Hey familia!

Hey familia!

Life is good here in the outskirts of santiago, chile!

Not too much happened this week, everything tranqi like the chileans say.

We found a coulple of new families to work with here, and one of them brought his buddies, and we all played a little pichanga(soccer match) behind the church. I think we should build a soccer field behind all the churches at home too!

We had kinda a rough week because noone showed up to church. But its all good! I got to go on divisiones with one of my good buddies from arizona, Elder Benavides. We had a blast, and found one of the new familes!

We had a bunch of big rainstorms here this past week, which was way fun, because all the streets fill up with tons of water.

My comp and I are having a blast. We made corn bread this week, and spent time with so many wonderful people. I am so blessed to be here doing the Lords work. Im super excited this week to be able to hear all the living prophets and apostles speak. I cant believe that its been another 6 months already. I know that many of our personal questions and concerns will be answered and solved as we tune into what the Lord has to say to the world through his servants here in the earth.

I finished mosiah today in my studies. What an awesome book on how the people here in the americas created their goverment and the church. So awesome. King benjamin, and Mosiah were studs.

After Alma was struck dumb after seeing an angel, his words realled moved me this week as he recieved power in his heart and limbs saying:

 29 My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
 30 I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all.
 31 Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live withoutGod in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all-searching eye.

​There are so many powerful leaders in the scriptures. We should never stop figuring out what they have to say.​

​thanks for all the support!

Love,

Elder McGee​

​Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will!

Hey familia!

This week was a roller coaster!

We had some rough days where we got a little down on ourselves because we were achieving the success that we wanted, and then the week ended marvelous.

An elder got back from his mission this past week, and gave an awesome testimony. We usuyally have like 85 people come to church, and this week we had 113 in church! We brought an hermano to church this week after many years of not wanting anything to do with the church. We walked into his house, gave him a huge hug and showed him some true charity and christlike love, explained a little bit of the catholic churches history and american history and explained how it all intertwined into the restoration of the church today! He was stoked, and we talked about an eternal family, temple sealing and everything. He is ready to start progressing baby! 

We also brought an entire family to church, and the father is not a member. We are getting some work done, we are suprising all the members in the branch with a huge amount of excitement, and energy. Everyone is like who are these 2 elders? hhaha. getting WORK done just being ourselves. My companion, Elder Plaza, and I get along really well!

This week Elder Zeballos came to speak to the mission. What an incredible man. He spoke to us about how sometimes we have to climb one moutain before we see the next mountain we have to climb. Sometimes, we as humans have to be in a certain situation or place to be able to see that there is another mountain hiding behind the one we just climbed! haha awesome talk!

Today my companion and I went running about 5 miles to the neareest mountain. We climbed it, and found a cave. We read the scriptures up there, and I felt like Enos or Nephi! haha. It was powerful. We were above the clouds (:

Dont wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect!

 Angels still come these days to help us. I know it. Ive seen the power of them.

Elder McGee

Hey family! This week was awesome.

Hey family!

This week was awesome. The amount of inspiration one recieves on a mission is incredible. I love it. I dont know what Im gonna do when Im not a missionary.. haha.

Life here in buin is great! This district has a high velocity. Lots of activities, lots of missionaries, lots of energy. Itll be a stake soon!

Today we made some american hamburgers for everyone in the zone. I was the griller and boy, was I a little bit proud to make all these missionaries a little taste of america.. (:

I think the coolest thing that happened this week was that our investigador, Sebastian, has had a hard time following some of the commandments. He has been struggling for a while. He wants to get baptized, and he comes to church every week. We didnt know what to do with him to help him, cause weve tried everything! We decided to pass by every day this week and read a little bit of the book of mormon. Finally the other day, something caught his attention. We started talking about the 3 major sins. He felt pretty bad, and we went outside with him and he told us everything. We explained how sometimes sin is what makes us confused and why we are low of energy sometimes. We explained the power of repentance, and boom. It all changed. He wants to drop everything and go head strong towards a baptism!! Im excited. (: The spirit is power.

Life is good here in the mission.

This week a 70 is coming to speak to us. Elder Zeballos! After, we are gonna watch meet the mormons! AWESOME.

If you cant fly, then run,
if you cant run, then walk,
if you cant walk, then crawl,
but whatever you do,
you have to keep moving forward!

​         ​

-Martin Luther King

​ Jr.

 

​Elder McGee​

 

​BUIN BABY!

​BUIN BABY!

Life is good here in buin. MY vans that I bought in the beginning of my mission have oficially died... which means that Ive had them a long time.. which means that Ive been here in Chile a long time.. but that doesnt mean anything! (: We gotta keep baptizing!!

We had an awesome district conferance this week! Very inspiring. One thing that really called my attention is when the district president spoke about our temple reccomends. He said usually we go to the bishop hoping that he will sign our reccomend. But really the most important signature is OURS. It went perfect with what I was reading in the book of mormon that dad when I read in 2 Nephi 9:

 41 O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.

​When we arrive to the glorias of the heavens, we will have to sign our own life saying we did our best! (:

We were teaching a new investigator this week and out of nowhere his little brother walked down stairs with a byu shirt on! We put baptismal dates with them for the 4th of April! WOO (:

I got to go on divisones with a newer elder this week who is also into cinamatography and what not. We shared some good ideas, and boy am I stoked to make videos again! We found 4 new investigators that day withing like an hour! It was fun (:

LIFE IS AWESOME.

​"If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not, you will make an excuse."​

​

​We were teaching a kid this week, and we went up stair into his room in this really old sketchy house. We watched the restoration video with him, and in the middle of it, he just got up and left and went outside to play baseball... We left his house and noticed that there were marijuana plants everywhere. hahaha. Oh the joys of trying anything posible so that someone will hear the great joy and pleasure of the knowledge of the gospel!

Love,

Elder McGee​

 

​Here we are reporting from BUIN!

​Here we are reporting from BUIN!

This sector is awesome. We had so much fun this week!

Today we had this grand idea for all the 28 missionaries of zone to come and do an awesome scavenger hunt! It was super fun, they all had to take pictures of 26 chilean things like a typical chilean cowboy (huasso) or the typical chilean flower (Copihue) and it was a blast! The last picture they had to take was with us! haha (:

We had some good success this week as we found a couple new families to work with! ​The branch that Im in now is Los Jardines. This week 100 people went, but usually we average around 80 people. It was a very loving branch on sunday and I was pleased to share my testimony with everyone! I felt the spirit launch out of my soul like a flame thrower as I testified of the truths I have come to know in the mission. BOOM. Powerful.

On friday we had a special lidership meeting in Presidents house and it was fun getting there because here in Buin there is no bus station, so we have to roll out to the highway and flag down a bus to take us an hour south to Rancagua. The meeting was powerful and it was super fun, not to mention the delicious hawaiin hay stacks! Yumm!

We brought a new investigator to church this week and he is way awesome, but he showed up drunk! It was kinnda funny, but he has good intentenciones to leave it all behind.

Life is good here in the mission(:

I enjoy being in a rural town again as you can see in my pictures (:

I'm officially down to 3 changes left.

Hey Family (:

Well, Im officially down to 3 changes left. Cant believe the time is coming so fast! It only makes me wanna work harder! We had interviews this week, and President was telling me how sometimes missionaries come into his office and tell him they are tired and cant work anymore. He says Youre only 20! How can you be tired? haha It made me laugh!

Big news of the week is that Im getting transfered from the farthest zone south: Talca, to the farthest zone north: Buin. Ill be in a branch called Los Jardines. Im super excited. My new companion will be from Peru! My first latin comp in 5 months! haha. Im ready to swing it back into to spanish 24/7.

I got to go on splits with another Elder from colorado. He is in his second change. We had so much fun together. He was crackin up the whole day at the funny things I would do with people, like pick them up, give them a big rasberry on their neck, or do some rapping. You gotta do whatever it takes to win peoples trust over. And as soon as you win their trust you blow them away with something from the Gospel and they end up changing their lives! haha. Live is awesome here in the mission. Its awesome to be able to share ideas with new Elders in the mission!

We were teaching the story of the brother of jared this week (which is found in Ether 2 and 3) to some of our recent converts. As soon as we read the scripture that talks about the Lord touching the rocks to make light, all the power cut off. We finished the lesson with candles. It was pretty funny how it all happened the the precise moment.

So with the whole being transfered thing, we didnt get a chance to call this awesome family who we are working with. They arrived a little late to church on sunday so we didnt get the chance to tell them we were leaving, because both my comp and I are leaving. They are white washing us! Bishop got up and announced that 2 missionaries were leaving the ward and they were gonna give their testimonies. My comp got up first and gave a nice message. Then, I stood up and I heard the whole ward take a gasp. It was kinda cool. As I bore my tesimony I looked over to the mom of the family we are teaching and observed her break down in to tears. I never knew what it meant when people said that the people of the land will love you. I really found that this has been my favorite sector and favorite ward. I really came to love the people of Independencia, Talca. I bore my testimony of the powers of Christ and the divinity of Gods plan. I testified on the truths I have come to know and feel and felt an inner peace as I did. It truly is impossible for all of this stuff to not be true! Im excited for the new changes, and I know my mission president is very inspired and that the lord is the head of this marvolilous work!

We visited many of the people we were teaching these past couple of days and I received many wonderful comments. I love this work. Its a blast. Its sad when missionaries stop working hard. Its too fun to stop working hard. And this work is only fun if you work as hard as you possibly can.

Elder McGee

Obispo and his family

Familia Valdez

La zona Talca 2

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​