THE LAST LETTER!!!



Still Working hard during his last weeks as a missionary!!  =)



    HOLY SMOKES FAM Y AMIGOS!!!!!!

So this is my last email as a missionary… I don´t feel like it can be real, I am really at a loss for words!  This is my last week in the mission field, Sunday morning very early we will get on a bus for 9 hours to get to Lima then Monday we have interviews and family night with President, Tuesday morning to the Temple, and Tuesday night… Airport!!!  I feel SO strange because when I was assistant I saw SO many GREAT missionaries end and I just said to myself, ya that will never be me, I am just going to keep on working and BAM!  Here I am… It feels so… SUREAL.  I feel excited to see you guys and all the fam, but I feel crushed to think I have to leave Peru and all these great people!!!  I took off my nametag last night after planning and taking Informs and I started talking to my nametag… (yes I am still that weird)  And I said, well buddy our days are numbered together, let’s make the most of it!!!!!!!!  We will be marrying and baptizing the Echeverria Family!!!  I can’t think of a better way to end my mission than having baptized an ENTIRE FAMILIY OF 6!!!!!!!  And also we are going to baptize the mom of two recent converts!  I feel so blessed and I am SOOO  Happy that we are going to come back in DECEMBER!!! It is going to be SOOOOOO AWESOME that you guys will get to know my converts and all the great people I love from PERU!!!!!!!!!

I just finished writing my last email to President Ardila, flip! That makes me want to cry to think of leaving The Ardila Family and not having President Ardila as my Priesthood Leader!!!  I can´t believe what is happening!!!  But I have a whole bunch of stuff to do and accomplish these last few days that I have as a missionary… I can take a break when they take my name tag off, as for now it’s ALL BUSINESS!!!  I have no idea what I want to do when I get back other than see you guys, the fam and of course ELDER MORTON!  I just want to hide and never talk to a girl ever!  GIRLS SCARE ME MORE THAN EVER!!! I don’t think I will go on a date for 5 years, I had the thought of me hugging a girl and I got SOOOOO SCARED!  Flip I think I will just stay here in Peru! 

SO I was reading this morning one of Elder Christofferson´s talks that is called Always Remember Him, and I am SO grateful for the sacrament, I get scared a little thinking that I will get thrown back into the world that is so evil and full of temptation and crap like that.   I don’t want to take any step back in the progress that I have made as a missionary, and by reading that talk I felt at peace thinking if I just do my part and remain Obedient and Faithfull I will be in the Lord´s hands and always be able to Remember him.  These really have been the BEST 2 YEARS of my life to this point, and the Best 2 years FOR MY LIFE FOR EVER AND EVER!!!!!!!  I love this gospel and my mission, I know that the Lord planned that I would serve in THIS mission at THIS moment since the foundation of the world (See Abraham 2) And I am very happy to be able to say that I have done my part in this mission and I am leaving The Peru Lima East Mission and Peru better than when I got here, just like on a campout of Boy Scouts!  Leave it better than when you came!  And I know that the Lord accepts my 2 years of service.  I have Never done anything stupid like watching movies of the world or listening to worldly music or getting in my facebook or just wasting time in my apartment! I have HONRABLY served MY LORD AND SAVIOR UNTIL THE END!  And there is NO great peace than that!  Missionaries that do dumb things like that… one, don’t have testimonies, or two have forgotten why they are here. And they should be WOKEN UP!!!  Thanks fam for always helping me remember why I am here and WHO I am serving.  I love you SO much family and I am very happy to be able to see you this next week!  Keep strong, Keep the Faith, and Keep you chin up, because CHRIST LIVES!!!  And he can heal any pain, sickness, or sin that we might have!  NEVER GET DISCOURAGED!!!  I like what Christ said, ¨Be still and know that I AM GOD¨  I know that he is my Savior and that he will come soon, what a pleasure it has been to help him prepare the world for his Second COMING!  I know that I have been able to do what is asked of me in my favorite verses in the book of Mormon, Helaman 5:6-7... I have left a good name and lived up to mine!!! Nos vemos pronto, les quiero UN MONTON!

With all the love I have!
Elder Spencer Marty McGhie!



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The three Amigo's who are also companions!! =)



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The Huanuco Amarillis Zone









I wanted to repost an email that Spencer sent to us when he had been a missionary for a little over 6 months and was in a brand new area with a new companion!

 

Hi, this is Carrie again, I just wanted to repost an experience that Spencer had when he had been on his mission a little over 6 months.  I had a few people tell me that they the story really inspired them, so I thought I would share it once again, in case someone didnt get to read it!! =)  Since Spencer comes home in 12 days, I remember this email very well as I felt so connected to him by the Spirit when I read the end part where he said: Mom I had an amazing experience the other day in my prayer before I went to sleep, I started praying and I just got this distinctive feeling that you were either praying for me or talking to me or in my room just chatting it up with me (I still go in Spencers room at times and just talk to him, like he can hear me.......I know he cant hear me for real but at these times, I have felt very close and connected to him, like the Spirit is connecting us together!) It was incredible! And then Ainsleys experience, that I was praying for her and she felt me praying for her, how amazing is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Spencers sister Ainsley was out running one day, with much on her mind and she had a feeling so strongly that Spencer was praying for her at that very moment!)

Now onto Spencers experience! =) -------------------------------------------------->>>>>>>

Well now onto my weekly report... To say the least I had one of my biggest Gringo moments of my life this week! So strap on and prepare for this one!  So at the beginning of every month we go to the bank to draw out our money.  And we always just do it in Soles, but for some reason we had to get it out in dollars and then trade it for soles.... yeah, you already know what’s coming!  So me and my new Chilean companion (Peruanos  dont like Chileans)  leave the bank with a butt load of money to pay the pension and the room and laundry and all that stuff... So we go down a street where there are like 50 shops to exchange dollars.  SO we find the shop with the best trade in and we enter.  I had a crapload of money so we enter and we see the exchange rate, they do it all on their calculator and all is well.  We are trading the money in and all that stuff.  When they changed the money I started to count it all for like the 3rd time just in case, and they got annoyed and then took the money and started counting it out loud to me and made me feel stupid so I was like ya, ya it’s alright.  We leave and get back to the room and my comp starts counting his money again.   I was in the bathroom and he starts hooping and hollering, Hey!!! Hey!!! They robbed me 20 soles! And in Peru 20 soles is a pretty good amount of money.  I though he was just being a psycho Chilean who like to accuse the Peruanos for robbing them of everything... haha! So I don’t say anything but he just kept freaking out so, we counted his money and he WAS short 20 soles, so then I start to get a little worried and I count my money and those tools jacked me 50 soles!!! GARBAGE! I was flippin ticked, 50 soles is a bunch of money, I mean the church only gives us like 85 soles for the whole month to live on so you do the math!!! So we got in a taxi and I was like,…WE ARE GETTING OUR MONEY BACK!!! But before we left we said a prayer and it calmed me down, and I got to thinking, what would Jesus do in this situation...  My comp wanted to storm in there and just start rippin heads off, but I got an idea of how Christ would get his money back... So we get to the little sketchy shop and all the little money changers are in there and all got way excited thinking we were there to trade more money so they could rob us more... Boy,  were they wrong! I entered and just said, “Sorry Hermanos, we forgot to invite you to join us in church this Sunday at 9 in the morning!”  Then I whipped out a bunch of Hand out cards with the picture of Jesus in his red robe and said, also we have some gifts for you... laminated pictures of Jesus Christ!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!! I then started to explain a little about our missions, how we are here to serve Christ and it’s all service and they don’t pay us and the money is so that we can pay our pension and eat!!! I then said,”Now brothers you owe me 50 soles and my companion 20”... And you know what………… they all just immediately whipped out the money threw it on the table and just stared at the floor!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!  How about them apples!!!! They wouldn’t even look me in the eye! I finished up the invite to church told them that it would help them a lot and change their lives! I handed them the Handouts of Christ and we bailed!!! OOOOHHH HECK YEAH BABY!!! I felt like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry... Come on Boy, Make my DAY!!! HAHA!!  IT might sound way lame but it was totally Legit! Haha…. take that world!!! SO……. that was a big moment this week!!!! As of a week and a half ago we didn’t have 1 investigator and guess how many we had at church yesterday.... 5!!! WHAT!!! MIRACLES FROM THE HAND OF THE LORD! 3 of them have baptismal dates for the 23rd and we have a lesson with the others tonight and we are going to challenge them to see if they want to get baptized!!! MIRACLES; nothing more, nothing less! I love the mission, it’s really, really hard sometimes but I am learning lessons in these 2 years that would take 20 years to learn!

I have to say that your emails family, last week saved me!!! They were answers to my Prayers! Ainsley email of how we should give thanks for our challenges was just what I needed to hear, also Lineys email what so powerful, it put me to tears!!! Fam and Friends I love you all sososososo much, enjoy this 4th of July and don’t forget to sing, “I’m Proud To Be An American, really loud before the 4^th is over!!!!!  You are always in my thoughts and prayers!!

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Elder Spencer Marty McGhie.... 

LOVE YALL SOSOSOSOSO MUCH!

Elder McGhie with his new companion Elder Pozo

PEN ULTIMO P-DAY... Flip!

Dear Family y Amigos!!!

   

So I feel a little strange thinking that this is my second to last letter as a missionary, and that the letters you write me this week for next Monday are the last letters that I will read from you guys!!!  HOW WEIRD!!!  But I feel excellent about the service I have given the Lord these past 23 and a half months and I will keep on working just as hard if not even harder!!!  About 4 months ago I made a goal, when I was with Elder Hernandez in Huancayo that I wanted to Baptize 30 people in my last 4 months... Well I have been able to baptize 24 and I have 2 weeks left!  We have the family Echeverria that is going to get married this week and their older daughter will be baptized and we have about 4 other investigators progressing for November 3rd.  I still have work to do and I want to meet my goal!!! I will feel SO happy if I can reach my goal of 30.  But I know it isn´t thanks to me, its thanks to the Lord and The Holy Ghost.  I am so grateful that I have had the chance to work here in Huanuco for such a long time!!!  All in all with my time in Paucarbamba it will be 9 months in this great city!!!  I AM HUANUQUEÑO!!!(I am guessing he is saying he is Huanucoan?  Okay, maybe he means he is now from Huanuco???  I don’t know, Spanish is hard, I stare at the Spanish words thinking I can figure out what they are saying and well let’s just say  that I don’t have the gift of tongues, that is for sure!! =) 

I feel that King Benjamin can explain a little better how I feel, look up Mosiah 2:15-16... I can honestly say that I stand clean before the Lord for the service that I have rendered in my time as a missionary here in Peru!!! Now all the missionaries’ that might read this letter, I challenge you to do the same and you will see the difference in your lives!!! The only thing I can tell you is BE OBEDIENT WITH EXACTNESS and you will be a changed man!!!  Get you flippin butts (sorry he gets that from me (not the flippin part) but the other part, so I need to be a better example??? )out of bed before 6:30AM!!! There isn´t anything that bothers me more, except for disconfirmations (I think that is when people decide not to get baptized ??), than elders that don’t get out of bed!!!  We have been getting up at 5:50am every day (I think he has lost his mind – 5:50am???  I don’t think it is light outside at that time, I need sunshine to help me want to get up………..I have been trying to become a morning person for about 4 yrs now and I haven’t had much success, maybe Spencer can help his mom……..get her ”flippin butt”out of bed but not at 5:50am……..maybe 7:30am or 8 am is good??? But no soccer for me thanks! =)) and playing soccer every morning!  ITS TOO GREAT!!!  HAHA… I am sure that you can´t believe that I am getting up that early and loving it!  Yes this is the same Spencer that couldn’t get up at 9 am to get to church on time! THE MISSION CHANGES LIVES!!! I LOVE MY MISSION!!!

       

So fam I have a few questions really quickly!!!  First, what is going on with Mitt Romney!!! I NEED DETAILS!  Everyone talks about it down here and I have no idea what is happening with him!! Oh and Ainsley, call the missionaries and BAPTIZE THAT FAMILY, WHOSE BASEMENT YOU LIVE IN, CARAMBAS!!!  I almost fainted when I read that you have investigators in church and haven’t told the missionaries.. COME ON MAN!!!  Russ should have baptized the family 3 weeks ago!  Oh and just one more thing...

I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Too bad about BYU, it hurts to read they were SO CLOSE TO WINNING... Oh well Idaho is toast the 10th of NOVEMBER (I hope that it is a home game cause he isn’t leaving again that soon!!)!!! HAHA!

BYE!

Love,

Elder McGHIE (not sure why he writes McGhie like that, oh well if it makes him happy???  I just hope he can speak English when he gets home because he writes all his sentences backwards and I have to figure out how to fix them so they make sense and I have caught myself saying some things in the wrong order lately, it must be contagious!!!! =)

Here is what Spencer wrote about the pictures:

OKEE DOKEE!  SO here are some pics of our 3 baptisms this week! I LOVE BAPTISMS!!!!!!!   Their parents are getting married this week and are going to be baptized, and thier older sister as well!!! VIVA!!! Also here is a pic of all the elders in our apartment! WE ARE 7!!! It is so nuts, but a lot of fun, haha its like i went back to the mtc or something!!!  Oh and the last pic of elder smith foolin around with my camera, i thought it was funny... and i forgot to explain the last pic on teh other email, thats my comp on saturday, he was DEATHLY ill, so i bothered him and i lent him ANTONIO (Caroline sent Spencer Antonio, a blow up cow that she bought him in Amsterdam?)to help him feel better! HAHA! 



He is just a little bit strange!! =)


Here's Spencer comments about the pictures below:

Here are pictures of Elder Morrow and I (from South Carolina) one of my best buds in the whole mission, we have shared apartmentes since I got to Huanuco...  The first pic is when we were in splits and we went to his area with his comp Elder Duran (from Chile) and it just started to POUR!!!  Haha it was nuts and we were on TOP of the flippin mountain! HAHA!  Oh and here we are using the Chile Jerseys of his comp... CHEVERE!  Mom you should be friends with his mom, she is great!



AND THE ANTS GO MARCHING DOWN...

HOOOOLLLAA FAM Y AMIGOS!!!!

I just about fell off my top bunk bed this morning when I realized that after this p-day I only have 2 more left… ummm … HELLO REALITY CHECK TO ELDER McGHIE!?  I don’t really know what to say… But there is only one thing to do... KEEP ON CHUGGIN!!  I can´t lie family, I am feeling the heavy legs as I climb up the mountain to talk to the people in Huanuco, I am pretty tired but, I know I can do it!!! Like mom always sings... Put one foot in front of the other and soon you´ll be walking out the door!  Haha I don’t mean that in a trunky way but I don’t know how many times I have sung that song on my mission to keep on going!  Thanks so much dad for the conference talks, they are what I need to study right now! 

 

Thanks for all your encouragement and that you guys always write me, I can NEVER THANK YOU GUYS ENOUGH!  So that is why today I am sending a personal letter to all of you, mom, dad, Ainsley and Liney because it’s the last handwritten mission letter that I will be sending you so yes its going to get SPRITIUAL!!! HAHA!

So this week we had a great baptism, the little sister of a recent convert, the teenager that I baptized in the river named Heidy who goes to seminary EVERY DAY at 5:30AM!  We baptized her little sister Laura, they both remind me of Caroline!!! It was like I was teaching and baptizing my very own little sister, only Peruvian style!!! But don’t worry Liney, they can’t and won’t ever replace you!!!  Haha

 

So dad, I am SO proud of you in your marathon, BIG PROPS!!!  And mom, I hope you have gotten to finish watching conference!  It was amazing!!!!!  Mom, don’t worry if you can’t lose any weight!  I COULD CARE LESS, I JUST WANT TO HUG MY MAMITABONITA IN 3 WEEKS!!!  Like the prophet said, Every woman needs to hear that she is Beautiful!!!  And mom, honestly YOU ARE SOSOSOSOSO BEAUTIFUL!  AND I LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!!!

 

SO dad I was thinking can´t I just use my Echoes for our Machu Picchu trip?  I don’t think I need other hiking boots, these are by far the BEST and most sturdy shoes I have ever worn... oh and my Brown Echoes are about to die, so I won’t be bringing those home... Not to be selfish or a girl, but I think I am going to need new white shirts, shoes, slacks and all that (see my pic from today!!  I love you all SO very much and I won’t lie, I am very excited to be with you all again, I love Peru and my mission, don’t get me wrong, but it will be great to be together again!

Love you,

ELDER SPENCER MARTY McGHIE

 

 

 

Conference is the BOMB!

HEY FAM Y AMIGOS!!!

  

SO I hope everyone has enjoyed the conference!  It was SO AMAZING!  I wanted to congratulate Dad on running a FULL MARATHON!!! THAT A BOY DAD!  Full marathon in under 4 and a half hours!!!!!  PROPS TO DAD AND RESPECT!!!!!!!!   QUE LOGRO!!!!  I have really come to love running in the mission, in the mornings we always go for a good run and I have already set goals to run a few half marathons and this time next year we have to run a marathon dad!!! SO AWESOME!!!!!  Shout out to Liney for driving on the freeway!!!!!!  OH YEAH!!! And sorry Liney, I don’t think you will be driving home for the airport... just saying haha!!!  Mom, I hope you are keeping up the good work in your training sessions and that you are accomplishing what you want to do!  And that Ainsley can get her time off in Culinary School so she will not be entirely stressed out when I get back!  Oh and shout out to RUSS TOO!!!

       

So I wanted to tell you that I now have a new companion!  Elder Morales from Arequipa!  Don´t worry I am still with Elder Smith, President sent us a new lider de zona to train him and when we both leave he will be able to stay here and keep working hard!!!  So we are pretty happy about that because I trained Elder Contreras and he trained Elder Morales!!! So I am with the trainee of my trainee! COOL EH?  He has 9 months and is already a zone leader!  (LIVING UP TO THE FAMILY NAME!!!)  So we are working really hard here!  We didn’t reach our goal of 10, the ward goal was 7, but we had our personal goal of 10, but this month the ward goal is going to be 10 and I KNOW WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!  SO I wanted to talk a little bit about general conference and how great it really was!!! I went into conference with 4 questions to answer!  Number 1- How I can honestly do the will of the Lord so that I might inherit the HIGHEST Kingdom in the Kingdom Celestial... Number 2- How can I set high goals and follow through with them until the end... Number 3- What does it really mean to be Honest and virtuous, and how can I do that... Number 4- What does my Heavenly Father expect and desire of me in my last month as a Missionary to really complete my mission and feel that great peace even more as if end my service as a missionary... As you can guess I was able to find many, many answers!  But I want your opinions, so I have homework for you guys, I will assign all of you a question and I want your answers this Monday!!! So dad you are in charge of the first question, Ainsley the second, Liney the 3rd and mom the 4th!!!!  I am expecting some great answers eh!? 

Dad can I ask you a favor, I wasn’t able to hear some of the talks all the way through, while running around helping investigators and helping our the Stake President count attendance and all that jazz and of course we didn’t have power for half of the Sunday morning session and in the afternoon session it just all turned off... so I ask you when they come out on internet to email me a few talks right away to study them... Elder Bednar in the Sunday afternoon also Elder Nash(he spoke to us when I was in the Peru MTC, is ex-president of our area) also ELDER HOLLANDS TALK(THE BOMB) And Elder Uctdorf´s talk from priesthood and whatever other talk you find interesting!!

Shout out to this GREAT COUNTRY OF PERU!!! 3 TEMPLES SON!!! (TAKE THAT JORDY!!!) haha Oh and how cool that missionaries can serve when they have 18 and the girls 19!!!  I WOULD HAVE LOVE TO SERVE AT 18! But I love my mission just the way it is!!!  I was sure that mom was crying in Elder Nelsons talk Sunday morning and the mo tab sang my FAVORITE HIMN to start it all off... HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION!!! OH HECK YEAH!!! All in all it was a great conference.  As my mission is coming to an end and I have to do my post mission goals about work, studies, searching for a wife and all that I have been able to reflect a lot in the conference and all that is ahead of me... The journey is JUST STARTING, and when the Lord asks me in the judgment day, Spencer, do you love me? I want to be able to respond WITHOUT A DOUBT; YES LORD I LOVE YOU, HERE IS WHAT I HAVE DONE TO SHOW YOU MY LOVE!!! Thanks for everything!

BYE!

Elder McGHIE

 

 

MY LAST ZONE LEADER CONFERENCE!!!

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HEY FAMILY Y AMIGOS!!!

    

It’s your favorite son/missionary in the whole wide world... ELDER McGHIE!!!!!!!  I am honestly in shock right now, I am in Lima with Elder Smith and all the other Zone leaders at the monthly zone leader conference!!  This is my13th Zone Leader Conference in the mission and I can’t really believe that time has gone by SO fast!!!  I went through 5 or 6 of these conferences as them as Assistant but that still counts!!!  So when it’s your last zone leader conference you have to stand up at the end and well share your testimony... FLIP!!!!!!!!  So, Elder Biliter started and was strong and didn´t cry!  Then my old comp Elder Avalos shared his testimony and cried, so I started tearing all up and then it was my turn!!!  I had the CRAZIEST feeling of the Spirit and nerves and a reality check that time is running down!!!!  FLIP!!!  I was choked up the entire time I was sharing my testimony! The rest of the guys shared their testimony, my comp Elder Smith, and PAPIX  Elder Madsen, and flip he started balling, so I started up again.  I then gained my composure and we just HAD to finish the conference singing, “COME COME YE SAINTS”....  I was strong until the last verse and well the WATER FALL started up again! 

Holy SMOKES  I was dying of reality check!  I mean I wasn’t even affected when I was thinking 50 days of 45 and then today i got smacked up side the head with a HUGE wake up call because that was my last CONFERENCE!  President Ardila was crying and Sister Ardila was balling, and some of the other zone leaders, man it was an emotional day but a great day!

      

We then got to go to the temple and just do some good old meditating!!!  Nothing better than going to the Temple!!!  I was overcome by a great feeling of peace while sharing my testimony, and throughout the whole conference, because I have really served my mission well!!!!!!!!!  I told the elders that I felt the spirit so strong and that they should work their tails off so they can have that great feeling!   I have always remembered what dad said, that there is NO greater feeling than getting on the plane knowing you gave it all to the Lord!
Love ya!

BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder McGHIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

saludos de MADSEN! (I think this might me that Elder Madsen says hello?)

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