Hahaha, that email was great mom, it just makes me smile to hear your voice explaining things from your point of view I imagine Stevie, Samson, and Dad, explaining it completely different than you! That’s so awesome that you got your young women’s thingy! That’s such an accomplishment Mom and I’m so proud of you. You are always a source of strength and an example of diligence for me!!!
I love you guys so much!!! All your emails are so good! It’s awesome to hear about the family while on the mish because that’s what I do every day is teach other families how to become like mine! It’s super prideful to say, but the Murray Hansgen’s have got it going on!
Ok, anyways…
Stevie I’m going to use what I said to you earlier because I realized something this week that will forever change my life.
God is good, and that’s pretty much all we need to know.
I’m super behind; I don’t just owe God two years, I dug my hole pretty dang deep. Sometimes I feel like I have filled the hole partially but Satan is just playing “wac-a-mole” with Ely. But, whatever, this isn’t a ‘feel bad for Ely letter”. I am just wanting everyone know it’s time to wake up! Wake up from your daily routine.
On the back wall of the High school here someone “graffitied” this, it reads, (it’s in Spanish but since you all read and speak English I’ll translate), "life isn’t beautiful doing the same thing every day."
I’m nowhere near wise enough to comprehend all that was meant by the person who wrote this; I guess I have the gist of it. I´ve been out here for a while. I have had a lot of success preparing people for baptism. Don’t get me wrong it’s awesome, but this whole mission thing is to change our lives forever, to hopefully baptize a few people and forever change their lives. But are we just showing up to a house, teaching a lesson and leaving? It’s more than that.
We were in a lesson with one of the most confused and frustrated human beings on the planet and also one of the coolest, his name is D. D, thinks that aliens helped the Egyptians build the pyramids, that the people of Machu Picchu, Peru were abducted and a lot of other weird stuff. His Dad died and left him his business of repairing guns here in Honduras. He says he feels him in the work shop a lot. He is sad; he is 20 years old and is now the forced to be the man of the house. He is in charge and responsible for his mom, and six sisters. He is still trying to graduate high school. His dad died while he was giving D a hug and he said he felt like he heard his Dad´s heart stop. He has had such a tough life, not the toughest life I have heard but it was a story that has hit me hard.
I told him I knew that he was asking God the question Why? I told him I bet he asked that question every night. (by the way the gift of discernment works wonders and I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity to have this spiritual gift sometimes). But anyways, he said that he does question and he is so confused. It’s hard because we come into a broken home, we are teaching broken people and God expects us to put the puzzle back together. There’s always a puzzle piece missing and it’s the concept of Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
What I’m getting at is, I know that we live, that we die and that we live again, but it’s hard to see it all clearly sometimes. The message on the wall in graffiti opened my eyes again. I had started to get into that daily grind sort of mind set. It sucks, don’t do it. This life is hard enough as it is. But when we get bored and into a routine is when the weight adds up. I´ve traveled a little bit in the midst of darkness in my life and I thank God everyday that I found the Iron rod again. Sometimes we have to realize that God’s mercy is there but so is the justice. Don’t close your eyes and put yourself on cruise control. Do stuff different find different things to do. Most people get a job, work hard, earn a living, and then they die. Start pushing yourself, start reaching higher. Do not be complacent with where you are who you are and what you have accomplished. There is always more. Use those talents do not bury them in the ground.
I know now that when it’s all said and done. I want to be able to look my Lord in the eyes and tell him. I have nothing left. I left it all out on the field. There is no gas in the tank.
I’m happy and I know why. It’s time for all of you to have the same feeling. I have got a long way to go. I have a lot more time in the mission and my work isn´t over till it’s over. D will get baptized soon I just know it!!! :)
I hope everyone is well and I hope everyone can keep along with my sporadic brain! I love every one of you and if I had the time and opportunity to do it, I would take each one of you by the face and tell you that you can do this. We can do this!
Elder Hansgen
Btw I am so tired of grandmas showing me pictures of their granddaughters and asking me how much money it would take for me to take them to the states with me. . . these grandmas offer some cash too. I don’t know maybe I’ll give in one of these times. It’s the most awkward when the granddaughter is present. Maybe I can pay for the basement and have a wifey in un solo! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment