Start Spreading the News...: 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!