When life gets tough, go to the temple

I hope your week was absolutely awesome. I know that it was!! I am so happy that you went to the temple on Thursday. I know that we were closer than ever on that day. I love the temple so much. Right now the Lima temple has the same video as the first time I went through but doesn't have the new new one just yet. I guess I just have to wait to see it! The rule in the mission is that we can go to the temple 2 times every year. So I guess I am just going to have to wait until like October or November to go! But it was amazing. I loved it so much and this time I felt more closer to God than I ever had before. I don't know but I just felt an incredible overwhelming peace and comfort. You're right mom. I really needed to go to the temple this week. It really helped.

Unfortunately, my trials continue. I have come to find out that the mission, the work, isn't the most important thing to my companion and I don't know how to help him or change his mind. He is one of the proudest people I have met and just won't talk to me. He sits at his desk for hours, silent. I ask him what's going on and he just says "I am just thinking, and I don't talk about what I think about." I suggest thinks to do and he just decides to do another thing that isn't productive and doesn't help our area. He criticizes every decision a leader or the president makes. I hate to complain but I am dying here. I am not progressing and the area isn't progressing. I am stuck in this eternal round of "Que hacemos ahora?" 

But  I don't want you to worry about me. I just need your prayers. I know that I am going though these things for a reason and I know that I am going to learn sooner or later what I should do. I know that God is on my side, testing me, seeing what I will do, how I will act, and I need to be faithful. I know that if I strengthen myself and take the steps to be better, Christ will deliver me and I will be relieved  of my trials and pains, I just need to be patient. 

I am so sorry that this letter is so sad and depressing. But I needed to express something of how I am feeling. I just need your prayers and your support. I love you so much and I know you guys are just doing fantastic!! 

Awkward: Apparently my comp knows how to swear in English....

Awesome: I found one of my teachers from the CCM and a friend from draper at the temple!!!

Weird: Apparently my entire ward knows English. Yesterday three brothers decided to start talking to me in English. I couldn't respond....

I love you guys so much and I just need your help and support. 

Poco a Poco

Con mucho amor,

Elder McIff

Seguir adelante, con fe, con fuerza, y con la certeza que Dios vive, Jesucristo es nuestro Salvador, y todo va estar bien

How are you? I know you are just fantastic. How couldn't you be? I loved hearing all about your week and all your crazy adventures! I hope everything goes well with the party! I totally did not know that the 17th of March was St. Patrick's day. I got to Internet this Morning and one of the Sisters in my Zone was like Elder!!! You know what day it is?? I said ummm 17th of march? Monday? P-Day? I had no clue. And I don't have a green tie! I have a green tshirt but we are going to the temple on Thursday so today we are in proselyting clothes because we are going to work today and have "P-day" on Thursday. We're going to the temple!!! WOOOO!!!!! 

Now for my week. It was a long one. This week we had a visit from Elder Waddell, of the Seventy. We had two conferences with him and it was super duper cool!!! He talk all about how we can't just focus on baptisms. We have to focus on conversions and getting people to the temple. He showed us how the purpose of the priesthood was to seal families in the temple and how we need to get our converts to the temple. It was super duper cool. He said that a baptism does not mean anything, if they don't go to the temple. He said that there will be many people in the terestial kingdom who were baptized in the church and who did not make it to the temple. It made me realize how important the temple is and how important it is to help my investigators become converted and have a desire to go to the temple. It was so cool to hear a special witness of Christ speak and it just reaffirmed to me that the Church is true. 

The conference was great but we when returned to our area, everything fell apart. My companion got sick, we lost investigators, and the ward isn't helping us out. Seriously, this week was the hardest week of my mission. We spent hours and hours walking house to house, going to appointments and having every single one fall through. We spent a good amount of time standing on street corners saying to ourselves, " Now what?" This week was seriously killer. Yesterday I found myself in a state desperation. I wanted to teach so bad. So so bad that I was willing to talk to anyone. But no one was willing to talk to me. It was killer. 

Right now we basically don't have any investigators and we are kind of lost hear in San Felipe. (Honestly I think the campus of Corner Canyon High is bigger than my area) But I will say that I an praying my heart out and I am not losing hope. I can't lose hope. I have to keep pushing on, keep praying, and keep looking for the lost sheep that God has prepared for me. I am learning a lot of lessons right now and I just hope my comp is too. I really hope that things will get better. I know they will.

Family, I love you so much and honestly I miss you guys! But I am here in Peru serving my God and I couldn't want more. I hope everything is great out in Draper and and I hope you are going to the temple weekly!! Do it. Just do it. 

Awkward: My comp got robbed by a borracho (let's see if you remember what that is) It was actually pretty funny.

Awesome: I found the stake president that came to our house!!!!! I seriously almost cried. It was like the movies. I saw him from across the room at the conference we had. And I ran. Literally ran to get to him. It was the coolest thing ever. It was so awesome to see him. I am going to ask to get transferred to his stake. 

I am still happy and I am pushing forward!!! I love you guys so much!!!!

Poco a Poco!!

Con amor,

Elder McIff

Seis meses y siento rado

Hola Familia!!!

Hey guys I hope everything is well and y'all are having a wonderful time living it up in Jutah! (that's how I say Utah now, freaking Spanish) I love that you are all reading the Book of Mormon (the best book ever) and learning more and more about the scriptures! I testify that the Book of Mormon contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and if we live by its principles we will one day return to God, our Eternal Father. I know that is a little heavy but it is the truth. I know that if we live the principles in the Book of Mormon and really study the doctrine and the gospel we can find peace and joy in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come! I love the Book of Mormon so much and I hope that everyone that reads this letter starts reading it, Today!!!

As for me, I feel a little weird. As of tomorrow I will have six months in the mission. Wow. When I say that I freak out a little bit. Honestly I don't feel like I've been out here for six months. It is crazy to think about. I has gone by so fast and I just don't know where the time went. It scares me a little bit. If my first six months have flown by this fast the next 18 will go by even faster. I will be honest, in these six months I feel eternally grateful. I have learned a new language (I've got a little ways to go to make it perfect), I have built my relationship with Jesus Christ and have gained a testimony that he is the Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, and I have learned countless other things that I just don't have time to describe. I am so so grateful for this mission. I am learning and I am progressing, pero me falta. I am not at the point I would like to be. I want to get to the point where I feel like God is happy and grateful for my work, honestly I don't feel like I am at that point. I feel like I haven't put in my all and I haven't given it all to Him. That is all I want to do. GIVE IT ALL TO HIM. But unfortunately because of my faults as a human being and as a natural man I haven't been able to do that. I hope that I can become better and each that point in the coming weeks. 

But I know that God loves me and he is helping me in every step of the way. I know that he is watching over me and he molding me into the man I need to be to serve him for this mission and for the rest of my life. I testify that He loves me and and He loves every single one of us. We are his children and He will never forget us, never forsake us. He gives us challenges and trials to test out faith and test our patience, but he never forgets us. I know that prayer is real and that we can literally talk to God and he can talk back to us. I know that through the Holy Spirit we can feel and know the truths of all things and we can make the decisions that will benefit and change our lives if we just listen to the Lord and heed to his counsel. I know that Jesus is the Son of God. I testify that he died and suffered for us so that we could return to him and the Father. This love is indescribable and I cannot understand how we could love us so much. I am so grateful for his guidance and comfort. He is the Holy Son of God and our Elder Brother who will always watch over us. 

Family, we are part of the True Church of God, and I know that we reap the blessings and benefits of being faithful and true to the gospel and doctrine. I am eternally grateful that I was born into this family and church. I love you guys so much!!!! 

Six months done, 18 to go. Let's do this.

I love you all so much and I hope that you all go to church this week!!! :)

Awkward: One of my converts brought her puppy to church yesterday and he ended up peeing all over the cultural hall and in the elevator, and I ended up cleaning it all up. I swear we told her no dogs...

Awesome: I have six months in the mish!!!!

LES AMO MUCHO!!!!!

Poco a Poco

Elder McIff

Seguimos Adelante con Firmeza en Cristo

Thank you so much for your letter. I loved that all of you got together this week. (He is referring to a missionary momma retreat that his mom attended in SLC) That looks like it was so much fun!! I am so glad that the mothers of missionaries are supporting them so much. That is so great! You are going to find a lot of council there. I am so glad that you can share with other moms about this great work we are doing! But I want to tell you something, just like the Army of Helaman, you are the reason we are out here. You mothers have raised us well  and taught us the things we should do in our lives and in our mission. Alma 56:47-48 says "Si, sus madres les habían enseñado que si no dudaban, Dios los libraria. ... No dudamos que nuestras madres lo sabian." (Sorry I only have my spanish scriptures with me.) Translation:  "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.  And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." 

But Mom you taught me well and taught me the things that I should do, the things I should do to be in line with God. And just like the Sons of Helaman I cannot doubt it. Thank you so much mom. Thank you for everything that you have done for me and continue to do for me. I am so so thankful that I was born into a family so so strong in the gospel and that really has a testimony that this is the true church and that had a testimony of the things we should really do in this life. Thank you so much mom. I am so grateful fo your example to me and to everyone around you. You are truly a chosen mother and daughter of God and he blesses you everyday for your efforts to secure the salvation of your children. I love you so much mom!!! 

As for my week, it was pretty rough. I didn't have a transfer so I am still with Elder R. who is getting lazier and lazier everyday. Boy it is rough. I will be honest, I am suffering a little bit. I don't feel like the missionary I should be and I feel like we are missing out of a lot of blessings. It has been really hard this past week and I think it will just get harder as the transfer continues. Solo caballero no más. (basically Cowboy Up)

I have been praying a lot and reading my scriptures a ton. I finished El Libro de Mormón last week and I am already to Enos! The scriptrues give me so so much comfort. As I read 2 Nephi this week I truly felt God's love around me. He loves so much that he gave he son, his beloved son. To die for us. I cannot be sad knowing that fact. Yes at times I am discouraged, a little depressed even, but I know that my Heavenly Brother is right there beside me and he is giving me strength every step of the way. 

I am so greatful for the Book of Mormon, I share the testimony of Joseph Smith that a man can grow cloer to God by living its principles than any other book in exisitence. It truly testifies that Jesus is the Christ, our Saviour, our Redeemer, The Holy Son of God. I pray that all of you are havng family scripture study. I know that we never did it when I was there but I really hope that you are doing it know. I cannot stress the importance of reading the scriptures and studying them. You will see the grandest blessings in your lives if you start reading as a family. Please. If you can't, because I know our family schedule is nuts, make sure that everyone is at least reading their scriptures everyday. I promise you will see a mountain of blessings. 

I love you so much and I hope that everything is going well in the South Mountain Stake and in the 5th ward! Please tell them all hi for me!!!

Awkward: All of our investigators that had dates for baptisms, fell through this week. We are starting from scratch.

Awesome: H. and M, the kids that we baptized last week, have started going to seminary and H. is going to recieve the Priesthood next week!!!

I love all of you so much!!!!!!! 

Poco a Poco

CON UN MONTAÑA DE ABRAZOS Y BESOS

-Elder McIff