He's Back!

Ok, it's good to be emailing again. That chat fiasco was just a dead end. Thanks for sending me so many emails! It's good to have a full inbox! Due to extenuating circumstances (nothing dangerous or troubling), I don't have hardly any time to email, so I must be brief, and it makes me sad. I've got a pretty extensive build up of news that I need to tell you all, so hopefully one day I can get it all out. But, I'm being a diligent journal writer, so anything I leave out I can tell you guys afterwards. It was a good week this week! Let me try to think of the highlights... So, my district was doing a game night at the park to try to find people, and we noticed a group of college-aged kids throwing a frisbee around, and one of the elders asked them if we could play a game of ultimate with them. They agreed, and we shortly found out that these weren't just your average, run-of-the-mill ultimate players - they were on the ultimate team at NYU! And they were really good. So a team of missionaries in white shirts, ties, and dress shoes played the NYU ultimate team. It was ridiculous-looking to any passer-by I'm sure. I think we actually played admirably considering the circumstances. The final score was 10 to 4, with NYU taking the win. That was great. That same night, I also saw the two big spotlights mimicking the Twin Towers they have at the World Trade Center site, and that was actually really cool. They go up ridiculously high in the air. People take 9/11 a lot more seriously here, it seems, which is cool. 

I thought of something the other day that made me think (hmm... that was a strange sentence). I was thinking about the concept of opposition in all things, and the thought came to my mind that opposition in all things is a natural law. You know, like every action has an equal and opposite reaction. When good begins to prevail, it seems like the adversary kicks things into high gear. I thought that was cool to think about because not only is it a gospel principle, but it's a universal law. Can you guys think of any other gospel principles that are natural laws as well? Another thing that I thought of that cleared something up in my mind came to me as I was pondering the difference between a sin and a transgression. I've always been a bit confused on the subject, and I've never really understood why Adam and Eve's fall was a transgression and not a sin, since they disobeyed God's commandment. I realized that since Adam and Eve were innocent before they partook of the forbidden fruit, they couldn't sin. Therefore, the eating of the fruit was not a sin, it was a transgression. It was just like when a child does something wrong, not really understanding fully. I'm sure that most of you already thought of this, but it was an a-ha moment for me, so I thought I'd share. 

This week, I volunteered at a church that runs a soup kitchen with my roommates, and through talking to the pastor there, I came to know that this church was once the home of none other than the great Sufjan Stevens! Pretty cool, huh? The pastor told us that she used to be Sufjan's roommate, and he lived right above the chapel of the church for a while. She said that she thinks he recorded one of his songs at the church, too. I thought that was really cool. I walked where Sufjan walked. Of course, it's more important to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, but I still got excited :)

That's so sad that Shiloh died. He was a great dog. Send my love and condolences to the Nethercott's. I always liked to hang out with Shiloh, and every time I saw him, the Neil Diamond song would run through my mind. Those will always be fond memories. 

So I'm not getting transferred, but I am getting a new companion. Elder Pulla has been called elsewhere, so I meet my new trainer tomorrow! I'm pretty excited. But I'll be in this area for at least another 6 weeks. Oh! How could I forget this... Qua came to church and he stayed for all 3 hours! It was awesome. He's such a solid guy. He just needs to do a few things to get his life in line with the Gospel, and then he'll be set. He still has a baptismal date for September 30th, and I think he can keep it. In other news, you all have to watch the CES broadcast that Elder Holland spoke on. It was so good! He said some things that definitely needed to be said. He talked about how the Church has had to run from place to place throughout it's history, but now we're done running and we're going to fight. It was great. Elder Holland strikes again. 

There is so much more I want to say, but I have to run. Mom and Dad, that's so cool that you checked out the farmer's market. I'm jealous. There are some great farmer's markets around here, but they're a bit above my budget. Jase! You look like a stud in you uniform and it sounds like you had fun at your first game. Right on! Jacob, don't be too much of a lady killer. Remember that drama is only good if you're trying to make a Spanish soap opera. I love you all so much, and I want you to know that everything is going great out here, and I love being a missionary. The Church is true! 

Love, Elder McDonald

 Jarom learned that you can't keep a plate warm on a gas stove top...

 These are pictures from their district activity at Rockaway Beach. I'll bet it was painful not to be able to catch a wave or two!