Hey Familia! Thanks for the emails and everything. You guys are great!
So Ivy did not get baptized on saturday. After praying and fasting, she decided to wait until the 14th of August. She doesn't have any doubts, it's just that she just barely told her dad she was getting baptized this past wednesday adn her sister is getting married next week, so the timing didn't seem right. Hermana Frost and I feel good about the change, especially since she told her dad. Maybe by that time he'll have gotten used to the idea and maybe he'll come or at least maybe her mom. We'll see.
We have two more investigators set with a baptism date. One is this adorable woman, Lolita. We met her at an FHE we taught a couple weeks ago and she came up to us after and told us the change she felt being there and listening to us talk. She came to church yesterday and was crying in la sociedad de soccoro (relief society). We've only taught her a couple of times but she says she knows it's a good thing and wants to do what it takes to be baptized- pretty amazing huh? We taught her la palabra de sabiduria on saturday and she's trying to give up smoking and coffee. We had an awesome recent convert (and her friend) there with us and she bore a powerful testimony that the Lord helps us overcome all of our challenges and the many blessings that she's seen n her life since she joined the church. She's amazing and I love her so much!
The other investigator witha baptism date is Anna. We've been teaching her and her 17 year old daughter and just started teaching her 21 year old daughter and her husband. Anna is awesome and she's become really special to me. We have a close bond and she's progressed so much since I've been here (they were already teaching her before I got here). I'm so excited for her and her family.
So our area got cut a bit with the stake getting changed and we had to give a big chunk of our area to the 6thward spanish elders- along with some investigators. It's been sad, but I'm excited to get the chance to work more in camarillo now that we don't have much area in oxnard. I'm just learning to always expect change.
The Spanish is really coming along. I understand tons more and feel pretty comfortable in lessons talking about the Gospel. I'm still not great with the small talk and miscellaneous vocabulary, but I'm amazed at how much I've learned in just the four months I've been in the field. We get a lot of funny reactions when we talk to people in Spanish, but mostly they're just pleasantly surprised.
Any time you feel discouraged, hopeless, frustrated, hurt, angry, tired, or unworthy fall on your knees and pray! Many times Satan puts thoughts in our head that tempt us not to pray, but we must fight that temptation and turn to the Lord and pray until we feel like praying. I remember mom and dad used to say that to us- whenever we'd say i don't want to pray, they'd always tell us that that was when we needed to pray and they would make us pray anyways. I used to hate that :) But now I am so grateful for that lesson. Even as a missionary I have those moments and those temptations when I don't want to pray, but then the Lord gently reminds me that it is Satan putting those thoughts in my head and that he trembles and his power weakens each time one man or woman gets on their knees and turns to the Lord. The Lord is waiting to bless us with open arms, but we have to take the step towards Him. When we do He will wrap His arms around us and we can't believe how we coud've ever considered turning away for even one moment.
Be good people and remember who you are :)
con mucho amor,
Hermana Hatch
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