#NewEngland

From the keeper of this blog -
Sorry I'm so late with this this week. We got caught up in preparations for our family trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park. We've been back about an hour. Here's your weekly update -

So, I kind of love New England...a lot! It's so great here and I feel
so blessed to be able to serve here, especially since I'm in the
greatest area of the entire mission! Skowhegan holds a special place
in my heart and I'm going to be devastated when the day comes that I
have to leave.

In the meantime, I'm loving every minute here and serving with all of
my heart, might, mind, and strength (Doctrine and Covenants 4:2).

Monday:
Monday was full of goodbyes for Sister Davis. We were running around
like chickens with our heads cut off trying to prep for the week and
get her final goodbyes in. It was so hard to see her so sad, but I
know that Heavenly Father has a plan for her. She's needed elsewhere
and Skowhegan will always be here for her to visit...after her mission,
of course.

Tuesday:
Transfer meeting! Talk about a crazy day! We left at 5:45 to get to
Manchester in time and I basically felt like a walking zombie. Great
first impression for my new companion, right? I thought so!

I'm guessing that finding out who my new companion is will probably be
the most exciting part of this email, so here it goes! My new
companion is Sister Craig! She's from Eagle, Idaho and is so sweet!
She's been out about 9 months and is a pretty rockin' follow-up
trainer! I'm already learning so much from her and I'm so grateful to
have her as my companion. It's going to be a great transfer, I can
feel it!

Tuesday was pretty cool, too, because we met a sweet potential named
Brandon. We're visiting him later today, so hopefully he's still
interested!

Wednesday:
First district meeting of the transfer! There was a change in every
companionship, but everyone is great, so I'm pumped for this transfer.
Yay!

Our investigator, Ryann, has a baptismal date for next Monday and her
interview was Wednesday! It went so well and I'm so happy! She's the
daughter of a member in our ward and I'm stoked to be teaching her.
She's great! Her mom is great! Their family is great! It's all, well.
GREAT!

We also had a super powerful lesson with one of our investigators,
Nancy, who we've been working with for awhile. I love her and can't
wait to see her testimony continue to grow.

Thursday:
Well, the soup kitchen was grand, as always! I love serving there!

We also had correlation meeting and, can I just tell you all, I
absolutely love the Peck family! They're so great and so loving and so
missionary minded! I love love love it! They're just all awesome and
I'm so glad we get to interact with them so much!

Friday:
Friday was so awesome! So, we finished weekly planning in the 3 hours
which has NEVER happened! I knew from that point on that Friday was
going to be a great day!

We also invited 13 people to learn, which exceeded our goal by 3! Woot
woot! While we were tracting, we had the neatest experience, too! We
met a man with an Army truck and he let us see it! I'll send pictures
at some point. It was so legit!

I also got my full hour of language study which is a miracle in and of itself!

Saturday:
Well, we found out that two of our less-actives were coming to
church...yay! So excited!

We also had "ice cream soup" with Aaron and that was fantastic!

The best part of the day was probably when we met with Sister Paradis
and had one of the most spiritual lessons of my mission! We taught
about temples and the blessings that accompany the temple and it was
so powerful. There is absolutely no way it was my doing. When we, as
missionaries, listen to the Spirit, that's when the lessons go the
best. We are not the teachers, the Spirit is. I wish I could emphasize
that more, but I don't know how! We definitely don't have all the
answers, but we have been called of God to share what we do know. I
know that God is my loving Heavenly Father. I know that Jesus Christ
is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. I know that He lives. I know
that Christ suffered, bled and died for me and for you. I KNOW that.
The Atonement is real and we can use it every day. I know that the
priesthood power, the power to act in God's name, has been restored to
the earth. The power of the priesthood has blessed my life. I'm so
grateful to have such amazing priesthood holders in my life and around
me all the time. These are the basic principles that make up my
testimony. These are the things that make me so happy and these are
the reasons I am serving a mission.

Sunday:
Sunday's are always great!

We found a new investigator who we have a return appointment with for
Sunday and she's pretty cool.

We also got to have dinner with the Cooks and I love love love them!
The Skowhegan ward is just the best! #love

Well, I'm out of time, but I love you all! If you haven't yet, watch
this amazing video! helives.mormon.org

I love it and it's only 2 minutes or so. Watch it! It'll change your life!

Amo sempre,
Sister McEldowney

-------------------------------------

A bit more from the keeper of this blog -

RE: Thursday
"We also had correlation meeting and, can I just tell you all, I absolutely love the Peck family!"

As noted in a previous blog, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles assigns missionaries to their respective missions. They also call mission presidents and their wives, typically for three years, to run each mission. Click the links below to learn more about Mission Presidents.

Mission Presidents
Kayla's Mission President - Brazil Santos Mission

At the ward level Ward Mission Leaders are called by the Bishop to help the missionaries correlate/coordinate their work. Kayla's dad is currently serving in this position. Brother Peck is currently serving as Kayla's Ward Mission Leader in Skowhegan. In each ward that she serves in, either in the U.S. or Brazil, there will be a Ward Mission Leader called to assist her in the work as the ward members and full-time missionaries come together to help bring people to Christ. The link below is from the church's training library and is directed to Ward Mission Leaders, but serves as a great catalyst for understanding the role of a critical person in Kayla's success as a missionary and may help foster understanding of why she appreciates the Peck family so much. Ward mission leaders do help coordinate the work, but they, and often their families, also provide a supportive respite from work that is sometimes thankless and HARD no matter how much conviction you have. 

Ward Mission Leaders

RE: Saturday
"We taught about temples and the blessings that accompany the temple and it was so powerful."

I found a great description of the blessings that accompany temple attendance. The link is below -

Blessings of the Temple

Saying Goodbye to My Maine Squeeze

From a separate Kayla email -

MY VISA IS DONE! I should be getting a call from the mission president any day to tell me it's here! I'm crying tears of happiness! 

I'M GOING TO BRAZIL!

-----------

Hello all that I love!

How are you all? I wish I could hear each and every one of your
responses, but, alas, emails do not work that way. Maybe some day, but
that day is not today.

I have so little time that I don't even know what to share!

I don't know that I can keep up with the day-by-day, play-by-plays,
but I'll be as detailed as I can be in my limited time.

There are so many great families in the Skowhegan ward! If it didn't
get to stinking cold and insanely hot, I would consider moving here!
But between the bugs and extremes in weather, visits will have to do.
I just thought that everyone should know how blessed I am to be
serving in this ward. I think they've done more for me than I could
ever do for them though!

There is a really sweet brother in our ward who let us stop by on
Tuesday and he showed us this article thing called the 17 Points of
Christ's true church. It was super interesting! If any of you are
interested, let me know and I'll pass on the information. 'Twas grand!

We taught a lesson to a less active family this week about temples. I
love the temple so much! I know that families can be forever. I know
that temples really are the House of the Lord. I love how strong I can
feel the Spirit when I'm there. Temples are my favorite place on earth
for good reason!

My amazing companion is getting transferred. She has been such a
blessing and it's so hard to let her go, but I know that Heavenly
Father has a plan for each and every one of us. We are His children
and He is mindful of us all. He loves each of you so much and so do I!

Sorry this is short, but I have no time! Have a great week!

Amo sempre,
Sister McEldowney

We got stuck in a rainstorm...for 2 minutes! It was fun, but we were drenched!

 I suspect this is Kayla's district. There was no caption.

Sister McEldowney 

No Time and Not Much to Report

So. I basically have no time and there's not a whole lot to report on anyway.

Monday:
We taught a lesson and slept and ate. #missionarylifeonpday

Tuesday:
Interviews with President Stoker! Great day! The Stokers are so great!
We had a really cool lesson about the Armor of God during our zone
meeting that day too! There was a lot that went into that, so I'll try
to have it prepared for next week's email.

We also traveled down to New Hampshire that afternoon. That was
literally our entire day between those two things.

Wednesday:
Mission conference. We are now missionaries who are authorized to use
modern technology as a  teaching tool. In normal English, we have
iPads now!

Thursday:
Soup kitchen was great as always.

We taught this really awesome guy! He walks around Skowhegan playing
his guitar! When we invited him to learn about a week ago he was
pretty interested and we had our first lesson on Thursday! It was so
great and he asks the most sincere questions. We love him!

Friday:
Weekly planning. I survived...barely. Someday I'll appreciate it!

Saturday:
Service! Spring cleaning makes Sister Mackey over here sneeze more
than anyone thought was physically possible. We had an awesome day
though, so it made up for it.

Sunday:
So many miracles!

Major one: WE FOUND A POTENTIAL WHO SPEAKS PORTUGUESE!!!!! I almost
cried tears of happiness! We're hoping to teach her this week!

Well, I have no time and I'm really hungry. Yeah, I haven't changed much!

Sorry this is not spiritual at all!

Amo sempre,
Sister McEldowney

From the keeper of this blog -
The Whole Armor of God is found in the New Testament, Ephesians 6:10-18 -

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

We'll leave it to Kayla to explain what she learned about it during her zone meeting.

The Sunshine After the Storm

Well, this week has definitely been one for the books! I can't begin to explain how much of a roller coaster my life has been over the past two months, and it just keeps going! In all honesty though, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Let's just look at this really quickly. In the last two months I have left home for 18 months for places completely foreign to me, met basically my long lost soul sister (that's you Sister Aston!), learned how to communicate in PORTUGUESE, made some amazing friends through my MTC experience, found two of the greatest spiritual giants in the world (or so I'm convinced), left all of those amazing people to come to the other side of the country, and explored what is definitely the middle of nowhere (but I love it!). How many people can say they've done all that in 2 months?! Well, whoever they are, I can now say I'm apart of that elite group. Just thought I'd brag a little bit. Well, brag is the wrong word, marvel I think is a better word.

Anyhow, on to the weekly update!

Monday:

We went over to a family's home for dinner and FHE. I love them so much and am so grateful that they're so willing to be involved in missionary work! Love love love!

Tuesday:

We had two appointments that took most of the day, so not a ton happened, but our lessons did go really well!

I've had a problem for most of my mission of not teaching by the Spirit. I tend to plan a lesson and want to stick to it exactly, but that's not the way teaching is supposed to go. I decided I was going to try really hard today to teach people, not lessons, and it's amazing how the experience changes! Teaching by the Spirit brings a whole new feeling to me as a missionary and to the person we're visiting. Sometimes it's not about what Is said, but how the person feels after what you said. I'm trying really hard to rely on the Spirit when I teach because that's what missionary work is all about! We are not the real teachers, the Spirit is. We are just the mouthpieces.

Wednesday:

First exchange! I went on exchange with one of the Sister Training Leaders, Sister Frame, and she's wonderful! We got along super well, right off the bat, and our 24 hours as companions was grand! I love her! I mean, I love all the people out here, but she's a pretty great one!

We also had two super great lessons! I have so much love for those we teach and I just really want to see them progress and feel that same joy that I get from the Gospel of Jesus Christ! 

Thursday:

Service at the soup kitchen is always so much fun! I love it there and being able to help people who need it is so rewarding. 

I had to give Sister Frame back to her actual companion, which was sad, but it's so nice to have Sister Davis back. I love her! 

Friday:

I HAD BREAKFAST FOR DINNER! I didn't really plan it that way, but I didn't know what to make, so I decided that french toast is quick and easy. Thus, french toast was made and Sister McEldowney was uma muito feliz campista! 

Other than that, my weekly Friday accomplishment is surviving weekly planning, so that continued this week.

Saturday:

Did you know that singing and whistling for people to share a message about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is not all that effective? Well, we didn't either and it was a flop. A very fun flop, but a flop nonetheless! It was a different way to approach tracting though, and that was the purpose. On the bright side, we were still pretty successful in talking to people and invited 24 people to learn about the gospel throughout the day. MIRACLE!

I finally met a less-active we've been trying to contact since I got here, too! I was so happy! Technically he's the non-member in a part member family, but those are just details. Either way, I finally met someone that we've been trying to see. 'Twas grand!

Sunday:

Miracle after miracle after miracle! I love love love Sundays!

So, Aaron, our investigator, is now a recent convert! Aaron got baptized! Happy day! The Spirit was so strong during his baptism! I couldn't believe how it all came together. We've been stressing about the details for weeks and it came together for a beautiful baptismal service. My heart was filled with happiness as I saw the look of pure joy on his face after being baptized. It was incredible!

It was pretty special, too, because he asked me to sing. I sang "I Need Thee Every Hour" for the service. It was acapella and in two languages, so I was pretty proud of myself. I sang the first and last verses in English and the middle two in Portuguese. It was really neat and it helped to invite the Spirit back into the meeting after the excitement of Aaron coming back into the chapel.

We also found two new investigators! The stories are pretty great, too! One of them is a man that we see everywhere and we finally found a chance to talk to him! I mean, we had to pull over to the side of the road and run to him with a Book of Mormon, but it was so worth it.

Our second investigator is a woman, and possibly her daughter, who we met solely because of listening to the Spirit. So, we drove to one of the towns in our area that's further away because we had a media referral (someone who requests a meeting with the missionaries via media, internet, t.v. commercial, etc.) there. We got to the address and there was absolutely no way of getting in contact with him. As we left with this sister missionary being very discouraged, Sister Davis said that she felt like we needed to go knock doors on the street where we had parked. The first person we came up to was super willing to listen and we taught her the Restoration! I left with some seriously high spirits and a huge smile on my face! 

Experiences like the ones I had Sunday remind me why I'm a missionary. The pure joy that can, and does, come to people with the knowledge of the gospel is incredible!

I love this gospel so much! I know that this church is true. I know how much joy it can bring because it brings me joy each and every day. Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. God is our Heavenly Father who loves us with every fiber of His being. If He didn't love us, He would not have sent His son to earth to be our Savior. I know that Christ lives and that He is my Redeemer. I love this gospel with all my heart and don't know where I'd be without it.

I love and appreciate all of you so much! I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Amo sempre, 

Sister McEldowney

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From the keeper of this blog -

RE: Monday

"We went over to a family's home for dinner and FHE."

I know you know what dinner is, but what is this FHE thing? It's an acronym for Family Home Evening. The church STRONGLY encourages families to hold Family Home Evening once a week, preferably Monday night. I've included a link below that explains well what FHE is all about.

Why We Hold Family Home Evening

RE: Tuesday

"I've had a problem for most of my mission of not teaching by the Spirit."

"...teaching by the Spirit?" Again, a Mormonism that perhaps only Mormons understand. Here's some information to help explain where we come by it - 

First one must understand who the Spirit is.

The Holy Ghost

So then what does it mean to teach by the Spirit? I found a great explanation given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This really rings true if you consider Kayla's age and experience as you read.

The Lord described the importance of teaching by the Spirit when he said, “If ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach” (D&C 42:14). One easy-to-understand illustration of the importance of that direction is to remind ourselves of this fact: When we go out into the world to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, many of the people we teach have much more formal education than we do. Every minister we encounter has more education in theology than we do. We have no professional clergy. We have no school of theology. Some of us have never even heard of some of the subjects in which professional ministers have spent many years of professional preparation.

A few years ago I encountered an example of this. I was talking with a Protestant minister who taught in a seminary. When I asked what subject he taught, he said, “Hermeneutics.” I had never heard that word, so I said, “What is that?” My minister friend explained that hermeneutics is the art of interpreting and expounding the scriptures. I smiled and said, “Well, yes, I guess I understand a little bit about that, but I’ve never heard it called that.”

Our missionaries meet people who have studied philosophy and metaphysics, world history and languages, science and the arts. They meet people who are better educated than they are. In view of that, if they don’t have the Spirit of the Lord and if they don’t teach under the direction of the Spirit, how can they expect to accomplish their mission?

We cannot compete with the world on its terms. If we are to fulfill our calling, we must teach the Lord’s way.

If we have the Spirit of the Lord to guide us, we can teach any person, no matter how well educated, any place in the world. The Lord knows more than any of us, and if we are his servants, acting under his Spirit, he can deliver his message of salvation to each and every soul.

RE: Sunday

"...we taught her the Restoration!"

The doctrine of the need for a restoration of Christ's church and the necessity of letting the world know and inviting all to learn of its truths for themselves is the sole purpose behind The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionary program. I've found a couple of links that explain it better than I ever could.

Christ's Church

The Restoration

Two Months Old! What the What?!

I'm officially two months old...as of today! How did that even happen?! I only have 16 months left of my mission! Wow! Talk about crazy! Time flies!

This week has been one for the books! Granted, most weeks as a missionary are, just with miracles alone, but this week has been pretty crazy. Well, parts of it at least. Just read, you'll realize what I mean haha!

Monday:

We taught one of our investigators after P-Day was over. It went really well! We love him!

Tuesday:

After a million and one years, I finally finished the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon! That sucker is long and has awesome stories! I love love love it! I mean, I love the entire Book of Mormon, but Alma holds a special place in my heart. Even more so considering my missionary scripture is in there! Alma 29:9. One of the best in my opinion!

Our investigator, Aaron, had his baptismal interview today and it went so well! He's so prepared and we are beyond stoked! 

Wednesday:

We had bomb ice cream and that was pretty much the highlight of the day. 

We also talked to quite a few people and that always makes my day.

Thursday:

We did so much service today! It was insane! We went to the thrift shop to try to get more service, we did service at the soup kitchen, and we did service at a member's home. Craziness! We basically didn't talk to anyone or teach any lessons because of all the service, but it was so fun!

We ate lunch at the park which was super nice. It was pretty hot, but we managed to enjoy our time outside regardless of the weather. 'Twas grand!

Friday:

Normally Fridays are pretty uneventful because we do weekly planning in the morning, but this week was pretty different. It has to be when you find ticks in your apartment! I cried, well, almost.

So yeah, we found three ticks in our apartment and were panicking all day because of it! Ticks are scary! They're ugly little buggers too! They won't die, so we decided to trap them under jars and wait until we knew what to do with them.

We had to leave them there, too, because we had service at the animal shelter that day. Guess what! One of the dogs had ticks when we got there! We can't escape them!

We dreaded going home and were absolutely terrified. Ticks will do that to you. They make a sane person go crazy. Welcome to my life.

My lovely companion and I basically cried ourselves to sleep that night. UPDATE: We're still alive and kicking!

Saturday:

We had some appointments. I met some more people. You know, the usual thing.

Oh! I did sing in Portuguese for Aaron, so that was awesome! Have I mentioned lately how much I love and miss Portuguese?

Sunday:

Finally had a normal Sunday! That wasn't even the most exciting part though!

I GOT TO SKYPE HOME! Let me tell all of you, I have never appreciated Skype more than on my mission. Seeing my favorite people was the greatest thing ever! I didn't want it to end, but exact obedience is the key to miracles. I love my family and friends so much! Truly, I wouldn't be where I am without them and seeing their faces yesterday was a gentle reminder of that.

As for all of your I didn't get to see, I appreciate you as well! The various ways you've supported me over the years gave not gone unnoticed. You all mean so much to me and I treasure whatever kind of relationship it is we have.

I'd like to challenge everyone to think about their moms and other mom figures in their life and write down some of the numerous positive qualities they have. Look at that list and really think about how amazing they are. These women sacrifice so much for us and they only get one day a year!

The qualities you find are ones I'd invite you to strive to have. I know that there are so many qualities I have picked out and will always be striving to obtain.

Also, read Proverbs 3:15. I'm pretty sure it's indirectly talking about moms!

So anyway, happy mother's day to all those amazing moms!

Have a great week!

Amo sempre!

Sister McEldowney

PS. Ticks are UGLY! This one is named Lyme ;)

From the keeper of this blog -

RE: Tuesday

"Alma holds a special place in my heart. Even more so considering my missionary scripture is in there! Alma 29:9."

Before a missionary leaves on their mission, their Bishop asks them to identify a scripture that they feel defines their mission. That scripture, typically along with a picture of the missionary, is put on a plaque and hung in the church building during the term of that missionaries' service.  Kayla chose Alma 29:9 to be hers. It reads -

I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.

Also regarding Tuesday -

"Our investigator, Aaron, had his baptismal interview today..."

When someone has been meeting with the missionaries and desires to be baptized they are required to complete a baptismal interview to ensure that they have been taught and understand the doctrine that they are embracing as well as the requirements of the baptismal covenants. I have included a link to the book Preach My Gospel which missionaries use to direct their missionary work. It describes in detail the reasons for the baptismal interview.

Preach My Gospel: How Do I Prepare People for Baptism and Confirmation?

RE: Sunday

"I GOT TO SKYPE HOME! "

Missionaries have very strict requirements regarding their contact with family and friends. Once a week, on p-day, they are allowed and are expected to write home. Twice a year, on Mother's Day and Christmas Day, they are allowed to Skype/call home for 30 minutes. To some this strict limitation may seem brutal, but speaking from a missionary point of view it is necessary to help you keep your focus. It is so nice to see/hear your family, but it takes awhile to recover from the after effects of those calls when you go back to a stark, empty apartment while your family are all together at home. For the moms and dads, however, there is great comfort in seeing/hearing your child and getting actual confirmation that they are well. Now I understand both perspectives I see more clearly the inspired nature of the missionary program's structure.

Living and Loving the Maine Life

Hey all, so, Maine is beautiful and I love it!

Being a missionary is great and I can't believe I'm a week off from hitting my two-month mark! Exciting stuff! So, here's my weekly break down.

Monday:

We had a district P-Day and basically played card games and had a failed attempt at Are You Smarter than A 5th Grader. Email time was fantastic too! SISTER ASTON WAS ONLINE! Talk about a tender mercy of the Lord! I needed that so badly and getting to chat with her was the best! We were, are, and always will be the #dynamicduo. Other than that, P-Day was just getting stuff done.

After P-Day we went to a member's home for dinner and FHE. The Peck family is awesome and I love them! They're so sweet and truly hilarious! The ward out here is awesome!

Tuesday:

Very rarely do I get my full hour of language study, but today I did! Feliz dia! We also had an amazing lesson with one of our investigators! I'm stoked! He's the bomb and his baptism is set for a couple of weeks from now! Sister McEldowney is uma feliz campista (one happy camper)!

Wednesday:

We had district meeting which was cool. We also traveled to Manchester for the New Missionary/Trainer Meeting. Unfortunately, not a lot of work got done.

The ride to Manchester was great though! I got to see the people in my travel group from the MTC and we all had a nice reunion...after a week haha!

Thursday:

New Missionary/Trainer Meeting was so grand! It was way spiritual and I can't even believe how much I learned in one day! Alma 26 is now one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. It talks all about the Sons of Mosiah and their mission! As a missionary, I can relate. As a third party, it puts a new perspective on how missionaries feel. I highly recommend that everyone read it. After you read it, ponder its message and pray about it. I know the Book of Mormon is true and I know, without a doubt, that if you have a sincere desire to know of its truthfulness and message, you will receive the same confirmation I did just over 7 years ago.

Friday:

All I have to say is that I ate deer heart...from a deer that someone hit with their car. That's right, I ate roadkill. Welcome to central Maine!

Saturday:

We heart-attacked our investigator! We love him and it was so fun! Missionary work is the best!

I also found an elder at the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference that speaks Portuguese! He was a visa waiter, but rejected his visa and stayed here. Either way, we spoke in Portuguese e meu coracao era mutio feliz!

A miracle in itself was going to that session! Finding a member-ride was nearly impossible, but our ward is awesome and we got to go!

Sunday:

Stake conference round two was awesome! I love those spiritual meetings where you just write everything, but it still isn't enough! Love love love! Elder Golder and Elder Titera, of the Seventy, were the main speakers and their messages were all about families and how to ensure that your family is staying on the path that Christ set for us. I've been thinking a lot about families and it was really cool to have another conference focused on that. It's actually been a really popular topic lately and I love it!

Well, that pretty much covers it!

I just want to end with my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father lives. I know that He loves us so He sent His only Begotten son, Jesus Christ, down to earth to atone for our sins. Jesus Christ is the only way we can get back to live with our Heavenly Father. The Atonement is the ultimate sacrifice and I am so grateful for it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing! The Book of Mormon is true and I know that it contains the fullness of the gospel.

I love you all so much!

Amo Sempre, 

Sister McEldowney

__________

From the keeper of this blog - 

RE: Monday - P-day

P-day is preparation day. Full-time missionaries work 6 days a week typically from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. One day a week is assigned for them to do their grocery shopping and laundry, clean their apartments, write to their families, participate in recreational activities, etc. Typically (there are exceptions depending on customs and issues where you serve) P-day starts at 6:30 and ends at dinnertime, usually 6:00 p.m., when missionaries are expected to "get back to work."

RE: Saturday - Heart Attack

Heart-attacking has nothing to do with eating a road-kill deer's heart! :) Simply put it's when you write messages on paper hearts and stick them to their house/door/in their yard. I actually found a blog that describes how to do this. 

How to give a friend a heart attack...

RE: Saturday/Sunday: Stake Conference

On a typical Sunday, members of the church meet together in their ward or branch (a group too small to meet ward qualifications) congregations. Every 6 months all the wards/branches that comprise a stake meet as one body for Stake Conference where they are addressed by local leadership and, sometimes, members of the Seventy or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. 

RE: Sunday - testimony

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refer often to their testimony. Like in a court room testimony, a member's testimony is what we know based on our experience. I found a link that provides a great synopsis of what a testimony is to us.

What is a testimony?

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My amazing Mission Prep companion!
(Mission Preparation is a pre-mission class that Kayla attended at BYU-Idaho)

Three favorite Elders. Last week at MTC!

We LOVE Kit-Kats! Meet Sister Davis everyone!

I love it here! How beautiful is that sunset?

Heart-attack for the win!

I finally found The Tonight Dough!

Welcome to New England!

Hey there lovely people! So, the past week has been insane! I can't even begin to explain how much I miss the simplicity of home life, but I know that I'm needed here right now and that serving a mission is the best thing for me to be doing right now.

Well, on to the "exciting" part.

Sunday, April 19:

Well, I got released as STL (Sister Training Leader) and was a "normal" missionary for the rest of the day. Exciting stuff I guess.

Wow, alright, running out of time really quickly here.

I had to say goodbye to everyone and was a hot mess! Lots of tears. Surprising? Shouldn't be haha!

Monday, April 20:

Reported to the Travel Office at 3:30AM. Torture. We got on the bus and they said our flight was delayed and we wouldn't have to report until 8:30AM.

I definitely surprised a good number of people. Very awkward to say hello when I had just said goodbye. Life of a missionary though, right?

Reported back to the travel office. Took a bus and two trains to the airport. 2 hour trip. Told us we weren't flying out until the next morning. Two more trains and another bus back to the MTC. Awkward hello again. Such a blessing to be able to spend my last day with Sister Aston though! She's the greatest!

Tuesday, April 21:

Said a real goodbye to Sister Aston. Super sad morning. 

Finally got to the airport and, you guessed it, more complications. After who knows how long, I was finally set and ended up flying solo to New Hampshire! Off I went!

I arrived in Manchester, New Hampshire at about 9:30PM and went to the mission home. The rest of the group didn't get there until 11:30PM. Yay for mix-ups I suppose!

Wednesday, April 22:

Transfer meeting. First day in the field!

Companion: Sister Davis from Utah. Very nice! We're serving in Skowhegan, Maine! That's right, I'm serving in Maine! Unfortunately, there are no Portuguese speakers...anywhere. I mean, anywhere. No visa waiter, no natives. Nothing. Let's hope that next transfer there's someone here...

Thursday, April 23:

We did service at a soup kitchen. That was pretty cool. Other than that, not much really happened. It was a slow day for missionary work.

Friday, April 24:

Happy Birthday Dad!

I survived weekly planning. That alone was enough of a miracle to write pages home about haha!

Honestly, we were inside most of the day for planning, so not much happened Friday either.

Saturday, April 25:

Finally met our progressing investigator! The lesson went so well and it was a testament to me of how the Holy Ghost really is the true teacher! I can share all the scriptures I want and tell as many personal experiences as I want, but unless the Spirit is there, nothing will happen. It was an amazing experience!

We also went tracting that evening and I GAVE MY FIRST COPY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON! Happy day! We knocked on a woman's door and she actually had a lot of questions so I gave her a Book of Mormon, my companion gave her pamphlets to look over and yeah! It was awesome!

Sunday, April 26:

We had a Regional Broadcast, so that was awesome! It was a broadcast from Salt Lake and the General Authorities talked a lot about families. I know I'm on a mission, but I've been thinking a lot about families lately and it was neat that families were the focus.

We also had lunch with the bishop and that was fun. Their kids remind me so much of my siblings; I loved it!

Another thing, we tracted into a less-active member by accident and it was awesome! She said she'd definitely be open to having us come back, so we're going to this week!

Today, and this week in general, has been so crazy and I'm so glad that I've made it through a week in the field. I miss my friends from the MTC, I miss my friends back home, and I miss my family so much, but the Lord needs me in Maine right now, and eventually in Brazil. I'm so excited to see what's in store for me over the next 16 months!

I love you all so much! I promise my email next week won't be as jumbled!

Amo Sempre,

Sister McEldowney

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From the keeper of this blog - 

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are known to have a language all their own when it comes to life in the gospel. I've clarified a couple below and included links to the references. 

RE: Saturday, April 25

You might wonder, "What is tracting?" Having served a mission where tracting was the primary means of finding people to teach I would call it the worst form of torture known to man. I did, however, find you a better definition -

"Door-to-door contacting is commonly called "tracting" because missionaries in the past often left printed tracts with people as they called on them. As the number and influence of Church members have grown, missionaries have come increasingly to rely on referrals from members to find people to teach. In the latter half of the twentieth century, missionaries have had the benefit of standardized lessons, usually referred to as missionary discussions, to assist them in teaching the gospel."

Missions

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RE: Sunday, April 26

Again you might wonder, "What is a less-active?" The Savior shared a parable of the lost sheep, the one who had wandered from the ninety and nine. Of that sheep the scriptures record in Luke 15:4-7 -

"4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."

Members of the church, latter-day saints, take this mandate very seriously. People no longer participate fully in the church for a myriad of reasons, but they are not forgotten even if they want to be. For the sake of identifying and therefore finding them, they become known as the less-active. We as members and particularly as full-time missionaries are taught and organized to find them, love them, and pray that they will find happiness in church activity once again; being brought back to the fold. It is a beautiful experience to be a part of that process, thus, Kayla's excitement at meeting a less-active member while tracting.

The church produced a video about this very principle that is very good. The link is below - 

The Lost Sheep

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Just a thought -

It occurred to me with Kayla's, hopefully temporary, change in assignment that you might wonder how missionaries are assigned. At our last General Conference (about 2 weeks ago) they reported that there are currently 85,147 full-time missionaries serving in 406 missions worldwide. That number includes young men and women Kayla's age as well as senior couples or singles who are retired and desire to serve. In that same conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, offered insight into the assignment process. I thought I'd include it here just in case you're interested - 

In the early days of the Church, missionaries were interviewed by a General Authority before they went on their missions. These days you are interviewed to serve as missionaries by your bishops and stake presidents, and most of you will go through your entire lives without being interviewed by a General Authority. That is simply a reflection of the reality in a worldwide church of more than 15 million members. I know I speak for my brethren when I tell you that we wish it were possible for us to know all of you personally and to be able to tell you that we love you and that we support you.

Fortunately the Lord has provided ways for us to reach out to you. For example, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve assigns every missionary to his or her mission. Although this is done without a traditional face-to-face interview, technology and revelation combine to provide an experience that is remarkably intimate and personal. Let me tell you how this happens.

Your photograph comes up on a computer screen, together with key information provided by your bishop and stake president. When your picture appears, we look into your eyes and review your answers to the missionary recommendation questions. For that brief moment, it seems as if you are present and responding to us directly. As we look at your photograph, we trust that you have cleared in every way the “raised bar” required today to be a faithful, successful missionary. Then, by the power of the Spirit of the Lord and under the direction of President Thomas S. Monson, we assign you to one of the Church’s 406 worldwide missions.

The Greatest Generation of Young Adults