Last week here in la oficina!!

Its been a good run for my money. Ive been here working for 6 months now. I feel like I barely got a grasp of Spanish before I got here, and with all the work that needed to be done, I sky rocketed to being able to get things done in the moment. It was awesome to look back and see some of the miracles I was able to perform making sure missionaries were legal and making our process much more smoother. I definitely saw the hand of God in my life as I worked hard in the office. Thats a fact.

I found a good quote this past week: "Being sad with the right people is better than being happy with the wrong ones." I contemplated a little bit about that, and decided you could always be with the right people, its your choice. I have defniitely been sad and been happy with some of the greatest people here in the office and the ward Im in called Recreo. Its gonna be hard to say good bye, but its part of it. (:

Last monday, we had a meeting with President, and the other senior couples here in the office like we do each week to discuss matters of whats going on in the mission, and how we can improve. President always goes last in his report, and he gave me a warm goodbye and thanked me by saying that I brought my own spirit here into the office and the mission. I took it as a great complement.

This week I also did my last Santiago trip to pull out peoples visas and licenses for them. We had a fun day, and finished with eating at taco bell. I dont think you guys know how thankful I was to see a refill machine. It had been a while. Let alone eating taco bell (even though they only have have the menu).

We also got to eat at my favorite empanada store here in Chile. Its called "Lasagnas," and they sell amazing over cooked emapanadas! So good (:

One day we went down to Talca which is the farthest city south in our mission, which is about 2 hours away. We helped the comisarios (who are in charge of houses) paint a house. It looked super good after we spent the whole day painting and scraping the floor. We ended that day by burning a white shirt, which is a missionary tradition after you pass one year! I did it kinda late, but my companion and one of the comisarios passed one year too!

Ive been working on my family history alot when I have some down time. I have found a whole bunch of poeple, and added a bunch to my family tree on familysearch.com which is super awesome!

All in all, I had a good week! This week I head out to the sector in Pichilemu! Which is the surf capitol of the world. Google it. They have huge surf competitions and big waves there! Im super stoked! Its 1 of the 2 beach sectors in the mission! Ill also have a companion from Chile who only has 6 weeks in the mission, so Ill be finishing his training. Fun stuffffs.

Love you all,

Elder McGee

The glass is more than half full!

1 Jordan 6:14​

"And thus ended his first year​"

3 Nephi 7:26

​[​

And there were many in the commencement of this year

​(my first year)​

 that were baptized unto repentance; and thus the more part of the year did pass away.

 ​]​

​Im officially and sadly half way through! But not half way done, for this work does not ever stop!

We had a good one! We are going to be burning white shirts tonight in honor of all the hard work we have put forth so far!

I have a hint of where ill be transferred to! Its not in Rancagua, and it might be located along the coast! WOOOO. (;

We got home late almost every night this passed week with all the stuff we have been doing! Lots of flights for people going home, lots of visa work, and other good stuff that President wants us to do. This is my last week to give it my all here in the office, and then back to work in the sector! Woooo!

I spent my one year helping out the comasaries paint a house! It was super fun, we had a minor paint war and ended up painting ourselves. Good thing it was water base.

Yesterday we had a big reunion for all the new missionaries for the past two changes! We had some 90 people there. We had chilean completos (hot dogs with mayonase and palta(avocado)). We bought all the bread. It was like 100 dollars. We had to get 180 freshly cooked pieces of bread. It was good to see alot of my good buddies who came out with me, who are now training people! (Ill probably be training this next change or 2)

Pretty basic week, but lots of fun as usuall!

I love all of you guys!

Babe Ruth once said: "Its hard to beat someone who never gives up."

​So whatever you are working on, don't ever stop!

​James 4:1​

4 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what isyour life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away

​We dont have much time. Get things done. Change your life. Come unto Christ. Thank God for everything you have daily.

I took no pictures this week. This is a picture of Harding and I just to show you we are okay. (:

I guess I also have a pictue of all the coins here in Chile I took today.

​

Elder McGee​

My last week being less than a year old in the mish! Ahh!

My last week being less than a year old in the mish! Ahh!

It was a pretty relaxing week here in Rancagua, Chile.

Lets see. Last week in church an hermano from the ward had a heart attack and like all the men from the ward left. It was pretty weird because the meeting kept going on like normal, but like half the people left to go see what was going on! The hermano was fine, and everything worked out, but it was pretty dramatic in the moment! 

This change has been pretty crazy. In the first 4 weeks (out of 6) We had to have special changes 5 times now. Which means that 22 people were affected to make everything work with companions and what not! Thats why you gotta be obedient and not be a bad missionary! Being in the office, Ive learned a lot more of the administrative things of the church and the mission rather than what most missionaries are called to do with ministering the church.

On Mondays we always have a meeting with all the office elders, the finance elder and the senior couple in charge of the houses as well as President and his wife. This Monday, my companion and Elder Harding's companion went to Santiago to do some visa work, so out of the 12 people that are usually in the meeting, we were only 10. Then the comisarios (who are in charge of the houses) left too. So usually we have this meeting in Spanish, and there are only 2 Latins in the office. So when they left, there were no Latinos, and we all just finished the meeting in English. It was just kinda funny! 

Tuesday we took another senior couple up to santiago to help them finish their visa process. Something we usually send the missionaries up to do by themselves, but with the senior couples, we usually help them out. It was a fun day, and we cut through all the lines because they are senior citizens. We finished the process early, and headed over to a... SUBWAY! I haven't eaten a nice sub with sweet onion and mayo for a year now! Wow. nice. huh?

The zone meetings are going on right now (Where president and the assistants travel to every zone and teach how to be better missionaries.) We went to one on Wednesday which was here in Rancagua, and then yesterday we went down to Talca which is the farthest point south in our mission. Chile is a country where you can really only travel north and south. So that's interesting!

We had one house in an area here close get hit by a car. The hermanas weren't home at the time, so everything was good. But that resulted in the hermanas needing a house while their house is being repaired. So that turned into them moving into the house where the other office elders live. We live in an apartment with 15 stories, and 4 apartments in each level. Its like the 5th tallest building here in Rancagua. Anyways now there are 6 elders living in one house. As well as 4 hermanas living on level 5, and another 4 living on level 13. There is a senior couple that lives on level 11, and we live on level 9. So in total, there are 16 missionaries living here!

Today we wanted to go exploring so we went to a nearby city called Doñihue because its located very close to the mountains. We just kinda went and found a sweet mountain and climbed all the way to the top. It took all morning. It was super fun! After, we went to what the call the Safari. Its like a little cool zoo, and they have a thing where you can get into a little cage jeep and go into a field where lions jump on the car and eat meat and what not! Cool stuff. Check out the pictures (:

Anywho. That was my week.

Its interesting. One year ago, wearing a shirt and a tie with slacks was the worst thing and it needed to come off as soon as church was over. Now its the opposite. Its so nice just slipping back into some nice slacks, and a freshly ironed shirt. (:

I think one of the greatest things Ive learned here in the mission is just to love everything that God has given us. The ability to breath each day. The opportunities we have to be with our families, to learn how to communicate, and love. I think this video really explains the idea of just being thankful for what we have:http://www.mormonchannel.org/more-videos?v=3641596636001&cid=HPTH070314304

Awesome huh?

I was reading an old talk this week and found a quote I really liked:

"A man and a woman can come together and bring forth life, but a missionary can come forth a bring eternal life."

Prepare for missions. Be a missionary. Share your feelings. What we have can change others lives forever, and bring eternal life!

Love you all.

Elder McGee

¡Feliz Nacimiento de América!

¡Feliz Nacimiento de América!

Uno de los mayores días nunca!!

I hope everyone had fun blowing up water dynamites, and bottle rockets! I was here in the office working with missionaries visas’! haha. We had a pretty good 4^th though. We made a huge American flag, and everyone in the office wore American flag ties, even the Latinos, and president!!

Today we celebrated the 4^th with all the senior couples and Elders here in the office. We all went over to president’s house and one of the Senior Elders spent a bunch of money and we grilled a TON of meat. It was super fun! I kinda took charge and organized it because the 4^th is one of my favorite holidays. It was super fun to organize another party. I realized how much I had missed that! We got stuffed, and after had a little concert with people playing guitar, piano, and I played some harmonica I’ve been working on. (:  I had a really good week though!

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzP8WWdTiti0LTN2MUs2amZRdnc/edit

We had 3 different special changes this past week which affected some 15 missionaries... They aren’t good because usually something happens with the missionaries and they have to change areas so that there are no more problems!

On Tuesday, we had an awesome leadership council and president said “No hay ninguna persona quien logrará el reino celestial haciendo lo minimo.” (There is not a single person who will achieve the celestial kingdom doing the minimum.) I learned a lot, and it’s always fun being in a room full of the best missionaries in the mission.

One morning this week I woke up super tired, and went to go pray in my study room. I turned my heater on, started to pray… fell asleep and woke up 45 minutes later to a small earthquake.. Good prayer huh?

I’m just having such a blast! The mission is the best! I hope everyone had a fun 4^th of July for it is like my favorite holiday besides Christmas.

I saw a good quote this past week: “The Whole Idea of Mormonism is Improvement, mentally, physically, morally, and spiritually” –Lorenzo Snow.

I love it, it’s everything we are and what we are trying to accomplish in this world!!

Another food for thought this week:

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you?

I love you all, and hope everything is going good!!

Elder McGee