So Trusting

December 29, 2014

Dear Famila,

This week was fantastic, and it was SOOO good to see you all! Best Christmas present EVER :) I love being a missionary and am so grateful that I had the chance to spend Christmas sharing the glorious message of why we have this glorious holiday! This week I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Cecilia in the street when we were on our way to visit a less active member. She was walking passed us...and had actually already passed us when I felt a really strong prompting to stop and talk to her. I turned around and asked if I could give here a card of Jesus Christ (it's the photo of Jesus coming out of the tomb). She stopped and started talking to us and told us that she was actually a member of the church and has been less active for more than 20 years (this happens about every day). She took the photo of Jesus and started to cry. She started to tell us a little bit of her story and why she was no longer attending church but how badly she wants to return. She said that she felt like she couldn't return to the church with everything that's happened in her life, but that the photo of Jesus was an invitation for her to return. I shared with her my testimony of how Jesus is always there, inviting us to come to him, and that she's always invited to return. When I told her that she was a daughter of God and that He cares about her and wants her to be happy she broke down sobbing and hugged me for about 2 minutes crying into my shoulder. It was such a humbling reminder of how such a simple message can be so impactful. The message is simple, the gospel is simple, but this simple message can bring hope. This simple gospel can change lives. 

It's pretty crazy, because as a missionary people automatically love me and trust me. I have never experienced such immediate love from strangers before! But at the same time I have never been so quickly rejected and criticized. It's shocking to see how rude someone can be to a complete stranger! However, I'm grateful for both ends of the spectrum because it helps me realize how Jesus felt when he was on the earth. That's the thing that the mission has helped me with more than anything else, it has helped me to draw closer to my Savior through all the highs, and the lows. 

I love you all!!!!! Hug Hug, Kiss Kiss!!!!

XOXO- Hna. McKenna

Fun Facts:

So I'm pretty used to seeing random people peeing in the street here in Valpo, but the other day there was some 12 year old kid who straight up dropped his pants and pooped on the side of the street!!!! Even in Chile that was a bit crazy!!

There aren't a lot of houses that have Christmas lights, but every house that does have them has put them on seizure mode! I'm serious, literally all the Christmas lights flash on and off about 5 times a second!!! When we're walking home at night it's like a strobe light! 

Here in Chile people are more excited for New Years than Christmas...a little lame if you ask me.

The chocolate here is a little waxy...ok, it's really waxy! And the other day a member gave me a chocolate Santa, the experience of eating the chocolate Santa was something similar to eating a wax figurine. 

Photos!

Selfie with Patricio, Franko, y Byron!!! I love these guys SOOOOO MUCHO!!!! And I'm pretty sure that this is my favorite photo of my mission up to this point! 

AUGUSTIN!!!!  We´re going to pass New Years Eve with Augustin and his parents if I'm still in the area...transfers are the 31st at 5:30! Yikes! 

Patricio y su Bautismo!!!!! I loved what he said after he was baptized, "I got into the micro (crazy night bus from Harry Potter) after the service to go to my house and everything seemed bright. I see the world in a different way now. My world is new again." Aww, what a guy!! Boy do I love him! He has an interview with the President this week to receive the Sacerdocio (Priesthood)! 

This is Andres, a less active we're working with. All the Chileans are crazy for brownies and they ask me to make brownies with them about every Noche de Hogar. 

This is our investigator, Luis, at the Christmas activity. I promise you he was happy to be there, and that he does smile. He's currently in 2 Nephi but has yet to recognize/receive an answer that the Book of Mormon is true. He has a couple questions about the whole "horses in American thing"… Dad, if you could send me some good info on that I would greatly appreciate it!

The is the Missionary couple Caflin in my district, and they remind me so much of Bompa and Nana! In other words, they're awesome! But not quite as awesome as the missionary couple McKenna...don't worry Bompa and Nana, you guys still take the cake for best missionary couple!