Parker made it to the mission home in Rosario

E-mail from Hermana Zanni, Parker's mission president's wife

Dear parents:

        The Argentina Rosario Mission has received excellent missionaries this week. President Zanni and I are very happy to welcome them. We thank you for the great support you give to your children in this great work of the Lord.

      Elder Hanson has arrived safely. You will now be able to communicate with him on Monday (Preparation Day) through email. (The mission also has a blog, where you will be able to find pictures of the missionaries "lagranmisionrosario.blogspot.com.ar." We kindly ask that you not disclose the existence of this blog to the missionaries that are in service.)

      We thank you very much for your collaboration. We know that your child is an excellent representative of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We thank you for the support your son provides.

      We have also attached some pictures of Elder Hanson with his trainer, President Zanni and myself and another with his group. I hope you enjoy.

Thank you for your love and support.

Yours truly.

Sister Zanni

Parker made it to Argentina!

On his way to Atlanta. He said there were about 100 missionaries on their way to South America on the plane.

He made it to Atlanta. At this point we were waiting for his phone call. I was very anxious to hear his voice.  When Alison was traveling to Italy we waited for her call but never came, unfortunately she had no time to call us from the airport.  We were sad to not be able to speak with her, so needless to say I was worried I was not going to get a call from Parker.

The call came and I was so happy to speak to him. He spoke a lot. He sounded happy and excited to go to Argentina.  He said he gained 10 pounds on the MTC.  He said that of the 100 missionaries, 60 were going to Buenos Aires, so his plane was full of missionaries.  Those 60 would then go to the many different missions in Argentina.

When we spoke on the phone he said "mom you know we are flying over Orlando, right?" Well I took a picture of the flight tracker when he was flying over Orlando.

He made it to Argentina!!

Picture of Parker

Parker did not send me a picture last Wednesday but Elder Burke's mom messaged me this picture that her son sent her.  I love having those connections on Facebook. It is too bad that Elder Burke will be serving in Resistencia, Argentina and not in Rosario.

First day of 5th grade for Conner

Conner started 5th grade today. I am little sad because this is his last year in Elementary School. He is growing up too fast. I am excited for his new teacher, who is also a psychologist. I think he is going to have a good year at school.

Hurry and take the picture mom!! It's too sunny!!

Much better spot for a picture, it's not as sunny!!

Conner's teacher sent me this email today:

Hi Mrs. Hanson,

Just wanted to say thank you again for all of the information about Conner. I have worked with kids with Asperger's before, but really appreciated being able to "know" him before I started teaching him. He has had a good day so far and I think it's going to be a great year. Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is anything else I can do to help him have a successful year in fifth grade. 

What a great teacher!!! I love his school. Every year the teachers get together and look at the kids and pair them up with the kids that they get along with and the teacher that will best work with them. So not only Conner got a teacher that will understand him, he is also in the same classroom with kids that he will work well together. So all the fourth grade teachers got together, since they know their students well, and decided what was best for the students 5th grade year.They are very good at paying attention, Conner's fourth grade teacher knew kids in the other fourth grade classes that Conner liked to play with at recess, so she tooked that into consideration when making her decision. I wish I did not have to pay for a private school and that he could go to public school, but this is what is best for him.

This year I had a thought that I should make a list that might help his teachers understand him better. I don't know why I did not think of it before. His teacher was surprised and said no one had ever done that for her before and she was really thankful. I went online and found a few lists so I picked what I felt was more like Conner.

Most Common Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome

1) Problems with social skills: Children with Asperger's syndrome generally have difficulty interacting with others and often are awkward in social situations. They generally do not make friends easily.  They generally do very well with other kids on the spectrum, however.


2) Eccentric or repetitive behaviors: Children with this condition may develop odd, repetitive movements, such as hand wringing or finger twisting. This is called stimming. Children do this to soothe themselves. Other common stims include spinning and jumping. Conner likes to watch certain movies over and over again.

3) Unusual preoccupations or rituals: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop rituals that he or she refuses to alter, such as getting dressed in a specific order. When Conner has a thought or a question he often cannot move on until it is answered or heard. He will continue asking or making the point until it is addressed.


4) Communication difficulties: People with Asperger's syndrome may not make eye contact when speaking with someone. They may have trouble using facial expressions and gestures, and understanding body language. They also tend to have problems understanding language in context.


5) Limited range of interests: A child with Asperger's syndrome may develop an intense, almost obsessive, interest in a few areas, such as sports schedules, weather, or maps. Conner loves to watch Harry Potter and Star Wars over and over again.

6) Coordination problems: The movements of children with Asperger's syndrome may seem clumsy or awkward. Conner seems to have more than his share of mishaps, oftentimes because he is not paying full attention to what he's doing. He also has low muscle-tone, which is common with Asperger’s.


7) Sensory issues: many kids with Asperger's syndrome are either extra sensitive or less sensitive to sensory issues. For example, Conner doesn't like certain smells and has problems with food textures.  He only eats certain foods and for lunch he will only eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

8) Difficulty with regulating emotions: Conner is very sensitive and has a hard time using words to express himself. He has a Speech Therapist working with him.


9) Lack of empathy: children with Asperger's cannot empathize with other people.


10) Difficulties with transitions and rigidity: This is a biggie for Conner. If he has to stop doing what he wants to do or do it in a different way then he wants to, it can cause problems because he doesn’t deal with changes very well, he is too rigid.


11) Difficulty with imaginative play: children with Asperger's can be very literal and can have a difficult time with doing things like pretend play. This can be very difficult for the child with Asperger's with playing with other children. Form the time he was a toddler Conner had difficulty playing with blocks, cars etc., he just could not do it. He is getting a little better.


12) Skilled or talented: Many children with Asperger's syndrome are exceptionally talented or skilled in a particular area, such as music or math. Conner is very smart.

Conner is hypersensitive to smells and food.

There can also be problems with organizational and time management skills and explaining thoughts and ideas using speech.

The person with Asperger’s syndrome may perceive errors that are not apparent to others, giving considerable attention to detail, rather than noticing the ‘big picture’.

The person is usually renowned for being direct, speaking their mind and being honest and determined and having a strong sense of social justice.

The person may actively seek and enjoy solitude, be a loyal friend and have a distinct sense of humor. However, the person with Asperger’s Syndrome can have difficulty with the management and expression of emotions.

Children and adults with Asperger’s syndrome may have levels of anxiety, sadness or anger that indicate a secondary mood.

There may also be problems expressing the degree of love and affection expected by others. 

Facebook connections

In Parker's last e-mail he mentioned how the other missionaries were getting 3 letters a day and that he wanted more written letters and he was feeling a little lonely.  I am a member of a facebook page called missionary momma's, and there are over 5,000 missionary moms in that page.  Because of it I have met other moms whose sons and daughters are serving in Argentina and some even went in the MTC the same day as Parker.  I posted in the page that my son had entered the MTC on July 16th and about his e-mail home. One mom, Sister Burke, made the comment that her son had gone in the MTC the same day and that he was going to Resistencia, Argentina. I saw her last name and I remembered that Parker had mentioned an Elder with the same last name on his e-mail. Before entering the MTC Parker never learned to swallow pills, he refused. The day before he entered the MTC he was sick with a cold, his ears were hurting and had a sore throat. He went to the clinic at the MTC and was given medication,Elder Burke who is an EMT helped him learn how to swallow the pills, something he would not do for me. I told Sister Burke what happened on a private facebook message and asked her if that was her son.  It turned that Elder Burke is her son and Parker and him are in the same MTC district. That day Sister Burke was sending her son a box in the MTC and she wanted to send Parker something. So she sent him this:

 

I love making these Facebook connections. It is so fun to be in the missionary momma's group. We love our missionaries and are so proud of them. We love sharing stories and pictures of our missionaries. We give each other encouragement and pray for each other when things are not going well. It is an amazing group to be a part of.

Tender Mercies

What are the Tender Mercies of the Lord? (A talk from Elder Bednar)

"Since last October I have reflected repeatedly upon the phrase "the tender mercies of the Lord." Through personal study,observation,pondering, and prayer, I believe I have come to better understand that the Lord's tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindnesses, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Truly, the Lord suits "his mercies according to the conditions ot the Children of men" (D&C 46:15)  This is from a talk by Elder Bednar called "The tender mercies of the Lord". He said that "the tender mercies are available to all of us and the Redeemer of Israel is eager to bestow such gifts upon us."

My thoughts:

I love tender mercies. Brent  loves to tell the story of a time when he was on his mission in Peru. He had only been in Peru for about a week when he got sick with appendicitis. He needed surgery.  His family did not know about this until after the surgery.  While he was recovering his spirits were down. He was sick in a strange country with no family and did not speak the language well.  He was questioning why he was there. When one day he got a letter from his grandma Isabelle Hanson.  She didn't know of his surgery when she wrote the letter.  She wrote this letter before he left the MTC because she wanted it to be in Peru waiting for him when he got there.

At the beginning of the letter she said "You are still at the mission home...(I am thinking she means the MTC) but will be on your way soon so wanted this to be there in Peru waiting for you to say welcome to this new mission."
She said to him "Be sure to listen to the still small voice and it will prompt you, guide you and keep you from harm as you obey. How many times it thus watched over me while I was in the mission field and before since. What a great blessing it is in our lives. Especially when one is in a strange place...to have that trust and faith is so special and great."

She goes on to say:

"In every life some rain must fall…and with help we try to dry off…It makes us stronger I am sure…and I remember the D&C 120 and 121.  The Prophet Joseph Smith cries “Oh God, where art thou?...and his plea continues…remember thy suffering saints, O our God…and then comes the answer My son, peace be unto thy soul, thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on High, thou shalt triumph over all thy foes" (and I would say problems too) Read it and re-read it, Brent. I get goose bumps I am so touched. And then 122,  read it and feel it…If thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers…If the very jaws of hell shall gape open…know thee my son that all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good…The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Hold on thy way and the Priesthood shall remain with thee. What a promise and this is to all not only to the Prophet Joseph. So we know you are in good hands and will delight in your missionary endeavors for God will guide and walk beside."

Love you much. Keep smiling and we will be writing again soon. Grandpa and Grandma Hanson

Wow!! She was in tune with the Spirit and knew exactly what to say to Brent, her grandson, at a very critical time in his life. She said exactly what he needed to hear and her words cheer him up and gave him the courage that he needed. A Tender Mercy for Brent.

One of the things that Parker needed to take on his mission was family stories from his ancestors. I was looking for a story that uncle Steve had on a 1981 Ensign, I was surprised to find a story that grandma Isabelle Hanson had shared in the Ensign also in 1981.

A warning in the night  (Ensign Article March 1981)

It was a hot summer night in August, and my husband, Lynn, and our six children were asleep in the car. I had taken over driving just out of Rock Springs, Wyoming, so that my husband might rest. We could be at his parents’ home by midnight, he said, so it was best we go on. We were en route to Idaho from St. Louis, Missouri, where Lynn studied dentistry.

Soon after turning off Highway 30 and taking 30N toward Bear Lake, I came to a detour sign that sent me to the right on a dirt road. I drove for quite some time, thinking I would soon see a sign to put me back on the main road. But the road got rougher and rougher. Suddenly out of the stillness came a very clear voice: “Stop!”

I stepped on the brakes, and since I had been driving very slowly was able to stop almost instantly. Seven sleepy heads popped up to inquire: “Where are we? What’s the matter? Why did we stop here?”

All I could say was, “A voice told me to stop. Something must be wrong.” My husband took the flashlight and got out of the car—and found the front wheels on the edge of a canal.

By this time I was shaking, so Lynn took the wheel and our older son guided him back. As we retraced our path, we noticed a very small sign that pointed back to the main highway—so small I had missed it in the darkness. Eight heads bowed in grateful thanks.

Isabelle J. Hanson, mother of six children, lives in Orem, Utah.

After I posted this on Facebook aunt Lynette said this:

I remember that very well.  I was the youngest in the car and mom had just relieved dad from driving.  We used to drive straight through-didn't use motels very often.  I often remember waking up parked under a street light while the drivers slept.  But this time all of a sudden mom hit the brakes and we all popped up wondering what was wrong.  She said she didn't know but heard a voice urgently tell her to stop.  Her faith and closeness to the spirit allowed her to stop immediately.  Dad got our with a flashlight and found the front tires on the edge of a deep ditch.  Had she not stopped I probably wouldn't be writing this since I was only six sitting in the front seat and no seatbelt.  We used the flashlight to help back the car and get back to the road.  We offered a prayer of thanks and finished our trip. Most of us still wide awake.Sorry this was long but brought back wonderful memories of this spiritually strong woman that I was blessed to call mom. She would be a hundred on her birthday this December.

I am thankful that I was able to meet grandma Hanson. She was a sweet and kind lady. I loved that she was there for Brent when he needed her and as I was getting Parker's things ready for his mission, she was in a way there for him also. I sent this story with him on his mission. How wonderful to learn from his own great-grandmother's experience, the importance of being in tune with the spirit. To me this is a Tender Mercy.

Elder Bednar said: "We should not underestimate or overlook the power of the Lord's tender mercies. The simpleness, the sweetness, and the constancy of the tender mercies of the Lord will do much to fortify and protect us in the troubled times in which we do now and will yet live."

Finding her story was just a simple thing but it made me feel great inside. When I read it I felt the spirit so strong. I put it in an envelope in Parker's bag for him to take and read in the MTC. I know that he will be inspired by it. I am thankful for wonderful family members who are such great examples to us. I am thankful that grandma Hanson loved to write in her journal because we can have those stories in our family and be inspired and strengthened by them.

Brent's grandma Isabelle and grandpa Lynn Hanson