with allot of great people and find a few more potentials. We had dinner with Brother Tyler that night and talked about being able to teach his girlfriend. They are both extremely busy driving ambulances.

This week has been a week that we have been able to focus on some new goals and really set a stronger standard to strengthen our efforts and understanding of what the lord wants us to do.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Tyler April 26 2010

Hello Family,

I look forward to September to see Jefferey R. Holland that will be pretty sweet, Elder Probst told me that he was coming but did not know when. We have had President Kolliker from the area seventy come a couple of times and also Elder Watson of the seventy has also come once to the mission. This past Tuesday we had a really great conference on how to increase our faith to find people to teach. It is something that we are struggling with here in George and so there were a lot of great ideas to find some new investigators. President Probst gave some some great insight and asked some questions to first show that we are in the right mission. He then told us how the transfers work and how we are chosen to areas just like the council given from Elder Rasband of the seventy of choosing by revelation where missionaries need to go throughout the mission. He then asked if we believed we were in the right area in the mission because then there would be no need to proceed on. And then he shared on that if we believed we were in the right place in the right time. It was something great to ponder upon the council that he gave. He is definitely one of the wisest men I have ever met it wouldn't surprise me if he goes to the general authorities. Throughout the week we have been handing out ensigns to different business to help people find some interest and give us a call. We met a nice lady this past week that I have reflected on quite a bit. She works for a safety affirm business and when we knocked on the door she pulled us right into the board room. She was very inattentive as we talked about what we believed, I just hope that she will respect her word and eventually come to church. It has been hard to find white people to teach because most of them attend the dutch reformed but we have trying to think of ideas to say to persuade them to believe in the things that we say. I have learned that racial issues have been a problem in the branch, there is a lot of less active people that don't come because they don't want there children associating around the other children. We just hope that the branch can be strengthened by the conference because it is struggling alot. We were able to watch the general conference on this Saturday and Sunday and it was really great to watch. There was a few sessions where it was just us 4 missionaries and the branch president that watched but we really pushed for the people to attend this weekend but not many investigators and members attended unfortunately. well as for today we are going to have the ap's do some district training Elder Msimango who was in my district for a transfer in Namibia is now the new a.p. here with Elder Tanner. We are going to try and climb George peak which overlooks the ocean and the town of George and then at 7 we will be seeing Deseree and Elizabeth and the there family which are some recent converts. well thanks for the wishes, have a good day and week, send some pictures

Love elder Tyler Hansen

Tyler April 19 2010

Hello family,

Well this week was transfers so I will stay in George for another 6 weeks at least, I know that President Probst is humbling me in this area, because he knows that I don't like it as much so I will be here for quite a while I feel. We had interviews this past week and he just basically said it will prepare you for the future. I don't like this district leader stuff, I am being stretched to much. it would be nice and I just need to find a way to convince President Probst to move me down to a co companionship or junior or Namibia but it wont happen. haha
This past week was Elizabeth's Dangeans baptism at the river. Everything went really well and the next day the Probsts came to church and President Probst was able to confirm her. We have quite a few recent converts in the branch and with them all, I just don't know if the branch can handle a lot of new members because there isn't enough established leadership, but the branch is growing and President Probst told me that they are looking for ground so that they can build a proper chapel soon in George. Today we are going to be driving to Port Elizabeth to a zone conference on Tuesday. A lot of the days this week are going to be taken away from proselyting between zone conference and watching general conference on Saturday on Sunday. We will have the zone conference on Tuesday and then come back that night I don't think there is another place in the mission that it more compared in banishment and so far away from things than George. I look forward to the upcoming zone conference though it will really give us some good ideas on how to find people here in George. From the talks that were assigned to us we were assigned spontaneous talks on how do we build faith in finding people to teach. 2) what does it me to find them that will receive you. 3) How did the savior find people to teach. So I really look forward to what will be said through the spirit through President Probsts superior wisdom and how we can apply it here in George. Well Elder Maja is in the district still with me and then there is Elder Bradshaw from Centerville, and Elder Hajamaramalala from Madigasscar. The other guys area got whitewashed and this week they also experienced two car accidents. Elder Wilson and Moyo got hit in the back of the car by a drunk driver just before they got transferred to Mdantsane and so there was quite a bit of damage to the car and then Elder Bradshaw drove from Port Elizabeth and they had a brand new car and someone hit them in the back last night so the township of Thembulethu is pretty crazy. Things here are going really good though, Well thanks for everything, have a good week.

Love Elder Tyler Hansen

Tyler April 14 2010

Hello Family,

Well this past week was transfers and so I will be staying here in George another transfer in George. It will be huge growth building experience for me because I have had a hard time in this place. We have Elizabeth Dangeans baptism on Saturday and so that is something great coming up. Elder Wilson and elder Moyo left Thembulethu the township here and so the area will be whitewashed. There will be Elder Bradshaw and somebody from Madagascar come into the area and the district. The area in George has been really kind of slow. there was three hundred extra ensigns from the last general conference sent to George a little while ago and so we are taking them to different businesses and practices for the client and patients to read them. We are just leaving are contact details with them and so i hope soon we can start to get some phone calls with as many that we have started to hand out. I one of the challenges is trying to build good relationship with everyone in the branch because I don't know whats happened in the past but a lot of the members don't want much to do with the missionaries. We talked with a guy that is pretty old in the branch to see if we could visit him and he said he was going to be busy for the entire week. It is just kind of disappointing because I have not met many people to where they cant take one hour out of there week to talk with missionaries. The Odells left this past Friday to Port Alfred and it hasn't been the same without them around. Have a good week tell me how things are.

love Elder Tyler Hansen.

Regan, June 15, 2010

This past week has really been a stretching week at times because we didn't know how at all we were possibly going to achieve what the Lord needed us to do. As we went and and worked through everything that was happening we were blessed to have a greater understand that allowed us to have His eyes to see, His ears to hear, and His work to become our work.

Monday we had a really great preparation day and we were able to get allot of things done. We were able to doing some cleaning and really focus on a few things at the apartment. I was able to really focus some more time on my journal and also reading and marking in the Book of Mormon. We had dinner with the Fairchild's that night and had a great family home evening with them focused on the Godhead.

Tuesday we had a great District Meeting that really allowed us to gain a greater strength and understanding of how to act and commit to the promptings of which we receive. I felt as if we were all endowed with a greater power at that moment to really see and find those that he needed us to find. We visited with the Hughes after lunch which was good and we invited them to come to church. Sister Hughes has been recovering from a heart attack a few weeks ago and has had some really great progress. We traveled to see Evalyn Matonyei and had a really great restoration lesson with her. She was a member referral of which we received and she was very receptive. We left her with 3 Nephi 11 to read. We visited with Sister Thompson which was really great and we are hoping that she will come back to church. She has had many ups and downs recently and she is still struggling to find stable ground to land on. We visited with the Harris family and had a great time visiting with Brother Harris and his sisters. They haven't been to church for a while and we are planning on doing service for them which hopefully will help us better get in the door and talk with them. We helped the Johnny's fill out a few paperwork things again and just set some goals with them about bettering their situation. We visited with Brother Serrano and had a great lesson with him and read out of Alma. We committed him to continue to read everyday because with work he is unable to attend church right now.

Wednesday Elder Bawden had a doctors appointment which went really well and the doctor said that he is doing better and he can now exercise and soon everything will be completely healed which was great to hear. After we went and immediately began to tract. It was kind of a strange day of tracting because on every house that we knocked we didn't get an answer, but we continued to knock each and every door that we could. We had lunch with Sister Klug which was great and we did a few things for her while we were there. We headed to Kimberly Evans home and had a really good lesson with her and read in Alma with her. She has been reading and it still is continuing to change her ability to greater focus on what he wants her to learn. We stopped and visited with Ryesha Henderson and set up a time that we could come back for another visit and a lesson. We then had dinner with the Fairchild's after a bit more tracting and we were able to talk with allot of people this past time which was great. We found a few potentials that we will be following up with soon.

Thursday we spent allot of our day up at the Mathies helping them with some service they needed. We received a call before lunch that Brother Mathie had fallen so we rushed up to help him out. It is very sad to see that he doesn't have the strength or ability to do allot of things that he used to be able to do. We were able to help him get up and we had a lunch with them which went well. We then spent some doing some yard work and also putting a chair lift on the vehicle to Brother Mathie will be able to use his scooter. Ever since his last set of heart attacks he has never fully recovered but I know that he is trying with all of his heart to do all that he can. We came back down and tracted which was really great and we stopped by the church to get some more water and we were able to make a few calls that we had needed to make. We had dinner with the Millers which went really well and we were able to invite them to church and really help in anyway that we can. They both have some health problems that have kept them from being able to make it to church but luckily Brother Miller doesn't have work this week and can take a little bit of a break. We stopped by and visited with Joe Hickman for a brief moment and set up an appointment with him for the next day. We stopped and visited with Brother Serrano and helped him with some applications that he needed help with.

Friday we planned in the morning because our Thursday became very jam packed. We were able to set some great goals and were able to set up a few appointments with some referrals that we had. We were also able to get records updated which helped us to really specifically focus on the needs of our investigators. We had lunch with the Parke's family which was really great and after we immediately had a great lesson with Joe Hickman. We shared with him the Plan of Salvation and it really hit him very hard. He lost his wife a few years back and she is on the top of his conversations always. We left him to continue reading in Mosiah 1 - 4 and invited him to church. We then tracted for a few hours which went well and we also talked with Caroline who was a member referral and we set up an appointment with her the next day. We had dinner and finished the night off with activity night which went really well and we had allot of people come.

Saturday we started by doing some service with Sister Jett's family by moving her stuff out and getting it put on the trailers so they could move it to her son's home where she is now living. It went really well and there was allot of member support there to help. We came back and had a bit of our studies and then had lunch after a little bit of tracting. We then went out and continued to tract which went really well and we found Lindsey and she invited us to come back and we are really excited. She was very open and really desired to learn more. We then went and had our lesson with Caroline which went really well and she asked allot of great questions which allowed us to each her allot of great truths through the spirit. We left her with 3 Nephi 11 to read and invited her to church tomorrow and she said that she would come. We continued to tract until dinner which went really well and after we continued to visit less active members and make phone calls.

Sunday we had allot of changes within the leadership of the ward and everything is now going to run even more smoothly. Many different people had moved away and they reorganized a bunch of callings. We had a great lesson at church and as we left priesthood we had 3 investigators at church which was really awesome. Caroline was able to make it which was cool and Melissa came with a member. We were able to have them both in Gospel Principle class and we set up appointments with them. We left Melissa with 3 Nephi 11 to read and set up an appointment with her for Wednesday. We had potluck after church and afterwards immediately went out making visits. We were able to visit with Lori Shelton who is a less active member and she has now asked us to call her on Saturday to remind her about church which is awesome. We then began to tract with a Brother Nordwald who is leaving on a mission soon and we had allot of great success. We were able to find Anastasia and will be having a lesson with her next week. We finished the night with some more calls and did a little bit of studies to prepare for a few things.

This week allowed us to see more tender mercies of the Lord. I know that because we continued to work hard throughout the week and kept tracting even when we figured no one would answer the Lord always provides in some way even if it is a way you would never expect to see at that moment.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan, June 7, 2010

This past week has brought us so much joy in working hard and being able to experience the blessings of the Lord. He has been amazing to us and has brought us into a greater Unity and strength in his service.

Monday we started the day off by visiting a less active members we don't get to visit very often. We visited with the Presley's and stopped to see how there son was doing after being in the hospital. Brother Presley isn't a member and we are trying to establish a more solid relationship with him so he feels more comfortable around us. We visited with the Worthington's and invited them to church. Brother Worthington has been very busy with work and we are hoping that he will get some Sundays off soon. We decided we would try our hand at tracting which went really well and we were able to find Will. He is a really great guy and is open about learning about the gospel. After lunch we headed up into the Eight Mile area and visited with a few less active members. We were able to talk with them and find out where some of their children had moved to so we could get the records up there. We also spent sometime tracting and found a few potential investigators that we are following up with. We stopped and visited with the Colvin's and found out that Sister Colvin's mother hasn't been doing to well and her cancer has spread very quickly. We also talked with Tyler and Chelsa Colvin which was really great and we were able to discuss a lot of great things with them and invite them to church. We had dinner with Kimberly Evan's and her husband which went relay well. He is still not open about the Gospel but at some point he will be.

Tuesday we had a really great p-day and were able to accomplish quite a bit of things. We were able to get through a lot of our shopping and emails quickly which allowed me to be able to spend some more time studying and marking within the Book Of Mormon which is always a great experience. We were also able to stop by the Parkes home and talk with Bishop and the family for a bit which was really great. We had dinner with the Fairchild's which went really well and we invited them all to church. We then went to the church and FHE with Sister Byrd and had a great lesson on family history that she shared with us.

Wednesday we started off the day trying to visit a few of our investigators that haven't been progressing. We weren't able to see them so we went tracting and found Brian. He has a very large background within the scriptures and has a lot of family who is Jehovah Witness. When we came back to our car we found that it has been egged so we quickly went and got the car washed and luckily we got it all of with no damage done to the car. After lunch we traveled into the Prichard area to deliver a few referrals. Neither were interested in hearing more but as we were there we talked with Tasha which went really well and we left her with a Book of Mormon and Alma 32 to read in preparation to teach her the next week. We had a great lesson with Kimberly Evans after and read Alma 5 with her. She shared with us that she hadn't been able to read during the week and we rec omitted her to it. We traveled to Semmes and had a Baptismal Interview with Gus Navarro. He is a really great guy and his testimony was very strong as I was able to talk with him. We had a little Bar-b-cue with the Young Men and Young Women which went really well and we visited with a few less active members of the youth that showed up. We visited with Heather Hall quickly and she is doing pretty good. Afterwards we visited with Joe Hickman and had a really great lesson with him. We left him with Mosiah 1-4 to read and also Alma 5.

Thursday we started out and did a lot of great planning. As I was updating the progress record Elder Mackay was updating the teaching records and Elder Bawden was updating the referrals. As we worked together we were able to accomplish a lot of things quicker and planning went very well. We were able to set goals that will stretch us and we were able to make all of the phone calls that we needed to make. We visited with the Campbell's afterwards and have now set up a time that we will be visiting with them and we will be following up to confirm that it will still work for them. Brother Campbell isn't a member but we are really focusing on his grandson to try and get him back to church, hoping that it will trigger something within Brother Campbell as well. We visited with the Millers after which went really well and found out that Sister Miller has been feeling a lot better but she is still having her day to day battle with MS. Brother Miller has continued to stay busy with the Core of Engineers and luckily has this next week off. We had dinner with the Parkes which went well and we were able to have some time with Bishop Parkes and we were able to help them with their garden. We then traveled to the Johnny's and helped them fill out some paperwork so they could receive some help with food stamps and things. Brother Johnny has been working hard and has been a little bit down because of the lack of hours at work he has been receiving.

Friday we had a really great Zone Conference. His Spirit was very strong and it allowed me to reflect, ponder, and write down many promptings of which I am striving to apply. It really allowed me to reflect on a lot of important things that I have been striving to do and also re-focused myself on how I could better accomplish those goals and be more effective throughout the whole process. It was sad that this was President and Sister Summerhays last Zone Conference in Mobile before they leave. I know that the of which President Summerhays has received and applied within our mission will carry me forever. I have truly felt the Power of our Mission Culture and I will strive with all my might, mind, and strength to continue the Pattern of Excellence that has been established within my life forever. I love the examples they have been and will always be within my life. After we traveled and visited the Johnny's and helped the children prepare for their assignments for Primary. I was able to help Ailleen with her talk on the Holy Ghost. I really do love the Johnny family, especially the children. We had dinner with the Curtis's that night which was really great and we were able to talk with him about the split we would be going on with him on Saturday. We went to see Sister Jett after and she is in bright spirits even while being in the hospital. She is having to have surgery on Monday and the cancer has really now caused her problems recently. We followed up with having activity night at the church which went really well and we were able to have a lot of different people show up and they have now began to invite their non-member friends to come.

Saturday we started the day with Bishop's Storehouse which went really well. We have been able to recently get done quicker and quicker because of the system that Sister Jett instituted has helped so much. It was unfortunate to not have her there. We came back and got cleaned up and had lunch then traveled down to the flea market for about and hour to visit a less active member. We talked with Sister Bross which went really well and found out her new address and that her daughter who is a member is coming into town this next week. Her daughter is a member and we are hoping to get them to church. We traveled to Semmes for Gus's baptism which went really well. We didn't have anyone show up but it looked like the Semmes elders had a few non-members there. We traveled back and visited with the Baylors which went really well and we had a great talk with her and her husband. He doesn't open up to much but this time we were able to talk with him a lot. We came back and had a quick dinner before Brother Curtis picked us up. We traveled up to visit a media referral that we had who wasn't home and we then visited Sister Bexley who we have never met. She is really great Sister and is going to be moving to Grove Hill soon. She has been attending church up there because her parents live there. We then came back and made some phone calls and updated a few more records.

Sunday we didn't have any investigators to church but we had a few less actives that we had been inviting and our attendance was over 100 people this week which is awesome. We had a great lesson with some of our recent converts and the less active members on Honesty. It went really well and the Spirit was very strong, especially as we were able to hear other bear their testimony. We helped do a few things at the church after which went well and we then traveled to see Sister Jett in the hospital. We found out that she is no longer going to be able to eat anything again. The cancer has gotten so back that she is not able to digest food anymore. She is having surgery so she can have a drainage tube because she is only going to be able to have liquids and it is needed because he won't be able to digest things. The doctors have given her 3 - 4 weeks of life left and it is really sad. She has been a Sister dedicated to service and whenever I see her I feel the Spirit of the Lord. She has been a great example for me and I hope that she will always standout to everyone as she has to me. We then visited with a few less active member and did some tracting. We had dinner with the Martyn's which went really well and we discussed with him some things that we can do to help with some of his home teaching families.

This week has been really amazing with the Lord's hand in it every step of the way I feel. I know that because of the Enabling power of the Atonement and the great leadership that we have, that our desires to serve Him with all of our Might, Mind, and Strength will increase daily.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan, June 1, 2010

This past week has been a changing and growing experience that has really helped me to understand a lot of different things that will continue to help me become better each week. With each challenge and trial that has been thrown my way His Spirit has helped me through and brought me into a new understanding within his light.

Monday we had a pretty great p-day and it was very interesting when we read that we would be training a new missionary. We immediately began planning for that and getting everything set up so he would have a bed and everything would be prepared for him. We were able to get a lot of things accomplished before dinner with the Hearn's and Mason's. We discussed with them about the service we would be doing for them tomorrow in helping them be ready to move to Indiana on Wednesday.

Tuesday was a really great day that really helped us reflect on those who would be leaving and how they made an impact for the better in our lives. We had a really great district meeting in which we were able to do a lot of different role plays and went over the new Zone Conference packet. We were able to prepare and also able to express our Love to Elder Morrison for his dedicated service and example that he ways for each of us. After we immediately went over to the Hearn's and began doing service for them. We were able to help them get everything packed into the moving truck and thanked them for there friendship and the example they were. After service we received a call from Brother Klug and we ended up giving him a blessing. He found out that he has cancer and wanted to know the direction he needed to pursue. We then tracted for a few hours which went pretty good and we were able to testify and ask for from everyone that we talked with. We had dinner with the Fairchild's which went really well and we then tried to visit a few other less active members.

Wednesday we had Elder Metcalf come with us because of the transfer situation and we started in the morning by going and getting a few box springs bought so we would have enough beds for everybody. We were able to find a great deal and talked wit the owner for a little bit. After lunch we traveled and had a lesson with Kimberly which went really well. We followed up with how here reading was doing and you could tell that it had already been making a world of difference for her. We shared a few scriptures and left her with some chapters to read. We came back and met with Elder Mackay our new companion and it went really well. He was able to spend sometime unpacking and getting settled in. We had dinner with Sister Pacetti which went really well and we were able to share a good thought with her. We then finished off at the church so Elder Mackay could meet some of the ward leaders and members.

Thursday we began with a great planning session and really went over all of the things that were consisted of planning and really focused on him learning how to fill out the records. It went really well and we were able to set some goals that are really going to be able to stretch us. We did some shopping so he would be able to get the food that he needed then we went and started tracting. It went really well and he was able to do some great door step approaches. Even with the first door closed in his face we kept him positive and everything went great. We then went to the Parkes for dinner and did a little bit of service before which went really good and we were able to do a lot of things. We visited with the Johnny's that night and introduced him to them. They are doing really good and they have been holding strong coming to church each and every week.

Friday we had a great day fixed on making it an all day adventure into Saraland which we haven't been able to do recently. As we were there we visited with less active members and did 5V5's near their houses. We were able to talk with a lot of great people. We visited with Brother People and he is headed off to the Academy for some training for his job. It will allow him to be able to support his family better with a better income and more opportunities of work. We stopped by and visited with Brother Bedwell since he had shoulder surgery. He was doing pretty good and he is planning on being at church on Sunday. We visited with the Mcdonald's which went well and hopefully we will be able to see them a little bit more in the future. After her knee operation she has been doing a lot better but hasn't yet fully recovered. We visited Sister Shelton and found out that she was going to be moving so we offered service for when she needed it. We had dinner with the Mathie's which went really well. Brother Mathie is still slowly recovering from his heart attacks but, he is still able to make it to church. We finished the night with activity night which went really well and we had even more people show up than last time. It went really well and everyone had tons of fun.

Saturday was filled with a lot of great service. We had breakfast and service at the Fairchild's which went really well and we were able to do some trade-offs throughout. Elder Mackay and I went and did some service for some other members which went really well. We came back and helped Elder Bawden and Brother Fairchild set up a few things and then went and visited s few other people. We were able to have a pretty good lesson with Joe Hickman which went really well and we left him with Moroni 7 and Mosiah 2 to read. We then had dinner with Brother Serrano and had a great lesson with 2 of his roommates very unexpectedly. We ended up teaching Larry and David and it went really well. This was one of Elder Mackay's first full teaching lessons and he did really good. We were able to bear testimony and ask questions that allowed His spirit to guide the lesson to what they needed and wanted to hear. We left them with a few of the pamphlets to read and look over.

Sunday continued to be really great day and the work went very well. Brother Serrano brought Larry and David to church which ended up being really great. During Gospel Principles class we were able to teach Larry and David about the Plan of Salvation and His spirit really took over. They learned a lot of new things and asked some really great questions. After church we went to try and visit with a few referrals but didn't have any success. We were able to visit with Brother Blackmon and he said that he would be at church next week. We visited with Sister Gover and we are working on setting a date for her to come back to church. We also visited with Sister Wyser which went really well and she has just continued to be really busy. Throughout all of these visits we were able to do some tracting when the lightning wasn't going crazy. We finished the night with dinner at the Martyn's which went really well and we continued after with some of our studies.

This week has showed me a new understanding of the Tender Mercies of The Lord. We didn't know when or where our investigators would show up but as we worked hard and finished out the week strong his Tender Mercies opened the doors so we could find Larry and David. Oh, how I truly do love this work and recognizing and thanking the Lord for his Tender Mercies.

Regan, May 24, 2010

This past week has been filled with change and improvement as we set our goals and began to press forward in putting our trust in the Lord and striving to fulfill the challenges and designs of which he prepared for us to face this past week.

Monday we began the morning having a really great lesson with Melissa. We were able to teach her the Plan of Salvation which went really well. We shared a lot of great scriptures and as she shared her thoughts and feelings many new doors opened up for us to pursue. We left her with Alma 32 and 3 Nephi 11 to read. We continued the day with emails and spent sometime with the Semmes Elders before dinner. We had a great dinner with the Hearns and prepared with them for next week when we would do service and help them load and pack up for there move to Indiana.

Tuesday we had a really great District Meeting and His Spirit was able to teach us many new things. Elder Bawden directed us into some role plays which really prepared us all for future things that would come our way. I really love role plays because it really can help us better discern the reactions people may have. After lunch we traveled and had a really great lesson with Joe and followed up with his reading in Ether 12. He was able to read and apply different things within to his life that should give him a greater and improved strength. We then visited with Brother Serrano and gave him a blessing and asked him about how work was going for him. We then continued with tracting throughout the day and making visits to members which went really well. We were able to share our testimonies and be strengthened by so many people faith. We had dinner with the Fairchild's which went really well and we gave them the commitment to be at church on Sunday.

Wednesday we started the day by visiting a few referrals within the Prichard area and had some great success. We were able to talk with a couple and set up some appointments which should help us to continue to stay busy. We tracted a few streets while we were there and talked with a few people that commended us for our dedication to serve the Lord. We had great lesson with Sister Kimberly Evans and re-focused with her on continuing to read everyday. We left her with a few chapters to read and will be following up with her. We had a great visit with the Juarez family after and were able to invite them to a few activities of which the youth are having. We then made a few phone calls to media referrals and set up an appointment with Julies who we will be seeing on Tuesday. After doing some tracting we went to the family history potluck that the youth did and they had a lot of success.

Thursday we started the day by doing some service by helping some members with their food storage and preparation for that which went really well and we were able to accomplish a lot of different things. We came back and did our planning really well and continued to prepare us to finish out the week strong and help everyone that we can. We then started our trade-off and Elder Tolley and I stayed in Mobile. We went and visited with the Johnny's and they were doing really well. We went tracted for a bit before we had dinner with Sister Pacetti which was great. We received a phone call and on short notice we were able to change our plans and do service for Sister Olsen which went really well.

Friday we began the day by trying to visit a few people that bishop has asked us to see and went and tracted. We were able to find Laura and had a really good brief Restoration lesson with her. We set up an appointment with her which we handed off to the Theodore Elders. We visited with the Campbell's and had lunch with them which went well. We discussed teaching the lessons to them each week and they are fine with it and now we are waiting to see when the rest of the family will be able to come over. We are going to be following up with them in a couple of days to see what will work best. We then tracted for a few hours which went really well and we were and to find Mary Kelly. We had a great visit with her and we found out that in the past her family was LDS. We are excited to visit with her this coming Wednesday. We then ended our trade-off which I felt went really well and had dinner before activity night. We had a lot of people show up which was great and now we can see that as we invite and are patient people will come.

Saturday we started off at the Bishop's Storehouse which went really well and we stayed really busy getting orders organized and even having to deliver a couple of them. The Morris's took us to the church and we put Brother Larubi's order there and then went and deliver Brother Serrano's to him because with the new job he wasn't able to make it. We went to the Fairchild's to pick up a few things and then took them up to Sister Parkes since they were on our way to some areas we were going to. We were able to do some tracting which went really well and we talked to some great people. I was able to call Brother Blackmon as I told him I would and he said that he would be at church on Sunday. We had dinner with the Fairchild's which went well and we helped Brother Fairchild do a few things.

Sunday was really great and we had some experiences that strengthened my testimony. We had a really great time at church because even though we didn't have any investigators we had the Fairchild's, Brother Blackmon, and a few less active members we had been visiting. After church we decided to not go and have lunch. Even though we were hungry we decided not to. We were traveling to visit with a few members and the thought came to go and try and visit Sam Smith again. We showed up at his door and he told us that we couldn't of come at a better time. He has been dealing with a lot of different things and asked us if we could give him a blessing. We found out after that 10 minutes before he had been praying and seeking for help to bring him some peace. We came to find out that we were the answers to his prayer and together we had one of the sweetest experiences. I know now that it truly is the sweetest experience to follow and act upon promptings in which we receive. We then visited with the Farrel family which went pretty good and we are hoping to get them back to church soon. We did a little bit of tracting in between and visited with a few other members before we had dinner with the Martyn family. It was really great spending sometime with them and discussing over the lessons we learned at church.

This week has been a confidence booster for me and being able to receive the knowledge for myself the understanding of how true it is of the Joy that comes through following a the promptings of His Spirit.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan, May 17, 2010

It Looks like Elder Hansen Has received his Release Date on July 14, 2010. Time has sure flown by, It's a short 2 years. He thinks he will finish his mission in the Mobil Alabama area.

Paul Hansen

Well this past week has been really good and we are still continuing to strive and always to become better at the patterns of success we are establishing within the success of the Lord. I have truly felt his strength as we have been able to try and be consistent and diligent within our efforts in daily service to Him.

Monday we had a really great preparation day. Elder Bawden had a doctors appointment first thing that went really well and he is only having to go back in a couple of weeks and we will see from there. We then went and got the oil changed and did all of that fun stuff to get the car ready and looking good. We went and visited with Brother Serrano and he has now officially been hired on for the job and is very excited about it. His dedication of sticking with everything and enduring through the trials he has faced; has built my testimony up in strength being able to see is example. We stopped by and helped Sister Parkes with a few things and then traveled and had dinner with the Hearns which went really well.

Tuesday we started off with District meeting which went really well and His spirit was able to direct us and be able to feel his love. We were able to go over quotes from conference and Captain Moroni's message. We went over some role plays and watched a few video clips that brought out some new understanding within the quotes that had touched us. After lunch we had a great lesson with Joe Hickman and he is doing well. We followed up with him and he was able to read over 3 Nephi 11 and he prayed about it. We didn't commit him to pray but were excited when he shared with us that he felt it was true. We then left him with Alma 40 to read over. We also visited with Joyce and set up an appointment with her for Saturday. We continued throughout doing a lot of tracting which was really great. We were able to testify and ask for referrals from many different people and found a few potentials and Irena who we will be seeing this coming Tuesday. We had dinner with the Fairchilds which went really well and Brother Fairchild has now committed to come back to church which is great. We had FHE with Sister Byrd which went well and we learned different things that happened in the church before the Book of Mormon was published.

Wednesday we went to see a investigator we had but he wasn't home and we decided that we should drop him because he hadn't been following through with his appointments. We then went and continued to tract near there and had the opportunity of finding Melissa and having a Restoration lesson on her doorstep. She had a lot of the same questions that Joseph Smith had and His spirit was teaching and confirming truth to her. We had a great visit with Kimberly Evan's after and talked a lot about her continuing to read an pray everyday. She has been very inconsistent with it and we could tell and this should now help her have that consistency once again. We then came down and tracted before we did some service for a member. We helped Sister Huff get some things moved with some other members which went really well and I was happy that we were able to help her. We had dinner with the Martyn's which went really well.

Thursday we began with some really great planning which allowed us to be able to set up a few appointments that same day for us which we were excited about. We set some really good goals and we are seeking to find new investigators and keep our teaching pool up so we can teach more and more people. We then went with Brother Morris and traveled up and saw a few media referrals which we had. We had a great lesson with Jessica Quinn and hopefully we will be able to stay in contact with her. We also say Sister Rush which was great and met her husband for the first time who isn't a member. We had a great visit and she is working on getting off work on Sundays so she can make it to church. We visited the Robinson's after and set up a time that we can come and see their daughter. She has been less active for a little bit and wants to get back into the routine of things. We finished the night with some tracting and had dinner with the Odom's which went really well.

Friday we started off the day with Elder Bawden going to the doctor to get some antibiotics and he is doing a lot better now. We then went to see Melissa but she was busy so we set another appointment with her. We then tracted and talked with a few people that really didn't like us but we just shared our testimonies and thanked them for their time. After lunch we visited with Joe Hickman and had another great lesson with him. He had read Alma 40 and really enjoyed it and is now wondering why the bible doesn't teach about the spirit world. We shared with him how having two testimonies bring us more confirming truth and he loved it. We left him with Ether 12 to read because he has been going through some things and it stuck out to us both to leave it with him. We went and tracted for a little bit and visited with Sister Thompson before dinner. Sister Thompson is doing pretty good and her husband's back has been doing better. We had a great dinner with the Parkes and then went to activity night and how some new people show up which was exciting.

Saturday we started off by visiting with Joyce and had a great Restoration lesson with her. She was really excited to have a Book of Mormon and we left her with Alma 32 to read and pray about. We're hoping she will be able to make it to church with us on Sunday. We went to the Fairchild's right after and did some service for them which was really great. We then hurried of after lunch to visit a few focus families. We talked with Brother Blackmon and invited him out to church. We are also now going to call him every Sunday and invite him to church and we are hoping that this simple invitation each week will bring him back to church. We visited with the Wyser's which went pretty good. We found out the Sister Wyser had hurt her leg and her daughter Hilary found out that her car started on fire when she was in school and it had to be totalled. They are still working really hard an are hoping that everything is going to get better, which it will. We then continued to tract in and out between those visits and were able to talk with quite a few different people.

Sunday we had a really great PEC meeting and really helped the bishop see who we were working with and how they were progressing which he is always happy to hear. We didn't have any investigators at church but were able to talk with all of them and invite them to church next week. The Johnny's were able to make it and we had a great lesson with Brother Johnny in Gospel Principles. Sacrament meeting was very uplifting and the messages shared brought to me new insight. After Potluck we went and visited with Brother Serrano and gave him a blessing. He wanted some direction on what he must do as he is now working 12 hours a day and really doesn't want to lose touch with the spirit. He has been very nervous because he doesn't want to fall away again because he has truly felt the happiness of the Gospel. We then went and did some tracting before we had dinner with the Fairchild's which we helped prepare with them. We then had some cupcakes at the Parkes house as we celebrated Elder Bawden's birthday with them.

This week has opened my eyes to different understanding and had enabled me to want to work even harder because of the Joy we have been receiving even when all we are doing is tracting. It is amazing what a testimony can do when it is sincere and heartfelt.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan, May 10, 2010

This week has been really great and we have finally been able to go out full force and do the work that the Lord has set for us. Elder Bawden's recovery has gone well and our strength in the Lord has given us more opportunity to succeed in working hard and being diligent in His cause.

Monday first thing Elder Bawden had a doctors appointment that went really well and the doctor expressed that his swelling has gone down and he is healing really well. We then went and did some shopping with some members and helped them carry there food out to their vehicle which was fun. We talked with a few Sister's that came out from Utah to ask about the Marquee sign and we spent some time expressing how it has helped and built upon the work of the Lord here. We had dinner with the Hearn's which was really great and we were able to meet Melissa's dad who is from Brazil. He shared with us many stories from his mission and expressed for us to continue to work hard day in a day out and I am taking that to heart. I am going to press forward working up until the day that my work is finished in this life.

Tuesday we had a really great Zone Conference and the spirit was very strong. I was very happy for the silent rebukes that I received that humbled me and allowed me to greater see where and how I needed to improve. Oh, how grateful I am that the Lord loves me enough to rebuke me to change. I have learned so many great things from this past general conference and am grateful for the quotes that we were able to study over. After zone conference Elder Bawden went back to the doctor to get some different medications and as he was there they did some other stuff to his nose and said that even just from yesterday it was dong even better which was great to hear. We had dinner with the Fairchild's that night which was great and we got some one on one time with Brother Fairchild and found out some of the reasons that have been keeping him from church and we will be setting goals with him later this week on how to overcome those obsticales. We then went and visited with a few less active members and shared some spiritual thought with them.

Wednesday we had the a great time starting out after studies tracting. It was great to be out again working hard full-time and not having to worry about anything but doing the Lord's work. We visited with the Campbell's and had lunch with them which was great. We are going to re-teach them the lessons and include some of their family who are less active and non-members and we are excited about it. We had a great lesson with Sister Kimberly Evans on shared a lot of testimonies from past Prophets with her. She had some non-member friends over and we were able to answer some of the questions they had and hopefully will be able to work with them. We came back and did service for a member and helped her move a treadmill into a car. We visited with the Johnny's which went really well and we gave them some bibles that they had ordered and shared a message with them. We got invited over to dinner with a less active family which went well. We then went to the Mason's and talked with them and hopefully when Brother Mason gets back this week we can set some goals with them.

Thursday we had great beginning of the day and were able to set up some really great plans for next week and were able to make some calls which was also great. After lunch we visited with Sister Byrd which was great. We are working with her on coming to all the church meetings and she is planning on coming to family home evening on Tuesdays again which is great. We visited with Joe Hickman on of our investigators and had a great lesson. We followed up and found that he had read Alma 32 and really enjoyed it and commented that it made total sense. We shared about Faith and Prayer with him and left him 3 Nephi 11 with him. We then went and tracted for a bit before we had dinner with the Parkes. We had a great dinner with them and were also able to do some service with Bishop Parkes which went well. We then got a call and went and did some service for the Fairchild's because their air conditioner went out and their neighbors gave them an old one that we helped them install.

Friday we started of the day by visiting with a the Henderson's who are a part-member family. We were able to share a little thought and set up a return appointment with them. We then went and tracted a bit before lunch which went really well. After lunch we continued to tract for a few hours which went really well and we set up an appointment with Joyce which was great. We had dinner with the Curtis's which went well and we were able to do some service for them. We then visited with Sister Hoy's daughter who isn't a member but she wasn't too interested. We then went to the Klug's which went well.

Saturday we started by serving at the Bishop's storehouse which went really well and took a little bit longer than it normally does. I really love serving at the Bishop's Storehouse and serving with great members. After lunch we started visiting less active members and tracting around there home which went really well. We visited with the Johnny, Harris, Thompson, and Binkerd families. We were able to get into the door with some of them and share some thoughts of upliftment to them. We were able to tract which was great and talked and testified to a lot of great people but didn't get any referrals this time.

Sunday was really a great mothers day and everything went really well. We started the day off with a great PEC meeting and really focused on many great things. We had Mathew at church which was really great and as a non-member he gave a talk in primary. We are still teaching him and working on getting more consistent appointments with them. I was able to give a talk which went really well and throughout church you could feel how much Love Heavenly Father has for all of the Mother's. We were able to visit with a few less active members and were able to also call our families which was great. This week had been really great and I am excited to continue to work hard here in Mobile. The ward has continued to bring us much strength and friendship that will continue to carry into our investigators hearts.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen

Regan May 3, 2010

Well this passed week I will sum up in a few paragraphs because with Elder Bawden's surgery and recovery time we did a lot of our work from in the apartment or at members homes that we were able to visit. This past week everything went really well with Elder Bawden's surgery and Sister Parke's and Sister Odom were there to support him. Throughout his recovery I was able to do a lot of righting in my journal about different things that had been on my mind that I had been thinking and pondering over. I was also able to have some really great studies for Zone Conference and also marking promises within the Book of Mormon. We were able to call and stay in contact with a lot of our investigators and by the end of the week we were able to make a few visits with some members and investigators. I was able to do service at the Parke's home while Elder Bawden was inside. I was able to finally fix their water leak and has now brought much relief to their family. We were also able to do service as a ward for Sister Olsen while she was in Utah for Brother Olsen's burial. It was as her yard was completely changed and it didn't look the same. We were able to weed, rake, and fix parts of the fence. We ended up filling a 14 foot trailer up twice and emptying it. Throughout the week we were able to set up appointments for Saturday and Sunday. We had a great lesson with Laura Teague and shared with her some miracles within the Book of Mormon which allowed His spirit to teach her gospel truths. Even though this week wasn't filled with traveling His spirit was still able to attend and teach us many new and great things. With the extra studies I was really able to take a step back and really ponder and explore many great options that I know the Lord is willing to bless me with the opportunity to be challenged and succeed.

Love You

Elder Regan Hansen