Mackenzie's Mission: February 15, 2016

Hello Everybody!

Kim here again! Sorry I am a little late in posting this. Mackenzie had a great week and we have lots of pictures to share! Thank you for checking in to see how she is doing. She is really enjoying her mission and loves to hear from all of you! She loves all of you and is so grateful for everyone's support and love! I'll try to post quicker next week, well actually tomorrow at this point! :)

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you for all of the emails I have been getting. They are fantastic and make me feel close to home even when I am over here in South America! I love hearing about how everyone is doing!

This week has been a little crazy! We had three conferencias! Two in Montevideo and one in Durazno! The two in Montevideo was for the temple and the Oro Conferencia!

Here they call new missionaries Oros! It means gold and it is because they think we conduct the spirirt through us really well like gold and we are new and pure and stuff like that haha. But the conference was really good! I got to see Hermana Harpole! It was super great and I got to meet a lot more people in the misión!

The temple was so amazing! We had some classes before we went and one of them was taught by Hermana Cook, the Mission president's wife. She is so amazing! She said something that I really liked. She said that every morning when we put on our garments we are putting on a little piece of home. The temple is our home and no matter where we are or what we are doing we always have a piece of home with us as long as we are wearing our garments! I really liked that because down here in Uruguay is nothing like home but I love it all the same!

We lost our investigator Anelina this week, she said she didn't want to listen to us anymore. She really has a fear of change and her entire family is catholic so she is nervous about what they will think too. It was so sad and frustrating to me because I love her so much and I know the góspel can bless her so much! But God gave us our agency and the spirit respects that: So our investigators can choose to admit to the spirit they are feeling or not and in this case she chose the later. But I love her still the same and still pray for her every day!

Also Victoria moved so we are trying to find her again! Hr mom and her Abuela got in a fight so her mom moved out. It is a big bummer but all in the Lord's time!

We found three new investigators this week, despite only working three days this week! The Lord is really preparing these people for us and I am so excited to watch them progress!

So last week it started to pour down rain and we got soaked! The streets flooded and the umbrella didn't do anything.The rain just came at you from everywhere! We had an investigator we wanted to go see but we also saw that a less active family was home and we didn't know what to do. So we said a prayer in the pouring rain! When the prayer was over I felt that we needed to go see our investigator and when we got there she had all of her stuff lined up to do drugs. We talked with her and when we left she was doing way better. We talked with her the next day and instead of doing drugs she read her scriptures and read all of Alma 36 and she said she knew she could change her life. It was so amazing to see a result of our work and following the spirit.

A year ago I never would have guessed I would be walking around South America in the pouring rain and loving it! What we do as missionaries is crazy. We walk around, talking to strangers bearing our testimonies to anyone who will listen, and some that won't. We go into strangers houses and talk about how us as teenagers know how to help these people who struggle with drug addictions, family problems, and everything else you can imagine. But it is so worth it! You can see how the Gospel of Jesús Christ is changing these peoples lives for the better and it is so amazing. It is such a testimony builder for me! If we turn to Christ and rely on our Heavenly Father, there isn't anything we can't do! I know that this misión is only getting started but I love it and I cannot wait to see what happens! I know that our Father in Heaven lives and knows us and is aware of each and everyone of us and what we need. I know he answers our prayers if we will put in the work. I know through the atonement of Christ we can find peace, comfort, and be forgiven for our sins! I know Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and restored the góspel. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon into our language. This is why we need to study it and read it every day. Heavenly Father knew we needed it so much he gave an uneducated man the power to translate it for our understanding! I know that through temple ordinances we can have our families forever! What a great blessing that is and I have been blessed with the most amazing family. I know Heavenly Father has blessed us with families to help us stay on the straight and narrow path that returns us back to him! I know this góspel is true with all my heart and that is why I am out here. These people need the góspel and each one of us can bring it to them if we will be willing to follow the desires of Heavenly Father and open our mouths! Most of our new investigators are references from the Ward! The Lord puts these people in our path so that we can help them! And when we were baptized we promised to take upon us the name of Christ and this includes sharing the góspel! We have what everyone needs and we should share it! I love you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Rich