All is well

Yeah, the pictures last time are from the new flat and Yeah, the Shearers are just great and I'm going to miss them a bunch. General conference was just amazing, I got to see all of it except the second Sunday session.  It's kind of hard to say what's new because I'm so close to Airdie that it's pretty much the same. In Combernauld it's pretty much a bunch of houses in the middle of a freeway for the best way of describing it. There are no really big paths, just a bunch of trails randomly everywhere, but it has a lot of really nice parks. 

This week I got to go on an exchange with Elder Fasol in Airdrie and it was just a blast. I got to see the Blacks again and Sister Black literally was jumping for joy when I walked in the door and all the kids were amazed that I was back.  We also got lost in the middle of nowhere trying to find a former investigator and it ended up being really fun. Other than that, I'm still just getting the hang of everything.  I don't really know the members much and we just have a lot of chapping, but all is well in Zion! 

A letter sent home to Shoreline from Belfast from Sister Nicki Beattie:

"Dear Brother and Sister Hanson,

I am a sister from Holywood Road, the ward your son has recently left to go to a new area in Scotland.

All our missionaries are great.  We appreciate them spending two years of their young lives teaching and reactivating many people.  Ireland is a particularly difficult mission.  We have had so much para-military trouble, supposedly in the name of religion, so people are not the most responsive.

Every now and then an extra-special missionary comes along and your son, Elder Hanson, is one of those. Everyone in our ward thought very highly of him and were so sorry when his time here came to an end. 

He has a great sense of humour-eventually fully understanding ours, with its banter and playful self-criticism.  (Let me just say it is unique).  Elder Hanson is not pushy in any way.  He didn't need to be.  His compassion and gentle spirituality gently guided.  He made a great impact on a couple who have been inactive for years who are making remarkable progress.

Elder Hanson gave a beautiful talk, using his father's testimony.  There was hardly a dry eye in the congregation.

I don't know the details, but I assume you are going through trials at present.

Please know you are in our thoughts and prayers.  We are all having to endure adversity, some much more than others, but we will some day understand and see the big picture.

This life is so short in the grand scheme of things and it is wonderful people like your son who make it a better place. 

I'm sure you are very proud (in a good way) of him and you have every right to be.

God bless you and your family.

If you ever get the chance to visit Ireland, please let me know you are coming.

With gospel love, Nicki (Beattie)"