Hello everyone!
What a week. We made a billion batches of cookies this week and took them to everyone we know- an excellent way to get into people’s houses! We decided now we need to make cookies every week with a different theme: New Year’s cookies, winter cookies, snowman cookies, heart/cupid/valentines cookies…just keep it going all year. How can you resist two missionaries standing on your doorstep holding cookies? You can’t. Genius.
Anyway, on to things that matter! Last Monday we went to Santas Around the World (I think I mentioned that). Best thing ever! We go in (we were the only visitors) and there was this cute crazy old couple watching the desk. They asked us to sign the guest book, and Sister Powell goes to sign it and gets this really confused look on her face. She asks the people “why does everyone on here say sister?” and they say “we had a group of nuns come in yesterday!” It was really funny. So we just added our sister names to the list. Then we went in and it was amazing! Life-size Santas from 22 different countries. It was the best. We had a lot of fun posing by the different Santas. Other funny things that happened this week: we were teaching this ADHD 9 year old a lesson I made up called “fiery darts of the adversary”. This game involves NERF guns and scriptures as shields. Anyway, we asked the kid, “Bryce, how do you think you can fight against Satan?” to which he replied, “Um…God’s little soldiers?” We laughed really really hard. Another funny thing- two days before Christmas we were leaving our house in the morning, and it was Sister Powell’s day to drive. I didn’t see the keys on the desk so I just assumed she had them. We go out our back door and are walking to our car and she wasn’t unlocking it…so she goes, “wait, is it my day to drive?” Yeah we definitely locked ourselves out of the house and car. And it was about 25 degrees. But don’t worry, we went to one of our bedroom windows and noticed that the screen was bent (obviously this has happened before) and took it out, and then the window was unlocked! I climbed in and did this kind of awkward (in a skirt) roll into the house and onto my bed. Very graceful. Now this was a blessing, but this window is also the one right above my head where I sleep! But don’t worry, I locked it.
Alright! Investigator report. We were supposed to have like 4 people for sure come to church yesterday, and of course just one came. Our investigator Joe was supposed to come, and was even going to pick up Anthony. But he had family drama and decided to go to their church, but he still picked up Anthony, dropped him off at church, and picked him up when it was over. Ridiculous. But Deborah did come! It was her first time and actually she loved it. One of the talks was something she really needed to hear. Kind of a relief because this week we had a weird lesson with her. It was going really well until we started talking about how she has this weird recurring dream where she dies, and because of that she is convinced that there is a form of reincarnation where she will actually live that life she dreams about. There always has to be something! Hopefully we will be able to clear that up soon. We also had a really good lesson with Shannon this week! One of our struggles with her has been trying to get her to read the Book of Mormon (or anything!). We gave her a chapter to read, and when we were with her she pulls it out and says, “so on the note you wrote page 154 and chapter 5, but chapter 4 is on page 154, so I wasn’t sure what to read and just read both of them.” Awesome! And she really enjoyed what she read. So great. We also found out that she smokes a whole lot and drinks a whole pot of coffee a day, so we will be working on that with her! But she will get baptized, I can feel it. We had a lesson with Morris and watched the Restoration. He is so funny because he loves everything we teach and has no problems with anything- even believes it. We asked him what would be holding him back from baptism- he is afraid of water. And yes that is just an excuse, but really he is. Like he never takes baths, swims in pools, etc. But you know, if that is his only concern we can work with it! We didn’t have very much time to talk about it but will this week. Francisco was supposed to be baptized yesterday…he wasn’t and we haven’t even met with him this week-he was busy. Hopefully he isn’t slipping away!
Also this week we had interviews with President and Sister VanKomen, which is always a highlight. And since next transfer we don’t have them of course they both brought up how it was my last interview…bleh. President asked me if I could choose where would I end my mission and I told him I would love to go back to the Visitor Center for my last transfer, but I would also be just fine with staying here. Of course where you want to go usually doesn’t really make a difference, but it would be fun. He told me he would take it into consideration and transfers would be done by inspiration like they always are. So we’ll see! We find out next Tuesday. And I always love talking to Sister VanKomen. She asked me how my mission has changed my life so far, and I didn’t even know what to say! It has changed everything. My priorities, my testimony, my confidence, just everything. Then she told me that if my parents don’t want me when I go home, she would adopt me. I told her they probably want me, but thanks for the offer.
And of course the most important day this week- Christmas! It was a fun day. We got up and opened presents and made a big breakfast, then got ready and I got to call my family. It was fun! It kind of felt like I was there with them- I forgot I was in Kansas for a minute. Then we went over and had lunch with some members, then went over to some other members and had dinner and played a game while Sister Powell called her family. All in all a pretty low key day, until we were going home that is! We were leaving their house that night (they live out in the middle of nowhere and it was dark) and Sister Powell kind of fell and ran into this metal thing by their door. We thought she was okay, so we went to the car and I started to drive away. Then I hit this barrel in their yard (don’t worry, no more damage!) and just started laughing. She checks the car and gets in and is going ow ow ow ow ow and we look at her leg and there is a hole in her tights and a bunch of blood. So it hurt a lot all the way home then we look at it, and there was a hole in her leg! Not very big, but pretty deep. We got it checked out the next day and taken care of but it was crazy! Good day, stressful night.
And of course I will end this long email with my Book of Mormon insight for the week. I was reading 2 Nephi 4 and was just struck at how humble Nephi was. I sometimes make fun of him because of verses like 1 Nephi 4:31 where he talks about how he is large in stature- such a boy thing to say. Because Nephi was human! Of course. But I love and respect Nephi. He is so practical and humble! His brothers are always complaining, and he is just like, “guys! Seriously? Remember how the Lord helped us that time and that time and that time? He is going to help us again! Remember how you saw an angel? How can you not believe?” Ok so that is Sister Hafen language not Nephi, but you know. But he is just patient with them and everyone and even when his whole family doubts and loses faith, he doesn’t. I like 2 Nephi 4 because it shows us Nephi’s emotions. So we have to realize that this is right after Lehi dies. His father has just died and his brothers start going off again. They are fighting and saying that Nephi is crazy because he wants them to listen to the Lord. Wouldn’t that be so frustrating? Lehi’s dying words to these guys are how much he wants them to be righteous. Then right after they are obviously not listening. And Nephi must have felt a lot of responsibility! He was the new spiritual leader. But instead of losing his cool and finally just going off on his brothers or getting angry at the Lord, he says “O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.” What? Really? He is so humble. He just shows so much how much he trusts in the Lord. I also love this: “Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” I always think of a flower that is wilting when I read this verse. It is drooping. Apparently he feels like he has let the adversary overtake him a little bit. But the important part is that he recognized that and is fighting it! This is all a prayer. This whole part just shows how much Nephi wants to be clean and free from any kind of sin. Not just the big ones, but any and all sin. “Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin?” He is serious about this. He is such an example to me. He knows he isn’t perfect (even though he IS large in stature ) and knows he cannot become better without the Lord. What an example.
Well, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! And will have a Happy New Year. Make some good resolutions!
-Sister Hafen
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