First Email Home! February 18, 2010

Holla Familia! Como le va? I'm so happy that my email is actually working today! It was so awful last week to look forward to emailing only to be disappointed. I only have 30 minutes to write so I'll try to be quick. I hope these are the right email addresses. If Lindsey wants me to send it directly to her send me her email address. I can't start new paragraphs for some reason so you'll just have to bear with me. I am enjoying the Valentines Day package! Good work! Keep sending dear elders or letters cause it's so fun to get them! You guys are the best! I love you all so much! Anyways MTC life is good. Sunday is definitely still my favorite day! It's just nice to get kind of a breather from studying all day long and really getting to feel the Spirit even stronger. Most of our Sacrament meeting is in Spanish and I can understand most of it now. Spanish is AWESOME! It's soooo hard and we learn and memorize tons of new stuff everyday, but I really love it! Friday one of my teachers is making us teach the first lesson in Spanish- they usually wait until the 4 week mark but he's loco and wants to really push us. I have faith that it will all be ok though. My companion and I still get along, although it's not always easy. I am definitely learning patience and charity here. I really love her though and we have good times. We're already so close (also with the other two hermanas in our district) I can't even think about how close we'll be at the end. It's crazy to think we've already been here two weeks- while at the same time it feels like I've been here forever. The devotionals are great! Tuesday night we had one of the seventy talk and it was so inspiring and moving. Afterwards our district meets and talks about the devotional and that is also such an uplifting and spiritual experience. It has brought us so much closer as a district. I love them all sooo much! Two of my favorite elders are going to Tempe, AZ mission. Do we live in that mission? The elders are so fun- but unfortunately I think I'm becoming even more immature from hanging out with 19 year old boys so much! :) The food is good, although I don't really like the chocolate milk- I don't know what all the hype was about. Gym is still soooo fun! We go everyday but P-Days and Sundays. I run a mile with my roommate Hermana Flower and then play volleyball with my my Hawaiian friend Sister Berardy. She's really good so we have lots of fun. Lately these Tongan elders have been playing with us and they're intense!!!! But sooo fun! They call me their white sister. Mi companera jokes about how i get an after-gym high everyday because of how much it energizes me and makes me happy. I love the classes too! We've had so many spiritual experiences and I definitely see the Lord's help in learning Spanish. Every Wed night we have a TRC- which is basically like a fake practice teaching of volunteers that come in to play investigators- although some are actually real investigators. We do the first part (contacting, or door knocking) in Spanish and then right now teach the lesson in English. My first Wed as we got to the part about the Restoration and Joseph Smith I quoted the scripture of his experience in the grove, and as I did I just began to cry- the Spirit was so strong and testified to me that what I was saying was true. Both my companion and the Sister of the couple we were teaching began to cry as well. It's amazing how even in these practices we feel the Lord's Spirit so strong, testifying to everyone present that this really is The true church of Jesus Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Book of Mormon is without a doubt the word of God. Being here has already changed my life in the short amount of time that it's been. It's amazing how having the Spirit constantly changes you in ways you never thought possible. Charity comes so much easier and you know that God loves you and that He will answer your prayers. I know that our Father in Heaven loves all His children and that He does hear us when we pray. Oh, I forgot to tell you that I've been called as our zone's coordinating sister. It basically means I'm in charge of making sure that all the sisters are doing well, and I let the branch president know if there's any issues. It's been such a blessing and I can't wait to get more sisters in our zone! (right now it's just the four of us). This has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I know that it will continue to get hard, but I wouldn't change my decision to serve for anything. It's not called "missionary play" for a reason :) I do miss you all at times, but it is hard to get too sentimental when I'm so busy. They also counsel us to leave home behind and put both feet into the mission- so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to give my all to this work because the Lord has given me everything! I love you all so much! Keep me and my district in your prayers and keep writing letters! Make righteous decisions and draw close to the Lord and His Spirit! Give all of your heart, might, mind, and soul to Him! Oh, and definitely be missionaries! Be bold! I am learning how important this work is and how we cannot take it lightly! I'm so grateful to all of you. I couldn't have asked for a better family! :) Lots of love, Hermana Hatch