Limits

AWESOME WEEK HERE IN RIVERSIDE!

Hey everyone! 

I hope all of you had a good week of FINALS!!! MWAHAHAH. 

Also shout out to BYU VBALL FOR MAKING IT TO THE FINAL FOUR!!! That's rad.  I might try and get permission to watch the final when BYU is playing in it! So pumped for them!

Anyway this week has been exhausting! We have done a ton of work! I think being here has taught me more and more that it is so important to be yourself on a mission.  People don't relate to a self righteous guru.  they want a really imperfect human!  Well they found one thats for sure!  I love being able to relate to a lot of people here.  We all have similar beliefs and enjoy knowledge which has been huge for the progression of this area.

I have been thinking a lot about limits. Specifically my own. One of the Apostles of the church was talking about how he believes that the children of Egypt being led to freedom by Moses demonstrated their faith by pushing their LIMITS.  He suggests that they were not just standing at the shore line of the Red Sea while Moses was standing in the water talking with God (although the Disney movie illiterates that).  Rather he suggests that the whole people were to their necks in the water! Pleading and praying for a miracle.  They had come so far and were ready to swim across the Red Sea.  They didn't just stand their and wait for something to happen.  They wanted to find freedom and refuge so bad that they would  drown for it.  I think that is really profound.  It made me think or rather rethink my own limits.  Will I wait at the shore line, or will I go neck deep in the water or even fully immerse myself with trail and hardship. How bad do I want it?  This week I have worked at pushing myself even more.  I want to be neck deep in trial. I would thus have a new shore line that I could cross over and over again.  

On a positive note the people in the church here are really cool. Everyone is a vegetarian which is also really cool.  We are in like a young family ward, so it feel likes Provo, UT here. eeek.  I am super close with a couple families here.  They are younger with like newborns so we are kinda close in age.  We have found some way awesome families to teach!  We found them like one right after another!  They are super pumped about the church and have been looking for truth for a while now!  Seriously I don't know if it's Spring, but the days are just a little brighter!  I love all of you!  Hope you have a great week this week!

Love,

Elder Patch

pics

-Me and Barb.  She is my favorite human, there

isn't a lesson that we teach that she doesn't drop

some profane word 

-Me and Brother Carruth.  We matched one day.

-My new Home!

All Good In The Hood

Life is so good!

This week has been HARD!  So many challenges, but so much more opportunity for growth!  I have learned to love hard times!  Which I hope will last hahaha.  

This week Rubie got baptized in Marion, so I got to go back to Marion to baptize her! That was awesome! She is 14 and there is not a better time to be baptized I think when you are really starting to explore who you are!  I am really excited for her! I also got to see Rose and Phillip (who were baptized in January) which made my whole week. I really missed them.  

This weekend Angela is getting baptized!  I sent some pictures of her and my area cause I want all of you to see how awesome it is over here!  It is the most TRENDY spot on the planet!  I might possibly just move back here.  I came from Marion, which was a far from this as you can be to now being here in trendy heaven! Everyone dresses well! LIFE IS SOOOO GOOD. hahah

Anyway more important things... THERE IS A URBAN OUTFITTERS IN MY AREA!  haha Just kidding even more important things than that.  for the past two weeks here I have really been pushed!  The people here are super Liberal and are all about personal identity and self exploration, but more on a scientific aspect.  That has been a HUGE culture change.  People here want evidence!  Which I can totally relate to, but then where does faith fit in?  Well It actually makes everyone's starting point here the same!  We start by increasing everyone's faith in things they can't see, which are true!  Easier said than done, but it is possible.   I think in a world moving so far away from the idea of God it has become more of a absolute that i must work harder and faster to help others gain that personal intimate relationship with their creator.  I can't imagine a life not knowing I am a son of King?  My potential in endless?!  Who wouldn't want that knowledge?  Well everyone here wants it... they just don't know it yet! haha

I don't ever want to take my mission for granted.  I am so thankful for the really really hard lessons I learn.  I never could have imagined the amount of emotional, mental and spiritual uncertainty that one would go through!  But to come out on top and to look back at how much you have learned and grown is LIBERATING! Knowledge is freedom!  I love being here!  I love you all!!!!!!

Lets all strive to be better!

Love 

Elder Patch

Pics

Stress

Well I have to be super brief. sorry...

Pretty much being a Zone Leader is great!  But you are soooo busy!  

It is crazy all the things you have to do and constant phone calls you have

to make!  But I love it! It keeps me focused! 

This week will be my first full week in RIVERSIDE!  I seriously love this area!

It is so trendy and urban and awesome!  It reminds me so much of San Fransisco.  I am right by OSU campus and so we meet a ton of college kids, which is a huge dynamic change for me.  

I honestly think I will serve the rest of my mission here (or at least I will pray that I do). This zone That I got called to has been struggling for a long time. Well that is going to change!  I love change!  The equate change with growth!  I can't wait to help my zone grow!  We have a lot of plans and goals for this zone so we are super excited!  

Back in Marion two of the people I found and taught are getting baptized this weekend!  I am so excited for them two.  So many miracles are happening this week!  So here in riverside they have been teaching people that just were not going anywhere... Well they are now!  We got here and met these amazing woman that just wasn't sure this Church was for her. Angela is her name!! She is black.  I hope most of you are rolling your eyes after you read that. ahhah.  Well me and her just hit it off! and her whole family!  We were having so much fun talking about how nappy each others hair was and all sorts of good stuff.  Then we brought in the spirit.  We just testified that this is something she or no one can let go, because it is true!  We promised her so many blessing that are just around the corner!  She said, and I quote,"I believe you! I want this! Oh my gosh i am really going to do this!" 

 She is amazing and in just 3 days has made a FULL turn around.  Yesterday before Church( general Conference) she went around her neighborhood slamming on doors and waking up friends to come! She would yell, "GIRL! I know you are in there! Don't even play I will burn down yo house to get you out!" hahahah I love Angela so much. She is a killer missionary! I know I was called here for a reason! Its so obvious to me!  So excited for whats to come!

There was one quote i just wanted to touch on from General conference. President Hallstrom said,"Society suggests that our potential is limited, but God says YOUR POTENTIAL IS INFINITE."  How true that really is.  So I just invite all of us to remember this profound insight.  That we really are capable of anything.  We have a loving Heavenly Father, who like any parent would give and do anything for His children.  Know your potential, and know that you are a child of GOD! Hello! You can do anything! 

Love you Guys!

Elder Patch

my new address is

246 Clinton Heights Ave

Columbus, OH 43202

I Hate Goodbyes!

Well first off I am leaving Marion!

I can't really explain how I feel about it.  It's like I am leaving home again?

I have really grown to love everyone here and feel like i am a part of a family.It will be SUPER hard for me to go tomorrow, but I know I am needed

somewhere else. 

Second, I got called to be a Zone Leader! I am super excited, but also way nervous or maybe just anxious.I can't wait to see were I will be or who with!  I am so sad to be leaving my brown boy Elder Afalava. Love that kid.But new adventures are ahead! Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

This week has just been amazing.  I will be brief (Cause I have to pack, and by pack I mean I have to find a way to stuff all my clothes into my suitcases) (somethings never change). This week I have once again learned a lot of service.  We wanted to show everyone that we have met that we love them.  So I made literally 80+ chocolate chip cookies for all these people.  It was so fun.  We made plates for all the people we are teaching, have taught, and other people we just love.  It was amazing to see peoples faces just light up and you could see that they really loved it.  It was so worth all the hand mixing.  Seriously i will never take a Kitchen-aid for granted again! Anyway something as simple as making cookies for someone really shows that you care.

In return I just felt really good the rest of the week.  I think we could all do a little better at doing something nice for others. Small acts of love. 

Anyway I love you guys!  I will send my new address next week!!! Thanks for all the emails and letters and just love! It means more than you know!  Also shout-out to The Sandman for being AVCA Player of the Week!  You're the man! 

Love you guys!

Elder Patch