Sweet experience

Ok first off sorry for the call, there were a lot of people in the computer shop and I wasn't feeling very well.   Don't worry I am good now.  For me being in Bustos...well I'll be ok.  Even President Sperry was a little worried about me for being here for so long.  This area has been a trial of my faith and patience.  Don't get me wrong, I love the members and it is beautiful, but no one progresses and we teach very few lessons.  About it being beautiful here, my camera is acting up.  It keeps saying that the battery is dead when they are fresh batteries.  I am going to try a few more things this week to find the problem, but I might have to buy a new camera.  Which if I do buy one it will be in the next two weeks, so just a little heads up.   Also kind of about the area and the credit card, I thought that shoe insoles weren't that expensive but they are, I will be buying some shoe insoles on Monday with the credit card, another heads up.   One more thing about the credit card, within the next few months I am going to go to the dentist for a cleaning.  Now the cleaning should be fairly cheap, but I will probably use the card.  Now if I have cavities, do you want me to get them fixed here or just wait until I get home?  I don't know which will be cheaper.   About the shirts, it will be easier for me if you just send them to me.

It does not feel like I have been out for 15 months.  The real crazy thing is that Shayla will beat me home haha.  I am starting to feel really old in the mission.  A lot of new elders coming in, I don't know any of their names.  All the old elders that were here just a few months ago, the younger elders have no idea who they are.  Time has flown and it is only going to get faster.

I have heard about the new youth curriculum, but it doesn't effect me so I don't know too much about it.  What I am looking forward to is the area broadcast on January 12.  That is were we will find out what our focus for this year will be.  I am pretty sure that it will still be about less-actives.  It will be a good to hear how we did this year with less-actives.

My companion and I are doing great.  We have a lot of fun.  We talk about the investigators, the area, home, his girlfriend, if there is anybody he can introduce me too when we get home, pretty much we talk about everything.  If it wasn't for him I would be in rough shape right now.  We only eat out once a week and that is on PDAY.  We are good on the peanut butter for a bit, thanks though.

I had one of the sweetest experience I have had on my mission yesterday (Jan 1,2013).  I can't tell you everything because of time and because of what happened, but I will tell you that Heavenly Father knows, loves, and listens to each of his children.  I learned a valuable lesson in following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  I also learned that if we live worthy then the Lord can use us in marvelous ways.

I love you all

Elder Hatch

New Companion

Ok, for Christmas, the plan is to call you guys on Christmas there (Tuesday) at about 5-6 pm, the day after Christmas here (Wednesday) 8-9 am.  I will be able to email you guys on Christmas (Tuesday) because our pday moved. I will probably email if the plan has changed.  I changed from calling on Christmas to the day after so it is for sure that you all will be there.  Also, we are planning to have our own Christmas here, we all promised to save our packages until Christmas morning to open them.  By the way, I received a package from you, two from Steve and Alyson, and Grandma.  We found that if we combine all of our Christmas traditions we don't get homesick.  There is the plan.

My new companion is great. His name is Elder Robinson.  He is from Kemmerer, Wyoming, near Star Valley.  We actually went into the MTC on the same day, and we were companions in the MTC our last three weeks there.  It is a blast to have someone that you met in the MTC as your companion.  No Mom, I still don't use toilet paper.  I don't like it here, water is a lot better.  I have a nice bed now, because when Elder Tropia transferred he had two mattresses, so I took it.  My bed is now really comfortable.  Shower is nice, mainly because it works and half of the areas don't have working showers.  For the size of my area I would say that it is the size of the south end of the Valley, but we only work in about the size of Nibley and Hyrum.

On Sunday, I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting. It went pretty well.  That was the fifth time that I have had to speak in this branch.  I have learned how to organize my thoughts to get the length that I want or need to fill.  I spoke on the power of the Book of Mormon.  That's pretty much all that has happened this week.  Oh and I have not yet gotten sick while on the mission.  So you don't have to worry about me.

Love you,

Elder Hatch

Still...still in Bustos

First thing, I am not transferring.  I am still in Bustos.  I will be here for a half a year...hahaha... but it is all good.  I like it here and I am getting a new companion.  Next week I will tell you all about him.  I have had a lot of frustration with my companion, I love him, but sometimes we just didn't get along.  I was hard and I had to swallow a lot of pride, just so we could teach.  I learned a lot from this transfer, a lot with how to deal with people.  My friends are still in the zone Elder Green and Elder Brown, so we are all really happy that we will have Christmas together just like Thanksgiving.

I did hear about the Typhoon that hit Mindano that is the southern island.  It was a really bad typhoon a lot of people died.  But it wasn't close to us.  For Whtinee a typhoon is a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean.

For Christmas, Whitnee told me that she might be working on Christmas Eve and most of the elders are going to call on Christmas, I just might do that.  Because I need to go to another elders area to skype you guys, because none of the computer shops here in Bustos can.  I will coordinate with the other elders and next week I will give you the for sure plan.

Sorry I am emailing late, we kind of had a farewell pday for the missionaries leaving the zone and I don't have much time we have a dinner appointment real soon so I will email all of you next week I promise.

Love,

Elder Hatch

Thanksgiving 2012

Ok first off, I did use the credit card.  I ran out of room on my flash drive and I was going to just buy another 16 GB, but it would cost me 720 pesos ($9) and we found portable terabytes, like the one I bought for our computer, for 4,500 pesos ($105).  So I know that it is a big jump, but it is worth the money and I can use it after the mission and I won't have to worry about using up space.  So just use my account to pay for it.  I was going to tell you before but with the end of the transfer coming up I wanted to get the picture from the other elders before they get transferred.  Next time I use the card I will let you know before hand.

This was a really good week.  I went up to a San Miguel where Elder Anderson is district leader, and went to district meeting.  We had a good time talk about old time in our first area.  We planed a Thanksgiving dinner, but then he got call into the office.  He is now the Mission Secretary.  It was sad to have him leave but now I will see him more often.  But then Elder Brown texted and asked if we were still coming up for Thanksgiving.  We said we would, but I didn't think that it could be very good.  I had some pasta that I took to cook so we could have some American food, but then I found out that all the American elders which is basically   the whole zone had some American food.  Elder Green had mashed potatoes, Elder Brown had stuffing, Elder Mackie had pudding, Elder Guard had some canned corn.  I bought some strawberry jam and rolles, and we bought some rotisery chicken to substitute for turkey.  I will send some pictures to explain much better.  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Elder Green is from Hoper, Utah, it is close to Ogden.  He goes home a transfer after me.  Elder Green and I will definitely hang out after the mission.  Elder Anderson is from Tennessee, but is going to BYU.  Elder Anderson came into the MTC the same day I did and we were in the same room in the MTC.  He will be a little harder to hang out with but we are making plans.