Online Success

Loved Ones,

Hiya! I know that Peter Parker says that in the older Spider-Man
films, but I feel I should let you know that, though Peter Parker
lives in New York, that is not, as far as I can tell, a hip New York
thing to say. Hopefully that factoid will help out when you come to
walk the streets of New York. However, you all are beyond cool in my
eyes regardless. And boy, it sure sounds like you all had a pretty
cool week! That's great! Mia, way to represent the McDonald clan well
in the hula hoop and dancing contest. You should combine those two
routines and create a "hip" (hehe) new dance style. Also, could you
teach me how to hula hoop? That is a useful skill. We will definitely
have to have hula hoop/dance parties. It makes me happy when you guys
are happy. Since we are a family, bound together by love and sealed
together by covenants, individual joys and triumphs are shared by all.
That is a beautiful thing.

Last week was pretty exciting because Elder S. Gifford Nielsen and
Sister Nielsen came to town. That was a real treat. Both of them are
such prime examples of goodness. They are also both hilarious. If you
think back to Elder Nielsen's conference address, you can get a good
idea of his personality. He humorously referenced exclamation points
several times during the mission tour. I learned a ton and was very
inspired by what was shared. It's also a lot of fun to be around
General Authorities and to see their personalities. They tend to be
great people.

I want to give you all a report of my digital missionary efforts in
this email. One of my goals as I came into the last few months of my
mission was to expand my online missionary efforts, specifically by
teaching a lesson online. Well, the Lord blessed me far beyond that.
It has been a great joy to teach not just one but a good handful of
online lessons. A few of them have been with investigators I met in
past areas and then linked up with online, and one of those people is
actually from Russia. I met him in Midwood as he was visiting there,
but we've met him a couple of times over Skype now. It was so cool to
be teaching someone in Russia! He's actually become a dear friend. I
plan to stay in touch. I'm very grateful that the Lord has blessed me
with such a diverse mix of missionary experiences. At the beginning of
my mission, I would have never guessed that I would be able to do the
things we've been doing with online tools. The internet is such a
powerful tool for lifting the human family. So much good can be done.
Families divided by oceans can be close as their hearts are digitally
knit together with the wonder of Skype and Facebook. Friendships that
in former days would have been terminated with the departure of one
party to distant lands can now continue unabated. You know, in many
ways, the internet and other technological advances can bring us
closer to a celestial way of life: relationships unaffected by time
and space.

Have any of you downloaded the Bible Videos app? I don't have it, but
it looks pretty cool. I would recommend checking it out because those
Bible Videos have been a big blessing for me. They build my faith in
Jesus Christ and help me to connect more with His life and ministry. I
have developed a deeper love for the Bible and the stories of Jesus by
watching those beautiful videos. A few of my favorites are "Jesus
Heals a Man Born Blind", "My Kingdom Is Not of This World", and "Peter
and John Continue Preaching the Gospel". Those videos are also a great
way to share the gospel. Also, faith in Christ and a love for learning
of His life are common denominators amongst Christians everywhere, and
this should be a cause to unite and rejoice together. Those videos can
help this be so while also building stepping stones to an invitation
to learn about Jesus Christ's restored gospel.

Well, that is it for today. I love you all so much! Thanks for being so great!

Love,
Elder McDonald