Week 14 - Hello down in the USA!

Hello!

I do hope you have all had a great week! Also I hope you had a good Valentines and Presidents day! It was a good time I guess, we didn't do anything special though. No fancy dinners with the companion..bummer. To clarify, Family Day in Canada is practically just a made up holiday that even the Canadians don't know why they have it! But it was a good one, got to go out and have some fun with some families, especially with it being on our P-day!

This week was eventful! I went on two exchanges. The first up in Slave Lake with an Elder Mendoza. It was a good experience, serving in a different area with someone new is always kind of fun! The other was up in Athabasca with Elder Skousen. We knocked tons of doors, taught some people all the good stuff. We had a different tracting experience though! We knocked this door in like a lakeside community in the hills, so to begin with it's a little sketchy. Anyways, we knock on the door of this guy and turns out he got out of prison like two weeks prior to us being there. Not only prison but he was in solitary! He was wild, but we had such a good chat with him, I ended up leaving him with a Book of Mormon! who knows what will happen there! It's exciting times as a missionary! It was fun though!

I've got good news!! We have a new investigator!!! oh the joy! She was found in our formers(People who used to investigate the church. I know missionaries have strange lingo sometimes). Anyways, she is a school teacher over in Westlock. We have been trying to get an appt with her for like 2 months then finally we got the chance to sit down with her. But before all that, when we set the time to come back, just with talking to her on her doorstep we were able to figure out the problem that made her quit investigating. This is something that missionaries before us could not quite figure out! But right there we were able to figure out what she needed, and with further study and everything we were able to bring her a lesson that was perfect for her! We have a return appt not until next week just due to her busy schedule with reports coming up but we shall see what happens!!

Okay something else, I will be getting my first new companion tomorrow! Elder Johnson has expired, and now he will go down to Londonderry in the city. I have enjoyed serving with him. I was able to learn a lot from both the things he did do, and things he didn't do. It helped me grow, it helped me I guess step up and realize what needed to be done all the time! Which was good for me! I will be getting Elder Batchuluun who is from Mongolia! He is a good time, I think we should be able to do some good work up here in Barrhead! It'll be different though having my first new comp! Oh the excitement!

Something I have been thinking about a lot is forgiveness lately. So here is the Elder McFall Message. Christ talks about how we must forgive, to be forgiven. The hard part isn't the understanding, it is the application. How many times have each of us been wronged and we did not want to ever forgive for that unspeakable thing we had done to us? Okay now give this a thought, what did Christ truly do while kneeling in the Garden of Gethsemane? He took on all we have ever done, all we ever felt, all we ever will feel and do. And with that he gave us the forgiveness that we could not do for ourselves. Through atonement we are able to receive mercy enough to satisfy the Justice of God. We will never be good enough, we constantly sin, but what does the gospel teach? That our sins will be continually forgiven if we have that broken heart and contrite spirit, that is all that is asked. Now to go back, why should it then be so hard for each of us to forgive, when every single day we are asking forgiveness for the things we have done? How is that fair at all? We must strive each day to be Christ like. That covers all aspects of our lives, we cannot pick and choose the points of doctrine or principles we will apply and live in our lives. Hopefully that made sense, if not pray about it and you will understand!

I hope you all are having a wonderful week. You are in my prayers! I love you all!

Love, Elder McFall

Our Zone Group