Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Seventy-Five // "Another GOOD Week."

We have had such a solid week... and instead of just Sister Saragoza and I.... we are now THREE :) Sister Villanueva joined us this week and we will now be a threesome for the remainder of this transfer. How lucky am I to have TWO awesome missionaries be my last companions? I am seriously loving it. It has been a great week. We sent a christmas picture to our mission president's wife (for their blog) and this was our message: All good things come in 3's- the Godhead, the Wisemen, and the 3 sisters in Penablanca Ward. " :) Haha, it has been a great week, I love both of my companions so much. 

Where to start??!? ahh.

This week was another successful week for the work, and also for the ward. We were able to visit so many people this week, have lots of lessons, contact lots of part member families and teach them together, find 7 new investigators again, help our new investigator gain a testimony of joseph smith, and commit ACTIVE families to faithfully hold family home evenings. The attendance went up even HIGHER this week... 215! They haven't seen that in months, and that was for Ward conference- so before that, it has been almost a year since it has been that high in the 200's- we are literally seeing miracles.

We have a new family we are teaching, well a husband and wife. Not sure if I told you guys about him, but they really have been prepared by our Father in Heaven. (the Contapay Family). Every lesson is full of the spirit and they really believe God sent us to them. Nanay (the mom) came to church yesterday and had a wonderful experience- she said this to us right before she headed home - "Sisters, I can't wait to get home and tell my husband about what I felt today. I'm coming back every week". Love it!!!!!

 Her husband just got back from Manila from having kidney failure, and underwent a pretty heavy surgery, so he can't really shove his body into a tricey or get himself in and out of a van for church for the next few weeks. Sister Saragoza met him on a tricey once, and got his information, we contacted him, and boom. they have been prepared. 

I have really gained a testimony of PERSISTENCE in street contacting. Not only have I seen it in my own work here in the Cauayan Mission but Sister Villanueva... she was a street contact. And because the missionaries set a return appointment and actually WENT BACK when they said they would... Sister Villanueva is now serving a full time mission for the Lord and is effecting more people than we could ever count, me being top on that list :) 

I love this work and am coming to love this transfer a lot. It is becoming one of my favorites, for sure. We are working so hard and really seeing the Lord's hand in everything we do. We have those downs, no one can escape that in missionary work or in any phase of life, but because we are giving our all, as Preach my Gospel says, "No Effort is Wasted". We don't have to be discouraged about things that don't work out, because we know we are giving our best, giving our ALL. Everything. 

I really love this work and love my Savior so much. He's helping us in everything we're doing here, I can see it and feel it. I am so happy I know and understand the first 2 principles of the gospel, faith and repentance. That is what has helped me the most as a missionary, those 2 things right there. I love my life. 

Love,

sister hafen

at our hike this morning... :) Merry Christmas! (the philippines has been celebrating christmas since september 1...)

at our hike, it overlooks our whole area/ward :)

Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Seventy-Four // "Hey Manila! Nice to see ya!‏"

Hello family! Another week. Another AWESOME. After a really great few days working here in Cauayan mission, we headed to MANILA! But before that, I’ll update you on this area.

LESS ACTIVES; of course, there’s a million, but we are working with some really great families who are preparing for the temple. It’s been a real different challenge in this new area, because money isn’t a problem. The church is fairly close, and people just have money- which is completely opposite from my last area in Gamu. There are more jobs here and people just have more money here. One couple we are working with is Phabie and her husband King June. King June has only joined in on a missionary lesson one time in the past 7 months, but he joined in with us again last Tuesday. We really tried to help him feel our love for him and help him see that we see his POTENTIAL. I love telling these young dads who are addicted to smoking and drinking that we as missionaries do not see that part of them. We see their future, we see them with no vices, and we see them being free of that. The look on their faces when we tell them that is just something I will never forget.

INVESTIGATORS: this week was awesome! We found 7 new investigators and they all have some great potential to progress. We have also been focusing some of the part member families here, one of them is sister Elsa and her husband Ricky. He told us he has been an investigator so many times before, but that it’s been a year or so. He completely agreed to be taught again, so we’re excited to see where it goes. They are not married (maybe after 11 years they’re still getting to know each other…. Haha) so that is what has been stopping him from being baptized. Sister Elsa is a returned less active (she was abroad for a while) and her and her husband have been coming to church together for the past 3 Sundays.

So…now onto our trip to manila J ahhhhh it was seriously SOO FUN. I cannot even explain how FUN it was. 13 foreinger sisters, all of us were together in the MTC (except one), for supposed to be 1 day in Manila. But here’s what happenend:

• We leave tuguearao 4pm Thursday.
• Get to misson home around 830 pm.
• Have study/ Q & A with president and his wife (us 6 sisters who traveled from afar)
• Woke up 6am, showered, headed to cauayan airport.
• Arrived in manila, went to get fingerprinted
• Stayed there for 5 hours
• Unintentionally fasted
• Went to MOA (Mall of Asia) and ate CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN…. Talk about HEAVEN!!!
• Came back to hotel and hung out, had so much fun
• Saturday morning.. go to airport
• Flight gets canceled.
• Wait around.
• Get a new flight
• The new flight gets canceled.
• We get the news…. We are BUSSING from manila to cauayan….
• Go to bus station
• Its 3pm.
• Bus doesn’t leave until 830 pm
• And the biggest miracle happens- we get to attend a session in the Manila temple as we wait.
• This was honestly the biggest blessing ever… we were so tired and sick of all these cancelations, and then we got to do this. Seeing the new movie was the best thing ever, and literally that session is exactly what I needed after running around loud/dirty manila for a few days. I love the temple and it was so beautiful.
• After the session, we boarded the bus and bussed ALL NIGHT LONG.
• Arrived in cauayan at 530 AM.
• Crashed in the mission home
• 7am- woke up, showered, attended sacrament meeting
• After sacrament, got on a another bus and headed back for the 3 hour ride to Tuguegarao

What a crazy weekend, but sooooo beautiful and full of miracles. running on absolutely no sleep but it was so awesome. We met so many cool people and shared the gospel with them. We met some young LDS couples in the airport from SLc and that was fun (staton family? Graduated in 2002).

It was a great week, and I’m ready for another great one!!!!!!!!!!

-sister hafen

last night, playing for our ward mission leaders birthday

great trip:)

Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Seventy-Three // "Hi Penablanca, Tuguegarao :) FOURTH AREA."

So... We really have no time today.. but its been a great week. I love my new companion so much. We have seen miracles already, I am serious. I am so happy here in Tuguegarao and haven't felt this way in a long time- there's just a different spirit here in this transfer.

I love you and will be better writing this next week. I blame U of U registration cause I had to figure out a bunch of stuff with that and housing, so sorry :)

Love,

Sister Hafen

SISTER SARAGOZA, my new companion!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D

us at church, i love my new companion :) :D

Sister Abbey Hafen // Week Seventy-Two // "I'm Leaving Gamu"

so we got the transfer text and i am transferred... leaving Gamu! I love and have loved this area so much and have learned so much. We had an activity this morning, so now we are rushing to get everything done- this email is just a short little lame guy because we have no time!its almost 3 pm here and we gotta get on the jeep and head into the other part of the town to get groceries and head home to pack cause we've got appointments for the rest of the night!

zone conference was this week, testimony meeting in sacrament yesterday, and so many beautiful lessons/ experiences this week. it really was such a good last week here- i love this are and have learned more than i thought possible. some of the things i have learned are;

-see people as they may become, not where they are right now

-help in the RIGHT ways, if not, you'll just move backwards and so will they

-teach people correct principles and people will learn how to govern themselves

-"you can be smart and happy or stupid and miserable- the choice is yours" -gordon b hinkley

-"never say anything about someone that jesus wouldn't say about them" -sister hurst, a missionary here in Roxas

-everything starts with FAITH. and everything can be SOLVED with faith

and much much more :) i love you all and wish you a happy happy week! next week i will let you know where my last area is and who my last companion is! 

This week was just so good i wish i could tell you all about it, but this will just have to do- as the Born Again pastor told me earlier on the bus, "God is good and will always be good" - YES. God is soooo good. and always will be.

-abs