The Three Muskateers

January 4,2016

Wow!! Another great week!!! 

I just LOVE the members here!! They are so missionary minded and giving us referrals like crazy! The only problem is that we can't contact them fast enough because transit and walking takes forever!! There are always set backs right? 

We helped a lady move some things around in her house because her mom just died so she wanted to change up the place and she is a nonmember!! And a medium!! So it was really interesting talking to her about her views on spirits and the after life. A lot of it was the same stuff we believed she just had different names for it. So we got to teach her what we believed as well and agreed to have us back!! We just haven't been able to get in contact with her yet... But that will change!!

We also have another investigator who is 84 years old and we are pretty sure she has some form of dimensia so we are dropping her because our lessons really get no where. She is a super sweet lady but can't really keep commitments. We will definitely keep visiting her though. And we just picked up another really old investigator, he is in his 90's. (I don't know why we keep finding old people to teach) But he doesn't have dimensia so he should be good to teach haha:) We are just still searching for more people to teach as always! But I love being outside all the time so we actually can find people!

Oh and guess what?? We got permission to watch a movie on New Year's Eve from President so we watched Big Hero 6!! Crazy right?? It was awesome but it also made me realize how much I am ok with not focusing on media. YOu might think I am crazy but I really don't want to watch t.v. at all when I come home. There are just so many more incredible things you can do to fill up your time. Don't get me wrong, I will still watch it occasionally but not like I used to. 

You guys I just love the mission so much!!! I just want to keep this incredible amount of the spirit with me forever!!! I am so afraid that when I go home I will fall into bad habits and I don't want to! I love you guys and am so grateful for all your love!!

I also figured out I am 16 days away from the D&C countdown which means I will only have 138 days left in the mission!!!! AHHHHH!!!! I am freaking out!!! I am trunky but not at the same time! I'm so confused with my feelings!!

But I am truly loving life!!!

Love you guys!! Stay beautiful!!!

Happy New Year!

December 28,2015

So I guess I don't really have much else to tell you about this week because I just talked to you, but the rest of Christmas was pretty great! I just got your email. That is crazy that you had no heat!! But it is all about the right clothing. Once you have the right clothing you can go for a long time in the cold haha:) 

We had a pretty chill week since no one really wants to talk to missionaries on the week of Christmas so we spent a lot of time with our Zone and baking and playing games in the apartment. Or eating at members houses haha:) I have had way too many turkey dinners this past week!! 

But we figured out on Sunday that the Mandarin man we met on the street the other day is now taking the lessons and is so solid!!! Even though we aren't teaching him it is still great to be a part of his journey. I keep replaying over and over again how I was debating in my head whether to talk to him or not and what would have happened if I hadn't!!! I think that was mostly a testimony builder to me that I need to act on promptings and talk to EVERYONE I see on the street because you really have no idea who is ready and who is not!!! I hope he gets baptized one day and maybe I will still be here to see it:)

Anyways life is still good. Trying to fight through this cold I have and keep up the energy!! And it is snowing again today!!! Love it!!!! Happy New Years!!!! 

Love,

Sister Hatch 

This is their little trip up to Canmore close to Banff. Sis Hatch was so excited to go their!

Merry Christmas!!!

She's in a trio! Her companions Sis Allard and Sis Jensen

December 21, 2015

Oh my gosh!!!! I am on top of the world!!! This transfer is exactly what I needed to get back into the missionary spirit because I  feel like it has been gone for a long time!

So I am now on a 3-leg with Sister Allard (from Quebec) and Sister Jensen (from St. George, Utah) and it has been a blast!!!! Trios are thebomb.com!!! We are in West Calgary, so right next to the temple AND Banff is in our Zone!!!! I have been wanting to go to Banff my whole mission and today we are going for Pday!!! It is pretty much just the most gorgeous place in the world!!! In the mountains!!!!:) I am so excited! I will take lots of pictures!!! And our zone is so unified and fun! Our wards are awesome also and we have so much work to do in this area, I am pumped! The only problem is that we don't have a car so we can't accomplish a lot in one day because our area is huge and we either have to walk or take transit which takes a long time! But it has been a fun adventure. I haven't taken transit my whole mission and so it has been a different experience! The other night we were stuck at a bus stop for 2 hours waiting for a bus to come so might have gotten home a little late... :) It was a long day! But we might be getting our own car soon! It has definitely been harder on my body and I am so much more exhausted but just like anything else my body will get used to it:)

And since we are walking all the time we are now able to talk to tons of people on the street and last night we ran into a guy named Meng that said he had never met missionaries before and that it was perfect timing in his life because he has a lot of questions about God!!! What??? That NEVER happens!!! He speaks Mandarin though so we will probably pass him off to the Mandarin Elders... But it was so cool!! 

I am just loving every minute of this area!! We are going to do great things here, I can feel it!!! I love you guys so much and can't wait to skype this week!!!! I want to see your faces!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Love, 

Sister Hatch

Sis Hatch and Rolo the Dog 

Sis Hatch's District

The Cree Family

The Olsen Family. (They are the grandparents of some girls from our home ward.)

Ceri and the sis missionaries

Sarah one of their investigators.

Transfer Week!!

December 14,2015

Wow it has been such a wonderful, stressful, anxious, crazy week!!! There have been SO many changes!! First of all, last Sunday I forgot to tell you that the stake boundaries changed all around Calgary. SO that means that all our zones are changing and because they are changing this is going to be a crazy transfer! President is also switching up Elder and Sister areas so I really feel like this is going to be a whole new mission up here in the North. 

I also found out I am being transferred this week!! Our area is also losing Queensland ward and getting a new ward but I won't be here to see that I guess... Sister McDonald is excited about that though because she at least gets some change even though she is staying. And I am staying in the North of the mission again so it looks like I won't be going down south my whole mission:( (because I am thinking this will be my last area) But you never know what will happen... I am just ready for change even though I will be somewhere new for Christmas.

But other than transfers we picked up another new investigator named Joseph who will actually be passed off now that we are losing Queensland. But he is from Liberia and has been investigating lots of different churches and just keeps saying how all of them contradict each other and that there is so much confusion in religion. But we are going to change that for him! Or the new missionaries now I guess. 

And then we met with Sarah this week and she pretty much put herself on date to be baptized!!! AHHHH!!! She has asked for 3 Sundays off in a row and then she wants to be baptized and we know that because she is willing to put forth this effort to come to church she will either have a desire to quit one of her jobs or another job opportunity will come up that she will be able to not work on Sundays. Miracles happen guys!! I am sad I will be gone for the baptism but oddly enough I am ok with it because all that matters is that she is getting baptized!!

Life is so wonderful right now!! I am loving the mission and I can't wait to see your faces on Christmas!! Sorry I can't give you more information about what time and everything until next week but it will work out! Also I sent you guys a package for Christmas but I want you to open it on Skype. Brenna's birthday present is in there too so she can open it real fast and grab her present before Christmas (it is in a brown paper bag) but then you have to close it back up for Christmas. 

Have a great week!!! And Happy Birthday Brenna!!!! I still can't believe you are turning 16!! Ahhh!!!!

I will let you know next week where I will be!!! Talk to you then!:) LOVE YOU!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

"For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift." D&C 88:33

Brunch with some of the Senior Missionaries for Sis McDonald's Birthday

November 30, 2015

Hey!

Thank you for all the pictures!! Everyone looks so old and tall! It looks like you guys had a lot of fun!!! 

I am getting so excited for Christmas! Sister McDonald and I came up with the idea to do a hot chocolate stand as a zone and to sing christmas carols as we pass out BOMs and pamphlets and stuff. So hopefully we are able to do that soon and switch up the normal routine! I am so pumped!

Another one of our investigators dropped us and Rita didn't end up coming to church... But we had our Christmas Party this week and TONS of less actives were there:) I don't feel like it is the most productive time of my mission but we are trying! I think I am ready for some change again. I can get through 3 more weeks until transfers though! 

We just got a new Ward Mission Leader in Parkland ward too so hopefully we can get some more things going with his new excitement. 

Oh and Sister McDonald is under the impression that the Second Coming is coming soon so we all need to get food storage now!! We have been talking about it a lot and it is very important that you have food storage so I hope you guys are prepared. Just saying...:)

And Brenna, was that my phone you dropped when you were quading??

I don't really have much more to say. I love you guys and I am glad I get to hear from you each week!! Stay awesome!!

Love,

Sister Hatch

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

November 23,2015

Hola Familia!!!! 

This week has had it's ups and downs just like any other week. But like always the ups always out weigh the downs, if they didn't then I probably wouldn't still be out here because mission are dang hard! 

Well to start out the week we got a new investigator, Rita!!! The Elders actually tracted into her for us and she said she was looking for a church so whal-la!!! We went over and she let us in and we taught part of the first lesson and then her friend came over and was interested too!! She doesn't live in our area but it was a fabulous miracle and Rita should be coming to church on Sunday!! WOOT! WOOT!! 

Tuesday we had Zone Conference as you already heard about and yes I sang a duet with an Elder. But don't you be getting any ideas it was just a song:) And Zone Conference was awesome!!! Again I was reminded that I need to focus on the Savior in everything I do. I'm still working on that but I think that will be a life long process! 

Then we had exchanges on Wednesday!! I just love the STL's!!! Good times! 

Thursday was my official year mark!!!! Ahhhh!!! I can't believe I have been gone for so long! It is scary but exciting to have only six months. You guys, what am I going to do with my life when I get home?? I have no plans!! The Lord will provide hopefully...

We picked up another investigator, Jonathan!!! The boy from the part member family I have been talking about. He is YSA age so we will have to be passing him off soon but he isn't quite ready yet:)

Sad day was Friday when two of our investigators dropped us... And we had dinner with Sarah and she pretty much told us she was just being nice in letting us teach her... She had so much promise and then it was all fake! What?? We are still going to read scriptures with her but I don't think she will be getting baptized any time soon...

 So yes I was a little depressed on Saturday and I had a slight break down because I really felt that all of our hard work was for nothing... But everything was brought back up when we had a lesson with one of our less actives Sister Hartgerink. First let me just explain that Sister Hartgerink is the type of person that gets tattoos and drinks and believes that the church is controlling us because it is too much to live by. And so usually every time we go over we usually just read scriptures with the kids and if we do have a spiritual discussion with her it usually ends in a contentious arguement. BUT this time was different... We spent 2 1/2 hours at her house that started out the same as always but she felt the spirit!!!!!! She teared up at least twice and I don;t even know how it happened but she wants the gospel for her kids, she knows it is true she just isn't willing to try it out in her life! But she will let us start teaching her and her husband the lessons again!! AND if  you didn't think 2 1/2 hours was enough, she called us right after we left and talked to us for another half hour!! What is life?? I don't know what happened that night to change her mind but all I know is that she couldn't get enough! I love this gospel!!!

Then Sunday was the Montreal Temple Dedication that all of Canada got to see. This was the first week that we had to tell our investigators that they couldn't come to church. Which was a not so fun change... But progress is being made with the less actives here and I am so stoked for their change!!! 

I am still awaiting the package but we will be going to the mission office this week so I will check then. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!! Don't eat too much turkey, you turkeys!!! I love you guys!!! Happy early Birthday Mom!!!! I am sending you a package today!!:)

Love,

Sister Hatch

  "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." (John 6:32-35)

President and Sister Miles

Elder Snow made at craft night

Montreal Temple Dedication

November 9, 2015

This week has been a little disappointing... 

So Sarah who I said was close to being baptized well kind of isn't. First, Sarah didn't get the job that would have allowed her to start coming to church. Second, we invited her to a baptism and talked with her afterwards and she said she felt that anytime she has tried to do good she felt God has punished her. So we need to work more on building her trust with God. We think it will be a lot longer before she will be baptized but she will be sometime in the future.

But we got to meet with Nishan this week!!!! She is so awesome and just soaks everything in! And she already has a testimony of the Word of Wisdom without us even teaching it yet. And all the Young Women are friendshipping her at school. So we will see what happens with her:)

I sang in church yesterday! I was very nervous but it went pretty well! I hadn't sung in front of anyone for a long time and it was so much more nerve racking then giving a talk.

And it snowed again today!!! The snow just makes everything so beautiful!!

Thank you mom for reminding me to think of things that I am grateful for. I have been a little negative lately and I know I have been so blessed so I need to focus on what is good and positive!! I LOVE the members here! They are so kind and loving and I don't know what I would do without wonderful members to help us in the work. Or even just to talk to when we aren't having the best day. Thank you guys for sending me emails every week and keeping me updated on what is going on. You don't realize how much that means to me and keeps me motivated! I love you guys!! 

My mind is all over the place today so I hope this makes sense. Keep being great examples of Christ!!

Love,

Sister Hatch