Loved Ones,
Good morning from Brooklyn! It's so good to hear from all of you! Thank you for being so thoughtful and keeping my inbox well-stocked. It's like my email account has had a Thanksgiving feast two weeks in a row! You guys are the best! It sounds like everyone is having quite the summer. A hotel on the beach in Ventura? Lucky! That must have been wonderful. Did you run into Dane Reynolds? Do you know who Dane Reynolds is? That's not really all that important. The important thing is that you are doing awesome things together! I am so grateful for the memories I have of our family vacation adventures. There is never a dull moment when the McDonald family goes on a journey, it seems. Really, I feel that there is never a dull moment as we progress through the more long-term journey of life. We always seem to find a way to make things interesting. I'm grateful for that. Mom, I'm sorry that you had to be injured to supply the trip with the necessary dose of things-going-wrong. I hope that your ankle is feeling better! I'm so happy for all of you. You are doing great things, and it makes me glad. Keep loving life! Know that I love you all and I want only the most radical awesomeness for each of you.
Things have been busy here. Elder Cutshall and I are also being blessed immensely. We are finding a lot of interested people, inlcuding families! We are praying to find families to teach so that we can bring them the happiness that only the gospel brings. I know that there are so many out there who are looking for light and hope. I just need to make myself an instrument in the Lord's hands so that He can work through me to bring about His work and glory. My innermost desire is to be a vessel for the Lord. I want to bring His love to people so they can be lifted. The Lord has lifted me with His love time and time again, and I would be the most selfish person around if I didn't reach out to others in love. There is so much that I need to improve in my life. I need to give so much more, and I pray that the Lord will enable me to do so. I know that He is anxious and willing to help, I just need to let Him. If we want to give to others, we must first give our all to the Lord. As we turn to Him, He magnifies our efforts and buoys us up even amidst the most fierce storms. We don't need Allstate to be in good hands. I'm just really excited for all of the good things that are happening. Elder Cutshall and I are committed to finding souls to baptize, and I know that we can find them if our faith and obedience is sufficient. I didn't mention last week that Elder Cutshall plays the banjo, so we've been working on some hymn arrangements that we're going to take to the streets! I acquired a guitar from a missionary who left it behind, so we have all we need to be a two-man band. It should be fun. I'm really grateful that I have the opportunity to share my testimony through music. This week, the boundaries of my ward were extended, so we welcomed a bunch of new members
on Sunday. I was told that there were 130 people at church, which is awesome for Brooklyn. I hope that we can work with all these good members to invite others to come unto Christ. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have the help of the members as a missionary. We can't do this work without members. It's important to help the missionaries beyond just having them over for dinner. The missionaries don't care too much about getting fed. We want to help others to feast upon the words of Christ and taste the fruit of the gospel. That's what we need help with! I'm sure you are all being awesome member missionaries.
Recently, I've learned a lot about how important it is to have a good attitude and be happy with the situation we're in now. "Men are that they might have joy", and that joy isn't supposed to be limited to some future point. If we live life always looking forward to the good that will come the next day, then we miss out on all the wonder and beauty of today. Not only that, but I've learned that if we can't be happy now, then we will never be happy in the future. We seem to have a tendency to always be looking for a better situation. The grass is always greener on the other side, as they say. I've learned that the grass is only green when you water it, and the water is our attitude. When we are optimistic and full of love, then whatever portion of the field we are in becomes an oasis as the life-giving water of a good attitude is poured forth. There is always good in every situation. And, even when you can't seem to find any, you can be the good by reaching out to others in love. You can create good by lifting others. A smile, a kind word, or a selfless act of service can bring even the most parched patch of grass new life. As always, love is the answer. When we love, then there is always light. You might remember the story in the Old Testament that tells of Jacob working for seven years so that he can marry Rachel. The scriptural account says that the seven years seemed to be but a few days to Jacob because of the love he had for Rachel. If our actions are motivated by love, then each moment can truly be a delight. If we love others, love ourselves, love God, and love life, I know that we will be happy. I'm working on improving my attitude and having a more deep love for each moment of every day. One thing I can say for sure is that I have a lot of love for each of you. I'm so grateful for the love that you give to me. Stay happy and well.
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