Week 21 - The Second Area and the Firstborn

Hello All!

    I hope you've all had a fantastic week!  I know I have.  It's been crazy, of course, but also awesome.  I am indeed no longer serving in Raymond, which is kinda sad, but I know that I'm not supposed to be there anymore.  Hopefully, I did the work I was sent there to do, and if I didn't...I'll be back!  I am so grateful that I was able to serve in that wonderful area, that I was able to learn the things I did, and, especially, to meet and teach the people I did.  I know I was meant to meet them, and I hope they were meant to meet me.

   

My new area really isn't too far away from Raymond at all.  I am now in the Lethbridge West 12th Ward with my new companion (and first "son") Elder Law from Ogden, Utah.  He is awesome, and we're getting along really well.  He's a big theater geek and we have lots to talk about that way, but more importantly, he's a really hard worker and has such a desire to be a good missionary.  I'll barely have to do any work to train him.  We've spent the last few days just trying to familiarize ourselves with the area and the members of our ward.  It's been fun.  Ha ha, luckily, the last Elder who was here left us with some good records and a solid idea of what we're doing.  What we've learned so far: We have an awesome Ward Mission Leader who we've been able to meet with on a couple of different occasions already; he's really on the ball and is not afraid to do what needs to be done and say what needs to be said.  The ward is really awesome, and a lot of people seem really willing to help in the work and support us. (Including dinners every night!  I didn't think I'd get that in too many other areas besides Raymond.)  Our apartment is great.  We have some awesome investigators, and we're in a walking area!  Ha ha, it'll really get us acclimatized to the winters here. ;) (Don't worry, we're keeping warm, and we may actually get a car soon.)

    I really just want to report on the two progressing investigators we do have: Ben and Beth.  They are awesome, that's about all you need to know.  The previous missionaries have been meeting with them for a few weeks now, but they've been being prepared for a lot longer than that!  I don't know a ton about them yet, but they've accepted the gospel wholeheartedly, and they are on date to be baptized on the 1st of January.  Is there a better way to start a new year?  I submit that there is not!

    Sorry to be so brief today, but I'm sure I'll have more to add next week!  Before I do close, though, I want to leave you with a scripture that really hit me this week.  It's D&C 58:27-28.  Coming into a brand-new area with no idea what we're doing can be hard, and it's easy to be discouraged and get lazy on a lot of the little stuff, but that's not the way to be.  In this scripture it says that "men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many good things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; For the power is in them," The power is in us to accomplish so much good wherever we are, all we have to do is be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and this is a pretty good cause.

    I love you all so much, and I hope you have a great week!  Be good.  Have fun!

Love,

Elder Hafen

Week 20 - The End of an Era

Hello All!

    Well, it seems my time here in Raymond, Alberta has come to an end.  I just received an email from the

Assistants that I will be transferred somewhere in the southern part of the mission, which could be anywhere from British Columbia to Lethbridge to Medicine Hat (or they could even stick three of us together in Raymond. I guess it's happened before.) but we'll see tomorrow!  This does mean that it's very likely that myself and my trainee will "whitewash/purge" into an area, which means there will be no overlap of missionaries, so that'll be fun! haha, I'm actually quite nervous, but also very excited!  I know that this will be a time of some serious growth and learning, and I also know that "whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies." (President Monson)  How comforting is that!

    Anyway, the work of salvation is going wonderfully!  The members in Raymond are really starting to get involved in and excited about missionary work, and it's wonderful!  We're doing splits most nights of the week with all five of our wards, and the fifth Sunday program for the stake will be entirely centered on missionary work in the family.  Good things are coming!

   

We lost an investigator this week....because he was baptized!  Ryan's baptism was this past Friday, and was awesome.  He's a crazy kid, but he has such a sweet spirit, and the baptism went without a hitch.  The talks were really appropriate for Ryan, and the sister missionaries even had an investigator there, who I think really had a great experience.

    Our other investigators are doing well, though I didn't really get to see them this week.  Elder Lauzon did have a lesson with Caelin and Sam while we were on splits one evening, and Caelin actually wanted to say the closing prayer! (Something that's pretty rare for her.)  I wish I had more to report on all of them, but I have high hopes for them, and I'll be keeping my eye on them for a long time yet.  We also started teaching another investigator on Saturday, Bryan, who's married to a less-active member, but really doesn't know much at all about the church.  He was pretty receptive, though, and I hope we can help him gain a desire to learn more and apply the things we teach.

    This week we also had the opportunity as a mission to hear from Elder Schwitzer of the Second Quorum of the Seventy.  It was a really cool opportunity and I learned a lot from him, especially about repentance.  I don't have my notes from it with me, but I remember especially the importance of helping those we teach repent themselves, and really understand what it means.  (We also have to learn ourselves more about what repentance means.)  Overall, I think I really just need to look at repentance more as the positive change that it really is, instead of something to be dreaded.  Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven has given us the opportunity to become completely different people!  Instead of being stuck as the mortal, sinful, very imperfect humans we are, we can become so much more!  We can realize that we are children of the most powerful and wonderful being in the Universe, and he's given us a way to become like Him.  We just need to try our best.

    I love you all so much!  Have a fantastic week!  Be good, have fun, and remember who you are!

Love,

Elder Hafen

Week 19 - Happy Remembrance Day

Hello All!

    I just want to start off and wish you a happy Remembrance Day!  I hope you're all having a fantastic day and week, and that you're enjoying the onset of winter, wherever you are.  I know I am. ;)  Haha, Raymond is great, as usual, and the end of the transfer is almost upon us.  With that comes some exciting news. . . I'll be training next transfer!  I'm very excited/nervous, but I trust that this is actually what's supposed to be happening. (cross my fingers)  It's crazy to think that that missionary is in the MTC right now, probably going through the same things I went through four months ago.  Anyway, it'll be fun! :)

    Elder Lauzon and I have been working hard, and the people of Raymond are, I think, really starting to get excited about missionary work!  We've been going on splits with (pretty much) all of our wards weekly, and getting a lot done.  Never think that there isn't missionary work to be done, even if you do live in a place where "everyone" is a member.  There's always work to be done!  Isn't that awesome?!

    There's not a ton to report this week on our investigators, other than they're making good progress!  Ryan, who we started teaching last week, will be baptized this Friday.  His mother really wants him to be baptized, and we've been meeting with him very often to make sure that will happen. He's such a sweet kid, and I really hope that his baptism will make a difference in his life as well as the life of his family.

    We met with Ethan for the first time in a while this week, which was great!  We met with his sisters as well, and all of the girls showed up for church on Sunday, though Ethan did not.  The four of them have also started studying the Book of Mormon together every night, which is awesome!  As they get along more and more and learn to love another a little better than they have in the past, I know it will make the time they have to wait to be baptized so much easier on them.  I just hope that we'll be able to help them make a difference in their lives and become the amazing people I know they can be.

    Joe continues to do well... he just has to wait.  It's ok, though.  Experiences like this help us all grow, and I really think it has helped Joe grow and that it will continue to do so.

    Other than our investigators, we've been meeting with a lot of Less-Active members and Recent-Converts, and that's been great.  Interacting with them has really reinforced to me that missionary work isn't just baptizing people.  There are so many members of our church who need friendship, who need encouragement, who need love and a sense of belonging.  We can help strengthen them.  It helps a lot to love them.

    That kind of brings me to my thought this week.  In one of our sacrament meetings yesterday, there was a talk given on love, and I loved it!  The sister who gave the talk shared a quote from President Spencer W. Kimball: "The greatest force in the world is love."  How true that is!  Think about the most incredible and important event ever to take place, namely The Atonement, and what motivated that.  Love.  Our Heavenly Father loves us so much "that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)  I'm sure it's easy for parents to imagine how hard that would have been, but our Father in Heaven did it because He loves us that much.  We need to love Him back.  That is the first great commandment.  Our Heavenly Father has given us everything, I think it's fair for us to try to love him with all our heart, soul, mind ,and strength! (Mark 12:30)  We also need to love one another.  Who are we not to?  After all, Christ came for all of us, and we are all in need of the power of His Atonement.  It can be hard to love our brothers and sisters, though.  Our Father is there to help, though.  He can give us love, we just need to ask him for it.  One of my favorite scriptures is Moroni 7:48: "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen."
    I love you all so much!  Have a fantastic week!  Be good, and always remember to love each other.  Have fun, too!

Love,
Elder Hafen

Week 18 - Winter Wonderland

Hello All!

    I hope you're all having a fantastic time!  It sounds like the weather down in Sunny St. George is just beautiful, so that's nice. Haha, it's beautiful here as well, just a little colder. ;)  Really, though, the weather is beautiful!  We got plenty of snow and ice last Sunday, and then the rest of the week was really pleasant- which gave the kids a really nice Halloween- and then the snow just piled down on us again yesterday.  Good stuff!
    The weather isn't nearly as important as the awesome things that are happening up here in Raymond, Alberta, though!  The week started out a little rough with a lot of appointments falling through, but we've been blessed in the last few days to have been able to find a couple of the people our Heavenly Father has been preparing and get some great things moving here in this tiny town.
    One of our new investigators this week was well-known to us already.  Her name is Sam; Meagan, Caelin, and Ethan's little sister.  She just turned nine recently, and we met with her for the first time this week.  She's a great little girl, and she absolutely loves the church!  She's been going to church practically every week with her aunt, and loves to go to primary as well.  We just continue to hope that her father's heart will be softened, and that they'll all be able to stay strong despite this challenge that they are being made to go through.  There's no way we're giving up on them, though.  Even if it does take years; they've got way too much potential for that. (As do we all.)
    We also started teaching another nine year-old last night.  His name is Ryan, and though we were on splits, and I didn't get to be at the lesson, I've met him before, and he's such a sweet little kid.  I believe his family is somewhat less-active, so he hasn't been baptized yet, but I'm sure it won't be long before he is.  One of his biggest heroes is his neighbor, Brother Wihnan, who was just called as the High Priest Group Leader in one of our wards, and I'm sure he'll be the one baptizing Ryan in a couple of weeks.
    Joe continues to do well.  I wish he could get baptized right now, just because I know that being baptized and having the Holy Ghost with him will help him so much in his continuing progression; he's really grown and changed a lot since he's been here in Raymond.  It's alright, though, March 2nd is going to be a very good day for him. :)
   

And of course, there was Shaidon's baptism this Saturday! (Hooray!)  It was wonderful, and a lot of his family was there to support him, many of whom are less-active.  I was privileged enough to be able to perform the actual ordinance (my very first baptism, and I didn't mess up!), and his grandfather, who is a really great man, confirmed him.  It was a really beautiful blessing, and I really hope that Shaidon's example will have a powerful impact on his family.
    This week, I had the opportunity to read a talk by Elder Orson F. Whitney on lds.org called "Built upon the Rock".  In it, he said something that really stood out to me:
 "Whatever is done by this Church is because God, speaking from heaven in our day, has commanded this Church to do it. … That is the constitution of the Church of Christ."  How true is that!  People, including us, at times, have concerns about the church.  We look at some of the differences that make us so peculiar, and the things we do or don't do that set us apart so much from the world, and we often wonder about them.  Some of those things may even be unsettling to us.  That is totally normal, and I've done it myself, but we don't need to worry or doubt.  This is Christ's church. He leads it through his apostles and prophets.  He will not lead us astray.  After all, He is the Lord, our Good Shepherd.  We most certainly are not. 
    I love you all so much!  Have a fantastic week!  Good luck to the cast and crew of "Peter Pan" with all of your performances this week!  I'm sure you'll be awesome.  Be good!  Have fun!

Love,
Elder Hafen

Week 17 - A White...Halloween?

Hello All!

    Yes, it snowed.  Your little desert dweller is having to adjust to negative (Celsius) temperatures and all this white stuff, and he loves it!  Being cold and wet isn't always the best combination, but it's so wonderful to see the beauty of the wonderful world that our Heavenly Father has given us. (Especially when it goes from being an amazing almost 20 degree sunny day to -2 degrees and dumping snow the next. ;) )  I do love it, though, even if it is going to take some getting used to. 

    The work here in Raymond is just great!  Elder Lauzon and I are really trying to get a lot of things happening here, and we taught quite a few lessons last week.  The wards are starting to get more involved in missionary work, and it's wonderful to see this change throughout the entire church!  With the age change, the change in the Sunday School curriculum, the "Hastening the Work" broadcast this year, and the church's continuing emphasis on missionary work, I can't wait to see what happens, both to our church as a whole and to us as individuals.  It's gonna be good! :)

    Our investigators are doing just great.  We have started to meet with Meagan and Caelin separately now, and had a couple of really awesome lessons with them on faith.  Faith is something I've learned a lot about myself on my mission, but it's definitely something we have to grow, and sometimes that's a trial, but in the end it's all worth it!

   

Joe is doing as well as ever, and I really hope that the next few months can be a time of healing for the relationship he has with his mom and step-dad.  It's not the funnest of situations, and there are a lot of hard feelings on both sides.  I just hope everyone can try to do the best they can do, and not worry so much about the imperfections of everyone else involved.  I'm really grateful for the family I have. :)

    We had a great lesson with Shaidon last night to finalize everything for this coming Saturday.  We went over the baptismal interview questions, and it was wonderful to hear his testimony and understanding as well as those of his grandparents and especially his dad, who were also there.  As we were going through the questions, I was wondering a bit what must have been going through Shaimus' mind.  He has a testimony.  He knows the church is true.  He just isn't living exactly how he should be at this time.  Towards the end of the lesson, however, he told Shaidon how proud of him he was for making this decision, even though he knows his dad(Shaimus) isn't perfect.  Shaimus also helped Shaidon's little brother say the closing prayer, and it was one of the most tender things I've every heard.  Shaimus may not be worthy to baptize his son, but he's a good father, and he loves his children.  That's plenty of reason to love and respect him.

    As I was studying this past week, I came across a couple of scriptures that I'd linked in the past.  They are 2 Nephi 26:22, and D&C 43:9.  It really made me think about the way I need to live my life, especially as I examine myself and try to find ways to improve.  In 2 Nephi, it says that Satan tries to lead us down to Hell with a "flaxen cord".  He's not going to jump out of the bushes and try to wrestle us down and tie us up!  He's too subtle for that.  If he can, he's going to make us skip along down to where he can finally bind us "with his strong cords forever."  Our Heavenly Father is not so subtle.  He tells us in D&C 43,"and ye shall bind yourselves to act in all holiness before me-" Satan's goal is to bind us, but we need to beat him to it.  We need to lash ourselves to the iron rod, and then make sure we don't let go no matter how innocent the reasons for doing so may seem.  We need to be constantly vigilant to ensure Satan hasn't found our weak spots and started to lead us along.

    I love you all!  Have a fantastic week!  Good luck to the cast and crew of "Peter Pan"!  Be good!

Love,

Elder Hafen

Week 16 - 'murica

Hello All!

   I hope you've all had a fantastic week!  I want to wish a happy birthday to my big brother, as well as to my wonderful friend Avonlea Dalley!  Happy Birthday!  

    Things are just wonderful here in Ray-town!  We caught some more pheasants this week, and also got our first glimpse of snow!  I say glimpse because it was actually sleet, something I haven't run into very often in my life.  Today we also had the chance to go on a bit of a Southern Alberta church history tour, and went to the spot where the first members of the church to come up here crossed the border.  I was standing inches away from the United States of America. *sigh*  I guess Canada is alright, too. ;)

    Elder Lauzon and I are really starting to get our area organized, and realizing just how much potential for missionary work there is in this quiet little Mormon town.  We're also building our friendship and learning how to work better together.  It's been great to be his companion so far!

Our investigators are doing well.  I'm sorry to say that Joe won't be baptized this Saturday, though.  We had a lesson with him, and then he asked his mom if he could have permission to be baptized, and she didn't grant it.  It's alright, though.  We actually had a really pleasant chat with Joe's step-dad last night, and it was good to get both sides of the story.  I can't wait for March 2 when Joe can finally be baptized and receive all the blessings being a member of the church brings!

    Shaidon (I learned I'd been spelling that wrong this week.  My bad.) is right on track to be baptized on the 2nd of November, and that's going to be awesome!  I really hope he becomes an example to his little brother and sister, as well as his dad, and I know he has the potential to be one.

    Meagan and Caelin are also doing well, though it's hard for them to be excited about church sometimes when they're stuck in the rut they are.  I have a lot of hope for them, though, and I hope I can do my part in helping them become converted to the Savior.

   

We also got a new investigator this week!  His name is James, and he's the brother of a recent convert in town.  We ran into James last Sunday at a missionary farewell, and asked him if he'd like to meet with us.  He said he would!  After that, though, we couldn't find a way to get a hold of him.  Then, out of the blue, his brother knocks on our apartment door!  *tender mercy* So, we set up a lesson for Saturday, and it was great.  James was really receptive to and accepting of what we had to say, and when we asked him if, when he came to know that the Book of Mormon was true, he would be baptized, he said he would!  Sadly, his mom doesn't seem to be a big fan of the church, so he didn't make it to sacrament meeting yesterday, but we still have a couple of lessons set up with him this week.  It's gonna be great!

    This week, I've really been realizing just how important the gospel is and should be in my life.  It's easy sometimes, as someone who's had the gospel my whole life, to take it for granted, but it really is the best thing ever! (No exaggeration.)  In 1 Nephi when Nephi is seeing the vision of the Tree of Life and learning what it means, the Spirit shows him that the fruit of the tree is the love of God, which "is the most desirable above all things,". (1 Nephi 11:22) Above all things!  We know that God loves us, and we know what His work and glory is, and because He loves us and wants to bless us beyond what we can imagine, He's given us the gospel.  He's shown us the way to have peace and joy in this life, and eternal happiness (with those we love, might I add) in the life to come!  Not only that, He has shown us the way in so many different ways!  He's given us the Bible, the Book of Mormon, Prophets, personal revelation, and the knowledge that He sacrificed His beloved Son to make it all possible.  All because He loves us, and because He, better than anyone or anything in existence, knows what is best for us and what will bless us.  The gospel is the way we will return to live with the Heavenly Father who loves us and knows us perfectly, and how we will receive His love, which is "desirable above all things".  I'd say it's pretty wonderful.

    I love you all!  Have a great week!  Be good!  Have fun!  Remember who you are!

Love,

Elder Hafen

Week 15 - Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

Hello All!

    First off, I am so so so so so so so so so SO sorry that I didn't get an email off to you all last week.  I won't make excuses, and I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again!

    Things are great up here in the CCM!  Transfers were this past Wednesday, and yes, I do have a new companion.  His name is Elder Lauzon (Loh-zahn). (He's French-Canadian ;) ) He's from Ontario, and has only been a member of the church for about two years.  He joined while he was attending college, and is the only member of the church in his family.  Crazy.  He's been out on his mission for about 14 months now, and I am learning and going to learn a lot from him!  Elder Lauzon is also our new district leader, so I have the opportunity to see how mission leadership works a little bit more now.

    Raymond is wonderful, as usual, and I'll be very sad to leave this place.  Since I'm not training this transfer, I think I'll be gone at the end of this transfer, but who knows!  We have some awesome investigators who are progressing really well, and a lot of potential in the area.  We also still have our awesome dinners every night, and had a great (Canadian) Thanksgiving with one of our favorite families in town, the Clarks.  We're off to a couple more of those today, as well!  (Surprisingly, I've only gained about 5-10 pounds here!)

    Some of the big news from this past week is about Joe.  We had Joe on date for his birthday, the second of March, but were a little worried that his difficult family situation would mean that he would be sent back to London sometime soon.  Not fun.  Anyway, a counselor went and met with he and his mom and step-dad, and things are on a dramatic upswing!  His situation at home is improving- his step-dad even let him borrow a suit to wear to church yesterday- and he'll probably be baptized in the next couple of weeks!  I am so grateful to have been able to teach Joe, and be a part of his life.  He has been so prepared by our Heavenly Father to hear this message, and I can't wait to see the difference being a member of the church and receiving all the blessings that come with that will make for him!

    We also committed another one of our investigators, Shayden, to be baptized in November!  He's about nine, and is a great kid!  He's the son of a less-active member, who I've talked about a bit, in another ward of ours, and I really hope that his baptism will help his dad see what needs to change in his life.  

    Meagan and Caelin are doing well, Caelin and her little sister came to all three hours of church yesterday, but we're a little bummed since we can't meet with Ethan again for the rest of the month; he's grounded. :P  Don't get grounded, kids!

    Everything else is going just great, and I think we're about to start doing a lot more.  Elder Lauzon is an incredibly hard worker, and, even though I'm sure I'll be exhausted every day, we're going to get a lot done!  That kind of brings me to one of my favorite quotes from Preach My Gospel on page 97. "your confidence and faith should be in Christ, not in yourself."  Sometimes, it's really easy to have confidence that we can get things done on our own, but we're pretty helpless without our Savior and His Atonement.  Without Jesus Christ, we would be pretty much hopeless.  I know that I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing now if it weren't for Him, and I know it's going to be that way for the rest of my life.  The Atonement and Gospel of Jesus Christ help us get through the difficult times in our lives, and make the good times so much better!  It's pretty much the best thing ever. :)

    I love you all!  I'm sorry again about last week.  Have a great week!  Be good!  Have fun!

Love,

Elder Hafen