6 Months Down!

May 18,2015

Today is my 6 months in the mission!! I can't believe I have been gone for so long! But I realized the other day, that although I do miss you guys a TON, I love the mission SO much and I wouldn't be doing anything half as worth my time as I am now! I am so used to the mission lifestyle now that I'm not getting as stressed out anymore and teaching has become so common that I could teach in my sleep. (But you still need to listen for the spirit, that's the hard part) Anyways the mission is awesome!! And we have been having so much success lately, more than I have had my whole mission and I am still trying to figure out exactly why that is... Maybe it's just because Sister Gleason is really not afraid to get out there:) 

This past week We had some amazing successes!! We had a lesson with another part member family where only the dad is a member and he is not active. But the oldest girl is about 9 or 10 years old and she is very interested in learning more so the parents are supporting her and are letting us come teach them. The mom has an issue with women not being able to have the priesthood but we explained the roles of men and women and we could tell that her heart was softened. She didn't have anymore arguments about it and her whole expression softened so we could tell her perspective had really changed!! They have a greed to read the first chapter of the BOM together as a family and so we are hoping they will. The girl loves to read so that is really good!! So we picked up two new investigators with them!! You are right dad, the part member families are the way to go:)

Then on Saturday was pretty awesome as well! It was rainy (which I love)!!! But we went Downtown Calgary street contacting again as a district and were able to meet a lot of interesting people as usual:) We got into a pretty intense discussion about the Atonement with one man. He just kept telling us that we need to be more open minded and not hide behind Jesus. That we need to overcome our own sins and not rely on the Savior for everything. It was kind of sad to hear him say those things because it would be hard to live in a world where you thought you needed to overcome everything on your own. That is why we have the Savior is so we don't have to endure our pain by ourselves. Sometimes it hard to really except the Atonement into our lives because we feel like we don't deserve it but it has already been done so we just need to except it. The only way we can show our gratitude for the Atonement is by using it in our lives. If we don't use it, then Christ suffered for no reason at all. 

Then sometime last week Sister Gleason and I had some down time before our dinner appointment. I was exhausted and wanted to just relax a bit but Sister Gleason suggested we go try and contact a potential we had been trying at least once a day it felt like. I agreed but I was just being negative and thinking he is not even going to be home and so we are just wasting our time and our kilometers. But we got there and his girlfriend was home and she is a less active member so she was super nice and really wanted us to come back. We had a lesson with them yesterday and they are really open to us coming over!! Sister Gleason is so good at never giving up, which is awesome because I would have given up a long time ago:) So there is another new investigator.

Yesterday as well we went tracting and handed out 5 BOMs in less than an hour!!! That is a new record for me!! There has never been so many people willing to take the BOM than there was in that one little street! It was so amazing!! I literally have not had this much success or investigators on my mission so far and I guess it is just because of our determination and our desire to get out and find people!! Everything is soooo good right now!! Plus we are going to the temple today so that makes it even better! There is so many people to teach and that we are finding and it just keeps on growing! I love this work so much and am so excited that I will be staying here at least one more transfer to see Brother Topley get baptized and to continue the work here in Airdrie!! I love it here and I have learned so much!!!

I love you all!!!!!!!!! Have a great last week of school!!!! 

Love,

Sister Hatch

Her district and zone leaders 

With her district after downtown contacting