Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Fifty-Seven // "The Five P's"

Hey Fam Fam! Another great week here in Gamu!

So I want to tell you about an investigator family that we have. The Maravilla Family. They have been taught, retaught, dropped, and become new investigators countless times. When I first got to this area in May, we were teaching Lon (15 yrs old) and his sister Princess (18yrs old). They were coming to church every week and progressing, but then Lon started lying about his word of wisdom problem and was having a hard time trusting anyone. Their mom never really wanted to join and would head straight into the house whenever we would show up. One night, we went to go teach princess and lon, and Lon was gone. Princess came out and so did Nanay. And then during our conversation, her other 3 kids came out and joined. We sat down, started talking and just getting to know Nanay, and boom. She opened up about her family and what she is going through, she explained how many times the missionaries have taught her and dropped her, and she looked right at us and said “Sisters, I feel like my family is falling apart and there is nothing I can do.”

The spirit was something different that night, and as we talked to her I could just see them as a family, coming to church every week. She said they used to go to church every week together, and then it just faded out. Her husband is an addicted smoker and isn’t faithful to her, and they have 2 disabled children. If you all could just meet Nanay Lirio, you would fall in love in 2 seconds. We testified to her so strongly that night of how the gospel blesses will bless our families and that it’s never too late to save a family.

We started teaching her regularly and wow. She is so receptive to the spirit. She loves the book of mormon and has so many good questions.  Last sunday, she had a mild stroke and was hospitalized for a few days. She was planning on coming to church, but this happened in the morning. When she was “50-50” (that’s the phrase they use when someone isn’t responding to medicine and could possibly die), what entered her mind was our lesson about the plan of salvation and the principles and ordinances of the gospel. In tagalog it’s 5 P’s Pananampalataya (faith), Pagsisisi (repentance), Pagbibinyag (baptism), Pagtanggap ng kaloob ng espiritu santo (receiving the gift of the HG), and Pagtitiis hanggang wakas (enduring to the end). She said as she was laying in the hospital, these were just running through her head. She said she was making a mental check list “yes, I have faith. Yes, I am repenting.” And then she said she got to baptism and said “Sisters, I realized in that moment I still have more to do here on earth. “ She told us this entire experience when we visited her the day she got home from the hospital. We asked her if she thought this was Heavenly Father speaking to her and guiding her in what she needs to do, and she said “Ya know what, I think so sisters. I think he is really working on me to finally make a decision.”

… and yesterday, she came to church. Her and Princess.:) Nanay Lirio felt the spirit so much and is obsessed with Relief Society. She even commented during the lesson. Nanay has such big faith and high hopes for the future. Princess attended the baptism of the other sisters on Saturday, and is telling everyone she wants to be baptized. She is so shy and quiet, so when we heard THAT through the grape vine, we about peed our pants!

To say the least, this family is changing and are going to be baptized. They love our Savior and want to do what he wants for them. They want to be together and Nanay is determined to save her family. The Lord works in mysterious ways and we don't need to be disappointed when investigators don't progress, because maybe they just need additional preparation before they accept the gospel. i am so grateful for the Elders who taught her back in 2008, because she already had a good idea about the church and is now so willing to keep progressing and test her faith. I can't wait to keep updating you about her and the progression of this family :)

I know this gospel can save us and am grateful for the opportunity to help others find out about it and live it!

-- 

With love,

Sister Abbey Hafen

Philippines Cauayan Mission

Gamu, Isabela, Philippines.

July 20, 2014. Gamu, Isabela, Philippines. Sister Abbey Hafen.

Me, carbaquil, sister roann madayag, netnet bergonia.

"ABY ON BOARD" hahah :) inside the tricee

our new gate in front of our apartment!

having dinner at Lenie Gabuat's house, she's our awesome branch missionary/young women advisor.

pouring rain! welcome rainy season

seeing my old companions at zone con! s.bien, dasalla

Zone Conference July 2014. Sister carbaquil and me.

me and Net Net bergonia :) :)

working in Guibang :) Netnet/s.carbaquil. just eating the fruit we see as we walk!

Splits! burgos 1 sisters. Sister Angelica Solis.

Us with Jerwin Preza (recent convert)'s family! FHE!

Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Fifty-Six // "His Atonement"

This week was another great one, hard and full of disappointments, but of course, full of tender mercies. As I have been watching some mormon messages today during our internet time, I have had some time to really ponder. 

We have been so frustrated with things  the people we are teaching are choosing to do, like; them calling us at 10 pm saying they’re drunk, being drunk as we show up for our appointment, hiding their vices, not finding enough faith to begin repentance, everything. We’re also being hit with things that we or they can’t control- them with finding money for food everyday, they’re getting persecuted for coming to church or being taught by the missionaries, and even one of our sweet investigators in in so much debt trying to get her kids through school, the person they borrowed from is emotionally abusing her. In short, our hope, my personal hope… is starting to sink, and sink real fast. But as I have pondered today, I have realized how awful it is for me to let my hope begin to fall. That is unacceptable and is one way or another saying to my Savior that I don’t 100% believe in His Atonement.

I love this mission and am grateful for the things it is teaching me everyday. I know that in order for the people we teach to gain hope, I first need to show it to them. I love these people more than I ever thought possible and have gained a new hope for them this day and this week. I love my Savior and am very sure of his Atonement; that it is real and accessible for us to use every moment of every day.

I love this work. The Savior lives and loves us, I am sure.

With so much love,

-Sister Hafen 

D&C 84:88

And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Nanay Macaro (RS pres), Net Net Bergonia, bon bon, AJ, lagunero, ara grace, me, nanay balisi. They are the smartest little kids!

Nanay Macaro's house, their business is cooking banana chips

at our MPC (missionary prep class, about following the spirit)

carbaquil, me, acoba :D

us with the Raymundo family :) recent converts. preparing for temple. jasmine, bruno and me :D

Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Fifty-Five // "Gimme a G! A! M! U! ... Gamu!!!‏"

This week was awesome. Very challenging mentally, but so rewarding spiritually. Our recent convert smoked, our YSA that is having his papers processed got drunk, a lot of people weren’t home that said they would be, the list goes on. I had a hard time one night just thinking, man.. is this our fault? i felt so frustrated and was just asking myself “why aren’t people like begging to be baptized or begging to listen to us, or begging for copies of the book of mormon, this is the best thing that will ever happen to them!” Haha. Then the spirit brought to my remembrance the words Holland’s  talk (MIssonary work and the atonement) when he explains this way of thinking. He explains that this work (missionary work, coming unto Christ) isn’t easy, because salvation is “not a cheap experience”. And salvation isn’t a cheap experience, because the Atonement of our Savior was no cheap experience. So it wouldn’t make sense if coming unto Him was as easy as snapping our fingers.

We have been looking for new investigators every day and trying to widen our pool and get them to the waters of baptism. We’ve been planning differently, and trying to look out of the box for new investigators. We got 4 new ones this week, and they have some great potential! (referrals of course) Also, our less active Bryan is now returned, talked with the branch president about preparing for mission, and bore his testimony in sacrament meeting yesterday. What a sweet, solid, tender mercy that was.

2 of our less active 17 yr olds have come back to church, and one other YSA came back after being less active (offended) for a few months AND she brought her less active cousin. The experience she had is so awesome and I was so happy to be a small instrument for her to coming back. 

-What happened, is last week on splits, no one was home. Every appointment fell through, all the backups ,and it’s like 4pm haha. So I remembered that I had stuck a letter we got through pouch for this sister, from her cousin serving a mission. I had stuck it in my little sack of tagalog book of mormons that I brought with me that day.  Anyway, it came to mind to visit her and give her the letter, and perfect timing because it was the weekend and she studies in a city about 1.5 hours away. We stop by and she happened to come home early that day, so we were able to see her. We go in, get talking, and as we are talking, all these questions came to my mind to ask. She wouldn’t open up at first, and then I just kept persuing it and listening so hard to the spirit to know what to ask her. Alma 5 came to mind and we read some verses that were pretty bold. Then she opened up about what happened, and then said Heavenly Father is really giving her the signs to come back. Her new boarding house in Angadanan… next door to the chapel there. Her small book of mormon that she lost, was found. Her friend in the branch texted her and asked where she has been. And then after she had ignored all those signs, we showed up on her door. We committed her to come to church and she said she would pray about it. She didn’t come that very Sunday and I was so sad. Then the next Sunday, (yesterday) she comes. And bears her testimony. She explained all the ways Heavenly Father provided and then said to top off the whole thing, she said something like this “Sister Hafen left her book of mormons at my house and I knew that was heavenly fathers last bold move in getting me to forget myself, take my literal body to his church and return them." I love the Lord and His mysterious ways of helping us.

Our attendance was 109 yesterday, and the last 2 weeks it has been in the 70’s. We were SO happy. I felt the spirit testify so much as I was fasting during the sacrament and saw so many complete families at church yesterday- the family really is the most prized social unit in eternity.

Despite all the downers of the week, the Lord always shows me the upsides. I love this mission and love that no matter how long you’ve been out, there are challenges and things to face one and for all. But that’s what keeps me humble. I love my companion (so much. She is sassy but loving and I just love her) and love the people in my area. I am so happy I still have so much time left to keep improving my teaching, my people skills, even improve more on the language, and most of all-my journey to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ lives and Ang Simbahan ni JesuCristo ng mga banal sa mga Huling Araw is His church again here on the Earth. I’ve never been more sure.

-Sister Hafen

shout out to my favorite brother Eric (haha, favorite) who is finally makin' it happen this week at the Draper Temple, shout out to my brand new killer neice, Kambree, and her cute lil parents Al and Toe, and to Ace Hafen who has a birthday on the 11th. And to everyone else who has had some sort of special thing happen that I haven't acknowledged because my bad memory is sometimes even worse here in the mission.

i love these sisters!

getting a little too excited about reciting D & C 4.

The kids of our investigator... they are so stinkin cute. this is where we teach them, here on this little wood plank in front of their humble home.

Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Fifty-Four // "No Transfers For Us! :)"

Me and my companion have no transfer! We are so happy. This area is hard and its not very developed, but we love it here and we love this companionship. We are happy for another transfer here.

So this week was another GREAT week. We had two exchanges with the sisters in Roxas Zone, a branch party, our missionary prep class, an awesome experience with 2 struggling sisters in our zone, heard some incredible conversion stories of less actives, were lead to a struggling YSA in our branch and were able to help her, and spent some quality time and heard miracle stories of some members in our branch. To say the least, it was an awesome week. 

The exchanges this week were awesome. I learned so much from them, and from the spirit. It is so awesome, this missionary program- almost like its inspired or something? :) hahah. I really have such a testimony of this organization and am so grateful to be a part of it. and the best part is, is it's not just some great Youth Camp or great Program for Young Adults to mature and change- this is the Work of God. This is His work and His doctrine. The word of God is what is shaping this "program" and here we ultimately see that the most efficient way, and really and truly the ONLY way to change, is by the word of God. 

I love this gospel and know it's true. I love seeing the effect of Christ on people, especially as they gain a desire to truly know Him and search for Him. I love my Savior and am so happy I get to represent Him every day.

Love,

Sister Hafen

ps this morning as i was hanging my laundry on top of our house (on the balcony) my shorts (which are super loose because the string broke in the waste band) just fell right off. yes i was just on top of our house for all to see in my garment bottoms! hahaha, go team!

Our missionary prep class! they all look like  a bunch of posers, but they are all very sweet.

ronel's little nieces

us with our recent convert Ronel :)

carbaquil, cornilliez, murdock, me :)

Splits with Sister Murdock :)

me and my nanay! this is where we have to sleep because its sooo flaming hot