Episode 805: Liberty Hansen, Early Release Missionary, Giving Hope to Others

Listen, Learn & Love Hosted by Richard Ostler

Richard Ostler

Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 839 Ratings

🗓️ 14 January 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

My friend Liberty Hansen (age 20, lives in Spanish Fork Utah, Richmond Virginia RM) joins us to share her story of returning home from her mission after two months because of a desire to improve our culture to help others walking this road. Liberty talks about how much she loved missionary work—but suffered from panic attacks and feelings of suicide—and feelings of drowning. She talks about difficult experience on her mission where she didn’t feel safe or supported. An exception to that was one of her companions—still a dear friend—and all this companion did to help her. Liberty talks about coming home and the support she received from her family and ward. She talks about how she handled the airport, her first week back in the Ward, her homecoming talk and the good/not helpful comments. Liberty also talks about why she stays in the church—even though she feels so level of being let down by the Church. Liberty talks about a new Instagram account she started (see show notes) where other early release missionaries share their stories. If you are an early release missionary or working to better support someone walking this road, please listed to Liberty’s story and connect with her Instagram. Thank you, Liberty, for being on the podcast. You are brave. You are awesome. Links: Liberty’s Instagram: @finding.the.purpose

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome listeners to another episode of Listen, Learn, and Love hosted by Richard Osler.
0:09.3	My guest joining me via Zoom from her home in Utah County is my new friend Liberty Hansen.
0:15.9	Welcome to the podcast, Liberty.
0:18.0	Thank you. It's so good to be here.
0:20.4	Liberty is an early release, early release, early return missionary who was going to share
0:25.8	her story. She went to Richmond, Virginia, and she is home. She's age 20, and we've done
0:32.5	podcasts in the past with early release missionaries, and these are the kind of stories I wish
0:37.4	I had heard better because I've sat in church
0:40.0	and had someone come home early from a mission and never known quite what to say.
0:44.1	And I probably stuck my foot in my mouth, not knowing the right things to say.
0:48.6	And I've really tried to listen to people like Liberty walking this road.
0:52.6	And so I can do the right thing and congratulate them for their awesome service and not
0:57.3	think of them as second class Latter-day Saints for not serving the quote-unquote full-time
1:02.3	because once I hear their stories, they often have really good reasons why their mission,
1:07.5	why they're home.
1:08.7	And they should be celebrated and congratulated.
1:11.9	And so Liberty is going to share her story.
1:14.1	Our hope, our hope.
1:15.2	We set a prayer.
1:16.0	This helps you if you're an early,
1:17.4	really missionary.
1:18.3	If you're sort of a person like me that wants to do better,
	...

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