Last week

2 John 1:12. 2 Timothy 4:7.

See you guys soon!

Love,

Elder McGrath

Temple: July 22, 2015

Hey everybody, It is crazy to be thinking that I am entering into my second to last week of my mission. I already set up some appointments for after I finish my mission (thanks to vacations. :)). 

This past week has been really good. We had some ups and downs. One of the biggest things I have learned on my mission is a principle in itself: enduring to the end. 

All of us endure different trials and challenges. We all face adversity in every aspect of life. whether we want it or not. We just need to remember that God gives us trials, not only to punish us but instead to help us grow. We all have a purpose here in life and because of that, Heavenly Father molds us to be the person that we need to be, not what we want to be. My wise mother told me that He can always take away the trial if He wants to but He doesn't because He sees the bigger picture. 

In all of my areas, I have moments where I was beaming with happiness with the ways things are going and moments where I was disappointed. There are some in-between moments. But the biggest thing I have seen through those trials is that I have always found incredible families that I was able to teach. 

I remember this one time in Clinton when Elder Kelley and I have baptized our entire teaching pool and before we knew it, we were back at tracting. We were trying so hard to find some people to teach and to help them come closer to Christ. 

We found no one to teach. This happened three weeks in a row. It was one of the toughest trials of my life. But, I will never forget the day that I knocked on a house in Clinton. It was the Cefalos. From there on, my life has changed. 

I was reading about that a couple nights ago. If I have never underwent that trial, I would have never met the Cefalo family. If I have never met the Cefalo family, I wouldn't be the person that I am today. The Lord truly blesses those people, who endures with faith and patience. That is one of the biggest things I have learned on my mission. 

In 3 Nephi 15:9, we read, "Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."

This is Jesus Christ speaking. People who endure those trials gains eternal life. All of the difficult times and hardships we go through will be for a small moment. King Benjamin, one of my favorite character in the Book of Mormon, wisely said, "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual. And if they hold out faithful to the end, they are received into heaven that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true, for the Lord God hath spoken it" (Mosiah 2:41). 

The past few weeks in Morgan have been a little tough because a lot of lessons have been falling through. But some exciting things happened.

Last night, Elder Aston and I stopped by one of our recent converts, the Starks. Courtt and Chad got ordained to the Priesthood and got their Temple Recommend!!!!! We will be going to the Ogden Temple this Thursday to do baptisms for the dead. I am super stoked for that. It will be an amazing experience for them! They have came a long way to get to where they are at. I can tell that they are becoming converted to the Gospel. What a great feeling that is!!

A few days ago, Elder Aston and I had an awesome lesson with the Fairbourn family. They are so close but they are not quite there yet. So close! Ahhh!! Anyways, Elder Aston and I have a lesson tonight with them. I hope that it will go well. 

Junior is doing very well. He is staying active and strong. He is opening up a lot more in lessons and being more involved! I am happy about that. We had a solid lesson with them last night. They are awesome kids! They know a ton about the Gospel. 

Now, I saved the best for last!! 

Last Tuesday evening, after correlation meeting, we were out knocking on doors because we had no appointments that evening. We left a specific part of area to go out and knock on more doors. While we were driving around, Elder Aston and I had the exact same feeling. We felt inspired to go back to where we were. We decided to follow the inspiration and went back.

We stopped by the Stake President's house because we felt that we needed to. One of their sons (who just got back from his mission a few weeks ago) was there and asked if he could come with us. We said ok and he went downstairs to change. After he got changed into his church clothes, we left.

The first two houses we knocked on wasn't there but the third one, I am convinced that we were supposed to knock on, was amazing! A 23 years old guy named Tyler opened up and Cameron (the stake president's son) didn't know him. We got to know him a little bit and it turns out that he is just there for a week with his uncle and aunt until today. He is moving to Clearfield to go to Job Corps so he can become an electrician. 

Anyway, we asked if we could share a message with him and he agreed. He told us that he is a Christian and is not very familiar with the LDS faith. We got to share a scripture and testified of Him. We got into a very good discussion about Jesus Christ. Tyler has a lot of knowledge and wants to learn even more. We committed him to start meeting with the missionaries. He seems like a golden investigator but we had to hand him over to the Zone Leaders because they cover the YSA wards in our area. Last time I heard, he is progressing towards baptism. He is going to get baptized on August 8th. So, that will be very exciting. 

Man, I love miracles. I love my mission so much because I get to see miracles every day! I love you all so much and have a wonderful week. Stay strong and enjoy Arizona. I will see you guys soon! It is crazy how fast time is flying! No joke! Love, Elder McGrath

A great week in Morgan

Hey everyone, I hope that you are enjoying Arizona and it's super crazy to hear that Dad is flying in on Sunday night. Time flies by so fast. It's unbelievable. So, this week has been a little difficult because Elder Aston and I had a lot of lesson falling through. I know that this is a trial and if that we persevere, the Lord will bless us immensely for doing so. When I was reading in my journal last night, I came across my time in Smithfield and read about Sawyer. 

The whole experience reminded me that six consecutive lessons fell through but we were able to teach Sawyer and he ended up following Jesus Christ by being baptized. Having all of those lessons fall through consecutively was so difficult but finding Sawyer made it all worth it. Just from reading that story, it gave me that push to keep going. I know that we all go through difficult times in all phases of life but when we endure, that is when the Lord blesses us the most. I have seen that so many times on my mission. That is one of the biggest things I am taking away from my mission. 

We had some good things happen this week despite a lot of things falling through. 

First things first, Elder Aston and I had an awesome lesson with Junior and Alazae McDermott last night. We were able to review the Restoration with Jenga and it went super well. We were able to use Jenga to demonstrate Jesus Christ establishing His Church, Great Apostasy and the Restoration. They understood everything very well. They are still progressing, even after baptism. They are a great family!!

A few days ago, we found out about a little more stuff about Maddie and it was incredible. Before last school year, she was against the LDS church and did not want to do anything with it. A boy in her grade started working with her and helping her understand the doctrine of the church. It's easy to make judgments without really understanding the basics. As you do know, she then took a full year of seminary and is reading the Book of Mormon and we found out that it is all because this guy. After hearing about this, we asked who this guy is. Guess what he said? He told us that it is Cody McDermott. Junior and Alazae's uncle!! The same uncle who baptized Junior. How awesome is that? We talked to Cody and he already called Maddie. He was able to set up a lesson and this seems like the most solid lesson (meaning that it doesn't look like it was fall through). I am super stoked about that. 

We found a person to start teaching. His name is Lee. He is about 70 or 80 years old and he isn't very active in the church due to a stroke he had a few months ago. He is like the most awesome guy in Morgan.The stories that he shares are incredible! He used to be in the Navy. He was employed right after WW2. Part of his job was to scan the ocean for Russian submarines and surveillance stuff. He has some pretty cool stories. So, I am very excited to start teaching him.

Our other investigators are progressing. We are currently teaching Lisa Baugh, who is not a member. She is very complacent with the way life is going and doesn't really want to change. We are trying our very best to help her realize how the Gospel can change her life!

The Fairbourns are doing well. It is still tough with the father but I know that he can do it. He keeps relapsing but we are going to start going by everyday to help him stay focused on his goal. He needs to become worthy. He is so close. I know that he can do it!

Now, I saved the best for last. Last Sunday at about 2pm, Courtt and Chad were ordained to the office of Deacon! How incredible is that? Courtt and Chad were able to get their temple recommend so they will be doing baptisms for the dead. I am so excited for them. So excited!! :)

I love you all so much! Have a great week and stay strong! Keep enjoying Arizona and I will see you all soon. :) Love, Elder McGrath

Baptism

Hey everyone, It has been a wonderful week in Morgan. A lot of great things has happened this past week. To be honest, I am LOVING my time as a missionary. I never want to finish my mission or go home. Everything is perfect right now. I love it. 

Elder Aston and I had the best 4th of July ever! We were able to witness Junior and Alazae follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the Priesthood of God. It was an incredible baptismal service. They both have came a long way. I heard a little bit about all of the chaos that was going on earlier and it was incredible to realize how far they came. They are incredible kids and deserve great things. I am so happy for them. 

A few days ago, I was exchanges with Elder Simbeck (Yes, I served with him when I was in Clinton) and we went over to the Fairbourns. It went super well. We were able to find out the real concern to what's holding back Brother Fairbourn. It was an incredible lesson. The kids are ready. All we need to do is to resolve Brother Fairbourn's concern; then we're golden. Elder Aston and I know exactly what we need to do. To be honest, I am looking forward to it. 

Last night, we stopped by the Stark's bishop and he informed us that the mother got her Temple Recommend. How awesome is that!!!!! Courtt and Chad's ordination is on hold because the Bishop wants to see if Brother Stark will try to become worthy to ordain Courtt and Chad. We will have to see what happens. 

I am so thrilled for tonight because we have a lesson with Kylee tonight. I am praying that it will go through. Elder Aston and I talked to her grandmother and she mentioned to us that she is so excited to be baptized. It is just the father that is holding her back because he is putting the whole baptism thing on the side. 

We met with Maddie's friend and he told us awesome things about Maddie. He told us that Maddie is very excited to learn about the Church. She has been texting him nonstop with questions about the Church. He thinks that she will be a golden investigators. I am praying that her lesson (happening on Friday) will go through. I am so pumped to start teaching her. 

Elder Aston and I found two teenagers to start teaching: Dallas and Dillon. They both are brothers and are not members of the church. Dallas and Dillon has a friend, Zach, who is very active in the church and invited them both to meet with us. I am so excited for it. It will be awesome! 

Last Thursday, Elder Aston and I were able to meet President Jaggi. He is going to be an awesome Mission President. He has a family of 4 kids, who are under the age of 18 and are living with him. They will be like little siblings so that will be cool! He has a huge testimony of Jesus Christ and it was amazing to hear his testimony. He really does love the Savior. He also has a strong testimony of the Gospel. 

I know that the Gospel is true and Jesus is the Christ. His path is only path that will lead to the Celestial Kingdom. I know that He lives!

Great things are happening right now in Morgan. I am so happy with the way everything is going. :) I love you all so much and I will see you all soon. Enjoy Arizona for me! Stay strong! :) Love, Elder McGrath

Fourth of July baptism

Hello everyone, Thanks for the emails. They are always fun to get and read. I'm glad that Arizona is going well. I still can't believe that I only have one more transfer. It's crazy! I'm loving my mission and the gospel. It truly blesses all those who listen and obey.

On a side note, it has been really hot here lately. It even feels like Arizona at times. It's really weird! It was definitely a lot hotter than last year. Some people were telling us that there is a big heat wave that is going on.

Elder Aston and I are doing super well. It was a difficult week. We had to drop some people we were teaching. It's never fun to do so. We had to drop Matt because we have been teaching him for a few weeks now and he has not kept any commitments. He even told us that we are wasting our time on him. So that was a little tough but we are pushing through. Whenever we persevere through a difficult time, that is when the Lord blesses us the most.

First off, Junior is doing so well. That kid is extremely smart. He may come off as shy but he is a genuinely good kid. Last Monday, we had a lesson with him to go over the Word of Wisdom and the Baptismal Interview Questions (BIQs). At the beginning of the lesson, we wanted to know what he knew about the Word of Wisdom. He then proceeded to tell us the five things that Heavenly Father specifically told us that we shouldn't put into our body (coffee, alcohol, tea, tobacco and illegal drugs/substances). It was crazy! I never had that happen to me on my mission! Really cool.

He is stoked to be baptized this Saturday. He is so ready to be baptized! He mentioned to us that he will celebrate his baptism with fireworks and then celebrate the anniversary every year with fireworks. Haha, genius. The 4th of July is a great day to get baptized. :)

Emma and Hayden Fairbourn are doing well. We had a great lesson with them last Monday and it went well. We were able to commit them to pray to overcome their obstacles so they can be baptized. It was received
well and hopefully, it will go through.

The lesson with Maddie fell through because of her birthday party and her parents took her out tubing. We are hoping to get an appointment later this week but we will see what happens because her friend (the one who originally set up the lesson) is on Trek right now. On that subject, last Tuesday evening, Elder Aston and I were able to tag along with 70 other Angels to assist in the Trek. It was so much fun! There was three huge steep hills by Hardscrabble Canyon so our job was to help three handcart companies get through the hills. We were not allowed to talk and it was a cool experience. It was a ton of fun because I got to know some of the members, who were the other Angels. The whole experience was a blast!

Last week, we were able to meet with the Stark family one last time before handing them off to the Ward and it was so good. The father was there. The first time ever! He is not active in the Church because of his job (he works for the Morgan Police Department). He told us that he saw a huge change in the family because of the gospel. When he gets his shift change (happening in August), he will start coming to church with the family. How awesome is that?!

Courtt and Chad are receiving the Aaronic Priesthood this Sunday and they are going to be interviewed for their Temple recommend! They are so excited to do baptisms for the dead in the Utah Ogden Temple! I'm so stoked for them to have this experience. I still remember my first time and that was a memorable part of my Deacon years. The Spirit is super strong inside the Temple. The Temple IS a holy temple. A house for God. I love Temples so much! :)

President Hiers has finished his mission. He left for Boston with his wife a couple days ago. President Jaggi (pronounced: ya-gee) got here and we are meeting him and his family (four of his kids are under 18 so that will be interesting) later this week. I am looking forward to it. It will definitely be a little weird with having a new Mission President, especially for just a month.

I am looking forward to an awesome week and busy one too! I love serving here in Morgan. The people here are fantastic and I love being around them. I am working hard and enjoying everything immensely. I love being a missionary so much! :)  I love you all and stay strong! I will try to be better with the weekly email next Tuesday! Love you all so much! Love, Elder McGrath

Miracles

Hey everyone! I hope that y'all are having a great week. I did. Tomorrow is transfers. I will be staying in Morgan with Elder Aston. I am so happy about that. He is a great missionary!

It is unbelievably crazy how fast time has gone by this past transfer. I am now going into my last transfer. It is so crazy to think that I am one of the oldest missionaries out in the Utah Ogden Mission. That is nuts. Hopefully, this transfer will go very well. I know that as long as I work my hardest, the Lord will provide. He always does. 

Last Tuesday evening was awesome. We were able to see Jasyn Jones take out his endowments and it was incredible. Brother Madeo (his fellowshipper) told me his conversion story on the way back and it was awesome. He has came a long way to where he is now. He is staying strong in the Gospel. It is always great to see that. 

The McDermott family is doing awesome! They are progressing very well. We talked to the mother last Sunday and to our surprise, they want to reschedule. The kids really want to be baptized on July 4th, not the 18th. I am all good with that. Junior and Alazae are so ready to be baptized! 

The Fairbourns are doing well. We got to talk to the family a few days ago and the father told us that he wants to go for July now. He doesn't want to procrastinate anymore. It was awesome hearing that. Hopefully, it will go through. The family has gone through a lot. They are such an awesome family to teach. 

Matt and Tana Lewis are doing awesome! Tana has a huge desire to become active in the church and go to the Temple. Her husband, Matt, isn't too interested in the Gospel. He is a nonmember and she is a member. We had a couple really good lessons with them and they both came to church last Sunday! yay!! Hopefully, things will change with Matt. He really needs the Gospel in his life!

The lesson with Kayle and Weston fell through yesterday but they still want to meet with us. We have an appointment with them tomorrow evening. I am hoping that it will go through. They are a cool family to teach! 

Last Sunday for Father's Day, Elder Aston and I were invited to eat dinner with the Peterson family in the Peterson Ward in Peterson, Utah. They are a insanely cool family. It was an awesome dinner appointment. Anyways, at the end of the dinner appointment, we shared a spiritual thought and asked for referrals. They gave us a name: Maddie. They barely gave us much information. They just gave us background information but no address and phone number. We just disregarded the referral because they informed us that they will try to find an address. 

Not even a hour later, we were visiting one of the Ward Mission Leaders in one of the Stakes. The WML and his wife were the fellowshipper for Kayle and Weston and we were planning on teaching the Restoration. Since they are very good friends, we went over and shared a spiritual thought. After sharing the spiritual thought, we handed them a couple copies of The Book of Mormon and invited them to write their testimony inside. The family was super happy to have an opportunity to do that. All of the sudden, their son (who is about 17 years old) told us that he has a friend who has been wanting to meet with the missionaries. He told us the background story and how she is a Catholic. She went to a full year of seminary and has been reading The Book of Mormon. She told him that she wants to meet with the missionaries. After hearing all of that, I asked him the name of the girl that wants to meet with us. He replied with ... Maddie. 

Right after hearing that, Elder Aston and I looked at each other and we had a huge smile. After that, he told us that he will invite her over for a lesson later this week. We are hoping that this will go through. What a miracle!

A few days ago, we stopped by the Relief Society President in one of the wards that we are serving in and we were asking for referrals. After getting some, we were about to leave and we were thanking her for her time. She responded by thanking us for our talks and we talked a little bit about the talk and people the ward. All of the sudden, she just propped right up and told us that she has someone for us to teach. It was a 9 years old granddaughter of hers, Kylee. She lives in a different ward but same stake. She is not a member but really wants to be baptized. We were able to set a lesson with her but that one fell through due to unforeseen circumstances. We are planning on teaching her later this week. 

I am super stoked with the way things are going. Many great things are happening and I am so excited to be staying in Morgan for my last transfer on my mission. I love being a missionary so much and I am looking forward to making my last transfer worth every single second. I love being able to teach others about Jesus Christ. I know that He is our Savior! He lives!

I love you all so much and stay strong!! Have a great week!! Love, Elder McGrath

New investigator

Hey everyone! I hope that you are having a great week. I did. I had an awesome week. We had a lot of ups and downs this week but it ended so well. We had a lot of great things happen. 

First things first, Elder Aston and I are going to the Ogden Temple to support Jasyn Jones. He is going to get his endowments taken out so that is awesome. I am so stoked for this. It will be a extremely exciting evening for him. He has came a long way for this and I am so happy for Jasyn. He is a good man. 

Last night, Elder Aston and I had an awesome lesson with the McDermott family. They are doing very well. They are progressing quite nicely. They are reading the scriptures, praying and attending church. We taught them the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the kids absorbed it like a sponge. It is so awesome to see kids learn and understand. It is really cool! Junior and his little sister, Alazae (pronounced: Ali-zay) are wanting to be baptized but some things came up and their baptism has been pushed back to July 18th... :( But, at least, they have a desire to be baptized and is working towards baptism. They are doing well. 

The Fairbourn family is doing well. They are consistently doing the things that they need to do. We are trying our best to help them out. They are soooo close to get there. So close. They need your prayers!!

Courtt and Chad are doing SOOO awesome! We taught them a couple times and they are progressing. They are wanting to do baptisms for the dead and the Bishop has an interview with them this Sunday. Hopefully, it will go through and they will keep progressing after their baptism. The mother also has been wanting to do baptisms for the dead. They are hoping to do some by the end of June or the beginning of July. 

Matt and Tana Lewis are doing well. They are reading scriptures but they are having a hard time with church. We talked a lot about the fact that it is not enough to know, it is in the doing. You can't just know; if you really knew, you'd do it. 

Last Thursday, Elder Aston and I started teaching a hard of hearing lady, Laura. She was raised in the Church but is not active right now. She is 31 years old and has moderate hearing loss. She wears hearing aids but even with those, she still has a hard time hearing. During the lesson, we would have to speak loud and clear so she could understand us. She has trouble following conversations. We had a really spiritual lesson with her and things went super well. I am excited to teach her.

So, I bet you are wondering what is with the title. I saved this part for the last part of my email because it is the best highlight of the week! It all happened last night. 

A few days ago, we contacted this woman, who is living with her boyfriend and we were talking. Her name is Kale (pronounced: Kay-lee) and she grew up in Morgan and went to Weber State for college. She never met with the missionaries and is not a member. We were able to set up an appointment for last night. 

We stopped by and we had an incredible lesson. The boyfriend (Weston) is not active in the church and he really doesn't know anything. Kale grew up in Morgan but knows nothing about the Church. She never grew up with religion of any sort. She doesn't know that much about God, which is AWESOME! You never really get that here in Utah. This means that Elder Aston and I will be able to teach her and help her to learn more. We won't have to explain false doctrine and anti stuff. She really wants to learn more about the church and has a desire to do so. She wants to know what's making other LDS people so happy. We told her that we have the answers for her. :) 

What an incredible experience to have. I love being a missionary. I love being able to provide answers to life's greatest questions. God is indeed our loving Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is His Son and the perfect example. Through Jesus Christ, we can return and live in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ taught us what we needed to do. He showed us. He never said: Do as I say. Instead, he said: Do as I do. He was baptized by someone holding the proper authority of God. We should do the same. I know that by following His commandments, we can find that happiness that we all seek in life. His way is the only way; there is no other way. 

I love you all and stay strong. Be safe on the flight home and enjoy the Arizona heat for me. I love you all so much! Love, Elder McGrath

Power went out one night.