Tuesday, June 7, 2016

She's coming home!

June 5, 2016

Ahhh!! It definitely feels surreal right now that I have made it to the end of my mission! I don't think it will hit me until I am on the airplane. Man, there were times where I really didn't think I would make it but now it has become my life. I am very scared to come home and lose all of the habits that I have gained but I know that won't happen if I stay involved in the church and missionary work most of all!

I have learned so much as I have been out here but probably one of the most important things I have learned as I have been out is how much God loves each of His children individually. I like to believe that I was able to get a small glimpse of the love God has for us! 

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet so many incredible people and learn so much from them! I will forever be grateful for the decision of serving a mission. 

Thank you for all the love and support you have given me as I have been out!!! It has really helped a lot!! 

I know Jesus Christ is real! I know this gospel is true. I know that Joseph Smith was called of God to restore the church back to the Earth. I know that he really did translate the Book of Mormon for all of us to have the opportunity to have more of God's words here on the Earth. And I promise you as you read and pray about this book that you will be able to receive the same witness I have. I have seen so many lives be blessed by this gospel and I know it has never led me astray, it has only brought goodness into my life. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!! 

I love you guys!!! See you soon!!!:)

Love,
Sister Hatch

  "For am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth." (Romans 1:16)

Friday, May 20, 2016

Baptism Week

May 16, 2016
This week was kind of a long one! Probably because of the crazy weather and then we were walking as well. 

But we did get a new investigator!! Remember that guy that came up to us at the C-train station last week? Well we had our lesson with him and he had TONS of questions and seemed really interested!! He even came to church yesterday but we figured out that he doesn't live in our area and he is 31 so we will have to pass him off. But he is a really cool guy and will still continue to investigate so that will be great! 

LEAH GOT BAPTIZED!!!!! It was so amazing!!! Mostly all of her family was there to support her as well! Sister VanSchouwenburg also got to come to the baptism so it was good to see her as well! She really misses Edworthy Park ward though so maybe it wasn't the best for her to come back and have to leave again! But it was really an awesome day filled with the spirit! I am sorry I won't be sending pictures today though because I don't have a card reader that works... 

On Saturday we both got burnt because it was really sunny and we were outside doing a service project all day. I also have a really funny picture from that day because we also got really lost and we were exhausted. The picture pretty much sums up the day we had but I will have to send it next week as well. 

That is the majority of my week this week. Life is great and God is so good!!!

I love you all!!!

 Love,
Sister Hatch


May 9, 2016

May 9, 2016
It was so good to skype you all yesterday!! Believe it or not I think that was exactly what I needed to get through this last month. I know I just need to enjoy every second I have left because too soon I will be home and not able to have this incredible joy that comes from sharing the gospel to the world every second of every day! I will miss it SO much!! But I know that I have done my best and now I am prepared to take on the rest of life... Hopefully! :)

We have started to meet more and more less actives in the ward recently! And Alvin (a less active we have been working with) came to church yesterday!! It was so amazing!! He is an accountant so now that the busy season is over he has more time for church:) 

We also had a few miracles this week!! The first one happened while we were waiting for the C-train to come and a guy named Mike came up to us and asked us who we were affiliated with. So we told him and we gave him our number and he said he would call us if he wanted to know more. And then the next day he actually did text us!! So we have an appointment set up for tomorrow!! No one ever texts us back so that was pretty incredible!! And the second one happened yesterday as we were heading in for church. President  and Sister Miles were just starting to drive out of the parking lot and they saw us so they waved us over and said meet our new friend. Sure enough they had a lady in the backseat who they had met at the mall who worked there when President was shopping for ties! Her name is Cache and she was interested in coming to church and guess what? She is YSA age!! The Lord is just providing left and right!! Obviously we are doing something right!!

Anyways life is good!! I love you all so much!! And late Happy Mother's Day!!! Also Happy Birthday Hailey!!! I hope you have a spectacular day!! 

Love,
Sister Hatch

  "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf." (1 Peter 4:12-14,16)

The Latest

May 2, 2016
Hey!!

Sorry for the late email... We got to go to Kananaskis today (hiking in the mountains) so that took up our morning!! It was super fun but not as pretty as Banff:)  It was perfect weather though! 

Man, I can't believe everyone is graduating!! Ahhh!! I hate that everyone is getting older! But I guess I am getting older too...

This week has been super busy which is always a good thing! 

So we always go Downtown street contacting on Tuesdays but this Tuesday was a little bit different contacting... First we met a truck driver guy that was super nice! He was just hanging around the park for the day until he had to start driving again. We tried to give him a pass along card but he really didn't want to talk religion plus he didn't really understand English because he was originally from Slovakia or something like that. So we moved on to a homeless man and we were having a good conversation with the guy. But he was dealing with a lot of sad things and he started crying and then yelling at the truck driver man who happened to walk by because he thought he was an undercover cop! We tried to tell him that we had just met the guy and that he was just a truck driver but this homeless guy was crazy and was not having it. So we removed ourselves from that situation as soon as possible but then the truck driver came back up to us and asked us if we wanted to go for coffee (of course we said we didn't drink coffee and got hot chocolate). So we went and got hot chocolate with Tomo (that was his name). And by the end of all of it he seemed a little more interested and said he would check out our website!! Strangest downtown contacting ever but it turned out good!! Oh and the funniest part was that the homeless guy came into the Tim Horton's (a coffee shop that Candian's go crazy over kind of like how Americans go crazy over Starbucks) and started yelling at all of us that we were undercover cops! It was kind of scary but funny at the same time:)
Then later that day we ran into missionaries from the Church of God that just wanted to bash us... So overall Tuesday was weird! :)

Wednesday we met with Muna again and found out that she was really only interested in joining the church because she thought she would be able to get financial support from it. When she figured out she couldn't she wasn't so golden anymore... It was a sad day but at least we found out her real intent early on!

Thursday we had some more good lessons and finally got to meet with Mckenzie again! He said he would come to church but he didn't...

Then Friday I started the program called My Plan for missionaries going home!! It was crazy!! You guys I don't know if I want to come home. I don't have a plan for what I am going to do when I get home!! But I did read a good talk by Elder Ballard called "Do Things That Make A Difference". It is a good one that talks a lot about how important setting goals are and how we all need to have self discipline to achieve any goal! You should check it out, it's a good one!
 "am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the technique of living to reach our goals, we can reach ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principle of setting goal, he will then be able to make great difference in the results he attains in this life." 
Life is good!! I can't complain!! I am excited to go home and see what life has to offer, I just hope I am able to keep up the good habits I have made here as well!

I love you all!! See you Sunday!
Sister Hatch
And now, my brethren, would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance.
 Yea, would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvationand therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their laborsAnd now, as said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnessestherefore, beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis,that will repent, that will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. And this know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb." (Alma 34:30-36)

Downtown

Hiking