Us Missionaries Have to Stick Together!

We tracted into a lovely lady last week. We had actually offered her a card a few days earlier, and she didn't take it because she was in a hurry, but she was nice. It was a little awkward when she answered the door since we had already met her, but we got past that real quick.

We asked her about her beliefs, and she explained how she was part of an outreach ministry of some sort (I don't remember what it's called). We shared some of our beliefs, then we offered her a Book of Mormon card. She accepted it and said, "Can I give you mine, too?" We said sure! As she was grabbing her cards she said, "Us missionaries have to stick together!"

It's so true! We should all be missionaries. A huge part of being a missionary is being examples of Christ to everyone we meet.

Sometimes that means taking cookies to your neighbor for no other reason than just to have a nice little chat because you're neighbors.

Sometimes that means saying hi to someone at school or work or the store who you wouldn't normally say hi to.

Sometimes that means going out of your way to be kind to someone in your home! Sometimes I think that one gets overlooked. We think, "Okay, if I want to do service, I have to dedicate two hours a week to helping at the food bank (or fill in the blank)." Guys, all you have to do is do your sibling's chore once in a while or write someone a sweet note.

Invitation: Do one tiny sweet thing every day this week.

I promise (promise promise promise) you'll be way happier if you do it with love. Think of the Savior.

I know it works 'cause I've tried it.

That's all.

Love y'all!

Sister McKay

Georgia on My Mind

Y'all, I LOVE Georgia.

The people, the culture, the beauty.

The scenery here is amazing.

Every night as I'm driving home for dinner or whatever it might be, I look at the sunset. Sunsets here are always incredible. They shine through the tall pine trees and just look miraculous. They make me smile and remind me of God's love for me. He created this beautiful earth and beautiful skies for me to live in. It reminds me of this song my parents sang to me when I was younger: https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/my-heavenly-father-loves-me?lang=eng

Everyone here is so friendly and polite.

On multiple occasions, I have ordered something in the McDonald's drive thru, and when I thank the lady taking my order she says, "You're welcome, baby!" It gives me a cute little warm fuzzy feeling, every time!

The culture here is diverse and wonderful.

Everyone talks to you like you're one of them. Because you are! Everyone is a child of God, and everyone here knows it! Everyone knows not only who Christ is but also what He did and why it's important, and everyone wants so badly to follow His example. Everyone wants to do and be good, and it shows in their actions.

Be your own kind of southerner.

Be awesome.

Love y'all!

Sister McKay

Just Keep Swimming...

I've just thought lately... You really have to keep on keeping on sometimes. That's why we have this thing in the gospel called "enduring to the end."

Never stop feeling. Don't let yourself become numb. I promise that when you let the Spirit work with you, you'll be able to see God's blessings and tender mercies in your life.

Love y'all!

Sister McKay

Always Act

There's this funny thing about the gospel.

The gospel requires you to do.

Act.

Become.

A couple weeks ago, I was having a rough time. I was really pretty depressed. I missed my family, was so done talking to people who didn't want to talk to me, and frankly wanted to go home. It seemed that no matter how hard I prayed or tried to have more charity or tried to have a positive attitude, nothing was getting better. No matter how hard I tried to increase my faith, faith just didn't seem to be enough.

Until I realized something.

I had been so caught up in the fact that I didn't want to talk to people that I really hadn't for a while. I wasn't doing what God had called me on a mission to do.

After getting a blessing of comfort, I knew I had to take action. (There it is again.)

I started trying to be more obedient to the mission rules every day, and I started trying to talk to people even when it was awkward.

You know what happened?

I felt the Spirit.

I felt more strength come from God.

And I was happy.

Y'all...

Do!

Act!

Become!

When you actually follow the instructions the Lord gives you, that's when the blessings come.

I know it. I have no doubts about it. You can know it too.

Love y'all!

Sister McKay

1. Stake conference with all the missionaries!

2. Zone conference. Sister Grayson loves to snap pictures without warning us! I kinda like my hair in this one though...

3. Also stake conference!

4. Leaving technology conference (a.k.a. smartphone prep) with our chill ride. We got cat-called on the street. And all the other missionaries loved us.

5. Last p-day.

6. After Stephanie's baptism. "Uh. Ma'am? Could you, uh-... Oh. Nevermind."

7. Blueberries have become our best friends.

#Dunked

Stephanie got baptized!

It took us 5 hours to set up for the baptism. That's a long time! But it was worth it.

Quote of the week: "This is the best baptism we've ever had. Every baptism needs to be like this." -Brother Briley, Ward Mission Leader

*YES!* #success

Update on phones: We get them a month from Friday, and I am so excited!

Here's pictures from the baptism. She made it in! ;)

Love y'all!​

Baptism This Week!

This is the first time on my mission that I have met an investigator, taught all the lessons to them, and been there for their baptism!

Stephanie is the bomb. She is so happy and so ready for baptism. She's made positive changes in her life that have been so good for her! She's started glowing!

Glow. The spiritual light which emits from one's countenance when one accepts and implements the gospel into one's life.

This glow is especially prominent after one is baptized and has received the Holy Ghost. I am so excited for her to have that!

This glow is also especially prominent in one who has already had the gospel in their lives but continues to live it. Have you ever noticed someone in church or just one of your friends or coworkers who just... you can't describe it but they just... glow? They look so happy and it's almost like they shine. You can see it in anyone who truly follows Jesus Christ's example.

Will you do one thing for me this week? Say hi to someone you wouldn't normally say hi to, and try to be their friend and get to know them. If it doesn't work, that's okay. But try it. Pretty please?

Love y'all!

Also happy Valentine's Day!

Sister McKay

1. Sister Pitchford and I being us.

2. Stephanie and Nathan (her fiance) being weird with Sister Pitchford and trying to get me to make that face. It really just made me laugh.

3. We got our new GMM shirts! Cuuuute! I love the white. The other ones were black.

Don't Drink from the Sewer

Saying Amen

As missionaries, our number is available online, and sometimes people still text us that don't meet with us anymore. We also currently have "dumb" phones, which means we have to clear out old texts every now and then and therefore don't have any old texts from people saved anywhere as reference. This results in the occasional random text from some unnamed person whose name is not saved in our phone. Sometimes they're absolutely hilarious. Here's our most recent addition (spelling and punctuation preserved).

"Meanwhill back at home does it mean im week if i had turn the other Check Sister? Im not good at saying Amen"

0.0 Umm... No idea. Does it mean one is weak if they turn the other cheek? And what does "amen" have to do with that? Am I good at saying amen?! *crisis ensues*

Yeah, we've been laughing like all week. It's awesome.

Sewers and What Not to Do

Elder Costa of the presidency of the Seventy came to our mission on Saturday. It was a bit of a surprise and we had to drive to Macon, but it was SO worth it! He talked about missionary work and being bold and courageous. He also talked about relying on the Spirit in everything we do. One example is as follows.

Elder Costa had a friend who told him he was struggling with his testimony. He asked if he could meet him in his office to talk. Elder Costa said yes.

When this friend came to his office, he brought a foot-tall stack of papers all about Joseph Smith and why he wasn't a prophet, which he had found on various websites. Elder Costa listened to him for 3 hours and 15 minutes straight.

When he was done, Elder Costa said, "Okay, stop right there. You have just spent 3 hours and 15 minutes telling me about this material. I'm going to respond to you in less than 3 minutes."

He proceeds to bear an extremely simple testimony, and then says this: "Please read the Joseph Smith History published by the Church and ask God if it's true. I prefer to drink out of the living water of the teachings of God's prophets and apostles. Don't drink from the sewer."

Take Elder Costa's advice. Read from the source of truth. If you lived in Joseph Smith's time and wanted to know about Joseph Smith, would you ask someone who lived near him to tell you all about him? Or would you ask Joseph himself? Likewise, in our day we should go to the source. Read from his personal history and look to the sources of truth on the Church website, not all over the internet. I promise you'll be blessed with your own personal testimony if you take the time to read, understand, and pray. And if you have a testimony, but it's struggling, do the same! It will be strengthened.

Don't drink from the sewer.

Sister McKay

Object lessons with families in the ward!