Well this week was great. I got to the area and we already had a baptism. The other elders had a baptism for the week and his name is Vilson. Super sweet, super smart, and awesome. And the zone is super sweet. This transfer will be great. I am really looking forward to it. And Elder Da Silva is sweet. I am really liking him. He is from Manaus, Brasil, or better put the middle of the Amazon. But we work really well together and we work a ton. I have never taught so much in my life haha. But it was the most successful week of my mission so far. So I am super happy to have this branch be my last area of my mission and Elder Da Silva as my probably final comp. But yeah everything is great here in Cachoeira. Sorry for the shortness. SO MANY EMAILS!!!
I LOVE YA'LL!!! STAY CLASSY!!!
Elder Mackay
Well I wanted to send pictures but this computer is SUPER SLOW and I got no time. NEXT WEEK!!!
Sunday, March 22, 2015
One Transfer Was Not Enough (3-9-15)
Oi Guris!!!
Well it is yet another transfer, my second to last, and I am being taken away from Sao Tome after just one transfer. It is pretty said, I love this area. But I am needed elsewhere. My new area is a city called Cachoeira (Waterfall) and I will be serving as zone leader. So this WILL be my last area. And my comp is Brazilian, Elder Da Silva.
But this week was great. Even though every lesson we planned with members fell through, the investigators called and cancelled last minute every time, but we taught other really good lessons, tried to help people get married, and found out that one of our investigator families is ALREADY MARRIED LEGALLY!!!! I was shocked and speechless. They are the second family that I have seen that were married legally. But yeah, we were on fire all this week. It was great. And now I am sad because Elde Van Oene and I were a well oiled machine and now the band is getting broken up!!! And now I got to start it all over again!!! But tis mission life!!!
So yeah, we don't have very much time today because we have to cut this short to pack and run downtown to run errands. SO YA'LL STAY CLASSY YA HEAR!!!!!!
Elder Mackay
Sorry but I didn't take new pictures yet :(
Well it is yet another transfer, my second to last, and I am being taken away from Sao Tome after just one transfer. It is pretty said, I love this area. But I am needed elsewhere. My new area is a city called Cachoeira (Waterfall) and I will be serving as zone leader. So this WILL be my last area. And my comp is Brazilian, Elder Da Silva.
But this week was great. Even though every lesson we planned with members fell through, the investigators called and cancelled last minute every time, but we taught other really good lessons, tried to help people get married, and found out that one of our investigator families is ALREADY MARRIED LEGALLY!!!! I was shocked and speechless. They are the second family that I have seen that were married legally. But yeah, we were on fire all this week. It was great. And now I am sad because Elde Van Oene and I were a well oiled machine and now the band is getting broken up!!! And now I got to start it all over again!!! But tis mission life!!!
So yeah, we don't have very much time today because we have to cut this short to pack and run downtown to run errands. SO YA'LL STAY CLASSY YA HEAR!!!!!!
Elder Mackay
Sorry but I didn't take new pictures yet :(
O TEMPLO!!!! (3-2-15)
HEYO!!!
So this week was a hard week, which didn't really make sense because we went to the temple!!!! My first time in a year!!! So that was great! I love the spirit that you feel there and the answers that you receive there. And I bought new scriptures using R$59 in just 1 real coins. I don't know if that lady was super mad or super happy haha. But either way she is NEVER running out of those coins. EVER haha.
But this week was full of stuff like this;
Elder, vamos fazer um lanche?
Pode ser.
Legal.....FILHO!!!!! COMPRA AS COISAS POR LANCHE!!!!
blah blah blah
COME MAIS ELDER!!!! NAO GOSTOU??!?
I hate this situation haha, it just kills our day but this week we are going to be all like NAO QUEREMOS!!!! to like all the people!!!!
But we had some great lessons!!! At 2 of them the Spirit was just so thick I swear that you could cut it with them big old gaucho knoves. William said flat out "estou sentindo o espirito" and then Miriam cried 3 times in our lesson yesterday about the Spirit. Miriam and her "husband" Josimar are like the best people ever and she will get baptized!!! Josimar is already a member, but they both have to divorce and then marry, so I don't know if I will be here for the baptism. But I think that after yesterday she knows that all this is true!!! AHH being a missionary is so great! You get to see first hand o Evangelho change lives. It is awesome!!!
Well that is about all I got from this end!!! I love ya'll!!! Stay classy!!! Ate mais!!!
Elder Mackay
So this week was a hard week, which didn't really make sense because we went to the temple!!!! My first time in a year!!! So that was great! I love the spirit that you feel there and the answers that you receive there. And I bought new scriptures using R$59 in just 1 real coins. I don't know if that lady was super mad or super happy haha. But either way she is NEVER running out of those coins. EVER haha.
But this week was full of stuff like this;
Elder, vamos fazer um lanche?
Pode ser.
Legal.....FILHO!!!!! COMPRA AS COISAS POR LANCHE!!!!
blah blah blah
COME MAIS ELDER!!!! NAO GOSTOU??!?
I hate this situation haha, it just kills our day but this week we are going to be all like NAO QUEREMOS!!!! to like all the people!!!!
But we had some great lessons!!! At 2 of them the Spirit was just so thick I swear that you could cut it with them big old gaucho knoves. William said flat out "estou sentindo o espirito" and then Miriam cried 3 times in our lesson yesterday about the Spirit. Miriam and her "husband" Josimar are like the best people ever and she will get baptized!!! Josimar is already a member, but they both have to divorce and then marry, so I don't know if I will be here for the baptism. But I think that after yesterday she knows that all this is true!!! AHH being a missionary is so great! You get to see first hand o Evangelho change lives. It is awesome!!!
Well that is about all I got from this end!!! I love ya'll!!! Stay classy!!! Ate mais!!!
Elder Mackay
O Templo
Elder Mackay and his boy
This is Brazil
Carnival e Divisoes (2-23-15)
Oi Guris!!!
So this week was an action packed week. So it started with Carnival, which nothing happened. It was a ghost town here like it was last year. But we went to a members house and had cake. They are legit. Then we had 2 exchanges with the zone leaders, one was unplanned. I had to give baptismal interviews super last minute and the other was a planned one just for training purposes. So I was a whole 2 days from my son, Elder Van Oene. But its all good. And we had lots of miracles this week, one being a record number (for me) of investigators at church, THERE WERE 5!!!!! And we would have had 6 if they didn't forget to move their clock behind an hour!!!! Daylight savings ended. But yeah, we had 5 which was awesome. And they are all super sweet. One is a youth who never really wanted to be baptized, but went to FSY (EFY here) and he wants to get baptized!!! So we are going to try to get that all set up for the 7th of Marco because this week is Stake Conference. But yeah, this week was a great one. And I am excited for this week because we are going to the temple Wednesday and it has been a little more than a year since I went. So I am way excited for that.
And funny fact. So a super cool RM who is the YM president served his mission in Belo Horizonte and ended almost 2 years ago. So we were talking and he said that he had one comp from Idaho, from Star, Idaho which is my city. Well it turns out he trained one of the dudes from my home ward of Star 2nd!!! SMALL MORMON WORLD!!!
And we found a member that has the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) books in Portugues, so I took a picture of the songs from the Hobbit. So legit.
Well that's all I got for ya'll. STAY CLASSY!!!
Elder Mackay
So this week was an action packed week. So it started with Carnival, which nothing happened. It was a ghost town here like it was last year. But we went to a members house and had cake. They are legit. Then we had 2 exchanges with the zone leaders, one was unplanned. I had to give baptismal interviews super last minute and the other was a planned one just for training purposes. So I was a whole 2 days from my son, Elder Van Oene. But its all good. And we had lots of miracles this week, one being a record number (for me) of investigators at church, THERE WERE 5!!!!! And we would have had 6 if they didn't forget to move their clock behind an hour!!!! Daylight savings ended. But yeah, we had 5 which was awesome. And they are all super sweet. One is a youth who never really wanted to be baptized, but went to FSY (EFY here) and he wants to get baptized!!! So we are going to try to get that all set up for the 7th of Marco because this week is Stake Conference. But yeah, this week was a great one. And I am excited for this week because we are going to the temple Wednesday and it has been a little more than a year since I went. So I am way excited for that.
And funny fact. So a super cool RM who is the YM president served his mission in Belo Horizonte and ended almost 2 years ago. So we were talking and he said that he had one comp from Idaho, from Star, Idaho which is my city. Well it turns out he trained one of the dudes from my home ward of Star 2nd!!! SMALL MORMON WORLD!!!
And we found a member that has the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) books in Portugues, so I took a picture of the songs from the Hobbit. So legit.
Well that's all I got for ya'll. STAY CLASSY!!!
Elder Mackay
Elder Mackay & Elder Van Oene going to do service
Their Carnival party
Maldita Seja Carnival (2-16-15)
Hey Guris!!!
So this week was basically the pre party for the pre party of Carnival, or Marti Gras, its the same thing. So EVERYONE has left. They have all flocked to the beaches to practice their iniquity. But as long as I don't have to see it, fine by me haha.
So yeah, this week was long with no one in house. And I got just a smidge trunky because the office elders called saying that they were going to buy my plane tickets to the US last week. So yeah. The end is coming. And with Valentines day my comp and I got a little trunky....SO AUE NAO!!! But we met some cool families that I think are legally married. IF SO THAT IS SUCH A MIRACLE!!! I sure hope they are because they are so cool and I just want to find someone that doesn't have to get married. BECAUSE THESE MARRIAGES TAKE FOREVER!!! But other than that we just did our missionary thing, visit people, try to find people, and such. And it was super great that it was trying to rain, but never did, but since it was cloudy it was a whole lot cooler. So that was a tender mercy.
So I hope that with Carnival tomorrow that people will finally be home. But they will be. And it will be sick!!! And next week we are going to the temple!!!! First time in more than a year!!!! SO STOKED!!!
But other than that I got nothing else. I love ya'll, and ya'll stay classy. And always remember during this Carnival season, "what would Jesus do?"
Valeu!!!
Elder Mackay
So this week was basically the pre party for the pre party of Carnival, or Marti Gras, its the same thing. So EVERYONE has left. They have all flocked to the beaches to practice their iniquity. But as long as I don't have to see it, fine by me haha.
So yeah, this week was long with no one in house. And I got just a smidge trunky because the office elders called saying that they were going to buy my plane tickets to the US last week. So yeah. The end is coming. And with Valentines day my comp and I got a little trunky....SO AUE NAO!!! But we met some cool families that I think are legally married. IF SO THAT IS SUCH A MIRACLE!!! I sure hope they are because they are so cool and I just want to find someone that doesn't have to get married. BECAUSE THESE MARRIAGES TAKE FOREVER!!! But other than that we just did our missionary thing, visit people, try to find people, and such. And it was super great that it was trying to rain, but never did, but since it was cloudy it was a whole lot cooler. So that was a tender mercy.
So I hope that with Carnival tomorrow that people will finally be home. But they will be. And it will be sick!!! And next week we are going to the temple!!!! First time in more than a year!!!! SO STOKED!!!
But other than that I got nothing else. I love ya'll, and ya'll stay classy. And always remember during this Carnival season, "what would Jesus do?"
Valeu!!!
Elder Mackay
What knocking doors felt like all week
Elder Mackay & Elder Van Oene for Valentines Day
(zoom into the paper for a super funny hashtag that you can't really read haha)
Hello Viamao!!!! (2-2-15)
Tudo Bom!!!
Well this week was great! Viamao is super legit. This ward of Sao Tome is one of the biggest wards I have seen yet, and they don't even have a chapel, we meet in a house. It has like 100 active members and there are a ton of cool people. And my new adopted son or my new comp is Elder Van Oene from Kaysville, Utah. He only has 1.5 months in the field so Portugues is still a struggle but I KNOW THE STRUGGLE!!! So it will be great. I think I can help him a lot. Well we also have some super sick investigators, like Paulo. He came to church yesterday for the first time and in one week he went from smoking 40 cigarros per day to 10!!!! This man is getting baptised!!! So that will be sweet. And my district is just the other dupla in the ward. So super small. It is almost a district meeting every day at almoco haha. But yeah, I am super excited for this next week and this transfer. Miracles are going to happen this transfer I can feel it!!! And hopefully I can stay here until my final days as a missionary. But yeah. This week will be sweet!!! And as for ya'll. I hope ya'll have a great week and stay classy!!!!
Elder Mackay
Well this week was great! Viamao is super legit. This ward of Sao Tome is one of the biggest wards I have seen yet, and they don't even have a chapel, we meet in a house. It has like 100 active members and there are a ton of cool people. And my new adopted son or my new comp is Elder Van Oene from Kaysville, Utah. He only has 1.5 months in the field so Portugues is still a struggle but I KNOW THE STRUGGLE!!! So it will be great. I think I can help him a lot. Well we also have some super sick investigators, like Paulo. He came to church yesterday for the first time and in one week he went from smoking 40 cigarros per day to 10!!!! This man is getting baptised!!! So that will be sweet. And my district is just the other dupla in the ward. So super small. It is almost a district meeting every day at almoco haha. But yeah, I am super excited for this next week and this transfer. Miracles are going to happen this transfer I can feel it!!! And hopefully I can stay here until my final days as a missionary. But yeah. This week will be sweet!!! And as for ya'll. I hope ya'll have a great week and stay classy!!!!
Elder Mackay
Elder Mackay's final FHE with Earle and Fatima
Elder Mackay & Elder Dartora
Elder Mackay & Elder Van Oene
And Let It Be Known That 7 Was The Final Number (1-26-15)
Tudo Bem!!!
Well this week was great and the transfer calls are in. But to talk about the week. This week was a really good week. We taught a ton and we really taught with the Spirit. But unfortunately no one came to church. But you got to love that gift of agency. haha. But it really was a great week. We are teaching this family of Germans, like legit Germans. They grew up in a German colony near Pelotas. But they speak perfect Portugues. And I haven't told them that I studied German, because I don't remember anything!!! haha and they will never know!!!
Yup, that's right, I am being transferred. I am leaving the Bage stake after 7 transfers (or almost 10 months) and I am going to Viamao!!!! It is a city just east of Porto Alegre. Really close to the area I was in in Porto Alegre. And I will be in the Sao Tome ward as a district leader and trainer. I am going to finish the training of my comp. He only has one transfer in the field. And he is American!!! So this will be great!!! I will have an adopted step son!!! I am super excited.
Well that's what is up and happening in good old PAO SUL. The church is true!!! Ya'll stay classy ya hear!
Elder Mackay
Well this week was great and the transfer calls are in. But to talk about the week. This week was a really good week. We taught a ton and we really taught with the Spirit. But unfortunately no one came to church. But you got to love that gift of agency. haha. But it really was a great week. We are teaching this family of Germans, like legit Germans. They grew up in a German colony near Pelotas. But they speak perfect Portugues. And I haven't told them that I studied German, because I don't remember anything!!! haha and they will never know!!!
Yup, that's right, I am being transferred. I am leaving the Bage stake after 7 transfers (or almost 10 months) and I am going to Viamao!!!! It is a city just east of Porto Alegre. Really close to the area I was in in Porto Alegre. And I will be in the Sao Tome ward as a district leader and trainer. I am going to finish the training of my comp. He only has one transfer in the field. And he is American!!! So this will be great!!! I will have an adopted step son!!! I am super excited.
Well that's what is up and happening in good old PAO SUL. The church is true!!! Ya'll stay classy ya hear!
Elder Mackay
Doesn't this look like a famous painting?
Elder Mackay thought he was in Brasil and not Nebraska!
WE GOT A GAUCHO AT CHURCH!!!!! (1-19-15)
This week was freaking awesome!!! Way better than last week. We got 5 investigators at church!!! Cleber and then a family that has taken 8 weeks to get them to put away the dumb excuses and get to the church. And the dad (Zacarias) came to church decked out in roupas gauchas, even more than I have. It was legit. And they loved it!!!! And ever better Cleber and Sonia ("wife" of Zacarias) started reducing the amount they smoke!!!! BABY STEPS!!!! FREAK YEAH!!!
And this week we had the other 4 elders from another ward in the city live with us because of problems at their place, so they lived with us while they got a new house, which they moved there today. We helped. But it was super fun to live with them, but kinda stressful. Always dirty and 6 people to shower in the mornings, but it was kinda sad to see them leave today, especially because our 2 zone leaders are going home in a week. And they are legit.
But this next week will be a sweet week. I am pretty sure that this is my last week here. 10 months in the same zone is a long time. And there are 12 zone leaders going home this transfer so the leadership of the mission will change a lot. Lots of district leaders becoming zone leaders and such. But I am staying focused on my current area which is Laranjeiras, home of the celestial orange tree haha.
Well that is all I have for ya'll this week. I love ya'll and ya'll stay classy ya hear!!!
Elder Mackay
The double rainbow from last week
All 6 missionaries in the house
DOUBLE FREAKING RAINBOW (1-12-15)
So to start things off...I saw a double rainbow right before we got home yesterday. The first one ever!!!! and it was sick!!!
Well to talk about the week...it was a hard one. We found new people to teach, but we didn't see any of our current investigators which was super frustrating. But stuff like that happens and you got to stay happy. So we be staying happy. But we met a new lady named Carmen and we taught her and she liked it even though she is a bandista!!!!! Which is voodoo sacrifice stuff. So that was legit! And we had a sweet zone meeting for interviews with Presidente Castro. That was sweet. Presidente gave some ways that I can help the district better. Good advice. And he told me my official return date which is kind of scary haha, and cool. But yeah, I don't know how I feel about it yet haha. But I will leave Brasil on the 27 of May and arrive home the 28th!!! IT IS ONLY 4 FREAKING MONTHS AWAY!!! Yeah, I don't know how I feel about this yet. haha
Well that is all that I got for ya'll today. This next week will be better I swear. So there will be cool stories. But until then...stay classy!!!!
Elder Mackay
And there are no pics because this is a different LAN house than usual and it has a reputation for giving viruses to the flash drives of missionaries.
Well to talk about the week...it was a hard one. We found new people to teach, but we didn't see any of our current investigators which was super frustrating. But stuff like that happens and you got to stay happy. So we be staying happy. But we met a new lady named Carmen and we taught her and she liked it even though she is a bandista!!!!! Which is voodoo sacrifice stuff. So that was legit! And we had a sweet zone meeting for interviews with Presidente Castro. That was sweet. Presidente gave some ways that I can help the district better. Good advice. And he told me my official return date which is kind of scary haha, and cool. But yeah, I don't know how I feel about it yet haha. But I will leave Brasil on the 27 of May and arrive home the 28th!!! IT IS ONLY 4 FREAKING MONTHS AWAY!!! Yeah, I don't know how I feel about this yet. haha
Well that is all that I got for ya'll today. This next week will be better I swear. So there will be cool stories. But until then...stay classy!!!!
Elder Mackay
And there are no pics because this is a different LAN house than usual and it has a reputation for giving viruses to the flash drives of missionaries.
I AM THE MASTER FIRE BUILDER!!! (1-5-15)
FELIZ ANO NOVO!!!
This week was really good but super hard. With New Year's everyone is traveling or they don't want to let us in. But we had some good stuff. We had 2 churrascos this week!!!! AW YEAH!!!! and the one for New Years Eve I lit the coals. Those buggers were stubborn, but in the end they were no match against my Eagle Scout powers. TOMA!!! But it was super good. Then New Years Day we had a churrasco for almoco but right after that it rained for the whole day, and both our umbrellas broke....so that was terrible. CURSE YOU WIND!!! But the other parts of the week were good, but I did a lot of walking. We did get to go to Dom Pedrito because they had a BAPTISM!!!!!! And I did the interview!!!! I am so happy for them!!!! They have been working their butts off and they finally have a fruit!!! So that was great.
Other than that this week was typical. And just for the record. New Orleans was WAY crazier for New Years. It was just cherry bombs and firecrackers here. NOLA knows how to welcome the New Year!!! haha
But that is all I got for this week. And for sure this week will be way awesome!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! FELIZ NATAL TCHE!!! AMO VOCES!!!
Elder Mackay
This week was really good but super hard. With New Year's everyone is traveling or they don't want to let us in. But we had some good stuff. We had 2 churrascos this week!!!! AW YEAH!!!! and the one for New Years Eve I lit the coals. Those buggers were stubborn, but in the end they were no match against my Eagle Scout powers. TOMA!!! But it was super good. Then New Years Day we had a churrasco for almoco but right after that it rained for the whole day, and both our umbrellas broke....so that was terrible. CURSE YOU WIND!!! But the other parts of the week were good, but I did a lot of walking. We did get to go to Dom Pedrito because they had a BAPTISM!!!!!! And I did the interview!!!! I am so happy for them!!!! They have been working their butts off and they finally have a fruit!!! So that was great.
Other than that this week was typical. And just for the record. New Orleans was WAY crazier for New Years. It was just cherry bombs and firecrackers here. NOLA knows how to welcome the New Year!!! haha
But that is all I got for this week. And for sure this week will be way awesome!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! FELIZ NATAL TCHE!!! AMO VOCES!!!
Elder Mackay
Elder Mackay's creation
Elder Mackay and a big knife
Elder Mackay's district!!!
CHRISTMAS!!! (12-29-14)
Ola!!
Well this week was special. Christmas was great and I loved to be able to see my family. It was super great to talk to them. I didn't recognize my brother! haha. His voice is deeper!!! Well that's what you get for being gone for a year and a half. But Christmas was great.
Another cool part of the week was that I gave my first baptismal interviews. Me being a district leader, this is one of my jobs. Our zone leaders baptized 2 well prepared rapazes. It was super cool to hear their responses to the questions.
And this week we tried super hard to visit people and find, but a ton of people left for the holidays, because Bage doesn't have beaches or anything cool haha. So tons of people weren't home, but those that were home we had great lessons. And we tried to get people to church, but none came, but a sweet new investigator showed up who lives in Intercap, Porto Alegre. THAT'S WHERE I SERVED!!! So that was cool.
And that is about it. Not a whole lot to report. This next week should have more stuff. But I love ya'll!! And ya'll stay classy!!!
Elder Mackay
Well this week was special. Christmas was great and I loved to be able to see my family. It was super great to talk to them. I didn't recognize my brother! haha. His voice is deeper!!! Well that's what you get for being gone for a year and a half. But Christmas was great.
Another cool part of the week was that I gave my first baptismal interviews. Me being a district leader, this is one of my jobs. Our zone leaders baptized 2 well prepared rapazes. It was super cool to hear their responses to the questions.
And that is about it. Not a whole lot to report. This next week should have more stuff. But I love ya'll!! And ya'll stay classy!!!
Elder Mackay
Christmas Churrasco
Christmas Eve
Elder Dartora and his cow friend
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