All we need is love...

Loved Ones,

Just when I think you guys had the best week ever, you go and totally top last week. Man, the beach looked really nice. I'm glad everyone was able to get back in touch with the Great Ocean Spirit? (I actually don't think there is such a thing, but sometimes it feels like there is). In my opinion, the family trip contained all the elements necessary to create nirvana: the ocean, sunshine, Taylor Swift, Jacob wearing Grandpa's swim trunks, Jase ripping his swim trunks (did you guys sing the Spongebob song?), and love. I wish I could have been there! I'm very glad to hear of such bliss. Tell Mia that I can't wait to sing along with Taylor Swift at the top of my lungs with her. It makes me happy when I keep receiving glad tidings of great joy from my family. Keep living it large!

I'm sorry that you are experiencing the drawbacks of Clovis in such a relentless barrage. I hope that the air gets better. There must needs be opposition in all things, I suppose. There were some ups and downs this week, but everything is going pretty well. Elder Hooper and I have had the opportunity to teach two families recently, which is always a treat. One of the families is a media referral, and the head of the household is a woman named Zelda. Yes, I know. Isn't that just perfect? Her family is really cool, though. I love 'em already. Elder Hooper and I are working hard to get them to come to church and see how the restored gospel will bless their lives. There are a lot of great things happening in the branch too. Boy, do I love this branch. I'm really going to miss them. It feels like I've been in this branch for pretty much my whole life. It's kind of weird. Since there is a chance that this week will be my last in the area, Elder Hooper and I are going to visit as many members as we can to sing them a song and share our testimonies of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter time is upon us! I'm really excited for the next few weeks, especially for general conference. I can't believe it's already that time of year.

We had a really cool mission conference last week. Two of the top people from the missionary department came and gave the best training I have ever experienced. Their names are Brother Droubay, who is the head of the Church's media department, and Brother Watson, who is the head of proselyting. They are the coolest. They definitely know their stuff, and I learned a ton. I'm excited to start applying it all. Brother Droubay is one of the 4 people who worked under Elder Ballard on bringing forth Preach My Gospel, so he had a lot of really interesting information on the subject. He has been working closely with general authorities for years, and, as you can imagine, he has a fine collection of stories. Wouldn't it be great to have close associations with the Apostles on a regular basis? Brother Watson had some great insider information of his own as well. He revealed some exciting advancements that may be coming to the New York New York South Mission soon. I'll let you know if the rumors become confirmed. Ah, the suspense! The conference was awesome, though. I was definitely hoping that Elder Perry was going to stop by as he was in the area last week, but he didn't. Oh well. We'll all get our general authority fix soon enough.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how the ecclesiastical side of the Church and the missionary side of the Church are, unfortunately, sometimes thought of separately. Specifically, I've looked back on the way I viewed missionaries in the past and the degree of respect I showed them. This reflection has caused me to realize that I didn't give a lot of missionaries nearly the credit or support I should have. I'm honestly a bit saddened by the way I sometimes looked at missionaries who I considered "goofy" or "incompetent". Of course, if missionaries are being disobedient and immature, they do not deserve anyone's respect, but for the most part, missionaries don't get the support that they should. I have definitely been guilty of acting along with this trend. It's important to remember that the Lord brings great things to pass by small and simple things. Missionaries are not always going to be the coolest cats in town, and they may be very small and very simple. But I think it's important to remember the sacrifice that every single one of them has made. They have voluntarily left home and family behind to come to a strange new place out of their love for the Lord and His children. They have put aside their own wants, desires, and aspirations for a season and devoted all that they have to serving people who they don't know. They experience continual disappointment, heartache, and adversity, more than they sometimes feel they are able to bear. At the very least, they should be able to expect support, love, and respect from the members of the Church in the area in which they serve. I also don't think it's too much to ask for the respect of all people regardless of religious affiliation. Now, I must say that just as there is much pain involved in missionary work, the greatest of life's joys also accompany us. So, I'm not calling for sympathy. Missionaries simply are doing what we have chosen to do, and I speak for the group in saying that there is nothing else we would rather be doing at this time. I am, however, pleading with everyone to respect those who are just doing their best to give others the best. I have definitely committed to be a much better support to the missionaries when I come home. It's funny how experience changes perspective. Let's all just work together to help bring about the "immortality and eternal life of man" shall we?

I love you all, and I wish the very best for every one of you! You are all the very best!

Love,
Elder McDonald

Jedi Ways

Loved Ones,

Hi there! How is everyone? You guys keep having great weeks! Why are you all just so awesome? I hope that the pattern continues. I love to hear of all of your triumphs and happiness. This last week was a series of learning experiences that I'm very grateful for. And that's only kind of a euphemism for "it was a hard week", because it is a given that it's going to be hard every week. I won't lie to you guys and tell you that I float around all day on a cloud of bliss, trailed by flying Peeps and rainbows. That would be preposterous. It seems like every week gets more difficult, but I'm grateful because that means that I have the chance to continue to learn. I have learned that there is no comfort in the growth zone. It seems like no matter what happens, I continually realize just how helpless I am without the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In the words of Brad Wilcox, "Grace doesn't make up the difference - it makes all the difference." I know that is true. There is something beautiful that happens when we must ask God for our daily bread. Sometimes we only receive enough "manna" to last us one day, and we have to trust that God is going to come through for us again the next day. I know with all certainty that God will always come through for us. "[He] will come to [us]. He will not leave [us] comfortless." Sometimes it feels like I can't take another step. Sometimes it feels like nothing is going to ever work out. But without fail, just as I feel ready to give in to despair, a silver lining appears and makes all the difference. God will never give us more than we can handle, but He will try us. And that's only because He knows that we can take it, and that we will be better when we emerge on the other side. But here's the great thing: God doesn't ever leave us on our own. He will never draw away from us if we choose to be near to Him. He will always guide us along, grace by grace, until we find that our life has become as bright as the perfect day. I am so grateful that God trusts us enough to take on hard things. I'm so grateful for the comforting arms that He wraps around me when I feel like I am completely alone. And I can testify that many times, God will answer our prayers and give us comfort through others. I have seen that time and time again. I wish I could express how grateful I am to all of you for the support you provide to me that carries me through when I don't feel like I have much else to lean on. Realizing how much I've been benefited by the love and care of others makes me want to be better at putting myself in a position to be a vessel for God. Think of how great our joy can be as we give our lives to God so that He can accomplish unknowable good through us. I know that there are few things that will bring more joy than to have the opportunity to be an instrument in God's hands. "Consecration is the only surrender which is also a victory." I know that God lives. I wish I could express in words the joy that knowledge brings to me. To anyone who doesn't absolutely know that they have a Father in heaven who loves them infinitely, I offer a challenge to seek out that knowledge. I promise that if you can come to know that, everything else begins to fall into place.

I suppose that that was a rather long tangent. I hope I didn't make it sound like I had a terrible week. I didn't. Everything is going well. I am definitely exceedingly tired all the time, but that will only make the rest that will ultimately come that much sweeter. There is a lot going on in this area. There are a lot of people that we are finding to teach, and we are working on restructuring the way that we approach the work here to be more effective and efficient. We're basically just changing up our approach to the area we work in order to work more with the members and find more of those people who are humbly searching out the gospel, perhaps unknowingly. I feel like if I were to go into detail it would just be confusing, because there's so much to cover, but just know that I am a healthy and happy little lad.

Oh! I have a story! Elder Hooper and I were looking up some less-active members last night, and one of them was home, so we spoke with her for a bit. It turns out, she's from Preston, Idaho, which would automatically bring a great discussion about "Napoleon Dynamite" about. But wait, there's more. Not only is she from Preston, Idaho, she is in "Napoleon Dynamite"! She's one of the girls doing sign language in the "Happy Hands Club" scene. I was so excited to learn of this. It was awesome. I totally recognized her after she mentioned it. So, that is my exciting tale for the week. Are you ready for my deep pondering of the week? Get ready. So, I've been thinking a bit about the parallels between "Star Wars" and the gospel lately (there are many), and my mind has been drawn to the striking similarities between Jedi and missionaries. First of all, Jedi go around two-by-two with one Jedi being the senior Jedi. This is remarkably similar to the companionship in missionary work. Second, both missionaries and Jedi have some strict restrictions on dating. Namely, it's not allowed. And, now, I bet you're going to try to debunk my claim by referring to lightsabers (arguably the coolest part about being a Jedi) and the lack thereof amongst missionaries. Well, hold your horses. Missionaries carry the word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword. That's got to be at least as powerful as a lightsaber! There you have it. Feel free to lose all respect for me. I am who I am. I think I'm just trying to live, even in an imaginary and abstract way, my lifelong dream of being a Jedi.

Well, I am unfortunately low on time. There is much more to tell, but I suppose it will have to wait. Thank you guys so much for all that you do for me. I love you all very much, and I am grateful that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you, though I am far away. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Have the best week ever!

Love,

Elder McDonald

A few more pics of the apt. Elder Hooper is an awesome violinist and is seen here practicing.

Some of the gifts from Sandy cleanup

Yay! Somebody fed him!

Traditional Valentine cookies!

Pizza party!

What happens when Elders get a subway car to themselves...

The New Me

Loved Ones,

Hello! Okay, so I'm going to be honest. I don't have a ton of time to compose this email, because I have a zone activity today, and for the activity we're watching "The Other Side of Heaven"! Wohoo! A real movie! It should be pretty great. I'm going to be honest again. If you guys were to hang out with me for a day right now, I would be quite strange, I'm sure. I would be bumping EFY music in the car and watching "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration" in my spare time. I get pretty jazzed at the prospect of watching "The Best Two Years" or "The Other Side of Heaven" whereas just a few short months ago, I would have murmured considerably should someone have suggested watching one of those movies. And don't even get me started about how I would have reacted to someone playing EFY music. I hope you guys can still love me in my weirdness! I sure love all of you!

It sounds like everyone had another fantastic week! I'm happy! I'm so glad that the birthday throwdowns were successful, and I am a bit jealous that you guys were able to have a conference with Elder Christofferson! He is awesome, and he has perhaps the coolest name ever. The General Authorities are definitely more laid back when they aren't speaking in General Conference. The speeches they give at BYU are usually really good and very funny. Would you have guessed that President Packer is hilarious? I wouldn't have, but he definitely is. I definitely want to have the opportunity to participate in a meeting with a General Authority outside of conference, preferably one at which Elder Holland is present in all his General Awesomeness (that's the kind of awesomeness that only a General Authority can have). Perhaps the thing I enjoyed most about meeting President Monson was the opportunity to see his personality. That made me appreciate him and his prophetic mantle so much more. I love him.

This week was good, and very full. Things are sometimes a bit stressful as district leader, but the Lord is teaching me a lot, and I'm grateful for that. I'm also glad that I watched "Lost", because Jack taught me how to lead people. I'm considering making my district's motto "We're gonna have to learn how to live together, or we're gonna die alone." Hopefully I will be able to continue to make "Lost" references throughout my mission to continue what I started with my farewell talk. Of course, I say all this with a slightly joking attitude. Clearly, the one I should look to for leadership guidance is the Savior Jesus Christ. He taught the most important lesson of leadership: service. I'm grateful that I have more opportunities to serve and learn how to love people more fully. Thank you guys so much for all the support you give me that helps me to handle everything. I couldn't do it without you! Elder Hooper and I have been blessed with the opportunity to teach a few people recently, and there are even more opportunities coming up this week. I guess I never really gave you guys an update on Matt. He's doing really well. He has been in California helping his parents move, but he's coming back this week. At the end of March, we're planning on doing a temple trip with the branch youth and the 4 recent converts in the district. It should be a really special experience. Each companionship in the district will be there with the convert they taught. I look forward to reporting on that!

I've been thinking lately about how much I have grown to love the scriptures over the course of my mission. I don't think I really appreciated how great they are until recently. Getting lost in the scriptures is a wonderful way to spend time. The words of Christ truly will tell us "all things" (2 Nephi 32:3). When we seek wisdom from the scriptures, the Spirit will teach us what we need to know. Isn't it amazing that texts written thousands of years ago can speak to us today and help us to solve the complicated problems of the 21st century? I love it. I especially love the Book of Mormon. I absolutely know that book is the word of God. The Book of Mormon represents everything I love about the scriptures. The words are beautifully strung together from a literary standpoint: "And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God and wish to die. Nevertheless, they would struggle with the sword for their lives." (Mormon 2:14); doctrine is taught simply and powerfully: "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25); and often, both of these attributes are rolled into one package: "Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth. But behold, the Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love." (2 Nephi 1:14-15). I promise that anyone who sincerely reads the Book of Mormon will feel a renewed sense of peace and joy in their life. I know that you will draw closer to God by reading that book than by any other book. There have been incredible sacrifices made to bring the Book of Mormon and the scriptures in general to us today, and I am so grateful for those who gave all they had to provide us with easy access to God's word.

I love you all a ton, and I have so much I'd like to say, but I'm not sure how to say it. I cannot possibly express the depth of my love and gratitude. I miss you all very much, but I find great joy in all the happiness that you guys are having, and I know that I am doing the right thing in the right place. Thank you so much for your love and letters. I can feel the love when I read your words, and I can't possibly tell you how much that means to me. I hope that you all have a wonderful week. You're in my prayers.

Love,
Elder McDonald