Week 28 - La Cygne

First of all, sorry this isn't coming until Wednesday! We weren't able to have P-day on Monday because we had a Zone Conference, and then yesterday we had lots of appointments so we are doing it today.  Shouldn't happen again!

But anyway, I am still here in the Mound City Branch. Sister Adamson got transferred back up to Independence (she was there before) but to a different ward. She also got switched to Spanish speaking! Pretty crazy. She was so excited when it happened. My new companion is Sister Webb. She is awesome! She is from Salt Lake and has been out for a year tomorrow. It's pretty funny because she was just companions with Sister Frandsen (my MTC companion) and before that with Sister Blunt (my trainer). And we both have a love for Sister Blunt, so it has been fun to swap stories. She is also hilarious, so we have been having lots of fun together. For example, yesterday we were on this doorstep and some water was dripping off the roof onto our heads. Sis. W started catching water in her hand and then throwing it in my face.  Then we got into a little water war on the doorstep. It was hilarious.  And then the girl answered the door. Don't worry, she didn't see it. But it has just been fun. Without taking time to have fun, missions can be way too serious! I have no idea what I did to deserve all the amazing companions I have had so far. Each and every one of them has taught me so much. I hope that doesn't mean I will have really hard ones for the rest of my mission! We'll see.

This has been a very good week. The weather was getting so nice, it even got up to about 65...and then it snowed again. We had a crazy snowstorm on Saturday and Sunday, but then it went away and we were back up to 65 yesterday. I love it.We have been wanting to get the branch fired up so we are challenging members to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. It is going to be good! I know that as they do it, it will change their lives. We recently finished doing a 60 day challenge as missionaries and it has been amazing. That book is so powerful. We also had an amazing opportunity on Monday at Zone Conference to hear from Elder Lowell Snow of the 70. It was unlike any church meeting I have ever been to. It wasn't just him giving a talk, but was an open discussion guided by the spirit. He would ask a question, and then would invite us to comment. But not just with the first thing that comes to mind, or what you have learned by experience, or what is the "right" answer. He told us we need to pause, and listen. Listen to the voice in the back of your head or the feelings in your heart that are teaching you. Once we as a group started to do that it was amazing. We stopped giving the typical missionary answers and started really letting the spirit lead. Some really amazing topics came out of it, things we need to focus on as missionaries in this mission. I can't really describe it. I think my favorite part was when one elder was asking about how we know when we are exactly obedient, and how can we get to that point. Elder Snow asked him what he (the elder) thought he needed to improve on. The elder started to answer right away and Elder Snow stopped him. He told him that everyone has many things they know of that they need to improve on. But he asked him what was the thing that the spirit has been trying to tell him to work on. When that happened I was amazed. Of course I was asking myself the same questions at the same time, so when he said that I realized what I really need to work on. And how if I work on that thing that the spirit has been trying to teach me, lots of my little problems and stuff will be resolved. We talked about a lot of good things, but that was one thing that really stuck out to me.

I also had a really good experience yesterday. I have been struggling a little bit lately, and when that happens it is easy to wonder what you are doing. Why you are really here, being a missionary. I had really lost sight of why I was here. But yesterday we got out of an appointment, and I just had this overwhelming gratitude to be here. I realized that being a

missionary really is the best job in the world. Think about it, I get to help people come closer to Christ! I get to invite them to do things that can completely change the course of their life and beyond. I have the power and authority to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I get to be set apart from the world and not have to worry about all kinds of stuff in life. And just dedicate myself to this work. So I am excited. I want to change. I don't want to be the same person when I get home. I want to have a completely different perspective on life. I already do, but I am excited to change even more. Change hurts and is hard, but it is necessary.

I will leave you with a funny story. Yesterday I got into the car to back it out of a driveway. I got settled in and turned to shift into reverse...and almost had a heart attack! There was a cat sitting there. I have no idea how it got in! We must have had the door opened for a minute, and it slipped in. So I reached over and opened the passenger door and threw it out, then backed out. SIs. W got it and I was laughing, expecting that she saw it all happen. But she was on the phone, so she missed it all! It was pretty funny. Oh the joys of missionary life.

Well, I love you all! Have a great week.

-Sister Hafen