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? 

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. 

Much Love - Elder McDonald

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 

#missionnotes Month #3

#Missionnotes Month #3 

Keep up the good work!