Wings As Eagles

Loved Ones,

Well, hello! How are you all doing today? Simply swell, I presume? Well, good. I am also doing well. Even more so now that I have received word from the wonderful people in my life. I'm very grateful that you all have chosen to put up with me. Thanks for that! It really does mean a lot. To know that there is a group of warm hearts that I can turn to in an hour of need brings peace to my troubled heart and joy to my soul. Thank you for always being so faithful. I'm so sorry that I was not so dependable last week. I ran out of time before I could send out an email to everyone, and I do apologize. 

There is much that I could report on, I'm just not quite sure how to begin. I'll start with interviews with President Calderwood. Those are always great. I learned a lot, and now it's time to apply. Recently, I am learning how to be comfortable being myself as a missionary. That may sound strange, but it is something I've had to work on. I feel like I spent the first year or so of my mission trying to figure out how to be a missionary. Or maybe I should say that I was becoming more converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I will continue to work at that, but now, I feel like I am starting to find out who the "forever changed" version of myself is. I may have already mentioned this, but our mission's motto is "Forever Changed". My goal is to be forever changed while still being myself. Don't get me wrong; I didn't completely lose my personality last year. I just wasn't quite balanced. Now, I am learning how to achieve balance, and, if I'm lucky, inner peace. I find it helpful to do a child's pose on a yoga mat (thank you, Mom) if I'm ever feeling deficient in the inner peace department. I recommend the child's pose. It works wonders. Alas, I digress. Basically, I'm learning how to have more fun and enjoy life more while still being a representative of Jesus Christ. After all, "men are that they might have joy." There is always something to learn, and I am grateful for that. It is actually really fun to see how the Lord guides my life towards the most happiness possible. Sometimes that means wading through a bit of grief, but the happiness would not be sweet unless I had a point of reference. I trust that, no matter what, the Lord wants the best for me, and He works to help me receive the very best. I just need to work with Him. I feel that I am currently at a fork in the road, with change on the horizon. Just as the leaves  are yielding their green to beautiful shades of yellow, orange, and red, my life is on the verge of a shift. It's not anything major, I'm sure, but there will be more opportunities to learn and to grow. I just want to testify of the miracle of missionary service. I gave a talk on missionary work in church on Sunday, and my testimony of missionary work was strengthened as I prepared for it. Missionary work changes lives. I know that. I feel that it is appropriate to replace the words "missionary work" with the word "love" in nearly all cases. So, I would say that love changes lives. What is missionary work other than reaching out in love? As we seek to serve the Lord and serve our fellow man, we are changed, and the world is changed for the better. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to be a missionary every day. And I'm so grateful to each of you for supporting me in this endeavor. To anyone who says that there are no angels, I say that I know there are. There is a little group of them that is always sending me their love and buoying me up with their kindness. Thanks for being so angelic. 

Guess what? I just received word that my mission will be receiving our shipment of iPads and iPhones in less than a month! How cool is that? These new resources are going to help so much. It's going to be great, and I'm excited. The Lord's work is hastening, and we need to put on our running shoes to keep up! I know that if we do our best, the Lord's promise in Isaiah will apply in our lives: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." If we will humbly trust in the Lord - wait upon Him - then He will lift us to heights that we thought only the eagles could reach. We are each children of God. We each have divine potential. I pray that we can all tap into that potential and become what we can be. The Lord wants to give us all that He has. He wants to help us every day. I know He will. I know that the message I bring to the good people of New York is true. The gospel of Jesus Christ makes me happy; it empowers me. With God, I am so much more than what I am on my own, or even what I thought I could be. 

I love you all so much! Please have an awesome week, and be happy! Know that I love each of you, and you are each important to me. I'm rooting for every one of you. I want you to succeed and to feel successful. Never forget that I love you! Thank you all for everything that you do. Words fall short when given the task of expressing the profound impact that you have had in my life. 

Love,
Elder McDonald

P.S. I owe you one more story! I'm sorry to leave you hanging! I'll send it in a letter!