SOME COOL STREET ART

I wanted to share some cool street art I have seen in the streets of Brazil.

Enjoy

LETTER # FOURTY TWO

This week was fantastic! We had a ton of miracles happening!

So this week our teaching group was huge! We have a ton of people progressing and accepting the lessons so we are falling behind in finding new people to teach, but hey it's not a bad problem to have a lot of people to teach haha.

So are days are filled with appointments! The work is really progressing here! 

It was funny we were blessed by the Lord to find a new elect people to teach! Here is a fun story:

 We were walking down the street and we had to buy a bus pass to get to another area to do a baptismal interview and we were running late a little. Then out of no where this guy pulls up next to us in a car and is like ELDERS!!!!!!So we start talking to him and he is a life long friend of a member, and he lives in our area. We talked to him a little bit, then asked if we could pass by his house to share a message with him and he asked if we were busy at the moment. We said we are going to Laranjeiras to do an interview! He told us to jump in and he  would give us a ride! SCORE! So we jumped in passed by the chapel to pick up the papers for the interviews then we drove to Laranjeiras to meet the other Elders! The whole drive we were teaching this man about the gospel and he was really interested about how families could be together for ever. We taught about the Doctrine of baptism and he loved the teachings! We invited him to conference and by that time we met up with the other Elders. His name is André! And he enjoyed  conference this weekend! We are going to teach him this saturday and maybe mark a baptismal date for the 29th! WOHOO the Lord is helping us a lot here in progresso!

Conference was absolutely amazing! This time I decided to watch all of it in português and I understood about 90%! It was pretty awesome! I loved all the talks,especially Elder Holland and Richard G. Scott. They were really great! We were able to take about eight investigators to conference with us which was amazing!!!! They all felt the spirit and enjoyed the meeting. Marlene and her Family came, André, Auzira and many others! We had a cool experience: 

We were watching conference in the first session and Auzira looked at me and Elder Goms and she was crying. She said, "Elders…I am going to get baptized!" She was touched by the spirit! We just need to help her adjust a few lifestyle changes to give her the blessings of the gospel and we are set!

This weekend was amazing! I am happy and loving the work! The Lord really does bless and help those that put their confidence in Him!

 I hope you are all happy and loving life! Make everyday count, and use your time with the things of the most value! I love the work of Salvation.  I am honored and happy to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord for these last months! It will be sad to come back, and not be a missionary… because I have been deeply touched by God and these amazing people.

I cant wait to be with you all again! Love you all so much!

Elder Tyler Hatch

             Here is a picture of our area missionaries. 

LETTER # FOURTY ONE

This week was great! We had so many great experiences! And many lesson that we could feel the spirit so strong!!!

This week we taught Marlene, Juliana, and Florinda about the Plan of Salvation and they absolutely loved it! It was interesting to see their reaction when we told them that before this life they lived with Heavenly Father, and that He really is our Father. We were with Him, we learned with Him, we loved Him, and that He created this earth to help us become more like Him! Their eyes just lit up and you could see the spirit was working with in them! They said wow...I never thought about that...everyone says we are sons and daughters of God but I thought it was just a phrase...We are really daughters of loving Heavenly Parents and we lived with them before this life. 

We then continued on teaching the rest. We explained how they need to develop faith in this life, repent of their sins and be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost then continue until the end...then they could return to the presence of the Lord. 

We then explained how when we pass the vale of forgetfulness and how we have to walk by faith...and Marlene was really touched by this...then we invited them to be baptized. Marlene said this is when I need to follow my heart and walk by faith and they all accepted to be baptized this weekend! Man it was one of the most spiritual lessons I have had on the mission. 

Marlene then said...so when I get baptized can I be a missionary like you guys and we said sure :) haha you can see the excitement they have to be baptized and to share this knowledge with others! They went to church this last Sunday and now we are preparing them for this Saturday for baptism :) WOHOOOO

Another awesome experience was that we found a new family to teach. She was a referral of an investigator and we went there to visit her and she let us into the house. We said a prayer and she was amazed...she said, "Wow It felt like you were really talking with God...how can I pray like that?"

We taught about the Gospel of Christ and how living the Commandments  brings blessings to our families. We explained how to really pray to God and how we can develop a good relationship with Him. She then shared a story with us...

She said the other day I was praying to God to help me find the true path and that He would send people to help me learn and find true happiness in my life and then you two arrived. She told us that is how she knew we were servant of God! IT WAS SO COOL. IT WAS A HUGE TESTIMONY BUILDER FOR ME. Really there are people searching and longing to find peace. and all we must do is open our mouths and help them learn of the Gospel. Like it says in Doctrine and Covenants..."people are only far from the truth...because they no not where to find it."

I love you all so much! I hope all is continuing to go well for everyone! I cannot wait to come home August 20th!

Love,

Elder Tyler Hatch

LETTER # FOURTY

Hello Everyone!

I just got my card telling me the date of my release and its August 20th. I am excited to be coming home but I love it here and I have really appreciated my mission.

This week was so amazing! We didn't get to much done because we were doing interviews and going to meetings but we had an amazing experience!

On Saturday we had a meeting with Elder Evans of the 70 who takes care of all the missionaries in the world!!! IT WAS AMAZING! I took so many notes and the funny thing is he didn't say much about missionary work haha, but he explained the importance of the family in the plan of God. My mind was blown. 

He talked about why President Monson changed the age of missionaries...that it wasn't just to have more missionaries. He wanted more temple marriages with both parents being return missionaries, he knew that when young men and woman leave for a mission they come back men and woman of God who are ready to be fathers and mothers...It was really interesting. He said that this generation is a key for the Lord to build his church, and that through us the church will change and grow like it never has before...and that are children and are grandchildren will pave the way for the Jesus Christ! 

He also talked about how the only way to receive eternal life and to return and live with God again in the highest kingdom of glory is through temple marriage and having your family sealed for time and for all eternity. He explained that all missionaries focus just on baptism but in truth is we need to have a vision that the end goal isn't just baptism but to take them to the temple so that they can remain strong in the faith, and so that they can have their family forever!

He talked about so much stuff.

But other than that all is good here in Brazil, the work is progressing and the zone is doing so well! We have four baptisms this weekend so I WAS SO HAPPY FOR THEM! I love them all so much!

We in our area are doing well we have a few people marked for baptism on the 8 of March so we will see how that goes! All is good here in Brazil.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH,

Elder Tyler Hatch

LETTER # THIRTY NINE

It is crazy how time is flying, but this is the time that God can really mold me and make me into something even better. Really the mission is an amazing blessing...I can't even begin to think how I would be without it...I has been really changing and more importantly I am changing into the man that God wants me to be. I have given up so much: talking with friend and family everyday, technology, dating, communication with the "world" and I feel like I am the one getting the blessings and a lot more than what I am sacrificing. It is very humbling.

I am tired, the sun beats on me hard. I find myself not sleeping well because of it. But I am happy and content, feeling the Lord's hands each day in my life, giving me strength when I don't have anymore to give. It is really a miracle this time here in Brazil. I love my God, He is great. He is a God of miracles! Always remember that  nothing is too small or too great that the Lord can't do or can't help with! We just need to have confidence that He will help us in the time and place that is right.

This week I was transferred to a place called Sorocaba, Progresso. It's a big town about an hour outside of the Capitol! 

I was called to be a zone leader in the Zone Santana. It's a little bit more pressure but I am up for the challenge! It's going to be great and we are going to have a lot of success! We have three companionships of Elders and three of Sisters! So its good stuff, I haven't met them yet but it will be awesome to meet them!

The new area is really good! HOT AS CAN BE THOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!  It is like 100+ and there isn't too much shade so we end up taking a lot of sun! I am using a lot of sunscreen. But the city is really beautiful and we are having a lot of success here! We are going to have a baptism  for a sixty year old lady named Maria Jose! We are really excited about her progress! She has already gone to church about 3 or 4 times! WOOHOO!!!!

My new companion is Elder Gomes, he is from the Interior of Sao Paulo. He has a little over a year under his belt in the mission and I am learning a ton with him! He really teaches with the spirit and it's really cool! He is a great missionary and knows the doctrine of the church extremely well!

The ward is awesome! They are so friendly and outgoing and I was received really well! There is actually a family here that lived in Virginia! That was a fun little home treat for me.
The ward is really excited about missionary work and the stake president wanted us to give a training for all the ward mission leaders! It went really well and I hope that they will use the information that we passed for them! So being a Zone leader is really awesome, I am liking it!

That was basically my week! I am exhausted the weather here is so hot resulting in us not sleeping well. It hasn't rained in like a month here haha. But we have four fans that we use that help us sleep a little better. The house is an apartment called manaus ( haha because its so hot ) its really nice, simple but nice. We did a big cleaning job on it this p-day so it looks a lot better I will send more photos later!

LOVE YOU GUYS

LETTER # THIRTY EIGHT

Well, its crazy to think that we are getting into the home stretch here!  I have only 6 months left :D then we will be back together. 

This week was pretty slow, but we still had a great one.

So this was the last week of transfers and I was happy to finish up the month with 8 baptisms in my district!  Everyone is telling me that I am going to be a Zone Leader next transfer but honestly I am fine where ever I am. 

The week we didn't get to teach to many lessons. We also didn't get into many houses. But we found a few new families to teach and had an awesome stake conference! But the best thing that happened this week was the fact that Darci and Francisco are set on their baptisms. We just have to set a date for them! So we are going to talk to them Thursday and set for this Saturday or next week! WOOHOO

More then that, there isn't to much to talk about. Wednesday is transfers so I don't know what will happen. 20 new missionaries are arriving so there will be plenty of people training. So I think the trio (my other two elder companions) will be disbanded sadly.  The church is growing so rapidly... it makes me happy. So although my new found friends will not be teaching with me anymore I am okay with it. I don't know if I will be leaving but I guess we will find out this next week :) EXCITING STUFF. I will keep you posted.

LETTER # THIRTY SEVEN

This week was a really great one! We taught so many lessons and the Lord led us to many new investigators!

The one experiences that was really great was with an old investigator named Douglas! We started praying daily for him to learn, to soften and to eventually be baptized. 

So one day, Douglas called us and said that he wanted us to talk to his mom, so we marked to pass by there on sunday after church! So we entered and didn't really know what to say to her. She was like "well, you guys wanted to talk to us..." and my mind was so blank and I looked at the other Elders dumbfounded at first. So we just started talking to her about baptism the importance of it. We talked about Douglas's journey and how he came to know  of the truth while he read and prayed with God.  Then out of no where she was like "alright, I will let him be baptized in your church...I told him that you can only be baptized once and if this is where he wants to be okay!"

I WAS LIKE YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

Score one for the spirit haha. We marked him and his baptism for this Saturday and it will be a great service! All the members love him and he has so many friends in the church so everyone is really excited about the good news!

Also Marcio and his family that we baptized last week are progressing so well! They are truly converted to the Lord and are loving the Church. Marcio received the priesthood yesterday and was so happy! He is excited to serve the Lord!

Also, they already received testimonies about tithing. He was like "I paid my tithing this week and its like we bought more with less money." It was a really cool experience to hear about! 

I know that this is God's church. That God blesses those that seek Him. Come near unto me and I will come near unto you! I know that God can touch any heart and can open any doors if we just have faith in Him! I know that God provides a way for all His children to partake of the Gospel and to receive the ordinances so that they can be saved and more so happy! I love my Savior, I am a witness of Him, I hope that He may bless all of you and your families! 

BELOW ARE SOME PICTURES OF DOUGLAS AND HIS FAMILY AT THE BAPTISM AND DETAILS ABOUT THE BIG DAY:

"I know the Lord can and will touch hearts if anyone reads and prays to know it's true!

This weekend we had another baptism! It was Douglas! The service was really  great and we  had a lot of members there to support him and his family. It was nice to see him get baptized by his friend Augusto who is the young mens leader! After the baptism they gave each other a huge hug in the water and we all felt the spirit pretty strong! His whole family aren't members but we are going to talk to them a lot to help them get baptized too so they can have an eternal family!

This is the Lords work. I know that my Savior lives and that this is His church on the earth.  This is the only church with a Prophet of God, twelve apostles of Christ and the authority to baptize people in the name of Christ to receive remission of their sins. I am so grateful that I have had this time to be a representative of Him, He truly does bless those that serve and sacrifice for Him. I love this gospel."