Season's greetings! It's December! I love this time of year. Even though I can't check out Manhattan, Brooklyn is still decorating fairly well for Christmas, so there is a nice Christmas cheer in the air. It makes me so happy to hear that my family is having a great holiday season so far. Man, Clovis sounds like a lot of fun. You guys picked a good place to call home. I'm going to miss you all quite a bit this month, but it makes everything better to know that everyone is having fun and enjoying their new (well, not so new anymore) lives. I missed the Christmas devotional, but I'm glad you guys checked it out. Guess what? There are some copies of Mr. Kreuger's Christmas in my apartment! I'm saving that up for Christmas Eve. I was overjoyed when I discovered that treasure trove. The blow-up Christmas tree is making our apartment very festive, Mom. Thanks for sending it.
Well, I don't have a ton of time, but I have a lot to say. I'll probably never catch up on everything, but I look forward to the time when I can relay all of my experiences to you all face-to-face. This was a big week for me. On Wednesday morning, I received a call from President Calderwood. He doesn't usually just call to say hello, so I knew something was up. He was calling to extend a call to me to be a trainer this next transfer! My next companion will be a brand new missionary fresh from the MTC. I feel like I still need training! I'm humbled and a bit nervous, but I am so excited. I can't wait to meet my trainee tomorrow morning. He's probably on a plane right at this moment! Elder Broadbent is training too, and we are still in the same area and same apartment. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm also going to learn a ton from the new missionary, I'm sure. I've already learned a lot as I've tried to prepare for training. Elder Tremble has been a very valuable resource in this endeavor. He has a basically endless vault of experience and wisdom to sift through, and I have benefited greatly from this asset. It has been incredible to work with Elder Tremble. It's a bit weird to be so new when he is on his way home. He was honestly the very best person I could have been with, though. The Lord knows exactly what He's doing. I have learned so much from Elder Tremble. He's also helped me to be a better person. It will be sad to see him go. There are some things that I don't know if I ever shared about Elder Tremble, and I'd like to do so now. First of all, he's the only member in his family, and he didn't join the church until he was 18. If my math is right, he's been on his mission for the majority of the time that he's been a member. You would never know because of his incredible knowledge and spiritual strength. Another fun fact is that he served in Bermuda, so hopefully some of his luck rubbed off on me:) . He has made a huge impact on my life, and I think we'll always be friends. He's a stud.
I'll give a quick update on the status of the investigators. Elder Tremble and I have a lesson with the Hanssens tonight, so I'll be able to tell you guys more about them later. Sara seems to be doing really well. I think that she will gradually recognize the Spirit and build her testimony bit by bit. Qua and Nicolett are doing well, also. Qua has officially quit smoking, so the goal now is to not go back. I know he can do it, he just has to stay strong and rely on the Lord. They both have so much potential, and it is a bit painful to see them not live up to it, but I feel that they are growing and strengthening their faith. It's been very cool to just see the change in Qua's countenance as he come closer to God. When Elder Tremble and I teach him, you can tell whether or not he's been keeping his commitments and trying his hardest by the way he looks and acts. When the Spirit touches people, a visible change occurs. There is so much to the admonition to be born of the Spirit. When we are changed by the Spirit, the weakness in us is thrown aside. I have a strong testimony of the importance of deep and abiding conversion. When the gospel becomes an inseparable part of our being, then amazing things occur. I think that we can all instinctively see when people have the gospel absorbed into every aspect of their lives. They are different. They are a "peculiar people", and that is a wonderful thing. We don't want to follow the herd! The herd is quickly and unceasingly moving toward the edge of a cliff. I believe that we need to turn around and take as many of the herd with us as will heed our warning. It is no small task, but nothing worth doing is easy, right?
On Saturday, the mission had a special guest come to visit: Elder Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy. It was very cool. He spoke to the mission after a day of service and expressed gratitude on behalf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for the service that we've been rendering. He works with the Quorum of the Twelve very closely, and so this extension of gratitude was very powerful. He gave us all the challenge to make sure that this opportunity we've had to serve will forever change our lives. I thought that was a really cool thing to say. It has definitely been a life-changing experience. I'm going to work hard to make the changes permanent!
Well, I have to run, but I want you all to know that I love you very much. I hope that all is well. You're in my prayers!
Love,
Elder McDonald
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