I’m going to start this E-mail off by saying, “I CAN’T BELIEVE MOM AND DAD WERE
IN CHORLEY ON DECEMBER 23rd”! Elder Kingsley (a missionary who actually met my
parents on December 23rd) is sitting right next to me as I write this E-mail and
he has told me that he met you! I have to admit that it is pretty fun to hear
about how your parents were running around in your area right before Christmas,
but what if we had bumped into each other! Any who, the secret is out and I
want to know all about it when I get home!
The good news is that England is starting to warm up… but the bad news is I’m
going home in like 8 days so it doesn’t really matter! That seems to be just my
luck I have some of the coldest days England has ever had and then when some
nice weather kicks in I’m gone, and it would seem that now Las Vegas is having a
bit of a cold front! But no matter it will be nice to see beautiful Vegas again
cold or hot. Now for some amazing news, Louise Moyo is getting baptized this
Saturday (January 23rd) and she has asked me to perform the baptism :)! And
since she has a fear of water she went to the baths the other day and dunked
herself under a couple times to make sure she could do it. It will end up being
a bit of a strange baptism though because Louise can’t really go backward or
forward to quickly because the blood rushing to her head might make her pass
out, and so we will have to do it straight down (which is nice for me because I
wont have to worry about smashing her head into the wall like I did with
Christian :) ). Phil and Rachel are still engaged and are thinking about
getting married on Halloween :P so who knows what is going to happen with that.
Elder Atkin and I just recently dated Helen and Cath for baptism on March 14th
and they are so prepared! We just found another investigator by the name of
Nigel who has the coolest voice ever! He sounds just like the movie preview man
and when he read Moroni 10:3-5 I don’t think I was ever so excited to pray and
receive the truth of all things by the power of the Holy Ghost :). Life in
Chorley is amazing… Life as a missionary is amazing.
I can’t believe that this is the last time I will be writing you an E-mail as
‘Elder McKenna’. It seems like yesterday I was sitting on the plane with Elder
Newson flying over to Atlanta and now I will soon be on the plane with Elder
Newson flying home from Atlanta, time has gone by so quickly… As I think about
going home I think about how amazing it will be to see all of you again! To
play crazy games and to make even more awesome memories! I think about
University and starting the rest of my life! But when I think about leaving the
people of Britain I can feel a pain in my heart… I love being a missionary! I
just don’t know how I’m going to be able to leave the dry British humour, the
amazing brick structures, and the glorious accent! But most of all I don’t know
how I’m going to leave serving the Lord at the capacity of a full time
missionary. I love this Gospel so much; it means absolutely everything to me!
With out the teachings of Christ, with out his guidance, and with out the
Atonement I know that I would be lost, depressed, and misguided. How grateful I
am for a loving Heavenly Father who wants me to succeed! Who wants me to return
and be with him again! I know that God lives! I know that Jesus is the Christ!
I know that Joseph Smith saw them both in the spring of 1820! I know that the
Book of Mormon is true! That the Priesthood has been restored! I know that
Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today! And I know that Jesus Christ does live
and that because he lives there is hope for us all!
I have fought the good fight! I have finished my course! I have kept the
Faith!
I love you all and can’t wait to see you again!
The weak servant of and empowering God,
Elder Tristan Joseph McKenna
Monday, January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
IM SO COLD!
THANK YOU! I think this was the best E-mail turn out I have had for about 7
months! This is perfect because it defrosted my heart from how ridiculously
cold and full of snow England is right now! They say that England hasn’t been
this cold for at least 40 years! And I just happen to be lucky enough to be
here for it :). In Scotland it has hit about 20 bellow and because of the moist
air they say that the highlands of Scotland are colder then the Artic right now!
As for Chorley were only at about -10 so it’s not too bad (yeah right I’m so
cold!)! And what’s worse is that when I do my homecoming talk I won’t even be
able to talk about how cold it is here because poor Elder Erickson is going to
MOSCOW! I can’t even imagine how horribly cold he is going to be :(. Any way
the E-mails were amazing and I’m excited to finish strong and to see all of you
again!
Well, normally I would share what information I was given and then share this
amazing experience Elder Atkin and I had last Sunday in which we taught this
woman and her mother and dated them for baptism and how Louise is still going to
get baptized despite the persecution she is receiving and how Phil (Rachel’s
fiancée) is now making plans to be baptized himself! BUT I JUST DON’T HAVE
TIME! So I will save it all for next week and just say that I love you all so
much, I love this Gospel… I love the English people… I have loved my mission
more than I can possibly hope to express in words… This church is true, I know
it is.
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
months! This is perfect because it defrosted my heart from how ridiculously
cold and full of snow England is right now! They say that England hasn’t been
this cold for at least 40 years! And I just happen to be lucky enough to be
here for it :). In Scotland it has hit about 20 bellow and because of the moist
air they say that the highlands of Scotland are colder then the Artic right now!
As for Chorley were only at about -10 so it’s not too bad (yeah right I’m so
cold!)! And what’s worse is that when I do my homecoming talk I won’t even be
able to talk about how cold it is here because poor Elder Erickson is going to
MOSCOW! I can’t even imagine how horribly cold he is going to be :(. Any way
the E-mails were amazing and I’m excited to finish strong and to see all of you
again!
Well, normally I would share what information I was given and then share this
amazing experience Elder Atkin and I had last Sunday in which we taught this
woman and her mother and dated them for baptism and how Louise is still going to
get baptized despite the persecution she is receiving and how Phil (Rachel’s
fiancée) is now making plans to be baptized himself! BUT I JUST DON’T HAVE
TIME! So I will save it all for next week and just say that I love you all so
much, I love this Gospel… I love the English people… I have loved my mission
more than I can possibly hope to express in words… This church is true, I know
it is.
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
Monday, January 4, 2010
2010
WELCOME TO 2010! Thank you for the E-mails and love! It’s strange to think
that I am writing an E-mail in 2010, in 2008 the year 2010 seemed so far away
and now it seems to have snuck up and sucker punched me in the face… but, no
matter. It seems that back home the McKenna’s brought the new year in with
style.
Mom and Dad were on their cruise of Greece, Spain, and Egypt; finishing with a
stop in California where they stayed in a really nice costal town for a few days
and had a swinging New Years Eve party. The St. George McKenna’s were in Hawaii
celebrating with some of the lost tribe of Israel. And I’m sure that everyone
else had a great New Year as well… even though no one really E-mailed me… you
know, you would think, that with only three more chances to E-mail your little
brother/uncle/brother-in-law you would totally want to, you would want to give
him support in his last freezing days, you would want to fill his heart with
family love, you would want to make up for all the times you didn’t E-mail him
and at least make it look like you E-mailed him by E-mailing his last three
times… but alas, there are only TWO more times you can E-mail him now and then
after that you will have to face the judgement, in which case those who were
faithful will receive English chocolate and those who were unfaithful will get
some English Mince pies :). Choose ye this day whom ye will E-mail! Well, now
that we have that out in the open and everyone understands that you only have
TWO MORE CHANCES we can move on to happier things :).
The work is going so well over here! It feels as thought the Lord is blessing
us far more then we deserve and it’s one of the most amazing times of my
mission. Rachel and Louis are doing well, Phil still hasn’t set a date for the
wedding but I think it’s going to be pretty soon, and Louise is still dated for
the 23rd and has thrown out her tea, coffee, and wine so that she can be living
the Word of Wisdom. New Years Eve was amazing! We went to the Sumner’s with
Phil and Rachel for some delicious curry and a spicy game of Monopoly City
(which I won because I built a huge metropolis on Middleton (because I had
served in that actual city and so I knew it would be lucky) and Rachel got a
chance card that sent her right to Middleton were she had to pay 18 million
pounds! IT WAS AMAZING!) Then on New Years day we went to the chapel to watch
both Toy Stories and both Narnias, followed by an evening with the Padroven
family were we ate pancakes and played Crash Bandicoot Racing (which I think I
have played that 8 million times with Trent) and so I was able to come off
victor in that by just a few inches on my last race with Elder Atkin! That too
was AMAZING! Needless to say it has been a wonderful week but I just don’t have
much time to E-mail today so I will have to save the story that I was going to
tell you for next week. The Church is true, I love this work, and hopeful you
will all actually E-mail me.
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. can someone see if Audrey ended up getting that package I sent?
P.P.S. I have to apologize for the January Birthdays because your present will
be a little late :).
that I am writing an E-mail in 2010, in 2008 the year 2010 seemed so far away
and now it seems to have snuck up and sucker punched me in the face… but, no
matter. It seems that back home the McKenna’s brought the new year in with
style.
Mom and Dad were on their cruise of Greece, Spain, and Egypt; finishing with a
stop in California where they stayed in a really nice costal town for a few days
and had a swinging New Years Eve party. The St. George McKenna’s were in Hawaii
celebrating with some of the lost tribe of Israel. And I’m sure that everyone
else had a great New Year as well… even though no one really E-mailed me… you
know, you would think, that with only three more chances to E-mail your little
brother/uncle/brother-in-law you would totally want to, you would want to give
him support in his last freezing days, you would want to fill his heart with
family love, you would want to make up for all the times you didn’t E-mail him
and at least make it look like you E-mailed him by E-mailing his last three
times… but alas, there are only TWO more times you can E-mail him now and then
after that you will have to face the judgement, in which case those who were
faithful will receive English chocolate and those who were unfaithful will get
some English Mince pies :). Choose ye this day whom ye will E-mail! Well, now
that we have that out in the open and everyone understands that you only have
TWO MORE CHANCES we can move on to happier things :).
The work is going so well over here! It feels as thought the Lord is blessing
us far more then we deserve and it’s one of the most amazing times of my
mission. Rachel and Louis are doing well, Phil still hasn’t set a date for the
wedding but I think it’s going to be pretty soon, and Louise is still dated for
the 23rd and has thrown out her tea, coffee, and wine so that she can be living
the Word of Wisdom. New Years Eve was amazing! We went to the Sumner’s with
Phil and Rachel for some delicious curry and a spicy game of Monopoly City
(which I won because I built a huge metropolis on Middleton (because I had
served in that actual city and so I knew it would be lucky) and Rachel got a
chance card that sent her right to Middleton were she had to pay 18 million
pounds! IT WAS AMAZING!) Then on New Years day we went to the chapel to watch
both Toy Stories and both Narnias, followed by an evening with the Padroven
family were we ate pancakes and played Crash Bandicoot Racing (which I think I
have played that 8 million times with Trent) and so I was able to come off
victor in that by just a few inches on my last race with Elder Atkin! That too
was AMAZING! Needless to say it has been a wonderful week but I just don’t have
much time to E-mail today so I will have to save the story that I was going to
tell you for next week. The Church is true, I love this work, and hopeful you
will all actually E-mail me.
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. can someone see if Audrey ended up getting that package I sent?
P.P.S. I have to apologize for the January Birthdays because your present will
be a little late :).
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
HAPPY NEW YEAR
MERRY CHRISTMAS! I am sorry that this E-mail is a day late but because of the
Bank Holiday on Monday I’ve had to E-mail on Tuesday. I hope everyone had a
good Christmas and enjoyed a lot of good food and family time! It would even
seem that the Holiday spirit was strong enough to get Chelsey to write me an
E-mail! And it would seem that dad hasn’t been forwarding my E-mails to Chelsey
since October which makes me wonder which is worse the fact that Chelsey hasn’t
been getting my E-mails or the fact that she just barley figured it out :P. Any
who Christmas sounded amazing back in the US/Hawaii (St. George McKenna’s)/Rome
(Ma and Pa) and it was wonderful here in Britain!
The St. George McKenna’s have been celebrating their Christmas Holiday in Hawaii
enjoying sunsets and crab chases, Mom and dad are still enjoying their cruise,
Chelsey went to the Huston McKenna’s for some delicious turkey, and over here in
England for Christmas Eve we got together with Elder Curgenven & Sharrard and
made a delicious turkey with some vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, roasties, and
of course gravy :). After dinner we watched the Lion King and Finding Nemo on a
projector in the relief society room! It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and to
top it all off we wore matching PJ’s :)! (Everyone’s parents use to give them
PJ’s for Christmas Eve and so we decided to keep the tradition going).
Christmas day we started off with an American breakfast at the Nowells house and
then for the evening went to Stu Pattendons house who is a YSA in the ward;
during Christmas day we watched the Polar Express and Prince Caspian. For New
Years Eve we are planning to hang out with Phil, Rachel, and the Sumner’s for
some food and board games and then off to Louis for some X-Box 360 racing games
:). On New Years day we are going to the Chapel to watch as many movies as we
can and then in the evening we’re going to the Padrove family for some Uno and a
New Years Day feast. It should make for a pretty fun New Year. But despite the
festivities of the holiday missionary work presses on!
We had something amazing happen this past week… Louise Moyo wants to get
baptized! We never thought that she would be strong enough to make that step
(she was the one who had the horrible accident as a child which has made her
terrified to go under water) but she has! We had a wonderful lesson with her on
Wednesday in which the Spirit was very strong! The topic of our lesson was
obedience. We discussed Abraham, Nephi, and focused on the promise that there
is no commandment that God gives us that we can’t accomplish. It was a
painlessly plain lesson; the Spirit was defiantly there, and at the end Louise
told us that she wanted to take the steps necessary for baptism! IT IS SO
AMAZING! I love being a part of this work so much! Because I absolutely know
that there is nothing that could have persuaded her to make that choice, then
the power of the Holy Ghost! I love my Heavenly Father so much and I love
seeing the change that is wrought upon the hearts of the people! I will miss
this work… but I know that I still have a few weeks to make a difference and I
am determined to do so! The Church is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet, the
Book of Mormon is the word of God, Christ lives! And I will do all that I can
to help people understand that!
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. The baptism is for Louise is planned for January 23rd (the last weekend
before I go home)
Bank Holiday on Monday I’ve had to E-mail on Tuesday. I hope everyone had a
good Christmas and enjoyed a lot of good food and family time! It would even
seem that the Holiday spirit was strong enough to get Chelsey to write me an
E-mail! And it would seem that dad hasn’t been forwarding my E-mails to Chelsey
since October which makes me wonder which is worse the fact that Chelsey hasn’t
been getting my E-mails or the fact that she just barley figured it out :P. Any
who Christmas sounded amazing back in the US/Hawaii (St. George McKenna’s)/Rome
(Ma and Pa) and it was wonderful here in Britain!
The St. George McKenna’s have been celebrating their Christmas Holiday in Hawaii
enjoying sunsets and crab chases, Mom and dad are still enjoying their cruise,
Chelsey went to the Huston McKenna’s for some delicious turkey, and over here in
England for Christmas Eve we got together with Elder Curgenven & Sharrard and
made a delicious turkey with some vegetables, Yorkshire puddings, roasties, and
of course gravy :). After dinner we watched the Lion King and Finding Nemo on a
projector in the relief society room! It was a wonderful Christmas Eve and to
top it all off we wore matching PJ’s :)! (Everyone’s parents use to give them
PJ’s for Christmas Eve and so we decided to keep the tradition going).
Christmas day we started off with an American breakfast at the Nowells house and
then for the evening went to Stu Pattendons house who is a YSA in the ward;
during Christmas day we watched the Polar Express and Prince Caspian. For New
Years Eve we are planning to hang out with Phil, Rachel, and the Sumner’s for
some food and board games and then off to Louis for some X-Box 360 racing games
:). On New Years day we are going to the Chapel to watch as many movies as we
can and then in the evening we’re going to the Padrove family for some Uno and a
New Years Day feast. It should make for a pretty fun New Year. But despite the
festivities of the holiday missionary work presses on!
We had something amazing happen this past week… Louise Moyo wants to get
baptized! We never thought that she would be strong enough to make that step
(she was the one who had the horrible accident as a child which has made her
terrified to go under water) but she has! We had a wonderful lesson with her on
Wednesday in which the Spirit was very strong! The topic of our lesson was
obedience. We discussed Abraham, Nephi, and focused on the promise that there
is no commandment that God gives us that we can’t accomplish. It was a
painlessly plain lesson; the Spirit was defiantly there, and at the end Louise
told us that she wanted to take the steps necessary for baptism! IT IS SO
AMAZING! I love being a part of this work so much! Because I absolutely know
that there is nothing that could have persuaded her to make that choice, then
the power of the Holy Ghost! I love my Heavenly Father so much and I love
seeing the change that is wrought upon the hearts of the people! I will miss
this work… but I know that I still have a few weeks to make a difference and I
am determined to do so! The Church is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet, the
Book of Mormon is the word of God, Christ lives! And I will do all that I can
to help people understand that!
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. The baptism is for Louise is planned for January 23rd (the last weekend
before I go home)
Monday, December 21, 2009
CHRISTMAS TIME!
Hello! It would seem that everyone is still busy enjoying Christmas season and
all the magic it brings! Once again I didn’t get any E-mails (except for the
St. George clan who took the Christlike attribute of diligence to heart and sent
an E-mail off to the UK), mum, and pa. But you have been sending a lot of love
via royal mail so thank you for the post and pictures (I got the Thanksgiving
photos! They were great).
The St. George McKenna’s seem to be doing well getting ready for the Christmas
season and their luxurious trip to Hawaii! Ellyse is bonding with her pig
Wilbur, Meghan is dominating the boy football teams, Jackson scored his first
goal (the first of many :)), and Carson is enjoying the time off of school;
while mom and dad outrun a storm on the open sea which seems to have SMASHED
itself right into Britain! These past few days have been crazy! I have never
seen such bad weather in my whole mission! The whole country seems to be
covered in snow! We have about 3 inches here in Chorley but it seems that the
storm has passed and is smashing down south. It’s funny because I always
thought that the weather here couldn’t really get any worse and then BAM! We
get a snowstorm! So needless to say it is ridiculously cold over here! But
overall life is great and in answer to a few questions… no, I’ve never really
heard who Roy Keane is but I’m sure that I’ve just never heard of him because
I’ve never really brought him up, if he was the captain of Man U I can imagine
that EVERYONE knows who he is… My release date is January 27th, and I will be
arriving home January 28 or 29th I don’t know exactly yet… My Christmas plans
include the following:
Christmas Eve: going to the chapel with Elder Sharrard and Curgenven to make a
Turkey dinner and watch movies.
Christmas Day: American French toast and Pancakes at the Nowells for breakfast,
then on to games and movies with Phil and Rachel with lunch, and then off to the
Pattendons for tea and movies! This year we are allowed to watch the Toy
Stories, Narnias, Miracle on 34th street, lion king, The Polar Express, and play
racing and sport video games! It’s going to be pretty awesome!
Well, Things over here are going amazing as always! Despite the freezing
temperatures and torrential snow storms, things are always pushing forward in
the Lords work :). PHIL AND RACHEL ARE GETTING MARRIED! Phil finally popped
the question (actually Rachel told him that they were going to get married and
he said ‘O.K.’) and in their unromantic style :) the two of them went to get a
ring, Rachel picked it, Phil bought it, then wrapped it, and put it under the
tree until Christmas :)… despite the lack of creativity I’m just happy the two
of them are finally sealing the deal so I don’t have to constantly worry about
them! Louis is doing well but because he hasn’t been able to get work he has
had to move back in with his mum. Louise and Jane are amazing and Louise is
working towards her baptism. We have met some more amazing people who have
great potential. But unfortunately I just don’t have time to write… I love you
all tons! I’ll call around 6 or 7 PM on 274 1302! And I don’t know if I’ll be
able to E-mail next week because I think the Libraries will all be closed :(.
Love,
Elder McKenna
p.s. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL! :)
all the magic it brings! Once again I didn’t get any E-mails (except for the
St. George clan who took the Christlike attribute of diligence to heart and sent
an E-mail off to the UK), mum, and pa. But you have been sending a lot of love
via royal mail so thank you for the post and pictures (I got the Thanksgiving
photos! They were great).
The St. George McKenna’s seem to be doing well getting ready for the Christmas
season and their luxurious trip to Hawaii! Ellyse is bonding with her pig
Wilbur, Meghan is dominating the boy football teams, Jackson scored his first
goal (the first of many :)), and Carson is enjoying the time off of school;
while mom and dad outrun a storm on the open sea which seems to have SMASHED
itself right into Britain! These past few days have been crazy! I have never
seen such bad weather in my whole mission! The whole country seems to be
covered in snow! We have about 3 inches here in Chorley but it seems that the
storm has passed and is smashing down south. It’s funny because I always
thought that the weather here couldn’t really get any worse and then BAM! We
get a snowstorm! So needless to say it is ridiculously cold over here! But
overall life is great and in answer to a few questions… no, I’ve never really
heard who Roy Keane is but I’m sure that I’ve just never heard of him because
I’ve never really brought him up, if he was the captain of Man U I can imagine
that EVERYONE knows who he is… My release date is January 27th, and I will be
arriving home January 28 or 29th I don’t know exactly yet… My Christmas plans
include the following:
Christmas Eve: going to the chapel with Elder Sharrard and Curgenven to make a
Turkey dinner and watch movies.
Christmas Day: American French toast and Pancakes at the Nowells for breakfast,
then on to games and movies with Phil and Rachel with lunch, and then off to the
Pattendons for tea and movies! This year we are allowed to watch the Toy
Stories, Narnias, Miracle on 34th street, lion king, The Polar Express, and play
racing and sport video games! It’s going to be pretty awesome!
Well, Things over here are going amazing as always! Despite the freezing
temperatures and torrential snow storms, things are always pushing forward in
the Lords work :). PHIL AND RACHEL ARE GETTING MARRIED! Phil finally popped
the question (actually Rachel told him that they were going to get married and
he said ‘O.K.’) and in their unromantic style :) the two of them went to get a
ring, Rachel picked it, Phil bought it, then wrapped it, and put it under the
tree until Christmas :)… despite the lack of creativity I’m just happy the two
of them are finally sealing the deal so I don’t have to constantly worry about
them! Louis is doing well but because he hasn’t been able to get work he has
had to move back in with his mum. Louise and Jane are amazing and Louise is
working towards her baptism. We have met some more amazing people who have
great potential. But unfortunately I just don’t have time to write… I love you
all tons! I’ll call around 6 or 7 PM on 274 1302! And I don’t know if I’ll be
able to E-mail next week because I think the Libraries will all be closed :(.
Love,
Elder McKenna
p.s. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL! :)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Transfers!
Thank you for all the Christmas packages and all the amazing letters! All is forgiven for the lack of E-mails and you have officially made Elder Atkin jealous by the amount of love being sent via British Royal post :). I'm sorry that I wasn't able to E-mail on Monday but this week is transfer week and as such our P-day is on Wednesday and. I WASN'T TRANSFERRED! I thought for sure I was going to be transferred, because Elder Atkin and I came out together, but President is allowing us to stay together so that we can die together here in Chorley! It's pretty amazing because Elder Atkin, Elder Newson (Elder Newson was the missionary who I met at the airport, me and him are the only ones from Vegas), and myself have become good friends and now I get to end my mission with one of them!
Well, things back home seem to be going great but unfortunately I have no time to E-mail today because it's transfer day and we have some things that we have to take care of for the zone. But I love you all a ton and for my parentals I'll e-mail the time I'll be calling you (on your luxurious cruise liner) next week but it will probably be around 7 pm English time so I don't know what time you'll be because I won't know were in the world you are :).
All of my Love,
Elder McKenna
Well, things back home seem to be going great but unfortunately I have no time to E-mail today because it's transfer day and we have some things that we have to take care of for the zone. But I love you all a ton and for my parentals I'll e-mail the time I'll be calling you (on your luxurious cruise liner) next week but it will probably be around 7 pm English time so I don't know what time you'll be because I won't know were in the world you are :).
All of my Love,
Elder McKenna
Monday, December 7, 2009
Rachel was BAPTISED!
Hello! Things back home must be pretty busy with Christmas and the Holidays so
much so that NO ONE EVEN WROTE ME AN E-MAIL! I know that the life size picture
thing looks a lot like me but I’m still not home, still out here on my mission,
and an E-mail would be nice now and again :). But I still love you and hope
that the Spirit of Christmas will fill your hearts with love for your wee little
brother, enough so that you’ll send him an E-mail.
Okay, rebuking aside, the only information I really have to relate from mom and
dad’s email (because they are the only ones who HAVE E-mailed me) is that
they’re getting ready for their cruise and it sounds like it is going to be
amazing! And in answer to the question that was given to me by mom and dad
(because they are the only ones who HAVE E-mailed me)… Senior missionaries are
amazing! I love the senior missionaries here in the EMM, they are the ones that
the rest of us look up to and they are always there to bring a bit of comfort
when you may be having a difficult time. Overall it seems like mom and dad are
doing extremely well and thank you for letting Jaryn’s sister know to let Jaryn
know to write me a letter!
Well, another week and another E-mail. Usually I have a very difficult time
with what to write about but this week I’m defiantly going to write about
Rachel’s baptism and confirmation. Rachel Johnstone was baptised on December
05, 2009 by Elder Larson (who came down from Manchester to be at the baptism).
The baptism was extremely spiritual… The speakers were inspired and gave
beautiful sermons, the songs were festive (we ended up singing ‘joy to the
world’ and ‘once in Royal David’s city’ because Rachel doesn’t like how slow all
the other hymns are (she use to be Church of England and they sing some pretty
intense hymns)), and the people were touched, but I think what really shows the
kind of person Rachel is was summed up in the actual baptism. Normally during a
baptism the person being immersed doesn’t say anything at all they just go into
the water quietly and the ordinance is performed… not Rachel. When she and
Elder Larson got into the water they realized that it was a bit cold and Rachel
walked up to the glass of the font, looked out into the crowd, found Brother
Casewell (he was the one who filled the font), pointed her finger at him and
said “He’s the one to blame for this cold water!” that pretty much sums up the
‘firecracker’ Rachel is… She was baptized and it was an amazing event. The
following day (Sunday, the day of confirmation) I had the privilege of
confirming Rachel a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon her. After which the congregation
began to bear their testimonies. One by one the members went up and bore
testimony of the Gospel and our Saviour and then Rachel stood up, walked up to
the podium, and bore her testimony which was beautiful and filled with the Holy
Ghost… but before she started to bear her testimony she thought that she would
implement something she had learned to do as a little kid to catch peoples
attention so she said, “alright I want to try something real quick, raise your
hand if you had a piece of toast for breakfast (pause), now raise your hand if
you had a bowl of cereal for breakfast (pause), O.K. now that I have your
attention I’ll start with what I want to say.” The only problem with this was
that everyone was fasting (because it was fast and testimony meeting) and so no
one raised there hand at all… after she had finished, sat down next to me, and
about 4 other testimonies were given she leaned over and whispered, “everyone is
fasting today aren’t they” I just started to laugh and Rachel turned about as
red as an Apple. Despite Rachel asking if people had eaten on Fast Sunday the
meeting was amazing and Rachel just seems to radiate cheerfulness now that she
has been baptised and confirmed. As for Phil he was present at all the events,
has been very supportive, and I still think he is going to propose to her this
Christmas! He knows the church is true and is just doing things on his own time
scale, eventually I know he’ll join as well.
Overall life is great as a missionary… The sky is blue the church is true and
the Book of Mormon is too.
Love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. the Birthday presents for December Birthdays are going to be a bit late...
sorrey :)
much so that NO ONE EVEN WROTE ME AN E-MAIL! I know that the life size picture
thing looks a lot like me but I’m still not home, still out here on my mission,
and an E-mail would be nice now and again :). But I still love you and hope
that the Spirit of Christmas will fill your hearts with love for your wee little
brother, enough so that you’ll send him an E-mail.
Okay, rebuking aside, the only information I really have to relate from mom and
dad’s email (because they are the only ones who HAVE E-mailed me) is that
they’re getting ready for their cruise and it sounds like it is going to be
amazing! And in answer to the question that was given to me by mom and dad
(because they are the only ones who HAVE E-mailed me)… Senior missionaries are
amazing! I love the senior missionaries here in the EMM, they are the ones that
the rest of us look up to and they are always there to bring a bit of comfort
when you may be having a difficult time. Overall it seems like mom and dad are
doing extremely well and thank you for letting Jaryn’s sister know to let Jaryn
know to write me a letter!
Well, another week and another E-mail. Usually I have a very difficult time
with what to write about but this week I’m defiantly going to write about
Rachel’s baptism and confirmation. Rachel Johnstone was baptised on December
05, 2009 by Elder Larson (who came down from Manchester to be at the baptism).
The baptism was extremely spiritual… The speakers were inspired and gave
beautiful sermons, the songs were festive (we ended up singing ‘joy to the
world’ and ‘once in Royal David’s city’ because Rachel doesn’t like how slow all
the other hymns are (she use to be Church of England and they sing some pretty
intense hymns)), and the people were touched, but I think what really shows the
kind of person Rachel is was summed up in the actual baptism. Normally during a
baptism the person being immersed doesn’t say anything at all they just go into
the water quietly and the ordinance is performed… not Rachel. When she and
Elder Larson got into the water they realized that it was a bit cold and Rachel
walked up to the glass of the font, looked out into the crowd, found Brother
Casewell (he was the one who filled the font), pointed her finger at him and
said “He’s the one to blame for this cold water!” that pretty much sums up the
‘firecracker’ Rachel is… She was baptized and it was an amazing event. The
following day (Sunday, the day of confirmation) I had the privilege of
confirming Rachel a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
and to bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon her. After which the congregation
began to bear their testimonies. One by one the members went up and bore
testimony of the Gospel and our Saviour and then Rachel stood up, walked up to
the podium, and bore her testimony which was beautiful and filled with the Holy
Ghost… but before she started to bear her testimony she thought that she would
implement something she had learned to do as a little kid to catch peoples
attention so she said, “alright I want to try something real quick, raise your
hand if you had a piece of toast for breakfast (pause), now raise your hand if
you had a bowl of cereal for breakfast (pause), O.K. now that I have your
attention I’ll start with what I want to say.” The only problem with this was
that everyone was fasting (because it was fast and testimony meeting) and so no
one raised there hand at all… after she had finished, sat down next to me, and
about 4 other testimonies were given she leaned over and whispered, “everyone is
fasting today aren’t they” I just started to laugh and Rachel turned about as
red as an Apple. Despite Rachel asking if people had eaten on Fast Sunday the
meeting was amazing and Rachel just seems to radiate cheerfulness now that she
has been baptised and confirmed. As for Phil he was present at all the events,
has been very supportive, and I still think he is going to propose to her this
Christmas! He knows the church is true and is just doing things on his own time
scale, eventually I know he’ll join as well.
Overall life is great as a missionary… The sky is blue the church is true and
the Book of Mormon is too.
Love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. the Birthday presents for December Birthdays are going to be a bit late...
sorrey :)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Turkey Day!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING! It would seem that good ol’ Turkey day back home was a huge
success and that the meal was quite delicious, especially the GIANT free range
Turkey which seems to have been quite a highlight of the day :). Thank you for
letting me know all the hip happenings and I am glad to hear that I was able to
make a surprise appearance (even if it was in cardboard form).
The meal sounded intense with 24 people attending, Meghan being forced to sit at
the little kid table and Chelsey’s Mike’s mom attending; but what seemed to be
the most scrumptious was the delicious desert of ‘humble pie’ that was served
out on the Tennis courts where apparently Jeff and Max dominated in a round of
tennis (I was sad to hear that no Volley Ten Soc Pong Ball was played but we’ll
just have to make sure we do that next year). After Thanksgiving the Zurfluehs
ran off to Palm Springs were they celebrated their wedding anniversary while the
St. George McKenna’s dominated in some tournament football games over the
holiday. Timette is still prego to the max and everyone seems to be enjoying
the ‘becoming like him’ activity. In answer to some questions that were asked…
I don’t really know how Jaryn is doing because he has gone to the land of
endless P-days and when missionaries go to the land of endless P-days THEY NEVER
WRITE YOU AGAIN! So, if you do see him tell him that I say hi and that he
should write me a letter… Rachel and Phil are still undecided on when they want
to get married (Rachel wants to get married but she has to wait for Phil to ask
her, so while she waits Phil is living with his parents so that Rachel can be
living the law of Chastity) but we’re all pretty certain he is going to ask her
at Christmas or the New Year. Overall life seems to be splendid back in the
good ol’ USA.
This past week has been pretty crazy. On Thursday we had a ‘sports day’ in the
mission to celebrate Turkey day and so the mission got together and played some
football, American football, basketball, ping pong, and croquet. It was an
amazing day, it was a lot of fun, and it brought to my realization how horribly
out of shape I have become on my mission (I was doing all right until I came
here to Chorley, where the members feed me like I’m an 8 foot giant! My
stomachs like a small bucket not a bottomless pit!). Louise and Jane were hit
with the Swine flu and have been relaxing at home for the past few days, Elder
Atkin broke his tooth on some cracklin at a members home, Louis Villoing was
sustained to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, Rachel ran out of church crying
(don’t worry, it’s no big deal, she is just so pregnant and her emotions are so
up and down), and the Lord has blessed us with some new people to teach who seem
very promising! It has truly been a rollercoaster of a week. Like always I
have so much that I want to share with you and only time and means to share a
little bit, so today I decided that I would share with you the amazing lesson we
had with Rachel on the law of tithing. Last Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Elder
Atkin, Brother Tilley, and myself went to Rachel’s house at about 7:30 PM to
teach her a principal of the Gospel that I was perfectly aware would be the
hardest of all for her to keep. Rachel has been struggling financially for some
time now, she has had to take out emergency loans and such to keep food on the
table and heat in the house… I knew that Rachel had already sacrificed so much
for the Gospel: She had given up living with Phil, coffee & tea, going to the
football matches on Sunday, and so much more! She has suffered persecution from
family and abandonment from friends and now I was suppose to tell her that God
wanted her to give his church ten percent of her income! It was a daunting task
to say the least and I had prayed many a times in preparation so that the lesson
would be presented to her with power, love, and by the Spirit. We began the
lesson by describing what the commandment was and how it was a principal which
God had used even during the times of Abraham and that through modern day
revelation it has been restored along with the true teaching of Christ. We
explained how the money is used, the lay ministry, and the blessings of having a
chapel to worship in. We discussed about faith, the widows mite, and the
blessings that come from obedience. We exhausted our knowledge of the
scriptures and yet all these things didn’t seem to bring her any comfort, she
just kept shaking her head with tears forming in her eyes saying there is no way
she can do it. As I looked at her and thought about all the sacrifices she has
made, and the pain she has gone through all I could think about was how much I
just wanted her to be happy I began to pour out my heart to God for strength and
for knowledge of what to say. There was a moment of silence in which no one
spoke, I looked at Rachel who was sitting on the ground with her knees to her
chest and her chin resting upon them, I looked to brother Tilley and Elder Atkin
who sat in silence looking at the floor, I thought about what to do and say but
nothing came, and then I just opened my mouth… The Spirit was so strong, the
hope of Christ and for things better then this world filled our hearts, and the
peace of the Spirit rested upon her as well as all of us. Rachel then knew then
that she could live the law of tithing, she didn’t know how, but she knew she
could…
How eternally grateful I am for a Father in Heaven who loves his children and
answers our prayers, it wasn’t me or Elder Atkin or Brother Tilley who gave
Rachel courage and strength, it was the comforter which Christ promised he would
send, it was the Holy Ghost that filled her with faith and courage. This church
is true, the commandments are real and are of God, Heavenly Father does listen
and he does care, and I am so grateful to be a part of his work.
The weak servant of an empowering God,
Elder McKenna
P.S. the photo is me, Elder Atkin, and Elder Kingsley (who came out with us) at
Sports day (he is going to be going home January 13th 2 weeks before me and
Elder Atkin because of his visa) just thought I would let you know :).
success and that the meal was quite delicious, especially the GIANT free range
Turkey which seems to have been quite a highlight of the day :). Thank you for
letting me know all the hip happenings and I am glad to hear that I was able to
make a surprise appearance (even if it was in cardboard form).
The meal sounded intense with 24 people attending, Meghan being forced to sit at
the little kid table and Chelsey’s Mike’s mom attending; but what seemed to be
the most scrumptious was the delicious desert of ‘humble pie’ that was served
out on the Tennis courts where apparently Jeff and Max dominated in a round of
tennis (I was sad to hear that no Volley Ten Soc Pong Ball was played but we’ll
just have to make sure we do that next year). After Thanksgiving the Zurfluehs
ran off to Palm Springs were they celebrated their wedding anniversary while the
St. George McKenna’s dominated in some tournament football games over the
holiday. Timette is still prego to the max and everyone seems to be enjoying
the ‘becoming like him’ activity. In answer to some questions that were asked…
I don’t really know how Jaryn is doing because he has gone to the land of
endless P-days and when missionaries go to the land of endless P-days THEY NEVER
WRITE YOU AGAIN! So, if you do see him tell him that I say hi and that he
should write me a letter… Rachel and Phil are still undecided on when they want
to get married (Rachel wants to get married but she has to wait for Phil to ask
her, so while she waits Phil is living with his parents so that Rachel can be
living the law of Chastity) but we’re all pretty certain he is going to ask her
at Christmas or the New Year. Overall life seems to be splendid back in the
good ol’ USA.
This past week has been pretty crazy. On Thursday we had a ‘sports day’ in the
mission to celebrate Turkey day and so the mission got together and played some
football, American football, basketball, ping pong, and croquet. It was an
amazing day, it was a lot of fun, and it brought to my realization how horribly
out of shape I have become on my mission (I was doing all right until I came
here to Chorley, where the members feed me like I’m an 8 foot giant! My
stomachs like a small bucket not a bottomless pit!). Louise and Jane were hit
with the Swine flu and have been relaxing at home for the past few days, Elder
Atkin broke his tooth on some cracklin at a members home, Louis Villoing was
sustained to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, Rachel ran out of church crying
(don’t worry, it’s no big deal, she is just so pregnant and her emotions are so
up and down), and the Lord has blessed us with some new people to teach who seem
very promising! It has truly been a rollercoaster of a week. Like always I
have so much that I want to share with you and only time and means to share a
little bit, so today I decided that I would share with you the amazing lesson we
had with Rachel on the law of tithing. Last Wednesday, November 25, 2009 Elder
Atkin, Brother Tilley, and myself went to Rachel’s house at about 7:30 PM to
teach her a principal of the Gospel that I was perfectly aware would be the
hardest of all for her to keep. Rachel has been struggling financially for some
time now, she has had to take out emergency loans and such to keep food on the
table and heat in the house… I knew that Rachel had already sacrificed so much
for the Gospel: She had given up living with Phil, coffee & tea, going to the
football matches on Sunday, and so much more! She has suffered persecution from
family and abandonment from friends and now I was suppose to tell her that God
wanted her to give his church ten percent of her income! It was a daunting task
to say the least and I had prayed many a times in preparation so that the lesson
would be presented to her with power, love, and by the Spirit. We began the
lesson by describing what the commandment was and how it was a principal which
God had used even during the times of Abraham and that through modern day
revelation it has been restored along with the true teaching of Christ. We
explained how the money is used, the lay ministry, and the blessings of having a
chapel to worship in. We discussed about faith, the widows mite, and the
blessings that come from obedience. We exhausted our knowledge of the
scriptures and yet all these things didn’t seem to bring her any comfort, she
just kept shaking her head with tears forming in her eyes saying there is no way
she can do it. As I looked at her and thought about all the sacrifices she has
made, and the pain she has gone through all I could think about was how much I
just wanted her to be happy I began to pour out my heart to God for strength and
for knowledge of what to say. There was a moment of silence in which no one
spoke, I looked at Rachel who was sitting on the ground with her knees to her
chest and her chin resting upon them, I looked to brother Tilley and Elder Atkin
who sat in silence looking at the floor, I thought about what to do and say but
nothing came, and then I just opened my mouth… The Spirit was so strong, the
hope of Christ and for things better then this world filled our hearts, and the
peace of the Spirit rested upon her as well as all of us. Rachel then knew then
that she could live the law of tithing, she didn’t know how, but she knew she
could…
How eternally grateful I am for a Father in Heaven who loves his children and
answers our prayers, it wasn’t me or Elder Atkin or Brother Tilley who gave
Rachel courage and strength, it was the comforter which Christ promised he would
send, it was the Holy Ghost that filled her with faith and courage. This church
is true, the commandments are real and are of God, Heavenly Father does listen
and he does care, and I am so grateful to be a part of his work.
The weak servant of an empowering God,
Elder McKenna
P.S. the photo is me, Elder Atkin, and Elder Kingsley (who came out with us) at
Sports day (he is going to be going home January 13th 2 weeks before me and
Elder Atkin because of his visa) just thought I would let you know :).
Monday, November 23, 2009
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
HELLO! Well, today is an exceptionally cold day and this morning was worse
because we didn’t have ANY HOT WATER, and our shower broke, so I had the
blessing of an adrenaline pumped morning in a freezing cold bathtub :). But
your E-mails always seem to make everything better and I am grateful for your
love and support, as always.
Things back home seem to be falling into full swing for the holiday season
coming up. Between getting everything ready for a 22 person meal at
Thanksgiving and running around from store to store for some Christmas shopping
everyone back home seems to be quite busy. Madisyn is just ridiculously good at
gymnastics she can now do a round off and four back handsprings, Utah has been
hit with two snow storms and snow is still on the ground, and apparently Glee
and Modern family is a really good show. I can’t believe that the new temple
president for Las Vegas is Doctor Ballard! I met him loads of times over here
and you’ll have to ask him if he remembers my companion Elder Atkin because
about a year ago he got these horrible hives and everyone was worried that he
might die and I’m sure that his condition cause Doctor Ballard quite a bit of
stress :). Football continues to be dominated by the McKenna clan and I have to
say that I received a letter from Ellyse about two days ago which had a picture
of her at homecoming and at the time I received it me and Elder Atkin were
staying with some missionaries and all of them wanted to get your address so
that they could send you a letter, but I let them know that you were far out of
their league so you wont have to worry about any random missionary post :). In
answer to some questions… NEW MOON is ridiculously big over here! All I see on
buses and on bus stops are posters for that movie and all any girl ever talks
about is that movie and all I ever here about from the members is about that
movie! Needless to say the British people are big fans of the Twilight series…
Yep, I know were the Isle of Mann is (to be honest I was close to serving there,
It’s a long story and there’s just no way I can write it down so I’ll have to
just tell you some time :), but it’s way funny) and The Isle of Mann is were
everyone in the mission wants to serve (its across from Liverpool). Overall
life is great, as it always is in the Service of God :).
It seems that every time I approach this part of the E-mail I am stuck thinking
about what it is I want to write, and this week is no different. There is just
way too much I want to tell you! But I just don’t have enough time :(. Any
who, I decided that this week I would bring you up to speed on the progress of
four of my favourite investigators: Phil & Rachel and Louise & Jane. Rachel is
doing amazing! She got a hold of the Joseph Smith Manual and now all she does
is use her study journal and go through each chapter of the manual looking up
the cross references, answering the questions in the back, and writing down her
impressions (she’s better then most members). They both feel that they need to
be living the Law of Chastity and so Phil has moved in with his parents so that
Rachel can be living by herself and they’re going to be keeping it that way
until they get married (were almost positive that Phil wants to propose on
Christmas and get married in January). Rachel is dated for the fifth of
December and is super excited! Phil is still trying to give up the fags and is
therefore struggling a bit with the Word of Wisdom but he is still way
supportive of Rachel and is still reading, praying, and coming to church. The
two of them are amazing and I just want them to be happy! Louise and Jane are
doing extremely well! Louise just recently got a new job which makes it a bit
harder to see them but we still see them at least once a week and we found out
last Wednesday why Louise is so worried about baptism… for the longest time we
were trying to figure out why she didn’t want to get baptized; she had felt the
Spirit, knew the Book of Mormon was true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet
but she always got really weird when we talked about baptism. It ends up that
she had a near death experience where she almost drowned when she was a little
girl and now she can’t so much as take a bath because she is so deathly afraid
of water! This whole time I thought it was some deep doctrinal thing but it was
just being afraid of water! Well, I know that over time she’ll get over it and
she as well as Jane will get baptized!
You know, when I was back home I don’t think I ever truly understood the concept
of ‘a heart being full of gratitude’ but as I see the blessings of the Lord in
the Chorley area and as I continue to reflect on my mission experience my heart
is ‘full to the brim’ of gratitude for my Father in Heaven and for his great
plan for all of us! I am so grateful for a family who have taught me in my
youth these things and I know that these things are true. The Spiritual
experiences I have had over these past two years have taken root in my heart! I
have seen the fulfilment of Alma 32, I have planted the seed and it has grown
and it has bore fruit! I love the Lord, my Savoir and redeemer and pray
everyday for your happiness and protection.
With a heart full of love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. you'll have to tell me all about Thanksgiving next week!
because we didn’t have ANY HOT WATER, and our shower broke, so I had the
blessing of an adrenaline pumped morning in a freezing cold bathtub :). But
your E-mails always seem to make everything better and I am grateful for your
love and support, as always.
Things back home seem to be falling into full swing for the holiday season
coming up. Between getting everything ready for a 22 person meal at
Thanksgiving and running around from store to store for some Christmas shopping
everyone back home seems to be quite busy. Madisyn is just ridiculously good at
gymnastics she can now do a round off and four back handsprings, Utah has been
hit with two snow storms and snow is still on the ground, and apparently Glee
and Modern family is a really good show. I can’t believe that the new temple
president for Las Vegas is Doctor Ballard! I met him loads of times over here
and you’ll have to ask him if he remembers my companion Elder Atkin because
about a year ago he got these horrible hives and everyone was worried that he
might die and I’m sure that his condition cause Doctor Ballard quite a bit of
stress :). Football continues to be dominated by the McKenna clan and I have to
say that I received a letter from Ellyse about two days ago which had a picture
of her at homecoming and at the time I received it me and Elder Atkin were
staying with some missionaries and all of them wanted to get your address so
that they could send you a letter, but I let them know that you were far out of
their league so you wont have to worry about any random missionary post :). In
answer to some questions… NEW MOON is ridiculously big over here! All I see on
buses and on bus stops are posters for that movie and all any girl ever talks
about is that movie and all I ever here about from the members is about that
movie! Needless to say the British people are big fans of the Twilight series…
Yep, I know were the Isle of Mann is (to be honest I was close to serving there,
It’s a long story and there’s just no way I can write it down so I’ll have to
just tell you some time :), but it’s way funny) and The Isle of Mann is were
everyone in the mission wants to serve (its across from Liverpool). Overall
life is great, as it always is in the Service of God :).
It seems that every time I approach this part of the E-mail I am stuck thinking
about what it is I want to write, and this week is no different. There is just
way too much I want to tell you! But I just don’t have enough time :(. Any
who, I decided that this week I would bring you up to speed on the progress of
four of my favourite investigators: Phil & Rachel and Louise & Jane. Rachel is
doing amazing! She got a hold of the Joseph Smith Manual and now all she does
is use her study journal and go through each chapter of the manual looking up
the cross references, answering the questions in the back, and writing down her
impressions (she’s better then most members). They both feel that they need to
be living the Law of Chastity and so Phil has moved in with his parents so that
Rachel can be living by herself and they’re going to be keeping it that way
until they get married (were almost positive that Phil wants to propose on
Christmas and get married in January). Rachel is dated for the fifth of
December and is super excited! Phil is still trying to give up the fags and is
therefore struggling a bit with the Word of Wisdom but he is still way
supportive of Rachel and is still reading, praying, and coming to church. The
two of them are amazing and I just want them to be happy! Louise and Jane are
doing extremely well! Louise just recently got a new job which makes it a bit
harder to see them but we still see them at least once a week and we found out
last Wednesday why Louise is so worried about baptism… for the longest time we
were trying to figure out why she didn’t want to get baptized; she had felt the
Spirit, knew the Book of Mormon was true, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet
but she always got really weird when we talked about baptism. It ends up that
she had a near death experience where she almost drowned when she was a little
girl and now she can’t so much as take a bath because she is so deathly afraid
of water! This whole time I thought it was some deep doctrinal thing but it was
just being afraid of water! Well, I know that over time she’ll get over it and
she as well as Jane will get baptized!
You know, when I was back home I don’t think I ever truly understood the concept
of ‘a heart being full of gratitude’ but as I see the blessings of the Lord in
the Chorley area and as I continue to reflect on my mission experience my heart
is ‘full to the brim’ of gratitude for my Father in Heaven and for his great
plan for all of us! I am so grateful for a family who have taught me in my
youth these things and I know that these things are true. The Spiritual
experiences I have had over these past two years have taken root in my heart! I
have seen the fulfilment of Alma 32, I have planted the seed and it has grown
and it has bore fruit! I love the Lord, my Savoir and redeemer and pray
everyday for your happiness and protection.
With a heart full of love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. you'll have to tell me all about Thanksgiving next week!
Monday, November 16, 2009
P-DAY
How nice it is to receive so many wonderful E-mails and to feel your warm love
on an exceptionally cold P-Day. Thank you so much for your support, and the
Halloween package was amazing!
Home is stupendous as always… Max and Jenni are leaving soon to celebrate their
16th wedding anniversary AKA 16 years since wee little Tristan was blamed for
losing a wedding ring that he didn’t lose at all and we could even say its close
to the 14th anniversary since wee, little, innocent, and loving Tristan was left
outside on a cold, dark, night when the moon was full and werewolves were
roaming because of the lack of love and consideration by two people whom he
trusted so much (The emotional scars still haven’t fully healed :), by the way
that was Max and Jenni)… any who they will be heading to Palm Springs to
celebrate. Meghan was a celebrity over in Japan with here blonde hair, while
Irelynn had fun on Catalina Island. Chynna is getting ready to swim with the
dolphins for her Birthday in January, while ma and pa continue to prepare for
their amazing cruise. It would also seem that my card board cut out has made a
few more appearances and will be making a surprise appearance at the massive
banquet happening this Thanksgiving at the Patriarch and Matriarch of the
family’s home (So happy that I don’t have to help prepare that, on a scale of
‘mom yelling at me in my life’ Gwyn visiting ranks number 1 and thanksgiving
preparations rank number 2). In answer to some questions… No it hasn’t snowed
yet in England but I kid you not I can’t remember what it is like to be warm
anymore :(… Rachel and Phil are planning on getting married at the start of the
New Year so they haven’t gotten married yet and Rachel is officially 3 months
pregnant with his kid. Overall life is great back home and I have to say that I
feel very similar to mom and dad in the idea that our family totally rocks and I
am grateful that I’m able to be a part of it.
Well, the time has come yet again to think of what I should share with you
pertaining to the past week and what has taken place. There is so much that
happens every week it seems almost impossible to decide what to put down and
what to leave out. Phil and Rachel are doing well. She found out that she was
pregnant about a week and a half ago; the doctors thought she was just having
some hormonal issues but realized that nope, she’s actually pregnant and has
been so for about 3 months, the father is Phil (thank goodness) and so they are
making plans to get married and she is still excited to be baptized all though
her baptism will have to be moved to after the marriage because Phil is now
living with her again. Louis is doing well so are the Harris’s, Ann Rudd is out
of hospital and doing better, but what I’m going to share with you today is
about Louise, Jane, and my exchange with Elder Davis. Louise and Jane have been
doing extremely well these past few weeks and last Tuesday we had the chance to
see them. We were originally going to go with Brother Reynolds but he had to
take care of his wife in hospital and so we had to take Elder Curgenven and
Elder Sherard to be our fellow shippers (they are the missionaries serving in
Chorley 2 and 3) so that we could see them that night. There we all were
sitting in Louise’s house teaching about the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Endure
to the End when Louise asks if Elder Davis (who has only been out for about 3
months) has ever strayed from the path… He told her that when he was about 10
years old he stopped going to church and even though he didn’t do the ‘really
bad stuff’ he explained that he would go shopping and occasionally attend the
cinema on a Sunday which he said ‘was still pretty bad’. Now you need to bear
in mind that we haven’t told them anything about the Sabbath day, so when they
heard that both of them shouted ‘what!’ and looked at me with a face full of
questions. Elder Curgenven and Sherard both had expressions of surprise and
amusement while my eyes became penetrating as I glared over at Elder Davis who
looked as though he was turning so red his face would burst into flames! He was
so embarrassed! Luckily Louise and Jane have felt the Spirit more and more and
a commandment like that being sprung on them ended up alright we were able to
explain briefly what the commandment was, why it was so important, and the
wonderful blessings that come from living it. The lesson ended in a great
success with a wonderful Spirit but Elder Davis will never forget the night he
completely and utterly botched up the Gospel of Jesus Christ lesson.
It’s so funny how once the Spirit is really felt and understood people have
absolutely no problem doing what God would have them do… If you have not the
Spirit you shall not teach is the truest scripture for missionary work. This
work is Gods! Louise and Jane aren’t going to give up their Sunday hobbies
because of Elder McKenna, or President Monson they’re willing to give them up
because they know that is what their Father in Heaven would have them do… I know
God lives and that he loves all of us and that his commandments are there for
our safety. The Church is true and I am so grateful to be a missionary in it!
With all the love I possess,
Elder McKenna
P.S. WE NEED TO HAVE A HUGE GAME OF VOLLEY TEN SOCK PONG BALL IN FEBURARY!
P.P.S. I don’t think I will be able to find any good places to get a nice suite
in were I am serving so don’t worry about me having a good Christmas, I’ll be
fine :).
on an exceptionally cold P-Day. Thank you so much for your support, and the
Halloween package was amazing!
Home is stupendous as always… Max and Jenni are leaving soon to celebrate their
16th wedding anniversary AKA 16 years since wee little Tristan was blamed for
losing a wedding ring that he didn’t lose at all and we could even say its close
to the 14th anniversary since wee, little, innocent, and loving Tristan was left
outside on a cold, dark, night when the moon was full and werewolves were
roaming because of the lack of love and consideration by two people whom he
trusted so much (The emotional scars still haven’t fully healed :), by the way
that was Max and Jenni)… any who they will be heading to Palm Springs to
celebrate. Meghan was a celebrity over in Japan with here blonde hair, while
Irelynn had fun on Catalina Island. Chynna is getting ready to swim with the
dolphins for her Birthday in January, while ma and pa continue to prepare for
their amazing cruise. It would also seem that my card board cut out has made a
few more appearances and will be making a surprise appearance at the massive
banquet happening this Thanksgiving at the Patriarch and Matriarch of the
family’s home (So happy that I don’t have to help prepare that, on a scale of
‘mom yelling at me in my life’ Gwyn visiting ranks number 1 and thanksgiving
preparations rank number 2). In answer to some questions… No it hasn’t snowed
yet in England but I kid you not I can’t remember what it is like to be warm
anymore :(… Rachel and Phil are planning on getting married at the start of the
New Year so they haven’t gotten married yet and Rachel is officially 3 months
pregnant with his kid. Overall life is great back home and I have to say that I
feel very similar to mom and dad in the idea that our family totally rocks and I
am grateful that I’m able to be a part of it.
Well, the time has come yet again to think of what I should share with you
pertaining to the past week and what has taken place. There is so much that
happens every week it seems almost impossible to decide what to put down and
what to leave out. Phil and Rachel are doing well. She found out that she was
pregnant about a week and a half ago; the doctors thought she was just having
some hormonal issues but realized that nope, she’s actually pregnant and has
been so for about 3 months, the father is Phil (thank goodness) and so they are
making plans to get married and she is still excited to be baptized all though
her baptism will have to be moved to after the marriage because Phil is now
living with her again. Louis is doing well so are the Harris’s, Ann Rudd is out
of hospital and doing better, but what I’m going to share with you today is
about Louise, Jane, and my exchange with Elder Davis. Louise and Jane have been
doing extremely well these past few weeks and last Tuesday we had the chance to
see them. We were originally going to go with Brother Reynolds but he had to
take care of his wife in hospital and so we had to take Elder Curgenven and
Elder Sherard to be our fellow shippers (they are the missionaries serving in
Chorley 2 and 3) so that we could see them that night. There we all were
sitting in Louise’s house teaching about the Gift of the Holy Ghost and Endure
to the End when Louise asks if Elder Davis (who has only been out for about 3
months) has ever strayed from the path… He told her that when he was about 10
years old he stopped going to church and even though he didn’t do the ‘really
bad stuff’ he explained that he would go shopping and occasionally attend the
cinema on a Sunday which he said ‘was still pretty bad’. Now you need to bear
in mind that we haven’t told them anything about the Sabbath day, so when they
heard that both of them shouted ‘what!’ and looked at me with a face full of
questions. Elder Curgenven and Sherard both had expressions of surprise and
amusement while my eyes became penetrating as I glared over at Elder Davis who
looked as though he was turning so red his face would burst into flames! He was
so embarrassed! Luckily Louise and Jane have felt the Spirit more and more and
a commandment like that being sprung on them ended up alright we were able to
explain briefly what the commandment was, why it was so important, and the
wonderful blessings that come from living it. The lesson ended in a great
success with a wonderful Spirit but Elder Davis will never forget the night he
completely and utterly botched up the Gospel of Jesus Christ lesson.
It’s so funny how once the Spirit is really felt and understood people have
absolutely no problem doing what God would have them do… If you have not the
Spirit you shall not teach is the truest scripture for missionary work. This
work is Gods! Louise and Jane aren’t going to give up their Sunday hobbies
because of Elder McKenna, or President Monson they’re willing to give them up
because they know that is what their Father in Heaven would have them do… I know
God lives and that he loves all of us and that his commandments are there for
our safety. The Church is true and I am so grateful to be a missionary in it!
With all the love I possess,
Elder McKenna
P.S. WE NEED TO HAVE A HUGE GAME OF VOLLEY TEN SOCK PONG BALL IN FEBURARY!
P.P.S. I don’t think I will be able to find any good places to get a nice suite
in were I am serving so don’t worry about me having a good Christmas, I’ll be
fine :).
Monday, November 9, 2009
Picture Time!
I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to E-mail this past week but Elder Larson was
transferred… He has been transferred to serve in Manchester, Stretford and I am
now with a really good friend of mine Elder Atkin (Elder Atkin and I came out
together and have been around each other almost our entire missions!) needless
to say we are getting along just fine and these next six weeks are going to fly
by!
Thank you for all of your E-mails! It sounds like everything back home is well
good! Halloween was enjoyed by one and all! Irelynn was a bumble bee, Kai was
Iron man, and Chynna was a Goddess… Madisyn was going to be a bumble bee and
Aidan was going to be Iron man but for the ward party they all decided to just
be a family of Yankee fans… Jackson was a greaser, Carson was a roman
gladiator, Meghan was Alice from Alice in wonderland (not the Alice I taught in
Wrexham with some ‘interesting’ hobbies :) ), Ellyse was to cool for school and
didn’t dress up as anything, and Jeff dressed up as good ol’ Uncle Billy Ray
(I’ll let him describe it to you sometime :) )… Jackson and Carson won an award
for pumpkin carving… and the most exciting thing of all is that I missed having
to help prepare the house for Gwyn! Which is worth freezing over here in
Britain anytime :)! Meghan is in Japan, Tatum celebrated her 9th birthday in
Hawaii, Kai is getting ready to celebrate his eighth birthday by requesting some
chocolate sheet cake, Madisyn dominated in her gymnastic performance, Ellyse has
a nice scholarship for Snow college, is unsure what she is going to do, and is
looking for a job, while Irelynn is all about her trip to Catalina! Overall
life seems to be cruising along back home at ludicrous speed! In answer to some
questions that were asked… Yes, they celebrate Halloween over here in Britain
but it isn’t nearly as big as it is in America only a couple of people go out
trick or treating… I don’t know if I’ll die in this area or if I will be moved
for my last transfer but in any case send all post to the mission office from
now on because they will distribute it on the 23rd… YES! When Michael Jackson
died it was a huge deal over here and for about 10 days all I could hear walking
the streets or knocking on doors was Michael’s greatest hits… I don’t know, it’s
hard to say how I feel now that I approach the end of my mission, I suppose the
best way to describe it is when you leave for your mission; your full of
excitement and yet you get pretty depressed to think about what you are going to
leave behind.
Well, another transfer has come and gone, I have a new companion, the same drive
to find and teach as before, wonderful people to teach, a great ward to work in,
and yet I feel like things are moving too fast :(. It seems like yesterday I
was in Middleton celebrating Thanksgiving dinner with Elder Newson, Hyde, and
Driscoll… watching as Elder Newson drank a goblet of gravy because he was dared
by the member and almost starting the members house on fire as I tried to fix
their Christmas lights and crossed the wires in the cord shooting sparks all
over the floor and Christmas tree. And now Thanksgiving has almost hit and
Christmas is just around the corner! Time really doesn’t wait for no one… Any
who, these past two weeks have been ridiculous! Rachel wants to get baptized
but has just found out she’s pregnant with Phil’s child! Nicky’s family has
threatened to have the police called on us if we ever talk to her again! Louise
and Jane came to church the past two Sundays and have loved it! Rachel bore her
testimony during fast and testimony meeting! Louis is loved by all the YSA in
the ward! Ann Rudd had a heart attack and was rushed to Preston hospital!
There is just way too much to talk about so I decided that I wouldn’t talk about
it and just send home some pictures :)…
The first picture is Elder Driscoll and Elder Larson when they both had the swine flu and were stuck in the flat…
The second is a picture of me and Elder Eichelberger who is now back home in
California…
The third is a picture of me, Louis, and Elder Larson at his
baptism…
The fourth is a picture of the pumpkins that Elder Larson and I carved
for Halloween (look at how amazingly awesome that bat is :))…
The fifth picture is the Chorley zone with President at the end of last transfer…
The sixth picture is Elder Larson, me, Rachel, Phil, and Jordan…
The seventh picture is me and Elder Atkin on transfer day…
The Eighth picture is me and some people who came out with me at President’s house.
The Lord is truly blessing the Chorley area and I’m so grateful to be a missionary here in the EMM!
Love ya tons!
Elder McKenna
P.S. Thank you for working on the charts and for keeping me updated on what is
happening :)
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
LOUIS GOT BAPTIZED
WOW! I am stunned by the amount of E-mails from this week :). I usually
receive around 2 (THAT’S RIGHT 2) or so a week, but there were loads this week.
It’s funny but missionaries always talk about repentance post towards the end
and it would seem that it’s true :) but what ever the reason for the influx I’m
defiantly not going to complain :). So, THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE VIA E-MAIL! By
the way Sandy Ford E-mailed me and said that she called dad up and was surprised
when he told her that I was turning 20 this February because she thought I was
turning like 18 and I was surprised because I thought I was turning 21 so there
seems to be a bit of confusion there :) so let dad know that I’m turning 21 and
that my name isn’t Missy it’s Tristan :).
There is loads happening back home. Ellyse is deciding which University she’ll
be attending! Meghan continues to plan for her trip to Japan! Jackson and
Carson are developing their biking skills! And Jeff is beginning to feel his
age (he didn’t write that but I could just discern :) ). Kai’s football team is
dominating, while Chynna destroys the opposition by scoring 2 goals and
assisting in 2 others in a game were her team won 4 – 0 (yeah, that’s right she
was a part of everyone of their goals [HOO-RA]) and she is getting braces… now
braces may seem like a pain but take it from someone who has lived in the land
of crooked teeth and trust me when I say, ‘you don’t want crooked teeth, so wear
the braces’ :), Irelynn is on the BOWLING TEAM and she plays at SUNSET STATION
which means that not only is she following in her uncle’s size 7 bowling shoe
footsteps but she is bowling where I use to work! And to top it all off the
Zurflueh clan is heading out to Disneyland for some Halloween fun! Mom is
recovering from her illness and making preparations to go winterize the cabin.
Timette is having to deal with the pressures of a new Jet Blue system and
calming her Disneyland withdrawals while being pregnant with the newest edition
to the clan, and I just found out that Aidan is in love with Poo…… Pooh Bear
that is :) [I’m sorry I just had to write that :)]. And finally it would seem
that everyone is getting addicted to these new green, ooze, slimy, chunky, but
apparently delicious spinach things and that mom and dad have even purchased a
vitamix blender so that they could create there own concoctions. In answer to a
question that was asked… No I didn’t have the swine flu but Elder Larson
defiantly did and it was way lame being quarantined in the flat with him.
Overall life is good back home and let Charlie de Chinchilla know that I too am
excited to be reunited with him even though he does poop more than anything I
have ever seen in my life, and the mention of a movie being made when I get back
is an amazing idea and we should think of a really cool story to make it with…
suggestions would be nice :).
Well, this past week has been miraculous! I can’t even begin to describe all of
the amazing things that have happened this week! Louise and Jane want to get
baptized; Louis Villoing got baptized and then bore his testimony in front of
the whole congregation yesterday after his confirmation, Nickie Holden is going
to stop drinking, and we had one of the most amazing lessons I have ever had
with Phil and Rachel, not to mention Ann is still progressing nicely and a few
new people we picked up! The Lord is drenching us in his blessings! But of all
the amazing things that have happened I know exactly which one I want to share
with you :). Phil and Rachel have been going through some difficult times and
Elder Larson and I were worried that we were becoming more like friends to them
then missionaries and we didn’t want that to happen because we need the
influence that comes from being a missionary more then the influence that comes
from being a friend to truly help them through their problems. About 3 days ago
we had a lesson with the two of them (it had been about a week since we saw them
proper) and we just read from the Book of Mormon with them (we read the story of
Ammon and related it to the fact that we all face problems in our lives but that
the Lord can give us strength just like Ammon) they loved it and it went really
well… after we read the story we then told them, ‘Rachel and Phil we love you
tons and you are like our best friends but right now we’re missionaries, we can
be friends forever but for this short amount of time we have the chance to help
you understand what can bring true happiness into your lives and it would kill
us if we left this area feeling like we didn’t fulfil what we were called to do’
not much else was said after that, we closed with prayer and went our way. We
next saw them Sunday evening and it was probably the best lesson I have ever
been in… Rachel had read a ton and even Phil read, we asked them about what they
read and they totally understood everything and they even expounded on it and
made connections with other things that we had read together in the past, but
two things in particular were amazing… first, we asked why they decided to read
so much and Rachel said, ‘We were thinking about what you said a few days ago,
we love being your friends and were defiantly going to stay in contact, but we
understand for this amount of time you’re missionaries (then she paused for a
bit) we know that we can be your friends forever but for now (another pause) we
want you to teach us and we’re ready to learn’… the Spirit was so strong it
filled my heart with love and appreciation for a merciful Father in Heaven…
Second, we watched the Restoration DVD with them (the Spirit was way strong) and
at the end we asked Phil how he felt about it (now Phil hasn’t been against the
church but defiantly hasn’t been supper excited about it) and he told us he felt
way ‘peaceful’ we jumped at a chance to identify the Spirit and when he
understood that the feeling was from God he connected all the other feelings he
has had since we’ve been seeing him and recognized that it’s true… It was an
evening that I will never forget.
The Spirit is real, The Church is true, Jesus is the Christ, and Joseph was his
prophet.
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. next week is transfers and so I'll be E-mailing either Wed. or Thur.
receive around 2 (THAT’S RIGHT 2) or so a week, but there were loads this week.
It’s funny but missionaries always talk about repentance post towards the end
and it would seem that it’s true :) but what ever the reason for the influx I’m
defiantly not going to complain :). So, THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE VIA E-MAIL! By
the way Sandy Ford E-mailed me and said that she called dad up and was surprised
when he told her that I was turning 20 this February because she thought I was
turning like 18 and I was surprised because I thought I was turning 21 so there
seems to be a bit of confusion there :) so let dad know that I’m turning 21 and
that my name isn’t Missy it’s Tristan :).
There is loads happening back home. Ellyse is deciding which University she’ll
be attending! Meghan continues to plan for her trip to Japan! Jackson and
Carson are developing their biking skills! And Jeff is beginning to feel his
age (he didn’t write that but I could just discern :) ). Kai’s football team is
dominating, while Chynna destroys the opposition by scoring 2 goals and
assisting in 2 others in a game were her team won 4 – 0 (yeah, that’s right she
was a part of everyone of their goals [HOO-RA]) and she is getting braces… now
braces may seem like a pain but take it from someone who has lived in the land
of crooked teeth and trust me when I say, ‘you don’t want crooked teeth, so wear
the braces’ :), Irelynn is on the BOWLING TEAM and she plays at SUNSET STATION
which means that not only is she following in her uncle’s size 7 bowling shoe
footsteps but she is bowling where I use to work! And to top it all off the
Zurflueh clan is heading out to Disneyland for some Halloween fun! Mom is
recovering from her illness and making preparations to go winterize the cabin.
Timette is having to deal with the pressures of a new Jet Blue system and
calming her Disneyland withdrawals while being pregnant with the newest edition
to the clan, and I just found out that Aidan is in love with Poo…… Pooh Bear
that is :) [I’m sorry I just had to write that :)]. And finally it would seem
that everyone is getting addicted to these new green, ooze, slimy, chunky, but
apparently delicious spinach things and that mom and dad have even purchased a
vitamix blender so that they could create there own concoctions. In answer to a
question that was asked… No I didn’t have the swine flu but Elder Larson
defiantly did and it was way lame being quarantined in the flat with him.
Overall life is good back home and let Charlie de Chinchilla know that I too am
excited to be reunited with him even though he does poop more than anything I
have ever seen in my life, and the mention of a movie being made when I get back
is an amazing idea and we should think of a really cool story to make it with…
suggestions would be nice :).
Well, this past week has been miraculous! I can’t even begin to describe all of
the amazing things that have happened this week! Louise and Jane want to get
baptized; Louis Villoing got baptized and then bore his testimony in front of
the whole congregation yesterday after his confirmation, Nickie Holden is going
to stop drinking, and we had one of the most amazing lessons I have ever had
with Phil and Rachel, not to mention Ann is still progressing nicely and a few
new people we picked up! The Lord is drenching us in his blessings! But of all
the amazing things that have happened I know exactly which one I want to share
with you :). Phil and Rachel have been going through some difficult times and
Elder Larson and I were worried that we were becoming more like friends to them
then missionaries and we didn’t want that to happen because we need the
influence that comes from being a missionary more then the influence that comes
from being a friend to truly help them through their problems. About 3 days ago
we had a lesson with the two of them (it had been about a week since we saw them
proper) and we just read from the Book of Mormon with them (we read the story of
Ammon and related it to the fact that we all face problems in our lives but that
the Lord can give us strength just like Ammon) they loved it and it went really
well… after we read the story we then told them, ‘Rachel and Phil we love you
tons and you are like our best friends but right now we’re missionaries, we can
be friends forever but for this short amount of time we have the chance to help
you understand what can bring true happiness into your lives and it would kill
us if we left this area feeling like we didn’t fulfil what we were called to do’
not much else was said after that, we closed with prayer and went our way. We
next saw them Sunday evening and it was probably the best lesson I have ever
been in… Rachel had read a ton and even Phil read, we asked them about what they
read and they totally understood everything and they even expounded on it and
made connections with other things that we had read together in the past, but
two things in particular were amazing… first, we asked why they decided to read
so much and Rachel said, ‘We were thinking about what you said a few days ago,
we love being your friends and were defiantly going to stay in contact, but we
understand for this amount of time you’re missionaries (then she paused for a
bit) we know that we can be your friends forever but for now (another pause) we
want you to teach us and we’re ready to learn’… the Spirit was so strong it
filled my heart with love and appreciation for a merciful Father in Heaven…
Second, we watched the Restoration DVD with them (the Spirit was way strong) and
at the end we asked Phil how he felt about it (now Phil hasn’t been against the
church but defiantly hasn’t been supper excited about it) and he told us he felt
way ‘peaceful’ we jumped at a chance to identify the Spirit and when he
understood that the feeling was from God he connected all the other feelings he
has had since we’ve been seeing him and recognized that it’s true… It was an
evening that I will never forget.
The Spirit is real, The Church is true, Jesus is the Christ, and Joseph was his
prophet.
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. next week is transfers and so I'll be E-mailing either Wed. or Thur.
Monday, October 19, 2009
P-day!
Hello! Thank you for the E-mails! And let us all rejoice in the fact that I
finally received an E-mail from the prodigal E-mailer who has returned from his
evil ways and has finally sent me an E-mail :). Things back home seem to be
going extremely well as always!
The St. George McKenna’s were happy to have the Huston McKenna’s over for the
marathon and have repented of their un-healthy eating ways and have embraced one
of the grossest sounding things I have ever heard of… it’s a smoothie that is
green because you put spinach into it, and it sounds a bit to ‘pop eye’ to me.
Football continues to be the big thing with the St. Georgians while the Huston
McKenna’s got to see the premier of Jared’s new movie ‘Gentlemen Broncos’ and
are excited for their trip to Hawaii (with Jared and his family) in the coming
days… yeah that’s pretty ridiculously awesome! Mom is recovering from her
illness, The Zurfluehs had a primary presentation, and apparently Kai is totally
ripped and grades cheese on his six pack because of all the sit-ups he has been
doing! In answer to some questions… no, I haven’t let Rachel know that I could
come to her wedding in the temple but I don’t know if they will be getting
married because they are having some relationship issues so we’ll just have to
see what happens. Overall life is good back home and thank you dad for telling
me about the trial it sounded pretty intense.
Things in Chorley are superb! Louis is still dated for his baptism on the 24th
and is progressing nicely… Rachel and Phil are working out some relationship
issues but are still excited about church and the Book of Mormon… Nickie Holdin
is still way pumped about the Plan of Salvation and getting baptized, she is
still trying to overcome some major family opposition… Louise is still way funny
with her crazy eyes and makes me laugh so much when we say something funny and
she tilts her head back laughs and it makes her eyes go in different directions…
there are so many things that I could share with you about these amazing people,
the trials they are facing, the love I feel for them, and the spiritual miracles
that I see everyday in their lives but today I want to share with you the story
of our newest investigator Ann Rudd. We met Ann Rudd one day while tackting on
her street near were Phil and Rachel live, she was nice when we talked to her
but we weren’t able to set up any definite time to see her (this was a couple
weeks back), then a few days ago Elder Larson and I showed up a bit early to
Phil and Rachel and decided that we would just knock on her door and see if she
had some time… She answered, invited us in (which we had to decline because she
is just a single woman), and ended up teaching her the restoration in her back
garden (and it was freezing cold!). The lesson was short and powerful; we bore
testimony of the book of Mormon and explained the importance of the prophet
Joseph Smith… We asked her how she felt about what we said and she responded
that she had never heard any of this stuff before and was a bit sceptical. We
left her the Book of Mormon and 3 Nephi 11 to read, we promised her that if she
were to read and pray that she would receive an answer through the Holy Ghost
(the same way she came to know that Jesus is the Christ) that the Book of Mormon
is true and that Joseph was a prophet of the Lord. We went by a few days
latter… She read the chapter THREE TIMES, a couple chapters after it, prayed
about it, and now she wants to come to church to see what this is really all
about. Were seeing her again this Wednesday and are super excited about what is
going to happen!
It’s wonderful how powerful the Book of Mormon actually is! Once more here is a
person who knows nothing about the church or it’s teachings and yet is driven to
read a chapter in a book that she doesn’t really understand to well 3 times and
then to press on in her reading! WHY! WHY would someone who knows nothing
about this church who is given a book which is so difficult to read be so drawn
to its pages that she can’t put it down and has to read on and reread! The
Spirit is SO REAL! It’s the Spirit that touches the heart and drives a person
to read and reread! The Church is true and the Book of Mormon is from God there
is no doubt in my mind about that! How grateful I am for the chance I have to
share this wonderful book with everyone I meet!
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. Don’t forget about the Christ like attribute thingy… :)
P.P.S. So are we ok with the gift buying thing for Christmas…
finally received an E-mail from the prodigal E-mailer who has returned from his
evil ways and has finally sent me an E-mail :). Things back home seem to be
going extremely well as always!
The St. George McKenna’s were happy to have the Huston McKenna’s over for the
marathon and have repented of their un-healthy eating ways and have embraced one
of the grossest sounding things I have ever heard of… it’s a smoothie that is
green because you put spinach into it, and it sounds a bit to ‘pop eye’ to me.
Football continues to be the big thing with the St. Georgians while the Huston
McKenna’s got to see the premier of Jared’s new movie ‘Gentlemen Broncos’ and
are excited for their trip to Hawaii (with Jared and his family) in the coming
days… yeah that’s pretty ridiculously awesome! Mom is recovering from her
illness, The Zurfluehs had a primary presentation, and apparently Kai is totally
ripped and grades cheese on his six pack because of all the sit-ups he has been
doing! In answer to some questions… no, I haven’t let Rachel know that I could
come to her wedding in the temple but I don’t know if they will be getting
married because they are having some relationship issues so we’ll just have to
see what happens. Overall life is good back home and thank you dad for telling
me about the trial it sounded pretty intense.
Things in Chorley are superb! Louis is still dated for his baptism on the 24th
and is progressing nicely… Rachel and Phil are working out some relationship
issues but are still excited about church and the Book of Mormon… Nickie Holdin
is still way pumped about the Plan of Salvation and getting baptized, she is
still trying to overcome some major family opposition… Louise is still way funny
with her crazy eyes and makes me laugh so much when we say something funny and
she tilts her head back laughs and it makes her eyes go in different directions…
there are so many things that I could share with you about these amazing people,
the trials they are facing, the love I feel for them, and the spiritual miracles
that I see everyday in their lives but today I want to share with you the story
of our newest investigator Ann Rudd. We met Ann Rudd one day while tackting on
her street near were Phil and Rachel live, she was nice when we talked to her
but we weren’t able to set up any definite time to see her (this was a couple
weeks back), then a few days ago Elder Larson and I showed up a bit early to
Phil and Rachel and decided that we would just knock on her door and see if she
had some time… She answered, invited us in (which we had to decline because she
is just a single woman), and ended up teaching her the restoration in her back
garden (and it was freezing cold!). The lesson was short and powerful; we bore
testimony of the book of Mormon and explained the importance of the prophet
Joseph Smith… We asked her how she felt about what we said and she responded
that she had never heard any of this stuff before and was a bit sceptical. We
left her the Book of Mormon and 3 Nephi 11 to read, we promised her that if she
were to read and pray that she would receive an answer through the Holy Ghost
(the same way she came to know that Jesus is the Christ) that the Book of Mormon
is true and that Joseph was a prophet of the Lord. We went by a few days
latter… She read the chapter THREE TIMES, a couple chapters after it, prayed
about it, and now she wants to come to church to see what this is really all
about. Were seeing her again this Wednesday and are super excited about what is
going to happen!
It’s wonderful how powerful the Book of Mormon actually is! Once more here is a
person who knows nothing about the church or it’s teachings and yet is driven to
read a chapter in a book that she doesn’t really understand to well 3 times and
then to press on in her reading! WHY! WHY would someone who knows nothing
about this church who is given a book which is so difficult to read be so drawn
to its pages that she can’t put it down and has to read on and reread! The
Spirit is SO REAL! It’s the Spirit that touches the heart and drives a person
to read and reread! The Church is true and the Book of Mormon is from God there
is no doubt in my mind about that! How grateful I am for the chance I have to
share this wonderful book with everyone I meet!
With all of my love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. Don’t forget about the Christ like attribute thingy… :)
P.P.S. So are we ok with the gift buying thing for Christmas…
Monday, October 12, 2009
hello, olaha, hi
HELLO! Thank you for the amazing E-mails and for the love and prayers! And
before anything else is said I have to ask why my father and sister were put on
trial before a jury of 8… It’s great that we won the case but I DIDN’T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT THIS and it sounds pretty intense! Please send some more
information regarding this Alma, Amuleck, and Zezrom sounding case :).
Things back home are going really well, like always, Chynna and Kai dominated
their football games, Mom now has the same sickness that Irelynn had when she
was up at the cabin (sharing is caring), Jen and dad’s business is going well,
and yet again I have been assigned to get a Christmas present for a member of
the family… But I probably won’t have time to find something! So please
rearrange the gift giving so that you are all buying for each other and not for
me so that one family won’t be left out because of my lack of gift giving. And
the most insane news of all Jaryn is COMING HOME! He’ll be home with in the
next few weeks and I am amazed by how quickly the time goes. I recently read a
poem which has become one of my favourites and a drive for me to accomplish all
that I can before my return home… (It was found on the outside of a sundial)
The shadow by my finger cast
Divides the future from the past
In darkness and beyond thy power
Lies the unborn hour
Behind its unreturning line
In darkness and no longer thine
One hour alone is in thy hands
The now on which the shadow stands
It seems like every day slips through my fingers and I can’t truly grasp all
that I want, try as I may I can’t slow it down and every day seems to go faster
then the next! But anyhow I am excited to be a servant of the most high God and
in hopes that I may say what Paul has said ‘I have fought the good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the Faith’ I push forward every day striving to
make each hour one which will carry no regrets! In answer to some questions
that were asked… Yes, I am feeling very healthy and my companion is feeling just
fine… The hardest thing for me to get use to when I came over here was to drive
on the wrong side of the road and for the car steering wheels to be on the right
rather than the left.
Well, I don’t seem to have as much time today as I would have liked, we are
going to Rosendale valley to play some volleyball as a zone this P-Day so I will
have to make this pretty quick. This past week has been one full of miracles as
the weeks of service always are but one thing in particular stands out to me and
I feel to share it with you. Louis Villing has been struggling with some
problems in his life including work, girls, and family. The past few weeks
leading up to his baptism have been very difficult (we even had to move his
baptism date back a week because he was having such a difficult time with giving
up smoking with all the stress he was facing) and Louis was beginning to feel a
bit discouraged. Last Wednesday we had the opportunity to teach Louis and all
we talked about was baptism; its importance and the blessings that come from it.
It was a powerful lesson, the Spirit was very strong, and Louis felt it and
recognized it! The next day Louis (who was smoking 50 cigarettes a day) stopped
smoking cold turkey, throwing away his cigarettes and has now gone about 6 days
without smoking even one! He is feeling strong and confident and we are certain
that he will be able to conquer his addiction and be prepared to be baptized on
October 24, 2009! It’s so exciting to be a missionary and to see people make
sacrifices that seem beyond possible, all because they have felt the Spirit and
know that it is true! The gospel is true, The Book of Mormon is from God, the
Spirit and it’s promptings are real, Joseph Smith was the man chosen to bring
the truth out of darkness, and Thomas S. Monson is a current prophet today
guiding this church under the supervision of our Savoir, and most important of
all Jesus Christ does live and he has performed the atoning sacrifice that makes
it possible for all of us to find strength and comfort even when we feel that
there is none available. I love you all so much and pray for your safety and
comfort every day.
The weak servant of an empowering God,
Elder McKenna
PS. The document attached to this E-mail is one that I would really appreciate
if all of us were able to participate in… So everyone give it a look and then
E-mail me saying if you will be involved or not :).
Schedule
We will study each attribute for one (1) week, from one P-Day to the next. Thus, you will be writing your family and the President about what you have learned. Please follow the schedule below:
26 Oct – 1 Nov Faith in Jesus Christ
2 Nov – 8 Nov Hope
9 Nov – 15 Nov Charity and Love
16 Nov – 22 Nov Virtue
23 Nov – 29 Nov Knowledge
30 Nov – 6 Dec Patience
7 Dec – 13 Dec Humility
14 Dec – 20 Dec Diligence
21 Dec – 27 Dec Obedience
“…what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” 3 Nephi 27:27
before anything else is said I have to ask why my father and sister were put on
trial before a jury of 8… It’s great that we won the case but I DIDN’T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT THIS and it sounds pretty intense! Please send some more
information regarding this Alma, Amuleck, and Zezrom sounding case :).
Things back home are going really well, like always, Chynna and Kai dominated
their football games, Mom now has the same sickness that Irelynn had when she
was up at the cabin (sharing is caring), Jen and dad’s business is going well,
and yet again I have been assigned to get a Christmas present for a member of
the family… But I probably won’t have time to find something! So please
rearrange the gift giving so that you are all buying for each other and not for
me so that one family won’t be left out because of my lack of gift giving. And
the most insane news of all Jaryn is COMING HOME! He’ll be home with in the
next few weeks and I am amazed by how quickly the time goes. I recently read a
poem which has become one of my favourites and a drive for me to accomplish all
that I can before my return home… (It was found on the outside of a sundial)
The shadow by my finger cast
Divides the future from the past
In darkness and beyond thy power
Lies the unborn hour
Behind its unreturning line
In darkness and no longer thine
One hour alone is in thy hands
The now on which the shadow stands
It seems like every day slips through my fingers and I can’t truly grasp all
that I want, try as I may I can’t slow it down and every day seems to go faster
then the next! But anyhow I am excited to be a servant of the most high God and
in hopes that I may say what Paul has said ‘I have fought the good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the Faith’ I push forward every day striving to
make each hour one which will carry no regrets! In answer to some questions
that were asked… Yes, I am feeling very healthy and my companion is feeling just
fine… The hardest thing for me to get use to when I came over here was to drive
on the wrong side of the road and for the car steering wheels to be on the right
rather than the left.
Well, I don’t seem to have as much time today as I would have liked, we are
going to Rosendale valley to play some volleyball as a zone this P-Day so I will
have to make this pretty quick. This past week has been one full of miracles as
the weeks of service always are but one thing in particular stands out to me and
I feel to share it with you. Louis Villing has been struggling with some
problems in his life including work, girls, and family. The past few weeks
leading up to his baptism have been very difficult (we even had to move his
baptism date back a week because he was having such a difficult time with giving
up smoking with all the stress he was facing) and Louis was beginning to feel a
bit discouraged. Last Wednesday we had the opportunity to teach Louis and all
we talked about was baptism; its importance and the blessings that come from it.
It was a powerful lesson, the Spirit was very strong, and Louis felt it and
recognized it! The next day Louis (who was smoking 50 cigarettes a day) stopped
smoking cold turkey, throwing away his cigarettes and has now gone about 6 days
without smoking even one! He is feeling strong and confident and we are certain
that he will be able to conquer his addiction and be prepared to be baptized on
October 24, 2009! It’s so exciting to be a missionary and to see people make
sacrifices that seem beyond possible, all because they have felt the Spirit and
know that it is true! The gospel is true, The Book of Mormon is from God, the
Spirit and it’s promptings are real, Joseph Smith was the man chosen to bring
the truth out of darkness, and Thomas S. Monson is a current prophet today
guiding this church under the supervision of our Savoir, and most important of
all Jesus Christ does live and he has performed the atoning sacrifice that makes
it possible for all of us to find strength and comfort even when we feel that
there is none available. I love you all so much and pray for your safety and
comfort every day.
The weak servant of an empowering God,
Elder McKenna
PS. The document attached to this E-mail is one that I would really appreciate
if all of us were able to participate in… So everyone give it a look and then
E-mail me saying if you will be involved or not :).
Schedule
We will study each attribute for one (1) week, from one P-Day to the next. Thus, you will be writing your family and the President about what you have learned. Please follow the schedule below:
26 Oct – 1 Nov Faith in Jesus Christ
2 Nov – 8 Nov Hope
9 Nov – 15 Nov Charity and Love
16 Nov – 22 Nov Virtue
23 Nov – 29 Nov Knowledge
30 Nov – 6 Dec Patience
7 Dec – 13 Dec Humility
14 Dec – 20 Dec Diligence
21 Dec – 27 Dec Obedience
“…what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.” 3 Nephi 27:27
Monday, October 5, 2009
GENERAL CONF.
Greetings from Beastly Britain! Thank you for the E-mails and the love, It is
always nice to read your E-mails and to learn about all the amazing happenings
going on back home!
Trent destroyed the St. George Marathon! He finished with a time of 3:27 which
is way impressive! And defiantly destroyed the fatties! The cousins are all
enjoying each others company and Angela’s mom is heading out on a mission to
Salt Lake (which is way awesome!) Jackson is now a mountain biking champion and
most important of all I now know who Miley Cyrus is (AKA: Hannah Montana). All
in all it seemed like quite an amazing week. In answer to some questions… When
I tell the British that I am from Las Vegas the first thing that they always say
is ‘why did you leave that place to come to this dump?’ in which case I always
respond ‘because the church is true’… Yes, I am a bit worried that when I have
to face the summer heat of Vegas I may very well shrivel up and die because I
defiantly have lost a lot of heat tolerance from being over here.
This past week has been quite a difficult one due to the fact that my companion
Elder Larson got the Swine flu as well as 3 other missionaries in our zone so I
had to coordinate a lot of exchanges and I’m not feeling to well my self (it’s
not the swine flu I just have a bad cough and my voice is going away so I sound
a bit like a chain smoker) so it has been pretty exhausting. Despite all the
hardships, this week was still full of miracles and conference was ridiculously
uplifting! The talks that were given at conference were so good and in
obedience to the talk given by President Uchdorft and Elder Bednar on Saturday,
first session, I would like all of you to know that I love you tons and that as
much fun as I am having over here in England I still think about you often and
treasure the memories of the fun times we have had together! Now, all the gushy
stuff aside lets talk about the best thing about conference! At the close of
the Saturday, second session, conference (which is played here on Sunday at 1
PM) Me and Elder Larson were rallying the missionaries together to go out and do
a bit of finding before the next session when all of a sudden I heard this voice
behind me saying ELDER MCKENNA! I turned around to see an investigator that I
had taught in Middleton about 7 months ago! She came running over and per
missionary standards I wasn’t able to give her a hug (all though I probably
wouldn’t have be able to give her a hug anyways because she was about 8 months
pregnant and looked like she was going to pop) but I gave her a huge handshake!
I asked what in the world she was doing here? And she informed me that she was
visiting her husband’s parents, she then went on to tell me about how she was
married to her partner, was baptized, and is now a faithful member in the
Middleton ward! YEAH!!!!!!!!! I remember when I left the two of them in
Middleton when I was transferred to South Ribble and I was worried that they
might not make the steps necessary to get baptized but here they are faithful
members with a child on the way! MY HEART WAS FULL OF GRATITUDE TO MY GOD! How
amazing it is to know that we can have an impact for good on the lives of
others! Another amazing thing that happened during conference was that Rachel
Johnston (whom Elder Larson and I were able to teach because of that giant Saint
Bernard and her cat named Herminie (I can’t remember if I ever told you that
story…)) came which was a huge step for her! Rachel has had the hardest life
ever! She is way set in the world, has loads of tattoos, likes to party, and
yet on Saturday night she came to see the Apostles and Prophet speak and better
yet she was wearing a skirt! She had told Elder Larson and I that she would
rather die by drowning and burning then wear a skirt, and yet here she was
wearing a skirt! And when we asked why she just responded because that’s what
God would want her to do! HOW AMAZING IS THAT! ONLY THE SPIRIT COULD HAVE GOT
HER TO DO THAT :)!
I can’t even begin to describe the joy that comes from being in the Lord’s work!
And the happiness that comes from seeing people change their lives for the
better! This is the true church of God! There is defiantly no doubt about
that! And this work is the work of the Lord! The Gospel is true! And it
really is the way to pure peace and eternal joy!
All of my love
Elder McKenna
P.S. The pictures are of Elder Larson’s ripped pants and Cat (the investigator
who got baptized)
Monday, September 28, 2009
P-DAY!
HELLO! From freezing cold Britain :(… yep, that’s right; we are officially in
cold, dark, never see the sun mode over on this side of the pond but your
E-mails have defiantly sent a ray of sunshine (spiritually speaking) on a
particularly cloudy P-Day :). So, thank you for your love, support, prayers,
and E-mails!
It would seem that back home things are quite ‘cool’ as the Disneyland trip was
a great success resulting in a make over of Madisyn, Chynna, and Irelynn at
Disney 365 (which I have no idea what that is) and the graduation of Irelynn
Madisyn and Kai at the local Jedi academy going from younglings to padowans.
Mike got the new high score on the Toy story midway mania game and the Yankees
beat the Angles 5-4. Madisyn got some kind of backstage pass to see Myley Cyrus
which sounds amazing but unfortunately I have absolutely zero idea who Myley
Cyrus is… I’m guessing she’s a singer. Timette continues being the best manager
Jet Blue has ever had while Ellyse goes on a homecoming date that is basically
the best date ever had with her date dying his shoes to match her dress :).
Stephen Erikson is going to Moscow Russia were he is going to learn the true
meaning of cold, while The St. George McKenna’s prepare for the Huston arrivals
for the St. George Marathon! And the most important thing of all is that even
though Emma may be cute (not as handsome as Jack of course) she is just as dumb
as him so they make a great duo :). In answer to some questions… P-Day is still
on Monday but when we have transfer week (it happens every 6 weeks) P-Day is
moved from Monday to Wednesday because that is when the missionaries get out of
the MTC… I don’t really have any funny driving stories (except that Elder Larson
is way squeamish and so he has some funny freak-outs when we get pretty close to
things) but for the most part driving has just become normal… YES! I seriously
can’t believe how old everyone is looking! When I went through the photo albums
of Connor’s wedding I was in complete shock at how different everyone looked!
It’s funny, but for some reason as a missionary you realize that people are
going to move, get married, maybe have a kid here or there, but you never really
think about how much everyone is going to grow and how different their going to
look, so I must admit that it was a pretty big shock (in a good/bad way) to see
my nieces and nephews looking grown up! Overall everyone back home seems to be
doing well and the Lord has defiantly blessed our family with the gift of being
ridiculously good-looking :).
The mission continues to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Every day I see miracles! Every day I have trials! Every day I see the
strength of the Lord in my life and the lives of those around me! And every day
I feel the Spirit and the love of the Lord so strong! The past few days have
been amazing, the Lords hand has been very evident, but I decided that today I’m
going to take a different approach to my E-mail and share with you one of the
funniest things that has happened this week rather than the most spiritual…
because even though a mission is one of the most spiritual things I have ever
experienced you better believe that I still have moments were I laugh so hard
that I cannot breath :). One of those moments came this past Friday when Elder
Larson and I had to attend a meeting with President Bullock and some other
missionaries at the mission home. The meeting was amazing (spiritually) but
after the meeting President Bullock pulled out an American football (he played
as a quarterback for BYU back in the day) and started throwing the ball around.
Now I’m not one to get too excited about things like that but Elder Larson on
the other hand is addicted to football and was defiantly ready for the
challenge. Now I want you to imagine in your mind the setting… some really cool
missionaries, sister Bullock, Jenifer Bullock (Presidents 17 year old daughter)
and the president himself standing in his front garden having small chat, the
chatter dies down as President begins to throw the football and all eyes begin
to turn to see the ball getting thrown around. The first few who went out for a
pass looked pretty cool as they brought the football in and then it comes to be
Elder Larson’s turn :)… he runs out about 15 steps, turns around for a button
play, President throws the football, but it goes a little low, and because of
the people present Elder Larson wasn’t about to let it get by him. He leans
down, catches the ball, and in the process completely rips through his suit
trousers in front of everyone! Luckily me and a couple others were the only
ones who noticed so it wasn’t too horrible, but I tell you what I laughed so
hard I think I hurt my stomach :). And it made me think so much about when
Spongebob ripped his pants and so on the ride home we all joined in for a
rendition of ‘Ripped my pants’ by Spongebob
Our Heavenly Father lives, he loves us, and he defiantly has a sense of humour…
With all my love
Elder McKenna
P.S. I have an amazing picture of Elder Larson holding up his ripped trousors
but I forgot to bring the picture addaptor thingy so I'll have to send it next
week :).
cold, dark, never see the sun mode over on this side of the pond but your
E-mails have defiantly sent a ray of sunshine (spiritually speaking) on a
particularly cloudy P-Day :). So, thank you for your love, support, prayers,
and E-mails!
It would seem that back home things are quite ‘cool’ as the Disneyland trip was
a great success resulting in a make over of Madisyn, Chynna, and Irelynn at
Disney 365 (which I have no idea what that is) and the graduation of Irelynn
Madisyn and Kai at the local Jedi academy going from younglings to padowans.
Mike got the new high score on the Toy story midway mania game and the Yankees
beat the Angles 5-4. Madisyn got some kind of backstage pass to see Myley Cyrus
which sounds amazing but unfortunately I have absolutely zero idea who Myley
Cyrus is… I’m guessing she’s a singer. Timette continues being the best manager
Jet Blue has ever had while Ellyse goes on a homecoming date that is basically
the best date ever had with her date dying his shoes to match her dress :).
Stephen Erikson is going to Moscow Russia were he is going to learn the true
meaning of cold, while The St. George McKenna’s prepare for the Huston arrivals
for the St. George Marathon! And the most important thing of all is that even
though Emma may be cute (not as handsome as Jack of course) she is just as dumb
as him so they make a great duo :). In answer to some questions… P-Day is still
on Monday but when we have transfer week (it happens every 6 weeks) P-Day is
moved from Monday to Wednesday because that is when the missionaries get out of
the MTC… I don’t really have any funny driving stories (except that Elder Larson
is way squeamish and so he has some funny freak-outs when we get pretty close to
things) but for the most part driving has just become normal… YES! I seriously
can’t believe how old everyone is looking! When I went through the photo albums
of Connor’s wedding I was in complete shock at how different everyone looked!
It’s funny, but for some reason as a missionary you realize that people are
going to move, get married, maybe have a kid here or there, but you never really
think about how much everyone is going to grow and how different their going to
look, so I must admit that it was a pretty big shock (in a good/bad way) to see
my nieces and nephews looking grown up! Overall everyone back home seems to be
doing well and the Lord has defiantly blessed our family with the gift of being
ridiculously good-looking :).
The mission continues to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life!
Every day I see miracles! Every day I have trials! Every day I see the
strength of the Lord in my life and the lives of those around me! And every day
I feel the Spirit and the love of the Lord so strong! The past few days have
been amazing, the Lords hand has been very evident, but I decided that today I’m
going to take a different approach to my E-mail and share with you one of the
funniest things that has happened this week rather than the most spiritual…
because even though a mission is one of the most spiritual things I have ever
experienced you better believe that I still have moments were I laugh so hard
that I cannot breath :). One of those moments came this past Friday when Elder
Larson and I had to attend a meeting with President Bullock and some other
missionaries at the mission home. The meeting was amazing (spiritually) but
after the meeting President Bullock pulled out an American football (he played
as a quarterback for BYU back in the day) and started throwing the ball around.
Now I’m not one to get too excited about things like that but Elder Larson on
the other hand is addicted to football and was defiantly ready for the
challenge. Now I want you to imagine in your mind the setting… some really cool
missionaries, sister Bullock, Jenifer Bullock (Presidents 17 year old daughter)
and the president himself standing in his front garden having small chat, the
chatter dies down as President begins to throw the football and all eyes begin
to turn to see the ball getting thrown around. The first few who went out for a
pass looked pretty cool as they brought the football in and then it comes to be
Elder Larson’s turn :)… he runs out about 15 steps, turns around for a button
play, President throws the football, but it goes a little low, and because of
the people present Elder Larson wasn’t about to let it get by him. He leans
down, catches the ball, and in the process completely rips through his suit
trousers in front of everyone! Luckily me and a couple others were the only
ones who noticed so it wasn’t too horrible, but I tell you what I laughed so
hard I think I hurt my stomach :). And it made me think so much about when
Spongebob ripped his pants and so on the ride home we all joined in for a
rendition of ‘Ripped my pants’ by Spongebob
Our Heavenly Father lives, he loves us, and he defiantly has a sense of humour…
With all my love
Elder McKenna
P.S. I have an amazing picture of Elder Larson holding up his ripped trousors
but I forgot to bring the picture addaptor thingy so I'll have to send it next
week :).
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Picture time!
Dear mi familia! Thank you for all the wonderful E-mails (there were a lot of
non-writers who repented :) and wrote me an E-mail) and thank you for the
stupendous support you always show me! Sorry that I didn’t E-mail on Monday but
this week is transfer week, and even though I am still serving with Elder Larson
in Chorley the P-day is moved from Monday to Wednesday for the week of transfers
(which is pretty cool because I got to go to the temple this morning, it’s
closed on Mondays).
Things back home are in full swing as Ellyse prepares for her big Homecoming
dance with the stud of the school (he is the student body president and the
American football champ), but let us never forget that even though he may be
tall, handsome, smart, athletic, and tough… your uncle can destroy him in a
video game any day and maybe in a game of chess :). Adian loves his Iron man
costume (which he is wearing for Halloween), Madisyn continues to dominate in
gymnastics, Football games are being had by all with stunning victories, hard
fought defeats and… a tie :). Trent continues to prepare for his marathon with
the phrase ‘I am going to beat the fatties’ on his lips! While Timette receives
a promotion from Jet Blue. Dad is now the first assistant to the High Priest
group leader, and everyone is getting ready for an amazing baseball game between
the Yankees and the Angles as well as a much needed trip to Disneyland. But I
have to say once more that everyone should be careful with the rollercoaster’s
because expecting mothers shouldn’t ride some of them AND TIMETTE IS PREGO!
WHICH IS CRAZY! BUT AWSOME! AND THE CHILD MIGHT BE BORN ON FEBURARY 3RD!
WHICH IS CRAZY! BUT AWSOME! (the expecting date is planned for the 25th AKA:
the 3rd). Overall life back home seems to be going fantastic and I can’t
believe that Sarah is going on a mission and that Jordan Wall is HOME!
Well, this week has been amazing, filled with the tender mercies of the Lord.
But instead of sharing a story, today I think I will just give some pictures…
This first picture is of me standing next to the church sign on the chapel in
Wrexham (the language it’s written in is Welsh)…
The second is a picture of me killing a new missionary by the name of Elder Curgenven who is serving in the Chorley ward as well (we were putting up the fence of a local member)…
The third picture is me and Elder Larson at the Liverpool docks where the fist
saints left to America (they have a really nice statue in honour of that
moment)…
The fourth is a picture of me and Elder Larson in the city of Dunham
(it’s the city were basically everyone was converted and just left to go to
America)…
The fifth picture is me and Elder Kingsley (a South African missionary
who came out with me) standing next to the monument right next to the river
Ribble were the first British converts were baptized…
The sixth picture is me and a missionary by the name of Elder Carr (he was in the MTC at the time) standing outside the Chorley Temple (Alex Carr was living in Barrow-in-Furness when I was serving there, when I was there he seemed so young and now he is
going to serve his mission in London!)…
The seventh picture is of the MTC group that I came out with; we were at the all mission conference with Elder Bednar…
The last picture is me with the Chorley Zone during an interview and training.
The past six weeks have been amazing and I am so grateful that I get to stay
here another six and see what happens with Phil and Rachel (they are seriously
my all time favourite investigators, they’re just ridiculously nice and want to
do what is right) and Louis Villing (who is going through some really difficult
times but still wants to be baptized)! The Lord has blessed me far more than I
deserve and I know that these next six weeks are going to be filled with a lot
of ups and downs but I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to serve the
Lord here in Britain!
Love the Lord, Love the people, Love the Land, and Hate the weather!
Love, :)
Elder McKenna
Monday, September 14, 2009
Elder Bednar
Hello Everyone! Thank you for the E-mails and especially for the amazing photo
albums of the ‘Andertons’ wedding (I still can’t believe that they are married
but most importantly I am glad that they both look so ridiculously happy) and
for the cardboard cut out (Timette you did an amazing job with it) it really
seemed like good times were had by all!
Well, things back home are amazing, as usual. The St. George McKenna’s are
housing two Japanese students Gaku and Sho, destroying the football pitches,
writing amazing, uplifting, influential, and patriotic literature, and Meghan
has been accepted to go on a student exchange to Japan this coming November!
Mom and dad have retreated to the safety of the cabin to avoid the massive heat
wave that is melting Las Vegas, More people are returning home from missions and
are starting their lives (CRAZY), And Britain has now officially moved from
summer to fall (and the falls in Britain are so cold they’re basically20winters).
In answer to some questions… yes, Elder Bednar was amazing… No, I didn’t know
that mountain dew had 10 new flavours and that the Osmond’s had a show in Vegas
(but my companion Elder Larson probably does because his family use to hang out
with the Osmond’s regularly). Overall like always the Lord is pouring his
blessings out upon me in a way that I am surely not worthy of.
Alright, so this week is going to be pretty easy to know what to write about…
Elder Bednar. But before I get into that I want you to know that Phil and
Rachel are doing really well, Louis Villing is dated now for the 17th of
October, and Yestinn Freddie (the Indian man back in Wrexham) is now baptized
and is a kingdom builder! Now, onto the most mission/life changing experience
that I have had this year… When I think of Elder Bednar I always imagined a man
who was; intimidating, to the line, tough, business like, but incredibly
spiritual and I have to say that even though he may incorporate some of these
features he is also funny, personable, and an amazing teacher (he is basically
nothing like I expected)! He started off the conference by explaining what was
going to happen, the idea that all of us were going to be involved by asking
questions, giving answers, and relying on the Spirit to teach us rather then
what he said. This was something that almost everybody20says and yet it never
seems to make much of a difference because the audience usually just sits there
in silent admiration and fear while the speaker gives his 2 to 3 hour long
lecture (which isn’t a bad thing), but Elder Bednar was different. Somehow he
was able to create an environment were all of us felt comfortable to ask
questions and to offer comments; even though he was involved extensively in the
process, by giving revelatory comments and would control were the conversations
were going, he allowed us to prepare ourselves to ‘seek learning by faith’ and
by our actions we were able to be taught through the Spirit rather than the
words which were spoken. I can’t truly describe how he did it but the Spirit
was truly the teacher as I sat in awe of this mans ability to command a crowd.
The things he said were apostolic, the atmosphere was electric, and the Spirit
was most certainly present. I realized then that my understanding of how to
help someone understand the teachings of the Savoir and how to really help
another to come to an understanding of the Gospel were pitiful in comparison to
what they could be. I have come to the horrible realization that I have so much
more to grow and I am terrified by the short amount of time I have to accomplish
it. It’s moments like that; when I feel the Spirit so strong, when I realize
how caring, loving, and patient the Lord is with me that I am truly brought down
into the depths of humility! How POWERFUL the Spirit is! How truly wonderful
the peace it brings! And how glorious of a teacher it is! If there is one
thing that I took away from listening to Elder Bednar is that I have so much
more to understand about the Spirit. I am aware that I will have an eternity to
learn more, but the two year time to serve a mission (aka: boot camp for
spiritual understanding) is just too short! The church is true! And I thank
the Lord for every second I have to be a full time missionary! I love you all
so much and I pray for you every night in my prayers! May we all learn to
recognize the Spirit and act on its promptings!
An incredibly weak servant of a most empowering God
Elder McKenna
albums of the ‘Andertons’ wedding (I still can’t believe that they are married
but most importantly I am glad that they both look so ridiculously happy) and
for the cardboard cut out (Timette you did an amazing job with it) it really
seemed like good times were had by all!
Well, things back home are amazing, as usual. The St. George McKenna’s are
housing two Japanese students Gaku and Sho, destroying the football pitches,
writing amazing, uplifting, influential, and patriotic literature, and Meghan
has been accepted to go on a student exchange to Japan this coming November!
Mom and dad have retreated to the safety of the cabin to avoid the massive heat
wave that is melting Las Vegas, More people are returning home from missions and
are starting their lives (CRAZY), And Britain has now officially moved from
summer to fall (and the falls in Britain are so cold they’re basically20winters).
In answer to some questions… yes, Elder Bednar was amazing… No, I didn’t know
that mountain dew had 10 new flavours and that the Osmond’s had a show in Vegas
(but my companion Elder Larson probably does because his family use to hang out
with the Osmond’s regularly). Overall like always the Lord is pouring his
blessings out upon me in a way that I am surely not worthy of.
Alright, so this week is going to be pretty easy to know what to write about…
Elder Bednar. But before I get into that I want you to know that Phil and
Rachel are doing really well, Louis Villing is dated now for the 17th of
October, and Yestinn Freddie (the Indian man back in Wrexham) is now baptized
and is a kingdom builder! Now, onto the most mission/life changing experience
that I have had this year… When I think of Elder Bednar I always imagined a man
who was; intimidating, to the line, tough, business like, but incredibly
spiritual and I have to say that even though he may incorporate some of these
features he is also funny, personable, and an amazing teacher (he is basically
nothing like I expected)! He started off the conference by explaining what was
going to happen, the idea that all of us were going to be involved by asking
questions, giving answers, and relying on the Spirit to teach us rather then
what he said. This was something that almost everybody20says and yet it never
seems to make much of a difference because the audience usually just sits there
in silent admiration and fear while the speaker gives his 2 to 3 hour long
lecture (which isn’t a bad thing), but Elder Bednar was different. Somehow he
was able to create an environment were all of us felt comfortable to ask
questions and to offer comments; even though he was involved extensively in the
process, by giving revelatory comments and would control were the conversations
were going, he allowed us to prepare ourselves to ‘seek learning by faith’ and
by our actions we were able to be taught through the Spirit rather than the
words which were spoken. I can’t truly describe how he did it but the Spirit
was truly the teacher as I sat in awe of this mans ability to command a crowd.
The things he said were apostolic, the atmosphere was electric, and the Spirit
was most certainly present. I realized then that my understanding of how to
help someone understand the teachings of the Savoir and how to really help
another to come to an understanding of the Gospel were pitiful in comparison to
what they could be. I have come to the horrible realization that I have so much
more to grow and I am terrified by the short amount of time I have to accomplish
it. It’s moments like that; when I feel the Spirit so strong, when I realize
how caring, loving, and patient the Lord is with me that I am truly brought down
into the depths of humility! How POWERFUL the Spirit is! How truly wonderful
the peace it brings! And how glorious of a teacher it is! If there is one
thing that I took away from listening to Elder Bednar is that I have so much
more to understand about the Spirit. I am aware that I will have an eternity to
learn more, but the two year time to serve a mission (aka: boot camp for
spiritual understanding) is just too short! The church is true! And I thank
the Lord for every second I have to be a full time missionary! I love you all
so much and I pray for you every night in my prayers! May we all learn to
recognize the Spirit and act on its promptings!
An incredibly weak servant of a most empowering God
Elder McKenna
Monday, September 7, 2009
HI YA
Alright! This is ridiculous! Not only did no one E-mail me (but mom, and hers
was really short) but it would seem that no one received the E-mail that I sent
last week! There is defiantly some mishap with dads account so from now on I
think I will be sending all E-mails to Timette as well as dad in hopes that with
the two of them you might be able to get an E-mail!
Well, I don't know what is going on back home. I haven't got any pictures of MY
BEST FRIEND AND COUSINS WEDDING. and the weather over here is lamezor (there is
some kind of hurricane out in the Atlantic that is sending all kinds of gall
force winds and rain)! But there was a ray of sunshine from the states when I
received a letter in the post with some amazing talks on CD along with an
outstanding poem :) so THANK YOU very much to that person. But for everyone
else let the Godly sorrow seep deep into your hearts, repent of your ways, and
send me your love via E-mail :) or post :).
Alright, all that gloom and doom aside, the work of the Lord continues to be
sweet and this last week was defiantly not short of any miracles! But as
always, my time is short and with so many wonderful things happening! It is
absolutely impossible for me to share all of them with you in one E-mail so once
more I am left to choose one in particular that I feel inclined to share. His
name is Louis Villing: He is about 25 years old, works at a paintball arena as
the warden, has a strong faith in God, but feels that organized religion is
incorrect and doesn't have the truth. He was found when Elder Larson and I went
on splits with the YSA of Chorley Ward 1 and he is GOLDEN! The first lesson
(restoration) was full of questions and the main points were understood (after
some reasoning). The second lesson was on the Plan of Salvation and it is this
lesson that I'm going to relate. We taught this lesson using 'Sprit Bob'
(that's when you have a little person and walk him through all the steps of the
Plan of Salvation) we started with the Pre-Earth life and walked Spirit Bob
through the steps. The Spirit was there as we related Bob to our own existence.
In the beginning many questions were asked but as Bob continued on his journey
the answers came and distilled upon his souls as the dew of heaven. How amazing
it truly is to see someone who is confused, frustrated, and in some instances
even a bit fearful of the world around them and their place in it; gain an
understanding of why they are here, where they came from, and were they are
going to go. To see their views of the world go from one to the other and to
see their entire countenance change as they begin to feel the truth of what is
shared is a blessing I can't even begin to describe adequately in words. The
Plan of Salvation is true; the spirit bore witness to all of us. Louis came to
all three hours of church last Sunday, loved every minute of it, and wants to do
what it takes to be baptized! The church is true, Jesus Christ does live,
Joseph was a prophet, The Book of Mormon is real, and these truths bring an
everlasting peace to the soul as a PB and J sandwich brings peace to the
stomach!
All of my Love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. Elder Bednar is coming to the mission on Friday and were having an all
mission conference! That makes 3 apostles! CRAZY!
was really short) but it would seem that no one received the E-mail that I sent
last week! There is defiantly some mishap with dads account so from now on I
think I will be sending all E-mails to Timette as well as dad in hopes that with
the two of them you might be able to get an E-mail!
Well, I don't know what is going on back home. I haven't got any pictures of MY
BEST FRIEND AND COUSINS WEDDING. and the weather over here is lamezor (there is
some kind of hurricane out in the Atlantic that is sending all kinds of gall
force winds and rain)! But there was a ray of sunshine from the states when I
received a letter in the post with some amazing talks on CD along with an
outstanding poem :) so THANK YOU very much to that person. But for everyone
else let the Godly sorrow seep deep into your hearts, repent of your ways, and
send me your love via E-mail :) or post :).
Alright, all that gloom and doom aside, the work of the Lord continues to be
sweet and this last week was defiantly not short of any miracles! But as
always, my time is short and with so many wonderful things happening! It is
absolutely impossible for me to share all of them with you in one E-mail so once
more I am left to choose one in particular that I feel inclined to share. His
name is Louis Villing: He is about 25 years old, works at a paintball arena as
the warden, has a strong faith in God, but feels that organized religion is
incorrect and doesn't have the truth. He was found when Elder Larson and I went
on splits with the YSA of Chorley Ward 1 and he is GOLDEN! The first lesson
(restoration) was full of questions and the main points were understood (after
some reasoning). The second lesson was on the Plan of Salvation and it is this
lesson that I'm going to relate. We taught this lesson using 'Sprit Bob'
(that's when you have a little person and walk him through all the steps of the
Plan of Salvation) we started with the Pre-Earth life and walked Spirit Bob
through the steps. The Spirit was there as we related Bob to our own existence.
In the beginning many questions were asked but as Bob continued on his journey
the answers came and distilled upon his souls as the dew of heaven. How amazing
it truly is to see someone who is confused, frustrated, and in some instances
even a bit fearful of the world around them and their place in it; gain an
understanding of why they are here, where they came from, and were they are
going to go. To see their views of the world go from one to the other and to
see their entire countenance change as they begin to feel the truth of what is
shared is a blessing I can't even begin to describe adequately in words. The
Plan of Salvation is true; the spirit bore witness to all of us. Louis came to
all three hours of church last Sunday, loved every minute of it, and wants to do
what it takes to be baptized! The church is true, Jesus Christ does live,
Joseph was a prophet, The Book of Mormon is real, and these truths bring an
everlasting peace to the soul as a PB and J sandwich brings peace to the
stomach!
All of my Love,
Elder McKenna
P.S. Elder Bednar is coming to the mission on Friday and were having an all
mission conference! That makes 3 apostles! CRAZY!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Bank holiday!
HELLO! Sorry that I wasn’t able to get an E-mail off yesterday but
unfortunately the British love to celebrate their bank holidays and as a result
on Monday the Libraries were closed and I was unable to access a computer :(.
But I have the chance to write one today!
So, I still haven’t received any pictures of Connor’s wedding, and I’m a little
scared to think that Timette might have sent them (because that’s what mom
wrote) but for some reason my account wont let me see them! So Timette if
you’ve sent any photos via E-mail please resend them so that I CAN SEE SOME
PICTURES OF MY BEST FRIEND AND MY COUSIN’S WEDDING! Well, Things back home seem
to be going really well, everyone is starting to go back to school and settling
in nicely… Trent is preparing to run the St. George Marathon… Jeff is coaching
like 3 million football teams… Jackson is ripping up the single track tails in
preparation20of massive feast of Mountain biking upon return a certain
missionaries return :)… Sunday dinner lives on with a wonderful viewing of
International man of realastate, Kung-Fu Fun, and Kool Kai and the seven girls…
Chynna and Irelynn are both wearing mascara now (CRAZYNESS)… ELIZABETH, SHANE,
AND LUKE are back from their missions (CRAZYNESS)… Chelsey and Mike have adopted
an abandon puppy… A Disneyland adventure looms in the future (some of those
roller coasters could be a little intense; I’m just saying that sometime it’s
not good to ride one :))… In answer to some questions… I’m fine on the
toothbrush side of things… The temple is in my area and the building we meet in
is actually on the Temple grounds… Yes, I have the chance to go to the temple
more now.
Sorry to rush through things today but I don’t have much time to write. As for
things over here in Chorley, life couldn’t get better! Our teaching pool is
increasing more and more as the Lord keeps pouring out his blessings upon us!
This is truly an amazing time in my mission it seems that miracles are happening
multiple times a day! Something that I want to share with you just briefly is
about two of our investigators named Rachel and Phillip… We found Rachel and
Phil about 2 weeks ago there a young couple, who aren’t married, some religious
background but not much, live together, have a cat, and are way funny! Anyways
we’ve taught them about 4 times and because they’ve told all their friends and
family about how there seeing the Mormons they have already been given a lot of
persecution and they basically know all the commandments because everyone has
just thrown them out there. But they are continuing strong and despite the
persecution and the change of life that is coming up in their future they are
still excited and the last time we taught them we said that in order for them to
get baptized they needed to either get married our move out AND THEY SAID THEY
WOULD GET MARRIED! No one in this country gets married and yet here is this
young couple making huge changes in their lives so that they can live the
commandments of God! This is the true church; there is no doubt about it… Well,
I wish I could write more but suffice it to say Joseph Smith was a prophet,
Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today, The Book of Mormon is true, and Jesus is
the Christ!
Love,
Elder McKenna
unfortunately the British love to celebrate their bank holidays and as a result
on Monday the Libraries were closed and I was unable to access a computer :(.
But I have the chance to write one today!
So, I still haven’t received any pictures of Connor’s wedding, and I’m a little
scared to think that Timette might have sent them (because that’s what mom
wrote) but for some reason my account wont let me see them! So Timette if
you’ve sent any photos via E-mail please resend them so that I CAN SEE SOME
PICTURES OF MY BEST FRIEND AND MY COUSIN’S WEDDING! Well, Things back home seem
to be going really well, everyone is starting to go back to school and settling
in nicely… Trent is preparing to run the St. George Marathon… Jeff is coaching
like 3 million football teams… Jackson is ripping up the single track tails in
preparation20of massive feast of Mountain biking upon return a certain
missionaries return :)… Sunday dinner lives on with a wonderful viewing of
International man of realastate, Kung-Fu Fun, and Kool Kai and the seven girls…
Chynna and Irelynn are both wearing mascara now (CRAZYNESS)… ELIZABETH, SHANE,
AND LUKE are back from their missions (CRAZYNESS)… Chelsey and Mike have adopted
an abandon puppy… A Disneyland adventure looms in the future (some of those
roller coasters could be a little intense; I’m just saying that sometime it’s
not good to ride one :))… In answer to some questions… I’m fine on the
toothbrush side of things… The temple is in my area and the building we meet in
is actually on the Temple grounds… Yes, I have the chance to go to the temple
more now.
Sorry to rush through things today but I don’t have much time to write. As for
things over here in Chorley, life couldn’t get better! Our teaching pool is
increasing more and more as the Lord keeps pouring out his blessings upon us!
This is truly an amazing time in my mission it seems that miracles are happening
multiple times a day! Something that I want to share with you just briefly is
about two of our investigators named Rachel and Phillip… We found Rachel and
Phil about 2 weeks ago there a young couple, who aren’t married, some religious
background but not much, live together, have a cat, and are way funny! Anyways
we’ve taught them about 4 times and because they’ve told all their friends and
family about how there seeing the Mormons they have already been given a lot of
persecution and they basically know all the commandments because everyone has
just thrown them out there. But they are continuing strong and despite the
persecution and the change of life that is coming up in their future they are
still excited and the last time we taught them we said that in order for them to
get baptized they needed to either get married our move out AND THEY SAID THEY
WOULD GET MARRIED! No one in this country gets married and yet here is this
young couple making huge changes in their lives so that they can live the
commandments of God! This is the true church; there is no doubt about it… Well,
I wish I could write more but suffice it to say Joseph Smith was a prophet,
Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today, The Book of Mormon is true, and Jesus is
the Christ!
Love,
Elder McKenna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
