Hot!!

July 25, 2016

Howdy!!!

This week was busy!! And HOT!!! We were able to have some great exchanges and meet a select few new investigators. It has been really warm down here this week, but thankfully we have the lovely ocean breeze to help us out. So here we go!!

On Tuesday we had exchanges with the Hermosa Liahona 1 sisters and they went really well. On Friday we had another exchange with the Hermosa Liahona 2 sisters that also went well. They sure are working hard to keep things going since they had 2 out and 2 in. 

On exchanges we were able to teach a less active little boy named Terrance, his mom and some of his friends who were there playing. He doesn't come to church, and hasn't for a long time. We are trying to help him want to come back to church. 

The next day we had a pretty good lesson with an investigator who has been taught for over a year. She was supposed to come to an activity for Pioneer Day this weekend and also church, but she didn't come to either of those. We talked about it and decided that there are just a lot of things going on in her life right now, so we are going to turn her over to the Lord and let him work on her for a while. Hopefully some day she will be able to decide to act on what she knows is true. 

The rest of the week consisted of trying to contact referrals and talking to everyone we could. Lately there haven't been many people out and about - probably because it has been so hot and they're all at the beach! But we talk to the ones we can. 

Our zone did an amazing thing this week. We had 58 member present lessons!!! It all started on Sunday night with the zone leaders calling us and counseling with us about the trend in key indicators from member present lessons to sacrament meeting attendance to baptisms. Half of the investigators taught with a member present attend sacrament meeting, and half of those who come to sacrament meeting are baptized!! So they wanted us each set a goal within the companionship of how many member present lessons we were going to have throughout the week. We set a goal of 7. They combined each companionship's goal and the total that became our goal for the week in the zone was 50. By Saturday night we had reached our goal!!!!! And then there were more lessons on Sunday! It was so great. The Zone Leaders would text everyone each time someone had a member present, so we kept a running total, and it got everyone pumped up! I have never felt so united with my zone before. We added that goal to our praying for our mission's monthly baptism and Recent Convert temple baptism goal, and we definitely saw God's hand bless each companionship during the week. I loved having the members come out with us, and it gave us more drive to really have members come out with us, whether it was to lessons or just contacting. 

Yesterday was a great example. We were able to take a Young Woman out with us after church. We had a lesson planned and then wanted to try a few potentials in the area. The lesson we had went very well - we showed one of the "His Grace" videos and this guy loved it. We are going to see him again on Tuesday. Then after the lesson, we were trying to contact a woman who lived in the back house, and there was a big fence and a dog. So we were waving someone down over the fence and between the pickets. The guy that came out said that he was meeting with the elders somewhere in Redondo beach, and that he was so glad that we came to find his sister!! He told us to keep on her the way the other missionaries keep on him! It was pretty funny. After that we went to try another potential and the guy who answered the door there was a member! He has been less active for a while. But we were super excited to meet him! It was just neat to see that Heavenly Father definitely magnified the efforts of 3 sister missionaries and a young woman on a hot Sunday afternoon. 

Sara McCoy, Sister Hatch, Sister Abon, Sister Risenmay

Funny story about the lesson we had: it was at a park table that had NO SHADE because the table with a covering was taken by this guy all by himself. We sat down and the back of my legs were on FIRE! It was SO hot and I had to stand up for a few minutes to try to let the concrete cool. Thankfully the random guy at the shaded table left and we relocated ourselves there so that we didn't melt. That was a tender mercy!

We have been having a really great time together, and we are really helping each other work hard. That is one thing that I am thankful for. I am not letting up or slacking off, thanks to my companions. Life's good! 

Well I think that's all for now folks!! Hopefully the first day of school went well and you are doing okay with schedules and such. Have a great week!

Sister Hatch :)