Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Feliz Navidad

Dec 29, 2014

Hey sorry dont have much time but this is what happened this week!
 
A. well this week we almost did the impossible and it was awesome we set a goal last week to find new investigators and we found 2 very solid investigators and 5 potenials that will be very good for the missionaries here in the next couple transfers! But that is not all we had a tons of miracles! and fantastic christmases it was awesome! so were going to start with miracle number 1 and her name is Florencia! we found her the other day and she said she had just come here from mexico and wanted to learn about our church! So we taught her the restoration! and she asked us if we could come back and read in the bible tomorrow (saturday) so we did and we read the birth of jesus christ and it was awesome and she said the last prayer and it was AWESOME ok beyond AWESOME maybe beyond infinite it was pretty great!
 
Number 2! we have been working with the Bishop in finding all the less active to see if they still live there and guess what we have found 2 awesome familys we are going to start teaching they said not to come back until after 2014 so we will be going back this weekend! hehehe I love miracles!!!
 
Number 3! Number 3 happened on a more awesome level, it isnt about Oxnard but it is about me. I have called it the Miracle of the challengling and testifying Elder Mackay. We found this awesome person (he is a friend of a member) and he taught him about the book of mormon and I thought I would try something different. That is to challenge him. So I asked him to read the book and pray. Normal. But then I asked him if it is true if he would get baptized, not a normal for me (yet). and he said YES!! But he said he will need time to read and doesn't want to set an apointment up until he is ready because he knows it will change his life.
 
C. Elder hernadez is awesome I have learn a ton from him, mostly this week is love for other people that he shares with them.
 
T. This week I read the challenging and testifying missionary, and applied it. And it seems to have worked pretty well.
 
S. WE MADE TAMELAS finally!!! and the results were tasty from one family we helped, the other family we haved seen yet...
remember I love you and care for you!!
 
-Elder Joshua Mackay

Monday, December 22, 2014

Feliz Navidad

Dec 22, 2014

Hello there how is it going?
 
well.. Who wants cookies and milk as they read? Well take your time while the rest read!
 
A. Oxnard is awesome we are working so hard and it is awesome! we had a couple of great lesson with Juliette.
 
Man I love Christmas but I also hate it, people get so caught up in giving gifts, which most the time ends up in getting head aches, that they forget the real meaning of this season. I believe that it was Thomas  S Monson who put it so well "if we drop the last 3 letters, it becomes the season of christ" so true that is and man I wish I could just have an infinite supply of money to make sure that every child in my area could get a gift but I am doing the best I can with the talents I do have whether it be a paper dragon or a flower the reaction is the same they love it and cherish these gift which reminds me I need to get a new letter pad!!
 
Oxnard is a great place and I can definitely feel what I need to do here and its about time that I hike up my socks and work even harder!
 
C. Elder hernandez is in the top 10 of my companions I love him! There is no one else that I would reather spend christmas with, well other then my family.... but he knows the jesus loves him and why he is on a mission and he loves to work!
 
T. well I did it,  I finsished jesus the christ and I need to read thourgh and compare the 4 gospels together and how they are different and how they are the same!
 
S. well last week we could help out alot but now people are starting to make tamales and are asking for help! I am excited, tamale making here I come!
 
you made it (almost)
 
PICTURES WITH SANTA!?!?!
 
have a merry merrry christmas
#sharethegift
 
-elder Joshua Mackay


Another week in the Sun, oh and Merry Christmas!

December 15, 2014

Hello there greetings from the shores of cali! (not literally the shore that gets me sent home...)

so I am Staying in Oxnard with Elder Hernandez for another 6 weeks!

So lets get this thing moving!

A. Oxnard is awesome as ever, but I learned I need to be careful with my bike.... some kids wanted to race me for my bike and every time those kids see us they yell at me to try to get my bike.... its awesome but other than young teenagers we had a interesting week this week full of hard work and other stuff!

One person we have work hard with is Juliette she is a recent convert and is very interesting. We had to go over some lesson with her because she didn't understand why we have these commandments (word of wisdom) and she even threw away her stuff she had after a little bit of encouragement and support it was awesome, but for her it was very hard. She is progressing so much we talked yesterday about her serving a mission and she said she isn't going to and we talked about it, and had to go to another appointment but we left that appointment and the phone went off and she asked "how can I get my mission papers?" but she is only 12 so she has a long wait ahead of her.

So to allow ourselves to work more with the members we have been giving them 3-10 He is the gift cards and talking to them about giving them out to there friends it has been pretty awesome to see them first look very scared and then second, after discussing about how they could do it to see the "fire in there eyes" to go and do it.

C. I love Elder Hernandez. That is all he is the best. case and point. Yep he is awesome why well because he is a child. But that is great for now, his is in the kingdom of god.

T. Jesus the Christ will strengthen your testimony 100 fold and if you don't believe me go read the first 200 pages and say that your testimony wasn't been strengthened.
this week I read about the Saviors last week in mortality and his betrayal and suffering and then his glorious rise from the tomb to never leave his body down again. 

S. this week we helped at a thrift store sorting moving and unloading thing it was pretty fun, and we got to find some pretty cool treasures and hidden treasures and even a little bit of knowledge!!

yep tons of fun!

there are some picture of christmas here in oxnard!!

well have a good one!

-Elder Joshua Mackay


Monday, December 8, 2014

December 8?

December 8, 2014

What the heck has happened with the past 2 months gone way to fast, time should get a ticket for speeding. No really

So transfers are next week what do you think is going to happen?

This is what happened this week!

A. well this week was nuts! the zone leaders challenged us to get 7 member presents (members at lessons) and guess who reached that goal...... WE DID. We had some awesome lessons and some miraculous ones as well we worked hard and it payed off!! We had awesome lessons with Marithza and her mother a recent convert and she was going to get baptized but doesn't know anymore and we are going to start to work with the father to get him baptized because then the kids will follow, hopefully!!

We also have been working with a less active family that rents out their room and we had 2 great lessons there with 2 diferent people! I love spanish houses!!! We then had one other lesson with a less active mother and her son who just turned 10 and has been baptized. It was awesome to see that we had a goal and we didn't think we could have made but then God leads the way and prepares it for us to reach our worthy goals!

This week was also the start of a new advertisement called "He is the gift" if you haven't seen it your nuts. But it was awesome to try a give out at least 10 cards a day but we only made it twice... but there is always this week!

C. Elder hernandez is awesome he is working super hard to become a better person, and from stories I have heard he has done a pretty good job and there is only one way he can go and that is to the best!

T. Well where is my question? What does the atonement mean for you?
This week I learned something that has changed my life forever. I learned that Jesus Christ could have only died if he wanted it to happen, He gave the ok for him to give you his body. And that is what he did after he suffered so much, was to bring him to ask if there is no other way and he finished his test and because he did that we will all see our loved one again and we will all live again!

S. This week we did a ton from lighting up houses and giving out food, to make Christmas trees out of food cans.. yes trees made out of cans. It was awesomely fun.

I never thought making a can tree would be so fun.

Anyways have a good week see you next week!

-Elder Joshua Mackay
Food can trees

In the car with Elder Barlow and Elder Sorenson


Friday, December 5, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!

December 1, 2014

Well for the entertainment of all of you we had 2 thanksgiving dinners all within 3 hours...... we were stuffed quite literally.

But this is what happened!

A. Oxnard is nuts. but its a good nuts! we have been working super hard but this week being thanksgiving I am thankful for the opportunities that I have been given to be here. I am thankful for my awesome family that has been behind from day 1 and untill day 700 and BEYOND, I am thankful for the bike problem that I have finally taken care of and they haven;t come back yet!.

But lets get back to that later its time to talk about lessons that have been happening. This week Elder Hernandez and I went around looking for people that Elder Hernandez used to teach when he was here a year ago. and it has been working we have found 2 less active families and a couple of potential investigators. It is awesome!

Last but not least we found a new man named Emanuel! He is awesome had a ton of good comments about what we teach (the restoration) he is so ready for the gospel but can only meet on saturdays... but its going to be awesome to see what happens!

C. Elder Hernandez is awesome he is the best missionary I could have asked for. but I didn't have to ask, God gave him to me for a transfer and maybe more! He listens to the spirit a ton and follows the promptings.

T. This week in my studies a went over all the talk the I have collected over the past year and re read them because what good do they do collecting dust on my desk!!

S. I don't think I had any service this week only elder Hernandez on a blitz. oh well always next week!

yep thats all folks see you around!!

-Elder Joshua Mackay


After 2 thanksgiving dinners!