July 27, 2015

I am glad to hear you got all of my stuff!!! And that you are enjoying it! 

This week we had some pretty crazy weather!! On Wednesday we had hail the size of golf balls and there was a tornado warning!! Scary right? We could see funnel clouds but they never actually touched ground. I should have taken pictures but I wasn't thinking straight haha:) The rest of the week it has been crazy windy and rainy!! Yesterday we walked to church (which is like 30 minutes) and it was beautifully sunny and then after church it started pouring!! And we had to walk to our dinner and we had no umbrella or jackets so it was pretty cold! We made it though and it actually stopped raining just long enough for us to walk to our next destination and the members were kind enough to give us rides:)

The youth in our stake had this really cool event called the Joseph Smith Encampment this weekend where they went out into the wilderness and camped and did reenactments of Joseph Smith's life. It was pretty cool and the last of it was last night at the church. They did a reenactment of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and it was pretty intense!! It was pretty cool!!

Other than that we officially got another new investigator!!! Her name is Valory King and she was a former investigator who took all the discussions, pretty much, but couldn't be baptized because she was living with her boyfriend. We think things will be good this time around although her boyfriend still doesn't want to get married but I think we can change that!! She really isn't happy with her church and she wants to get married so maybe she will be able to persuade him to get married:) 

Some of our other investigators we need to really talk with them about why they think we are coming over and let them know our purpose. If they don't have any intentions of being baptized we might need to drop them because we have to focus on those people who are ready.. It's hard but maybe it's just not the right time for them. 

We are just continuing to look for new people to teach and we are really close to teaching a lot of people!!! The work is great!! I love it!!! I hope you guys have fun with Marlee this week!!! 

Love,

Sister Hatch

Scripture of the Week:

"Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good"

D&C 90:24

Sis Hatch and her companion Sis Anthian

July 20, 2015

Hey-Oh!!!

The weather has been cool lately with lots of rain so it makes me so happy!!! I don't get as exhausted as easily when it's cool weather haha:) It sounds like you guys had fun at Girls Camp though!!

The Worthingtons are also dropping off my stuff soon so hopefully someone will be there to get it:) I did get the prescription for the glasses I just haven't gone to look for glasses yet... I will do it today!! 

This week was yet another busy one!!! I don't know how we stay so busy but I guess it's just because we have lists and lists of people we can stop by to see!! I love it!!

We went and did service for a former investigator named Nancy Wilke who said she wanted to take the lessons again! We have heard she is pretty wishy washy when it comes to the gospel but when we met her she seemed golden so we will see how that goes. She had a stroke recently though so she wants to recover from that first. 

We also met with our new investigator that we found last week, Yohannes and we mostly talked about the Book of Mormon with him. He wants time to read and pray about it and he said he would call us when he was ready to learn more... so that was kind of disappointing... But I think he will call us. He seems pretty interested! 

Other than that we have been doing tons of yard work! Dad, you would be so proud of how many times I have mowed and weeded lawns in the last couple weeks!! The things you learn on your mission:) 

That is kind of scary, Mom, that you had a dream about me getting into a car accident... I hope that doesn't actually happen!! I will be more careful driving now. We also got to help decorate for another reception!! It was fun!!!

I am loving the mission and continually growing everyday!!! I love you guys!! Thanks for your emails!!! I really enjoy them!! Oh and I promise I will start taking more pictures again, I have been slacking... 

 

Stay Awesome!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

Spiritual Message of the Week:

  "That's the way it is when Jesus Christ becomes a reality in your life. It isn't that He somehow makes you do things that you wouldn't do otherwise. Rather, you find yourself wanting to do what He would do and respond as He would respond in an effort to bring your life into harmony with His."

(Our Search For Happiness by M. Russell Ballard) 

Miracles Happen

July 13, 2015

Wow. Just wow. This week has been INCREDIBLE!!!!!

Oh my goodness where do I start??

SO Monday, I forgot to tell you the reason I was so late emailing was because we had a lesson that day with our investigator Dawn. Dawn is a difficult one... She has tons of great questions but they are questions we don't quite have the answer to :) Like where did God come from and who is Heavenly Mother? Yeah, I know... So we are trying to just keep her focused on the basic stuff and get her trying to find a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith because that is what is truly important. We just aren't going to have all the answers to those deep questions in this life, one day, but that day is not today:) So that was fun!!

Tuesday,we had the most incredible Zone Training Meeting EVER!!! Let me just tell you that our Zone Leaders are pretty amazing!! They definitely have an amazing gift to speak with power and authority and they got us all pumped to go out and find new investigators and baptize like crazy!! We are focusing on replacing fear with faith this moth and the hashtag is actually #dontbeshyjuly which is exactly what I needed to motivate me to talk to everyone I see on the street!! Oh and don't worry, the miracle is coming...

Then most of the rest of the week we have just been contacting people like crazy!! We have so many that are close to being considered new investigators. We had some pretty powerful conversations with people and even taught a few short lessons on the street. But it wasn't until we were going back to contact this one lady that had told us to come back numerous times (and her kids love us!) we saw this man sitting outside with his two daughters so I was just thinking hey we need to go talk to him because I had set a goal that I wanted to talk to everyone I saw. So we went over there and we taught pretty much the first lesson and he wanted us to come back and teach his girls about Jesus Christ!!! Now this might not seem like the hugest miracle to you but you have to understand rarely anyone asks US to come back we usually have to ask them if we can come back and so we know he is solid!!! We know that there is going to be more miracles to come!! Great things are already happening!!! I am just loving this work and really starting to see how the Lord blesses us when we put everything we have into His work!!

Other than that we had an amazing Stampede pancake breakfast where we were able to give a church tour to some people (my first church tour!) and they don't live in our area but hopefully they will be some other missionaries miracle!! We also had an amazing relief society activity on how to care for our skin in these hot days (and it has been hot!!) and so now I know which sunscreen is best to use and what the different things on the sunscreen bottle mean!! It was very useful!! Apparently anything over 50 SPF is pretty much the same. And there are physical and chemical suncreens. Physical sunscreen acts like clothing over your skin!! Pretty cool!! And I am going to buy some today!!! Because I have been getting a lot of sun!! And next month is walk and talk August so pretty much they take away our cars and we have to walk everywhere... so yeah... 

I have just learned so much this week and I wish I could tell you it all but I just don't have enough time... But I just love the mission and I grow so much each day!! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't learn something new!! And I LOVE it!!! I did get the package last Monday!!! Thank you so much for the cds and bracelet!!! I love it!!!! You guys are the best!!! Remember to put the Lord first in everything you do!!!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

Scripture of the Week:

"  Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments." (Helaman 10:4)

Busy Busy Busy

July 6, 2015

Oh my goodness gracious!!!!! This week has been the busiest week of my entire mission!!!!! South Calgary does not mess around!! We have so much to do I feel I don't even have time to breathe sometimes!! But I am definitely not complaining!! It is SO much better than not having anything to do!

So Sister Anthian and I went through the area books in our wards and first let me just tell you they are a lot different from Airdrie area books! I think it was good that I started in Airdrie because I truly didn't know how slow the work was there until I got out of Airdrie and now I know!! They had tons of former investigators in these area books who had tons of potential!! So we went through all the names and wrote down the ones with real potential and found almost 30 that we could stop by and visit!!! 30!!! I am just still in so much shock!! So we have been trying to contact them all this week and have so far found 8 pretty solid potentials who have told us to come back!!! So we are going to be having a lot of investigators soon!!! I am so excited!!!! Baptisms are coming!!

Then we met the new mission President and his wife and they are SUPER nice!! I already love them to death!!! And one of his sons went on a mission to Tempe!! He spoke about how we can't really control numbers but we can control ourselves. So the things we need to focus on is our obedience, diligence, and gaining of knowledge and then the numbers will fall into place!! And I honestly believe that!! When we are putting our whole heart and soul into the work we are blessed for it!! I have definitely seen that just this week! 

Stampede has started and so that means lots of free pancake breakfasts for us!!! And lots more people to meet at those free pancake breakfasts!! So we are excited about that!! 

Our Zone also set a goal to find 30 new investigators this month! We are going to start doing waffle wednesdays and family history events to make that happen so I am going to need to learn more information on my ancestors. If we have any really cool stories of our ancestors send them my way because I will need them!!

It has also been extremely hot!!! It really feels like Arizona sometimes but then the wind comes and saves me!!! No one has air conditioning here so there is no where to escape the heat!! That's the worst part!! And we have been having crazy thunderstorms!! It's fun!!

I have been without medication for a week now, but oddly enough I don't feel horrible... I honestly thought I would barely be able to walk but the Lord has blessed me and I have only felt a little more sore than normal. I even fasted yesterday and I usually get really weak and sore when I fast but that didn't happen at all!! I know the Lord is protecting me and I am grateful for that!! Who needs medication when you have God?? haha:)

Well I am sorry I am late writing to you but I finally got to write so that's all that matters!! I didn't forget about you, I promise!! I love you all!!! Oh and Mom, for the pictures, I just pictures where the whole family is in it or the majority of us. Old, new it doesn't matter to me. Thanks!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

Scripture  of the Week:

" And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:11-14)

New Area!

June 29, 2015

Thank you for the pictures Brenna and Marlee!!! It looks like you guys have been having tons of fun!!

So I am now in South Calgary in the Queensland and Parkland wards!!! My new companion is Sister Anthian and she came out with Sister Gleason so I am greenie busting her!! She is from Quebec so she has a French accent and she likes badminton too!!! We are getting along great!!

We are staying so much more busy here than we ever would have in Airdrie!! I do miss the people in Airdrie but this is a good change! Our apartment is definitely not as nice as our old one but it does have a microwave so that's good!! We do a lot of service here and it has been so hot here that I have been sweating like crazy! Most houses don;t have air conditioning here so when it gets hot you can't escape the heat!! So I have been completely exhausted! But my body has been holding up pretty well and I have actually been getting tanner! My medication does run out today and I haven't got your package yet so I am just praying that it comes in soon and we can go get it from the mission office. Don't worry though I know everything will work out! 

I also found out that the Olsens (you know Layla and Ivy from Alameda ward) his dad is in Parkland ward so that was fun talking to him about how I used to babysit his grandchildren!! He said they are having a family reunion thing this week but Chrissy and Jarom are the only family that won't be there because they are in Ontario.. That would have been fun to see them but oh well. Maybe sometime in the future!

This area is so pretty and has tons of trees and there is a lake and everything!! We also get to cover a pretty big area so that is fun!! And there is some good potential here! We have a couple investigators, they aren't really progressing but they are so golden they are just stuck on things that don't really matter to your salvation. So hopefully we can get them over these concerns and on to baptism!! I am loving life!!! I know that good things are on their way! I can feel it!!

Oh and we went to pick up Sister Gleason's baby last wednesday and probably traumatized her the first day because we biked all the way to the Food Bank which was the farthest we had ever biked and there were tons of hills and she was wearing a white skirt and it got all dirty from the bike... She was already very emotional anyway from the craziness of getting into the field and so I felt horrible because she was just crying so much. I just hope she is feeling better now because it didn't start off so great for her. But she really helped to remind me of the reason I am out here!! She was so passionate about wanting to go out and share the gospel with every single person she could and I had kind of lost that... I don;t always talk to every single person I see on the street, I mean I say hi but I don't always try to start a gospel conversation and so it helped me to realize that we need to be trying to talk to everyone!!! Even if they don't think they will receive our message so I am working on that!

So things are good here!! I love the mission and the joy it brings to me everyday!! When we are obedient we are able to be blessed beyond imagination!!! I love you guys!! Have fun in the heat!! It is starting to cool down again haha:) That is the best part of Canada is that you know the heat will never stay!! Oh and I sang the O Canada song for the first time yesterday at church:) They have that song in the hymnbooks here.

Love,

Sister Hatch

Transfer Week

June 23, 2015

The time has finally come!!!! I am being transferred!!!!! It has been such a blast serving in Airdrie and it truly has become a second home to me but I am ready for some change of scenery!:) Sister Gleason will be training as well so that's insane because she is just getting done being trained!!! Talk about stressful and overwhelming! But she will do AMAZING!! I will miss her a TON though because we have truly become best friends! She is he first companion that I have felt completely comfortable with haha:) We have actually already planned some vacations for after our missions together:) Oh and she wants to meet all of you guys because I showed her the video Ashlyn made and she thinks you guys are pretty awesome!! She even wants a picture of you guys to keep haha:) So I've pretty much adopted her as another sister to the family!!

Anyways, so this week was pretty great!! Still doing a lot of biking because we are low on kilometers and it has been fun but exhausting! It is pretty rainy here though so we never know when we are going to get rained on or not. The weather is very bipolar. And speaking of bipolar... Yes! I have become very bipolar as well or maybe just emotional haha:) 

I learned a lot about patience this week, which I have continually been learning about my whole mission, but I actually studied it this week! Sometimes I get really caught up in numbers of lessons, investigators, baptisms, etc... and I forget about the other things that don't always count for numbers like talking to people on the streets, member lessons, tracting, etc... I need to remember that numbers aren't everything in the mission. And to be patient with investigators when teaching them because this is a whole new way of life to change to. I just need to continue to remember that this work is not my work but the Lord's work so everything will be done in His own timing!

We also had a really great Stake Relief Society Conference that had some great speakers!! There was one lady from Airdrie 2nd ward that spoke on how to build ourselves up. She had been through a lot in her life and had learned some things to overcome her feelings of no worth. She talked about how we lie to ourselves constantly saying negative things like I'm not pretty or I'm not talented when those are lies!!! We are beautiful and we all are talented in our own ways so we need to start telling ourselves the truth and compliment ourselves to build ourselves up! Anyways I loved her talk and I learned a lot this week about myself and what I need to improve on!!

Also since I will be being transferred I am going to have to pack so I am going to be sending a lot of stuff home because I won't be able to fit all my stuff in my two suitcases:) One of the members here is going down to Utah in July so I am going to leave the stuff with them and Marlee said she would be in Utah all of July so they will drop it off at Jolyn's house and hopefully it will get to you somehow. Does that work? I just need Jolyn's address and maybe her email too to warn her that this is happening:) 

I love you all so much!! I am glad you all had fun at the beach but I am sad that I didn't get any pictures yet... I will let you guys know where I am transferred next week!

Love,

Sister Hatch

June 8,2015

Thank you so much for the video!!!! That really made my life!!! I did get everyone's emails:) I am starting to get low on medicine so you should probably send it soon before it's too late! My glasses are getting a little run down but it isn't a necessity that I get new ones... But if you want to:)

This week was pretty chill. We didn't really get any lessons with our investigators this week so nothing new there. We almost got a new investigator (Betty) but she doesn't want anything to do with the church really because her ex husband has threatened to take fight for custody over their kids if she does anything with our church... So we don't know what to do with that. We are just praying for a miracle because she would be golden if it wasn't for her ex husband...

There is also another guy we have become friends with here at the library that we see mostly every time we come in to do Facebook and so we are hoping to start teaching him. He is super nice so we'll see!

Other than that it has been pretty warm!! The weekend is usually very warm and then the week days are usually rainy and cloudy. But I am not complaining because my body would not be able to withstand the heat constantly. And now they have cut back our kilometers even further to 700 per month for the summer so we are going to be biking and walking a lot!!! I hope my body can withstand it because I have already been very exhausted lately with the sun coming out and everything haha:) 

Saturday we did something called the power hour where we go to a members house and share a message with them and then we ask them if they would be willing to pray or do something spiritual for an hour while we go tracting and then we come back and report on our success. So we did this but we split into two power half hours and the first half hour we passed out 5 BOMs and the next we only passed out 2. But when we went back to report to the second family to tell them we had only passed out two BOMs I was not looking forward to it because I had felt it wasn't very successful. But when we told them the family was so happy!!!! Sometimes as missionaries, since we are doing this all the time, we don't realize our little successes we have everyday. For most people handing out 2 BOMs in 30 minutes is HUGE and I need to stop taking that for granted!! I just will never forget how happy they were at our little success!! So now I trying harder to look for the little successes everyday and not worry so much about the things we weren't able to accomplish!!

I hope you guys have fun at the beach next week!!! I can't wait to see all your pics!! I love you guys and miss you so much!!!!! Thank you again for the video!! I really needed that!! :)

Love,

Sister Hatch

They got to have a little fun and go to the Zoo!

President and Sister Nicholas

Baptims!

June 1, 2015

I got your letter Mom and gave the Topleys your thank you note and they LOVED it!!! The baptism was so awesome!! The spirit was super strong and Brother Topley was just glowing from head to toe! The room was also packed with people! It was an awesome event!! It was so awesome to see how much love and support that he had! I guess he has technically been investigating now for about 11 years!! I was surprised to figure that out but Sister Topley has been baptized for that long so it makes sense.

So Monday we finally decided to do something different for P-day instead of basketball. We played kickball!! But it didn't turn out being so fun... First off we were playing with a soccer ball so it was a lot harder than an actual kickball and I got hit in the face. It broke my glasses but don't worry I super glued them back together and it's all good:) The lens didn't break or anything so that was awesome:) Then one of the Elder's was running backwards trying to catch the ball and I was pretty much in the way and he ran right into me. He is a pretty big dude too so I got a huge bruise on my thigh!! It was swollen for like the whole week haha:) So that was a fun P-day:) Today we are going to the Zoo though!!! That should be really fun!! And I don't think I can get hurt there but you never know with my luck!

Later on in the week we ran into a guy while walking one night that was pretty interesting. At first he genuinely seemed interested but then he figured out we were "Mormons" so he started going on and on about the things he thought we believed... He just had a lot of misconceptions about Joseph Smith and the BOM and no matter what we said he wouldn't listen and I got a little fiery. Nothing was going to get accomplished with that man so we had to walk away but I don't know why he had made me so angry. I was almost to the point of tears because I was so frustrated but then funny enough I got a call to give a talk on Joseph Smith in sacrament meeting yesterday:) I definitely do not think that was coincidence because I really needed that talk to help solidify my testimony on Joseph Smith. (sidenote: It was actually the first time I gave a talk without writing it out word for word) But I found a talk given by Elder Neil L. Andersen from the 0ct. 2014 general conference and it talked all about how Joseph Smith would be bashed on more and more towards the Second Coming. And it focused on us and how we need to build our testimony of Joseph Smith first because there are going to be those people out there that bash on our Prophets and the things we believe but if we truly have a testimony of it then we won't be able to be torn down!! Those people who are trying to tell us what we know are missing the truth and we can't let them persuade us to their side of darkness.

We also had a crazy lesson with the Nobles on Thursday! It was literally the most loud and chaotic lesson I have ever had and it felt like nothing we were saying was getting through to them. But we taught the Plan of Salvation and focused on the importance of baptism and how that gets us to the kingdom of God and the oldest girl wanted to be baptized!! We didn't even ask her she asked us! The parents weren't all that thrilled but they said they would discuss it. We haven't heard back from them in a while so we are hoping they aren't going to pull away. They are a part member family where the dad is a member (not active) and the mom is agnostic. So we will see how that goes...

Things are so good here!! It sounds like the BOM trek wasn't as exciting as planned but I'm glad you guys went!! And Hailey sometimes the commandments don't seem to be doing a lot in the moment but when we look at the eternal perspective it makes a huge difference. If we create addictions in this life the next life, in the spirit world, when we don't have a body to satisfy those addictions, is going to be a whole lot worse!! So staying away from them overall is better for us. And God was the one who created our bodies so He knows so much more about what is and isn't good for us to intake! Just trust in the Lord!! And when you were obeying His commandments and gave the drink away you were blessed with something even greater!! That was the Lord rewarding you for doing what was right!

I was also wondering if you could possibly send me my John Bytheway CDs in my next package and more pics!! I always love more pics!! I already got the vocal point soundtrack from another sister here so you don't have to worry about that anymore haha:)

Anyways, I love you guys!!! Keep choosing the right!!! You will be blessed!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

   " The constant water balloon volleys from the sidelines may occasionally get you wet, but they need never,NEVER extinguish your burning fire of faith."

-Neil L. Andersen

The Topley's. Brother Topley got baptized!