Snowy Spring!

Hey family and friends!

Although spring has "started", it snowed all day yesterday haha enjoy the nice Las Vegasweather! I love you all and hope you are all doing well and are happy. Remember that we determine our own happiness, despite our circumstances. Seeing that this is Passover Week and next Sunday is Easter, I wanted to post a link to this Easter video that is one of my favorites! Here it is: An Easter Declaration

This has been a great week! We have found 5 new investigators and they are all from the members inviting their friends to learn more. As a missionary, I have been given the responsibility and authority to TEACH the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. As a member of the Church, we are responsible for making sure that everyone around us has the opportunity to be taught the gospel and therefore, the opportunity to experience the happiness and peace it brings to our lives. Members don't need and aren't expected to teach the gospel, but they have the chance to invite their friends and family to activities like dinner, BBQ's (my personal favorite :)), ward activities, etc. where missionaries can talk to your friends in a non-pushy way to ask them if they would be interested in learning more! Would you rather teach about the Word of Wisdom and the Law of Chastity or invite a friend to a ward chili cook-off?? I hope we see that sharing the gospel with those around us is not a burden, but rather a blessing! If you have fear, then remember that everyone around you is also a child of God, your brother and sister. As you do, you will love them more and experience "perfect love casting out all fear" :)

I am happy to be here in Iowa, helping others find joy in the journey of our lives. This joy can be only felt in its truest form as we believe and trust in Jesus Christ and keep His commandments. I love you all, even if you don't share the same religious beliefs. Friendship is one of the greatest blessings in life and we must all do our part to help one another get along through the difficulties life throws at us. Don't be ignorant, but always learning, growing, and progressing--that is where we feel happiness and live with more peace! Con amor,

Elder McGinn :)

Crazy St. Patty's Day Week!

Hey Hey Hey Family!!

Last Thursday was transfers and it was quite an exciting day so let me run you through it. I got all packed up and headed off to catch a van in Ames, IAat 5am. We arrived in Iowa Cityaround 8:30 and all the missionaries were visiting in the foyer as all the new trainers were being gathered in for a meeting with President Jergensen. This is when President Jergensen said "Elder McGinn, come here I need to talk with you." Initially I was scared b/c it isnt always the best thing to be called over like that haha but president told me that all the other Spanish missionaries would be training these VISA waiters who would then be going to Argentina. He told me that he trusts me and wants me to train but said that he didn't know why the Lord had made it so that logistically, I wouldnt make sense for me. Then he told me that he got his answer to that question the day before when Church headquarters in Salt Lake called and informed him that they have a missionary in the MTC that was scheduled to come out to Iowa in April but he is already a fluent Spanish speaker, so he is coming out on Monday, March 25th. So president was like "You ready to train in a week?" I was like a deer in the headlights haha but I told him I'm excited and I went into that trainers meeting with my mind racing haha

Its interesting though because it will have to be in a tri-panionship b/c there are simply not enough spanish areas and he said that I would love the other companion I would be with. Then during the actual transfer meeting, President Jergensen announced that I would go to the Muscatine, Iowaarea to serve with Elder Arellano again hahaha So we are back together again after being apart for a quick 5-week transfer! So I am back with my trainer (my dad in mission lingo) and I will be training (become a dad) in a week from today haha so crazy! In other words, until Elder Arellano goes home at the next April 25th transfer, it will be Grandpa (Elder Arellano), father (me), and son (Elder Kevin Miranda from St. George,UT) hah we are going to have a blast and we will work hard together!!

As for the work, things are going great! We set a baptismal date with Alex for April 20th before I left Perry and just yesterday, Elder Arellano and I set a date for baptism with a girl named Irene for April 13th. She is friends with a girl in the ward and she has simple been prepared to learn and accept the restored gospel! She is very smart and loves to read the scriptures. We taught here the Plan of Salvation yesterday and it was powerful. I think sometimes we forget how wonderful it is to KNOW, not just believe, where we came from, why we are here, and what happens after we die. She loved it and we loved teaching her! The Spirit was strong. We also had 3 other members bring friends to Church with them yesterday and we look forward to working with them. So fyi, 4 missionaries cover the Muscatine Ward, 2 English-speaking elders and 2 Spanish-speaking elders(us). We share a car and I love the English elders! They are Elder Kilpatrick from Snohomish, Washington (I wonder if my brother Tom served there b/c it was in his mission) and Elder Weiss from Logandale, NV, just 45 mins NorthEast of Vegas so we are already good friends b/c we have a lot in common. He went to Moapa Valley HS. They are both great and they had a baptism this past Saturday of a couple from Liberia which is a country in Africa. That country has seen some crazy war problems the last couple years and Muscatine is one of the war-refugee drop off points in theUSso there are a lot of Liberians and they love the restored gospel!

I love you all! We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father & like a perfect father, He loves each of us individually and wants us to be happy. He has given us some "house rules" or "curfews" that we know as commandments. These protect us, guide us, and help us to be happy and feel peace, no matter what we are facing, just like parents set rules and curfews for their children. It is an expression of love that He has shown us a way of life (by living His commandments) that will make us the most happy and give us the greatest peace of mind. Always talk to Him and listen to Him. He loves us :)

Love Elder McGinn

ps Its sweet that the Rebels got a 5 seed in the tourney!!! Go Rebs!

Longest Winter Ever

Hey Familia!!

We are still getting tons of snow here in Iowa:) haha I can't wait for some warmer weather! Sorry for not writing yesterday and Elder Cottam and I were down and out with some stomach flu and we are feeling better today!

Araceli and Alex's baptism went great on Saturday! Jaime performed the baptism and he did it in English which was huge for him. Also, the AP's (assistants to the president) came to our baptism and they told me that I am being transferred!!!! Im super excited and nervous. It will be sad to leave Perry cause I love the people here, but I am excited to meet a bunch of new people and work in a different town. Transfers are on Thursday in Iowa City so I will find out where I am going there and then jump in a bus from there and be off! Crazy stuff.

Also, we have a new investigator here named Alex who wants to change his life. He has always been caught up in drugs, alcohol, and smoking, but since he has been reading the Book of Mormon and talking to us and Hermano Jaime, he has stopped smoking and drinking! It has been 2 weeks so far and we are going to stick with it to make sure it is a lasting change. He came to Church on Sunday which was our fast & testimony Sunday where anyone in the congregation can go up and share their belief and conviction about Jesus Christ or any other aspect of the gospel. Well, lo and behold, Alex got up there and shared his testimony of how he has been trying to change and quit for a long time and how the only way he has been able to actually change is through his faith in Jesus Christ which is made stronger as he reads from the Bible and especially the Book of Mormon. I was a powerful experience and we are going to set a baptismal date with him today for sometime around April 20th! I echo his testimony and add that we are all about change. We change everyday! So many people are discouraged by the false notion that "its just the way I am". I promise that our natures can and do change as we change our thoughts and behavior! We are the sum total of what we say, think, hear, watch and do. As we change what we say, think, hear, watch, and do, we change who we are! It is also important to recognize that the power by which we change is the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He suffered and died for us so that through Him, we can BECOME something like He is--pure, full of love, unselfish, full of joy and peace. This is all true because I have seen it with my own eyes countless times in the short time that I have been a missionary here in Iowa. I love you all and hope that you all know that you can always change and become better, no matter what circumstances you find yourself in :)

Love, Elder Seth McGinn

ps the picture is Elder Cottam, Araceli, Nathan, Alex (had a cast on his arm so we wrapped saran wrap and a trash bag around it haha), Hermano Jaime, and me!

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Elder Seth McGinn

IowaDes Moines Mission

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

March is Here!

Hey everybody! I dont have much time at all this week but I just thought I'd let you all know that we had an awesome regional conference yesterday as we heard a broadcast from Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. It was for the whole Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, North and South Dakota,Nebraska, Wisconsin, etc.) We got to hear from Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the quorum of the 12 apostles and he talked about missionary work! He spoke directly to the members about how the increasing number of missionaries will need people to teach and that the members have the power to FIND these people, because they are their friends, co-workers, family members, and others who have been placed in their lives to have the opportunity to listen to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the missionaries! We also heard from Elder Larry Echo Hawk, who is one of my favorite general authorities and from Elder Craig C. Christiansen from the Presidency of the Seventy. The main theme that I heard from the conference was the importance of standing in holy places. They spoke of how the world we live is increasingly corrupt, poisonous, and immoral in every way. So we, as followers of Christ, need to have the courage and strength to stand independent from the world and to stand in holy places, where we can feel comfort, love, and peace that the Spirit of God can bring to us as we listen and feel for it.

I love you all and hope you enjoy the warmer weather and longer days :)

Elder McGinn

 

ps the pic is of my district at our last district meeting (left to right: Elders Hansen&Beck (Boone), Elders McKeon&Moyle (Carroll), and Elder Cottam&me (Perry))

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Elder Seth McGinn

IowaDes Moines Mission

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

 

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Hey familia y amigos!!! Comoandan?

Its been another great week here in Iowa. We have been teaching like crazy and that is the best! We taught a man from Africa, a woman from Mexico, a man from El Salvador, a woman from Guatemala, a family from Colombia, some members from Bolivia! Who'd thought a small town in the heart of Iowa(the heart of the US) would produce something like that? I didnt but I love it and its so sweet to get to know all these different people from very different backgrounds and cultures. And I thought Vegas was a melting pot...haha

This week, I had the sweetest spiritual experience as we watched the Restoration DVD with a man named Alexis from Burundi,Africa. We watched it in French, because that is his best language besides the unique dialect of Swahili in his native country. Afterwords, he told us that he KNEW that Joseph Smith was not a liar or a fake and that the experience he had in the Spring of 1820 was true and really happened! This was awesome, but he expressed how hard it would be to leave his evangelical Church where all of his friends are. We are going to continue to work with him and his family so they can see the blessings that await them as they come to and accept the FULNESS of the gospel, or teachings, of Jesus Christ. Even sweeter than this, was the experience I had while watching the Restoration in French. Besides the trying to interpret what was being said in French with the similar root words it has with Spanish, I had an amazing feeling while watching the story of Joseph Smith. I immediately recognized these feelings of warmth, love, peace and happiness as the power of the Holy Ghost or the Spirit of God :) I then KNEW, like Alexis did, that this experience in the life of a 14 yearold farm boy was true, because by the power of the Holy Ghost, we can KNOW the TRUTH of ALL things. Even though I couldn't understand what exactly was being said in French, as watched and pondered, the universal language of the Spirit told my heart and my mind that what I was seeing and experiencing was real and true. I urge all of you to pay attention to these feelings and thoughts, and look of the Spirit of God in your life so you can discern between things that are true and good, and things that are false, deceiving, and harmful!

Love you all,

Elder McGinn

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Elder Seth McGinn

IowaDes Moines Mission

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Better Late Than Never

Whats up everybody?! sorry so late this week but its been crazy here in the IDMM (Iowa Des Moines Misson)...crazy good that is! I got Meesh and Joe's wedding announcement!!! Thats wild!! If youre going to be making cardboard cutouts for blake and jordan, you might as well just do one for me too ;) haha We are about to get hit with a pretty good snowstorm today, so thats exciting! Araceli and Alex are doing great and are preparing for their baptisms on the 2nd. Keep them in your prayers please!

I had a couple of sweet experiences this week where I learned some really cool things in my personal study time with the scriptures. One of them was in Alma17:29-33. You should all read it and think of it as a way to do missionary work and home teaching! Its sweet how much knowledge and meaning there is throughout all the scriptures and it is so important to liken it to your own life and situation! I always loved the scriptures, but that love has grown even stronger throughout my mission as they bring me and those I teach more comfort and understanding.

I love you all and hope things are going well! Thank you for all of the prayers, love and support! I really feel it and I am also grateful for all the mail that I get :) keep sending it haha it makes my day!!! My spanish is slowly getting better and better as well as my own confidence with speaking it! The Lord has helped me out a lot with it and it been a lot of studying too. But hey I gotta go before we get caught in this storm but I love you all and know that the Church is true! Read the Book of Mormon to find out for yourself, and if you already know, read it over and over again to REMEMBER who you are and what your divine potential is! Love you all!

Elder Seth McGinn
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Elder Seth McGinn

8515 Douglas Ave. Ste. 19

Urbandale, IA 50322

Valentines Day!

Hey family and friends!

Love is in the air as Valentine's Day approaches, love for the Lord and love for this work. I'm so grateful to be engaged in this work here in Iowa, because I have never felt the love of the Lord so much and so strongly in my life! I love you all and hope that everything is going well back home!

So we had transfers this week and I got a new companion! His name is Elder Westley Cottam from Albuquerque, New Mexico! He has been out for 18 months and we have gotten along together great so far. We are so excited to be teaching Araceli and her son, Alex, about the gospel. They have been listening intently to our lessons with them and both are excited for their baptism on March 2nd. As I have been able to teach them, I have been able to really see how the restored gospel changes lives as it is understood. We taught the lesson about the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith, which talks about the pattern of God calling prophets and the people eventually rejecting them and falling into apostasy (Spiritual Darkness). As we taught this principle, Araceli mentioned how it logically made sense and how this is the basic pattern in the Bible. We then taught how just as God called prophets like Adam, Noah, and Moses, He called the prophet Joseph Smith to restore His Church and teach His gospel in its fulness. As we finished teaching this, she sat back in her chair, looked at me and said, "Now I get it...why Joseph Smith is so important and why the Church is so important! Now it all makes sense. God was just doing what He has always done in the past!" There is a unique joy when another person understands the things that are precious to you and rejoices in them with you. Everyone in the room could feel that Spirit of God. They could all feel His love and peace at that moment testifying to them that this is true. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. This is the restored Church of Jesus Christ-the same one He established when He ministered to His people in Jerusalem in the meridian of time. We were all so happy and full of love and gratitude because of the love of our Heavenly Father!

I miss you all a lot. I miss playing soccer a lot. I miss hanging out with friends as well. But I don't even think about these things because I am so happy and KNOW that this is the Lord's work and it His kingdom that I am trying to build! I can play soccer later and be with my friends later and I will definitely see all of you later and we will have such fun times together, but right now, I am needed here Iowa to help these people change their lives! It is an amazing work and very tiring but it is the MOST rewarding! I love you all and hope that you are doing well. I know for myself that this Church is true and this work is my Heavenly Father's work. This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Its His church! Love you all so much and never forget that you control your happiness :)

Love Elder Seth McGinn