6-14

Hi Family & Friends!
Hope all is great at home... & Elsewhere! I love you all so much and pray that all is well!
"Missionaries & members must ... become on in our efforts to proclaim the gospel." ~Erich W. Kopischke. This past week I trained my missionaries on how we need to use the wards help with teaching our investigtors. Members really are soooo important in the teaching and conversion process. I love some of my letters that I have gotten from my converts and investigators:
-"I went to baptize some other family members, it was so cool! I ended up doing (now I lost count, so I'm not really sure) 15!!! Kathy Thorpe said she thought that was the number - how awesome is that? I only had to do one again, Brother Valentine was great, although he did tell the elders that I had a strong grip, I was afraid that he wasn't going to be able to do me... de did well. I was so honored to be @ the temple and to be able to do the baptisms for others" ~Brenda Franklin
-"We did actually have dinner with the Teters recently. He made his famous ribs & I brought my potato salad! It was quite a meal! Brother Teter is actually my home teacher - how cool is that?!! We just love that family!" ~Jan Judd
-"Meeting & getting to know you made a great impact on my life. I will remember the laughs we shared @ the Yokshas home...thank you for all you have done for me." ~Giovanni Marone
I look back to these and know that as I have brought members to bear testimony of the gospel it has helped to build their foundations. I think if we as missionaries don't have members to help us we take away valuable spiritual experiences that could have been felt! And that goes in likewise, if members don't have missionaries come over they are responsible for taking away those valuable spiritual experiences that could have been had. So we are all commited to use the members help more & hopefully by doing that, the members will use ours! "A ward, as well as a family, draws together as it endures together. What happens to one happens to all." ~Richard C. Edgley
This past couple of weeks have been a little hard. We are not having much luck at all. Whenever we think we are think we are getting close to someone keeping their commitment, getting baptized, or getting a progressing investigator - we get SMASHED! This week Elder Palmer & Snow (on an exchange) tracted into this lady named Grace and picked her up as a potential investigator, Elder Palmer was so happy. You could tell that this lady was serious and elect for the gospel. Well yesterday we thought we would check on her to see how she was doing (we had an appointment with her on wednesday). Well she opened the door [I could seriously feel her spirit was ready for the gospel] and told us how her cousin inivited her to her church today and that she had plegded her life to Christ already and that we would just confuse her if she had us come over. Our hearts sunk! We tried to talk to her but in the end she was 'blinded by the craftiness of men.' Other things have happend just like that. We are trying to be diligent though!
I love you all so much! Hope that things are and will always go well! Be safe and keep the faith strong! Keep praying and preaching the gospel bringing others into the one true fold of God. I would appreciate your prayers so keep remembering me and my investigators! thanks-- Love, ELDER PATRICK McBRIDE