Sunday, October 20, 2019
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
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
Monday, October 7, 2019
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!!
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
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
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.)
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
Monday, September 23, 2019
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?
Monday, September 16, 2019
Drew mail 9-16-2019 "Finding the Gems and Using the Diamonds"
Hi everyone! This week has been one of even more blessings and lessons to be learned. I am amazed that even when I think I am learning so much, there is always something new to be experienced, something new to teach me. I love that about this life. We really are here to learn and grow, one step at a time, together! I am so grateful for the support and help I have been
blessed with by having all of you in my life, and I am amazed by your examples
and faith. Thank you for helping me learn to see the tender mercies and become
who I am today. I pray that each one of you will be blessed and will receive
the ability to overcome all trials and challenges you will face.
At times it can seem like everything is going along without
anything special happening, or even that there isn't any good around us, but
the truth is there are "gems" in the road where we walk. This week I have
been really blessed to be able to see these gems. On Wednesday in particular,
we saw lots of them! First of all, in our area the people here are very
comfortable with the life they have and are very relaxed. It is really evident
as one of the greetings they say is "Total Tranquil." This can make
it really hard to find people who are truly interested in learning or changing
their lives, but I have seen that the Lord really is preparing "gems"
who are ready to hear and learn. As we walk along the road, we have to look for
them, but they are there! So that said, on Wednesday Elder Letelier and I were
able to have 3 lessons and find 7 new interested people! That is something
truly remarkable for our area, and I know it was a blessing from heaven and an
answer to prayers and fasting. Of course, not every day can be like this, in
fact the rest of the week was pretty normal with not being able to find many
people to speak with, but I know there are always these gems to find if we just
look.
So if those who are being prepared to hear the message of
the gospel are the "gems", you might be wondering, who are the
diamonds? The members! Those who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ and
have been refined by his atonement! I was able to see this week how important
these diamonds are in finding and helping turn gems into diamonds. On Friday I
was able to have my first lesson with members present and I was so grateful
for this experience! It taught me the importance and value of having these
diamonds to testify and develop relationships with those who are learning the
message of Jesus Christ. We were teaching a sister named Julia, who lost her
son about a year ago, and has been really struggling to overcome the pain and
sadness of this event. We were able to bring a member who has lost a family
member, and it was amazing because at the beginning Julia was reserved and not
talking much, but then the dear member stood up and just hugged and held Julia
for a moment. Julia cried, and the sister simply loved and comforted her. After
this, Julia opened up and it was such a sweet experience for me! I know when we
use the diamonds, it helps them even more, helps the gems, and helps us.
The beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that we are all working together to
help each other in this refining process. That´s why we´re here! To be refined
and to help others do the same.
Quote of the week: We tread a path covered with diamonds,
but we can scarcely distinguish them from ordinary pebbles -Elder Uchtdorf
Scripture of the week:Ether 12:27
Monday, September 9, 2019
Drew mail 9-9-19 "Time to Act"
Hola Todos! ¿Cómo están? Espero que ustedes pueden sentir el
amor de Dios y ver Sus bendiciones en su vida! (Hello all! How are you? I hope that you can feel the love of God and see his blessings in your life) I am so grateful to each one of you
and want you to know that I love you so much! Thank you for your prayers and
love, and I am so grateful that we can all be on this journey of learning and
progressing together. Never forget how amazing you are, and know that God loves
you so very much!
This week was really good! I can't believe how quickly the
time flies, but I am learning so very much, and have seen so many blessings
each day! This week there have been some difficult moments, just like it is for
our entire lives, but I have also learned some valuable lessons as well. At
times we can feel like things just aren't going our way, or that we are just
having a bad day, but the truth is we can choose to change it around. One day
this week Elder Letelier and I were having a hard time getting along. It just
started out as a rough day, and after one particular lesson where we weren't
quite united in teaching we were walking down the road and I was just feeling
upset and like the rest of the day was not going to be any better. But then I had
the thought "Well, what can you do to change it?" I started to talk
to him about his mission and ask him questions, and we started to play a game
where we tried to kick a pebble between the other's feet as we walked and soon
the feelings between us changed. It could've very easily been a bad rest of the
day if we had not changed what we were doing, but because we chose to act our
relationship was strengthened. There are going to be rough moments in life, and
we can choose to act to change them or to just feel sorry that we are
struggling. One gives an outcome of hope and improvement and the other only
breaks us down further.
In our area we have a hard time getting people to meet with
us and open their doors. On the other side we seem to find lots of inactive
members. At first I was really discouraged by this, and thought that we just
wouldn't be able to help very many people here, but then Elder Letelier said
that we are likely finding so many inactive members for a reason. Again, I
could choose to be discouraged or try to change how to act and move forward. We
are making more goals and trying to find new ways to help the people here, and
I have faith that when we choose to act Heavenly Father will magnify our
efforts and make it so we can do more than we could before. But its up to us if
we will choose to change, and choose to try. All we have to do is try to do our
best and Heavenly Father will take care of the rest. I promise this is true and
that you can learn this for yourselves as you test it out in your life. There
is power in acting in faith, and I know you will receive great blessings as you
do so!
Love, Elder McDonald
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Drew mail 9-1-2019 "We're All in This Together!"
Hola everyone! I hope you are all doing well and are feeling
of the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in your lives. I am so grateful
for all of you and for the examples and faith that you have. I know there´s
times when it can be really hard to keep taking steps forward, but if there´s
one thing I have really come to know, its that Heavenly Father loves each of us
SO MUCH! He wants each of His children to be able to have joy, to have light,
and to come to Him. Even when it seems like everything is going against you,
the truth is He is always there for you and will always help you as you turn to
him. Just keep trying, and just keep reaching out. Things will get better
little by little, and we will come to see so many blessings as we just give all
we can to follow him. And the way that we do that is through living the gospel
of Jesus Christ! I have been able to learn so much that the things he asks us
to do are so we can be safe, happy, and whole. We can truly become who we are
meant to be as we learn and live the way Jesus Christ wants us to. Satan knows
this and he wants to make it seem hard and like it is easier to just do things
our way, but the truth is we are not alone in our efforts. Not only do we have
Jesus Christ on our side, but we have all those around us to help strengthen
and encourage us. I have been thinking lots this week that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ really is just like a big family reunion. We are all working together to
help each other make it home. And truly this is a joyous thing when we all do
our part!
Elder Letelier and I have been working lots to get to know
the people here in Cerro, and its been really cool to see that we all have the
same goals. We all are working together to make it back to Heavenly Father, and
we need each other for support. I have felt so strongly this week that Heavenly
Father directs everything in our lives. He puts people in our path and around
us for a reason. They are the people that can best help us, and we can best
help. It can be difficult to overcome fear to reach out to others, but it is so
vital that we do! Many times as we would be out going to a home or simply
contacting we would walk past a home and I would feel like we needed to go back
and try to talk with the people there. One really cool experience was when we
were walking past a little store run by a small family. Their son was sitting
outside and was looking down at the ground. At first I didn´t think anything of
it and we were walking past when all of a sudden I had the thought that we
should go talk with him. It would have been so easy to say no, he clearly
doesn´t want to talk with anyone, and we are already a-ways away from him, but
I told my companion, and we decided to go back. It was such a good thing that
we did because we were able to get to know him and have a good lesson about the
restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ with him! If we had not chosen to
turn around and talk with him we never would have had such a good experience!
I know Heavenly Father wants so desperately that all of his
children can hear his message and come to him. He wants to do everything he can
to bring us home, and guess how he does that? Through His other children,
and through His Gospel. It can seem scary or hard to reach out to other people,
but in truth we all are needing a helping hand. Heavenly Father knows each of
us perfectly as well as our needs, and He will put people in our path for a reason.
We may not understand why everything happens the way it does in this life, but
I know Heavenly Father knows. He has a plan, and in order for all of his
children to return to Him, we all have to work together. It´s like we´re all in a
boat and trying to get to shore, but we need to all row together to make it.
When we do that it will be so much easier, and we will receive so many
blessings and strength that we need to make it to the destination. I love all
of you so much, and promise that as we give our efforts to help others and move
forward together, such marvelous light and happiness will come into our lives.
We all need each other, and we all need love. The Lord needs YOU! Just start
rowing, wherever you are, no matter what your fears or doubts are, just row.
You are not alone and will receive help. I promise.
Con amor,
Elder McDonald
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