"What are you going to name YOUR parasite?"

Yes, you read that subject line right.

It's been a rough week here at the Mexico City CCM this week...if ya know what I mean. An elder in District 12B lost 25 lbs. and discovered he had a tapeworm. Luckily, it's no longer in his body. The news spread fast and everyone has been losing their minds this week. Turns out he ate some weird tacos in the Mexico City airport 3 weeks ago and that's where the worm came from. But everyone is still skeptical about that story because the bathroom lines are longer than usual. Probably shouldn't dive too deep into that story but if you want an idea of what the CCM has been like this week, read Ether 14:18..............yup.........

 A week ago I went to the Mexico City temple and did a session! Super cool experience. Stunning temple. The celestial room was gorgeous. I think I'm going to go again next week because I'm not quite sure how I'm going to survive not going to the temple for 17 months. I think I'll be ok though because I get to teach people about the temple instead!!! I get to tell people about how they will see their loved ones again! And how their families can be together forever!!! And how their Heavenly Father loves them and wants them to be happy for eternity!!! Freakin stoked. Don't even get me started.

  

FAVOR OF YOU ALL: So I was dumb and didn't print out my favorite conferences talks before leaving. Please go copy and paste some of your favorite conference talks into the Mexico City MTC Care Packages website!!! You can send me a letter (fo FREE yo!) and the MTC will print it up and deliver it to me day of. Super dope. If I had access to a printer here, and 50 ink cartridges, I'd print my favorite ones out. Alas, I cannot. So please help this Hermaña out. Just type in my name and my district. It's 12A. You guys are the best :)

Kind of a funny story. I don't really know what you guys think is funny because I remember reading emails from missionaries and not really laughing at any of their funny stories. But I'm going to tell you anyways. I've been trying to get to bed earlier because I dread just laying awake in bed. So far I've been falling asleep fine. A couple nights ago Hermaña Steed wanted to finish writing in her journal so I went to bed with the light on. I was asleep until Hermaña Steed flipped off the light and got into bed. I rolled over, SUPER loopy, and saw this MASSIVE spider with 75 legs chilling on the bars of the bunk above me. There wasn't a spider, I was just really loopy I guess. I said, in the most relaxed tone ever, "ummm I think there's a spider in my bed" and Hermaña Steed responded with, "ok, I'll turn the lights on and you can kill it". I guess I came out of it because I said "it's fine" and went back to bed. No spider, no worries.

Apparently an apostle or member from the seventy is coming to talk to the missionaries at the MTC this week. When I asked one of my teachers, Hemaño Vincente, who was coming he said Elder Holland and I just about died. Turns out he was joking and when he got off of the floor from laughing so hard he looked at me and said, "Hermaña! You face was the perfect face for a meme!" So then I died laughing. My teachers are super funny. Half of my quotes in the back of my notebook are from Hermaño Vincente. Don't quite know if I spend more time in class laughing or learning spanish. Earlier this week Hermaña Steed and I practiced teaching a lesson on our other teacher, Hermaño Rojas. I thought it was going really well. We covered a lot of the questions he had and read a paragraph from "The Family: A Procalamation to the World" (would recommend. Good read). When we finished the 11 minute lesson, Hermaño Rojas looked at us and said, "Good lesson Hermañas. But what happened to your spanish?" Ya that hit me right in the corazon haha. Time to start grinding EVEN HARDER on the español I guess. 

Time for the tears. Every email I get includes something like "you're not missing much back here" and I think I've OFFICIALLY gotten over the fact there is snow I am not skiing on. Buuuuttttt, I think this week I missed something pretty cool. When my parents told me my dad became the Stake President I cried pretttty hard in the computer lab. Lots of elders and hermañas saw me lose it haha. I cannot think of anyone more fit for the job. My dad is one of my idols. I am so proud to be his daughter and I cannot wait to see the effect he will have on members of the Fresno West Stake. I thought about my parents a lot this week, and I guess it was the Spirit giving me a heads up. So happy and so excited for all the experiences he will have. There is truly no one more fit for the call. Also stoked he'll release me in 2021! More tears to come haha.

I'll end with two quotes. The first I read in a BYU Devotional earlier this week. I don't know who gave the devotional but they quoted Dante: "The arrow seen before cometh less rudely." The devotional was on preparation and self-reliance. A hard topic for struggling college students, but the speaker mentioned the joys that can be found in being prepared and self-reliant. The second quote just made me smile and miss my mom: "Be the kind of missionary your mom thinks you are." Seriously wrote a whole journal entry this week on how much I love my mom. She's the best. Everyone give her a hug for me this week. Or 7. 

There's way more stuff I want to add but I'll save it for next week when I have even more stuff. I'm doing well. Just continuing to try and learn spanish and how to teach others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Man I love it. 

I can testify the Church is true. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way we will be able to experience eternal joy. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It testifies, along with the Bible, about the doctrine of Christ. I know it contains the words of the prophets, and the words of Christ in the Americas. If you do not know this, I strongly suggest you figure it out. Your Heavenly Father loves you, He is aware of you. 

Love love love you all! Keep writing me! I love emails hehe

Hermaña McKinlay