Drew Mail 1-13-2020: "Bold as a Lion"

 Hey everyone!! How are you doing? It's crazy to think that I now have 6 months as a missionary!! I am eternally grateful for the lessons that I have learned and the person that I am becoming. I know that Heavenly Father truly has a plan for each one of us, and that He will help each of us reach our divine potential to become like Him as we put our faith in Him and fear not. Often times when we go through life we can have fear of acting or doing the things we know we ought to do. It can be hard to move forward when the way isn't clear, but as we act in faith and choose to follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ we can have our path lit step by step and eventually return to our Heavenly Home safe and sound. 

As I have spent time here in Uruguay serving as a missionary I have had moments where I have felt doubt and uncertainty of how to help others learn and come closer to Christ, but as I have been able to just open my mouth and try, I have seen Heavenly help and guidance. So many times when I have been on a bus, passed someone in the street I have felt the desire to help them and said a silent prayer that Heavenly Father would help me help them if I just open my mouth. I have had many times when I have been given what to say, and have been directed what to focus on with this individual person. On the other hand I have had times when I have not actively listened to what someone is saying or what the Holy Ghost is trying to tell me, and have missed opportunities to help in the best way. But I know that as we truly try, Heavenly Father will lead us and make up the difference.  

The other thing I have been able to learn is the importance of standing for the truth. When someone says something that is not true, or when others are acting in a way that isn't right we need to stand up and not be afraid to speak up. I have struggled with this as I do not like to offend others, but I know that we have a responsibility to defend the truth and act as Christ would. We can have the confidence that he will help and support us as we put our faith in Him and boldly give our all to Him. He has a purpose for all things and as we truly do the best we can, He will bless us and we will be led safely through back home to him. 

Quiero testificar que yo sé que al ser leales a Jesucristo, podemos ver milagros. Podemos superar desafíos, aprender y progresar. Testifico que no importa lo que pasa si tenemos Jesucristo al lado. Testifico que todas personas pueden cambiar y llegar a ser más cerca de Dios. Testifico que él nos ama y que va a ayudarnos en todas las cosas a medida que pongamos nuestra confianza en él.  (I testify that I know that by being loyal to Jesus Christ, we can see miracles.  We can overcome trials, learn and progress.  I testify that it doesn't matter what happens if we have Jesus Christ by our side.   I testify that all people can change and become closer to God.  I testify that he love us and that He will help us in all things as long as we put our confidence in Him.)

~ Elder McDonald

Drew mail 1-6-2020: "A Perfect Plan"

 Hola a todos! How are you doing in the new year? I hope that you are all enjoying the start of 2020 and that you are working on some of the goals you've set. I can not believe that we are in 2020, and that in just a few days I will have 6 months of being a missionary! I am eternally grateful for the time I have had to spend here in Uruguay, for the experiences I have had, and the lessons I have learned. I will never forget this time that I have to be a missionary for Jesus Christ, and am in awe at the changes I have seen and felt in such a short time! I know that Heavenly Father has a perfect plan for each one of us, and that everything happens the way it does for a reason!

This week I have been amazed at seeing the Lord's timing. Whether it be with feeling directed to contact a specific house, feeling the need to speak with someone, or take a certain bus, I can testify that when we follow these promptings we can see miracles. Even when we don't see why we had to do something the way we did we can have faith that Heavenly Father had a purpose and that one day we will understand everything.

In specific I was able to see the Lord's hand directing us with a youth named Alexander. For the past few weeks I had been thinking of a young man who was recently baptized but who I had not seen in church for a long time. When I first got here I saw him each week and he was always so happy to be in church, so I was concerned about not seeing him in a while. A few days after I started to think about him, we found out from some ward members that their house had been robbed, and that his grandmother has cancer and it pushed their family into being angry with God and not wanting to talk with anyone about the church. My companion and I tried to visit them but every time we stopped by, nobody answered. We had started to give up hope of helping them, but then on Friday we had a lesson with a man who gave us a cake bread. We were in the middle of the afternoon heat, and didn't want to take it back to our house so we were trying to think of who to give it to. We decided to give it to a family we were going to have a lesson with soon. Turns out that this family didn't answer and so we were left thinking of where to go. We were close by Alexander and we decided to go and see if we could give him the cake bread. This time when we clapped at the fence he came outside and the grin on his face was huge as he saw the gift we had for him. We were able to visit a little with him, and schedule another day to return. 

This and many many other experiences have strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father is aware of each one of us. He knows exactly where we are, what we are needing, and how to help. I know that he will guide us to help others, to receive help, and to become more like Him. Even when we don't know why or how, we can continue forward trusting in Him and He will take care of us. One of my favorite quotes from the new Book of Mormon Videos is from Nephi as he says, "The Lord will provide". I testify that this is true. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

 ~ Elder McDonald

Scripture of the week: 1 Nephi 4:6

Quote of the week: "Often the answer to our prayers does not come while we're on our knees, but while we're on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us." - Elder Uchtdorf 

#Missionnotes Month #7

#missionnotes Month #7

Keep sharing the plan of happiness  Elder McDonald!

Drew Mail 1-1-2020: "Conversion-It's a process"

 Hola everyone!! How are you doing? I hope you know how much love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for you! Don't ever forget how important you are to them and that they have a perfect plan for you to help you learn, grow, and return to them. In this life we will have trials, and moments that make it hard for us to continue but the truth is that we are in a refining process. Everything that we can learn and become comes with time, work, patience, hope, and faith. Satan works to tell us we can't change or that we can't overcome a problem, that we aren't as good or as smart or strong or as faithful as we should be, but these things are not true. The truth is that even though we may not be capable at the present moment, because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can BECOME perfected in His timing.

As we think about the past year it can be easy to get caught up in our mistakes or missed out opportunities but it is vital that instead of getting stuck on these things wishing we could have done different, that we learn from them, then change! Change comes slow and oftentimes we aren't able to see it unless we compare where we are at now with where we once were. As we are starting a new year it is the perfect time to reflect on these things and make plans for how we will become better and overcome our trials. It can be a daunting task to start, but I promise that you are not alone in your efforts. Your Heavenly Father wants you to progress, He wants you to succeed, and He wants you to come home to Him. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way we can have the permanent change needed to receive these great blessings. We know that the steps we need to take in this life are: Have faith in Jesus Christ, Repent, Be baptized, Receive the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End. These steps help us in the conversion process. As we become converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ we will receive blessings. We will receive the strength we need to overcome all trials in our lives and we will be able to be perfected in God's timing and way. I have seen and felt the changes that come about when we embark in this process of conversion and I know that you will as well. I promise that Heavenly Father will guide and direct you as you take steps along the path to become perfected. You are never alone and do not need to fear because His love is perfect, His strength is never ending and He is at your side! I hope this year you can develop your relationship with Him and do what needs to be done to have a mighty change of heart. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

~Elder McDonald

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