Things Are Just Peachy!

HEY HEY HEY!

What an awesome Eye opening weeks I had!!! It is so crazy to me that every week is full of just so many spiritual events! EVERY WEEK!  I hope after I get home it will continue to be that way.  subconciously, a missionary gets into a state of complacency.  I think we get so used to or comfortable with the amount of spirit that we are always feeling.  This past week I have challenged myself to work for more! And let me tell you... IT WAS SUCCESSFUL!!!!

Fist I have to say that we here in the Riverside Ward had an awesome Pioneer Day celebration!  Most people dressed up bonnet an all! We also had a Pie competition! So I decided to enter!  haha. All the woman in the church were really intrigued that a missionary would sign up to make a pie.... wellllllll they don't know me.... HA!  so I entered the pie contest and made a Peach pie! shout out to Jen Smith!!! thanks for the recipe!! My pie took second! I was okay with the outcome, due to the fact that most people were sick so their taste buds were probably a little off? just kidding. The winning(Apple) pie was great!!! I sent a picture of the pie too.

Alrighty! Back to the spirit!  So this week I was praying in my heart all the time that I would be able to first better sense the spirit and then immediately follow the prompting.  It was crazy how FAST the promptings would come.  k the key thing to this whole experience is that I was looking for opportunities to follow the spirit. They were all around.  I would see someone leaving somewhere and feel they need to go talk to them and just tell them we love them!  Or I saw someone get offended by something another person said and would go talk to them! It was really little weird things like that, but I would always be watching at the right moment!  I know if we prepare for the day prayerfully and then go out and put ourselves in a position to feel the spirit, our answers and promptings will come.   A lot of people say, 'I don't know if I have ever felt the spirit.' Well I can relate! Growing up I really struggled with my faith in all of this.  This past week I have come to the conclusion that if you get a feeling or thought that promotes you to do or say a good thing; then it is Heavenly Father's spirit. Anything that invites you to do good or be good is from God.  So follow the good feeling you get! And trust that Good will come from God!

Our investigator Renee is amazing.  She has literally been through it all!!! It amazes me as one who lives a pretty pampered life that I have faltered in my faith in God from time to time.  But Renee who has gone through Hell has never once questioned why God let her go through these things?  I really didn't understand it.  I was quite disappointed in myself!  I am striving to be more like Renee!  She has so many obstacles but is relentless in her faith in God!  This is the kind of person we all need to be.  Faithful.

I am SO thankful for the refining process of a mission! I feel like everyday I am loosing more and more of myself, but subsequently I am also finding myself. I wont say its always a smooth beautiful process, but it is worth it.

I know the Savior loves us just how we are, but enough to not leave us that way.  Let the Refining BEGIN!!!!

Love you alll!!!

elder patch

address:

246 Clinton Heights Ave.

Columbus, OH 43202

The Great OCM

This week has just been great!  

We got meet up with the leadership of this mission and have a council with our new mission president!  President Daines is the cooooolest!  He has just a greatpersonality and is so real and relatable with us! it has been so great getting to know him better and gain trust with him so quickly! He is so down to earth and is leading this mission with LOVE!  It feels way good.  I am so excited to see what comes of it!  His wife, sister Daines is amazing!  She just reminds me of you mom!  Like the most loving woman!  

We have taught a ton of lessons this week!  We are teaching just some really fantastic people who are so humble and willing to learn!  It has been so hard to find these people but I am so grateful that we have!  We are teaching a woman named Renee.  She is so fun and loving!  She has had quite the past and is always open with us!  I just have to say how grateful I am for the life I have. I love hearing peoples life stories but I can't believe how blessed I really am to have my life!  Some things that people go through is amazing!  I think if i had to go through any bit of what they have to I would just crumble.  But what is so great is that once these people catch on to what we are really teaching they start to see relief!  I love preaching HOPE! I realize more and more how proactive Satan really is.  This guy is not lazy!  Seriously!  Whenever something good happens it seems like he tries to foil it in some way! soooo annoying. like C'mon! give us a break! shhesssh!!! Renee is getting baptized at the end of the month! We are so excited and proud of her!!

Last night we had an awesome lesson with this mom.  She was so sweet and had so many questions about this gospel!  The whole time I just felt like I was teaching my mom!  We meet with a ton of people, but I love teaching mothers the most, cause I just know how important Mothers are, and I know what a difference this can make in their lives as well as their children!  So mom thank you for everything, especially showing your love for this gospel my whole life!  I love being able to really testify to these woman that I know personally what this gospel will do for them! I see it everyday when I am with my MOMMA!  SHOUT OUT TO MOMMA PATCH! 

I am just really grateful to be here!  to be learning so much so quickly!  I love the people we get to meet!  everyone here just feels like people I would hang out with back home , so it is like I am sharing my testimony with all my friends!  This area I am in has pushed me and challenged me in soooo many ways.  It is so much like home and the people are so similar to people I know, so it can be hard to stay focused! But a ton of prayer and faith has helped a ton!  I love you all!  keep being missionaries where you live!

LOVE

Elder Patch

-HOLD ON-

HELLO GREAT PEOPLE OF MY LIFE!!!!!!

Thank you EVERYONE for all the letters and cards and everything!  I can't believe how kind all of you are!  It seriously makes a missionary feel so great!  I am so SO thankful for so many amazing people in my life.  I hope each of you know how much I love you!  I would have never gone on this mission if it wasn't for so many of you!! SO THANK YOU!

This week has just been awesome!  It also weirds me out that a year from now I will be home!  I talked with my mission Pres. and we decided that I would go home the July 10th transfer oh 2015... I am so excited for this next year!  I have been think a lot about what I have learned and the many people that have changed my life while I have been here! I hope this year I will get to bring even more people to the gospel!  I have never had so much joy in my life, than seeing sons and daughters of God that embrace and hold on to this truth!  ONE YEAR TO GO AND A MILLION LIVES TO CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!

I have heard about some issues that have happened in Utah with certain disagreements with church doctrine.  I think having questions about certain things is very healthy!  I love that in this church I feel free to ask and  question things to get a better understanding!  But I also realize that God IS STILL YET REVEALING THINGS.  I Know for myself that I need to trust in the Lord and His Prophet and wait for further revelation to come in its time.  It is sad for me to hear that people leave this truth.  But I am reminded of the vision Lehi had in the Book of Mormon of the Tree of Life.  Lehi sees people that are holding STEADFAST to the Iron rod.  These people are consistent and are partaking of the fruit regularly.  There are others that are involved as well!  People who are CLINGING to the rod, and once they partake of the fruit, they fall away because they are ashamed.  I realized from this vision how important it is to provide myself with daily spiritual sustenance.  If we only cling on to grand spiritual experiences and then don't supplement afterwords then chances are we will fall away.  We must constantly STEADFASTLY be nourishing our testimony of the truthfulness of this Gospel. Like I said last week... GOD IS SIFTING!  He is looking for his daughters and sons that will put all their trust and will towards him!  Through this process that we don't fully understand; we can become refined and changed!!  We should not let ourselves let go of the truth or faith we have or had just because we don't understand!  We have to have faith when we lack comprehension!  'Doubt your doubts before you doubt you faith!  I always say that FAITH will lead to action!  But in reality DOUBT WILL ALSO LEAD TO ACTION!  Defend yourself against doubt by holding on to that rod steadfastly!  

I just have to bear my testimony of this truth!

I KNOW THIS IS REALLY TRUE!  I have learned so much EVERYDAY from what I am teaching!  THIS IS NOT ABOUT RELIGION!! This is all about the TRUTH!  I know Satan is working so hard!  But We are working hard too! And I PROMISE I WILL NEVER GIVE UP! I know what this gospel can do!  It is doing it for me right now!  I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I know that we have a Living, breathing, smiling Prophet on the earth again!  I know Christ Lives!  This gospel that I am teaching is living and breathing and growing, because it is the gospel of Christ who lives!!! I love you all, and am so thankful that God let me know and love each of you, even if we don't share the same beliefs! In the name of JESUS CHRIST. AMEN.

Elder Patch

pics.

1. my new companion! ELDER CAMPBELL!! THE MAN!!

2. hey.

3.Fourth of July Breakfast! wayyyy good

4.We Built a Deck! Yes i even helped.... :)

5. Missionary lunch! #Bibibop

6. Carey. my favorite Italian.  she is getting baptized!

Manna From Heaven

HEY FAM AND FRIENDS!!!!

FIRST OFF THANK YOU FOR ALL THE 

BIRTHDAY LETTERS! AND GIFTS!

YOU ALL ARE AMAZING!!! I REALLY MISS AND LOVE ALL OF YOU!!! EXPECT LETTERS SOON!

Well a cool thing just happened!  We just ran into NEON TREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY HAVE A CONCERT HERE TONIGHT AND WANT TO TAKE US OUT TO DINNER AHHAHAHAHAHHAHAH! WHAT IS LIFE?! THATS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SHOP AT URBAN OUTFITTERS HAHAH! 

 Well I have to stop writing in all caps.. I am just so HAPPY!!! 

A lot of things have changed!  We got a new mission President today! President Daines!  He is the VP for AT&T!!! Can you say IPADS!!!!!? Also I have a new companion!  Elder Kevin Campbell!   The coolest kid ever.  I really needed him!  We have been having so much fun!  I missed having fun! It has been so great to just instantly get along and want the same things! Makes things so MUCH easier!!! 

So many great things are happening here!  We are teaching the most amazing Part member family!  The dad is a member and he is trying to gain courage to come back to church! I love that man! He is so tender and just wants his family to be happy!  It is really interesting to meet so many different people and hear their individual story and then you get to be a part of it!  it is a beautiful thing!  I want every moment that I add to their story to be a positive happy one!  I love LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! i really just love being a missionary! This last week I have just more fully grasped how important it is that i am here right NOW!  Like the world is getting so crazy bad!  Satan or any adversity is just sick the way the turn things or prepare people specifically not to accept what GOOD things we are teaching!  I just think about how stupid it would have been for me not to go on this mission!  Their are so many people that I KNOW I was supposed to find specifically and if I chose not to go they may not have been found or had the same experience!  I look forward to coming home cause I WILL do so much better at inviting my friends to learn and be a WAY better example for them!  I love that everything I am teaching is positive thing!  I think before my mission I was consumed by "good" things but not the "best"!  I want the best for the rest of my life!  AND LET ME TELL YOU! THIS GOSPEL IS THE BEST!!!!! SO START LIVING WHAT YOU BELIEVE!  God DOESN'T NEED VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OR DOCTORS OR LAWYERS OR CHEFS!  HE NEEDS DISCIPLES! MEN AND WOMAN THAT WILL STAND BY HIM AT ALL TIMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thankful for all of you!  You have no idea what each and everyone of you has done for my life!  EVERY single one of you have added to my story in a positive way!  Thank you! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!

Elder Spatch

Authenticate Your Testimony

HOWDY!!!!!

Well i won't say I had the best week of my mission this week BUT it was still great! I got super sick ... SO MOM YES I REALLY MISSED YOU!  I got a fever then got Step throat... It was a rough couple of days in bed!  It was so weird I remember laying in bed sick, and I felt so lame being a vegetable and not out talking to people! Weird how things change!  I am realizing more and more everyday how short your 2 year mission experience is and how you have to take advantage of EVERY SINGE MOMENT! I don't want to loose any of this valuable time to give myself to others!  It is to short!!!! Speaking of short!! I turn 20 this week, and I am telling you 20 years takes forever!!!! I am ready to be 30! 

I had a lot of time to think (and sleep) this week while in bed.  I thought a lot about a certain investigator we are teaching.  this man is amazing.  He just glows when we talk to him, and the spirit is just like floating around him.  I don't know how to explain how badly I want him to know this is true.  He currently goes to a church that talks a lot about "authentication" of truth.  How can I prove the words I am saying to him are true? Does faith come before the witness of truth? No.  Although he is a avid believer in Jesus Christ he seems to believe that Christ authenticated himself through his works. and biblical prophecy.  I disagree.  I believe that we can authenticate our own testimony and Belief in Jesus just by having enough faith to follow his footsteps more closely.  The more we succumb to the will of the Father, the more "authentic" of a testimony we will have .  Faith has to proceed the work or miracle. Christ didn't say... I am going to do this work or miaracle so then you can believe in me. He would say, "let it be according to your faith"  He teaches us that to believe in him we must exercise of faith first. So to authenticate ones testimony, one must first exercise the faith then ask the question,'is this true?' and be willing to go on a journey to find out. 

This is the hardest area I think I will ever serve in. Not because the people are mean or harsh, but rather because they are so consumed by the world of proof and instant gratification.  I think it is brilliant how God works.  Why would He just give it to us? WHY?! I know that anything I have worked for in my life I cherish and appreciate WAYYYY more!  He lets us go through the fire a little bit, so that He can make us become something more!  If it is to easy then why do it at all?!! If gaining a testimony was easy then everyone would have one! IT IS NOT EASY!  I know that we have to be putting in constant effort for things that we believe to become authenticated knowledge!! If I ask someone for directions, and if that person seems trustworthy, I might choose to believe that those directions are correct.  If I actually follow those directions, I am exercising FAITH that the directions are correct! when I arrive at the destination, then I have the Knowledge that the directions are correct ,and the journey to prove it, and subsequently no longer need belief or faith at that point!

So go by faith! Put faith in areas that you are struggling! Go on a journey to find the knowledge! I know He won't let you down once you get to that destination. he has never EVER let me down.

I love you ALL!!!! HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Elder Patch

The Spirit

HOLA!!!

Dang this week has been so FUNNN!!!!!!!!!!  ALSO I AM ALMOST 20!!!!!! And it is about time!  Can't wait to say I am not a teenager anymore!  I like to think I am 19 going on 40:) HA!  

Well This week we MINI MISSIONARIES!!!! It is so fun!  So what happens is that we get a local kid that is thinking about going on a mission for a week!  My mini missionary is named Alex (He is the one carrying me in the pic... typical)!  He is awesome!  He is planning on going on a mission at the end of the Summer! I think it is an amazing opportunity for a young person to go on a mini mission to really see what happens on a mission and feel the amazing spirit. 

That is what I wanted to talk about, the Spirit.  I sent another picture with a young guy with crutches.  His name is Jake Dastrup.  He is actually from Utah and is a gymnast on the OSU and National team! What is crazy about meeting up with him is that I actually met/saw him last year and the year before at the Olympic Training Center.  We were training in the gym right next to him!  I had no idea who he was nor that he was Mormon!!!! Well we have gotten pretty close!  the reason why I wanted to talk about him is because he has changed my life.  The minute I met him I felt something different.  He started coming to lessons with us and I could just feel like positive feeling whenever we were around him.  It was the spirit.  He has never said a negative thing or even slightly crude thing around me.  He is always smiling and SOOOO willing to come and teach with us.  It is no surprise to me that he has the spirit with him!  He has taught me how important that little things we do or can change can have a huge influence in carrying a light or Spirit with us.  I love being around Jake cause he makes us all happier!  I know I need to be even more positive and do the small things that will bring moreS of the spirit into my life! He is planning on serving a mission soon!

I also have been thinking a lot about my mission so far!  Due to the fact that I will be home almost a year from now!!! WHAT?! I have reflected and realized how thankful I am for the spirit.  I am so thankful that I don't have to do the converting!  I think when I first came on my mission I thought "I" had to convert these people to the truth!!! Well I have learned and am continuing to learn that conversion is not by any man, but only by the spirit.  I had a interesting discussion a few days ago with a man we are teaching!  He told me that I was not going to convert him to being a Latter-Day saint. And I said,"I know, but the spirit will."  He looked a little stunned.  But I really meant that.  I told him my conversion story about how I really struggled with my faith and belief in God. How I wasn't very active in this Church.  I testified that what led me to knowing that this was true was the spirit that accompanied every little thing I did in or with the church.  I saw objective proof through subjective experiences.  I know that spirit is what will lead us through a LIFETIME of conversion!  I will never say I am fully converted, because I believe I would loose the potential for growth!  I look forward to learning by the spirit for a lifetime!  

Thank you EVERYONE for all you have done for me!  Reach out to those around you and help anyone and everyone you can in anyway that you can!!! CHARITY NEVER FAILETH!

Love 

Elder Patch

Pics!

1.Elder Afalava and I were reunited! Miss that kid

2.Jake Dastrup aka the MAN

3.My Mini Missionary!!!

4. Our investigator Jay was Baptized!!!!

Servant Leadership

Wow!! This week was amazing!

Emil Brolick the Wendy's CEO came and spoke to us about Servant Leadership! Emil is a Catholic, so it was really cool to have him there and to here him talk about his faith in Christ!  He is best friends with our Mission President who is the CEO of Cafe Rio!  

Emil talked about how a successful leader can influence more than just ones he or she might be stewards over!  This was one of my favorite quotes from him,"If you place others priorities first, then their priorities will become yours."  I thought that was great!  We as leaders in some form like parents or friends have to put others priorities first then through that their priorities will shift to yours!  He is also said, "Helping to much deprives those from experience and growth."  I thought that was very insightful.  I think it is really amazing that a VERY successful business owner lets others kinda figure it out themselves!  He gives them the opportunity to grow for themselves. That to me shows a lot of trust!  So my rhetorical question for you is: Do we trust the ones we are stewards over?  

It was such an amazing experience to have Emil there!  We were really fortunate!

This week has been so great!  We started teaching the coolest family!! They are all Hippies! I love them!!!! I sent a picture of them.  The dad is super into God and wants to lead his family to God more! And the mom is Atheist, but said she is willing to learn!!!! The two boys are so cool!  They call us "the Mormons"  So every few minutes we hear, "HEY MORMONS! Watch me do this!" soo funny.  I love seeing a whole family progress toward accepting the Gospel! 

Sorry to be brief but there is no time for anything anymore ha!  I just want to share a quote from a missionary that bore her testimony yesterday, she said, "The most beautiful thing about the Atonement, is that you can wake up a totally different person."  I really identified with that comment.  I have been able to see from so many people I teach the amount of guilt that they hold onto!  The greatest thing is that they don't have to!! I love watching them realize that, and see them access the power of the Atonement.  So free yourself of guilt and add more faith and courage in your life! I know that the atonement is real and very personal to me!  I am so thankful that I don't have to hold onto things and can almost physically feel things lifted off my shoulders.  I am so thankful for Jesus Christ.

I hope everyone had a great week!!!!!! 

Love you all!!!

Elder Spatch