The Work Begins

February 23, 2015

Hi Mom! And the rest of the family too I guess.

I did get to do some laundry at the mission home, thanks to Sister Weidman. She helped me get my laundry started and then let me take a nap for about 20 minutes before I went to do my first street contacting. She is awesome. I went with sisters Ordaz and Pinto to contact in the neighborhood south of and on Sunset Boulevard! It was kind of scary at first, but then I got more comfortable as the time went on. That neighborhood is one with the gated houses and security cameras, and no one really wants to talk about religion. Oh well, their loss. After that, we went back to the mission home and had dinner with President and Sister Weidman and the APs and a senior couple who work in the office. We had a brief orientation after dinner. Once that was all done, I went with some sisters to the Visitors' Center for about an hour. That night I thought I would stay with a member, but instead stayed at the patron apartments behind the temple with a couple of sisters who serve in the visitors center. On Tuesday morning, we got up (I didn't exercise because I thought I was staying with a member) and then got ready and walked to the mission home to meet Sister Bielamowich (SP? who is the sister and husband we ate with the night before) so that she could take me to the transfer meeting. At the transfer meeting I met my trainer, Sister Scott, and then we had a brief meeting with the 3 of us new missionaries, me and 2 elders, one from the Mexico MTC. After that we headed out!

I am serving in the Harbor 1st ward area. Harbor City and San Pedro are in the boundaries. I don't think we are allowed to cross the bridge Dad mentioned in the Palos Verdes zone, but that is our zone. I have been to the projects/ghetto and that's interesting to say the least. I stick out like a REALLY sore thumb, but the people here are super nice. I won't be going hungry any time soon... in fact probably the opposite! Oh well. I have heard that in some areas the members don't feed you as much, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts.  Our mission is small enough that we can see the HOLLYWOOD sign from our area, which is almost as far south as it gets. Crazy.

Yesterday we had a lesson with a little Filipino woman named Josephine and she accepted the invitation to be baptized! We don't yet have a date for her, but that's okay. We visit less active and part member families and they are great. We are hoping to get Anton to get baptized too. His wife and kids are LDS, but his hang up is Joseph Smith/ Modern day prophets. Hopefully we get to work with him more and get that taken care of.

The mail is delivered on Thursdays or Fridays, so when you send anything, make sure it will get here by then if its urgent. I don't know how well I will be at writing letters, but I will get to them when I can. I love getting real letters though, so please keep that in mind and send them. I didn't get any last week, which was hard, but I think that is due to the transition from MTC to mission field. I need a lot of prayers and support right now, even though I know I have a lot anyway.

I am not sure what else to say. There is a lot to tell you, but too much for the time allotted. I am still getting into the schedule of things as a missionary in the field as opposed to the MTC. I jinxed myself when I gave my district a hard time about going to So-Cal warm weather. It rained yesterday and gets fairly cold once the sun starts to go down. But besides that the weather is pretty nice. I have made sure to use my sunscreen, and hopefully I don't get too white while I'm here. :)

I love you guys a bunch. I hope that you keep doing what you know is right and keep loving and supporting the missionaries. I have used the scripture you wrote on my cookies letter, Mosiah 4:9 a bunch and I really like it. I think I want my mission plaque scripture to be 2 Nephi 31:20, as it applies to missionary work and the missionary purpose. Things are slowly getting better, for which I am thankful, and I can't believe its going to be March already next week. Happy Birthday Ashleigh!

I hope you are doing well and enjoying being a missionary family. Have a great week and don't forget to pray!

Love, 

Sister Lauren Hatch

Arrival in Los Angeles

19 February 2015

Dear Brother and Sister Hatch,

Sister Lauren Renae Hatch arrived safely to this mission 16 February 2015.  After prayerful consideration, Sister Scott  was selected to be her companion.  We make every effort to assign only the very best missionaries to be trainers, as these first few months are critical in the life of a new missionary.  Enclosed are pictures of Sister Hatch with her companion and Sister Weidman and me.

During the course of her mission, Sister Hatch will be transferred to various areas within the mission; therefore, we ask that all her mail be sent to:

Sister Lauren Renae Hatch

1591 East Temple Way                

California Los Angeles Mission

Los Angeles, CA 90024-5801

We are excited and grateful to have Sister Hatch serve in the California Los Angeles Mission.  Our desire is to help her succeed and magnify her calling.  We will do everything possible to see that she remains healthy, actively engaged, challenged, and happy in her missionary labors.  Please be assured that her welfare and happiness are of primary concern to us.  For ongoing and up-to-date information on this mission, you can visit our mission blog: californialosangelesmission.blogspot.com.

Thoughts from the MTC

February 9, 2015

Dear Dad,

I really loved getting a letter from you today.  I hope we are able to keep writing each other all thru my mission.  That was the first letter I got from you, or anyone.  Only 1 letter so far, and I am glad it is from you.

I have really enjoyed being at home since coming back from Hawaii.  I am so thankful that you made time to come to drop me off at the MTC and let me go to a live session at the Manti temple.  I sure do have the best parents and I hope you know how much I love you.    

Time has a funny way of passing.  I remember thinking I would never get a driver's license or graduate from high school.  But now here I am on a mission.  It seems like just yesterday I opened my call to the California Los Angeles Mission.  Next Monday I will fly from Salt Lake to Los Angeles at 8:30 in the morning.  I am excited and a little nervous.  It will be real people and real everything from then until the end of my mission.  I sure do hope it goes well.  There is only 1 other sister going to LA next week, which is interesting.

Thank you for sending the "Never Give Up" picture.  That is one heck of a picture.  Definitely good advice and certainly applies to being a missionary.  The MTC schedule is CRAZY and really has helped me learn to just go with it.  I feel like I am finally learning how to recognize the Spirit better than I have.  It is a good feeling.  There has been so much information shoved into my brain and I have learned so much already.  I expect more will be crammed in there right up until I leave in the wee hours of the morning on Monday.  The MTC is demanding in many ways, but Heavenly Father stretches us to help us grow.

We were talking about missionary work being the best kept secret of the church, because people don't know just how hard it is to be a missionary.  I am thankful for other hard things in my life to help me for the next hard thing that comes up.  It helps that I have the best parents and family to love and support me too. :)

I hope you are having a good week as far as work and callings and such.  I love you!

Sister Hatch

Life at the MTC

Hi mom! Thanks for the email! 

Turns out my p-day is on Mondays, so that will be nice to have some continuity with that. Next Monday will be interesting though, because my flight to LA is at 8:30 in the morning (I have to be at the travel office at 4:30am AAHHHHHH!) So really I will only be here for a grand total of 11 days, with 1 p-day in the MTC, and one temple trip too. Hopefully I will be able to email when I get to the mission home. And do laundry and take a nap. :)

I am glad you guys made it home okay. Dad said that you get a new wind shield because of a rock. That's fun. Reed is going to have a blast with the ACT ;) haha I hated that test. 

I did okay my first day at the MTC. I cried for a while but then was almost too busy to cry. We had a huge meeting with all of the new missionaries that day and we sang Army of Helaman with some of the words changed. I cried. I had a hard time the first day and part of the second day. Then something happened and I was alright. Still missing normal life, but quickly adjusting to the craziness of the MTC and learning to go with it. My companion is Sister Charlesworth from Draper Utah. She and everyone else in my district are going to the Chesapeke mission in VA. There are 9 missionaries in my district. There are only 2 sisters going to LA next week, and I am pretty sure that the other sister is the one from Hawaii speaking Mandarin. My companion has type 1 diabetes, so she taught me how to check her blood and what to do in case of an emergency. She is nice, but I am still getting used to the having someone with me all the time thing. We are in a little shoe box of a room for quite a while, as we have personal study and class and daily planning in our classroom. We have 2 teachers: Sister Draney and Brother Craw. We did have Brother Cowdin, but his wife had her gall bladder out and it has caused some serious issues for her, like weighing only 75 lbs. Yikes! I like it, but breaks are definitely a must. 

President Thomas S. Monson's nephew, Brother Monson is a substitute counselor in our branch presidency. He reminds me a lot of his uncle. There are 2 districts in our zone, and that's it for our branch too. We won't get a new district this coming week either. That will be kinda weird since we have the other district also. The elders from the other district are going to Phoenix, and 2 sisters are going to Cleveland, and I forgot where the other 2 are going. 

I saw Shania on my first day, and also a bunch of people from Hawaii too. I saw Andrew on Thursday and that was cool. He seems to be doing well. 

On Saturday (I think) one of the elders from the other district ran away. They got here a week before us. It really showed me just how much you are pushed and challenged as a missionary. Its sad, but don't worry, I won't run away. Ain't nobody got time for that. 

I feel like I am starting to recognize the Spirit more, which is good. I still find that I don't have much patience with myself and I still struggle. We were able to teach Jesse (one of our teachers pretending to be an investigator from his mission) and it went really well. It was so cool! His name is Brother Craw, and I have to say he is pretty handsome, even though I am a sister missionary now and not looking at people like that ;) Anyways, teaching him was really cool and made me super excited to get to LA and get to work. I know its going to be hard and there will be people who say no, but I hope that as I lose myself going about the Lord's work, I will be able to find myself better than I was before. So keep praying for me and sending me letters and emails and all that :)

I have noticed that I think about how long the time until 15 August 2016 (the date my ministerial licence expires) seems to be. I really try not to think about it, but when I do, it seems like forever. I am hoping that as I get to the field and get going, I won't think about it and also won't notice the time or days passing. I know its going to be great, but as you know, sometimes I am not so patient. hahaha

I don't know what else to say... just be prepared for next August, because then you will get an ear full!!!!! My mission has been crazy already and I haven't even left the MTC yet. As I get going, I will have more to share, but until next time I think that's it! I sure do love and miss you guys, and hope that everything is going well for all of you. Keep praying for me and sending me scriptures and letters. Next week is going to be exciting and hopefully I get to LA without any problems. 

Love, 

Sister Lauren Hatch

This is my district on our temple walk yesterday (Sunday). From left Elders Alexander and Lelenoa, Sisters Hanks, Young, Hatch, Charlesworth (my companion). Back Elders Reed, Jensen, and Johnsen.

Let's start at the very beginning . . .

Lauren Hatch received her mission call to serve in the Los Angeles, CA mission on November 1, 2014.  Such an exciting day for the entire family!

On December 27, 2014, Lauren received her endowments in the Snowflake Temple along with her cousin, Felicia.  They were supported by many family and friends.

Lauren had the opportunity to work in the Snowflake Temple for a few weeks and finally, it was time to head to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, UT. Maury decked out the car so everyone on the road knew too.  We made a few stops along the way:

The Manti, UT Temple with Felicia, Ashleigh and Heather;

Texas Roadhouse in Orem, UT, with Lauren's friend, Kate.  Our sweet server brought her some ice cream and made her sit on a saddle while everyone gave her a big 
Texas "Yee-Ha!" for entering the MTC the next day. 

Finally, we said our good-byes at the Provo, UT Temple and were in the company of countless other missionaries preparing to enter the MTC.  It was an emotional time and even though we'll miss her, we are so happy that she is where she should be.