Mesa Boys!

Loved Ones,

I am so low on time! I'm sorry! I hate it when I do this to ya'll! The first P-day of a transfer is always a little bit of an adjustment, it seems. How is everyone? What is new? For me, I have a new companion! His name is Elder Booth. He is the missionary who came in from Mesa. I've trained two missionaries from Mesa now! He's awesome! I have tons of respect for him because he is only 18 and he is jumping right into being a missionary. The last week in New York has been something like Luke Skywalker's journey through the frozen fields of Hoth on a taun taun. It's been cold and snowy, and that has made for some adventures. To start things off, the 50 mile or so drive from transfer meeting back home took somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 hours to complete. I'm afraid that I am terribly unequipped for driving in a snow storm, especially when the vehicle is a Toyota Corolla. Even so, I must give credit to our faithful Corolla, because it pressed on even when other more fancy vehicles were stalled on the side of the road. There were some intense moments, such as sliding uncontrollably down a snowy slope towards a car sitting at an intersection (I was saved by the emergency brake which worked marvellously well), and some slipping and sliding around on the freeway, but that all just makes for a great memory. I hope that you all were able to get a little bit of an adrenaline dose for the week as well.

I have to wrap up soon, but I do want to share two miracles. First of all, Elder Booth and I are working with two investigators who have accepted baptismal dates in February. I am so excited and happy about that. It is a blessing beyond compare to minister to others and help them receive the restored gospel. The second miracle is a bit more of a story. When I was serving in Littleneck, I worked just a bit with a young man who was investigating the Church. We invited him to be baptized, and it seemed that he would be a member of the Church in no time. Alas, I was transferred soon after that, so I didn't hear much about it until a few months ago when he reached out to me on Facebook. We started chatting back and forth a bit, and I was trying to address some concerns he had. He was struggling with his testimony. I was saddened when he stopped responding to my messages sometime in November. Well, just several days ago, I opened my message inbox and saw a message from him. It was one of the best messages I've ever received. He explained that he has been agnostic for the past month or so, and he had sort of given up. He said that he recently started visiting my blog, and then he found the "You Don't Know You're Spiritual" video on my Facebook page. He said that when he listened to that song, it really touched his heart and reignited his desire to seek truth and become a member of the Church. I was so happy! I just wanted to share that story and encourage us all to always do all we can to love and support everyone around us as we never know when they will be ready to hear "glad tidings of great joy". 

You all are so wonderful. Thanks for that. I'll give a nice, long report next week. I love you all so much. Be well.

Love,

Elder McDonald

Polar Vortex

Loved Ones,

Hello! Apparently, New York is trapped in a polar vortex. What does
this mean? Well, unfortunately inter-dimensional travel is still out
of the question. To my knowledge, the polar vortex really just means
that the weather swings from a nice, balmy 50 degrees to 10 or so
degrees in a few days. What's exciting is that snow may be part of the
equation, so there just might be some more opportunities to shovel
snow for some folks who need help. I sure hope so! Shoveling snow is
great! How are you all doing in the perpetually sunny land of
California? I hope that joy is ever springing up all around each of
you. I am happy over here. Last week was full of learning. I do love
to learn. Sometimes, learning in life comes with challenges, but how
else could we progress? Natural laws require that there be input to
receive an output. We can't expect to learn and grow if we don't have
some difficulties.

As you may be aware, we are on the precipice of a new transfer. Just
as the polar vortex brings a change as icy weather blows in from the
North, this week will shake things up a bit. We already knew that
there would be change as Elder Pulla is returning to his native India,
but I have a few more details now. Let me just say that I am really
excited. I've been called to train a new missionary next transfer! So,
my next companion is flying somewhere over the United States at this
very moment. I can't wait to meet him! I checked the pictures of the
incoming missionaries, and saw that he will either be from Rwanda or
Mesa, Arizona. Training is really fun and a huge learning experience,
so I feel really lucky. I'm staying here in Bay Shore, so no packing
necessary. Thank goodness! I have to say, I do not like packing. Not
one bit. I do like traveling, though. There is the "opposition in all
things" concept again! Learning is to challenges like traveling is to
packing. It's everywhere!

I must report on my trip to the temple. It was grand. Elder Broadbent
and I were able to go together, and that was a wonderful bonus. We've
been able to spend a fair amount of time together this transfer as he
has been my zone leader. He's a great person. I'm excited for you all
to meet him. Once I was in the temple, I just felt like I could have
stayed for hours and then gone back the next day for hours more. Going
to the temple will not be something on my to-do list that I need to
accomplish when I get home, it will be a sacred privilege that I
relish. At least, I hope I can continue to feel that way. I suppose
that I may be able to evaluate myself by not only my holding a temple
recommend, but my desire to attend. I can't even imagine how much the
temple meant to those early Saints who sacrificed so much and labored
so diligently so that the Lord's house could be established on the
earth once more. I hope to emulate their devotion and desire. I have a
long way to go! Dad, it was actually the Mckells who took us to the
temple. That's so cool that Elder Mckell was your bishop!

Well, I love you all! You guys are the greatest. I'm praying for you.

Love,
Elder McDonald

Just Keep Swimming!

Loved Ones,

Good day! How is everyone feeling? Good? Life is great? I know it is!
Richard G. Scott wisely taught that negative experiences are things
that happen in life and not life itself. So, Life is always great!
Even when it's soggy from sitting in the milk for too long, it still
brings me joy. With that said, I hope that your lives are being filled
with the most positive and uplifting of experiences. And if any one of
you is feeling strained, I just would say that adversity is as
essential to our happiness as the good times, for there cannot be one
without the other. I know that sorrow and difficulties can be
redemptive, and certainly can always be endured. The Lord promises us
that we will never be given more than we can bear. I love you all so
much! I can't say it enough.

I was glad to receive a good report, especially in visual form with
the Disneyland pictures. I'm glad the trip was a success. Thanks for
sharing it with me through the wonder of photography! Boy, do I have a
great family. You all look even better with the radiance of Disneyland
adding to your bright and cheery countenances. Surely, there is
something in the air at that place. I had a little adventure of my own
last week. You saw some documentation of it on Facebook, but I'll give
you my eyewitness account. It all started off like any other Thursday,
with the missionaries and a few members cleaning the church. We were
wrapping up our efforts when Sister Stephenson noticed a strange noise
coming from the mother's room. Was someone showering in there? No, but
they could have been, for what was occurring behind the door of that
room was a ferocious downpour of water from the ceiling. A pipe had
burst! The room was rapidly flooding, so we took action. We gathered
all the trash cans in the building, and strategically placed them to
catch the most amount of falling water. Once things escalated, Elder
Casper and I took it to the next level by removing our shoes and
rolling up our pants, and the sisters heroically jumped into the fray
and used a snow shovel to scoop water from the floor. Elder Casper and
I saved our shoes, but when we took the cans outside to empty them,
our feet would freeze to the cold sidewalk. The whole situation felt a
bit like a scene from "Titanic" with the freezing cold and huge
amounts of water. It was intense! It was also a lot of fun. That was
the excitement for the week. In the end, the water was shut off, and
the building was saved.

I wish to address two other things. But first, I need to answer a
question from earlier. The jacket that you guys were wondering about
actually came to me for free. Elder Monestine found it hidden away in
the apartment, and he left it behind when he went home. So that's
where it came from. Ok, so the first thing is that I am going to the
temple Wednesday! I'm so excited. I can't wait to feel the sacred
peace of that holy place. I have come to know that the temple is the
house of God. I suppose you will hear all about the experience next
week. Secondly, I have hit my 18 month mark. Is that wild or what? It
has been quite a journey, and it isn't even over! Thank you all for
supporting me on this quest. I am grateful that I have had each of you
as companions as I walk along day by day. I have penned a few lines to
express some of my thoughts. Here they are:

Eighteen months or eighteen days?
I'll say it's hard to tell
The days roll by and then they go
Just like an ocean swell

Lessons have come with passing time
More faithful than short days
As the weeks have flown, and I have grown
They've abided the wash of waves

When a wave comes to visit the sand,
It leaves behind a gift
A precious seashell, full of charm
A bridge that spans a rift

A seashell brought from sunny shores
Is faithful to the sea
From deep in its royal chambers
It sings a memory

The bearer of that noble shell
Even in a barren place
Can hold the shell up to his ear
And move through time and space

So it is with my mission
I've not a castle made of sand
What I have gained is here to stay
I've a seashell in my hand

I love you all. Just keep swimming :)

Love,
Elder McDonald

Day of The Three Kings

Loved Ones,

Greetings! Actually, I can still say Season's Greetings, because today
is the Day of the Three Kings in Latin cultures. They make a special
bread for the holiday that looks delicious. I hope that January 6 is
as good as the most festive holiday for all of you. May there be
rejoicing and much gladness in your hearts! There is so much to
rejoice in. Life is brilliant; love is pure. All of you are angels; of
that I'm sure! (I have to give credit to James Blunt for that one.)
Life is exponentially more brilliant and pure when it is populated by
all of you. Thank you for continually adding to the canvas of my life
with strokes of brilliance and light. This seems an appropriate time
to thank the good soul who sent me an awesome new watch. I completely
love it, and I will long wear it as a reminder that we are never
alone. That gift came on a day when I needed to know that someone
cared. To my secret benefactor I say, May God bless you for your
generosity. I have also been the recipient of countless invisible
gifts of love and prayers, and though these gifts are not as easy to
recognize, their power is felt, and I am deeply grateful for them.

So, the big news of this week is the Great Blizzard of 2014. I've
never seen so much snow in my entire life! At least, if I have, I've
forgotten, because this was a new experience. We spent the day after
the blizzard hit shoveling snow for a few different people. It was a
blast! Shoveling snow is pretty fun. Also, I giddily frolicked through
the winter wonderland, making snow angels, sliding on ice, and
marveling at the beauty of snowflakes. Oh, what fun! What could be
better than combining service with fun? Even better, there was no
frostbite or hypothermia to put a damper on the delightful day. Though
the cold is not as appealing to me as a warm summer day, I do love the
snow.

I'm glad to hear that there have been some family reunions over there,
and I hope that everyone is enjoying their passes to Disneyland. See
if you can capture some of the magic and send it my way in a picture!
I would love to see your smiling faces at the Happiest Place on Earth.
Don't worry about making me jealous. It makes me happy to see you guys
happy. We'll have a chance to have a Disneyland trip together soon
enough! Keep being glad.

Last week, the Lord blessed me with a witness of the divinity of Jesus
Christ, and so I feel that it is now my duty to bear that witness.
When we get ourselves stuck in a rut because of one thing or another,
we really can't progress without some help. We sometimes break things
that we alone cannot fix. I think these experiences can teach us to
"rely wholly upon the merits of Him who is mighty to save." I testify
that through the Atonement, we can get unstuck. We can start
progressing again, and our path will be opened up to lead us to a
glorious vista of truth and light. I hope that we can always give
great attention to the weekly partaking of the sacrament. That
ordinance has real power, and I am grateful that we can become renewed
each week.

I love you all! Thank you so much for EVERYTHING. Be well, for surely
all is well when our way is lit by the Light of the World.

Love,
Elder McDonald