Another week has come and gone, and one with one of the best holidays there is! It's been a wonderful Easter week with a lot of opportunity to reflect on the Savior and His incredible sacrifice for us. Not just us as a whole, but for each and every one.
It's been a fun week and a hard week, just like a lot of the weeks in the mission field. We had typical, crazy Calgarian weather, with beautiful sunny days and a crazy full-out blizzard. Elder Bensing also got to experience what a lake that has been frozen all winter feels like when he put his feet on the ice to see how thick it was and sunk up past his ankles instead. (The members we were at dinner with were kind enough to let him use their dryer, so it all worked out. ;) ) The work also continues to go well.
I'll tell you right off the bat that we were able to see Julia again! We stopped by her townhouse complex on Friday, and found her at home. We were able to teach her a lot of the first lesson, and it was awesome. She's had a hard time reading from the Book of Mormon so far, but she knows that there is something missing in her life right now, and she wants to change! The Spirit was there, and I hope she continues meeting with us. Another miracle as far as Julia goes, her friend, who's name is Dre, also participated in the lesson, and when we gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon, he couldn't but it down! We'll be meeting with them again this coming week, and we hope to see some amazing things from them.
Tethloch continues to do well. We taught him and his family yesterday, and it was wonderful. Tethloch's little sister, Nyamal, will be turning eight soon, and so she and Tethloch will be baptized on the same day! That means that their date has been changed to May 10th. It's been wonderful to get to know their family a little better. They're really great people.
Rick and Cindy are doing well. We had a lesson with them this week,
and were able to answer a lot of the questions that Rick has had about
baptism for a good 50 years. Isn't the gospel great!? We also started
teaching a family I'll just call the H's. They're really kind people.
The mother is a very strong born-again Christian, but the father and
son seem to be more interested, and we'll hopefully see them learn more
and progress!
This week, we also got to participate in a couple of seminary
classes. We're lucky enough here to have seminary buildings and release
time seminary for the kids in high school. In the class, they
concentrated on the Savior's visit to the Nephites in the Americas. The
passage of scripture the teachers really emphasized was 3
Nephi 11:11-15. In verse 14, the Savior says, "Arise and come forth unto
me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may
feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may
know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and
have been slain for the sins of the world." The Savior was inviting
them to receive a personal testimony that He really was the Son
of God and their actual Savior and Redeemer. He gives us the same
opportunity and invitation. We may not be able to thrust our hands into
his side or feel the prints of the nails yet, but through doing our
best to diligently live His gospel, we can gain a testimony that is just
as certain and strong as was the testimonies of the Nephites who saw
Him. I know that's true, and I hope that our Heavenly Father continues
to bless me with a growing testimony of the Savior. I know He is my
Savior, my Redeemer, and my Master, but I know I can know it more
surely!
I hope you're all doing well. We're children of God, He wants
us to be happy, and He's taught us how to be happy in this life! Live
the gospel, I beg of you, and you will be happy! Thank you all so much
for your examples and for your love and support. I love you all so
much! Be good! Have fun!
I love you all!
Elder Hafen
Elder Hafen
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