Elder Drake McFall: Week 5

Hello everyone and all!

It was a good week up North! Definitely getting in the swing of things while up here. Already halfway through my first transfer, which is weird! The days are slow, but weeks are gettin faster and faster! which is weird to say that already. Some days I am convinced that my mission won't end! haha It seems like such a long ways away, but I am enjoying it for sure!

This week we had Christmas Conference! It was awesome, basically it was a morning full of "trainings". President Campbell talked about a few different things but one that really stuck out to me was he talked about how we always pray to know have the spirit with us, but are we doing everything we can to actually allow the spirit into our lives? Basically are we qualifying ourselves? I thought that was a very interesting point! Then we had a nice turkey dinner, and then a talent show! My district performed a little song, basically a jingle bells parody, it was pretty good! I've definitely learned how to have a good time while on the mission, I couldn't really help it though! It's just my personality, but at the same time we work hard! It's weird cause some days it feels like maybe I am the trainer? Ha my comp has days where he is super "burnt" which basically means he doesn't wanna do anything! In the mornings he doesn't like to study, I've learned how to be a good example though and just study away and try and do everything I can! I don't waste any time while on the mission, because I have so much more to learn, and the times to study are never enough!

Another good thing this week was we had Blitzes. Basically the other missionaries in our District come up and we work in our area for the day. While doing that I taught with Elder Gold (He is from Centerville) and during that I actually invited my first person to be baptized! It wasn't like a "woah!" moment, basically just felt like a missionary! ha But it's pretty good to see how I am really learning how to teach so much better! Well really I am learning more doctrine and everything so really I just know more stuff to teach now! One thing that has been useful though is that I realized that although I may not know a ton, or may not have known a ton coming into this, that allowed me to really jump into everything wanting to learn. Also with that it made me realize how important those things are that I am learning. With all that in mind though, I have come to know how powerful testimony is. I may not know everything, and probably never will, but I have a testimony of the things I do know to be true. And because of the things I have gone through I am able to teach from the heart, and that is more powerful than remembered words!

It was too weird this week though, I'm tellin you Canada is getting more weird as the days go on. I saw a Zamboni driving down the street. It blew my mind. There are seriously hockey rinks everywhere, which is weird too! I am still getting used to this whole kilometers and celcius thing, I am stubborn though. I kinda just ball park it and call it good. It just gets cold, and who cares what the temperature is, right!?

The work is going pretty good though. We found a new investigator this last week which was awesome! Most we find are formers and haven't been taught forever, so it works out for us! Tracting really is not successful up here, we still do it though! We got one Less active family back to church, and an investigator family of kids( her mom is a less active, and due to legal causes can't be baptized yet), so we had 12 new people at Church this last week! Speaking of church though, being such a small town, we had a potluck after church on sunday! it was awesome! haha people just love getting together up here!

I am having fun, sometimes probably too much fun for a missionary! I can't help it though! haha and the time is going by faster and faster already! I feel good about what is happening, but continue to keep me in your prayers! They are felt, and when the times are hard, I can feel the love from everyone back at home! Have a wonderful Christmas season! I love you all very much! Remember to always give all that you can to the others that are less fortunate! We are all very blessed!

Love,

Elder McFall

Additional excerpts from family letter

It's true about the family stuff (Proclamation to the Family), and yea it has been nice to be able to have all the resources we do have! The things we have are definitely for our time on the earth right now! Modern day revelation is the best! I will share more but I will have like my first baptism sorta! Basically the girl is gonna wait til March for her cousin, but yea so that will be awesome! This same family we have basically reactivated and between our investigators last Sunday we had 12 more people back at church that are either less actives or investigators! I won't lie, it's been tough some days. I really do miss home, but it's a good type of miss. I can feel your prayers. I read my patriarchal blessing quite frequently, and what a blessing that is. The scriptures are something I have found a lot of joy in thus far, I will probably finish the Book of Mormon again later this week, and I have found that this time as I have really studied it and wanted to know more, I have retained so much more than before! It's cool to see how things start to jump out to you and principles are repeated just like telling you in your face how important they are! The teaching has been pretty good. Our numbers are pretty good also. We found one new investigator last week, which was really cool. We don't have a lot of times where it feels like we just teach lessons, definitely a lot of finding! But the biggest thing I've found is to be myself as I teach. It's nice because of how I love to talk to people, it helps tremendously. And as I have seen my knowledge continue to grow, I can teach people in a much different way than I am used to!

I am getting the hang of this mission thing for sure! I can't believe I have been in Canada 3 weeks already! What a trip! It's nice though, I am enjoying it! I have a lot of fun too, which helps! I make my companion laugh, and the members laugh all the time! Hopefully not to the point where they think I am ridiculous, I think that is just kinda my tool to win people over haha it's good because that really is who I am! I am serious when I teach, but the serious me is not the serious of other people! I feel good about it though! Trust is such a big thing with 'gators that you really do have to be yourself!

Something else as I have grown so much with my testimony and everything is how I look forward to eternal families, and with that I mean being sealed to my future wife and family. I don't even know how to explain how much that brings joy to my life. It's incredible! Something I was thinking about is how I have come such a far way along. Looking back at where I was a year ago almost blows my mind. The atonement is easily the most incredible gift that we could ever receive. And during this Christmas season I was thinking about that. How I always wanted the nice things, how I always seemed to have those nice things. But yet the thing that has brought me the most joy is the Atonement. I have seen already on my mission how I have begun to more fully utilize the atonement. I have seen how my mission already has blessed my life more than I could put into words. Already to feel the way I do about this gospel, to want to share this with everyone I meet; and really to let other people see the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ in their lives is something I never have wanted before. It is truly amazing. I find myself sometimes dumbfounded at the Love our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for each and every one of us. Cherish that.

Elder McFall and Elder Johnson