This is the Lord's work and no one else's

Hey family!!!!!

So awesome to hear all about your amazing week and your awesome adventures!!!! I am so grateful that my family is a happy family and a family that lives in the gospel. I am so grateful that we aren't a problem family. There a lot of  Elders that have a bunch of problems with their families and it really affects them in the the field. I thank God that we don't have those problems and that I can be sure that my family sleeps at night smiling. The only thing that I worry about is Jessi and her high school hooligans, and boys, especially boys. I love you guys ssoooooo much!!!!

Well, a lot has happened this week!!!! And well let's go in order. Transfers came and Elder B. had a transfer and I got to stay in my area, woooo!!!!! But the twist is that I am training another greenie!!! His name is Elder U. He is from the Peruvian jungle and he's pretty cool!!! He's been a member for like three years and he has a bunch of desires to work and serve!!! The only thing is that he doesn't know a lot about the gospel. And here in the mission field the learning curve is extremely steep and we are going to have to work really hard so that he can become a master of the gospel. (that is a goal of the mission, the we become master teachers of the Gospel) I am really excited to work with him and train him.

Another thing that happened this week is the baptism of C. S.!!!! He was baptized on Saturday ( In memory of Jessi's bday) and it was awesome! I had the opportunity to baptize him and there was a great spirit at his baptism. He shared his testimony and he said that he is willing to do whatever the church or the Lord asks him to do. He is committed. He is going to be an awesome missionary!!!!!!

Really I am so grateful that I am staying is this area because we are really seeing the fruits of our labors.  The month of October we have 10, that's right TEN, people who have accepted a baptismal date. I am in shock. The Lord has worked miracles in this area and I can't express how grateful I am. Really the Lord is using us as his hand here in Valle Sagrado and we now have to great opportunity to work really Hard and have a lot of success. I am so so thankful for His blessings and the chance to teach these awesome people. I don't have time to write about the investigators but let's just say that they are amazing. Another awesome blessing is that 15 investigators came to church on Sunday. That is unheard of!!! The things that the Lord is doing here in Valle Sagrado are incredible. I am so thankful.

Well this week is conference. Unfortunately I am not going to be able to watch it. There are elections this Sunday and the Law forbids any public meeting so everyone will go and vote. So we aren't going to have church and we will watch conference next week. I know it is going to be awesome. But please, don't tell me. Haha.

Well I am really happy and I am really excited to work and serve the Lord. Thank you for all your support and love!!!

poco a poco

Camina hasta que no puedas, y luego, camina un poco mas

(Walk until you drop, and then walk a little more)

LES AMO!!!!!

ELDER MCIFF

Oh Fetch! Transfers can be stressful!

HEY FAMILY!!!!

Well today is a day very very stressful for me. Transfers. I have no idea what is going to happen and I have no clue if I or my companion is leaving but one of is leaving for sure. I have no idea what is going to happen. I am freaking out. 

I love this ward so so much and I don't want to leave them!!! We have so many investigators and so many people progressing. We had stake conference this weekend and nine investigators came to Stake Conference!!! Like that is incredible!!!!! I can't believe it. The coolest investigators ever!!!! They all have baptismal dates and they are progressing really well. But I don't want to leave them!!!! But the will of the Lord I will follow. 

This week C.,  A., and C. are going to  be baptized. We moved the date back so that they could have a little more preparation and help. But it will be awesome!!!! They are the coolest little kids and just love the church!!! So awesome.

I am really sorry this letter will be a little short because I want to write a few friends and I usually don't have time at all to write so I want to take today write them. But everything is going great here in Peru and we are working super duper hard!!!!! Thanks for all the support and love that you guys show me!!! 

I love the Lord and I love the work that I am doing here in Peru. And I love you guys!!!!!

Les amo!!!!!

Poco a Poco

Elder McIff

Short but sweet

At least he is making good friends!

So this week I am not going to be able to write a really long letter because I have to watch all the videos you sent me!!!! But I just want to say that this week was great!!! We committed two families to baptism and now we are going to have an amazing month in October. Next week C., A., and C. Silva are going to be baptized and it is going to be great!!!! This is the last week of the change so its gonna be hard keeping my district motivated but we will have a great week this week!!! 

I love you guys so much and I love these videos!!!!!!

Have a great week and know that I am always praying for you guys!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!

Elder McIff

After he watched all the videos this was his reply:

En serio estos vidoes son lo maximo. ustedes son locos y muchas muchas gracias por su apoyo y amor siempre. Pero si me gustaria escuchar mas de todo ustedes!!!! 

I love you guys so much and I am so so grateful for all the nice things you said to me and all the support you gave to me!!!! I hope you have a great great week and do everything you can to preach the gospel and help others to come unto Christ!!!!! Mosiah 12:21

Les amo con todo mi corazon!!!!

Elder McIff

Solo es el inicio-Only the beginning!

Hey family!!!

Well I just want to know how everybody is doing this week!!! I am just so happy that everyone is fine and having a great time in Utah!

Well as I was reading the letter that mom sent me I was thinking, crap, I practically have a year in the mission (three days) and I thought, WHAT THE HECK???? I HAVE BEEN IN PERU FOR  YEAR????? It is super weird. It doesn't feel like it at all. It doesn't feel like I have been a missionary for a year or have the experience to show it. It is super crazy. But as it says in the title IT IS ONLY BEGINNING. I have been trained, I have mastered the language, and now it is time to give it all, be the best missionary I can be. It is time to prove myself to the Lord and make him proud of His son. 

This week again we have really seen the blessings of the Lord. We have found a lot of new people to teach and we are finding a bunch of less actives that are ready to come back to church and back to the path.

One cool story from this week. We were walking down the street and there are always people sitting on the side of the street drinking or just with their friends. And a lot of times they yell Elders!!! And we just wave and talk with the people but yesterday a man called out and we went over and talked with him and his wife. It turns out that he has been a member of the church for like 12 years and he was just looking for a reason to come back and he saw us and just decided to talk to us and he told us that he wanted to come back to the church but he didn't know how but he saw us and said you know what I am gonna talk to them and they are gonna help me come back. And his wife was really interested as well and so we are super excited now. 

We have a bunch of plans for October. We are hoping that three families that we are teaching can get married and baptized in October. A cool thing the mission is doing now is that they are working with the government to set up group weddings every month so that more and more families can get married and start following the gospel.

We also have planned three baptisms for this month! On 19th three kids are going to be baptized that who are children of a less active family and then on the 29th the mom of our convert Eduardo is going to be baptized finally after like five months of investigating. It is going to be awesome!!!! I am really happy to be in this ward and to be working so hard here!!! I am really having a great time here in the mission even though my companion stresses me out and the weather here is really really really ugly. Haha I AM SO HAPPY!!!!!!

And I got your Package mom!!!! Thank you so much!! That is the coolest thing ever!!! Super duper trunky though!!! All that BYU stuff killed me!!!!! But I will tell you I haven't eaten any of the candy or read the letters yet. I am waiting until Thursday. Haha. But I did start using the music because the mission put in a rule that we can't listen to EFY music now so I am really happy that you sent me those MO TAB CDS and the Janice Kapp Perry CD! That  is super duper cool. and its awesome because we can basically only listen to MOTAB and Janice Kapp Perry now so thank you!!!!!!! 

Thank you so much for all your support and all the awesome stuff you do for me!!! Thank you!!!!!!

Keep on keepin on!!!!

Poco a poco

Con mucho mucho MUCHO amor

Elder McIff

El Señor realmente te bendice, The Lord really blessed me!

 

• Elder McIff loves soccer and he loves getting soccer jerseys really cheap in Peru

Hey family!!!!

So this week has been crazy. Super crazy. I have felt like I have been on a roller coaster the whole week. First off we had A TON of success. We had 47 lesson, 21 new investigators, and we have two new people commit to baptism for the month of September. It was an amazing week of hard work and the Lord just picking us up and placing us in the places where we needed to be. I am so so grateful for the great blessings we had this week. The Lord truly answered my prayers and truly helped me get through this week because it has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission. 

This whole week my companion has been sad or mad or just plain grumpy at the whole world. And it got to a point where he started to take it out on my. Criticizing everything I did and fighting with me a bunch and it was terrible. Made it really hard to work because he just wanted to do it his way and every time that I suggested something he would just tell me I was wrong or my idea was bad and then he would get mad at me. 

Like on Saturday I shared what I had learned in my studies and I said that we can be better teaching lesson one and he just exploded saying that I need to read it again saying that the president said this said that, that if I really think about it and read the lesson I will know that we need to do. And that was the last straw. I just told him to stop attacking me, cutting me off, and saying I am wrong and I stood up and walked out of the room. It was really bad. I had no idea what to do and I was so frustrated. So a little bit later we had interviews with the Zone Leaders and it helped us a ton and now we are a little better but I still don't know when he is going to explode next. And that really stresses me out. 

But I am so grateful for the Lord for blessing us with so much success this week because if we had had a crappy week, shoot I would be completely destroyed. The Lord is giving me a ton of tests right now and I just need to pray a ton and try to keep a smile on my face and read my scriptures.  The other elders in my district had a rough week this week and were feeling pretty down on themselves and so I had to help them out and cheer them up which was a little hard because I needed cheering up as well. But I know as a leader I need to be the bigger man and step for my district and help them out. The Lord is blessing me a ton and answering my prayers always. 

But thank you for all your support and love. I am waiting for your package!! I am dying!!! I need American goodies!!! (all the stuff you sent is gone) But one cool thing is that a sister in the ward went to the states and brought back ranch dressing!!!! We had lunch with her yesterday and ahhh it was so so good. In a year I'll be eating it again! (crazy to think about that)

Well I am so happy to here in the mission teaching these wonderful people and helping them receive the gospel and I hope you are feeling the same spirit in Utah!!!!

I love you guys so much!!!! Keep reading your scriptures, keep saying your prayers, and never lose the faith!!!!

Poco a Poco

Elder McIff