Life just got a little different and a lot more hecktic!!! :)

HHHHHOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!!!

Whats up people!!! Well I’ve got a crapload of stuff to tell ya and not a whole lot of time to tell ya!  So transfers have come and gone and im in LIMA NOW!!! AHHHH!!! Im so close to the CCM (the Peru MTC), I’m in Santa Anita in the area La Universal, and I’m like 20 minutes away from the CCM!!! I wanna see Bubba (Spencers friend, who is in the Peru MTC right now!) so bad I dont know how it would be possible but who knows, miracles do happen!  So life, my life has definetly taken a big turn and thing are pretty different now!!!!!! Haha  First of all, I was transferred to Lima, which is SO different than Huancayo or Huanuco… I mean, I got here Wednesday and I had to wait till Sunday to even see the sun… WOOF!  And well Lima has a lot more stuff, like the chapels are bigger and a lot more like the States, our Bishop is a CHAMPION and so that is very helpful!!  Also, probably the biggest change is MY COMP IS A GRINGO!!! HOOORAY!!! Its pretty great I mean we still only speak spanish but it is awesome!!! His name is Elder Brent Winterton from Salt Lake, he Graduated from Skyline High School and he has about 14 months in the mission.  Hes a great guy and we get along great. 

Also I got a new assignment, I’m a Zone Leader.  And its a lot harder than I thought! Haha  I mean, I got here and the zone is well.... pretty much struggling ALOT!  So in my first zone conference I kinda had to lay the hammer down… ummm.... because the zone leader before me, he kinda had the attitude that numbers dont really matter, so if we dont reach our goal each week, dont worry bout it!! He claims that numbers didnt matter because they were all working… AY CARUMBA!!!! Yeah its true, numbers arent everything, but they are what show if your even working or not!!!!!  So I dont think the zone was to thrilled when I told them we are going to take a new direction adn change ALOT of things… But thats the way its gotta be!!!!  So, I wont lie, its kinda hard being zone leaders, I mean I’m just used to kinda being everyones friend and taking it easy… but that isnt really possible in my new role… Sweet Death I need some help!!! So Dad I will be waiting anxiously for your next email filled with lots of advice and tips for me!!! Also my new pensionista is the BEST!!! Lima is really different becasue people here actually have stuff! Like  they own computers and I dunno just stuff! Its alot more like the States here, but still pretty different haha!!!I would much rather be in Provincia (The Provinces are the areas outside of Lima, like the places he had been in before), but I will stay positive and just enjoy what I got!  So, I really do miss Huancayo and my area, my companion Elder Contreras and my Pensionista, also I miss just being able to work and not have to worry about 16 other missionaries and a bunch of stress, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles!!!  Oh and Tuesday as my last lunch there in Huancayo and  my Pensionista made me GUINEY PIG!!! HAHA   We asked for it and it was well… rather interesting, tastes like chicken!!!  The picture with my old pensionista in Huancayo, I am holding a plate of GUINEY PIG also a few pictures of my last zone meeting and district meeting in Huancayo, so they have these crackers here and the brand name is KRAPS!!! Haha   I couldn’t resist, so we had Kraps with Peanut Butter in my last district meeting.

 We had a baptism yesterday, here in Lima and we also got to hear President Monson, Elder Christopherson and Julie Beck (Tell her I was waiting for my shout out… haha) speak to all of Peru in a Peru wide Stake Conference! It was pretty cool.  So life is great but crazy!!!!  I am going to write yall some letters, sorry I have been slacking, I hope you don’t feel like I have forgotten about yall but life just gets more and more busy here!!!!!   I will try to do better! I,m anxious to hear about Liney, my Catholic sister! HAHAHA  and I will pray for you that you wont become a nun!!!!  I LOVE YA!!!!   And, PLEASE, remember in yours prayers that there are 2 gringos in downtown Lima, running around preaching the Gospel  like mad! LOVE YA!!

CHAU CHAU!!!

Elder Spencer Marty McGhie!

The paragraph below came in a separate email that Spencer mailed first for Ainsley since he kind of forgot her birthday last Monday =)!!!

Ainsley, Im a horrible person... when i logged off my computer last week for internet i walked down to print out my emails and all was well, then i stopped, smacked my forehead and yelled OH FLIP!!! MY comp asked me what happened, I told him, its my sisters birthday an i forgot to tell her happy birthday! I really did feel horrible... So today before i write my president or send pictures i have to wish you a VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, Late but Sincere,
HAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY BIRTHDAY AINS!!! YOUUUUURRRR OLD!! hahahaha!!! And by the way i did sing to you Tuesday morning! So now i will go and write my pres and upload my pics and write my letter! IM SOSOSO SORRY!!! LOVE YA!!!

Then after Spencer’s apology to Ainsley and his regular email and  then 2 emails with pictures in them, we got another email and the subject line said: OH CRAP!! So, here is what that short email said.........

I forgot to tell you that mom, you wont get an email this next Monday. You have to wait till Thursday!!! SORRY but we are going to the temple on Thursday and dont have p-day  on Monday!!! BYEE! (This totally made me laugh because I think he had finished everything else and realized that if he didnt let me know I wasnt going to hear from him until Thursday, I would freak out on Monday and send him about 100 emails asking him where he is and then I would make Marty call the mission office and find out what was going on!!!!! But at least this time he told me before hand, so he is learning !!!!!) 



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Elder McGhie and Elder Smith eating the Kraps crackers =)!!



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Spencer and his new companion, Elder Witherton in Lima!!!



Singing In The Rain and This Is Peru !!

Hola everyone, I sort of totally forgot to send Spencer’s email out this week……..I think my mind just decides it needs a break sometimes and it goes to Peru to hang out with Spencer???? =)!!  So we have another short email this week, but I guess that means he is working hard or maybe he is having way too much fun!!!!!!??? J

I hope this email finds all of you happy and doing great!!  Thanks for being so wonderful!!!

Carrie                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               P.S. ……..On Oct 3^rd Spencer will have been on his mission for 11 months!!!  We are almost to the one year mark!!!!  I can’t wait to start counting down!!) =)

Hola familia y amigos

So how bout them cougz!! That’s a bummer that they lost, I only saw the score, I will read the details after this and well mom, I  have no clue if I’m getting transferred.  A lot of the other missionaries have told me they think I’m going but, I have no idea!!!  The package was AWESOME! I love it all i have been eating all the teddy grahams with my cake frosting! It’s like manna from Heaven!!!!  and all the little funny things made me laugh and yes I felt very loved!!! I hung some of the posters up in my room and everything!!!  So i got a lot to tell you guys and very short time to do it!!!

    So this week was absolutely NUTS!!!  With the good news that Hermano Tomas got baptized!!! HHOOOOORAY!!! After 78 missionaries the Lord finally touched his heart and it just so happens that I was here to see it happen and be the missionary to teach him!!! It was so great and it is all thanks to the Heavenly Father... We had to fight and fight and fight to get Hermano Tomas to that baptismal font, but it was so worth it!!! He has changed incredibly and in 1 year he’s going to the Temple with his wife and daughter!!! To be sealed for Time and All Eternity.  What a miracle this life really is!!! Sometimes i just can’t even comprehend how perfect God´s Plan is!!! Well it’s PERFECT!!! Haha, so that was awesome.  But on the not so awesome news, the twins just totally got freaked out and bailed on the baptism thanks to the 1st counselor in our ward.... WOOF! We had a Family Night with them, and we taught the Sabbath Day and Tithing.  And all was just fine and dandy till the 1st counselor started to get really fired up and it ended with him practically yelling that there is one true church and the rest are led by the DEVIL HIMSELF! I almost fell off my chair!  HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE THAT THE 1ST COUNSELOR IN THE BISHOPRIC, DOES THAT IN A LESSON WITH 2 PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT LDS!!! I just shook my head and said T.I.P.... This is Peru, what can ya do? So, that completely freaked them out, and then their neighbors told them that if they get baptized they have to pay all they own to the church and oh my goodness!!!! Haha, But, we worked with them and now they know that the 1^st counselor got a little carried away and was totally wrong in what he said and so was their neighbor!!!! It looks like they will get baptized the 24th of this month and that will be awesome and all (If I’m here!) haha but yeah so that was an adventure!!   So the next day I was just a little down and then the rain came down like mad!!!  It was about 6 in the evening and it rained like I have never seen before!  Oh, remember that time we were in Nauvoo, it rained harder than that!  And it just made me so happy!!! My companion asked me if we should go back to the apartment and wait it out, I laughed out loud and said, HECK NO BABY! This is when we show how important this message is, that not if even an absolute down pour will stop this message from getting out!!! It rained for a solid 3 hours like that and I was so happy! We contacted like crazy FOOLS!! Everyone told me we were nuts but it was awesome! I was singing, called to serve the whole time and it really just made me so happy! I love this work and how great it is!! Sorry this is really short but I will do better next week!!!
BYE!!! LOVE YOU!!!
Elder Spencer Marty McGhie!!!!

About the attached pictures:

Hermano Tomas and his family at his baptism, last p day we played legit soccer with my AWESOME New soccer ball, and us celebrating after the baptism! Don’t worry I only use those glasses in the apartment as a joke... but if one day I need glasses I will be rollin like that!!!






THE EPIC BATTLE CONTINUES!

This is not a very long email !!!  I am not really happy about that and also the sun is NOT SHINING TODAY either!!!  Carrie

COUGAR NATION LIVES!! TAKE THAT SEC!!!! HAHAHA!!

Hey fam and friends,

Well I won’t lie, the first thing I did was go to see how my cougz did and what a tale! The “come back kids” strike again! That’s some great stuff…  I just have to tell myself that this is the only full season of Cougar Football I have to miss for my whole live…. I can do this! Haha! FOR THE LORD!  The Lord knows that I would never give up a full year of football for anyone else but him and the fam…  So like they always say, sacrifice, brings blessing… right?! Haha

Well I have had quite the week here in Huancayo, La Florida to say the least.  Started off with my package arriving! HHHOOOORRRAYYY!!! It was beyond awesome to get the package! I haven’t finished the tape up yet or fiddled with the electronic voice sender, so you’ll have to wait till next week to get to hear my wonderful voice!!!So, I will respond to some questions that were asked me on the tape you sent… Elder Contreras is the 3rd new elder I am training, It also sounds like Ferrari Color is killin it!!! HOW BOUT EM BRAVES BABY!!!   Also people always ask me what I studied or what I’m going to do with my life afterwards and I was thinking the other night and have no clue! So when you talked about sales it was like an answer to my hidden prayer dad (really Marty?, Spencer doesn’t need to be worrying about what career he is going to have later in his life???  He hasn’t even been to college yet???)!!! So I only listened to the part of the tape you sent where  Dad and Natalee were talking and also mom screaming in the background at me for not emailing her….haha classic!  (Well he didn’t send an email to us until like 2pm on Tuesday, yes I need to have more faith but so I am not perfect!!!???).

So I will tell ya about the week and how it went down!!  First off  this week could be one of the most incredible weeks of my life!!!  I know that numbers don’t matter and all but I would just like to share with you some of the miracle we saw this last week…. We found 26 New Investigators; we invited 28 people to be baptized and had 11 investigators in Sacrament Meeting!!!!  It was UNREAL!!!!! We didn’t do anything special or change something, we just worked like always and the Lord blessed us unbelievably!!!  We have 3 baptisms this coming Saturday!  2 twin sisters and the Hermano Thomas who has talked to about 80 missionaries and well the Lord prepared him just in the right time that I got here!!! So we have been fighting against satan pretty hard to get those baptism dates set and accepted, every lesson with those 3 has just been a crazy royal battle!!! I can honestly say that I have never taught better and clearer than this week, the Spirit was so strong in the lessons and it was like revelation was flowing out of my mouth!!!  You better bet that this coming week will be a battle and a half, but we have the Holy Ghost and the Lord on our side!!! It says in all the mission calls that if we serve and obey we will become Defenders of the Truth, and this week I just felt like exactly that!!! It was sososososo AWESOME! So I’m pretty excited to get to work this week and Defend my beliefs and the Truth.  So time is really short today, sorry but I thank all of you for your prayers, letters and everything!!!
LOVE YA!
Elder McGhie

Ps I’m going to send a package home with gifts and all that this next week, through that Peruvian dad and daughter thing! SO GET EXCITED!

CHAU CHAU!

Pss Mom, I sleep like a little lamb every night…the cold? UNFASED!!! And I want a letter and pictures from COLLIN! He’s my little brother for goodness sake  and Caroline, Keep It up in Seminary! Brother Boyer eh? He is pretty cool and funny!  Have fun at Indian Hills and remember…NO BOYS!!! Haha! Oh and Ainsley, I loved your letter last week, thanks a bunch for telling me what was up, it’s nice to hear about it all, I mean I like hearing all the good stuff and all but the real story is great sometimes as well!!!

LOVE YA! BYE!!!

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The Mystery of Spencer's Sister Ainsley And Her Enrolling in Culinary School????

Spencers big sister Ainsley graduated from BYU with a degree in Accounting!!  Now she is going to Culinary School to become a Pastry Chef..............I know, it doesnt quite go together???  I cant really wrap my mind around it :)!!!  Here she is in her Culinary School Uniform, but she is missing the hat. She does have to wear her Chefs Hat when she is cooking in the kitchen!!!  (Her pants are black and white checkered, cute huh!! :)!!!!!

Happy Birthday my very old Parents!!!

Feliz Cumpleans Mamita Bonita y Papito Viejìto!!! 

WOW YOUR OLD!!! Haha  So i hope mom´s birthday was pretty awesome and that all went well!!!  First of all I gotta thank the Lamb Family for writing me letters for my birthday(for everyone who wrote Spencer Birthday notes earlier, I promise I printed them out all cute and put them in his birthday package, which he hasn’t gotten yet, well I guess it was delivered today so I promise I sent him your birthday emails, he just doesn’t know about them yet!!)!!! It was awesome to hear from them! Tal and the E-Man gave me a good laugh! And the letter from Emma was great too!  Haha I miss those kids!!!  And they better be ready for when I get back , cause we have an Epic Football battle awaiting us!!! So Liney, hows Indian Hills goin!! I hope my all grown up little sister lets everyone there know how Awesome she is!! haha and Shaley Morton is a CHAMPION!!  haha Es perfecto, pero se mantenga alejado de todos los chicos!!!! 

         

So yeah its true, I almost died in the earthquake… haha, not!  My comp and I were in the street outside a member’s yard and all the sudden I just got really dizzy and then I looked up and all the people came running out of their houses yelling EARTHQUAKE!!! Haha but here in Huancayo it was just a little shake of the earth I didn’t even realize what was going on.  But, when I did and I saw all these people outside of their houses I was so tempted to get up on a bench and start declaring Repentance and that It was a sign from the Lord that the end is near… but I resisted.  Haha the picture in the beginning of Chapter 1, in  the Preach My Gospel book (every missionary gets this book, it is sort of like the handbook on how to do missionary work, just in case you didn’t know what it was!!) of  Dan Jones (I personally, don’t know who Dan Jones is but I probably should and don’t?) preaching like a Champion, totally inspires me to do that someday.  Get up on a bench and
preach old school style.  Mark my Words, I will accomplish that goal!  It might be the last week of my mission but it’s
going down!!! (I hope he doesn’t get arrested?? =)!!!

So this week was pretty AWESOME!  On Fridays my companion and I have our weekly planning session.  We sang our hymn and prayed for some guidance and I sat down and realized that we really didn’t have anyone progressing!!!  So what we did was made a list of ALL the investigators we are teaching and the number turned out to be 42.  42 Investigators and not 1 progressing… APOSTASIA!!! So my comp and I looked at the list and then we narrowed it down to people that can really progress towards the goal of their Baptism.  And then we put Goal for each of them so they can attend church Sunday….  And after about 3 week s of only having 1 or 2 investigators in Church guess how many we had yesterday… 8!!!!!! OH HECK YEAH! I was pretty stoked because Saturday in the morning we went out on the hunt to find those that are ready to receive this gospel and right off the bat we found Hermano Jonathan!  He is 18 and an old investigator from the Elders before.  But when we got here he started to work on Sundays in a Chinese Restaurant.  And he wasn’t very interested.  But oh how the Lord prepares his children to receive this Gospel!!! It just so happens that he quit his job to sign up for the Police Academy test that you walk in and take.   But it turns out it was false and the test is not until February!  He was just about to go back and start working Sundays but the Lord guided us there.  We got to talking about how it wasn’t a coincidence that he quit his job and there wasn’t a sign in test available; it was the Hand of the Lord.  Then I asked him what is his greatest desire or what is his ultimate goal and he said “Salvation!”  I just about fell on the floor! We then taught him how to achieve the goal of salvation and he accepted his baptismal date for September 10^th!!!

Then after lunch we went to go find Hermano Thomas.  His wife and daughter are members but he isn´t.  His wife told us that we are the 78^th set of missionaries that have come to visit her husband (she has a list) and we finally found him!!! I was stoked but pretty nervous, cause he already knew what was coming, but we trusted in the Lord and after a solid battle for about 45 minutes, I whipped out D&C 20:37, which straight would tell him if baptism is the way to gain Salvation.  I asked him if he was ready and willing to do what it says in D&C 20:37, he read it thought about it and finally said… YES!!! HAHAHA!!!   I then challenged him to baptism for the 10^th (almost wrote desified him… haha spanglilsh) and he accepted!!! Number 78, the lucky number haha! So please pray for Hermano Thomas, Jonathan and also Hermano Cezar and his family that they can all accept this gospel and enter the Baptismal Waters!!!

Love all ya sososososo muchGO COUGZ!  And good news, MY PACKAGE IS HERE!!!! HOOORAY (He finally got his birthday package today, I mean really? I guess I need to learn that just because I am his mom, I can’t control everything!! I hate that =) So I will be enjoying that later today! Love ya fam and friends and can you believe it, I will have been out 10 Months this week…. SO NOT REALHABLAMOS!!
CHAU;

Elder Spencer Marty McGhie

Spencer wishing me and Marty a
 Happy Birthday on a pretty paper that he
decorated all by himself and also he decided
to put his predictions for the BYU football season
below our Happy Birthday Wishes :)!!

Oh my goodness, "there is a very large bird
on my sholder!!!!  Way better than a python!!!

I think they are washing windows???  Arent
they so cute!! :)

Whos got 2 thumbs and is 20? THIS GUY!!!

HABALA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!!! 

Well I’m Super Happy that you guys went to the Temple like I asked!!! It really means a lot!!!  You all looked like a bunch of Champs out there in front of the Temple... Oh and Caroline, CUUUIIDAAADO with that skirt my little friend... Below the knee, below that knee (Her skirt came to her knee, not sure why he is so freaked, but it is kindof cute for him to worry about his little sister =)!!! I don’t want to see any of the knee stuff!!! Not from my little sister.  CAROLINE IS SO OLD! AND LIKE MATURE or something! So help me if I get back from my mission and there is some teenage punk in the house he won’t know what hit HIM!!! Sorry, I just get scared of this whole growing up thing (he gets scared? Try being a mom!).  Maybe Caroline should be home schooled HAHA! A lot safer, and less teenage boys.  Because well, I know teenage boys, I mean I was one of them about 3 days ago.... haha how crazy I’m  20 and i still dont believe it! I’m like a man or something supposedly...  Haha

Well the birthday here is Peru was pretty great.  Some bad news about the package... Last week there was a giant mud slide and it took out the main road that all the trucks use to deliver packages and it STILL ISNT FIXED! So no trucks have passed to Huancayo in about a week and a half.  I mean that great Peru Construction service we got going on here is SPECTACULAR.  Like the main highway is completely blocked off, you think that would be about the 1st thing you repair right? Well apparently not! But patience is a virtue, that i must develop, the package should get here next p-day, my old comp Elder Pozo, the newbie that hurt his knee is now in the office as a secretary of packages and cards, he called me when the package got here, but then broke the bad news 2 days later that he can’t send it or any of our cards or packages because of the mud slide.  But that’s life in the fast lane!

Don’t worry mom, the birthday was great, as dad said they take pretty good care of you here on your birthday.  Almost the whole ward was trying to invite me over to feed me! It was nuts!  Holidays are really strange in the mission, it’s like I’m half excited, but almost more excited for it to be over before it gets here, but every time the Holidays turn out great.  I wasn’t sure how I would wake up and be on my birthday, but I really just woke up and felt the spirit SO strong immediately.  And it was just like I had the best feeling the entire day, like I was just in a big happy spiritual bubble just kinda floating around the whole day.  It was pretty awesome, and I know it was thanks to all of your Prayers and Birthday Wishes, so THANKS SOSOSOSOSO MUCH TO EVERYONE!!!

We had our baptism of Hermano Amrmando, he is a champ! He is the guy i told you about a couple weeks ago that called us and said he was going to get baptized. And it was pretty awesome! He says he and his girlfriend that is a member, who is working in Trujillo at the moment have plans to get married and in a year THEY ARE GOING TO THE TEMPLE!!!! O HECK YEAH!!!  His girlfriend came  all the way from Trujillo to surprise him at his Baptism, she is from here, but working in Trujillo.  We talked a little about Trujillo i told her i have a cousin and some buddies that served there or are going there.  So his baptism was LO MAXIMO as we say here in Mi estimado perù.  My comp is the Man! He is from Conception Chile, and he told me the story of what happened in the earthquake when he was there, because he is from that part where it all went down! It was pretty crazy to hear the story.  But his whole family was protected and well he is my 3rd Chilean Companion so i pretty much have learned all the slang from Chile and so I’ll be able to talk CHIELNO with Jordy and Alex after the mission.  Haha it really is different, they don’t say their S´s in any of their words, especially those from Santiago! So if Jordy is reading this NO PASA NADA CON CASTIGANO DE CHILE! DIGA SUS S´s JAJA!!!

So the mission is great, time is about up, I gotta save the 20 emails I got today! Dad, I need the info of how to send packages home, I have some, stuff I need to send and well BDAY GIFTS for yall!!! And are you guys planning on picking me up or what after my mission? I know we have a while but people always ask me if i will come back with the fam...just wondering! LOVE ALL YALL!!! I hope you have a fantastic week!!!

AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY MI MAMITABONITA (THAT IS ONE WORD)(I made up the name for myself, took two words and made them one since I cant be Mamasita anymore cause it means something like girlfriend or ?? So now I think it means, pretty mom????)!!! HAHA!!!

 I SENT A VOICE RECORDING HOME WITH ELDER SMITH!!! CUMPLEAÑOS FELIZ MI ESTIMADA MAMITABONITA -FLAKITA (I think this means, Happy Birthday to my pretty and thin Mom????)!!! love ya!

CHUA CHUA!!!

Elder Spencer Marty McGhie!

Oh and Happy Birthday to Mr Packer on the 21st of August he turned 21! And Ashley Anderson! And Kirk and Nick Vitti on the 19th, If you could tell em HAPPY BIRTHDAY that would be great! Thanks mom! BYE!



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TODAY IS SPENCERS 20TH BIRTHDAY!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPENCER!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

"THIS GUY’S TURNING 20!!!"

¡¡¡HABLA FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!!!  Que Tal

Well I hope all is well and life is just dandy there in Utah!!!

First of all I just gotta say, can you guys believe it, I’m turning 20 this FRIDAY!!! AHHHHHHHH!!! That’s just crazy talk!  So my computer is rather slow today, so I will do the best to type as much information as possible from last week.  Well I have officially achieved a task I at one point felt was impossible… I have finished the Book of Mormon in SPANISH!!! O HECK YEAH! That’s right! I finished Friday morning in personal study.  So crazy, I can remember when I entered the MTC they gave me a Book of Mormon in Spanish, I opened it and just thought to myself, I will never ever, ever be able to understand what this says, and BOOM, I have finished the Book of Mormon cover to cover in Spanish! And if I can do it, let’s face it, anyone can do it! In the start it was pretty rough, but little by little I put my English scriptures away and now, I won’t lie, I almost like the Book of Mormon more In Spanish!  English is just a little complicated…

And other big news, we had Baptisms this week!!! Jesus and Adriana got baptized and it was great! I’m not the kinda guy to baptize little kids without the parents, but they have attended the church for about 2 months and they really have testimonies and love the church.  So my comp and I in our fast we asked if we should baptize them and we felt it was the will of the Lord!   Jesus is going to be 12 in about 2 months and is stoked to have the Priesthood and they both want to be Missionaries! And Dad, just to tell you that Adriana is from Argentina!!! That’s right I baptized an Argentine!  I get to be part of the Argentine Family Club right!? Haha. 

And well we have another baptism this Saturday!!! HOORAY!!! It was a giant miracle, I won’t lie, his name is Hermano Armando, and he is like 40, he is dating a member but she is in Trujillo so that made things a little difficult! Haha but we were able to work with her family and friends as his Hermanadors (not sure what that is, maybe friendshippers?)…  But he told us that he had decided to get baptized but on his birthday the 5th of October!!! I was like oh for the LOVE!!! But we went on and invited him to pray and ask Heavenly Father His will…  So we got to fasting and all that great stuff and in our next appointment, we were expecting him to walk in and say I’m getting baptized BABY!!! But it’s never that easy.  He told us that he didn’t pray and ask, or read his book of Mormon, I was CRUSHED Inside but I tried my best not to show it.  After talking for a while, we started explaining the plan of salvation… I was just praying for help to be able to be happy and excited and teach him but I was just sad, and all the sudden BOOM, the Holy Ghost made me remember my personal study in Moroni 7, verses 33 and 34, that all is possible with faith in Christ if it is expedient for him.  The problem was that Armando didn´t feel as if he had been forgiven of his past sins.  I promised him it was the will of the Lord that he got baptized and if he had the Faith enough it would be possible.  He was just so relieved to know he can be clean and forgiven!!! He said I will pray tonight and call you tomorrow, so we were waiting anxiously the next morning for his call…. He called and said, “IM GETTING BAPTIZED NEXT SATURDAY!!!” HAHAHAHAHAH!!!! SO,SO,SO, AWESOME! I love this work and well I gotta go, it’s my birthday…. Thanks for the Package I’m excited to open it !!!

Love all ya!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, for my birthday I ask mom and dad to go to a temple session Friday morning TOGETHER and if its possible the family can go see the Joseph Smith movie downtown, that is really what I want for my birthday and I expect photos in Monday’s email!!!!!!!

Love ya sosososo much!!!

THE Birthday Boy….

Elder Spencer Marty McGhie!!!

Answers to your questions quickly, the picture with the red streaks was after a family night with some members, we played a game and that was the punishment if you messed up, paint your face with lip stick...

haha!  I got my letter from Barlow tell him congrats and i flippin love that kid, AFRICA!!! That’s SICK!!! Love ya BarMAN!!!  We live in a house owned by the bishop and there really is a giant wall surrounding the house and his little front yard with a spike on the top and a giant metal door with deadlocks, it’s probably the safest room I will ever have!!!  We live on the bottom floor, he is building a second floor but in the back, so its all good!!!  I’m keeping really safe!!! My area is really nice and not ghetto.  My companion is a champ, he’s 22 and has 4 sisters!!! The only son as well! He’s great and he loves to play sports and stuff.  You can be Mamaso... haha but thats not that great how bout your just mamaita bonita lina preciousa, y tu eres la mejor mama en todo el mundo (I am pretty sure it means that I am the best mom in the world…….amazing, beautiful, stuff like that!)!!!  Oh, and tell dad, no we didn’t ride the train and I demand sports updates!!! I might be on a mission, but I aint dead!!! He didnt even tell me where Jimmer got drafted or how BYU football is looking! I need their schedule and updates!!! And how are the Braves? Love ya and ill write my email and send pics now!!!

It tastes like CHICKEN!!!

A Warning from Spencer’s Mom, The first story Spencer tells is about a boa constrictor snake and he sent pictures and told the horrible story of hanging out with it, killing it and then eating it!!  It made me sick to my stomach when I read about it and really when I saw the pictures………..so the pictures will come after this email, not all are of the snake, I will mark those so if you have a kind heart (like Spencer used to!!) or a weak stomach, DON’T LOOK AT THE PICTURES!!!  I know he thinks it was a grand adventure that won’t happen to him again but really I could have lived happily for the rest of my life without hearing about and seeing that experience!!  So don’t look at the snake pictures when I send them if you don’t want to and skip the second paragraph too!!!   AND REMEMBER YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!! I am going now………I hope you all still respect Spencer after reading this email about the poor snake……….I mean they have feelings too, people have them as pets and they say that they are wonderful……….oh I am going to throw up now………….bye Carrie…….no smiley faces today!!!!  Okay maybe just one =)!!!

FAMILIA Y AMIGOS!!!

What’s going on there guys!!! I Hope that all is going well and that you’re enjoying these last few weeks of summer!!! Is that nuts or what!? I realized yesterday that we are already in August and all that school starts in like 3 weeks!!! HAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That’s rough! But I hope all is well and so I guess I’ll give ya some details of what went down this week!!!
            So first off ill start off by explaining the Pictures of me and the giant snake! Or the BOA!!! We had that little party the about 2 weeks ago, but I didn’t want to tell yall without the pictures, because I knew you wouldn’t believe me! So I waited and yes that is a live Boa that is over 6 feet long and that’s me just hanging out with him!!!  Then we killed the boa and I won’t explain how or mom will throw up, but in other words we all had to hold it down on a bench while someone killed it… and it wasn’t very happy! It was an experience I don’t think I will ever have a gain hahahah! And yes the last pic is me about to eat fried boa!!! All I got to say is… TASTES LIKE CHICKEN! Haha but only really, really, really chewy! I don’t think I’ll eat it again. (If he does ever eat it again, I hope he doesn’t tell us in graphic detail about it and send pictures too)!!!

But anyways I also have some news, an Elder from New Mexico finished his mission and his family came to pick him up! And he served in my area and they came to visit!!! It was SOSOSOSO Nuts to see Gringos from the states!!! His dad, mom, brother, and sister in law came by. It was service day and our service that morning was to help the bishop make Pacha Manka, and it was just nuts!!! And so hard to speak English!!! Haha His mom reminded me so much of you mom! (I am sure she must be very thin and beautiful too!! This is Carrie again, sorry, I just couldn’t resist!!)  And we talked and talked and talked! It was so crazy!!! It did make me a little trunky and I felt bad for myself and missed all you guys for about 5 minutes, then I just reminded myself, why I’m here and that this is the Lords time!!! We then finished lunch and got back to work!!! But it really was crazy! His mom took pictures of me and wrote down our phone number and your email address, she said she would be calling ya when she got back to tell you all about it.  It was pretty fun and to make the Pacha Manka is absolutely nuts!!! The just get a pile of river rocks and get them BURNING hot in a pit.  Once they are scalding to the bone they take em out with shovels (our job).  And I was honestly sweating from the heat of the rocks and some of them even exploded a little!!! Then from the same pit where they heated up the rocks, you put a layer of rocks back in and then you start putting the food in!!! First the potatoes and sweet potatoes, then cover em with a layer of hot rocks, then the tamales, another layer of hot rocks, after that just giant raw slabs of meat, and more flaming hot rocks, finish with some peas and then the cover it all with herbs and a tarp to keep the dirt out (but isn’t the pit made out of dirt or is it cement???) and then ya BURY IT!!! HAHAHAHA It sits there for like an hour and a half, then ya dig it up and its lunchtime!!! HAHA and it is SO DANG GOOD!!! It’s probably one of the top 3 craziest things I’ve ever seen in my life!!!

Alright what else happened this week… once again no baptisms… WOOF! But we have some really great investigators and I feel as if we are about to explode with baptisms, we are at the breaking point of the drought and we are about to go crazy on those baptisms!!!  (I HOPE AND PRAY)  We had a pretty intense lesson last night with the Hermano Armando…  He has attended church about 5 times, and is dating a member and they are in love, but he just wants to wait and wait and wait!!! So near the end of the lesson I was just praying with all my heart for something to say to him, and I can hardly remember what I said, but the spirit was so strong!!! I just bore my testimony and how Baptism is only the beginning of the adventure.  That God has SO MANY Blessings waiting for him and he just has to take a step of courage and start his adventure which comes AFTER the baptism.   Too many times the investigators think that the baptism is the big step, and it’s a big one, but it’s only the beginning, and like it says in the Scripture in Moroni 8:25-26, baptism is the first fruit of Repentance (thanks for the scripture ref Ains, I used it about a ton this week!)  Baptism is the first step; it’s the start of it all.  And I just look at my life and I was baptized when I  was 8 and right now I’m right in the thick of this great adventure which is LIFE!!! I love the mission SO MUCH! It’s so awesome and sorry about last week I got a little spiritual haha, but hey that’s what the mission will do to ya!

LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Elder Spencer Marty McGhie!!!

And you stay classy Sandy!!(Is he talking to the city of Sandy???) (I think he must be talking to those of us who live in Sandy and yes he is a little bit strange sometimes but WE STILL LOVE HIM!!) =)

Mom i sent home 2 other emails full of pictures (yes we know, 4 of the snake unfortunately), i hope you got em!!! Elder Smith is here!!! I LOVE THAT GUY!!!



I am not making this picture bigger, so if you
want to see it in all of its awfulness
you will have to double click on it!!........grossness!!!



Oh My Grossness, horrible and awful, bad Spencer!!!

I could throw up because of this picture...........disgusting!!

How can he be so happy
after killing that poor snake
and now he is going to eat it!!!



Elder Ben Smith and Elder Spencer McGhie
They were compaions in the Provo MTC!!




Elder Poindexter, who works in the mission office
 and Spencer eating pizza for the first time in 9 months :)!!



I found out that Spencer and his companion were at
 a members house playing games and the penalty for
loosing was you had to get lipstick smeared on
 your face :)!!  I am sure the family had little kids and
I can just imagine how much fun they had smearing
lipstick on the missionaries faces :)!!

Spencer being cute and working on the service project
of making the food in the pit, cant remember
what it is called but it says the name in
Spencers email above :)!!

Life in the Fast Lane

HOOLA mi estimada familia! Y las buenas nuevas que NO ESTOY MUERTO!!!  (Translation by Marty: Hello my dear family!  And the good news is I am not dead!! – this is because we didn’t hear from him on Monday)  Haha you guys just kill me sometimes.  So I’m here in the office and I was talking with Elder Poindexter and he tells me that he just received an email from you guys wondering what was going on.  Haha I couldn’t help but laugh and i was pretty sure that he was going to get an email from ya... Se LLAMA LA FE people!  (It is CALLED FAITH people)  But anyways, so yeah I’m here in Lima until tomorrow.  Today we have had a Capacitacion (I don’t know how to say that in English) Training Meeting or something? But anyways so we are here in Lima and we are going to have another meeting in about a half hour.  The Church has a new program for the trainers and the new guys, and it looks pretty awesome.  The Church is just really amazing with all the manuals and instructions.  If you look at the Church from all the different points of view of all the world it really is a marvelous work and a wonder.  To think that I have my buddies that are all across the world speaking a bunch of different languages and in all types of cultures, but the message is exactly the same and very simple.  That God is our loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ has made it possible through God’s Great Plan, that we can return to live with him again someday.  And that once again God speaks through prophets as we see throughout the entire history of time.  It really just blows my mind that for example Dayton is on the other side of the world speaking an entire different language and culture, but it is the same scriptures, and the same manual Preach My Gospel with the same handouts and everything!!! It really is amazing! I’m so grateful for this time the Lord has given me to serve him in his vineyard and have my eyes opened to this Marvelous Work and a Wonder.  I challenge all the youth that are sure or not sure if they should serve a mission, to get on their knees tonight (not kneeling down on your bed but on the floor) and to pray out loud and just asked our Heavenly Father if you should be a missionary.  I promise without one ounce of doubt in my mind that he will answer, and the answer will be yes.  I don’t care if your 10, 15 or 25.  What your problems are or even if you’re inactive, if you could do me a big favor for your old pal Spence and just ask him.  I know he will answer. 

Well to tell you about this week, I have really learned a lot about myself and the power of the Lord.  We baptized a grand total of 0 people this change.  I never ever, ever imagined I would blank for a whole change... I was discouraged and down, and just one day it hit me.  I don’t have Charity.  I was praying for it every night before begging for help to Love every person I pass on the street as my brother or sister and I was just preaching with Authority and practically running around the street talking with everyone.  And it dawned on me that I had lost a little of the fire, that desire to help everyone.  Very humbly I got down on my knees and just talked with my Father in Heaven, asked him to forgive me and asked for help to find that burning desire to contact the whole world.  And the next day I just went crazy, contacting the whole world.  It didn’t matter who they were, they were going to hear about this great message.  One lady decided to lean out of the top of her roof instead of answer the door to say, nope sorry I’m Catholic, haha but she wasn’t getting away that easy.  I just decided well what’s the difference if she is right in front of my face or 4 stories up, - I’ll just have talk a little bit louder.  I mean the Lord blessed me with a pretty loud voice, I’m sure my friends and fam can testify to the gift I inherited from my mom screaming in the house and about 15 years of BYU football games with the old man.  So she heard the message loud and clear.  And at the end of the day we got back to the apartment, I could hardly speak my voice was just shot, but I took a deep breath and I just felt good knowing that I did what I could for the Lord that day.  The key to the mission is not baptisms and numbers -  it’s doing all possible for the Lord.  The baptisms will come, I’m not worried about it.  The hard work, hiking up mini mountains to knock doors, not eating dinner cause there just aint time for that nonsense sometimes.   And that’s when I feel the best, when I just forget I’m tired, that I look kinda stupid screaming at the top of my lungs to invite people to join us Sunday, when I forget myself and go to work.  Because this is not my time.  It is His.  I know this Church is true without a shadow of a doubt because when I was 12 years old, I read Moroni 10:3-5 and I got on my knees and I asked.  And God answered my prayers, and because of that moment and the best family a kid could ask for, I am here in Lima Peru, as a 19 year old kid, speaking Spanish, and loving every minute of it.  I already have 9 months in the mission, time is short and running out.  It’s time to get back out there and spread the Good News.  I love ya fam with all I got, and can’t thank you enough for all you have done for me.  May the Lord be with you wherever you go. 

Elder Spencer MARTY McGhie... aka Gringito

Ps mom, you are now officially my Momita.... =) Means little mom... LOVE YOU! CHAU!