Loved Ones,
Me-oh-my, the time did fly. We did it, family! Two years! My mortal mind simply cannot comprehend the fact that I will see you all in two days. It's very odd. To be perfectly honest, trying to picture life as a non-missionary right now is just as difficult and frankly impossible as trying to picture my life as a missionary before I came out. I just don't think I can do it! Now I understand more completely why it wasn't enough just to learn everything in the pre-mortal life. We needed to actually come to earth and experience it in order to truly understand. And thus it is with my life right now. I will not understand what the next phase of my life means for me until I begin to live it. But, just like I had the blessing of being placed in a loving family to help me to navigate the new world that was my earth life, I have a heavenly family awaiting my arrival to "post-mission life". The funny thing is, it's the same family. I love you all so much!Monday, July 7, 2014
The Last of the Monday Emails...
Monday, June 30, 2014
Finishing Strong
Loved Ones,
The pocket knife of the universe has been steadily whittling away bits
of time. Thankfully, the resultant wood carving is, to me, quite
beautiful. My hands are anything but empty after nearly two years have
been shaved away. I've been left with something more wonderful than
that which I started with. Equally worthy of thanks is the fact that,
so far, the last days of my mission have been especially rich and
rewarding. I have been blessed with an extra measure of faith, desire,
and hope that is putting wind in my sails and a fire in my heart. This
week can and should be the best week of my life.
Have you all been singing "New York, New York" to each other? Jacob,
are you excited to see the City for the first time from the
Queensborough Bridge? Jase, are you prepared to face the T-Rex in the
Museum of Natural History when we find a way to stay after closing to
witness a "night at the museum"? Mia, are you ready to ride the big,
shiny, underground train? It's going to be a vacation for the history
books.
I don't have much time because Elder Hooper and I are putting on a
zone activity today (we're playing kickball!), but I'd like to tell
you what Elder Hooper and I are going to do to make this week awesome.
The mission has a standard of excellence of finding 20 new
investigators as a companionship every transfer. So far, Elder Hooper
and I are at 14, and we are committed to make up our 6 investigator
deficit this week. We've had a lot of fun as we've thrust in our
sickles and searched for the pure in heart. They're out there! We've
been finding lots of awesome people! We have enough potential
investigators so that it is very realistic that we can find 6 more
investigators in a week. That has become my new "end of mission goal".
It is by and large this endeavor which has me feeling especially
pumped. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with
the faith and energy I need to finish strong. Enduring to the end is a
very important part of the gospel! I just have to keep asking each day
for my daily bread. One thing that Elder Hooper and I have been doing
to find people is going door to door with violin and guitar in hand to
play music for people. We have found good success with this practice,
and it's tons of fun!
Well, dear loved ones, I have to wrap it up. I love you all so much!
Thank you for being a constant light! I'm thinking of that cool light
thing that the elf queen gave to Frodo (I have to jump in on the
family "Lord of the Rings" discussion!). Have an awesome week!
Love,
Elder McDonald
The pocket knife of the universe has been steadily whittling away bits
of time. Thankfully, the resultant wood carving is, to me, quite
beautiful. My hands are anything but empty after nearly two years have
been shaved away. I've been left with something more wonderful than
that which I started with. Equally worthy of thanks is the fact that,
so far, the last days of my mission have been especially rich and
rewarding. I have been blessed with an extra measure of faith, desire,
and hope that is putting wind in my sails and a fire in my heart. This
week can and should be the best week of my life.
Have you all been singing "New York, New York" to each other? Jacob,
are you excited to see the City for the first time from the
Queensborough Bridge? Jase, are you prepared to face the T-Rex in the
Museum of Natural History when we find a way to stay after closing to
witness a "night at the museum"? Mia, are you ready to ride the big,
shiny, underground train? It's going to be a vacation for the history
books.
I don't have much time because Elder Hooper and I are putting on a
zone activity today (we're playing kickball!), but I'd like to tell
you what Elder Hooper and I are going to do to make this week awesome.
The mission has a standard of excellence of finding 20 new
investigators as a companionship every transfer. So far, Elder Hooper
and I are at 14, and we are committed to make up our 6 investigator
deficit this week. We've had a lot of fun as we've thrust in our
sickles and searched for the pure in heart. They're out there! We've
been finding lots of awesome people! We have enough potential
investigators so that it is very realistic that we can find 6 more
investigators in a week. That has become my new "end of mission goal".
It is by and large this endeavor which has me feeling especially
pumped. I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with
the faith and energy I need to finish strong. Enduring to the end is a
very important part of the gospel! I just have to keep asking each day
for my daily bread. One thing that Elder Hooper and I have been doing
to find people is going door to door with violin and guitar in hand to
play music for people. We have found good success with this practice,
and it's tons of fun!
Well, dear loved ones, I have to wrap it up. I love you all so much!
Thank you for being a constant light! I'm thinking of that cool light
thing that the elf queen gave to Frodo (I have to jump in on the
family "Lord of the Rings" discussion!). Have an awesome week!
Love,
Elder McDonald
Monday, June 23, 2014
Details
Loved Ones,
Hi all! How the heck are ya? First off, thank you for always being so
good about giving me the weekly update. It's so nice to be in the loop
and hear about all your grand adventures. I need to be better about
giving you all updates. I feel like I say very little of what actually
happens. I will do some real time repentance and strive for a more
news-rich email. Speaking of the news you sent, the waterfall hike
adventure looked pretty darn cool. Nature expeditions are the best!
It's cool that we have the beach in California as well as such lovely
things as hidden waterfalls. Plus, we have the Jelly Belly factory,
and what more could you possibly ask for? In honor of my return in the
next couple of weeks, do you think that you could have one of those
Jelly Belly portraits made of me? That would be perfect. :) I'm
kidding. And now that we're on the subject of jelly, that jellyfish
Uncle Mark found was impressive. Nice one, Uncle Mark! I remember when
we found a jellyfish in La Jolla and I got the poison on me when I
touched it. As Jacob knows, those little troublemakers still pack a
punch when they're dead!
It has been a pretty cool week over here. It flew by like a Nimbus
2001. Actually it was about the speed of a Firebolt. I'm sort of in
denial right now about what stage of my mission I'm in. Please do not
misunderstand -- I am so excited to see your beautiful faces and give
you giant bear hugs! It's just hard to comprehend anything but being
on a mission right now. It's good that you all will be able to coach
me for two weeks far from home before making landfall in California so
that I don't shame our family name by doing something socially
unacceptable or something. I'll be able to get some of the awkward out
with only my close family as witness. Maybe I'll just stay awkward,
actually. It's not like I was suave or anything before. I've likely
always been awkward. But anyway, I digress from the update. The first
thing that comes to mind is that yesterday, Elder Hooper and I did a
little musical tracting. We had the violin and guitar with us, so we
knocked on a few doors and offered to play a song. We had a few takers
who were graced with our rendition of "Amazing Grace". Mom, to answer
your question about the most interesting person I met, I'd say the
honor goes to one of the people we met as we played songs. He was a
large bearded fellow who answered the door with a tall glass of beer
in hand. He was very New-York-friendly (which is a very unique kind of
friendly) and let us in to play for him. He was a bit drunk, but still
in control of himself. When we came in, we met his wife also. After we
turned down a beer, we began to play. He said he liked blues, so I did
my best to blues-ify "Amazing Grace". He approved and requested an
encore, to which we answered with a verse of "Come, Thou Fount".
Though we still had his attention, after this, our repertoire well ran
dry. So, we asked if we could practice and then come back another
night. He agreed! That was fun. People were generally pretty open and
receptive to this technique. It was a good time. Another cool thing
that happens is that we found a giant family who has investigated the
Church before. We met with the husband and committed him to be
baptized on July 27th! There are many more souls in that home that we
hope to meet with at the next lesson. Another event that stands out in
my memory is ward choir practice, which seems like an odd thing to
stand out, but ward choir is one of my favorite things about the Bay
Shore ward. Brother and Sister Burgess lead the choir with great
skill. They are also just awesome people whom I love. Sunday, we
practiced Brother Burgess's arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of
Grief", and holy cow, Brother Burgess knows how to arrange a hymn. It
was incredible! I wish you could all hear it. He's a musical genius.
As I wrote about ward choir, I remembered another fun adventure. I was
on an exchange with Elder Hart last week, and after a meeting, we were
handing out some supplies from our trunk to a few missionaries. After
this, Elder Hart closed the trunk, and everything would have been just
great if the car keys were not nestled safely inside. Thus began a 7
hour adventure in an area not our own (we traveled to the meeting)
without a car. While some missionaries who most thankfully were at the
office that day secured the spare key (which most thankfully exists),
Elder Hart and I set out on foot to travel the land, looking for souls
to save and food to eat. Food was fairly easy to secure, but finding
someone who was interested in listening to us proved a bit more
challenging. We knocked on a good bundle of doors with little apparent
success. Though no one excitedly ushered us into their home this time,
we had a good time. You can have a lot of conversation when you are on
foot in a foreign land for 7 hours. I'd say it's time we lay this
marathon paragraph to rest. I think that was a pretty good dose of
news, right?
Remember how I mentioned real time repentance earlier? Well, what that
means is that rather than making repentance an occasional event in our
lives, we make it a continual pattern in our lives. When we do, say,
or think something that distances us from God, or neglect to do, say,
or think something we should have and thus also distance ourselves
from God, we can immediately repent of that and immediately be
forgiven. Thus, we have repented in real time. I have a testimony of
this principle. I'd like to invite us all to never delay getting
ourselves nearer to God. It may be that we didn't even make a mistake.
Perhaps we have been injured by the mistake of another. This is still
cause to invite the healing, cleansing power of the Atonement into our
lives so that we can be made whole. You need to treat a wound whether
you received it from tripping and falling (or attempting some athletic
feat that perhaps should have been saved for a stuntman) or from
someone punching you in the face (hopefully not). I have learned that
we ought not to delay our turning or returning to the Lord until we
see a huge gap that has developed. We would do well to recognize
immediately mistakes or spiritual wounds and address them in real
time. This takes spiritual discernment and a desire to be near to God.
I would suggest that we can gain both from fervent prayer and diligent
scripture study.
That is all for now. I love you all so much! Don't forget it! Thank
you for your supporting hands and your welcoming hearts. It means the
world and then some.
Love,
Elder McDonald
Hi all! How the heck are ya? First off, thank you for always being so
good about giving me the weekly update. It's so nice to be in the loop
and hear about all your grand adventures. I need to be better about
giving you all updates. I feel like I say very little of what actually
happens. I will do some real time repentance and strive for a more
news-rich email. Speaking of the news you sent, the waterfall hike
adventure looked pretty darn cool. Nature expeditions are the best!
It's cool that we have the beach in California as well as such lovely
things as hidden waterfalls. Plus, we have the Jelly Belly factory,
and what more could you possibly ask for? In honor of my return in the
next couple of weeks, do you think that you could have one of those
Jelly Belly portraits made of me? That would be perfect. :) I'm
kidding. And now that we're on the subject of jelly, that jellyfish
Uncle Mark found was impressive. Nice one, Uncle Mark! I remember when
we found a jellyfish in La Jolla and I got the poison on me when I
touched it. As Jacob knows, those little troublemakers still pack a
punch when they're dead!
It has been a pretty cool week over here. It flew by like a Nimbus
2001. Actually it was about the speed of a Firebolt. I'm sort of in
denial right now about what stage of my mission I'm in. Please do not
misunderstand -- I am so excited to see your beautiful faces and give
you giant bear hugs! It's just hard to comprehend anything but being
on a mission right now. It's good that you all will be able to coach
me for two weeks far from home before making landfall in California so
that I don't shame our family name by doing something socially
unacceptable or something. I'll be able to get some of the awkward out
with only my close family as witness. Maybe I'll just stay awkward,
actually. It's not like I was suave or anything before. I've likely
always been awkward. But anyway, I digress from the update. The first
thing that comes to mind is that yesterday, Elder Hooper and I did a
little musical tracting. We had the violin and guitar with us, so we
knocked on a few doors and offered to play a song. We had a few takers
who were graced with our rendition of "Amazing Grace". Mom, to answer
your question about the most interesting person I met, I'd say the
honor goes to one of the people we met as we played songs. He was a
large bearded fellow who answered the door with a tall glass of beer
in hand. He was very New-York-friendly (which is a very unique kind of
friendly) and let us in to play for him. He was a bit drunk, but still
in control of himself. When we came in, we met his wife also. After we
turned down a beer, we began to play. He said he liked blues, so I did
my best to blues-ify "Amazing Grace". He approved and requested an
encore, to which we answered with a verse of "Come, Thou Fount".
Though we still had his attention, after this, our repertoire well ran
dry. So, we asked if we could practice and then come back another
night. He agreed! That was fun. People were generally pretty open and
receptive to this technique. It was a good time. Another cool thing
that happens is that we found a giant family who has investigated the
Church before. We met with the husband and committed him to be
baptized on July 27th! There are many more souls in that home that we
hope to meet with at the next lesson. Another event that stands out in
my memory is ward choir practice, which seems like an odd thing to
stand out, but ward choir is one of my favorite things about the Bay
Shore ward. Brother and Sister Burgess lead the choir with great
skill. They are also just awesome people whom I love. Sunday, we
practiced Brother Burgess's arrangement of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of
Grief", and holy cow, Brother Burgess knows how to arrange a hymn. It
was incredible! I wish you could all hear it. He's a musical genius.
As I wrote about ward choir, I remembered another fun adventure. I was
on an exchange with Elder Hart last week, and after a meeting, we were
handing out some supplies from our trunk to a few missionaries. After
this, Elder Hart closed the trunk, and everything would have been just
great if the car keys were not nestled safely inside. Thus began a 7
hour adventure in an area not our own (we traveled to the meeting)
without a car. While some missionaries who most thankfully were at the
office that day secured the spare key (which most thankfully exists),
Elder Hart and I set out on foot to travel the land, looking for souls
to save and food to eat. Food was fairly easy to secure, but finding
someone who was interested in listening to us proved a bit more
challenging. We knocked on a good bundle of doors with little apparent
success. Though no one excitedly ushered us into their home this time,
we had a good time. You can have a lot of conversation when you are on
foot in a foreign land for 7 hours. I'd say it's time we lay this
marathon paragraph to rest. I think that was a pretty good dose of
news, right?
Remember how I mentioned real time repentance earlier? Well, what that
means is that rather than making repentance an occasional event in our
lives, we make it a continual pattern in our lives. When we do, say,
or think something that distances us from God, or neglect to do, say,
or think something we should have and thus also distance ourselves
from God, we can immediately repent of that and immediately be
forgiven. Thus, we have repented in real time. I have a testimony of
this principle. I'd like to invite us all to never delay getting
ourselves nearer to God. It may be that we didn't even make a mistake.
Perhaps we have been injured by the mistake of another. This is still
cause to invite the healing, cleansing power of the Atonement into our
lives so that we can be made whole. You need to treat a wound whether
you received it from tripping and falling (or attempting some athletic
feat that perhaps should have been saved for a stuntman) or from
someone punching you in the face (hopefully not). I have learned that
we ought not to delay our turning or returning to the Lord until we
see a huge gap that has developed. We would do well to recognize
immediately mistakes or spiritual wounds and address them in real
time. This takes spiritual discernment and a desire to be near to God.
I would suggest that we can gain both from fervent prayer and diligent
scripture study.
That is all for now. I love you all so much! Don't forget it! Thank
you for your supporting hands and your welcoming hearts. It means the
world and then some.
Love,
Elder McDonald
Monday, June 16, 2014
Online Success
Loved Ones,
Hiya! I know that Peter Parker says that in the older Spider-Man
films, but I feel I should let you know that, though Peter Parker
lives in New York, that is not, as far as I can tell, a hip New York
thing to say. Hopefully that factoid will help out when you come to
walk the streets of New York. However, you all are beyond cool in my
eyes regardless. And boy, it sure sounds like you all had a pretty
cool week! That's great! Mia, way to represent the McDonald clan well
in the hula hoop and dancing contest. You should combine those two
routines and create a "hip" (hehe) new dance style. Also, could you
teach me how to hula hoop? That is a useful skill. We will definitely
have to have hula hoop/dance parties. It makes me happy when you guys
are happy. Since we are a family, bound together by love and sealed
together by covenants, individual joys and triumphs are shared by all.
That is a beautiful thing.
Last week was pretty exciting because Elder S. Gifford Nielsen and
Sister Nielsen came to town. That was a real treat. Both of them are
such prime examples of goodness. They are also both hilarious. If you
think back to Elder Nielsen's conference address, you can get a good
idea of his personality. He humorously referenced exclamation points
several times during the mission tour. I learned a ton and was very
inspired by what was shared. It's also a lot of fun to be around
General Authorities and to see their personalities. They tend to be
great people.
I want to give you all a report of my digital missionary efforts in
this email. One of my goals as I came into the last few months of my
mission was to expand my online missionary efforts, specifically by
teaching a lesson online. Well, the Lord blessed me far beyond that.
It has been a great joy to teach not just one but a good handful of
online lessons. A few of them have been with investigators I met in
past areas and then linked up with online, and one of those people is
actually from Russia. I met him in Midwood as he was visiting there,
but we've met him a couple of times over Skype now. It was so cool to
be teaching someone in Russia! He's actually become a dear friend. I
plan to stay in touch. I'm very grateful that the Lord has blessed me
with such a diverse mix of missionary experiences. At the beginning of
my mission, I would have never guessed that I would be able to do the
things we've been doing with online tools. The internet is such a
powerful tool for lifting the human family. So much good can be done.
Families divided by oceans can be close as their hearts are digitally
knit together with the wonder of Skype and Facebook. Friendships that
in former days would have been terminated with the departure of one
party to distant lands can now continue unabated. You know, in many
ways, the internet and other technological advances can bring us
closer to a celestial way of life: relationships unaffected by time
and space.
Have any of you downloaded the Bible Videos app? I don't have it, but
it looks pretty cool. I would recommend checking it out because those
Bible Videos have been a big blessing for me. They build my faith in
Jesus Christ and help me to connect more with His life and ministry. I
have developed a deeper love for the Bible and the stories of Jesus by
watching those beautiful videos. A few of my favorites are "Jesus
Heals a Man Born Blind", "My Kingdom Is Not of This World", and "Peter
and John Continue Preaching the Gospel". Those videos are also a great
way to share the gospel. Also, faith in Christ and a love for learning
of His life are common denominators amongst Christians everywhere, and
this should be a cause to unite and rejoice together. Those videos can
help this be so while also building stepping stones to an invitation
to learn about Jesus Christ's restored gospel.
Well, that is it for today. I love you all so much! Thanks for being so great!
Love,
Elder McDonald
Hiya! I know that Peter Parker says that in the older Spider-Man
films, but I feel I should let you know that, though Peter Parker
lives in New York, that is not, as far as I can tell, a hip New York
thing to say. Hopefully that factoid will help out when you come to
walk the streets of New York. However, you all are beyond cool in my
eyes regardless. And boy, it sure sounds like you all had a pretty
cool week! That's great! Mia, way to represent the McDonald clan well
in the hula hoop and dancing contest. You should combine those two
routines and create a "hip" (hehe) new dance style. Also, could you
teach me how to hula hoop? That is a useful skill. We will definitely
have to have hula hoop/dance parties. It makes me happy when you guys
are happy. Since we are a family, bound together by love and sealed
together by covenants, individual joys and triumphs are shared by all.
That is a beautiful thing.
Last week was pretty exciting because Elder S. Gifford Nielsen and
Sister Nielsen came to town. That was a real treat. Both of them are
such prime examples of goodness. They are also both hilarious. If you
think back to Elder Nielsen's conference address, you can get a good
idea of his personality. He humorously referenced exclamation points
several times during the mission tour. I learned a ton and was very
inspired by what was shared. It's also a lot of fun to be around
General Authorities and to see their personalities. They tend to be
great people.
I want to give you all a report of my digital missionary efforts in
this email. One of my goals as I came into the last few months of my
mission was to expand my online missionary efforts, specifically by
teaching a lesson online. Well, the Lord blessed me far beyond that.
It has been a great joy to teach not just one but a good handful of
online lessons. A few of them have been with investigators I met in
past areas and then linked up with online, and one of those people is
actually from Russia. I met him in Midwood as he was visiting there,
but we've met him a couple of times over Skype now. It was so cool to
be teaching someone in Russia! He's actually become a dear friend. I
plan to stay in touch. I'm very grateful that the Lord has blessed me
with such a diverse mix of missionary experiences. At the beginning of
my mission, I would have never guessed that I would be able to do the
things we've been doing with online tools. The internet is such a
powerful tool for lifting the human family. So much good can be done.
Families divided by oceans can be close as their hearts are digitally
knit together with the wonder of Skype and Facebook. Friendships that
in former days would have been terminated with the departure of one
party to distant lands can now continue unabated. You know, in many
ways, the internet and other technological advances can bring us
closer to a celestial way of life: relationships unaffected by time
and space.
Have any of you downloaded the Bible Videos app? I don't have it, but
it looks pretty cool. I would recommend checking it out because those
Bible Videos have been a big blessing for me. They build my faith in
Jesus Christ and help me to connect more with His life and ministry. I
have developed a deeper love for the Bible and the stories of Jesus by
watching those beautiful videos. A few of my favorites are "Jesus
Heals a Man Born Blind", "My Kingdom Is Not of This World", and "Peter
and John Continue Preaching the Gospel". Those videos are also a great
way to share the gospel. Also, faith in Christ and a love for learning
of His life are common denominators amongst Christians everywhere, and
this should be a cause to unite and rejoice together. Those videos can
help this be so while also building stepping stones to an invitation
to learn about Jesus Christ's restored gospel.
Well, that is it for today. I love you all so much! Thanks for being so great!
Love,
Elder McDonald
Monday, June 9, 2014
Rainy Days
Loved Ones,
Hellooo! I said that with an accent in my head, but I suppose that
just got lost in translation. It's ok. I think the point still got
across :) How are ya'll doing? I hope very well. I'm doing great!
Today is a rainy day, but it's a particularly beautiful rainy day.
There is a feeling of purity that has descended upon Bay Shore with
the precipitation. As I walked through the rain, I felt renewed,
refreshed, and hopeful. It was very nice. There is such beauty in
rain. The rain is also rich with symbolism. I've always loved the
Primary song "When I Am Baptized". That song perfectly captures the
lesson we are reminded of each time the clouds release their
life-giving cargo. Isn't it interesting that, when it rains, not only
is the Earth washed clean, but the clouds are relieved of a burden.
There is double-symbolism! Meditating on the wonder of nature brings
deeper understanding and meaning to truths that we logically
comprehend but perhaps don't always fully internalize. No wonder Jesus
so often referred to the things of nature when teaching!
One thing that the rain did not wash away is my love for being a
missionary. No, I hope that nothing will be able to do that. I am
humbled and inspired by those who have learned to love the Lord's work
and desire to a greater degree than I have yet learned, but I can say
that, in my small way, I do love this work. Yesterday, Elder Hooper
and I were invited to participate in the young men's lesson as the
subject was missionary work. We had the opportunity to tell the young
men why they should serve a mission. As I testified of the miracle of
a mission, my testimony and gratitude increased. I was deeply moved
and inspired by that lesson. This has been the best two years of my
life! I can't imagine not having done this. Thank you, dear loved
ones, for being there with me every step of the way. I have been
forever changed by this experience, and I pray that a significant
manifestation of that change will be a greater ability to love each of
you the way that I should.
How about a fun experience of the week? Elder Hooper and I became
acquainted with a family of farmers last week. We struck up a
conversation with one of them, John, while he was near the front of
the farm where we could see him from the road. Two other family
members later joined us, so we met them, too. We asked them if they
would ever need any help around the farm, and they told us that we
could come by anytime if we wanted. Well, we took them up on that
offer! We showed up the next morning ready to work! What a fine
experience it was to be on the farm! I may have been persuaded to make
farming my livelihood. I'm pretty sold on it. It was so rejuvenating
to be so close to the earth and the means by which we all used to
sustain ourselves. Again, I could go on about the wonder of nature. It
was also so special to make friends in a day. We were able to just
connect as human beings and have a few conversations about God, He who
connects us all. One of my greatest joys as a missionary is traveling
about and befriending total strangers. I've found that it's actually
quite easy to sidestep small talk and begin talking about what matters
most: family and faith. I've tried to be particularly focused on
eternal families as I've testified to my brothers and sisters. When we
talk with each other about things that are of the most worth, we
develop a connection that is really beautiful. That doesn't mean that
we just flippantly toss around our "pearls". We can very reverently
and respectfully speak of sacred things with those we come in contact
with, even if we just met. Perhaps moving past the "weather talk" to
those more weightier matters is one of the secrets to making friends
and sharing the gospel.
I pray that you are all happy. Can you believe that we will see each
other so soon? It's kinda amazing. I love you all so much! Thank you
for the wonderful things you do for me. Thank you for being wonderful
people. May I end with a little joke?
1. Knock, knock.
2. Who's there?
1. The Grinch.
2. The Grinch who?...
1...Stole Christmas.
Love,
Elder McDonald
Hellooo! I said that with an accent in my head, but I suppose that
just got lost in translation. It's ok. I think the point still got
across :) How are ya'll doing? I hope very well. I'm doing great!
Today is a rainy day, but it's a particularly beautiful rainy day.
There is a feeling of purity that has descended upon Bay Shore with
the precipitation. As I walked through the rain, I felt renewed,
refreshed, and hopeful. It was very nice. There is such beauty in
rain. The rain is also rich with symbolism. I've always loved the
Primary song "When I Am Baptized". That song perfectly captures the
lesson we are reminded of each time the clouds release their
life-giving cargo. Isn't it interesting that, when it rains, not only
is the Earth washed clean, but the clouds are relieved of a burden.
There is double-symbolism! Meditating on the wonder of nature brings
deeper understanding and meaning to truths that we logically
comprehend but perhaps don't always fully internalize. No wonder Jesus
so often referred to the things of nature when teaching!
One thing that the rain did not wash away is my love for being a
missionary. No, I hope that nothing will be able to do that. I am
humbled and inspired by those who have learned to love the Lord's work
and desire to a greater degree than I have yet learned, but I can say
that, in my small way, I do love this work. Yesterday, Elder Hooper
and I were invited to participate in the young men's lesson as the
subject was missionary work. We had the opportunity to tell the young
men why they should serve a mission. As I testified of the miracle of
a mission, my testimony and gratitude increased. I was deeply moved
and inspired by that lesson. This has been the best two years of my
life! I can't imagine not having done this. Thank you, dear loved
ones, for being there with me every step of the way. I have been
forever changed by this experience, and I pray that a significant
manifestation of that change will be a greater ability to love each of
you the way that I should.
How about a fun experience of the week? Elder Hooper and I became
acquainted with a family of farmers last week. We struck up a
conversation with one of them, John, while he was near the front of
the farm where we could see him from the road. Two other family
members later joined us, so we met them, too. We asked them if they
would ever need any help around the farm, and they told us that we
could come by anytime if we wanted. Well, we took them up on that
offer! We showed up the next morning ready to work! What a fine
experience it was to be on the farm! I may have been persuaded to make
farming my livelihood. I'm pretty sold on it. It was so rejuvenating
to be so close to the earth and the means by which we all used to
sustain ourselves. Again, I could go on about the wonder of nature. It
was also so special to make friends in a day. We were able to just
connect as human beings and have a few conversations about God, He who
connects us all. One of my greatest joys as a missionary is traveling
about and befriending total strangers. I've found that it's actually
quite easy to sidestep small talk and begin talking about what matters
most: family and faith. I've tried to be particularly focused on
eternal families as I've testified to my brothers and sisters. When we
talk with each other about things that are of the most worth, we
develop a connection that is really beautiful. That doesn't mean that
we just flippantly toss around our "pearls". We can very reverently
and respectfully speak of sacred things with those we come in contact
with, even if we just met. Perhaps moving past the "weather talk" to
those more weightier matters is one of the secrets to making friends
and sharing the gospel.
I pray that you are all happy. Can you believe that we will see each
other so soon? It's kinda amazing. I love you all so much! Thank you
for the wonderful things you do for me. Thank you for being wonderful
people. May I end with a little joke?
1. Knock, knock.
2. Who's there?
1. The Grinch.
2. The Grinch who?...
1...Stole Christmas.
Love,
Elder McDonald
Monday, June 2, 2014
Last Transfer
Loved Ones,
Hello! How are you all? Can I just say that I love you all? I really
do. I just have to say that from time to time. It's kind of like when
Jesus rides into Jerusalem when the Pharisees rebuke Him for allowing
his disciples to praise Him and He says, "I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke
19:40). I like picturing stones crying out. That would be pretty cool.
I earnestly hope that you all are happy. I'm sure you are. You're a
pretty happy bunch of people. I can tell that because you make me
happy, and an unhappy person would have trouble making another person
happy. Thanks for sharing the joy.
Transfers came and went, leaving me here in Bay Shore to spend the
rest of my days. I did, however, pick up a new companion. The karma
chameleon came around as my trainee, Elder Hooper, will now be
training me in the new 6 week program, "Adjusting to Regular Life".
I'm partially kidding, of course. The part about Elder Hooper being my
companion is true. We have been reunited! It should be fun. We've been
reminiscing about our Bushwick days. I didn't get to go back there,
but I did get my Bushwick companion back! You know, looking back, it's
amazing how not long ago it seems since those days. Time has flown.
Any exciting developments on the home front? Is All Quiet on the
Western Front? Thank goodness you all were able to stay put and keep
your eyebrows through the fires. I hope there wasn't a lot of damage,
and I really hope that no one was injured. How's the weather over
there? Terrible right? And the waves are awful too? Should be that way
until mid July? Perfect.
Guess what? Elder Hooper and I began teaching a family of five! We
found them through tracting, which is miraculous. They've been
prepared to receive the gospel. It was such a joy to teach them! They
have three young children who are super cute and super smart. I love
teaching little kids the gospel! It's great. Speaking of which, by
substituting for Primary a few times, I've developed a great respect
for Primary teachers. It is a joy to teach the children, but it keeps
you on your toes and requires a lot of energy. This has been my random
soap box thought of the day.
I've been thinking a bit about the privilege of testifying as a
full-time missionary lately. I feel that it has been when I have had
the opportunity to testify that I've recognized the power and
authority that comes with the sacred calling of representative of
Jesus Christ. I say this in all humility, acknowledging that it is
God's power and expressing my gratitude for the opportunity to be
engaged in this work. I've also been finding a lot of joy in walking
the streets and talking to strangers about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I love approaching a stranger and learning about their life. If the
ice breaks, then a warm, human experience flows forth, and strangers
become friends. It really is fun. Sometimes I look around, see all the
people, and feel a love and concern for my fellow travelers who are
journeying with a broken compass or a faulty map. It's an interesting
affection that I feel, but I cherish it because it brings me closer to
my brothers and sisters. I wish I had the ability to give them all the
gospel. Really, I wish I had the opportunity to reach them. Having
said this, I don't want to place myself or others who have the gospel
of Jesus Christ in their lives upon a pedestal. There are so many
wonderful people out there who simply just don't have all the
information of no fault of their own. They are living good lives, they
just need us to share the light we've been given with them. "Freely Ye
have received, freely give."
I love you all heaps and oodles. Thanks for your ever-shining light
and your never-ending love. May God bless each of you.
Love,
Elder McDonald
Hello! How are you all? Can I just say that I love you all? I really
do. I just have to say that from time to time. It's kind of like when
Jesus rides into Jerusalem when the Pharisees rebuke Him for allowing
his disciples to praise Him and He says, "I tell you that, if these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke
19:40). I like picturing stones crying out. That would be pretty cool.
I earnestly hope that you all are happy. I'm sure you are. You're a
pretty happy bunch of people. I can tell that because you make me
happy, and an unhappy person would have trouble making another person
happy. Thanks for sharing the joy.
Transfers came and went, leaving me here in Bay Shore to spend the
rest of my days. I did, however, pick up a new companion. The karma
chameleon came around as my trainee, Elder Hooper, will now be
training me in the new 6 week program, "Adjusting to Regular Life".
I'm partially kidding, of course. The part about Elder Hooper being my
companion is true. We have been reunited! It should be fun. We've been
reminiscing about our Bushwick days. I didn't get to go back there,
but I did get my Bushwick companion back! You know, looking back, it's
amazing how not long ago it seems since those days. Time has flown.
Any exciting developments on the home front? Is All Quiet on the
Western Front? Thank goodness you all were able to stay put and keep
your eyebrows through the fires. I hope there wasn't a lot of damage,
and I really hope that no one was injured. How's the weather over
there? Terrible right? And the waves are awful too? Should be that way
until mid July? Perfect.
Guess what? Elder Hooper and I began teaching a family of five! We
found them through tracting, which is miraculous. They've been
prepared to receive the gospel. It was such a joy to teach them! They
have three young children who are super cute and super smart. I love
teaching little kids the gospel! It's great. Speaking of which, by
substituting for Primary a few times, I've developed a great respect
for Primary teachers. It is a joy to teach the children, but it keeps
you on your toes and requires a lot of energy. This has been my random
soap box thought of the day.
I've been thinking a bit about the privilege of testifying as a
full-time missionary lately. I feel that it has been when I have had
the opportunity to testify that I've recognized the power and
authority that comes with the sacred calling of representative of
Jesus Christ. I say this in all humility, acknowledging that it is
God's power and expressing my gratitude for the opportunity to be
engaged in this work. I've also been finding a lot of joy in walking
the streets and talking to strangers about the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I love approaching a stranger and learning about their life. If the
ice breaks, then a warm, human experience flows forth, and strangers
become friends. It really is fun. Sometimes I look around, see all the
people, and feel a love and concern for my fellow travelers who are
journeying with a broken compass or a faulty map. It's an interesting
affection that I feel, but I cherish it because it brings me closer to
my brothers and sisters. I wish I had the ability to give them all the
gospel. Really, I wish I had the opportunity to reach them. Having
said this, I don't want to place myself or others who have the gospel
of Jesus Christ in their lives upon a pedestal. There are so many
wonderful people out there who simply just don't have all the
information of no fault of their own. They are living good lives, they
just need us to share the light we've been given with them. "Freely Ye
have received, freely give."
I love you all heaps and oodles. Thanks for your ever-shining light
and your never-ending love. May God bless each of you.
Love,
Elder McDonald
.jpg) |
| Birthday Boy with his spoils. |
.PNG) |
| Confetti bomb!!! |
Monday, May 26, 2014
Memorial Day
Loved Ones,
Hi folks! How are ya? I want to thank you all for keeping me in the
loop and being so great about writing me and such. It is so sweet (not
in the slang way) to have correspondence with the dear ones in my
life. My heart swells to know that whatever roads I walk, I walk them
in such stellar company. Truly stellar is the right adjective, for you
are all of a heavenly nature in every way. Thank you! I'm going to
warn you that, upon seeing you all, I may follow the example of Ammon
and pass out because my joy exceeds my natural frame. Just be standing
by in the event of such a thing occurring. It is not unlikely.
Last week was great! Getting my birthday package a bit late worked out
just fine because I was able to stretch that celebration out as long
as possible. Brother Burgess, a member here in Bay Shore (he's
awesome), believes in a birthday week, and I must second his opinion.
The package arrived on time, I think, it was just in a different place
than the last one, so I didn't see it until I, on a whim, checked a
compartment and found a delightful surprise inside. It was great to
Spider-Man-out for a bit and bathe in the warmth that comes from
knowing someone loves me. Let me just say that you decorated
everything perfectly. I am such a big Spider-Man fan. Not only is he
awesome, but he's a New Yorker! That's what I like most about him.
Also, he demonstrates the principle of selfless service that we are
remembering and paying tribute to this Memorial Day. Let me just
publicly thank those who have served this country and those who call
it home. We are so blessed to have liberty. Liberty is a companion to
and a component of eternal life. It is important! I'm grateful that
there are those who believed in liberty enough to lay down their
lives. May God bless America.
Last week was excellent. Truly excellent. This past Friday, we had the
opportunity to help out St. Mark's, a local Episcopalian church, with
a project they were working on. This was a great chance to associate
fellow Christians and appreciate what brings us together.
Additionally, we received a gracious tour of the church with its
striking architecture and stunning glasswork. It was gorgeous! There
were beautiful scenes depicted with Tiffany glass. (I think that's how
it's spelled. That's how it sounds.) That was a treat. In other news,
we lived off the fat of the land because people kept providing pizza
for us. Thus we were well fed and didn't even have to use much of our
own food. That happens sometimes. The Lord provides. I was watching a
sparrow drink from a pool of rainwater on the street the other day,
and I just thought of the scripture in Matthew:
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye
not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:26).
As I think back to the companion situations mentioned, namely pizza
being provided for us and rainwater being provided for the sparrow, I
am grateful that the Lord saw fit to bless us with pizza and not just
rainwater :) To loosely quote Po, the Kung Fu Panda, "I'm gonna need a
lot more than dew and universe juice!" However, joking aside, I
believe strongly in the principle taught in that scripture. I know
that as we selflessly serve, the Lord provides. Would not He support
us as we seek to lift the human family? I testify that He does and He
will!
I spoke with a returned missionary the other day who told me the last
month of his mission was miraculous. He said he just expected awesome
things to happen and they did. I loved that, and I'd like to make that
a reality for the last month of my mission. I've learned that there is
nothing wrong with having great expectations, even though you will
sometimes be disappointed. Occasional disappointment may be something
of a toll that must be paid when crossing the bridge to the wondrous
isle of fulfilled hopes and dreams, but it is well worth it. Faith,
hope, and expectations are connected, and I am seeking to raise my
expectations and increase my faith and hope so that when
disappointments come, I am able to take them with optimism and
confidence, knowing that things will work out when we place faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Loved ones, I love you. I really do! You are in my prayers and always
in my heart. Let's go and do something nice for someone this week!
Maybe it is a smile you'll give or just a "hello". You could do the
dishes for Mom or bake someone a batch of cookies. Whatever it is, it
will make the world a brighter place and make you a brighter person!
Love,
Elder McDonald
.jpg)
Hi folks! How are ya? I want to thank you all for keeping me in the
loop and being so great about writing me and such. It is so sweet (not
in the slang way) to have correspondence with the dear ones in my
life. My heart swells to know that whatever roads I walk, I walk them
in such stellar company. Truly stellar is the right adjective, for you
are all of a heavenly nature in every way. Thank you! I'm going to
warn you that, upon seeing you all, I may follow the example of Ammon
and pass out because my joy exceeds my natural frame. Just be standing
by in the event of such a thing occurring. It is not unlikely.
Last week was great! Getting my birthday package a bit late worked out
just fine because I was able to stretch that celebration out as long
as possible. Brother Burgess, a member here in Bay Shore (he's
awesome), believes in a birthday week, and I must second his opinion.
The package arrived on time, I think, it was just in a different place
than the last one, so I didn't see it until I, on a whim, checked a
compartment and found a delightful surprise inside. It was great to
Spider-Man-out for a bit and bathe in the warmth that comes from
knowing someone loves me. Let me just say that you decorated
everything perfectly. I am such a big Spider-Man fan. Not only is he
awesome, but he's a New Yorker! That's what I like most about him.
Also, he demonstrates the principle of selfless service that we are
remembering and paying tribute to this Memorial Day. Let me just
publicly thank those who have served this country and those who call
it home. We are so blessed to have liberty. Liberty is a companion to
and a component of eternal life. It is important! I'm grateful that
there are those who believed in liberty enough to lay down their
lives. May God bless America.
Last week was excellent. Truly excellent. This past Friday, we had the
opportunity to help out St. Mark's, a local Episcopalian church, with
a project they were working on. This was a great chance to associate
fellow Christians and appreciate what brings us together.
Additionally, we received a gracious tour of the church with its
striking architecture and stunning glasswork. It was gorgeous! There
were beautiful scenes depicted with Tiffany glass. (I think that's how
it's spelled. That's how it sounds.) That was a treat. In other news,
we lived off the fat of the land because people kept providing pizza
for us. Thus we were well fed and didn't even have to use much of our
own food. That happens sometimes. The Lord provides. I was watching a
sparrow drink from a pool of rainwater on the street the other day,
and I just thought of the scripture in Matthew:
"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,
nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye
not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:26).
As I think back to the companion situations mentioned, namely pizza
being provided for us and rainwater being provided for the sparrow, I
am grateful that the Lord saw fit to bless us with pizza and not just
rainwater :) To loosely quote Po, the Kung Fu Panda, "I'm gonna need a
lot more than dew and universe juice!" However, joking aside, I
believe strongly in the principle taught in that scripture. I know
that as we selflessly serve, the Lord provides. Would not He support
us as we seek to lift the human family? I testify that He does and He
will!
I spoke with a returned missionary the other day who told me the last
month of his mission was miraculous. He said he just expected awesome
things to happen and they did. I loved that, and I'd like to make that
a reality for the last month of my mission. I've learned that there is
nothing wrong with having great expectations, even though you will
sometimes be disappointed. Occasional disappointment may be something
of a toll that must be paid when crossing the bridge to the wondrous
isle of fulfilled hopes and dreams, but it is well worth it. Faith,
hope, and expectations are connected, and I am seeking to raise my
expectations and increase my faith and hope so that when
disappointments come, I am able to take them with optimism and
confidence, knowing that things will work out when we place faith in
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Loved ones, I love you. I really do! You are in my prayers and always
in my heart. Let's go and do something nice for someone this week!
Maybe it is a smile you'll give or just a "hello". You could do the
dishes for Mom or bake someone a batch of cookies. Whatever it is, it
will make the world a brighter place and make you a brighter person!
Love,
Elder McDonald
.jpg) |
| Awkward Companion Photos... |
.jpg) |
| Birthday Boy! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)