Week 66

10/30/17

I'm sorry everybody, but I don't have much to write about this week! 

My companion, Sister Berenyi, is getting transferred... :( I'm really sad that she is leaving me after only six weeks. I know she is going to have a great time in her new area with her follow up trainer though. The work hasn't really been happening here so hopefully she will have more success in Woodburn.

I'm staying here in Lebanon and my new companion is Sister Butler. I'm excited to meet her! She is coming from my last area so we'll have lots to talk about. 

We had an awesome Sabbath yesterday! Sister Berenyi and I both spoke in Sacrament meeting on missionary work and then, since it was fifth Sunday, the adults were combined for third hour and Bishop asked us to teach about missionary work. He ended up having the youth join as well, so we basically taught the whole ward about how they can do missionary work! It was so great! We have a great ward that does amazing at their missionary efforts. I know we will see the fruits of all the hard work being done in the Pioneer Ward!

I've been studying in our new Preach My Gospel chapter and I really loved this quote by Elder Ballard on setting goals.

"Over the years, I have observed that those who accomplish the most in this world are those with a vision for their lives, with goals to keep them focused on their vision and tactical plans for how to achieve them. Knowing where you are going and how you expect to get there can bring meaning, purpose, and accomplishment to life. . . . A goal is a destination or an end, while a plan is the route by which you get there. . . . A key to happiness lies in understanding what destinations truly matter—and then spending our time, e ort, and attention on the things that constitute a sure way to arrive there.” 

I'm really bad at setting goals haha, but I've really been working on that on my mission. It feels so good when you actually accomplish a goal that you wrote down and made a plan for and seems like it is so much easier to get there when you make those specific plans.

I hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween! Have a great week!

Love,

Sister MacKay

Week 65

10/23/17

You know, I'll be honest with you and say that this week was full of disappointments. It wasn't a terrible week because the Lord always blesses us and when we look for those blessings things just always seem better. We have no one to teach still. We have been trying to find people and no one we talk to is interested. But a great miracle from that has been in the ward. Once Bishop found out that we didn't have people to teach he talked to the ward council about how they need to be looking for missionary opportunities and be bold enough to invite people to come to church or meet with the missionaries, etc... . We have seen an increase in referrals and we're also blessed with the opportunity to not only speak in Sacrament meeting next Sunday, but also to present the third hour lesson, all on missionary work. 

Another miracle we have seen is how we can touch people's lives as we follow the Spirit. We contacted a man who had been referred to us by a non member friend of his. The man was not interest but before we left, I felt prompted to tell him how we had been referred to him. I told him how when we were talking to his friend, we had asked if he "knew anyone who could use a message that would help them find happiness and peace?" He immediately thought of this friend and got his address for us. When we told this man that story his eyes lit up and he smiled. He asked if that was true and seemed very surprised that someone had thought of him. It made me realize that we are way to scared to refer our friends because we think they will be offended by our offer. In reality, it actually makes people feel good to hear that someone had thought of them! This happened multiple times this week. 

Go to LDS.org and search the video, You Never Know.

Sister Berenyi and I watched this video this week and it really touched us. We were having a really rough day, and really didn't want to do anymore. We felt pretty useless. So we sat down to prepare a dinner message and this video came to my mind. Haha, we cried when we watched it. It is so true! We never really know just how much good we do everyday! 

I also found this quote from Conference that I felt like really applied to our week haha.

"No, following the Savior will not remove all of your trials. However, it will remove the barriers between you and the help your Heavenly Father wants to give you. God will be with you. He will direct your steps. He will walk beside you and even carry you when your need is greatest." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Oct. 2017)

Love,

Sister MacKay

Week 64

10/16/17

I feel like so much happened this week but then I also feel like I can't remember anything that happened haha so we will see how this goes.

So on Thursday we went to the Relief Society president's house and we helped her press apples to make apple cider. We made 12 gallons, it was so much fun because she has an old fashion press so I got to manually crank it to get the juice out. It didn't feel like much work but the next day my arms were sore haha. It was great and she let us take some home and it is delicious!

We also got to help another member with one of her projects. She had a bunch of old jeans that she needed cut up and she isn't supposed to use her wrist too much so we got to cut those up for her. I cut my knuckle open during that project haha, but I'm okay now :)

We had Zone Conference and got to learn all about our new phones and how we are going to be using online proselyting. We spent all day, from 7:30am-3:00pm learning about the rules and guidelines. We also got a new chapter for Preach My Gospel to replace chapter 8. It made me sad to tape it in over my notes and stuff but they asked us to not use chapter 8 anymore. Anyway, that was a long day but we learned a lot. Right after that we got flu shots... yay. Sister Berenyi and I got to go first because we had to leave right away since we were going to the temple right after that. Luckily it was nice and quick and painless. But we payed for it on Sunday when I was super sick, we missed Stake Conference. That was sad.

The temple was great though!! We drove up there with a member and we met Tracy there. She has been waiting to do the work for her brother and it was so incredible the Spirit that filled that room as the member was baptized as proxy for Tracy's brother. We all felt like he had accepted it, lots of tears haha. That was a really great experience and I'm so grateful that we got to be there with Tracy for it.

Helaman 7:29

"29 Behold now, I do not say that these things shall be, of myself, because it is not of myself that I know these things; but behold, I know that these things are true because the Lord God has made them known unto me, therefore I testify that they shall be."

I read this scripture in my studies this morning. Each of us has to come to know for ourselves that this is Jesus Christ's church on the earth, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that Joseph Smith really was called as a prophet and through him the church, and everything in it, was restored. So my invitation this week is for each of you to pray to know, or receive that confirmation again, that this is true.

Love,

Sister MacKay

Week 63

10/9/18

BRIAN GOT BAPTIZED!!!!!

I am so grateful that I've been able to witness the miracles of the gospel in people's lives. I'm especially grateful the experiences I've had with Pam and Brian and their baby Conner :) I love them so much and I feel God's love for them so strongly! I hope you all are taking advantage of the opportunities around you to help bless other people with the gospel.

"While the duty to warn is felt especially keenly by prophets, it is a duty shared by others as well. In fact, 'it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.' We who have received a knowledge of the great plan of happiness--and its implementing commandments--should feel a desire to share that knowledge since it makes all the difference here and in eternity. And if we ask, 'Who is my neighbor that I should warn?' surely the answer will be found in a parable that begins, 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves,' and so forth." (D. Todd Christofferson, April 2017)

So this week we lost all of our investigators...none of them were interested in meeting with us anymore. We are taking a step back from teaching Paul because we really don't feel like we should have him be baptized until he has the family support he needs. That was hard to do, especially since we no longer have anyone to teach but we are trying to trust that the Lord will bless us with those who are prepared for the gospel. It was so cool in Ward Council, Bishop Corbett, after finding out that we no longer have people to teach, asked the Ward council how they were going to help us find new investigators. They brainstormed some ideas and Bishop asked them to come next time with missionary experiences! That alone is a miracle to me because the work truly cannot be done by just the missionaries. I'm so grateful that Bishop Corbett recognizes that and has a desire to help us. Immediately following Ward Council, we got two referrals! I know that we are going to blessed because of the faith of our ward members and their willingness to reach out and share the gospel.

"Often we describe a miracle as being healed without a full explanation by medical science or as avoiding catastrophic danger by heeding a clear prompting. However, defining a miracle as 'a beneficial event brought about through divine power that mortals do not understand' gives an expanded perspective into matters more eternal in nature. This definition also allows us to contemplate the vital role of faith in the receipt of a miracle.

Moroni taught, 'Neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith.' Ammon proclaimed, 'God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles.' The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith, 'For I am God, … and I will show miracles … unto all those who believe on my name.'" (Donald L. Hallstrom, Oct. 2017)

Sorry for this one being so short, hopefully next week I'll have a little more to write about :)

Love,

Sister MacKay

Week 62

10/2/17

Big changes are happening in the Oregon Salem Mission! We found out that this Zone Conference we will be receiving smartphones and get to online proselyte! 

Dear Oregon Salem Missionaries,

The Missionary Department has informed us that we will now be a smart phone and online proselyting mission!!! We will also have access to District 3 which will teach us how to use online proselyting. Much of this is made possible because the Brethren know that this is an obedient, diligent mission. Online proselyting content will be available on the missionary portal on October 1st, and the online proselyting applications will be available on October 25th.

You will be trained in your upcoming zone conference.

Online proselyting and social media are not authorized until after all zone conferences and training are completed, October 25th.

With great anticipation,

President Tateoka

Yay! I'm so excited to see how this helps the work progress here! 

“I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse” (“When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, 10). 

Prophecy being fulfilled! I love being a missionary! 

In other news, Brian passed his interview!!!! I am so incredibly excited for him. In the seven ish weeks I've known him I've seen him go from someone who wasn't even sure that there was a God, to someone who believes whole heartedly that God is not only real, but that He is his Father and loves him. Brian has come to know his Savior and understand how to use His Atonement in his life. He knows that Joseph Smith really was a Prophet called by God and that we have a living Prophet today. He has overcome challenges using the Book of Mormon and truly feasts on the words of Christ! I can't believe how lucky I have been to be apart of his conversion process. He really is an elect soul who was prepared for the truthfulness of the gospel. He is going to be a great instrument in the hands of the Lord for the rest of his life. He is going to greatly bless his family as he receives and faithfully exercises his priesthood. He is going to help others come unto Christ by his example and his testimony!

Not only Brian has grown in that time, his wife, Pam, has made huge strides as well! She has returned to activity in the church and her testimony of the gospel has changed so much. As she bore her testimony to Brian and helped him find answers to his questions, she found herself on a journey back to faith. They walked...no, they ran, hand in hand on the path back to the fold. The gospel truly is meant to bless families!

I wish I had some quotes to share from Conference but I'll just share some of my notes and thoughts. 

I really loved President Nelson's talk on the Book of Mormon when he asked, "What would your life be like without the Book of Mormon? What would you not know? What would you not have?" I think if we all seriously took the time to consider our own answers to those questions, some of us would be surprised just how much the Book of Mormon has changed our lives.

I think he talk that I felt applied to me the most though was Donald L. Hallstrom's talk on faith. I just loved how he talked about having the faith to submit to God's will and accept any outcome. He talked about how when we have faith we aren't just going to ask for relief from suffering, we will trust in God's plan for us and go through our trials relying on Christ and His Atonement.

I would love to hear any of your thoughts, comments, and favorite quotes from Conference!

Love,

Sister MacKay

Week 61

9/25/17

Wow!  This week went by so fast!

So on Tuesday I had to say goodbye to Sister Blair.

I spent that morning with the Filips until the Brownsville Sisters were able to come get me. I spent the day with them here, in Lebanon, and they went to Brian's lesson with me. That lesson was so awesome! So if you remember last week, I was a little concerned about the way they took the tithing lesson and then Brian didn't come to church so that made things even worse. When we got to the lesson the Sister asked Brian and Pam what they have been leading so far and they were like, "Well last time they told us all about how we gotta give them all our money!" And then they told us all about the weekend...Brian prayed so hard about tithing when we left and then never talked to Pam about it so they went the whole weekend not knowing how the other one felt about it. When Pam came home from church she started to talk to him about it and they made a plan on how they will live the law of tithing!! They are going to do it!! I'm so excited for them!

Then I was in Brownsville all of Wednesday. I had fun and I loved that area. I got to meet some members in their branch and I just loved them. I met their branch mission leader and found out that he is from Snowflake, AZ! We got to talk about how it has changed since he was there, it was fun talking to him about my home :) 

I had to get up at 5am to head to Newberg so I could get my new companion! We sang Called to Serve as they came into the church and then President started telling us who was going to be with who. So I knew about one of the Sisters that was coming out. She is good friends with my past companion, Sister Hartvigsen. I was hoping I would get to train her so when President said her name first, I was anxiously waiting to hear who would train her. When he said "Sister MacKay" he was looking at another Sister so it took me a second to realize he said my name and then I freaked out!!! I was so excited!! I love Sister Berenyi!! I'm so grateful to be her companion!!

I asked the Christys to make her a green meal for her first meal in the field since she is a greenie!

 I'm so grateful for all the amazing blessings and miracles I receive everyday on my mission! 

I love these scriptures that I read in my studies this week!

Alma 39:15-17

15 And now, my son, I would say somewhat unto you concerning the coming of Christ. Behold, I say unto you, that it is he that surely shall come to take away the sins of the world; yea, he cometh to declare glad tidings of salvation unto his people.

16 And now, my son, this was the ministry unto which ye were called, to declare these glad tidings unto this people, to prepare their minds; or rather that salvation might come unto them, that they may prepare the minds of their children to hear the word at the time of his coming.

17 And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?

I really loved verse seventeen because Alma is trying to show us how much God loves His children. They are all important to him, not just the ones that were there with Christ when he came, not just the ones that came before Him, and not just those that came after. Christ's Atonement is for all because God loves us all!

Love,

Sister MacKay

Week 60

9/18/17

What an incredible week!!

We had dinner with the Millers on Monday and then followed that with a family home evening lesson with their daughter, Kimberly, and her nonmember husband, Curtis! That was a great lesson. We taught the Restoration and the Spirit was so strong. We asked Curtis that if he comes to know that this is true if he would be baptized and he said yes. We are hopefully going to meet with them again tonight and maybe commit him to a baptismal date!

After that lesson, we noticed we had a missed call from the Elders in Riverview Ward. They called to remind us about our lesson with Hal and his family at seven...we didn't know about this lesson haha. So we called them back and they asked if we would go anyway, even though we hadn't had time to prepare for the lesson. Quick background, Hal is a recent convert and he wants his kids to take the lessons so the Elders have been trying to do that, but Hal wants Sisters to teach his daughter Helen so they have been trying to coordinate with the Sisters here for awhile. They didn't do too great at that so I didn't even know about it until that night. So we went over there and it was just Helen there, she let us in and we started to get to know her. She was so awesome and we seemed to get along great. We started asking her about the things she has been learning from the Elders and she asked us a few questions. We taught her the lesson since the rest of the family wasn't showing up and we needed to get going soon. The lesson went great and she was super involved. Come to find out, she hasn't really been taking the lessons and hasn't been super comfortable with the missionaries so our lesson was a huge miracle. We talked to the Elders about it and they decided they were going to pass her off to us so we could see if maybe that will help her. I'm so excited to meet with her.

Tuesday we had a great lesson with Brian! We talked about the Ten Commandments and he, once again, received it very well. We had another lesson with him on Friday on Tithing and fast offerings. That one is always a tough one for people, including our golden Brian, but he is trying to pray about it and commit to it. I think that is just so amazing, that the gospel inspires people to grow and stretch in ways they never would without it. 

Wednesday was awesome! We had an All Sisters Meeting at the mission home. All the sisters in the mission came together for a meeting with President and Sister Tateoka and it was incredible! I love my mission President and his wife! They are so funny and they are amazing examples to us of missionary work and companionship. I'm truly grateful for them and all they do. Our meeting lasted all day between drive time to Newberg and back, dinner there, and all the trainings. We had so much fun and learned a ton. They announced to us (before anyone else in the mission) what the new mission theme is. 

D&C 31:3-7

3 Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation.

4 You shall declare the things which have been revealed to my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun. You shall begin to preach from this time forth, yea, to reap in the field which is white already to be burned.

5 Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live.

6 Behold, verily I say unto you, go from them only for a little time, and declare my word, and I will prepare a place for them.

7 Yea, I will open the hearts of the people, and they will receive you. And I will establish a church by your hand;

It's a long one, but I really love the message it gives to us. There are so many great promises to those who are willing to thrust in their sickle and do the Lord's work. I love being a missionary!!

So, Friday night, when we got out of our lesson with Brian, we saw that we had a missed call from President Tateoka. Normally transfer calls are on Saturday, but we assumed that was the only reason he would be calling us...so I recorded it just for you guys haha.