Transfer week miracles - 26 January 2015

HEY and Hi!

So news for this week. I LOVE MY NEW COMPANION, SISTER COLEMAN. I couldn't ask for anyone better. Oh my goodness, we are the saaaame person. We are already like best friends. We get along so well, and have both been through the same kind of trials. Our mission stories of how we came out and getting our call is the same. Both of us always wanted to serve a mission and instead of the announcement of the age change being exciting for us (like it was for every other girl on the planet who was planning on serving already) we both were just like, "whoa, that’s way to young." But, we both ended up coming at age 19 because that was God s plan for us. She also was the same as me about the specific mission call. We both prayed that we would not be disappointed in our calls and to just feel excited wherever it was and we both felt this mission was EXACTLY where we were supposed to be as soon as we opened our letters.

She is a fasionista like me, we both love singing and modern dance, our voices are so similar, we both play ukulele, we have the same sense of humor, we both love Mexican food - I could go on and on. It reminds me of rooming with Mariah and when people would ask about ourselves we would just give one answer for both of us. It’s so much fun. 

She has been out for 14 months and so she is just exactly who I need to help me with what I go though because literally she has just been through the same things but conquered them already. We are having lots of fun together and I KNOW she is exactly what this area needs to move forward and progress. Heavenly Father is too good! She just has 4 months left so I hope she will be with me until the end of her mission. I was SO AFRAID for transfers, but someday I will learn that Heavenly Father really just gives you EXACTLY what you need and we never need to be worried as long as we are obedient. 

What an amazing week this has been -we had so many miracles this week! We call them transfer miracles. Good things always happen at the beginning of a transfer and we plan on having them keep going strong! Our investigators are awesome! Sister Coleman is just what we need. We are realizing that many are not progressing so we need to drop lots so we can find more people who are truly prepared to hear about the restored gospel. Our zone leaders compared it to the great apostasy: Heavenly Father had the faith to drop the whole world in order for it to be built back up, so that is what we are trying to do, and we have already seen miracles. I’ll share a few of the miracles with you:

So, one is the Reeds - a family I have never heard about but bishop told us to stop by. They are a part-member family. The husband is the member the wife is not. We knocked on their door and the wife swings the door open smiling and says "SISTERS!! FINALLY!" Neither of us had any idea what was going on but apparently she has been wanting to take the lessons but has been so busy and didn't know how to get in contact with us!! Turns out Sister Britton and her last companion knocked on her door everyday for 4 months and no one was ever there! She is going to call us when she doesn't have work. We are so excited!

Also we ran into this lady my first month, who was less active her and we gave her our number but never got in contact with her again. Well, she called us this week and has a friend living with her who has had a rough life and her and her little 2-year-old daughter want to get back in the church so we were able to talk with her and take her to church this week!

Martha told us a couple of weeks ago that she wasn't going to baptized but her father just passed away and we were able to bring her some comfort. Well she called us from Michigan on Thursday (where the funeral is at) and told us she had an "epiphany". She told us how her family was fighting and she was sitting in a room and couldn’t think of anything except about Sister Britton and me and her best friend, who is a member. She said, “I feel light when I am with you and dark when I make bad choices and I just think I want to do it." I said, “do what, Martha?” She said, "I think I want to get baptized!" AHHHHHHHHHHHHH :') So, I can't wait for her to be back it town.

Ron Radcliffe, who has been out of town since Christmas has come to church for the past 2 weeks and we have an appointment on Tuesday! 

The miracles are already flooding in! I am so ready and excited for this transfer. I know it will be full of miracles and wonderful memories.

Sister Britton is just one stake over (in the Little Cottonwood stake) so she is still my Sister Training Leader (because she is assigned to the whole zone) and I get to see her all the time! It’s funny, after being here for 8 months she gets to come back to do exchanges(: 

Half of our district got switched around but it is still the best district in the mission ;) Elder Tidd is still my district leader, he is the BEST. And, his companion is Elder Miller who is from Layton, Utah and is serving a trial mission right now, so he will just be here for a couple months - which I am really sad about because he is AMAZING! He has the most pure, strong testimony and I have already learned so much from him. Elder York is still here and his companion is Elder Fanfa from Brazil, who I already knew and love! He is going to Julliard for guitar, he just played for us in a sacrament meeting and he is hilarious. Our district has lots of fun together as well as we all get so spiritually edified from one another, I love district meetings, we have a great group of missionaries

Thanks for all the fun news! I will pray for Ashley and her baby. SOO glad Gramma Shirl gets to be by more family, wow- that was a long time coming. What a blessing! Crazy, all the changes in the ward but so cool! Mamacita will be AMAZING! Soooooo, so, soo happy for her and all the girls that will be blessed by her leadership!

And, KENZIE!! Ahhhhh, she is going to be sooo good! There is a return sister missionary here, Jennifer Cook, who just got home from New Zealand - she loved it! And, she is fantastic. I went on splits with her once.

I am so excited about Lily’s baby blessing on Grandma Beverly’s birthday! How special(: -send lots of pictures! What a miracle this little girl will be.

I was a little jealous to see you are going to Disneyland, but it went away when I saw Jess and Stratt are going. FINALLY! Jess deserves that trip. ;) That will be so fun, I want lots of pictures of that too! Tell my choir family I love them and said hello - both my swing thing choir and my sweet select kids <3

Also, iPads? That’s the first I have heard! We have heard nothing about iPads. haha! I just asked the zone leaders and they haven't heard anything either! haha I am excited though, we have heard for months that we would be getting them! I hope its true. lol.

I love you so much and I am so grateful for your love and support and examples! Thanks for blessing my life.

Love, Sister Hatch (:

Transfers! Busy! More coming next week! 19 January 2015

Things are crazy here! I didn't have time to read email letters this morning, but i am printing them and will write more next week! Sorry, it has been crazy, but wonderful. We got to go to the temple this morning at the Jordan River temple - so great! So, not lots of time but transfer news is:

I am staying in the same area this transfer and Sister Britton is leaving - she has been here for 8 months! (We have lots of good-byes to get in during these next 24-hours!) Our district leader, Elder Tidd, is staying and Elder Conn, who was with me in the MTC, is leaving. Elder York is staying and Elder Bentley is leaving and being made a district leader! So exciting, anxious to find out who my companion is but sooooooo happy I am staying!

The Booth family (that sent the photo of me and Sister Britton) are so cute. I told them that you would write back that you love them, so he said, "perfect, I know just what to say!" [He texted: I know you are going to say you love us because we are sending this photo.]

I loved my brithday stuff!! You are the best! Everything was perfect!

I love you and am doing well!

Birthday week miracles! January 12, 2015

Hi!

The answer is: NO, I cannot believe I am turning 20! My teen years are over and I feel old! but we had lots of huge miracles this week for my birthday! It has been so fun! I know the lord is making this the best birthday ever for me. On Thursday Sister Britton said to me, "you have less than a week of being 19, better make it count." I said, "what do I do?" She said, "you find three people to baptize, two people to reactivate, and you buy a head band on Monday."

So…

Day 1: We found Laura. She is a single divorced mom, return sister missionary, and less-active. She has gone through HARD times and is just figuring things out. She has the strongest testimony and the sweetest spirit. One person to reactivate!

Day 2: We find Greg. A young man we met at the apartments. We asked if he had a relationship with Christ and he said, "good question, please come back so we can talk about it when I'm not sick." One person we can baptize.

Day 3: We get a referral from temple square for a man named Richard. His wife is Christian and their family is going through a really hard time. Both of their parents are sick and taking care of their only daughter in China, while they are busy with their restaurant here in America. His wife said, “the only thing that will save our marriage is if you learn about God.” He likes our religion because of its focus on family. Second person we can baptize.

Day 4: Three people in the same family came up to us at church and told us about their little 8- year-old nephew/grandson whose dad is less-active and the 8-year-old said he wants to be baptized. They asked us to go teach him and we just went through the first lesson. Third person we can baptize and second person we can reactivate.

Today I am going to find a headband at Wal-Mart.

And also at one of our dinner appointments we got enchiladas and chocolate cheesecake with berry sauce....

HEAVENLY FATHER HAS BEEN CELEBRATING MY BIRTHDAY ALL WEEK LONG!! :D

I love how much the Lord cares about each of us and answers our prayers. What a week of miracles. (:

We had interviews with President Eberhardt this week, which I always look forward to. He is so kind and such a Christlike person. He fills me with the Spirit every time we talk and he is so filled with love and encouragement, even when I tell him about some of my struggles. He makes me feel like I can conquer anything and helps me know that I am doing the right thing and he is proud of me, Just like I know Heavenly Father is. I have the best mission president!

It is easy for me to imagine just how happy we will be when we return to our Heavenly Father because I can simply imagine how happy I will be when I get to see everyone at home again. But, I am grateful to get close to my Father now through praying and serving Him and I am grateful I get to be close to you through email and all our good memories. (:

We have a lesson tonight with Jayden and hopefully her mom will come. We think we might have to push her baptism date back but we keep praying for her. Jayden was at church though and she is doing great! Martha is visiting her brother in Florida and enjoying the sunshine - I’m sure haha so we will see what happens when she gets back. Margarita is being taught by the Hermanas and we haven’t heard from them saying they need help with her so hopefully that’s a good sign! We took our recent convert, Pippa, with us to Carolyn’s lesson and they really connected and were able to have some really good conversations with her about some of the things she doesn't understand about the Church. 

Sister Britton and all of our district are all well. We have a week until transfers, so I can only imagine we will see lots of changes - considering how long we have all been together, but transfers are always a surprise. I always just pray that the Lord will prepare me for whatever the hardest situation for me would be. 

Sounds like everything at home is fun and great! I can't believe two of my nursery kiddos are in primary! :0 I miss them so much! Amy Nilsson is so sweet, I really look forward to her amazing letters. She is AWESOME. Thank you for all the wonderful updates. I love you! Thank you for your prayers, keeping you in mine too MWAH!

p.s. If you have time could you put some chile-lime salt in my package? … They don't have it here :( and maybe mention to Braden to hook me up with some Mexican candy? ;)

2015: My FULL year as a missionary!!!!! ~ January 5, 2015

Mom and Dad, 

Thank you for the fun pictures of your New Year get together and the BEAUTIFUL Grand Canyon and THAT AMAZING WHALE :O and for all your fun updates, I love you both so so much. 

So it has been pretty crazy thinking that 2015 will an entire year full of missionary work and nothing else. exciting and crazy, but I am so ready. Each day brings another challenge, some new and some old, but I am excited to see what the Lord can mold me into and see the lives I get to touch. 

This week was pretty wonderful. Our NEW investigator Jayden is on date to be baptized on February 7th!! It was a huge miracle. She is 14-years-old and is friends with our ward mission leader’s daughter, Sadie. We heard a little about her from Sadie, who said she was asking lots of questions about the Church. Sadie answered a few and said, "you know if you have more questions, I could get you an appointment with the sister missionaries - they know lots more that I do." Heck, yes, champion member missionary! So, she went to church last Sunday with the Durham family and Brother Durham called us on Wednesday and said "Jayden will be here for the night and she wants a lesson, this should be pretty simple because she wants to be baptized." THE LORD IS SO GOOD! We taught her about the restoration on Wednesday, the plan of salvation on Saturday, and we are teaching her again tonight. She is so excited and is just soaking everything in - what a doll. The only concern she has in her mom. Her mom is a less active member and isn't super thrilled with her decision. She wants her to wait at least a year. We are going to ask Jayden tonight to ask her mom to sit in on the lessons with her and hopefully that will help. I so appreciate you praying for all the people I teach. Adding Jayden to your prayers will be such a help and also please pray that her mom’s heart will be softened. 

Martha needs lots of prayers, also. She said she has made the decision to not be baptized but didn't want to tell us because she doesn’t want us to disappear. We told her of course we wouldn't disappear because we love her no matter what she decides! She is constantly swinging back and forth, but I have so much faith in sweet Martha.

Another fun story from this week is we got to teach Steve on the street. Steve is legendary here in Cottonwood. He is probably is in his late 60's or early 70's, he dresses like a hip teenager in bright clothes and is always found wandering the streets with headphones in his ears, dancing like no one is watching. He is actually really talented! But whenever we see him we are driving in our car. On Saturday, he was in our area as we were walking and I was on exchanges with Sister Dodd. I freaked out, I was so excited to talk to him! We told him we liked his outfit he responded "yah, some days I look good.. . other days I look great.” :'D  Anyway, he said he just does what makes him happy and doesn't care who sees him. What a good way to live! We shared a scripture with him and told him that Jesus Christ is what makes us happy and we invited him to church, so we'll see what happens! 

Also on Sunday our investigator Carolyn (the one who gave me Risgrynsgröt and took us to see Music and the Spoken Word at the Conference Center! It was so fun to be there at a time other than conference because we could just sit wherever we wanted - so we got super close! 

I'm glad you received my Christmas card, I’m sorry it was taped up crazy. I have envelopes but not any that were big enough for the card - haha. But stamps would actually be great. (: And, thanks for asking about my birthday, I would love some long sleeve/warmer shirts and some more warm socks and tights (brrr, it is getting so cold), just warm things in general would be fun. I knew I would get sick of my clothes fast but not this fast. lol. But, I am doing so well. So, hopefully that’s not too much to ask for. 

I love you so much familia! 

xoxox, Sister Hatch 

Oh, also pray for Margarita. She knows the church is true but is super scared to be baptized. The Hermanas are teaching her but we see her often. Thanks for all you do!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!