Loved Ones,
Holy Cats. I don't even know where to begin. I have so much running through my mind right now. My fingers are threatening to break the sound barrier as I type this feverishly. I'm not sure why I am being spastic, but I feel bad now because I just built this up like I'm going to share some ground-breaking news or something. Alas, I do not have any ground-breaking news, or really anything too exciting to report. But, I am so glad that everyone had a wonderful week and that the McDonald family ship is sailing smoothly.
So, I'm probably going to just lay out everything that's on my mind right now. First of all, congratulations to Grandma and Grandpa for selling the house. It seems that house-selling always turns into a fiasco, but it sounds like the fiasco bullet was dodged. Nice! I was slightly confused, and I wasn't clear about whether you guys were buying or building a house. Now, I am in possession of the facts. Another McDonald family project, huh? Now you can call it a homestead because you're building it. A homestead is way cooler than a house. I'm not sure if my reasoning is enough to accurately qualify the new house as a homestead, but I do declare that I am of the firm opinion that it should be called a homestead. Hurray for laying firm foundations! You guys can make up countless gospel analogies as you watch the house steadily rise from dirt to dwelling place. The family home evening lesson will basically write itself for the next few weeks (or months, depending on how long you want to milk it for). Mom, I'm so happy that you are getting your school work started soon! Two senior couples actually spoke extensively about the Pathways program at church
on Sunday. It sounds pretty great! How cool will it be to graduate college together? Most people might not think that graduating with their mom is cool, but when you have as cool a mom as I do, it's a no-brainer! (Pun intended. I tried, perhaps too hard.). I spoke with Elder McKell, one of the senior couple missionaries in the ward, for quite some time about working as a professor at BYU. He was a professor there, and he just loved it. I asked him for some advice, and he gave me some very useful tips. We'll see what happens... What else? The picture of Jacob and Jase at the doctor's office made me laugh out loud in the library. That is a priceless gem. I think that to even out the child-embarassment scales, you ought to frame that and put it in a prominent place in the house. That naked baby picture (which I hope has been destroyed) has caused me to suffer alone for far too long. Also, I absolutely cannot believe that Wyatt comes home from his mission in a week. That is just shocking. How did the time pass so quickly? We were just taking a road trip to attend his farewell like a month ago, it seems! From my vantage point, it seems like things are pretty exciting for all of you. I know that my vantage point may turn dull mole hills into exciting mountains, but I'm sure that we can agree that it seems like everything is working out very well. I'm grateful that you are all enjoying so many of the Lord's blessings. He truly loves us and wants us to be happy. He is always there for us, and it is so beautiful to see how He blesses us with little tender mercies that are perfectly catered to each of us.
I told you that I had a lot on my mind! I suppose I should tell you all a bit about myself. My new companion is Elder Monestine. He was born in the Bahamas, but he left from Miami, Florida. He is technically a Creole-speaking missionary, I think. He's a cool guy! We are going to make some things happen this transfer! I know that I need to do more and be more so that I can find the success that I know I can. The work has been difficult for me, but that just means that I am learning and growing. It seems like great things are already starting to happen. Elder Monestine and I met with Jimmy, and he is doing well. He's such a great kid. Also, Elder Monestine asked a guy if he could use his skateboard when we were waiting for Jimmy at the park, and while Elder Monestine threw out some tricks in a suit, I found out that the friend of the guy who's skateboard was being used is a friend of Jimmy. That was confusing, but hopefully it makes sense. Anyway, Jimmy has told this friend about how he is learning from the missionaries, so Jimmy is already sharing the gospel! Pretty cool, right? We also taught a great guy named Charles, and we are actively looking for some more people to teach. I really love teaching, especially the gospel, so that is incentive to find some people who will listen! On another note, I have made a cheap-eating breakthrough! It turns out that there are seemingly endless uses for saltine crackers. I have been experimenting recently, and I have been very happy with the results. So, life is good!
One thing that I've been learning recently is that there is always a silver lining. Often, that silver lining comes in the form of blessings from our Heavenly Father. Sometimes life is hard. Like, really hard. I know that the challenges I go through are nothing compared to some of the harrowing adversity that others face, but they are still challenging. These challenges have taught me two main things - attitude is everything, and blessings are constant. First, attitude is so important. I need to work harder to develop unshakeable optimism because when everything else seems to be shaking, it is great to have something that remains constant. Faith, hope, and love never sink during the storms of life, and optimism is a natural side-effect of those attributes. The grass is green where you water it. Serving the Lord and those around you with love is a great way to "water the grass". Second, I have found that if we take the time to look, we will always find blessings in our lives, no matter how gloomy things may seem at a glance. I tried to apply President Eyring's advice from the this month's First Presidency Message in the Ensign, and I found it very rewarding, especially as I recorded blessings in my journal. When I took a little bit of time to reflect, I discovered that there were many blessings that I would have failed to recognize if I focused on the negatives. So, the two things that I learned really go hand in hand. If we will look for the good, we will find it, because it's always there. Blessings are constant.
I love each of you so much. Thank you for all that you do and all that you are. Each of you is so precious to me. You have made good impressions on my life that will never fade away. I know that God lives. He loves us. He really does. The work which I am engaged in is true. Though I often fall short because of my weakness, the gospel never does. It always delivers. Our faithfulness is the only variable. I pray that God will bless each of you. I know He will.
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