PICTURES THIS WEEK

HIS MISSION PRESIDENT AND HIS WIFE

HE'S COMING SOON!

HE IS COMING HOME SOON! 

It feels like it is just around the corner!

LETTER # FOURTY SIX

OUR ZONE PICTURE June 14th 2014

This week was really good,difficult but good!

 

We had our first district meeting with the Zone, they all seem to be good hard working missionaries! We have 4 sisters too and they are all hilarious and hard workers! I am really excited to work with this crew :)

 

This weekend we had a leadership meeting with President and Sister Martins. We were talking about how the mission has been slowly declining and what we could do to help the missionaries continue strong doing what the Lord wants them too. We decided that we are losing faith in the Lord, and that we need to stop working by ourselves but with Him…this is His work so He knows what we must do!

This is so true though…many times we work, and plan thinking ,"Oh I know what we should do" and we forget to ask the Lord what He wants us to do with His sons and daughters. So it was a really great meeting where we learned that if we work with the Lord, His angels will help us and prepare the hearts of the people, and we will find the people who are ready to hear the gospel. We applied these things this week and I really saw the difference!

 

So this weekend was hard because we lost about three days of work with meetings and interviews, because the other elders are really far away from us and we live in a pretty big city so there is always traffic (Oh how I don't miss DC traffic haha). But the Lord really blessed us! At the end of the week we had a baptism of a young man that we have been preparing for a few weeks named Matheus! It was a great baptism, we did a zone baptism so we had about 5 people being baptized after stake conference and all the members were really excited about the progress we are making!

But the coolest thing that happened this week was that Louis, a recent convert, invited this little old lady in his neighborhood to go to church with him. She is about 4´2 and has no teeth, but when she was listening to the talks during stake conference she was crying a lot. And when she saw everyone being baptized she tugged my sleeve, and I slouched down to talk to her and she said "Brother…I want to be baptized, I feel something different here that I have never felt before… Can Louis baptize me?" I explained to her that there is a process for baptism and that it would take a few weeks to prepare, and she looked upset and said to me, "Brother if I don't get baptized today I won't come back!" haha So I felt bad denying her…so I called President and he said to me, "If she doesn't have any serious problems and if Bishop is okay with it, baptize her!" So we did a little interview with her, called bishop and he gave us the A-okay, but I had a feeling it would be better to wait until next week, so I talked to her and asked if it could be next week and she reluctantly agreed! haha Miracles happen! I was so stunned it came out of no where, and I felt bad not letting her be baptized then, but it will be better next week! 

After that we went to lunch at a members house, and when we entered the sister was like "all right elders, behave because you will be eating lunch with a 70"! I was like FREAK! haha But the lunch was really good and it was fun talking to the 70 a little bit to. Sadly, I didn't get to take a picture with him…but I will ask the member to send it to my email :)

So that was the highlight of the week for sure!

 

Sounds like all is going well in the States. It makes me happy when you are all happy :)

 

Crazy to think that another week has flown by…it is passing really quickly, sooner then you know it I will be back with you guys. I can't wait but the thought of leaving the mission makes me sad. I really love the mission :)

Love you all!
Elder Hatch 

LETTER # FOURTY FIVE

Hey! 

This week was really great, we worked a good amount and had some great success.

So this week we had plans to go to Sao Paulo for a special meeting with Elder Rusell M. Nelson and we were so excited for that devotional, because during my whole mission I have never been able to hear an apostle because they never visit or when they do something happens that stops the meeting. We were preparing for the trip and we got a phone call from the assistants saying that they reunion was cancelled and that everyone had to go home and stay in the house. We were pretty bummed out, but later we found out that there was a boycott in the police and the public transportation...so Elder Nelson said that we should all stay home until the riots stop. So me and Elder Perkes just stayed home all day and just worked out and read the scriptures...kinda of a bummer but whatever.

This week we also found a ton of new investigators, one being this amazing family. Their names are Allesandra, Laure, Isabelle, and Jellyson ha! Interesting name right :) but they are absolutely perfect…they don't frequent any church because they don't believe that a true church exists. They told us that all the church here in Brazil are business. So we taught them about the restoration and about how God called a new prophet in our days and it seemed like the message really struck home with them. We gave them the Book of Mormon and invited them to read and pray to ask God that it was true and they all accepted  and we marked a baptismal date with them in three weeks! So the heavens are open and God is really helping us find the people who are ready.

Also another miracle happened this week. Last week I was praying on Sunday that some kind of miracle would happen, and something awesome happened… A member of the other ward brought a friend that lives in our area, and the friend is extremely interested in the church! So she went this week again but this time in our ward and she loved the lesson we gave in gospel principles (because we are the teachers haha) about the restoration of the gospel! After the lesson she came up to me and Elder Perkes with her daughter and said WHEN ARE YOU GUYS COMING TO VISIT US! haha so we marked a day with them and we are going to start teaching them. I am pretty sure she will be baptized quickly! They are really elect daughters of God.

So this week was great, all of the recent converts are really firm in the faith! Marlene is helping us a ton to find new investigators! She introduced us to a friend of hers who just lost his wife a few months ago...so we sat down with him and explained the plan of salvation and how him and his wife could be together forever and it really hit home with him...the next day we visited he told us that his heart was at peace. The work of salvation is going really well here!

I love this ward so much! Gospel Principles his filled to the brim, we have about 15 people in the class :) so we are happy campers here. The ward loves us so much and are so impressed with the work that is happening here, and the leadership is happy with us! They want to help more, so its a work in progress! The stake president came up to me this week and reminded me that I have to give a talk at stake conference so that will be awesome I have already prepared a ton for it :)

But all in all life is good here, I have gotten a little cold because of the change of the weather but its all good we are still working a ton. Elder Perkes is great and I am hoping that we dont get transfered...because we will find out today. So we shall see if I will be in a new area this next week or if I will be here still :)

Elder Hatch

LETTER # FOURTY FOUR

Hey,

Sounds like life back home is well! 

My shoes are there in the states! But I need them here haha! Justing kidding, the Doc Martins are holding up and I think they will last until the end of the mission, they seem to be really strong!

I am liking the ward a ton, the members that live here are really well off and successful people in Brazil, so I am asking everyone what they do as a job and asking for advice about how to have success. I have recieved a good idea while here on the mission, maybe I can enter into diplomacy and enter into the consulate here in Brazil! That would be awesome! So maybe I can check that out when I get back, or study business and enter into that! I am getting a ton of good ideas and seeing all these really nice houses is inspiring me to work really hard so that one day I can by a house like that for my family and for you and pops to live in with us :)

That is a bummer about Cyd not getting into The Voice, I was praying that she could get in! It would have been so awesome to see her singing on TV but she is still amazing at singing… they just don't realize her greatness :)

All in all, life is good here! I am happy, I like my compaion a lot, the ward is helping a good amount, they are really rich so it's hard to get them to go into the poorer areas, but we are getting them to come out with us! So all is well here! The work is progressing and the zone is going really well! We had five baptisms this weekend and we are hoping for five more this weekend :) WOOHO!

I love you all…Miss you guys and cant wait to be back with the family!

Love, Elder Tyler Hatch

TYLER'S MOTHER'S DAY SKYPE SESSION!

So for those of you who are not familiar with LDS missions, Tyler is not able to call, Skype, Facebook or contact us except for emails/snail mail once a week. There are only two holidays where this is exempt which is Mother's Day and Christmas which are both BIG family days.

The main reason for this is to keep him focused on doing the Lord's work.

  This will be our last Skype session with him until he comes home in August! Three months away… August 20th!

If you are interested in coming to his mission homecoming please contact us. This is an awesome experience to hear Tyler's mission stories, experiences and to talk about his growth. He will also be sharing his testimony in Portuguese as he is now a fluent speaker! He would love the support that Sunday and all are welcome!

Some things do not change… Tyler is still as goofy as ever.

Cannot believe he is three months away from being done with his mission!

LETTER # FOURTY THREE

This week was absolutely fantastic! 

So after I emailed you on p-day we went to the mall to find some new white shirts to buy but they didn't have any so we went outside and guess what we found! 

APPLE BEES!  

Also, guess what I ate haha BABY BACK RIBS! WOOHOO! It was so amazing and made me think of home a ton. It was a little expensive but what are the chances of finding an Apple bees in Brazil haha. It was a little bit of home so far away.

This week we had the baptism of Valquiria and Isabelle! It was such a great service. We combined with the Sisters of the other ward that go to our chapel and had a super mega service :) There were a ton of members attending and the people that were baptized had a lot of support! I got to baptize Valquiria, the mom! It was awesome! I love being able to enter the waters of Baptism, putting my arm to the square, watching someone begin a new phase in their life…She left the water crying. She was warmed with the spirit.

I am so happy to be part of this work...really so many miracles happen each day and I get to witness it! I have never felt so happy and so at peace with myself and the world. Everyday I got to bed and feel like God is proud of me. He loves me so much.

I can't wait to be able to talk to you guys this weekend! (Mother's Day) We found a great place to access Skype at  a really fun and loving member's home :) SO I hope that all will work out. We will probably call about 5-7pm during the night here in Brasil…I hope that is a good hour, because Elder Perkes family has to call later because they live out in Utah!

I know that this is Christ's church. That Joseph Smith was really a Prophet of God and was called by Him to bring back the Church of Jesus Christ after his Death. All the blessings, powers, and authorities that the ancient church of Christ had is here in our days, being led by a living Prophet that receives instructions, and guidance from God! 

I know that this Gospel is true and that all that accept this message will find a new found hope and light in their lives. They will build their lives on the restored teachings of Christ where if they follow it, they will return to live with God again. I am so grateful that I can be a representative of Christ for these two years. I feel His love for me always and I know that He loves each and every one of His sons and daughters!

Love you all,

Elder Tyler Hatch