Nephi was Courageous and This was His Reply...

I don't know why I continue to add new posts to this blog, I guess its just because even though he is home from a 2 year mission he is still serving. With that in mind let me tell you about what I have learned from McKay this week.
McKay is courageous.
He has been unsure as to how to handle all this. The reason being people can not see McKays heart, they only see his outside. For this reason he was scared to go to church on Sunday. He was afraid of confronting the people who he knew. No one fears strangers, yet we all fear the familiar face. Thats odd I think. Anyway this past sunday was fast sunday. As we were sitting down listening we saw McKay rise suddenly to his feet, scriptures in hand walking down the isle. My dad will tell you that he honestly thought he was going to the bathroom. The thought of McKay bearing his testimony was not even crossing his mind. My Mom will say that she of course knew right away what he was going to do. Every member of the audience will tell you that their heart hit their toes as they witnessed the courage of this nineteen year old boy.
McKay stood up in front of the whole ward and said " I just wanted to clear the awkwardness out of the way..." He then continued on to, of course, bear a beautiful testimony.
It was awe inspiring. He didn't just bear his testimony he also showed the world that fear has no hold on his heart. I wish I could be more like McKay in this way. I am always to scared to talk to new people, to be outgoing, to try new things. Yet here is the hardest thing anyone can do, standing up in the face of possible judgment and saying it does not matter.
I know I say it a lot but McKay is truly my hero. In every way I wish I could be more like him. He is like Nephi, or Moroni. He is strong in ways that I cannot even imagine. He is brave to his very core. He is a leader and exemplar to me of all things truly wonderful.
That is what I learned from my most loved brother and Elder this week.

A New Day

There are so many lessons we can learn from Elders. I know this because I learn new things from an Elder everyday. My Kay Kay is the hardest worker, the most obedient, he is everything an Elder should be. I might be McKays older sister but I learn new things from him everyday. I have realized this last week that life is hard, but we don't have to make it hard. There are different paths that we can all take, there is an easy one and there is a hard one. McKay never takes the easy path. That is my lesson from him this week, We can do the hard things.
Everyday is hard for us all. McKay misses Canada, he wants to be there, but he pushes through the day. He knows that people will not understand, that some will judge wrongly. Yet he keeps on walking. I admire this trait in him, the ability to keep walking when the path is SO hard. I find in myself a tendency to want to stop, to take a break. I think I can't do this, its hard. McKay does not, he pushes, and not only carries himself up the path but he pushes everyone else around him, me included to keep on going.
I realized this today when I took McKay on a run we ran up the trail to a higher neighborhood. WE got to the trail and it was steep, I didnt want to make it. It was so hard, my legs were on fire! All I needed was a break. I told McKay to go ahead to let me stop, but he wouldn't. He then stopped and went behind me and every time I went to stop he pushed me literally. He encouraged me to keep on going. I ran up that hill today. The path was hard, but I made it because my Kay Kay stood behind me and pushed me. He leaves no one behind literally and spiritually. A silly story I know but it means something to me. That is how my McKay works. He keeps going even when the path is hard.
Life is hard but we don't have to stop, we can and must keep on walking. That is my Lesson Learned from an Elder today.

He lives!..In Canada

Hey Fam! So the last few days have been the most crazy I have ever had. I'm opening up an area with my new comp. Elder Judd he is from Arizona. He is exactly what I was hoping for in a comp. our area is this small town about three hours away from Edmonoton.(Of course he doesnt give us a name!) There are so many pine trees around me I dont know what to with myself, there are bear warning signs, we have seen moose and deer all over. This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. When you open the window the smell of pine is sooo strong! hahaha. But how I found out where I was going is a fun story they had all the new missionaries interview with the mission pres. and he then chose where he wanted us to go. So the next day we would have a huge missionary transfer meeting with most of the missionaries in the mission. The mission pres. called us up and gave us an envelope to read out loud in front of every one. When I read where my new comp and I would be going every one was like o man for real! I think they were all mad I get to open up an area haha. Also my new comp is German speaking so we went to a lesson with German people and I had no idea what was going on. But they have this branch out here and they just got a new branch pres. because the last one told every ones problems to the branch... he is in huge trouble. Any way they lost a lot of people in the branch because of it so my comp. and I have had a lot of work to do. We have about 5 to 7 new investigators and we have been here 4 days! We are asking some one to get baptized tonight! Mom, Dad this is so crazy to me. I have so much to say but cant say it all! haha the other day we were just getting done tracking and we were all ready late it was past our curfew, we had no luck at all, so as we were heading back for the car I had this strong prompting to go to this one last house. I didnt know why but I did. so I said "Elder Judd I feel we need to go to this house." We went and they wanted to meet with us again and were really interested! The spirit can guide you so much and its so crazy! Elder Judd and I had a meeting with the branch pres and his councilors who were the same ones as before, they are not very organized, they didnt even know their home teaching numbers they guessed it was about 20 percent!! So I had to be the MEAN Elder and lecture them the entire time. We need their help! I think we were sent down here to run the place! Haha but any way could you guys send this to Tash and Dave and their family's because I dont have time I have to go! I love you guys so much you are in my prayers! love you guys!

So my Grandma is jealous because of all the pine trees and David is SOOOO Jealous because he always wanted to open up a new area in his mission and never got to! Our McKay is such an amazing boy! He is doing so well! I love forcing people to come to this blog so they can see how amazing my little brother is. I am so incredibly proud of him! I am a very lucky sister!

Cute Elder McKay!

Well our cute Elder is finally in Canada! No we have not heard form him yet, BUT his mission president sent us a letter with a picture in it!! He is so dang cute! Hopefully I can get this picture to load...

Hurray for More Letters!

Hey Everyone! Another letter from the cutest Elder in the world! He sounds so great! It is so fun to read about all the changes in him! He is really such an amazing Elder! He is learning so much!

hey every one im writing you all over email i dont have a lot of time! O i was sick all week and my temp. got up to 101 or 102 im still sick, but i went to the health clinic at the mtc and they are going to be charging you 10 bucks :) haha i would be getting better but i have no time. The doctor wants me to go rest, but i cant do it on the lords time. I have learned so much this week but theres one thing i really feel strong to share. Its about something I have had a problem with my entire life and something i feel everyone in the world has a little problem with and its pride. I read a talk about it just a few days ago. There's a quick quote i want to share by C.S. Lewis. "pride gets no pleasure out of having something. Only out of having more of it then the next man... it is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone." that hit hard with me! That described everything i used to be, and it made me so sad. It makes me want to pull all my hair out! We can not have the spirit with us if we have pride. There's a few other things i want to share from the talk that i wrote down. "The proud depend upon the world to tell them whether they have value or not. Their self-esteem is determined be where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success. They feel worthwhile as individuals of the numbers beneath them in achievement, talent, beauty, or intellect are large enough pride is ugly. It says if you succeed i am a failure." Family DONT YOU EVER LET ANY ONE telll you that your not good enough. You are all the most amazing chosen spirits in the eys of God. I love you guys so much, and it brings tears to my eyes to live in a world that cares more about what the next person thinks over what are God, are loving heavenly father thinks! He loves us, he cares more about us then i care about Johnathan, Anna, Payton, Jake, and Wes. I hope that you guys can really think about this and never again feel pride in your hearts. Pride is not a broken heart and contrite spirit. I just want you guys to know im doing really good. I leave for Canada on Tuesday at 3:00 in the morning there's a lay over in Colorado and then we go from there to Canada. My p- days should be Monday but im not sure. I hope everything is going good at home. I'll write as much as i can. I might be able to call you guys in the lay over in Colorado. I just showed everyone in my district pictures of you guys and it made me so home sick. So i dont know if im ready to call and hear your voices. Im a girl when it comes to being away from my family, but its not fair everyone in my district got a year in college away from their family so their all doing a lot better then me. Thank everyone for the mail and everything your sending me im getting twice as much as anyone in my district, they would be mad if i didnt share everything you guys send. haha. O and i think my friends hate me because i sent them back letters and i accidentally put my mtc address on the sending spot of the letter so everything came back to me. Haha but i love you guys so much again.

love elder bailey

We love him to pieces!!!

A New Letter from our Favorite Elder!

hey mom and dad are p-day is on Saturday but when we get to Canada its one Friday. Wow is all i have to say. This week has had its ups and downs. When I came out here I thought it would be easy to learn all I could about our lessons. I thought you just had to memorize them, but I guess you do that plus see where the spirit takes you with it. I was having a hard time with it. You have to meet the investigators needs, by visiting with them for a half hour, and then let the spirit talk through you. So our first real lesson we get in there with these people who are either real or fake investigators, and your being watched by people on camera while you do it. So me and Elder lowe get in there and I'm scared out of my mind. We get to talk to them and really get to know them they were an older couple and were way nice but their questions were crazy. Anyway we talked to them for an hour. The spirit really talked through me. They told us they didn't want much, if anything, to do with our church, but by the time we were done we ended up committing them to be baptized the next month and they accepted. It was crazy! I got all your guys food, it was nice of you. Tasha sent me those cup cakes and I'm going to write her back but if you guys, or she reads this first tell her thanks for sending me 4. Me and my 3 room mates all got one and they all agreed they were the best cup cakes they ever had. It is so weird only knowing these 8 kids in my district for a week and feeling like you have known them your entire life. They really are like brothers to me. We get along so good its crazy! The elder we gave the blessing to is doing so good. He wants to stay and is working his hardest. We also have a guy from Canada in our district. He lived a little ways from where I'm serving. He has the funniest accent I have ever heard and he is so nice. It was weird the sound of his voice and his personality reminds me so much of Landon Simonson. Landon got all his moms Canadian genes haha! but i have to go i love you guys so much!

He is doing so great! It is amazing to see how those boys helped that Elder so much with one simple blessing. They must all have incredible faith! I think it is also great for all those Elders to see what the priesthood can do! We are so proud of our cute little elder! He is amazing!

1st Letter from the MTC

Well we dropped McKay off at the MTC on wednesday and by thursday he had received an email from my mom and a letter from me! We only slightly miss him. However today we FINALLY got his first email! Here it is for all of you:
hey mom! i love the MTC! It was really hard the first day, and second but I got it going good now. It almost seems like 4 hours isnt a long enough class! My campion is cool. We have four of us going to edmonton and the rest of our district is going to arizona! You can really feel the spirit here, i love it. Im a little home sick but im doing okay. Thats cool mckall took some shirts. We have learned the first lesson, and im MEMORIZING things just fine. Im so happy its only three week here thou. Heavenly Father loves me cuz there was no way i could do this and a language. Oh by the way i need some info on a shot i dont know if i got or not i'll send the info in a letter to you cuz i dont have it with me at the moment. Hows the family? Are you all good? Its weird all the kids going to my mission have at least one or both parents not active.. I just found the strange. We work right when we wake up till nine thirty at night. I sleep like a baby i dont even remember going to sleep i lay down and close my eyes, and i feel like i sleep for 10 seconds, i wake up and its time to go. Im so happy im serving a mission. Its an emotional roller coaster i'll be down for a little and then i'll be feeling the spirit and going good the next. Each day gets a lot better. I miss you guys so much but i try not to think about it. Its kind of hard for me to even email you guys. Mom your amazing i love you so much. You have done so much for me i dont think i would even be alive without you. Every time i think of you I start crying or smiling, and the same for dad. Dad you are my best friend and you have been such a good example to me. We have one companion that wants to go home, so we all gave him a blessing last night to try and be more happy and not miss home as much. He's doing better today but we need to keep him awake in class! hahaha. I have seen ten people i know from davis and we all gave exciting heys! I saw jordan and it was not as exciting just a quick how are you doing. Well i got to go i love you guys so much say hi to the family for me.

He is so cute!