Day 729, the last 24 hours...

Well, the end has finally come. I leave for home tomorrow evening. I will be reunited with my family and friends and life will continue on. It's a weird feeling. I'm not sure what to make of it. I had some neat experiences last week though! On Thursday I had my departing interview with President Chambers. It was the normal stuff to talk about when departing; education, career, dating. It wasn't very long, but it was enough to help me feel confident in the future. Then on Friday afternoon we were able to attend the Salt Lake Temple and go through a session there. It was my first time to the Salt Lake City temple. It's beautiful. Very easy to get lost inside however. After leaving the celestial room we were about to head down the stairs but a man was going into an office nearby and invited us to come and see. We got to see the apartment place where President Snow stayed while he was president of the temple and got to see out the southeast door where a lot of wedding pictures are taken. The man told us some interesting things and then we went on our way. It was neat too to stand in the approximate place where Jesus Christ appeared to President Snow right outside the celestial room. Overall it was a great experience.

Well, that is about the extent of my stories for this week. As this is my last email I will send as a representative of Jesus Christ, I want to end with my testimony.

Before my mission I couldn't say with a surety that the Book of Mormon was true or that Joseph Smith was a prophet or that this is Christ's church on earth. That has changed over these two years. I know that Jesus is the Christ. I know he lives and leads this church today. I know he restored it through the prophet Joseph Smith along with the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon truly is the word of God. Translated by the power of God it is available to all as a witness of the truth. No other book will bring us closer to Christ than the Book of Mormon. I know also that the power of the atonement is real. We can find forgiveness, healing, and power as we apply it in our lives. I still have a lot to learn, I still am not perfect, but I know these things are true. The spirit has revealed to my heart that this is the case. Come unto Christ, that is the invitation. Don't put it off and forfeit the blessings of eternal life. It is not worth it! Set your sights on the end goal and work until you achieve it. Christ is there to help. This is not a one man journey. We can be with our Heavenly Father and our Savior again. We can be with our families forever. We can have a fullness of joy not available in any other way except by following Jesus Christ. That is the truth, and it will never change. Work for the temple, receive those blessings. It is the only intelligent thing to do. May the Lord bless you in your efforts and aid you in your journey. Know that I love you as well and I am grateful for you in my life.

Feel free to keep in touch with me throughout the years. I would love to hear from all of you. My personal email is joeljmckinney@gmail.com. You can also look me up on Facebook. Take care, I hope to see you soon.

- Elder McKinney

Here is a picture from our zone training meeting. It was my last meeting and I was able to conduct it. This is afterwards in the foyer. I am waiting for someone to send pictures from the salt lake temple trip, so when I get those I will send those.