An ADVENTUROUS week!

It has been an adventurous week! So, I had a hard time leaving my area and all the people. Lots of tears were shed; it was really hard to say good bye, especially to Billie, Kenneth, the Minors, the Montelongos, and Karina, who I was able to get in contact with before I left and say goodbye - it was so good to see her again. She is struggling right now and said she really misses "her angels". Please keep her in your prayers. Everyone was so sweet when I left, giving me cards and sweet things. It really felt like I was leaving another home. It was really hard leaving Sister Coleman as well. We both went to transfers really wary of new companions.

Transfer meeting was CRAZY because there was a HUGE snow storm. Anyway, I found out I was going to PARK CITY and my companion is Sister Nelson! Because of the snow storm, no one from Park City or Wyoming was able to make it down to the meeting, so I had no idea who Sister Nelson was or when I would meet her. But it was really fun because the area I am in was Sister Coleman’s first area! It was really hard to say good bye to her, but I was very excited to be going to my dream spot while on my mission (: It took everyone from Park City 2 hours to get to SLC, but I finally met Sister Nelson from GILBERT AZ (I now make 4 of the 8 missionaries in Park City from Arizona) and she is awesome. It was funny, on the drive home we told each other our first names and later that night she said "you remind me SO MUCH of this girl I was in choir with in high school and her name is Mariah, too!" haha She was meaning Our Mariah, Mariah Tanner, so that was fun! (Mariah, if you still read my blogs, Megan Nelson says hi ;)) Also the other Sister from Arizona is Sister Greeley who was roommates with Jocee in Idaho. Such a small world!

So, Adventure 1 of the week started the night before transfers when Sister Coleman and I decided we needed to learn how to make the "food of the culture" from our missions and asked Sister Holtby (awesome RS pres, I skyped at Christmas from their house) if she could teach us how to make Jell-O. Turns out she has never actually made it before because their family thinks it is disgusting, but she agreed that it was important for missionaries serving in UT to learn how to perfect their Jell-O making skills ;) haha, so we went to their house for a Family Home Evening on p-day and had fun with their family making Jell-O.

Adventure 2: Being in Park City, do you want to make any guesses as to the kind of place where  live....? Well, you guessed wrong, I live in a hallway of a barn! haha It’s really cute and cozy but it’s just funny. So you walk in, There’s a dresser and a couch on the left side of the hallway and the sink, fridge, and table on the right side of the hallway. The bathroom is at the end of the hallway right next to the ladder that brings us to the loft, where the beds and closets are. It’s pretty snug but I actually really like it!

Adventure 3: Here in Park City I am a half proselyting-missionary and half visitor-center-sister! We work 30 hours a week at the Family Tree Center on Main Street helping people from all over the world with their family history! Its pretty ironic, just the other week, we were helping a lady in my last area with her family history, but really Sister Coleman was, and I said, "Wow, I know nothing about family history, I’m probably going to be sent to Park City next transfer.” And, here I am! I really love it though. I have already learned tons! So, half of our shift we are down on the main floor just waiting for people to come in and help them with their work or find names or give them a tour, etc. and the other half we chat with people all over the world who have any questions. So you know on Mormon.org where you can "Chat with a Mormon" - that's me! (:

Adventure 4: On Friday night we were leaving the “Tree” and someone backed into our car and our radiator was punctured so now instead of sharing two cars with three sets of sister missionaries, we have one car, which has been quite the adventure because we cover most of Park City. The other day we had to walk from where we dropped our car off to the nearest bus stop, which was all the way on the other end of a freeway - pretty scary, but we made it! It’s pretty nice being in a spread out place though because we only cover two wards! Before I was covering four wards and in Salt Lake City that's like the least amount you are EVER assigned to. So, two wards will be a piece of cake!

Adventure 5: I was able to start of the transfer by speaking in church about the atonement. I have really developed a love for giving talks! I learn so much from preparing them and I LOVE bearing my testimony – it’s the best part of being a missionary. I love the wards we are in - they are very welcoming.

So, its been a pretty filled week and its been pretty hard to be in a new place with new people out of my comfort zone, but I am very grateful to be where I am with Sister Nelson. I don't think I could have gotten any luckier.

We have lots of work to do this transfer. We don't have any progressing investigators, but only because they were all recently baptized and they are all super solid! They just baptized a 17-year-old girl named Ally, who has wanted to be baptized for a few years but her parents wouldn't let her; but they finally softened their hearts and she was baptized last Saturday. Another guy just baptized was a man named Gaetano and he loves the gospel and is an awesome missionary! His brother is one of our two investigators, but he is a little less interested, so we will see how that goes. They also just baptized a set of 40-year-old twins from New York and they are a hoot! And, last but not least, they baptized an awesome guy from Rwanda named Philemon. He is such a sweetheart, the first time I met him was on his 3-month anniversary of being baptized and he was so excited he gave us all thank you cards. He even made one for me and bore his testimony and thanked me for doing what I am doing. It really made my week and made me feel like I am where I need to be. There is another man from Rwanda who we are teaching named Yosouff. He is a Muslim, but is super interested in the church. We just have a hard time meeting with him because he works alllll the time - he usually only gets three hours of sleep, then goes to work all day. Pray that we will have time to meet him more this transfer! Our miracle of the week was being able to teach him the first lesson because he was given a whole day off, which hardly ever happens!

Well,  that's the week! I love you so very much! Thanks for your prayers and all that you do. I love this gospel and I love my Heavenly Father and my savior Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is true and the spirit I get from reading it truly leads and guides me each and everyday.

xoxox, Sister Hatch