From Mom 10/11
Dear Family,
It has been a bit difficult to get back into our missionary work after the p-day/zone conference activities and then two days of General Conference. We are so thankful that we were able to see all but the Sunday afternoon session on the big screen at the church. When I took Dad over to the church for the Priesthood session, I had fully planned on coming back home and going over for the general session but as people came for the priesthood session, families were going in together. Elder and Sister Meng came and she was going to go with her husband so I decided to go to. I’ve always enjoyed reading the messages in the Ensign given at the Priesthood session and now I know why. We saw the Relief Society broadcast at 4 o’clock on Saturday and the Saturday morning session live at 6 o’clock. Then Sunday morning, the Priesthood session was at 11 o’clock, the Saturday afternoon session at 2 o’clock and the Sunday afternoon session live at 6 o’clock. Thanks to the wonderful technology we now have, we watched the Sunday afternoon session here at our apartment on the internet. Besides being able to read the talks, listen to the talks, this time you can watch all the talks. Conference was wonderful. We were very happy about Elder Eyring being called to the first presidency. It will be interesting to get better acquainted with Elder Cook. We were impressed by his remarks. I thought it was so touching when Elder Nelson came and stood by Elder Wirthlin as he was speaking and started shaking so badly. One of the young Elders commented that this was evidence that these men practice what they preach. They really do reach out and help others. We read today that Elder Wirthlins problem was “locked knees” and it caused his whole body to shake. We are thankful to know that it wasn’t a serious illness like Parkinson’s disease or something like that. I have so much admiration for him that he would finish his talk.
Between the afternoon sessions on Sunday, we invited the Mengs and the four Elders over for lunch. I had put a big stew in the oven early that morning. Sister Meng brought rolls and a cake and we had ice cream. Those Elders can really put away the food but they seemed very appreciative of home made food. It was fun having them all here. They love anything home made. Sister Meng and I take turns taking treats to our district meetings every Monday morning. The Elders love it and its fun doing that little thing for them. We took the Elders to do their grocery shopping one rainy day and they mainly bought frozen Pizza’s, milk, bread and yogurt. They are pretty conservative with their money and they don’t get a lot of dinner invitation in this ward because our numbers are so few so they really do appreciate it when they have something good to eat.
Yesterday we went out to Ron Petersons. He’s the one whose wife loves us being there so much. We at least did get to go into their house yesterday. It was a beautiful day and she was out in their backyard with there daughter and grandson. She came in a couple of times and didn’t even speak to us. Then when we thought she had gone out again, Ron stood up and walked into the kitchen and the back door was open and she was listening to us. We were talking about the Word of Wisdom and she yelled, “Why don’t you teach him to quit smoking” and then “You’ll never know the hell he put me through when he was drinking. Why don’t you talk to him about that?” Ron admits that he still smokes some but wants to quit and he did used to drink but doesn’t any more. He really wants to get back into the church but is afraid of the contention it will cause in their home. He agreed though that he needs to just face his wife and tell her that he wants to go to church. She can be a bit intimidating, to say the least. It’s no wonder that he’s nervous about even bringing it up. He has come so far though since the first time we met with him. His sisters in Utah and California call him nearly every week and ask him if he’s been to church yet and he keeps telling them, “Not yet, but I’m going to go.” We have another appointment with him in two weeks. I go to those appointments with much fear and trepredation but Dad is very brave and bold and doesn’t let her bother him.
We’ve been meeting with some inactive members and they seem to be showing more interest in the church. One of them asked for a copy of the Relief Society/Priesthood manual which we will deliver to him on Monday. He works week-ends so can’t come to church. It had been a long time since he had had anyone from the church call on him and he seems to really appreciate the time we spend with him. He’s such a nice guy. His wife doesn’t care for the church and it really bugs her that he pays his tithing but he pays it anyway. He’s from England and I love listening to him talk. Today Dad talked to another inactive member we’ve met with a few times. Her husband recently retired and they have been traveling so we haven’t met with her for quite awhile and today when Dad was talking to her she said she had really missed talking about religion. She told us when we first started meeting with her that she wasn’t even sure anymore that there was a God but today she said she knows there is and that Jesus Christ is His son. If we get nothing more done than helping some of these people begin to think about our Heavenly Father and the importance of Him in their lives, I guess our efforts will not be in vain. Sometimes we wonder if we are accomplishing anything but we just keep trying with people. I told Dad today that sometimes I feel like a salesman that is trying to sell something really good but get frustrated that people aren’t all that interested. All we can do is give our message and hope the spirit touches their hearts.
We are meeting with Sabina, who was baptized just last month. One of the members here has really befriended her. She, the member, is a returned missionary and she asked if she could give Sabine and new member discussions. We went to Sabine’s home with this member on Wednesday. It is such a thrill to see how much Sabine loves the church and the gospel. She literally glows. Her husband keeps asking her why she is so happy now and she tells him it is because she had found the truth. She feels strongly that he will want to learn about the church but wants it to be him that expresses that desire. She doesn’t want to force it on him. I think that is wise and I think that with her example and her new found happiness that it won’t be long. It’s amazing how those kinds of experiences make up for some of the not so pleasant experiences that go with missionary work. It’s just great to see what the gospel does for a person when it really gets inside them.
There is a sweet lady, Sister Mohr, in the ward who has been in a nursing home ever since we got here. We have visited with her a few times. The last couple of months she has had three strokes and is bedfast now. She can’t speak but she knows we are there and she holds our hands tightly when we go to see her. We talk to her and even though she can’t answer us back, we can tell by the look on her face that she knows we are there and what we are talking about. She loves it when we sing to her so we usually sing two or three hymns when we go----in German (I don’t know what we’re saying but I can pronounce the words). We don’t stay long but she has a hard time letting go of our hands when we leave. It’s a good feeling that we may be bringing a little happiness into this dear sister’s life.
Missionary life is interesting to say the least. People really pour their hearts out to us. There are so many problems and sad things in the world and within families. This morning we were reading in Moses 7:33 “but behold, they are without affection and they hate their own blood.” We see so much of that. Families are just not close and are sometimes just plain mean to each other. We are so thankful for the emphasis the church puts on families and for Proclamation on the Family. We talk about that a lot with people and have given out lots of copies of that. When we are taught that Satan is doing all he can do to destroy families, we have certainly come to know that is true. We hope and pray every day that we as a family will love each other, will stay close and support each other in every way possible. We appreciate so much the support and encouragement we feel from you in your letters. This is by far the hardest calling we’ve ever had in the church. It is a trial of our physical, emotional and spiritual strength every day but knowing this is the Lord’s work gives us the strength we need to face each day and each new situation we get into. We couldn’t do this if we didn’t know that this was His work and that he supports us in it.
We still haven’t had any communication with Petra. Her home teacher and his wife went to see her on Sunday. She told them she wanted no one from the church to contact her---even by e-mail. She also told them that she still has a testimony and that she prays and reads her scriptures but is just really confused about a lot of things right now and needs time to sort things through in her mind. It has been so hard for her to give up her live in LDS boyfriend who introduced her to the church in the first place. When he moved out he started drinking heavily and was very abusive to her verbally and emotionally. She found out a couple of months ago that he was living with another woman now and that about did her in. She told her home teacher Sunday that she finally threw out everything that was his that was still at her apartment and that she “threw the church out with it.” We still hope and pray that she will come around. This has been a very difficult thing for us. Leaving her in the Lord’s hands is all we can do at this point.
We always enjoy hearing about all the activities everyone is involved in. Brian sounds like he has a pretty busy school schedule but he’s doing great with the grades. Cindy is getting used to not having any time to herself anymore. Chris and Dale must be busy with their boys and the ward. We haven’t heard from them for awhile. We hope all is well with them. I don’t know when Camille finds time to eat or sleep with her schedule of work, family activities and church responsibilities. Don’t burn yourself our, Camille. With six active kids, the Hatches are keeping plenty busy and facing some challenges life tends to bring from time to time. Boyd and LeAnn have learned that real estate is a feast or famine way of life. Thanks for “hanging in there” and for all you’re done to take care of things. We’re pleased with the progress we feel in Brent’s life. I’ve been learning a lot about what it means to “endure to the end”. It’s much more than just suffering through situations life throws at us. It means remaining true to the commandments of God despite the temptations, opposition and other adversities that life brings. Sometimes it’s tempting to say, “If this church is true” or “if there really is a God and He loves us, why do I have to go through such things?” The church is true and God does love us and the hard experiences that come to us are a test of our faith in Him. I know that if we do what is right and truly trust our Heavenly Father, that we can meet any situation that come to us.
That’s more preaching than any of you wanted to hear so I’ll bring this to a close for this week. Know that you are all in our prayers every day. We love you dearly. You’re what makes life worth living!
Much love always,
Mom
It has been a bit difficult to get back into our missionary work after the p-day/zone conference activities and then two days of General Conference. We are so thankful that we were able to see all but the Sunday afternoon session on the big screen at the church. When I took Dad over to the church for the Priesthood session, I had fully planned on coming back home and going over for the general session but as people came for the priesthood session, families were going in together. Elder and Sister Meng came and she was going to go with her husband so I decided to go to. I’ve always enjoyed reading the messages in the Ensign given at the Priesthood session and now I know why. We saw the Relief Society broadcast at 4 o’clock on Saturday and the Saturday morning session live at 6 o’clock. Then Sunday morning, the Priesthood session was at 11 o’clock, the Saturday afternoon session at 2 o’clock and the Sunday afternoon session live at 6 o’clock. Thanks to the wonderful technology we now have, we watched the Sunday afternoon session here at our apartment on the internet. Besides being able to read the talks, listen to the talks, this time you can watch all the talks. Conference was wonderful. We were very happy about Elder Eyring being called to the first presidency. It will be interesting to get better acquainted with Elder Cook. We were impressed by his remarks. I thought it was so touching when Elder Nelson came and stood by Elder Wirthlin as he was speaking and started shaking so badly. One of the young Elders commented that this was evidence that these men practice what they preach. They really do reach out and help others. We read today that Elder Wirthlins problem was “locked knees” and it caused his whole body to shake. We are thankful to know that it wasn’t a serious illness like Parkinson’s disease or something like that. I have so much admiration for him that he would finish his talk.
Between the afternoon sessions on Sunday, we invited the Mengs and the four Elders over for lunch. I had put a big stew in the oven early that morning. Sister Meng brought rolls and a cake and we had ice cream. Those Elders can really put away the food but they seemed very appreciative of home made food. It was fun having them all here. They love anything home made. Sister Meng and I take turns taking treats to our district meetings every Monday morning. The Elders love it and its fun doing that little thing for them. We took the Elders to do their grocery shopping one rainy day and they mainly bought frozen Pizza’s, milk, bread and yogurt. They are pretty conservative with their money and they don’t get a lot of dinner invitation in this ward because our numbers are so few so they really do appreciate it when they have something good to eat.
Yesterday we went out to Ron Petersons. He’s the one whose wife loves us being there so much. We at least did get to go into their house yesterday. It was a beautiful day and she was out in their backyard with there daughter and grandson. She came in a couple of times and didn’t even speak to us. Then when we thought she had gone out again, Ron stood up and walked into the kitchen and the back door was open and she was listening to us. We were talking about the Word of Wisdom and she yelled, “Why don’t you teach him to quit smoking” and then “You’ll never know the hell he put me through when he was drinking. Why don’t you talk to him about that?” Ron admits that he still smokes some but wants to quit and he did used to drink but doesn’t any more. He really wants to get back into the church but is afraid of the contention it will cause in their home. He agreed though that he needs to just face his wife and tell her that he wants to go to church. She can be a bit intimidating, to say the least. It’s no wonder that he’s nervous about even bringing it up. He has come so far though since the first time we met with him. His sisters in Utah and California call him nearly every week and ask him if he’s been to church yet and he keeps telling them, “Not yet, but I’m going to go.” We have another appointment with him in two weeks. I go to those appointments with much fear and trepredation but Dad is very brave and bold and doesn’t let her bother him.
We’ve been meeting with some inactive members and they seem to be showing more interest in the church. One of them asked for a copy of the Relief Society/Priesthood manual which we will deliver to him on Monday. He works week-ends so can’t come to church. It had been a long time since he had had anyone from the church call on him and he seems to really appreciate the time we spend with him. He’s such a nice guy. His wife doesn’t care for the church and it really bugs her that he pays his tithing but he pays it anyway. He’s from England and I love listening to him talk. Today Dad talked to another inactive member we’ve met with a few times. Her husband recently retired and they have been traveling so we haven’t met with her for quite awhile and today when Dad was talking to her she said she had really missed talking about religion. She told us when we first started meeting with her that she wasn’t even sure anymore that there was a God but today she said she knows there is and that Jesus Christ is His son. If we get nothing more done than helping some of these people begin to think about our Heavenly Father and the importance of Him in their lives, I guess our efforts will not be in vain. Sometimes we wonder if we are accomplishing anything but we just keep trying with people. I told Dad today that sometimes I feel like a salesman that is trying to sell something really good but get frustrated that people aren’t all that interested. All we can do is give our message and hope the spirit touches their hearts.
We are meeting with Sabina, who was baptized just last month. One of the members here has really befriended her. She, the member, is a returned missionary and she asked if she could give Sabine and new member discussions. We went to Sabine’s home with this member on Wednesday. It is such a thrill to see how much Sabine loves the church and the gospel. She literally glows. Her husband keeps asking her why she is so happy now and she tells him it is because she had found the truth. She feels strongly that he will want to learn about the church but wants it to be him that expresses that desire. She doesn’t want to force it on him. I think that is wise and I think that with her example and her new found happiness that it won’t be long. It’s amazing how those kinds of experiences make up for some of the not so pleasant experiences that go with missionary work. It’s just great to see what the gospel does for a person when it really gets inside them.
There is a sweet lady, Sister Mohr, in the ward who has been in a nursing home ever since we got here. We have visited with her a few times. The last couple of months she has had three strokes and is bedfast now. She can’t speak but she knows we are there and she holds our hands tightly when we go to see her. We talk to her and even though she can’t answer us back, we can tell by the look on her face that she knows we are there and what we are talking about. She loves it when we sing to her so we usually sing two or three hymns when we go----in German (I don’t know what we’re saying but I can pronounce the words). We don’t stay long but she has a hard time letting go of our hands when we leave. It’s a good feeling that we may be bringing a little happiness into this dear sister’s life.
Missionary life is interesting to say the least. People really pour their hearts out to us. There are so many problems and sad things in the world and within families. This morning we were reading in Moses 7:33 “but behold, they are without affection and they hate their own blood.” We see so much of that. Families are just not close and are sometimes just plain mean to each other. We are so thankful for the emphasis the church puts on families and for Proclamation on the Family. We talk about that a lot with people and have given out lots of copies of that. When we are taught that Satan is doing all he can do to destroy families, we have certainly come to know that is true. We hope and pray every day that we as a family will love each other, will stay close and support each other in every way possible. We appreciate so much the support and encouragement we feel from you in your letters. This is by far the hardest calling we’ve ever had in the church. It is a trial of our physical, emotional and spiritual strength every day but knowing this is the Lord’s work gives us the strength we need to face each day and each new situation we get into. We couldn’t do this if we didn’t know that this was His work and that he supports us in it.
We still haven’t had any communication with Petra. Her home teacher and his wife went to see her on Sunday. She told them she wanted no one from the church to contact her---even by e-mail. She also told them that she still has a testimony and that she prays and reads her scriptures but is just really confused about a lot of things right now and needs time to sort things through in her mind. It has been so hard for her to give up her live in LDS boyfriend who introduced her to the church in the first place. When he moved out he started drinking heavily and was very abusive to her verbally and emotionally. She found out a couple of months ago that he was living with another woman now and that about did her in. She told her home teacher Sunday that she finally threw out everything that was his that was still at her apartment and that she “threw the church out with it.” We still hope and pray that she will come around. This has been a very difficult thing for us. Leaving her in the Lord’s hands is all we can do at this point.
We always enjoy hearing about all the activities everyone is involved in. Brian sounds like he has a pretty busy school schedule but he’s doing great with the grades. Cindy is getting used to not having any time to herself anymore. Chris and Dale must be busy with their boys and the ward. We haven’t heard from them for awhile. We hope all is well with them. I don’t know when Camille finds time to eat or sleep with her schedule of work, family activities and church responsibilities. Don’t burn yourself our, Camille. With six active kids, the Hatches are keeping plenty busy and facing some challenges life tends to bring from time to time. Boyd and LeAnn have learned that real estate is a feast or famine way of life. Thanks for “hanging in there” and for all you’re done to take care of things. We’re pleased with the progress we feel in Brent’s life. I’ve been learning a lot about what it means to “endure to the end”. It’s much more than just suffering through situations life throws at us. It means remaining true to the commandments of God despite the temptations, opposition and other adversities that life brings. Sometimes it’s tempting to say, “If this church is true” or “if there really is a God and He loves us, why do I have to go through such things?” The church is true and God does love us and the hard experiences that come to us are a test of our faith in Him. I know that if we do what is right and truly trust our Heavenly Father, that we can meet any situation that come to us.
That’s more preaching than any of you wanted to hear so I’ll bring this to a close for this week. Know that you are all in our prayers every day. We love you dearly. You’re what makes life worth living!
Much love always,
Mom
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