April 14, 2013

April 14, 2013
Dear Family and friends,
     I haven’t been very consistent at writing lately, but hope to do better in the future!  Sure hope all of you are doing well. We have certainly loved hearing from many of you.  You cards and letters mean so much to me and to all of us!  It is spring time here in Brentwood, though it has taken awhile to get here.  The white Bartlett Pear trees have been blooming for several weeks now and the white blossoms have almost all turned green.  The light pink cherry trees are now blossoming and the very rich purple trees ( I still don’t know what they are called but they are beautiful!) It has been very warm during the day and still a bit chilly at night.

    Angie has been playing rugby and it feels like we are in Idaho watching baseball games with out blankets wrapped around us.  She has been phenomenal at rugby.  She had never played the game before this year, but every game she does better and better.  She came home last week with cleat marks in her thigh and she was very proud of them.  Her coach said she was a natural born athlete.  I agree.  She will be flying to Lehi on May 22 where she will graduate from high school there.  Her online distance education classes have been through American Heritage in Lehi, so she will be able to walk on that night with all of the other graduation seniors.  I’m so proud of her.  She has worked very hard—in spite of doing my jobs for the past few months.  That Angie is one of a kind.!!! I know that Heavenly Father knew  I would need her stabilizing influence in our family about now! I’m just not sure how I am going to get along without her.  She will be going to Fiji the last week of July.

Last Season game

   Kylie is coming out tomorrow for a week.  I am so grateful for my children who have sacrificed to come out to Nashville to assist their mom.   They will never know how much I appreciate it.  Mike was here for awhile,  Jared and Brittany came for a few weeks, and Michelle came leaving her boys with Travis and Grandma and Grandpa Draper.  They all have been such amazing help for me.  This past couple of weeks I have gotten Stacy Nemelke (my cousin Barre and Karen Burgon’s daughter) who is living here in Nashville while her husband is going to school to not only help me with the medical things for the missionaries, but to take me to my appointments and to help me whenever I need something.  She is a doll and has helped me a lot.

  I am still doing pretty well.  Except for my left eye, my dizziness and my left arm, I am pretty much all back to normal.  A couple of weeks ago, one of our 1st assistants, Elder Adams, called me.  When he was 2 he had cancer in one of his eyes and had to have a glass eye put in.  When he called me, he said,”  So Sister McKee, how are you doing?”  I told him I was doing great except for my left eye---I see double and everything moves around that isn’t really moving!  Elder Adams said, “Oh Sister McKee, did you forget all of those things I used to tell you?  He said, First of all, eyes are over rated.  You have one good one, that’s all you need.  Then he reminded me in D & C 4:5 that it says, “And faith, hope, charity, and love, with an eye single to the glory of God qualify him for the work.”
He said, “You see, it says EYE not EYES and you have everything you need to be qualified for the work.
I have to say that he made me feel better.
I am still attending physical therapy twice a week and I think they are doing a good job there.  I have to have an MRI on my shoulder—they told me I have frozen shoulder, but now they think it is my rotator cuff.  My eyes are still about the same, in that I can’t really see very well at all.  When I use my reading glasses, I can see SOME things but it is a challenge.  My eye doctor has me doing some eye exercises that are trying to force my eyes to diverge, but I’m not doing very good with them!

Mama McKee speaking to her missionaries. 

Two transfers ago we got in 25 new missionaries, last Monday, we were supposed to be getting 14 but two days before transfers, Salt Lake called us and said we were getting 10 visa waiters along with out 14.  And we are getting 7 more visa waiters today.  This is always exciting, but the logistics of it all makes for some stressful days.  Double the food, apartments, companions, where do we put them the night they generally stay in the mission home, etc…………and on top of it all President has to interview each one of them.  The group we got in last Monday was an amazing group though and we are grateful to have each one of them.  We actually got 2 from Pocatello,  Aubrey Kepler and Elder Williams.  Sharp missionaries!!!   Our baptisms seems to keep climbing and the wards and branches out here are growing.  It is very exciting. President and I are going to our next Mission Presidents’ Seminar the end of this month.

New Missionaries in the TNM

Miracles in the Great TNM:
1) I went to my orthopedic doctor about my arm and he said, “RaNae, I don’t believe in miracles.  I never have believed in miracles.  But I see you sitting here today after having seen you many times when you were in the hospital and YOU ARE A MIRACLE!  Sitting right here in front of me! I can’t believe you are even alive, let alone walking around doing what you are doing.

We had to go to Monteagle to CVS to get some perscriptions, our goal for the trip was to give eight people we met
the card "Finding Faith in Christ", give out four Books of Mormon, visit two members, and visit a referral we had.
Passed out twelve cards, got one invite to come to their home,  found where the referral lives, fond one member had moved and one that invited us back. While at CVS we gave four cards and got one invite to visit.(Sr. couple)

“ Remember when we sang to Dawn in Taco Bell "I Know that My Redeemer Lives?" Well, the next day we went to find a couple members who we didn't know anything about, and came across Bob. He is not a member, but lives in the house of one of those members whom we were looking for who moved. Well we got on the topic of doing awkward things and Elder Webb shared this story with Bob of singing in Taco Bell, and he though for a second and asked which Taco Bell. We told him the one, and he said, "All my buddies in the Army were talking about you today." We started laughing and couldn't believe it. We were the talk of the army post that day. So crazy!”

“we had 8 total investigators come to General Conference with us! It was awesome!”

“ Lesson number one "Compromise"  Just because I am the senior companion doesn't mean you opinion doesn't matter.  We are a team and with that statement that also mean I have to trust you and listen to what you have to say some times. “

“We still have 5 dates set but I’m not settling at that. We have around 35 potential investigators that we have met this last transfer and about 15 -20 investigators who we haven't set a date with for some strange reason but we will do that ASAP! The more people the Lord gives us means the more time we need to spend preparing and keeping a record and plan for them.”

“ we had 5 investigators watch general conference at the church,”

“ We had 5 investigators at church which is the most we have ever had so far. …. That makes 4 dates so far and we are hoping to set at least two more this week. It truely is Missionary Fun,”

“First off Kristin got baptized even through all the opposition that came her way. Her husband Alex has mentioned a desire to be baptized as well, which is amazing to see his progress from atheist to thirsting for truth. It really was quite the miracle getting Kristin to her baptism. It was a testimony builder of faith and pray.”

How we love this work!!!    And what a blessing  for us that we are able to stay out here in Tennessee and work with these amazing missionaries.  Everyday there are miracles that we tend to take for granted and as we acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all things and watch for his “tender mercies”  we will be happy. My testimony of the Book of Mormon has grown so much since we have been in the mission field.  There are promises for all of us in that great book—it is up to us to put them to the test.  I know the Lord will not let us down.  This is an amazing church and gospel that we have.  I love it and know of its truthfulness.  May y’all have a great week!
Love  y’all!,
President and Sister McKee,  Dad and Mom, Grandpa and Grandma, Bill and RaNae and Angie, Aubrey, Kiara and Destini,