Happy New Year's!!!

Hey everyone!
I love you all and thank you so much for all the gifts, cards, packages, and goodies!!! I am truly grateful for all of you and love you all so much. I don't have much time, so I will be quick.
Tomorrow is a new year! Its crazy b/c I feel like 2012 just started, but here we are on the last day of the year. I have reflected on this year and the many things, more importantly, the many people who have touched my life. All the fun times, hard times, sad times, and the happy times!!! (Focus on the happy b/c they overcome the rest) Since I dont have a lot of time, but it is such a critical time for new goals and beginnings, I want all of you to watch a short, 20 minute talk by a leader of the Church. As you watch, LISTEN haha and ponder about the changes you can make in your life to be better and live happier. The talk is call "Of Regrets and Resolutions" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf and here's the link:

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/of-regrets-and-resolutions?lang=eng

This has helped me make my new years resolutions and I know it can and will help you make yours. I hope that we can all have one resolution in common: BE HAPPY!!!

Jesus Christ is our Savior. He restored His true Church through the Prophet Joseph Smith. My calling as a missionary of His Church is love and be happy. Sometimes I fail and become discouraged, but I look to Christ to lighten my burdens and He ALWAYS does! I hope we can all try to do the same. I love you all!
Love Elder McGinn

--

Elder Seth McGinn
Iowa Des Moines Mission

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

White Christmas

This picture is of Elder McGinn's district.

Merry Christmas everybody!!!
Im emailing today because the libraries will be closed for the holidays most of next week so this is my Christmas email. This last week, I went on exchanges with one of our zone leaders in Boone, Iowa. It was pretty sweet because right when we got there, this massive blizzard/storm thing hit and all the cars in the mission were grounded haha it was crazy wednesday night and then we woke up Thursday morning with a foot of snow on the ground covering everything!! Being proactive missionaries, Elder Nelson and I decided that we would just go out all day and walk around helping people shovel snow. We did that for 7 hours straight and what seemed like a good idea at first turned into a very painful one for my body haha but seriously, it was one of my favorite days so far because we just got to serve our fellow beings with the knowledge that we were helping others do something they couldnt do for themselves! I was reminded of the truth that true joy comes from helping others find happiness and peace. Remember that this Christmas season and in the new year!
Also, I want to thank all who have sent letters, cards, or packages to me for Christmas. I dont know if I can fully articulate how much it means and how much comfort it brings when you get mail from your loved ones, especially when you are away from them. I may not be able to say thank you to everyone or get a card out to you, but know that I really do appreciate it and love all of you and cherish the memories we've had together. And just yesterday I got all the little notes and letters from the Palmyra Ward!!!! I was so excited to get them and my companion and I had a lot of fun going through all of them, so thank you!

Finally, I just want to share my testimony of Jesus Christ with you. He is the reason I am here in Iowa. He is the reason a full day of shoveling snow for others can be one of the most productive of days of life. He is the light and life of the world. He is the way back to our Heavenly Father. He is how we can live with our families forever in endless joy. He is wonderful. He is our counselor. He truly is the prince of peace. He was born in a humble manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. He would grow up the son of a lowly carpenter, free of sin and without mistake. He would begin an earthly ministry by calling poor fishermen and a hated publican to follow Him and walk with Him. He would give them His almighty power and authority to teach His gospel, to baptize those with a desire to follow him, and to work miracles in His name. He taught to love God and neighbor, to love you enemies, and to pray for them. He healed the sick, the dead He raised, yet He was despised and rejected of men. The very Son of God was mocked and spit upon. But He did not shrink to drink the bitter cup His Father gave Him. He did His Father's will in Garden of Gethsemaneand on the Cross of Calvary. Surely, He bore OUR griefs, carried OUR sorrows, was wounded for OUR transgressions, and was bruised for OUR iniquities. I am representative of Him and a witness that He has suffered OUR pains, sicknesses, and afflictions. Ultimately, I testify that He arose from the tomb as a resurrected being, full of light and glory. He ascended to His Father and sent down His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, to comfort His disciples. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Why would He not send down that Comforter to His latter-day disciples? I know that He does and that He has again called prophets and apostles to lead and guide His saints. He has given them the same power and authority as before and again revealed to them the plan of happiness and how families can be together forever. He loves us and He lives. How sweet the joy this sentence gives, I know that my Redeemer lives! Although I may be away from my loved ones this season, I know that I will be with them forever and my joy is full because I am helping other families become eternal families! I love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas with your families and friends! Feliz Navidad :)
Love Elder Seth McGinn
--

Elder Seth McGinn
Iowa Des Moines Mission

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Bells will be Ringing!!!

Hey everyone!!!!
I am so grateful for the cards and packages and presents that I receive!!! They lighten my day and give me a renewed determination to go out and work! I dont have much time, but a few things about this week. First, if you would like to send me a package ;) please send it through the USPS to the address at the end of the email so it can be forward to my apartment! If its FedEx or UPS or DHL, it cant be forwarded and I will have to wait for someone else to deliver it. Thank you and Love you all!! The subject line in the email is from that good ole Christmas song that starts out with that line and talks about Christmas and singing the blues or something haha we dont get to hear a lot of the classic radio Christmas music, but when I heard this the other day in a gas station it reminded me of tracting and door bells ringing haha there will be missionaries all around the world ringing doorbells, or knocking, or clapping or doing anything they can to spread the message of Jesus Christ and the RESTORATION of His gospel and church! Truly, 'bells will be ringing' haha year-round!!! This week, as we were driving around to our different appointments all over the western half of Iowa, we were listening to a conversion story of a man named Bill Carpenter, who was studying to be a Catholic Priest until he learned more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! It was such an amazing story told by himself and I invite all of you to look it up on YouTube or wherever and listen to it "Bill Carpenter Conversion story", I think its like an hour long, but its worth your time!

This week, the highlight was meeting with Alexis (refugee from Africa) and his wife! We gave them copies of the Book of Mormon in French and Swahili. As we talked about how this book will strengthen their young family and themselves, individually, the Spirit was strong and Alexis told us he wanted to read the whole book as soon as he possibly could! We shared the great promise of the Book of Mormon, found at the very end of the book, that whosoever reads it, ponders its words, and then asks God, through prayer, with faith, if the Book of Mormon is a true book, they will receive an answer by and through the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God. I know for myself that the Book of Mormon is true, because I did exactly this. I knew it in my mind and I felt it in my heart as the Spirit witnessed its truthfulness to me. Everything in our church either stands or falls with the Book of Mormon. If its false, Joseph Smith is a fraud and this church is nothing but that. If it is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and he truly did, under Christ's direction, establish the same Church Christ established when he was on the Earth, and we have living prophets and apostles to guide us through todays challenges and turmoil! I am a witness that it is true and their are millions more who support that divine truth. I love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Love Elder Seth McGinn
--

Elder Seth McGinn

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

 

 

Winter has Arrived!

Hola todos!!! Comoestan?
The past couple weeks here in Iowa, it hasn't been amazingly freezing like everybody said it would be...that changed these last couple days! We have gotten some wet snow with some cold, fierce wind and those two things combined equals freezing everywhere haha its kinda crazy really. Last night it was 16 with a wind chill that made it feel like 0!!! And this morning its 14 with a clear sky and a bright sun! Its totally foreign to me, but its just what it is.

So this week has been another good one. Throughout life, you are always learning, but this is especially true when it comes to serving a mission. It is a constantly battle to learn and learn and learn some more. You hardly get time to apply what you learn! But its going exceptional so far! On Saturday we met with a man named Alexis who just "randomly" (guided by the Spirit) walked into our sacrament meeting a week ago. He is from Africaand speaks a bunch of different languages! He moved to Des Moines just 3 years ago and just recently moved to our small town of Perry. He has a wife also from Africa (Congo) who he met in Des Moines. They just had a little boy who is now 6 months old. We talked with him about the Book of Mormon and the skimmed the surface of the Restoration. He was sincerely interested about Joseph Smith and about our doctrine! We are now getting him a Book of Mormon in French (bc he cant read English) and one in Swahili for his wife. I think they are "honest seekers of the truth" whom the Lord has prepared and I cant wait to teach and meet with him more often!

Also, the update for this week is that we have 347 baptisms and confirmations for this year and need 53 more this month to reach the Lord's goal for us of 400! We have 3 weeks left to do it and I am confident in the Lord that we can reach it. Its important to note that these numbers are children of God. They are each individual souls! I hope not to confuse you by placing them as mere numbers b/c they are much, much more than that. We must set goals, though, to give us direction or something to aim for. The Church does not need more baptized members, but the Lord needs more of His children to be converted unto Him. This is the work that I and 60,000 other missionaries are fully engaged in with all of our hearts, mights, minds, and strengths. There are also almost 15 million other Saints across the globe who carry this honorable responsibility who put forth their efforts to invite others to come unto Christ while working jobs and spending time to support and build their families. This work cannot be completed without both these groups of Saints, members and full-time missionaries, working together in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord! That is something I have truly learned and come to understand here in Iowa.

I love you all! Joseph Smith restored the Church of Jesus Christ to the Earth and Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He performed a perfect Atonement to allow us to find peace and happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. All we must do is heed His invitation: "Come follow me." Then, we accept His atoning sacrifice for us and become worthy for the blessings He has in store for us! Mucho Amor y Feliz Navidad!
Elder McGinn
--

Elder Seth McGinn

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

The Picture is Elder McGinn in Brother Jaime’s basement apartment. He says the people in Perry are poor and most of them live in place like this. They work for Tyson in the Meat packing company. This is the Brother that feeds the missionaries most of the time.

Its gonna be a Humid Christmas

Hey everyone!

So this last week has been quite a wild one. The weather is crazy! Its been so humid that its actually been pretty warm and it feels like youre walking through suspended rain drops in the air! Its wild and I will attach a picture of the foggy, humid conditions. Yesterday while driving to church, you could hardly see 20 feet in front of you because of the fog and humidity, twas crazy! but Elder Arellano and I are doing great! We have some days where things just do go our way and people arent home or dont have time for a lesson or cancel our appointments but then we have days where everything goes right and you remember that "hey, the Church is true" haha but we are having lots of success thanks to your prayers and Heavenly Father's mercy. In Alma26:22-28 (just read the whole chapter haha), the great missionary Ammon talks about how success in anything, but especially missionary work is a gift from the Lord. I am learning just how true that is out here. One of our investigators, Debby, just moved into Perry, from a town on the border of our area (Guthrie Center). This is great b/c now we cant meet with here more often! We helped her move up here last week, which felt natural and very easy b/c of all the moving service that is rendered in the Palmyra Ward haha in that ward, we know how to move people haha special thanks to my dad for always dragging me out to help people move ;) but we were able to meet with her yesterday and decide together to move her baptism from Jan 12th to Dec 15th!!! We are so excited for her and she is awesome!

Also this week, we had a guy who just moved here from Africacome to our meeting. His name is Alexis and he is about 6'5, thick and should be playing professional football haha but he was very nice and humble and enjoyed testimony meeting! we are meeting with him and his family this saturday! Also, we have been helping a less-active member come back to Church. His name is Manuel, he is in his 20's and loves soccer. We went over to talk to him about temples this week and he told us that his weekly soccer game this week was at 9:30 on Sunday- right during sacrament meeting (starts at 9). He told us that he wasnt planning on going and I was able to tell him about my experience of not playing soccer on Sunday and the blessings it has brought me! He changed his mind and said he would try to come! So he showed up a little late and got to sit next to us in the back (because we have to translate from English to Spanish all the talks in sacrament meeting). As the meeting went on, I knew I had to give my testimony/introduce myself/call all the members to do more missionary work! haha so I told manuel, if I go up, he had to go up...he said he had stage-fright and cant talk in front of lots of people. I told him its easier than it looks and went up to the pulpit. I came back, nudged him and smiled and to my surprise, he got up and walked to the pulpit!!! He shared a powerful, heartfelt testimony about how he wanted to be the guy who comes to Church every Sunday and is very involved. He came back and sat down. I was so proud of him, then about 5 mins before the end of the meeting, he looks at me and says "my phone has been vibrating this whole time, I need to go play" I laughed and smiled as he got up to leave and told him to score some goals haha I wish he wouldve stayed but he came to church, bore his testimony, and missed half of his game! baby steps....line upon line!!!

Anyways, things are going good here and I hope all of you are well and healthy and excited for this Christmas season. We just got trained on using mormon.org/christmas for missionary work. its a new website that the Church just put up and it is awesome for you, your family and to share with your non-member/less active friends ;) I invite all of you to go check out the website! You can watch a little nativity video, download FREE mormon tabernacle choir christmas music and get a free Bible delivered to your house by yours truly (the missionaries!!) Go check it out and share it with all your friends!

I love you all and please remember what a special season this is to remember and celebrate our Savior Jesus Christ, whose name is called "Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace!" (Isaiah 9:6)

Mucho amor y cuidese mucho,

Elder McGinn

ps the picture is of me being a righteous/hard-working missionary ;) and the white specks are how the camera captures the fog...it was way foggy/humid!
--

Elder Seth McGinn

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

 

 

Pictures

 

Here are most of my pictures, sorry it took so long.

So the first few are my district, then there is one with my Branch Presidency (President and Sister Wilkins, Brother and Sister Wilkins, and Brother and Sister Monson), then with my teacher Hermano Wiest and then Hermano Reading. Then with friends and my district.
 (I think I am missing a few I'll email him and check and put more up if he sends more on his next P-day! - Layne)

Turkey and Beans!

Hola todos!

So the subject is turkey and beans because thats what you get when your a Spanish missionary covering a both English and Spanish branch haha I had a great traditional turkey and stuffing dinner in the afternoon with a less active family and then a dinner that night with Jaime (hi-may), who is basically a member missionary who feeds us all the time. He made us some weird meat stuff and lots of beans- it was delicious! He is from El Salvador and lives in this tiny basement but he lives missionary work and talks to everyone about the gospel.

And I know they say that Turkey makes you feel tired, but this year, it sounds like it set off some lovey dovey hormones haha but congrats to Parker and Rachel on their engagement and also Meesh and Joe!!! its about time...hah and also, Im so happy for my dad and his new calling!! He has always been an example for me to follow and I hope I can develop the love and diligence he has in serving the Lord and His people.

I'm not sure if I mentioned it before, but our mission has a goal of 400 baptisms this year. President Jergensen said that the Lord told him at the beginning of this year that there are 400 souls prepared and ready to be baptized in 2012. Needless to say, we have been working our tails off to find those 400 souls so they can accept the gospel and enter into a covenant to follow the Lord. As of right now, we have 323 total baptisms this year, so we have 77 more to go if we are to reach the goal the Lord has set for us. We have 117 baptismal dates set for december so it is attainable, but most of those dates need to follow through! Im asking for prayers so that these wonderful people cannot be tempted away from their commitment, but rather hold firm to it so they can receive a remission of their sins and the gift of the Holy Ghost! Elder Arellano and I have 3 investigators with a date. One lives on the outskirts of our area which is about an hour away from our apartment (we live in our own apartment btw) but she is moving into Perry(city where we live) tomorrow, so we should be3 able to have more time teaching her and guiding her to baptism! The other 2 just moved from Massachusettsto Perry. They are the parents of the mother of the family of 4 that we just baptized on the 17th of November. They are progressing so well and Saturday night, we took home a huge jar of coffee and tea as they agreed to live the word of wisdom haha it took some persuasion but we agreed to bring back a lot of hot chocolate to replace the coffee ;) Things seem to be getting better each and everyday and I am so grateful for the gospel knowledge that we have as Latter-Day Saints. I talk to so many people each day who are visible struggling with addictions or afflictions and I try to share the only message that will redeem them but they are so quick to ignore the truth. Satan truly has grasped so many people in this world, by way of addiction to drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. If only they would wake up and let the "scales of darkness fall from their eyes" so they could see the truth, which is Jesus Christ and His Plan of Happiness and Redemption, which is only made possible by His infinite atoning sacifice! The way is stait and the path is narrow. He is the way! So always remember the invitation that is constantly extended by Him who is mighty to save, "Come, follow me." I love you all and pray that you will seek to do good continually and pressforward with steadfastness in Christ, feasting upon His word and His truth. This church bears His name because it is His church. Les amo y cuidese!
--

Elder Seth McGinn

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Is this Iowa? Nope, its heaven!

haha this is from the movie "Field of Dreams" and its pretty sweet because my work here in Iowais to make it "heavenly."

but Hey everybody! Que tal? Iowais flat as can be. Its pretty weird without mountains around but I'm getting by okay. I know there is a lot you want to hear but I dont have much time so I will be as specific as possible. My new companion and trainer is Elder Arellano, a native Spanish speaker from San Miguel,California (up by Pasa Robles and San Luis Obispo). He is great and we are working hard together. Our area is the Perry, IA area, just about 40 miles West Northwest of Des Moines. We serve in the Perry Branch which is pretty small haha its crazy because we cover a lot of area, mostly corn and soybean fields and there are few active members here, I would say we had about 40 or 50 at sacrament on Sunday. The weather is great for November. We had a baptism on Saturday of a family of four haha all the other Elders were giving me a hard time and joking that I already had 4 baptisms without doing any work haha it was my companions first baptisms and he has been out for 18 months. but I gave the talk on the Holy Ghost at the baptism and the Spirit was very strong there. Yesterday, we had a general authority come visit our mission: Elder Don R. Clarke from the Seventy. We met with half the mission in Des Moines and he trained us on how to be better all-round missionaries and it was awesome!!! I learned so much and have a better vision for the work I have to do. I love you all and promise to send a better email next week and lots of pictures but I need to run! The gospel needs to be taken to the four corners of the Earth and everyone needs to have the opportunity to hear it! Love you all and Happy Thanksgiving! Im grateful for all of you in my life and pray for each of you every day. Read the words of God every day and thank Him for all the good things in your life, then ask him to help you with all the bad things in your life. He listens and will help you when you ask Him to. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true, I promise! Love you all!
--

Elder Seth McGinn

IowaDes Moines Mission

8515 Douglas AveSte.19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Week 9- Greenie Time

Dear Family and Friends,

Elder McGinn has officially landed in IOWA. He is now in the field and the field is white.

He is so excited to finally be in DES MOINES, IOWA.

He called his mom and dad this morning at about 6:30am from the airport in Salt Lake City.

He reports that all is well. He is staying healthy and loved his time in the MTC.

He mentioned that he really looks forward to being back in a ward family. He has missed

being a part of a ward family.

A ward is the group of people that we meet with every Sunday at church. It is determined

by ward boundaries. It depends on where you live on what ward you go to. You can go

to lds.org or mormon.org to learn more about wards.

He said to send his love to you all and he wants you to know how grateful he is

for your prayers.

We will look forward to getting his next letter on Monday, November 19, 2012.

His preparation day will now be Mondays.

Our love to you all and thanks again for all of your support,

Kevin and Tori McGinn

 

Continue to keep him in your prayers!!

Week 8- Travel Plans are Great!

Hola todos!
We got our travel plans finally!! I have a flight to Minnesotaat 8:40am on Wednesday the 14th and then fly down to Iowaand my arrival time in Des Moinesis about 3:00pm. So a week from today and I will be in the "field". Im stoked! This also means that I only have a week left in the MTC! That is precious time I have to keep studying the doctrine, mastering the Spanish language, and enjoy "free" meals 3 times a day haha so this week has been awesome! We got to meet with a girl who just moved to Uruguay to Utah in March. She had never been to America before and her English was terrible but her husband is going to school at BYU. This was amazing because Elder Pena and I had been preparing a lesson about sacrifice to share. We were able to talk about the sacrifices in her life and discuss the sacrifice that Abraham was asked to make with his son, Isaac. We discussed how our Heavenly Father had literally sacrificed his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for us, the rest of his children. We discussed how part of this life is learning how to sacrifice and use the Atonement of Christ in our lives to cleanse us from our sins and imperfections. The sacrifice that Heavenly Father and Christ want us to make is one of a broken heart (humility and compassion) and a contrite spirit (sincere and real intent of righteous desires). Our goal in this life is to become like Christ. He never judged, sincerely loved all others, forgave everyone, and most importantly, served all those around him. He has atoned for us and has set the example for us to follow. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ, have faith in him and follow his example of baptism and continually doing good one to another. My plea is for everyone who has a sincere desire to be good and do good, to pray to their Heavenly Father, read his words in the Bible and the Book of Mormon, then to pay attention to how they feel when they do these things and what they can then do to bring others these feelings of peace and joy. The Church is true. Joseph Smith was called of God and is his prophet in these latter-days like Moses was in his day. We have the authority from God to perform the saving ordinance of baptism. So come and be baptized, be born again into a new person who has a desire to be like Christ. All we can do is strive to be like him and to do our best, but if we do this, He promises to take care of the rest. Lets take His yoke and His burden upon us, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Love you all! Ciao!
-Elder Seth McGinn

--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 7- Blessings from Heaven

AY!!Comoandan? (Hows it going)

It has been another great week here in the MTC! Elder Peña and I have continued to work hard and grow closer to Christ! Elder Brandon Fish (B-Fish) came into the MTC a week ago and it is great to see him. He is on the same floor as me in our classroom and we have the same schedule so that means we have gym time together which is a lot of fun! Im also way excited for Churro to be coming in today! He is going to be a great missionary and it will be fun to take some pictures all together! About pictures, they have removed card readers from most the computers so its really difficult to find a computer to send pictures on. My plan is to send home my memory card after my first week in Iowa. I have 2 memory cards so I can pop the other one in and then you can see a bunch of pictures from the MTC and from my first week in the field. I will be off to Iowa in about 2 weeks from today, but I havent gotten my travel plans so I dont know all the logistics yet.

Anywho, lets get to the good stuff! This week we have helped our investigator Dakota overcome his smoking addiction. I think what helped him most was when I talked about my grandpa (thats you PaPa!) and how he had made a new years resolution to stop smoking. PaPa had been smoking for as long as I could remember, but had the will and mind power to stop because he wanted to take better care of himself and show his family love by quitting this deadly addiction. In this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe Joseph Smith to be a prophet, who is someone whom God reveals his will to for the sake of all his children. Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, through Joseph Smith, revealed a code of health for his Children to live by. This is called the Word of Wisdom. This is what many people in the world would recognize as the thing that sets Mormons apart from other people. In the Word of Wisdom, God teaches and instructs that strong drinks (alcohol) is not meant for the belly, but for the washing of bodies. Also, that tobacco is not for the body or belly either, but as an herb for bruises and sicknesses to be used with judgment and skill. It goes on to say that hot drinks (interpreted by our prophets to be non-herbal tea and coffee) is not for the body or belly as well. The Lord then promises that as we avoid these harmful substances and use the crops he has given us wisely we will receive "health in our navel and marrow to our bones" and also that we will be able to "run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint." This is a health code that all should live by so that all can receive these promised blessings. I know that as my grandpa has quit smoking, he has become healthier and physically and mentally more able. Dakota has not smoked now for 3 days and he says that when he thinks about smoking, he has feelings of nausia and disgust. Our bodies know whats best for them. They (our bodies) are a creation from our Father, in his exact image, for us. Let us treat them as the wonderful gift and blessing they are! I love you all and know that this Church is the Church of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Joseph Smith, He restored the fulness of his authority, teachings, and ordinance for all of us in these days. We need to strive to be more like Christ everyday, becoming more patient, humble, and loving to ALL around us. We can know how to do this by reading His words in the holy scriptures and also by listening to the words of his Prophets on the Earth today. I promise that as we set time aside to heed these words and counsel, we will feel the love of Christ in our loves and will be able to spread that love by serving and helping those around us! You can hear these messages by going to LDS.org and listening to "General Conference October 2012" talks. Please do so and know that I think of you all often and pray for you daily! I love you all!

Keep on Keepin ON!

-Elder Seth McGinn
--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 6- Get the Ice Picks

Hola todos!! Qué tal?

It is freezing this morning in Provo!! I am starting to get a little nervous about the winter in Iowa haha THanks mom and dad for the sweaters and shirts! They fit great and I am wearing them right now! We have gotten a lot done this week and have learned a lot. Last night, our devotional speaker was Elder Larry Echo Hawk (he spoke in General Conference) and he talked about his conversion story. What I learned most from it is that we must always remember that conversion is a process and baptism is just the beginning of it! I have learned the importance of gaining the members trust in the wards where I will serve, because it is absolutely essential that the new converts have spiritual mentors and FRIENDS in the wards which they live! It is so important that the ward members open their arms and hearts to new converts and help them become more converted to the Lord!

Also, Sunday night, we got to watch a talk by Elder Bednar about Recognizing the Spirit. It was such a powerful talk and has helped me a lot in understanding the Spirit and how it works. He related a story of when he was a 20 year old missionary in Germany. The junior member of the Quorum of the 12 was Boyd K. Packer and he needed to reach a connecting flight in Berlin from Munich. Elder Bednar was an Assistent to the President at the time and was responsible to picking up Elder Packer and his wife from the Munich Airport and getting them on a midnight train to Berlin. Elder Bednar gave Elder Packer 20 Marks (german money) at the train station in case Elder and Sister Packer got hungry on the train. Elder Bednar does not remember handing him this money at all. Elder Packer informed Elder Bednar 30 years later that as they were traveling on that train through communist East Germany to reach Berlin, East German guards boarded the train to check passports. Sister Packers passport was not accepted by the East German guards on the train and they were about to take her off the train in East German territory. That is when Elder Packer remembered the 20 marks in his pocket and pleaded with the East German guard to let them stay on the train to Berlin. It was allowed as the East German guard took the 20 mark note (lot of money in 1972) and let them continue on the train. The significance of this story is that Elder Bednar did not receive any kind of grand spiritual impression to give them a 20 mark note, and did not even remember doing so, but that 20 mark note saved Elder and Sister Packer a lot of trouble as they passed through dangerous, communist East Germany. Elder Bednar did not know about this story until 30 years after it happened, but obviously knew it was a spiritual impression that prompted him. Elder Bednar promises that if you are trying your best to be good, honor your covenants and keeping the commandments, you will be guided by the Holy Ghost without even knowing it. Very few times will we have a strong spiritual impression of something to do beforehand, but many times, after action has already be taken, we will look back and be able to see our works being guided by the Spirit of the Lord.

I know this Church is true. Jesus is the Christ. We are guided by His Holy Spirit as we strive to be more like him everyday. Joseph Smith restored the true Church of Christ to the Earth and as with many ancient prophets, has sealed his work with his own blood. I love you all and pray for you daily. Be Strong and of a Good Courage!

Les amo! (I love you all)

-Elder McGinn

ps The hymn is Praise to the Man!

--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 5- Work is how we thrive!

Familia y Amigos!

Qué tal?

This week has been awesome like all the rest! First, of all, thanks for the letters! They are such a boost during the day.

So on Thursday night this past week, Elder Peña and I baptized our first investigator! Not really, but we have been teaching him (our teacher) for a month now and we had the opportunity to do the baptismal interview questions with him and once he can answer all of those, it counts as a baptism! His name is Silvio and he is from Argentina(where my teacher served his mission). I felt so much love for him during this whole month teaching him and preparing things to talk about with him, but never have I felt anything like I did when we were able to talk about the baptismal interview questions and what this means for him. I was full of love! Way more than I had capacity to feel. That's when I knew that I was feeling the love that Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, have for him. What an experience! I have since thought all about how that powerful, potent, pure love I felt for Silvio is the same way our Heavenly Father feels about all of His children. So we then talked to our teacher about the real Silvio. He said that he is doing great in Argentinaas a member of the Church and is a Gospel Doctrine teacher in Mendoza. The Fernandez's (Raul mainly) would be happy to know that I am slowly picking up a Castillano accent. Its sweet! And our new investigator from Argentinawho we just started teaching is named Raul!

Last night, our Tuesday night devotional speaker was Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the Seventy. He is the one who spoke about is young son who died when he was three in General Conference just a week ago. He talked about so many great things, but the takeaway for me was WORK. He talked about the formula for miracles (obedience + work=miracles) and how we must become expert planners and constantly be finding others to teach. I thought it was cool because it also has application with Spanish. Missionary work is like any other. It is a confusing mix of manual labor and spiritual wrestling. It takes so much more effort mentally, than mowing the lawn or pulling weeds. And it takes so much more effort physically, than simply writing a talk or preparing a lesson. It is awesome! But in Spanish their are two words for the word 'work' in English. 'Trabajo' is a sort of physically, job like work and 'obra' is a sort of spiritual, mental work. I like it a lot because it separates the work a missionary does as 'la obra de misionero', rather than 'trabajo de misionero'. This work is "laboring in the Lord's vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men." I am grateful to be a part of it and to be here in the MTC, learning just how to go about it effectively! This is the only Church on the Earth that is in the express likeness of the Church that Jesus Christ established during His mortal ministry. It is founded on prophets and apostles the same, who have the same keys and authority that was given by Christ to His original twelve apostles. This priesthood authority was restored through Joseph Smith, a true prophet who has sealed his work like many great prophets before him--in his blood. I love this gospel. I love my Savior. I love all of you for helping me develop this love over the years! Let us all press on!!!

-Elder McGinn

--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 4- General Conference Galore!

Hola todos!

Well General Conference was absolutely amazing! I enjoyed it so much here in the MTC because I was more spiritually focused than ever before. When President Monson announced the lowering of age to serve missions, the MTC went crazy haha we were all clapping and screaming! What an exciting time to be a missionary! I think my favorite talk in the conference was the talk by Walter Gonzalez on Sunday morning. The Spirit, through his talk, taught me so many new things about how I can study more meaningfully and how I can become more like Christ, which is our ultimate goal. I also love Elder Eyring's in Priesthood about spiritual gifts and also his talk about the pavillion that WE put up that seperates us from God. God is near and He is aware. Also, Elder Holland was very powerful as always and made me reflect on my love and devotion to the Savior. Others I enjoyed were both of Pres Uchtdorfs, Elder Oaks"s, all of Pres Monson's, and Elder Bednar's about conversion. Speaking of him, Elder David A. Bednar came and talked to us last night in the MTC Devotional!!! When he entered the room, my chest was so filled with warmth and joy and we were singing and it was the first time I believe I have ever shed tears of sheer joy. I was just so comforted by the Spirit and absolutely knew that I was where my Heavenly Father wanted me to be. Elder Bednar spoke about conference and mentioned how it is funny to hear people discuss why the ages of missionary service changed when they werent in the council of the Twelve who made the decision. He called it "Apostolic Humor" to hear these people try to assume the reasons for the change. He told us one thing about this change. He said "All that is important to know is that the Lord hastens His work in His time and in His way." Pretty sweet that we get to be the vessels that He hastens His work through. Then, Elder Bednar discussed how important it is to study General Conference once it comes out and showed us the way he studies as an example. He breaks each talk down into 3 parts: the doctrine discussed, the invitation to act, and the promised blessing after that invitation. It was awesome!

So there are many things that go on within missionary work. Many things to remember and many ways to do things. It is very easy to get caught up in certain principles and things and very frustrating for me because I am trying to remember all these methods and things to do. Over this weekend, I was able to take a step back and simply remember what my ultimate goal is: to become like Christ. My motivating scripture for that is Matthew 16:25 which says "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Like our beloved Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley's experience on his mission, all I really need to focus on doing is "forget yourself and go to work." It is so wonderful to see that many of the conference talks were based around service to others. I dont like the word service because it seems so impersonal and mechanical. I would like to call it love-in-action, because that is what service is by definition of King Benjamin. We must forget ourselves, love our fellow brothers and sisters around us, and show that love with action. This has reminded to follow the Savior in every way. The first thing I think about when I hear His sacred name, Jesus Christ, I think of selflessness. Not once did He ever do anything for Himself-NEVER. "Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done." He gave all glory to His Father and as we learn in a scripture that has changed my relationship with the Savior, He is even sharing His inheritance with us if we follow him faithfully to the end. This scripture is Doctrine and Covenants 93:45-46 which says "Verily, I say unto my servant Joseph Smith, Jun. (insert our name here), or in other words, I will call you friends, for you are my friends, and ye shall have an inhertance with me--I called you servants for the world's sake, and ye are their servants for my sake." We are all His servants, not to him, but to the world for Him. And to Him, we are His FRIENDS! That has drastically changed my relationship with my Savior and has drawn me closer to Him, thus encouraging my actions to be more like His. I love this gospel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of Christ that he established in His time of mortality. It has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. and we now have the absolute blessing to live in an unprecedented age with 15 prophets and apostles on the Earth, guiding His sacred work forward. Only 1 man holds and has authority to exercise all priesthood keys, even our beloved Prophet Thomas S. Monson. I hope all of you can study these conference talks over and over again as I will to gain new insights and recieve more personal revelation through the Holy Ghost. I love you all and pray for you daily! "Let Us All Press On"

Elder Seth McGinn

--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 3 in the MTC

Qué pasa calabaza! (Whats up pumpkin)
First off, thanks to all of you who sent me cards and packages for my birthday! They were awesome and I felt very loved, even though I have way too much food! I dont even know what to do with it. So two of the elders in my district left yesterday for Guatemala where they will spend 6 more weeks in the Missionary Training Center down there. That leaves us with only 8 people in our district: 4 Hermanas (Sisters) and 4 Elders, which is kind of unheard of b/c they are the only sisters in our whole zone (4 other districts). So we have been crusin' right along. My Spanish is coming so well! It really is amazing how the Lord blesses you when you are diligent and obedient. Something that has always been in my head is the quote "Obedience brings blessings. Exact obedience brings miracles." Thousands of missionaries have to learn to not only communicate, but teach people in their native tongue. They receive formal education in that language for only about 2 months, yet

many can go out to their respective countries after that time and teach people about the life and atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His Church to the Earth. That is a miracle. I need miracles and its so comforting to know that if I am exactly obedient, I can confidently ask my Heavenly Father, with true faith, and He will give unto me what I seek if it be for the building up of his Kingdom on this Earth!

We only have 30 minutes to write and that flies by so I'm sorry for the short one this week, but I want all of you to watch General Conference this weekend to hear from our Prophet on the Earth today! It will be on the BYUtv channel and I promise that you will grow closer to God from it.

Love you all!
--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 2- Cruisin Right On Through

Hey Fam & Friends!

Week numero dos is in the books and we are doing just fine! Some quick items of business: 1) Mom and Dad, could you put jfajardo, james, chase, blake, jordan, and dallas on the email list. I love reading their emails each week and so I want them to get mine as well! 2) Thank you all who have sent me some DearElder.com letters because they rock and mail is always one of the most exciting parts of the day. Also, thanks to those who have sent me packages with goodies. I love them and so do my roommates!

So my branch presidency (leaders of my zone) are awesome. There is President Wilkins who is a professor at BYU and served as a mission president in Argentina 5 years ago, then Brother Willes who is a spiritual giant and probably one the nicest guys you'll ever meet, and finally there is Brother Monson who served his mission inChile and now lives in Provo. So Brother Monson is President Thomas S. Monson's nephew and they are like the same person!!! So when he talks and tells us stories, I feel like its the prophet b/c they are so very alike. But he is awesome and eats lunch with us on Sundays so we always get to hear cool stories about his family and occasionally, Uncle Tom aka President Monson haha its awesome. Anywho, our district has two teachers Hermano Reading and Hermano Weist. Both of them are seriously the best in the MTC. We are very blessed. Also, our (mock) investigator Silvio agreed to be baptized last week and now we are teaching him about the commandments and preparing him for his baptism. It is difficult in Spanish, but its getting easier each day. We're also learning how much more important it is to simply love those you are teaching and you help them feel it. Sometimes, people don't know that they have a Father in heaven who loves them so much more than any earthly father could. We have to help them recognize that love by showing them we love them and care about them and every aspect of their life. Life is a gift, it is meant to be lived full of happiness and joy. Certainly, we will be tested and tried with hard circumstances or difficulted. We must realize that this isnt b/c Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ don't love us or forget about us, rather they are giving us experience so that we can truly learn and grow and come to recognize that only through pain and sorrow do we come to know true happiness and peace, for there must needs be opposition in all things (2 Nephi 2:11). I love you all and pray for you daily. Please don't worry about me, though, because I am being well taken care of by the Lord. He is my shepard and He knows His sheep, even more His sheep know His voice. I pray for all of you to better your connection with Christ and our Heavenly Father. Love you and miss you.

--

Elder Seth McGinn

MTC Mailbox #216

IA-DMOIN 1114

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604

Week 1 is done!

Whats up family and friends??!

Week 1 is over and yes, today is my Preparation Day so its kind of funny b/c I havent talked to anybody in a week!

Me and Elder Pena (pronounced Penya)

So my companion is Elder Pena from Layton, Utah and he is an awesome guy! He has actually been living in Japan for the last 2 years b/c his dad has a job in connection with the Air Force. But he went to the U for 2 semesters and he was pretty excited when some students from BYU told us how Utah beat BYU when BYU had a couple chances to win it at the end. Anywho, thats besides anything that I have been doing this week. They keep us super busy which is great, but crazy. 
The Spanish is coming along great. I can understand it so well all the time, but speaking it is a little
bit harder. We have already started to teach a mock investigator named Silvio though from Argentina. Basically, we teach a guy who is a teacher here at the MTC, but he acts in full character as someone that he taught on his mission.  Its great practice! We are doing well with him and have already got him to start reading the Book of Mormon, especially 2 Nefi 31, which talks about la doctrina de Cristo (the Doctrine of Christ) which is la fe (faith), el arrepentimiento (repentance), el bautismo (baptism) and so on. We play to ask him to be baptized tonight! He likes to play soccer so I use soccer as a reference to teach the gospel because he doesn't have much of a religious background. 
But the MTC is great so far, our teacher, Hermano (brother) Reading is the best! I am learning so much everyday and am growing to learn the importance of a simple testimony about the restoration of
the gospel through Joseph Smith. That is what makes this church the true church on the Earth. Other churches believe in Jesus Christ, in the sacrament, in health codes, tithing, and special temples or synagogues. But our message is that of the restoration of the original Church that Christ established on the Earth, with the proper priesthood authority (right to act in the name of Jesus Christ). This is the message of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and all of our credibility as a religion hinges on the experiences in the early 1800's. Our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ,
did appear to Joseph Smith. Through him, they restored the authority to act in his name, the same authority he gave to Peter, James, and John in the New Testament. And most importantly, they had a work for Joseph Smith to do, to translate the Book of Mormon which contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm excited to teach people this great message and to ask them to grow closer to their Father in Heaven and His Son! 
I love you all and miss you. Mom- I put On-Guard on my feet every night and that unique smell reminds me so much of you all. I love you and take care.
Cuidese mucho. (take care).
-Elder McGinn
ps Thanks for the letters and DearElders!

Me and Elder DallasTeshima

Me and Elder Dallin Cutler

 

Called to Serve

Seth received his call to serve in the Iowa Des Moines (Spanish Speaking) Mission on Friday June 8th, 2012.  He received his Endowment shortly thereafter at the Las Vegas, Nevada Temple on Saturday June 16th, 2012.   He also was able to visit multiple temples before heading into the MTC, including Las Vegas, NV, St. George, UT, Mount Timpanogos, UT, Provo, UT, and Salt Lake City, UT.

Seth and his Mom and Dad at the Las Vegas, NV temple on June 16th.

During the summer he enjoyed hanging out with friends and family, and working with President Tanner and the Dave Francis Law Firm. 

Trevor, Elder Dallin Cutler and Seth at Dallin's Farewell on August 26th.

 

Seth and President Tanner in Parowan, Utah.

September 7, 2012

Seth Jared McGinn and President Kurt Teshima.  

On September 7th, 2012, Seth was set apart to be a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and will be known as Elder McGinn for the next two years.

September 8, 2012

Elder Seth McGinn was surrounded by friends and family to wish him farewell at an open house.  Tons of people came to show their support.

September 9, 2012

Elder McGinn packed the house to give his "Farewell" talk in the Palmyra Ward.

Elder McGinn and Trevor Montgomery.

Aunt Jill and Uncle Charlie

Lindsay and Ian

Lindsay, Ian, Mom, Dad, Elder McGinn, Layne, Ellie, Tom, Adam

 

Elder McGinn headed up to Utah on Monday the 10th of September with his mom and dad.

September 11, 2012

First, they made a pit stop to Mr. Mac.

Trying on the 3 in 1 coat to keep him nice and warm in Iowa.

Elder McGinn getting "suited up" at Mr. Mac. 

Next, they visited the Conference Center and the Salt Lake Temple.

This is on the roof of the Conference Center.  Pretty fitting right!

Looking good in front of the Salt Lake City Temple.

September 12, 2012

Putting on the "Missionary Mom" pin.

Of course, had to stop at J Dawg's for his last meal before the MTC to get a polish dog with everything and an Apple Beer.

Visiting the Provo, Utah temple.

Last walk with dad before heading into the Missionary Training Center.

Elder Seth McGinn was able to be greeted by one of his best friends, Elder Dallas Teshima, as he arrived at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. 

We look forward to many more photos and hearing from Elder McGinn through many of his letters over the next two years.