8/10 From Spirit to Prayer to Engaged

Hello Family & Friends!
Hope you are all having a great day and the past week has been good for you! Wow, this week just seemed to fly by! I just remember typing last weeks message! The weather man has decided to be nice and give us a break for the past week - things have been a little cooler :). But even when he desides to heat it up we'll still be out knocken those doors!If there is one thing that I have learned thus far on my mission is *learning. I have learned so much already! It weird to think if I have not chose to serve a mission - if I would have received all the blessings from learning and getting knowledge from what the gospel brings. Sometimes I think we take the gospel and the church for granted... well a lot. I really didn't have that much of an appreciation for it. I went to church.. went to mutual..did hometeaching [when dad pushed me into it ;)] and etc. When really what we should want to do is go to church EVERY week and want to benefit from the blessings that we would receive from partaking of the sacrament and renewing those sacred baptismal covenants. I should have wanted to express my love to everyone about the gospel and about my testimony. We should want to go out and visit our families that we home teach - and that is a big on! So many families go without being home taught out here and they are just starving for spiritual attention. *when even in Utah our families could be starving for that attention - I guess when I get back, that will want to make me go every month and have an influence on those specific families that I will be assigned to! Its funny, I could report that me and Elder Veater have a lot of 1/2 baptisms coming up... haha, almost all of our investigators are on the wall for that question. Dorothy Hicks is getting so close! We went over there Tuesday afternoon and we gave her a lesson on the Plan of Salvation. She loved it and again - believed everything! It was fun to see how when people don't have the answers to lifes questions (where did we come from, what's our purpose, & where will we go after this) and when they receive them how their face just lights up! After the lesson we committed her to baptism. Lol, we asked her if she would follow the example of Jesus Christ by being baptized and she was like "YES, of course..." my face flew to a smile.. then she quickely said "Yes, in due time".. ughh! so close! haha, I think we just need to get a family in there to support and fellowship her and her kids!On Thursday we had Mulitzone Conference and received trainings from Pres. & Sis. Reeves and the AP's. They all talked about how important it is to keep the Spirit with us ALWAYS! Sis. Reeves started by telling a cool story from Russel M. Nelsons wife. She said that Sis. Nelson was traveling down from Canada and on her way down to Utah she saw a barn and on the barn it had some HUGE letters that made up a sign written on the barn and said that this phrase inspired her life! Sis. Reeves then asked what we thought was on the sign... my mind quickely thought of the barn on the back highway by grandma Edna's that has the "Dr. Something or other Medicine" on it haha I don't think that was inspiring though.. haha. Missionaries then decided to guess. "In god we trust" "Not of this World" "Jesus is Lord" "Love one Another"... no one was right... then Sis. Reeves put up a picture of what was actually written on the top of the barn: "NOT EVEN ONCE". We all were like HUH?? haha but then we each shared what this phrase could have meant and how it could be inspirational. We talked about how almost every prophet in the scriptures didn't even "ONCE" stray from their path. Joseph of Egypt is who I thought of - He was tempted by Potiphers wife many a times and "NOT EVEN ONCE" did he give in. Another that was mentioned was how David was such a great person of God and that just "ONCE" he slipped up and looked on temptation. That talk helped me a lot on how as a missionary or as a member of this gospel how we can't even "ONCE" give into Satan and always have to have the Spirit with us!!!Well guess what! The power of prayer works! That Thursday night we went over to the dear trailor park and had dinner with one of our members. Now if you really knew me you would be so proud of me for doing this - I am a very picky eater and not so keen about dirty things.. especially eating it. Well she cooked us some chicken and so when we started eating I bit in and blood just started gushing from the chicken, BLAUGHH! I tried to slice around it, but I don't think that would have done a difference. Later that night me and Elder Veater said about 100 prayers that we wouldn't get sick and that we could stay healthy to do our Heavenly Fathers work. Well our stomachs made some noises a couple of hours after dinner but no getting sick or anything!!Oh and just an announcement.. I am now engaged! Last night we were at the Rices house for dinner and I was playing around with this cute girl and she said "guess what, We are going to get married!" haha, I was like "really! where?" she then quickely said "the TEMPLE!" haha so just to let you know, that's the plan... oh ya and she is 4 years old... so I might have to wait a little bit... hahaWell I love you all! Be safe! Have fun in St. George without me! Love,ELDER MCBRIDE