The Sun Always Rises

Hey everybody!

I'm still alive and kicking here in Iowa City. We had a great week and are really started to see the work hasten. Unfortunately, we cant get ahold of our investigator Scott, but we are meeting and starting to teaching a ton of Hispanics here! Thats what we like cause we get to use our Spanish and it actually feels like we are out of America for a little bit haha The Valdez family in our ward are ward missionaries and they are totally on board. They introduced us to their friend named Aide and we had a sweet lesson with her, applying this new teaching method we were trained on by the Director of Training at the MTC. It is basically that you dont focus on teaching the doctrine, but you focus on teaching them how they can learn the doctrine for themselves. So we give an overview of the lessons, invite them to study it, then come back and ask them what questions they have and it works out great because we help them help themselves. Teaching this way, they learn from the Holy Ghost on their own and the Spirit teaches them those things that they need most in their lives :)

 

So we did this with Aide and it is sweet! She has studied with almost every other Church except ours. She has a ton of questions and could never find all of the answers. Well we went over the Restoration with her and the Book of Mormon and she came to Church yesterday with the Valdez! I love teaching someone who is thirsty for more. Also, we are seeing great things come from helping the families in our ward to establish family mission plans with goals on how to share the gospel. It is fun to see them get excited as we help them reach their goals.

 

Some things I learned this week: 1) Faith in Jesus Christ inspires humility. When we are full of faith, then we realize our need to rely on Him and not on ourselves. I've seen this time and time again. 2) I learned that the moment we grow the most character or make the biggest decisions in our life in on our own or as Pres. McKay says "in the silent chambers of our hearts."  We are all individuals and have our own personality and beliefs. The way we influence others the most is when we give them tools and show them how to use them, then let them go with that and figure it out on their own. Truly, we cant expect them to reach their full potential of happiness without them working, learning, and sacrificing for it. So lets look for opportunities to teach people how to fish and not just give them a fish here and there. That way, they learn how to feed themselves and increase in ability, stature and happiness. Thats what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about! I know that He lived, died for us, and was raised again the third day. The gospel is the plan that allows us to make it back, but we must LIVE the plan for ourselves: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and remaining true to following Christ the rest of our lives :) Make it a great week and remember to love your friends and your enemies.

Love,

Elder McGinn

Act or Acted Upon

Hey everybody!

Que tal? Its still freezing here :) We had a great week this week. Last P-day we had a trizone P-day so missionaries from Cedar Rapids and Fairfield zones came to the Iowa City stakecenter and we had a lot of fun playing games. Elder Andreasen was there and he is probably one of my best friends I have made out here. We had a great time! This week, we had a couple exchanges and one was with the AP's. I went with Elder Anderson. Apparently, he came a played ultimate frisbee right by where I lived at BYU so we probably met and played together before but neither of us can remember it haha but we have lots of mutual friends. Well he is a stud missionary and we talked a lot as we worked that night about how to lead with love. I learned and realized that I need to praise and uplift the missionaries in our zone more and that as we simply love them and are examples for them, they will solve their little problems and the work will move forward :) I was grateful for that learning opportunity because it taught me more about Christ and His love. He doesnt solve our problems for us or force us to be happy and live the way He did, but He simply loves us and we can feel that as we pray, learn more about Him through the scriptures, and make covenants with Him like baptism. Also, as we serve Him by serving others, we become more intimate acquainted with Him and because we begin to understand His love for us, we choose to act by changing our lives so they align with His teachings.

 

This is what has happened with Scott this last week. He had a wake up call and ended up in the hopsital with some rapid breathing. They thought it might be a heart attack but it wasnt so he was released 24 hours later. This little scare gave him another push and strengthened his desire to change. So we taught about praying always, not just in the morning and at night, but saying little prayers throughout the day. He loved that and as he has done it, it has begun to really help him make the changes he wants to make, like exercising and such. Well, he was planning to come to Church for all 3 hours yesterday and had a horrible night on Saturday night with tons of negative thoughts and feelings. We went over about 45 minutes before Church started and prayed with him as he felt he couldnt come to Church because he felt mentally and physically exhausted. Well we read in 2nd Nephi chapter 2 in the Book of Mormon about how God created both things to act and things to be acted upon. We taught him how Satan desires him to be miserable like he is miserable and was acting on Scott all night with these negative thoughts pointed towards destroying Scott's self-esteem and resolve to get healthy and make changes in his lifestyle. It was so powerful as the Spirit filled the room and our minds were enlightened and it was so clear that Satan acts on us when we do not act for ourselves. We taught out of verse 27 where it says that we are free agents to choose for ourselves whether we want liberty and eternal life through Jesus Christ, our great mediator, or if we want captivity and death, according to the captivity and death that Satan, or the devil, wants us to be in. With this, Scott made the correct, but hard decision to act and he came to Church! He felt so much better and said that his negative feelings went away as he was in Sacrament meeting! I know for myself that we have control of our own happiness. Its natural to have feelings of unhappiness or self doubt, but those are times when we evaluate and decide the best course of ACTION! If we dont act now and take control of our fate and happiness, then outside influences and forces that arent focused on your happiness will take power in your life and lead you eventually to complete misery. So don't worry about the things you cant control, but take control of your own decisions, things you can control. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. That once blind, we can see and once lost, we can find ourselves. But it takes work and footsteps on our part :) So dont pray for your circumstances may change, but pray so you understand God's will for you and so He can give you the strength to change yourself. Then, you'll be happy in whatever circumstances you're in! Christ lives and His power to heal our hearts is real. I have experienced it and seen others experience it as well. Make it a great week and love you all!

-Elder McGinn

 

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Elder Seth McGinn

Iowa Des Moines Mission

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Great Week!

Hey everybody!

We had a great week out here in Iowa City. We were able to start teaching two hispanic couples and they loved the lessons we had with them. The Spirit was strong as we taught about God's love for us and how He has restored the true gospel of Jesus Christ in our times. The zone had a great week as well and everybody is happy and working hard :) Last week, I was pretty sick but I felt a lot better and am fully getting over my cough finally so its been nice to be out and about and feeling good! Scott came to church yesterday and he has really been praying more sincerely. He was very committed to come to Church and his reading in the Book of Mormon is going great. The week was capped off by him calling yesterday to tell me that the Broncos won and were going to the super bowl :) I told him that God must be a Bronco fan because sunsets are orange and blue hahah we got a good laugh out of that!

I have really come to appreciate the time I have each morning to study the scriptures! It is precious and I always feel so good during and after I read. I hope we are all finding or making the time to read the scriptures so we can feel and come to a more perfect knowledge of the love that God has for us. Sometimes I find myself thinking about home or what lies ahead and the gentle thought always comes that I just need to focus on what I can do today or right now to serve God and those around me. Then I have the Lord's promise that "all things will work together for my good". I love my Redeemer Jesus Christ. As I have served as a missionary, my purpose has been to do the things that He would do and say the things that He would say. Im been imperfect many times but I have come to love Him more because I find myself seeking to be like Him. So I think its the coolest thing that as we are Christlike, we become connected and bonded to Him, and I have become friends with someone I have never met face to face haha its crazy but its true because I feel it in my soul! I hope you make it a great week and that you find happiness in the simple things! 

Love, 

Elder McGinn

 

PS a picture of Elder Bates and I with the Black family! They are one of my favorites and are awesome people.

True Story

Hey!

So we have a lesson in like 30 minutes so we just dont have much time to write so sorry! To cover the important things, it was a good week :) We had our mission leadership council which was very fun and spiritually uplifting. We set our yearly goals as a mission and set our baptismal goals to match with the various ward and stake goals here in our mission...which is very smart and doctrinal-ly correct! The bishops and stake presidents are the ones who hold the keys for missionary work in their units. So that was awesome. I dont know if you all remember Elder Weiss whom I served around when I was in Muscatine. He is the one from Moapa Valley and we have become great friends, well now he is one of the assistants to President Jensen so I get to see him a lot more! He's a stud!

 

The work is really picking up as students are coming back into town and as people are returning to work and a normal schedule after the holiday break. Scott came to Church! He is doing better and is now working towards being baptized on Feb 14th! We are going to teach Wakweya (the Ethiopian guy) right now about the prophet Joseph Smith and the importance of the Book of Mormon and also try to set a baptismal date with him too! But life is good and time is moving fast haha Elder Dallas Teshima wrote me today and we are both starting to plan a bit for this coming fall which is crazy that its so close. But everyday counts in anything that we do and I really appreciate my mission because it has taught me that time is a precious resource and that we must use it wisely :) So, just like we do in sports, we do in the work of bringing souls to Christ- we "leave it all out on the field"! Make it a great week and love those around you..you'll be happier, I promise! 

Love,

Elder McGinn

 

picture of Elder Richens, Hermana Rosema, and I at Chili's. It was Hermana Rosema's last night in Iowa as she goes back to the temple square mission so we all went out to eat!!! Good times!

Hope for the New Year

Hey!!!

So its freezing today with a high of -12 not to mention the windchill :) talk about bitter cold haha but I am warm and happy so dont you worry mom! Real quick, a birthday shout out to Leesee who is now in Laguna Beach from what I hear. Thats sweet and Happy Birthday!!! So Elder Bates got transferred to Des Moines and my new companion is Elder Richens from South Jordan, UT. He is awesome, really easy going, and we get along great! He is a new zone leader and has been out for 10 months so it kinda feels like I'm training a little bit again, which I love. I've realized at this point that I will probably be a zone leader for over half of my mission haha I love it because we get to serve and help missionaries just as much as we serve and help those we are teaching. Also, we have a full-time car which is great this time of year! I love serving here in the Iowa City 4th ward too. We have a great bishop and ward council...that makes a huge difference!

 

Well Scott is still not doing so hot because he is in terrible shape physically and thats really affecting his shape spiritually. He didnt make it to Church yesterday, but we are going to meet with him tonight to see how we can help him. On another note, an Ethiopian man named Wakweya came to Church yesterday and we started teaching him. He ran into some sisters over a different ward and they helped him get to Church and then handed him over to us. He is sweet! He works crazy hours though so the hard part will be meeting with him, but other than that he is solid! 

 

Im really excited for school to start up again out here so that all of our members come back haha Things have been a little slow but they are starting to pick up again! We are grateful for all the many people who we teach who listen, act, and then come closer to Christ by being baptized. In 2013, our goal was 550 and our ending number of people who were helped and strengthened by Christ and His atoning sacrifice was 545!!! A little short, but overall an amazing year! I look forward to 2014 with HOPE that it will be even better than 2013. I have learned so much about myself serving as a missionary and especially, I have learned that progress is what makes me happy. I love learning and even though it takes trial and opposition to grow, there is no greater feeling than when you can look back and see how much you have grown only to look forward in anticipation to how much more I still have to learn. Our potential is so great and our opportunities are endless! I know that it is with faith in Jesus Christ and love for those around us that we make the most of who we our and strive toward our true potential. I love you all and wish you a happy 2014! Love, Elder Seth McGinn
 

 

 

Picture of an Iowa sunrise :)

 

 

 

Elder Bates & I and the Hungers! This is the family I live with! They are great and Brother Hunger reminds me a lot of Dad...i wonder why

 

 

This is the Iowa City zone! Right before transfer meeting

A Brand New Year

Hey family and friends!

I hope you all had a great Christmas filled with good memories with the family and friends. We had a great one here in Iowa! Our mission had 29 baptisms this week alone, which is the most ever in the history of our mission! I love how these 29 people all chose to be baptized during this Christmas week and that they really gave a great gift to their Savior by being baptized. They are giving of themselves and making promises to be better and to do better just as the new year approaches! 

Our investigator Scott is doing well! He wasnt fully prepared for baptism this week so we pushed it back to give him more time. Now he is working towards the 11th of January so that is sweet! Also, my companion Elder Bates just got called this morning and will be transferred this Thursday so I will have a new companion that day. I have loved serving with Elder Bates and we have had a lot of great experiences together! It is always difficult with transfers, but also exciting to see what will happen next. I know that I am doing what Heavenly Father wants me to do right now. That allows me to have full faith and confidence in the decisions I make and in the Spirit of the Holy Ghost which helps me make decisions as I pray and ponder on those decisions. It is so sweet and I know that God lives and loves us!

Im stoked with the anticipation that a new year brings! Its a great time to evaluate this past year, remember lessons we learned, and forget any grudges or hard feelings we might have. This change or new start is exactly the reason Jesus Christ came into the world: to give us hope for a brighter future! Faith always looks forward at what lies ahead. Hope is an "anchor to our souls" which motivates us to act now to receive future rewards, and Charity is the pure love of Christ that we feel and are filled with as we lift the hearts of those who surround us. Its great cause I get to spread this message each day with the people of Iowa and you can too, wherever you are. Its for everyone! I hope/invite all of you to set aside some time this week to pray, ponder, and write down the "desires of your heart and your vision of what you can accomplish". And THEN, set goals that will help you fulfill those desires and your vision :) I did that last year and it has helped me set great personal goals which have helped me stretch and grow and become happier. Make it a good week! All my love, Elder McGinn

 

 

http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=910930409001

ps This is a link to a good video for the NEW YEAR! Talk to you all next year :)

and the picture is of Christmas morning with the Hunger family (who we live with)

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Feliz Navidad!

Hey family and friends!

What a great time of the year! We had a huge ice/snow storm this weekend and it is currently 3 degrees outside and feels below zero with windchill :) I love Iowa haha it really is great though! Unfortunately, Church was cancelled yesterday but other than that we had a great week here in Iowa City. We had exchanges with President Jensen on Wednesday so we went to teach our investigator Scott with him. Scott had some of the great classic questions that we love to answer as missionaries. He asked about some strong things like homosexuality and plural marriage. I wont go into a lot of details, but it sufficeth me to say that we went into the scriptures a lot, especially the Bible and helped Scott find answers to his questions. It was an awesome lesson and it was really great to see our mission president right there teaching with us! Definitely a lesson I wont forget! 

Then on Friday morning, we woke up to an ice storm (freezing rain) and our cars were grounded. I wasnt a big deal because we had studies all morning, but then Scott called. He told us how he had some more questions and wanted to move the baptism back to Feb 14th. Well, we decided that was worthy of a 2 mile jog to his house. It was probably one of the most fun/nerve racking moments of my mission haha we ran on the snow-covered grass and slid across frozen over driveways for 2 miles in cold cold weather. What made it unforgettable is that we had another intense lesson with Scott and taught him the Doctrine of Christ and the importance of not procrastinating your repentance. As we taught, the Spirit brought understanding to Scott's mind and confirmation to his heart. Three hours later, he had his baptismal interview and felt ready to make the covenant of baptism on Dec 28th! Talk about some Christmas miracles.

I know that miracles really do happen. The miracles I'm talking about is that we can change, transform, and control our happiness. We have a Father who is in Heaven that is anxiously aware of us and engaged in our lives to the extent that we let Him be. He loves us and that love is eternal. He is merciful and His Son, Jesus Christ, is evidence of that. This is what we are celebrating! That God loves us so He sent His Only Begotten Son to the Earth to show us the way to be happy in this life and to make it back to our heavenly home with our families. Families are forever! Enjoy the tangible Spirit of Christmas and please recognize what the prophet has taught us, that what we are really feeling is the Spirit of Christ! (Just drop the last syllable) Merry Christmas and All My Love, 

Elder Seth McGinn

 

 

ps Picture of Elder Bates and I with Demetrio Rubio...the funniest man in the world haha He was baptized in May and is awesome!