Keeping it realWell, I decided to be honest today. This was one of the hardest weeks I've ever had in the mission. I have never felt so rejected! It seemed like everyone we talked to rejected us or accepted the message only to then tell us that they didn't want anything to do with us. It was really hard, even a few of our recent converts and members seemed to have this bug. But it's amazing how even in the face of a lot of turmoil and hard moments - the spirit still is there. He gives us that comfort and joy in spite of the hardships around us. I remember with a few people this week that rejected us I had the biggest comforting feeling when we left them - a feeling that someday in another moment they are going to thank us for inviting them to come unto Christ. Everyone will have their moment - and sometimes we're just part of their story. We just have to keep the faith and trust in the spirit.
The best part this week was when we found Maren - the grandma of our recent convert Jose. Last week his great grandpa died, and his great grandma on the other side of his family in the same day. It was such a blessing to see how the knowledge of the Plan of Salvacion could help him through what before would have been really hard. He now knows after going to the temple that they will have the chance to accept the gospel on the other side - and that in a year he can go to the temple and do their work. The blessing was that we were able to start teaching his grandma. I know that God has a great plan for each one of us. And that someday we're going to have the chance to be in the Celestial Kingdom with everyone we love and cherish. I invite all of you to reach out to those you love and help them taste the fruit. Help them find their way back to our loving Father. Hope you all have a great week! Thanks for your love and support! Hermana Terry (The only picture this week - from when we were changing houses. We are now living in a much nicer house in a better place and we're very happy) Happy Monday!This week was really great! Not without it's challenges - but it's been really great. We've been really working on finding and teaching new investigators and finding creative ways to do it! We started working more with Family Home Evenings and Family History work - as well with talking to everyone in sight and working hard with receiving references from members, less active members, recent converts, investigators, contacts. . . You know, working hard and loving every minute! Sometimes when you don't see the immediate results, it's so easy for Satan to swoop in and try and get you down - but I've learned that faith is the key. Something I learned this week is that true faith requires 3 things: diligence, hope, and patience. If you lose either one of these three things - God cannot, or will not work any miracle for you. But when you combine them all - you can see his hands in every moment of every day. This week we celebrated dia de Amor y Amistad! Day of Love and Friendship - It's just better that way, no? I think I'll keep celebrating this holiday instead of Valentines Day :) It was a day just like any other - until we realized we needed the faith to find those who needed us this day. And just like that - things fell into place. I had an impression to go visit a reference we had recieved from a random contact with a really bad direction. But we went and after asking just about everyone down the street we finally got to the house. Out came a woman named Norma. When she heard us ask for her brother she just looked at us so confused. And then asked who sent us, why we were there, etc... And when we explained that someone who loves her and her brother sent us to them and we didn't know who - then she just started crying. She explained all the hard things that have been going on. Basically because her brother is alcholico and they have been having a lot of problems with the other members of her family. We then asked if we could share a message with her and she invited us right in. Sometimes you can just feel when God's sent you to someone's door. And that's how I felt this day. Later we went with Melina and Miguel. I don't know if you remember - I talked about them a lot before Melina's baptism around Christmas. Their story is a long one - but basically there are a million problems in their family. We've hardly been able to visit them these past few weeks. But this day we found them and were able to truely feel the spirit. We felt the impression to completely change what we had planned and we sang Love One Another and then went around and everyone said three things they loved about the other members of the family. And then we did something different - had them say 3 things they loved about themselves. I won't write everything that happened but it was such a special moment, and the spirit was so strong. :) And then we went with Jose Albañil! He got baptized a few weeks ago and ever since we've been working really hard with him so he could go to the temple and bring his own names. That same day he went to the temple, bringing with him more than 12 ordenanzas of his Family History! He had such a great experience! It made me super jealous that we can't go to the temple as missionaries but if you can't go, the next best thing is to send your recent converts. Actually, as a missionary it's better :) The thing that could make it even greater would be to go along haha But anyways - it was a great week! We topped it off finally finding a new apartment and it's funny how sometimes God just puts everything in place. Now we're going to live in a little safer part of town, that's closer to where we always work. So that was great... But anyways, Thanks everyone for your prayers and love! It always means the world! Have a great week! Love you all! Hermana Terry Side note : Today we got to watch Meet the Mormons! It was super awesome and to those who haven't seen it - you should definitely go! Our new district (with the zone leaders) Oh how I miss other sister missionaries in my district... Monday washing with my hijita :) An hermana gave us her baby towel to dry our hands haha Jose super proud of his Baptism certificate. - and with his names he brought to the temple! Amor y Amistad!These past few weeks have been crazy - but excellent. I had so many things I wanted to write last week ! It was one of the best weeks I've had in my whole mission. I prayed that I could have more pure joy in the work - and it's funny how God sometimes answers our prayers in ways we never would expect. Every day was something different. One day we went searching for a few less active members in a new area and after searching long and hard (with no luck the joy of working in a world without directions) Our search turned into a search for a bathroom and the spirit lead us to an old woman looking for her keys. We started talking to her and asked if we could use her bathroom. She glady let us pass - and we entered into a house that came directly out of the show hoarders. It was more cluttered than most the houses I've seen on that show! We couldn't even climb up her stairs - and when we tried to help her straighten up she would not accept our help. We finally convinced her to let us help a little bit and she permitted us to clean up a few leaves in front of her house. But it was a great opportunity to start talking about the gospel and leave a seed for future misionaries. We also had an AMAZING experience with a less active member. It was the most spiritual lesson I've even had with someone inactive and it made me really excited and built my testimony that the work of Salvacion is for everyone! And that our work is not just for the non members. I wish I could email the whole story but to see Veronica in church - It was just as satisfying as a baptism. Then last week President came for interviews bringing Christmas! I finally got my Christmas letters and packages after a month. And he also told me that I would be training! An equally amazing Christmas present. :) My daughter is Hermana Citam. She is amazing! She's from Merida Yucahtan here in Mexico and I am enjoying being with her! It's been such a great week! I'm remembering so much from a year ago when I was new - It's given me refreshed excitement to be here doing the work of the Lord. Hermana Citam is so great - She is the only member of her family and has such a strong testimony. There is just something so powerful about her being able to tell our investigators "I've been in your shoes! And it's worth it!" I told her when we got together that our goal is to find and teach families so in a year she can go to the temple with them. And now every time we see a family in the street we contact them automatically. She got so excited the first day when we saw a family walking toward us - "Hermana it's our family!" I told her to contact them and she was nervous but she did it and now it's just part of the way we work! It's been really hard finding new investigators with a true desire to listen but missionary work is just such a blessing and I love every minute. Every time someone doesn't accept us - we just remember that they are still being prepared but God has others ready to hear the truth. Well - My time's up. But thanks for all your love, support and prayers! Have a great week! And Happy day of love and friendship! :) Hermana Terry With Hermana Garcia! 2 amazing weeks! Also - Veronica - After years of not coming to church and a long, long story. She came to church :) changesWell, everything now makes sense! They did the transfers two weeks early - so that I could be able to train a new missionary here in Jardin in San Andres. Today we had transfers (instead of tuesday) So we don't get a P-Day! But I saw an internet here in the bus station and wanted to at least write and say this!
My "daughter" is Hermana Citam. She's from Merida Mexico and is so amazing! We've only been together about 3 hours but I already know this is going to be the best times of my mission! I have wanted to train for so long, but I also loved being a Sister Training Leader. The Mission President has a vision - that the zone leaders and sister training leaders are the ones who train the new missionaries. So that they start the mission off with an excelent example of obedience, diligence, and experience. I know that everything that has happened in my mission has made me prepared to be with Hermana Citam. Today I received a stronger testimony in prayer. And that God answers our prayers - I remember praying before my mission that I could have a companion who is a convert to the church. And throughout my mission I've prayed that I could have a companion that passed through the same experience that our investigadors do. And today when the President was talking to us about the missionaries before they got there - he said that there was a new missionary that ony had 3 years as a member. I knew in the moment that he said that, that she would be my companion. When I met Hermana Citam and asked how long she's been a member and she said "3 Years" I felt such a rush of the spirit. I know that these months are going to be amazing. I feel so grateful for the chance to be here in the mission and have amazing experiences that help me remember that God exists and that He loves me. And has a divine plan for me. I have just about a MILLION more things I want to write but it'll all have to wait until next week. Love you all! Have a great week! Hermana Terry |
My name is McKenna Terry and I have been called to the Mexico Veracruz Mission. These are my stories. Hermana McKenna Terry
[email protected] Hermana McKenna Terry
Mexico Veracruz Mission Calle Altamirano #27 Entre 1 de Mayo y Carranza Col. Flores Magon Veracruz, Ver 91700 Mexico Archives
July 2015
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