See you soon

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