Birthday Joy

Loved Ones,

How are you all doin'? Thanks for all the birthday love, everyone! You
all make life grand. Last week was such a good week. I loved it. My
birthday was awesome, too. First, some thoughts. It's kind of weird to
have reached the culmination of adulthood. By the world's standards,
there is really nothing else that is keeping me from claiming the full
and complete adult status. I feel the same, though. Plus, there's so
much more ahead. This milestone is far from a completion. I feel
optimistic about the future, knowing that there is much goodness
ahead. But anyways, I'll tell you all about my birthday. I had a nice
birthday dinner because one of the members invited Elder Hardisty
and I over. They made a delicious gourmet meal, so I was well taken
care of. And, to make it even better, the member's wife and daughter
are not members, and the daughter brought a friend who isn't either,
so we were able to teach a lesson afterward. We taught the doctrine of
Christ using a whiteboard and markers to illustrate the cycle of the
doctrine of Christ. That was such a birthday treat. I love preaching
the gospel! To have a listening ear to share the greatest truths of
all with is a gift worth more than gold. "Woe is unto me if I preach
not the gospel" because I'd be missing out on a whole lot of precious
experiences!

How have you all been? What is new on the home front? Have you had to
defend the homestead from any invaders? Hold down the fort. Jacob,
congrats on the Legoland job! That's so sweet! Can you find all their
insider secrets so that we can be Lego masters? I have been freaking
out after hearing about Uncle Mat and Aunt Terri's call to be mission
president in Mexico! That is so exciting! What would that be like to
have someone call to set up an appointment with an Apostle? I would be
a nervous wreck! They will do such a good job. With that in mind, I
want to invite you all to watch Elder S. Gifford Nielsen's conference
talk from last October. He'll actually be coming to our mission next
month. But in the talk, he asks us what it might be like if the
prophet called us. He then explains that the prophet has called each
of us to take an active role in the work of salvation. More
importantly, Jesus Christ has called us and is laboring with us in the
vineyard. I testify of the joy that comes from being involved in the
work of salvation. The work of a disciple of Jesus Christ is
wonderful, rewarding, and fun. There is no greater work in this world.
So Mat and Teri received a formal call, but we all have been called as
well! Let's "labor on the family farm", shall we? We can all thrust in
our sickles together and lay up for ourselves treasures in Heaven. I
have found a lot of fulfillment and peace as I've sought to be a
worthy witness for Jesus Christ these past few days. I've also found
inspiration from watching the Bible videos. Those are so good. They
help me to visualize what it means to follow in Christ's footsteps.

Elder Hardisty and I are finding people to teach! We have started
teaching an awesome couple who have been looking for God in their
lives. The man's name is Aladdin! How cool is that? Unfortunately, his
girlfriend's name is not Jasmine, but that's ok! We also met two
really cool elderly gentlemen who restore cars, and they showed us
some of their work. It was awesome! They were working on some cars
from the 30s, and they made them look brand new. There are so many
wonderful people around here. It is a privilege to be among them and
associate with them each day.

Well, I love you all dearly. Thank you for your support, your love,
and your prayers. I feel that my life is a mosaic to which you have
each added a piece or two (or many). I can't thank you all enough! I
love you, I love you, I love you!

Love,
Elder McDonald

The Food Pod

Loved Ones,

Hello! I'm so happy right now! What a wonderful treat to see your
smiling faces! You are all such awesome people. From Mia's superhuman
hula hooping right up to Lulu's good looks, each of you are great.
Plus, you're living such cool lives! I am honored to be a member of
the family. Thanks for letting me hang out with ya'll :)

This is going to be a good week. I can feel it. Not for any particular
reason, but just because. I've found that it is not the events that
determine the quality of our lives, but the tiny patterns of thought
and attitude we choose to follow in each moment of every day. Those
little things make a very big difference. So, in following good
patterns of thought and attitude, I hope to not only have a good week,
but a successful one as well. I hope everyone else is feeling great at
the start of the week. Let's wage war against the Monday blues! Being
able to email my family every Monday has certainly changed my
perspective on Mondays.

Elder Hardisty and I spent some good quality time searching for those
who want to know the truth last week. We were able to increase our
efficiency ten-fold by creating what I have termed "the food pod". It
is a large Tupperware which we fill with various food stuffs that
serves as our dinner for the day. That way, we can eat out on the
road. It's great! Besides that, we're having tons of fun as we serve
together in this most choice part of the vineyard.

I'm going to get right onto something I neglected last week. I asked
you all if you were lovers of the cause of Christ. When someone asked
W.W. Phelps how Joseph Smith was able to endure so much, he answered
in Joseph Smith's own words, saying something like, "I am a lover of
the cause of Christ." When I learned this, it really impacted me, and
I had to ask myself, "Am I a lover of the cause of Christ?"
Furthermore, I wondered just exactly what it means to love the cause
of Christ. I'm not sure I fully know yet, but I do have a strong
desire to truly love the cause of Christ and let that love lead me to
selfless service and unflinching devotion to my Savior Jesus Christ. I
have a long way to go, but I know that line upon line, precept upon
precept, I can inch towards that goal. It will come largely by
following patterns that I mentioned earlier. I believe that God is so
much more concerned about patterns we follow than singular actions or
events in our lives. Of course, a single action or event can alter the
courses and patterns of our lives for good or for ill, but I feel that
the measure of our character will ultimately be made manifest in the
patterns we have chosen to make a part of us. Some of the most
important patterns are prayer and scripture study. I know those make
the biggest difference. So, let's all work together to love the cause
of Christ and establish patterns of righteousness in our lives. Those
are two very related pursuits.

I love you all heaps and bunches! You guys really are the best. I mean
it. Thank you so much for all you are doing. Don't let anyone tell any
of you you aren't awesome.

Love,
Elder McDonald

Cinco de Mayo

Loved Ones,

Greetings! Just to warn you now, this email will be short. Elder
Hardisty and I put together a little barbecue for the zone, so I have
very little time. I wish I had more, and I'm sad that I can't give you
all the time that you deserve! The missionaries all looked pretty
happy, so the sacrifice was for a good cause. We even had a small
barbecue fire that needed to be extinguished to add to the excitement.
It was really fun, though. We played Mafia, but we modified it to be
Star Wars themed. Good times. Elder Hardisty and I have actually had
some deep conversation about Star Wars and the gospel. It was intense
:) There are some solid gospel connections. Check it out.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I hope everyone is doing well! The work moves
forward here! It is really exciting. I am learning so much and having
a blast as I labor in the Lord's vineyard. Talk about a good work
environment!

Guess what? I got sunburnt! I think you would have had to be a part of
this past New York winter in order to comprehend the joy that this
sunburn brings me. The small things in life go a long way.

I want to just share a quick testimony about personal revelation. I
know that God hears our prayers and will always answer our questions.
It may take time - even years - but God always answers. I know that
from personal experience. I also know that if you seek knowledge and
understanding, The Lord will provide. Through the power of the Holy
Ghost, we really can know all things.

I love each of you so much! Thank you for being such a wonderful
family. I'll see ya'll Sunday ;)

Love,
Elder McDonald

Great Week On the Island

Loved Ones,

Greetings! How was the Disney trip? Turkey legs? Dole whips? Churros?
Are you all riding a wave of patriotism after enjoying some Great
Moments with Mr. Lincoln? One of the members in Bay Shore just
finished a Disney World vacation. I am biased in favor of Disneyland,
but the Epcot Center sounds pretty cool. We'll have to make our way
there someday. At any rate, I hope this email reaches the inboxes of
very happy people. I am happy. I'm healthy, too! Sure, I probably ate
too much Easter candy, but I'm only human. When you tempt me with cake
flavored Peeps, I have no defense. I thoroughly enjoyed that Easter
package! Thanks so much!

We had a great week here on the Island (I just had a random fun
thought: What would a weekly email report or journal entry from one of
the "Lost" castaways be like? "Week 2: The giant black cloud thing
continues to torment us. We still aren't even sure where we are. I
mean, we could be stuck in worse places. The scenery is great, and the
fish doesn't get any fresher! Oh, when I was walking through the
jungle, I ran into a polar bear. That was pretty weird."). I would
like to give an update and also mention one or two things I neglected
to cover. First of all, Elder Hardisty and I are teaching a great guy
who now has a baptismal date for May 18th. That would be a nice
birthday gift! It has been such a joy to teach him. He struggles with
very difficult addictions, but he has such a strong desire to come
unto Christ. He is progressing well. It's humbling to teach people who
will have to give up more than I have to be a part of Jesus Christ's
church. While studying the missionary efforts of the sons of Mosiah,
it occurred to me that they forsook a kingdom and then taught people
(Lamoni and his father) who had to be willing to do the same in order
to follow Christ. There is so much more that I can give! We also
started working with a family consisting of a mom and dad who are
less-active members and two sons who are not members. Something that I
forgot to tell you all about before is that I had an opportunity to
teach two Skype lessons. One of them was with a man I met on the
street in Midwood, and the other was with a friend of mine in Russia
who I also met in Midwood. Technology is so cool! It was awesome to be
talking of Jesus Christ to someone across an ocean and half a
continent. Both the lessons went well! I can't think of much else to
report on. Elder Hardisty and I are getting along really well and
enjoying the work here. Oh, we also had interviews with President
Calderwood last week. Those are always great. Back to Elder Hardisty,
we discovered that we have connected pasts. Not only did we both
attend the same EFY in Santa Barbara, but he was in Wyatt's group.
Maybe Wyatt will remember a Shane Hardisty. Cool, huh?

Mom, I owe you a huge thanks for finding an awesome housing situation.
It will be tons of fun to be with Elder Kitchen and Elder Yates. It'll
be kind of like our first transfers together in Bushwick! You're the
best, Mom. Thank you all for the letters and love. I really do wish I
had more time to respond individually to all of you.

I have a question for you all? Are you lovers of the cause of Christ?
Kinda interesting to think about. I am out of time, but I'm gonna
follow up on that next week. Love ya'll! Thank you again for your
endless support.

Love,
Elder McDonald

The Old and the New

Loved Ones,

Well, hello friends and family. I really do hope that Easter treated
you all well. I have really grown to love Easter. I didn't appreciate
it as much before, but it's up there with my favorite holidays now.
Also, the character of Spring in New York has given me great cause to
abound in love for Spring itself. Spring is a sacred season. The songs
of birds, the new life, the cool breeze - it is wonderful. I recall
similarly raving of the beauty of the season last year when I was in
Littleneck. I can't believe it's been a year! This Spring, I would
like to pose a question: what has sprung in your lives this Spring?
Essentially, what is new? What are you going to change? Just something
to think about.

I'll give you the update for the week. It was pretty funny what
happened. Elder Hardisty is my new companion, and all he had to do was
take a big jump to get to Bay Shore. He has been one of my zone
leaders the last two transfers. I told him it feels like we're on an
extended exchange. We just stayed in Bay Shore in the same apartment
I've been in. That was nice. It's funny how much can change while
you're still in the same place. I've seen many seasons in Bay Shore. I
guess the same concept would be true for a home. Raising a family in
one home surely must be a "multi-season" experience. And the same goes
for life as a whole. We have bitter and we have sweet. We have ups and
we have downs. If we never taste the bitter, we will never understand
the sweet. And if we never are down, then we will not be able to
comprehend what it means to be up. I'm grateful for both ends if the
spectrum, though I'm learning how to be happy and grateful through
both.

Elder Hardisty and I have had an awesome week! Oh, well, I suppose I
should tell you a bit about Elder Hardisty. He's from Santa Rosa,
California, so we're representing the Golden State here on the East
Coast. He's really fun and a very hard worker. We've been moving at an
exceedingly swift pace, but it's best that way. Another thing I
mentioned to Elder Hardisty is how it is funny how I have begun to
empathize with the elderly. I just feel tired a lot! Elder Hardisty
and I are both advanced in years when it comes to out time on a
mission, but we're still going!

As I type this, I imagine that you all are in a state of magical
bliss, drinking deeply from the fountain of glee, nostalgia, and pixie
dust that is Disneyland. I'm happy to know that my family is happy.
Truly, it is that constant knowledge that my family is a happy family,
a forever family, that is one of the most powerful motivators for my
ongoing service. Why? Well, let me expound on that. First of all, I
just have to think of all of you to want to be better and work harder.
Also, the happiness in family life that I have experienced compels me
to share with others. Even more, my knowledge of the possibility of
having a forever family drives me to keep my covenants, which are very
much connected to my missionary service. Last week, the lesson in
church spoke of the relationship between Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith,
and I thought of my wonderful siblings. How grateful I am to have your
love and support! All the books in the world and all the seven seas
couldn't contain the stuff necessary to express or explain the power
of faithful, supportive siblings. So, Family, have a happy day. Thank
you for being there. Thank you for being happy. Thank you for loving
me.

I call upon all the singing birds to join with me in telling each of
you that I love you. You are special, and not just because you're
special to me. Thank you for everything!

Love,
Elder McDonald

P.S. Thanks so much for the package love! I loved it all!

Spring Has Sprung!

Loved Ones,

Well, I have news for you all. Change is in the air. (Spring, too!
More on that later...). But, it's not the sort of change I
anticipated. I received word Thursday night that I had an interview
with President Calderwood the next day, and this news left me in a
state of great upheaval. To understand why, I must explain that on the
weekend before transfers, President Calderwood interviews those who he
is extending a call to serve in some sort of leadership position.
Since I am currently serving as district leader, and I have served as
a zone leader before, I was very confused thinking about what in the
world I would be called to do. The appointed time for the interview
came, and President Calderwood essentially said, "This might seem
strange to you, but I'm calling you to serve as a zone leader." So
that answered my first question. Now the second question was, where am
I going? Elder Booth and I proceeded through Friday and Saturday under
the assumption that I would be transferring. Then Saturday night (the
night of transfer calls) came, and to our astonishment, we were told
that I would be staying and Elder Booth would be transferring! So,
something interesting is going to happen as there is no opening for a
zone leader in my current area. All will be revealed Tuesday! I
suppose you all will have to wait until next Monday. Sorry!

But enough about all that. How are you all doing? I'm happy to hear
that Spring has sprung in beautiful Oceanside, California. It sprang
here, to! (I said I'd get back to that). It has been absolutely
gorgeous lately. The district had a picnic together today as a
farewell. Goodbyes are a natural part of missionary service, but
they're still not fun! I'm going to miss my faithful companion, Elder
Booth. What a great elder he is! We've had a lot of fun. What changes
has Spring brought to the McDonald homestead (Grandma and Grandpa, I
hope that you don't mind us calling it the McDonald homestead. We have
you outnumbered)? Oh darn! I'm so sorry! I am out of time! I have to
go, but know that I love each of you dearly. You are all like bright
Easter eggs on a lawn to me (translation: you are bright spots in my
world). I know that I am doing what God wants me to do. Over and out.

Love,
Elder McDonald

Conference Joy!

Loved Ones,

Hello! Wow. Are we blessed to have general conference or what? We in
actual fact saw the Lord's hand guiding His Church and His servants
this weekend. Just like the consistent falling of objects when we drop
them is evidence of gravity, the soul-lifting power of the words of
living prophets is ample proof that they are just that -- prophets.
That's really the test, isn't it? Does it draw us nearer to God? Does
it make us want to be better? More loving? More kind? Then it is good
and therefore from God. General conference answered my questions,
expanded my soul, and equipped me with the resources I need to be
successful and happy. I like being happy. I'm glad you all enjoyed it
as well! I was happy to hear that Mark and Becky joined you for some
conferencing. It is always a good time with them around! Love ya Uncle
Mark and Aunt Becky! My family makes me so happy. I was talking to a
man in a laundromat today who told me that he feels relieved when his
wife leaves the house. It made me so sad to hear that! I offered a bit
of encouragement and testified of the importance of family. I want
others to have the blessings of family that I do, and that alone is a
very good reason to share the gospel. Thanks for being a great family.
Let's work together so that when we all "leave this frail existence"
we can have a huge, happy family reunion on the other side.

I wish we could just talk for hours about general conference. There
was a Elder Holland's bone-rattling testimony, Elder Nelson's resolute
stand for the truth, President Uchtdorf's characteristic cheery
motivation, and, of course, President Monson's inspiring call to love.
It was all magnificent! I need to say with certainty that I know
President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God. I know we have Twelve
Apostles on the earth today, and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ is
directing His Church through revelation. We've received some pretty
powerful marching orders, and I'm excited to apply them. I highly
recommend reviewing your notes and looking for patterns, and then
making a specific plan of action. We find such great joy in general
conference, as we should, but I think we will find even more joy as we
live what was taught. I say that to myself more than anything.

Mom, I have to applaud you for being the valedictorian of your
Pathways group! Nice work! Can I buy that pencil from you for my
return to the halls of academia? I may need it. I know that you are
all doing great things with your lives, and you inspire me to do more!

We will find out next week, but this may well be my last week in Bay
Shore. It has been quite a journey here. I am anxious to know where
the Lord will place me for my last hurrah. But, I would like to adopt
a "middle of my mission" mindset as much as possible. I think that to
find joy in whatever phase of life you are in is to unlock one of the
great secrets of life. Like President Uchtdorf said, we need an
attitude of gratitude, not just gratitude for things.

I love you all! Thank you for being my support and my joy. I pray that
God will bless each of you in everything that you are doing. I want
you all to be happy and successful.

Love,
Elder McDonald

We get pretty serious when it comes time for deep clean.

This was Elder Booth and I's April Fool's joke for the district. We

had an iPad set up in the room where we meet for district meeting with

a feed of us tied up on it. Then, the masked figure said they had 10

minutes to find us before the bomb went off.