Attitude of Grattitude

Dear Family and Friends,

Last night we conducted a family night activity of writing down five things we are grateful for. I know that my list is in reality much longer than five things but I was able to narrow it down for the purpose.  I had a thought (yes yes, proceed jokes of "wow you actually had a thought"). I enjoy writing letters, though I don't always know how they are received. My invitation in this regard is to let me know what things you want to hear more about and I'll try to include them in my e-mails as time goes on. Fair Enough? Deal :)

This week has flown by! I'll be brief because I'm out of time. Things are going well here in Alamo. I'm excited for Thanksgiving as it will be a great opportunity to meet a few new people through family events. Things like that are always great in an area where there is no active proselyting allowed. The biggest update for this week is that I am super excited about the member involvement in the missionary work. We have a couple of members that are now actively participating in going out to teach lessons multiple times each week. That makes such a great transition for people coming into the church. We had some great opportunities this past week and while there is a lot of anguish from investigators that don't want to progress, we are also seeing many miracles of finding people who are prepared to receive the Gospel. One in particular is the mother of a girl that the missionaries use to teach. As we met with her it seemed almost like she had listened to conference talks and was trying to teach her children how to live as was taught. I can't say that she did but that just gives an idea of her preparation to learn the Gospel. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! 

 

Ayoo' Aniinishni​​

 

Elder McGarry 

 This tree is about to get washed away in the Arroyo

Exchanges with the Zone Leaders who serve in my last area (Sage) and cover the Spanish ward (Rio Grande South). Plus awkward shadows on our faces... Haha.

Hurricane Force Winds

Dear Family and Friends,

 

This week has been spent all over the place. We have been to Los Lunas 3 times in one week, that is a 2 hour drive one way. That's almost 12 hours on the road!! But is was all for a good cause, stake conference, the last P-day of the transfer, and then Zone Training on Friday. This whole week has been bitter cold with constant winds from the west. I am just glad our trailer hasn't blown away yet!! Haha, ok maybe it's not that bad but I've had to bundle up a Lot. We even got a few inches of snow, which hasn't stuck all over yet, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here! We had a slow week for teaching because of all the traveling and training we had going on, but these next few weeks should be good solid weeks to get some missionary work done.

 

Despite the frequent comings and goings of last week we were able to get everything together for a wonderful Baptismal service for Angela, Marvin and Mylaria. It was a great moment for them and I am so proud of the decision that they have made to follow Jesus Christ and his restored gospel. I have already seen such a light come into their lives and an excitement and vigor that the Gospel has been adding in great abundance. It is great to see how much peace the gospel can bring even in a world where the main news story is about the murder down the street, or the mass bombing in major cities around the world. Where is my Solace? Where can I turn for peace? These words have been churning through my mind all week and I am so grateful for the gospel in my life because that is it. Jesus Christ is the one that changes literally everything. We had a miracle this last week of a member of the Branch who has been inactive for a long time and their mother passed away a few months ago. This person came to church 45 minutes early and talked to me and asked for help. We went to give a blessing to them and a family member who is not a baptized member of the church. So we found a new investigator and had a spiritual lesson that was definitely a highlight of the week. There is so much more than that with  So far we are planning on 2 baptisms on Dec. 5th and another potentially near after that. Updates as things go along.

 

I have personally been aware of the Lord's  mindfulness of each of our needs. He may not jump in a give us solutions and fixes to our problems as we would often hope, but He does know. To me I have to think of the Savior pleading in the Garden "if it be possible, let this cup pass from me..." But that is what needed to happen. That was the only way to make it possible for each one of us to overcome our own trials and suffering and pain. Just as he had to go through it to make it possible for us, we have to go through it in order to understand and learn from these experiences. The only way to truly learn something is to experience it. So let us not get discouraged. Among a week of a month full of bad things, or a year or a million years of the same "there is one which is of more importance than they all." (Alma 7.) I know it and I don't just understand it, I feel it and it is made known unto me by the spirit of revelation. No power of earth or hell can take that from me. (Helaman 5:12) Build upon the Rock of Christ and none else. Here is the beginning (ok second day, but for the purposes at hand) of another great week! I wish you all the best and send my love and prayers.

 

Ayoo Aniinishni

Elder McGarry

 Baptism!

​A glimpse of winter in Alamo.

Los Lunas Stake

Dear Family and Friends,

I am, true to tale, e-mailing on Monday this week because transfers are tomorrow. I will be staying in Alamo yet again and I am so glad. I have been a long term member of the Los Lunas Stake of New Mexico and it has really grown on me. I love my family away from home. It is not entirely common to spend so much time in one stake on a mission I don't think, but I am not complaining! I think it is great :) I've seen it trough three stake conferences now, along with a new stake presidency and changing bishoprics to boot. Everyone else in our District is also staying the same, so we have another 6 weeks for the four of us in the middle of nowhere to really work hard and see the fruits of the Gospel spreading through the vineyard. 

Stake conference was amazing yesterday. I can't even begin to express how much I learned and felt the spirit. The first speaker was Lynn G. Robbins who spoke about how never before in the history of the world have there been so many distractions and opportunities for paths to diverge and conflict. Not even necessarily with bad or outright rebellious things, but with things that are not of true worth. The message was to Simplify. The Christlike attribute of simplicity is one that is being drown out by the overwhelming surge of commercialism and consumerism. To wrap that thought up I would say no more that a quote of whom I know not the source. It is this "Simplicity is the true form of sophistication." One of my favorite examples that was given was Joseph Smith's concise and doctrinal profound exhibition of the entirety of the restored gospel in the short and simple 13 Articles of Faith. Another great talk was given by Elder Corbridge of the 70. He emphasized that there have been and there will always be questions that will make you question your testimony. The list of these could continue on forever and if we seek to prove truth by trial and error we will be in an uphill battle with an avalanche of doubts and uncertainty. The questions that really matter are the primary questions and any other secondary questions will not hinder us if we know these simple truths. They are: 1. Is there a God in heaven and is he our father? 2. Is his Son Jesus Christ the savior of the world? 3. Is Joseph Smith a prophet of God? 4. Is the kingdom of God once again restored to the earth along with the Lord's Church? These four questions will be answered as clearly as night and day when we truly seek and ask with real intent. Then we may understand not only by our conscious reasoning, nor by the obvious witness of the facts that are abundantly before us, but by the all important and unparalleled significance of gaining a witness of the truth of these things by the spirit of revelation which is the spirit of God and of all truth. 

I also want to briefly mention that the Baptism has been moved to next week, it would be easier to have the confirmation the following day rather than a week later. I got to participate in the Ordination of Martin Segura to the office of an Elder after the conference was over. He and his wife were some of the people that were taught and baptized while I served in the Sage ward. That was a tender mercy of God. It was good to see so many wonderful people that I know again. The only thing I could even wish for now would be snow, I could go for some good snow about now :)

Until next week I hope you all have a great time, learning and growing and becoming the best you can be :) 

 

Ayoo Aniinishini

Elder McGarry

 Famous Companion vehicle picture :)​

Last P-day, some exploring ​at the Old Kelly NM mine and a good district hike.

Endurance

Dear Family and Friends,

 

Next week is our transfer meeting in the mission, and as a result we will be e-mailing on Monday instead of Tuesday. Just a quick heads up :) I am super excited about this weekend! We have a Baptism for three on Saturday and it's great to see a family embrace the gospel as well as Angela and Marvin have. I am inspired by their excitement and joy in the gospel.

 

This week I am changing my perspective that endurance is not something that has to be grueling or exhausting. in fact it can be something that we enjoy. I have enjoyed every part of my mission to this point and I still have much to look forward to. I think that sometimes we can get a perspective that endurance is a long, arduous process that can only be achieved by "putting our shoulder to the wheel." I'm not going to go into that any more, I just thought it was an important thing for me to mention.

 

This last week we had a very adamant request as to why we always tell people they have to be baptized in our church. I was taken aback by the abruptness and forcefulness of the request, though happily that we had discussed beforehand in our companionship the 27th chapter of 3 Nephi. It plainly illustrates that Christ's church must be called in his name and built upon His doctrine. His blueprint is so clear in the scriptures and it is duplicated perfectly in our day by his true church. I am glad that we were able to testify boldly of the truth of the Restored Gospel, yet it pains me so much when people see the truth and do not accept it. On another note, we also had a great moment where a recent convert who came to church really opened up about an experience that required forgiveness that most of us would feign draw nigh to even understanding. She has been struggling with her faith recently and it was a great pivotal moment for her in her testimony to build her faith on the principles of the gospel. I can't emphasize enough how much the time we spend at church can change our lives if we go for the right reasons, and ready to hear the whisperings of the spirit.

 

In pondering Proverbs 15:4 I have found that each worked we say is a representation of more than just the direction of our though patterns, it is a representation of who we are creating for our future. How can we ever expect better results if we never change anything that we are. I am grateful that our Lord cares enough about us to make mention, he notices even a hair of our heads fallen to the ground. How much more then does he notice the words that we say and the things that we are consciously aware of in our lives. He cares and will hold us accountable for all that we do, as a result we should take courage that even the smallest effort on our part brings him great joy and he will pour our his spirit as a result. I look forward to hearing from you all, and I am glad to have such great family and friends.

​Ponderizing: Luke 4:40-41​

 

​Ayoo' Aniinishni​​

 

Elder McGarry 

Cutest Halloween Costume I saw :) My comp is in there too, but it's the baby cowgirl with the stroller just to clarify.