Dreaming of a White Christmas

 

Hey!

Happy Birthday to my grandpa (Papa)! He is a young buck at the age of 74 now haha I will always remember watching tons of sports and faulty towers with him :) I love you Papa! Also, I hear that the gender for Ian&Lindsay's baby will be known on the 21st. My guess is that it will be a boy!!! and they will name him Seth....right? ;) haha but Im really excited to hear how that goes! Thank you for all of the Christmas cards and gifts too! I'll send thank you notes out and I really love coming home from the cold to some mail! 

Well, I had some neat experiences this week. On Friday, I did a baptismal interview for a lady named Khajidsurn Navaantanba who is from Mongolia.  She is here to get here doctorate in mathematics and speaks pretty good english for only having been here for one year! It was really neat because she shared with me her testimony of Jesus Christ. I realized in a new way that Christ really is the Savior of us all! 

Friday, we also had exchanges. I was on a bike with Elder Polatis in his area and it was a long night. We talked to EVERYONE we saw and tried some people who were potentially interested but nobody invited us in to teach. We were both freezing and a little sad but with a little bit of humor we lightened up and rode our bikes on the snow covered sidewalks to our dinner with some members. It was cool because although we didnt see any "success" that night, we felt the Spirit with us, assuring us that we were doing all that we could do...that is a satisfying feeling :)

Then Saturday, we taught a man named Kagulo who was baptized this summer. He is a little less active now so we are trying to help him come to Church every week. He is from the Congo, so hardly speaks English. We read 1 Nephi chapters 1-2 with him from the Book of Mormon. We read in English and he read in Swahili. His remark at the end of the lesson was something like this, "So we need to keep commandment or else it is not good and we be destroyed like Jerusalem." We laughed a bit at the harshness of it, but assured him that he was correct. We taught how the people in Jerusalem had "destroyed" themselves by not keeping the commandments. They had put themselves in a situation in which when Babylon came to conquer, they were exposed completely to them b/c they had not listened and prepared as the Lord had commanded them. It was sweet and again I learned that this gospel is for ALL children of our Heavenly Father, no matter what background or culture. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is pure truth and truth is eternal and unchangeable!

Each day this week, we met with a man named Scott who we started teaching this week. He had been taught before by some sister missionaries this summer but had taken a break from learning. Well, we have had some of the most powerful lessons with this man. He has received all sorts of spiritual confirmations that the Church is true and the Joseph Smith really was a prophet and man of God. Yesterday, we made a breakthrough and he opened up to us about how he had become depressed some years ago after he had to give his 3 sons up for adoption b/c he couldnt adequately provide for them. We taught him about the Atonement and read Alma 7 with him (from the Book of Mormon). The Spirit was strong and we all felt the truthfulness of the words of the prophet Alma as he talked about how Christ not only suffered for our sins, but for our pains (physical, spiritual, emotional), sicknesses, and afflictions too. It was intense. Afterwards, we gave him a priesthood blessing. He felt very good he told us and is working towards making the covenant (promise with God) of baptism on Dec 28! There is no greater feeling of joy than when you feel the love and power of God working through you to help another person. Thats missionary work for you :) I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas season. Enjoy the company of family and friends and those you love. Think about them first and you will feel that true Christmas spirit which warms your very core being with joy! Love you alll, Elder Seth McGinn

 

 

Picture of that freezing night we were biking!

 

Another "White" Christmas

Hey Family and Friends!

I love you all so much! I hope that you are enjoying the Christmas season as much as I am. It seems so easy to just smile and be happy this time of year, even when you are out and about in the falling snow all day. That was our day yesterday! We had a great Christmas program in Church yesterday. There were some great musical numbers and even Elder Bates and I with 4 other men from the ward sang a song called "Guard Him, Joseph". We sang with a harp and a flute playing behind us, so it didnt matter how good our singing sounded haha everyone was focused and delighted by the harp!!! It was a win-win situation ;)

 

Yesterday, we also finally met the family of Jose Hernandez! I forget how much I have written about him but he was a man who wasnt attending church but is a member and we found him outside his trailer one day! He is from El Salvador and was baptized there and we didnt even have his records here in Iowa City. Well that was 3 months ago when we found him. Since then, he talked to his family (wife and 3 kids) that were in Mexico and told them that he found the missionaries and the Church. None of them were members and his wife told him that she would never become a member of la iglesia mormona (the Mormon Church)! Well, the kids saw some missionaries in Mexico that very week he told them he had found us and they wanted to be taught about the gospel and our Church! Long story short, Jose's family, including his wife (haha) were all baptized in Chiapas, Mexico on Nov 16th this year!!!! Whats even crazier is that they went to Tiajuana, then San Francisco, and then flew into Cedar Rapids, Iowa and got to Iowa City this past Saturday! We met them all last night and it was one of the coolest feelings in the world. It wasnt just a family reunited after a long, long time (11 years) but it was now a family united in their faith in Jesus Christ, each with a testimony of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including the priesthood power to seal/bind families together forever!! That is their common, uniting goal :) how sweet it that?!

 

This is why being a full-time missionary is the best thing in the world, b/c now, its our privilege and responsibility to continue to teach them about the plan of happiness, how to study the scripures daily, and help them get to the temple so they can be sealed forever. Pretty sweet job description.

 

Well, I'm grateful for my family. I look forward to being with them next Christmas! Yet, I find true joy and happiness in leaving my family for 2 years so that other families can be together for eternity. (I stole that from a quote :)) Last night in the 2013 Christmas Devotional (found on the homepage of lds.org),  President Monson quoted President McKay when he said that "True happiness comes only from making others truly happy." I love that and I know that it is true! I'm going to look for more opportunities to give of myself to make others happy, b/c it makes me happy. That is the Christmas spirit :) Love you all, Elder Seth McGinn

 

 

ps The picture is Elder McKeon and I! He is a good friend I have made out here and he just finished his 2 years and went home to Santa Clarita, CA for the winter haha lucky guy ;)

December to Remember

Hey family!

So it was a great week! Sarah was baptized and confirmed this weekend! I attached a picture of her with us and Rocio Jones (the member who invited her over for dinner and introduced us). It is wonderful to see the Work of Salvation in action :) Sarah told us on Sunday how happy she feels and how praying and studying the scriptures have helped her solve problems and overcome challenges in her life. That makes a missionary pretty happy to hear that because that is our message!!!

Thanksgiving was great! We played some basketball and volleyball with a ton of members in the morning and played with some of their non-member friends! It was really fun. Then we ate with the Blacks, Neumanns, and the Hugies all at the Blacks home. It was one of the best tasting thanksgiving dinners I have ever had...i dont know why. Maybe because it was just like the ones we had at home haha the stuffing and mash potatoes were ridiculously good! Also, Ian would like to know that Brother Black, Brother Neumann, and Brother Hugie are all in law school right now so we talked a lot about law as a career haha maybe Ian's dream will come true and we can start a law firm together...who knows! At thanksgiving, I really appreciated how much a family models our relationship with Heavenly Father. It was awesome to watch parents interact with their children. Mainly, I caught hold of the love that parents have for their children. It is love that is patient, constant, and eternal...a lot like the love that God has for us. I can feel it most when I pray sincerely and pour out my heart in conversation with Him. I am learning more and more that prayer is so important when it comes to having true faith...so we are really helping everybody we teach pray! Helen is doing good and wants to be baptized, but she still wont set a date lol we love her and are praying for her! I hope you all enjoy the Christmas season, the music, lights, and the Spirit of Christ that fills the hearts of many! He, Christ, is the source of all truth and happiness. Enjoy it and love one another :) Love, Elder McGinn

Thanksgiving Miracles

Hey everybody! Hope you all had a great week! We sure had a good one here in Iowa City. First off, birthday shoutouts to Adam Fender (my favorite nephew ;)) and to Lindsay McGinn (my favorite sister-in-law ;)). haha I love you both so much and I miss you. Lindsay, thanks for your charity in marrying my brother haha he definitely married up and you two are perfect for each other! I'm super happy that you are going to start a family together too!!!! Also, a big thank you to Granny & Papa for the awesome sweater they got me for Christmas! I got it right in time because the snow is already falling.

 

This week was great, though! Sarah passed her baptismal interview so she is set to go for this Saturday :) Then, on Friday night, we were going over to teach Sarah about Thomas S. Monson, our prophet and president of the Church, when Helen (one of the Jones' other friends who we are teaching) got in a car accident. So we followed Rocio Jones and Sarah to the hospital and Helen was okay, just a little shooken up. So we went back to the Jones' to teach about the prophet. We taught both Sarah and Helen and we followed the promptings to watch President Monson's talk from the General Relief Society meeting in October. It was so good and the Spirit was very strong. We closed with a prayer and as we were about to leave, Helen stopped us and was like "I've got 2 things on my mind...First, I think I have received my answer to my prayers about if all this is true or not." We were stoked! Then before anybody could shout for joy she said "wait, dont say anything." She then reminded us of our last lesson in which we were trying to set a baptismal date with her. She was being really stubborn so Brother Aaron Jones said "Helen, what if something were to happen to you and when you got to God's presence, He asked you why you just didnt get baptized and kept pushing it off." Well, she told us that the second thing on her mind was that and how the car was totaled in the accident and that the airbags didnt go off. She said she could have easily had very bad injuries. So she recognized it as an obvious sign from Heavenly Father. We know God works in mysterious ways and as scary and frightening as this accident was for Helen, it was what she needed to realize that her priorities needed a little rearranging. So she is now preparing to be baptized and become a member of the Church she loves in December! I feel very humble to be here in Iowa teaching people about why they are here and who they are (children of God). Its something special and eternal, meaning we will take it with us no matter what happens here on Earth. Jesus Christ lives and He loves us. He has called and works through His prophet on the Earth, Thomas S. Monson! Its so sweet. I love you all and have a great Thanksgiving! -Love, Elder McGinn

 

 

 

ps picture of Elder Bates and I bowling on Pday!

 

 

Keep it Rollin'

Hey everybody :)

Its been a great week out here in Iowa City! We had the director of training from the MTC come and train us on how we can better HELP people pray, read from the scriptures (esp the Book of Mormon), and come to Church (esp Sacrament meeting). It was sweet and we are going to train on that tomorrow at our zone training meeting. The work is progressing!

So this week, we had a hard time getting in contact with Ricardo and he didnt make it to Church but we got a hold of him last night and have a lesson set up with him later this week. He works a ton and is never home haha classic. But on another note, we had dinner on Tuesday with some members, the Jones', and they brought two friends! We got to know them over dinner (we ate some fufu which is an African dish lol) and by the end of the night, Helen and Sarah had both agreed to let us teach them! We taught Sarah the next night and she loved the Restoration, accepted a baptismal date for Nov 30th, and wanted to come to Church. We also had a Church tour with her and the Jones' Saturday night which was sweet and she loved Church on Sunday :) We taught Helen on Friday at the salon she works at with Sister Jones. We watch mormon messages with her and taught her about prayer. It was great and she said she was coming to Church, but didnt come. But its all good cause the Church is still true :)

Im grateful for the Church in my life b/c it has helped me reach my goals and fulfill my deepest desires. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ really is the "fountain of living water" and when we turn from the other worldly fountains we can drink from to this fountain of the Atonement of Christ, we will never thirst and will be truly, profoundly satisfied! I wish all of you a happy veteran's day and a great week! Love you, Elder Seth McGinn

A Better Way

Hey everybody :)

Its been a great week out here in Iowa City! We had the director of training from the MTC come and train us on how we can better HELP people pray, read from the scriptures (esp the Book of Mormon), and come to Church (esp Sacrament meeting). It was sweet and we are going to train on that tomorrow at our zone training meeting. The work is progressing!

So this week, we had a hard time getting in contact with Ricardo and he didnt make it to Church but we got a hold of him last night and have a lesson set up with him later this week. He works a ton and is never home haha classic. But on another note, we had dinner on Tuesday with some members, the Jones', and they brought two friends! We got to know them over dinner (we ate some fufu which is an African dish lol) and by the end of the night, Helen and Sarah had both agreed to let us teach them! We taught Sarah the next night and she loved the Restoration, accepted a baptismal date for Nov 30th, and wanted to come to Church. We also had a Church tour with her and the Jones' Saturday night which was sweet and she loved Church on Sunday :) We taught Helen on Friday at the salon she works at with Sister Jones. We watch mormon messages with her and taught her about prayer. It was great and she said she was coming to Church, but didnt come. But its all good cause the Church is still true :)

Im grateful for the Church in my life b/c it has helped me reach my goals and fulfill my deepest desires. The restored gospel of Jesus Christ really is the "fountain of living water" and when we turn from the other worldly fountains we can drink from to this fountain of the Atonement of Christ, we will never thirst and will be truly, profoundly satisfied! I wish all of you a happy veteran's day and a great week! Love you, Elder Seth McGinn

After All We Can Do

Hola everybody!

I just want to let everybody know that I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. A good question to ask yourself is what that means and more specifically, what does that mean for you! If you dont know, don't be embarrassed to ask someone who does. I would suggest that you first ask God, your Heavenly Father, by praying to Him. Find a private, quiet place. Imagine picking up a telephone and talking to the individual who loves you more than anyone else you know and who knows everything about you and wants you to be happy :) In order to find peace and joy in the sometimes intimidating world we live in, we need to know who we are and what our purpose is. Those soul-searching spiritual questions can only be answered

through soul-stretching spiritual answers. They must come from a source that provides those kinds of answers, namely directly through God himself or through His words that He has given to worthy, honest men we call prophets. Those words are found in the scriptures: the Bible and the Book of Mormon, along with Doctrine & Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price. The last thing I will say about this is that the more we learn about the nature and character of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, the more we learn about ourselves :)

 

With that said, we are seeing miracles here in Iowa City "after all we can do." (2 Nephi 25:23) We have been working hard to find people to teach in our area but we  have struggled. In the last two weeks, we have only found 0 new investigators in our own finding efforts (knocking doors). But, we've received 3 member referrals and of those 3, we are now teaching 2 of them!!! Ricardo is one of them and the first time we met him in person was at Church yesterday. He is from Veracruz, Mexico (near where Blake is serving right now) and has been in Iowa for over a year. He enjoyed testimony meeting as we translated it for him from English to Spanish and then we were able to teach him about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ afterwards. He loved everything we taught and really connected with Joseph Smith because he, too, has always wondered why are there so many churches and which one is the right one. He agreed to read the Book of Mormon and to prepare to be baptized as he comes to feel and know that it is true. So sweet!!! So remember that we are not justified by merely accepting Christ as our savior but we are redeemed from our mistakes, weaknesses, and struggles as we try to LIVE like Christ :) We tried our best all week and did everything the best way we could to no avail haha but in that labor, we qualified for the trust of our members and the Lord, so they blessed us with a prepared person like Ricardo! I hope you all have a bright hope for the future that lays ahead in your life :) Love you all!

-Elder McGinn