Salutations

First off, Thank you timette and the %@$*"%$ familiy for the amazing package
filled with goodies and love, it was a much apreciated supprize. Second off,
things back home, as always, seem to be going extremly well :). Ellyse is
celebrating her big 17 WHICH IS RIDICULOUS, Meghan won an intense football match
in the pouring rain, Jackson and Carson are still hunter's extrodinar with their
recent catch of toads, tree frogs, and a 3 foot long gopher snake! Jeff enjoyed
his fathers day as did papa (just so everyone knows he really liked the book
with all the memories :), so kuddos to mom) and it would seem that Zurflueh clan
has overcome their fears of mono and have kissed the Blarney stone :)! Overall
life is good back home and I apolagize for the horrible misspellings but I am in
Chester right now and these computers don't have Microsoft word so I don't have
a spell checker :(. By the way thank you for the update on Connor and Ashley, I
still can't believe that he is going to be my second cousin and I still can't
believe that he is going to be MARRIED when I get home! So, for the weading you
should totally get one of those lifesize picture cut outs of me and put me up
for some of the photos so that I can be in some of the pictures :) a lot of
missionary's families do it and it looks really good and then I can be a part of
that memeory, just a thought, or better yet just tell them to WAIT UNTIL I GET
HOME AND THEN I REALLY CAN BE A PART OF THAT MEMORY! Geeze... :).

Anywho, Things over here on this side of the world are going extremly well! Zoe
Clarke went to the temple this past Friday to do Baptisims for the dead, and SHE
LOVED IT! Astell Kirk (the person who was baptized in Barrow in Furness) got in
contact with me and is living in Scotland and is very much active in the church
up there, and Calum McNoltey (the person who was baptized in Altrincham) is
going to the temple to take out his ENDOWMENTS! HOW AMAZING IS THAT! You know,
when someone gets baptized you really think that you can never feel better in
your entire life, you feel that the joy which is in the very essence of your
soul can in no way be increased and then the Lord surprises you, when you find
out that the very person whom you were able to introduce the Gosple to is going
to the temple for there endowments and I can not even begin to describe the
feelings of exquisite joy that exceed any feeling that the world can give, it is
a feeling that burns within you like a glorious fire and send shivers and
goosebumps cascadeing through your system, it is a feeling that only comes from
God in fulfillment of his promises, it is the Spirit and the feelings of joy
exceed anything that I could ever depict to you in words. Another amazing thing
that I would love to share with you... A few weeks back I was tracting with
Elder Eichelberger (I believe I have told you this story before) and we were on
a street knocking doors for quite some time, finally, on the last neighborhood,
last street, and last door, as we were about to go home we heard a voice from
the side of the house, the voice belonged to a man, that mans name is Gary... We
taught him this last Wednsday... And the Spirit has trully touched his heart!
We are teaching him this next Wednsday and he is so excited to read the Book of
Mormon! This work is the Lords Work! This chruch is true, Joseph Smith did see
God the Father and his son Jesus Christ on a spring morning in the year 1820, he
was called to be a prophet, the Book of Mormon is a real record, the accounts of
the people in it are real, Thomas S. Monson is a prophet today, and I testify to
you that Jesus Chirst does live he is our savior and redeemer the captain of our
salvation and that it is only through his merits, mercy, and grace that we can
be saved and dwell with him and our Father in the Celestial Kingdom worlds with
out end!

With all of my love...
The weak servant of an empowering God!
Elder McKenna

P.S. mom and dad you can't come pick me up... it's against the rules, I have to
return home right after due to the visa restrictions :(

P.P.S. can someone get some info on Audrey going to Egypt... Is she really going
for three years!

WHAT THE CHECKY MONKEY IS GOING ON!

Right! So, um, ya, CONNOR IS MARRYING MY COUSIN! I have to say that first I am
so pleased that Connor is going to marry Ashley when it was the matchmaker that
brought them together :) (AKA: Mwa with maybe a little help from someone else
who gave Connor Ashley’s phone number, but alas I am still the idea man so :P)
and second I NEED TO KNOW MORE! You can’t just nonchalantly tell me that my
best friend is marrying my cousin and the wedding is in August! I NEED TO KNOW
MORE! How did he propose? Where are they getting married? Has Connor gotten my
letter and if he has tell him to respond to my last letter ASAP so if you could
just rebuke him for me and tell him that he needs to send me a letter that would
be great!

Well, moving on… Things back home seem to be going extremely well (as always)
except it would appear that there seems to be some sort of discrepancy regarding
a talent show and who should have been the winner… Let me first bring to
everyone’s mind the sort of ‘gamer’ we are all dealing with by bringing all of
our thoughts back about 5 years ago to a little game known as ‘Settlers of
Catan’. The setting was the cabin, the time evening, the game nearing the end.
Two of the three people involved in said scandal were playing with an innocent
‘missionary’ who will not be named… during said game the ‘missionary’ who was
the son of the two, up on trial, (we will hereby name them ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ for
simplicities sake) was going to win, he had all the commodities and the game was
with in his grasp. This was announced to the table that on the next turn a
winner would be pronounced and that winner would be the ‘missionary’, when the
one named ‘mom’, asked if it would be all right if the missionary would give her
a lumber card… The ‘missionary’ thinking this would be foolishness for his
victory was nigh was reluctant to give said lumber card but in a desire for this
lumber card the person said, (and now we will quote from the record) “come on,
I’m your mother and I just want to build a little settlement before the game
ends” well, the missionaries heart was softened for she was his mother and so he
gave her the lumber card. What happened next is one of the dark chapters of
gaming history… the missionaries mother built her settlement and built a few
roads as well and pulled out a hidden development card which resulted in her
gaining the win! So, in summary the ‘missionary’ was strewn down in the climb
to victory by this ‘mom’ person. Now, I have been careful in not divulging any
names in relating this story for I don’t want the past to be considered in the
judgement, but I relate this story in hopes that we will not take lightly the
situation that we are in. The gamers that we are dealing with are willing to do
what ever it takes, and they don’t care who gets in their way :P.

Now that I have born my testimony I will rest my case and allow a just judgement
to be passed by the FBI (Federal Bureau of In-Laws) in which I place my full
trust and confidence.

I am finally back in Wrexham and so I can now send you some pictures to make you
supper jealous of the amazing area that I am currently serving in :). The first
picture is the name of the city that I was staying in, and yes, that is the real
name of the city! The top word is the Welsh and the bottom is the English
translation.


The second picture is of me on top of Carnarvon castle paying my
respect to the Welsh flag.


The third is a picture of Elder Eichelberger,
Darrow, Hyde, and myself (by the way I only look short because the three of them
ARE GIANTS!).


The fourth picture is me standing in the windows of my throne
room with my two body guards :).


The fifth is a picture of me and one of my bodyguards after the castle was ransacked by the Welch, my other body guard feel in the battle :(.


The sixth is a picture of me and Elder Hyde enjoying the beauties of the area.


The seventh is a picture of Elder Eichelberger and me trying to heat up pots and pans to throw into Zoe’s freezing baptismal font.


The Eighth is a picture of Zoe, Elder Eichelberger, and I before her baptism.


The picture attached to this email is a picture of Elder Atkin, Wagner, and me
in a little blown out hole in a ruined castle in the middle of a beautiful
forest that we had to climb up to get to. Basically the area that I am serving
in is the most beautiful area in the entire world!


I Love the people, love the land, and I love the work!
Elder McKenna

HI YA

Well, I am sorrey to say that I have basically no time today to write an
E-mail... I am currently in a place called Bangor on exchanges with the Garewin
Elders and we are schedueled to visit Conway Castle this afternoon :).

Your E-mails (like always) were amazing and I am glad to hear that everyone is
doing so well despite the hardships that life can bring. The Zurflueh clan
seems excited to be visiting the 'homeland' (AKA: Ireland) and the St. Geroge
McKennas are enjoying life with the boys playing on a farm and Ellyse getting
some time with her good ol' pa. In ansewer to some questions that were given...
The Welsh are on pretty good terms with the Irish since they are so close
together (geographically) and so close to gether in the pride they have for
their country (both the Welsh and the Southern Irish almost always spit on the
ground when they talk about England even in the most casual conversations ie:
'my cousin lives in England *spit* and he says he likes it')... Simon Pigot (the
man who Elder Eichelberger and I helped clean his flat) is doing better :) he is
getting back on the horse, and he is already starting to make the changes that
are going to lead him to true happiness.

The Mission is going well, I have to apolagize because I wasn't able to connect
my camera into this computer that I am using, so I cant send the pictures of
Zoe's baptisim, and as you can tell I also wasn't able to use the microsoft word
processor which seems to save me from my most grevious gramatical errors :).
Well, like I said I don't really have too much time to write so I just wanted to
say that I love you and that I miss you but that there is nothing that would
keep me from the fun times that being with family brings other then my testimony
of the Gosple and a calling to serve from our Savior.

Elder McKenna

BAPTISIM

Well, this has probably been the best E-mail update that I have ever been
privileged to have! Thank you so much for the amazing E-mails and for the
outstanding pictures!

Memorial Day weekend sounded amazing! With mom bogey boarding (and enjoying
it so much!), Trent losing horribly in Cash and Guns (just like in chess),
Timette having one of the best vacations ever with a few stops before the beach
house, and the original McKenna’s (mom, dad, and Chelsey) coming up with the
best skit ever (which by the way, mom sent the skit and, no wonder they won it
was ridiculously hilarious)! The St. George McKenna’s are settling in nicely
for a fabulously fun filled summer with Jeff going to EFY again this year with
Ellyse having to utmost honour, privilege, and benefit, to go to the same EFY as
her Father (which we all know is what she wanted) while poor Meghan is forced to
go to the EFY a little earlier and wont have the beautiful blessing of being
with her Father but will just have to hang out with all of her friends (I hope
that you can survive the heart ach Meghan). Dad’s Seminary teaching is coming
to a close for the year with high schooler’s having an extensive knowledge of
the New Testament, because of him :). I can’t believe that Cameron and David
are heading out on their missions! If you have the chance please send them my
love and if at all possible could you get me Cameron’s address. In answer to a
question that was given… No! Of course we weren’t able to watch the Barcelona
vs. Man U game, but I obviously heard what happened and how Man U scored like
the fastest goal ever and Barcelona still beat them, but a Man U loss isn’t that
big of a deal in Wales, in fact it was more of a celebration that they did lose
because basically everyone other then the people who live in Manchester hate Man
U :(. Overall you all seem so happy and the Memorial Day (cough) ‘campout’
(cough) sounded amazing!

First off I think we all know what I am going to be talking about toady,
namely Zoe’s baptism and second off I am so sorry that I didn’t bring my camera
converter thingy for the computer and so I will have to give you pictures of the
event next week :(. It would seem that I am cursed for baptisms; I thought that
this time would be different but alas it was not. Now,
I don’t want everyone flashing back to my horrible fiasco with Christian the BFTB (Big Friendly Teddy Bear) and how horrible that was because it wasn’t THAT bad but it was still pretty intense. Elder Eichelberger and I arrived at the chapel 2 and ½ hours
early in hopes that all would go right and no problems would arise… the baptism
program was brilliant (the relief society did it and it basically looked like a
wedding invite), everyone who was part of the program had been called and
confirmed that they were going to be able to come, the chapel was nice and
clean, the rooms were all at perfect temperature, the sound system was up and
running, Zoe, her family, and some friends were all on schedule, basically we
were ‘green light’… and then it happened… THE HOT WATER IN THE BUILDING SHUT
DOWN! There was absolutely no hot water anywhere! The kitchen didn’t have any,
the bathroom sinks didn’t have any, and of course the baptismal font didn’t have
any! We had no idea what was wrong and no one who would have any idea what was
wrong was available at the time (because there was a wedding in the afternoon
the same day) so in desperation Elder Eichelberger and I went to the kitchen
turned the stove onto full blast, got as many pots and pans as the stove could
handle, filled the pots and pans with cold water, and began the slow process of =0D
heating the water up to boiling, running it to the font, and throwing it into
the freezing water which was currently filling said font! It was terrible! We
did it for about 2 hours with not much of a change in the water and then our
time was up! People were beginning to arrive and in order to keep the reverence
that should be present at a baptism we had to stop the running of boiling water
to the font. We informed Zoe and Bishop Chapman (the person who was going to
baptize her) the situation and both of them were still determined so the baptism
went on… The talks, music, video, and every other aspect of the baptism was
wonderful, it was just the baptism itself… As Zoe Clarke (who is about my
height, skinny, and very susceptible to temperatures) and Bishop Chapman got
into the icy depths it was obvious that they were cold… Bishop said the words
and Zoe was dunked back into the freezing abyss and to my utmost horror (I was
one of the witnesses) her knees popped up! Bishop looked to me for confirmation
and I had to shake my head ‘no’, Zoe needed to go down another time! Zoe looked
to Bishop with her face in pure terror that she had to do it one more time, but
it was done, this time properly and Zoe was baptized! Even though every time
Zoe looks back on the actual baptism itself she will have thoughts of death,
darkness, and absence of warmth; I will never forget how exquisitely happy she
looked when she had dried off and joined us in the sacrament meeting room.
Truly she had made a covenant with her Father in Heaven by the appropriate means
and the Spirit confirmed that in all of our hearts. The church is true!
Baptism is something that is required! And Zoe Clarke is now through the gate
and on her way to Eternal Life! WHAT GREATER CALLING CAN I POSSIBLE HAVE then
to bring such wonderful people to this point!

With my heart brimming with gratitude and love,
Elder McKenna


P.S. Thank you Timette for sharing that spiritual moment you had in Relief
Society with me, it sounded like an amazing experience.