20 weeks left. WHAT.

HEY!

20 weeks left. WHAT.

4 and a half months left. I gotta work even harder!

This week was great. A little more relaxed because we changed houses and had a ward activity out in the campo!

We moved to a sweet new house! I got to do some realestate for the second time in the mission following my dads footsteps! We live in a super nice apartment complex that doesnt even compare to the rest of the houses here in Chile. We moved everything over using tricylces! Its like the chilean form of a truck. We had 2 of them rolling down the street. 

On saturday we rolled out to the country on a old bus with the ward and had a blast playing soccer on a dirt field and having a huge asado(bbq) It was a ton of fun.

The family we are working with is still doing great! We found another young couple named Sebastian and Valentia. They are stoked to start working towards a baptismal goal! We were also teaching another dude who has been taught by missionaries for years. I give him my all when we are in teaching him. Yesterday he gave out the example of a shoe box and a coin, and he feels that he is shaking the shoe box to see if there is a coin inside. He said he is shaking the box but he doesnt hear the coin. At the end of the lesson his wive came in with a coin taped to the top of the box and said maybe you should stop shaking the box and open it! The spirit just came rolling in and he kept his mouth shut. AWESOME.

This week I gained an even stronger testimony of the sacrament. I had a relaxed week like I said and felt like maybe I didnt give it my all. I felt a little down. I had been praying and trying to get my energy back up. On sunday I got to church and during the sacrament just started thinking about the atonement, the enabling powers of it and the benefits it gives us and the positive acts it has over the fall of adam and eve. I felt and ever-so-strong feeling of the spirit rush into my heart and fill out the little holes in my soul and got the strong impression that i shouldnt worry, that everything was gonna be okay, that I can only work harder the next week, and recieved a ton of energy to keep working hard! We later had the chance to give a blessing, and I felt all the energy from the atonement flow through me as I let my tongue flow. I had another chance to give a blessing this week, and both times, there were many tears. I feel so blessed to be able to bless the lives of others and become the hands of God himself.

I read an awesome talk called Praise to the Man by President Gordon B Hinkley this week.

He exclaimed that we must reaffirm our testimony of the prophet jospeh smith and the book of mormon EVERY DAY. I loved that.

Creativity is just connecting things.

​ -Steve Jobs

​So yeah,

have a good one (:

Elder McGee​

 

Wow! Awesome week!

Wow! Awesome week!

On wednesday I was priviliged with the oppurtunity to train 2 zones of missionaries. About 45 people in total. I was thrilled to share some of my ideas and passion towars being a proactive positive person. I felt the spirit fill my soul. Later I went out to the beach sector Constitucion with an Elder from Colombia. Farther south than where dallas is at! I was once again priviliged to be able to help him confront some of his fears and worries. We ended almost in tears and with a long hug as the spirit filled our hearts. He felt like he wanted to go home recently but he explained to me how I had answered his prayers and given him an extra boost of energy and love towards the work. I was then later filled with the spirit as I testified to this lovely family we are teaching about the plan of salvation that we can live. Later, I was filled with the spirit once again on Sunday as I was asked to give a talk right before we started the sacrament and I was to give it as soon as the sacrament finished. I was thrilled to see the promise of recieving the precise words in the precise moment as we always study the scriptures. I was inspired quickly with 2 examples that went perfect with some of Christs invitations that we anilized. I took them apart word by word and gave the most simple powerful talk I have given so far in my life.

I love being an ELDER. Someone who teaches the doctrines of Christ. Its such an honor. I love it and have so many oppurtunities to teach and be creative.

The person who hears the truth is not the same as the person who understands the truth, and the person that understands the truth is not the same as the person who LOVES the truth.

​ -Chinese Proverb

 

Romans 14: God gives us trials so that we might obtain patience.

Our patience then can turn into hope. Hope in who? Hope in Christ that he will reedem our sins. Coming unto Christ can only bring us to something bigger. God. Its a big circle of Gods love for us.

Today we explored the mountains in a place called Vilches. About 2 hours towards the mountains. It only takes 4 hours to cross chiles width. Awesome.

Love,

Elder McGee

WOO what a week!

WOO what a week!

We have been finding so many awesome people! Im so excited to continue working with all of them. I am in my favorite sector Ive had for my whole mission!! This ward is awesome, and I feel like Im doing my best to make sure there is more unity! 

We have been teaching the Valdez family this whole week. Ive never met someone who was so prepared in my life. They are what we call: Una familia de Oro.

They came to church and everyone made them feel so welcome!

We had a leadership meeting on friday, it was pretty cool. I got to give a 10 minute workshop on how to bring people to church. I had a blast with that of course! We had papa johns for lunch as well which was awesome. We tried to get home but there were no buses. So we went to the train station and the train wasnt gonna come for another 3 hours, so I went and helped out the secretaries with their work. We went back for the train and it looked like one of those japanese train videos where a million people are trying to get on.. So we didnt dare to try to smash ourselves onto it. So we had to stay the night again and we finally made it 2 hours back to the south to Talca. Its kinda cool here in chile. There is one train track and one high way that extends from the north of chile all the way to the south!

On sunday we got to church and we went up to talk to a guy who we hadnt seen before. He says "hey elders! Where are you guys from?" in english! It was funny. My companion replied saying he was from utah and I said Im from missouri! He replied and said wow! What part of missouri? I said Springfield! He says wow cool, do you happen to know who Shaun Breckenridge is? I said Wow! Thats my bishop. He says "Hes my brother. hahahaha. So I met bishop breckenridges brother here in my ward in Talca, Chile. Who wouldve known! There are like 12 wards here in Talca! What are the chances! He baptized some of the members we ate with last week. SMall world!

Today we played some good ole futbol. I was prideful to wear my new US soccer jersey! I get prideful about our country alot. (:

Today Im on divisones with my best buddy from the mission Elder Horsely. Were gonna be millionaires after the mission. Our companions are both ending their missions so they went up to rancagua for a special meeting.

Elder McGee

I took some great pictures with Bishops brother and other stuff this week... but I forgot my camera in the house. Until next week (: but here is a picture from the temple in mexico! almost 2 years ago...

This week was AWESOME! (:

This week was AWESOME! (:

We have so many people to teach in this sector, but no one has really showed forth the effort to want to progress. I was pretty fed up with it one day, so I just got down on my knees and just let my heart go. I expressed my feelings to want to find a wonderful family to find. I was so determined to find them because I felt such a peace in my heart that we would be able to find them that we cancelled all plans for 3 hours and just went looking for a family who was waiting for us. We entered houses, and talked to everyone and after like 3 hours of rejection, lo and behold, we found a marvelous family! WOO! They said they were waiting for us because they had wanted to change the course of their lives. I was almost in tears staring at this family that is now going to be able to come unto the gospel in its fullness. I thanked our Creator that night and went to sleep peacefully. awesome. awesome. awesome.

One night, my comp and I got home and we had bought a huge watermelon! I barely put the knife into it and it exploded! We ate tons of sandia (watermelon) that night (:

Soooo we taught a new less active, brought him to tears reminding him of his glory days in the church, and arrived at the house of 2 people who were in need who thanked us with tears. The second house we got into was a member who hadnt come in a while. Her nonmember son was sick that week. We gave him a powerful blessing pulling down the powers of heaven. He lives in a city about an hour north of here in Curico. We got news from the elders up there that he went to church yesterday. Pretty cool experiance. I wrote him a list of questions that the book of mormon answers.

There was a big earthquake here on saturday morning. I woke up to my whole bed shaking. Its always a cool experiance.

We made brekafast sunday morning for some less actives who havent come in years. They came to church and were so happy. It paid off to make them some delish eggs with peppers on chilean bread. YUM.

AMAZING WEEK.

DyC 88:22

 "For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory."

Lets pick up our consecration (:

Elder McGee

this is how much chileans love their pan (bread)

Elder McGee Creative Extraodinaire Independencia, Talca

Hey!
This week was pretty cool! We had changes. I am staying here in Independencia, Talca. I have a new companion named Elder Spriggs from bountiful utah! We have already become good friends and we are having tons of fun! Today we had a big sprite pong contest between all the 40 missionaries in the two zones of talca. It was a lot of fun!

This week we had a less active who told us alot of crazy stuff about her life. We would kinda blown away by what she told us. We had a long lesson and just pleaded with her to repent of all that she had done and she would be forgiven. The spirit was way strong as we testified of the trutfullness and the joy that comes as we repent.
On sunday she came up to us almost leaping of joy. She told us to come by later that day, so we went by and she said she prayed for like 2 or 3 hours just pleading with the Lord to repent just like it explains in Alma 36:

 18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am inthe gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlastingchains of death.
 19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember mypains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
 20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
 21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.

​She was so filled with joy like 20 and 21 decribe to us. I too have passed through this process and it is so sweet to the soul. Its like vomiting. Whenever we have something bad in us, we must vomit it all out, and as soon as its all out we can usually fall back asleep in the night. Just as your stomach becomes clean and realxed after vomiting, our souls too can become clean and relaxed as we use the healing powers of the atoning sacrifice of Christ to HEAL US. (: DO it!

On thursday we rolled up to Rancagua, where I started my mission for a special training. We stayed in a house with like 20 other Elders. Super fun times!

The mission is so great! I love it!

Love,

Elder McGee

Creative Extraodinaire

Independencia, Talca

Hey Family!

Hey Family!

This week was sooooo busy!

We did a ton of stuff!

We taught a zone training to the whole zone of about 20 misisonaries and it was the climax of Elder Adair an I`s companionship. We nailed it and it was so smooth and very spiritual. We sent everyone on a scavenger hunt for part of it and it was really fun, really successful and of course we all learned a ton!

I went on divisones with a good Elder buddy of mine, Elder West. We had tons of fun, and it is always cool to see how much you have learned with your companion with you split uo and work with another Elder.

We met some friends in the Lider(Walmart) here and they invited us to their wedding. They are jewish and we went to their legal wedding. Their family was so nice and really welcomed us in as part of the family and we didnt even know them! Great people! It was cool to see a bunch of religions join together to celebrate something we all know is very important: Marriage. They believe alot in the original hebrew language. Yahshwa is how you say Jesus Christ in Hebrew which would be his original name! Pretty cool!

Later that day we met a guy who took us up to the local catholic chapel and gave us a tour and we learned alot about the catholic relgion. It was a pretty awesome day (:

One day we werent having much success, and we were being like the children of Israel again. We decided to say a prayer and we found an AWESOME less active member named Felix. He was baptized years ago. We entered into his house, and sat him down. He had 2 questions. 1. How did we find him and 2. What do we expect from him. We said that God had managed to put us in his path because we didnt know he lived in the random house we contacted. We then continued to describe what we expected from him. We told him he would stop smoking now, that he would stop drinking, and that he would become a faithful member of the church and recieve a calling. He agreed. We then invited him to a big family home evening that we were having in the house of a member. Without excuses, he put on his sunglasses and we rolled over to the family home evening on a tricicle. He came to church on sunday and is ready to go. AWESOME guy! We taught him "I will never go back," in english.

Well my companion and I will be splittling up tomorrow. I will be with my new comp here in my same sector of Independencia, Talca with Elder Spriggs.

I love you all.

We cannot do this work alone.

Grandma sent me this aweosme quote this week:

"The great test of life is obedience to God. The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it. The great commandment of life is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and with all thy strength."

Elder McGee

Happy New year!

Happy New year!

2015. Its here.

Im so excited to use the traditional goal making time of the year to reevaulate who I am and what I am doing!

I want to get all the way through doctrine and conventants in these next 6 months. Bythe way doctrine and covenants 20 is an amazing section all the way through. It explains really all the necesary things to know about the gospel and what we must do here in our lives! (:

New years was pretty chill this year. We went to sleep peacefully and just heard tons of people partying and singing all night. Nothing to really write home about. (:

We had a pretty sucessful week. Its amazing how quickly we forget the tender mercies of the Lord just as the children of Israel. We have had just tons of sucess these past couple of months, and we finally made it to a little brick in the wall where we didnt feel like we were having much success one afternoon. We were going around a little bit low on animo, and we decided to say a prayer. Of course, the Lord is powerful in his work and quickly guided us a to a family of 4. We were quick to give thanks to him.

We had tons of fun this week, but I didnt bring my papers of what all we did, so I kinda forgot everything that went down. I promise it was an awesome week, just like every week here is in Chile!

I love you all (:

oh I buzzed my hair, and this is a typical chilean dish called porotos (: