McKay is Still Breathing!

Hey ya'll!

I was called by the mission office and rebuked for not writing home, so I guess they're either tracking my email usage or Mom must have called them.  Anyhow, they told me that it is in the rules that I have to write every week now.  Lol, and the handbook tells me not to be preoccupied with communicating back home...they need to work out some consistency here!  Haha, anyway, the past few weeks have been pretty fun.  We've made friends with the neighborhood geese and turkey ducks and got two of them to come inside; we visited Fort Fremont and goofed around a few P-days back; we hit up the beach (as close as we could without getting on the sand) and took pictures by the ocean; went "Batman-ing" (ie. hanging upside down from doors, ledges, balconies, etc by your feet); and recreated various Star Wars scenes!  The elders here are convinced that my birthday is in March, so we celebrated a joint birthday with Elder Bishop and they gave me a toy lightsaber - it's been a blast and I practice my dueling every night after planning is through!  =)

Oh yeah, I think we've also been preaching the gospel a little bit too!  Elder Cancel and I have a baptism scheduled for Easter Sunday and Elder Craynor and I have been super busy out on Parris Island.  This last week, one of our investigating recruits stood up in the Marine service and shared an awesome testimony and said that he will be baptized when he leaves boot camp!  Woot!  Apparently God has really gotten hold on him since he's been in training and reading the Book of Mormon in his spare time. Too bad E. Craynor and I can't be there for his baptism, but we're excited for him all the same.  And I've already found him on Facebook to make sure it happens!

Our one new investigator who kept the commitment to come to general conference was blown away by the tabernacle choir on Sunday morning. Probably because she also used to be heavily involved in school choirs, but she really enjoyed it and wants us to keep visiting her, so apparently something struck a chord.

Alyssa and Bryce look pretty happy - I wish them the best.  Isn't she too young to be getting married though?  Maybe I'm just getting old;  I still have all of the cousins in my mind as quite young/teens so it seems weird when I get an announcement like that.  Then again, Grandma and Grandpa found success right out of high school, so who am I to say what's too young...  =P

Gabe, way to rock the biking!  Maybe we can go back and hit up some slickrock trails after our epic backpacking excursion through Columbia Gorge, eh?  I think you probably have a better tan than me.  We're out in the sun all day, but for some reason, I haven't really gotten tan this year or last.  Perhaps it's the humidity in the air blocking all the UV rays or something.  No epic missionary collar tan for me though.  Jaclyn, sorry to hear that the kids are sick.  Hopefully, Teyah isn't repeating Dino's frequent health disasters!

Hey, thanks for the new tie!  I got several compliments on it from the female recruits at PI, so Gabe and Joe must have had good taste in picking it out!  I was a bit surprised to get a package that came from China from a name that I didn't recognize, but then I recognized the home phone number on the order slip and realized you must have sent it.  Your last email confirmed that.  I also received the CTR rings and have several kids in mind already that I can give them to.  They'll be muchly appreciated!  Some of them are even glow in the dark...

We continue to see God's goodness and minor miracles every day.  My brain was fried after watching all 5 sessions of conference in a row, but it was a good conference and I came away with some insights from Saturday and Priesthood on how to change a bit more.  Cool thing about the gospel is that it applies to all - I get to repent just as well as my investigators do.  Favorite quote:  "Why should you judge me for sinning differently than you do?"  So true; we're all sinners/imperfect in some way.

Well, time runs thin. So much to do on P-days. Love ya!

Elder M.