April 11, 2016

Hey!!! Sorry for the late email.. The internet was down in the family history center so we went to the public library last minute haha:) This will be another short email because I don't have time.

But it has been a great week! We finally got in contact with Mckenzie (the one who read the whole BOM) and had an awesome lesson about the Plan of Salvation!! And he prayed!!!! Yay!!!!

We also had an amazing lesson with one of our investigators named Alex!!! We were on exchanges but the spirit was so incredibly strong!!! I love the spirit!!!

Anyways I know that was a lame email but I promise I will try to do better next week!! Life is great!! Oh and Banff was awesome!! We didn't get to go on any hikes this time because it is bear season so all the hikes are closed but we did get to do a lot of shopping so I got all my souvenirs!!!! Yay!!! I love you guys... but also hate you for going to six flags again without me... We will talk when I get home!! 8 more Sundays left!! Not that I am counting...:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

April 4, 2016

We are going to Banff today so this might not be as long as normal...

General Conference was so amazing!!! Jeffrey R. Holland's talk was by far my favorite and I'm pretty sure his message related to everyone! But I really needed that! All we need to do is try our best and when we try to progess we are successful. We don't need to dread tomorrow but live in the moment of today!! So good! 

We had many wonderful experiences again this week being that we didn't have a car (but we didn't get lost this week!). We met a homeless man who was pitching the nutrition facts of cheerios to us and escorted a drunk lady to her rehab/homeless shelter. Oh man, good times!! You meet some pretty sketchy people Downtown but it keeps life interesting!! We also got offered Kit Kats by a homeless man but thought we better not take them because who knows what would have been in them:) 

We got two new investigators this week as well!!! They are both former investigators so they have both had most of the lessons already but one wants to be baptized!!! He is engaged to a member and just has to quit nicotine before he can get baptized which will be soon because he wants to get baptized before they are married in September!! His name is Josh and he is hilarious!! 

Other than that our week has been all the normal stuff!! I miss you guys!! Sorry today's email is so short but I will send more next week!!! 

Love,

Sister Hatch

Happy Easter!

March 28, 2016

Happy Late Easter!!!

We got to color eggs for FHE last week which was really fun! Other than that I didn't do anything special for Easter. I did however get to speak in church yesterday about the Atonement and it is truly crazy to see how much Christ has done for each and every one of us. Obviously we can't comprehend all that He went through but I know that because of that I have the opportunity to change!! I know I shared this talk with you a couple weeks ago but I just love it so much!! In the talk, "His Grace is Sufficient" there is a part where he is talking to his friend and it says, "I have born-again Christian friends who say to me, “You Mormons are trying to earn your way to heaven.”

I say, “No, we are not earning heaven. We are learning heaven. We are preparing for it. We are practicing for it.” They ask me, “Have you been saved by grace?” I answer, “Yes. Absolutely, totally, completely, thankfully—yes!” Then I ask them a question that perhaps they have not fully considered: “Have you been changed by grace?” I love that last question. What are doing to change yourself because of the Atonement? The only way we can "pay back" Christ for all that we have done is to live our lives the way He has asked us to live it and share what we know with others!! 

I loved the Women's Conference because that was all it talked about!! Forget yourself and go to work!! That is something I needed to be reminded of. When you start thinking of yourself too much in missionary work, that desire to work leaves you and you aren't as effective. I think now I have finally understood why it is so important to stay focused on the mission. I didn't feel this way until recently when I started to think of home way too much and didn't have any desire to work. But we had interviews this week and President Miles said that sometimes we have to rededicate ourselves just like sometimes we have to rededicate temples. We get worn or tired of what we are doing and we need to rededicate ourselves to the work. So that is what I am trying to do!

It has been such beautiful weather here!! I am so afraid to go home to the heat!! But it is supposed to start warming up here a lot more this week so maybe it won't be so nice for me anymore. Sister V. is always angry with me because I am constantly praying for snow or rain and she hates the snow!! Hahaha!! The other morning we woke up to snow on the ground and I was so happy and she was like "YOU PRAYED FOR THIS!" and I was like "YEAH!! God does answer prayers!" haha:) I love it!! Oh how I am going to miss the snow...

Leah's baptismal date got pushed back a week to May13th because her family won't be in town until then and they wanted to come to the baptism so that is awesome!!! I am so glad her family is so supportive and wants to come!!! Her mom wasn't so excited when she first told them about her wanting to get baptized. 

Other than that we have had a lot of crazy run ins with people downtown. One guy said he doesn't believe in Jesus because he believes in sex and so he can't believe that Mary was a virgin... That was probably one of the most hilarious run ins I have encountered on the mission!!! It was awesome!:) 

I love you guys!! I am glad you had a great Easter!!! You guys are truly the best ever!!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

"I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary." (Missionary Work and the Atonement by Elder Holland)

YSA all the Way

March 21, 2016

This was a slower week but not a bad week.

We got Leah on date for baptism for May 6th!! Sister VanSchouwenburg is a little upset that is after transfers but she might stay!! You never know these days:)  We taught the Word of Wisdom to Leah and she agreed with no problem. I have never had such an easy time teaching the Word of Wisdom my whole mission!! It helps that she is a health freak so she doesn't believe in drinking caffeine already. She was just born to be a member!! She is so awesome!

We haven't been able to meet with Mckenzie (the guy who read the whole BOM) this week because he has been busy and then left for Mexico... But he will not get away! Haha!

We also talked to President this week about our situation with both our wards meeting at the same time on Sundays and he agreed that it would be best if the Heritage Elders take 1st ward because they meet in the same building. So now we only have YSA!!! But I love it and we stay so busy!!

They have so many activities! We had a chili cook off the other night and we were the judges. It was so fun! 

I am starting to see the YSA drama though which I don't like as much... Oh well... And our ward mission leader just got engaged! They are so cute! (side tangent)

Anyways, we got lost so much this week! This was our week to not have the car so we have been trying to figure out the buses and it hasn't worked so far... On Friday we walked a good 5 extra miles than we needed to because we were so lost and we never did end up getting to our appointment. But we met some awesome people along the way so that was a plus! I really do know how to read maps guys.

And we also had Zone Conference! Which I thought was going to be my last one but we will be having another one in May which I am so pumped for!! And we are also going to be visited ny Elder Christofferson in April!! Exciting things are coming!! But back to Zone Conference, it was amazing!! Let's just say the Atonement is real!

Oh and a lady in YSA served her mission in Tempe!! She served in Shalimar ward and is going down to visit the Cleggs this week!! Isn't that crazy?? She is the Relief Society President in YSA!! I love her so much!!! Such a small world!

And we have a less active in our ward that I skyped in the MTC! Haha!! It's so funny how the Lord works to put people in our lives:)

Life is good and the gospel is true!! I love you guys!! 

Love,

Sister Hatch

Leah and Beverly.  Leah is on the left and getting baptized May 6th! 

Chili cook off

Lunch with the Sisters

Having fun on the merry go round

Zone Conference

We are Baptizing Nations

March 14, 2016

YSA wards rock!!! So many awesome things happened this week!

So first, we met with our investigator Leah, who has only had two other lessons before this week and from everything I was told about her she sounded golden. And guess what? She was! We met with her and decided to put her on date for baptism and we did!! Well kind of... Her boyfriend is in Utah going to BYU right now and she really wants him to baptize her so we just have to figure out a time that he can come up!! But he said he would be willing to come up anytime! So we are going to have a baptism soon! She is so awesome!! And she came to church! She has no concerns whatsoever! AHH!!

Second investigator is Mckenzie (male). We met with him the first day I got into this area and he seemed kind of distracted... We didn't know if he had real intent and he ended up cancelling our appointment this week because he had to work so we just didn't think much would happen there. But then we get a text from him saying that he read the WHOLE BOOK OF MORMON!!! THE WHOLE BOOK OF MORMON!!!!! No one reads the whole Book of Mormon!!! literally tears came to my eyes I was so shocked!! AND THEN he came to church!!! And he said he loved it and he felt so welcome and happy!! Miracles!!!

Then we also just got an investigator passed off to us from the other Elders because he is YSA age that has a baptismal date for April 17th! And he came to church too!!! And we have another potential that we are going to start teaching this week that came to church as well!!! What is happening?? I have never had so many people progressing in my whole mission!!!!! I am so beyond stoked!! 

The only sad thing was we were on splits for church yesterday and I went to Calgary 1st ward so I didn't even get to see all of these people at church:( But that's ok! I just feel bad that we aren't able to spend that much time on 1st ward but we have so many people to teach in YSA!!! I love it!!! Miracles are happening!! And we are baptizing nations!! I take back every thing I said about YSA before!! It is absolutely amazing!

I love you guys! The gospel is true!

Love,

Sister Hatch 

"But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever." (2 Nephi 9:18)

Dillon and Emily a couple in the YSA ward.

Calgary for Life

March 7, 2016

No shocker here!! I am still in Calgary, central Calgary so pretty much Downtown!!! It is kind of sad that I won't get to go down South at all on my mission but I am stoked to stay in Calgary!! And wait for it... I am also in YSA!!!! AHHH!!! I know crazy right? I never thought I would be put in a YSA ward and I was actually really scared to go to one because I feel like I can't talk to normal people my age anymore. I can talk to other missionaries but they aren't normal haha:) And we are also covering a family ward as well so that is fun! The only dilema is that they both start at the same time in different buildings so we can't go to both wards on Sunday or if we do we would have to be on splits with members. But we won't do that for the first couple weeks so I can get used to the wards with Sister V. OH and I just realized I forgot to tell you that my new companions name is Sister VanShouwenburg!!! I know it's a long one right? She is from Utah but spent most of her life in California so not a full Utahian:) She is awesome!! She is just done being trained and her mission mom just went home so she was sad to get another companion that she would probably have to send home but she is doing awesome!! It is really hard after training when you realize you have all the responsibility now but she is such a great missionary! She is super obedient and a great street contacter so she is helping me to stay in line. She LOVES to talk!!

We also get to share a car again but this time with the Elders!! Fun stuff!! But the Elders are super sweet and let us take the car all the time even when it is there turn to have it:) We cover the whole stake though so we need it more to get places. There is also a Korean branch within 1st ward and that covers the whole city of Calgary so we could potentially drive anywhere in Calgary to meet these people! It is sweet! We had a dinner the other night with one of the Korean members and I got to drive through my last area. It was fun!! So maybe I will learn some Korean...

We also have so many investigators in YSA so I am excited!! Some of them are so solid so I can feel that we are going to get a baptism this transfer! I haven't met any of them yet really but I have heard really good things!! YSA is the place for baptisms baby!!

Funny Story: So we were contacting the other day and a guy answered the door with no pants or underwear on!!! Hahaha!! It was so awkward! I didn't see anything because luckily he was wearing a shirt to cover a little bit but I just didn't look down. He was just like oh I was just getting in the shower.... Then WHY did you answer the door?!?! Oh my goodness! Some people... And he was in his 60's...

Anyway life is good here!! The weather has been beautiful and change has been good! I do miss my trio really bad but this area has so much potential and we are going to baptize nations!! And what better place to do it than downtown Calgary!! I love it! I love the gospel!! The church is true and the book is blue!

Love,

Sister Hatch

Sister Hatch's new companion Sister VanShouwenburg.

Transfer Week

February 29,2016

So it looks like I am getting transferred again!!! I did not think I would but Sister Allard and Jensen are both training and Sister Allard will be staying in the area so I am out of here. I am kind of sad to go because I really don't feel like I got the opportunity to get to know the people really well yet but I guess the Lord needs me somewhere else! And I am excited for a little change. I am getting to the end and it is getting harder and harder to stay focused so I think change will help me a little bit with that! I am going to miss the trio A LOT though!!! These have been some of the best transfers on my mission! We have just been having a blast together! But they are both going to be awesome trainers!!! 

Going off of sugar didn't really work out all that great because we still got fed dessert at dinners and how can you tell the members no especially when they go out of their way to make a banana cream pie... And Laurie hasn't officially quite smoking, it has been really hard for her. But she hasn't been following the program exactly and I don't think she has enough faith in herself. she really does want to quit but she doesn't believe she can actually do it and that's half the battle! 

Other than transfer news this week has been pretty low key. We did however get  a new investigator!! Woot!! Woot!!! (Another reason I am sad to leave...) Her name is Sharon and she was a former, came to church a couple times but then the sisters just lost contact with her. She was the one that didn't know if she was baptized or not so we found out the she wasn't and we were waiting on her to decide of she wanted to start taking the lessons again. And she said YES!!! She said she felt so much peace when she was taking the lessons before an she wanted that peace back in her life! Sister Allard's baby is going to be so spoiled with so much work in this area!! 

Other than that the rest of our appointments cancelled for the week:( But we were able to have some good laughs and even start a conversation all about McDonalds on the bus the other day. Everyone on the bs was talking about McDonalds because we were trying to convince Sister Allard that she needed to eat there (she has never eaten there before can you believe it?!) If only we could get the whole bus talking about the gospel...

I have lots of pictures to send this week because we said all our good byes yesterday at church!! I love you guys!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

She sure loves the snow!

Gospel Principles class

Jeremy Elliot a less active member.  Came to church because it was their last Sunday there.