2014!

I can't believe it is 2014 already! This year will be a great one! I already know it. This week not too much happened. Sickness is widespread this winter time and both Elder Cleveland and I took part in it unfortunately. So for most of this week we have been at home. We would go out when we had lessons and stuff, but for the most part we rested. I can't remember what all I told you last week, but I think I mentioned Georgette. She is on date for January 18th. She is a little African girl, 9 years old, and her family is all active. I don't know why she hasn't been baptized yet, but she will be now :) There is a less active family that the Solomons have been working with that have an unbaptized kid but they didn't want to baptize her until the parents were active again. They are now though and so we are going to meet with them next week and set up a baptism for her! Jessica was confirmed yesterday. I got to do it, it was really cool. Other than that there isn't much to tell since we have been sick. We start teaching a mission prep class next Sunday. That will be really fun! New Years Eve we stayed up and played board games and stuff with our landlords. It was really fun. We almost didn't have P-day today. Last Wednesday our District Leader texted us and told us that we were going to go to the Temple on January 10th, which is this Friday. When we go to the temple that is our P-day as well. So I felt really bad because I had just told everyone that P-day was going to be on Monday and then they wouldn't hear from me until Friday. But things got changed around and now we are going to the temple next Tuesday instead. That made me really happy. I love the temple, but I would prefer to go at the beginning of the week haha. I'm excited to go though! I can't wait! Other than that... we just get to walk around on ice all day trying not to die. It's great! Haha no but I love it here. I have learned so much from being on a mission. I've learned a lot about the Atonement. It's not just there to pay the price, but it's there to help us change, to help us become. As I realized that I was able to apply repentance more in my life. There were times where I would find myself making the same mistakes over and over again and then trying to repent only to fail again. That is what repentance is though, repentance is changing yourself. It is becoming more like the Savior. My testimony of prayer has also increased a lot. Our Heavenly Father wants to bless us. Prayer is the way we align our wills with His. When we do that, and we begin to pattern our own lives after His Son's, He will give us those blessings we ask for. Our Heavenly Father does love us so much! Never give up, just because we hit a few wrong notes on the piano doesn't mean we don't keep practicing. The road might not be easy, but the end is so worth it. I love you all. Have a great week! -Elder McKinney