And Just Like That!!!

 ¡Hola Familia y Amigos!

I can't believe this is the last week of my mission! Like what?!?!

But we don't have time to talk about that. 

This week was so good! As usual here in the Rio Vista ward. There's always something happening. 

On Tuesday, Hermana Oldroyd and I had exchanges and I was able to be with Sister Allred! She is such a beautiful and genuine person. I love people like that. She is actually waiting to go to Russia. It was so good to be with her and introduce her to the crazy Latino YSA ward haha. She is one of my examples and she doesn't even know it!

Wednesday was crazy. Lots of lessons and meetings and Instagram stuff. Andres is preparing to be baptized this Saturday and had all sorts of questions about the Book of Mormon and....fasting haha. I loved it. We also had the chance to teach the Christensen's. They are the MTC president (and wife) for the Colombia MTC but with COVID they were reassigned to the SLCW mission to be a counselor (and wife) to President McBeth. I am so glad they are here. They are some of my favorite people that I have met in my mission. I got pretty emotional as we left their apartment. They are just the best. I love them. 

We've started for our Instagram "Easter Initiative"! It's going to be really cool. Or the idea is really cool at least haha. Social media + missionary work = still a work in progress. But this week we filmed our "Instructional Videos", or videos of members talking about specific themes/aspects of the Easter story, such as; the Atonement, the story of Joseph of Arimathea and the tomb, Mary vs. Timothy, and the Resurrected Christ. We had this director guy named Rickey come and film them. He's a character. But anyways, the people who prepared to speak in these videos did an AWESOME job and I am so excited to see it pop up in my Insta feed 2 weeks from now......I hope it turns out hahaha #doubtingthomas

On Saturday we did a big English class with Elder Garza and Elder Bartolo and it was bomb! We had 2 people show up who are interested in learning about the gospel so woooohooooo!

Andres isn't the only one getting baptized on Saturday. Yesterday Giulianna was walking to Relief Society with me when she told me she wants to be baptized before I leave. Tears. She was planning on being baptized in April so her dad could fly up from Peru but I guess he can't. Anyways, she is so prepared. SO prepared. And when she wants something, she gets it. Hahaha Giulianna is the funniest little Peruvian chick I have ever met in my life. I think her goal is to be an Instagram influencer. Prepare for baptism pics!

Recently I have been having some BOMB personal studies. I've been studying the doctrine behind the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement. I read this article from June 1982 by Bruce R. McConkie titled, "Christ and the Creation" and it has given me a whole new perspective of the Plan of Salvation. It's almost like God knows exactly what He's doing, right? ;) There is a bigger picture. A much bigger picture. It actually makes me really sad when I hear people talk about how "bad" or "horrible" the Fall was. It was a part of the Plan! A huge part! The part that made having a Savior, let alone a mortal life, possible! The part that made redemption possible! The Creation, Fall, and Atonement are the "three pillars of eternity." As Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement—are inseparably woven together to form one plan of salvation. No one of them stands alone; each of them ties into the other two; and without a knowledge of all of them, it is not possible to know the truth about any one of them...Death and procreation had yet to enter the world. That death would be Adam’s gift to man, and, then, the gift of God would be eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thus, existence came from God; death came by Adam; and immortality and eternal life come through Christ."

Elder McConkie says it better so if you want to give it a read and have your mind blown and testimony strengthened, I'll leave the link below. :)

Anyways, I love you all. I'm not going to get to write in an email anymore so remember it haha!

Love love loveeeeeee and SEE YOU SOON!

Hermana McKinlay

1. The district! pre-ultimate frisbee championship

2. Hollywood

3. our nightly routine

4.  heh we are tired a lot