November 30, 2015

Hey!

Thank you for all the pictures!! Everyone looks so old and tall! It looks like you guys had a lot of fun!!! 

I am getting so excited for Christmas! Sister McDonald and I came up with the idea to do a hot chocolate stand as a zone and to sing christmas carols as we pass out BOMs and pamphlets and stuff. So hopefully we are able to do that soon and switch up the normal routine! I am so pumped!

Another one of our investigators dropped us and Rita didn't end up coming to church... But we had our Christmas Party this week and TONS of less actives were there:) I don't feel like it is the most productive time of my mission but we are trying! I think I am ready for some change again. I can get through 3 more weeks until transfers though! 

We just got a new Ward Mission Leader in Parkland ward too so hopefully we can get some more things going with his new excitement. 

Oh and Sister McDonald is under the impression that the Second Coming is coming soon so we all need to get food storage now!! We have been talking about it a lot and it is very important that you have food storage so I hope you guys are prepared. Just saying...:)

And Brenna, was that my phone you dropped when you were quading??

I don't really have much more to say. I love you guys and I am glad I get to hear from you each week!! Stay awesome!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

November 23,2015

Hola Familia!!!! 

This week has had it's ups and downs just like any other week. But like always the ups always out weigh the downs, if they didn't then I probably wouldn't still be out here because mission are dang hard! 

Well to start out the week we got a new investigator, Rita!!! The Elders actually tracted into her for us and she said she was looking for a church so whal-la!!! We went over and she let us in and we taught part of the first lesson and then her friend came over and was interested too!! She doesn't live in our area but it was a fabulous miracle and Rita should be coming to church on Sunday!! WOOT! WOOT!! 

Tuesday we had Zone Conference as you already heard about and yes I sang a duet with an Elder. But don't you be getting any ideas it was just a song:) And Zone Conference was awesome!!! Again I was reminded that I need to focus on the Savior in everything I do. I'm still working on that but I think that will be a life long process! 

Then we had exchanges on Wednesday!! I just love the STL's!!! Good times! 

Thursday was my official year mark!!!! Ahhhh!!! I can't believe I have been gone for so long! It is scary but exciting to have only six months. You guys, what am I going to do with my life when I get home?? I have no plans!! The Lord will provide hopefully...

We picked up another investigator, Jonathan!!! The boy from the part member family I have been talking about. He is YSA age so we will have to be passing him off soon but he isn't quite ready yet:)

Sad day was Friday when two of our investigators dropped us... And we had dinner with Sarah and she pretty much told us she was just being nice in letting us teach her... She had so much promise and then it was all fake! What?? We are still going to read scriptures with her but I don't think she will be getting baptized any time soon...

 So yes I was a little depressed on Saturday and I had a slight break down because I really felt that all of our hard work was for nothing... But everything was brought back up when we had a lesson with one of our less actives Sister Hartgerink. First let me just explain that Sister Hartgerink is the type of person that gets tattoos and drinks and believes that the church is controlling us because it is too much to live by. And so usually every time we go over we usually just read scriptures with the kids and if we do have a spiritual discussion with her it usually ends in a contentious arguement. BUT this time was different... We spent 2 1/2 hours at her house that started out the same as always but she felt the spirit!!!!!! She teared up at least twice and I don;t even know how it happened but she wants the gospel for her kids, she knows it is true she just isn't willing to try it out in her life! But she will let us start teaching her and her husband the lessons again!! AND if  you didn't think 2 1/2 hours was enough, she called us right after we left and talked to us for another half hour!! What is life?? I don't know what happened that night to change her mind but all I know is that she couldn't get enough! I love this gospel!!!

Then Sunday was the Montreal Temple Dedication that all of Canada got to see. This was the first week that we had to tell our investigators that they couldn't come to church. Which was a not so fun change... But progress is being made with the less actives here and I am so stoked for their change!!! 

I am still awaiting the package but we will be going to the mission office this week so I will check then. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Don't eat too much turkey, you turkeys!!! I love you guys!!! Happy early Birthday Mom!!!! I am sending you a package today!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

  "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:32-35)

President and Sister Miles

Elder Snow made at craft night

Montreal Temple Dedication

November 9, 2015

This week has been a little disappointing... 

So Sarah who I said was close to being baptized well kind of isn't. First, Sarah didn't get the job that would have allowed her to start coming to church. Second, we invited her to a baptism and talked with her afterwards and she said she felt that anytime she has tried to do good she felt God has punished her. So we need to work more on building her trust with God. We think it will be a lot longer before she will be baptized but she will be sometime in the future.

But we got to meet with Nishan this week!!!! She is so awesome and just soaks everything in! And she already has a testimony of the Word of Wisdom without us even teaching it yet. And all the Young Women are friendshipping her at school. So we will see what happens with her:)

I sang in church yesterday! I was very nervous but it went pretty well! I hadn't sung in front of anyone for a long time and it was so much more nerve racking then giving a talk.

And it snowed again today!!! The snow just makes everything so beautiful!!

Thank you mom for reminding me to think of things that I am grateful for. I have been a little negative lately and I know I have been so blessed so I need to focus on what is good and positive!! I LOVE the members here! They are so kind and loving and I don't know what I would do without wonderful members to help us in the work. Or even just to talk to when we aren't having the best day. Thank you guys for sending me emails every week and keeping me updated on what is going on. You don't realize how much that means to me and keeps me motivated! I love you guys!! 

My mind is all over the place today so I hope this makes sense. Keep being great examples of Christ!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

First Snow Fall!!!

November 2, 2015

Thank you for all the birthday wishes!!! Thanks to facebook most members knew it was my birthday and so they made it very special and are still giving me birthday treats!! I have so many treats I don't think I can possibly eat them all!! 

It looks like you guys had a fun Halloween!!! We didn't really do much out of the norm on Halloween... Sister McDonald was feeling sick so we didn't get out until around 1pm and then we did some service and had dinner and then had to be in by 6pm so super exciting stuff! But we had a nice Halloween dinner and I should have taken a picture of it because it was so cute! She made orange bell peppers stuffed with rice and beans and meat and carved out a face into the peppers to make it look like a pumpkin! It was cute! I am really bad at taking pictures or I would have more to send you...

With our investigators... Sarah applied for the job where she doesn't have to work on Sunday and so we are still just praying for her! We had a lesson with a man named Yohannes who is from Ethiopia and he doesn't know English too well so we have to teach VERY slow so he can understand. But we shared the first vision with him and he said he felt it in his heart so something was getting across:) And with Nancy we didn't get to have a lesson this week because she was feeling depressed so we decided to go and heart attack her door to give her some upliftment! She was really grateful for it and I was glad we could cheer her up!

We got a free new couch this week!!! Happy Birthday to me!!! It was pretty big and wasn't really fitting through our doorway so the Elders gave up. But me and Sister McDonald kept trying when they left and we just took off the door to have more room and got it down all by ourselves so we were pretty happy! It is a nice couch and we only had a little love seat before that was very old so we are happy! 

This morning we woke up to snow!!! The first snowfall of winter!!! I am so happy! The snow just makes everything so beautiful and we took pictures of course! I just love that I can pull out my snow boots already! 

Next Sunday I will be singing in church all by myself! I can't wait! Today is just a beautiful day! I love our wards and our members and the missionary work! I love you guys and all your encouraging words! Keep being examples of Christ everyday! It makes such and amazing difference in the world!! Truly nothing is better than making other people feel loved and that is what I get to do everyday! I just LOVE it!!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

"But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul...; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love."

(2 Nephi 1:15)

Sister Kolodisi from Fiji

The STLs

Sister Jensen from Scottsdale, AZ

Happy Birthday to sister Hatch

Tow mater on Halloween

Another Transfer gone...

October 26, 2015

It is transfer week yet again! And shocker I am staying!! I seriously stay in my areas forever!! But I love it here and we are close to a baptism so I am glad to stay! President Miles also changed P-days on transfer week back to Mondays so I will be emailing every Monday now!! And we were just told that all the missionaries from the states have to get an International Driving Permit so that will cost $21. The mission will pay for it initially but we will have to reimburse them so that will be happening next week. 

So back to the potential baptism... Sarah is doing SO amazing and you know that she pretty much just needs to come to church so she can get baptized and we have been praying so hard for her to find a job where she doesn't have to work weekends and miracles happen!!! Sarah found a job opportunity where she doesn't have to work weekends!!! So now we are praying hardcore so she can get the job and come to church!!! I know the Lord is blessing her for her diligence and faith!

Also one of our investigators, Nancy, was going to come to church yesterday but she told her friend who is a less active and he told her not to so she didn't come. Too much drama but we will work on changing that:) 

Other than that it has been getting really chilly! It got to -3 degrees celsius and we heard a rumor that it might snow today!! I am getting excited! My birthday is coming up on Friday and I can't believe I'm not going to be a teenager anymore... :( I have to be an adult now. Did you here about the hurricane in Mexico?? Did you guys get any effects from that? Apparently it was supposed to be the biggest EVER!!! But then I heard it wasn't that bad.

This week has been pretty boring but we are still working hard and hopefully going to have some baptisms soon!!! I am trying not to think so much about how close I am to going home. It is still too early for that...

Love, 

Sister Hatch

"And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good." (Alma 32:33-36) Just read all of Alma 32, it is SO good!!!

Lunch with the zone at the mission home.

11 Months!

October 19, 2015

got the birthday package!!!! Thank you so much!! Who knew that oreos could taste so good?? There is definitely a difference in Canadian and American oreos! And thank you for the gift card! I don't know if it will work in the store we have here because it isn't technically a Downeast Basics store, it just sells the same stuff but I will give it a try! You guys are the best!! And Hailey, that card was very creative!

So this week was kind of sad because we started to drop some of our investigators... We decided to drop Valerie and possibly Heidi this week because they just aren't progressing at all and have no motivation to read or pray. We have gone through all the lessons with them so unless they start doing these things on their own there isn't much more we can do for them:( It is hard letting investigators go but we can only do so much for someone and then they have to act on it. 

But even though we have let some investigators go we continue to gain more! Missionary month has ended in Queensland ward but we have definitely seen lots of blessings come from the prayers and fasting of the members in the ward!! We have had SO much success this month!! I know that has mostly come from Missionary month:) 

We had a ward talent show on Saturday and we invited a man that we met on the street to come and display his 3-D printer and it was a huge hit!!! And he said we could come this week and teach him!!! Double whammy! He is super awesome!! And the members were so great in including him!

And the Nelson's, the family that just got sealed in the temple, their son is not a member so we have been working with him as well! We usually go and visit with the family every Thursday night and this week was the first week he sat and talked with us the whole time!! And he didn't get on his phone when we shared a scripture!! Things are happening with him!! But he is YSA age so if he is going to be taught we will have to pass him off to the Elders... :(

It has been a great week though!!! And I did skype Dr. Howard. He said I didn't need to go to the eye doctor until I get home. Anyway, things are going good!!! I love you guys!!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

"For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him.Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation." (2 Nephi 26:23-24)

Excuse my messy hairdo, it was a long day!

Happy Birthday Sister Hatch

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

October 12,2015

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone!!! And yes they celebrate Thanksgiving just like we do but it is a lot less talked about. Everyone kind of picks a day they want to celebrate it so we already had a Thanksgiving dinner last night and we will have another tonight. I also made my very first pie today!!! It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to make.

This week was pretty awesome!! We had tons of lessons, all with investigators! There were a few lessons that I wasn't here for because we were on exchanges but Sister McDonald told me how it went. So the Ethiopian family that I talked about last time has a girl who is in grade 12 and her name is Nishan. They didn't get to meet with any of the other family members but she was so amazed by everything they taught. I don't know if she is planning on getting baptized any time soon but she is awesome! 

We also had a run in with a psychotic member who said he was going to call the cops on us and said we worshiped the devil so that was also very fun. He had a lot of mental problems so nothing did happen, we just weren't expecting that...

We have also had a lot of little tender mercies that have just shown us that Heavenly Father has truly been watching over us! There is no such thing as coincidence!

The members are so awesome here! I love them so much!!!! I also gave a talk on Sunday and I talked for about 15 minutes. I think that is a record and I didn't even have it written out word for word. This is what a mission does for you:)

We also met a lady who has only one leg and lives on her own so she is possibly a potential but we are going to start with service first. She just moved in next door to us so she needs help unpacking mainly. I am just loving the work!! I am learning a lot of patience this transfer because Sister McDonald is a lot different that Sister Anthian was but it's good for me. We had interviews with President Miles this week and he said he has prayed long and hard about this companionship so I know it is what the Lord wants. I just feel I am making the situation worse a lot of the time... But I just need to think positive. And exchanges this week was a good break from everything. I do love Sister McDonald a lot and good things are happening so I can't complain!

I love you guys!!! I will be looking for that package! You guys are the best!!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)

The apply pie Sis Hatch made in celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving!

Tender Mercies!

October 5, 2015

Wow!!!! This has been another amazing week!!! We must be doing something right because all these people are coming out of nowhere! I just love it!!

So Monday night we got hit by a drunk driver, but before you get worried we weren't in the car and it was a very very minor scrape. We had just come out of a lesson and we going back to our parked car when we saw another car pulled in behind ours. He just waited there for a little while but then wanted to go back out into traffic and he had no room so he skimmed our car. Anyways we got it all figured out with the police but as we were waiting for the police a guy pulled up to see if we needed any help and we said we were good but he still came out and talked to us. And we ended up almost teaching him the first lesson and getting his number to set up a return appointment! So I think that was a tender mercy from the Lord to help us meet this guy but he hasn't texted us back since... We will just keep trying though!!!

Then we had a little bit of a rough Wednesday because we struggle with figuring out things to do in the middle of the day when no one is home. I might of got a little frustrated and took out my anger on Sister McDonald which was not necessary but we overcame that and just decided to go home and call people to try and set up appointments in the future. Anyways we ended up calling a ton of people and literally like one person answered the phone so we got one appointment but we still were not feeling very successful... We were truly trying to do all we could to find things to do though and so after dinner we went back out to contact some people we had been needing to see. We stopped by a less active I had never met and low and behold she had two non-member friends over for a game night and we ended up talking all about the importance of the Book of Mormon and giving them both a copy!! I don't think they live in our area but again it was a tender mercy of the Lord that we needed that day!

Then we went and saw Nancy Wilkie again, the potential we have been working with for a while now and finally set up another time to teach her!!! We are really hoping it doesn't fall through!

And the last miracle was a referral from the Spanish Elders. The Spanish don't have a lot of work because there aren't a ton of Spanish people who are interested (which is really hard for them) so they usually just go tracting and they just happened to be tracting in our area the other day and found this awesome family! So we went back to give them a Book of Mormon in their language because they are from Ethiopia and they were SO interested!!! Especially the oldest girl!! Every time we would explain something like about the Book of Mormon or whatever she would say that is so cool! And that she just wants to learn more!! So we are going to see her again this week! I am just loving the missionary life!!! The Lord is just blessing us tremendously!!!

And General Conference was AMAZING!!! The mission president and his wife also invited our whole Zone over for lunch on Sunday so I finally got to go to the mission home!!! President and Sister Miles are truly the sweetest!!! I just love them SO much!!! You can truly fell that they care about us and will do anything for us! I told Sister Miles about how I need to skype my doctor and she said I could even come to the mission home and use her laptop!! I love her to death!

The church is so dang true and I love everything about it!!! There has been no time where I have ever felt I have been doing wrong when I have followed the guidance of the prophets! The Lord loves us and will bless us if we are trying our hardest! I love you guys!!! Have a great Fall Break!!!!! Oh and it snowed on Saturday:) It was only slush but it is getting cold!!! I am pulling out the tights already!! :)

Love,

Sister Hatch

"And now, my son, this was the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people,to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time of his coming.

And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?" (Alma 39:16-17)

Sister McDonald and Sister Hatch

Sister McDonald really likes to take pictures!

One of the members Ceri Edwards