Another Transfer gone...

October 26, 2015

It is transfer week yet again! And shocker I am staying!! I seriously stay in my areas forever!! But I love it here and we are close to a baptism so I am glad to stay! President Miles also changed P-days on transfer week back to Mondays so I will be emailing every Monday now!! And we were just told that all the missionaries from the states have to get an International Driving Permit so that will cost $21. The mission will pay for it initially but we will have to reimburse them so that will be happening next week. 

So back to the potential baptism... Sarah is doing SO amazing and you know that she pretty much just needs to come to church so she can get baptized and we have been praying so hard for her to find a job where she doesn't have to work weekends and miracles happen!!! Sarah found a job opportunity where she doesn't have to work weekends!!! So now we are praying hardcore so she can get the job and come to church!!! I know the Lord is blessing her for her diligence and faith!

Also one of our investigators, Nancy, was going to come to church yesterday but she told her friend who is a less active and he told her not to so she didn't come. Too much drama but we will work on changing that:) 

Other than that it has been getting really chilly! It got to -3 degrees celsius and we heard a rumor that it might snow today!! I am getting excited! My birthday is coming up on Friday and I can't believe I'm not going to be a teenager anymore... :( I have to be an adult now. Did you here about the hurricane in Mexico?? Did you guys get any effects from that? Apparently it was supposed to be the biggest EVER!!! But then I heard it wasn't that bad.

This week has been pretty boring but we are still working hard and hopefully going to have some baptisms soon!!! I am trying not to think so much about how close I am to going home. It is still too early for that...

Love, 

Sister Hatch

"And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good.

 And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know, for ye know that the word hath swelled your souls, and ye also know that it hath sprouted up, that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.

 O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good; and now behold, after ye have tasted this light is your knowledge perfect?

Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good." (Alma 32:33-36) Just read all of Alma 32, it is SO good!!!

Lunch with the zone at the mission home.

11 Months!

October 19, 2015

got the birthday package!!!! Thank you so much!! Who knew that oreos could taste so good?? There is definitely a difference in Canadian and American oreos! And thank you for the gift card! I don't know if it will work in the store we have here because it isn't technically a Downeast Basics store, it just sells the same stuff but I will give it a try! You guys are the best!! And Hailey, that card was very creative!

So this week was kind of sad because we started to drop some of our investigators... We decided to drop Valerie and possibly Heidi this week because they just aren't progressing at all and have no motivation to read or pray. We have gone through all the lessons with them so unless they start doing these things on their own there isn't much more we can do for them:( It is hard letting investigators go but we can only do so much for someone and then they have to act on it. 

But even though we have let some investigators go we continue to gain more! Missionary month has ended in Queensland ward but we have definitely seen lots of blessings come from the prayers and fasting of the members in the ward!! We have had SO much success this month!! I know that has mostly come from Missionary month:) 

We had a ward talent show on Saturday and we invited a man that we met on the street to come and display his 3-D printer and it was a huge hit!!! And he said we could come this week and teach him!!! Double whammy! He is super awesome!! And the members were so great in including him!

And the Nelson's, the family that just got sealed in the temple, their son is not a member so we have been working with him as well! We usually go and visit with the family every Thursday night and this week was the first week he sat and talked with us the whole time!! And he didn't get on his phone when we shared a scripture!! Things are happening with him!! But he is YSA age so if he is going to be taught we will have to pass him off to the Elders... :(

It has been a great week though!!! And I did skype Dr. Howard. He said I didn't need to go to the eye doctor until I get home. Anyway, things are going good!!! I love you guys!!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

"For behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you that the Lord God worketh not in darkness.

 He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him.Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation." (2 Nephi 26:23-24)

Excuse my messy hairdo, it was a long day!

Happy Birthday Sister Hatch

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.