Merry Christmas

 Dec. 22, 2014

Oh my goodness!!!!!!

Why do I have the most attractive family in the world?? You all are so adorable!!!! Brenna I see that you are enjoying my phone! And I thought you guys weren't getting a Christmas tree but it looks really nice:) The Christmas card is so cute!!! Who came up with that idea... I feel like it was Ashlyn... I am so excited to skype you all!!! So because Sister Kolkova has such a big time difference to deal with she is going to skype first at 10am on Wednesday the 24th and then I will skype at around 11am. So be ready like around 10:30am because I don't know when exactly she will be done but somewhere around that time. Sound good? It took us a while to find members to skype with because no one really had skype which was really weird but we did finally find a family and they live really close to us so it's perfect. I don't know the family super well because they just got back from vacation but that is ok.

Anyways, so this week was looonnnggg, but in a good way! I had my first exchanges on Tuesday and Wednesday with Sister Barton. I wish I would have taken a picture with her but I forgot... sorry... But it was great!!! I was really nervous for exchanges because I didn't know how I would get along with a different person and was just getting used to things with Sister Kolkova but I actually feel I got along better with Sister Barton haha. So when it came time to switch back companions I was actually kind of sad:( Sister Kolkova and I just both have really strong opinions on things and like to do things our own way so sometimes that can be a little frustrating but I still love her. I have definitely learned a lot of patience and am trying to be more selfless. But anyway back to exchanges... So Tuesday we went out tracting because we really didn't have any appointments. It was like the middle of the day and no one was really home. We went down a whole street and only one person had answered the door so we decided to come back later when more people would be home. Later that night we came back to the same street and tried all the houses on the other side of the road and we got 4 houses in a row of people that said we could come back!!!! It was so amazing!!!! So this week we are going to go back and talk with them more, we gave two book of mormons out as well so hopefully they have been reading them and have questions for us. That night then we had an appointment with Sister Crabtree who is a member that we asked if we could practice teaching the lessons to. She is a very direct woman and isn't afraid to tell you what she is thinking so throughout the lesson she was giving us major critiques and it made me start to teach worse because she was making me nervous. So by the end I was really frustrated and I know I hadn't really done the best job of teaching and I just bore my testimony. And right then and there the Spirit came so strongly, I was crying, she was crying and I just knew that it didn't matter if I stumbled over my words or taught perfectly but that I knew this was true!!! And that was all that mattered and I knew that she felt that and it was the greatest moment. When I get nervous to teach or stumble over my words now I just have to bring myself back and remember why I'm here and just bear testimony and they will feel that and the Spirit will do the rest.

Wednesday we then went downtown contacting which was fun!! I actually enjoyed it because I think it's funny to see people's faces when you say hi how are you? and they aren't expecting it. They look so confused!:) I think it's kid of sad that it's considered strange for someone to ask you how your day is but I guess if they are strangers... But we got a few good conversations going and handed out one BOM which was good. But the man we gave the BOM to was from Poland and just on vacation here. He was interested in the church so hopefully the missionaries will find him in Poland:) There were also some crazies but none too bad haha:) 

The rest of the week was great we did a lot of walking because we only have so many kilometers we can drive a month and we are getting to the end of our share for the month. We have to save them for when we travel farther distances but since it hasn't really been that cold out it has been ok to walk. We heard it is supposed to snow Christmas Eve so the cold is coming!!! I'm very nervous!!! We made Christmas treats for most of the members in our ward so that took a long time. But the members really enjoy the treats and since we don't have a lot of people wanting to see us right now we had time to make lots of treats. I have a picture of all the cookies but I don't think I can send them this week. My card reader isn't working so I think I'll have to buy a new one. It was a lot of cookies!!!!

I miss you all a ton and can't wait to see you on Wednesday!!!!! It sounds and looks like you are all having a blast!! Have fun packing up the house! I hope you get my christmas letters and treats sometime this week but Canada mail is SUPER slow so it might come after Christmas. I just hope it will get to you before you move because to the house. I haven't got Marlee's Christmas card yet either but again Canada mail is the SLOWEST!!! And we are given our mail on Fridays so I won't have it by the time we skype on Wednesday either...:( Yeah so you guys still need to send me the address for the condo just in case I want to send something to you. And it's really crazy becuase in this mission there are a lot of missionaries from Az and one Elder in my district is from Mesa. He said he went to Mountain View so I don't know if that is close to the condo but look out for a family with the last name Bienz because they could be in your stake or something. That would be cool!! There is also another Elder in my district who is from Scottsdale. It's just crazy how many Arizonians there are here:)

Anyway see you on Wednesday!!!!!! I love you and miss you all bunches!!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

Scripture of the Week:

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him."

1 John 4:7-9