I Love You All So Much

Hello Everyone!
Thank you all for your letters, I never thought I would love receiving letters from home as much as I do, it really does warm my heart to hear from you all! First off, Timette thank you for all that food (I think my companion squealed with joy when he saw the chips and salsa) it was far to kind of you to give me all of those things and they certainly gave me some variety in my diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with some Doritos. Mom I'm looking forward to getting that Easter package but I haven't got it yet I'll let you know when it comes. I can't believe all the craziness that is happening back in Vegas! A birthday spectacular at the Secret Gardens, Sea World adventure coming up, and Chelsey slept in my bed... Madness! It really sounds like you are all doing very well and enjoying yourselves and that brings me great joy! England is still amazing, freezing, wet, and I love it! My new companion Elder Davies is an amazing missionary, I couldn't have gotten a better trainer, and he really knows what it means to be EXACTLY obedient which is so important in keeping the spirit. The work is progressing more and more each day it's amazing to see how much influence the Lord truly has in this work for I know that it is the spirit that does everything I am just the faulty tool the Lord is stuck working with. Just yesterday (March 25) me and Elder Davies taught a lesson to a less active
member with her husband, who isn't a member, the lesson was based on Jesus Christ and we showed her the Finding Faith in Christ DVD (which allows us to truly understand the miracles of Christ's ministry found in the four gospels as well as his loving character, it is so amazing) we also used an article found in the March Ensign. I don't know if any of you have had the chance to read the March Ensign but I have to say it is the best Ensign that I have ever read. The cover has a picture of Jesus Christ with a thin white sheet of see through paper over it. When I look at the picture of my Savior through that thin sheet I feel as if it is the veil... and that my loving Savior is on the other side, the veil is so thin out here on a mission; I have seen and been a part of countless miracles in the short space of time that I have been in his service and I can't imagine a better way to get to know our Savior then through finding his lost sheep with him. One of the most touching articles in that Ensign was the talk given by Elder Holland when he gave the account of the dream that Elder Witney had of being able to be a witness of the Savior's pain in Gethsemane and his triumphant victory over death. Just as Elder Witney ran to the Savior and
begged to go with him I to wish nothing more than to be with my Savior for ETERNITY to be with my family for ever! My heart is filled with bursting at the very thought and yet the words that the Savior said to Elder Witney, 'that is entirely up to you' echo through my soul and leave me with a sob in my throat. This is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I have prayed and I have felt love, joy, peace I have felt gentleness and goodness; I have felt the fruits of the Spirit. I know that it is true and I believe that you have all felt these feelings too. Gordon B. Hinckley stated that we can double our number of convert baptisms; this will not happen by members and missionaries becoming more articulate and charismatic, it will not happen by preying on those who are uneducated and vulnerable tricking them into baptism, it will not happen by members and missionaries working separate. Our convert baptisms will increase because the strength and the faith of the members as well as the missionaries
will combine to form a perfect union! Every member a missionary! We are the
light of this world and we will not put it under a bushel but on a candlestick,
my family please let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven! As members of this church we all need to realize that we are all responsible for finding those who are prepared to hear the Gospel! There are so many amazing tools in our arsenal and yet so many go un-used! I encourage you to read the March Ensign to ponder on its amazing message of the Savior and to soak in the wonderful teaching tools for member missionary work it contains. I know that this is the view of the church for I have been told to write to you concerning this from my Mission President. It will be a wonderful day when members of the church not only pray for missionary work but pray to do missionary work! I love you all, I pray for you every day, and you are all in my heart where I will always keep you.
In great humility I leave you these things in the name of our Savior, Redeemer, and loving Brother Jesus Christ, Amen
Elder McKenna