4-30-12 email

Well Hello family!
Haha, you guys sent me so many emails, I dont have as much time to write now! haha dont worry though, it was awesome to hear from you guys! So this week was pretty good. We had my second baptism since I got here! His name is Rodrigo Maese. He is such a champ. He quit smoking, and changed a lot of other habits to get to baptism. It helps that he has had such amazing support from the ward here too. He is really an inspiration to me, and I am so glad I got to work with him. Our only baptismal date right now is Sylvia Sifuentes. She is also doing really well. She always asks a ton of questions, and she is making so many wonderful changes in her life. Also, we got a new ward mission leader this week! He (Bro. Pena) is really a great guy, and he is ready to start getting a lot of things done. As far as Elder Bishop and I go, things are slowly getting better, and I think he is starting to pull out of his rut. We are definitely starting to have a better time. We have actually been working on spanish more lately, and I'm starting to get a lot more confident. Haha, you will like this dad, we have a less active family in our ward that the mom is Chilean. So she made us some amazing chilean food! She talks really really fast though. Oh! so I finally got your package last Thursday!!! It made me very happy. The chocolate had all melted, but it all stayed in the packaging so all was well. It was great to get a little something from home, and I loved the Tie you sent! I actually wore it to Rodrigo's baptism. (sorry I dont have pictures yet, I forgot to bring my camera to email. Next week!) It was a very nice baptism with a lot of people, and elder Bishop and I sang a musical number too. I really do think my testimony has been growing, especially as I read the BOM and try to apply what I learn in my teaching. I have definitely had some struggles lately with my companion, but I have been able to keep a positive attitude, which has helped a lot. I definitely think the mission life is changing me, even though I still miss things like the Avengers or CArrie Underwoods new CD. sigh. haha oh well, I have now just replaced those things with even better things right? Anyways, I just want to let you guys know that I really am doing well, and I am starting to enjoy the mission even more! Oh by the way Miranda, I did get your postcard, and I LOVEd reading about your experiences is SAN FRANCISCO. It reminded me a lot of my first tour in Seattle. Way fun! I liked the pictures too, even though I didnt really recognize many of your friends. Well, I hope to write more letters soon as well, but until then, adios!

4-23-12 email

Hey Hey Hey Family!!!

Well, this week has been pretty good I guess. We taught a lot of people this week. In fact, we hit my personal record of 30 lessons this week. Fun times. So Elder Bishop is doing a little better which has definitely improved the work. I have now finished my first transfer, but Im staying here. Rodrigo has been doing great! He is the most awesome investigator ever. We have his baptism this saturday, and we keep praying that it will work out. He hasn't relapsed on smoking even once, and he is reading everything we asked him to. So we started teaching an ex-con this week. His name is Carlos and he is pretty funny. He was in a gang, and then in prison for 22 years, but he is very service oriented right now, and a pretty good guy. He enjoys telling us exciting stories of all his gangster days. The work is really starting to expand here in El Paso.

      So it sounds like you guys are having a wonderful time back home! It seems so long ago that I was home! Listening to what you guys are doing is just wierd! Anyways, Mother's day is coming up, so I will soon be able to call! If there is a time that works best for you guys, let me know soon. There is a teeny tiny chance I might be able to skype, but it's hard so it will probably be a call. Anyways, tell Troy congradulations for me, and good luck! Also, tell Adam it sounds like hes having a great time speaking cantonese up there, and that he should write me back! Sadly, I don't have any pictures this week, but hopefully I will next week! also, thanks for the emails Tyler and Nathan! It sounds like you guys are happy, even if you have been pretty bored. I'm jealous that you get to have so much fun at Dimple Dell! So I really dont actually have a lot to say this week, but I can't wait to hear from you guys again.

love, Elder Jacob Hatch

More Photos

Elder Hatch and Elder Bishop ready for a days work

Elder Hatch in a dust storm--yes the sky was that color



an old building

Pecan trees

4-16-12 email

Dear Family, There have been some really good things that have happened this week. Genoveva's sister Sylvia now has a baptismal date for the 12th of May, and its great seeing all of the changes that she is making in her life. Also, Rodrigo has now quit smoking cold turkey in preparation for his baptism which is on the 28th of this month. He is probably my favorite person that I have met out here so far. (it helps that he speaks english) We are actually trying to help him out by having at least one person fasting for him every day until his baptism. I so hope he makes it! Sadly, this week has been a little harder because Elder Bishop has been pretty depressed lately. We are still working hard and having a lot of success, but the mood has been a little low. I think he is just ready to go home haha. Anyways, If you have any suggestions as to how I can cheer him up, let me know!
So to answer some of your questions, we mostly speak english to each other, but were trying to get better! Also, I actually still haven't gotten that package, but it should come soon hopefully! And its also pretty weird hearing about raven and tasha. You should tell them to write to me!!!! hahaha anyways, I loved the photos that you sent, even though I couldnt tell which russian was Tyler. Please wish great grandma Hatch a happy late birthday from me! Also, Miranda I hope you have fun in California! send me a postcard or something! and good luck with all of your tests!!!
So I better go, but I am going to try and send a few more pictures! I love you all so much, and can't wait to hear from you again!

My wonderful district!

Our truck-hahahaha

My desk

Genoveva, her son Mario, and her sister Sylvia.

4-10-12 email

Hello Hello Hellllloooo Family!

Sorry this is a day late but yesterday was mission temple day! I forgot to write about it last week, but we all drove up to albuquerque and went to the temple. and then we drove back. It was pretty cool, it only happens twice a year so it was definitely nice to go. Anyways, this week was pretty darn good, I actually ended up finding that notebook and all my stamps, so I finally caught up with all of my letter writing! So you guys will we getting some letters soon. Also, I havent gotten your package yet because they are super slow. For the future, packages are a lot faster if you just send them to my current address.
So I hope you guys had a great easter! ours was pretty cool, we had a really good dinner with a less active family, so that was fun. Thankfully no Capirotada anymore haha... So, on Sunday Genoveva asked me to confirm her. In sacrament meeting. In spanish. In front of everybody. Haha, it actually went pretty well though, so I survived. It was definitely a cool experience though. We have actually started teaching a lot of her family members as well. We have taught two of her sisters, three of her children, one of their husbands, and many of her little grandchildren! She is already being such an amazing missionary!
Well sadly, this letter is going to be a little shorter because I have to figure out how to put these pictures on. (you can email pictures too!) Anyways, I love you all and cant wait to hear from you again!  ok, well thats all that I could fit on, but now that I know I can, they will be coming much more often! adios!

4-2-12 email

Dear Family,
 it was a pretty good week down here in El Paso! I think to start off, I will describe my area more. Lets see...It's pretty long and skinny, and follows the border. About a third of it is actually El Paso, and then it kind of tapers off into country. There's actually a reservation in my area, so ther's a nice casino. There are also A LOT of pecan orchards, so Ive been getting a lot of those. It got in the 90s again this week so that was nice... Its also really windy here at this time of year. Its pretty nice though. Haha, yesterday we saw a big house, and there was a real giraffe in the backyard! whats with that? ummm ya, the people are really nice and we get a lot of good food. So Im probably gainig some weight. Thats ok though, I run almost every morning :) My companion Elder Bishop is pretty cool. he only has like threeish months left, so I might be his last companion. He lived in Italy for a while, so he actually speaks Italian and Spanish. not fair. I will check all the rules on pictures, because I have a few that I can send. Which reminds me, the baptism this sunday went really well! Genoveva is really happy and were teaching some other members of her family as well. like her son Mario who is my age. Its funny, because I havent knocked on doors even once because we just run on refferals here. Its pretty nice. Also, I got to watch all of conferance in english thankfully, and I took notes too! ask miranda if she got as many full pages as I did, cause I think I got about 11 or 12 pages. Oh ok really dumb thing that I did today, so I had just finished writing like four different letters at the laundromat and then when I left, I forgot the notebook with all those letters...and my stamps :( There were still almost half of them left :( and when we went back, none of it was there. So if anybody was expecting a letter from me this week, it will have to wait a bit. haha oh, so another kind of sad thing, I had my first homesickness experiance. Youre going to laugh because its such a wierd thing. but earlier this morning I heard this random haha Kesha song,(dont judge me) and this huge wave of homesickness kind of smacked me in the nose. I felt better after we went home and made smoothies though :) But I am starting to realize how long two years is really going to be! No but the work is going great down here! sadly though, ricardo (the guy who sang to us) told us never to come back. sad. But other people are doing great! like rodrigo! hes awesome! even if he didnt watch any conference. he shared his testimony of joseph Smith with us kind of randomely the other day though, which was awesome! Oh I had some food the other day that was probably the grossest thing ever. look up capirotada. I think. something like that. Oh haha, and the other day, this other lady fed us gorditas. they were really good, but she wouldnt stop feeding us! I think I had 11 gorditas! ya that hurt. oh and dad, my apartment is 9030 Betel El Paso TX um I dont remember the zip, and A bunch of missionaries actually took a van down here, so no bus. And I am in the Mission Trails spanish ward. Also we play volleyball sometimes on pdays but theres not really a lot of time to do much. Anyways, Tell grandma I love her and hope she gets better and Alice that I am so thankful for her support! (hers was one of the letters i lost)(as well as one to Nathan!) Anyways, I better go now I guess, but I miss you And I cant wait to hear from you again! love, Elder Hatch or to Nathan, your awesometh brother!