Transfers, and this is the last one:s

July 13, 2015

Well hello there hows it going? Good! Well I am going to roast out here.

So I am staying in Paso and Elder Weiss is going to be my new companion!

and this is how the week went.

A. Paso is doing awesome so a great/weird thing happened this week Elder Jones and I were lying in bed and then are phone started going off with text from a unknown number turns out it was the Branch Presidents son telling us to go see his friend Pepe, and then the next morning we were texting him and our ward mission leader calls us and said "you need to see Pepe" so now we were trying to see this "Pepe" but we can't find him, but he sounds like a solid referral and I am excited to find him,

This week we did a lot of biking and it was great until we stopped then our legs just turned to stone.... we were able to have some good lessons with Frida and Lupita, they are doing good but are super busy all the time and they can be hard to find but we managed to catch them, but we talked with Frida about a lot of different things she was a lot of different questions and it was an awesome time to answer some of her questions about the word of wisdom and other commandment that we have, with Lupita we talked about the Book of Mormon and how important it is in our lives and hopefully she will start to read it.

C. Elder Jones is great I am going to miss him next transfer but I am excited to work with Elder Weiss next transfer it will be fun and I will learn a lot!

T. Well this week prayer has played a huge role, praying that we can get rides and prayer for more strength to get up this hill. Pray was helped me through a lot this week!

S. This week we did a lot from food bank to painting to moving a movie caster who casted suits on the loose and mobsters and Mormons... it was fun and he had a great view in his back yard.

yep its been pretty fun working with Elder Jones but now its time to move on.... it sucks but it will be great!

picture time!

yep I burned a suit... it was fun but ya it was fun!

anyways have a great week love you all!

Elder Joshua MacKay

End of Transfer

July 6, 2015

Well its been a great week, it has been hot!

A. Paso Robles is doing great it is been really hot this week we went out and did some biking and after an hour we had to go back in to change our shirts cause they were bad..... it was awful but after we got that taken care of we went back out to work but this time we walked so we wouldn't have to do it again...

This week we had 2 exchanges, the first I went with Elder Waite into his area and so it was good we had dinner with a part member family and she is getting baptized on Saturday, so Elder Jones is interviewing her on Tuesday and Saturday will be awesome. Elder Waite is also having a brownie cook off with this person and round 1 he lost bad but everyone won cause we all got brownies.

Then I was with Elder Payne in my Area and it was a good exchange but no one was home and since it was the 4th no one wanted to talk to us.... they thought that we were JW and it was great.... but it was fun we got to meet with and awesome less active and part member family but they were English so.... it still on the lords team!

C. Elder Jones is doing awesome he really wants to get transferred down to simi valley where he loves the branch but even if he stays here I know that he will work his butt off!!

T. This week I re-read the Saviors last week alive and then on Friday when we got the new that Boyd K Packer passed away. It was interesting I didn't feel sad or anything it was great I just knew that the Lord needs them somewhere else and that how it is.

S. This week we helped someone pack up to move out it was very fun she had a LOT of pictures it was fun!!

Speaking of pictures I forgot the cord so it sucks to be you!! but the 4th was great the members bought some fire works and we lit them off - well they did. and since I had a suit that is wrecked... I thought it would be fun to well you'll see next week...

Have a good week see you soon!!

Elder Joshua MacKay

Another week in Cali!

June 29, 2015

Well it has been a great week here!!

But this is what happened

A. Paso Robles is doing awesome the members have been a huge blessing and have been able to help us out a lot sine the fact we cannot use the car... But we have been able to talk to a lot more people since we are not driving every where,

This week we had some exchanges with the zone leaders and our district and they were all great exchanges!!

the first was with the zone leaders and I went down to slo (san luis Obispo) and it was just a funny day the first thing was doug a man that was referred from the sisters and then dinner, at dinner we were sitting down talking about something and then the member that came to eat with us asked me about the 5 lbs burger I ate 2 weeks ago.. so we talked about that and turns out he was there and it was super funny, and then Doug (we were talking to him)  started to tell us that Jesus appeared to him and was twisting his beard so he know it was Jesus.... and so there we shared a scripture, 2 Nephi 25:26 and he said he is thankful we shared that scripture with him and then told us that he is the new jesus..... it was weird, so we prayed and left as soon as possible.

the second was with Elder Magoon  and that one was great it was a hard day but we made it though and we had a great lesson with a less active family and the spirit was very strong it was a solid lesson.

the third was with Elder Rosenloft, it was a fun exchange we did and a lot of knocking and no one was home it was just one of those days but we had a great dinner message that I learned from the exchange with the zone leaders and we talked about testimonies of the book of Mormon, it was a great lesson!

C. Elder Jones is great he is very humble and wants to work hard all the time! He is a great elder!

T. This week I was reminded how important it is the share our testimony cause sometime it just takes one person to share their testimony to change someone's life forever!

S. this week we did some yard work for someone who was a companion to a member in our ward.

Well hope you have a great week!

and now picture time!

so we checked the mail this week and we won!!!!! and that is a sticker our ward mission leader made me!

Happy Canada day and 4th of July!!

Elder Joshua Mackay

One more week in Paso

June 22, 2015

Well this week has been a fun one, a lot of driving and walking too!!

It has been in the 100's all week we love our cars A.C,

A. Paso is doing great, we have been getting a lot of help from members and it has been working out good. Saturday we went to see Cynthia but she wasn't home. We talked to her brother Edson, he is a less active member and we had a great talk and man did he brighten our day. It was great to see him and to be able to tell him that he should come back to the fold, he knows were he should be and everything but he just works too much to do it if he isn't working he is working out or playing soccer. But we are going to work with him more.

This week we had a member of the Seventy Elder C. Scott Grow come and visit and it was great and a great reminder of hundreds of things! It was awesome to be able to listen to him and everything he talked about was great, when he talked about hope I thought - oh I never will need this - and then we ended up using what he said the next day in a lesson with Anna another less active member, we asked her what she wanted to know about and she said the law of chastity, so we talked about it and talked about blessing for living the commandments and then she asked about the word of wisdom and committed to quit using some drug she started to use. it was great and we were able to use what Elder Grow used to help her it was awesome. Plus a good eye opener for me.

Another awesome thing that happened is the car, we cannot use the car for a couple weeks, so we have been walking and biking in the sun. We have been able to work closer to the members and since walking to where everyone lives takes 2 hours we have been able to find people closer to our apartment and open up our teaching pool! We have found about 3 family that want us to come back, and 5 people that want us to come by as well. its been a blessing!

C. Elder Jones has been a huge blessing after not being able to use the car I felt burdened to say the least and he was there to lift it me up and it has been great to see that.

T. This week I learned that everything happens for a reason and sometimes that's a good reminder to think about how God is in the helm leading his work.

S. This week we were able to stop by the food bank for a little bit we had appointments to go to so we could only stay for an hour but it was a fun hour!

Yep it has be a great week! This one well be even better!

So this week with elder grow we took some pictures! 

Don't drive and throw gang signs!!! 

But I miss the smell of the ocean.

and Elder Phillips went back home for medical stuff, so we went to see him in Morro Bay and found a sub....

Hope you all have a great week I love you all have fun!!

-Elder Joshua Mackay

The Big One

June 15, 2015

Well this week I died but you'll read about it later!

A. Paso is doing great there are some fire here and there dang lighting storm.... oh well. but its been a fun week with a lot of heat. actually this week a member left for his mission he is going to do great we took him out with us a lot and he is as ready as any missionary I have seen.

So this week we saw Jose a couple of time it was been fun we have been trying to teach him how to read and it has been going great he gave him and his daughter (martha) a book of mormon the kid one with lots of pictures and they are reading that together and we can feel the change in the home it was been awesome!

we also had a super solid lesson with Cynthia and it was awesome we talked about trials and we read the story of Job and how he always trusted god in all that happened. it was a powerful lesson and then trying to set up a FHE (family home evening) with her and her best friends family well see what happens.

so I have done the impossible, this week we had a member take us out to eat at a burger place, and on the menu they had a burger called the big one. it's a 5 lbs burger the member saw me look at it and told me that he has brought a ton of missionaries there and only 6 have tried it and none of him have finished the burger in under 30 minutes so its free or its $37.... he then told me that he thought I could do it and so I tried it, oh man he was excited, he called the ward members and the sister missionaries, and it was crazy, but 27 minutes and 52 seconds later i finished it and he started dancing and being well himself really he is awesome. But the coolest part was yet to come so I am sitting there and a kid and his mother came up to us and talked about how he watches a tv show called man vs food and he has always wanted to see someone finish the burger and that day, I made his dreams come true and we talked for a little bit, it was weird I never thought that eating a 5lb burger could bring someone to like missionaries!

C. Elder Jones is awesome, very patience, very humble, very kind what more do you need in a companion?

T. This week I learned that members make everything roll smoothly, we have been trying to find a less active named Hugo and so we knocked on his door yesterday and a van rolled in next door and 4 kids in there sunday best got out of the van and into the house and a father in his white shirt and tie followed and then a little kid who looked at us so I waved at him and he turned around took 2 steps and looked back and then he came to talk to us, but his dad came and got him but we know these people are either members or need to be so we knocked on their door and they were members so we talked to the dad about the neighbors and then he asked us to share a message with his family so we did and long story short they committed themselves to help us get the less active family to come back to church and the dad even speaks Spanish and everything is going great!

S. This week we went to the food bank and bagged food for days!! 

yep it sucked I never want to eat 5 lbs again (in one sitting) but here are some pictures of the burger... and Fabian who left for his mission in Mexico City

yepp have a great week!!!

-Elder Joshua Mackay

Paso is going to suck... in the summer!

June 8, 2015

well this summer is going to be hot and dry most of Paso can't water their lawns.

But other then it being hot, it was a great week!

A. Paso Robles is awesome, we have had a hot and rough week, it seems that everyone went to the beach and left us in paso.... we had a great week. We meet a girl named Martha this week she is Fridas sister we gave her a restoration pamphlet and asked her to read it and talked about it and so forth, but we didn't have a book of mormon on us... oops, but the next day we went by to talk to Frida, and she told us that Martha stole her book of mormon to read it... I love people who want to learn the gospel.

We also meet with some peoples mothers and watched a video with for a dinner message and they loved it and one of them came to church on sunday and it was awesome, now we just have to get the other one to come too and bring her less active daughter to come back to church! it would be awesome!

We also were able to meet up with the Villa family and read out of the Book of Mormon with then it was 2 awesome lessons and it worked out great! We talked about the Son of Helamen or the 2000 stripling warriors it was great but they didn't make it to church.

Then Friday Elder Jones desided to go to Oxnard with the other district leaders in the zone and left me with Elder Comin and Elder Peterson and boy was that fun we helped a member move into a house and an investigator move out of a different house it was a lot of fun!

C. Elder Jones is awesome, he is doing his best to be his very best and it has been a journey up here some times with this district but it has been awesome to see it happen.

T. well this week it was HOT long day every day and in the morning I hated the idea of getting out of bed because i knew what was going to come, 90+ it was awful but every day around 3 I felt a new source of energy and it was hard to stay out and work everyday but I am glad that I did it cause that "faith energy" is better then anything I have ever felt.

S. Well this week we sorted the bread at the food bank and for some reason I couldn't eat bread for a day afterwards.... ok it was only until dinner.

yep so the new district is Elder Jones, Elder Magoon, Elder Payne, Elder Rosenlof, Elder Wiate.

theres a picture.

well see you soon I only have 12 p-days left so I gotta make them count!!

-Elder Joshua Mackay

Another 6 weeks for me in Paso!!

June 1, 2015

So it's transfer week and I am staying in Paso with Elder Jones which sucks cause now I don't get to see half my past companions go home....

But, yep it's going to be great!

A. Paso is doing awesome, we are making a lot of head way with some of our investigators. It is weird it is like they think we are going to hurt them or that we are the police and they are VERY shy for the first 2 lesson and then it's like they want us to come by, maybe I shouldn't have grown so big to make them more comfortable..... Like one of our investigators Lupita she tried to keep her distance and wouldn't really answer questions but know she wants us to come by, it was been great and she said she would help us with our spanish. She is awesome she is a senior in high school and she has a 3 month old baby boy, were not sure where the dad is but we dont think he is there with her. She loves to learn more about Jesus Christ and is starting to read when ever she is done homework and is done taking care of the baby because he is sleeping she was shown me that it is a rough life out side the gospel! I could never imagine going through that, people are awesome.

We have been working with Cynthia and she is taking baby steps we have been trying to get her to pray about what she should do next but it hasn't been working. But hopefully we can help her out more, this week we read out of preach my gospel with her in chapter 5 (the holy ghost) and it was really good and we had a great lesson and we learned that we just need to go over the basics with her and take it a lot more slow because we were going to fast for her.

C. well Elder Jones is great I have said it many times but it is true, I cannot wait to stay with him for another 6 weeks it will be good!

T. Well this week was a week of firsts, mainly translating english into spanish during stake conference it was fun! but it built my testimony about the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues, because I had no clue what the people wanted to say in their talks I just tanslated what I understood and added my thoughts to it, it was good. i only got 2 complaints first that I spoke to far into the mic, second that I spoke to closely into the mic.

S. this week we went to the food bank again and i went noodling.... for lettuce it was buried under lettuce leafs it was very fun, and now I want to go fishing.... but it will have to wait cause there is no water here...... its great

yep it was a lot of fun!

pictures

so there we are translating.. we took the picture during a song.

i felt artist this week....

and we found a cool little church on top of a hill surrounded by a winery