27 January 2015

Hey folks,

Great week, but not a lot of time. SHOOT.

Sorry I didn't plan my time well today. 

This has been a good week with many miracles. 

A few weeks ago, we got on the wrong train and had to wait until the next stop to get off and switch but on that time, we talked to a woman for just a few seconds named Rong Rong. She gave us her card and yup. So this week we called her. We met with her at this really good (and surprisingly expensive) salad place. This was an amazing experience for me. We got to tell her about why we are here and about how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is again on the Earth. I have never felt so wonderful in a lesson before. I have also never felt myself testify so powerfully of anything. Of God, of His love, yeah. So I did that and I felt wonderful. She said she did too. She said because of what we testified of and how she felt she really wanted to  meet again so I am really excited for that. Sorry I didn't get to go into much detail. We are about to leave. 

I love you all. 

We can all be strengthened through the power of the Atonement.

You are all the best and I love you.

Love,
Elder Hanks

17 January 2016

This was a eventful week.

To start off, I got a call from the hospital this week. They said when I was in, they diagnosed me wrong soooooo I didn't have the Rota Virus. They said I have some amoebic illness or something like that. Either way, I had to go back to the hospital but not for 3 days this time. Just for about an hour. I met with the doctor and I got some antibiotics to take over the course of the next week so looks like I'll be good. That was a fun trip.

Actually I lied. This wasn't that eventful of a week. It was pretty normal. I learned a ton though. I figured out a lot about myself. I figured a lot about how to teach with the spirit and it can be really hard. Mainly it's hard if you don't let yourself see where you are lacking. I did that. I didn't want to accept that I was weak. Butttt then I figured out that it's better to go along with it. (you would've thought I would've learned this after 18 years but I guess it's something that can happen to you at any point in your life) I don't know exactly how to describe it but essentially, you should really know and find out for yourself that God really does know what he's doing. One, he created us all and is our Father and can really see what is going on in your life. With that too, if you need any more evidence, Jesus Christ suffered and felt everything we could possibly feel and more. So. They have a pretty good idea of what's going on in your life and how you can fulfill your purpose. Well not just pretty good, a PERFECT idea of what's going on and all of that. Don't doubt it. There is always someone who is there and fully and perfectly understands. Being away from home, you feel like you are away from the only people that understand you but nope. God is an incredible Father. You can learn so much from Him. I have not much else to say. I'm sorry this isn't really about my week. Essentially what I want you all to do is really try for yourself to understand that God is not some raging powerful being who cares little for us. He is a father, a perfect father who understands and loves us and wants to protect us. Once you discover that, you begin to see that all things that He or His prophets ask of you are very simply to help you. To help you in numerous ways. Help you feel His love, help you feel guided in life, help you be HAPPY, and so many more, some which we don't understand yet. God can't come down to our level, so He has handed to us a ladder to help us get to His level. This ladder is the Holy Ghost and the one offering his hand to help us up is the Savior Jesus Christ so that we can come to our Father's glorious level. Holy cow. There is no doubt we truly have a great purpose here. Dang. Well I hope that makes sense to you. Those are just my thoughts for this week.

I love you all,

Elder Hanks

ps. realized this week that no one will know who i am/ what i look like when I'm 19. None of you will see me. That's crazy. Love you

10 January 2016

My friends and family,

This week was pretty awesome I must say. A lot better than previous weeks I guess. 

Last P-day, we went to an Island called. We took a ferry over and rented bikes once we got over there. Probably the crappiest bikes I have ever used but hey, it was still fun. So yes, I saw monkeys. It was the cutest thing. In Colorado, you see squirrels that dive from tree to tree and that looks crazy, right? Well, monkeys do that too. It's amazing though. It almost looks like people diving from tree to tree so it looks goofy sometimes. I wish I could join them. Along with that, there were some wild boars that roamed near a place we parked our bikes to explore. These Boars reminded me of my chihuahua who was kind of like a pig. They walk the same I guess. No one except my family understands that so sorry about that haha. We got to stroll along the beach and gaze from the top of look out points. It was amazing. Definitely go there if you head this way. I got my first mosquito bite there from my whole mission. Before I came here they made is seem like I would be getting swarmed by mosquitoes all the time and I would get malaria and die. But looks like I'm still here and only one bite in 6 months. Not too bad.

I was able to excel in a few ways this week. I guess the reasoning for it was on Wednesday, I was able to learn a lot of things about how to "unlock my potential" and things like that and I felt so pumped up about it. On the MRT (train, our main mode of transport, like the Subway in New York), we do most of our contacting. Usually, I would maybe talk to one person and then shy away and enjoy the ride but heck no, I was so pumped after what I learned, I was just bouncing around trying to find people who would listen to me. It was, like, really fun. I'm almost surprised haha. One thing I love is when I find an Indonesian, Malayisan, or Muslim because I can communicate to them with using Malay or Indonesian. They love it too because its a random white guy talking to them in their language. So flippin fun.

I'm running out of time so I need to be fast!

We played basketball with the young men and holy cow, I still got it. I love basketball. That activity was so much fun. I got to hang out with the young men too so that was great too. I am super. SUPER sore though. I haven't worked muscles like that in a long time. So much fun.

Also finally, I got to meet my momma's friend Robyn Smith here! We went out to dinner, toured a little part of the richest Buddhist temple I have ever seen, and had a great time. So much fun to talk to someone who knew something about Fort Collins.

That's it for this week, I'm sorry I don't have pictures, in the midst of my organizing myself this week, I switch SD cards in my camera so I dont have new ones. My b.
Love you guys!

Love,

Elder Hanks

27 December 2015

Well folks, 

I got transferred. We had this super weird mini-transfer because we had a ton of missionaries who finished their time and went home so we had quite a few areas close. So they moved a bunch of missionaries around until the big transfer which is today. I might recieve news as to where I am going while I'm writing this letter so heads up.

My first day here was fun. Yet, as I feel a lot of you know, I got really sick. I got a virus which really wrecked me for a few days. I endured for about 4 days until I decided I wanted to get some help with it so we went to the hospital and they helped me out. First off, the hospital was the newest hospital of here so it was SUPER nice. They gave me complementary slippers. (from the hospital?  nothing is ever free from the hospital!)  I was on an IV drip for about 3 days and was given all sorts of medicine while I was there. I got to hang out with my new companion and also one of my friends who came in with me,  My comp is so cool and sarcastic and hilarious. He was in the Army before he came out so he's a stud. Gosh, he is so sassy, i can't get over it. SO FUNNY. I have enjoyed my time with him, we will see what happens here for this transfer. Anyway, got to watch some mormon movies and enjoy my time eating bland rice porridge in the hospital. It was quite and experience I guess is what I want to say.

I'm really jumping around here, before I went in the hospital, we went to the Ward Christmas Parties. Here, in my companionship, we are over two wards , so we had two parties. I was feeling really crummy throughout so that wasn't fun but the parties were! It's amazing to see how different an organized ward is compared to a new branch. Work in East Malaysia is so different than here... I miss it. The members are hilarious. They are from all over the world too. It's amazing. My wards are mainly Locals with some members from various places from Ireland to Africa. They are a lot of fun to work with and hang out with.

There was a bit of drama that happened this past week as well. Some Missionaries from West Malaysia went to Singapore to see the Christmas Conference that President Simmons and his wife put on. They were doing a conference in every zone but with the weird transfer two weeks ago, some missionaries missed it, so they came to Singapore to see it. After the conference when they tried to get back to Malaysia, they got chopped at immigration and were forced to come back to Singapore. 5 out of the 6 that came got chopped. So we had another little transfer in the middle of the week but it didn't last for long. Only about 6 hours. I was with another elder. We were going to be the missionaries of my ward for the rest of the transfer and then we got news that the missionaries that got chopped were going to try to get in again. So after my 6 hour transfer, I was with my first companion again and things were back to normal. So that was a nice little transfer. I found out that my 'temporary comp" and I say "theater" the same way so yeah that was fun. 

Essentially, one thing you can pull from my letter is this area is a lot different than my last areas. 

Last story for this letter. The two wards we are missionaries for meet at the same building and usually at a building, there are three wards that meet so here, there is one last ward. The 4th ward. Literally everyone in this ward is white. I discovered when I saw that ward, I have a strange fear of white people now. I don't understand it. I think it is from being around so many Iban people all the time, i was just used to it. Anyway. That was a shocking moment of my life.
I love you all,

Love,

Elder Hanks