President Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

We were surprised and delighted when we received a Christmas Card from the First Presidency of the Church in December 2007. This picture was on the front of the card.

Inside it read: "In remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we express our heartfelt Christmas greetings at this festive season of the year.

We rejoice in the Savior's loving invitation: 'Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me' (3 Nephi 9:14).

Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer. We testify that He lives and that He loves our Heavenly Father's children. It is our sincere prayer that this knowledge will be a source of comfort and peace to one and all and that each of us will seek His invitation to come unto Him.

May the spirit of Christmas, which is the spirit of Christ, bless and sustain each of us.

Sincerely,
Gordon B. Hinckley
Thomas S. Monson
Henry B. Eyring

The First Presidency"

I suppose they sent these beautiful cards to all the missionaries serving worldwide. It is a treasure to us. We were among the last missionaries called by President Hinckley. Now he has passed on (January 27 2008) and we are looking to our new prophet, Thomas S. Monson--- whom we love and respect as well.

Our missionary credentials from President Hinckley state: "This certifies that the bearer, Sister Marilyn Hansen Hansen (and Peter's says Peter Michael Hansen) who is in full faith and fellowship with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been duly called and set apart as a missionary of the Church and as such has authority to preach the principles of the gospel.

We invite all people to give heed to her (his) message.

Signed: Gorden B. Hinckley, President

03 December 2007 Salt Lake City, Utah. Expires 03 June 2009."

President Hinckley had been diagnosed with cancer early in 2006 and was not expected to last until the end of the year. The doctor said they did not know how chemo-therapy would work in a 95 year old, as they had not tried it before. President Hinckley said he had three questions. The first was, 'Will I still be able to live on my own?' Yes, the doctor replied. 'Would I still be able to put in a full day's work?' Yes. 'Will I lose my hair?' No. Then he agreed to have chemo- therapy. He said his life belonged to the Lord, and He would take him when He was ready. President Hinckley said he needed to do all he could do to prolong his life, for he had work to do.

The doctors discovered the chemo-therapy was not working in January '08. President Hinckley replied again that his life belonged to the Lord, and that he needed to do all he could do. He received more aggressive chemotherapy the Tuesday before he died. On Wednesday he went to the office and did a full day's work. Thursday morning he did not get out of bed. Sunday afternoon, Presidents Monson, Eyring and Packer came and gave him a blessing. About 7pm President Hinckley passed away peacefully.

Richard Hinckley, President Hinckley's son, said his father had his funeral planned down to the last detail. He planned the speakers, the hymns--everything.

Elder Peter M. Hansen has this to say about President Hinckley,"To Church members and all the world he was genuine, warm, gentle, open, attentive, real, loving, spiritual and caring. He was a hard worker who had vision and purpose. His accomplishments were many. Truly the Church moved forward toward fulfilling it's destiny of preparing a people worthy to greet and stand in the presence of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He was a true servant of God who will be missed. He was a prophet for all seasons."

President Thomas S. Monson: "He was prodigious in his work ethic and was totally dedicated to the gospel of Jesus Christ. He was a friend to one and all and a leader who inspired spirituality. His outreach on an international scale was unprecedented. Like the Master, he devoted his life to doing good, and God was surely with him. His life was a gift to the world."

President Henry B. Eyring: "He had the gift to make people want to do better and to feel that they could. He was pleasant, incisive and clearly inspired. For me, he raised the standard of what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, giving all."

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: "He unfailingly demonstrated his devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, whose witness he was at home and abroad. We will miss his wit and his wisdom, his leadership and his love. We echo the voice of the Master, 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant...enter into the joy of thy Lord.' "

Some of the things I cherish about President Hinckley:

The 'Bs'--"BE grateful. BE smart. BE clean. BE true. BE humble. BE prayerful." Nov. 2000

"The head of this Church is the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name each of us have taken upon
ourselves. We are all in this great endeavor together. We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory." April 1995

"This is the season to be strong. It is a time to move forward without hesitation, knowing well the meaning, the breadth, and the importance of our mission...We have nothing to fear. God is at the helm." April 1995

"Gratitude is of the very essence of worship---thanksgiving to the God of Heaven, who has given us all that we have that is good." April 1996

"It is a responsibility divinely laid upon us to bear one another's burdens, to strengthen one another, to encourage one another, to lift one another, to look for the good in one another and to emphasize that good." 1974

"The Lord expects so much of Latter-day Saints now because we are not persecuted...we have peace, and we have the good opinion of many, many people in many, many places. How thankful we ought to be and how ambitious we ought to be to move forward this, the work of the Lord." Nov. 1998

"Faith---the kind of faith that moves one to get on his knees and plead with the Lord and then get on his feet and go to work---is an asset beyond compare." Sept. 1973

"We need to get back to the basics of respect one for another and concern one for another, love and appreciation for one another, working together, worshiping together, and living together as families who love the Lord and look to Him for light and strength and comfort."
June 1995

"I urge you to utilize the temples of the Church." October 2002

" 'I will try to forget myself and go to work. I will try to lose my life in Thy service, but I need help.' That was my day of decision." As a missionary 1933

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I---I took the one less traveled by; And that has made all the difference." Robert Frost poem quoted October 2006

Because of President Hinckley's counsel, I want to 'stand a little taller' and to 'stand for something.'

And, I will say--as President Hinckley was fond of saying--'God be with you till we meet again.'

Picture of our Senior Missionaries January 2008

Here we all are in front of the Christus in the St. George Visitor's Center. This occasion was the farewell for the Johnson's. They are in front not looking very happy. Every missionary couple has special talents and skills---the Johnson's were fun and sorta out-door folks. We have lots of musical talents---very accomplished group!

P-Day on 25 January 2008

Today is a P-Day...so, Dad went out and bought a couple bundles of boards and got a few measured and sawed. He is happy. I made a big pot of soup---to last us through a few more stormy winter days. Time really seems to fly by when you are home and can work on anything you want.

Our new senior missionary friends, the Kohlers, live in Ivins---at Cameo Park, just across the street from us. Two days ago Sister Kohler fell in the Tabernacle parking lot. She got scraped up on her arms and leg but landed right on her face. Three bones in her face are broken. She is ok and feels lucky the bones stayed in alignment and can heal alright. We all just want to do so much and forget that we have to think 'safety first'---and slow down and act our age...whatever that means.

I just wanted to share my experience with the moon. It was early morning before dawn when we were on our way to the Visitor's Center for our 7:30 am Training Meeting on Tuesday. The sky was filled with clouds---puffy, stormy clouds. I looked to the west, near Utah mountain to find the moon. It was a full moon but just beginning to peek above a cloud that was in front of it. The cloud took on a 'sliver lining' look---only it was golden. I don't recall ever seeing such moon-beams---they were radiating upwards with the same golden glow in the rays. It was so amazingly beautiful!!

I love the sky!! Ever since I was very young I have loved the clouds and and especially the sun-rays. I always felt a sun-ray was a message from heaven---just for me. I still do---and now I have a message from the moon!

We have had a good week. Thanks to each of you who support our efforts to share God's love with others. It is a 'feel-good' effort.

MTC Pictures

We didn't take many pictures at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, but, here are a few. It snowed every day in Provo---but we had a walk-way to our room at the Jacob Hamblin Building, so we stayed dry. We had to have our picture at the MTC Map, just like every missionary. This beautiful International Christmas tree was in the foyer. Anna's visit was a highlight during our MTC stay.

Getting Started on our mission

We want to share our mission time with you, our special family and friends, so you can feel the 'spirit of our mission' along with us. I'm imagining that I will do the writing here on the blog, though Elder Hansen is keeping an excellent daily diary so I will use his writing, too.

The St. George Visitors' Center and Historic Sites was a local service mission for quite awhile. The Church felt it was time to make it a full-time mission and reduce the number of couples serving here. So by the end of January 2008 the final three senior couples will leave--- bringing us down to 13 full-time senior couples (instead of around 34). We will keep 24 full-time young sister missionaries who serve with us and also do proselyting. We also have in this area 18 full-time young elder missionaries---they do not work with us.

So, we are now in the Utah Provo Mission to labor in the St. George Visitors' Center and Historic Sites. This required us to attend the Provo MTC for eight days training.

After we were set apart by our Stake President, Daren Barney, we traveled in the stormy weather (1 December) to visit Alisyn and Eric and Anna. They treated us so well---especially Eric who took us for a ride in the splendid winter-wonderland of the mountains--I loved it!

The MTC 'welcome meeting' on Monday morning was indeed a welcome for Elder Hansen and I. The MTC Mission President, Joseph Boone, is a long-time friend from the Air Force Chapaincy. ( His wife, Alisyn, is who our Alisyn was named after). His counselors, Mark Breinholt--an Army Chaplain (Susan), and David Madsen--Air Force Lawyer (Kathy) are also very good friends. They came into the room and came down to where we were sitting and gave us hugs and greetings in front of everybody--before the meeting and after, too.

I'm sure our MTC experience was typical of all missionaries--inspiring! Our teachers were very focused and knowledgeable. We used the 'Preach My Gospel' manual for our daily studies. We had read it before we went to the MTC and will continue to study it---probably forever! If any of you do not have this manual, I suggest you get one and study with it, too. I know that it is inspired and will increase your testimony and ability to share your testimony with others. It just makes you feel happy to use it to study and know that you as an individual can be guided by the Holy Ghost to do and say those things that He can confirm it's truth in someones heart and mind. We are encouraged to 'follow the spirit' and learn about others so we can know how the Lord can help us meet their needs and bring them to Him.

We observed Philip's Birthday at the MTC. His passing is still a great loss to us. But, we have decided to dedicate this mission to him and we hope he is enjoying it with us. We are using his Book of Mormon. We gave it to him on his 7th birthday--so the family could help him read it before he was baptized. I carry it with me every day and study from it--and mark it and enjoy the scriptures he had marked. He had studied it and made notes in the margins---it is a treasure to me.

One day three young sisters stopped us in the hallway and asked if they could practice their Spanish. They took turns bearing their testimonies to us---they had only been there for about three days. One sister's husband had recently been killed in an accident--so she decided to serve a mission. They were all going to the Tucson, Arizona Spanish speaking mission---same as Philip. I decided meeting them was another 'tender mercy' from the Lord.

We had the privilege to go the the Provo Temple and Anna was the First Follower for our session. She is so 'at home' working in the Temple! She spent several hours with us on our Preparation day--helping us study and taking pictures. Alisyn and Eric also joined us for lunch at Cafe Rio to celebrate.

Anna had to remind us to check our mailbox--we hadn't expected any mail. We got mail! Anna and Alisyn sent us packages. Mike and his family and David and family sent letters. We were surprised because we hadn't given anyone our address---they found it anyway.

All too soon it was time to leave the MTC. It had snowed every day we were in Provo. I thought it was SOOOO beautiful!! But, it's not great for traveling. Some of our new missionary friends had to drive across country--with RVs in the bad weather--we felt sorry for them. Our trip back to St. George was wonderful--dry roads all the way--another tender mercy.

And, when we got home we discovered someone had been in our house! There were newly scrubbed and vacuumed floors and bathrooms, guests beds made up and beautiful decorations on the table. There were even packages under the tree! But, it didn't take too long to figure out that Anna and Alisyn had come down while we were in the MTC to prepare this wonderous surprise for us. Who but these beautiful daughters would have thought of such a nice gift and then taken time to do it?!

13th December, as we opened the door of the Visitor's Center to begin our training, the cameras began flashing---we learned quickly that these senior missionaries are relentless in taking pictures! We found out that they give a scrapbook to the leaving senior missionaries with pages from all the missionaries---so everyone wants to have pictures to make pages. We're not sure how (or if) we want to get caught up in all this--I guess time will tell.

Our trainers were the Lamberts. They were good trainers and great people. We spent a day with them at each site and the Visitor Center. Since it was December and the missionaries sponsor concerts every night in December at the Tabernacle, we attended almost all of them and each of us even got to conduct a program. I think it was really fun for us to have these programs to go to---we haven't ever had that many nights out together---all within nineteen days.

Erik's neighbor, Bob Shell gave us a flag his father had received for his service to charity and to the community in Topeka, Kansas. It had been presented to him by Bob Dole who had flown it over the U.S. White House in honor of Mr. Shell. Elder Hansen presented it to our mission and it is now flying at the Jacob Hamblin Home in Santa Clara. It has been a nice addition to this site.

Senior missionaries are encouraged to continue to nurture their families. So, we encouraged and enjoyed Mike, Wendy and the girls coming to our home to visit on Christmas. It was a relaxing day to just be together to visit, read, play games and enjoy eating good food. We loved their visit.

Now, our regular schedule for missionary service is: Brigham Young's Winter Home, Jacob Hamblin's Home and the Tabernacle once each week for a 4 hour shift. Then, we have three shifts of 6 hours at the Visitor's Center each week. We also have a preparation day (p-day) where we do our 'own thing'. We have training every week at 7:30 a.m. and Zone Conference every 6 weeks. We also have other duties. We have just been assigned to distribute Tabernacle Events Bulletins to 66 sites each month. I frequently lead the music for our meetings. I will give a Sacrament Meeting talk this week.

Togetherness Work!

Here we are in the St. George Temple Visitor's Center where we had five beautiful Christmas trees. We are at the Visitor's Center three days a week with one or two other couples (depending on the day of the week and time of day). We also have at least two companionships of young sisters at the Visitor's Center during the day. Evenings they go out to teach.

Missions are fun! There hasn't been a time in our life when my companion and I have been together all the time. I actually was afraid we would have a hard time with so much 'togetherness'. But, I am already feeling much better knowing he is in sight or at least close by as we do our mission. We can talk about our experiences as they are happening and be on hand to help each other when there is a need.

For example, we were at the Historic Tabernacle this week and I wanted to take the next tour that came into the building. But, the people who arrived were a Muslim man (all dressed in his native garb) and his brother. Elder Hansen had many experiences with Muslims when he was in Arabia for Desert Storm---he was comfortable taking them (and I wasn't). They were very nice and he had a good tour with them. So, being a team was a good thing. It was such a good thing that Elder Nelson, our Director, has asked him to give the missionaries some training on talking with people who are not Christian. This is exactly what he did as a Chaplain---so he has a rich background to draw on to help the missionaries here.

Welcome!

Welcome to our new Mission Blog! We thought this would be a fun way to keep in touch and allow you to know of our comings and goings. We are thoroughly enjoying our mission and look forward to the adventures this next year and a half will hold.

Love to you all!