Dear everyone, 09-03-12
Disclaimer.....missionaries are NOT perfect, the only thing perfect about them that they have is their message.
This last week has been such an emotional rollercoaster, but not because of anything that I have done or felt or have been feeling. Elder Bahoravich, who I told you about earlier, and Mom I want you to post everything that comes in, even my last email, it might help someone...Elder B, he has a mouth and a hot hot temper, like 3rd degree burns temper. We were all having a discussion about something and Elder B said something about something not important, but it was something I didn't agree with so I said "I don't know if I think that necessarily, but this is what I believe...." and went on to explain what I thought. He blew up out of no where and said I'm a dumb blank blank blank blank blank, I'm sorry I'm not perfect.....so on and so forth. I had, had it and no one could feel the spirit, so I said/lovingly yelled "HEY! That is entirely inappropriate and you need to remove yourself NOW." To my surprise, he shut up and walked away. Later on I went up to apologize and he turned and said not now. And I said ok, fair enough let me know when I can talk to you again. He then a few hours later said "Los ciento"(look that one up em). Ever since that moment he and I have not had any problems, in fact he told me he loved me, with a serious tone.
Later, Elder B, he and his companion Elder Adair were having a discussion over what they should teach their investigator. For whatever reason....they got into it, (by the way Elder Adair is from Goodyear) Started getting really intense. I don't know the exact details something about how Elder B was saying...well he was having a pitty party, which surprises me because he is such a strong willed and independent person. Anywho....he somehow ran away from Elder A and grabbed his stuff, went somewhere....no one knows where. So I grabbed Elder A told Elder Judd to come along and we walked outside, Elder A gave me a run down of what happened, we then went looking for him and couldn't find him. A few seconds later I felt prompted to have us pray, so I, being very mean and somewhat learn ned, asked Elder A to give the prayer. It was sooooooooooooo cool to witness that prayer, definitely a you had to be there to believe it type of thing. Elder A felt prompted to return to the class, we walked in and found no one.........The whole class was supposed to be in their studying....So we went back to the residence hall where we found Elder B, packing up and all the Elders in our district standing there talking to him trying to talk to him. He would listen but you could tell it wasn't getting through to him. He was set on going home. Elder Eklof, who is the bomb at everything is sooo humble and has a testimony no person could ever tarnish, asks if Elder B would like to give him a blessing. Elder B says he wanted Elder A to give the blessing so we all put his hands on his head gave him a blessing and up to the front he went.
I don't know what happened, but after Elder Judd and I got back from teaching our investigator Elder B was sitting in class. He had stayed. Well then Sunday came and Elder B got up in our district meeting and said he had changed his mind again and that he was going home. Needless to say all of us were not entirely surprised, so he went packed up his stuff and walked up front, Then an hour later he walked into our room and said I HAVE A LACK OF FAITH! And was being all dramatic and such so I talked to him for a while, told him a portion of my permission life and then said here's what worked for me and then went to dinner. I don't know what has happened, but Elder B is so much more bearable, nothing he has done is different from the time I told you that he and I weren't getting along, but I think he was sent here to teach me how to love more fully. Because I've never found someone more difficult to love, and yes I told him that to his face.
Ok, some highlights of this week were at a fireside someone had said "See others with your heart." That was the most humbling statement EVER. I realized that my actions were largely based off of what I was seeing with my eyes so I had to make some self corrections this week. I also learned how significant baptism is. In 3 nephi chapter 11 the first thing that the savior does after the people touch his hands and feet is establish people with the authority to baptize. I challenge each of you to research baptism, why we have it? why we need it? What things are required for baptism (D&C 20:37) and know that we have agency and that agency is the only thing we can give to the God, everything else he already has, or doesn't need.
Oh and this week while I was teaching a lesson to an investigator I was prompted to say something, I didn't speak up and the spirit left me entirely....I didn't know what to do! I was confused, I was completely silent the whole rest of the lesson. I later talked to my teacher Hermano Halsted about it and he said that Joseph Smith and him did the same thing. He then had me read in D & C section 3 specifically versiculos 4-11. I couldn't feel the spirit again until after I talked to Elder Judd about it and told him I would speak out if I had a prompting again even if he were in the middle of a sentence, because I did not want to go through that type of withdraw from the spirit ever again.
Another thing I learned is that we determine our own successes. Regardless of whether or not we fail at a task. Our efforts determine our success. If you fail a test, you succeeded in studying for it was not a failure. Diligence in all things. Ultimately when we stand before God to be judged it will be based off of our efforts, knowledge, and thoughts (that one scares me). I am starting to consider myself quite philosophical, I made a quote up the other day. "If you want to hear something interesting listen with your ears, If you want to hear something profound listen with your mind, and if you want to hear something that will change your life, listen with your heart. Because when you spell heart the first for letters spell hear."
I'm already 20 minutes over my time limit, and I have 4 more letters to write by hand. So I'm going to bail. But know that I love you all and I'm so grateful to be serving the Lord. No thing is greater than this.
Love you,
Elder Hatch
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Mi querido familia, 08-27-12
Estoy animado leer ustedes ?letters?. I have been having a very good week this last week and I've realized that each and everyone of my letters have been about things that I've been learning not necessarily about me and how I'm doing. I've become well adjusted to MTC life, my companion and I get along great aside from one run in that we straightened out as soon as we both realized we didn't have the spirit with us anymore. I asked the Heavenly Father in my prayers for a humbling experience and He answered with a man named Elder Bahoravich in my district. He and I DO NOT get along, he is constantly and openly disobeying rules that were set such as everyone taking a break at the same time during study time to not distract other Elders. He also has a mouth and doesn't try to control it at all. Don't get me wrong, I have a mouth too, not since I've become a missionary and certainly not since entering the MTC, but he will casually drop words and when he's upset there is no end to what he says.
The other day he started to lecture my companion Elder Judd who is a bigger kid, about how he should be eating healthier so he can lose weight. I was NOT ok with that so I told him to knock it off nicely and playfully and he kept it going you could tell Elder Judd was really hurt by it. And Elder Bahoravich didn't care at all what Elder Judd might have felt like and I later ripped into him and he was being a poop head. End of story. Also Elder Bahoravich is saying he won't be here the full two years...it's just GAHHHHH! I probably shouldn't have shared that much detail, but it goes to show that not everyone who is 19 is capable of being a missionary that is....I'm done talking about that. On a lighter note I prayed sooooo furvently last night for the Lord to help me with my relationship with him. Then today in the temple I went there with hopes of recieving an answer and I still don't have a for sure answer, but I have a decent idea how things will turn out. My council of learning from this story would be don't let small insignificant things like a rule to take a break or a small four letter word destroy the spirit in your life and if others are acting like this Elder, don't let your opinions of their actions destroy the spirit from your life. Think on what the savior would do before you act. I actually challenge you as a family to read the book of James for family home evening, notice what council James gives to those with issues such as these and if you ponder on the idea that they need our help so much more because of this I promise that when an instance to act comes about in your life, so long as you remember what James has to say, you will act as the savior did when the Pharisees were wanting to stone the woman who was a harlot.
In the temple today, when I was thinking of how I could help myself and Elder Bahoravich, I had a thought that had popped into my head. And this is me asking you to go out on a limb, but when I was rock climbing lots there was a family that I had met, the dad's name was Jon the daughters name was Ashli and she was 8 I think the mom's name was Kathy, but I'm not sure and they have one more daughter. They live around 67th and Olive and I thought today while at the temple that they NEED the gospel ASAP. They need to have the opportunity to become a family for eternity and it needs to be through the friendship of our family. They know some LDS people on their street, and I know that their daughter Ashli was in love with me and if they met any of the rest of our family they would be more than excited to get to know our family better. I would like to challenge you as a family to make an effort to find this family for me and invite them to have the missionaries over to their home. I know that they can be blessed by this gospel as can any other family, but for whatever reason the Lord has specified to me that we(you in proxy for me) need to get this family the message of the restored gospel. I do not doubt at all that that was the prompting I got while in the temple today, they spirit affirmed it so strongly.
Also this week has has been huge for reaffirmations of my testimony. I know Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, that on several instance he saw God and Jesus Christ, and that this dispensations truly is the fullness of times. I know that through our actions and words we can be examlpes of our Savior always. Recently I've been reading the story of Samson, in their it talks about Samsons amazing strength, he had Deliahla ask him four times how he had his strength and those were four opportunities to flee from the sin. But he stayed and kept close to the sin because he loved it far greater than the capacity he had to do the Lords work, and due to that he lost his strength until that final time he pulled the building down on himself and 3000 others ending his life. (in Judges chapters 13 to whenever it stops.) I know that if we keep ourselves close to the spirit when the first attempt satan makes to have us sin comes we will know how to and immediate rid ourselves of the situation. I love this gospel. I miss all of you, I meow every time I pass an acorn up here and my companion is beginning to do it as well. I love you all.
Love, Elder Hatch
Also, just a quick story I forgot to type up, I'm already 5 over so it'll be fast.
Elder Judd and I were doing companion study and talking about our investigator Freddy who is a Hardcore Catholic and we had our first lesson with him last week leaving a book of mormon our testimonies and a challenge for him to read the book of mormon and pray about it's truthfulness. Well in our study we had heard from another group that Freddy was going to give it back to us and my companion wanted to plan to that advantage, because somebody already went through the scenerio, I told him no that isn't how it will work in the field. He got sooooooo upset at me and I wouldn't budge, we started to argue. We both noticed the spirit was gone and stopped. looked around us and every companionship but 2 were doing things that they weren't supposed to at that moment so we removed ourselves from the room, and walked outside right after saying another companionship prayer. as we stepped into the sun the lord blessed us both with rain, it was completely sunny but raining. I know the Lord was giving us a witness of his tender mercies. We both started laughing and knelt down and said a prayer of graditude. sorry the grammar is terrible. Remember this story and look for the lords tender mercies in your life, they come everyday I promise you.
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Dear family, 08-20-12
Firstly, it would greatly help me if you were to write to me on Thursday evening so that I can get the hard copy of the letter on Friday evening because they print them out the day after and send them to the missionaries, but they don´t do Dear Elders on Saturday. That way I can plan out what I have to respond with and I can efficiently use the 30 minutes that I have been given to respond.
Second, I´m sorry I didn´t get a chance to respond to everyones letters last week. I ran out of time and couldn´t remember what I was supposed to write back to everyone.
And third here´s something for everyone. I want to talk really quick about the importance of the work I am doing along side 76,000ish other missionaries. I am inviting others to come unto Christ by helping them and inviting them through the doctorine of our Savior Jesus Christ. Something that I learned this week could have probably been the most profound thing I have ever learned and it´s a bit deep so get ready to swim.
We as human beings are damned....straight up, no getting around it, we are literally all born on a path straight to Hell. Because when Adam and Eve partook of the Fruit, we were separated from the presence of nuestro Padre Celestial (our Heavenly Father). This also made physical death possible, the only way to over come these two things is for us to follow the example of Jesus Christ. He over came spiritual death when he had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and then died on the cross. He over came physical death by being resurrected three days later and ONLY through Him and faith in Him can we possibly return to Father. Adam and Eve both had to have a PERFECT faith in Christ to be able to damn their posterity. I testify that this is true, I will stand and testify this gospel until the day I die and if the Lord permits for me time even after in the spirit world. I love my Savior. My words will forever speak of the glory of my Father in Heaven and I testify that this work ¨...is MY work...¨ (Moses 1:39) and my Fathers glory. My last words that I say or write will by like Moroni's words in Moroni 7:32-34 I will testify of Christ and of His example being the only means possible to return to our Heavenly Father. Read Matthew 5:48 and 3 Nephi 12:48 Write me back ASAP and tell me the difference you see between the two scriptures, that is Christ talking by the way. Dangit.....I'm 5 minutes over time and it's eating up my time for next week so I'm going to go. I took notes on what you guys said so I'll try to find time to respond in a letter this week.
Dad,
We get to go to the temple every P day which for me is on Mondays. So this morning Elder Judd and I went to the temple and it was awesome. I realize the more in tune with the spirit I am the more intense the sessions get.
Love you,
Elder Hatch.
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