Here We Go

Well family, the hype has died down a little bit, and I have some time to write you an email. This week started the zone conferences. The first one was in Bari. So Anziano Sapio and I drove down on Sunday night, and we drove down to Lecce to do an exchange with the Zone Leaders there on Monday. It was a good exchange. The city of Lecce is a beautiful one. It was also fun to work with the missionaries there. Then the next morning, we went to Bari with the missionaries from Lecce, and we had a zone conference there. We were the last ones to speak and we presented our mission goal of reaching 240 baptisms in the year of 2011. We kind of did the fire up of the troops kind of thing. I think that it was received very well. After zone conference we left Bari and drove back to Rome completing a trip of about 750 miles. So I am getting my share of seeing Italy.

Wednesday we went into the office to check email and stuff, and we found out that the night before - before the sisters got home in Rome 3 - someone had broken in and torn apart their apartment. It was weird. They only took a camera and an empty make-up bag. But they sure did make a mess of the apartment. So we went over that morning to check out the apartment with the person in charge of apartments here in the mission. We were there until a locksmith came. That took about three hours. We got to know the man really well. He is actually the stake patriarch of the Rome Stake. So he is really cool. Needless to say, the sisters were alright, just shaken up a little bit, but they don't want to go back to that apartment. So we have locked it up and are trying to figure out what to do with it.

After we got back from the apartment, we went to the misison home and talked to President and Sister Kelly about the state of the apartment and so on. By the time we finished with that, we had to go to the airport and pick up some missionaries that were coming in from Malta, which - if you didn't know - is in our mission. So we got back around eight, and the day was pretty much over. So I wrote you that email. Then yesterday, we did zone conference here in Rome. It went well. It was good.

So to answer some questions - a typical week as an assistant is what you just read. We go to the airport. We come back. We get stuck in traffic and think of stuff to do when we get gridlocked. We are kind of the firemen of the mission. If there is some kind of emergency or something that president needs to get done, we are always on call. When we travel or plan travel, it depends on where we are talking about because if they must fly, we shop, because we can make reservations. For trains and buses, we just take whatever fits our schedule best. Our time with zone leaders is spent mostly doing exchanges and stuff with them. And my companion is the cook, Anziano Sapio.

Well family, that is it. I love you all very much. Mom, if you can get me my BYU id name and password, that would be great. Thanks!

Love,
Anziano Hatch

Lecce

Sorry, But It Will Have to Wait

Well family, another week has come and gone. But unfortunately, I don't have time to write. Seeing that tomorrow is Zone Conference here in Rome, we probably won't be able to write tomorrow. But maybe if we get lucky we will do that. But if not, it is already written in our agendas that we will do it on Friday. On Friday I will be able to give a better report on what has happened during the week. I love you all, and everything is going great. I am healthy, happy, and enjoying life. Love you all!

Anziano Hatch

New Transfer

Well the new transfer has begun. What a busy time it has been. Last Thursday we accompanied missionaries to the airport. That was a weird experience. It seemed surreal seeing people go home that I have worked with for all of my mission. I am getting old.

Then over the last weekend, we have been adjusting to the new accomodations as the work is split in two instead of three. So it took a day to get used to that. On Sunday, Sacrament Meeting was especially nice. The talks were both really relevant and spiritual - well done. And the closing talk was given by the Bishop. His talk was really good. And as usual, I translated for both Sunday School and Sacrament Meeting. It is funny. For being a thing that I did not like doing at all, I have grown to enjoy translating. It is kind of fun and a neat challenge.

Mondays we had some administrative things to do, like setting up traveling schedules for the zone leaders that will be coming to Rome tomorrow. Then we had a really long planning meeting with president for the whole transfer. We pretty much know what our transfer will be like. It is going to be busy but fun, and really spiritual.

Yesterday we did some more things to work out kinks in the schedule, and we had a doctor's appointment for my companion. Then in the afternoon we prepared our training for the Zone Leader's Conference, and then we had an appointment with some less actives. The husband was actually baptized last year while I was here. They are still awesome, just kind of lazy and have been busy in the holiday season. I hate that excuse, because I think it is the hardest to work with. But it was a good meeting with them.

Today we went to the Cathedrals of John the Baptist and Paul. They were big and really decorated - pretty places and pretty sculptures. Here are a couple of pictures. Just kidding. I forgot my card reader. So next week!

As far as ending the mission here in Rome, I have no idea. But I will do whatever President Kelly wants me to do. I love you all!

Anziano Hatch

The Week That Went By

Wow what a crazy week it has been. After settling in on his transfer decisions, I went outside of Rome to fill a vacancy that was there, because a missionary left mid-transfer. So I was a normal missionary again for a week. It was weird. But I liked it. On Saturday we spent pretty much the entire day knocking on doors and trying to find people to teach as it was hard to get appointments with many people still in holiday mode. Sunday went by real nicely. Church was good. It was a smaller ward but great nonetheless. Then on Monday, we did some English class advertisements and some more finding work. We also looked for some less-actives and some ex-investigators doing everything we could to get some new people to teach. We did have a promising lesson with the bishop and an investigator. That should result in a baptismal date by the end of the week.

Then on Tuesday we taught English class. I don't know why, but I really enjoyed the English class there. I usually loath teaching English, but I enjoyed myself. On Wednesday I had to take two trains to get back to Rome to help out with the new missionaries that have come in. So after about six hours, I returned to Rome. We arrived at the Villa and ate dinner with the new missionaries. It is always great to be around new missionaries. They are so energetic. Then we gave a couple of short trainings and then they opened up their assignment envelopes. I will be losing a companion as he is going to Batapaglia to train. That will be fun for him. I really enjoyed that city.

This morning most of the new missionaries left with Anziano Hansen to the train station to catch a 7:45am train. So they are off going to serve the Lord. It is amazing how things work in the mission from an administration point of view. Lots of behind the scenes work. It is a cool experience to be here.

The past week it has been really warm here. We must of stolen the warm weather from the Rocky Mountains cause it sounds like it is pretty cold over there. I miss the snow though, and a nice truck. Good stuff.

Well that is about it for me this week. Everything is great over here. Hope everything is going good over there. I love you all!

Anziano Hatch

New Years

Well, Happy New Year family of mine! How was the celebration? Ours was all right. New Year's Eve we all had a curfew of 6pm. So at six, we were inside and thinking of things to do, while Anziano Sapio cooked. He made pasta al forno. It was pretty darn good. Then we played a game much like Parcheesi. That was pretty fun also. New Year's Day is a cleaning day in our mission. So we spent the whole day cleaning our apartment and stuff. Then around six, Anziano Sapio and his companions (aka Anziano Hansen and I) were invited to the mission home for a cooking demonstration - well, to watch Anziano Sapio cook and to talk to us, basically. Anziano Sapio did a wonderfully good job. He makes really good food.

Sunday, I spent sacrament meeting like I do every Sunday...translating. It is always kind of awkward translating weird testimonies. Luckily, there were not too many of those weird testimonies. So that was good. Then we were invited to a Philippino New Year's lunch/dinner. That is good food.

The last couple of days we have been working on transfers with president. We have that pretty much finished up, but that has been our main project with him in these last couple of days. Surprisingly, this last week of December was the strongest in December. That was good to see. Needless to say, we are shuffling things around pretty good this transfer. It should be good.

Well, I leave you with a few pictures!

Love,
Anziano Hatch

P.S. Oh, and I also found some Guarana at the store the other day. Sorry if I butchered the Portuguese spelling.