Hi everyone! This week was good. I hope it was good for you! My mom sent me pictures of the play at the high school and it looked like it was awesome! My brother is so old now.
Here in Great Bend, KS things weren't quite as exciting, but still good. :) We finally saw a couple of our investigators after a couple weeks of not seeing them. One of them, Joe, we only get to see every so often because he is a truck driver and is out of town a lot. But this meeting was the best one so far I think! He is coming to church next week (he will be out of town next weekend) and we even brought Anthony with us as a team-up. It was great! You can just see Anthony's testimony growing every day. Joe is in the same kind of situation Anthony was- wants to be a good person and know more about God, but doesn't really see the need to join the church. So Anthony was able to just testify to him the difference it has made in his life. So awesome. If the only person I ever taught and saw change on my mission was Anthony, it would be worth it. This week we were talking to him about marriage because he really wants to get married, just doesn't have any prospects here. He said, "you know, I decided I want to marry someone in the church, because I want them to believe the same way I do. And you're supposed to get married in the temple!" We have never even really talked much about temples, but he listens and he studies and he prays and he just gets it. He also got the priesthood this week! They didn't tell us about it until after, but that's ok. So exciting! We are also going to be taking him with us next weekend when we get to go hear Elder Scott speak for our all-mission conference. And we got permission to take him to the jail and VC after! It is going to be the best day ever. I can't wait.
I also got to do exchanges this week with Sister Ika, who I served around at the VC. It is only her 3rd transfer, but it is cool to see how much she has grown just in a couple of months. We commiserated a little about being so far away from everyone, but it was good for us to talk about that and realize the Lord has a reason for sending us out here, even though we both enjoy being around the other sisters so much. It was also good to talk to her and really remember more about what it feels like to be a new missionary. Now that I have served with two newer missionaries in a row I realize that when you are new, you think your companion knows everything. What you don't realize it that companion still doesn't feel like they know much. And when you're new, you think you are doing a lot, but you don't always realize how much you rely on your companion to do and know things you can't do or don't know. One day I will apologize to my first 3 companions- I didn't do anything! Oh well. You learn and grow, and later on you understand and appreciate all the missionaries around you do.
OH. But the best thing ever happened on exchanges. I found out something really awesome from Sister Ika. Do you remember, way back in June, me talking about being at the laundromat in Independence and a Jehovah's Witness lady came up to me? It was a funny experience. But then it led to me talking to this guy that was there. This is what I said about it:
I also got to do exchanges this week with Sister Ika, who I served around at the VC. It is only her 3rd transfer, but it is cool to see how much she has grown just in a couple of months. We commiserated a little about being so far away from everyone, but it was good for us to talk about that and realize the Lord has a reason for sending us out here, even though we both enjoy being around the other sisters so much. It was also good to talk to her and really remember more about what it feels like to be a new missionary. Now that I have served with two newer missionaries in a row I realize that when you are new, you think your companion knows everything. What you don't realize it that companion still doesn't feel like they know much. And when you're new, you think you are doing a lot, but you don't always realize how much you rely on your companion to do and know things you can't do or don't know. One day I will apologize to my first 3 companions- I didn't do anything! Oh well. You learn and grow, and later on you understand and appreciate all the missionaries around you do.
OH. But the best thing ever happened on exchanges. I found out something really awesome from Sister Ika. Do you remember, way back in June, me talking about being at the laundromat in Independence and a Jehovah's Witness lady came up to me? It was a funny experience. But then it led to me talking to this guy that was there. This is what I said about it:
"Anyway, this actually led to a good experience. There was a young guy doing laundry near us and he had been watching this all happen. Of course, this was a perfect opportunity to bring up religion, so I started talking to him and just telling him how funny it is to be a missionary sometimes. He was pretty cool! We talked for a while about some of our basic beliefs, and then actually the sisters who were with us cover the area where he lives, so they set up an appointment with him. Pretty cool. The Lord really does put these people in our paths, but we have to figure out who they are and invite them! Which is sometimes really scary. But usually, it isn't! You just do it, and things work out."
So after that experience this summer I didn't really think much about him. The sisters that had an appointment with him ended up going over and finding out he had moved. Eventually they found out he moved out of the stake and he just kind of got lost. But then last transfer something cool happened. Well actually, Sister Ika told me this story and I had no idea it was him. Then she mentioned that once one of the sisters said we had talked to him at the laundromat. Then I realized this story was about him! Anyway, last transfer this kid (Dustin) was running past the VC and saw the sign that said "Visitors Welcome." He was thirsty, so he went in to get a drink. They asked him if he wanted to go on a tour, and he said yes. A couple of the sisters took him around for a minute and he loved it. He said that he would be back, but they didn't really believe him. Then on Sunday the Sister Ika and her companion (who covered the singles branch in Independence, and he is a YSA) were outside the VC waiting for the senior couple to unlock the doors right before 9. Dustin walks up and they start talking to him. He tells them he came to spend the day at the VC because he likes the way he feels when he is there. Of course, they were way excited and invite him in and spent the shift taking him around. He watched the JS Movie and the Testaments, and they showed him a testimony from Special Witnesses and committed him for baptism right then and there. He was crying and said he had just been asking someone to ask him something like that. They invited him to church which started in a couple of hours, and he ended up going with them. After church he asked how soon he could be baptized, and they said as soon as two weeks, or as long as it takes. He said "two weeks please!" And he was baptized in two weeks. He had no word of wisdom or law of chastity problems, and it was just that easy. I shared this experience this week at the Leadership conference, and President said that he now wants to go on a mission.
What the heck! Ok, so I don't want it to seem like I am bragging about anything here. Because if I was bragging about anything, it definitely wouldn't be talking to everyone- I am horrible at it. But I knew that day at the laundromat I needed to talk to that guy. I know we talked to him about the VC, but nothing happened with it until that day last transfer. I have no idea if he remembers me at all or our conversation. But I was really overwhelmed when I heard about this. It made me gain a greater testimony that Heavenly Father places people in our paths that need us- whether or not we are a missionary! I could have never heard about this and never realized that it was the same kid I talked to. But Heavenly Father knows. And we know when we receive those promptings to even just be nice to those around us or to share the gospel with them. And we never never never know what the result will be. Usually we don't find out things like this. But I am grateful that I was able to find out about this so my testimony could grow.
That was probably the coolest thing that happened this week. Like I mentioned, we had the leadership conference as well this week. It was a really good experience for me. This time me and Sister Bowman were the only sisters there- and like 15 elders. I have loved being able to serve around her out here and go to these conferences with her. When we were companions we were both struggling with different things and sometimes had a hard time. I don't think we really appreciated each other all that much. We were friends and had fun, but at the end of the transfer it was like "ok bye!" and wasn't really all that sad. But now I think we have been able to see the growth in each other and have really been able to help each other through the experiences we have had. I am grateful I have had the opportunity to get to know her better. I think sometimes people are put in our paths and we don't really put all the effort we needed to in getting to know them or befriending them, sometimes we even end up not liking them very much. But sometimes those people will be put right back in our path later on. And we just never know who those people will be! One thing I think I have learned (or am trying to learn!) is that you never know who you will run into later in life. And there is not a single person on this earth that deserves to just be overlooked or treated like they don't matter. We have such an opportunity to make a difference. It could be an unexpected friendship, or even just a smile and wave that totally changes their attitude. You just never know! I guess that is my theme today. But it's true. :)
Well, this is long! I hope you all have a fantastic week. I love you!
-Sister Hafen
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