Greetings MacGregor Family

We are very grateful to have our newly arrived missionaries serving here in the Chile Santiago North Mission. Attached is a picture of Elder MacGregor with his companion. We also included a photo of him writing his first email home. We love your missionary and we will take good care of him.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Bentley

I finally made it to Chile, after and 8 1/2  hour flight.  The weather here is actually really nice, and I got to meet the mission president.  We currently are having an orientation and I am really excited for the field. Apparently, though, I'm going to have to be very proficient in 4-5 months since at that point most of the senior missionaries will be gone.  I'll have to make sure I'm constantly diligent to prepare myself for any challenge I may have here. We went up the funicular here in Santiago for a devotional, you may want to check it on google maps.  Dad may have actually been on this same things since it's been here since the early 1900s if not earlier.

I haven't met my trainer yet, but mark my words it is going to be a solo Espanol companion.  i hope i'll be able to work well with him.

I'm sure Dad knows this but Santiago is literally a mix of Salt Lake City and Los Angeles and add Spanish.  It'll be hot at times but i think i'll be able to handle it with the Lord's help.

Before I finish i just want to share how much i love all of you at home.  I know we can be together forever, no matter what challenges we may face.

I think my P-days will be Tuesdays so make sure everyone knows that!  I've been preparing for this moment all my life.  I know I AM READY TO SERVE THE LORD.  He loves us al and it is time for me to do what I can to return it.

Elder MacGregor

The days have been running into each other too here, but I think that'll all change when I leave for the field. I leave on Monday a 3 here- get on a bus, and then at around 5-6 have a flight down to Santiago. I have the papers back at my house, so I don't remember the exact details, but you could possibly find it.

Sister Pinster's talk sounds like it was powerful. That's good to hear. The points don't sound too different from missionary work itself. I guess that's what ministering is.

It's even cooling here in Mexico. Though, its only to like 60 degrees, so I'm walking without a sweater while my companions are all double or triple layering. I find it kind of funny since I though Utahns had a cold tolerance too.

I'll be gone in Santiago before thanksgiving, so I guess its up to me and my trainer if we want to do anything. Frank's potatoes were always great at Thanksgiving.

I can't say that I've had a down time here, but the Lord certainly helped me with my companion. But, I know the Lord will provide.

Elder MacGregor

Hola Padre!

 Things here have really been speeding up. I can talk a lot about spiritual things and do the lessons in Spanish *though not without lots of uhhs and umms.) but they don't really do anything about how to operate in the "real world" (AKA I still don't know the words for food and whatnot). I think they may start teaching us that though. It hasn't rained that much either since that Giant storm. It apperantly flooded the Gordon B Hinkley auditorium, so that's something.

Actually the days here are starting to blend together after week 1. When people say "Just get to Sunday" they really mean it. Now the days are flying by. I can't think of anything to put in my journal sometimes. I guess I have to find the Lord in more places haha.

If there are some typos in here, it isn't because my English is slipping. The computers here don't act like the way they do at home, where you can add letters in a word. Here they delete the letter after, and I don't want to retype whole paragraphs :V

I've sent some photos as well. Some show the Temple here (angel moroni is actually holding the gold plates at the Ciudad de Mexico temple, only 1 of 5 in the world), others the crazy closeness of drivers, others just of living quarters and my district. My companion is the tallest one, Elder McDaniel. Actually my district had a MacGregor, a McDaniel, a McDonald, and a McGuire, so when the teachers want to write up "Elder so and so" on the board they just put "Elder Mc..." It's pretty funny to us. *In the photo of the 3 guys in our room, the one sitting is my Companion and the one on the right is McDonald.

Finally, I just wanted to confirm Ian's assertion that pokemon is huge here in Latin America. Our spanish workbooks are three red books, so everyone here calls them Charmander, Charmeleon and Charizard depending on the size.

I know the Lord is blessing you all, and that he loves you. Don't worry about the struggles you have now, because the lord will provide when needed.

GM

Hola!

This week has been absolutely crazy. I finally figured out my companion for the six weeks here and he is great. The other companionship in my room are amazing as well, and I would send pictures but I'm not allowed to until my P-day.Yes today is Friday, but my actual p-days are Thursdays starting next week (sorry if I didn't mention that!)

The weather down here is crazy though. I\m not sure if they mentioned it in the videos you talked about but I swear the CCM has sudden storms almost every day. Once when we were walking to the cafeteria for dinner, the roads were quite literally rivers, an I got my first pair of wet socks. Sorry mom, but I had to pull out my second bag to get my raincoat- so much for *wait half a year* plan!

Learning Spanish hasn't actually been as difficult as I would have thought. I can definitely feel the Lord's influence as I study. I definitely am not the best, but that doesn't matter as I know that I will know what to say when the time comes. Just as in all things, the Lord provides opportunities for us to grow in many ways. My companion has been struggling for a day or so and I have had plenty of chances to help him remember words or phrases.

Finally, Ian was right about the Connor McGregor thing. All of the Latinos and Latinas (native Latin American Missionaries) here read my name and immediately ask if I'm related. Don't worry though, he's my uncle and will beat you up if you make fun of my Spanglish.

That's all for now, I'll write on Thursday. I still haven't lost anything yet either, Keegan.

Love you all

GM

Hola Familia!

I made it to the CCM safely, and as such they have us all write an email. :V

The flights were fine, and I even got some sleep in for both flights. All was well until the bus ride to the CCM. I didn't lose anything, but driving in Mexico is even crazier than my habits.

My branch in the CCM is 4 and my district is B. My P-days are |Thursdays at the CCM, so that is when I can write home.

Elder MacGregor

Hello Brothers and Sisters!
I bet you thought this blog would never get another update, but here we are. I am Elder MacGregor's younger brother, and I will be serving in the Chile Santiago North Mission. I leave for the CCM (the MTC in Mexico) tomorrow and am taking over the blog for my own updates.
I am excited for this opportunity to serve the Lord and to the spread the gospel. I know that there may be challenges ahead, but I cannot wait for the amazing spiritual experiences that will come from the mission to bless me throughout my life. I know that God has sent us out in the latter days to restore the gospel to all ends of the earth, and am ready to thrust in my sickle and do the work I am called for.

-Elder MacGregor (the younger, I guess)