Letter 11/14/11

Well the weeks continue to fly by here....it really is difficult to explain time on a mission. I got some good stories from this past week. I really do have pages and pages of stuff that I could write....the majority of it I cant even remember, but everyday truly is a new adventure. A quick note, we are going to the temple next thursday, and that will be my pday, so don't expect a letter from me until next Thursday! People see me coming from a mile away, and they know I speak english. A lot of people like to try and show off their english skills to me. For example, while walking down the street the other day, a man came whizzing by on his scooter shouting THE SUN IS VERY HOT. Another little kid was shouting a very, very naughty word. Of course Im the only one in 100 miles that understands it....that goes for all of the American rap music that the people play here. Filthy..... The other day, we got off in a market in Prazeres because of a companion exchange we had. When I got off of the bus, I literally felt like I was in the middle of an Indian Market....people shouting advertisements, animals barking, cawing, mooing, scooters zipping by left and right. Felt like a dream. I have to pinch myself sometimes here.

The temple!

 

Shopping on pday! What a treat

my pantry (actually we put all of our food in the fridge because of ants! Nothing like chilled crackers after a long day of work!)

It almost seems too funny to be reality. We were walking by an art gallery (I guess you could call it that) and some guy who looked exactly like Snape from Harry Potter came running out and insisted that we go into his studio and take a bunch of pictures. It was weird....the pictures he had all looked like xrays of people....he had me look at all the pictures from different angles and all sorts of wierd stuff. I dont think it would have mattered if I was fluent in Portuguese....this guy was wierd!

this is the "Snape" guy I was talking about and his wierd pictures....oh yeah and he insisted that I take a picture in black and white....

We got to go a Rodizio restaurant this week, courtesy of a member. Wow....I honestly felt guilty eating that good and being a missionary. I thought I had to be breaking some kind of rule! The food was ridiculous. All sorts of meats, and it was unlimited too. It was a bit difficult trying to tract after that. Life is good here sometimes without a doubt.

A Rodizio! This food is too good. I don't think that guy was too thrilled about taking that picture
 

One of our lunches....the food here (quality and quantity) is out of control....The guy on the left is a member in our stake....he leaves for the Sao Paulo North mission soon

 Well now more on to missionary topics....we were supposed to be evicted this week from our apartment, but the management never notified us, and the mission office said they would take care of anything that came up, so I guess we are here to stay for the time being. While we were walking through an apartment complex, we stopped to ask a few teenagers for directions (one of our not so clever ways of starting conversations with people). Turns out, one of the kids was a member of the church. His name is Emerson. He was baptized 3 years ago, and is about 20 now. He is a stud. He never really had a reason for leaving the church. He said that he just kind fell through the cracks and people forgot about him. He said since he had stopped going to church, he had never seen the missionaries or anyone from the church, until we walked by the other day. We gave him a book of Mormon, and started reading it with him. While we were talking, one of his buddies, Lindenberg, walked up and sat down, so we started teaching him too! The coolest part, was when we started to talk about the Book of Mormon, and Emerson bore his testimony (remember he hasn't been to church in 3 years) to his buddy. We knew this kid was special without a doubt. We talked about a mission with him....he wants to serve the Lord. Truly the Lord doesn't forget his children, even if we sometimes do.

a few members from our ward. The guy next to me is a bit inactive, but we are trying to get him out on a mission!

 Another good story, actually the story of a whole day. Yesterday was quite a roller coaster for me. All the lows and all the highs. We left for church early so that we could pick up our investigators for church. We had about 5 people that said they would come. All 5 fell through. Oh yeah, and then it started to rain. Feeling a bit dejected, we headed to church. I had been asked to give a talk (the first of my mission). I was allowed to choose my topic, so I spoke on Prophets. I knew I needed help to be able to explain gospel principles, but explaining in Portuguese makes it all the more difficult. I was praying this morning and the past few days for help. I can honestly say that that was probably one of the easiest talks I have ever given. The Gift of tongues was without a doubt present. I know its hard to understand what this means when they are just words on your computer screen, but to me, this was yet another powerful evidence of the presence of the Lords hand in my life and in this work. As the day continued, we taught a lesson to a lady who was a referral from a member. She was open and eager to learn, but I absolutely destroyed the lesson. I was trying to tell her, rather than teach her. She was not understanding very much, and I wasn't getting a ton of help from my companion. I felt extremely frustrated after the lesson. We returned to our apartment for dinner, when I offered up yet another prayer for help. We went back out to a few appointments, and at about 830, 30 minutes before we needed to return for the night, we decided to talk to a few people in a park close to our apartment. There were 4 kids (about 16-17 years old) that I felt impressed to talk to. We started a conversation with them, and ended up giving a complete lesson to them on the sidewalk. That lesson was honestly textbook. I don't know that there was too much that I would have done differently.¨All four of the guys we interested, and we invited them to play volleyball with us on our pday, which they accepted. Once again, there were times when I felt like I wasn't even speaking Portuguese, it just felt so natural. I cant take credit for it whatsoever. The power of prayer, and the power of teaching with the help of the Spirit is undeniable to me.

a baptism that the sisters in our ward had.

The good news is, the mail works very well here. If any one you would like to write me, it is always appreciated. But to be honest, something Ive learned is that I really only need the help, encouragement, and correspondence of my Father in Heaven. Everything else is secondary to that. Don't get me wrong, I love getting letters and hearing from my family and friends, but NOTHING can substitute for the advice, comfort, and security I feel from conversing with my Heavenly Father. My testimony of prayer has grown so much here (as it did in Alabama and the MTC as well, but especially here.) I hope everyone has a great week, and remember, Don't forget to pray!

my watch....i worked "this hard" today....gross aint it?

 Until next time, 

-Elder McKinley

Letter 11/7/11

Well I will start with a few funny things. A majority of the people here are smart enough to recognize that I am an American....I will get little bits of English throughout the day like Whats Up MAN?! or Good Morning....surprisingly, there are a good chunk of people here that think that I am German....Im not really sure where that comes from....even more shocking, theres a handful of people that have asked me if I am French....ok seriously? Come on people. Do they even know what French people look like? Haha its all in good fun. People have the hardest time with the name McKinley....the first time in my life that anyone has ever had trouble pronouncing my name. When people attempt to say it it comes out like Mack-lee....or Mick-lee. If I introduce myself as Mac-Inley, they can usually handle that. When I tell people I am from California, they ask about two things....surfing and the Governator, Arnold Shwarzenegger. Funny, because neither one of those two things are very popular right now. They also all think that California has the same weather as here....I can testify that it does not. Yesterday (the weekends are always like this) I saw a guy driving his car with a plastic cup of beer pinched in between his teeth. Its not like the driving here is already crazy or anything...Ive probably almost been ran over about 10 times since Ive been here. Elder Lima has a 6th sense for traffic that I need to develop in a hurry. Also, Elder Lima snores like no other....its not really even snoring....It sounds like someone screaming with an apple in their mouth...It scares the crap out of me in the middle of the night. A mission is always an adventure. 

 

Well a little bit more about the actual work. We have been working a little bit better this week. We waste a ton of time throughout the day...its really, really frustrating for me. I understand that this is the Lords work and that he wants to bless us, but he is a God of order and Justice, and he cannot bless us unless we are doing the things he asks. Obedience and Work. I wish that I could help not only my companion, but my district, zone, and mission understand how this simple concept literally is the key to miracles! Elder Lima and I dont always see eye to eye on things either....sometimes its small things, but theres been an occasional issue or two that I cant really let slide. For example, after realizing that I had forgotten my nametag this morning, he thought that as long as he took his off too and we were matching that we would be ok. Or even worse, he thought that one of our investigators was ready to be baptized this week after having been taught half of a lesson, and never even attending church. I honestly dont think he is trying to cut corners or anything, I just think that this was how he was trained and taught that missionary work should go. I realize that my sole responsibility is not just to preach the gospel here. I have a tremendous influence on my companion, and I need to make him a priority.

 

 I'm not saying that I am wise and experienced and that he is foolish and naive. We both have skills that compliment our companionship, and our individual responsibility is to be humble enough to accept advice from one another and from the spirit. I'm not sure that I have ever had my patience tested so vigorously in my life. I am learning skills that will benefit me throughout the rest of my life. There are times when I literally don't think that Id have the capacity to put up with some of these things were it not for the sweet hour of prayer that I have been visiting ever so often here. 

 

Having said that, we have had some positive success here. We have been working with a less active member named Emmanuel. He was baptized about 2 years ago, and fell off the grid after about 3 months. When we first made contact with him, he was drunk and stumbling to make conversation with us. After about 5 visits or so with him, we have truly seen a miraculous change. We have been reading from the Book of Mormon with him, just simple stories such as Nephi retrieving the plates of brass. We talk about the simple gospel principles, and share our testimonies with him. Each time we came back, he was a little bit happier, a little bit brighter, and a little bit more excited to talk about the gospel. He came to church with us yesterday. He looked like a kid in a candy shop. He was glowing. He participated in gospel discussions, interacted with the other members, all while tightly clutching his Book of Mormon close to his chest. It is soo cool to see how the Gospel of Jesus Christ changes people from the inside out. What a miracle it truly is, and it is without a doubt happening day in and day out across the world. 

 

I am not a perfect missionary. I am trying to do my best everyday. I always fall short of that mark. Sometimes, I feel guilty. Sometimes, I feel angry or frustrated. That is when I get on my knees, and ask my Father in Heaven to continue to have patience with his struggling child. This is probably what helps me the most to have patience with those around me....the example of my Father in Heaven. I am so grateful for these 2 years I have to inch closer and closer to God everyday. I love all of you, and continue to keep the missionaries in your prayers!

 

Until next time, 

 

-Elder McKinley

Picture Update 11/1/11

Church in Recife

A street in Ipsep

Letter 10/31/11

Well I am going for a marathon here....I can probably spend all day typing here with stories and stuff that I would like to share....it might be a tad unorganized but here it goes.

 

I have been getting to know this quarter of Brazil slowly but surely....I am literally learning line upon line here....I do realize that Brazil really is not that exotic or crazy as some of the other countries that the church has missionaries in, but I certainly am getting my quota here....the biggest thing is the language. I considered myself to be pretty well off linguistically before I got here....I knew that there was going to be an adjustment period, but it honestly is so frustrating having no idea what these people are saying! That was where I was at a few weeks ago....I am definitely following the flow of most conversations now, but still there is a significant grey area for me. A majority of it unfortunately falls between my companion and I. Half of the time, I have no idea where we are going, what we are doing, or who we are talking to. Elder Lima knows the area and the members very well too, so its pretty easy for them to chat up a storm while I sit there and stare at them with my mind spinning at a 100 mph. Well anyways, enough of that....I do feel great strides everyday with the language. I study, write words, ask questions, doing whatever I can to cement Portuguese into my mind, but the only way I am going to learn this language is with time, and a lot of help from the Lord. For this reason, I dont let my lingual abilities bother me. I have definitely noticed that as my intellectually ability to speak has been curtailed, the power I draw from the spirit has increased. I have without a doubt been humbled to  the point where I really don't have a hope of successfully communicating our message here unless I have the spirit with me. Its a wonderful thing for me to experience this. The Lord truly is building me into the missionary he wants me to be, but first he has to get rid of the parts of Michael McKinley that are getting in the way. 

 

It cracks me up some of the things the people say and do here....whenever people are talking with you, they love to poke you and touch you to help illustrate their point (Brazillians love using their hands to talk). I had to laugh, this one guy poked me about 10 times within a minute....it reminded me of the scene in happy gilmore when Chubbs is poking adam sandler with his wooden hand while hes talking to him....unfortunately Im the only person in this city that understands why that is so funny. Another funny story, my second day here (a few weeks ago) we were teaching a lady with two little kids....while we were teaching they decided to take off their clothes....well I learned that people here dont really get circumcised....that was a fun lesson in culture 101. It gets better....they came back about 2 minutes later with two humongous pairs of toy scissors, and kept snipping them....I about lost it. Like I said, no one understands my humor here! I met a lady on the street who was trying to tell me that 9/11 was predicted in Leviticus somewhere....of course she couldn't remember the reference....oh and I love when people tell me how impatient or racist the people are in the US....I ask them if that was something they noticed when they visited (knowing that they'd never been). They respond oh no Ive never been, but Ive seen it on TV and movies. Wonderful. 

 

We spent a good chunk of this week searching for a new apartment. Our contract on our old one expired after about 4 years of missionaries living here. We used that as a good approach to talk to people, telling them that we were looking for an apartment to start a conversation, but then telling them who we were and our message....it was quasi-successful. EVERYONE here said how difficult it would be to find an apartment in this neighborhood....Im not sure why...we found a couple of good candidates...one is a sweet house about 20 feet from a bakery and 40 feet from a fruit stand (if youre following my idea here...) Im hoping that works out. Theres a housing coordinator for the mission that is coming out today to look for it. About 600 reais a month...i think thats about 400 dollars. 

 

This last week on our pday we got to go into downtown Recife and look at some of the shops, stores, and museums there. There was one Catholic cathedral that we toured....holy smokes. That place was crazy. The catholic influence on this city was enormous....there are 300 year old churches all over the place. Now a days theres a lot more variety in the religions here....a lot of Baptists and Assembly of God, and then my favorite, the Universal church.....pretty smart idea to make a church for everyone, regardless of what you believe huh? But nonetheless, Recife is rather similar to the south. It is very religiously active, everyone loves football (different kind of football here) and people like to drink on the weekends!

 

One cool experience I would like to share. We started a conversation with a man and a woman on the street the other night. The woman was kind of stubborn, but the man was  really listening to me intently. His name is Pedro. Elder Lima was talking to the woman, and so I was left on my own with Pedro. I told him about prophets, authority, the true church of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon. He was a little bit hesitant initially. I asked him if he thought that the 1st vision |Joseph Smith received was a possibility to him. A simple yes or no question. He couldn't give me a straight answer for about 5 minutes worth of worming his way around the question. Finally he admitted it was possible. I shared my testimony with him, and challenged him to read and pray. He was silent for about 30 seconds. I really felt the spirit strongly. He shook my hand and told me he would do exactly that. He was definitely sincere. After we left, Elder Lima told me that he had been listening in our conversation. In about 20 mins worth of talking, he said that he didnt hear me make one mistake....the power of the spirit is real. I know it is! I am learning lessons like this day in and day out. I am starting to develop that indescribable love for this work. It will continue to grow, I have no doubt about it. I am pushing forward with a firm faith in Christ, that I can become an effective tool in the hands of the Lord, and that the purposes of our Father in Heaven can be brought about through his servants. The work goes on!

 

Until next time,

 

-Elder McKinley

Letter 10/24/11

Well I apologize in advance...this is going to be a short letter. Thats not to say this week hasnt been good...I have learned more in this past week about my purpose as a missionary than I have the rest of my mission combined. Much of that has come through me on my knees....but the Lord has definitely answered my prayers in diverse ways. 

On Tuesday I got an opportunity to have lunch and an interview with President Lanius. He truly is a wonderful man, and I already have a ton of respect and love for him. I treasured the opportunity to interview with him. He said that he was excited to finally get me to his mission (he had been reading my weekly letters to my Alabama Mission President). It truly is a privilege to be here and to learn how the Lords work functions here.

Sitting next to the Presidents desk!

Our dryer

My portuguese is developing exponentially. I can communicate almost anything that is gospel related. My ability to understand is about half that of my ability to speak....It will come....I have 2 years to figure that out. I had an opportunity to give a blessing in portuguese....that was a bit choppy, but it was definitely a wonderful experience knowing that the power and authority is the same no matter what the words said were. 

The food here has not been a problem at all. The lunches here which the members provide everyday are absolutely amazing.....chicken, mashed potatoes, rice, beans, guarana (soda), spaghetti, fresh juice. I really dont have much to complain about.

lunch time! rice, beans, chicken, steak...for about 3 bucks too...it was darn good

view from the mission home....absolutely gorgeous....there home was beautiful...without a doubt the nicest living situation i will see for 2 years

I would love to write more and am sorry I cannot....my time is limited this week. I am progressing each day in my ability to understand and speak portuguese, to serve others, and to understand why the Lord has sent me here. I truly am blessed beyond comprehension to be here and to be having this experience. Have a great week everyone. I love you all.

Letter 10/17/11

Well I don't know where to begin. I have undoubtedly experienced more change in the last 5 days than I have ever before in my life. I'm just going to try and start from the top and throw in as many details as I can.

So Tuesday morning I was picked up by one of our zone leaders and taken to the mission office. I was looking forward to hopefully having an interview with President Holzapfel. I really have a lot of respect for him, and I was hoping to have some 1 on 1 time with him. I was a little bit bummed when he gave me a big hug, took a picture, and jumped in the car to go to another meeting. His wife did give me a bunch of snacks to take on the plane which was very considerate, but I still think I would have rather had the interview. The Sessions, an missionary couple in our mission, drove me to the Birmingham airport and saw me off.

My last supper in Alabama....place called "Rib It Up"....the best ribs I have ever had....they were huge!!! That's only four ribs on that plate, but you can only see 2 of em!

Me and Elder Duffy. My zone leader in the MTC, and my comp in Alabama! This kid understands missionary WORK.

Me and President Holzapfel

Me signing my VISA!! 

Elders Withers, Emmanuel & McKinley...Elders in Ensley, Alabama.

With Elders Wimberley & Taggart at the Alabama Mission Office

The flight was quick to Atlanta, but it was a bit delayed taking off, so I was in a bit of a rush trying to catch my connecting flight to Sao Paulo. I did run into about 10 other missionaries in the airport...one was Elder Cole Moffat (i knew him from BYU) going to Argentina, and the other was Elder Griffin Adams who is reporting to the Sao Paulo MTC. Pretty cool to run into those guys. The flight was about 10 hours, but surprisingly wasn't that bad. The turbulence was kinda crazy, but it made things interesting with some of the melodramatic Brazilian women on the plane.

Me and Elder Adams! He's heading to Sao Paulo North eventually.

I had about 4 hours in the Sao Paulo airport. The city of Sao Paulo is absolutely HUGE....I remember Elder Miller saying something about that in his email, but its the truth....buildings as far as the eye can see. I ran into Elder Cameron Wright, from my MTC district. He is headed for Manaus, but has a 13 hour layover! Should be fun! Anyway, on my flight to Recife I sat next to two teenage girls from Sao Paulo. When they saw that I was sitting next to their assigned seat they got all excited...I guess they like Americans...or maybe just read heads....but we talked for about 2 hours, mostly in Portuguese. They helped me quite a bit, but I left a message with them and got their contact information. Hopefully it will be an American missionary that knocks on their door so they will answer....

Sao Paulo....huge!

My first look at Recife from the plane was a good one. Lots of green and lots of blue....two things that I like quite a bit. I got my bags and was met by two of the mission secretaries, Elder Botcherby and Elder Berg. This mission does not have any senior missionaries like my last mission. Its a little bit strange comparing these two missions. We had cars, bikes, texting (we got updates and instruction from Pres Holzapfel several times throughout the day), unlimited phone calls etc. Here we walk and have 90 minutes a month on our phones. No texting either. The nice thing is that unlike Alabama, people are usually home when they say will be! So we took a cab to the mission office....I was seriously just in awe as we drove through the streets. Everything was sooooo foreign to me. It was seriously like a dream. It felt like it was about 100 degrees outside. The humidity here is off the roof. Ive been sweating ever since I got off the plane. Definitely an adjustment. Like I said, there was a lot to take in. There are people EVERYWHERE on the streets, in cars, on motorcycles, looking out of their apartment windows....its crazy! There are about 4 million people that live in the area of Recife....and I may have already seen all of them. Not to mention there's buildings everywhere! In the main section of Recife (its actually called Recife) there are huge skyscraper apartment buildings everywhere. This is pretty much considered the wealthy area. Walking down a few of the streets of Recife reminds me a bit of San Francisco....there tall buildings, shops, and homeless people. A lot more vendors here for sure. The people here are all pretty dark for the most part....not quite black like I was expecting but still dark. 

Restaurant where Missionaries like to eat...they make mini pizzas!

Recife is called the Venice of Brazil

We got to the mission office...I was thinking I was going to see the mission president, but we had a general authority visiting our mission so he was out with him. I did meet my new companion(s)....my trainer is Elder Lima from Mato Grosso do Sul. The other companion, Elder Wynder is from Denver Colorado. He finishes his mission tomorrow and leaves to go home.....I have a bit to say about that later....Elder Lima is a good guy....very humble, very easy going. He also doesn't speak a lick of English. I think that will be a good thing. A good way to make sure I'm not being lazy by speaking English. We took a bus to our area (IPSEP, i have no idea what that stands for) which is about 15 minutes from the mission office. 90% of the missionaries are within a 90 minutes bus ride of the mission office. There's one or two areas in what is called the interior....I don't know too much about that. Anyway our bus ride was a little bit crazy...all the bus rides are actually. The bus drivers here are actually trying to make into NASCAR I think...makes for an entertaining bus ride. Anyway getting on the packed bus with 2 bags and 3 missionaries was a fun experience. Lets just say that I get looks everywhere I go. I am the tallest person I have seen since I have been here (I've probably hit my head about 10 times on bars in buses/trains/gates etc.), by far the whitest, and the only one with red hair. Its fun sticking out! People see me coming from a mile away!

Me, Elder Lima, and Elder Wynder. Like I said, I'm the tallest person I've seen in a while.

We got to our apartment which was another bit of a shock for me....I was expecting it, but nonetheless reality can be a little bit too real at times. We have a fridge and washing machine which I am very thankful for. The bathroom is not too bad...pretty smelly but that's why it has a door that you can close. Its always hot....always. Id take hot over cold any day though. We sleep with fans which makes things quite a bit better, but the skeeters still become a bit bothersome...I'm still trying to find the best way to fight them....I probably get bit about 10 times each night, especially in the face. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining...I'm just trying to give a good description of our living situation. We really are blessed compared to some of the favelas (slums) and stuff we see.

The people here are ridiculous. They are simply too nice. If some missionary came to my house or ward and couldn't speak my language, Id ignore him in a second and talk to the other missionaries. Not so here. The people are so excited to see a missionary, especially one who is here learning their language.....they are soooooooo patient with me. It baffles me! It really helps me to want to learn the language that much faster. They are good moral support and encouragement. I have seen how much I have learned just in these 5 short days. I think that I will be where I want to be within a month or so....that doesn't mean fluent....just means capable. Those 5 years of Spanish are really looking good now. They helped a ton. My biggest struggle right now is trying to understand the people. Recife has its own vernacular and accent, just like Philadelphia or Alabama (I can relate to that). People here sound very similar to speakers from Portugal. They make a shhh sound a lot. Kind of tricky to pick up, but Ill get there.

So to talk about what Ive been doing the last 5 days....it certainly has not been missionary work unfortunately. Thursday we had a meeting with the General Authority, Elder Mazzagard from the Brazil Area Presidency. It was about a 4 hour meeting. I didn't understand everything, but I understood enough. This mission just had a change of leadership. Under the previous president, President Emerick, there was quite a bit of disobedience and focus solely on baptisms.....regardless of whether or not they stayed active. The first presidency and Elders Nelson and Holland were praying specifically about our mission. They noticed some flaws in our numbers. They were seriously considering closing the mission, sending the good missionaries to other surrounding missions and the bad missionaries home. President Lanius, the new president, asked for a chance to turn the mission around. Within a month of him being here, 8 missionaries were dishonorably released and excommunicated from the church. Right on the spot. There was a lotttt of confessing and repentance in the mission. The area president of Brazil, Elder Costa, held a personal interview with every single missionary here. Apparently there was quite a purging here. I am glad that this is something in the past, and that Pres Lanius has his head on straight. The goals and vision of this mission are pretty lofty. We have a mission goal of having every companionship baptize every single week! That is crazy, but without a doubt possible here. So that was my first day in my mission.....welcome aboard right?

Friday we went back (the 3 of us) to the mission office. I had to go back to the airport to do some paperwork and to register with the government as a visitor. Elder Wynder came in to do his conclusion interview. We spent the entire day away from missionary work, which kind of made me sick a little bit. Elder Wynder had one request from Pres Lanius, and that was to visit the temple one last time before we left.....so guess what we did all day Saturday? We went to the Temple! That, I didn't have as much of a problem with. The Recife temple is absolutely gorgeous! It is huge too! The pictures of it really don't do it justice. It is in a bit of an awkward situation in the city, but it doesn't really matter when you're standing in front of it. Its just as beautiful in the inside too. Definitely the highlight of my time here. Ive appreciated the peace of the temple sooooo much more since coming into the field....it gives you a different perspective.

Sunday we went to church. Like I said, these people here are ridiculous. They make you feel like a million bucks every time you see them and talk to them, even if you cant understand them! We had lunch at a members house, which was actually really, really good. That's one other thing different here versus Alabama. The members feed us every single day for lunch! Really convenient! Lunches in Brazil are kind of a big deal....not very much emphasis on breakfast or dinner, which is difficult to cope with at first. I basically just eat once a day, and maybe a snack or something at night. Like I said, I'm getting there....After lunch we came back to our apartment to do our studies and then to a going away party some of the members were having for Elder Wynder. Lets just say that Elder Wynders going away party has been quite a bit of a distraction, and has been the cause of quite a few broken rules....mainly in regards to curfew and our schedule, no issues of worthiness. He is a good missionary, but I think it will be a good thing when he leaves....I'm here to work, and we have done almost zero of that since Ive been here.

I am supposed to go to President Lanius apartment tomorrow for my interview, lunch, and training. I am excited for that, but it will be yet one more day of not working (oh yeah and today was p-day too....) I really am not complaining. It is a miracle that I am here, and I absolutely love it. It has been worth every drop of sacrifice and effort it has taken to get me here. I thank the Lord everyday for the privilege of serving as one of his missionaries. I am going trough trials, but I am also being blessed beyond comprehension. The Lord has me on his shoulders. I know that as sure as I know the sun is shining (and trust me, where I am, the sun is shining....) Sorry for my punctuation....the keyboards here don't really have the best of markings. I love you all and continue to ask for your prayers and love! Thank you thank you thank you to all who take the time to read what this 19 year old boy is doing with his life....hopefully something Ive said will relate to you personally.

Until next time,
Elder McKinley

Mike Arrives in Brazil!

Hello Elder McKinley Family,

We would like to inform you that your son arrived in the Brazil Recife Mission safely.

He is very excited and such a great missionary.

Best Regards,

_________________________

President Lanius

Brazil Recife Mission