My New Area

That is really weird to think that every one is out on their mission.  It is really great to hear that they all did it.  It is also weird that I won't see them for 3 years and Tory for maybe 4.

Ah school, I don't have to worry about that for a long time.  I remember Spring Creek and South Cache.  Good times. That is were I found a lot of my friends there.  But nothing beats MOUNTAIN CREST!!!!!!!!!!!!!   Right Whiters?  I do not miss school. It is great out here; no school, no worries.  I am sure you will all get back in the groove of things.  We always did.

Answers to the questions:

My area is great and huge, but the smallest in the zone.  The best way to describe my area is like Avon.  A central town and farms everywhere else.  It takes forever to walk from one appointment to another.  That is my area. Just think of two missionaries walking around in Avon and Paradise and that is what my companion and I are doing every day.  We live in an apartment. It is the biggest apartment I have lived in, but it is just the two of us. It is a nice apartment, but we need to clean.  Oh by the way, thanks Dad, for teaching me how to clean dishes.  Most of the houses that we teach in are cinder block houses, but we do teach in a few bamboo huts.  As for the weather it is rainy season here so it rains almost every day, but most of the time it is just a light rain.  Only when a Bagyo (Hurricane) comes through is when there is a lot of rain.  I am sure that there are a lot of storms but since we can't watch the news we don't find out until we have to work through the Bagyo.  There are little shops every where. We have a pretty big market next to our house.  For the food, Elder Wilson is an excellent cook so we cook a lot of our food.  He cooks, I clean.  I did learn how to make Adobo, so you will all have to try it.  I have someone who washes my laundry and he is Endowed so he can was my garments and it only cost me 1000 pesos per transfer. it is a great deal.  We do have a church but we are only a branch so it is really small.  Only about 40 people are active.  So we have a lot of work to do.  Our Branch President's wife knows how to play the piano so we are good there.  It is a lot of fun our here in Bustos, even though we are forever away from anything.

The best way will probably be for you to print them then mail them to me because it is really expensive to print here.  Contact solution is fine.  I found some stuff that only costs 59 pesos (thats a little more than a dollar)  With my contacts, I have not opened the second box.

Could you get me: Larry's address, Joel's address, Taunie's address, Tory's address, and Chris' Mission address.  I need to write them some letters.

Thanks for all your support.  I had a great week.  Love you all.

Elder Hatch 

Zone Leader

Being a Zone Leader is not that bad yet.  I did have to give a workshop.  That was a little scary, but all went well.  I will just keep doing my best.  I will keep you updated on how it is  being a Zone Leader.  The main thing we do is get the numbers and pass information to the zone. Oh and I did have to interview an investigator yesterday.  That was a really scary because I hold a persons salvation in my hands and I have to make sure that they won't become less-active.  Pressure.  It went well by the way.  Thank you for the Birthday package it was only one day late.  I loved every thing in it.  Question do you have to make pudding with milk or can it be water?

So is the water cold or warmish when you were walking in it? 

 Do you ever dry out or are you always sweaty? 

 How are your feet?  Do you need the umbrella? 

 Where you moving in the pictures or going to transfers? 

 How many missionaries are you over? 

Answers:

The water is cold right when you step into it but it feels really good and you get use to it really fast.  I am dry when I sit in front of a fan.  So every morning from 8-11, then after that pretty much sweaty.  My feet are ok as far as a missionary's feet go.  Sore but not in pain. I don't use an umbrella, because when it rains here, IT RAINS.  If you use an umbrella your head is dry but everything else is wet.  The pictures are of us taking my stuff to the Zone Leaders house just before Transfers.  I am over 12 missionaries, 4 of them are Sisters.

Pictures:

1. Me on a Carabao

2. Elder Wilson on a Carabao

3. Jesus Mountain

4. The Father, The Son, and The Holy Ghost (40-50ft. tall)

Some good scriptures for Dad or any of you.

Matt 6:33, Mosiah 2:41, Psalms 37:25, about following the commandments.

I really like Mosiah and Psalms.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Love you all take care  Good luck with the talk let me know how it goes and could you get Chris' mission address.

Elder Hatch

Happy Birthday

Ok. I had a crazy week.  When I emailed you last time, the floods hadn't really started.  From Wednesday morning until Friday morning our area was flooded way bad.  It was up to  my thighs.  In the other part of the ward it was up to the chest.  We spent three days in the  Zone Leaders house.  We couldn't go out to work because of the floods.  Those three days were the most boring and longest days on the mission.  I really missed the work.  Our Transfer meeting was moved to Friday because the entire mission was flooded.  A lot of missionaries were stuck in their apartment with no power for those three days.  All we did was play cards and watch church movies.

At transfer meeting, I was called to serve in the Baliwag Zone as a Zone Leader.  Baliwag is our furthest Zone.  I am in Bustos, Bulacan.  My companion is Elder Wilson.  He is from Arizona near Mesa.  I really don't think that I am ready to be a Zone Leader.  I mean I just got done training.  But the Area is really cool and green.

I don't have any plans for my Birthday.  I was going to have a really big FHE but it was canceled because the family has school and work.  So we are just having a nice pday.  Oh, here in the Philippines, it is backwards, here, the person whose birthday it is pays for every one to eat.  Not everyone pays for the person on his birthday like in the states.  So I had to buy a few elders some Buko Shakes (Coconut Shakes).  That is my Birthday; Transferred, became a Zone Leader, and bought some Buko Shakes.

I have not gotten my birthday package.  The last package I received was the battery charger.  I have no idea how long it takes to get here, but we get mail delivered to district meeting every two weeks.  So that's how often I get mail.  So I usually get one or two letters from grandma.

Sounds like you all had a blast at the fair and it was a good learning experience.  I hope Trevor keeps doing it so I can help out and hang out at the fair all day.  It was also good to hear about Levi and Joel and how they are doing.

Love you all,

Elder Hatch

It's Raining, It's Pouring

No one talks about the Olympics here.  It is all about the Philippines Basketball Finals right now.  I have heard that the US and China are in the top spots but that is about it.

This week it has rained almost everyday all day.  A lot of the zones are flooded.  Our house is fine we are on the top floor, but some of the other elders had to leave there house because the flood was getting really deep.  It has been a slow week because of the weather.  We hardly got any work done.  It is really hard to stay home all day and do nothing.  I try to study but you can only do that for so long before you eyes and brain just can't take it.  I just love the work.  It is the best time of the day.  About the work, we just started teaching a french man and his wife who is a filipina.   It is very hard to teach in English.  I forget a lot of words or how to say certain things, so every one just laughs and so do I.  I have about three families that I hang out with or that are my favorite families, they are the Macam family who were a less active and part member family but now are active and all members, the Bishop's family, they are just way cool and I can speak English to them, and the Esling family, they are a way fun family that feeds us every Sunday and our Ward Mission Leader just returned from his mission in April.  It is all just a good time.

I am glad to hear about Chris and his family.  It sounds like they have really changed a lot.  Make sure and tell them hi for me.  And tell Chris that he is doing the right thing.

Transfers...I am the only one in the entire Zone that is transferring.  Granted a lot of elders are training so they still have another transfer together.  It is just weird that I am the only one.  We don't know if Transfer Meeting is still on or not due to all of the flooding, but hopefully by Monday I will know who my companion is and where I am at.

Oh by the way what wall all in my last package with the battery charger?

I also need you to look up some talks on lds.org and send them to me.  Here is the list:

"Deny Yourselves of All Ungodliness" Neal A.Maxwell, Ensign May 1995

"The Power of the Book of Mormon" President Hinckley, Ensign June 1988

"If Ye Be Willing and Obedient"  President Hinckley, Ensign July 1995

"The Price of Discipleship" James E. Faust, Ensign April 1999

"To a Missionary Son" Dennis B. Neuwnschwander, Ensign November 1991

"The Value of Work" J. Richard Clarke, Ensign May 1982

"The Returned Missionary" L. Tom Perry, Ensign November 2001

"Letter to a Returned Missionary" Charles A. Didier, Ensign November 1997

"Remember Who You Are" N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign November 1981

"The Challenge to Become" Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign November 2000

Love you all.  Sorry not much has happened due to the rain.

Elder Hatch