Honestly, I am glad it is a new year. I was kind of getting sick of the holidays. People get depressed and stressed and they go out of town. I love the holidays too, but I am ready for a new year! Things are getting back to normal now. Church attendance was still pretty small this week, but hopefully we will be back up a little next week.
Well, we did get to celebrate the new year! We went over to Sis. McCowan's house and ate dinner and stuff. Her daughter Dorian got us these super sweet glasses and of course we took the opportunity to have a photo shoot! We also bought some sparkling cider and these cute little plastic glasses so we could do a countdown to 10:30...but by the time we got home we were too tired. So maybe we will do a countdown to something else this week. Besides the holiday celebration, New Year's Eve was also the first real snow of the winter. Can you believe that? I was starting to think everyone was lying about all the snow they usually have. And really I was hoping we could last just a little longer...but oh well. Since then it has been a little colder and I think more snow is predicted this week sometime. Fun fun fun! I just love snow with all my heart. But I did get to break out my boots, so that made me happy. :)
I don't really feel like I have a lot to say today, just lots of little things. Oh, we got to see Stan and Nadine this week! The cutest old couple that we started teaching back in September when I first got here. They are the ones that went to temple square and loved it and asked for a Book of Mormon. They won't be baptized right now because they won't abandon their little church which is kind of going under right now, so we haven't seen them much (also they live 50 miles away from us). But we decided to go see them and they are just so cute. They were telling us how since they saw us last they gave a Book of Mormon to their son, read all the pamphlets we left them, and have been talking to people about the church. Awesome! They are already missionaries. I believe that one day they will join the church. But Sis. Powell reminded me that even if they don't in this life, they will be very prepared to receive it in the next. So true. Wouldn't that be a happy reunion?
Other investigators- we didn't see a lot of them this week. We saw Debbie and taught her the Word of Wisdom. It seems like all of our really great and serious investigators all have big W.O.W. problems. We talked about it and she said it was one of her new year's resolutions anyway to quit smoking, so that is good! She also told us though that she is just going to take her time quitting because last time she tried to quit fast she gained 50 pounds. Man. So hopefully once she has a stronger testimony and sees the importance of baptism she will be more motivated. We also taught Shannon the Word of Wisdom this week. Because she is so addicted to so many things it probably will take her a while, but she has a desire and willpower, which is the most important thing!
So I mentioned transfers are going to be this week. In Relief Society yesterday I raised my hand to make an announcement, and said that we might need a ride to Wichita this week for transfers if one of us gets transferred. It was kind of quiet for a minute and then a couple of the ladies said, "we decided that if we refuse to take you, you can't leave!" I think everyone is kind of assuming I am going since I have been here for a while now. It was really nice though I thought to know people love you! Then later we were teaching Anthony and we just told him that transfers are this week and it is possible I might be leaving, and he started tearing up! Oh my gosh. Sometimes I get frustrated in Great Bend because it is hard work out here! But I think I love the people here more than anywhere. On my mission my love for people has grown a lot and it seems with each new area I have this greater capacity to love the people there. Some of the people I love here will definitely be lifelong friends.
Two things I learned this week. One, I decided that Preach My Gospel is really just a parenting manual disguised as a missionary handbook to train us on how to be good parents. Think about it. It teaches you all about how to be a good teacher and how to help your investigators. Isn't that what you are supposed to do with your kids? I never thought about this before, but on my mission I have learned so much about marriage and families. Dealing with companions, observing member and non-member families, seeing the consequences of people's actions on their families, etc. So much! And these lines from Preach My Gospel will come into my mind sometimes when I see this stuff. Yesterday in RS we had a lesson on being a good example to our children (for me my future children i guess). We were talking about teaching them and how important it is. One line from Preach My Gospel kept popping into my head: "Their understanding will be influenced by your personal worthiness." Of course in the context that is talking about people we teach, but man! That is kind of a big deal. If I am out here teaching someone and I have unresolved sins or I'm not living what I am teaching and I am trying to bear testimony and help them in their conversion process, that testimony and teaching cannot have the same effect that it could if those things were opposite about me. Sister Powell and I have been talking about spiritual power and how we get it. The closer we come to Christ, the cleaner we become and as we get farther and farther away from the natural man, Satan has less and less power to influence us. What better kind of power could we possibly want? The power to not be bound down by things not in our control. No addictions or guilt or shame or hiding anything. Isn't that the best feeling? I have noticed that when I am doing my best and trying to be as obedient as I know how, my testimony and words have much more power. It is noticeable to me and I think to the people I teach as well.
And last but not least, the Book of Mormon this week! If you are doing it you should be about to Jacob by now. I think today I want to share what I learned this morning as I was reading Jacob 1-3. Kind of like I talked about last time when Lehi died and Nephi was probably feeling a lot of responsibility, the same kind of thing has happened to Jacob. Nephi just died and he put Jacob in charge of a lot of things. In chapter 2 it starts his talk to the people of Nephi, who have kind of started being stupid. It's funny because before he gets to the spiritual rebuking he tells them it is going to be harsh, but it is what the Lord commands. There is a group of people who have started to get too focused on clothes and jewelry and money, and started being immoral and judgmental and all kinds of good stuff. And like what happens a lot in the Book of Mormon, these people start raising themselves above others and believing they are better. In this case they are starting to really hate the Lamanites because it says of "their filthiness and the cursing which hath come upon their skins." But listen to this! In Jacob 2:35 he says "Behold, ye have done greater iniquities than the Lamanites, our brethren. Ye have broken the hearts of your tender wives, and lost the confidence of your children, because of your bad examples before them; and the sobbings of their hearts ascend up to God against you. And because of the strictness of the word of God, which cometh down against you, many hearts died, pierced with deep wounds." OUCH! Have you ever tried to tell someone who is doing something really wrong that they are wrong? It usually doesn't go over very well. And thankfully in this group there were also a lot of good people. He apologizes to them for having to say these things in front of them, and also reminds them to keep going and it will pay off. But I always think it is interesting that he also tells them that even though the Lamanites are not necessarily doing good things, they are still doing better than them! I see over and over in the Book of Mormon where the Lord warns those who have the gospel, who have understanding and light and knowledge, that if they don't shape up it will be much worse for them than the people who don't have all that and have been raised in ignorance. Obviously this connects to us today. If us who are members of Christ's restored church don't do anything with the light we have, we will be in trouble! I always think of when we taught Stan and Nadine the plan of Salvation. When we were done, he just looked at it and told us how much he loved it, and then said, "In the 70 years I have been a member of the Methodist church here, I have never been taught anything like this." And he was so grateful to learn that! And I am not saying that his church is bad. It is a good church and there are good people in it. But we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth! And what we do with that and how we treat it I think says a lot about who we are. This is huge! That point just always sticks out to me- we are so stinking blessed to have this. And I am grateful to be here to share it with those that don't know.
Well, I hope you enjoyed your holidays! Have fun back at work and school and everything. Love you all!
-Sister Hafen
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