Lunch with Sister Hansen

Maren and her first companion, Sister Anela Hansen, worked together so well and became very close, so I wasn't surprised when she sent me these instructions:
"If you're ever in Utah visit her. She is literally the best! Anela Hansen. Find her on Facebook, call her, be her friend, LOVE HER!!!"

I was planning a trip to Salt Lake with Becky, so I contacted Anela through Facebook and set up a time to go to lunch.  I met Anela and her mother, Leah, at the Gourmandise Bakery in SLC, and we visited for a couple of hours.  They felt like instant family, and I didn't want our lunch to end.  Leah is from New Zealand and is one of the warmest, kindest people I've ever met.  She loves politics, so we had some things in common...other than our wonderful daughters!

 Anela is amazing...truly amazing!  She's so beautiful and talented and spiritually strong.  I instantly loved her and could have spent hours talking about the Kazakhstan mission with her.  She had so many wonderful stories to tell me about Maren.  According to her Maren is a spiritual giant and braver than anyone she knows.  That's always fun for a mom to hear. Anela is a beautiful singer and has a YouTube channel with at least 24 songs she's recorded.  She's good enough that I'd buy a CD today if she had one!

I'm determined to keep in touch with these wonderful ladies and hope to see them again soon.