Goodbye to Des Moines

Hey there!

 

We got transfer calls this morning and President Jensen informed me that I will be getting transferred...crazy stuff! Elder Andreasen is staying here and we were really hoping to stay together but we are not Heavenly Father, who knows and understands ALL things :) I will still be serving as a zone leader and so, with only two zones that have Spanish speaking zone leaders, that puts me in Iowa City!!! I am really sad to leave all the sweet people here in Des Moines and especially here in the 5th branch, but I look forward to serving the people in Iowa City. So that will be my new home on Thursday!

 

So Angel, the sweetest little 9 year old you'll ever meet, passed his baptismal interview this weekend so he will be baptized on Saturday!!! I wont be there for it, but I will make sure to get a picture with him before we leave. Also, we found this awesome family this week. Its the Ramirez family and they want to come closer together as a family and to God. We are helping them do just that! They are very ready to receive a testimony that God once again leads the families of the Earth through a prophet and apostles. I grew a deeper conviction of that this weekend watching general conference. WOWIE! I love our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. He is full of love and inspired direction for all of us. He and the 12 apostles can see just over the horizon at what is to come, so they give us counsel as to what we can DO to have consistent happiness in a world of shifting morals. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is constant and is as a rock, on which if we build, we cannot fall when the shifting and changing winds of the world beat against us :)

 

I find a lot of peace in trusting in God. Like the apostle Boyd K. Packer says, "We are not obedient because we are blind, but because we see."  Faith in Jesus Christ is NOT a perfect knowledge of Him, but rather a HOPE in Him because through Him, we will overcome our trials, weaknesses, sicknesses and eventually death! We will be happy now, in the future and forever. Faith is so sweet!!! I will end with one of my favorite things from General Conference this past weekend. Elder Vinson of the Seventy talked about being in "spiritual shape".  He said that just as we cannot get in physical shape to play basketball by simply watching basketball on TV, we cannot get into spiritual shape by just watching conference on TV...we must DO! I know that is true! My brother-in-law Tom said it best when he wrote in my journal these words, "You will find more joy wearing yourself out in the work of helping others than anything else you can do." This is true! You know it is because we have all had times when we completed a great, difficult task, only to find ourselves deeply satisfied and full of joy. That is what spiritual work does to you so JUST DO IT ;) you wont regret it! I love you all so much and I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior in ALL things!

Love Elder McGinn

 Spent a day biking on exchanges...it was a road bike haha so sweet

 

 

 

Elder Witham has been waiting for his VISA to Sao Paolo South Brazil for 6 months here in Iowa and he left today!! He knows Amelia Knuth, the Wittke's granddaughter, from BYUI. Great missionary and great friend too.

 

 

Elder Barson, one of our fearless District Leaders..he goes home on Thursday!