Week Eleven.

Hey, folks!  Another busy week in Varela draws to a close.

This Sunday the branch presidency was reorganized, and new President Alejandro de Leon (a local Varelense!) is very supportive of the missionaries.  We're excited to work together with the ward to see great results in the weeks and months to come.

We attended an awesome zone conference this last weekend and I was really struck by the need we have as missionaries--though really, as any of God's children--to repent daily immediately after any sort of sin or distraction.  Such lapses in obedience (even just little ones like taking a lunch break five minutes too long) can have tremendous consequences on the future of those we serve!  Only when we are 100 percent dedicated to serve the Lord can we take advantage of 100 percent of the opportunities He will give us to serve others.

This weekend will be great too!  We are going to Maldonado (Uruguay's only tourist town, on the coast) to hear from Elder Gonzalez of the presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy.  I'm so excited!  And what's more, I'll get to call home for Mother's Day!  While it hasn't been a huge distraction for me, I'm not going to pretend I haven't missed my family a ton from time to time.  So things continue to get better.  As the missionaries around here say, "Vamos arriba!" (literally, "let's go up!", or "Let's make things better").

And we found some really promising investigators this week--Dario and Daniela are a couple who have read the Bible together for years and are very interested in discussing their questions about scripture and our beliefs with us.  Due to the remainder of our investigator pool continuing to dwindle, you can  be sure I'll keep you up to date!

I love you all!  I read through some family history, my patriarchal blessing, and most of my mission journal today, and was really struck by the importance of record keeping in order to draw upon past spiritual experiences to find strength in the present.  I need to do a better job of recording things like that.  If we have ever received a witness from the Lord, can we feel now the way we did once before? (D&C 6:22-23, Alma 5:26).  Thankfully, the Spirit will bring all things important to the salvation of souls to our remembrance despite our imperfect minds.

¡Suerte!  May God bless you,

Elder Hansen