We Found a Family

Dear Familia,

This week was pretty crazy, but then again I shouldn't really expect anything different...after all, I am a missionary in Chile. 

Monday: We had a good P-day. I walked around all over Coquimbo with Jack's package that got sent back and the Correo Chile wouldn't send it again without making me pay again. They told me to try taking it to another Correo Chile in La Serena that will probably send it for me, so today I am going to try to get that sent. Tell Jack “Feliz Cumpleaños” for me and I want all the fun awkward details of his first date...pictures would be nice :) At 6 o’clock we hit the streets contacting and had an awesome lesson with this abuelita named Rosa. She's super interested and we hope to see her progressing in these next couple of weeks. 

Tuesday: I did intercambios with Hna. Logan, who was a bunk buddy from the CCM. It was really fun to be with her again and we had a good time in her sector. We got to meet with her investigator that had a baptismal date for yesterday...sadly, he wasn't baptized. He has a really hard time with the Law of Chastity and still has a couple of things to work out. The saddest part about all of this is he's only 16 years old. Jack and Carrson, this is a shout out to you guys! Watch the Mormon Message "Manténgase entre de los limites".

Wednesday: We have been fasting every week to find families to teach and today we found the PERFECT family! It was such a sweet tender mercy and I'm praying so hard that they'll progress as a family. They're the Familia Lira, please keep them in your prayers! We also taught Jenny and her sister Yasani...they also struggle with the Law of chastity. Yasani is 22 and has 3 kids and they all have different fathers. It's a rough home life and we are hoping to save Jenny from becoming a teen mom. 

Thursday: We had a lesson with Jesuan and Millaray about how powerful and awesome the BOM is. Millaray has a rock solid testimony of the BOM and is in Jacob...Jesuan needs a little jump start. They are best friends so we've been teaching Millaray the importance of missionary work and how we can be missionaries with our families and friends. She accompanied us to our lessons this day, and tonight we have a lesson with her and her mom. I'm positive her mom is going to get baptized, it's just a matter of time. She works, studies and is always traveling up north to visit her other daughter. But one day she'll make it to church, and when that day comes she'll be ready for baptism! 

Friday: I got to do intercambios with Hna. Cabral!!!!!!! It was awesome to be with her again, even though it was strange going on splits as an Hermana Leader because she was my "mom" in the mission. However, it was perfect because she's training again and her "hija" has been having a lot of problems and wants to go back home. From my own experience having her as my trainer and missionary "mom", and from my experience of training Hna. Prates when she wanted to go home, Hna. Cabral and I were able to make lots of goals to help their companionship during this transfer. 

Saturday: We got to teach English class and a truly prepared son of God came. Usually we have a bunch of little kids that bring their English homework but today nobody came but Jorge (the prepared son of God). He works in the mines but has heard that we teach English and wanted to come and practice. He speaks really well and we actually just ended up talking in English. Long story short, we taught him all of the Lección 1  (the Restoration, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon...all the good stuff). He started crying, told us that he feels the spirit, accepted a Book of Mormon, and came to church yesterday!!!!! And I about started to cry when we learned that he lives in the area of the elders....it was a hard blow. But at the end of the day it only matters that he's saved....however, it was fun to teach the gospel in English to him.

Sunday: Another dog came into church and none of our investigators.....we're in Chile now.

Fun Facts: 

I ate bloody chicken...well actually I didn't eat it, but they did try to feed it to me during lunch. YUCK! 

We were walking down the street and we heard this group of people singing TERRIBLY!!!!!!!  My companion asks me, "Are they drunk?", and  some guy walking by hear her and laughed and said, "No they're Evangelicos!" and right after that they sang something about salvation. My companion and I were trying so hard not to laugh. It's official that nobody here can sing! Me included! Thank heavens as missionaries we're called to teach and not sing! 

Love you!

Hermana McKenna

A Dog in Church?

Dear Familia,

Another day, another dollar…Well, I think that's how the saying goes, but here in Chile I've come to discover it’s, "Another day, another dog." There are dogs EVERYWHERE! And this week during the confirmation of Jesuan, a dog walked right into the Sacrament Meeting and was just strolling around for a good 5 minutes until a member went over picked it up, and carried it out (keep in mind this thing has been living on the streets since day 1 and has never been bathed in it's life...as the nurse of the mission likes to say, "What did you expect, we're in Chile now." ).

I don't have a ton of time to write, but a fun fact this week was when I was in the taxi some little kid was asking me if I put Mayonnaise on my face so that my skin was lighter, of course I told him yes, how else could I get the creamy white skin that I have?

Scripture: Mosiah 26:30-31… It doesn't matter if they don't ask for forgiveness, forgive them anyway. I'm here to tell you that forgiveness has power and when we forgive we have the opportunity to see how much our Lord and Savior loves us to forgive us every time we make mistakes and fall short. His love and forgiveness is real and lasting, and ours should be too.

Photos: 

The face we make at the dogs that try to attack us in the street! They run away with fear. (This is Millaray and Paulita in an activity with the youth)

Jesuan's baptism with the Ward Mission Leader.

The baby shower we had for Monica! She could have the baby any day now! Also, can I just say I look like a stinking giant compared to all these little hermanitas! But I do love the support of the hermanas in the ward! 

Love you all,

Hermana McKenna

PS.      I love you Mother Dear! I hope you had a great Mother's Day!  Thank you sooooooooooo much for your love and support! 

A Friend in the Church Changes Everything

Dear Familia,

These past two weeks sooo much has happened! I want to start things off with the lovely baptism of Jesuan! He's the son of a less active that we are working with and his wife has also been taking the lessons. Jesuan is a rock solid teenager that was good and lost when we started teaching him. We started inviting him to all the activities we've been doing with the youth in our ward and the change that took place in him was like night and day! I'm here to tell you folks, that having a friend in the church makes ALL the difference. We started having lessons with him with the youth and he started progressing like a rock star!  It's been a good couple of months with him investigating the church, but to hear his testimony on Sunday after his baptism, I know that he knows this church is true. 

One of Jesuan's good friends in the church is our lovely Millaray. She's been a member for about 3 weeks now and is already a better missionary than me! She is always asking us when she can accompany us and every time she's with us she asks to see or to use our missionary tags. She was a huge part of the conversion of Jesuan and I would not mind if Jesuan went on a mission, came home, and married Millaray! However, he's going to have to wait for her to serve too, because she is going to be a dynamite missionary! 

Also, this week we had a baby shower with Monica! Yes, this is the Monica from February, the mama of Paulita.  The baby shower went great!  Graciela, the member that's going to get sealed this July, had the baby shower at her house, and it was a roaring success. If Monica and Franklin don't get married and baptized while I'm here I hope they do it soon, they're a great family! 

I love you all sooo much and can't wait to Skype on Mother's day! I love how all our investigators ask us about our families and what we're going to do for Mother's Day, they all think it's so crazy how we are so far away from our families, but that just makes testifying of the eternal family that much more powerful. I know this church is true. I know as members we have the strongest influence on the investigators, more than ANY missionary. I know that to be a member of this church and live our promises of baptism we can live with our families forever! Have a great week and I'll see you all soon! 

Fun Facts:

I stepped in dog poop for about the 4th time this week while trying to catch a cab in the middle of the city.  When I told my companion she just looked at me and about died laughing while she said, "What did you expect, we're in Chile now." Any time something like that happens, that has become our new catch phrase.

I now know how to make manjar! Wahooo for serving in Chile! 

See you soon! 

XOXO- Hna. McKenna

PS…The package I sent with Jack's and Bompa's b-day stuff got sent back to me! I'm so glad to hear that the family reunion was a success but feel terrible that everyone thinks I'm not acknowledging everything they've sent me. I've sent thank you notes in the mail...hopefully they get there soon and aren't lost in some Chilean mail room! Please tell everyone thank you for me and that I appreciate SO much everything everyone is doing to support me on the mission. I love you all so much and can't wait to Skype! We're planning on Skyping at 7:30 pm here in Coquimbo...I don't know what time that is in sunny St. George.  And of course Megs is invited!  Anyone who wants to can come. However, I only have 40 minutes, so come with questions ready!