Working Hard

Hey everyone!!

 

So this week we didn't get very much news but we have 4 new dates for baptism this month!!  My companion and I are working so hard!!    So we had one date falloff for this 22nd only because the mom didn't know how old there kid was and she said he was 8 years old but he was born in 2005 so its not possible that he is 8 years old.  But yesterday my companion and I set a date for the 26th for a family to be baptized, so I am excited for that date!!!

 

I'm so grateful for my dad teaching me to work hard even though I never tried it out in my entire life, but because he taught me I knew what hard work was.  But you all knew I couldn't try working, because my favorite hobby is being lazy.  Unfortunately I have had to sacrifice that hobby  for these 2 years, but don't worry guys when I get home I'll pick up my hobbies again and be lazy!! hahaha but thanks dad for teaching me the knowledge of hard work and now I am actually applying it in my life and yup I have started to be actually able to tolerate work.  Only tolerate it though.  I am not going to say I like to work,  just can tolerate it now.  So don't worry mom when I get home in a year and half I'll be sleeping on that couch tell 4 in the afternoon just like good old times!! 

 

Hey Ry guy and Jacob thanks so much for your example to me to come and serve a mission.  I can't even image how hard that had too of been for Ryan to be the first in the family to serve a mission.  I don't think I could of done that, actually probably wouldn't of done that to be honest.  But because of your example and faith to put the tag on I learned a lot from you. and Jacob thanks for your example to do the same thing and learn a language and live in a place that doesn't have all the same blessings we have.  I never realized how blessed and lucky I was to be born in the states!!   Man like carpet!!  Who would of thought I would dream about carpet!! and putting my bare feet in it every night and day!! well some times in the day.

 

So the other day proselyting (knocking doors)  this guy thought we were CIA and was like take out your bible so I took it out and oh boy was he scared he was sweating and everything.  I know this is kinda mean but I couldn't stop laughing because people think I am CIA, little old me!! hahaha so funny!!!

 

So the other day a baby was crying, she was like 2 years old and the mom told me to get her and oh my gosh she was 120 lbs the same as me, oh man I could not even pick her up I was like trying so hard man I almost just fainted!!!

 

Elder McKenna

Happy!

Hey Everyone!!!

So I am pretty much having the time of my life!!!  I  talked to my companion about everything.  I shared with him my goals and talked about how I can't complete them without his help and talked to him about how I know that if we are really obedient we will have more success.  I just decided to be myself again.  When I wake up, I just tell myself today is going to be a great day!! And now I am my happy self all the time again!!  I have never been happier, this last week has been amazing just everything makes me happy!!  My companion came to me the other night and said  I don't want to be a regular missionary anymore, I want to be the missionary that I used to think missionaries were angels, can you help me!!  Man I love my companion, we are having so much fun, but working so hard!!  This last week we had 30 lessons with members and this week we're shooting for 60!!  We really have got our ward working hard and my companion is super chill, and now we are talking non-stop, joking around, goofing off, but of course we play hard and work hard!!  Yesterday my companion helped me be obedient!!  Because as you all know, I love sugar!!!  Apperently the coke here is made with real sugar cane so when the member offered me some I said yes, but then my companion said no not today!!  Saved me from that crave I have for sugar all the time!!!

So on a cooler side my converts of last week bought me 3 live ducks!!  I am going to kill them and cook them this christmas with there help!! super cool!! Except I kinda don't want to kill them, there cute and it's not true what people say about ducks not being friendly!!  Its a lie they are so friendly and fun to play with!!

Okay I need you guys to pray for family Hernandez still, we are going to baptize 3 of them on the 30th but the parents can't be baptized until Carlos wants to get married and its super sad because the kids and the mom pray every night for him to want to get baptized.  I'm also baptizing a family Dec. 30th too!

Supposedly I am going to be made district leader and training  this next change but as of right now its just rumors and the zone leaders suggested that for me. But honestly I don't want any of that!!! I just want to be minor comp my whole mission, I mean jr. its nice!  I get to work hard and don't have to worry about others! perfect!!  I especially don't want to train, especially if it's a gringo not knowing spanish because I myself don't know spanish well enough.

I hope I get to go to Belize and learn creole though that would be legit!!  But I have a feeling I will have the opportunity eventually, because even before I got my call I always felt I was going to serve in 2 countries!! But it turns out part of Guatemala is in my mission also, so we have 3 countries and 2 islands in my mission.  I want to get sent to San Pedro, the island super cool
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Well see ya guys, I am going to go play volley ball.

Loving the Mission

Hey Family & Friends,

So I have a question how come lots happened in the world after I left it? All the good movies are coming out, Soccer:  Messi has more goals then Pale now, Christiano Ronaldo had 2 hat tricks, American womens tean won the gold medal and The Giants won the world Series.   I'm darn good at soccer and speak the romantic language but no girls to impress!! Even my mission got ten times better except peanut butter that is not better that is super expensive here!! Oh one more bad thing I had to take more money out because I had to work with eveyrone in the district and while I was gone my companion was I guess on the phone for long times in the night and the bill was $155 so I had to pay it, because he has no money, so I payed all my mission money for the month that I had left and had to pay some of my personal money.  I'm sorry mom and dad about that, I should be reimbursed in December!

 

So the hardest thing still for the whole mission is not having candy, especially mike and ikes and red vines.  Can you guys believe I have not had candy for like 4 months!!! Man it sucks, I used to not be able to go a minute with out some delicious mike and ike's in my mouth!!!  But honestly you all know me how I always was the goof ball, so every one liked me and I  was just super friendly with people.  Well, candy is now not the hardest thing for me in the mission, it's knowing I am living with people for 2 years that absoluletly hate me!!  Only because I won't do the disobenient things they want to do.  They are not really bad things, but we commited to the lord not to watch any movies or do any of that for 2 years so I am trying to do my best and yes I am hated for it.  But  just like the scriptures say, " love casteth out all fear" so that gets me through it. But I can see how some disobidience affects the whole mission. Even when other missionaries are disobident in other areas, my members and stuff talk to me about it!!  So it's more than a little frustarting.  So we had a couple baptisms drop, I'm super sad about that.  But we have some baptisms tomorrow, so that will be good!!  This december were having a christmas recording of baptisms for the 22nd or something like that.  Changes is the 5th of december I am going to get a new companion. I have been really praying for an obident companion wanting to work hard,  because I have a lot of goals I want to accomplish, but its hard to accomplish if I have a  lazy companion.

But I am working hard and loving my  mission.  Oh and Elder Van Camp (Chris) my soccer buddy from American Fork is now in my zone.  Remember him Jacob and dad!

So while I have been out here I have remembred that god works though people and revelation works though people!! I remember when I was in seventh grade and i just remember sitting down stairs thinking and remembering mom and dad always telling us to pray if this gospel is true! So one night I decided to pray and I got a feeling to go look in my scriptures and as I went to my scriptures on the front cover there was my mom´s testimony taped to it. I don't know when my mom taped that there or when she got the feeling to put her testimony there. But because god knows all of us and we are his children he gave my mom the feeling to do that!!  Now I don't know if my mom thought at the time that was the spirit telling her to do that or not but i know that was revelation from god for my mom to put that there because god knew I was going to pray and ask. So for this email I am here to tell you guys to stop worrying and just focus on being our selves and doing what's right.   God is going to use us and put us in the path of his children because god knows each and everyone of us more then we do! So like Nephi if you just go and do and be your self and be a good person your going to be guided by our father in heaven to do what's right! That right there is revelation! We might not see it as revelation because we might think I just did that to be nice but god knew you were going to do that and that's why he put that person in your path.  So just remember be like Nephi and go and do and focus on whats right and the lord will bless and magnify you!!!

On another note!!!  So you all know I like change and P-days are supposed to be fun. I feel like I do the same thing every p-day.  I have to write home and do stuff and now its starting not to be fun. So is it okay if I don't have to write every week? I mean I'll call on christmas and when not writing home is not fun no more I'll start writing again maybe we can compromise one month I write next I don't, what do you guys think?

 

Love all you guys!  Elder McKenna