Spencer's Take 2, Semana 53 - Conference and El Coro Tabernculo de Jujuy

Monday, May 11, 2015

This week was awesome. We had a special conference with our mission president and Elder Viñas from the Quorum of the Seventy. Elder Viñas was the mission president that opened the Argentina Salta mission and my very dear president, President Chaparro just so happened to be his assistant! One of the biggest lessons that I have learned here on the mission is that the Lord has a really good sense of humor. From all of the awkward missionary companionships I have seen and from experiencing just how small the world really is, I have learned to not be surprised and to just laugh! Elder Velasquez and I were put in charge of several tasks for the conference. 

 

1) We had  to coordinate a lunch for all of the 80 people that were in attendance. We had a sister in our ward cook and she is a specialist in American foods. She made a delicious Kentucky Fried Chicken Argentina style! It turned out delicious and everyone loved it! 

2) We had to put together a choir. Now that might not seem like such a hard task but when half of your zone is made up of Latins.... it is a real challenge. Let's just say singing is not one of their strengths! To everyone's surprise, the choir sounded spectacular! We sang "I Feel my Savior's Love" and it really turned out great. You can call us 'El Coro Tabernaculo de Jujuy'! 

The messages that Elder Vinas shared were inspiring. He started out saying something like,"I'm not here to yell at you or to correct you for anything. My goal is to help you all feel the Spirit." He really achieved his goal as far as I am concerned! One of the themes he touched on was the difference between perfection and the Lord's norm of worthiness. I feel that very often we can be hard on ourselves as we are here in this life striving to achieve perfection. He taught us that the Lord has a norm established. If we are keeping the Word of Wisdom, the law of chastity and paying tithing we are within the norm of worthiness! That is a big relief to me! I feel confident that I can keep those three comandments to the 'T'! The Lord is soooo merciful! 

I love you all. I love my mom. I had the privelege to talk to my mom and the rest of the family yesterday with skype. I am so thankful that I was blessed to be saved until my day to pass through this mortal experience we call life with the mom I have! She is the best and nobody can convince me otherwise! I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!! 

I love all of you guys too. I hope you are all happy and healthy! take care!

P.S. If my friends that are girls can't write me I at least expect my friends that are guys to say 'hi' once in a while! That means you: Brandon, Chett, Quinn, Kiel, Jashon, Garret, Sean, Mason, Skyler, Will, and everyone else. You know who you are!!!!! 

con un monton de amor,

Elder Spencer McKee

Jonah, Week 27 - There is a Plan!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Okay so this week there was a small tragedy that took place here. We were teaching one of our investigators, the one who had thoughts of suicide before, and while we were teaching him it started to rain. As the rain began to pound against the ground like a heavy curtain of water, we heard a huge BANG! The three of us in a panic ran outside to see what just happened and there were people screaming and running.  Although a part of me already knew what had happened, in confusion we began to search all around for what had caused such a commotion. About three houses away there was a body. A lady was laying there on the sidewalk, wet and full of blood and rain water. The gutters were filled with red water and the people were all crying. It truly makes one realize how precious life is and how quickly it can come to an end!

 

It made me think, "If this was to happen to me, how would I be remembered?" "Would people cry for me?" Ask yourself those two questions and if you don't like the answer then you should probably change that! Life truly is short even though at times it feels long. How sad it is to think that so many of those people don't know where that lady is now. How sad it is to know that I have the knowledge, a comfort that can pacify the worst feelings, and they just don't know how amazing it is so they aren't willing to listen. It's so sad!

 

Please remember, every single one of you, how lucky we are to know that after this life there is more! We know that we will go to return to live with our Father in Heaven! Share this information with as many as you can! It truly is something amazing!! Be a misionary and save somebody from a pain we may be so lucky not to know at this point in our lives! It is my prayer that you each may share this with somebody. We have a plan and it is that our Father has a plan for each of us and even though death is a sad moment in life it is not the end. 

We are so very lucky to have this knowledge! Share it liberally!

 

Love,

Elder McKee

Spencer's Take 2, Semana 52 - 18 Months in the Mission!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Time is flying! Tomorrow I complete 18 months in the mission! If I was born a girl, I would be done by now! I am going to have to ceremonially burn a pair of pants to mark this momentous time mark! 

This morning I paused and thought about what I have to share with you all from this week. The sad thing is, is that I can't think of anything too crazy! This week we finally had an investigator in church that had been committed to attend earlier in the week. Every week we have non members attend church but they are never the people that we had been preparing throughout the week. Finally, my boy, Fabrisio arrived and it was a pleasant surprise! It was bitter sweet seeing him in church because his little brothers and mom should have been right beside him greeting me in the sacrament room! I hope this next week we can see more fruits like this one. 

 

I just realized that I did not take even one picture the whole week! I'm going to have to repent and do more of that this week! Sorry guys! 

This week we are going to have a special conference with Elder Viñas from the Quorum of the 70. I'm pretty stoked for that! It's going to be here in Jujuy and my comp and I are in charge of a bunch of stuff! Should be fun! 

If any of you want to be better people I suggest that you read a talk called "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence" or something like that. It's by Elder Jorg Klebingat or something like that. Sorry I'm terrible with names!  :P Have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Spencer McKee

 

Here's the link to the talk Spencer is referring to:

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/approaching-the-throne-of-god-with-confidence?lang=eng

Jonah, Week 26 - Seeking Real Treasures

Monday, April 27, 2015

Yeah it's safe to say that it's time to update the 72 hour kits!! We also just updated ours and I am positive that I will be ready for anything!!! I'm super stoked to be here and having that 72 hour kit gives me the peace of mind that if something truly does happen I am ready! Are you all ready? If somebody dies, are you ready to face the truth? If everything you own vanishes over night, are you ready?

 

I have been asking myself questions like that a lot! I'm still not sure why I have been asking myself those things, but I have been, and I have truly been able to better myself by changing the things necessary to be ready for anything!! I also had a very deep conversation the other day with the youth of the ward because I saw something among them that needed attention. Just for you all to have a small idea of what I mean, two weeks ago some of the youth were caught smoking in the church bathroom during the second hour! SO, I decided I needed to talk to them! I created a small example I thought all of the kids could understand. "If there was a man who was selling diamonds made of glass and another man selling diamonds, genuine diamonds, who would you buy from?"

I used this question and showed them all a picture of a fake diamond and a real diamond I asked them which was real and which was the diamond of glass. About half thought the glass diamond was the real one and it really showed them that just because two things look good only one (the real diamond) is of any worth. We as youth began to talk about the things that are real diamonds in their lives and about the things they have that are false diamonds, or in other words the things that have a true genuine value and the things that are just for show or short lasting joy. The following is a small example of the things they said.

TRUE DIAMONDS:

School

Family

The church

Friends

DIAMONDS OF GLASS:

Friends

boyfriends/ girlfriends

I wrote these lists down and asked them what was the difference between those two lists. They all told me that they have more true diamonds in their lives. I then shared a little story about my life before the mission. I told them all about the parties I would go to in Vegas and how I watched people do things to themselves that might look like it was super fun to do, but without fail those same people who were having such a good time drinking, smoking, hitting different drugs were always the people that ended up being sad. I then asked them if they wanted to add anything to those lists and they began to put things down that truly were the distractions in their lives. By the end of the small meeting we had, a good amount of them left crying and asking how they can change.

 

I just wanted to invite you all to think about the diamonds you have in your lives. Which ones are genuine and have true value, which are only there for appearance? Once we recognize the things that are truly important in our lives and the things that are just for looks it gives us a new perspective and helps us focus. The difference is this: the man that sells those diamonds of glass is Satan and the man who sells those precious gems we call diamonds is Jesus Christ. It's true that the real diamond costs a little bit more money and you're going to have to work a whole lot harder to obtain it but in the long run only the genuine diamond is going to be for you benefit! In the gospel we have so many precious truths that I can't even express how lucky we are! Don't let those false images of happiness that the world always presents distract you from working for those diamonds of blessings we have waiting for us when we show our faith and work hard to be obedient loyal followers of Christ!

Please go look in your vault of life and clean out all of those false diamonds you have in there. They are not of any value today and they aren't going to be of any value tomorrow. Thank you all for your faith and your example!

Elder McKee (mickey)

Spencer's Take 2, Semana 51 - I Love This Work!!!!

Monday, April 27, 2015

This week was a good week. As usual there are always things that I need to do better but I feel like we had a good week! The weekend was especially amazing! We had interviews with President Chaparro on Friday! I had a great interview. He asked me how I feel in this time of my mission. I told him that I finally feel like I am completing my responsibilities well as a leader and am just as excited to be here as I was when I started the mission! I really do love being here.

  

The mission is the best experience anyone can have! If you are trying to decide on serving your mission, stop thinking and just go. You will not regret it! One thing that has been on my mind is my experience that I had while I was at home waiting, very impatiently, to come back to the mission. If you crossed paths with me while I was at home, I probably told you that I would give up everything at home (freedom) just to come back to the mission. I have to admit that sometimes, while on the mission, I find myself missing movies, music, and all other worldly things that are found in the real world. I have to remind myself often that those things don't matter. I will find a cell phone, computers, facebook, youtube, xbox, longboarding, snowboarding, girls, cars, and a ton of other nice things waiting for me and I will be able to enjoy them for the rest of my life. The thing that only is available for 2 years is the mission. I will probably never again have the opportunity to focus all of my thoughts and efforts on the Lord's work like this again in my life. I am a weak, carnal man. I have carnal desires but somehow my spiritual man always reminds me of the important things in life.

I love this work. I love the memories that are made on the mission. I would never trade this experience for anything! 

Love Always,

Elder Spencer McKee

 

Elder Velasquez & Elder McKee

Stake Conference

Jonah Week 25 - Danish Baptism in Honduras

Monday, April 20, 2015

This week I asked the boys to tell me about their most spiritual experience, here is what Jonah shared:

Mom this week I only have one spiritual experience that I feel is worth sharing.

So to begin I must start off by saying that I know I have zero control over the actions of others but I have the control over my actions! So this week I was eating at Burger King and these two girls with blonde hair and white skin were there so automatically I thought "hey they might speak English!" I began to talk to them and it turns out that they are from Denmark! I started talking to them about Aksel and how I have two other friends there and then one of the two girls asked me if I was a Mormon. During the entire conversation I never told her I was Mormon and when I told her "Yeah I am a Mormon" she had a huge smile and said "Hey I have been reading your book on this app I found and I really like it!" I started to talk to those two sisters about the Book of Mormon and explain why it's super important to us. I explained that our church is only separated from the others by the evidence that this book contains. She began to talk to me about how she doesn't attend any church but she has always been curious and wanted to go to our church. I asked her how long she would be here and she told us that she was leaving in 9 days! haha I told her I was going to send a white missionary to teach her in her house here in Teguc so she could receive the lessons in English. Needless to say, Elder Gardener baptized her after only 3 days of teaching! She got a plane ticket to leave a little bit earlier back to Denmark and she wanted to be baptized before she went back so president gave them the approval! Now as a result of just asking if two girls speak English one of them was baptized and there is now one more member in the country of Denmark!!!! Cool, right?!?! haha I wish I could have been the one who baptized her but at the same time I was super glad to know I was a part of her conversion or at least one of the tools that turned her to somebody who could help her finish her conversion!

It's amazing that God has truly prepared people for us and at times we feel like there is nobody who wants to listen to us but this girl helped me remember that I  just need to keep looking for those people that are ready right now in this very moment! The church is true! Keep looking with eyes wide open and you'll have more missionary experiences then one could possibly handle! I love you mom.

Elder Jonah McKee

Just a side note:
In the letter Jonah wrote to his dad today, he mentioned that the missionaries have been told to pack a 72 hour bag and be ready to leave and return to the mission home if needed. Apparently, there are some threats from Isis there that have people pretty worried. I know that the Lord will take care of his servants, but prayers for the missionaries and people of Honduras would be awesome! Thanks!

Jana

Spencer's Take 2, Semana 50 - Teaching of Paola

Monday, April 20, 2015

Well this is weird. If a certain series of unfortunate events hadn't happened I would be home now! Oh well, consequences right? Or the plan of God????.... Who knows? :D All is well here in Alto! All of the Kit Kats I received in my package are gone! I don't know what happened to them.....  I received a package from Miss Sims! It was full of peeps! For those who don't know, I love peeps! I like them fresh and squishy and then I like to leave the box open and out for a day or two to eat some crispy. The sad thing is, is that here they don't dry out! It is too humid!

 

We went to Salta on Monday for leaders counsel. We are going to be having a big multi zone conference here in Jujuy the  8 of May with Elder Viñas from the Quorum of the 70! It is going to be awesome! We are going to have a meeting with him before he speaks to everyone so I'm pretty stoked about that! 

 

This was the best zone conference so far! Not because of what was said but because alllll of my best mission friends and comps are now zone leaders! Elder Ellertson, Elder Contreras, my current comp Elder Velasquez, Elder Cowan, and last but not least.... my son Elder Reynolds! It was the sweetest reunion seeing him! He got to the house super late so I waited it out and tackled him when he entered the door! He makes me so proud to be his trainer! 

We had a really busy week this week. Monday and Tuesday were blown because of the leader counsel and traveling. Wednesday we lost the morning due to baptism interviews in Monterrico, a small plantation town about 45 minutes outside of the city. Friday we had to plan which takes like 4 hours on top of the 3 hours of mandatory studies. Saturday we had zone conference in the morning. It went really well! We played a game and if you lost you were forced to wear the wig of shame! It's funny how the same people repeatedly end up with the wig! After the zone training my comp and I had to prepare a training to give to the ward missionaries in order to get the missionary program started rolling here in Alto! With luck and the help of God, that training also turned out nicely! 

We had another gift baptism given to us. She hasn't been baptized yet but she is surely ready! She has been coming to church for about a month now and is also attending institute with her cousin! Her name is Paola and she will be our next baptism I'm hoping! 

I love you all. Thanks for the prayers and the words of encouragement you always send me! I'll see you all later!

 

Elder Spencer McKee

ps. That pic with the old man and us is of a man named Richard Bay. He served here as a missionary in Jujuy. He spoke a little in sacrament meeting, although his Spanish was super hard to understand, he shared some words that really inspired me. He said that when he was here there was only a branch in Jujuy. Now there is a stake that is about to be split into two pretty soon! He said that his mission president always told them at that time that they were planting seeds. Now my president always tells us that we are here to harvest! It's so true. He also said that another thing his mission president always taught was that to be on the mission is a privilege! More wise words from my boy Richy Bay! He's from South Jordan,   Utah. 

 General Conference

 Me and Elder Reynolds, mi nino

Birthday cake time! Warm Delights straight from the microwave, yum!!!

 The wig of shame pictures from Zone Conference

 My Zone