Sister Kirsten Hatch: The Mission is For Me

January 13, 2105

Familia!!

I am so sorry to hear about all the sickness but I am glad to hear you are all doing better!! I am also very sorry I forgot to tell you that we have transfers this week so our P-day was moved to Tuesday. I did not forget about you lovely people and I did not die so worry no longer! And Sister Kolkova and I are not being transferred which was what we figured because she is still training me.

This week has been amazing!! I have learned so much and grown so much as a missionary. This week I was really opened up to the importance of being a missionary and the full potential I have. So we went on exchanges again this week and I always seem to learn so much on exchanges. I love them!!! Anyways this time I was with Sister Jones and she is so amazing and taught me so much. We had gone to see a less active in their ward that had problems with drugs and alcohol and he wanted to make a change in his life and come back to God. We went through the Atonement in depth and just helped him to see there was hope for him and that God did love him even though he had made so many wrong choices. It was a really great lesson but afterward Sister Jones and I were talking and she said I feel like you had more to say but you just didn't say anything. I really thought about that and I realized yeah I guess I did have more to say but I always feel scared to share everything I think and feel. And she helped me to realize that I am called of God and because of that I have the power and authority from God to speak for Him and those thoughts and feelings do come from God so I should never hesitate to say them. And since then I feel like I have been freed. I realized that I don't need to hold back but just trust myself and trust God and then I can speak from the heart. I have been so much better in lessons because I haven't been scared to say what is on my mind and the spirit is felt so much more. I am so grateful I have been able to see this so early on in my mission as well because it will be a huge blessing for the rest of my mission!

I also realized that everyone should go on a mission because you learn so much about yourself and you see the world in a totally different way. I see what is truly important and I have already found so many things that I want to implement into my own family when I have kids of my own. I would have never thought of these things if I hadn't gone on a mission. I finally understood this week why people always say the mission changed my life because just in this one month I have been changed. I think back on some of the things I was doing before my mission and think why was I doing that? I could have been doing something so much more productive and worth my time. I just hope I implement these things into my life when I do get home. One of those things just being kind to people and not being afraid to talk to others. Everyone needs that goodness and hope and some people don't have that. We take for granted a lot of things we have in the church and we need to be that light for others and not just talk about it but do it. There are so many people out there that will open up to us if we just open up to them first. There is so much more I want to say about this but I don't quite know how to convey it fully. It is kind of a thing you just have to experience yourself and that is why everyone should go on a mission. Because most of all you are able to change yourself.

We were able to meet with one of our potentials we tracted into this week. His name is Rob and he is a middle school teacher. He had heard a lot from other teachers saying oh that student is from a mormon family and that made him very curious. He wanted to know what made those students so different that teachers would say that about them and when we showed up on his doorstep he had the opportunity to learn more. So we hope that he continues to want to meet with us and it goes somewhere. But right now he just wants to learn which is a great start! Our other investigator Andrea that we met with the first day I got here is starting to fall. We were supposed to meet with hertomorrow but she cancelled again and rescheduled for the end of the month. All we can do is just keep praying that she will want to keep meeting with us because she wants more in her life and we know she can see the goodness in the gospel.

So that was my week!! I am so happy to have this new perspective on missionary work! It has helped me to truly understand my purpose and I am loving the mission so much more because of it!!:) I love you and miss you all!! Have fun moving into the condo!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

P.S. I have pics!!

Oh and I forgot the scripture of the week so here goes:

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.

Therefore take no thought , saying, what shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?

For Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

3 Nephi 12:30-33