Thanksgiving in NY

Dearly Beloved (I have to mix it up every now and again!),

I was so happy to see all the Thanksgiving pictures and to hear that it was a happy day. I am honestly touched by the decision to omit the green bean casserole in honor of my absence. Why is my family so cool? You guys are the best. Honestly. All the food looked really good! What else would I expect from the kitchens of the world's greatest culinary masterminds? I have definitely come to miss the fantastic cooking skills of my mom and grandma. I can't thank you both enough for all the years worth of delectable fare you have provided. And thank you for teaching me some of the trade as well. It's definitely come in handy. Thanksgiving was great over here. My zone had a turkey bowl in the morning, and then my district went to the American Legion in Broad Channel for the Thanksgiving dinner there. It was cool to be amongst some who we've served for Thanksgiving, and they had some good food too. Two fairly prominent political people were there too. I believe one was a city council member and the other was a senator. The only name I remember is Eric Ulrich. So, it was a fun event to be at. The spirit of Thanksgiving was there in abundance. But that wasn't the end of my Thanksgiving. No, it had only begun at that point. I still had yet to experience a once in a lifetime (Ok, maybe twice in a lifetime. I'll be here for next year as well.) Thanksgiving experience: Thanksgiving dinner in the projects. It was certainly a departure from the Thanksgivings of days past, but I loved it. I was with the Carrattini family, and Sister Carrattini is a great cook. My only complaint is that they could have definitely provided a few more vegetarian options. I'm afraid that the plant-based options were drowned out amidst a cacophony of ham, turkey, two kinds of chicken, and curry goat. Needless to say, I received plenty of protein. But don't worry at all. It was a really fun Thanksgiving, and I was well taken care of. I don't know if I should admit this, but I will anyway: By the end of the night I had eaten around seven pieces of pie. So don't worry about me not getting enough to eat! I was filled to excess. It was a good Thanksgiving.

Besides Thanksgiving, this week was really good. We've continued doing service, but there have been opportunities for proselytizing and teaching as well. There is a really cool investigator named Sarah (I'm not sure if I've mentioned her yet) that Elder Tremble and I taught this week. She's really cool. She's a filmmaker, and it's fun to hear about her work. She is also very interested in finding the happiness and dedication in her life that come with the gospel. She told us that she is looking for truth, and since we began teaching her, she's began to pray to seek that truth. She said that she hasn't had the ray of truth that she expects, but she has felt an overall feeling of calm and well-being. That made me super happy to hear, because she described the influence of the Spirit perfectly, and she's been feeling that. The lesson was also really powerful for me, because I related to Sarah's situation and search for truth. When she was talking about how she has been looking for the truth, I just kept thinking about how I went through the exact same thing not too long ago. Just like her, I expected some great ray of truth, and in my search for that I overlooked the still, small voice of the Spirit. I shared this with her, and I told her about how I came to ultimately realize I had a testimony. It was really cool to be able to relate to her so well. It would make me so happy to help her find the same thing that I ultimately did. Elder Tremble and I also had the chance to teach a really cool family named the Hanssens. We found them while we were knocking doors, which is always a miraculous situation. They invited us in, and we taught them the Restoration. They were very receptive, and we are teaching them again tonight. They're honestly the coolest family ever. I loved them right away. I hope that they can come to accept the gospel and thus become infinitely more happy as a family. 

Yesterday provided Elder Tremble and I with a classic NYC Sacrament meeting experience I have to tell you guys about. So, we were both asked to bless the Sacrament, so we were just sitting up on the stand while the announcements were being made. All of the sudden, a cockroach ran across the cloth spread over the Sacrament table and took shelter underneath a fold in the cloth. Elder Tremble saw it first, and he was like "Cockroach! You have to get rid of it!" From where I was, I could see it just hanging out in its little den, but I didn't know what I could possibly do to resolve the situation without creating a scene. I was like "What am I supposed to do?" "Kill it!" was Elder Tremble's response. I told him that there was no way I was going to squash a cockroach on the Sacrament table. That would be way too messy, and I didn't want to cause a scene as I slammed a hymn book down on the table for no apparent reason as far as the congregation was concerned. After a bit of debate, we determined that the only option was prayer. Prayer works. When we lifted the cloth to pass out the Sacrament, there was no cockroach in sight. A bullet was definitely dodged. Only in New York. 

Well, my battery is about to die, so I have to get off now. I love you all and I hope that everyone is doing well. I miss you guys a ton, but it's so good to be a missionary. It honestly is a huge privilege, and I'm grateful to be out here. I gotta go!

Love,
Elder McDonald

No explanation in the email, but safe to assume these are for an investigator! I'd recognize Jarom's artwork anywhere!

I will definitely need to ask for a back story... Love the puns though!

Vampire missionary!

Laundry day!

More laundry day!

The streets of NY.

Finally, a picture of the m&m candy corn oatmeal creation from when they were riding out Sandy!

And a pic of their true identities: Agent J and Agent K

Thanksgiving Greetings!

Hello all!

How is everyone doing? I hope that life is a bliss complete for all. Just the fact that we have a knowledge of God and His love for us makes everyday a success right when we wake up, I think. As long as we're positive, that is. And the trick is to not forget the knowledge we have and what it means for us. That can be hard, but I guess that if it weren't hard, then we wouldn't learn. It was a really good week for me. The hurricane clean-up efforts continue to move forward. I was on the news? I didn't think I really made it on camera, but it was exciting to be there when they were interviewing President Calderwood and getting some shots of all the missionaries. Did they show President Calderwood's brief interview? You guys might have found it already, but there is a really good video on the Mormon Helping Hands Facebook page that shows some of the work that's been going on around here. It's really well done, and shows how crazy the destruction was. President Calderwood has a few lines in it, so you guys can see what he's like. Honestly, he's so cool. It's very interesting to see how much coverage the Mormon Helping Hands relief effort has been receiving. I'm pretty sure every single person in the town of Broad Channel knows who we are, and people are always honking and waving at us. It's nice to have people smile and wave rather than curse at us and make fun of us. Remember, if you want to make someone feel good, smile at them instead of swearing at them. It works like a charm :) . After we cleaned this one guy's house he said something like "I'll never say anything bad about the Mormons again!" It was funny, but I think there was a lot of meaning behind that statement. It is just so good to have this opportunity to serve people just because they need help. I definitely want to make that a part of my life from now on, even if there isn't a big opportunity like a hurricane all the time. Elder Ballard's talk in conference is so spot on. Little bits of service here and there will make the world a happy, beautiful place. Service is pure religion, after all. We just had a mission conference, and President Calderwood told us that over and over he's been asked a question that really bothers him. Reporters keep asking him why we are doing what we're doing, like there must be some motive behind it all. I really like the way he responds to this. He simply says that we are all God's children and our family is suffering, so we are helping. I think that is so powerful. There doesn't need to be a reward behind service. When your family is having a hard time, you help. There are so many members of our eternal family out there who need a lot of help. I need to be a lot better about recognizing that and selflessly serving. 

Mom, don't worry even a little bit about Thanksgiving. There will definitely be food for me. The missionaries were actually invited to eat Thanksgiving at a community center in Broad Channel, so I think I'll end up there. That should be really neat to be able to have a Thanksgiving meal with all the people we've been helping out. I'm sure that someone else will invite Elder Tremble and I over too. There is a lady in my branch who is supposedly making food for all the missionaries. As far as a vegetarian Thanksgiving, I wouldn't count on it. Elder Broadbent and Elder Gregory already were invited to eat with the family who makes a lot of vegetarian stuff, so they're taken. It's all good though. I'm happy to just eat whatever people give me. I'll get plenty of tasty food, I'm sure. I hope that the big family Thanksgiving is awesome! Jacob, you need to eat an extra portion of stuffing and sweet potatoes for me. Deal? Make sure you weigh your plates so you can break the record. You guys should get a game of ultimate going if you can! Above all, just have a ton of fun. Now that you guys have gotten rid of the dead weight that is me, you can really party! :) I bet that Thanksgiving will be really fun in Clovis. Small town Thanksgivings just seem perfect to me. 

Mom, I love what you said about Heavenly Father helping me to learn and grow by sending me to the exact place I needed to be at the exact right time. I was actually just thinking the other day that I now know how to tear a house apart completely, and I was stoked about it! I have been able to learn a lot more about handling big projects without losing my mind and becoming catatonic. Heavenly Father has taught me so many things over these past months, though. I am so grateful that He cares about me enough to keep giving me chances to learn even when I am a doofus. I know that He is actively engaged in each of our lives. If we just do our part to come closer to Him and show we want to change, He gives us so much more than we ever asked. I've seen that in my life, and recently I've been able to see how that has applied in Qua's progression as well. He is progressing really rapidly lately, and it has been in a large part due to his increased dedication and commitment. He is down to only smoking one cigarette a day, and yesterday he said that he wants to try stopping completely today. He has been having a lot of chest pains that make him want to stop smoking. The Lord works in mysterious ways! He also came to church yesterday and had a really good experience. He has been eating up the scriptures and trying to make a lot of changes, and it shows. His faith is growing, and his entire countenance is changing as he is letting the Spirit take effect. He told us something yesterday that warmed up my heart like a pair of wool socks and a cup of hot chocolate with little marshmallows in it. He said that Peanut, his son (his name is Iquan, but Qua always calls him Peanut), woke up from a nap yesterday and told Qua that he knows what he wants to be when he grows up. Qua asked him what that was, and he said that he wants to be a missionary! How cool is that? The gospel is true and it changes people. There is just no denying that. I love the gospel so much, and I'm so grateful that I have a knowledge of it. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if the gospel is applied wholeheartedly into our lives, everything will fall into place, and we will find more happiness than we have ever had. I love you all so much, and I'm so grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for me.

Love,
Elder McDonald

Elder McDonald cleaned up his camera this week! Some are old and some are new, but all are a joy to look at!

 I have to assume by the sign and the bulging bellies that some sweet sister fed them well!

So excited for bread and veggies!

 Guessing Jarom made breakfast for Elder Tremble. He looks suspicious.

 The young man in the background of this pic (to the right of Jarom) is an old friend from AZ! He is living in NY and attends the Branch that Elder McDonald is assigned to. 

First snow!!!

No Time for a Subject...

Loved Ones,

Oh man! I don't think I've ever done so much consecutive manual labor in my entire life. I'm super tired, but it's awesome! This past week was full of a lot of service again. The focus for what we're doing now has typically been tearing people's houses apart since everything was damaged by flooding. Yesterday, the group I was working with spent more than 5 hours completely gutting someone's house. It was crazy! It's a fantastic way to get some aggression out. There's no stress that can't be alleviated by beating down a wall with a sledgehammer. Chopping big pieces of wood with an axe is also an excellent remedy. I think that I'd like to join wood chopping competitions at some point. I would be completely stress free. But I digress... Yesterday was a really special experience because the man who owns the house that we gutted is in his 80's and needed a lot of help. He was so grateful and visibly touched by the service. He is also a veteran, so we had the chance to do a good deed for him right around Veteran's Day as a silent thank you for his service. It makes me so happy to serve people. All the counsel that President Monson gives us on service is, without a doubt, inspired. I know that when we turn our hearts outward and live life with a deep love for God and for mankind, we will be richly blessed far beyond the measure of what we've sacrificed. I'm so grateful for the continual stream of experiences that the Lord is blessing me with on my mission. I'm constantly given opportunities to learn eternal truths that have already changed my life in ways I can't adequately describe. It is true that no matter what we do, we will always be unprofitable servants. We can never give more than we get, because the more we serve God, the more he blesses us. Our righteous actions and the blessings we receive will always correlate in an positive and infinite way, with us always receiving so much more than we could ever give. The chance I've had to increase my testimony of service has also helped me to see the great blessing that it is to give missionary service. I just absolutely know that being on a mission is the exact place that God wants me to be. When I think back to the moments when I was unsure or nervous about serving a mission, it honestly scares me a bit to think of what I would be missing out on if I had chosen not to serve. We all have so much potential, and God knows exactly what we need to do to unlock that potential. I know that if we keep His commandments and listen to the words of His servants, obeying with exactness, that we will "mount up with wings as eagles" (Isaiah 40:31). I think that one of the most important things is to remember who we all are. We are children of God. We have divine potential. If we can always remember that, then temptations seem absurd. I really love the scriptures in Moses chapter 1, verses 12-16. Satan tempted Moses, and Moses shunned these temptations by remembering who he was. He remembered that he was a son of God, and that made all the difference. Check those scriptures out -- they're really cool. Though we sometimes forget our potential and forget who we are, God never does and He never will. That's why we will always be blessed and happy if we follow His plan. It's a perfect plan and it can create perfect people. I know that if we serve God, we will be blessed. I love the gospel! It's the coolest thing ever. Normally, a statement like that would be exaggerated and dependent on personal opinion, but I feel very confident in saying that it is literally the coolest thing ever. 

Guess what? I experienced my first New York City snowfall! Last week, a blizzard blew in and added insult to injury right after the hurricane. It was kind of funny to tract while it was snowing. Some people just gave us that look like we were completely crazy. It snowed a decent amount, actually. There was snow on the ground for like 3 days. What made it even more exciting was the fact that a lot of the public transportation was down because of the hurricane, so there was a lot of trudging through the snow amidst the blizzard. It made for some good times and good memories. I need to give you guys a quick update on Qua. It's been really cool, because his girlfriend, Nicolett, has sat in on the lessons a few times, and they came to church together with their son! They're starting to work with each other on living the gospel, and that's really exciting. Elder Tremble and I gave Qua the challenge to live the Word of Wisdom and quit smoking last night, so it will be interesting to see how he does. We promised him that he could quit smoking through scripture study and prayer, and I know that he can do it if he puts in the effort. It will be so special to see that family unite in the gospel. 

It sounds like everyone is doing well! I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week. Crazy! It's that time of year! My roommates and I have already started singing Christmas hymns in the morning before studying. I love you all very much, and I hope that it is a lovely holiday season for everyone. I just received the package Grandma and Aunt Christie sent. It was awesome! Thank you guys so much. You're the best. The support I receive from everyone I love is so helpful. I can't thank you all enough. I'm so grateful to have such amazing people in my life. Without you all, I don't know what I'd do. Actually I do know -- I'd cry. Thank you all so much for everything. I love you all. May each day be filled with bliss for each of you.

Love,
Elder McDonald

I Can See Clearly Now, the Rain Is Gone (Someday, perhaps, I'll master the art of making subjects for my emails. Today is obviously not that day.)

Loved Ones,

I'm so sorry to leave you hanging for so long! We have been crazy busy over here. I'm very happy to finally have a chance to do a little emailing. I'm not sure where to start. It has been a truly incredible experience to volunteer amidst the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. We don't hear a ton about the news, so I didn't have any idea about how bad this storm was until we were shipped into the areas that were hit the worst. Brooklyn wasn't hit very badly at all, so I'm completely safe and comfortable. We didn't get any evacuee missionaries in our apartment, so the four of us just rode out the storm, passing time by playing indoor baseball, watching Church movies, and coming up with really interesting food combinations (such as candy corn and M&M no bake cookies, candy corn and M&M oatmeal, and other delightful treats). Since the storm was fairly mild where I am, I didn't think things were that bad, but I was sure wrong about that. I'm going to send some pictures, so you can see a little piece of what it looks like around here, but the pictures definitely don't do it justice. Many people have lost basically everything. It's so sad to see people just clearing out their houses because they were flooded so badly. There are cars and boats flung all over the place and some houses were actually lifted off their foundations and washed away. In some places I've been in, the water line is above my chest. I've spent the majority of this last week serving in a place called Broad Channel. You could totally film a zombie apocalypse movie there. It's unreal. I can't really describe what it looks like, but the lines of people waiting for gas, the patrolling military personnel, and the general destruction combine to create a scene reminiscent of "I Am Legend". It's crazy. But amidst all the destruction, the best side of humanity has shone through. It's warmed my heart to see how people have come together to deal with the aftermath. People are looking out for each other and being more Christ-like. There are many who are cooking food to provide for all the people who have no power or water, and everyone just seems to be more loving and open. It has been an amazing experience to serve the people in Broad Channel. Another manifestation of the increase in charity has been the huge amounts of food that people have given the missionaries who are serving. These people who have lost everything are feeding me more than I've been fed my entire mission! So, I've really loved the chance to witness how the hurricane has brought out the best in many people. My hope for humanity has been rekindled. The biggest blessing has been the joy of service I've felt over this last week. We basically just go from house to house and help people to pull out sofas, fridges, dressers, and whatever else they are throwing out, and we also spend a lot of time clearing the debris from people's yards. It's so much fun to be working hard to serve others and see the difference that we can make for one person by helping them out for an hour or so. This week has definitely been among the most fulfilling of my mission. The best part is seeing how grateful the people are for the help. It's so sad to see people trying to piece together their lives and put together their destroyed homes, the joy definitely overcomes the sadness after we help someone out. The missionaries have become a part of the community in Broad Channel, and people are always thanking us as they drive by or pass us on the street. It is honestly the coolest thing ever. I feel like I am benefited from the service even more than the people we help are. My testimony of the power of serving others has increased dramatically. I truly feel that service will solve the world's problems, because the root of service is charity, the pure love of Christ, and charity will always meet every human need. As of right now, it sounds like the missionaries will be doing service for the rest of this transfer, so I look forward to having more opportunities to serve. At the very least, the rest of this week will be almost entirely devoted to service. 

Thank you for all of your prayers and support. It honestly means so much to me. I derive a large portion of my strength from the knowledge that I have such a wonderful support group back home. You guys are the best. It sounds like everyone had a really good Halloween! Halloween was actually moved until Friday here because of the hurricane, but there definitely wasn't much of a celebration. Everyone is way too busy. Everyone looked good in their costumes. I can't believe how big Mia is getting! She made for a beautiful princess. Can you guys believe that it's almost Thanksgiving already? Where the heck is the time going? Does time feel like it's going as fast for you guys as it does for me? I'm going to hit my 6 month mark before I can say "holy cannoli". (I had my first cannoli a while ago. Those things are good.). What is the family plan for Thanksgiving? I feel like a majority of my fondest memories have come from family Thanksgiving gatherings. I'll be sad to be away from you guys this time, but I hope that the holiday season has been and continues to be jolly and bright for all. 

I don't know what the deal is, but I keep having the chance to work around missionaries who are quintessential farm boys. First there was Elder Heiner, and now there's a brand new elder in my district named Elder Jolley who is from Enoch, Utah. He is a classic small-town Utah farm boy, and it's awesome. Last week he told me about how he made a hot tub in the back of his truck by putting a tarp in the bottom, filling it up with water, and running a tube from the exhaust to the water to make the bubbles. If that isn't a "you might be a redneck if..." joke in the making, then I don't know what is. Elder Jolley is awesome though. He is invaluable to have around with all the heavy lifting and hauling that we've been doing to serve lately. He offered to let me come up to Enoch and ride his family's horses after the mission, so that will be awesome. He'll help me to fulfill my life-long dream of trekking across the open prairie on horseback for a few days, eating cornbread and camping out by a fire at night. I have a lot of these kinds of slightly strange dreams on my bucket list. Don't judge. It's been a ton of fun to meet so many unique and great people throughout my mission.

In closing, everything is going well, and I am being richly blessed out here. I am so grateful for how rewarding this experience of serving a mission has been already. I wouldn't trade the experiences I've had thus far for anything in the world. I know this is where I need to be, and the Lord reaffirms this to me time and time again. I know that God loves every single one of us infinitely and that He is intimately involved in our lives. Though terrible things like hurricanes happen, the light always outweighs the darkness, and every situation we encounter in life will always result in our progression and betterment if we rely on the Lord and keep the faith. The world can look bleak at times, but this last week has shown me that good will always prevail. That isn't just a plot for a stereotypical fairy-tale. God's work will move forward and He has provided a way for everyone to be happy. All we have to do is act. "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?"

With Love,
Elder McDonald

Now for pictures!! Here is Jarom's explanation of a few of the pics, the rest are catch up from previous letters.

"The last few with the swords came about because a guy gave us a rapier and a samurai sword from his garage, and we found a boat washed up on shore, so the logical next step was to take a bunch of pictures. I actually have way more pictures to send, but not enough time. I'll try to get more next week! It's really hard to attach pictures on this computer. Love you!"

This is Floretta's Baptism! We've been waiting to see this one!

Before Sandy trip to the Statue of Liberty

Broad Channel, NY: Post Sandy