Her Side
Natalie Noelle Bytheway -
I was born in December of 2001 in Salt Lake City, UT ! I’ve lived here ever since. When I heard about the mission age change by President Monson, I knew I wanted to go ! I got my mission call a few weeks before my 19th birthday, and was assigned to labor in the Tahiti Papeete Mission starting February 2021. I started the 9 weeks of the online MTC, and got a reassignment to Tucson Arizona due to the COVID pandemic, which kept the borders of Tahiti closed. On April 26th, 2021, I got to the field ! I loved Arizona, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Tahiti. I loved everyone and everything around me, but I kept feeling like I needed to go to Tahiti. It wasn’t looking good for a while. I didn’t end up making it to Tahiti until December, a mere 2 months away from the cutoff. If it had been two months later, I wouldn’t have been able to get in.
When I got to the mission, it was such a culture shock ! The mission had a Christmas party the day after I got there, and we got to talk to tons of missionaries! I vaguely remember seeing an Elder across the room and thinking, “I thought I was in Tahiti, not Tonga !” This Elder looked just like Kolipoki from the Other Side of Heaven movie, and that was the first time I remember seeing Elder Hansen. Throughout my time in Tahiti, I heard a lot more about Elder Hansen, even though I never served around him. We always seemed to narrowly dodge each other at transfers !
In my last transfers, I was serving in Maraa. I had been there for almost three transfers, and I was getting ready to go home, much to my dismay. Since I had gotten to Tahiti, I heard that Elder Soares was going to come to our mission and we’d have a mission conference. That day had finally come, a mark that it was almost time for me to go home from my mission. During some kind of zone conference, we were told that there was going to be a small choir for Elder Soares. I don’t remember exactly what happened, but the decision was made that instead of specific zones, the entire group of missionaries living on Tahiti would form the choir and we’d have a practice the p-day before the conference. At this rehersal, the cute Tahitian members got food for all the missionaries. After singing we all went outside and ate and mingled, it was p-day after all ! A sister living in my house said she wanted to talk to her old district leader, so I volunteered to come with her ! We stood under this huge tree just outside the church, and talked with Elder Hansen and his companion. I had known who Elder Hansen was my entire time in Tahiti, but this was the first time ever talking to him. In our very first conversation, we learned that we were both going home soon… to utah… to go to BYU… and that we both had reassignments in Arizona preceding our time in Tahiti. Woah.
The three following weeks, we didn’t see each other or talk to each other, outside of a glance or two at the mission conference. The day finally came, and we were packing up to go home. We were at the mission home bearing testimony, getting our personal phones back, signing transfer journals, all that stuff. Elder Hansen and I talked a tiny little bit, trying to keep it professional but also prying a little haha. The last two days before the flight, we just hung around because our areas were filled with new missionaries. We went to the market and bought our pearls, our ukes and whatnot. As we were packing up on Tuesday evening, we all talked a little bit more about going home, and Elder Hansen and I found out that we were going to be sitting across from each other on the airplane home !
Long story short, I cried a lot leaving Tahiti. I think we all did. When we were finally situated on the plane ready to go home, it was pretty late, but Elder Hansen and I talked a bit. It was hard to sleep, so instead we talked. And I have no idea what we talked about haha. After customs and whatnot in San Francisco, we had a 4 hour layover. We didn’t really know what to do, so we all just hung out together and talked. In sitting at the airport for a while, we learned that we would have a 2hr delay on top of our already super long layover. More time to talk ! This is really where Elder Hansen and I got to know each other ! And yet again… we learned that we would be sitting next to each other on the flight from San Fran to Salt Lake. We got home and saw our families, and I wanted to make sure to get pictures with the other missionaries. Unfortunately we didn’t have time before most of the other missionaries left. I saw that Elder Hansen was still there and told my mom “Hey wait before we go I want a picture with Elder Hansen!” We got a picture, and all went on our way.
After lots more adventures, many late night facetime calls, thousands of text messages, long drives, movie nights and food runs, we got engaged! Sam took me back to San Francisco where we really got to know each other, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And now you’re all caught up! I could not be happier with how it all turned out. The Lord absolutely knew <3
His Side
Samuel Jan Hansen -
I grew up in Pleasant Grove, Utah! We moved around a lot before but I still call PG home. My dad is from Lindon (Utah), and my mom is from Le Mans, France! My sister Ana is going to UVU studying Nutrition, while my brother is currently serving his mission in Greece! I love my family and we love doing everything together.
In 2020, I was called to the Tahiti Papeete Mission! However, due to COVID-19 I was reassigned to the Tempe Arizona Mission, where I served for 9 months. In July of 2021, I got the announcement that I would be the first American missionary to return to Tahiti! Confinement was hard, but can't complain about it being on a tropical island!
Months later, the American missionaries began to trickle in. On Dec. 15, a large group of 50 missionaries joined our mission! We had a fun mission conference where Tahitians and Americans became one through party games and activities. Here, was one of the first moments I had heard of Soeur Bytheway, though we never got to talk.
Months passed and I served in several areas such as Vaiari, Arue, and was even sent to the most remote island in our mission, Ua Huka! I was a Zone Leader, with a mission to build a group/branch on the island! Mission leadership meetings over zoom from Ua Huka to Tahiti were extremely difficult since there was little internet, and Natalie remembers very choppy video calls of a far and distant Elder Hansen...
Time began to draw close to the end of my mission and I eventually served in Papeete, the capital of Tahiti. Almost three weeks before I was going home, Elder Soares, the Apostle, was coming to Tahiti and wanted to come see us! So many events and days for mission wide singing practices were planned to prepare for his arrival. One of those practices, on August 15, I met Natalie for the first time.
We had arrived in a spectacular fashion to the event– dripping wet from the rain, and very late on our bikes. The whole mission watched and giggled through the huge glass windows as we pedaled up to the doors. I couldn't help but smile as I saw all my missionary friends and knew how silly we looked.
We sang together, took some pictures all together, and went out into the courtyard for some lunch. I looked around at all my friends and missionaries I would soon miss and couldn't believe my time was coming to a close. Soon, most of the missionaries began to go home so they could enjoy their preparation day. Staying behind a little longer to help the Senior missionaries pack things up, we started to head out of the church too, and the rain began to trickle down again.
In the front lawn of the building, was a small group of sisters getting ready to go home. We went to say goodbyes and started a small conversation with them.
Soeur Tippets, one of the Sisters I had served with before introduced me to the group while I introduced my French companion, Elder Justum.
"Hi, I'm Soeur Bytheway!" I instantly recognized the sister, as she was often talked about amongst the Elders. Her smile, kindness, and glow was instantly apparent and I immediately jumped to wanting to know more.
"Hi, I'm Elder Hansen!"
"Weren't you like, the first American to get here?"
"Yeah, I was! I kinda cheated, I'm a dual citizen and had a french passport..." They laughed and the conversation continued.
"Wait, did you have a reassignment?" Soeur Bytheway asked.
"I did, in Tempe Arizona!" I said.
"Wait, I had a reassignment in Arizona too! In Tucson!" She exclaimed.
"No way! When are you going home then?"
"September 7th!"
"No way, me too!" I exclaimed.
From that moment of connection, we began to develop a friendship that progressively grew over the next couple of weeks as we attended our activities for Elder Soares and our preparations for departing. September 7th came so fast, and we all became close as we made the trip together to Salt Lake City.
We had a long layover in San Francisco. We stayed together to talk and eat all day long. We were exhausted, nervous, and emotional from the transition from Tahiti to the US and it was a relief not to be alone throughout the process. That continued to be the case for me and Natalie months after we had arrived home:)
We arrived in Salt Lake, and I was greeted by my lovely family and definitely shed a few tears. After exchanging lots of long and warm embraces, we slowly made our way for my bags and to the car.
Before I could get too far, a distant voice called out for me to wait. Soeur Bytheway!
"Elder Hansen, could we take a picture before you go?"
With both our moms ready, we stood by each other for a picture that we still love today:)
We began to constantly text each other, and we supported each other throughout our experience of transitioning to our new routines. Though the drive from Pleasant Grove to Millcreek was long, it was always worth it. We began to date each other officially one month after we got home, on Oct. 1. We got ready to go to BYU and make the transition to Provo together too, living only 5 minutes apart from each other (what a commute!)! During the summer, the answer became more and more clear that we were heading somewhere that needed to be figured out soon. We just couldn't believe it was each other!
I couldn't be any happier, I love Natalie with all my heart and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her:)