Hello All!
Well, it's been a crazy week!
Sorry not to have emailed yesterday, first off. It was a civic holiday
yesterday and we weren't able to email since the libraries were
closed. I'm now serving in the Calgary East Stake in the Elliston Park
ward and Franklin Park YSA ward, and it's awesome! East Calgary, you
see, is very different from my last area. In my last area, there were a
lot of affluent, white, often LDS people. In this area...there are
not. The East is basically Calgary's ghetto, and is therefore full of
lots of humble people. It's sometimes hard to see the conditions some
people live in, but it's also such a blessing to see the difference the
gospel can make in people's lives. We pretty much hear sirens every
day, there are shopping carts all over the place, and I really really
love it.
My new companion is Elder MacDuff from Quebec City, Quebec. I
actually served around him in my first transfer, and he's an awesome
guy. He's French Canadian, and didn't speak much English before his
mission. It's been fun to get to know each other over the past few
days, and I can't wait to learn what I'm meant to learn from him.
It's also been pretty crazy learning my new responsibilities.
It's always interesting getting a new calling, but I've been grateful to
have Elder MacDuff here to help me with being a zone leader now. It's
been tough, but also a lot of fun. Zone Leader has been pretty good so far. I got to get
right into it, as Mission Leadership Conference was this past Friday.
That's where all the zone leaders and sister training leaders get
together with the assistants and President and Sister Nicholas
to discuss the state of the mission and things we could be doing
differently. One thing we talked about is something we're doing this
month called "Walk and Talk August". Basically, our allotted kilometers
have been cut to a quarter of what we normally have,
and we're supposed to walk as much as possible. The goal is to talk to
1,000,000 people this month as a mission, which would honestly be a
miracle, but I'm really excited for the opportunities for growth it
presents all of us as missionaries! I've definitely
already gotten more comfortable talking to people. Anyway, things are
going well. I am having to adjust to a new zone and new people, of
course, which is always a bit stressful, but it's going to be good!
I wish I knew more about the area so I could tell you more, but
I have gotten the chance to meet a few people. Last Saturday we had a
lesson with two of our investigators, Maurisio and Virginia. Maurisio
and Virginia are brother and sister. They are Filipino, and are
awesome! The missionaries haven't been meeting with them for too long,
but Maurisio especially has really jumped into the gospel. On Saturday,
we were able to set a baptismal date with him for the 23rd of August! I
really think he can get there, too!
We also have a couple of less-active members who are doing well
right now. Nick, who I met my first day here, is a YSA guy who was
baptized a couple of years ago but has come in and out of activity
since. He's been out to church a few weeks in a row now, and even bore
his testimony on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to meeting some
more of the wonderful people in this area. That's always one of the
best parts about a new area; the new relationships our Heavenly Father
allows us to build.
Sunday was also my 13 month mark in the mission, which is
pretty crazy to think about. Having this little time left really helps
me realize all the inadequacies and faults I have, but it helps me want
to be better, too. It's easy to get down on ourselves and become
discouraged when we realize how flawed we are, especially when we know
who we really are and who we're meant to be, but the Lord keeps teaching
me this lesson as I'm in His service: We're not perfect, but He's still
there for us. This life is hard, but that's just so we can learn to
rely on Him. Without Him, there would be no way to be saved, no way to
be really happy, no way to become better. How grateful I am for the
opportunity to learn and grow and become who He wants me to be.
Thank you all so much for your love and support and
encouragement. You are all such blessings in my life! Have a wonderful
week! Be good. Have fun!
I love you all!
Elder Hafen
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