The Gospel Message in Minecraft

Man we have had a crazy week!!So much has happened, Monday we had a family night with a spanish family that invited a non member family over and it was really cool, there 18 year old son gave the lesson and it was sweet!!! :) Tuesday we went to visit a semi active family and we had set up a time and the family forgot. BUT they had a friend over so we talked with them and got to know them better and shared the Mormon Message "Origin" it was super sweet!! she was not able to come to church though :(  This week I went on exchanges with Elder Hernandez (he is in leon Springs) and we were helping another ward move a TON of stuff for a garage sale that they started doing as a funraiser, seriously the whole front part of the parking lot was full of anything you could want!! we then had dinner with a recent convert at Red Robin in The Rim and it was pretty sweet!

The next day we helped for two hours at the Garage sale and found a lot of people that we already knew from around town and it was pretty sweet!! Sunday we had a lot going on, we had a lesson with a less active and his daughter's boyfriend. We watched the Restoration video and it was awesome! we also had a lesson with a less active part member family and I gave the 13 year old son a assignment to read the war chapters in Alma and to build the cities and everything from it on Minecraft(he was playing it before we stopped by) and he said he would try! Good way to use Minecraft ;) haha this upcoming saturday we are hoping that there will be a baptism for Miguel and Angie and their 2 daughters. They did not come to church on Sunday and we have not been able to get a hold of them. So that has been interesting to say the least.

I hope you all have a great week!!! :)

P.S. we also had a huge easter party on Saturday at a families house and there were so many confetti eggs, it was a blast!!!

Yes, I ate Menudo!

So this week we have been doing work outs with Brother Duncan, man those are rough!! Anyways this week Elder Goodman and I went on exchanges and we had a fun time and talked to a lot of people!! We had a sweet lesson with a old hispanic lady named Martha and she wants to hear more and she says she has read parts of the Book of Mormon already so we are really excited!!! That same day we went to go visit a less active/ part member and they are from Guatamala and love soccer. So we sit down and realize that La Copa Del Rey had just ended and they were on the after review and Real Madrid had beaten Barcelona and it was horrible because I wanted to watch so bad!!!AHHH But either way we had a good talk with them and once again invited them to read Moroni 10. This week was a little sad because a member that we became really close friends moved back to Utah, so we helped them back up and then had dinner with them and it was a little sad :( On a positive note we had a sweet Lesson with Miguel and Angie with a family in the ward. We had to take two cars because the sanchez family is so big, and we showed up with the dad and one of his sons(who runs track) and talked with Miguel, Then the rest of the family shows up with 5 Little cesars pizzas and a case of Dr. Pepper haha we watched the Restoration video and talked about the Book of Mormon and it was really powerful!! And the Sanchez family is having them over again tonight along with another family!! It is so cool!!! On Sunday the Rios family(less active/part member) finally came to church!!! It was the coolest thing ever because they have not been to church in years!!! And it was really cool because Elder Hatch and I spoke at Sacrament meeting!! haha It was so cool!!! And as well Sunday night i got to try Menudo (the inner lineing  of a cow's stomach) I do not know what to say, it did not taste bad, but it was super rubbery and different haha But I hope that y'all have a great week!!!! Love ya!!! oh and a member gave us cascarones(eggs filled with confetti, MMMUUUAAAHHHHH) :)

Barbecue Chicken Anyone?

Alright so for this week!!! This morning Elder Hatch and I went to a members house and worked out. He is a mixed martial arts trainer but we did not do that haha he has a log called "Old Misery" that we kind of did a navy seal "Heck morning". My shoulder are pretty red from carrying it on my shoulder haha NOW to the important stuff. So this week we have done a lot of finding through the people we are teaching and we have actually found some interest and been blessed. We had stopped by a hopeful investigator and she was talking to her friend, we arranged a time to stop by and everything...but we forgot to get the address. BUMMER. A few days later when we were planning we were trying to listen to the Holy Ghost and decide where to go. We both felt like we needed to go to a certain area. When we were there the next day we found these two guys having a BBQ and we started talking to them. Then she came out!! so we found where her and her boyfriend lived so that we could stop by!!! it was sweet!!! We stopped by Miguel and Angie and had a lesson with them. We just do not know where to go with them. But we found out he is either related or friends with a bunch of people that we want to start teaching! So we are trying to get a chain reaction started! As well this week the Ward had a massive chicken BBQ to raise money for the scouts!! over 330 whole chickens were cooked and sold. They came in halves and is was quite the operation. So we came up with these cards to put on some Jesus cards and mass distribute them in the chicken dinners. It was so much fun!!! This week as well we had Ward Conference (for those that do not know, it is where a bunch of members in an certain area get together and have a conference about certain topics and other leaders are there from other areas) And our ward mission leader talked about how the ward could get 25-30 discussions for the missionaries. It was such a good five minute talk!!! We came up with the idea that we could call the members that we have dinner with an ask them to invite a family over and we would share a message that applies to both families. And so our ward mission leader is ready to go!!! Not a whole lot else went on this week but such an amazing work is being done and we see it all around us. Keep being strong and I love you all!!!

Happy General Conference Weekend!

WOW! What an amazing week!!! :) So this week we went to the Bishop's home and had a sweet lesson with Jessica!! She is awesome and the family is awesome!!! We talked about General Conference that was coming up and she was really excited!!! :) That same afternoon we helped with a bike rodeo (only in Texas ;) ) and there was a non-member there and he is interested in learning more about the church!! After that we worked up in comfort and stopped by quite a few people and walked a lot haha. On Thursday Both Elder Hatch and I took a spanish test to pass tier 2 of 3 tiers for spanish speakers so now I am working on doing that! We had a sweet lesson with Roland  at the church and talked to him about the Plan of Salvation (a little bit) He was super preoccupied with getting ready for his 2 year old's birthday party. But he really wants to know and wanted to come saturday,but was not able to make it :( Then came general Conference!!! Saturday morning all six of us (leon spring,boerne and fair oaks) were at the church and no one had set up the screen!! so we missed the first bit while we were setting up to watch it. But There were so many talks that I loved!!! I really love what President Uchtdorf said about us being spiritual beings, and thus we do not have an end, and that is why mortal life is hard when a loved one dies because our eternal persons do not understand. Sunday Morning we watched it at the Bishop's with jessica!!! She was taking notes and everything and it was really powerful!! Then we had some amazing Cinnamon rolls that Bishop's wife made for a lunch haha Sunday afternoon we were able to have Miguel and Angie come to the church to watch it i9n spanish (for Miguel) That was a hard one for me, I was trying to keep the 5 year old son quiet by drawing pictures that he asked for. And then it being in spanish did not help me either haha But it was a great week and I hope you all learned a lot and continue to be amazing sons and daughters of God!!!

Adventures in Biking!

Alright soo news for the week!! TRANSFERS..... Both Elder Hatch and I will be staying here another 6 weeks!!! we are super excited!! We feel the work here is on the verge of exploding!!! And as missionaries it is so cool!! Everyone else in the city does not realize the amazing work that is being done and in the next few weeks we are going to find so many people!!! :) This week has been a very interesting week!! We have very few miles so we have been riding bikes!! Wednesday we were out in the rain and we were on the side of the rode and my back tire flew out in front of me bringing my bike to the ground on its side and I got a few cuts on my eldow and we were going to a lesson at the church and mutual was going on and all the members were freaking out haha it was so funny!! Also we went to Comfort this week and I had another accident after trying to copy Elder Hatch and I ended up in a ditch haha then Saturday we went down the I-10 on the frontage roads and on the way back Elder Hatch's tire popped and so we walked like 2 miles back to the apartment!

 

We have had some really spiritual experinces this past week! We had a lesson on Wednesday night at the church, while mutual was going on and we did a tour of the church and and used the pictures on the walls as part of the lesson. The Lesson was with Stephanie and Chris who are thinking about being baptized. We Shared the Restoration with them and I noticed that even though we could hear people, nobody walked by us as we shared the First Vision, it was like a force field was keeping people away. The spirit was really strong!! We also have been working with a guy named Roland and he is married to the daughter of a less active. And before he was closed off to hearing anything, now he is super excited to learn about the church. he has not been to church yet but really wants to find time off work to go. And his family is going to come to Confrence next week for at least an hour and we are so stoked for that!!! But we had another lesson at the church useing the pictures on the walls and with this lesson as well,we waited in a classroom for the last ward to get out and for things to quiet down. And all that loud noise of kids getting out of class never came. I know Heavenly Father was preparing the building for that lesson because the Spirit had such a penetrating presence it was incredible!! And when he knows this is the church he needs to be in, then he wants to be baptized!!!! We have seen miracles this week!! On my mission I realized how much I took the Gospel for granted and now that I am out here with 80,000 other missionaries I see the blessings, all the things I have learned and all that I will learn and it is incredible to be a part of such an amazing work! We help with the Work of Salvation each and every day, if you know people who want to serve, never discourage them from not because that is the Lord calling them, never turn down an opportunity to share,invite or demonstrate an act of kindness to someone. To see the joy that someone feels when they find the truth is the most rewarding thing ever and that pushes me to try harder every day and I know that all of you feel it as well. God is real and I know he loves me and knows me and he loves everyone because we are his Children. Jesus Christ is The Savior and Redeemer of the World and through him we can be with our families forever. I love you all and I hope you have a great week!!!!

It's a small world when you are a Mormon... :)

Christy here:  Taylor's companion is from our neighbor city, Gilbert and a family in our ward knows his family as well!  I was lucky enough to get a copy of his weekly letter last Monday that was sent out to his family and friends.  Here is Elder Hatch's version of the "bike adventures" last week!  Enjoy!

Buenas Dias!

This week was eventful. Elder Wanlass and i cover a huge area so last week we had already driven our car too much. This whole past week we were forced to the bikes and I'm glad to say today is our last day riding bikes. One of these days this past week Elder Wanlass and I were riding and the whole day was pouring rain. We had to stop by our apartment on the way to another appointment and it's on top of a hill. So we headed out down this hill and we're booking it, towards the bottom we pulled our brakes and both of us flew off our bikes and slid across the asphalt like 20 feet almost into a busy road. Luckily everything was alright. Elder Wanlass and i weren't as wise as we thought and forgot to put our fenders on our bikes. So by the end of the night Elder Wanlass and i had brown shirts instead of white and blood all over our arms. Later we were headed to the last appointment at the church and on the way Elder Wanlass ate it on the side of the road. We got to the church and the youth had a huge combined activity that night. So we walked in and we looked like we just got into a fight with a couple pitbulls. Everyone was concerned for us so we felt a little loved and appreciated.

We have a bunch of youth in the ward and Elder Wanlass and i have a huge relationship with them. I think that has helped us a lot to gain the trust of the parents in the ward, because i see now why my parents liked some misionaries over others. Because they want a positive influence on their kids, because if they're kids are excited about the gospel they know that they won't go astray. It has been really sweet working out here with all of these strong youth and the joy they bring to the work.

Elder Wanlass continues to teach me daily, there is no ending to learning in this life. This past week at lunch after district meeting we were talking about our missions and how fast they have gone by. It never ceases to amaze me the change that I've seen. But I have a new direction and know what i want and the amount of assurance that gives me is crazy. I love my mission these past six weeks have been the toughest in my life but i feel like I've learned the most here than i have before. We were informed yesterday that Elder Wanlass and i have six more weeks together! I'm stoked for what's to come because these past six weeks we've finally perfected our unity and now it's time for power. 

Stay Good.

Con todo mi Amor,

Elder Hatch

Exciting News in Boerne!

Alright so this week in Boerne Texas was awesome!!! Last Monday we went to a frozen yogurt place which was really yummy!!! Anyways at the moment we are teaching Miguel and Angie and are trying to set a firm baptismal date. It has been a little frustrating because we know he sees a difference and so now we are just trying to help them along. Also we have Rey and Lisa who are spanish speakers as well and they are a really cool family. They know a family in the ward so we are moving along with them. Something very exciting is that the Hill Country stake wants to start a spanish branch here in Boerne!!! So we had a meeting yesterday with all the spanish people, even non Hispanic people that speak spanish were there! and it looks like it is going to happen, I dont know if I will be here for it though.. :( Elder Hatch this week got a package in the mail that was for both of us and it had two Gilbert, Az temple key chains in them. And also Elder hatch knows brother Ray in the G3 ward! I was asking him if he knew a Brother Ray and he wasn't sure. Then I asked him if he knew the son "Moose Ray" and he was like "You know B Ray!!" it was funny that I had to use Moose's name for him to know who I was talking about haha.  But anyways I want y'all to know that this is the one true Church of Jesus Christ, His gospel is on the earth today in its fulness and that he is the Savior of the WHOLE WORLD! The changes you will see in people are extraordinary and I love you all wish you a great week!!! :)