April and May 2009

Many people have asked how we feel with the eighteen month mission about over. 'Is it bitter-sweet?' 'Are you sad?' 'What will you do with yourselves now?' I guess our 32 years in the military taught us how to do 'closure' and move on. We have lots of things to do in the future and will be happy to move on--though the mission has been one of the choicest experiences we have done together. I think that is because we really have done it together--24-7!

These last two months were busy for us. I continued to head up the Organ Recitals on each Saturday until the end of May. Elder Hansen continued to do all that the Assistant to the Director does till the end of May. We said good-bye to our special missionary friends, Sorensens, Hills and Swainstones and hello to the Warths--who replace us.

Our guest visitors seemed to come very steadily and there have been lots of school field-trips and Primary groups. We had a special outing with the Senior Missionaries to Pipe Springs and Leeds. Elder Hansen had much work to do at home in the yard with the spring-time planting and grooming. We spoke in a Bloomington Ward about missionary work--and will speak in our own ward in June. I continued to play piano at every Sacrament Meeting in the Visitor Center. Elder Hansen participated in every Sacrament service as well. We had many opportunities to bear our testimonies.

We know the missionary work will continue successfully without us--just as it did before us. That is how service is--you do the best you can in your 'time slot' and the work progresses--with or without you.

Near the beginning of our mission our granddaughter, Jessica, asked me, 'What is a mission?' I have thought about her question a lot and would like to say to her:

"A mission is when you voluntarily do something that you are asked to do or are sent to do. 'Going on a mission' for the Church means you are called by the Prophet of the Church to a certain mission for a certain amount of time. What you are asked to do may vary with your assignment, but the whole purpose of Church missions is to bring people 'unto Christ.' Missionaries are glad to accept that call because we love our fellowmen and want them to be happy--which people can do when they understand God's Plan of Happiness for each one of us."

We have been glad to be a part of the missionary effort to bring God's children unto Christ. We don't always see the end results of our work--but we do know we have helped people feel God's sweet spirit and have tried to encourage them to find out more. It has been a happy time for us to be on a mission.

Thanks to all of our friends and especially our family for the support and encouragement we have felt for this past year and a half. We have received blessings from your prayers and love.

We hope you are all finding the important priorities in life and are working toward those goals. Know that we love you.

Sincerely, Elder and Sister Hansen

March 2009

I don't think I mentioned that Elder Hansen gave the tribute to our Directors, the Nelsons, at their Farewell Party. I bring this up because he is still getting many great remarks about all the research and effort he put into the presentation. He not only produced a booklet for the Nelsons, but also one for each of the current missionary couples. He spent about three months researching and putting it together--with pictures and charts and original artwork, and, of course, with everything documented and dated. He also got recipes and we made taster samples for the Nelsons to try of mesquite muffins with sorgum syrup and prickly pear candy. It is one of the highlights of his efforts here.

Elder Hansen is so very good at knowing dates and names and stories about the histories of this area (and Church History in general) because he is constantly studying and gathering facts and data. When he gives tours he uses stories and really involves the guests in getting into the frame of reference of these early pioneer settlers and what they were expected to do and how they did it. Very often he is told by his group that they have learned more history on his tour than any others they may have taken--and they really appreciate his knowledge.

Though March has the first official day of Spring, we have enjoyed beautiful weather in this St. George area for awhile. We are about two weeks ahead of the rest of Utah and people love to come to St. George to get out of the cold of northern Utah. We love them to come because they often come to the Visitor Center and Sites and that gives us a chance to see them and, hopefully, inspire them.

We became trainers again. This time for the Wheelers from Hurricane. We know it is somewhat overwhelming for new senior couples with so much to remember for so many sites. They are wonderful people and we love them as friends.