I am so sorry I have been slacking the last three weeks. We have been trying to soak up every last ounce of this amazing Alaska summer before winter comes, which means lots of adventuring and very little time emailing. It has been SO fun and SO BEAUTIFUL. I really can't even begin to explain how gorgeous it is up here. I feel so blessed to be serving in such a beautiful place, with such amazing people. I truly have never seen/been anywhere more beautiful. I hope you all get to come experience it for yourself one day!
On that note, we had such an awesome P-day! We went to this hand tram on Monday up in the mountains that goes right over this huge gorge--slightly terrifying but absolutely breathtaking! Here are some of the pics:
On the drive there, we were right on the coast the whole time and got to see like 20 beluga whales! I WAS SO STOKED.
A really bad pic, but it's a beluga whale!
We also received transfer calls this week. Sister Cox and I were terrified because we just weren't ready to leave each other quite yet, and luckily we are staying together as companions. We are about to spend 1/3 of our mission together, and we couldn't be happier...and ever better, we are getting a third companion, SISTER OLIVER!!! We are so EXCITED. We love her, and she's our bestie, so we cannot wait. We will have the opportunity to work with all the sisters in the mission, including the ones we are currently over.
We had an amazing opportunity to have a general authority and his wife come visit our mission this week. We had an awesome meeting with them on Tuesday, and then were able to meet with them again on Friday. They have such powerful, firm testimonies of this Gospel, and it was incredible to see and witness. They brought a lot for our mission and focused a ton on things that we could all improve on. It was cool to see how the spirit directed them to exactly what this mission needed. He kept saying a phrase that I absolutely loved. It was, "The greater the agency, the greater the growth." So simple yet so profound. We are all given one of the greatest gifts, the Gift of Agency. As we use our agency and choose the right, we grow so much. We grown closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our understanding of the Gospel and the principles are strengthened so much. Our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to return to live with Him again. I have a strong testimony of that. As we use our agency and make those decisions that draw us closer to our Savior and strengthen our relationship with our Heavenly Father, we will be extremely blessed.
We have seen SO many miracles this week as well. Bush branch is poppin! We got FOUR new referrals this week, and we are REALLY excited to start teaching them. They are all solid! And, most of them have been phoning into church the last couple of weeks and want to start meeting with the missionaries now! We have a lesson with one of them tonight, so I will keep you updated! It has just been really cool to see the Lord's hand in this work, especially here in Bush Branch. We have no way of really finding, and the members are spread out literally all over Alaska, but the Lord is so aware of this branch and is blessing us so much. It has been such a testimony builder that He hears and answers our prayers. This is His work, and I am extremely thankful to be an instrument in His hands.
Oh, also! We put Nanette on date for baptism on October 14tth! She had expressed that she was at a crossroads and needed to make a decision at our last visit. We were kind of blunt with her and told her that she just needed to make a commitment to a date and act on it. She agreed to work towards the 14th, which is HUGE for her. She's been meeting with missionaries off and on for years and has never committed to a date. You can tell that the Holy Ghost has been working on her, and that she has finally allowed herself to listen and act upon those promptings!
ALSO, we saw the biggest tender mercy on Saturday, THE NORTH POLE WARD WAS AT THE TEMPLE!!! And, we got to see some of them. It made us so happy, and they were confused as to why we were back together; they were really happy to see that we are back!
Okay, I'm going to end with my favorite scripture this week--3 Nephi 11:14-15:
14 Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.
15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into His side, and did feel the prints of the nails in His hands and in His feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was He, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.
I absolutely LOVE this scripture! It is such a powerful witness of our Savior Jesus Christ and His atonement in our behalf. It is another witness that the Book of Mormon truly is another testament of Christ and the love that He has for each of us. Christ invited each person to come unto Him, and ONE BY ONE they went. He loves us and knows us so personally, invites us all to come unto Him individually, and to have a personal relationship with Him. Developing that relationship has been one of the greatest blessings and has helped me each and every day. Take that invitation and come unto Him. He loves us so much.
Love you all; thank you for all that you do! Have such a good week!
Sister McKenna Lake
Anchorage Alaska Mission
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