Quick Update

Dear Familia,

I literally have NO time...but I just wanted to tell you I'm alive and well. We're working with Marcos (brother of Paula) and he has a baptismal date for the 12th of April. His parents are also ring shopping so that Monica can get baptized. Victor and Graciela didn't make it to the temple, but the fights not over. I have contact with the missionary that baptized them (she's in her house right now) and we're making a plan for them so that they can go in June. Our friend Millaray is going to get baptized on Easter....I'll tell you more about her crazy story next week. Hna. Moreno left to serve in the south. I'm with Hna. Mariscal from New J. but she was born in Ecuador and speaks English and Spanish perfectly...she's a gift from the Gods! Another day I'll tell you her crazy story. I'm now an STL (Sister Training Leader) and President changed Tierras Blancas to the new STL sector. I head to Viña this week for a meeting and there I'll get you packages. 

I love you! There's a package heading your way! 

Please pray for our investigators so they can progress to bautismo. 

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

P.S. Tell Maggie her hair looks so dang cute! I love it!

Photos: 

P-Day-La Cruz

A week without water and a heater....don't worry, I survived.

The Windows Of Heaven

March 23, 2015

Dear Familia,

During my time here in Chile I've written my weekly letters in some pretty sketchy internet places, but I think this one tops them all. It's SO SLOW and there is no way to send photos, lo siento. However, patience is a beautiful attribute of Christ that I can never have enough of...ha, so in the end this shady little computer shack is a blessing in my life! 

The activity with Marcos and the YM was a slam dunk! At the end of the activity, one the of YM walked home with Marcos and when Marcos got home he told his mom, Monica, that he wants to be baptized! WAHOOOOO! The problem is that he's a teenage boy and he's NEVER in the house...ha, I guess this is where patience comes into play....patience and diligence. Also, this past Saturday we had a lesson with Monica, Franklin, and Paula about the temple with one of the Hermanas from the Relief Society (Hna. Veronica). We talked about the familia eterna and at the end of the lesson we asked Franklin and Monica about their feelings of getting married and being an eternal family! Monica said that she has always wanted to be married and that she knows she has to be married to obey God's commandments and be baptized (all of this was said while she was crying), and Franklin said that he doesn't see how a paper makes any difference, but if Monica wants to be baptized that bad he's not opposed to marriage! Oh how amazing is the Spirit and this amazing message! It literally changes lives! Please, oh please keep them in your prayers, and with the faith sufficiente we should be hearing wedding bells soon! Tonight we're going to the Bishop's house to have a FHE with Paula and her family and the Bishop's family. Our ward literally is SOOOO great! 

Victor and Graciela are still working towards the temple. The ward leaves this Friday and they still don't know if they're going to be able to go. We're passing by their house every day, but please keep them in your prayers. Satan is working SO hard! 

Spiritual Thought:

3 Nephi 24:10 

“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

As a mission we've been challenged to talk about tithing in every lunch with the members because this is the biggest obstacle for the members to have a temple recommend. Before, I always thought of tithing as just another commandment, but now it's my absolute favorite!!! This week as I shared this scripture with Hna. Veronica (the sister that was in the lesson with Monica and Franklin) we were talking about temples and all the amazing experiences she's had in the temple (her husband passed away 20 years ago and wasn't a member). While I shared this scripture with her I realized that when the Lord says he will open the windows of Heaven he's talking about the temples. That through tithing we can build these wonderful houses of the Lord, but most importantly if we are full tithe payers we can enter the house of the Lord and receive AMAZING blessings! 

I know that the blessing of tithing are real and that by obeying this commandment we can be with our families forever! Our Heavenly Father is SO amazing!  

Fun Facts:

I lift water bottles for my weights in the morning...yes, I know how ghetto that is.

When it rains here there isn't really a fresh clean smell...more of a wet dog scent.

We have transfers this week and I'm terrified they're going to kick me out of the Promised Land!

I got the package this week!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!  Hna. Moreno loves all her goodies and is convinced that the life savers have some sort of drug because she says that when she has one she feels like she has to have another, and another! 

We used some life savers to teach a recent convert (15 years old) about how the atonement saves our eternal lives...pretty creative if you ask me :) 

Love, Hermana McKenna

Paulita was Baptized

March 16, 2015

Hola Familia, Amigos, y Conocidos! 

This week was fantastic, and to top it all off Paulita was baptized on Sunday!!!!! Thank you so much for your sweet prayers for her and her family. Her baptism was so sweet and special. At the beginning Paula and her family gave us a bit of a fright (quote from Parent Trap) because Monica told us they were going to arrive at 9:30 at the church so that I could do a French braid in Paula's hair (they really like the French braids here in Chile) before her baptism. Well, 9:30 came and went and still no Paula. 10:00 came and we started the sacrament service...and still no Paula! All during the sacrament I was praying that she would arrive with her family. Because God is a loving Heavenly Father that hears and answers our prayers, our sweet Paula arrived with her family! They stayed for all 3 hours and loved the baptismal service. The Primary performed a lovely musical number of Cuando me Bautice (When I am Baptized), and the speakers were great! The entire Primary Presidency was there to welcome her to the Primary, which NEVER happens here in Chile, and our sweet Monica was crying the entire time during her baptismal service. 

We've talked with Monica and Paula about the temple, but this Saturday we're going to have a lesson with the entire family on temples! Also, this Tuesday we're going to have an actividad with all the young men and Marcos so that he can get to know the young men! They all promised to come because Hna. Moreno and I promised to bring brownies. Yes, the key to having a successful turnout at the activities is to make brownies! 

I love you all and am sooooo greatful for these 18 months to serve the Lord and help his precious children return home to him! Thank you for your love and prayers! 

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

Fun Facts: 

Hna. Moreno LOVES the singer M&M (I don't know how to spell his weird name), but she even had a backpack of him before the mission.

Monica wanted to check Paula out of class one day so that she could have a lesson with us...Ha, a little drastic, but hey, at least we know our lessons are important to her!

In one of our lessons with a contact, the daughter was trying to take a sneaky picture of me but accidently took it with the flash. La pobresita was all red in the face and ran to her room. We got her to come out with a few stickers that you sent me, and once she was out of her room we had a good photo shoot and took a couple selfies. 

One of the members called me during the day to talk with one of her clients. The member cuts hair and there was a sweet older lady from the United States that didn't speak a lick of Spanish and was quite frustrated. The member had me talk to the lady to try and figure out if she wanted a perm or if she just wanted the member to curl her hair. Ha, what a blessing it is to speak 2 languages and help solve world crises like this! Just so you know the lady wanted a perm :) 

Pictures: 

The fam-bam of Paula! 

In the end we ended up having time to do a fabulous hairdo! With lovely French braids :) 

"¿Crees en los milagros?"

Dear Familia,

Well, my dear friends, this week has been a week of miracles. First, we have our lovely Monica, Paula, Marcos (Paula's 14 year old brother) and Franklin. Hna. Moreno and I had a good long conversation with Monica and Franklin on what it means to be baptized and how important the convanent is that their daughter is making. We talked a lot, and at the end of the conversation they were both willing to support Paula with her decision to be baptized this upcoming Sunday and want us to start teaching their son Marcos about the church. They also had an interview with the bishop and when we taught the Word of Wisdom they told us that they are going to start living this mandamiento in their house to help Paulita.  And to top it off, this past Sunday Monica and Franklin attended church with Paula for the 1st time!!! Wahoooo! Please keep praying for this family that they can become an eternal family and that God can keep showering down these miracles! 

And speaking of eternal families, we've been teaching the Familia Fuentes (recent converts) how they can best prepare to be sealed for time and all eternity. The husband, Victor, was baptized a year ago and his wife, Graciela, was baptized 2 years ago and yesterday was their 1 year anniversary! Yes, my friends, they got married so that Victor could be baptized (THERE'S HOPE FOR MONICA Y FRANKLIN). A year ago they made the plan to be sealed in March of 2015 and the ward is going on a temple trip the last week in March. However, they have had a lot of financial problems and problems in their marriage (Victor works shifts in the mine and has to spend a lot of time away from the house) and told the Bishop that they couldn't do it and that they wanted to postpone the date. We passed by to visit them and we had a super powerful lesson on temples. We talked about how in the history of the church the saints have always had to sacrifice to receive the blessings of the temple. By the end of the lesson Victor was crying. We challenged them to pray and pick a date that they could work towards as a couple to be sealed for time and all eternity. Victor looked up at me and said, "¿Crees en los milagros?", "¡Sí!" le dije (Do you believe in miracles?  Yes, I told him), He then said, "So do I, we're going to be sealed the end of this month." His wife started crying, and he told us that he doesn't know how their going to do it, but that he knows that God is a God of Miracles and that he needs to just close his eyes and trust God. I honestly can't express how powerful the Spirit was and how much I learned from them in just that short lesson. 

I want to share my testimony that I know God is a God of Miracles. I have been so blessed to see miracles everyday in the mission. Big or small, simple and silly or great and powerful we witness miracles everyday!  Please keep these sweet families in your prayers! 

XOXO-Hna. McKenna 

Fun Facts:

About 40% of the houses we contact still have their Christmas lights up...yes this is a very lazy country.

I'm going to get my haircut today...stay posted for the pictures next week! 

The people like to put signs in their windows and sell whatever they're cooking that day...churrasco, empanadas, etc...Well yesterday Hna. Moreno and I looked like a couple of dogs sniffing around trying to find the source a wonderfully haunting aroma coming from one of the houses. 

Graciela is in love with the St. George temple because it's so white and I told her that she and her family are always welcome to visit our house and visit the temples of Utah. 

The famous Paula with her brother Marcos!!!! We haven't really taught Maros but he's a faithful student in the engish class I teach in the church every Friday. I seriously LOVE the kids of Chile! 

 Some signs in Chile that I thought you guys might enjoy, and a sweet less active member that reminds me a ton of Aunt Marlene, her name is Rosa but everyone calls her La Rosita. This is a tiny corner of the garden that she's in love with! 

More photos in the country! My area really looks nothing like this...

Chile Country Style! 

this is the house of a member that lives about 30 minutes from the city. We had lunch with them after church and enjoyed fresh watermelon, and watermelon, and more watermelon...needless to say Hna. Moreno and I spent most of the afternoon having to use the restroom, but the watermelon was SOOOOOOOO good! 

Victor and Graciela

So Are You REALLY Married?

March 2, 2015

Dear Familia,

As you know we've been working with Monica and Paula. This past week we took them on a tour of the church to help Monica feel more comfortable on Sunday, and show her the baptismal font (Paula has attended church the past 4 Sundays, but this Sunday was going to be Monica's first time.) Well, my dear friends and family, while we were showing them the baptismal font our sweet friend Paula told us of how she had been praying and every time she prayed she felt really "warm and peaceful." She said she felt like that was God telling her that this is what He wants her to do and that she should be baptized on the 15th with her mom! Hna. Moreno and I were so happy for them! It really is so hard to explain the feeling of when someone tells you they want to follow Jesus Christ and be baptized. I think Alma describes it best in Alma 29:10. However, because there is opposition in all things Monica dropped the bomb on us this week and told us that she isn't married to Franklin (the man she currently lives with and calls her "husband" and "spouse" ...you can see how there could be a bit of confusion there) NOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! She started crying when we told her that she can't be baptized while living with a man that she is not married to, and by the end of the lesson on the Law of Chastity, Hna. Moreno and I were crying too. This seriously is the curse of Chile! We are currently fighting the marriage fight and hoping and praying that Franklin's heart will be softened and he can understand the blessings and importance of marriage. I seriously don't understand Chileans...NADIE quiere casarse! Please pray for Franklin and Monica. 

Our other family, la familia de Fernandez Castillo (we know for SURE that they are married, we've seen the photos and everything) is doing great! We had another NDH with them and there son Jesjuan reminds me a ton of Andrew Brindley! He's 15 and loves to cook! I about eat myself sick with all the food they give us! There is a bright future for Jesjuan and his mom Joseline! We are planning to invite them this week to be baptized. Keep them in your prayers! 

I love you all! I love the mission! I love my ward! I love that families can be eternal! 

Fun Facts:

Argentinas like to drink warm milk and put hot milk over there cereal...yuck! 

All the members think that Utah is 100 percent Mormon...I mean there's a lot of us, but I do know people that aren't members.

I'm currently listening to "Material Girl" while writing this letter in the shady computer place.

Pictures:

Ward party with SO MUCH CHICKEN!

The NDH with SO MUCH FOOD!