Email Received on April 16, 2012

Hi Family!

I had a fun and very trying week. We did have a lot of lessons and everyone we went to see was either too busy or just not there. The funniest thing that happened this week was that we went to a trailer park for a lesson and the lady we were supposed to teach was busy. So I was backing up the car to get out of the trailer park and a very fat and immodest woman opens her door screaming "Niya, Niya!" at the empty trailer park.  Then she saw us and gave us a glare and Elder Pickup threw up a little in his mouth. It was gross.

Two of our investigators, Loretta and Carton, had really good lessons. The lesson with Loretta was awesome because we brought Sister Harter and she was really great on hitting the need for prayer and changing your ways. We taught Loretta the Plan of Salvation out on her porch. So after the lesson she asked “How do we get to the Celestial kingdom?”  We gave her the answer:  The gospel of Jesus Christ. Then she said, “Oh, I need to give up smoking!”  S. Harter offered to take all her cigarettes and ash trays and everything and Loretta was okay with it. She gave them to us to throw away. Then S. Harter gave Loretta the cinnamon plan where you just use a lot of things with cinnamon and it helps get rid of the urge to smoke and Loretta was so willing to do it!!!!

Our lesson with Carton was good. We just pounded thru the Plan of Salvation and then committed him to baptism on May 19th. He just agreed but then asked if he and his live-in girlfriend would have to get married. They have been together for 26 years. Weird. We then met this senior couple named the Thompsons.  They had been in the branch when it was in the prime of its life. They told us all the fun stories about the branch.

Well, other than that we were able to get two big families (both in size and number) to take the discussions. They are the Bayleys and the Millers. It was awesome. Also we were able to have a branch council meeting yesterday. They mainly taught on missionary stuff. We love our senior missionaries cuz when we don’t have anything to do, we just go over and talk to them.

Funny thing, we were able to do service for the Harters today and I put their bunny on a leash and it got away when I was preoccupied and then I found it in the forest. Really lucky there.

Bad news:  I am not getting transferred. I had a really hard time accepting it and after a lot of tears just got back on the horse.

Love you,

Elder McClure