sorry i don't have  good letter...again!!

We are in the city for pday again. We did a huge scavenger hunt for all our zone. Tasks like "1 pt for every selfie with a Chinese person" and "secret handshake with a stranger" and finding certain streets and everything. It was so funny! One was they had to bust a primary song. haha The elders did that one heaps, they had to record everything they did, it was sooooo funny.

We have MLC again tomorrow and we are giving a training! We are blessed to give 100x training's  Then straight after we are flying to Tasmania! We will be exchanging with the sisters down south in Glen Huon, stay tuned for some amazing pictures coming next week.

I wont get much sleep this week so sorry in advance for the ugliness....haha. Transfer news this week as well

No worries mates I'll catch ya later!

Love yousss

sister hatch

Q&A

Have you been able to hold a koala yet? No...*tears*

Do you get asked to speak in church very often? A bit, not too much.

Are you staying healthy? Healthy as! lol na I will be changing my diet in the next week or so.

What is the strangest thing that happened this week? The strangest thing...I don't know about the strangest but we got yelled at again today by the same guy as before, he was really mad...ah and we took selfies with random Chinese people. And I got asked if I was Indian and if I was 25, that happens pretty often, people either think I'm Greek, Italian or Native American, sometimes India or Asian which I really don't understand.

What is the best thing thats happened this week? The best thing that happened this week was we got Indian chicken curry 3 times (my new favorite food). The actual best thing was we started teaching a FAMILY!!

Sister Brown on exchanges

Narre Warren zone on the steps of the state library

obedience brings blessings

This week has been really really really busy, we went to Tas and got back in time to do trainings at a couple different zone conferences. It is nothing I could explain with words in the time that I have but the experience we had preparing and giving the training has strengthened my testimony so much. We trained on pouring out your soul to God rather than just saying your prayers. We used the story in Samuel 1 about Hannah pouring out her soul. We based it on a book by Michael S. Wilcox. He talks about the importance of pouring out, pouring out everything, all the bad things, the hard things and the good. Completely emptying your vessel to God in preparation for what He will pour back in. As we completely pour out our soul to God in prayer and empty everything he is able to fill us back up with hope, light and life. I have a testimony of it! One of the missionaries heard our training at one zone conference and then we were giving it at another and he shared his experience with keeping the commitment we left with them to pour out instead of just pray. When he shared his experience he described what it was like in simple words, what I got from it is the heavens opened. I know that God really listens to every word we say and wants to know everything. As we completely empty our vessel in prayer we will be filled with something so much greater than we could ever imagine.

We have had the most amazing week! No sleep but thats okay. I saw countless tender mercies, seeing Hayley and Jerome and Tania Honey and Sister Clark and Kelvin! Going to the city for zone conference and getting to say goodbye to our recent convert in the city Masaru who left for Japan yesterday. SO many blessings I can't even count!

Love my mission, never coming home. Love all of you. Send me mail. xxxxx

Sister Hatch

Excerpts from a letter that came this week-

3.17.1
Life is a roller coaster. One week I am on top of the world and everything is (not exactly easy) but exhilarating, a high that seems impossible to fall down from then the next week I'll be down in a slump as if looking up a huge mountain asking myself if I was ever really at the top or if I just dreamed it. It amazes me how hard the adversary works- and how terribly weak I am. I am starting to learn the pattern- usually when I am having a good week I can look to the future and expect the hard times coming. (this applies in nearly every regular life situation, which is scary) and it happens that way, every time, even if I continue doing all the same things, trials always come.

I've learnt its all a crucial part of the growth process. God is constantly refining us, every time coming out more and more shiny and bright. What a blessing! We have a Father who loves us enough to "cut us down" and "prune us back" so we can reach the potential He has for us.

I love the temple. Things become so much more exciting and meaningful when you understand the reason why. My why for going to the temple is revelation and guidance. I always receive it. President gave a sermon (lol) on obedience, exact obedience brings miracles. I never understood the blessing/obedience thing before my mission. Like I said- I need a solid WHY for the things I do. I didn't understand the why of keeping Gods commandments or even simpler, the why of small rules at school but on a mission the WHY is my love for my Savior. That should be the reason we do everything, not the only reason...but the main one. Thats why I want to be obedient AND I need the blessings and help God promises. I can tell you THE BLESSINGS COME. Not only for missionaries but everyone who does what God asks. Obedience is key and I'm not perfect, no one is but aye...trying my best and it makes all the difference.

Mission Leadership Council

On our way to Tas

A girl standing on the street with her arms open in the city giving free hugs and when people hugged her it was like they knew her for ages. It was so beautiful. It was like an art piece

tas

I have been so busy I can't even breathe, the past few weeks have been intense as! We have so many things to worry about and do but it has been the best and I love it. I got to go to my first MLC (mission leader council). I had a massive headache afterwards from all the focusing and thinking. Haha it was good though, I love it.

We have been on a couple of exchanges and they are always the coolest experiences. My one this week I went to our sisters area. We called their district leader ahead to see what they need help with or what goals their leaders have for them so that we can align. He said they are focusing inviting people to be baptised and that they are sending a call out to all the district when you do, a motivational thing, and that he wanted us to focus on finding with the sisters.

I prayed really hard! I really wanted to be able to go out tracting and see miracles with this sister to boost her (and my)  faith and confidence. Nothing is happening in their area at the moment so it was really needed. Anyway we go out finding and nothing happens, nobody listens and this sister was down but I knew that God was preparing people for us!

So so so many small things happened that add to the magnitude of what happened at the end of the day but I'll just save that for a letter one day. Anyway we decided to go to a random street to knock on doors but as we drove we felt we should stay on the road we were (because it reminded me of Launie and miracles happen in Launie) so we stayed. :)

Since I left the city I can't speak Chinese anymore because there are no Chinese people  anywhere! I pray every day that I will find Chinese people that I can talk to and the first door we knocked on was a Chinese guy named Cloudy. hahaha He gave us Chinese milk and asked us to come back and so many other people did as well. Miracles...and then in the last 10 minutes of our finding we met an Indian (India) guy named Sapan. We taught him right there on the doorstep about the infinite atonement of Jesus Christ. We testified of its power and reality and then invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptised, he accepted with excitement! He will be baptised on May 9th :). We got to do a miracle call out and our faith was increased 10000XX!! 

And conference was the bomb tho

xxx Sister Hatch

Questions

What other areas besides Tassie do you cover? 

We cover 5 zones, I can't name them all right now, no time.

What is the best thing about Sister Larsen? 

Sister Larsen loves Harry Potter and I love that about her, lol.

Sister Larsen and the beautiful Annette Clark

we got the best news!

Hello!! Its sisters pday today and it was so fun! I tried to upload photos I don't know if they worked, we are in the mission office and the computers are slow and nearly crash when I try to upload heaps. Sorry! My first week as a sister training leader was a hard one! In a good way for sure. We have so many responsibilities in addition to normal crazy missionary work. I never have time to think and I haven't ever been more tired but I haven't been happier either. I love it and we got the BEST news!!!!!!! I think that God really loves me because I got to serve in the city last transfer and that made my dreams come true. I got taken out which shattered me but he made up for it!! We found out that WE ARE SISTER TRAINING LEADERS FOR THE TASMANIA SISTERS. Do you know what that means??? I get to fly down there twice a transfer and go on exchanges with them!!!! (including Sister Plante) I'm so stoked! I get to go back and see my family!! We are planning to go next week I think.

It's really cool to be a leader in the mission, we have so many privileges, I'm honored that president trusts me, but yes it is great. Very hard but still great, I love it.

I was so sad I was leaving the city right before Pedro got baptised but I asked president to go to his baptism and we got to go on Saturday!! Pedro was so stoked for it and was glowing afterwards. The gospel changes lives! I am so happy to be part of this work, its the besssssst, its fantastic! Me and Sister Larsen get along like a house on fire. She's awesome and I love her! She is from Highland Utah, her dad is a professor at BYU and its like she came from a Great Gatsby movie.

We have a car. There are so many islanders in our ward which means BIG island feeds which means weight gain which means Shaun T every morning, ya I got insanity from another sister and we have been doing it, its the best. My body hurts.

There are 8 missionaries in our ward in all. Us, AP's, ZL's and another set, its gooood.

And we did sisters pday with the whole mission (sisters) today! We learned Maori dances and Samoan and Fijian dances! Its the best, I love being on a mission!!! I love you and hope you are having fun in Europe! Please get me some good Souveniers!!

 Easter package

Pedro baptism

Sister Bennett MTC comp

Our family photo!! All of my daughters, aren't they adorable?

very very bitter sweet

dear home,

This week's letter is very very bitter sweet, mostly bitter. We got transfer news and I'll be leaving the blessed city of Melbourne. :( :( I'll still be in Melbourne but not the city part. :( I've never been so sad. I saw it coming with Tassie but not here. I was gutted when I found out. One transfer isn't long enough ANYWHERE especially the city. We are doing well here and it didn't make sense why I was leaving until president called Sunday morning and asked me to serve as a sister training leader which is amazing and I'm so honored! It will just take an adjustment. The hardest part is packing. I literally just finished unpacking last week and I don't want to leave Sister Albania or the branch. :(  *tears* *tears* *tears*

I am just so happy I was able to serve here at all, the Lord answered my prayers! Now I am on to something hard that will help me grow as a missionary. God knows what he's doing so I'm going to trust him! All is well. All is well. :) We had interviews this week which were great. I had a kebab- delicious. We had zone pday with our Chinese zone which was a blast, so so fun! I'm so sad to leave them. I hope there are Chinese people where I go so I can keep up on all the Chinese I learned here.

Pedro will be getting baptised this weekend- .

So many wonderful things happened this week that there is no time to write about. My last pday in the city and we're going to make the most of it! 

Sorry for being sad :( I really am EXCITED for this next chapter in my mission, it's a big one!! I'm grateful for things like this. :)

I love all of you. I love my mission and I love my Savior.

1 John 4: 7-9 "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that liveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."

xxx

Your city sis

Sister Hatch