8-30

HELLO! Hope all is well @ home and everyone is safe and had a great summer! Good luck at school!
So I forgot to tell you something funny that happened at Venus & Aaliyah Paez's baptism last Sunday. After the baptism I came up to Aaliyah and she was just super excited and I was like, "Aaliyah, how do you feel right now?" and she answered, "Well, I feel half happy.. and half baptized!" haha, we laughed so hard. [fyi: she was wholey baptized]
This week has been a bit slower. We were so excited and siked to commit more of our investigators to baptism BUT almost everyone one of them desided that they would do the exact opposite and drop us.. UGH... nope double UGHHHHH! So we have been out in the heat tracting a ton and trying to find new people to come unto Christ. I know that Heavenly Father has so much instore for this area and for us - we just have to be diligent in finding and being faithful - my motto : "Feed the Faith, Starve the Doubt!" I think Elder Jensen wants to hit me everytime I say that. haha
Friday we got to go to the temple! It seemed like forever since I had gone! and It was such a good experience! (We now go every 3 months - so it's not that bad at all) It was like a 2 hour drive to get to the Redlands temple from our clear out in the middle Indio! haha but way good experience. After the temple we went to a CTR bookstore right down the steet and Elder Jensen & I bought some stuff for Venus and her family - so that she can teach her kids from the scriptures. We were so excited to give her all of the presents we got for her. On Sunday right after she was confirmed a member and sacrament was out we gave her a quad with her name engraved on it (a gift from the ward) and some children books on the Book of Mormon and a picture of the 1st Vision. It was so good and she loved it! It's crazy how much peace the gospel of Jesus Christ can give to you - on Saturday she had lost her wallet with her and her childrens birth certificates and social sucurity info in it. She was freaking out (which I would do too.) but we came by, said a prayer and on Sunday she was at peace - still freaking out - but at peace.
As for my scripture studies this week, one thing that really stuck out to me is something that our Savior Jesus Christ said in his short ministry in the america's 3 Nephi 13:21 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." I believe that with all my heart. Wether the treasure is good or bad - what ever we are treasuring that is where our heart is. Hopefully we can all say our treasure is in the restored gospel, in Jesus Christ, and in striving faithfully to get back to our Father in Heaven. Treasure is a great word to use - is the gospel a treasure to you - would you got searching for it and do anything to have it - the great thing about the treasure of Jesus Christ is that - to me it is not somewhere barried unto a huge X but it is freely given to all those who dilligently seek for it. The only thing is that Pirates are after it. Satan is striving so hard to dull our senses and to blur our vision of how great this treasure is - he gives us false treasures - some that can not last eternally. Remember to always put your hearts in Gods treasures!
I love you all! Be safe, let the Holy Spirit guide and let it be your treasure - for it is His treasure!-- Love, ELDER PATRICK McBRIDE