Happy Halloween from Tennessee

October 28, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

Amazing to think October is almost over and we are well on our way into winter.  It has actually been cold the past few days here.  It doesn’t get cold here very often, but yesterday and today, we turned on the heat! The trees are still pretty colorful, but every day there are more and more of the trees that are losing their leaves.  Janet and JoLynn, be sure and bring your coats when you come!!!  We are  SO excited for you to come out here!

As you probably got word from my last emails, our #11 grandson,  Jared and Brittany’s baby arrived safe and sound.  I think I sent the wrong weight---he was 8lb 12 oz and is just beautiful.  His name will be Kason Gage McKee.  It sounds like Ethan still calls him “superman”.  My arms have been aching to hold him all week!  In fact, I wish I’ve been a bit homesick for all of my grandsons this past week !  I hope Brayden, Jaren, Treyson, Dallon, Gavin, Collin, Charlie, Peter Andrew, Ethan and Kason all know how much we love and miss them ALL!!! We miss each of our children as well. We pray for you daily and hope that you are all staying true!Thank you to those of you who have written to us.  How we love your letters!  They warm our hearts and encourage us so much!!!!  Thank you.

Monday started out with us taking an elder to the airport who had to leave a week early before transfers this week. His brother was leaving for Afghanistan and they wanted to see each other before he left. President skypes all of the Zone leaders on Monday and Tuesday.  The girls had Monday and Tuesday off from school for Harvest Break, we were able to get some pumpkins and Halloween costumes for the younger girls and prepare for the next week or so!  

One of the highlights of our week was being able to go up to Franklin, Kentucky and listen to our missionaries as they did a presentation about the spiritual beliefs of Mitt Romney for many of the Catholics and other ministers in the city of Franklin.  The man who introduced the missionaries, a member of the Catholic Church there in Franklin, told how he had talked to Father Drury of his church about the possibility of them learning more about the Mormons, because of the possibility of us having a Mormon president. Father Drury agreed and told him to call and find someone to come in and teach them.  This man looked up a phone number for the church (just a random church number) and no one answered.  He called another number and no one answered again.  The third  time he called, one of our dear sisters happened to be there at the church and answered his call.  He expressed to her what he wanted and she agreed to come and do a 90 minute presentation about the church right there in the Catholic Church. We went up early and attended Mass with the Priest. We took 8 of our missionaries in with us and the Priest told us that it was the best that he had heard singing with his little group for some time. Following the Mass our Sisters began their presentation.

Those sisters, which happens to be a three-some, did their homework and put together a phenomenal slide presentation.  Sister Bishop spoke for about 20 minutes about the church, the way the church is set up,  the different programs in the church for each of the different age groups, the family history program, and the church’s welfare program. Then Sister Ratuvukivuki, our dear sister from Fiji talked about the missionary program and Elder Payne our AP, presented about the restoration in such a beautiful way.  Sister Fowler talked about the Book of Mormon and then questions were asked.  There were a few negative questions that came up such as, “Why were there so many different accounts given by Joseph Smith about the 1st vision”  and some other normal anti questions.  The sisters handled those questions so beautifully.  They just stated that there were many things that they did NOT know, but these things they had told us tonight were things that they DID know.  She said, “You know, we didn’t come here tonight to convert you, only to let you know about the Mormon religion and what we believe and know to be true.  We don’t ask you to believe these things, but we invite you to ask  the Lord for yourself if  they are true if you are ever interested.”  At that point one lady said, “Well, I have always felt that we and the Mormons have more in common with each others that we did in differences.  Maybe we should just focus on those things that we have in common.!”  After words we all gave each other hugs, they thanked us profusely and we went home!  It was great!  There were probably about 30-40 in attendance and our guess is that about half of them were of a different faith than ours.

Thursday morning we left for our mission presidents’ seminar in Orlando.  We actually got to stay in the Swan’s Disney Resort right there by the Epcot Center.  We were taught all weekend by Elder Rasband(Utah), Elder Gonzales (South America), Elder Nash (Washington), Elder Kopishke(Germany) and Brother Watson (MTC), (a world wide church) and many of the area seventies were present, Elder Hymas, Elder Parker, Elder Burns(friends with Arnold Palmer)and Elder Merideth(my former counselor).  The trainings were wonderful.  They don’t just sit and preach to us, they have very interactive trainings and role plays just to make sure we are really getting it.  We met President and Sister Bernhisel who is my niece, Samantha Oliverson’s mission president there in the No. Carolina Raleigh Mission.  Great people!   We also met Bro. Martell Gee and his wife who after visiting with them,  found out that they used to live in the same ward in Logan as Laura and Glade Burgon and knew them all very well.  They asked all about Glade and Tim and asked me to send them our love.  I am in need of Tim’s email address if anyone of you have it.

Sister and President McKee at Mission Presidents' Seminar

Epcot Center

Mission Mama's

Thursday evening and all of Friday, we sat in trainings  and they told us that our dinner  that evening would be held in the American Adventure Parlor in the  Epcot Theme Park.  We walked out of our hotel and got on a boat which took us right over to the Epcot Center… It was gorgeous!!!   We not only ate there but got to see the  American Adventure Theater Show and even walked around Epcot and got to go into the Canada Productions as well as Mexico. We kept running into members from all over the United States who kept asking, “Why are there so many missionaries here?”    Unfortunately, because of high winds, the Lasar Show Illuminations was cancelled that night but it was such a surprise and a treat to be there.  Saturday we were in trainings all day and then flew home Saturday evening by about 8:30.

President was still in the middle of putting transfers together and so he headed back to the office to finish up the transfers that will take place in two days.  

We had to get up early this morning to go speak at 4 different meetings in Clarksville(over an hour away)—two sacrament meetings and two RS/Priesthood Combined Meetings.  The girls got to sing every time we spoke and we handed out cases of Books of Mormon and talked to the members about setting up a very simple Family Mission Plan and taught them how to do it.  A kind of funny thing happened.  A man came up and told us what a beautiful job the girls did on their singing.  He said, “ I’m a musician, and their singing just brought me to tears because of  how beautiful it was, and with the close harmony with which they sang.”  He said, “We noticed how unique and different each of the girls were in their looks and actually wondered if they might have been adopted, but then as we listened to them sing, we knew there was no way they could have been adopted—their voices blended so perfectly!”  He was surprised as we told them that two of them had been adopted, but we couldn’t remember which two they were! 

At the seminar we learned that by January, most of us will have an increase of about 100 missionaries added to our complement.  They said that in the past two weeks, missionary applications have risen 476%.  That where there are usually around 600-700 a week, in the past two weeks they have received over 4,000. And over 50% of them were from sister missionaries.  This is a wonderful time to be serving as a missionary and the focus of the seminar was how “The Lord Can Do His Own Work----We have just been asked to assist as we can!”.  It truly is a blessing to be able to serve in this capacity.

Also at the Seminar I was visiting with Elder Nash of the First Quorum of the Seventy. He asked me if I would write him the story of dads conversion from my perspective and the faith of a  part member mom that faithfully  took her kids ten miles  to  church each Sunday. So to my older siblings and some just below me who remember this experience, I would love your input and also please send me a copy of your conversion story DAD. I think that it would also be nice to have a list of all of the grandchildren that have served missions and where they have served. Clay or Becky could you email me that information and also the year that dad was baptized. (wm)

We are going into another week of transfers this week and then this weekend will be a memorable day for the Tennessee Nashville Mission because Elder Christofferson will be here to create the 7th Stake in our mission---THE MURFREESBORO STAKE.  We will have the opportunity to attend and speak at that stake conference with Elder Christofferson.  What a great blessing that will be!

Many miracles are happening here in the mission:

 We set a date last night in the most unusual way that I have ever seen a date set. We went to an appointment and they people we went to see were busy but their brother, David, came out and started talking with us. He was just telling us how his friends dad tried getting him into the church but he passed away a few weeks ago. Thing is, we know the gentleman that passed away! We saw him in the hospital a few days before he passed. David then said he had been thinking about reading the Book of Mormon and when we offered him one he took it almost immediately. He told us how he was going to be a father but the baby boy was miscarried and didn't make it. He wants so much to see his son's face and be with him. As we continued talking we shared the message of the restoration (while still on his doorstep) and eventually committed him to baptism on Nov 10. Such an awesome experience. We sent him a text later that evening and he responds with questions about the Angel Moroni. He started reading the moment we left. This man is golden! We are so fortunate to be able to have found him and start teaching to lead him to waters edge.

2).  This week has been pretty good. We had a guy that we've been teaching, named Richard, after a conversation with a member while we were over there about how precious our time as missionaries is. And that he shouldn't waste it. He gave a a story about sea turtles and throwing them into the ocean, and how you might not save them all but you can save some of them. Then the member talked about how we want to through him in the water like the turtles. So we came back a few days later and he wants to get baptized! And he wants me to baptize him. He wants to set the date next time we see him for sometime in November. So we still have a lot to teach him, but he really is a great guy. And it will be a great experience when he is able to be baptized. I'm excited.

   So my Dad sent me an email with some of the things my Stake President back home has said. I thought it was very fitting and very true. He said, "that the lord is preparing more than we’re inviting. That we need to ensure that we continue to invite everyone, even those who have declined before, because we don’t know what has happened in their lives that may have changed." I really liked the Line The Lord is preparing more than we are inviting. Something i really need to work on.

 3) Aaron….. He's someone I have to talk about. He's AMAZING. His mom just got put in jail for her third DUI, he lives in transitional housing, and he is anti-ed every day. But, instead of telling us everything is too hard right now, he bears his testimony and teaches other people what we have taught him. He prays to Heavenly Father to find out truth and turns to the scriptures for answers and he always finds them. And he shares what he finds with other people. He likes the idea of a mission. President McKee, I don't know  how I got so blessed to meet him and watch God work in his life. He is really looking forward to his baptism on Saturday. When Bro Sommers asked him where he sees himself in a year, Aaron said he didn't know where he'd be living, but he sees his faith getting stronger. This young man is great!

This is such an exciting time to be a missionary.  We are excited (and a bit nervous) about what this increase in missionaries will mean.  We are excited to get the missionaries.  Logistically it will be crazy for quite awhile –even more so than it is right now if that’s possible!  But I know it is all in the Lord’s hands.  What a  great missionary force it will be.!!!  Elder Rasband kept telling us in our Seminar “I know that you can do it” . So we will trust in his words and the words of the Lord.  As we approach another transfer week, we get excited to receive 9 new missionaries and lose 8.  It is just an exciting work to see these great missionaries come in and grow in their understanding of the gospel and in their teaching skills.  I know this is the Lord’s work and that he doesn’t “NEED” any of us to help him do His work.  He could make it happen all by Himself, but He is gives us each opportunities to grow and to become more like Him as we learn to boldly share the gospel. 

I

’d like to close  with this quote from Neal A. Maxwell. “”If we are serious about our discipleship to Jesus Christ, we will at some point be called upon to do that which is hardest for us”. 

I can only say, I LOVE Jesus Christ.  I know He is my Savior and my Redeemer.  I have come to cherish the great truths contained within the Book of Mormon.

Loads of love,

President & Sis. McKee, Dad & Mom, Grandpa & Grandma, Bill & RaNae,  and…..Angie, Aubrey, Kiara and Destini

Baby McKee-- He's here!

Baby McKee 

 I got this morning on the way home from the airport. He was  8 lb.  11 oz, and  born this morning. Isn't he beautiful?  As far as we have heard Brittany is doing well!  We are so excited for them! Ethan will be such a good brother. We love watching the video they made for their announcement(Life according to Ethan) -McKee's

OCT. 21, 2012

October 21, 2012

Dear  Family and Friends,

We hope this email finds each of you well and happy!  We just returned from speaking at a stake conference in  Hopkinsville, KY. (about 1 ½ hour drive to the north of Nashville)   I can’t think of a prettier drive that we have had on our whole mission. Both yesterday and today, for nearly 55 miles,  the gorgeous red, orange and gold trees line both sides of the highway and the hills on both sides of the highways are the same.  It really was just breathtaking. The girls laughed at me every time I would say, “Oh take a picture of that!  Don’t miss THAT tree!”   I LOVE this time of year here in the south!     Unfortunately, the leaves are falling from the tops of the trees so many of the tops are bare, but the lower parts are still just amazingly beautiful! The temperature has been a little cooler, but still very pleasant.  We have only had to turn the heaters on a few times!

We appreciate those of you who have sent emails!  We certainly love hearing from y’all!  We are still waiting patiently for our new grandson to be born!  We actually just found out that Jared and Brittany are up to the hospital, her contractions are coming every few minutes and we are just waiting for the good news!!! 

  We haven’t heard from some of our children for awhile….ahem….but thanks to the rest of you who have written!  We know you are all busy!  AND…we miss you and miss hearing about what you have been doing!

Monday was a very sad day, as we said good-bye to our wonderful office couple , the Packers!  What great people!  They headed back to Kaysville, Utah on Monday after we had our regular staff meeting and a little luncheon for them.  Monday night, we had our neighbors, the Brantleys over for dinner.  They have a daughter just a year younger than Destini , who also goes to her elementary school.  They are just the nicest people and when we first moved in, we found out that Bryant Brantley, the dad, works with Tripp Merideth who used to be the 2nd counselor in the mission until he was called as an area authority Seventy.  Laura Brantley is studying to become a Methodist Minister.  We had a great dinner with them and Destini gave a family home evening lesson on prayer, then we just had a great visit  They asked us questions about Mormonism and we talked to them about their Methodist Faith.  It was all very positive and we are even better friends than before!

Tuesday we started back into the last four days of interviews.  Frankly, I’m not sure how President does it.  He has the hardest job in trying to find out where all of the missionaries are, spiritually and with their worthiness.  I talk to them about their health, their personal and companionship studies, and then ask them to role play with me.  I love meeting with them.  What  great missionaries we have.!!!!  Interviews went from early Tuesday morning  until  late Friday afternoon.  Whew!  It really was a relief to be done!!!

We brought in a new assistant, Elder Andrew from Huntington Beach, CA.  He is a Spanish speaking elder who, I think will be great.  Our assistant, Elder Adams, from Sacramento CA, will be going home next week, and then we have Elder Payne from Centerville, UT.  These elders work so hard for the mission, for President and for our family.  They hardly ever get a P-Day and they are always so positive.  How we love them!  It seems that while we love all of the missionaries, the minute the become AP’s they become like our own sons! 

 On Thursday night, Aubrey had her  fall choir concert over at her school.  She is in an all girls choir this year and they were extremely good!  Aubrey even had a solo in one of the songs.  She did a great job! And I was especially impressed with  all of the  school. Choir groups.  They did a Broadway Musical Review and it was great! 

Saturday, we were so excited to get a visit from Shannon and Dennis Sudweeks, her parents and 3 of their darling grandkids.  They are here visiting their daughter who lives in Knoxville and are babysitting for them for a few days.  They drove over to Nashville for a few days and we were SO glad to get to see them.  We had to leave not long after they came in order to get to the Stake Conference in Hopkinsville, but we DID have a short but sweet visit with them ! President had to speak in Priesthood meeting in the afternoon so we were rushing out the door to get to Kentucky trying to visit as we left.

We had the same general authority that spoke in conference last week in Franklin, Elder Tony Parker from Georgia.  He is just great!  We generally have to speak when we go to these conferences, but sometimes we never know if it is a talk or a testimony until right when we get there.  President had to speak in the afternoon session at 3:00 pm and then I was asked to bear my testimony in the Saturday night session.  Right after my testimony, he invited me and Sister Smith, the Temple Matron, to be speakers in the general session of conference which was today.  So both President and I spoke at the conference today. 

Yesterday, we had a historic happening in the mission.  We had a family of 8 get baptized by our Cookeville Elders in the morning and then they baptized  another family of 1 in the evening.  I will try to attach the picture to this email.  What a beautiful sight!

Coming up  tomorrow, we have an elder who had to leave his mission 1 week before the end of the transfer because he wanted to see his brother before going to Afghanistan, so we had  him over for dinner tonight and  will take him out to the airport at 6:00am  in the morning.  He had a baptism yesterday and this man was one of Taylor Swift’s bodyguards.  Kiara and Destini thought that was pretty cool!  He showed them the guitar pick he had given them with Taylor Swift’s picture on it. 

  On Wed. this week is also the meeting in Bowling  Green with the Catholic Priest and all of the city people who want to know about Mitt Romney’s belief’s.  Then the next day we go to a mission presidents; seminar in Orlando.  President has been working daily on transfers as they will take place one day after our return from the Mission Presidents Seminar. They have to be complete before we leave this Wednesday. He writes letters to the families , Stake President, Bishops and each missionary that is departing each transfer so that takes some time if there are 8-9 missionaries leaving. We are so sad when they leave but are also so excited when the new missionaries come in.

In two weeks we have Elder Christofferson coming to create a new stake in our mission,  “THE MURFREESBORO STAKE”.  We are all SO excited about that. That will give us 7 stakes and 8 zones in our mission.  Two weeks after that, Elder Perkins is coming to do a mission tour, and then two weeks after that, Elder Russell M . Nelson is coming to speak to our missionaries and also to speak in the Nashville Stake Conference.  We just received a call to see if it was ok if he stayed with us here in the mission home that night.  What a blessing that will be!!!

We got a call this week asking us how many new missionaries could come into our mission with the age change , so it sounds like our numbers will be increasing dramatically.

Here are some TNM  missionary miracles for the week:

One of our missionaries sent this---the 6 SW’s of missionary work! 

“Some Will, Some Won’t, So What!   Stop Whining, Start Working, Someone’s Waiting”

 1) “It’s amazing when we are doing what’s right and living the gospel how different we feel then if we’re not. 100% Obedience is what I have been striving for and it is very difficult to do at some times but I know that when I do, more blessings are received. Just like the lady Michelle. We knocked on her door and introduced ourselves. We talked about the restoration and the gospel of Jesus Christ, pretty much a lesson. She then said that she has always seen tv commercials about Mormons and was always waiting till we actually would stop by. We then committed her to baptism on that first and only contact. When they have been prepared and feel the spirit it just takes that leap of faith to invite them to the waters of baptism, and only then they will commit.”

2) “ This was the week of the Bof M challenge! At the beginning of the week I thought that we would blow our goal out of the water. The missionaries were pumped and excited to do the work necessary for the desired outcome. We worked hard this week and were blessed by being able to pass out 25 copies of the BofM!!! It was awesome for me to see how easy it is to give somebody a copy of the BofM. Even if people didn't have time to talk they would accept a copy or if they REALLY weren't interested, they would still accept one. I'm feeling like this book has more power in it than I even know. I should be handing just about every person I see a BofM. I know this book changes lives as I changed when I came to know of it's truthfulness, so why not give it to everybody so they can change? …:( We were, however, able to plant 133 fertilized seeds into homes here in the McMinnville Zone. There will be many miracles that will come from these seeds,” 

 3)  “This week was awesome we had an amazing experience on Tuesday. We have really focused alot of our efforts towards finding new people who are prepared and ready to receive the gospel and not spending so much time with the people who let us in but simply aren’t ready to make and keep commitments. We prayed that morning for someone to help and to put someone in our path that needed maybe just needed help or someone we could simply help put a smile on their face. So we went out and started knocking doors and contacting. for 5 hours straight! I think we walked a total of like 10 miles or so but it was awesome. We came in contact with so many special people and we literally talked to everyone we saw. We brought smiles to so many faces and I really felt the love that our heavenly father has for each and every person, it felt amazing! But by the end of the day we still really hadn’t met anyone that was really interested in the gospel, but we finally we're on our way back to the apartment for dinner right where we had started are day and we walked past a black man standing on his porch we waved smiled and kept walking. Then he made a weird moaning shouting noise so we turned around and saw that he motioning to us that he couldn’t hear, because he was deaf. We simply waved and smiled again and kept walking, but about ten steps later I felt the strongest feeling to turn back so we did then I pulled out a restoration pamphlet and his face lit up as he saw the pictures of Christ and of Joseph Smith. We saw he had a phone and started texting him so we could communicate, and set an appointment to come back the next day, we said a prayer with him on his porch and told him that even though he couldn’t hear the words he would feel the spirit. As my companion and I walked away we were both so filled with a special feeling I couldn’t even explain it. AMAZING! The next day we set dates with both him and his mom they are both such special people and we are so excited! I’m excited to be here at this time and the Spanish work is picking up here as well and I know with faith and prayer and a whole bunch of hard work we will find Spanish families that are prepared.”

 

For any of you who have missionaries who are getting ready to leave or know of any, this came to me from a member of a Branch Presidency in the MTC.  It might have some good tips to prepare your future missionaries:

.
The best elders are the ones whose lives are closest to the spirit. They know why they have come and they know they have much to learn. But they possess a positive outlook on all things.

There are many rules, but those who have been raised to obey take them in stride. It is also hard, the schedule is a bit overwhelming. If they have learned that they can do hard things, they do well. Being attached at the hip to a companion you have never known and who may not think like you think is a challenge.

Teaching them how to work and having them work is a plus. If a young man or sister has faced adversity whether that be in a trek or girls camp or scout camp or some real life event, they will have gained confidence that they can succeed.

As a patriarch, it was always interesting to me that even though the instructions were that the youth was to contact the patriarch, several times the mom would call. I would politely ask her to have the young person call when they were available. Don't take away their opportunity to grow individually. Don't smother them.

The MTC is a busy place, and my observation is that the fewer letters an Elder receives, the better he copes with homesickness. I am not saying don't send a letter a week, I am talking about letters from too many people all well intentioned to help him not be homesick. The result is that every letter he opens distracts him from his labors and enhances his homesickness. He or she has been called out of the world to serve the Lord. Let them know of your love and support, but do not overwhelm them. Encourage, uplift, send stories they might use in the field, but don't talk about problems in the ward or with neighbors, etc.

The MTC was originally called the LTM or Language Training Center. The change of name was a conscious decision by the Brethren to shift the emphasis from learning a language to converting the elder/sister to Christ. If they leave with the spirit, the language will come, but they will be able to teach with power as a disciple of Christ.

A couple of specifics: Make sure they read the Book of Mormon in its entirety, by themselves before reporting to the MTC. Encourage them to study carefully Preach My Gospel. Study it together as a family. That is what he/she is going to teach; scriptures and PMG. You want to get Faith in Christ past their shirt sleeves and into their souls. Visit Church History sites, make sure they attend EFY, and encourage them to pray with real intent.

It is an interesting process selecting who will be the new district leader, coordinating sister or zone leader. We meet them the second evening they are there. We have them introduce themselves and then we interview each for have an air of humble confidence and a good grasp of why they are there. Their testimony bears witness every time of their choice to be obedient and follow Christ.

I know moms, I know my wife, I know my daughters who have sent their sons/daughters out, and I know it is hard. But moms, ask where you would rather have them be and be believers yourself. No pity parties; if you need to, go shopping for yourself! Just work on sending messages that will uplift, encourage, strengthen and look forward to the day when they return as men/women of God. It is so worth it.

We love this work and bear testimony of it’s truthfulness.  As Elder Parker said today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains ALL of the keys necessary for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father again.  It is true!  The Book of Mormon is true!  Jesus Christ lives and loves us and as President Monson reiterated last week, “He is in the details of our lives!”    We love and miss all y’all!   Have a great week!

Loads of love,

President & Sister McKee,  Dad & Mom,  Grandpa & Grandma,  Bill & RaNae  …..

And Angie, Aubrey, Kiara and Destini

Part 2: Miracles

Here are some miracles from missionaries in the Tennessee Nashville Mission--We Love 'em! 

Taken a year ago (TNM)

• “We currently have 7 baptism dates set all within this month and the first week of November. On top of that we have a ton of investigators who we will get to set dates with as well. Each day I’m learning and growing and continue to feel my Heavenly Fathers love for me. 

"Just last night one of our families brother and sister…. had a date set for Nov 1. Before the lesson started they said they had something to tell us. We couldn’t tell if it was bad or good so we just said that we will teach them first and tell us after. Well right when we were done they said that they prayed together yesterday and want to be baptized on October 20 instead. Its amazing we said why? (he) said that he was waiting for his wife to say so and they decided together. He also has had a dream (that he thought was real) that we gave him a bracelet made out of brown shells like a Polynesian bracelet that had a small chain and had a shield shape to it with initials that said CTR!! He had no idea what that stood for or meant. It was amazing. We said it was a sign to him.”

• “Also this Saturday we have another baptism and another one schedule the following Saturday! Miracles are truly happening all around us!”

“Conference was incredible. We had a faith building moment where our investigator India called us 10 minutes after we had talked about plans for Gen Con and she said she had to work. She said she didn't want to disappoint us and we said, "India this isn't about us. Pray and ask God what He wants you to do tomorrow." Needless to say, she came to watch conference. Her baptism is still scheduled for this Saturday”
 

“we had a great time teaching that class at Cumberland University.  The teacher wants missionaries to teach another class about the church in a year we gave him contact information to contact the office”

• “it really made me sit back and think "Do I love Christ?" and "How much do I love Christ?" and has been very humbling to think about my love for my Savior and how I can increase it, especially as I feed His sheep.”

 

“The temple was a very special experience, as it has been over 7 months since my last visit to the temple. I was strengthened and renewed as I spent much time praying in the Celestial room. I recommitted with the Lord to serve him with all my heart, might, mind and strength, while striving daily to "put off the natural man."

• “! And with the miracle we had last night on how Robert fell into chewing tobacco again but as soon as he put it in his mouth he heard a voice tell him "don't do it Robert, you need to be baptized with your wife on Saturday." What an amazing experience! The Youngs are truly some great people and they will be a great addition…”.

“ It truly is an exciting time to be a Mormon Missionary! I hope millions take up Elder Nelson's invitation to 'ask the missionaries.'”

• “..because I was feeling and recognizing the Spirit. I had some apartments in mind to go visit and we started walking and I made sure I was paying attention to what I felt and what the Spirit directed me to do. ………. I did not know where to go so I sat and pondered. I felt we should take a road I had never been on so we went and walked down that road. I was looking for houses that we should knock, but a feeling did not come that we should go knock any particular house. We arrived at the end and I had an impression to go to the local post office to pick up my companion’s  package. The post office was on the left at the end of this road so it was about 30 seconds walking there. We arrived and were waiting in line and an older lady approached us and asked if we were with the church Romney goes to. We said Yes and then she asked us if we had a Book of Mormon. We said yes and gave her an English copy and a card and she left. That experience deepened my testimony about this work and how it is guided by God and when we allow God to guide us He guides people to us. One of the biggest things I learned was that He guides us by the little thoughts and impressions we receive. The Spirit is the key in this work and Heavenly Father is teaching me how to use it.”

“This next week we are going to be doing a zone Book of Mormon challenge where we are going to try to pass out 150 copies of the Book of Mormon in one week.”

• “During conference the girl we set a date with last week asked when she was getting baptized and I asked when she wanted to, and she replied with, "anytime, I'm excited and ready."  So miracles are happening! “

”  We have been going around and offering to give people’s homes blessings and it is working great!  Especially with members we are getting referrals every time we have done it with members.  And it is helping us find new investigators as well! “

• ” Jaymee did end up getting baptized in Chicago! She had a lot of opposition from her family and friends but she went through with it because she knew that God told her to get baptized. We are so proud of her and her decision to follow God. We were texting with her when she was gone and she told us about how her Dad reacted and she told us that she just told him I asked God a specific question and God gave me a specific answer and she said she wouldn't postpone her baptism. It was so great to see such a strong conversion in her. I love that you have been talking to us a lot lately about how we need to make sure we are teaching for spiritual conversion..”

” Sunday morning we had a mother and son walk in to come to church and they stayed and watched conference we are going to be teaching them this week. Then we had our baptism and it was wonderful his family came and we hope to start teaching them the spirit was very strong in the room. Then we had an appointment after and we set another date! i feel like we floated home.”

• “.. we had 3 investigators at conference and they each brought a non member friend, and there was a part member family that came so altogether we had 7 non members there. it was great!”

“I have such a strong testimony of being exactly obedient! This week we were blessed to be referred to a family of 8 who we are going to start teaching!”

• “It was great this week to be able to listen to General Conference and hear the living Apostles and Prophets speak to us. It was great to be spiritually feed and uplifted I was able to receive revelation on what I can do and what I can do better. I wish that everyone in the world could have listened to conference.”

President and Sister McKee, and family...

October 14, 2012

October 14, 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

OHHH the leaves here in Tennessee are just GORGEOUS!!!!!    I’m wishing that JoLynn and Janet and their husbands were coming two weeks earlier than they are planning!  I’m afraid they will miss the spectacular colors that are just now appearing everywhere when they come in November!  We hope y’all have had a great week.

Sister McKee in front of the Mission home

Good luck to Michelle & Travis and the Draper boys as some of them are beginning their basketball season.  We pray for them and hope they know how much we love them.  It sounds like Mike & Kirsten and boys are drumming up very creative things again for Halloween!  Can’t wait to see some pictures! We are still anxiously awaiting the birth of our 11th grandson.  Jared and Brittany and Ethan, we are praying for you  that all goes well with the delivery—whenever that is.  We know you probably have a couple of weeks left, but we are so excited for that special day! Scott and Seren, besides their own jobs are creating another spook alley, “Terror at the Zoo?”  I can’t wait to hear how that is going!  Steven and Rachel are working and going to school and I’m sure helping Scott with his projects and everyone else! We love that both families are living at our house and taking care of it for us!    And Kylie is very involved in her school  at BYU-I as a trainer of other student ambassadors, working and trying to study in her spare time.  How we love and miss y’all!!!

 It has been a marathon week here again with us doing interviews every day in a different area of the mission.  We would be on the road, some days by 6:30 am because the Nashville traffic is horrendous and not get home until 6, or 7 or 8!!!  By Friday night, I was so tired I could hardly move---and it really isn’t that hard of work!  It is just very exhausting-- mentally!  What a treat it was to meet with each of the missionaries and talk about things that were important to them!  President conducted the normal worthiness interviews, and I would visit with them about health and other  concerns  and then have them real play with me!  It was great to see what kind of teacher they all are!  I get to know the missionaries so much better when I am able to spend that time with them. We also showed them a DVD of Elder Holland at one of his speeches at the MTC in 2011—POWERFUL talk, along the same lines he spoke at during general conference this session “DOYOU LOVE ME?”   Several nights President met with the Stake Presidents for Correlation council and this week he had an audit that had to be done at the office.

Visa Waiters

Elder Andrew, Elder Payne, President McKee, and Elder Adams
at the Airport

The Packer's enjoying their calzones!

Elder Adams!!

Monday, our four visa waiters left for Argentina.  We took them out to the airport and said our good-byes to them.  They had been here in the Tennessee Nashville Mission for 9 weeks---the longest that we have had visa waiters stay here before their visas arrived.  That evening we had Elder and Sister Packer over for a Family Home Evening.  The Packers are our office couple who have been over the cars and the apartments.  We call Elder Packer our” Car Czar”.  They are an EXTRA special  couple whom we will miss very much!  We made calzones with them and then Destini taught a family home evening lesson.  The girls ended the night by singing for them, but it was hard because we were all crying!  They are actually leaving tomorrow, but they, along with the Christensens from Fillmore, Utah,  were the ones who actually trained us the most in our position because they had been here about 4 months by the time we first got here in the mission.  How we will miss them!   The Rodaks from Providence , Ut are already doing a marvelous job.  Destini and I were walking home from the neighbors on Saturday and we noticed someone in our front yard doing something to our car.  As we got closer, we noticed Elder Rodak waxing our car!  He said he was “just trying out this new wax” but it is so easy to tell that they are SO into service.  There are so many wonderful people that we get to work with here in the mission!  We are so blessed!

Making Calzones with the AP's and the Packers!

Elder Packer, our office "angel" found his halo! :)

Elder Payne's... was creative. 

Elders Adams, Payne

The whole crew!

On Thursday, I had to leave the interviews and come home to do a Parent/Teacher Conference for Destini!  I was so excited to get a raving report from her teachers that she is doing so well in school!   She is my scholar-reader!  She is constantly reading and reads these thick books in about a day and a half!  I am very proud of her.

Kiara is also doing quite  well in school and is becoming quite the social butterfly.  She has suddenly decided that boys are not all that bad and that is really concerning to me! She has done some of her own compositions on the piano and is still an amazing artist.  She went to the Haunted Woods here with some of her friends this week and has some great ideas for Scott and Seren and their spook alley!

Aubrey is doing very well in school and we are going to her concert this coming  week.  We were quite thrilled to know that she had an influence on the choir dresses that are used.  Last year, the choir dress was a sleeveless black dress.  Aubrey, with no coaching from us,  asked the choir director if she could get a  black bolero to  wear over it because she didn’t feel comfortable wearing the sleeveless dress.  The teacher told her it was ok. We found her one that was not very expensive  and at the concerts, she was the only one in over 100 girls who had sleeves. She looked so nice!   One LDS family, who has a boy in the choir, came up to her and thanked her for standing up for her standards.  Well this year, they changed the dress so that  everyone  will wear boleros.  Neat!

Angie is still working hard at her on line  school so that she can graduate in the spring. This week, she signed up for a  HEFY—a humanitarian EFY to go to FIJI next summer and she was accepted.  We have a sister missionary, Sister Rativukivuki  from  FIJI   who is just an amazing missionary!  She will be going back  home to Fiji  in April and will probably be a part of the program Angie is going to.  Angie would like to adopt her as a sister!!!

We  mentioned last week about  a phone call from a Catholic Priest in Franklin, KY that asked our Bowling Green Sister missionaries to come and do an Interfaith presentation for ministers of all faiths and the whole community so that can understand what Mormons believe. Is that just exciting or what?  They asked US to come and they are going to invite the whole city to learn about the Mormons!!!   We will be meeting with them on the 24th in their building(Catholic Church). They are inviting the whole city.  It sounds like it will be a very big production!  We are excited to be a part of that as the sisters are preparing how to teach all about our doctrine in about 90 minutes.  People here are actually asking us to talk about the religion that Mitt Romney belongs to.  It has been a great opportunity for missionary work.

Saturday, we invited our neighbors who have a girl Destini’s age over for dinner tomorrow night for FHE.  They are a wonderful family of 3.  The mom is training to become a Baptist Minister and the father used to work with Tripp Merideth, a man who was the 2nd counselor in the mission, but was called last April to be  an Area Authority Seventy.  He is a great man and we miss him terribly in the mission.  But it is a connection with this family and we hope we can touch them in some way.

The mission had 13 baptisms yesterday and we have about 34 scheduled for the rest of the month and into November.

Saturday evening I  spoke in the Franklin Stake Conference and President spoke in Priesthood leadership and then again today in their Sunday Stake Conference.  This is the only stake in our mission that has two sessions on Sunday—one in Columbia at 9:00 am  and one in Franklin at 1:00.  I was excited to be able to just have to give my talk once!!!  I certainly enjoyed the Sunday meetings much more by not having to worry about speaking!  The visiting authority was Elder Tony Parker, a large  African American from Atlanta Georgia.  We knew he would have to have known Steve and Anita Satterfield, which he did and paid her a great compliment, saying she had more love in her heart than any other women he knew!   He was a kick!  He told some of the funniest stories and was such a great speaker.  It was a treat to listen to him in three  (four for President) different sessions!

President Greyson, Franklin Stake President  is a wonderful man and we love his whole family.  He talked about the 3 great motivators in life.  1)   out of fear  (fear of not pleasing  another person, or fear of judgment)  2)   out of duty (it is our responsibility to do it)  3)  out of love. He also talked about: The great test of life:  which is obedience.  The  great task of life: which is to learn the will of God and then do it.  The great commandment of life is : To love the Lord. The difference between testimony and conversion is that conversion is not a one time experience.  It takes time and patience and requires 5 things  Helaman  15: 7-8.  1) believing in the teaching 2)  exercising faith 3)  repenting 4) experiencing the mighty change of heart 5)  being steady, firm and steadfast in living the gospel.  Many times people think that their conversion is the climax to their spiritual experience.  It should really be just the beginning to bigger and better things! 

Some missionary miracles:

1)  Its been a great week so far! My companion and I are so excited for this Saturday wtih the baptism we have planned for Robert and Pamela Youngs! And wtih the miracle we had last night on how Robert fell into chewing tobacco again but as soon as he put it in his mouth he heard a voice tell him "don't do it Robert, you need to be baptized with your wife on Saturday." What an amazing experience! The Youngs are truly some great people and they will be a great addition to the Sparta Branch. We are so excited for them and they are really excited as well!

2­  “We currently have 7 baptism dates set all within this month and the first week of November. On top of that we have a ton of investigators who we will get to set dates with as well. Each day I’m learning and growing and continue to feel my Heavenly Fathers love for me. 
Just last night one of our families brother and sister…. had a date set for Nov 1. Before the lesson started they said they had something to tell us. We couldn’t tell if it was bad or good so we just said that we will teach them first and tell us after. Well right when we were done they said that they prayed together yesterday and want to be baptized on October 20 instead. Its amazing we said why? (he) said that he was waiting for his wife to say so and they decided together. He also has had a dream (that he thought was real) that we gave him a bracelet made out of brown shells like a Polynesian bracelet that had a small chain and had a shield shape to it with initials that said CTR!! He had no idea what that stood for or meant. It was amazing. We said it was a sign to him.”

3.)  “..because I was feeling and recognizing the Spirit. I had some apartments in mind to go visit and we started walking and I made sure I was paying attention to what I felt and what the Spirit directed me to do. ………. I did not know where to go so I sat and pondered. I felt we should take a road I had never been on so we went and walked down that road. I was looking for houses that we should knock, but a feeling did not come that we should go knock any particular house. We arrived at the end and I had an impression to go to the local post office to pick up my companion’s  package. The post office was on the left at the end of this road so it was about 30 seconds walking there. We arrived and were waiting in line and an older lady approached us and asked if we were with the church Romney goes to. We said Yes and then she asked us if we had a Book of Mormon. We said yes and gave her an English copy and a card and she left. That experience deepened my testimony about this work and how it is guided by God and when we allow God to guide us He guides people to us. One of the biggest things I learned was that He guides us by the little thoughts and impressions we receive. The Spirit is the key in this work and Heavenly Father is teaching me how to use it.”

“This next week we are going to be doing a zone Book of Mormon challenge where we are going to try to pass out 150 copies of the Book of Mormon in one week.”

We know this work is true and how exciting it is to live in this day and time.  We truly are in the Mormon Moment and with Mormonism being talked about every day on the media, people really do want to know more. We love missionary work and know that the more we do, the easier it becomes.  I know our Savior lives and loves us.  I know “He is in the details of our lives”.  I know we have a living prophet.  I also testify to the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon! 

We love our good family and friends.  Thank you for your letters—even though I am very slow to respond to you.  Some weeks are much busier than others and sometimes it takes me awhile to respond, but we still love hearing from you.  We love you!  Have a great week!

Love,

President and Sister  McKee, Dad & Mom, Grandpa & Grandma, Bill & RaNae and Angie, Aubrey, Kiara and Destini