Fall Is In the Air!

Loved Ones,

What a wonderful day it is! I wish you all could feel how superb the weather is in Midwood, New York. I comment on it frequently. Yesterday was perhaps in the top 10 most beautiful days ever, and today, there is a crisp autumn breeze that is simply gorgeous. I have a reason to wear what I now refer to as my "sensitive sweater". Elder Cutshall always used that term, and I have adopted it because I feel it is most appropriate. Seriously guys, it is really beautiful right now. And it's not just the weather! Great and joyful events decided to pay a visit last week. There will be more to come on that. But I want to know how all of you are doing? What is the scoop? I hope that whatever the scoop is, it is as pure and fantastic as Ben & Jerry's ice cream. May all your days be as a glorious conglomeration of dairy, peanut butter, and chocolate. From what I can tell, everyone seems to be doing well. Mom, way to get straight A's! I'm impressed. You are going to give me a run for my money. I think it will help us to reach our full academic potential if we inject a good dose of healthy competition into the situation. Also, the house seems to be coming along swimmingly. Can we all agree to not put any fake plants in it? That would bring me joy. (That's a little private joke). How is school going for everyone? It's strange to be working on my school application. With that said, I cannot stress enough how wise Elder Nelson's recent counsel to get that all taken care of before serving a mission is. Let me just say that I am rooting for each of you, and it is my sincere hope and prayer that the vending machine of life continues to dispense only the most delicious of offerings. 

It is an interesting time in my neighborhood, because we are in the midst of an 8-day Jewish holiday called Sukkhos (I think). I may have the name a bit wrong, but the name comes from a structure called a sukkha that the Jewish people build and eat their meals in for the duration of the holiday. From what I've learned, this is symbolic of the children of Israel's time in the wilderness. The sukkhas are built outdoors, and they look basically like a hut. There is also this special fruit called an esrog (I think) that is part of the celebration. The fruit is some sort of citrus, and it is imported from Israel. It's all very interesting. The town basically shut down for a few days to observe the holiday. Actually, there apparently is a foreign film that is set during this holiday. One of the elders was telling me about it, but I don't recall the name. Maybe if you search some key words on Google you could find it and check it out. Experiencing all of this culture and tradition first-hand is a treat. I am going to appreciate "The Fiddler on the Roof" so much more after my stay here. Earlier, I was telling Elder Monestine how much I love this neighborhood. It is my favorite place in New York so far by a significant margin. It almost seems like the neighborhood in "Sesame Street" to me. It's slightly utopian in nature, and full of warmth and traditional values. In short, I am very happy to be here. I love this place, and I feel very lucky. Aside from the perfect potpourri of weather and culture, there have been great missionary moments as well. First of all, Elder Monestine and I had an appointment with a beautiful family last week. It is the first time that I've taught a whole family the gospel, and I was so happy that I had the opportunity. Teaching a family is a very powerful reminder that the gospel of Jesus Christ blesses families. So much of missionary work is directly related to the building and sustaining of eternal families. The goal of this all is to have families be happy and at peace in their homes and to have the tools they need to make their family an eternal one. I want you all to know that I know that families can be together forever. Happiness and peace will be achieved as families center their homes on the teachings of Jesus Christ. There are few things of which I am more certain. And I also feel it is important to remember that we really are all part of an eternal family. Every one on earth is a spirit child of Heavenly Father. Life would be better if we always acted in accordance with this beautiful doctrine. We are all on the same team, and we are all on the same journey. The journey is more pleasant and successful if we treat each other with love and respect and extend a helping hand to everyone around us. I'm very grateful that Heavenly Father has placed us in families and that I have the privilege and opportunity to share God's truth with my eternal family. "Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." I don't want anybody to be missing from my eternal family. I pray that all will listen to and accept the simple message of the restoration of the gospel. Elder Monestine and I also taught another lesson to a young man who has been looking for truth his whole life. That was also a choice opportunity. The Lord has been blessing me abundantly. I know that what I am doing is right, and I know that if I will just do my best with a willing heart, no effort will be wasted, and blessings will always come. 

I love you all so much! Please don't forget that! Thank you for the love and support you are endlessly sending. Thank you for your prayers. I know that I have been blessed by them. Thank you for being who you are and for helping me to become who I need to be. 

Love,
Elder McDonald

Aloha!

Loved Ones,

Hello! My "hello's" are always answered by silence in the digital world, and it reminds me of a thought I had yesterday in church. You know how nobody ever responds when someone who is giving a talk says, "Good morning," but when someone goes up and says, "Alooooha!" everybody promptly sends a big "aloha" right back? Well, as I pondered this for a moment, I decided that I think I might just say "aloha" every time I give a talk at church so I can get a response. Using this logic, I might well infer that if I begin my emails with "aloha" instead of "hello", I'll get some sort of response. Who or what it is that would answer me from the far reaches of the digital wilderness, I can't say. I feel like these are questions that need to be answered :) But, I digress. How is everyone doing? Once again, it seems like you've managed to have a great week. Mom and Dad, I loved the pictures of your trip to the Getty. You two are looking good! I have some cool parents, I do declare. And I'm only a little bit jealous that you had dinner on the beach in Malibu. Mostly, I'm happy that you are taking some time to slow down and make some happy memories. Those little moments are like an investment with an incredibly high interest rate. They yield a continual return of warmth and joy, and they are worth their weight in gold (do moments have a weight?). Thank you all for keeping me in the loop and letting me experience a little slice of the good times. 

This week was good. Transfer calls came, informing me that I will be staying here in Midwood with Elder Monestine for the next transfer. I just love this place so much. It is definitely my favorite area so far. But I've loved each area for individual reasons. Midwood is just such a beautiful convergence of cultures. It's like I'm always on a field trip for a cultural anthropology course. It's great! For the cultural experience of the week, let me tell you about the Middle Eastern (I think it was Pakistani) sweet shop Elder Monestine and I found. We were walking home one night near the end of last week, and we passed a little shop with some interesting offerings displayed on their counter. Elder Monestine wondered aloud what these foreign foods were, and I suggested that we go inside and find out. As we walked in, we were greeted by one of the kindest, most friendly people I've met recently. He patiently explained what some of the sweets were, and then very graciously gave us some free samples. The sweets were delicious, but even sweeter was the warmth and love that comes from simple human kindness. This man reminded me of the power and importance of civility. If we all treat each other with a little more kindness and respect, sharing our "sweets" with those around us, then the world will be a more beautiful place. Elder Ballard's address about honeybees and service comes to mind. 

One thing I learned this week, is that the Lord is always mindful of us, and He knows when we need a little encouragement from our heavenly home. Sometimes, it can feel like we're on our own, but the Lord's comfort is always there to remind us that someone knows and someone cares. We are often allowed to struggle and experience some adversity so that we can grow. The metal must pass through the refining fire if it is ever to achieve its full potential. I feel that the Lord does not like to see us struggle, but He has an eternal perspective, and so He knows that some stretching is necessary. And, just like a father teaching his child how to ride a bike stays by the child's side with outstretched hands, ready to catch the child if balance is lost, the Lord stays near us, always ready to "catch" us when we need help. I felt the Lord's sustaining power this week. There were a few moments when I felt downtrodden, distressed, and distanced from God. I needed an assurance that my Heavenly Father was mindful of me, and that assurance came - more than once. This week, I have been strengthened by divine love, and I have learned for myself that the Lord's promise in John 14:18 is real: "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you." And so, I declare that God lives. He loves us. Feeling God's love will heal any wound and lift even the most depressed soul. We need to turn to the Lord in our trials. He is always there to help. 

I love each of you so much. Thank you for always being there for me. Sometimes the Lord sends angels to help us, and you guys have been angels for me. 

Love,

Elder McDonald

Don't Worry, Be Happy!!

Loved Ones,

Thank you so much for your love, letters, and emails! I am filled with love and happiness right now, and that is a priceless gift that I owe to each of you and to our Heavenly Father. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I just love you all so much. I wish I could express it more fully and demonstrate it more regularly. I am thoroughly convinced that my family is the greatest family in the world. Hands down. No other submissions will be accepted for consideration :) I love you guys! Thank you so much for all that you do. I was delighted to learn that everyone had a good week. It sounds like it was full of adventure, excitement, and spiritual nourishment. Mia, congratulations on losing your first tooth! That is exciting! I actually have a pretty good relationship with the tooth fairy, so I'll be sure to put in the good word for you. Actually, I'm sure she's already stopped by, so I hope she delivered! Also, I'm glad that everyone survived the bee/June bug invasion. When figs are involved, you never know what might happen. I personally don't blame our winged friends one bit. Knowing their partiality to figs, I would be sure that you don't leave Fig Newtons anywhere that is accessible by bees or June bugs. If these bugs are anything like me, there would be an infestation beyond reason. When you love Fig Newtons, nothing gets between you and the Newtons. So be cautious :) But anyways, I had a great week as well. It seems like each week has a theme. The Lord teaches me something new that I need to know, and then that lesson seems to be emphasized over and over again. I'm grateful that the Lord works in this way. There is so much for us to learn, and if we took on everything at once, we would just have a system overload and break down entirely. The Lord teaches us line upon line so that we can progress gradually. Though growth may seem slow at times, as we patiently wait upon the Lord, we will be amazed as we look back and see how far we've come. Little seeds grow into tall trees.

I'm going to be honest, it was weird to work on Facebook last week. It will take some acclimation, but I know that this wonderful tool will be such a great benefit in the work of salvation. One thing that I thought was interesting was how it made me feel to plug back into the information barrage that we have come to take for granted. I want to say that technology is definitely a good thing, but we just need to be wise with how we use it. We can fill our minds nearly instantly with shocking amounts of information, so we need to remember that it is important to take time to be still and to focus in on the best things in life. I believe it was T.S. Elliot who said something to the effect of, "Where is the wisdom that is lost in knowledge? And where is the knowledge that is lost in information?" Life comes at you fast in the 21st century, so it's important to be cautious about how much we gobble up. Moderation in all things is a wise way of life. I'm working on that. 

So, I had a realization last week. I came to the conclusion that it is so important to have fun and enjoy life. That's not a very ground-breaking realization, I know, but it's what I needed to learn. Sometimes I get caught up in stresses and responsibilities and fail to remember that "men are that they might have joy." I feel that President Monson is a great example of mastering the balance between work and play. He is a powerful leader, and a spiritual giant, but he still maintains his fun-loving personality and his joy for life. That is something I've been working on. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed by the expectations set before me, and I become a bit too cautious because I feel like I must constantly do everything perfectly. In discussing this topic, I want to be careful, because the balance between responsibility and enjoying life can easily slip too far in either direction. But, I feel that if we just try our hardest and also maintain a good attitude and a love of life, then we aren't going to get ourselves into trouble. Part of this life involves making mistakes and growing up, and I'm grateful that the Lord gives us a vision of perfection that we should work towards without demanding it immediately. I find great comfort in knowing that the Lord looks on the heart and that He is patient and forgiving. What I think is interesting is that doing our best and doing things the Lord's way gives us the fullest measure of peace and happiness. So, we don't have to choose one or the other. The commandments, "Be ye therefore perfect," and, "Be of good cheer," are not in opposition to each other. It is in the spirit of loving life that I would like to mention a few of the reasons I'm happy:

1. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous
2. School is back in session, leaving more computers open for me to use for emailing
3. I have some Ben & Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream in my freezer
4. I have the wonderful opportunity to serve as a missionary in the capital of the world
5. And last, but certainly not least, I have the greatest family in the whole, wide world. 

That's all for today, folks. I must be off. Thank you again for all that you are constantly doing for me. I love you all so much. Please have a most excellent week  and smile a lot - it makes you happy! 

Love,
Elder McDonald

Elder Cutshall, Elder McDonald's last companion

Mission goal: Accomplished!!!

Plugging In!

Loved Ones,

It's strange how national holidays become a nuisance when you're a missionary and you need to talk to your family on Mondays. I missed hearing from you all yesterday. But getting your emails today was a great boost that will help me cruise through the week. I would like to issue a formal apology for how feeble my letter was last week. It was severely lacking in the information department, and so I have resolved to give some good intel this week. But first things first. I want to tell you all how much I love you and how much joy you bring into my life. Thanks for that. This morning, I was reading in 2 Corinthians, and I came across a verse that I really liked. It is verse 24 in Chapter 1. This verse uses the phrase "helpers of your joy", and, as I understand it, the context is that the leaders of the Church help the Saints to have joy by serving them. I want to say that you guys are definitely helpers of my joy. And because you bring me so much joy, I can then share that joy with others and become a helper of their joy. And by helping them to have joy, I have more joy. Thus we have the circle of joy. I hope you all experienced exceedingly great joy as you had the opportunity to see Wyatt yesterday. I have to say, I am jealous. I remember hanging out with my good cousin in Newport not too long ago. What fun times those were. Welcome home, Wyatt! You are awesome. I hope everyone is loving school and life. I pray for you constantly. 

I have an exciting announcement to make! You will all likely see some activity on my Facebook page today or tomorrow, and this is not because I have chosen to be disobedient. This is because my mission is one of the missions that will be piloting the jump to the digital age of missionary work. I am going to start using Facebook, Skype, and possibly blogging as tools to serve the Lord and my fellow man, and I am excited. I'm actually extremely excited. I think this is going to be awesome. So here's the deal: I can use these online resources, but I'm still doing what I do with the purpose of helping others to "come unto Christ". I can't just Facebook chat with you guys to see what's new. But I think that more important than what we can't do is what we can do. I am really excited because now we can team up and engage in missionary work together in a much more effective and unified way. The Internet is a wonderful tool that can bring the gospel to all the world, and so I invite each of you to work with me and with each other to lift up our lights and let them shine. This will be possibly the coolest thing ever. So that's the big news for the week. 

If I may, I would like to change gears a bit. I promised some more information in this email, so here we go. Let me first tell you about my neighborhood. Basically 95% of my neighbors are Jewish. I have grown to love the Jewish culture. Most of the Jewish people here are very orthodox and dedicated, and I think that is refreshing to see in New York. Naturally, many of the establishments in my neighborhood are heavily influenced by the Jewish culture. I have developed a deep and abiding love for kosher bakeries. There is a place called Ostrovitsky's just up the road from my apartment that purveys the most delectable of offerings. If you walk anywhere near Ostrovitsky's in the morning hours, the redolence of homemade pastries and breads envelopes you in a warm, loving embrace. It is out of this world. And that's before you've taken a bite. Words cannot describe what my taste buds experience at that moment. We will definitely have to go there when we take our New York tour. Another great thing about the neighborhood is that a 7/11 was recently opened a block from my apartment. I didn't know this was possible, but I had a kosher Slurpie the other day. How cool is that? I love it. Also, there is a great Jewish barber shop that does an excellent job for a very reasonable price. And the barber shop also became the scene for a funny only-in-New-York-moment last week as Elder Monestine tried to tell the barber how to cut a black person's hair. It didn't come out quite the way he was hoping. I think that he was the first black person to have his hair cut there. I am sharing this experience with Elder Monestine's encouragement. In summation, I am a big fan of my area, and I am very blessed each and every day. Even if it's just a simple thing that makes me smile. One of those blessings came yesterday and allowed me to realize one of the goals of my mission. I will tell you a bit about this and include a picture next week. I have to include a little suspense to keep things interesting! I have to tell you about one last thing. I went on an exchange with Elder Cabeza de Vaca last week and had an absolute blast. Let me tell you just a bit about Elder Cabeza de Vaca. He's from Ecuador, he is the most energetic person ever, and his name means cow head. We had a lot of fun on the exchange. He told me about how they make peanut butter by hand in Ecuador. I want to go witness this first-hand now. There is just so much I could talk about, but so little time. I am truly loving life, and I hope that all of you are as well. And, I love each of you even more than I love life. Thank you for being the best family around. Whatever neighborhood I find myself in, I will always feel blessed and comforted by my wonderful family. 

I just want each of you to know how much I believe in what I am doing. In high times and low times, my testimony of this work remains as the great constant of my life. The gospel of Jesus Christ has changed my heart and helped me to live better and love deeper. I know that we have a source of help in all circumstances, no matter how trying. The Savior Jesus Christ will always have His arms outstretched. "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows". May we each turn to Him more and find strength from the source of light and truth. I love you guys! Please never forget that! 

Love,
Elder McDonald

Pressing Forward

Loved Ones,

Hi everybody! Another week has come and gone. This past week may have been the fastest of my mission so far. Time is such a valuable resource, and if we don't use it wisely, then we miss out on opportunities that can never be recalled. You only experience "right now" once. And there is so much goodness you can squeeze out of "right now" if you choose. "Right now" is like an orange that has as much juice as you'd like to drink. And what is better than freshly squeezed orange juice? Well, I would submit that freshly squeezed "right now" juice comes out ahead. It's the best! I apologize if it weirds anyone out when I share some of the inner workings of my mind with you all. But anyways, I hope that everyone is doing well and is loving life. The school bus has come around to claim its victims once more, eh? I say, embrace the school bus, my friends. Remember, you only get to experience "right now" once, and to live a life free from regrets, it takes a healthy dose of good attitude. The school years are fun years, and you can make many happy memories. So go out there and make it count! And know that I'm praying for your well-being.

I always love to hear the low-down from everyone. Dad, congratulations on your call to be scoutmaster! That will be a grand adventure! Mia! You're in first grade! How in the world is that possible? You are growing up faster than I can believe. I love you and I hope that you have a great year at school. I don't have too much exciting news to report, unfortunately, and even more unfortunate is the fact that I only have about ten minutes left to email, but we'll make it work. Elder Monestine and I have been trying to step it up and work harder than ever to find those precious souls who are looking for the truth. We are trying to invite ten people to church every day so that at least one of them comes at the end of the week. Though it is hard work and we aren't seeing a lot of success at the moment, I feel good about life. There are so many great experiences that come with each day, and I'm especially grateful for some of the challenges I've been facing, because they are helping me to grow. I'm learning so much! I love it. When I start to feel like life is all grey skies and misery, I try to remember the good things that fill each day, and warmth and light rushes over me as I am reminded that things aren't so bad. Sometimes, we feel like everything is going wrong and it could never possibly go right, but that's just not true. The Lord really does want what's best for us. I've learned that it is important to never let your perception of what is happening interfere with the reality of the Lord's guiding hand. We would be wise to heed the counsel in one of our hymns and "let the Holy Spirit guide". We can also listen to the Lord when He says, "Be still and know that I am God," and, "Be of good cheer".

I am unfortunately nearly out of time. I'm so sorry that this is so short and lacking in information. I love each of you, and I'm so grateful for all that you do. I know that God lives and I know that He loves us, and that's enough for me to keep pressing forward.

Love,
Elder McDonald