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

Transfer News

September 28, 2015

So this weekend has been nonstop fun!!! My new companion is Sister McDonald and she is from Ontario. She has only been a member for 2 1/2 years so she is older like 24 but she is awesome!!! It is weird to be older in the mission than her because she is older than me in real life haha. She just got done being trained so I am greenie busting again!! I can tell this transfer is going to be good!

Saturday we went to the temple and saw some of our members get sealed!! It was the first sealing I have ever been to and it was SO amazing!!! This family has been less active for a really long time, the husband was actually so less active that the ward didn't even know if he was a member or not! But when the daughter got baptized the dad started to come back into activity and now they are all active (except their son who is not a member) and sealed together!! It was so beautiful!! This is truly what missionary work is all about, is seeing families be sealed together forever!

Then we had the Women's Broadcast which was amazing!!!!! I am so excited for General Conference!! We have been so busy lately it has been exhausting so I am ready for the peace that comes with Conference. Plus we get to hear who the new apostles are!! 

We also had another amazing lesson with Sarah on Friday!! She paid her tithing and she is not even baptized! Plus she is going to be able to start coming to church!! I just love her so much!!!! And the member we have been having the lessons with texted us after the lesson and told us that she had no idea why we had chosen her to have the lessons with but that she has been struggling with her testimony lately and has been able to slowly rekindle that testimony she once had. I had no idea this was happening! The Lord really does guide us and I have gained such a testimony of having the right members at lessons! Who knew?? I love this gospel!! It is so true!!!!

It has been an awesome week!!! Dad happy early birthday!!! I am sending you a present today so hopefully it gets to you on time! I love you guys!!!!! Happy General Conference Week!!!!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

 "And they said: Behold, we cannot understand the words which our father hath spoken concerning the natural 

branches of the olive tree, and also concerning the Gentiles.

 And I said unto them: Have ye inquired of the Lord?

And they said unto me: We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.

Behold, I said unto them: How is it that ye do not keep the commandments of the Lord? How is it that ye will perish, because of the hardness of your hearts?

Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." (1 Nephi 15:7-11)

The sisters with one of their investigators Valerie.

The Nelson Family who was sealing they went to.

In front of the the Calgary temple with her new companion Sister McDonald.

It's Rainin Investigators

Oh my gosh this week has been insanely amazing!!! 

We picked up three new investigators!! Three!!!! Miracles happen guys!! And these investigators are solid investigators!! So interested and ready to follow God!

So the first investigator was who I told you about last week, Sarah, who grew up in a cult. We taught her tithing and fasting and invited her to fast for a Sunday she could come to church because she works on Sunday and she had already come up with a day!!! Her boss had told her that she had a few vacation days that she needed to take off and so she was going to take it off for church!! And now she just had an interview for a job that doesn't work weekends and so we are just praying she will get the job!! She is so awesome!!!

Second investigator came from one of the members we tracted into that wasn't in our records. His girlfriend is super interested!! They have been reading church books together and so we also gave the a Book of Mormon that they can read together as well:) She doesn't exactly live in our area which is a bummer so we don't know how long we will be able to teach her but she really wants to learn!!!

And the last investigator was a lady that we had met on the street this week. She had just fallen down so her knee was all bloody so we stopped and asked if she needed any help or even a ride anywhere but ended up talking about Jesus Christ and her belief in Him. She then said she has met with Sisters before and that she was supposed to go to church with them but no one ever picked her up to go... So we go home and looked in our area book for former investigators and low and behold there she was!! But there was no address with her teaching record so there would have been no way we could have found her! Coincidence?? I think not! There was really no reason that she was dropped before and she already wants to come to church and she prays everyday and she has already started reading the Book of Mormon!! I mean how much more golden can you get?? God is so real!!! And I am so excited for this next transfer!!! We are going to get baptisms baby!!!

But this week is transfer week so Sister Anthian is leaving... But the new sister will be happy to come into our awesome area!!! I am so excited!! I love change! But I will miss Sister Anthian.

Our ward is also starting a mission month where everyone in the ward is supposed to pick a person they can focus on to work with and pretty much every activity will be focused on missionary work. Then at the end of the month the ward will have a fast all together and apparently they've had success with this in the past. It should be good! 

We also had exchanges again this week!!! The Sister Training  Leaders are so amazing!! I love them!! We did a service as a zone for the stake Food drive and got 93,000 pounds of food!!! It was pretty awesome but exhausting!! I was sore from lifting bags of food for three hours straight but it was worth it!! And we had this crazy lesson with these people from Romania and they pretty much were trying to convert us to Orthodoxy but now I know everything there is to know about the Orthodox religion:) 

We are going to the temple on Saturday as well because some of our members are going through for the first time and they are getting sealed!!!! It will be my first sealing!! I am so excited!!! 

Anyway, I love you guys so much!! This week has been so amazing!!! God is so amazing!!! And this gospel is so true!!! Oh and I found a store here that is like Downeast Basics so even if you just want to send money for my birthday and Christmas instead of sending things that would be cool as well:) And yeah you should probably send medicine soon:) Thank you so much!!!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

 "And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt 

escape the judgment of God?

 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Romans 2:3-4)

Cooking dinner for some of the members.

September 14, 2015

SO, this week was amazing because one of the Quorum of the Seventy, Elder Martino, came to speak to our mission!! He focused on member missionary work and gave us so many suggestions on how to improve our teaching skills and work with members. And it wasn't like it was anything super new and crazy but I don't think I would have been able to think of it on my own. He rebuked us hardcore but it was so good for me, it was exactly what I needed. I have to admit I had been slacking in waking up on time and Elder Martino laid down the law and said if you aren't even able to wake up on time how can you expect your investigators to change their whole lives. And it was just like MIND BLOWN!!! I know it sounds so simple and obvious but apparently I was being dumb so I am happy to say I have woken up on time everyday since then:) Anyways, I have a new motivation and we have been working our tooshies off with the members lately and let me tell you, we have been having great success!!! Valory came to a relief society activity this week and we weren't even able to make it but the members are so good at including her. Plus we are getting a new investigator today!!! The other sisters in our zone have been teaching this lady for a while now but they just figured out she actually lives in our area so they have to pass her off to us and we are having a lesson with her tonight!! Her name is Sarah and she is SO solid!!! She starting living the word of wisdom before they even taught her that! She grew up in a cult so she has trust issues with religion but she seems pretty committed. We also have lessons set up with every one of our investigators this week even one that I have never met yet so we will see how those go!! I am so pumped for this week!!

I love you guys so much!!! And miss you so much!!!!

Today is God's gift to you - SHINE!!!!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

"And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free."

(Helaman 14:30)

Sister Hatch and Sister Anthian