What an amazingly fantastic week!!!

Me with Elder Morris just being goofy!

HEY, HEY, HEY!!! Oh my goodness!!! What an amazingly fantastic week!!!

To start I would like to give ya'll and update on (investigator) Rebecca!!!! She is getting baptized!!! Her and her 8-year-old daughter have set a date for Sept 6. Elder Morris and I are overjoyed because she was the very first house we knocked on together and now our little nugget is coming to church, getting baptized, and loving every min of it!! We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to really become a part of this family's life and share with them the ever-so-sweet message we tell!

I would really like to talk about love... As children of our Heavenly Father, we are given a big charge to love. We are asked that our lives be the proof of his love for his children so that those who may not know about heavenly father can see something different in those that do. 

It is so important that all of us remember that no matter what we say, do, or even believe in this life, if we never learn to love we have nothing. The love of Christ is a lot harder to understand than the world today gives us time to learn. His kind of love is far greater than a hug and a kiss... That's why Jesus went as far as he could to show his love for us. We will never be perfect in this life, but we can sure as heck try! Let our love look like him and what he is made of :)

1 JOHN 4:8

Yesterday we went to a part-member family home. The wife is a active member of the church and her new husband is not a member... and not even very close hahaha. While we were having dinner, laughing, and enjoying each other's company, the husband stopped us for a min and said, "You water buffalo are funny." When he said that I was so confused!!! I had no idea what he meant by "water buffalo," so I asked him. 

Water buffalo take care of each other!

He proceeded to show us this video of a baby water buffalo getting attacked by a lion... just when you think the baby is about to die, a herd of older water buffalo start pushing the lion away, help the baby up and run away with the baby side by side. He then said, "Even though I am not a Mormon, through my experience with Mormons  (and) because of my wife, I have seen that ya'll really do take care of your own and you are always there to help." At that moment I could not have been more proud :)

HECK, YES, WE ARE WATER BUFFALO!!! and DANG PROUD OF IT! The members of our church are united, loving and always there when you need them :) ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,
 ELDER BALCH!

Hey, hey, hey! Melting in the heat!!!!

Elder Morris, Elder Wilcox, me (Elder Balch) and Sister Rollins at the temple.

Hey hey hey!!!

 this week was pretty crazy... CRAZY HOT!!! oh my lanta Elder Morris and I were fixin to melt on the street... It also didnt help that both my bike tires got slashed and we had to walk... some people are so rude... hahaha

We are teaching a good amount of people right now like 7 or 8 plus their families which is really awesome! there are not a lot of members in the area so we have to tracted a lot to find people to teach and in Guthrie, Oklahoma, you never really know what your are going to get... One house could be a sweet old lady and next door could be a straight-up G ahhahahh Its cool though keeps us on our toes ;) (dont worry mom no scary stories this week)

Funny story:

we were teaching one investigator named rebbeca and in the middle of the lesson she sprung up and ran to the other room... a little confused we got up slowly and looked to see what was going on. She then explained that she needed to have her bunny rabbits mate... and so for the next hour we taught a lesson with 2 bunnys doing the "circle of life" right in front of us.. hahaha

Spiritual Story:

 We knocked on a house that we both felt pretty good about and an old lady (but young at heart) came out she right away proceeded to share with us her life and how crazy things are for her. We then asked her if we could say a prayer with her. I said the prayer and by the end I could feel the tears of this women falling on my rist as we held hands. She told me that the prayer was too nice and that I seem to see something her that she can see in herself. As a missionary our goal is to see what heavenly father sees and what I saw was a lost daughter of god who needed to be reminded how special she really is :)

I LOVE YALL SO MUCH!!!

LAST WEEK A YOUNG WOMEN IN THE WARD TOOK US TO DO SOMETHING I SAID I WOULD NEVER DO...

From left, Tyler Merkley, Elder Morris, me (Elder Balch) and Ashley Merkley ... and Asian  "Ha, ha Tickle" Lady!

ALSO TEMPLE TRIPS!

Back row, from left, Elders Butterfield, Spafford, Wilcox, Rumsey, Guthrie church member Dakoda Rollins, Elders Quijada and Tracy. Front row, from left, me and Elder Balch at the OKC Temple.

From left, Elder Morris and me at the OKC Temple on July 24, 2014.

From left, Tyler Merkely, me (Elder Balch), Ashley and Alyssa Merkley at the OKC Temple!

 Love,
Elder Balch
Email (write me!): Matthew.Balch@myldsmail.net
OR ... 2000 Woodlawn, #H4, Guthrie, OK  73044

Welcome to my mission blog

Elder Balch

I have taken off on my journey, meaning my mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am in Oklahoma, where I have been serving since October 30, 2013.

This is my official mission blog, where I will share photos, spiritual thoughts, funny experiences, scriptural messages and life-changing experiences.

I will do my best to begin posting weekly, according to whether I have Internet access ... or the energy to do it! Follow my blog, comment and share your thoughts with me as I do the Lord's work. (Sister Rollins in the Guthrie Ward will monitor and post for me.)

Love,

Elder Balch

P.S. Email (write me!): Matthew.Balch@myldsmail.net
OR ... Elder Balch, 2000 Woodlawn, #H4, Guthrie, OK  73044