Week 102 – Count 'em on your toes

I guess that would only work if you have 10 toes, if you have more or less, then ask a friend. I have no idea where time has gone my friends! This week, how to explain it. Something that has really stuck out to me and I have gained a testimony of on my mission is the principle of accountability. As I near the end of my mission, the end of my time here in my area, I have really been reflecting on the lessons I have learned and the time I have spent. There was an experience this week that has really caused to just have an overwhelming spirit of gratitude. Since I got here in the area we have been working with the Fisher family, mostly brother Fisher to reactivate him. Throughout this process there has been a constant focus on the temple and covenants that need to be made there. It has been one of those experiences working with him that has had moments of just pure frustration, glimmers of hope, but just an overall feeling of we haven't made it that far until recently. We have been pushing and pushing, trying to help him. There have been so many roadblocks come, but there was a huge step this week. We had a great meeting with him and our bishop and really got everything put where it needs to be. I mean the work that it even took to have that meeting, what a trip. As we sat in that meeting, I had such an overwhelming love for this individual, I really see him the way our Father must see him, well really just a glimpse I imagine. Brother Fisher has been coming to church much more regularly and consistently, his whole attitude changing. The Atonement is beginning to transform an individual; this is why I am on my mission.  Sure there are many reasons why, but really to allow others to have the Atonement transform their life, this is what the gospel is there for. 

Had an opportunity to teach a guy named Colin this week, definitely a really great guy. He is a very devout Christian, but willing to talk with us and see what we are all about. I love being able to testify of these truths, to explain how we got to where we are. I look forward to the next time we get to teach him and get into more details about the restoration and Joseph Smith. I am so grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Lord restoring His church through him with all the necessary priesthood keys to enable the human family to reach exaltation. It has been good. 

We had a great member referral this week from Sister Santiago, guy named Andy. What a prepared individual. Just to be able to testify with absolute confidence that we do know the purpose of why we are here, to know what we are supposed to be doing with our lives and know where we are going. We focused on teaching him about Joseph Smith and about the Book of Mormon, and it just clicked with him. Only struggle now will be the teaching because he does shift work, what a struggle! He will definitely move forward though and I see good things coming his way.

This weekend there was a couple Filipino families that kind of gave me a farewell party/belated birthday party! It was a ton of fun! I really hope this week to just get everything done that I need before heading home this next week! Lots of people I need to talk with and see before I head out of here, but there is so much work to be done! I just can't believe this is my last full week as a missionary. These two years have been amazing. I hope it will all come around now at this point and come together. What a blessing it has been. I'll see you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

Week 101 – It's a great day to be alive.

I love life. With that in mind, I am not really sure how to describe the week that we had. It was good, definitely one of those goods where you have to really take a look from the outside and determine that by what the Lord tells you. We made some great progress with Jessi, and that would be for one specific reason. Well for this to make sense I will tell you a story. So we went over to Jessi's this week to just get something put in order, we haven't really been able to meet her, she has been real dodgy, just not really showing commitment. We really have been looking to figure out what is going. Well we go over and you can tell something is a bit off, but nothing serious. Well she opens right up and just explains her concern and what really has been keeping her back. Just a lot about feeling inadequate and not wanting to be a hypocrite by going to church when she is still making all of these mistakes. We explained more fully the doctrine of going to church and helped her to recognize that she isn't doing this for us, we don't invite her to do anything out of obligation towards either of us, but all in an effort to help her have greater blessings in her life. The part that helped all of this come together and she opened up, she was just a little drunk, enough to take that edge off. Looks like there are blessings to alcohol sometimes... Okay not really! But hopefully when we see her again, which is tomorrow, she won't be too embarrassed about all of that. 

Saw Kennedy this week. He has been struggling that is for sure. He now moved again, but once again in just a terrible environment. We start teaching him and then his roommates are smoking weed in the other room. I just want to help this guy, I really do. He has such a good heart and a desire to do good, just needs a helping hand. The members are absolutely key as there are things that we just simply can't do as missionaries to help others out. We talked about a few ideas to help him to feel the power of his conversion to the Lord once more, to rekindle that flame of testimony of the restored church of Jesus Christ, and he really does want to get things going. I think the thing that will make the most difference at this point is just going to be helping him develop those daily patterns. There is much to be learned from the Lord's Prayer, but the part I want to just mention is how it says, "Give us this day our DAILY bread." Just like the children of Israel, we can't store up a bunch of manna and hope that it will keep and we will be alright. We need a daily habit of scriptures and prayer, those are a bare minimum, for us to experience true conversion and really receive all of the Lord's intended blessings. Kennedy came up to the stake Halloween party though, that was great. We dressed up as missionaries, pretty original! 

There is a good brother that lives in the area that I just don't know what more I can do for him. I met him when I first got to the area and have seen him all through different times since I have been here, his name is Eric, by the way. He keeps his faith burning bright, regardless of the many challenged that have come his way. He extends a helping hand, just for that person to turn around and burn him in the end. Yet all through this, he knows that God has a plan for all things. Well we stopped by this week when prompted by the Spirit, to find him cleaning as they got evicted from the place they are living. They are now homeless. He can't work due to medical reasons, doctors order, and his wife is doing her absolute best but still just need to catch a break. We just got talking on his porch as we usually do and I just felt such a love for this man. He is a rough guy, wears like Black Sabbath t shirts, beard, smokes, listens to heavy rock music, yet I simply see him as a son of our Heavenly Father, who is doing his best in his situation. It just gave me such a testimony that God will put us through trials, this we know, but really the test is how we respond. That is what defines Character, I believe. When things are tough, when the pressure is there, what choices are you going to make? Of course, Eric isn't perfect, but he maintains a faith and a desire to follow the Lord. Now if we could just get him to follow the teachings of Christ the way we know it. Every time we see him he talks about what a blessing it is and what a the breath of fresh air we are. The day I met him, gosh I still will never forget that. I am going to miss these people up here so much. So many connections with people, not even investigators, but just the people you run into in your daily activities.

Things with Brother Fisher, our less active we have been working with since I got here, well they are coming. I have been pushing so hard to get things in order for that family. They need the blessings of the temple, I know this without a doubt. There is no sacrifice for the temple that isn't worth making. The sealing blessings that have come through the restoration are absolutely real. This is a life of covenant keeping and making. I am grateful for that. I know I won't be here for that great step, but I can do my very best to support them even when I return home. 

Not too much else. Lots of thing to do I tell you! Two weeks my friends. Got to get this all in order! I love you all! I'll talk to you soon.

Love, Elder McFall

Week 100 – Thanksgiving, birthdays, baptisms

It has been pretty stellar since I last wrote you. Epic would probably be a good way to put it. I love missionary work, I love being a missionary, I love Canada. Definitely going to miss this. I will start with a good man named Ramez Habbash. A less active that I got a hold of a month back or so, he was just about to go back to Jordan-the country. He is from Jordan and has been a member of our church since 1995, but has been less active for a while due to family circumstance. He reads and prays but couldn't attend church. Well, I called him and we had the chance to go over there and meet him, he had asked for a blessing. As we got talking it was yet another absolute witness of God's love and his knowledge of His children. He knows us perfectly and when we listen to the spirit, we are then able to go on His errand. He talked about how when I called, it was the exact moment he needed it. So grateful to have met him and helped his progression back into the gospel. He is in Londonderry ward, so not my ward, but the elders there will do great with him.

We were able to teach Jessie this week, and it went well! We more or less just had a good heart to heart and just reestablished those expectations and what she is going to need to do for this to change her life and she wants it to. Still struggling to get her to church, everything is in place, but then she hurt like her ankle and that got in the way. Frustrating? Absolutely. We will keep going though and see what we can do. I really do see so much potential in her and I know she knows this is a good path to follow, now we just need a little more commitment. 

Taught a new fella named Ryan. I think in my old age, as a missionary, I have become a much more bold missionary, and just laid it out on the line. He had a lot of things that came from, well bad sources and set that straight with pure doctrine. He just soaked it up. Absolutely what he needed. Now we just need to keep things regular and it will be well. I am excited to see where that will go with him. He used to work for a Mormon guy so that has been helpful as well though. When I say he had false info it was because he had info from his friend, which was good, then through time and the internet it became a little blurred. 

This last week I was able to give a talk in Sacrament meeting. I loved it! I seriously love talking so much, just being able to teach others the things I have come to know, I love it. It was all about faith. Interesting, my first talk-my farewell, and then one of the last talks I give is on faith. A principle that has carried me through my entire mission and something I have worked to cultivate and really develop. I gave examples from the scriptures, Abinadi, Joseph Smith, and Peter, then Josephine the lady I taught. Definitely loved that. 

Had my birthday this last weekend on Sunday, so we made it into a celebration weekend, it was a good time. I have eaten lots of cake, which is a good thing though! Yesterday, Canadian Thanksgiving, we went to the Edmonton Eskimos game! They are in the CFL, and it was so much fun! We sat Row 11. Great seats! How did we get our tickets? Well we went to go buy them, started talking to one of those like ticket peddlers, got a good deal. Had to go get money from an ATM in a bar... haha that was kinda funny... then we went. It was a blast though! Absolutely loved it! Then had two big ol suppers for Thanksgiving! I was stuffed! 

Last but definitely not least. The baptism of Patrick Kemle went super well! He loved it. And just seeing him be able to make that change and come closer to our Savior, it was incredible. He has changed so much in such a short amount of time. You can see the desire and his want to just improve his life. To see how the gospel of Jesus Christ can transform an individual, I loved it. Just seeing his face, his spirit. What a day. 

LIFE IS GOOD. I love my mission. I have loved every moment of it. Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes! I love you all! I'll talk to you soon!

Love, Elder McFall

Patrick’s baptism!

Birthday Fun

Canadian Thanksgiving - Filipino Style

P-Day fun at the Edmonton Eskimo's Game

Week 99 – FORE

If you can't tell, I went golfing today. I LOVED IT! If you haven't gone recently, you should really consider it and get out there quick. Even though it was like a mini hurricane out there, we had blue skies and open fairways. Had to definitely shake off that rust, you can tell it's been more than a year! But I think the highlight of the day was an almost hole out from about 65 yards, put it to about 8 inches! It was just great to be out there again and enjoy the day with my comp! The great creations of the Lord I tell you! I am just trying to make these last few pdays count. Next Monday we have an Edmonton Eskimos game on slate for Canadian Thanksgiving. Hopefully that all works out! 

I absolutely loved General Conference. I loved every minute of it. It came so quickly and left so quickly, kinda like Christmas does! If I had to choose some highlights or talks that really stuck out would be the always Elder Holland, just the way he can express his thoughts and give us the doctrine so clearly. I think one that I absolutely loved was Jorg Klebingat of the Seventy. He was so plain with his speech, yet it was just such a call to action. One of the greatest lessons I have learned of my mission, that I truly hope to apply, is simply by never becoming stagnant in life, especially the life of discipleship. There is so much to do to be able to continue to move forward and move closer to the Lord. That is what I need. That is in fact what we all need. I took a few questions in to conference, and I was richly blessed. I am grateful for that. It just further gave me witness of the absolute truth of the restoration. I know it is true, I know it without a doubt in my heart. Nobody, absolutely nobody can take that knowledge from me. We NEED this gospel. We NEED our savior. Knowing about Him, is good. Now work to emulate his example and this is best. 

We taught a fella named Tony this week. He has gone through some difficulty, it being capped by losing his 8 year old daughter last January. He made a promise to her he would start going to church, well it never happened. I feel to just say, if you have made a goal or promise to yourself, get going and make it happen. Too often we let things slip and too much of life is spent missing out on our true potential. But anyways, He really is such a good guy and we are hoping to be able to really help him make that connection, we will see what we can do.

We had a guy I taught a while back and just been keeping in touch over texts the last while, he came out to General Conference and really enjoyed it. We gave him a church tour after and will be meeting with him tomorrow morning. Things are coming around, I can't deny that. I think one of the biggest difficulties of my mission is just wanting things to happen faster! We will see what we can do though.

I had the chance to be able to go see Patrick and those he lives with, three of them are now taking the lessons as well. He is so excited for his baptism this Saturday, and I am so excited for him as well. He has changed so quickly, the spirit has just been transforming him. I am grateful to have met him while serving here. 

Gotta jet my friends. I love you all! I'll talk to you soon. 

Love, Elder McFall

Miss a talk in conference? Click here to watch.

 Golfing!