Jesus Saviour Pilot Me

Dear Family,

And thus we embark on the second to last transfer! It's going to be a
fun ride. I'm back in Halifax (Sackville) with one of my old
companions Elder O'Brien. Sackville is right in the middle of the
Halifax Harbour. It's about 20 minutes from Cole Harbour so I'm back
in my old stomping grounds. The ward is pretty great. Lots of young
Canadian families with jobs and little kids. Halifax is so different
from the rest of the mission. I feel that although this is the city of
my calling I have spent more time in other places than actually in
Halifax. That's to be expected though.

This morning I was studying from the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 1 and
2. We live in a world with lots of interesting philosophies.
Everything is neither bad nor good but 'okay.' People say that we
can't judge people because it's their life and they can do whatever
they want. Who are we to say what is right and what is wrong? Lehi
defeats this argument when in verse 11 of chapter two he states: "For
it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."
Everything has an opposite even when we say that all is good and okay.
God's laws don't change when we state that there is no God. There is
evil and there is good. There is wickedness and there is
righteousness. There is virtue and there is vice. We can avoid
deception by studying the scriptures and observing the lives of church
leaders. I know that there is opposition in the world. If there wasn't
then things would be a compound in one which means that the world
would be pointless. There would be no point in trying if we didn't
have opposition.

Then there's the whole 'well it's my life, it's my agency!' argument.
Lehi again confounds this false doctrine in verses 27-29. When we make
poor decisions we are choosing captivity and death. There's no way
around it. We are free to choose liberty and eternal life or captivity
and death.

This past week was eventful. We don't have P-days on Monday when it's
a transfer week. Working Monday and Tuesday is not my favorite because
it's like running on fumes but once we get to Wednesday which is P-day
my mind is put at ease a little bit more. I got the news on Tuesday
that I was going to be serving in Sackville with Elder O'Brien. He has
been in this district for 15 months. Most of his whole mission. The
other area is Bridgewater so I'm right around all my old areas again.
Thursday we drove up from Caribou to Moncton and then on to Halifax
for a temple session.


The temple was great! I went with the question of 'What prevents us
from sinning?' And while going through the endowment session I
realized that accountability doesn't exactly prevent us but it does
raise a guard. I also realized that partaking of the fruit didn't make
Adam and Even knowledgeable about good and evil, rather it made them
accountable. They already knew good and evil (it was bad to partake of
the fruit) from the Pre-earth life. Rather when they partook of the
fruit they were accountable for their sins. Perhaps this
interpretation of the Fall is incorrect. Let me know what you think.

In Sackville we found a new investigator Friday night. Our plans fell
through for correlation with our Ward Mission Leader and so we decided
to stop by a less-active. We began to teach his girlfriend Kathy more
about what happens to us after we die. Kathy has a ton of questions
from gays/lesbians to polygamy to modern prophets to the Book of
Mormon. She wants to be baptized but is hesitant to set a date. Things
are kicking up though in Sackville. We also got three member referrals
and I haven't had a problem with the law other than getting a speeding
ticket on the way to Stake Conference. Lame. My first one.

We have a general authority with us this week. It's Elder Bennett of
the Seventy. He is from Alberta and is a very kind man. For the adult
session he based the whole thing off of three 5 minute talks and
allowed people to state their comments. It was a very spiritual
meeting. Elder Bennett shared a very powerful story about how his mum
left the church for 30 years while he was in his youth but eventually
came back and became a temple worker. He should be at zone conference
this Wednesday so that's exciting!

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Love,

Elder McGuire

Look who I ran into going through Moncton?

Saying good bye to Brother Stiggle a recent convert in Caribou

Shaq and Kobe back together about to take on the world

Sackville has a canoe club

The ducks don't care though

Still snow on the beach. Spring might show up by the time I go home

Trail contacting! :D

Follow up!

Still got it! A less-active has an e-kit

Cats and such

Elder Greenlief the tech master that he is bought a 40 dollar gps that
runs windows and microsoft word. Ya just never know when you're going
to need that

Sie's dog, Sarahemla

Cats are just everywhere in Maine

Maritime Spring is finally here!

12-week training program woooooo

Cats are important to me

Elder Greenlief hard at work

They Were Still His Brethren in the Lord

Dear Family,

It was great to Skype you all last Sunday for Mother's Day. You all

haven't changed a bit which makes me so happy. I can tell that you're
all very rooted in the gospel. You would not believe how much of a
testimony you all have. I appreciated you all being there. That means
a lot to me.

So transfers! Looks like I'll be finishing my mission in Sackville,
NS. Sackville is apart of Halifax. It's right in the middle between
Halifax and Dartmouth. I'm only about 30 minutes from Cole Harbour
which was one of my old areas. I'll be serving with one of my old
companions Elder O'Brien. We served with eachother this time last
year. It'll be good to get back into Canada and especially Halifax. I
have some unfinished business in that city. This will be the 8th area
of my mission. I have been around the Maritimes quite a bit in the
past two years. I can't believe that it was two years ago this week
that I got my mission call to serve here. Time sure does fly.

This past week I have been reading from the Book of Mormon with the
following question: How do I become a better man? Elder Bednar
recommended that we take a fresh copy of the Book of Mormon and write
down a question of the soul that we might have. We might wonder how to
improve our relationship with our spouse, or how to help our children
avoid immorality and drugs, or we might just wonder if there's even a
God. The Book of Mormon answers these great questions that we might
have. I love reading from the Book of Mormon. I love how it has
already begun to answer my question. I don't believe that happiness
and peace are found in the online blogs, the self-help books, or the
gurus. I believe that self-improvement and life-long peace and
happiness is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is plainly
taught in the Book of Mormon. Just in examining Nephi I have come to
discover it is very unwise to complain about our duties. That's the
theme of the first few chapters of the book. Next I find that it is

important to take initiative (Nephi makes a new bow) and sustain
leaders even in their weakness (Nephi goes to Lehi for counsel despite
Lehi's murmuring). There are dozens of other answers that I've
received while reading the Book of Mormon. I believe that it is the
word of God. I invite you all to read the Book of Mormon with me for
the next 12 weeks before I come home. Write down a question that you
have. That question is probably what you think about all the time but
are neglecting to do. Or it could be what you aren't doing all the
time but should do. The Book of Mormon answers the questions of the
soul.

This past week was my final hurrah in the states before I come back to
Canada. We found a great young family while we were knocking. Josh and
Mallory are going to school and are in their 20s. They are 7th Day
Adventists and let us right in to hear the message of the Restoration.
This was maybe like the 3-4 time that's ever happened to me on my
mission. Sometimes I'm a little shocked when people let us in and I'm
very apprehensive and I don't know where to start. But there are still
people out there that are looking for the truth. We found the promised
land of Washburn, Maine. Every house we knocked on was very polite to
us even if they weren't interested and we found many people that
invited us back.

Kim is improving. We taught her the commandment of keeping the Sabbath
Day Holy in hopes that she would come to church. We committed her to
come to church this upcoming Sunday and she said she'd be there. No
baptismal date yet, but she's probably the most promising investigator
we have right now. She is working hard to get rid of her addictions. I
have a lot of respect for people that humble themselves and genuinely
seek to improve themselves and work through their problems. Being fake
will only get you so far and there are no fakes in the Celestial
Kingdom.

We taught Joe this past week about the Plan of Salvation and he agreed

I'm going to miss working with Sie. He's been one of my favourite
less-actives to work with. Inspired me to get a blow gun after my
mission. He's one of the several people that carry a gun to church

with a lot of it. Especially with pre-earth life. His wife Barb joined
us for the lesson so we picked her up as a new investigator. They both
have so many questions about the bible that I found myself saying 'I
don't know' rather than using the scriptures to explain the answers.
Even after studying the scriptures for 2-3 hours everyday for 21
months my knowledge still has a long way to go. Caribou is on the up
and up though. President Pratt likes the progress we're making and is
putting another set of elders in the area to help with the work.

Back to the True North

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Love,

Elder McGuire

So it snowed the other day and this cat was cold so I just opened
someone's house that wasn't home and he went in

Pictures!

Cats everywhere!

The Amish are out!

Knocking on a beautiful day!

Hard work, I do it for play

Tim Horton's made nutella donuts. yes b'y

Nefarious and Murderous Impositions

Dear Family,

Thank you for those that wrote me! And for those of you that didn't
the second principle of the gospel is repentance! It was an excellent
week. We went on exchanges with the Woodstock elders and had the time
of our lives. I love missionary work. I love how difficult it is every
day. Constant rejection, every day, every week, every month, was
exactly what I needed in a mission. Humility is the fountain of all
virtues. Without humility our efforts to be obedient or charitable
mean nothing. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
President Uchtdorf stated that being genuine is really an act of
humility. It takes courage to be humble. To acknowledge that we are
nothing and that God is everything is a difficult thing to understand.
I love it how the Lord puts it to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail "That
they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to
cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to
exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the
children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens
withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is
withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the
pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God. Soon we are
backed up to the wall of humility when pride permeates our hearts. I
know that we can gain any virtue in the gospel if we are genuine and
humble. The path to humility is prayer (Helaman 3:35)

This past week we had an interesting experience on exchanges. I have
had more trouble with the law here than in any other area.
Nevertheless, I am proud to say that I am now on the police records in
behalf of the church. We were doing a FREE lemonade stand on the
street outside the post office with the Woodstock Elders. We thought
it would be a less abrasive approach than street contacting people
during their lunch break, but no we thought wrong. I was asking people
if they wanted some lemonade and then one guy walks by and doesn't say
anything and I was like "Lemonade? Yes? No? Sir? Okay, have a good
day!" Then he whips back around and says "AM I REQUIRED TO SAY
SOMETHING TO YOU?!" And then I say that no I was just wondering if you
wanted some free lemonade. He then goes on this huge rant about how we
are blocking the sidewalk and people can't get by and we need a
permit. He said that if we didn't take down our stand he was going to
take it down for us. I said we weren't moving. He then went on about
how we were shoving our religion down people's throats. I said that we
hadn't even mentioned religion yet, we just wanted to know if he
wanted some FREE LEMONADE. Good gravy. Throwing temper tantrums over
free lemonade. Then the cops showed up and said they had received a
civil complaint about us. I felt like I was black and it was the
1960s. I'm sad to say that our society has yet to rise above prejudice
and racism (2 Nephi 26:33). The cop said that he didn't really care
and that we weren't in trouble. He just had to fill out the police
report. Some people's kids.

The next interesting experience happened out of innocence. Elder
Greenlief is new on his mission to Eastern Canada and Northern Maine
so I thought it would be appropriate to initiate him with some Tim
Horton's. While we were waiting in line and looking at the donuts, a
man in front of us turns around and says 'How many wives do you guys
got?' I was a little shocked that he would just rip on us openly in a
Tim Horton's (I've had some lame experiences in Tim Horton's on my
mission). He then went on to say how we were a cult and that we should

leave. I said give me three good reason. He said: We don't believe in
the Trinity. We add to the Bible. And we think only Mormons are going
to Heaven. We paid for the donuts and hot chocolate and then I asked
him if he had his bible. He said that it was in his car. I told him
that I could prove to him using his own bible that we weren't a cult.
There we sat for an hour going over the Godhead and the Trinity.  I
studied the Godhead for about 6 months on my mission. This guy, Mike
didn't even know where any of the scriptures were that 'defended the
Trinity.' I had to point out like two to get him started. "Let me help
you prove me wrong" Then scripture after scripture I defended the true
doctrine of the Godhead. He wasn't really understanding and finally I
pinned him with 1 Corinthians 3:4,8 which ended the dispute over John
10:30. A perfect way to describe the situation was Mark 12:24. Mike
left with a Book of Mormon and a belief in the Godhead. I don't
believe in telling people that their beliefs are wrong but I do
believe in defending the truth. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

So yes. It was an interesting week. I never really experienced
opposition to my beliefs before my mission. The church is hated
throughout the world. It is loved as well. Elder Holland said we
should defend our beliefs with courteous and compassion but we should
defend them.

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!

Love,

Elder McGuire

From Mom:  THAT. is what Dad needed in his SS lesson yesterday--opening paragraph.

When we are humble the Lord can teach us.  When we are sufficiently humble enough to recognize the greatness and goodness of God, THEN we are ready to make covenants with Him. That level of understanding brings so much joy that we WANT to share His gospel.  I like that you have come to understand that.