Oh, mission life. It really is funny. Sometimes I think back to life before my mission and I really can't remember a lot about it. And I really can't imagine what life will be like when I get home. Yesterday this girl came into the Visitors' Center that knows a friend of mine from BYU. She said that she would have to tell her that she met me. My first thought was, "How is she going to do that? She'll probably forget about it when she writes her next." I forgot for a minute that other people can actually do things like call or email. Pretty funny.
Anyway, I learned a lot this week. I remember my mission prep teacher before my mission said that going on a mission was like cramming 50 years of church service into 18 months. Also, I think it's like learning years of life lessons in 18 months. The trick I think is to make sure you apply the things you learn the rest of your life. I had a really good experience this week at interviews. Every transfer we get to have an interview with our mission president and also a little talk with his wife. It was amazing to me that even though sometimes I feel like I have learned nothing on my mission (because Heavenly Father lets you go through the same thing over and over until you learn it), being there I realized I really have changed a lot in the past almost 9 months. Before my mission I was terrified to talk to people and had no idea how I was going to help these people or rely on the spirit. And even though I still struggle with it sometimes, I have recognized that if you are willing to change, you can. And with His help he really will turn your weaknesses into strengths just like He says He will in the Book of Mormon. Talking with my mission president I always remember all the other interviews I have had with him. I remembered one in particular that I basically just cried the whole time. And the ones at the beginning of my mission that I was still just a happy-go-lucky greenie who hadn't really faced any challenges yet. I am grateful that Heavenly Father doesn't take away our memories of our mistakes, weaknesses and trials. If He did that, there is no way we would ever learn! We could never compare the strength we have in certain things now if we couldn't remember what we were like before. So anyway, it was neat. I still have lots to learn about missionary work, but talking to him I actually felt like I have learned and grown.
Funny story. So when we are at the VC, usually we give tours without our companion or another sister, but when one or two men come in alone two sisters have to go. Last night my companion and another sister were up next when a single man came in, so they took him on a tour. Then they finished with him and came upstairs, he left, and immediately another single man came in. Every other sister was already on a tour, so they took him too. Then they
finished with him and came upstairs, and about 10 minutes later another man came in. Of course, we couldn't let them pass up this opportunity so we made them take that one as well. It was pretty funny. While they were on tour me and the senior sister made little sticky notes that said "I do single men tours!" and when they got back we stuck them on their name tags. It was pretty funny. A single man came in about an hour later and we were going to make them do that one too, but he just came in for a map. So sad. :) 
Well, I guess I'll leave you with an experience I had yesterday. We had a good day on Sunday and when I went to bed on Sunday night I was really pumped for the next day because we were actually going to have time for studies and it was just going to be a good day. But when I woke up on Monday I did not feel the same way. I mean, usually it takes me a while to wake up in the mornings and then I am fine, but even after I had gotten ready and started studying I just felt off. I started beating myself up about all this stuff I felt like I wasn't doing right or accomplishing or becoming. And of course, I started to get a little upset. I was getting really frustrated with dumb things, things were annoying me that usually wouldn't, and I was just not having a good morning. When we were doing companionship study and were driving out to our area, I knew that my bad attitude was starting to affect my companion. I started thinking about what was wrong, and realized that really nothing was wrong. I was just having a bad attitude about nothing. As we were driving I just got to this point that I knew it could only be stupid satan trying to prevent me from being a good missionary that day, because those thoughts and feeling weren't coming from me, and certainly not from God. So I decided to not let him win. I told Heavenly Father I was just going to change my attitude like that and I needed His help. And it worked! We had a really good day. We met some new people and had some good lessons. And I realized a huge tactic satan uses to try and make me discouraged. It really is all about attitude. And all about faith. We really have to have the faith that things will work out. It we don't, they won't. Our job as missionaries is to do things the Lord's way. It simply won't work if we try doing it our own way. And the adversary works really hard on us! I have never felt that so much before. They really will do anything to stop us. But we can't allow it to happen.
Well, another interesting week! Missions are the best.
I love you all!
-Sister Hafen
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