August 24, 2015
Dear Familia,
This week was filled with little reminders. The biggest of these little reminders was when we visited Hna. Cecilia and her mom. (Background: Hna Cecilia is a sweet member who is around 60 years old and her mom is around 85 years old. They live together and both of them are divorced. Her mom has listened to the missionaries a ton and we´ve had a couple lessons with her, but she really struggles with being able to remember what we teach her, she can't hear very well and she can't read....which complicates her progress. She's also very set in her Catholic ways. She's not an investigator, but she knows who we are and has eaten lunch with us a couple times.) Well, with that being said, the other day Hna. Lopez and I left our apartment and we felt really strongly that we needed to go visit Hna. Cecilia and her mom. We had no idea why we felt like we needed to go visit them...but we decided to pass by for them while we were on our way to lunch. When we arrived at their house Hna. Cecilia opened the door and just looked at as, and with tears starting to fill her eyes, tells us that the Lord sent us to her house. A little confused, Hna. Lopez and I walk in and see Silvia (the mom) lying in bed with a giant smile on her face. Silvia has been really sick these past couple of weeks and hasn't been able to leave her bed, let alone the house, and Hna. Cecilia has been house bound having to take care of her. She has 4 other daughters besides Hna. Cecilia, but none of them have passed by to visit her or call her and she was feeling really lonely and forgotten, along with Hna. Cecilia. She said that last night she prayed asking the Lord to send us to visit her, and the fact that we had arrived the very next morning was a miracle. We sat next to her bed and shared with her how important she is to God and how much he loves her and Hna. Cecilia. They both started crying. We talked a bit, shared a scripture, sang a hymn, and said a prayer. It was something sooo simple but it helped these sweet daughters of God remember that He is aware of them, He listens and answers their prayers, and that they are never alone.
The second little reminder this week was the capaciatación (training) that we did with the leaders in the ward. We have been working a TON with them to try and get them involved in the missionary work in the ward and have them come with us to teach the retention lessons after baptism, because here in Chile, Ward Missionaries just don't exist. There are 4 missionaries in the ward (2 companionships) and we each took turns teaching part of the restoration. When we shared the first vision and shared our testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith, two or the four leaders started to cry as they felt the spirit of that wonderful moment. It was such a neat experience to see how much of an impact it makes to take a little bit of our time to remember how we have EVERYTHING the gospel offers us and how important it is to remember the First Vision and to strengthen our testimonies of the prophetic calling of the prophet Joseph Smith.
I LOVE the mission and how much it helps me remember what really matters in life and how important it is to do the little things!
And speaking of the little things, there were a lot of fun little facts this week:
1.My companion finished a year in the mission and I made her pancakes with maple syrup for breakfast. Since that moment, she has eaten syrup with EVERYTHING! She'd give Buddy the Elf a run for his money in a syrup eating contest!
2. One of the members who said she would knit me a scarf (this sweet member reminds me a lot of Mema) told me that she learned how to knit by using needles and thread when she was 8 years old.
3. When I was in exchanges with one of the sister missionaries from Peru, she walked out of the bathroom with oatmeal and lemon juice all over her face. She then tried to convince me that it was really good for the skin and offered to put some on my face....thanks, but no thanks, I think I'll stick with soap and water, but if someone wants to try it she said she hasn't gotten a zit in weeks.
4. We were teaching about temples and how important they are, how temples are the most sacred buildings in our religion, and one of the sweet older ladies that was there asked if that's where Obama goes to church. We informed her that he doesn't attend the temple because he's not a member. Haha it was funny to see how shocked she was, and kept saying, "I can't believe he's not a member, I just can't believe it!" Haha!
I love you all! I love all of my Chilean! I love the Lord! And I love the mission!
XOXO-Hna. McKenna
Scriptures of the week: D&C 11:12 and Galatians 6:9-10
P.S….I PROMISE I will send photos next week! The computers here take FOREVER! But next week I promise I'll send some! I love the travel dates that you sent me and I love the idea of going to Isreal in the Spring. I love you so much Mom, and am so grateful for everything you do for me! Have a great week and tell everyone at SC I say "hola"!
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