Elder McKay Philip Pett: Mission Life is a Highway

WHATS UP FAM!!!!!

- hike at Como was sweet. Falls were gorgeous. U already know we are going back there to kayak one day. Caked on the tick spray and No ticks baby! #LightTheU

- got in a friendly texting argument with the sister training leaders... They claimed we were exercising unrighteous dominion for changing our leadership council time.... So we claimed we are like Moroni... Ya we won that argument real quick.

- During our ZLC I yelled "SUPER DUPER!" When it was announced there was a family on baptismal date... I wish more missionaries understood my Ron Burgundyisms. #LeatherBoundBooks

- Houston's showed us their Apple pressurizer thing. Freakin sweet.

That's authentic AJ right there... Tasted good but the digestive effects were almost as bad as the laxative gummy bears Jared would try and feed me in the bunker. #NeverForget

- only had one person tell us we are going to Hell for being Mormon this week. #AchievementUnlocked

- Wells and I were reminiscing over our fave Jack Bauer moments. I was goin off on the "you don't know me." quote when he had President Logan hostage. Capped this off by saying "dude it was hot." Well I completely forgot the sisters were standing behind us and I turn around and they were shaking their heads at me like that one dude in Happy Gilmore.

- Brother Fischer showed his guns to us after dinner. It was like the scene in Iron Man 2 when Hammer is putting everything out on the table except bro Fisher is way cooler than Hammer.

- we were up till midnight one night debating if the bunk broke would it kill me. #ThisIsHowWeDoIt

- #Tracting🚜💨 one night and a bug flew in my eye. That next morning it came out. #AchievementUnlocked

- they sell these cheap fruity waters at the gas station that straight up taste like Caprisuns. They're beaut.

- quoting Jack Bauer again.... Mama J got the "You don't know me" reference. #AchievementUnlocked.

- Kings came back from Utah with the special cargo. Oh man I was about to cry when I saw that salsa. Super fun night, they had so much stuff for us!!! It felt like Christmas except I didn't get to FaceTime an emotional @pettbryan. Freakin love the Kings. Sweet fam.

- went to youth conference for the first time ever! That made up for all the times I didn't go growing up right??? #SorryMom. We helped get stuff set up and it was fun chilling with the youth. Saw ma boys cheese pizza and Anthony Equatore. Freakin love the youth here. Bro Warner was in charge of the water fight and he had it out for us. We did a good job avoiding the attacking forces but he knew I wouldn't turn down a hug so he got soaking wet and came in for one and that's what ended up getting me.

- that next morning we were driving past the field they were all gathered on so I hung my self out the window and yelled "go Mormons!".

So worth it.

THEN WE HAD THE MISSION TOUR!!! OH MAN IT WAS A GOOD COUPLE DAYS EVEN THOUGH I WAS RUNNING ON LIKE A COMBINED 6 HOURS OF SLEEP!

- so we get to Billings late Sunday night and we slept in the bunks in the mission home. Most of the zone leaders sleeping over in the same room... You can probably see why we got no sleep lol. Plus the A/C was out so we opened the door to the balcony which didn't help at all and instead filled the room with mosquitos but SA missionaries deal with that and no A/C all the time so can't complain on that one.

- we will have two new AP's named in the next 2 transfers... So that night we are talking about it and E. McKenzie and I's names were getting tossed around in the group convo (which doesn't mean anything AT ALL) and we have no desire to fill that role so we were joking that we gotta do something stupid enough to take our names out of the running but not stupid enough where we get demoted from zone leadership. Don't worry mom we were kidding, plus back home when we would do something stupid we never got caught... We would just accidentally leave a 80 yard burn mark in the grass... Still the greatest slip n slide ever... #OperationABRO

- we rock up to breakfast that next morning with Elder Anderson of the

70 attending. I was pretty nervous, not sure what he was gonna be like. He walks in as I'm pouring myself a nice bowl of cereal. I introduce myself, can feel him gazing into my soul as he shakes my hand... Still pretty nervous... Then...

"Well, for those of you wondering, Cleveland won game 7."

Yep. If he was truly gazing into my soul then he knew what to talk to me about lol! So that was a relief. Instead of getting rebuked for eating coco puffs like I was imagining I instead talked basketball with the General Authority! He was an amazing man, reminded me a lot of Grandpa Pett. It was awesome getting to spend a few days around him and his wife. (Wife's name is Kathleen too btdubs). They had a powerful spirit with them.

- entire tour was practically a family and/or bromance reunion.

Felt so good seeing everyone. Christensen and I still have fire companionship unity, oh man it was good spending time with him.

McMahon, Splash Elder, McElvany, Mika, Jaques, Metcalf,so many good elders out here! Said goodbye to Masaou, Brimley, and Rose, that plucked my heart strings. Those elders receive the ultimate #AchievmentUnlocked this Saturday. I was even hyped when I saw our zone on Tuesday at the conference in Helena... Hadn't seen them in like 2 days and I freakin missed the #ZoneOfEnoch. Seriously so grateful for Twitter so I can stay in touch with these elders and sisters. Can't wait for our bdubs reunions.

- Sister Anderson is giving a discussion during the Billings conference. She's saying something like "do you know who you are?" "Do you know what potential you have?" Really cool talk, really powerful... but I couldn't pass up the Dumb and Dumber reference opportunity so I turn to Wells and whisper "do you realize what you've DONE!!!" #TownIsBackThatWay

- talkin to Elder Baird when we were in the mission home (vehicle coordinator). We are pretty tight lol #TheyDone. Promised him baptisms would double if we added some 2016 Camaros to the fleet... He agreed but then said "ya but with your speeding habits you'd be in jail."

that was a #ShotsFired but it's Probs true... can't argue that...

probably a good thing the panther didn't go that fast back home. Also told him I want to stay in touch after the mission... His response "that's fine, call me when girls back home make you cry and you need someone to talk to"... 😑 then right on cue Sister Baird walks in and starts bashing on my Utes!

Why stop at 2 shots fired when you can whip out the 3 round burst assault rifle!!!! #PersecUTEtion

- While on the topic of #PersecUTEtion I made it through the tour without any smack talk from Sister Dayes... I knew something was off... Then we get back to our truck in Missoula where it was sticky noted with a "go cougars" on it.... I was pretty ruthless back home so I probably deserve all this...BUT the Cougars are freakin savage up here fam! I don't even know how the mission all found out a A Utah Man am I but they don't hold back!!! I'm trying to be more nice and civil as a missionary so I personally think this is just Karma for all the Twitter roasts I took part in #TwitterDreamTeam #SorryJonny. Well played tho. Still keeping my weapons of war buried.

- One last other big highlight was where we spent Monday night... We took a trip down memory lane and stayed in #BGrade and wow that brought back memories. Unfortunately we got back late and left early that next morning so I couldn't see anyone but that's probs good cause I wouldn't have left haha.

Well fam my thoughts are all over the place but I think we'll end it there for the random non-spiritual stuff for the week. It was a fun week, I learned a ton from Elder Anderson. Hearing from him gives you a boost and gets you hyped to be a missionary. Lots of things I loved but my personal favorite was talking about determining success as a missionary, he said he determines it off of how Christlike you become in those 18-24. So that's been on my mind a lot, the way I think of it is it's almost like a mission is a 2 year college for becoming Christ like... And sisters just graduate a semester early cause you know... Sisters - senior couples - 50 foot pile of dog crap - Elders... Ya that makes sense.

Missions are pretty sweet when you look at it like that. I still have a LONG ways to go in terms of being Christ like but I feel a lot closer than I was a year ago haha. You learn a lot out here.

Being in Belgrade, driving around the mission, seeing my MBM fam, it all brought back a lot of memories. Helped me realize how awesome it's been so far. Never thought I'd love serving a mission this much haha.

Set aside the numbers, the leadership titles, the world, all that stuff that doesn't matter, and think of the big picture. 2 years where you can learn and practice being as Christ like as possible. It's rough at times but no college degree is gonna be easy so you especially can't expect this one to be.

I'm loving it fam! Even tho Wells and I straight up can't get an investigator to open their door to us it's all good! Church is still true! Its hard work, it's a challenge, but the challenge is fun, just gotta own it. Own your mission, make it yours. Buckle up and go for it with a focus on helping others. I'll never forget what @pettbryan would tell me every morning he'd leave for work as I was getting back from 5:30 ball...

"Go out and help someone be happy today".

That's all a mission is. Seeing that glimpse of happiness tops out anything the world can offer and makes all the challenges worth it. It's awesome seeing the before and after of someone's happiness after you serve them, or teach them, or give them a blessing, or race while other 10'year olds are trying to kill you with their homemade taser #NeverForget. Never overlook how much power we have to help others be happy.

This week gonna be another crazy one I'm sure... Time is cruisin.

Already Wednesday, weird having a preparation day today! I may be baptizing someone the sisters are teaching on Saturday which would be sweet and then we got transfer calls on Sunday and I'll be an emotional train wreck if I leave #HamTown so let's just assume I'm staying and not talk about it anymore.

Church is true fam. I'm lovin this work. I'm lovin the Big Sky. Hoping the panther has enough in him to make the drive up here cause I gotta feeling i'll be doing that a lot.

Love ya

-Elder K

PICS

#ZoneOfEnoch hike