Baptism is the First Step

January 26, 2015

Dear Familia,

This week was fantastic!!!! The misión is fantastic!!!!!!!

This week we were able to see Fernanda enter the waters of baptism and start an amazing new life! Because her mom isn't a member, I was blessed to be the one to help her get all ready for her baptism. I got to watch her be baptized from the side of the baptismal font and see her sweet smile when she came out of the water clean as can be! I had the towel all ready for her and it was such a sweet and tender moment when she came out of the font and we embraced. She's been wanting this for so long and the expression on her face was priceless!

Also, this week we were blessed to have Patricio, our friend that was baptized in December, pass us the sacrament. He's such an amazing man, and it's such a blessing to see him progressing in the Góspel. AH I love missionary work! It literally is the most rewarding thing I have ever done!

Fun Facts:

The Chileans love to eat things with mayonesa...don't ask me why, but they eat it with everything! Salad, pasta, chips...everything! And after the baptism they had a bunch of food to eat, and of course, they had mayonesa, and luckily kétchup. Yes, you can bet your bottom dollar I introduced everyone to fry sauce and changed their world!

Also, whenever they take pictures they always say whisky (it's their versión of cheese). So when we took all the baptismal photos everyone was saying whisky, ha, it was pretty funny.

I love you all! Take care!

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

Baptism and service! 

We're building a house from ground zero! 

More service and me and mis niños.

Hna. Prates took the photo of Patricio and his neighbor Byron (cutest 3 year-old in Chile) when we were on our way to teach Patricio about the Priestood. I LOVE it!

The birthday party of Luis...everything was soccer and I'll have you know that I showed up everyone with my juggling skills in my skirt and church shoes!

"We Are The Champions"

January 19, 2014

Dear Familia,

This week was fantastic! Fernanda passed her baptismal interview and is going to be baptized this Sunday! I am sooooo happy for her, this has been something she's been fighting for, for such a long time. I have loved teaching her and helping her understand how much her Heavenly Father loves her and how he has provided an amazing plan for her to return and live with him again. Teaching Fernanda has helped me realize how much I love teaching kids and has helped open my eyes to the possibility of being an elementary school teacher, like my dear grandmother and sister, when I'm back in the good old U.S.A.

Also this week, I had the lovely opportunity to learn a profound life lesson from Patricio (Recent Convert). Hna. Prates and I were in a lesson with him and one of his neighbors passed by to talk with Patricio. You could tell that the neighbor had lived a really hard and fast life. The neighbor asked Patricio for food and money because he hadn't eaten for more than 3 days. Patricio willingly gave him the money and food without asking questions. In my mind I was pretty upset at the neighbor for asking Patricio for food and money when Patricio hardly has anything to give. I was also pretty upset with Patricio for giving him the food and money. And boy was I humbled fast! When the neighbor left Patricio started to cry, and told us about the life and history of his neighbor and everything that has happened to him. He told us about how blessed he is to have food in his house and how he is so thankful to the Lord for all that he has. I started to cry with him. We are so blessed....so blessed.

Scripture of the week: Mosiah 4:16-19

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

 17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

 18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

Patricio might not know all the doctrine of the Góspel, but he knows how to live it, and in the end that's all that really matters. I'm so grateful for the chance to learn from him.

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

Fun Facts:

I ate cow stomach this week! Yummy!

Hna. Prates likes to sing "We are the Champions" after we climb the stairs or hills.

Hna. Prates is fascinated with Area 51 in the United States and is convinced that there are aliens in the US.

Getting ready for Fernanda's baptism!

Buddy System Works for so Many Things

Dear Familia,

Well folks I have officially finished 1/3 of my misión here in Chile! I honestly can't believe how fast the time is FLYING by!!!! In a lot of ways it scares me that I already have 6 months in the misión! It makes me reflect on what I've done with these six months...what have I accomplished...where am I with my goals and my personal growth...how have I helped those who I'm serving!? It's a good misión marker to help me think on how I can better use these next 12 months to their máximum potential!

Hna. Prates and I have been working hard, and this week we were able to see the fruits of our labors! We are teaching a little 11-year-old named Fernanda and boy, is she a cutie! But she is more than just a cutie...she's a fighter. Fernanda is the granddaughter of Hna. Celeste (one of my good friends from the branch and a strong faithful member). Hna. Celeste's husband is less active, and the dad of Fernanda is also a less active member/alcoholic. The mom of Fernanda is Católica and wants Fernanda to be baptized in the Catholic church. However, because of the example of her Abuelita, and her aunts and uncles that are members, Fernanda told her mom that if she's going to be baptized, it's going to be in the Mormon church! At first her mom was pretty upset about the whole thing, but we've been working with the family and her mom has accepted the idea of her being baptized in the Mormon church, and she's also allowed us to start teaching her the lessons. Fernanda is the first young person that I've taught in the misión and it's sooooooo fun! She's so smart and gets so excited about the góspel. She's started Reading the Book of Mormon with her grandma and this past Sunday she attended Sacrament Meeting. It's been such a blessing and milagro to teach Fernanda and also for the chance to help reactivate her family. There's a LOT of work to be done with her dad and abuelo, but already Hna. Prates and I have started to see a change. THE GOSPEL CHANGES LIVES PEOPLE! She has a baptismal date the 25 of January. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

Also, God showered down another blessing on Hna. Prates and me this past Sunday when Valentina attended church! Wahooooo! Valentina also is the grandaughter of a less active member and is 16 years old. She's lived a pretty crazy life and has had a lot of rough experiences, but she knows that the góspel can help her. And more than being baptized, she wants to go to the temple. WHICH IS AWESOME because in reality that's the goal...not baptisim. However, she really struggles to attend church...which is why the heavens sang a glorious chorus when she attended yesterday! But sadly she received a very cold welcome from classmates who are members in our branch. Nobody talked with her and after the first class she left. NOOOOOOO!!!!!! People, I'm here to tell you that having a friend in the church makes ALL the difference with investigators! Please, Please, be a true friend and help the investigators feel comfortable in the church, and invite your friends to attend church with you, to sit with you, to go to classes with you! It makes a world of difference in their progress as investigators, but also it's what helps keep them active in the church after their baptisim!

But long short story...God is great, miracles are real, and members make all the difference.

Scripture: This scriptures reminds me of Fernanda, Alma 57:27 "Now this was the faith of those of whom I have spoken, they are young and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually." This scripture also rings true for my rocking and studly brothers! 

Fun Facts:

Hna. Prates loves to do Cat's Craddle (hand game with a piece of string). In the night when we finish planning we play Cat's Craddle 

This week, due to the placement of the onions in the fridge and the placement of my milk, I have been drinking onion milk with my cereal all week.....YUM!

Because there are soooo many hills in our area, all the Chileans, ages 7-65, practice soccer by kicking the ball up the hill and waiting for it to roll back down to them. It's a great way to practice! I'm telling you, it's the secret to success with these Chileans!

Love you all!

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

P.S. I love you too, Mom! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I honestly can't express how much I love you and the family! If the misión has taught me anything it's the importance of the family, and having a family that's rooted in the góspel. Thank you so much, Mom, for  providing me with that happiness!

New Year = New Goals

January 5, 2015

Happy New Year!!!!! Wow what a year it is going to be! I am just about to complete 1/3 of my misión and I feel like I'm still a baby in the misión field! I have SOOO much left to learn! I am so excited for the goals I made this year...it's a crazy feeling to know that I am going to spend this entire next year in the service of the Lord! ¡Que bendición! We had cambios this week and the Lord blessed me with another 6 weeks in the Rama Levarte with my beautiful daughter Hna. Prates. Together we're going to finish her 12 week training and conquer the world in the process. We made a lot of big goals for this year and also for this cambio. The biggest of all is that she can stay in the misión and serve a full 18 months. She's been growing leaps and bounds, and I'm so grateful that I've been able to be her companion and grow right alongside her. She just started reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning for the very first time in her life, and I'm here to tell you folks that the Book of Mormon changes lives. I love to listen to her share here experiences with the Book of Mormon and how she wants to be more like Nephi and less like Laman and Lemuel (she had a murmuring and obedience problema the first 6 weeks of her misión). I also have started the Book of Mormon from the beginning and have the goal to read it in Spanish 3 times this year, marking different aspects of the góspel that I want to learn more about. Wish me luck! :)

Our investigators are a Little stagnant right now. This past week we haven't been able to find Luis and he hasn't been going to church the past 3 Sundays. Please keep him in your prayers, that he can continue to have a desire to investigate this góspel and that the desire can grow into a desire to be baptized and enter the temple. We are also teaching another Luis (we will refer to him as Hno. Luis). Hno. Luis has been receiving the lessons for YEARS!!!! All of his family are members but he is a stubborn little bugger. We recently started teaching him and he's been coming to church with his wife. Last night we watched the video of the life of Joseph Smith and the spirit was SO strong.  We invited him to read the promise in Moroni 10:3-5 and pray to know if the Book of Mormon is true and that the Church of Jesús Christ was restored through the profeta José Smith. He said that he would do it. Please pray that he can receive and recognize his answer!

I love you all and am so grateful for your support, prayers, and letters! A scripture that I want to share with you is one that I recently read with Hna. Prates in our study of the Book of Mormon. It's 2 Nephi 5:27 "And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness." I love this scripture because it's so short, but so profound. Everybody wants to have a happy life...EVERYBODY! The only thing that's different is that people are always trying to find happiness in worldly things. There is only one way to have real happiness, lasting happiness, and that's the manner of the Lord. Throughout chapter 5, Nephi talks about how the Nephites lived in the manner of happiness.  Some of the things that he mentions are the importance of avoiding contention, keeping the commandments, temples, and hard work. My invitation for you is to read the chapter and find more ways to truly live after the manner of happiness this new year!

Chi-Chi-Chi Le-Le-Le VIVE CHILE!

XOXO- Hna. McKenna

Fun Facts:

It's not just the Bazilean soccer players that have magic spray that works for any possible ailment. Hna. Prates also has a magical cream that works for any ailment…bruise, headache, burn...doesn't matter. Anytime something hurts we wip out her magical cream and it seams to heal her. I have no idea what it is, but if it helps her feel better you'll get no complaints out of me!

Here in Chile everybody gives a New Years Hug...huh?

I now know how to pray in Portuguese!!! Wahooo for knowing 3 languages!!!!

Patricio received the sacerdocio!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE THE MISSION!!!!!!

Pictures:

We passed New Years Eve with the Familia Olivares and their son Augustin was my New Years Kiss!

Duck Face: it's a universal language.

The Familia Lanas, they’re a less active family that we're helping! And boy are their kids cute!