Sunday, August 16, 2015

And the Rains Came Tumbling Down...

August 11, 2015
I did buy some glasses and with the cost of the lenses added in, it ended up being A LOT more than I planned so hopefully I love them when I see them again haha:) I don't have them yet but hopefully they will be done today so I can go and pick them up today!! I probably should have gotten two pairs of regular glasses, you're right, but oh well...

So this week was pretty eventful!!! Starting on Tuesday we had the craziest rain/hail storm EVER!!!! We were on exchanges at this time so I didn't go through half of what my companion did but I just have to tell the story because it was hilarious!! So Sister Anthian and one of my STL's Sister Dente were walking to dinner  (because it's walk and talk August right?) and it was a beautiful day, a little cloudy but nothing out of the norm. And then it starts raining it a little bit so they pull out their umbrella and it gets a little windy. But then it starts hailing and so they go under a tree for cover but then it starts pouring!!!! And when I say pouring I mean I have never seen it rain so hard in my life!!!!! It was intense!! So they go over to someones porch and hide while they can call their dinner to come pick them up:) So they are waiting for their dinner to pick them up and they see a car pull up so they assume it's their dinner (remember it's intensely pouring so you can't see anything) and they get into the car and a man is in the drivers seat smoking a cigarette and says " "Where can I take you?" They had gotten into some random guys car hahaha!!!! I am so mad I wasn't there for this!!! SO they get out and wait for their ride, the ride comes but by this time the roads are flooded so her car gets stuck in the floods... haha:) It was just the craziest situation and they were all soaked and freezing cold and walking through the floods and believe it or not it had only rained for about 10 minutes really intensely so to make as much damage as it did in those 10 minutes was insane!!! Meanwhile me and Sister Calder (our other STL) were sitting in a library safely teaching the first lesson:) It was just so funny!! 

But on exchanges we had some pretty awesome lessons with their investigators and we talked to tons of people on the street!! 

I am just loving walk and talk August though!! It is so good to get out of our car and talk to everyone!! You get some pretty cool conversations and of course also some not so good conversations.... but that is how it works. 

We had a really good church tour last night and one of our investigators came!!! We were expecting a lot more but it was still a success!! So many people had said they were coming to church as well and didn't show but I feel good things are coming our way!! We just have to keep talking to everyone we see!!! And we are going to be doing the church tour every month now so they will have more opportunities to come!

Our members are also SO amazing and help us out so much!! Our bikes malfunctioned a couple times this week and they have helped us fix them right away both times!! I don't know what we would do without the members! 

I am just loving life and am so excited about what is to come this transfer!! Walking has been pretty tough but hopefully my body will start getting used to it soon! Oh and I got the package!! Thanks guys!!! I love the earrings!!!:)

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!

Love,
Sister Hatch


Church tour with the grandparents of some people from our ward back home.


Lessons Learned

August 3, 2015
So this week I learned two important lessons: 1) love is the most important thing in missionary work and 2) the Bible has answers to all gospel questions you just have to dig a little deeper to find them sometimes.


So last Monday night we had a lesson (or more like a discussion) with Dawn our investigator and she really had me think about myself as a missionary. Sometimes I feel really pressured to put people on date and she has been taught for the past year by missionaries so we are trying to push her along a little bit to even start going to church and stuff. But then she told us after we had asked a few questions that she didn't feel that we loved her and that was like a dagger to my heart. To be told by your investigator that they don't really feel loved devastated me! I felt like a complete failure as a missionary because that is all I have ever tried to do as a missionary. In the scriptures it says if you don't have charity you are nothing and I felt like nothing in that moment. It was the absolute worst feeling in the world!! But I just had to realize that I am not going to be perfect. I am just going to try harder in spreading the love to all I come in contact with!! All I do is try harder because when the investigators don't feel loved they won't want to progress. There is no exceptions for anyone because everyone is a child of God and deserves the love of God:)

This week it also seemed like everyone was focused on the Bible and getting answers from there. So I did a ton of studying in the Bible this week and truly have come to love the the Bible!! I have never really been a scholar in the Bible and I still am not but now I can say I have become more familiar with the Bible and you can find answers for everything in the Bible. 

I am so grateful for the experiences I have had this week although it has been rough. I have truly learned a lot about myself and how I can improve as a missionary because we are always learning and growing. Just because I am a missionary doesn't mean I am perfect in any aspect so I was just able to have my eyes opened that I need to constantly be trying to see my imperfections and what I need to work on. But the important thing is that we don't let Satan get to us when we recognize all our imperfections:) 

I love the Lord and I love this mission and how much I have learned about myself and the world!! Don't give up!!! The Lord will always love you!!!

Love,
Sister Hatch

P.S. I have heard a rumor that we will be off of Facebook for a while:( Just to let you know!

Scripture of the week:

"And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of thLord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow will deliver you out of bondage." (Mosiah 24:16)
  
Gotta love that tan line


Sister Hatch and her companion Sister Anthian