Great email from Elder Hatfield Sept. 6, 2014

Im really mad at myself from before the mission and not making a bigger effort to listen to all of conference and really listen and study the talks. Conference as a missionary is amazing. You have a much bigger vessel to be filled with the words of the prophets. I have three words to describe the transition from last conference to this one. TIME FLIES BY. I cant believe that i have been out for over half a year. That was way too fast. But I feel like i have grown so much. Im learning alot of good principles and im noticing that all though i may have had alot of rules i didnt understand as a kid im seeing the blessing of being raised in the family that the lord gave me. My understanding of the Gospel has exploded out here and my ability to teach is way better. Having the ability to serve a mission and not doing it is one of the worst choices you can make in your young adult life. You learn how to grow and use the scriptures. To put on your spiritual armor every day and fight the battle of life. Im proud to be your son and im not making excuses. Never have liked to and im not accepting them from others as well. If they want this message i will give it to them. And im so grateful for this gospel. I heard a story the other day that made me just want to get everyone to conference. There was an investigator a few years back(he is branch president now in another area) and he was really really stubborn. (I can relate) and he knew for a fact the church was true. He had been to others and had seen for himself and taken the steps to pray and read. But he wouldnt be baptized for some reason. So they invited him to conference and at the time the Prophet was Spencer.W.Kimball and Kimball just walked up and before he said anything this man was bawling. He knew that this was a prophet of god and was baptized in between the sessions of conference. I know that we are blessed to have a prophet. And Id follow him wherever he wanted me to go. He has called me here and im going to do my best down here to help our Fathers children. Thank you for the example you have set and all that you do to help me. Love your son, Elder Hatfield I was about to log off but i felt like i should share this story with you that happened yesterday. So yesterday after conference every single appointment that we had fell through in about 5 mins. So our plans were shot. So we prayed on what to do and just started driving to our area. A member does our clothes so we dropped them off there and she wasnt there so we just left them with her kids(she is amazing and i plan on you guys meeting her one day) so then we started driving and i had a prompting to visit this house that was in a file we found of a less active member who lives kind of out in the middle of nowhere. so we go and we get in the house and the kid answers the door and said that she still lived there. ( she was a very old woman as well so we were scared she might have passed away) so she had us come into her room and the first thing she says to us is. Por que no han venido antes para visitarme! (why havent you come earlier to visit me!) we both said somos nuevos! (we are new here) and she sighed and said esta bien. (okay) so we sat with her and just talked for awhile and she has been a member for over 50 years in fact i think she is one of the first members if not the first in rio grande Texas. She has an amazing testimony and she said she has been praying for help and now she knows god has given it to her. We left her with a blessing and i have to tell you dad that when people say you are an answer to a prayer it is through the service you give administering to those in need(like Hollands talk) that you truly are the ones who are blessed and getting an answer to your prayer. Love, Brayden