Week 85 – Happy Canada Day!

I can't believe it, time has been flying by and the weeks are getting shorter and shorter. Not sure what to do about that though, so I just keep the head down and plow through! We have had some really neat experiences lately. As of late, we have really been looking for that understanding of how we can really internalize our purpose, and by doing so how we can truly be purpose driven to find those that need to feel of our Savior's Atonement into their lives. There are two stories I feel impressed to share!

First was with Sister Santiago, she is a member returning to activity the last little while. We got in there and we really started to discuss what we do in our lives that hold us back from truly and fully partaking of the Atonement and the gospel of Jesus Christ. We had a really good discussion of what things hold her back in her life. But things led to another, scriptures really started to come to my mind about what she needs and my companion did the same. I absolutely love being able to testify, with absolute surety, that God loves us. That as a son or daughter of our Heavenly Father, we are entitled to blessings and experiences that we all desire in our lives. I love being able to then help them feel that love. Each time I get a glimpse of what it must be like for our Father. 

The next was just yesterday with Brother Tagabuan. He is such a good man. We shared our thoughts feelings about the Book of Mormon. He as well has not been able to attend church for a while now. As we got talking, he started opening to us about how he felt we were the answer to his prayers and he needed us there. That what we can bring to him was an absolute necessity in his life. But it made me think, regardless of our circumstance, there is always something we should be able to do, that is read from the scriptures and pray to our Father in Heaven, nobody can take those two blessings away from us except ourselves. He asked us to come over every week now and help him as he has been struggling spiritually. Well consider it done, even if it is a 30 minute drive! 

Do you remember the time I talked about a guy named Cedric? Well our bishop, Bishop Dorado, invited him over again and we had a nice get together this last weekend as well. We were able to get to know one another a lot better, and ended with a good message and discussion about the Book of Mormon. It is great to be working alongside the bishop while we move forward each and every day with him. He has a desire to learn, now we just have to do everything we can to give him those opportunities! 

Did some finding and teaching this week, the usual things. Things are coming around. I wish I had more of an update on Josephine. We taught her again this week and she is still accepting of the doctrine, I know she knows it is true. But she is just getting a real catch on some of the doctrines. Yes, membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is hard; we are required to give much, in fact all. We have so many tasks we may feel burdened with. But when we consider what we have been asked, and compare that to what our Savior went through to bring us the gift of salvation, I guess things don't seem so bad. Yes, we have to sacrifice, we must be obedient, but so did He. Salvation was not easy; neither should membership and activity in the only church that brings salvation and eternal life either.

I love you all! I'll talk to you soon! Oh and transfers call were today.. I am starting my 3rd to last transfer. Still up here with Elder Ustare... no surprise there! Should be good to finish off this training.

Love, Elder McFall

There are some real sights up in Chinatown.

The District

Week 84 - The sun is shrinking!

Probably isn't the most accurate I realize, but the days are already getting shorter again! It has been weird the last while as we really haven't seen the darkness at all! When we wake up, the sun is already up, when we go to sleep, the sun is still setting. The life of living even just this far up north is a little different! I love it though! Well I love it because it isn't winter where it is dark all the time! This week was eventful for sure! Where to begin...

We picked up a couple new investigators this week, some that the Lord has really prepared to hear the message of the Restoration. I think what I am realizing more and more is that our Father's children are truly being gathered and it is simply up to us. Not just us as full-time missionaries, because simply the work will not move forward in its intended way unless we work together. We have been getting some good support from our ward in helping us as we work with the people in our teaching pools. The new investigator that I am pretty excited for is Jane. She is from Ghana, she is here with her entire family so her husband and four kids, very Christian as well. The only difficulty is apparently in Ghana, is is a profession to be a prophet, so when we began teaching about prophets it was just a, "absolutely there are prophets, I have seen tons back home!" well, I think we missed the boat a little bit on that one. We are working on that though! Another investigator who is willing to act is a girl named Penny. She has been reading the Book of Mormon with her daughter ever since she got it and she really just wants to find that faith again and feels this could be it in her life. We just started teaching, so nothing to new yet!

The Lord really does place us into the paths of those that have sought him in prayer. Each week we have our hour where we can go to Mormon.org. lds.org, etc. to just check things out. This last week I went in and sat down at my computer when the girl next to me just gives us a "hey elders" well hmm, okay let's see where this goes! She turns out to be a member, who hasn't attended in years. She has really been thinking about church lately, has actually wanted to come back, but didn't really know where or any details that were needed for that. The other really cool thing was a little while back the elders, I guess just before I got here, helped them move into their apartment. (You think I would have heard about this before...) but anyways, her boyfriend she is living with agreed for every swear word he would take a discussion. Well, he had 5 discussions to take still! She calls him while we are sitting there and he readily accepts and then we get into how his 3 kids he wants to find a church to have them baptized! Well looks like we have a winner! They were all there this last Sunday at church, and now the ball is going to start rollin' forward! 

Update with Josephine. We taught her 3 times this last week, which was good. She has just been soaking it up. We have been going through the last few commandments to prepare her for her baptism. We covered tithing this week; well that is when everything changed. She understands the commandment, agrees we should pay it. But not yet. I know she has felt the spirit, I feel that we have had two of the most powerful lessons with her over this last weekend, but something is still missing. It is this principle of sacrifice. I casually asked her the baptismal interview questions; she would pass the interview for understanding and testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph. We are really praying to know how else we can help her see that this sacrifice is something she can do. So this was Saturday and Sunday, so as of now she is seeking and praying for a baptismal date and the next step she is going to take. She is ready, she just needs to realize that! 

We had our zone conference this last week, it was really neat. We went all over the Abrahamic Covenant, which is something I have been studying, and really got into who we are. But not just that, we got into the gathering of Israel and the work that we are doing and its connection to that same Abrahamic Covenant. Something that stuck out was how the Covenant was first introduced to Abraham, then renewed with Isaac and Jacob. But there is one more, with Joseph Smith and the complete Restoration of Christ's church on the earth. It was a neat time! Or in the words of someone I know, it was real lum. 

A scripture I thought to share was in Doctrine and Covenants 25:10, "And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better." We think that everything that we may achieve and obtain in the world is of great value and worth, but simply it will pass and go. For everyone who has made a covenant with our Father in Heaven, this is what you covenanted to, amongst other things. Hopefully we all can live up to these covenants which bind us to the Lord and our Father! I love you all! 

Talk to you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

Week 83 – araw ng mga ama!

Kamusta Kayo?

I think first is to say thanks to each one of you who is a father! Never underestimate your role and ability to change the lives of those around you and the impact you have already made on countless individuals. To stay on that for a second, I also just think to say that don't think that your role as a father is just to those that are your own children, but there are many people to whom you can be  father figure to that need your positive influence and righteousness. 

If I told you we are still having miracles would you believe me? You have to, so I am not worried. I think Josephine is still our miracle with just how well she is doing. As we taught her this week we were able to really answer some good questions as we finished teaching lesson 2-Ang plano ng Kaligtasan at tapos nagtuturo kami sa Lesson 3-ang Ebanghelyo ni Jesucristo. Okay that is all the Tagalog you get. It is probably off a little anyways... haha I am working on it though! She is really just absorbing the teaching and she is understanding how this will change and affect her life. She has been sharing the gospel to all her friends and family back in the Philippines because she wants them to experience what she is going through. She is witnessing her life change, and she wants that for others. Pretty excited for her to say the least. Still just helping her work towards the 5th of July for her Baptism! 

Another miracle would be we are really just starting to find some of those elect that are being prepared to hear the gospel. Remember in 1 Nephi 22:25 "And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep , and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture." Right now there is such a hastening from all corners of the earth for others to hear the message of the restoration and be given the opportunity to accept and act on the message. We are now teaching one family that is from Sierra Leone that have great faith and are willing to experiment upon the word. We will be going over there again tonight to teach more. We are giving a big focus on just allowing them to receive that witness and answer directly from our loving Father in Heaven. Although we can reason things out in the scriptures, that will not bring the same conviction to those truths as would a whispering from the Spirit. The other one, which we have set up for tonight, is a lady and her 4 kids from Ghana. We don't know too much more yet, but tonight we will! One more that I will mention is a brother named Laurent, from Cameroon. He met good old Elder Laceste, my old companion, downtown and they got talking and he wanted to learn more. We gave him a call and he wanted us to come over. We taught him the first lesson, man that spirit was strong. He wanted to come to church, but had to go up to work. But we gave him the address and he wants to go to church up in Dawson Creek where he will be working the next 3 weeks. We will see where it goes! Although it may not seem like much, we are being blessed with opportunities to testify and teach these truths, what more could we really ask! When we are given a chance to testify, the Spirit will then be able to help each and every person to know and understand these truths for themselves. 

This last Saturday was really neat, we were able to attend this Filipino Independence day celebration that was held at the City hall in Edmonton. It was a bunch of just little speeches, dances, and other things. It was a great event for us to be out there and meeting a lot of different people. We were able to get some good contacts that hopefully will pan out in the future. I have really grown to find when you can find something that you can just enjoy with someone you are able to instantly connect and you then sharing your feelings and testimony of the Restoration is one that will flow so naturally, even with a stranger. That was a neat! That night we had our long awaited city wide Filipino Fireside that we had put together. It was held on the south side back in Millwoods. We had between 150-200 people come, a good chunk of non members as well. It was a fun night, tons of food(what do you expect with Filipinos), and just a good opportunity to make friendships. Another side note on that though, right before that started when we got down to the stake center it was a child of record baptism for the Olsen family back in Bearspaw, who I loved! Tons of the ward down there were at the church and so I got to chat with a bunch of them and catch up! It was amazing! I miss those people! They were like family to me, well when you are in an area like that it is kinda bound to happen! It was just so nice to see some old familiar faces and see how they were doing. I guess with that it was nearly the same with The Filipino fireside because it was city wide, so going back to when I was with Elder Laceste covering the entire city I was then able to see a lot of those Filipinos I haven't seen in a while and we were all able to catch up as well! It was just the greatest day!!

Life is good. I have nothing to complain about. I love you all! I was reading more of the general conference talks from this last conference and one that continues to stick out to me is the talk of Elder Richard G. Scott, entitled "I have given you an example". He talks all about how we can love others and by doing so that then allows us to be a part of their live, to change their lives. That coupled with the talk from Pres. Thomas S. Monson, "Love, the Essence of the Gospel", really just helped me think all about how we need to show an increase of love to those around us and allow that love to be given freely to others with no expectation of anything in return. We do things for others simply because that is what our perfect example would do. We do this because this is how we allow others to feel that love that God has for them. If you feel others have wronged you, think back to how many times you have wronged our Father in Heaven and yet he still continues to forgive you. We all need to be filled with a greater measure of mercy to those around us. I say this because of the experiences I am having with those I am working with here on my mission and something I am personally working on. If we can master this principle, we will be able to help multitudes of people in their lives and help them on their way back to their Heavenly Home. I am grateful for all of you back at my earthly home! Love you! Talk to you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

The Tags and flags!

Filiipino fireside. can you see me? haha that is what is funny because I am sooo much taller! that is life...

Filipino Independence Day – at City Hall

Lunch in the park - in between our two wards where we attend sacrament we eat at the park! It's nice!

Week 82 – Just you wait and see.

First I would have to say I completely undersold Josephine in last week’s email. She is a heaven sent gift! But seriously! This last week we were able to teach her twice. Once at the home where she is a nanny for a member family, then the other time also in a members home. I think something that has really stuck out to me throughout this whole process was when we went to teach on Thursday she said. "If you asked me to be baptized I would say yes", then goes on to talk about because she has seen what the gospel has done for the life of the Gatt family and she knows that the teaching would have to be true because of the good it has done. In a conference talk by Elder Holland entitled "Lord, I Believe" He said, "As Peter and John said once to an ancient audience, I say today, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard,” and what we have seen and heard is that “a notable miracle hath been done” in the lives of millions of members of this Church. That cannot be denied". I know this is true with my whole heart. When we invite others to "come and see" We are then putting our lives on display. It gives a whole new meaning to our example is our greatest missionary tool. We are really living a miracle by living the restored gospel. Josephine also attended the baptism of a good brother this last weekend. She is so excited for that day she can be baptized! She has been in Canada for 3 Sundays now, been to church every week because she simply wanted to. Before she got invited, she asked to go. The whole teaching process this far has been powerful. She truly is the very elect of the Lord! Her baptism date is for July 5, and she is so excited and looking forward to it. She is already asking what she can do after she is baptized to help others. 

I got a real nice surprise this last week also. Do you remember a brother named Ken Mukubezi? I would have talked about him probably a month ago or so. Well he has been being taught by Elder Winnie (the Elder Austin Winnie from back home) and his comp Elder Hentunen. Well things went well; Ken got baptized this last weekend. I got a call on Wednesday night from Elder Winnie telling me that Ken had asked for me to baptize him. I feel so blessed to have been a part of his life in helping him receive that ordinance. To be in that position where I went on the Lord's errand, and helped Ken change his eternal course. Honestly it was incredible. And getting that opportunity to baptism him and pull him back from under the baptismal waters is an experience that changes you. Needless to say, there are miracles everywhere around us!

We are still doing all that we can with less-active brothers and sisters here in the ward and in the stake. It is neat to be able to see others reignite that fire that was burned within their souls. The truths of the gospel are absolute. There are many things that will continue to try to pull us away and make us want to doubt, but to see someone revert to that faith they once had, is yet again another miracle happening in their lives. These brothers are just gold, the salt of the earth! There is so much good to be done. 

To share something that has been on my mind a lot recently is really just the absolute need for us to live up to our covenants we have made. To love others as our Father loves us. He loves us all so perfectly, loves us so unconditionally. We need to allow our lives to be further changed by the course that our Father takes us on. So many times do I see people not reaching out to others, don't have that welcome hand or smile. We need to just look up, all of us need to forget ourselves and allow the Lord to bless us as we bless the lives of so many others around us. I am grateful to know that all things in our lives are part of this process of us becoming perfect, as our Father and Savior are. But never, absolutely never, let anything take you away from the truths that are found in this church. 

Miracles are everywhere around us, go find them.

Love you. Talk to you soon.

Elder McFall

Ken Mukubezi’s Baptism

                                                     Elder Winnie & I

                                      Elder Ustare and I with President and Sister Mannion

Week 81 – Git'r done

 

There is so much to be done! This has been a time of us feeling that we have been doing absolutely everything in our power just to find someone to teach, or to find someone that we can align our schedules with and we can meet with some of the investigators we have! Last week it was pretty well a week of hearing the phone go off and it was for sure a cancellation, this week we were really able to get the ball rolling! Not that we have done anything differently, just quite simply the Lord is blessing us! That is the biggest thing; all of this is simply a trial of our faith. "Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them." Alma 1:25. It does feel that as a missionary I have been called to go through some persecution! I LOVE IT! But seriously. Hindsight continues to prove that God is in charge, he was using whether it be a person or situation to help me become more fully a disciple and a more converted missionary. I am grateful for knowledge of how aware my Father in Heaven is of me and all that I do as I serve as a full-time missionary.

Story time!! There is a lot, I told you we were being blessed in a multitude of ways. First was meeting a lady named Haja, from Sierra Leone. We felt impressed to stay in the area after knocking a door to follow up with some old names on our ward list. Side note, where we were knocking we already knew it was going to be about 98% Muslim, so we could get bashed the whole time. We start going and yes, things are proving to be as we expected until we knock a door and this lady you can sense her desire to listen. It is interesting how you can discern that. Anyways, we start teaching about the Restoration on her doorstep and she just says that she has been looking for a church; she has been trying to figure out where to go to worship! Bingo! It was just a neat opportunity to be able to find someone like that with such faith. The next was with another potential investigators husband... I forgot his name though because he is also from Sierra Leone and I didn't fully understand his accent, at first. My bad. But we followed up and we got into this great gospel conversation right away and began talking about faith, the bible and truths it teaches, applications of these teachings our Savior brought us. I am grateful for one that I am able now to teach someone right from the bible, and help them immediately accept teachings from the Book of Mormon and how they support one another. He just started going on about teachings and things he believed that didn't match from other churches, the neat thing was as he said this it was all things that we do believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Teachings that upon him saying it, I wasn't sure if it was latter day revelation or not! He is so prepared to receive the restored gospel! He left us with something that really stuck. He was like, "you know when you got here I was tired, I had a meeting in a little while, I wasn't in the mood to really talk. But after talking to you I feel at peace, I feel light and happy." He went on to say, "you are changing people’s lives whether you realize it or not, in fact, you are changing the world." Well okay I am alright with that! It was really a great blessing for him to say.

Okay wow I totally forgot about our new investigator! Her name is Josefine! She is from the Philippines! She was a member referral. She is now a nanny for a member family and wants to learn more. She grew up reading the bible and attending a catholic church, but she never felt that peace when she went to church. When she went to our church for the first time she felt that peace she felt as she read the bible. We taught her, basically all in Tagalog, I only bore testimony and introduced the Book of Mormon actually in Tagalog, but I was trying my best! She is incredibly prepared to receive the gospel! There is more to come!

Okay I can keep going. We had a Canada wide stake conference broadcast from SLC this last weekend. The Saturday adult session was locally held though and shared via satellite (see photo). In that Elder Ustare and I were specially invited to bear our testimonies and share why we decided to come on our missions. It was really neat to be able to tell that broad audience the great blessings I have received and testify of truths I have come to know. It was definitely a cool opportunity!

Family & Friends! I love you! Keep the faith! Stay true to what you have obtained through your own diligent scripture study and prayer! And was was said by Pres. Uchtdorf, I add my own plea, "Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your faith"

Love, Elder McFall

Pretty cool eh? Buddy snapped it as it was via satellite up to Yellowknif​e