This week was in-SANE. (please tell me you can picture me saying that).
Tuesday, we had an FHE in Gumbauan with Sis. Marlyn Policarpio (recently returned member, also, go add her on facebook and tell her you are my family/friend. she'll love it.) and all her extended family that lives in Gumbauan, who are all less active. It was seriously the funnest night of my life. We had an object lesson on prayer and then spoke, played games, and then I fiddled and we all just had a party. It honestly was a BLAST!
Tuesday was our last night together as the foursome. Man. What a great time we had. I honestly was SO sad that the foursome was ending, bye bye sister suay and acoba.
... BUT. as I always get proved wrong...
.... CHANGE IS GOOD.
It really is.
I've shared this before, but for some reason when change is about to happen, i think that there is absolutely NO WAY that what is to come can be better than, or even EQUAL to what I had before. Example: when i graduated high school. HA. i really thought that there's no way college could be better. but yet, i was proved wrong. then leaving on my misson. I already had everything so good, like so good- how could a mission be good too? then leaving the MTC to the philippines... i got SO comfortable there.
I figured out in myself that i like to be comfortable. and i like to get comfortable FAST. But NOTHING here on the mission is comfortable, and i had to realize and relearn that again this week.
BUT.
My new companion is SO AWESOME. Sister Obnias. She honeslty is SO great. I love her so much. I LOVE HER. She is so bold and fearless. She wants to work hard and is honestly becoming my best friend. I love her! She is from central philippines and is just so sweet.
As I sat in that transfer meeting (which got delayed 3 hours because of a late plane into Tuegegeroa, so all us missionaries just chilled and hung out, in anxiety of course haha), i felt so so sick. I did NOT want sister acoba to leave me, i did NOT want a new companion. What if she's disobedient, what if she's lazy, what if she doesn't want to work, what if she doesnt think i am funny, blah blah blah. But I decided right then, that I would only look for the good in her. And that i would LOVE her and just AH! I would just be ME and love HER. I realized that if I look for bad, I will find it. If I look for good, I will find that too. Its just like the church- if you look for ways to prove it wrong, you'll find them. if you look for ways to prove it right, you'll find those too.
Anyway. it's been so great with Sister Obi. She honestly has so many qualities I want in myself and that by being her companion, I know I can develop. I love everything I am learning from the people here on my mission. I am honestly SO SO blessed, I can't even take it. I honestly question Heavenly Father all the time why he is blessing me so much when I really know I don't deserve it.
Anyway, so this week has rocked. We have been OYM-ing (open your mouth; when you just talk to random people on the street, and get their info and then hopefully they become your investigator!) like MAD WOMEN this week. It seriously has been SO fun. I am still shy and nervous and really, just prideful, but I am getting more used to it. Sister Obi is a MASTER and just does whatever she wants and talks to whoever and they love her. I am learning so much from her. I also realized how I haven't been diligent in daily language study, and getting back in that habit has been awesome.
We had a beautiful lesson with Brother Herme, a less active. Honestly, the spirit was SO THICK. I love Brother Herme.
We taught the W.O.W(word of wisdom) to a LA family. It was a miracle that the dad came in on the lesson, he always makes excuses to leave. The lesson was so awesome. I honestly didn't even have to think twice about what to say- everything i wanted to say in tagalog, just came. I was SO grateful to Heavenly Father for that experience. Ah. I almost can't even write any more about it because it was so special to me. It happened again last night at the Tiburcio home. We read Enos 1 and had a scripture study. i was able to teach what was going on without really having to pause. My thoughts were coming to me in tagalog. It was another just straight up gift and tender mercy from Heavenly Father. He's been giving me a lot of those lately, just straight up blessings for no reason. i am so blessed. SO BLESSED.
I really have not been diligent this past month in my one hour language study everyday, and now having a new companion, I really realized how limited my tagalog is and how used to Sister Acoba's vernacular I was. The best part about this gospel and about THIS LIFE, is that where ever we are, whether behind or ahead, we can always move forward. I get frustrated at times when I feel behind or lame, but then I realize, welp, I can just start from here and GO. I can't be the best at everyting right now, and I have to accept that maybe I will have to be a burden just alittle bit longer. I have never really had to rely on others like this before, being so dependant and hopeless because of the language.
but Just like conference, DONT LOOK BACK. Just move forward. I have been using Nike's slogan in like every lesson lately; just DO it. Stop thinking about it and just do. Just start where you are and GO.
This week rocked. I love my life. Sometimes I think, " man I wish I had a little more time for myself, I wish I could sit and write this letter, or read this, or just relax, or blah blah blah" but I realize that time is going SO fast because I don't even have TIME to think about what I wish I could have or do. Does that even make sense?? Ah.
Legit I am just so happy. There's a quote in PMG about diligence. If you are diligent, you will get the spirit. if you have the spirit, you will touch the hearts of the people. if you touch the hearts of the people you will be happy. you won't have time to be homesick or have time to worry about other things. the secret to missoinary work..... IS WORK.
I love this church. I love my life. I love the support I have from all of you. I really am so lucky. And I really am so blessed for who knows why. I know its so cliche, but honestly I do NOT deserve the blessings and success I have been having. I need to be so much better.
God is good and Jesus Christ is the Savior. This is his restored gospel.
Love,
Sister Hafen
My hair is getting LONG yes!
Dinner at Tatay Pablos. I love this family. Me, Brother Eddison, Val, Sister Obi, Sister Shori, Nai Abuan, Sister Abuan, and Tai Pablo.
Sister Obi and I at Tatay Pablos.
Godfrey lost and had to do a punishment.
Games, of course.
To the caves.
Canoe ride to the falls / caves.
My best friend.
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