Because You Can

Dear Familia,

This week they kicked me out of the nest and at the same time gave me a little bird of my own to take care of. Yes, this week I finished my 12 week training on Monday, and Wednesday during transfers, they gave me a newbie to take care of and train! WHAT!!! And I don't exactly know how the biology worked out, but my child is Brazilian! Her name is Hna. Prates and she knows a little bit of Spanish, and about 10 words in English....this has been a bit of a challenge in more ways than one. We manage pretty well in the pensión with our Spanish and sign language, and the members/less actives are really helpful and understanding, but it's been a real challenge with our investigadores. I've been really trying to do all I can to have a member with us in every lesson with our investigadores and that has helped a lot. Also, Sofia, the girl that I´ve sent a couple photos of, has been a huge help with accompanying us to our lessons.

Something else that's been a bit of a challenge is that Hna. Prates hasn't exactly developed a work ethic and has a boyfriend that told her she needed to serve a misión if they were to get married. During our companionship study I've really been trying to help her develop a desire to study the scriptures, and realize we will be blessed through obedience. Something I've noticed with all my different companions is we all come out on the misión for different reasons, but what´s important is the reason we stay out on the misión.

I don't know if Dad remembers, but when he gave me a blessing right before I left for the MTC, he said that there would be a time when the only person I'd be converting would be my companion. This might be that time. When I first learned I'd be training a brand new missionary that couldn't communicate clearly with me, or anyone else here, I was terrified and asked my Father in Heaven why he had chosen me to train her...I can barely communicate with the people, and I have only 3 months in the misión field....but immediately I felt His love and support telling me "Porque tú puedes." (Because you can.)

Sometimes God gives us trials and we don't understand why, but He does. He knows what we can become and has a bigger plan for us than we have for ourselves. Now is the time to exercise my faith in my Savior and follow the example of Nephi, "I will go and do what the Lord has commanded me, for I know that the Lord will never give a commandment unto the children of men, save he shall first prepare a way that they may accomplish what he has commanded." I know that with the help of my Lord and Savior I can accomplish the work he has called Hna. Prates and me to accomplish here in Levarte C.

I love you all so much, and hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving! Eat a turkey leg for me!

Please remember Hna. Prates and me in your prayers, and please pray that we will be able to have the gift of tongues and that our investigadores can progress, especially Andreas, Luis, Javiera, and Valeria.

XOXO-Hna. McKenna 

Fun Facts:

Bowen Call is one of my Zone leaders!

Here salsa is anything you put on anything! Chocolate sauce, Alfredo sauce, syrup, etc....it's all called salsa!

I can understand Portuguese when my companion speaks slow!!! WAHOOO! I know three languages! Four if you count sign language, which I'm now pretty stinking good at!

Things I'm teaching my “daughter”...

-How to make her bed.

-How to tell time with a watch.

-That we shouldn't wash our shoes in the sink…

Scripture of the week: D&C 123:17

Fasting Really Does Work

Dear Familia,

Wowza! This week has gone by sooooo fast! Ha this transfer has gone by sooooo fast! But this week was phenomenal (no idea how to spell that) and I was able to see the hand of the Lord work mighty miracles! This week we did a fast as an entire misión! We started Saturday and ended Sunday after sacrament meeting, and I'm here to tell you, the power of the fast is real! This week Javiera accepted a baptismal date for the 7 of December!!!!  Hugo offered his first prayer EVER in his life and now believes that God exists! (Hugo is a mix of Joseph Smith and King Lamoni! He's fantastic and has a real desire to know more! I love it!). Raul told us that he will never change and doesn't want to continue to listen to the lessons, but his grandson Luis assisted the sacramental meeting!!! Wahoooo! He LOVES the Gospel Principles class and has about a billion questions, but the best part is that the góspel has a billion answers!

Also, I am once again in a trio! However, this time I'm the one receiving the newbie! Her name is Hna. Ango and she only has 1 month in the misión. She's from Ecuador and is about 4 foot nothing! She'll be with us for three days until transfers and she receives a new companion. Hna. Cabral and I rolled out the red carpet and went on a two day hunt for a bed for her! Ha but don't worry, a menos activo that lives close to us had a mattress that she could use and she will sleep well.

I love the misión! I love my Savior! I love my family!

I hope all is well in the good old USA!

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

Fun Facts:

I LOVE tomatoes! They eat tomatoes with salt with literally EVERY meal and I LOVE it! I never thought I would have a love affair with tomatoes...but I do! SO GOOD!

So the church doesn't have a piano and they always have someone give the tune before they sing a hymn. Guess who they always ask to give the tune...that's right, yours truly! Ha it's the funniest thing in the world, because heaven knows I can't carry a tune to save my live, but here I am, giving the tune for the entire sacrament meeting!

The Chile vs. Venezuela game was this week and everyone thought we were crazy for being outside knocking doors! DIDN'T WE KNOW THERE WAS A GAME GOING ON!  Yes, as a matter of fact we did know, however, we have something that's more important than soccer, believe it or not!

Also, shout out to my brothers who are stinking cute and both sporting braces! Wowzers you guys are old!

Love,

Hermana McKenna

**Advice given to Meghan's Brother and can be something we can all think about. 

Dear Jackson,

How are things going up at the High School? It can get pretty crazy up there and I'm not going to lie, I got lost a couple of times. Not "lost" as in lost in the hallways, but "lost" as in I would forget who I really am. I would get caught up in all the craziness and wanting to be the coolest cat in town type of thing. The more I focused on social media, "my followers", who I was spending the weekends with, what people thought of me, and how many people knew who I was, the less happy I became.

I encourage you, Jack, to forget all that craziness and focus on what YOU like to do. It doesn't matter who else likes it, or what people think of it. Do what makes you happy, and what you know is right. And the thing that's going to make you the happiest is strengthening your relationship with Mom, Dad, Carrson, and most importantly, your Savior. I promise you that this time is going to go by SO fast! And before you know it, this time will be over, and you'll be in some random country in the world serving a misión! Take advantage of the time you have right now to strengthen those relationships, because more than anything, I wish I had done that when I was in High School!

I love you Bud! Keep on rocking it!

XOXO - Hermana McKenna

Every Member a Missionary

Dear Familia,

We made little missionary nametags for all the members of the branch for our branch missionary activity and had a little CCM! Hna. Cabral and I taught a class on how we can share the scriptures like a sandwich, (intro. scripture, apply it...pan, meat, pan), and we made a video with the testimonies of some of the members and all the missionaries! It turned out really good, and we had an awesome turn out! It's great to see the progress of the members and their enthusiasm to join in the work! EVERY MEMBER A MISSIONARY!!!!

Fun Facts:

1.  Right now in this shady computer place I'm listening to good old Britney Spears "Lucky" Haha it takes me back to when she was my idol...ha, needless to say, my perspective has changed a little, but I can still appreciate a classic song like "Lucky".

2.  There's a guy that lives next to the familia Olivares (we have lunch with them every Friday) and he likes to tell me he's a different celebrity every week. This week he was Bond, James Bond, and the past week he was Martin Luther King.

3.  The street in front of our apartment flooded and the street was filled with sewer water! Many prayers were said every time a micro passed by, and thankfully we were never sprayed with the nasty sewage! The college students walking behind us weren't as lucky.

Carrson’s new haircut and bleach job is awesome!  Hahahaha he looks like all the soccer players here in Chile! Seriously! Every kid that plays soccer here looks like that! Funny how the language of "cool soccer player" is the same throughout the world!

I'm so happy to hear that Britton is a fighter on and off the field. But knowing that he's a Shipp, it doesn't surprise me at all that he's not going to throw in the towel without a fight!

This past week I spent a lot of my personal study time reading about the amazing gift of the Atonement and the wonderful Plan of Happiness that we have the opportunity to know about. No matter what our trials might be, big or small, we can find comfort in the assurance that the Savior understands our trials perfectly. He understands exactly what the Shipp family is going through, and also all the emotions of everyone it has affected, including everybody in the community, and especially Cassidy. As part of his infinite Atonement, He took upon Himself "the pains and the sicknesses of his people." He took upon Himself "their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." Because He has experienced your pain, he knows how to help you. If you look to Him in faith, He will strengthen you to withstand any trial you experience. I know Jesus Christ lives, and knows you personally. I love the scripture in 1 Peter 5:7 that says, "You can cast all your care upon him, for he careth for you." I know this scripture is true. I know Jesus Christ cares for you individually and because of his love for you, he was willing to suffer ALL your pain and heartache in order to help you through this life.

I'm so grateful for my Savior, and I'm so grateful for the chance to share this amazing knowledge with the people of Chile. Let the Shipp family know that they are in my thoughts and prayers, and that I'm so grateful for their example of strength during this trial.

XOXO-Hermana McKenna

Making a Branch a Ward

Dear Familia,

Ok, I don't have a ton of time to right this week because Hna. Cabral and I are helping with a missionary activity in the branch this week and we have to use some of our internet time to make missionary badges for the members. We are working really hard to help our branch become a Ward and have the members get more involved in missionary work. So instead of writing 1,000 words for you to read and ponder over, I'm just going to send a bunch of pictures!

Love you tons!

XOXO- Hna McKenna

Fun Facts:

The Dog Dazzer almost got Hna. Cabral killed! We were walking and there was a dog on top of some box-thing and I tried to daze it so we could walk past. The dazer worked up until we were right next to the box and then the dog got some burst of courage and tried to attack Hna. Cabral’s head!!!

We past by to visit a member and her non-member friend (both are in college) and they were making a video for their cooking class. I got to be in the video and demonstrate how to eat a crepe! Hopefully that will help open a couple more doors when we're contacting by the college.

Answers to questions:

Yes, there are fleas here...no, there is nothing to do about it but smile and avoid dogs.

Yes, there are times when it's hard to clearly comunícate with Hna. Cabral, but she's FANTASTICALLY patient with me and always willing to help. We get along really well and I'm SOOO blessed to have her as a companion.

English Update:

After our dog experience, Hna. Cabral likes to say "Off with your head!" whenever we pass by crazy dogs

I've also taught her to say, "I ain't about that life." and "sketchy". After our time together she's going to be fluent in young adult English!

Love you lots!

Hermana McKenna

Photo Comments:

Enjoying Halloween and Hna. Cabral’s 4 month mark in the misión!

Me with our SUPER sketchy oven...there was at least 15 seconds where I thought we might blow up the house!

With the daughter of a recent convert.

With Claudio and Gonzalo. They're dad is a menos activo that we're working with and the family LOVES soccer! They remind me a lot of Jack and Carr-man.

With Javiera and the Plan of Salvation!

Me with Patricio (the man that has a heart of gold and a baptism date), Franko, y Byron

When I was in intercambios this week with Hna. Hansen. We made an "American pumpkin" for Clases de Ingles!

Raul and his funky door!

Interesting menu choices.....

Me with my ***