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​

 

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...