E-mail (1)

Alright! Something is wrong with the E-mail system! Somewhere down the line
information is being lost... I haven't missed one week of E-mails for quite a
long time but here I am feeling like Pahoran fighting the E-mail battle to the
best of my abilities while receiving a massive rebuke from Captain Moroni (aka
my family) when in reality I am guilty of no crime! But I take no offence... in
fact I am filled with joy knowing that my family wants to receive provisions/an
email and that you are still strong in the E-mail ways :). So let us come
together now and conquer! I'm going to send my past E-mail to the Wankier's as
well as this new one and I will send it to Dad and hopefully everything will be
back to normal.

Anyhow... Things back home seem to be going alright... actually I don't really
know because I hardly got any information other then the fact that none of you
have received an E-mail and I think in retaliation have unjustly held back your
E-mails and information :(! Especially pictures of Connor's Wedding! He has
been married now for like 8 million seconds and yet I haven't gotten any
pictures! But I am confident that the Godly Sorrow of your mistakes will seep
into your hearts and you will make the correct choice :)... SEND ME SOME PICTURES!

Despite the lack of information from the American front things over here on the
British side are going very well. Elder Larson and I are seeing a ridiculous
amount of blessings! When we came here we had no people to teach, we didn't
know any members, and had no idea where anything was (it was like opening an
area) but now Elder Larson remembers how to get around and just tells me
(because he doesn't have his licence so I drive and he navigates :)), we know
loads of the members (they are super nice) and our teaching pool has grown a
lot! The Lord is showering his blessings down upon us and I am way excited to
see what the future holds! There are so many things that happened this week
that it is hard to decide what to write about... But I feel that I should share
with you a moment that I will not soon forget. I was on splits with one of the
YSA from the ward by the name of Bradley and we were trying by on some potential
investigators just talking to people as we went from PI to PI. When we stopped
this woman and her daughter who were rushing home, they didn't have much time to
talk but said that we could come by another time, I tried to set up an
appointment but they just walked inside there home, and so I didn't think much
of it and we moved on with the day (which was Sunday)... Monday evening Elder
Larson and I were doing some finding near by the street where this woman lived
and during the down times we talked about how nice it would be if there was like
a Spirit GPS system that we could carry around that would just say were to go
and then we would do it and it would be so much easier... We didn't find much
success and decided that we would move to another area, we got in the car and
while we were driving I was thinking in my head how much I just wanted to know
what Heavenly Father wanted me to do when I had the smallest feeling to stop the
car... so we did and it was on the street of the woman whom I have previously
mentioned earlier, Elder Larson got a call and so I talked to someone on the
street (they weren't interested) and then I had the smallest feeling to knock on
the woman's door... thinking that she wouldn't be home or she wouldn't be
interested I just walked to the door and knocked on it while Elder Larson was
still talking on the phone across the street. The woman answered the door and
said, 'hello, come on in' and walked into her living room leaving the door open.
I was a bit shocked and it took a few seconds to realize what just happened! I
called her back and asked if my friend could come as well, she said yes. I then
waved frantically for Elder Larson to come he came still on the phone not
realizing what was taking place... when he came to the door and understood what
was happening he quickly ended the conversation, we went in, taught the
restoration to Carol and her daughter Amy (her partner wasn't interested) and
the Spirit was so strong. Carol had been struggling for some time with a lot of
hard times she was facing and at the end of the lesson she said that what we
taught her just makes sense! I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who
answers prayers! I am so grateful for the still small voice of the Spirit! The
church is true! It just is and it's amazing!

The weak servant of an empowering God
Elder McKenna



P.S. this is August 24th the other E-mail was last weeks.

E-mail (2)

A new P-Day in a new land :). Thank you once again for the E-Mails and I must
give great thanks for the wonderful package which I was able to receive on
Friday and for TWO AMAZING LETTERS which I also recieved! I must say that the
TWO AMAZING LETTERS! Caused me to do a bit of a dance when I received them (they
arrived in Wrexham but were hand delivered by my old companion at a meeting
Elder Larson and I had to attend) and was a great cause of rejoicing in the
Chorley flat later that evening :)!

Sorry for all the confusion… as I said in the last E-mail I have been
whitewashed into the Chorley area which means a couple of things. First, I no
longer know what is happening in the Wrexham area… When I left Wrexham Alice and
pals were struggling quite a bit, Jamie Owen was just baptized, and we had just
taught Yestin the word of wisdom (after we did he took his kettle (which was
full of freshly made tea) poured all the tea down the drain, threw away all of
his tea bags, coffee, alcohol, and is progressing very quickly to his date
of baptism). Second, I have had the craziest few days trying to learn the area and
manage all that comes along with it… The Chorley ward is amazing! There are on
average about 150 members who attend church a week (that is the largest
congregation that I have seen in 18 months) and we not only cover Chorley 1 but
also Chorley 3 because there are two companionships covering 3 wards! But
however amazing the ward is it doesn’t make up for the fact that the
missionaries before us have left us no investigators and a horrible
dysfunctional record system, but we have things under control and are getting
out there looking for some fresh blood :). Third, Elder Larson and I have had to
attend like a million meetings this past week and I am just completely burned
out in that aspect, but Elder Larson and I get along like American peanut butter
and jelly between two delectable pieces of thick sliced white bread :). But
overall life is great.

Back home seems to be quite exciting as the summer holidays come to an end and
the wee ones are now back in school AKA: Prison :). Ellyse is now a senior so
she is feeling the joy of being ‘Queen of the school’, Meghan has taken her
rightful place as ninth grade class president, Jackson is in the fifth grade
being taught by a ‘nice’ teacher as said by Carson who is enjoying his football
development under the master sensei (Jeff McKenna) himself. Mom is enjoying her
time at the Shakespeare festival/cabin, and everyone else is living life to the
fullest. But, no one has sent me any amazing, stupendous, delectable, remarkable
photos of Connor and Ashley’s wedding… so… get on that :).

It’s interesting as I have passed the 18 month mark and have reflected on the
past months of my mission my heart is pained at the idea that one day I will be
leaving all of this behind… I miss you all something terrible but it is
beginning to dawn on me as I continue in the work that every day leads me closer
to a time in my life where this will no longer be my full time duty… As I look
around at the many wonderful ‘Brits’ whom I have made my abode for over a year
and a half I can’t help but feel the overwhelming love of my Heavenly Father for
the welfare of these outstanding people. Despite the abuse, the bad names, the
insults, and especially the weather I can’t help but feel an overwhelming love
for my brothers and sisters in this part of the Lord’s vineyard. 5 months… it
just doesn’t seem real… I know that this church is true, that Jesus Christ
lives, that Joseph Smith was his prophet, and that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet
today, the Book of Mormon is a true record… The Spirit is real I feel it every
day and I thank my God for this precious20time that I have left to serve with all
my heart, might, mind, and strength.

With all my love,
Elder McKenna

ahhhhhhhh

HELLO! From ENGLAND! That’s right they must have thought that I was becoming
to Welsh so they have sent me back to England :). I am now serving in the
Chorley zone (which means that I’m in charge of the Temple :( ) I am white
washing the area with a missionary by the name of Elder Larson who is from
Florida and he is way cool, we’re going to have a bucket of fun :). And I have
heard that the last E-mails didn’t make it so I have resent them and have
requested that mom is in no way reprimanded, rebuked, and or made fun of for
losing them :).

Now, I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT CONNOR IS MARRIED and even more I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU
MAKE A CUT OUT! You have to send me a million pictures of the wedding and I
have to see what the cut out looked like. It honestly fills my soul with joy to
know that you did that :). Elizabeth is coming home in the end of August! Max
is an old man :P! And Irelynn is graduating the fifth grade! It seems like
back home things are just exploding with excitement! Well, I have no time but
needless to say that it was nice to hear a ‘why hello there’ and to have a few
good E-mails, but I have to GO! There is no time, but I will let you know some
good things next P-day (which is going to be on Monday). By the way I think I
have completely forgot to mention that Jamie Owen was baptized this past
Saturday (Elder Eichelberger and I started teachings him) he

P.S. my new address is
11 Regency Gardens
Regents Park
Euxton PR7 6NW

NO TIME SORREY!!!!!!

HELLO :)

Thank you for the E-Mails! They always bring a ray of sunshine on a cloudy
P-day in Wales :).

I have to apologize for missing the last E-mail session I was down in Garewin
last Monday and we all decided that it was time for another Snowdon exhibition
(since it was so sunny that day) and so instead of risking the chance for the
clouds to return we just decided to go up the mountain in our prosylting clothes
:). It was defiantly worthy of a missed E-mail. And I will have to apologize
again because I don’t have much time to E-mail today :(. So I have decided that
I would just send lots of amazing pictures :)!

The first picture is a picture of the view at the top of mount Snowdon, it was
pretty amazing!


The Second picture is a picture of Elder Perry (my son :) ) and his companion
Elder Darrow when the clouds started to come in


The Third picture is a picture of the four of us on the top of the mountain


The fourth picture is a picture of my companion Elder McIntosh in the midst of
the fog which hit us right near the top


The fifth picture is a picture of Elder Perry and I on Exchange this castle was
just sitting next to a playground… I have never seen so many castles in my life!


The Sixth picture is a picture of me in a neighbourhood in a place called
Llandudno.


The Seventh picture is a picture of me trying to look cool in a horrible wind
storm on the Isle of Anglesey.


Overall life just couldn’t get better in the land of funny accents and I am
excited to see what this next week holds (I probably wont be able to E-mail next
week because of transfers).

All of my Love,
Elder McKenna

P.S. I CAN’T BELIVE THAT CONNOR IS GETTING MARRIED!

P.P.S. I STILL CAN’T BELIEVE THAT CONNOR IS GETTING MARRIED!

P.P.P.S. the non-writer continues to dwindle in his ways maybe in the next two
weeks he will repent :).