Elder Hatch Returns With Honor and celebrates birthday!

August 7, 2014

WAITING!!!!

Here He Comes!

 At Home with close friends and family!

More photos and video to follow

Letter #94- Gratitude

August 4, 2014

I have been sitting here thinking for some time, what am I going to write? In the last few days I have pondered, reflected, prayed, laughed, as I passed the memories that I have from my mission. As I reflected, I can't think of a single negative thing that had happened on my mission. Even the times where I might have felt sad or upset, I look at them now and I thank my Heavenly Father for them. The final stages of my mission have been the sweetest thing that I have ever tasted. The Lord has changed almost everything about me....And thanks be to Him that it has happened. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me in the next walk of life.

Yesterday, a sister told me, "What a blessing that you are going home now!"

I said, "I don't know if I would call it a blessing." She then asked me what I had meant... I paused, I didn't know why I would be upset to go home. My future wife and kids were honestly the entire reason that I went on my mission to start with, now the Lord was giving me the opportunity and I was somewhat stepping on His offer and saying no thanks. She then looked at me and said, "You have served the Lord extremely well here in our area, and I imagine through your whole mission. Now the Lord will support you and bless you with your future goals that you have. An extreme calmness fell over my whole body and I knew that Heavenly Father was, is, and will always support me, so long as I live worth of it.

She then offered to put me in contact with her 22 year old Colombian niece who was recently baptized, and we laughed. I know that the Lord supports us. There is a pain that comes with coming home, but even though I may miss the people here, the way of life, and people always looking at us, I feel at peace with everything I have done and will do. President Holm always said, "Peace is a gift from God, after a job well done."

I love being able to help people find peace in there lives, in their moments of chaos, in the times of instability, through the atonement of Jesus Christ. This is the only peace that we can carry with us in this life. I have seen people using drugs, alcohol, sex, partying, a new relationship, and more to find peace. But all of those things eventually wear out, the effects of drugs leave after minutes, alcohol goes stale, sex seems to be in the worlds eyes a fun recreational activity on the weekend that helps you tally points, partying lasts until you get tired and fall asleep, and a new relationship becomes an old one after weeks. But the atonement is infinite and everlasting (2 Nephi 9:6-7). Just like the infinite and eternal covenants, that we have the opportunity to make, are sealed up and bound on earth and in heaven, by the priesthood (Matt. 16:15-19).

I know that for the last two years of my life I have been lifted up and even carried by the grace of Jesus Christ. I know that I have taught the very same gospel that Jesus Christ taught when he very first ministered to us here on the earth, and that he taught even further back through his prophets. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. I love the pages of that book every single one. I know that Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be forgiven of our sins. I know that this life is going to pass by us as if it were a dream (Jacob 7:26) and we will be able to stand before God to receive our judgment and I am honestly excited for it. This life is not reality, our reality is with our Heavenly Father and our eternal families, and we choose to live that or we choose the opposite. I pray that we all can return and live together. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love ya,

Elder Hatch

Letter #93- Miracle Week!

July 28, 2014

Hey Everybody!

This week has been amazing! Elder Rangel and I had set an appointment right in the middle of weekly planning, woops, but it was just right next to our house. So we went and there was no one there....sad....but we started walking back to the house and we passed a lady that was a little distance off and she was outside smoking. I waved to her and smiled and keep on walking so that we could finish weekly planning and get to our appointment that we had right after. I got the impression that we needed to talk to her, but I keep walking... "we have to be on time!" I was thinking. So I ignored it 2 more times after that, we got a good 200 yards away and I stopped. Elder Rangel looked at me and said, "Come on let's go back." We went back and she was getting ready to walk in. She initially tried to brush us off and I just smiled and started asking her questions about her life. All the sudden, all the walls just fell. She started telling us about her children and grandchildren that she was looking for a church and then she expressed some concern about her family. I offered to pray with her and she said absolutely. The spirit was so strong in this prayer! I loved the feeling that was there! I didn't want to stop praying. Eventually the prayer came to an end and I looked at her, and with tears in her eyes she asked if we could come back and visit her. She expressed gratitude for us coming back and visiting her and wants to know more about what we do and teach! A super great lady.

 

That was miracle number one, miracle two. We taught a young mother named Rubi who when she had prayed about Joseph Smith finished looking up and saying I know that this is true! I love the way I feel right now! It was just so great to see so much light in her eyes! Like she discovered some hidden civilization!

 

Another is that we had a young lady that we have been teaching, named Karely, for quite some time. We stopped seeing them super frequently but would stop by about every other week to say hello and see if they had taken any initiative to read. This last week she said she found her book of Mormon again and started to read it. We read a little bit with her and invited her to pray! She prayed for the first time, and she loved the way it felt! She is going to be baptized eventually! We just don't know when.

 

Lastly, Miriam was baptized! She is so funny! 12 year old Guatemalan girl who is almost done with the book of mormon! She is going to be a great example to her family!

I've gotta run! But I'm glad that I serve a God of Miracles and I know that he loves and serves us daily. I am striving to do the best I can to serve him and he just keeps giving me blessings! Even my trials are to biggest blesssings of my life! I love being a missionary!

 

Love ya!

Elder Hatch