Tú, pues, soporta tus afliccione​s como fiel soldado de Jesucristo

Hey there Family!!!

So this week was a week to remember.  A super rough one once again. But I am learning a lot and really progressing. Something really strange is happening in my area,  we have our planners FILLED with appointments and plans, but something really strange and frustrating is happening. Everyday we have about six teaching appointments and everyday, four of these appointments seem to fall out. And they are really important appointments with people that are  totally prepared for baptism and to hear the gospel but don't because  we can't come into there house!!! Super super frustrating. And as a result we don't have a lot of lessons and the ZL's start asking us, Que pasa? I don't know it is really really weird what is happening this week. But I am just PUSHing;) I love that mom. Coolest thing ever. 

And to add on to the strange happenings in San Felipe, I got sick this week!!! Woo hoo!!! I have lost a good 5 pounds this week. I ate something and now it is kicking my butt. I'm not like bedridden but I like don't want to eat, and when I do eat I eat a little bit and then I can't eat more. Plus I've got the runs. Es un poco feo. Pero caballero no más!!!

I hope everything is chevere over there in Draper! I really don't have much to share this week. It was just a week of fighting and pushing through my trials. I have been reading the scriptures a ton! I am learning a bunch and really feeling the spirit with me constantly. 

Yesterday  in church in gospel principles the lesson was The gift of the holy ghost. It was incredible. I swear I don't think I have ever felt the peace of the spirit so strongly. It was amazing. From then on I have just had a great spirit with me. I love it. 

I hope y'all are having a great week! I am sorry this letter is super short,  but I just don't have much to write! It was a pretty normal week of fighting through trials and seeing the blessings of this work!!! 

I know that this work  is true and as I move on and press forward I will see the blessings and receive the confirmation that I did a good job while I was here in San Felipe. I know that I just need to keep working and Never Give Up.   

I love you all so much and I hope you are growing closer to Christ everyday!!!! 

Awkward: my companion learned the A word. Last night he kept saying a lot of things in English with the A word. It was really bad.

Awesome: I am learning, learning, learning and learning

Les quiero mucho!!!!

Con amor

Elder McIff!!!

Seré lo que tú quieres-I'll be what you want

Hey there familia! Reading all about your fun time in St. George has really put me in a trunky funk but hey! I am super happy you guys had fun! I can't tell you how much I miss St. George. Sometimes I look at the barren dry hillsides of Lima and think "hey it kind of looks like St. George..." But it's just not the same. That is insane that Jenni is 12 years old!!!! Unbelievable. I am old now. I just scared that I am going to get back and she is going to be bigger than me! But wow.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNI!!!!!!

I hope everything is going great out there in Utah. I know that you guys are having an amazing time reading the Book of Mormon and learning more about the gospel. I know I am!!!! This week the Area Presidency sent out a letter to all the Wards with a challenge. To read to the Book of Mormon everyday for 15 minutes personally and as a family (in total 30) everyday!!! And finish the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. I want to extend this challenge to you guys! (and whoever reads this letter). During my mission I have been learning one thing, that the Book of Mormon is the certifying foundation that holds up the Church of God and his Gospel. It contains the fullness of the gospel and as Joseph Smith said, "Any man can grow closer to god by living it's principles" (more or less it is this). But the principle stands the same! 

Yesterday I was talking to an investigator and he said the he used to think the Book of Mormon was just another Bible, just another Book. But then said he now knows the difference. The Book of Mormon and the Bible are one and support one another to bring us the fullness of the Gospel and to testify that JESUS IS THE CHRIST. He said that through this book he now knows that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that this church is true, all through reading the Book of Mormon. The power it has is real. It is the word of God and a real testimony of Jesus Christ. And a above all, every word that is in that book is TRUE. I am now reading the Book of Mormon for the fifth time and the second time in Spanish. I am in 3 Nephi 21 and from reading these chapters I can say without a doubt that Jesus Christ is our savior and Redeemer, He is the Son of God, and only through him we will find eternal life.

Read the Book of Mormon! It will change your life!!!

As for my week it was alright! I don't want to complain so let's just say that I have learned a lot and I am being humbled like never before. It was a rough week but all I know is that I just need to be patient and wait for the blessings of the Lord. Here in Peru the church doesn't really doing anything for Easter. It was kind of sad. But I felt the spirit of Easter this week and I felt the Spirit of Christ. I know that all of you had an amazing Easter and grew a little bit closer to our savior. 

I am sorry I entered Internet late and so once again I am running low on time but just now I love you all and that I am having a great time down here and I am learning a great big giant Boat load about the gospel and the great mercies of the Lord. I LOVE YOU!!!!

Awkward: I keep looking at the positive and I can never remember awkward things....

Awesome: Saturday night the Stake did an awesome activity. We turned the entire stake center into Lehi's Dream. It was awesome and we had 9 investigators from my area show up and tons of references! WOO HOO!

Les amo!!!!

Con much amor

Elder McIff

Respira, solo Respira-Breathe, just breathe

Hey There!!!

So finally you guys get a letter! I am so sorry about last week!!! Well let's just say that it was a really good week and I loved conference!!! But unfortunately the huge letter I wrote got lost and I am super sad.

But this week was transfers and I stayed in San Felipe! But my companion left. Now I am with Elder F. from Bolivia! He is a pretty cool guy and he knows some English so I am helping him learn more and we are having a good time! There is a hitch though. This is is third mission. Haha. He was assigned to go to Venezuela but there is a lot of crap going down there so it was hard to get visas and so he went to Bolivia La Paz. From there he finally got to Venezuela and then in four months they kicked missionaries out. And now he is in Peru and he only has like three weeks here! He is a brand new District Leader and he knows nothing about the mission or the zone. So pretty much I have been District leader for a week! Its been fuuuunnnnnn. (sarcastically) I like leadership and all but I have my assignment right now as lowly junior companion and ya know I like it down here. Haha but as you said mom, God as a plan and I just need to trust in his Plan. It will all work out. 

Okay, well I have like no time because the ZL's decided to cut down our Internet time so I am super crunched but! This week was pretty good! Right now we have three families that we are really working hard with and just waiting for them to come church!!! I think that is the hardest thing here in Peru. People do so much crap here on Sunday and they just don't have time to come to church and they don't want to make the sacrifice to come. It is super frustrating. And now the Area presidency has said that investigators have to come to church three times before baptism. It is so dang hard. 

I am super frustrated mom. What more can I do? I am praying, being obedient, fasting, studying my butt off, following the spirit, doing everything I can so that our investigators can progress and then in the end they end up having a lunch that they just can't miss and they can't come to church. What more can I do? I feel like every single force is working against me, The Ward, the ZLs, the mission, the area, Satan!!!! Seriously. All I wanted were baptisms this month. But we aren't going to have any because they won't go to church. It is two months in a row that I won't have a baptism because people just won't go to church. I don't know what I can do more. I don't know. 

I am just super frustrated and super confused. But I guess I just have to follow through with faith and hope. 

I love you guys so much but I feel like I can't write anymore this week. I know that God loves me and this is happening for some reason. I just need to find out what.

I love you and hope you all have a wonderful day and week!!!!!!

Con todo el amor en el mundo,

Elder McIff

I love you I love you I love you

Short but Sweet!

Wow.... okay mom, I wrote a whole letter that was freaking awesome and the Internet went out and I lost it all. And now I have only like five minutes left of Internet, I am so freaking sad right now. Like absolutely devastated. I am so sorry mom!!!

I love you!!!

Elder McIff

I was afraid this was all I was going to get :(

But then...

Its gone... all gone.... only left like three lines..... 

But Conference was good! I didn't understand a lot but the Spirit testified! 

Mom I am so sad! My week was freaking amazing and I can't tell you about it!!! It was a completely amazing week. we had a butt load of success and now we are teaching like six families!!! Ah it was a really good week let's just say that. :)

We don't know yet about transfers. I don't know when we are going to know. They make transfers here the most stressful suspenseful thing ever. I don't like it. But I want my kid!! 

Shoot, I am so bummed that you can't read my letter!!! It seriously freaking awesome. So dang good. Uggghhhhh.

Well, that is it folks.  I guess I am grateful that I got any letter at all. Until next time...

La Semana Loca

Hey Hey Hey!!!

Okay, I don't want to sound like I'm Bi-polar, I know last week was a really depressing letter, but this week was a pretty good week! My companion worked, we found families to teach, and we finally had some of our investigators come to Church!!! Seriously, it is the hardest thing to get people to come to church. We do absolutely everything to get them to come to church. We call, we knock on their doors, we practically beg at their knees, and the just happen to have a family lunch that they ABSOLUTELY can't miss. I am just like seriously? Okay, cool. But in all seriousness I am happy  this week. We did some good work this week and we are finding people to teach. The area is looking up. 

Next week is transfers so I just have to wait it out. Elder R. is actually a really good Elder. Just sometimes he gets lazy or tired and and I just kind of get impatient. We are good friends. We laugh a lot and we have a good connection while we are teaching. I don't want to make him sound like a terrible missionary, he really quite a good one, I was just super frustrated last week because we weren't having a lot of success. But we are now and the area is looking good for the next month and transfer. I talked with the Zone Leaders this week and they told me that they want me to train a new missionary this transfer and that they are going to talk to President to suggest my name. I really hope I get to!!! I really want to have a kid

This week was really quite crazy. A lot of things happened. I worked in four areas this week with five different Elders. We had a lot of people yell at us this week (more than usual). We found families!!!!! (It's a miracle) Like three people told us stories of how they are being visited by spirits and angels and other things. A lot of crazy stuff happened. I don't know why but the mission and the world is getting weirder and weirder everyday. 

This week I really saw the blessings of the spirit. In the past two weeks I have been really studying about the Holy Ghost and his role in our work. It is really amazing to see the influence and the power of the Holy Ghost in our teachings. I know that if I say a little prayer and ask God if what I should share or testify, he will guide me to a scripture, the Spirit will testify to me that it is the message that I should share. And when I share that message and testify of the truth, the Spirit fills the room and Testifies and the truth. It is the coolest thing ever. I am starting to learn to listen to the Spirit more in order to improve my work and my teaching.

Really I am quite happy here in the mission. We don't have a lot of investigators or baptisms in the area but the work is moving along and I am reaping the blessings. I really hope that this week can be a lot better and we can work hard and help the people we are teaching progress.

This weekend I am super duper excited for conference!!! I have seriously been waiting for this for so long. I am so excited!!! I have to listen to it in Spanish which is a bummer, but it will be the best!!!!! I am so excited!!!!

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

Awkward: A non-member hugged me from behind IN THE CHAPEL on Sunday, it was really really bad. Also we were visiting an investigator and all of a sudden like 30 Catholics show up at her house, sit down and start having there service in the house! It was crazy. Absolutely crazy.

Awesome: I am learning magic!!!!

Love you all so much!!!!

Poco a Poco,

Elder McIff

ps. POWELL HASN'T TOLD ME ANYTHING!!!!