Last Tuesday I got to San Diego and it was so warm! I love it here. The weather is amazing, just as everyone says and President and Sister Clayton are just remarkable people who I look up to a lot. It was so strange being on the opposite end of everything! It was a great experience though. We got fed a great lunch when we got there at the mission home. Mom would love the mission home here, the rooms are so big haha. We looked out the back yard and saw Mexico and the ocean behind the beautiful city of San Diego. It is truly amazing. The rest of the night was full of trainings and interviews and It was great to go through it all again, but this time as a missionary! That night we got sent with some of the sisters and elders as temporary companions to stay with. My temporary companion ended up being my trainer!! Her name is Sister Salinas from Oaxaca, Mexico. She is 26 and was sent to the San Diego Mission speaking spanish. She is on her last 2 transfers with me and is speaking english and not only that but training in english and she is doing just amazing. I have learned so much for her and we have such a great time together. She is going to teach me spanish so we can teach almost everyone here! :) She is one of the most humble people I know and she talks to everyone! She has so much courage and loves God with all of her heart. We have had much success because we are obedient. Tuesday night, my MTC companion Sister Larson came into my room, bawling. She said her brother had just taken his life. She is so strong. She decided to stay and she has put all of her energy focusing on God's will for her. She is such an amazing example. Please keep her in your prayers. I love her and she has an amazing trainer so I know she is doing just great. Sister Salinas and I are in the Santee YSA Branch. I love it so much!! It is a branch with about 50 members, so we have big plans to make it a ward! The branch is so strong and have just welcomed me in. I met two people that know my friend Kyle Howell ( Gloria and Evan) and I met one person that knows Blythe Bailey ( Ashley). It is fun to make connections! Thanksgiving was spent with our Branch President - President Little's family! They are amazing. We have been able to teach a lot, it is so different because we have half days at the battalion and in our area. Our area is about 30 minutes away so we work so hard when we get the opportunity to be in our area. We have 3 investigators right now. Ashley, Jesus and Eric. Ashley is amazing and comes to church every week, she is just trying to see the importance of baptism. I have not been able to be in a lesson with her yet, but hopefully I can help her when I am. Jesus We met on Friday and He is starting to read the book of mormon and is excited to come closer to God and Eric was a street contact. He was sitting outside one day when we were visiting a less active and We said hello and he kept talking to us and wanted to learn more and he is going to come to the YSA activities! We are meeting with him this week. We also met another amazing boy named Cody who is from Oklahoma. He was just in the institute building and wanted to come by more often. He said he loved the atmosphere of the building and that is why he kept coming. He is so funny and open to knowing more so we have an appointment with him tomorrow. The work is progressing. I am so excited to find those searching for the truth. Now at the Mormon Battalion there is so much going on to! Miracles! There are so many visitors there every day. We had about 800 last friday for the whole day. It is so busy. We get to wear great pioneer dresses and the tours are so awesome and entertaining. Everyone loves it no matter what! Every tour is different too because of the Spirit. We were given our Scripts on Wednesday nightand I was able to give a double tour on Thursday with Sister Salinas and guess who to?!? The Loveland family!! Susan had appointments in Tijuana so they stopped by on their way back and it was my first day at the battalion so it was so awesome to see them and it was so suprising. Susan, Mark, Lindsay and Gentry all came!! It was so fun giving them a tour. I will forward the picture of us together there. I gave my first tour by myself on Sunday! It went really well. The Spirit definitly led it. It was great to finally have the script memorized so I could focus on listening to the Spirit and not on getting the right words down. There are about 5 couples that work at the Battalion with us. Elder and Sister Miller served with the Andre's in Washington DC! Oh I also had someone come into the Battalion and when they saw my last name said, "I know that name! Are you from Idaho? We are from Utah but always go to Idaho to visit McKee's Petting Zoo our favorite place!" I told them I know that place very well;) Our director Elder and Sister Seegmiller are amazing. They always make us feel important and give us the best tips ever. Since the Battalion is a historic site, we have to be careful with referrals and baring our testimony etc... but He talked to me about different ways that we can make them feel the importance of the message without saying it. How to draw the Spirit in specifically to them. I love it and it truly is different for every tour that I give. Last night we were able to take a Less Active - Kaydia to the temple and introduce her to members of the branch. It was amazing!! Everyone calls it the white castle. It is jaw dropping and the Spirit is so strong there. We have been street contacting a lot. That is harder for me, but I am getting better every day! I am making goals to stop focusing on myself and getting to work. I know it will come over time and with the help of the Spirit. Thank you all for your letters and cards. Please tell the ward thank you so much for the package!! It made me cry it was so thoughtful. I LOVE everything in it. The Rice's made me envelopes with my name and address printed on them, a cute notepad with my name and a pillowcase signed by the YW! There were also cards from lots of people in the ward and cute cards signed by the primary. I still haven't been able to look through it all yet, but it meant a lot when I looked at it this morning. Thank you so much to them. I also got a thanksgiving card from the YW that I love!!! Also Dad Thank you so much for the Candy and notes last Monday!! That made my whole day and the candy was delicious!:) I am so blessed to have so much support in my life. I truly feel such a deep gratitude to all of you. Please know that I love you all so much. I know that I am where I am right now for a reason. There are so many different reasons and I am learning so much. I know that the Lord is preparing the hearts of so many to listen to the truth of this message and I feel honored to be a full time missionary helping this work come along. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that he went through so much to bring this truth to the earth and I can follow his example and be willing to sacrifice anything to bring others to this truth. I know God lives and I know he loves each one of us. I know Jesus did die on the Cross for us. For our trials for our sins for our sorrows. He loves us and he wants us to follow him. I know that as we are obedient we will be blessed and he can work through us when we obey Him. I know that this is not going to be easy, I will be exhausted and tired but I do know that I can and will do hard things because the Lord is with me. There is no way I can do this without Him. I hope you all realize how amazing this work truly is. Will you think of someone who needs their testimony strengthened this week and help their testimony grow by serving, teaching or doing something specific for them? I know that as you do this the Lord will not only help their testimony grow, but yours as well. I love you all. I Really have the best family. I am so lucky I get to be with you all forever:) Keep being amazing and know I am praying for you!! I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH:)
Love,
Sister McKee:)
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