Happy Birthday McKay!

Thank you everyone so much for the birthday wishes!  I had an awesome birthday.

But I'll start by telling you about the week.  We had a pretty tough and all at once amazing week.  On Tuesday, we randomly stumbled upon a man while knocking doors who had taken all the missionary lessons and had wanted to be baptized some years ago.  His name is Alejandro Cena.  All that's holding him back is a problem with the Word of Wisdom, and then he'll be set and ready to go!  In addition, we've had some awesome charlas (literally translates to be "chats" but I'm pretty sure they're called lessons in English haha) with several other men during the last few days!  The Lord is definitely preparing men to fill the vacancies in Priesthood positions here in the little Varela branch.

Rather less fortunately, no one came to the activity we threw this week!  Not even the few faithful grandmothers and their hyperactive grandkids that usually come!  So there we were, left to eat an entire cake we had made for the event all by ourselves... Life is hard :)

So, this Sunday--my birthday-- not just one, but two brethren came to help us operate the affair of Church meetings!  It was a miracle.  We spent that day visiting some sweet old ladies who are bedridden or otherwise unable to come to church to partake of the Sacrament, singing them the special musical number (a duet of "Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy") that Elder Barber and I had been practicing all week.  It was awesome.  When I woke up to another dismal, drizzly day of rain I was convinced I'd be grumpy for the lot of it, but things just kept going my way, and I resigned myself to the happiness that is inevitable in the service of the Lord :)  It was a great reminder to me of what Christ offers us: Whether for our actions or our attitudes, the Gospel gives us a chance to choose to change.  Take the chance!  Make the choice!  The change that will follow is undeniably, completely worth your every effort.

I love you all!  I don't have too much time to write because of all the birthday letters I was reading, but that's a good thing too :)

¡Que pasen bien!  Ciao ciao,

Elder Hansen

P.S.: That picture is of the bridge over the River Olimar near 33.  Really pretty.  Not quite so pretty when the picture taken of it is from a moving bus on a bumpy bridge... sorry!

P.P.S.:Yes, for those of you who were wondering (especially my little brother Zach), I did get a birthday cake!  It is a coconut banana muffin with dulce de leche frosting and a chocolate peanut topping--  ¡Que rica!  Plus patriotic red, white, and blue candles to boot.  Woot!