Week #14: San Diego MB

HEY Family!!!

             Happy birthday to my cute nephews Gavin and Charlie! It has been such a great week of miracles! We met a less-active last week and he has not been to church since primary. He kept saying to us that he wants something different in his life and he thought he was happy but that he didn't know what that change meant exactly. We invited him to come to institute that night and he came! He said he loved it. He also came to Family Home Evening yesterday and said that he would love to start coming to church. He is such a sweet guy and knows the need for the gospel. He does not know much so we are starting completely over with him and we are excited for him to truly gain his own testimony of the gospel. At the Battalion I took a tour with a family of 5 who was with their grandfather. At the end of the tour, I said, "These men were able to overcome these obstacles because of their faith in.." And this man yells out Jesus Christ with tears in his eyes. I talked to him after the tour and he said that he does not attend any church because he strongly believes in agency and choosing for yourself to do good. I said that is perfect that is what we believe!! We discussed the gospel and his daughter who is 22 said," How can I learn more about this church!?" The grandfather also expressed his desire to learn!! I referred them to their missionaries and they are going to start taking the lessons. The amazing thing about that is they were just walking down the street and a non-member visitor said, "You have to take your family to the Mormon Battalion before you leave! It is something you will not want to miss while you are here." Amazing how the Lord works through little means to bring great things forth! We found out this week that Matt actually lives right outside of our boundaries so we had to pass him off to the elders in another YSA ward. He will do great, and we will get to attend his baptism! A new investigator Candice will be baptized a week from Sunday and she is so solid. We brought a less active to FHE and Candice gave him the tour of the church with us and she has only been there once! She is amazing and will be such a solid member of the church. She has already referred us to 3 people that she wants to hear the gospel. I have a feeling she may be serving a mission in a couple years:) This week I feel like my thoughts have been drawn a lot to last year and the pains of watching mom suffer so much. I have taught a lot about the atonement this week and it is a blessing to be able to testify of this gospel to people. I  know that thousands will be blessed because mom went through what she did as well. As we were visiting another less active this week there was a man on the street that we started talking to. He said he lived alone and that he was a "Church Hopper" because nothing had the truth. He said that last year he had a heart attack and he died, came back and went into a comma. I was able to relate right away:) He kept saying there was a reason that he was alive and he was figuring it out.  We boldly stated to him that We knew why. We explained the gospel on the earth today and he was so touched and said that he would learn and he accepted our Book of Mormon. He promised to read and he said" Please come back anytime. Even if you just need somewhere to eat please please stop by and say hi anytime." It was so amazing. So thank you mom for going through so much. His life will be changed forever and I know that he was receptive because I knew what he had gone through. There is so much happening in Santee and I love our Branch!!! They are all incredible missionaries and our ward mission leader and assistant are incredible they support us so much. They contact us almost every day asking us what they can do for us. This week I met Sherrie Ward. She knows my roommate Swiss really well and her family is from Almo, Idaho. I also met some very close friends of Aunt Jolynn and Uncle Bob. It was funny because the women reminded me of Jolynn and then they said they were from Tremonton and knew them really well! Roger and Gloria Nelson and Lynn and Trixie Ewer. Great people! Also I am glad to hear you got my gold! That family was so sweet:) Brittany Baker comes in next week! It is insane that transfers are already here. I am excited to be serving with her. She is such a cute girl!! Sister Salinas goes home next week too which is crazy! you will have to connect with her after! She is such an incredible sister. Tonight Clayton Christenson is coming to speak with us as missionaries and then give a fireside for investigators. We are so excited. It will be such a good night! We have a few investigators coming! Congrats to Kirsten and Mike! A girl! That is so exciting and Crazy!!! We don't even know what that means to have a girl. That is so exciting! I want to hear what names you are thinking about. And Steven and Rachel let me know what you find out this week too! Destini sounds awesome. She is going to be a movie star! How is Kiki doing?! Tell her I love her. I have not heard from her! Sounds like Aubs is dating like crazy. I am sure she is loving that! And Angelee leaves so soon!! How exciting! Time flies, it is amazing. Tell everyone hello!! Sounds like everything is going great in the ward too! I am still so grateful for everything that they have sent me, which was way too much! I have my cute pillow case with members of the ward quotes on my bed and I read it almost every night if I have time! I love it! Well thank you all for being such a great support. I love the work and I love being a missionary. It is insane how fast everything is going. I know this gospel is true and I know that member help is so important when it comes to missionary work! Think of ways that you can invite someone to something this week. Even if it just a family dinner and find the connection to the gospel. It is always there. I want to hear about your missionary opportunities and experiences and share them with the members here!! Thank you all so much!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!!

Love, 

           sister Kylie McKee

PS: Here are pictures of our 10:00 pm candle light dinners after planning haha and The hot chocolate and granola bars left for us at the temple from members. It was so sweet. They wrote Sister on each cup and just left them while we were talking to guests. So so kind! Love you all:)

Week #13: San Diego MB

Hey Family!!

             I do not have much time to write, time is flying, but this week has been full of miracles!! We got a referral last week for a girl and we visited her and she said she did not even know what God was, we taught her and she is super solid. She is amazing. We asked her to read the introduction and she read the first 7 chapters of 1 nephi. She is going to be baptized February 23rd and is so ready and prepared. We taught the Plan of Salvation last night and she Loved it, but I guess who couldn't right?! IT is amazing!!!! So please pray for her! The members have reached out to her so well and she already feels at home and she hasnt even gone to church yet so church is going to blow her mind! We also had a member, Alyssa Larson bring her friend to church last week and he came again this week, we have been meeting with him in the mean time. He is catholic, but in Sunday School on Sunday( haha) Our teacher said, "What are some decisions that are hard to make in life?" Matthew raised his hand and said, " Telling my catholic parents that I am going to be mormon." It was the best, he is great and he will be baptized a week from Saturday! The 15th! Miracles! A less active we are meeting with has not been able to go to church because of work is going to come with us to one of our investigators lessons, this investigator comes to church every Sunday, but does not see the importance of Baptism and this Less Active is super solid in the church and wants to help us with her, but he struggled with not coming to church. Anyway, we feel super good about it and feel like they are going to fill in each others gaps as they help each other, we are excited for that miracle! This week my testimony has been strengthened regarding members. So many people have helped us. We met with a LA last week and her family is also less active and we had the most amazing lesson with them and everyone was in tears at the end. They all did everything to give us something after that. They gave us about 30-40 lbs of food that night and other necessities from their home. they also all went to church this week and that is the first time they have gone in over 10 years. We could see the gratitude in their eyes and the girl in our YSA branch loves it and she has been going to activities also! Miracles! We had temple shift this week and it was pouring so no one was there, we were studying at the tent we have and members just came by and dropped us off some granola bars and hot chocolate. It was so nice. I also had an orthodontist appointment this week and I got up to pay after and the orthodontist said, "You are good to go, do not worry about it" He was so Christlike and kind. It makes me want to be the best member I can be when I get home and help the missionaries out all of the time. And I appreciate referrals so much more! The church is truly amazing and so true. I had so many connections this week, I want to tell them all so you can tell people, I have to write them down now so I am just going to hurry and write my list! I met Elder Dietrich that knows the Lovelands and Koty Cook from Blackfoot!, Elder Grube who knows Tyler Teske and their family in Ashton! I met a woman at the Battalion who has a son that served with Jared in Perth. Timothy Glen. She was super sweet! I also met the mission president and wife in the Carlsbad mission- the Kendricks- who know the Andersons in NAshville really well and they were asking about mom and how she is doing. They are great. I also randomly ran into this lady at the church from Pocatello who is Michaela Figaroa's grandmother. Cody Christenson's parents came to the Battalion this week form Pocatello. At the temple I met a guy names Kirk Wooley who grew up in Pocatello and Inkom and knows the McNabb's really well, expecially Bill. The other people he was with also know the Andersons in our 2nd ward! So fun! I love connections. Well I have been reading a lot about faith this week and how we cannot have faith with unbelief. We have met with so many people that are set in their beliefs and are not open to a new idea and concept, so we have been challenging them to come to our lessons with an open mind in order to feel that faith and the spirit. I know you all can apply that to your lives as you doubt, remember that when we doubt we cannot progress! Ever! It is amazing how when we allow our minds to be open and allow the Spirit to speak to us, He will I know that to be true. I have so many more miracles to write about but my time is short!! I love you all though and we are working hard. I love my compainon, we are striving to be consecrated every single day and we have seen the miracles because of that. I love this gospel. It is true and here for us to use. Use the atonement! It is for YOU! I love you all:) Email me your missionary experiences!! 

Love, 

 Sister McKee

PS: Pictures of the LA family and the food they gave us - the mom just got done with having cancer, she is amazing!

And me with my branch president and wife at their home! They know Dallin Fisher really well. 

Week #12: San Diego MB

Hola Familia!!

           How are you all?! I miss you all so much! I am so lucky I have you all. It has been a good week. One of the senior couples the Afflecks looked online and found a bunch of stuff out about mom and we talked to about it a little bit this week and she just kept saying how amazing my family must be and I agreed. It was a sweet memory to remember last Christmas and how we all came together and sleeping in the waiting room and so many other things that we did as a family. I am definitely very blessed. Thank you for being such an amazing family and for putting God first over anything. This week has gone by so fast it is insane. I feel like there is so much work to do and no time! We had commemoration this week too which was amazing. Commemoration is a celebration the city of San Diego has in old town to remember the day that the Mormon Battalion arrived to San Diego!! It is incredible and a lot of fun. It felt like pioneer days in Chubbuck, except it was here in San Diego with less members haha it was so great and such an amazing missionary opportunity. We were able to talk to a lot of people about Mormons! We had 1065 people come to the Battalion all day long on Saturday. It was so hectic and crazy! We loved every second of it! I will send some pictures of the commemoration. Sister Sanchez and I got to be Laundresses in the Parade because 4 laundresses made it all the way to San Diego. It is cool, because so many missionaries participate in this for the city. President Clayton and our new director Elder Barnes were there and they helped put everything together. Elder Holland's brother, Dennis also was here all weekend too. I was able to give him his tour and it was a lot of fun! He is a great guy. He is one of the people in charge of this commemoration. So great! I sent a few pictures of the commemoration. I met the Days who were a couple that served at the MB that taught Kirsten choir! and I also met a family there named the Jacobson's who know the McDermotts from Temecula. There were so many Idaho/ Utah license plates I thought I was there again haha. There were so many miracles this week. Sunday we had about 5 nonmembers show up and some that we are just going to start teaching tonight! We are excited! Miracles are happening and we are working so hard. We get to start a booth at grossmont campus next week. We are so excited! Ah! I love being a missionary. I really do. It makes me so happy to get to talk to people, get yelled at, and be persistent because of what I KNOW will bless there lives. It is truly amazing. At the Battalion yesterday a man came in with no hands. I talked to him for a while and he was amazing. He was so happy, and said he lost his hands in an accident when he was 12. So sad, but he has chosen to live a life of happiness. I asked him about religion and he said he was atheist and that I better enjoy life now because it will be over soon and he knows that none of the religions are true. He said that I can try to convince him all day but that he would never change his mindset. I boldly stated that I knew he was wrong. I told him that there is an eternal happiness and an opportunity for him and all of us to live with God again and I challenged him to listen to the missionaries. The Spirit helped me to be so bold and, amazingly,  he humbly said, "Yes, I will learn more." I sent the missionaries to him yesterday, and I know he will be baptized at some point. It is amazing how the Spirit can work through us when we allow him too. You all know I am not a very bold person, so I know it wasn't me, but I feel honored to have been an instrument in helping that man find his Heavenly Father. We are over halfway through this transfer. It is insane. I cannot believe how fast time goes. There is so much to do and I love it. I am so thankful for my family and for my amazing life. I am so blessed. This week I have been trying to improve my studying habits. I know that as we study with a purpose in mind that it helps us to learn and helps us to know what other people need from us. As you are studying this week will you all try to  think about a certain person/ topic while you are studying. I know it will help so many as you do this. Sound like you are all having such great missionary opportunities! That is awesome about Steven and Rachel's neighbors! Don't give up on anyone. I met a lady who had a son that served with Jared, however I left my paper that I wrote it down on at the apt. So I will try to remember that next week. Oh and I also met Nathan Allen's parents. They both came to the battalion and said they had met Steven during Les Mis. They were very nice people. Another miracle! We went to see Amber this week and she was not home, but we talked with the guy who owns her apartments and had a lesson with him. It was amazing. He said he didn't care to learn more, but we could feel that he needed that prayer and guidance especially that night. Little miracles are the best! I love you all. Keep smiling and do not give up on those less actives/ non-members. We have the truth and we have a responsibility to help everyone. This is a missionary church!

I love you all, 

Sister McKee

PS - Thanks scott and seren for the Christmas card & Mom and Dad for grandpas story! I loved it!! Tell Grandpa Hi please!:) 

Week #11: San Diego

Hey Family!

         It has been such a great week! So much is happening and we are seeing miracles everywhere. Last week we were able to meet back up with Amber and she is doing better. We are hoping we will be able to keep that date for the 15th. At the Battalion last week I was talking to a family and they said they were from Riverton Wyoming! Anyway, come to find out they know Travis and Michelle well and their kids are in their ward in Riverton. Their names are Dennis and Diane Tippets and their son Bruce and his wife Stephanie Tippets are in their ward. They said they knew Travis so well and they kept going on and on about how amazing Travis is and how much help he had given to their son. Sounds like Travis has made a huge impact on their family. I told them I was not surprised at all because Travis is one of the most serviceable people I know. He always helps people out and is extremely humble about it too. I also told them he was my favorite brother in-law:) I also met a man named Russ Sturges who grew up in Pocatello and his family moved to Inkom. I told him I am sure my family knows some of his family haha. I also met Sister Jergensen who served in Nauvoo as the Missoin Presidents wife. She said she know the McMinns and Ricks very well. Very sweet lady. So many miracles are happening here. I love my companion Sister Sanchez. We are working so hard. We love the work and we talk to everyone!! I gave a tour to a family from Salt Lake and they had a huge family. It reminded me so much of our family. It was neat because some of the family was not LDS and some were. It was a great opportunity to find out more about them and why they chose to not be baptized. They said they have been relying on prayer a lot lately. I know they will come to know for themselves the truth. We had interviews with President Clayton this week. about 8 of us in our zone were sitting in the foyer talking to Sister CLayton when a man came to the door and said, "Hi my name is David, I was wondering where I could go to find out more about this church and what the beliefs are." It was amazing. We all taught him the restoration as we switched off interviews. We had a lesson there and he loved it and the first thing he said after was "What time should I be at church??" God is preparing so many. We also got a referral last week for a lady named Sarah. She is 32 so we had to pass her off the the elders, but we taught her a couple lessons and she loved it all and came to Stake Conference on Sunday. We had a fireside that night and she couldn't go because she had dinner plans. Well , after stake conference, she turned to us and said, " I am cancelling dinner plans, can I come to the fireside?" Amazing. The elders are taking good care of her, but we are expecting her baptism soon:) We usually have to pass off every one we meet who wants to be taught because we are only YSA, but yesterday we found so many prepared YSA on the street and we cannot wait to start teaching them. We have so many less actives and we are visiting like crazy. We get less time in our Area because of MB so we decided to start going on splits almost every day we can with our members so that we can get more work done!! We are so excited, and it will also strengthen the members and their missionary efforts. We love it. we are going to challenge 2 people a week to give out a book of mormon. We started last night. I cannot wait to see Santee YSA Branch expand!! We are ready for miracles:) Tell Destini congrats!! So exciting!! Sounds like Aubs is dating away!!! How is Kiki loving colorguard!? Love you all!!!!! Is there anything I can do to help any of you?! I was reading in 2 Nephi a lot this week and it talks about us not being the servant of God, but being His friend because His friends know the truth, and we know the truth and are teaching it. I love that concept. We must allow the Savior to be our friend, and tell him about our struggles our hard times. He wants to hear from each one of us and knows what we are going through. He wants to help us, we can ask for that help and he will give it to us. Have faith and keep smiling!! I LOVE YOU!

Love,

 Sister McKee:) 

* HEre are some pictures of my and Sister SAnchez! I will try to take more, I forget! Love you

Week #10: San Diego

Hello family!! 

             Mom thank you so much for the package you sent with the Bakers!! I was in my area when the Baker's came but I loved it so much!! The cookies are delicious and we are very thankful for them and the lotions/ necklace/ bookmark. I love them all!:) Transfers were last week and I now have a new companion Sister Sanchez!! I love her so much. We are a lot alike and we are just ready to work hard. She has been out for 2 transfers! We are both very new, but we are working hard and we are trying our best to be more consecrated to the work every day. She is from Goodyear Arizona. She is a chemical engineer and the sweetest person you will ever meet! She got transferred from Spanish Speaking as well, so I think I am getting the hint that I need to learn Espanol, Which I have been doing:) I love it! Well miracles are happening here in Santee. We have been meeting with many new investigators and we have met back up with Kawa this week and he is asking a lot of questions and really praying/ studying hard. He is a great guy and he wants to know what the truth is. He is very logical and he asks a lot of questions. We are relying on the Spirit! We tried to see Amber last week and when we went to her house, the lady she lives with told us that she is in jail:( I guess something went wrong with a court hearing. We do not know details, but we are hoping to visit her in jail this week. She should not be there too long. She has a strong desire to become a better person and we are not going to give up on her. We have over 25 less actives that we are trying to go and see this week too. It has been crazy! We are so busy. Our YSA branch meets across the street from a college, Grossmont, and we are not allowed to proselyte on campus, however the institute director/ 1st counselor in the mission presidency - President Morgan- has asked that Sister Sanchez and I head a booth there at Grossmont. We get to go on campus once a week and talk to students and invite them to come to activities, institute and we can teach them lessons if they ask questions! We are praying about when the best times will be and we schedule times for some elders to come to. We get to do everything for it. It is awesome because both Sister Sanchez and I have had so much experience leading different booths/ groups at BYU-I and her at ASU, so we get to use those ideas and implement them into missionary work!! I love it! We are expecting miracles with this booth. There was a group of students in our branch that went to BYU-Idaho this week just to visit. I told them to wave to Pocatello haha. There are so many that attend there who left from the branch too. Amazing! There is a sister here, Sister Tucker, who knows Sister Fowler and Siser Nordstrom! She said that Sister Nordstrom came and visited the Battalion before I got there and that she grew up with Sister Fowler. There was a couple that came to the battalion who works with the Hottels in Pocatello. Not the ones in our Chubbuck ward, but in the Tyhee area. I just know their daughter Brittany who was on my softball team. We are getting a new director at the Mormon Battalion next week. It will be so sad to see the Seegmillers go. They are incredible, but I know that change is good! Our leaders are not better or worse, just different:) It will be great to learn from new leaders and the Seegmillers will be missed. I hope the Macintosh family are all doing okay, that is so hard losing someone so close! I hope speaking and playing at the funeral goes good.  Sister Sanchez and I got asked to speak for Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. It went really well. It was fun to speak because we are both so new! I love our branch. So much! We spoke about the law of tithing and on hastening the work. We love missionary work and we are expecting miracles every day. It has been slower at the Mormon Battalion because the holidays are over, but we have been getting referrals like crazy. The Lord knows when to send his prepared children. I hope you know I love you all! Aubrey - Get better! I will pray for you, the flu is no fun. Tell Kiki and Des hello! I miss them! And all of you of course! I love you all!

Love,             

Sister McKee

Oh and the couple that knows the hottels is Mary and Ron Van Veghel. They worked with brittany's dad at MARC and he said that the kids would cal him the "Crazy Old Guy" haha I forgot I wrote it all down. love you all! have an amazing week:)

Week #9: Transfers!

Hey Family!

              Sorry I sent everyone the pictures last week. It confused me and I realized I sent like 10 emails so sorry! So Surprise! We just got a call from our Zone Leader and Sister Salinas is getting transferred! We don't know where yet, but we will find out in the morning. I don't think there is any way I can overtake the area haha so it might be an interesting transfer, but I know the Lord is with me. It is just crazy that We are switching mid-training! I will miss her so much. She only has one transfer left. :( I know whoever my companion is tomorrow that she will be exactly what I need though. I have no doubts. Miracles are happening here in Santee. So as battalion sisters we all switch off cars every day according to our schedule. Well we got the car that didn't have a GPS and I know the area pretty well so we were okay, but we had one address I didn't know where to go for it so we pulled the car over and used a map. Well Sister Salinas sneezed haha and we heard someone say "Bless you! Do you need help?" So we looked out the window and there was a girl there so we started talking to her and anyway she sounded really interested in just learning more, but nothing more than that. We met her on Saturday and the lesson was awesome. She loved it and committed to going to church Sunday. A member picked her up and we had testimony meeting. We explained everything to her. Well mid-testimony meeting she got up and bore her testimony. She is a pretty spunky black lady so Sister Salinas and I just looked at each other praying it was going to be okay. It was the most beautiful testimony and she included that she was praying on Thursday for some guidance and then she was walking down the street and heard someone sneeze and realized we were lost. She said that was not a coincidence and she knew it and that she was going to find out everything about this great church. The members loved her and welcomed her. We met with her again yesterday and she is just on fire! She will be baptized in February and we are hoping to move the date up! She is amazing! Miracles! Another miracle is that one of our investigators Kalen has been not answering our calls or texts for weeks and he texted us and wants to meet with us this week. So Thursday! Wahoo! I will find out my new companion in the morning! TRansfers here are a lot different. The departing missionaries left this morning and the new ones come in this afternoon. We get to pick up the new sisters tonight and they will stay with us at the battalion. Crazy to think one transfer is gone. Time just flies! 2014!! Last week I received a package from Katy Winston which was so sweet! She made me cookies which were delicious. I also got some sweet cards from you all and the Burches and President Barfuss. I love them all. I am so blessed. please tell them all thank you! I will try to send more thank you's today! Pday flies by sometimes! Tell Hayden McKee that a YSA ward he served in had an activity at the Mormon battalion last week. The Tolmans were the ones I met and they just went on and on about him. They said he was such a great elder and left his mark there. I added to that and how great of a cousin he is! And he is getting married right?!? Exciting!! Tell him to write me! It is fun to have our missions so close. I just realized these past few weeks that I am serving in the same branch that Dallin Fisher served in when he was here. The Branch President and wife love him so much!! I also met a man who served in the mission presidency in Alabama. They said they knew about mom and that the mission president there had been with mom and dad in Florida for the mission presidents seminar. There has also been a few nonmembers visiting from Tennessee! It is always fun to make that connection. And as you probably know Patti was there this week! It was a surprise to see her! It always feels so weird to see people I know, but I was grateful to see her.  She also told me that the new senior couple coming in a few months is going to be living in her house. I finally met Elder Birch today! He is from Pocatello and is friends with Angelee and has a little brother who is friends with Aubrey. We have the same emailing schedule so he is actually here with me now funny! There is a sister that went home today that I want to set Elder Joel Brown up with. It must be done, :) so if you could have him email me asap that would be awesome haha. And I cannot believe Sierra is engaged!! She sent me a picture of her ring so I hope it is open knowledge.  I am so happy for her. She is amazing. You will have to all help her out for me since I will be gone for all the planning/ preparations/ wedding. Tell her I love her so much when you see her!!! Well I am loving the work. It is not easy,  but I am learning amazing things. We have started completely over with our area last week as we have had so many changes with people leaving so we are trying to visit every member and less active. The work has been slower lately, but we know referrals will come as we keep working hard with obedience. We are talking to everyone, but most of the referrals we send our out of our area, which is great! We love helping others in their work too. The church is true!! It is the best that I get to bare my testimony of this amazing truth everyday! Thank you for all being such a great support. I am very blessed. I know that I am learning so much every day. I know that I will continue to learn and I am excited for the future! In Genesis it talks about Lot and his wife. They were leaving the wicked city and were commanded to "Look not behind thee" Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt. She could not progress when she looked at the past. I know that is true for us as well. Every moment is a new moment, every day a new day and we are able to progress and do better as we continue to look forward. I love this gospel! I love all of you so much!

Sister McKee

*Oh and will you ask Jared to send me Brittany's uncles information! I totally forgot the street name. Thanks a ton:)

Week #8: San Diego

Hello Family!!! I hope that you had such a very merry Christmas!! It was so great to talk to you all. It was crazy how fast it went by, but I was so thankful for the time I had. Thank you so much for the advice and help you had  for me. I have had a great week! The Rest of Christmas we went to members homes and shared messages. We have been talking to everyone we see on the street and we have gotten so many referrals lately. Yesterday We were walking down the street and a man walked by and I said Hello! He said "Hey! That book in your hand, can I have it?? And Can I go to whatever church you go to??" It was amazing and reminded me of all of the prepared people out there. We referred him to the elders in our area and they are going to start teaching him today. Exciting! We have been slow in our area because our area consists of the Grossmont college students mainly and they are on break until January 30th. It has been a great time to focus on the other people who stay during the holidays though! We will go find them all!! There are about 10 members from our branch leaving to BYU-Idaho this week. They will be missed in the branch because that is about 1/5 of the branch. We keep seeing miracles everywhere. We passed off Janey to the elders last week, it was pretty sad and she was not happy. We are meeting with a new investigator tonight his name is Tommy. He was so excited to come to the sports activities the branch has to offer. We are excited to watch him want to learn more. The Battalion has been extremely busy!! My tours have almost always been over 25 people. We had 1045 people go through tours on Sunday! Amazing! It is crazy to think this is the last week of my first transfer. I cannot believe how fast everything goes by. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve. This gospel is so true. I have written on my desk, "It is not about me" in big letters and I have been trying to be bold with piercing clarity as I am teaching and street contacting. Thank you mom and dad for those words of wisdom. I am so lucky to have parents to help me along this journey. I had temple shift on Saturday and there were so many people there from all over the world! Kate came with her family and Axel!! He is not the little baby he used to be! I missed them and it ws great to be their tour guide! I saw my FHE brother Mark from BYU-Idaho and then this girl came up to me and said,"I know you!" Come to find out we had met at general conference 2 years ago! Her name is Sarah. She said she remembered us talking there. I remembered her after a while! Crazy! Caitlyn Robbins was also at the temple with her In-Laws the Schows. They all say hi! It was weird to see their Pocatello License plate. My MTC Visitor Center teacher Sister Wilkinson was also at the temple. She is great. She 

will be getting married next year, but it was so fun to see her and remember all of the things I was able to learn. Sister Salinas is still amazing. She just really realized she only has a transfer left, but I am not letting her think about that! Oh and it is amazing how God just takes care of the little things. I have been praying for time to fix my camera because there is not time to do so on P-days and Sister Salinas camera also broke so we were going to go in together, and last night we were planning when to go fix them and we both turned our cameras on and they were both fixed. That is such a little miracle, but it meant so much to both of us. God is aware of all of our needs. I am really happy here. Yes it is hard, but I know that I am not making this journey alone. In each of our tours we talk about the amazing journey these men made. They walked 2,000 miles because the Prophet of the Lord has told them to. We are also walking our own 2,000 miles everyday. We are going to come across sicknesses, trials, opposing forces, however we can do it. Just as these men did, so can we. I know that as we continue to press forward with faith , hope and charity that we will have that eternal happiness. I love you all so much. Christmas talking to you just reminded me how blessed I am. Heavenly Father knew that I needed each of you to learn from. And I have learned so much that I appreciate. Thank you for supporting and loving me. I love you so much!!

Love,

              Sister McKee

*Oh and I got way too much stuff! I feel so blessed. Thank you Mom, Dad, Angie( My Hawaiian chocolate is already gone... yum! oh and what was your friends name that serves here?? I think I saw him haha) , Aubrey, Kiara, Destini, And if you see and of these people please tell them thank you!! Tricia and Scott Galer Family, Kris & Shane Bell family, Brother and Sister West, Josh, Breanne and Noah Bishop, Amanda, Marshall and Kezman Jensen, The YW in 2nd ward, the ward members and so many other people! I wish I had them all here with me so I could say everyone!! But know it was greatly appreciated!!

Pictures: Getting my package from Mom and Dad before Pday.. waiting to open it!  First day with my trainer/ companera! I will send more next week! Bye!