"If You Could Talk to God What Would You Ask?"

Dear Familia,

Something that I have learned on the mission is how much confusion is out here in the world. How many people are confused and looking for answers, wanting to know about where we came from, our existence before birth, why we are here, what our purpose is, and what happens to us after this life. There are SO many questions that people have that can only be answered by someone who knows EVERYTHING. Someone who knows science perfectly. Someone who knows the beginning and the end. These questions can only be answered by God. Many times when Hna. Lopez and I talk to the people we ask them, "If God was in front of you what would you ask him? What would you do with the answer he gave you?" We get all sorts of replies, but the answer that we always give is that God loves us and wants to answer these questions that we all have. He's not a God of secrets. He's not a God that wants us to suffer in ignorance. He is our loving Heavenly Father.

Our Heavenly Father loves his children and wants us to know and understand his perfect Plan of Happiness. He wants, more than anything, for us to be happy in this life, and for us to return to live with him. And for that reason, He has called prophetas to lead and guide the world, to help us fully understand this plan and do our part to fulfill it. I am so grateful for the restoration, for the blessing of having a prophet called to lead and guide the world, and for the blessing of being a missionary for THE church of Jesus Christ. If this was just another church that preached pretty principles I wouldn't be here, I wouldn't do it. If this was just another church I wouldn't be a member. I do everything I do as a member because I know that this is THE church of Jesus Christ. I'm here in Chile sharing this message because this is the ONLY way we can return and live with God. I am a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, a church that is founded upon prophets and apostles that receive DIRECT revelation and guidance for us from God.

This week we have the opportunity to listen to a prophet of God in General Conference...or in other words, we have the opportunity to listen to the voice of God give us council and direction. But this is an opportunity, it's an option, it's something we can choose to do. God isn't going to come down from Heaven, he's not going to force us to listen. We can ignore, take lightly, or rebel against the words of God given by his prophets. However, if we listen and pay attention. if we have a humble prayer in our hearts to receive answers to our questions and act according to the answers, the Holy Ghost will reveal the answers we are looking for in our mind and in our heart.

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I know that Thomas S. Monson is called of God to be the prophet and give us guidance in these days. I invite you all to listen to General Conference this weekend asking yourself these questions: "If you could talk to God, what would you ask?  What would you do with the answer?" I promise that during the Saturday and Sunday sessions of Conference,  God will answer these questions through the inspired words of his prophet and apostles.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

XOXO- Hna. McKenna

 Fun Facts:

 It was Hna. Lopez's birthday this week!!! The Big 21!!!! This week we will be going to the mission office and I'll be able to get the package you sent WAHOOOO :)

 We moved into a new house today!!!! YAYA the old house was SOO old. The house you see in the photo is the old house, and yes we found AT LEAST 10 spiders while cleaning and getting everything packed! I'm soooo happy to be out of that place! Although it did have a lovely grape vine in front.

Felipe got his answer to the BofM!!!! It was so sweet! We haven't been able to have a lesson with him because he works and goes to school in Santiago, and is only home on the weekends. But when we called him to see how he was doing and how things were going with his study of the BofM. he told us that he prayed about it, and felt really calm and peaceful and is really excited for his baptism.

          -Sidenote: Felipe didn't get baptized this week because we haven't been able to teach him all the lessons. Because he works and studies in Santiago he's hardly ever in his house. Last week we made a schedule with him and Karina of when we are gong to teach him all the lessons, and his baptism has been re-scheduled for the 17th of October. Keep him in your prayers so that he stays strong during these weeks!

Earthquake--I'm OK

Dear Familia,

Here in Olmue the earthquake lasted for about 3 minutes. We were pretty far from the center of it all so it wasn't that strong and according to the Chileans, the movement of the earth was side to side, which causes a lot less damage. The destruction comes when the earth moves up and down. I was in the chapel when it happened, in a meeting with all the leaders. In the beginning, we all thought it was a temblor (which just means tiny earthquake), they happen all the time here and last for about 3 seconds. HAHAHAHA oh my goodness the moment I wrote that there was a temblor! It's sooooo normal here, but there have been a lot more temblores since the earthquake. The people say it'll be that way for the next 6 months, if you're lucky you'll get to feel one when you come to visit :) But any who, it started shaking and we all thought it would stop in a few seconds…but when it didn't stop, and the leaders started to get scared and nervous, Hna. Lopez and I also began to get pretty worried! We all stood in the door frames of the church and waited for it to pass. Hna. Lopez got really scared and started to cry. I'm not going to lie, it was a pretty long 3 minutes! There was only one death in Olmue because of the earthquake, and no real damage. The death came in the aftermath. The light got cut in a couple sectors because of the earthquake and a lot of people used candles at night. The lady fell asleep with the candle lit and during the night the candle fell and burned down the house because of one of the replicas (little earthquakes that follow) However, I heard Coquimbo was hit really hard because of the ocean. It'll be interesting to see the difference when we go back. What I love is how the Chileans all group together during these natural disasters. El 18 de Septiembre this year was a neat experience because of how much the Chileans love their country and work together to overcome these trials.

Love you lots!

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

 Fun Facts:

When we were in a lesson there was a temblor after Hna. Lopez shared the 1st Vision and I was testifying that Joseph Smith was a prophet!!! Hahaha ya, I guess you could say the earth shook because of the truthfulness of our message!

 The Chileans always make juice from fresh fruits. When we were eating lunch in the house of a less actives the husband, who's not a member and a little out of it, offered us "grape juice" called chicha. We had no idea what it was, and he assured us it wasn't wine. I took one gulp of that stuff and it burned all the way down my throat and into my stomach!!!!! But to confirm my suspicions that I had just drank liquor, after lunch we went to visit the Bishop to see how we could help the ward, and out of nowhere he mentions something about chicha and how it's a homemade liquor. Well, if someone offers you chichi, I'm here to inform you folks that it is the Chilean version of moonshine!!!!!! Hna. Lopez and I started panicking and talked with all our leaders. We were informed that we didn't break the Word of Wisdom and that we weren’t going to be sent home, ha but that everything is a-ok! Ha but it does make for a pretty funny story!

 We have a FHE with a less active family of little kids and made a treasure hunt map for them. I wanted to get really crafty and burn the edges and ended up burning the whole map!!! oops!

Photo Comments:

Hna. Cecilia celebrating her Cumpleaños with her daughters!

The activity of 18 de Septiembre!!!!

-familia Rios, they're going to move down by Concepción and they said the doors are always open when we want to come and visit! They're awesome and the wife is a great cook! She's an ex-mamita for the missionaries :)

 

-The hombres jovens in the ward! Haha

-The Bishop and Hno. Severino with the real Chilean get up!

Hna. Monica (presidenta of the relief society) and her son Leonardo. He served in Concepción

The amazing view from Rebeca´s house! 

Putting to good use the hand puppets Timette sent! This little girl LOVES them!

Priesthood Power

Dear Familia,

Ok, so as you all know we have been teaching our lovely little family, Felipe and Karina, this past week, and you'll all be happy to know that Felipe now has a baptismal date for the 27th of Sep.!!!! WE'RE SO EXCITED FOR HIM!!!! The only bump in the road is that Karina is a little worried about the baptismal date, she feels like it's really soon and that he's not read yet. We explained that we're going to help him prepare for this date and that if they both do their part to prepare with the commitments we leave them (read the BofM as a couple, pray as a couple, attend all three hours of church, etc...) that he will be prepared to be baptized that day. We left them with the invitation to pray about the baptismal date, and pray that the Lord will help Felipe be ready. Personally, I think he's the most ready person I've ever taught, ha and it's only been 2 weeks! However, it wouldn't hurt if you could also remember them in your prayers.

Because of this extra focus Hna. Lopez and I have in strengthening the priesthood, we've been reading a lot of talks and scriptures about the responsibility of priesthood holders and the blessings we receive thanks to the priesthood. Out of all the talks I've read, my favorite has been "Fatherhood-Our Eternal Destiny" by Larry M. Gibson. Here he talks about how the Aaronic Priesthood prepares young men to lead and guide their family. He compares all the roles of an Aaronic Priesthood holder to the family and I'm going to share what he wrote because it's AWESOME and helped so much with Felipe!


D&C 20

-Invite all of your family to come unto Christ

-Watch over them always, and be with and strengthen them

-Preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize members of your family

-Exhort them to pray vocally and in secret and attend to all family duties

-See that there is no iniquity in your family, neither hardness with each other, neither lying, backbiting, nor evil speaking

-See that your family meets together often

-Assist your father in his duties as patriarch. Support your mother with priesthood strength when a father is not present

-When asked, ordain other priests, teachers, and deacons in your family.


When we taught Felipe the Restoration we talked a lot about the role of the priesthood and how it's one of the biggest differences that sets us apart from other churches. Thanks to the amazing priesthood holders I have in my family I was able to bare my testimony on how much this heavenly help has played a role in my life growing up. I testified of the blessings of comfort, and the blessings of health that I received when I needed this spiritual and physical strength. We talked a lot with them about how the priesthood will bless his family after his baptism and what it means to be a worthy priesthood holder. He shared with us that even though it's a lot of responsibility, he really wants to have the priesthood in his home in order to bless his wife and daughter....bless his heart!!!


I LOVE this restored gospel! I LOVE the blessings we receive from the priesthood! I'm so grateful that I've been able to grow up with these amazing blessings in my home and I LOVE that I get to share this glorious message 24-7! I know the priesthood power is real, I know it blesses families, and I know, thanks to the priesthood, that families can be together forever! Shout out to my family that I love so much! Bompa, Dad, Shane, Jack, Carr-man, and all my crazy uncles and cousins that have the priesthood, thank you so much for everything you do, and please keep being this example for the world!

XOXO- Hna. McKenna


Fun Facts:

-We were in the house of one of our investigators and she asked me if I would like some creamy vegetables, thinking she was talking about some creamy veggie soup, I said yes. What she brought me was some luke-warm, boiled veggies with milk, without any seasoning...I'm pretty sure if someone tried to feed me that a year ago I would have cried. Needless to say I'll be more than willing to eat the green bean casserole that Mom used to make when I get home.


-I learned this week that chickens sleep in trees...mind blown!


-When we went to a FHE with Rebeca (the recent convert) we were riding in the taxi together and the driver asked us if we were Mormons and why they called us by that name. Before I had time to open my mouth, Rebeca started talking to him about the BofM and how Jesus came to Las Americas, and invited him to come to church with us the following Sunday! I was one proud missionary!!!



PS...Thanks SO MUCH Dad! I sure do love you and I'm so happy to hear that you guys had such a fun time at the BYU game!

A Golden Contact and Family

Dear Familia,

This past week we had the chance to have Elder Viñas (a General Authority in the 70 for South America) come talk to our mission. He talked a lot about the Priesthood and how important this AMAZING power and authority is. He talked a lot with us about how we need to have more worthy priesthood holders here in Chile if the church is going to continue growing at this rate. It is starting to become a real problem for the church here, which means it has now become a big focus in the mission. After the conference, Hna. Lopez and I put our little brains together and came up with a plan to work with the priesthood here in Olmue...the priesthood that we have, the less actives, and how to find more. Of course we included the Lord in on our plans and asked him for help in every step. Well, no sooner had we left our house the very next day when we found ourselves finding soooo many future priesthood holders. Ha it seemed that every door we knocked the dad answered. We were able to bare our testimony of the Book of Mormon and put a set time when we could pass by and visit him and his family. We're really excited to see what happens with these future investigators and to help bless their family with the power of the priesthood.

However, the biggest blessing with our future priesthood holders is Felipe! Felipe is the husband of a less active named Karina. Karina has been a member for her whole life, but when she went off to college she separated herself from the church, got married to Felipe, and has lived her life with gospel principles, but without the blessings that come from obeying the commandments and fulfilling her part with the promises she made with Heavenly Father. Karina came to church last Sunday because she is 6 months pregnant with her first little wee one and really wants to help her daughter have good moral values and she really wants the best for her family. She asked if we could pass by and visit her and her husband on Saturday (they work in Santiago during the week and are only home on the weekends). We were MORE than happy to pass by, and when we paid them a visit it was one of the most powerful "first lessons" I've ever had. I felt like I was on the District (for those of you who are ex missionaries you'll know what I'm talking about). Felipe is SOO ready for the gospel! The whole time we talked with him I was trying to keep my jaw off the floor from the answers he had for the reasons he wants to listen to us, the goals he has for his family, what he wants to provide for his daughter that's on the way. And my jaw did in fact hit the floor when I explained to him that by listening to our message he will learn more about how to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ and desire to be baptized in His church, in order to continue progressing in this life and go to the temple with his family (he already knows what the temple is and has visited it in Santiago a couple times with his wife). He told us that the temple is his goal and he's really willing to learn and do anything that's necessary to make it there!!!!!!!! In the words of the little dragon from Mulan, “DID I HEAR SOMEONE ASK FOR A MIRACLE!!!!!!!”  Oh my goodness I didn't think people like that existed!!! Needless to say we are SO excited to work with him!

I'm here to tell you folks that God hears and answers our prayers, and that He, more than anyone, wants his gospel to progress! Please keep Felipe and Karina in your prayers. It'll be hard to have constant contact with them because they live in Santiago during the week, but they've promised to read (the BOM) and pray together as a couple every night!

XOXO-Hna. McKenna

Fun Fact:

THE WINTER PACKAGE FINALLY CAME! THANKS SO MUCH!

Here the people cut ice cream with a knife...I really don't think anyone has scooped me out a dish of ice cream!

Our bathroom has been mal-functioning for the entire week...needless to say things have been very interesting and smelly!

Hna. Lopez wants to learn "Called to Serve" in English and we have been singing it every morning for the past month and a half!!!!

Today we had a district activity...for this reason the e-mail time was split in two, and our district leader from Brazil had us try a Brazilean dish with an avocado drink. It's avocado, sugar, and milk, and I LOVED it! Give it a try if you want to switch things up!

Karina and Felipe are proud recipients of a Libro de Mormón with the testimony and photo of the Wankiers! They were really touched by the message and are excited to read it :)

 The due date for Karina's baby is Dec. 12…my birthday!!! 

 P.S. Thank you so much for sending the sweater!!!

 Yes, I’m still an STL, but at the meeting we had for the month of Sep. only the winter package was there.