06/03/2012
Dear EVERYBODY,
Wow! This week flew by like crazy! Firstly Elder Franco is great, I am pretty sure he is going to be one of my favorites if not my favorite companion! This week we did a ton of work. We have been talking to this guy Oscar, well a few days ago he disappeared! We had a really good lesson, with him where he told us that he had relapsed on Marijuana and said he was 100% done at failing and he would never touch it again. Well we came back the next day and he wasn't there, we didn't know where he was and he wasn't answering his phone, then we came back the next day, same thing, the next day, same thing. We had no idea what was going on. Finally we decided to call around see what we could find out. Turns out he was in the hospital for some mental health issues he was having, but we got to go and visit him in the hospital. It was serious security lock down though so we were only able to go in one at a time and while Elder Franco was in there I talked to a man named James. James was a pastor, good guy and his foot was facing all sorts of crazy directions, it was really gross. (Not sure why I added that in there).
Then we had been teaching these two girls Montana and Brianna. They were both young and there father didn't want to listen to us, so we just taught them after two lessons and two baptismal invites they told us they just wanted to listen to what we had to day. They didn't want to change and that we were cute, so needless to say I told them we weren't coming back. We have started English classes and a lot of people are actually starting to show up for it. The majority, non-members! Woo hoo! Also we found about 3 really cool families at the end of this week and I'll get you updated on them in the future when they progress and are baptized.
Ok, now that's an overview, here is what I learned this week. All this week I had been feeling like I wasn't living up to my potential as a missionary. Like I wasn't doing all that I could do to be a good servant of the Lord. Part of that had to do with how much biking we had to do to get anywhere. But I was getting frustrated with myself. I wasn't extending baptismal invites like I normally did, I was kinda fighting the system, with the thoughts that I am more experienced now, I'm a better teacher, I can teach these people how I want and they will want to be baptized and I won't have to invite them. FIRSTLY, THAT IS ALL WRONG! Christ invited people to act on what messages he gave them the opportunity to act no matter what.
(John 4:1-2)
1 When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
So, I was getting upset at myself so I talked to my companion about it and the two Elders we lived with and asked them to hold me responsible for inviting Early, often, and bold. Well, I had opportunities like crazy to extend these invites and I was extending them. There was a lesson we had yesterday actually and I changed things up I jumped from lesson to lesson trying to keep these people interested in the lesson rather than worrying about what the spirit could teach them. Are you confused? Good, so was I and so were they. So then we left without extending an invite. Well, my companion was upset with me I was upset with me. We started talking about it and I began to take out the fact I was upset on him....I realized it, but I didn't want to change! GRRRRR. So then I said very intensely, "ok, I'm mad at you but not really, I'm actually only mad at myself and I'm sorry and well I don't want to have contentions and (this is how I feel)." He then said, ok, I'm really glad you said all that actually and we then became best friends. More of the story is that when we express how we feel to others and to the Lord, (trust me I was praying in my head constantly) we can feel a peace and a love for others that we could get no where else. This is vague I know, but I have no more time. Ok, I'll write you all more in detail later.
Love you all,
Elder Hatch
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