No letter from Elder Hanke last week.  We did chat a bit, still no resolution on when the Homecoming will be.  I’ll keep you all posted though.

In the meantime, enjoy this week’s letter… along with a sweet bonus (see letter #2, and hopefully I can get the pictures to work out!).

2/11/13

Bula Vinaka,

Such a good week, it’s also good because for the next little bit at least until mid March  t he weeks should be getting better and better. We were able to teach our investigators this week and some seriously good lessons with them super stoked to see them progress to baptism. 

First off one of them was a referral from another ward in the stake and she is awesome. We set a date with her for the 16th of march and she is really looking forward to it, her son was recently baptized and got married to a girl from Utah they have since moved to salt lake, but he said that he will come back for the baptism and he will perform the ordinance so awesome to see how it all is coming together for her she does have to overcome smoking but she really wants to so we promised her that she will focus on the Lord she will be able to accomplish her goal to quit.

Second is a lady named  Myriam she has been taught long before I came here and we have been trying to help her for the however many months I have been here with no real progress, but just recently we shared with her about forgiveness both being forgiven and forgiving others and she really took it to heart and said that because of it she realizes that she needs to make a change in her life and move on because she has had a really rough past, but the direction she wants to move is towards baptism so we set a date with her for the 2nd of march. We are really surprised about it but really feeling super blessed.

we also met with Bill and a couple other investigators and they are all doing good and we are enjoying working with them. 

other than that we had zone conf. this past week and thats always really good and then just a bunch of other jus normal stuff so overall a really good week.

loloma yani

peace and blessings,

Elder  Hanke

We received this email  from sweet, sweet Mary Tagilala who is a member of the Fijian Branch.  This is the lady that will send emails and pictures every couple of months – I call her our Fijian Angel!  She obviously watches out for our Elder Hanke, which this mama really appreciates! J

2/2/13

Bula Nova,
 
 We had a wonderful time at Dinner last night with Elder Hanke and his companion Elder Chapman. They brought along Elder Allphin and Elder Ah Mu to dinner and it was just so much fun being with them. What wonderful young men these Elders are and we are grateful for them. Elder Hanke is doing really great out here. It's a countdown for him aye :). Next month is just so much closer - I know you must be super excited :). We're going to be so so sad to see him go because he's just been so much a part of us out here. He is Elder Tavoi  to us out here :). That's his Fijian name :). Everyones used to that even our Bishop. He's got a good grasp of the language and the we text him, talk to him and greet him in the Fijian Language - totally great!. What an awesome and sweet young man he is!!Thank you so much for raising such a wonderful wonderful Missionary.
 
 Best,
 
 Mary :)

A big shout out to Diana – YEA!!!!  Treatments are a thing of the past… only direction to look is ahead!

Love to everyone.... have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

It was a "superfreakingood" week....

Bula Vinaka kemudou na wekaqu,

I love life, haha, I love the week I have just had. I also hope everyone had a good week like me.

Blessings from the week have been too much to handle, I can't even explain to you how pumped I am for what has happened, it’s just awesome. First I just wanna tell you that I know God lives, no doubt whatsoever in my mind about that statement. A few things have happened this week that have further solidified my testimony and my conviction of that truth. First off, this one may seem lame but it was intense for me, haha. I woke up on Wednesday and couldn't find my wallet.  Now this may not be a very big deal and that’s how I pictured it right at first.  I figured I just lost it somewhere and would have to start the process of replacing things. Really taking no thought really to ask for Heavenly Father’s help. The very next day in the morning we had our annual interviews with our Mission President, they happen about every three months and it just happened to fall on Thursday.  But anyway in the interview I told him about the situation and his advice was to kneel in prayer and ask for help to find it. Long story short, I did and what happened? I found it just a few hours later. I never really pray for things like that but man o mally let me tell you that I won't ever not pray for something like that again. He lives and cares about us.

Secondly, each night we as missionaries ask God to help us in our efforts to find, teach and baptize people.  Well it seems like lately He has made it pretty difficult for us to keep on trying to do it, sometimes we just feel like to give up and not work as hard but you know we keep on going. Well, what happens - we receive information about a lady who wants to be baptized and is excited to come to church.  I called her on Thursday night and what would ya know but the information was true and she is very excited!  We set our first appointment up for this Wednesday and she is super ready and super excited to get started on this journey. I was shocked because it is for the English-speaking ward we cover and we don’t spend a whole lot of time working there and there hasn't been a baptism in that area for a couple years.  Haha, oh the blessings... He lives and He cares about us.

Lastly, holy smokes, talking about this makes me get the chills but here we go. A couple weeks ago we had a member of our Fijian branch invite a friend over to listen to her speak in church, which was a genius idea.  She really had a great time and enjoyed what she learned and came again the next week, and then again yesterday.  We were finally able to talk to her and she was so excited and ready that she invited us to come to her house every night this week. WHAT???!!!! Are you kiddin me, I’m so pumped about the situation that we are in, haha! There is more to the story but I’m tired so I think it will need to wait for a couple months. But just know this.....He lives and He cares about us.

kalougata tiko/peace and blessings

Elda Tavoi

I love this kid’s emails…. J I was able to chat with him a bit yesterday, and then he sent this nice email last night.  He kept telling me in our chat yesterday that he had a “superfreakingood” week last week, so now I know why.

And the wallet – really???!! Again??!!  I think he failed to mention the fear of the wrath of his mother… we’ve replaced everything in that child’s wallet too many times over the years. Ha ha ha.

No update on the release date…. So T- 2 months, and counting.  It’s going to go fast now!

Thoughts and prayers are with Di, Jeff and the 5 K’s.  And thank heavens for amazing Grandparents!

A 21st birthday, a new release date, and a nice little letter...

Well – clearly I am becoming a little “trunky” myself… not staying on task and losing focus!  Sorry to everyone for making you wait for so long for the latest post from Elder Hanke.  Two Mondays ago, January 14^th, was his birthday… my little boy is 21, hard to believe.  I “chatted” with him a bit that morning, then he and a few other missionaries went to a birthday lunch.  He said they were also going to play ping pong and basketball... then about 8 hours later I got a quick message saying they'd had a good day, but he was just too worn out to write any more. 

Also, I received an updated travel itinerary from the Church’s travel office on Monday with yet another release date for Garrett:  MARCH 27, 2013… which is one week earlier than the last date of April 3^rd.  I sent the itinerary to him, and he let me know that he didn’t know anything about that date change, and that wouldn’t work out for him, because he HAS to be there on March 31^st for some big Fijian celebration where he was expecting to see everyone for the last time and say his last goodbyes.  So – we’ll see what comes of that…. Because for whatever reason, Elder Hanke thinks he’s going to change his release date back to April 3^rd.  More to come on that. J

Anywhoooo – below is the email from this week… enjoy:

January 21, 2013

Bula bula bula 

This week went pretty good again, I just wanna say again how good the feeling is to be a servant of the Lord, there has been no greater joy than to be doing this work. Understanding that each day we are on the Lord’s errand and feeling His influence as He guides me has been a great feeling and something I will always strive for.

Let me share with you an experience we had on Friday evening. It had been almost 2 weeks since going across the bay to visit some Fijians.  We had been trying to make it across all week but just hadn’t had the chance, so finally we decided that we needed to go. Our first and only stop was with a family who had been struggling in the past. We stopped by and luckily the father was home, he explained to us that they had been having a very difficult week and that he was very glad that we stopped , they had family and car problems so he wasn’t doin very good at this time.  He told us that us stopping by was like an answer to his prayers and that he had just been thinking about us. I know that we all have the ability to be guided to someone in need if we will just listen to and heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost, from God, and I also know just like Pres. Monson that the sweetest joys come from doing this work. In the scriptures we read that God’s work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, so when we team up with him and help him accomplish this great work he will bless us and we will feel closer to him and to those whom we are serving. I hope that we all will strive to find ways to serve and by doing so receive the blessings God has in store for us.

love all of you

Peace and blessings

Elder Hanke

Continued prayers are with Diana. 

Love to everyone! 

Happy New Year!

So it was a pretty good week.  Now that Sister Salawai got baptized, we have to go out and find more people to teach, so we didn’t get as many lessons in this week but we did make some good visits and had some good lessons.

We stopped by two less active families on Friday and had really spiritual lesson.  Both of them had a really rough 2012 and they were both really hoping for a good fresh start, so that’s what we talked about in the lesson. We read over part of 3 Nephi 11 and then Helaman 5:12, which is my favorite scripture.  We talked a lot about building upon the correct foundation, a foundation of Christ and his teachings having the center of the family and relationships be Christ’s teachings instead of greed or envy or hatred, which can make all the difference.

I feel like the last 21 months I have seen and learned a lot of things, one being the fact true happiness cannot come from anywhere else but a family or person that is built upon the solid doctrines of Christ. The plan of happiness truly is a PLAN OF "HAPPINESS".  There is so much to see and to do and to achieve but none of it matters if we don’t have the correct foundation.  If we try to build our lives upon some other plan or upon some other purpose when the day of trial and tribulation comes the foundation will fail and that individual will have nothing to fall back upon.

I love the gospel, I love my mission, I’m grateful for every experience I have had so far and I’m looking forward to the future with hope. I know God knows me and everyone, I know that Christ is our perfect example and we will become the best person possible only when we follow 

and strive to become like Him in our lives, I know the truth was restored through Joseph Smith and if anyone doesn’t know this themselves all they need to do is read the Book of Mormon wanting to know for themselves, and I know this will be the biggest blessing that anyone can receive, a confirmation of its truth. Their life will not be the same but will have deeper meaning and a srtonger resolve to be the best they can be.

I hope the new year brings heaven-sent guidance to everyone.

Peace and blessings,

Ofa lahi Atu

Elder Hanke

Well…. That letter’s a keeper for sure…. Great way to start the New Year!  J

We got a nice letter last week from Elder and Sister Sorenson, a senior couple in Garrett’s mission.  Apparently they like to help out Santa Claus for the missionaries, and then send their families a note and some pictures – which we’re happy to receive!  The letter was very sweet…. And below are the pics they sent.

Hope everyone is staying warm enough!

Continued prayers and love for Diana, Jeff and the 5 K’s. 

*****

(Looks like I will have to post the pictures later - after someone helps me figure out the new method for loading pictures on the blog.)

December 24^th / 25^th, 2012

We had a nice “email chat” with Elder Garrett on Christmas Eve (P Day), and again a “real chat” on the phone on Christmas Day – both very enjoyable.  He seemed to be most anxious for the Christmas day “eatings” he had scheduled with some Fijian families.  He sounded great, happy and healthy and on the downhill slide of the mission.  Three months left – now it’s going to go fast! (Maybe….) 

January 1, 2013!!

Here’s his email that came through today.  We again got to chat for a bit on email, which I always love to do!  Also check out the pictures that he sent across – each with its own unique explanation.

Love to everyone, and Happy New Year!  Hope everyone enjoyed a very nice holiday season.

Bula vinaka

What a crazy week we had hahaha soooooooooo good though.

First off last Monday after we called we went over to some of our Fijian members house and ate then relaxed then ate some more, what a good day of food haha had a roasted Pig and much, much more.

Other than that we had a great time teaching Sister Salawai this past week or actually I think only I really did, haha.  I feel kinda bad because it’s all in Fijian so he kinda just sits there and chills while I teach haha.

And then on Saturday we had definitely the most best baptism that I have had so far on my mission. It really was pretty intense because so many people have been waiting sooo long for her to be baptized.  There were a lot of people there and by the closing hymn they were all in tears. It felt so good just knowing that this baptism meant so much to so many people. It didn’t really hit me until that moment how important it was to everybody. And during the end Brother Cinavi (her son) got up and was speaking and he said that he told her one way that you can know that this is true is because it will be taught to her in her own language, hahaa, sort of as a joke but before we started teaching her Bro Cinavi came up and told me to study up on my Fijian haha.  But it all went really well.

So funny story though from this week, we went over to Oakland on Thursday for her interview and afterwards we had a meeting back across the bay so we had to grab a quick lunch before we went so we stopped by Taco Bell.  We were inside for about 5 minutes, came back outside and someone had busted in the two passenger side windows and stole Elder Chapman’s backpack!  It was so nuts because it was right in a way busy area. Haha stinkin Oakland, doesn't give us any breaks.

That’s it for the week, sorry for the lateness.

Peace and blessings,

Elder Hanke

Fair warning:

Below is a graphic pork picture!



 

Poor little piggy - he became Christmas dinner!

Elder Chapman, Elder Hanke, Sister Salawai, Elder Racule and his companion, and Brother Cinavi at Oakland Temple visitor's center.  (Sister Salawai is the one Garrett wrote about above, she was baptized last Saturday. Elder Racule is actually from Fiji, he was in the MTC with Garrett and they became good friends... then when Garrett was in his first area in Fiji he spent a lot of time with Elder Racule's family - they fed him often and took good care of him.)  :)

We'll call this one the "Oakland Taco Bell Smash & Grab".

(Garrett said that they didn't even bother calling the cops, because the typical cop attitude is pretty much, "sorry, too bad that happened, nothing we can do".)  Luckily Garrett had previously put his backpack in the trunk, but felt badly that he hadn't reminded Elder Chapman to do the same.

Happy Holidays!

Well - this week's email said "PS - I'll be calling at 10 your time on Christmas Day".  So I'm not sure if this meant "PS", this is a follow up to some great email I wrote to you (if so, I didn't receive!).  Or "PS", this is all you're getting from me this week.  Who knows...!??

By the way, I don't think I've mentioned on the blog that Garrett's release date is April 3rd!!! We received his itinerary - he lands in SLC at 12:54 p.m. - about 14 weeks from today (but who's counting...?). 

We did receive the below Christmas card in the mail on Tuesday - which pretty much made up for the PS email... :)

So grateful to hear Diana's great news this week! 

Love to everyone, hope you're all enjoying the holiday season.

Well, I’ve been a little behind again…. Sorry everyone!  Enjoy these letters, sounds like he is doing well.  Thanks to everyone for your love and support.

Happy Holidays!

December 3, 2012

Sorry sometimes I just get kinda bored when I e-mail and I cant take it, haha, sorry.

Anywho the week went really well we have seen some great success our investigator Keana passed her interview and she will be getting baptized on Thursday which we’re stoked for.

Bill is doing great as well with him it takes a long time to teach and commit him to do things because he is sooo old so teaching him is like putting the lessons on slow mode, haha, he's doing great though.

Beta and Sita are also doing good. We haven’t seen them in  quite a while but we have talked to them several times on the phone. Sita had surgery again in LA this past week but from what we know she is recovering really well and Beta said that she will be up and playing around again in no time at all.

What else happened this week…. The whole time I have been covering the Branch there has been this Part Member family that I have been trying my butt off to get in contact with and we finally did on Saturday which is sooo sweeet and he is as cool as everyone said he was so I’m very excited. I’m going over to his house in a week or so for some curry which I’m really lookin forward to, haah.

 Anywhobewhaty

Peace and blessings,

Elder Tavoi

December 12, 2012

Bula Bula Bula,

The week was awesome......

Keana's baptism was way good everything went good. We received her as a referral from one of our members a bit ago, she was solid and we dunked her very quickly.

We also received another referral this week, one of our member’s mothers. she is 75 and very prepared by the Lord.  She doesn't speak English so it was my first whole lesson In Fijian since getting here which felt sooo good. We taught her two lessons this week and invited her to be baptized on Dec. 29 and she accepted so we are pumped around here and feeling super blessed.

And as for the people I mentioned last week, Amini , we have our dinner with him a week from today which will be good, he is way sick and we are hoping to get him to come to church. Also Beta and Sita made it here yesterday for church which was good. Sita looks better and better each time I see her which is sweet. And Bill is also doing well he cancelled the lesson for this week but we talked to him on the phone and he said he threw out his back so we'll have to see him later haha and yes you are correct it will be a long term project with him but eventually he will get baptized.

That’s pretty much it from here.  Other cool things this week, there was a huge wedding and our Tongan Stake’s Christmas songfest which went awesome and made me gain like 5 more pounds haha.

Peace and blessings,

Elder  Hanke

Continued thoughts and prayers are with Diana… and with Jeff and the kids.  We love you!