4-12

Hey Everyone!
How are you - hope all is doing good!
So guess what- I got to do some service the other day and mow someones lawn in the ward! Their back was hurting them so I got to do it. I know sometimes I moaned and growned about getting out and mowing the lawn at home - but sometimes it's just fun to get out and smell the fresh cut grass and do some yard work! --- I bet I am gonna regret that when I get home... haha
Last Monday night we went to one of our part-member families that we usually hit up on Monday nights [Michael & Sandra Barton]. When we got to their house Sandra (who is not a member) had told us that Michael was not there so we had a little talk with her. Now we have been meeting with them for quite a while and well... let's just say it is a rough family to feel the spirit there and get them to DO something. We have been working with them and trying to get them to stop drinking + me and Elder Palmer got to dump the beers down the drain -totally fun! Both just really arn't progressing. So I talked to Sandra and pretty much the spirit took my tongue over and I started like promising so many blessings to her if she would acually DO something - like help out around the house, read scriptures, etc. I talked to her about discipline and to be completely honest - I had no idea what I said but she just shook her head up and down and said ok. Later on in the week she called us over to give a blessing to her neighbor and when we got there she was like bearing testimony of the priesthood and what we do. After the blessing we asked her how her discipline was doing and she said that what I had told her- (what the spirit told her) had helped out soo much! Having the Spirit with you is so important! He is your guide and blessing from our Father.
Each transfer the zone leaders pray and pick a zone-trasfer-focus from the key indicator list. This trasfer they have picked to focus on "Investigators with a Baptism date". We received some awesome trainings this week from the zone leaders and our praying for both investigators to put on date.... and ..well, INVESTIGATORS!!! haha -I guess that would be important for that focus, don't ya think?! Friday night we commited a couple to get baptized... sadly they rejected - But hey that's our purpose "to INVITE others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel by faith in Jesus Christ & His atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end!"
As for the food update... I don't know if it's going to compare with Ryan's .. or now Koltens exotic food... but - I ate tripe for the first time in my life... and I think next week the same family is going to feed us cow tongue! Ya I know - who would have thought that I would be going foreign in California! So AWESOME exciting news.... ready for it.... we are going to be having someone from the first quorum of the Seventy come to our mission and speak to us on May 1st!!! Oh ya.... I think someone else is coming too... who was it??? Oh ya..... duh duh duh duh... An APOSTLE!!!!! That's right - One of the twelve apostles are going to come to our mission and speak to us May 1st!! The whole mission is going to get together and we are going to listen to him!!!! I am so excited! All my life I have never got to meet an apostle, let alone even be in the same room as one! They won't tell us who (for security reasons) - but if I find out I'll let ya know!!!
Well all is good here. As I told mom - no volcano ruptures, earthquakes, tornado's, monsoons or tsunami's --- so as for geology - pretty lame week! lol, jk.
The week has been good and I am excited to get out and find people to fulfil my purpose as a representive of the Lord. Thank you for your love and prayers I need them everyday! Stay safe & always remember how important our Savior Jesus Christ is- That He did suffer, that He did Atone, that He was perfect, that He did lay up His life for us, He did simply because of His love for us and His Father in Heaven. Really how true the sentance of comfort is from our hymn books "I know that my Redeemer lives." This is where true comfort is & where I have found mine!
-- Love, ELDER PATRICK McBRIDE

PS. Just a reminder for the mission office address change --- send mail to 5900 Grand Ave Riverside California on April 14th & on!!