July 21, 2013

To Dad:

The teaching pool is on the rise! We'll get there soon.

How many convert baptisms did they have while you were there? I hardly remember missionary work happening at all when I was there. I guess I just wasn't paying attention. All I can remember is Bro. Woodbury smashing the Priesthood for never feeding the missionaries. How much did they teach? Were they reliable or were you always asking President for better ones?

Oh boy. the weather here.... it’s cold. And it rains every day, sometimes all day haha. And yes we are exclusively on the bikes. It’s a bit of a hassle. Our whole are is one big hill. We're pretty much right in the middle.

We go to the temple once a transfer. Our day was a couple weeks ago. Not too many big waves of missionaries now, just the one so far, but they might be having another one soon.

Thanks for the mail! You may be leaving Texas, but on the bright side your Ward in Gilbert is going to be the most solid and as well-built Ward anyone in our family has ever seen. I'll bet the bishops feel like 70s and the Stake Presidents give talks like GAs. After being here in Australia I can't wait to go to a Ward that functions perfectly and just absorb it all.

We'll talk more next week! It’s good to hear from the family, I sent mom something about my son that’s getting baptized this week you should take a look at it. Tell her I love her for me and do something super nice this week. I never write her long enough emails.

Elder Hatch

To Mom:

Hello Mom!

Haha that suit.... it just teases me because it looks so nice just hanging there in my closet. I'd probably wear it anyway if I could get it half way up my legs. We're going suit shopping today so it should be no worries. I have to give a talk in Church next Sunday so I actually want to look presentable on that day.

Our area is starting to turn around a bit, we had a rough couple of weeks when I first got here because none of the investigators were solid at all and we dropped the majority of our teaching pool. But miracles have happened and we're baptizing this week! I know I've told you about Terry before, but I'll copy and paste a bit just in case. He's the man. Another really solid guy we're teaching only has one arm and one leg, but we're putting him in the water anyway.

So we were teaching a guy named Terry in our last area. I found him and taught him. He loves the Church, he's so keen to be baptized its crazy. He fed us Chinese food one night. He's pretty much the best. Right before I got transferred he told us he was moving to Sydney, and then back to China. He'd spend some time somewhere else in Adelaide for a couple weeks, but then he'd be gone. We couldn't baptize before he left, it was just too soon. After I'd been transferred for a couple weeks I got a call from the Assistants saying they had good news and they conference called me to my old area. My last companion (who we don't get to hear from except for weird situations like this, and who I miss like crazy) is on the line and tells me Terry is moving into my new area in a couple days. He'll be getting baptized in my Ward. He was updating me on their lessons the past week and on all of Terry's contact information, and I'm just trying to get it all down with tears just pouring out haha. He could’ve been moving anywhere in Adelaide, I could’ve been moved anywhere in Central Australia. Man this church is so true.

Thanks for the mail! We'll talk more next week. I always feel like I'm forgetting to put things in emails..

Mark (LaFerney) emailed me this week! It was good to hear from him.

Have a good week!

Elder Hatch