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 :).