Drew mail 12-24-19: "Feliz Navidad!"

 Hola todos!! Les quiero mucho!! I am so grateful for the opportunity we have to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. I can testify that He is the Son of God. He is the one that can save, heal, strengthen, guide and help us in all things. I know Heavenly Father loves us perfectly and his son is evidence of that. We can have a mighty change of heart as we turn to our savior and truly give our heart to him. I want to invite you all to think of what you can do to become more like him and to develop your relationship with him. You can watch the new video called the Christ Child and i promise as you work to center your life and Christmas season on Him you will feel peace, healing, joy and have the holy ghost with you more frequently. I pray you have a merry Christmas and always remember how much your elder brother and Heavenly Parents love you. 

~ Much Love, Elder McDonald

A Christmas Card to our Missionary

Merry Christmas Elder McDonald!

#missionnotes Month #6

#missionnotes  Month #6 

Keep sharing the light!

Drew mail 12-17-19: "True peace, Love and Joy"

 Hola everyone! How are you doing! We are getting closer and closer to Christmas and I can't believe it! So thinking about everything that is going on this time of year it can be really easy to get caught up in lots of things that we "need" to do that seem to make us run around like crazy. But often times these things change our focus of the importance and reason behind why we are celebrating. I love how in this last general conference Elder Holland spoke very first about focusing on Jesus Christ. The truth is when we do that we see a result different than if we are running from place to place putting our effort and focus on things that aren't as important. When we focus on Christ we will feel a peace and love we can't find anywhere else and we will experience true joy in our lives. 

This week I have been able to see many times that when we testify of Christ specifically and put the focus directly on Him there is a peace and love that enters our hearts that doesn't come in any other way. This week I had the opportunity to teach a man about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and as I testified of His ability to heal and help us the calm and comfort I felt was amazing. I know that in the chaos of the season it can seem difficult to feel this peace, but I promise it will come when you focus on drawing closer to Him.

I also was able to have a Christmas conference this week with half the mission. As I thought about why we were there and thinking about how amazing it was to be united in the same cause a joy filled me that again can't be found anywhere else. I can testify that as we work to live the gospel of Jesus Christ we can learn what true happiness is as we see our lives change and feel our hearts open, heal, and receive more light than ever before. 

I love Christmas so much, and as I have gotten older I have begun to realize that it really is an amazing thing that we can celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. He came into the world to save us. To bring us greater light and happiness. To give us peace and love. He is the reason behind everything we do and should be at the center of our celebrations because He is the one that makes everything possible. Only through Him can we eventually be perfected, overcome all trial and darkness and receive a fullness of joy with our families and our Heavenly Parents forever. I invite you all to think of how you can put a more central focus on Christ this Christmas and one of the things you could do is watch the new video of His birth. I promise that as you do this you will feel a peace that will enter your heart and fill your entire body. We can have greater peace and happiness each day as we work to become better and develop our relationship with our savior, Jesus Christ.

~Elder McDonald

Quote of the week: "In spite of everything else this conference tradition may offer us, it will mean little or nothing unless we find Jesus at the center of it all. To grasp the vision we are seeking, the healing that He promises, the significance we somehow know is here, we must cut through the commotion —joyful as it is — and fix our attention on Him." Elder Holland The message, the meaning, and the Multitude

Scripture of the week: 3 Nephi 11:10-11,14-17

Drew mail 12-9-19: "Putting the Lord first"

 Hola todos! How are you all doing? Can you believe that it is getting closer and closer to Christmas? I can't! Especially since it is getting hotter and hotter!  Here they are selling fireworks now which just makes it feel like the 4th of July :) . I hope that as we are getting closer to Christmas, when things start to get more hectic and it seems like we can't do everything we want, we can remember the thing that is the most important, Jesus Christ. He is the center of everything we do and are, and we need to rely more wholly upon Him if we are going to progress and have greater joy in our lives. I can testify that when we work to give our all to focus on Him and put the things that are important to Him first in our lives we will see blessings and changes that we were not expecting to receive but that are so much better than we hoped for. 

This week I had opportunities to choose between doing one thing which could be good, or doing something which has the prospect of being better. On Wednesday this week, we were thinking of when we were going to do Family History, and we realized that it was going to be very difficult to do it another day in the week. We had been counseled by our mission president to give 2 hours of time to work on Family History and we decided that we were going to put our faith in the Lord and do what we had been asked to do. Later that night we were trying to think of who we ought to visit, and we didn't have much time so we needed to choose right. We decided to visit a lady we had contacted a few days ago and we were able to have a lesson with her! I believe that this blessing came because we worked to put our faith in the Lord and do what we had been asked before trying to do what we thought was best. 

On Thursday I had the opportunity to receive my ID for my citizenship in Uruguay. As we were found waiting in a different area for other missionaries, we decided to go and start contacting. We were able to find a few people who were interested and gave this information to the Elders in their area. Later that day we had the opportunity to go help the Sisters in their area in what is called a "Choque de Fuerza," which basically is where other missionaries go into a different area to help find new people to teach. We were trying to decide if it was worth it to go and help for just a little bit of time or if we ought to just work in our area, and again we decided to trust the Lord and go and help them out. 

Then on Saturday, we received a call from other Sisters who told us that they were going to have a baptism, but were afraid that they would not have enough priesthood holders there to support in the ordinance. We already had plans in our area, but as we thought about it we decided it was really important that we go and help the Sisters. We did miniature divisions with our Zone Leaders so they could go to some lessons in their area, and we could get some done in ours. I went with Elder Jensen to be able to go and help with the baptism and it was a wonderful experience. He conducted the meeting and although I didn't need to help out, it was important that we went so he could.

After everything that happened this week we had the opportunidades to focus on the Savior and put our trust in Him and we saw great blessings. On Sunday we had the most people come to church that I have seen yet in my mission. We have had people who truly want to progress and improve and I am amazed by the results that have come from simple actions. I promise that each one of you can see these same results as you work to put Christ at the center of your lives. It can be hard at times to be able to put everything else aside, but the truth is when we trust in Him the good that comes is so much more than otherwise. 

Scripture of the week:

D&C 68:6,8 

El Evangelio de Jesucristo brinda la fortaleza y la perspectiva eterna para hacer frente, con buen ánimo, a lo que venga.  President Dunford

~Elder McDonald

Drew mail 12-03-2019: "A Willing Heart"

 Hola todos! Cómo están? Espero que están disfrutando su semana y que todos tuvieron un buen día de gracias! Navidad está cerca también! (Hello all!  How are you?  I hope that you are enjoying your week and that all are having a great Thanksgiving!  Christmas is close also!)

I honestly can not believe how quickly the time is going and that the year is almost over! Man... is that crazy! This week I have been able to have some really neat experiences in teaching lessons with the people here in San-Fernando. I have been able to see people who have chosen to open their hearts, just a little and as soon as they do the spirit start to work.  Sadly I also have seen others who just don't want to change their lives.

First, I was able to go on transfers this week with my zone leader Elder Jensen. As we were working in our area in the morning I had the thought to visit someone we had put in our agenda later in the day. As we stopped by George's house, we found him outside and were able to have a neat lesson with him about the Plan of Salvation. He had quite a few questions and was truly wanting to learn more about Heavenly Father and about why things are the way they are in this world. It was neat for me to see that at the start of the lesson he was saying "I have questions that no-one has been able to answer," - not really having a really open mind.  Then to get to the end of the visit when he was saying "Thank you, I am really satisfied with the answers you gave me."  As we spoke we could see his countenance change and see a greater calm come into him.  It was a testimony to me that when we open our heart the Spirit can get to work.

We also had the opposite experience this week. We were visiting a man who is the son of a member in our ward and at the end of our visit we tried to share a small pamphlet with  him because he had told us that he didn't have time to read the Book of Mormon. Instead of softening his heart - he kindly told us that he wasn't going to read it.  It was a little sad to see that he wasn't wanting to change his mind. When experiences like this happen, we can have comfort knowing that we did everything we could do to help and leave it in the hands of the Lord. He loves everyone perfectly and will never leave one of His children behind.  We just need to keep having faith and wait for the day when we can try again to help this person. 

I promise that the Holy Ghost will start to work in your life as soon as you open your heart and allow yourself to accept new ideas. It can be hard at times to truly yield ourselves to the will of our Heavenly Father, but I can testify that He knows so much better than we and that he will help us and guide us along the path towards Him. All we need to do is have a willing heart.

Much love, Elder McDonald.

Scripture of the week: Moroni 10: 3-5

Drew mail 11-25-2019: "Give me Now This Mountain"

 Hola everyone! How are you all doing? I pray that you are all doing well and are having lots of great opportunities to draw closer to Jesus Christ, give thanks for blessings that we have, and have greater light in your lives this time of the year! I always love this time as we start to get closer to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year, when we can have a fresh start! Something that I have learned is that we are able to enjoy many great things as we go throughout our lives, and make great memories as time passes, but there is something much greater that can only be enjoyed when we put in the work and  "climb our mountain."  It can definitely be a daunting task when we start and we look up at the top of the mountain in front of us, but I can testify that once we get to the top we will be thankful for the effort we put forth as we enjoy a more beautiful view.

You're probably wondering why I am talking so much about mountains in this letter. We recently had a multi-zonal conference with our Mission President, President Dunford, along with the President of the Area, President De Hoyos.  Among some of the things that really struck me was the quote from President Dunford that I used for the title of this post.  We talked about becoming true disciples of Christ and having the mindset of wanting to do hard things to become better.  This was something that really struck me. I am not just talking about climbing mountains, I have done it. I remember one mountain in particular was really difficult for me. We had gone as a youth group to hike the Seven Devils mountain range.  This hike was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I remember the first day I wanted to go home and stop going forward but when we finally reached the end of our hike, we were at the peak of the mountain and we could look out to what seemed like the edge of the world. As I sat there and looked out over the beautiful view I felt so happy and grateful to be able to have come all the way that I did and to be enjoying this greater view.

When it comes down to it Heavenly Father will never leave us alone in our hikes up "mountains." I can testify that He will give us help and strength and we will see great miracles along the way. 

Throughout this week we weren't able to spend as much time in our area as normal, and so we were a little nervous about being able to share lessons and find new people to teach, but we have been blessed and have been able to find people who truly are interested in learning and who have great potential to progress! We were looking in the area book (which has records of people who have been taught in the past) and we found Juaquin and Paula who have a small family and have lots of love and want to learn! We also found a family who is from Cuba who have only been in Uruguay for 4 months - same as me!  They are really wanting to come to church and learn more as well. I am grateful for the blessings and help I have seen as we have put our trust in the Lord and tried to climb our "mountain" this week.

Les prometo que cuando les esfuerzan a subir sus montañas, cualquier tipo que sea, que van a disfrutar más luz, más gozo, y más amor. Al comienzo va a ser difícil, pero puedo testificar que va a ser vale la pena. Sé que Jesucristo y Dios estén con nosotros en nuestras pruebas y que vamos a ver sus manos en nuestras vidas cuando les confiamos. (I promise you that when you put forth the effort to climb your mountains, whatever type they be, that you will enjoy more light, more joy and more love.  Beginning the climb may be difficult, but I can testify that it will be worth it.  I know that Jesus Christ and God are with us en our trials and that we will see their hands in our lives when we put our trust in them.)

Elder McDonald

Scripture of the week: 1 Nephi 3:7

Quote of the week: ¨Quien va a subir esta montaña conmigo¨ Presidente Dunford 

Drew mail 11-20-19: "Tender Mercies Abound"

 Hola everyone! How are you doing? I hope that everything is going well, and that you are having great opportunities to have joy and are able to feel of Heavenly Father's love for you. Something that I love being able to see is that everyday we truly can see so many things that remind us how much Heavenly Father loves us and that we can feel joy each day. There are so many great experiences we can have that can help us to be able to know that he is mindful of us and that things will get better. 

This week we had transfers! So I am staying here in San-Fernando, but now I have a new companion! His name is Elder Loperena and he is amazing! He is from Texas and his parents are from Mexico so he is ¨latingo¨ which means he speaks Spanish and English! He is very calm and even headed and has a lot of understanding about the Doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is incredible! I am super excited to work with him and to be able to work together to improve ourselves and help the people in our area get closer to Jesus Christ and make promises with Him.  So at the start of the transfer I was pretty nervous, as I realized I would have to direct the area all day. Where to go, who to talk with, lunch, everything. I was nervous thinking that I wouldn't be able to do it, but I saw lots of tender mercies this week, and was able to feel more and more comfortable as we went through the week. Yes, there were some times where I made mistakes, missing buses, walking in the wrong direction, or changing appointments, but it's all a learning experience and I know that Heavenly Father is aware of our efforts and is right with us.
Throughout the week I have been able to have lots of experiences that have reinforced this truth, and helped me be able to find peace and strength in my efforts to direct the work. 
So first... the weather here the past few days has been HOT, HOT and HUMID. I have sweat more than ever before in my life!  At times it can be a little hard to find the motivation to keep walking and working in the heat. We were contacting one house and a man came out, and we asked him if we could have some water, and he came back out with a liter of juice which was a tender mercy! 
Another experience we had was on Thursday night. We had to go to a different area so we could be with the other missionaries in the morning to go together early to go and complete a step in the process for my visa. We had gone to the bus station, and we waited for the bus to come. The first bus came, I didn't think it was the right one so we let it go. The second bus came and we asked if it would take us to where we needed to go.  The man said no, so we let it go. (it really was the right one,) but we weren't able to take it. Then the third bus came and we knew it was this one.  We tried to signal to stop it, but it wouldn't stop!  Sadly, right now the microphone in our phone doesn't work, so we can only send messages. We decided to go to the house of the zone leaders and ask them what to do. They told us there was one last bus arriving in 5 minutes, and to catch it we would have to run. So we ran about 3 kilometers in like under 5 minutes to make it to the bus (angles helping!) Which we did! So then after being on the bus for 5 minutes, the bus driver told us we had to get off and he would come back in 15 minutes. The tender mercy of this though was that a father and daughter got off as well.  We were able to talk with them a little which was neat! Then finally we got back on the bus and were able to talk with another man which was another tender mercy. Finally, all said and done we got to the area and I was able to do what I needed to do for my visa. An adventure full of tender mercies - am I right!
I want to testify that I know that Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives and will not leave us alone. Even when we make mistakes or when it is hard to keep going, He will put tender mercies in our day that help us remember he is mindful of us, and will give us greater strength and happiness. I promise that each one of you can see these tender mercies in your lives and that you will realize Heavenly Father truly loves you and is concerned about you and your experiences. I invite you to look for these moments when you can see His hand in your life.  I promise you will see them! When you do, make sure to give thanks for them and as you do this more and more will come. 

Scripture of the week: 3 Nephi 13: 33

Much Love - Elder McDonald

#missionnotes Month #5

Month #5 - Keep up the good work!

Drew mail 11/12/2019: "CAMBIOS (Changes)"

 Hi everyone!! It is so remarkable how quick the time is going! I can't believe that tomorrow I am officially finished with my training! I am going to miss my companion, Elder Letelier, but am excited for the new chapter! My new companion`s name is Elder Loporena, and I will be able to tell you a little more about him once I get to know him, but I know he is from Texas, and has family from Mexico.  So he is "Latingo" which means he speaks both English and Spanish which will be a blessing! 

This week I have been thinking a lot about the things I have learned and about the experiences I have had.  I am so thankful to have been so blessed to have Elder Letelier as my trainer. He has helped me understand how important it is to be able to give everything you have from the heart and to always seek improvement.  It is really strange to think of events that have happened over the past three months here in Uruguay but I feel like they happened years ago. I am really grateful for the things I have been able to learn and of course, there have been some rough times but looking back I can see how much I have grown and changed.  I realize that everything that has happened has been for my benefit.  I had the opportunity this week when we were contacting to find a man who spoke to us entirely in English. It was really strange to see that I struggled thinking in English and had a hard time trying to say what i wanted to because I was so accustomed to think and answer questions in Spanish. Thinking about this experience I realize that it shows how much I have progressed and changed in regards to speaking Spanish. It is something incredible to realize that when I first got here, I could understand very, very little Spanish.  Now I feel weird speaking or thinking in anything other than Spanish. I can testify that this is how all things are in life.

Before, I really didn't like change (even now I struggle with it.) I liked being comfortable in my routine and knowing that I could do the things I was doing. But now as I realize this, I understand how dangerous this can be. The truth is that we need to have changes in life. We need to be able to stretch ourselves, have trials, and cry in order to grow and to have a fullness of joy. I love looking back, I can see where I started, and how far I have come.  I know that this is how it will be when we are called to stand before Heavenly Father again.  It will be something incredible to understand how much we have grown and learned.  We will be able to understand that everything happened for a reason.  We are who we are today because of all the experiences we have had. I promise that if you work to do everything you can each day to be able to be just a little better than you were yesterday, you will be able to one day look back and see how much you have changed. We are here to learn and improve, but this can't happen if we don't change or accept changes when they come. It can seem scary at first, but I know Heavenly Father has His plan in motion.  He will help us through all things. We just need to be humble, have faith and love, and help others out along the way. 

Quote of the week: ¨Caminar en la senda del discipulado requiere práctica, cada día, poco a poco, gracia sobre gracia... Lo importante es que no se den por vencidos, que sigan intentando hacerlo bien. Con el tiempo, llegarán a ser mejores, más felices y más auténticos.¨ Elder Uchtdorf  MissionaryWork: Sharing What is in your Heart

Scripture of the week: 2 Nephi 31: 20 (favorite scripture of Elder Letelier)

--

-Elder McDonald

Drew mail 11-4-2019: "Serving with a Smile"

Hola Todos!! Como estan? Espero que esta semana tuvieron un poco más gozo y paz en su vida! Me encanta que cada día tenemos la oportunidad a ver bendiciones y sentir gozo. Siempre podemos tener gracias por algo en el dia, y estoy muy agradecido por las experiencias que he tenido esta semana. He recibido un testimonio más fuerte de una de las mejoras maneras en que podemos recibir verdadero gozo en nuestras vidas. Servicio!  (Hello all!  How are you?  I hope that this week you had a little more joy and peace in your life!  I love that each day we have the opportunity to see blessings and feel joy.  We can always be thankful for something each day, and I am grateful for the experiences that I have had this week.  I have received a stronger testimony of on of the best ways that we can receive true joy in our lives, Service!)

So this week Elder Letelier and I have been able to have quite a few opportunities to give service to the people here in our area of San Fernando Bis. It has been a really big blessing for us, because we were kind of stalling out in working the way we were and were needing a different approach.  One experience in particular was really awesome. The last change we had found a man and his wife contacting who had said they were interested in talking with us, but because they have a rough schedule we had not been able to find them again. On Wednesday though we found them!! We started to talk with the husband whose name is Alfredo, and we found out that some of his kids and he were working in the back of their house to dig a BIG hole to construct a bathroom (basically a big cement tube will go in the ground where the waste can go). We offered to help, and when we got back to where they were working we jumped right down into the hole and started digging with them. They were really surprised by this, but soon we were all laughing, talking, and getting to know them really well. When they were more comfortable with us they started to ask us questions about the Church of Jesus Christ and we were able to teach them a little. They invited us back to help again the next day and said that if we came back we could have lunch with them on Sunday... which of course we did! Who can say no to free food? But this was really a neat experience as we saw the power of service to bring smiles and open hearts (and fill stomachs ;) )

We were able to have a few other service opportunities throughout the week as well, for which I was really grateful. Each time when we serve we can feel greater happiness, greater peace and just have greater comfort in our lives. It doesn´t matter what we´re doing; cutting wood, lifting the beds of trucks, or just offering a smile or kind word to others. I know that each one of you can feel these things as well and can have greater happiness in your lives when you are of service to others. I promise that this will open your eyes to the relationship we all have with God, as His children.  You will feel greater love for those in your life, and will find a peace and joy that doesn´t come from anything else. The way you can know this for yourself is to try it! So that´s my invitation for you this week, work to find ways you can serve others.  It doesn´t have to be anything big, but I promise you will see a change when you do it! I have seen it, and you will too.

Quote of the week: ¨Quizás nos preguntemos cuál será la mejor manera de prestar servicio, pero el Señor lo sabe, y por medio de Su Espíritu seremos guiados en nuestros esfuerzos."  Tal como Él lo hizo- Obispo W. Christopher Waddell

Scripture of the week:  Mosiah 2: 17

Drew mail 10-28-2019: "What makes you different"

Hi everyone!! I hope you are all doing well and that you all know how much I love you and am grateful for all you do, but more important, I hope you know how much Heavenly Father loves you! He truly is working in your lives, and he has blessed you with individual gifts and with the path ahead of you that you need to grow and become your best self.

The title this week comes from one of the people we contacted while walking in the street on Saturday. Generally you can tell when people are going to try to avoid talking to you, because they will start walking quicker, look at the ground, or try to pretend to talk on the phone, but we do our best to talk with everyone we can.  We were walking Saturday morning after not being able to talk with the people we had made plans with.  I was praying we could talk with someone who needed our help.  Not long after, coming down the road was a lady who looked like she was going to try to avoid us. I decided that we were going to try to talk with her no matter what. As we walked closer to her she looked at us stopped, and said ¨I have a question for you. What makes your church different?¨ I want to apply this question to each one of us. What makes you different?  What are you doing in your life to be able to become more like Jesus Christ?  What are you doing to show others that you are wanting to become better, that you are working to live in a way that gives you greater happiness and peace?  Each one of us has been given unique spiritual and physical gifts and talents, directly from God. He knows us perfectly, and has given us these things not only to bless us, but so we can help others as well. I hope you can realize that you are unique, individual, and special in your own way.  Heavenly Father needs YOU. He needs you to help his children, to be able to work harder than ever before to serve, to love, and to become more like him. We each have different strengths and weaknesses, but we all are children of God. As such, we need to help each other feel loved and learn to come closer to our Heavenly Father. 

Testifico que Dios tiene un plan para usted. Usted tiene dones especificos, que necesita usar para ayudar otras personas y progresar en esta vida. Oro que puede entender su papel en el plan de Dios, y que puede saber que usted es importante. Necesitamos Usted. Dios necesita usted. Usted puede aprender y progresar. Busca por sus dones y va a encontrarlos. 

Debemos ser obedientes y diligentes en esta obra tan grande que tenemos por delante y solo podemos hacerla a la manera de Dios, pero eso no significa que no habrá oposición, sin embargo podemos seguir adelante y confiar en las promesas del Señor, tal como Nefi;

"Por tanto, yo, Nefi, me esforcé por guardar los mandamientos del Señor, y exhorté a mis hermanos a que fueran fieles y diligentes."  (I testify that God has a plan for you.  You have special gifts that need to be used for helping other people progress in this life.  Pray that you can understand your role in God's plan and that you can know that you are important.  We need you.  God needs you.  You can learn and progress.  look for your gifts and go find them.  We should be obedient and diligent in this great work we have before us.  We can only do it according to the manor of God, but that doesn't mean there wont be opposition.  We can however press forward and confide in the promises of the Lord.  Like Nefi - "Therefore I Nefi, encouraged them to keep the commandments of the Lord and I extorted my brethren that they be faithful and diligent.")   

 President Dunford 

 LOVE YOU!!

 -Elder McDonald

Drew mail 10-21-2019: "It's gonna take work"

Hola all! Cómo están? I hope you are all doing well and had a great week! I am so thankful for the things I have been able to experience and learn this week! I've had some great moments but also there have also been some really difficult times. I want to share a little bit of what I have learned about the Lord´s work and how all we experience can be for our good!

So first of all to start out with the "good" that I have been able to see this week:

As always I have been able to see tender mercies each day and I am so thankful for them. The little things, the answers to prayers and testimonies are what keep me going! So we have been working with a man named German who is living with his pareja (girlfriend) Ana, and is a less-active member of the church. They are really amazing and are just so loving and wanting to learn and progress. At first when Elder Letelier and I met them we were not sure of how to approach the topic of marriage with them, but this week we met with them a few times. On Tuesday we were able to talk with them about temples and a little bit about eternal families which was really amazing.  We left feeling good. Then on Thursday, they we were talking and the subject changed to what they are wanting to do with life and all of the sudden Ana said "our goal is to be sealed in the temple." At first Elder Letelier and I were like -  what! That is amazing!! So then we were able to talk with them about what they need to do to get there,  We invited them to pray together to be able to know if they ought to begin the process of getting married, which here in Uruguay takes three months. It was an amazing thing to be able to see that this lesson was directed by God and to see the joy and hope in their faces as we talked about what it means for them to be together forever. Throughout the rest of the week we were able to find a few new people as well and begin teaching them which was another amazing thing! We had lots of great opportunities to talk with the people here who are wanting to learn which has been an amazing blessing this week.

On the other hand, we had a rough time on Saturday. We had planned to have three lessons in the Church building with Julia, Esperanza and Luisa, and Sharon, and everything seemed to be working together towards it, but in the end not one of the lessons worked out. We were super excited to have these lessons and help these people.  I  honestly was really devastated when we weren't able to have them come. We went to look first for Sharon, and she didn't answer the door. We had called and talked to Julia the day before and she told us she was going to come to church, that she had been praying, so we waited for a bit for her and then it was clear she wasn't coming. I was just crushed. Elder Letelier and I were able to pray together and sit for just a moment, as we did the peace and calm that I felt was remarkable. He told me that we had done everything we could do, and that we needed to be happy with our efforts and I felt better. We decided to go look for Luisa and Esperanza, and she was out cutting the lawn and said she couldn't come but scheduled a time for Sunday to come back. We then decided to go and find Julia at her house. She answered and we were able to talk with her about repentance and the atonement. She is struggling with being able to let go of her sadness and pain of losing her son a few months ago, but isn't wanting to act so she isn't able to receive healing. It has been really difficult to be able to feel such great desires and hope to have these people come to the church, but then feel such great sadness when they don´t. 

The thing I have learned though this experience is that this is the work of God. We have to be able to struggle and experience hardship to be able to be perfected and learn and improve. Without sadness there can´t be joy, and the truth is it´s gonna take work to be able to receive this fullness of joy. I testify that Heavenly Father has a plan for us and that even in the hard times we can hold to the tender mercies and see the good. He wants us to progress and improve. He wants us to become like Him, and we can if we just keep working. I promise that every effort you give to draw closer to Heavenly Father will be worth it.  You will see the great blessings that come from your faith and time and tears and striving. I love you all and hope you will find strength to continue in the work of the Lord.  We need each other to do it!  This is a joyous work, and we will find success, fulfillment, and love if we continue. Yo lesprometo esto en el nombre de Jesucristo amén.  (I promise you this en the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.)

Scripture of the week: 1 Nephi 3:7

Quote of the week: El sólo desearlo no lo hará realidad.  El Señor espera nuestro razonamiento; nuestra acción; nuestro trabajo; nuestros testimonios; nuestra devoción. -President Monson  (Only desiring it, doesn't make it real.  The Lord expects our reasoning, our action, our work, our testimonies, our devotion.) 

Mission Life #1

Videos from Drew:

Drew mail 10-14-2019: "Come Rain or Sun"

 Hi everyone! How are you all doing? I hope and pray that you are all doing well and are learning lots and are having lots of opportunities to learn and grow! I know I definitely am! Every day I am blessed to be able to learn something new, and it seems like even with the things I know, there is always a new way to look at it.  One of the great things about this life is that we are here to learn and gain experience. While our circumstances may change at times there are eternal truths that always remain the same. We can find these in everyday life and draw strength and greater understanding from them.

This week we have had close to the two extremes in weather. At the start of the week we had sun and more sun. I was thinking, "man it just can't be much more humid or hot than this!"  But then the weather completely switched and the weekend brought tons of rain. So much that the streets in some places were like little rivers! Through it all we kept walking. At times our circumstances may make us rethink why we are doing what we're doing or even question the truths we have come to know, but the fact is the truths are always the same and are always there! 

One of the things I have learned about so much is the un-changing, un-qualified, perfect love of Jesus Christ.  Come sun, come rain, wind or snow, His love is always there for us to partake of.  It truly is the most amazing thing, which gives us the most happiness and light in our lives. I love that this week I had the opportunity to witness a few people say their first prayer. The thought that struck me with this was that their prayers were so pure and simple, and that Heavenly Father was so happy to be hearing from them. Prayer is truly the way that we can communicate with our Heavenly Father, and receive guidance, understanding, and answers to our questions.  It doesn't matter who we are or where we come from to Him, we are all His children. He wants us to learn and keep progressing and eventually have all he has. He has a perfect plan for each one of us, and the plan doesn't change. I am so thankful that we can find strength from these unchanging truths. In the world where so many things are confusing, and there are seemingly numerous ways to find "happiness" there are eternal truths which if we build on we can have clarity, strength, and purpose in our lives. 

I love the new video of the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi Chapter8, which talks about the vision of the tree of life which the prophet Lehi saw. {if you haven't seen it yet, go look it up! Then read the chapter!} In the vision he was shown a rod of iron, which led to the tree of life.  As people grasped hold of the rod (the unchanging truths or words of God) and pressed forward they finally made it to the tree. And why did they want to get to the tree? Because the fruit of the tree (love of God) is true, complete happiness. It is the source of our hope and all goodness. The way that we get to partake of the fruit is to continue holding to the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, continuing to learn and move forward. 

We have the way! We have the promised result! We just need to see it through. There will definitely be hardships, we may lose sight of the way for a time, but Jesus Christ is always beckoning us to return. He is waiting for us, hoping to give us the greatest welcome home if we will just rely on Him and on the path he has laid. I know that this is the way, and that we can have such marvelous blessings in our lives when we choose to keep trying to learn and move forward. I promise you will be able to see these blessings and know the eternal truths, if you just keep trying. Un día todo estará bien. Dios les ama. Yo les amo. Seguir adelante! (One day all will be well.  God loves you.  I love you.  Keep pressing forward!)

Elder McDonald

#missionnotes Month #4

#missionnotes  Month #4

Keep sharing the good word!

Drew mail 10-7-2019: "The Words of God"

Hi everyone!! I hope you had the opportunity this week to listen to some of the talks given in General Conference this Saturday and Sunday, they truly were amazing! I have been so impressed this conference by the conviction that these Prophets and Apostles are representatives of the Lord. They would say what He would say if He were here, and the words they share are exactly what we are needing to hear. I am so impressed by the common themes we can find that Christ always loves us, always wants us to return to Him, that there is a plan for us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is what brings true happiness when we become true disciples of Him, and we just need to trust Him and follow the path He has laid. I know that every single person can come to find the truth, direction, and additional strength as they listen with real intent and open their hearts to the words of God.  I have found so much strength as I have been able to study the words of God in the scriptures as well as those of modern day prophets. I have felt fear, stress, frustration, and confusion fade away and be replaced with indescribable peace and love. The peace and love that can only come from God. Something I have been working to do is to memorize specific scriptures, and recite them when I am needing some additional strength throughout my day. This has really come to help me. It´s something really amazing when I think about it.  I can remember when I was younger I really didn´t have a great love for General Conference or studying the scriptures, but now I have truly come to love it more than anything else. This is because I have come to know that there is nothing as important as the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing that brings as much happiness and hope. I have come to find that while there are so many things in life we can turn to for happiness: games, movies, music, the thing that truly gives happiness is the word of God. 

I have been amazed by the impact that sharing specific scriptures, and testifying of the Book of Mormon has had on others so far in my mission. The fact is the Book of Mormon is either the Word of God or it isn´t. There isn´t an in-between. And if it is true, that means that there are prophets today, that there is continuing revelation that gives us the words of God. The beautiful thing is that each person can come to know for themselves that this is true. They just have to test it for themselves. First we have to read, hear, understand the words. Then we have to try to act in accordance with them. As we do this we can pray and God WILL reveal the truth to us. He wants us to have his word. It is ¨the most precious, most desirable¨ above all other things. We are so blessed to be able to have it in front of us. We can listen to the words of the prophets, we can read the Book of Mormon, we can test it out! I love the vision of the tree of life in the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8, because it talks all about coming to receive this knowledge of the word and love of God. I promise that when we try, truly try, with all we have to know for ourselves we will receive this knowledge. It´s not something we can just rely on for others to do, we each have to do it. I have learned that so much during my time here on my mission, and I love that Heavenly Father truly wants each person to receive this testimony of His word. We can do it! We just need to try. I testify that the word of God will deliver and direct and strengthen and heal us. It is so important that each one of us can come to know and love His word, and this comes little by little as we keep trying. He will help us. He loves us perfectly and I promise you will come to know the truth for yourself. 

Les Amo!! 

(love you) 

Scripture of the Week: 1 Nephi 11: 21-25

Quote of the Week: ¨Al procurar aprender y enseñar el evangelio de Jesucristo nuestro objecto debe ser aumentar la fe en Dios y en Su divino plan de felicidad, aumentar la fe en Jesucristo y en Su sacrificio expiatorio y alcanzar una conversión duradera.¨ Elder Soares- How can I understand

Drew mail 10-1-2019: "A Mighty Change of Heart"

Hi everyone!! I am so thankful for the front row seat I have to be able to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ at work in people's lives. I know at times we talk about the Gospel as simply ideas or beliefs, but the truth is that it is so much more than that! It is the thing that causes change of heart and improves lives, and gives hope and light to all who accept the truth and act on it. 

This week I have been so blessed to be able to see two specific people share with me how they have seen their lives change. They don't yet know why or how this change has come, but they recognize it, and we know what the cause is... the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The first person who has seen a change in their life is named Sharon. We met Sharon about three weeks ago in our area, and ever since then have had quite a few lessons with her and have seen her progress and gain more knowledge with each visit. As we have been able to share with her the simple truths of the gospel, I have seen a light enter her face and seen her become happier. I have been blessed with the opportunity to see her learn and truly understand the principles of the Gospel and grow her faith. In her own words she said that she doesn't know what it is that has changed, but she has felt a change. She desires to do more good, to help more people, to study the scriptures more, and to learn more. Before she didn't have a strong desire to learn or to be happier, but now it is exactly what she wants. It is truly a miracle to see these changes take place in one of Heavenly Father's children.

The second example I have seen of changing desires is Luisa. Again we met Luisa in our first few weeks here, but had not been able to meet again with her. On Sunday, we found her again! We were able to have a really good discussion with her and help her learn more about Jesus Christ as we read about his visit to the people in America in Third Nephi Chapter 11 of the Book of Mormon. Towards the end of the lesson with her, she told us that when we stopped by she was just starting to cook and easily could've decided to not come to the door, but felt a strong desire to talk with us and learn more. She shared with us how she has felt a change in understanding of what is truly important, and she has come to recognize that the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important thing for her. Again, what a blessing to see someone's heart be changed as they realize the truth and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A veces no podemos ver los cambios en nosotros mismos. Es más difícil para verlos cuando no sabemos donde mirar, pero Dios puede ayudarnos notarles si nosotros verdaderamente deseamos y preguntamos. Sé que el Evangelio de Jesucristo tiene el poder cambiar la vida de cada persona. Solo necesitamos aceptar el mensaje y tratar a entender. Los cambios vienen gradualmente, y con el tiempo vamos a ver que las personas que somos hoy son mucho mejor a causa de las principios y verdades del Evangelio de Jesucristo. Puedo testificar que todos pueden recibir los bendiciones del Evangelio, y pueden ver por sí mismos que estas cosas son verdaderas. Testifico que Dios les ama. Él tiene un plan por usted y quiere que usted puede experimentar este cambio en su vida. Les amo mucho! Muchas gracias por su oraciones y amor, son importante! Continua en el sendero y nunca perder su fe y esperanza, un día todo va a ser bien. 

(Sometimes we can't see the changes in ourselves.  It is more difficult to see them when we don't know where to look, but God can help us discover them if we truly desire and ask.  I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to change the life of every person.  We only need to accept the message and try to understand.  The changes come gradually, and with time we will see that the person that we are today are much better because of the principle and truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I can testify that all can receive the blessing of the Gospel, and can se for themselves that these things are true.  I testify that God loves you.  He has a plan for you and He desires that you can experience this change en your life.  I love you very much!  Thank you for your prayers and love, they are important!  Continue in the path and never loose your faith and hope, one day all will be well.)

 

Scripture of the week: Mosiah 5: 7-8

Quote of the week: "La felicidad profunda y duradera se recibe al vivir intencional y cuidadosamente el evangelio de Jesucristo." Careful vs Casual Sister Becky Craven

 

 

 

Drew mail 9-23-2019 "Nourishing the Fruit"

 Hola Todos! Cómo están? Les amo mucho, y estoy muy agradecido por sus oraciones, fe y amor. Ustedes son los mejores ejemplos para mi, y verdaderamente son amados hijos de Dios. Espero que ustedes nunca olvidan que Él tiene un plan para todas personas. Podemos recibir más fuerza y esperanza cuando hacemos las cosas que nos ayuda llegar a ser más cerca con Dios y Jesucristo y desarrollar nuestra fe en ellos.  (Hello everyone!  How are you?  I love you much and I am very grateful for your prayers, faith and love.  You are all the best examples for me, and truly are love children of God.  I hope that you never forget the He has a plan for all people.  We can receive more strength and hope when we do the things that help us become closer with God and Jesus Christ and we demonstrate our faith in them.)

Really, this is one of the most important things we can do in our lives. To develop a stronger relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as we grow our faith. As we nourish the seed, like Alma says in Chapter 32 of Alma, we will be able to find such incredible levels of happiness and precious blessings. It is important that we can look for the opportunities we have to nourish the fruit. Throughout this week, I have had several experiences which have helped me to do just this, and I want to share some of them with you:

First, we were able to have a multi-zone conference with our Mission President, President Dunford and his wife on Wednesday. This was absolutely an amazing experience for me. I felt so blessed to be surrounded by so many missionaries and to hear the inspired words of my Mission President. One of the things that really stuck out to me in the conference was when we talked about true conversion. Becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ should be at the center of all our efforts, and we should also do everything we can to help others experience this change of heart as well. Truthfully this is the way we can find peace, love, happiness, and hope for the future. I was so blessed to be able to be strengthened by the words of my mission president and his wife, and after the conference I truly felt uplifted and encouraged to do better and give more of my efforts to the work of the Lord. The inspired messages of those that Jesus Christ has called to direct his church are one powerful resource that can help us nourish the faith we have. We can use the words from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the words of modern day prophets to help build us up and find strength to continue on. I testify that the words of God truly are for our personal lives, and we can find answers, motivation, and love in them when we truly rely on them like they are daily nourishment.

The next great experience I had this week was to give service. This was my first big service opportunity I have had since being here in Uruguay and I am so grateful for it. Three other elders and I were able to go help a man put in posts (essentially big tree branches) around his yard to construct a fence. He had dug holes around the perimeter of his home, and we put the post in the hole, filled the hole with dirt, and used another pole to stomp the dirt in to hold the pole in place. It was not easy work, but through it all I felt so much happiness and gratitude. Something that just occurred to me now as I am writing this :) -- us putting in the poles is an object lesson. We have to do the things that fill the "hole" and hold the "pole" in place so that when the winds come, and when pressure is placed on the fence, it will stand. This is another blessing that will come from nurturing our faith and relationship with God, and service is one amazing way we can do this, because when we serve others we are able to feel the love of God for His children, and feel the true happiness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The last experience I want to share is the impact that seeing other's faith grow has had on me. On Sunday we were able to have our first interested person come to Church! We have talked with Sharon a few times, and I am so grateful because each time we talk with her, I am able to see her understanding, faith, and desire to learn grow more and more. It truly was such a blessing to be able to see her come to the church building with us on Sunday, and it has strengthened my testimony as I have been able to see the faith in her grow and view the joy it has truly brought into her life. So then the application for us is that the "seed" of faith within us can grow when we see it growing in others. Thus, it is so important that we can try to help everyone around us develop their faith because the work truly is universal. It is something that connects all of us, and blesses all of us as it works within us.

Alright, so then what's the wrap up?  :)  It is so vital that we work to develop and grow our faith and conversion within our hearts. This is why we are here: to become more like Jesus Christ and to develop the attributes and knowledge that will help us return to live with God and our families for eternity. How beautiful is that! There are so many simple things we can do to "nourish the seed" and I promise that as you do them, really trying with all you have, you will be able to see the fruits of your efforts, and they will be more marvelous than you can imagine. Keep trying. Keep working. Keep believing and doing everything you can each day, and one day it will all be well. I love you all so much, and I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love you with a perfect, unchanging love. Never forget that! Now go and start nourishing that seed!

Scripture of the Week: 1 Nephi 8: 10-12

Quote of the week: "Nuestro objetivo debe ser aumentar la fe en Dios y en Su divino plan de felicidad, aumentar la fe en Jesucristo y en Su sacrificio expiatorio y alcanzar una conversión duradera. Esta mayor fe y conversión nos ayudarán a hacer y guardar convenios con Dios, lo que fortalecerá nuestro deseo de seguir a Jesus y producirá una transformación espiritual y genuina en nosotros..." Elder Ulisses Soares: How can I understand?