What's Fasting... I Now Know!

Dear Familia,

Wow, that was “Fast”!

Ha, ok so I tried to do a terrible pun with the word fast, but basically what it comes down to is that I am a STRONG believer in the power of fasting! The beautiful power of the fast has helped Esther, Rebeca, and now Diego all enter the waters of baptism! That's right folks, this past Saturday our lovely friend Diego got baptized and on Sunday received the Holy Ghost! THANK YOU SO MUCH for your prayers for him, it truly is so powerful! Like I told you last week, Diego had the goal to talk with his dad Monday night and tell him about his baptismal date, but because his dad works crazy night shifts and Diego is in school during the day he wasn't able to talk with him. Well, as the days passed he kept having trouble finding his dad in the house, and he didn't want to talk to him over the phone about it...so he waited...and waited...and waited...until he finally called us Friday night at 10:00 telling us that he got his dad's permission, and signature! As you can imagine, Saturday morning we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to arrange everything for the baptism and inform all the members. We were pretty worried that nobody was going to be there with such short notice, but thanks to the amazing missionary skills of Diego, the place was PACKED! And over half of the people that came were non-members that Diego had invited. He's a pretty stinking cool kid, that Diego :) And although Hna. Lopez and I started the day panicked and frazzled, we went to bed as content little missionaries. Ha, that's something I've noticed about the mission. Often times we go through EVERY single emotion in the rainbow on a daily bases, but at the end of the day, I always seem to climb in my bed tired as all get-out, but as content as can be.

I love the mission and everything it's teaching me. I know I've said this about a million times, and you're all starting to think I'm a broken record, but my testimony of fasting is something I really want to share with you. Before the mission I thought fasting consisted of eating as much as I could Saturday night, not eating breakfast, going to church, and then coming back to the house as soon as possible to eat something.....ESTE ES APOSTASÍA! Ha, I had no idea what fasting was...for goodness sake I didn't even pay fast offerings and I was lucky if I started and ended with a prayer! But enough about my terribly wicked past, I now know that a fast is 24 hours, that begins and ends with a humble and sincere prayer for heavenly help, and that we have the blessing and responsibility to pay fast offerings to help those who truly have hunger and don't know where their next meal will come from. In the mission I have seen those people, I have witnessed first hand the church member's fast offerings put food on the table. Before the mission I thought it was simply impossible to function without food for 24 hours, but here in Chile I've been able to walk for hours, climb hills, study and do everything missionary work requires while keeping the law of the fast. Paying fast offerings without really fasting is just a donation...fasting without paying fast offerings is just a diet. Just like anything in life, if someone wants to see real results, they've got to go the full 10 yards. Ya it's a sacrifice, but this church has always been a church of sacrifices, the gospel and the Plan of Salvation are founded on sacrifice.

I invite anyone who has an important decision to make, that needs help with a family member, that needs spiritual strength and upliftment, that is looking for peace...anyone that needs to strengthen their relationship with their Heavenly Father, to fast....but really fast, not just a diet, not just a donation, but really fast, and you'll receive the answer you're looking for.

I love my Heavenly Father, I love this work, and I love fasting....haha somthing I thought I would never hear myself say..or write :)



XOXO-Hna. McKenna



Fun Fact:

My boots broke this week, but a member was nice enough to lend me some boots that had a pretty good sized heal...lets just say walking dirt streets with heels is something I will happily never do again. Don't worry Mom, I just bought myself a new pair.

 -All the dogs here wear these nasty sweaters when it's cold.

-Hna. Lopez is teaching me Spanish nursery rhymes (I don't know how to spell that) in Spanish to sing to my little nephew when I get home!

PS…About those pictures you sent… OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHEN DID THE BOYS GROW UP!!!!!!! Ashley looks so stinking cute and grown up!!!