Hello Everyone!

This past week went well. Started with a district P-Day which was very rushed because Elder Boyd and Elder McGuire were both trying to bake things-Calzones and Cherry Cobbler, respectively. I left with Elder Boyd to West Branch and we dropped by to a couple named Nadine and Shane. Nadine was preparing to not only get married to Shane the following Friday, but also to be baptized the day after that. She is a very sweet lady and I’m very proud of her. We prepared the baptismal paperwork with them on Monday evening, and tuesday afternoon Elder Boyd and I helped Nadine with learning how to use Family Search so that she can do work for her ancestors. Friday they indeed got married, and Saturday Elder Boyd and I attended her baptism, at which there was a wonderful, sweet spirit.

Those are indeed pictures of Elder Boyd and I hand-mixing fifteen pounds of meat to make meatloaf at a members’ house. Don’t question it, just savor the meatloaf.

Wednesday got fed at the same member’s house twice, had district meeting on the application of a training we received at zone conference, and Elder McGuire and I walked a quarter of a mile down one guy’s driveway and found that he had been doing family history at West Branch for a while now and loves our church! He didn’t quite accept the invitation to hear our message, but I think one day soon he will, because his heart has been opened through genealogy.

Visited a certain investigator. He was so wasted with his friends that he didn’t even recognize us and told us to go away. Came back a couple days later and had a great visit and just didn’t bother to mention that we tried to come the other time and he didn’t recognize us. Committed to come to church. Another investigator committed to come to church as well, actually, along with the family. Others said they would try, but it was still a maybe. We sat at the doors, waiting all the way up until 10:00. No one came. It’s just kind of disappointing sometimes, getting your hopes up and then having them drop to the floor and shatter. Afterwards we went hometeaching with the Drury’s, which was great and a very positive uplifting visit. And after that met a member at Angie’s house to teach her, but she had forgotten the appointment and was not home…. The member we brought was pretty upset, and I think in the past while he has thought that we are either disobedient or not working very hard and that is why we were not seeing success… so he asked to meet us at the church, most likely to throw down on us. We got in and began speaking with him, and he quickly saw and felt that we are doing the best we can, but that there is not unity within the branch. We spent the hour talking about ways to help this branch grow, and involve Angie and her family, and bring them and others into the fold. We have a new focus, and we now know what we need to do to prepare this branch to receive more of God’s children. To my friends and family: Be the kind of person that adds to the church, or group, or community you are a part of. Don’t keep to yourself, but branch out, invite others, get to know those you don’t know within the group, be as Christ would be.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week.
Pray for Angie and her family, Dawna and Cory, and Mary.

Elder Breinholt