Alex mail 9-23-2024: "Best Lesson Ever!!"

 Feliz lunes a todos!! Hope everyone had an awesome week filled with joy and that you each were able to feel of God's love for you personally!! Another great week out here in Boulevard! The miracles just keep coming haha! 

This week I was able to go on a couple of exchanges, one on Tuesday in Popular with my dawg Elder Miller, and the other, in our area - with one of our APs, Elder Summers! It was awesome to see how much Elder Miller has grown since I first did an exchange with him at the start of his mission - like 5 months ago.  He taught me a ton about being more loving and to just be confident in all that we do! Super fun to go back to Popular again, that area will always be my home! Then, I learned a ton from Elder Summers in our exchange as well! He's such a great missionary.  I love how he never gets stressed or too caught up about the little things.  He's always just calm and relaxed and his example of trust in the Lord's plan is super inspiring! Definitely an awesome week of exchanges!

As I've focused on being more diligent in recognizing the miracles the Lord has given us, it's been awesome to see just how many there truly are around us every single day! This week we were able to find more people who are ready for the gospel, than I think I ever have in my mission before!  This didn't magically happen because of anything Elder Hunter and I did, but rather because God is able to use us as instruments in His hands!  As we've made a more diligent effort to look for and recognize miracles, we've been blessed to see more and help others come unto the Savior! If you're ever having a hard time seeing the good around you, pray for strength and help to see the miracles the Lord is blessing you with, I promise your eyes will be opened!

We had interviews with President this week, which was super special as always! I always learn a ton from him and just feel so spiritually refreshed haha! This time he shared the scripture Helaman 3:35 with me, which talks about how the righteous purified their hearts through their faith and diligence to the Savior! He shared with me how as we come to truly seek to do the Lord's will and cheerfully submit to His plan in all things, that is when we're truly able to become instruments in His hands and work miracles in the lives of others! So, I want to invite you all to do just that! Seek to align your will completely with the Lord's and I promise with time, your heart will truly be sanctified and purified!

And now for the title of this letter; Saturday night I think we had the greatest lesson of my entire mission haha! During interviews Saturday morning, President asked us if we had any lessons that night, where he could come with us.  We decided to bring him to a lesson we had planned  with an inactive sister, who's husband wasn't a member. The Spirit was so strong in the lesson, and the couple just kept sharing their desires to have a better marriage and stronger family with their 2 little daughters. We were able to testify about the atonement of Jesus Christ, the possibility and reality of eternal families, and how covenants bind us together as families and with God!  The Spirit was so strong.  It was an amazing experience getting to teach with President Webb! We were able to put the husband, Daniel on date for baptism in the middle of October and they came to church the next day and loved it!! Definitely an experience I will never forget! 

Love you all and hope it's another great week! 

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Chócalas! (Fist Bump!) We've had 2 times now this transfer where Elder Hunter has gone to give someone a fist bump, they haven't been looking, and so he tells em "Chócalas!" But they still don't do it 💀😂  people are ruthless out here lol!

Invitation of the Month: PREACH MY GOSPEL!! I love how Preach My Gospel is filled with invitations to act, followed by promised blessings! Pick a few invitations to do this week and I promise you will be blessed!!

**Mexicooooo**

**Strawberry Lemonade Arizona 👀//10/10 would not recommend the Oreo-Coca 😂// Elder Miller with da doggo // Some dude who wanted to take a pic with the Gueros 💀🤣

Daniel's Family - lesson taught with Pres 🥹

Alex mail 09-16-2024: "Día de Independencia!!

 

What's good everyoneeeee!! Hope everyone had an awesome week! Today we celebrated Independence Day here in Mexico and it was awesome! We had a huge Zone P-day and had tons of food, Mexican games, Mexican line dances, lol, played some good old futbol, sang the national anthem, and finished the day off with the classic piñatas! Definitely a day I will never forget in the mission and super fun to experience the culture! Mexico really is just the best haha!

 It was a super awesome week and Elder Hunter and I saw a ton of miracles! We had exchanges up in Matehuala on Tuesday and Wednesday, which was super fun to be back in the old area! I got to go with Elder Nygren on Tuesday and run it back with my dawg Elder Smullin on Wednesday! Elder Nygren and I had a ton of laughs and I learned a ton from his ability to make everyone smile and feel comfortable and just spread joy! And then my boy Elder Smullin is just an absolute work horse, haha, it was a ton of fun to just go out and grind like we used to! Super awesome to see the area and some of the members and friends I was teaching and so grateful for my time in Matehuala!

Something that Elder Hunter and I have been focusing on a lot is how we can increase the Spirit that we teach with, and we saw a ton of miracles from it this week! The first thing we tried was singing hymns to start and finish lessons, especially with the families that we're teaching! The Spirit was so strong, and it was amazing to see the big change something as simple as music could bring!  The other thing was saying more gratitude prayers! We always tried to just say prayers of gratitude whenever we saw miracles, and so we were constantly stopping in the street to pray, and it was special! We were able to recognize God's hand so much more and just have so much joy in the work, give it a try!

Finally, one of the biggest miracles that we saw this week was with a new family of 3 that we found! One night we had about 1 hour left of work and didn't really have much to do since some lessons had fallen through. We decided to go visit a reference we got, to see if they were home, and ended up teaching a super Spirit-filled lesson focused on the Savior and His Atonement with this amazing family! We were able to set baptismal dates with all of them, and it was just a huge miracle and testimony builder to me of just trying to give our all and trust in the Lord, even when we don't know where it might end up! I can truly testify this is the greatest work on the earth and I am so, so grateful to be a missionary! Love you all and have a fantastic week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Grito (Shout) we gotta do the classic “Independence Day” shout for Mexico, ya already know it went crazy 😏 

Invitation of the Month: PREACH MY GOSPEL!! Another one of my favorite chapters is chapter 3! Obviously, it's the lessons we teach as missionaries, but I love how simple it makes the gospel! When we focus on teaching and building faith in the basics, our testimony will continuously grow!

**Dia de independencia!!**

**Nygren & Yolanda**

**Smullinnnn /Matehuala bulk season/ Suspender Drip 💀**

**American store run / Bee movie game 👀**

Alex mail 9-9-2024: "Happy Birthday President Nelson"

 

Happy Mondayyyy everybody! Hope everyone has had a fantastic week and is hyped for the new week! Before we get into the highlights of the week, just gotta give a shoutout to our Prophet, President Nelson for his 100th birthday today!! It's not often we have a prophet who lives to be 100 haha but with that, I just want to share my testimony real quick.  I know without a doubt that President Nelson truly is God's living prophet on the earth today! The fact that he is still leading the church perfectly at 100 years old is a huge testament to me that he truly has God's power to aid him.  But most importantly I can testify that his counsel and guidance in this crazy world is exactly what we need to be truly happy and overcome any trials that come our way! I'm so grateful to know that we have a living prophet on the earth today and that God truly does still want to speak to His children! Can't wait to hear him and the other apostles in less than a month for General Conference!

Now for the week! The miracles just keep coming hahaha! Elder Hunter and I were talking, and we felt like the song title "I Stand All Amazed" is just the perfect summary of how we have felt this week! We were able to put 5 more baptismal dates with some of our friends, giving us a total of 10, which is by far the most I have ever had at one point in my mission! And then, to top it all off we were able to have 11 people come to church on Sunday, also the highest I have ever seen on my mission! But putting aside the numbers, I cannot describe the joy that comes when seeing people walk into the church building for the first time looking for peace, hope, and strength, or the joy that comes into their lives as we help people come to truly know what the Savior has personally done for each one of us! I can testify that Elder Hunter and I are far from perfect and have lots and lots of shortcomings, but it's amazing to see how the Lord looks past all those weaknesses and blesses us immensely, if we just have a desire to try and be a Better each day! Next time that hard times or trials come your way, choose to trust that so much good is on the way, and that your Heavenly Father is preparing something even greater than you can ever imagine!

We had zone conference this week on Tuesday and it was amazing! I learned a ton from President and Hermana Webb about how we can better help people understand the importance of the atonement and coming to church which was super special! Elder Hunter and I also taught a little breakout room about the power of the Book of Mormon in conversion! It gave me the great opportunity to reflect on what the Book of Mormon truly has done for me.  I can testify that that book has changed my life! There is a reason why it's the most powerful tool in conversion, because it truly is God's own words written directly to us and for our day! If you have any doubts or questions or simply need anything at all, choose to turn to the Book of Mormon!

Also, this week I got to do an exchange with my dawg Elder Woods, out in his area in Fresnos.  We saw a ton of miracles as we sought to apply what we learned in Zone Conference, especially being even more bold about baptism and helping people understand the importance of the sacrament! We met some amazing families and we were able to put 4 more people on date to be baptized! It's amazing to see the Lord's promise be fulfilled - that the field truly is ready to harvest! It's been an amazing week and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!! I'm so grateful for this amazing blessing I've been given and am so, so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ! I testify He lives and loves each and every one of you! Keep smiling and know God has got your back!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Prisa (Hurry/Rush) man, welcome back to the San Luis Prisa hahaha, can't tell ya the amount of times I've heard that on the street when we try to contact people lol, don't worry we’re not even fazed though, we'll just keep grinding 😏

Invitation of the Month: PREACH MY GOSPEL!! How did week 1 go of studying preach my gospel?? If you're looking for a good place to start, one of my favorite chapters is chapter 6, Christlike attributes! Tons of good stuff in there and we can always improve in these!

**Real de Catorce!**

**Mexico Independence day prep / lizard homie**

**Guatemala drip /Fancy Grilled Cheese/ Elder Horoba my dowag**

**Zone Conference!**

#missionnotes #14 Peace

 

Alex mail 09-02-2024: "Back in Popular!!"

 

What is uppppp happy September everyone!! Hope everyone is doing great and those who are back in school are having a blast! Shoutout to all my Dawgs in xc hopefully ya’ll aren't dying in the heat haha. 😅  It was a super great week, Elder Hunter and I are just out here grinding! We've seen a ton of miracles, but hey what else would you expect in the Lord's work? He really just is the best!😁

This week I got to go back on exchanges to Popular with my dawg, Elder Nielson! It was so trippy being back in my old area, I feel like I never left, hahaha, but it was awesome! We were able to teach some really awesome lessons with some of their friends over there and it was just awesome to see my boy Elder Nielson cook - and just kill it over there in Popular! Super fun to catch up and to just have a ton of fun together.  Definitely made me reflect on all the amazing experiences I've had on the mission and in life in general! Don't take those moments for granted, no matter how small they may be.  In the end those are the ones that matter the most! We were also able to meet a ton of super awesome people over there.  So cool to see the Lord directing us as we just strive to give our best.  I promise he'll do the same for you too!!

Elder Hunter and I also got to go to Aguascalientes this week for a meeting! First time I've been back to Aguas since December to get my Visa, hahaha, but it was awesome! Definitely weird to not be super familiar with the city, like I am with San Luis now, haha, but it was super cool! The meeting was awesome, we learned a ton about how to be better leaders from President and Hermana Webb, got to see my “Pops,” Elder Sanchez, and my “Grandpa” Elder Ramsay, right before he goes home.  To top it all off, we had some bombbbb food from Hermana Webb, you already know she chefs-up, hahaha! The only tough part was the busses being delayed like 2 hours each way, so travel time turned into 5 hours instead of 3, haha but in the words of Elder Hunter, "it's all good-baby we ain't phased!!" 😂  Definitely a super spiritual trip though, and just so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow so much here in the mission!

To finish it all off, I just want to share my testimony of miracles! I can't even describe it, but I am so grateful for the amazing miracles I have been able to see daily as a missionary! From being able to teach amazing families, free rides to the church, free food one day 🤯  and even those clutch moments of clouds when it's a million degrees outside haha!  I can truly testify that there are miracles around us daily! I hope that one of the biggest lessons I've learned by the end of my mission is how to keep recognizing those miracles for the rest of my life! Because those miracles don't just come because I'm a missionary, it is a promise we have when we are simply trying our best to be disciples of Christ! I promise that if you will just give your best effort each day and pray to have eyes to see those miracles, you will!

Love you all and have a fantastic week, it's gonna be a great one!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: San Judos (Mosquitos) yeahhhh it's Mosquito season they're the worst hahaha, don't worry though Elder Hunter and I have figured out the best way of killing them is flicking a towel, try it out 😏👀  

Invitation of the Month: PREACH MY GOSPEL!! Ohhh yeahhhh that's right! A lot of people think that Preach My Gospel is only a handbook for missionaries, but if you notice the front says "A Guide for Sharing The Gospel" and that means all of us! This month I invite you all to diligently study Preach My Gospel, but most importantly, put it into practice! I promise it will change your life!!

**pics**

**Elder Ramsey 🐐/ OG Whiteboy district/ Grandpa, pops, and me**

**PanTortas/ Las mil tortas with Nielson 🥺/ Chaskafrutas**

**Dr Simi (pharmacy mascot from member lol)/ Grantham the tank**

Alex mail 08-26-2024: "Back in Boulevard!"

Howdy howdy how we doinggggg?? Hope everything is going well! It's been another crazy week especially with transfers and coming back to my old district! It's still crazy to believe I'm right next-door, area wise, to where I had just been 6 weeks ago haha, but I'm loving it! It's been awesome to see some of the members in popular again and some of our recent converts from there! And it's definitely been a little bit of an easier adjustment with transfers coming back to an area where I was already a little familiar! My new comp, Elder Hunter is such a dawg - he's awesome! For all my Jazz Basketball fans out there, Elder Hunter played high school basketball with Cody Williams the guy they just drafted 👀 so yeah, watch out - Hunter is gonna get me good this transfer 😏 😂. I'm super hyped to be with him though, I've already learned a ton from him and I know we're gonna have a ton of fun and work crazy hard!

While it definitely was a little sad leaving Matehuala after only being there for 6 weeks, I still learned a ton in my time there and am so grateful for the amazing people I met! I think one of the biggest lessons I learned was to never take a single moment for granted! Even in just those 6 weeks I was able to meet some people that have changed my life forever! All the Lord needs is a split-second to change our lives or the life of someone else. Don't miss that opportunity! Choose to be all-in, every single moment and I promise, the Lord will work miracles in every situation you're in!

We have already seen so many miracles here in my first week in Boulevard! We have 3 amazing families that we are teaching, which has been so fun! With each, we focused on the blessings and importance of the Plan of Salvation and baptism as our way to receive those eternal blessings! It went super, super well and I'm just so grateful for the knowledge we've been blessed with, and the gameplan Heavenly Father has given us! If you want to be happy and live as a family forever, truly live the gospel and truly live your covenants, it's that simple! I know that our Heavenly Father loves us more than we can ever imagine and in the words of Elder Patrick Kearon (of the 12 Apostles,) "God is in relentless pursuit of you!!” I testify He wants to bring you home! Love ya’ll tons and hope it's another fantastic week! Hasta la próxima!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Cazador (Hunter) You already know we introduce ourselves to everyone in the street as Elder “MacDonals” and Elder “Cazador”😎 😂  Boulevard ain't ready for what's coming hahaha!

Invitation of the Month: LOVE INSTEAD OF JUDGE!! Last week of this month’s challenge! I love the scripture in the book of Moroni that says to pray for charity with all the energy of your soul, let's give it our all this week! I promise it will.

 

**Angel's Baptism 🥹 / Rubencito the return missionary goat!**

**We got the nicest house in the mission!**

**Cazador y las Hamburguesas 🤣 / Hunter Zonked / BIG Costco Day 👀**

Alex mail 08-19-2024: " 1 and Done!"

 Happy Monday everybody! Hope everyone is doing well and those who are starting school again are having a blast! I cannot believe how quick the summer has gone by time just keeps going faster and faster! But hey just another reason to be all-in wherever you are and love every single minute! We had another week full of miracles out here in Matehuala! It's been amazing to see how the Lord has prepared so many of His children to receive the message of the restored gospel! And if you're wondering about this week's title, we found out transfer news today! Definitely came as a big surprise but I'm actually already going to another area! I'll be going back to my old district actually, haha but this time in the area called “Boulevard” with my dawg Elder Hunter! Definitely a little sad to be leaving Matehuala after only 1 transfer but I know this next area is where the Lord needs me! I'm super excited though it'll be awesome to stay in the same Zone and go work with a lot of people, missionaries, and areas I'm already familiar with! And in like 4 weeks I'll get to come back up to Matehuala for exchanges anyways haha! But yeah, definitely some big change once again but I know the Lord's got my back!

We met some absolutely amazing families this week! I think teaching families on the mission is just my favorite thing ever haha, it's just so true that the family is central in everything in the gospel of Jesus Christ! It's so cool to see the changes people go from, from lots of difficulties and problems within the family to seeing them find how to be united in Christ! One family we met this week was a family of 8!! They were just the sweetest people ever and just so ready to hear the good news of the gospel! I love being able to help people find that light they've been searching so long for! I can testify that the gospel doesn't take away our problems, but it does help us overcome any problem we face! Your family or life might not always be easy in the gospel, but I can testify that through the gospel we can overcome any trial and find true and lasting unity, peace, and joy!

One lesson that really stood out to me this week was with our friend Joana! She's so amazing and loves everything about the church, she's just still a little nervous about committing to baptism. So, we went into the lesson and for the first hour we just answered a ton of her questions and doubts! At the end of that she said how she couldn't understand how we were able to respond to all her questions so perfectly, giving Elder Smullin and I the opportunity to testify that it wasn't us answering her, it was her loving Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost! At the end of the lesson, we invited her to pray and listen right there to what Heavenly Father needed her to do, and the Spirit in the room was palpable! It felt like we were sitting in the Celestial Room of the temple and I was just filled with gratitude that Elder Smullin and I were able to be instruments in God's hands! Nothing that happened was because of us, it was all God! But I can testify that when we just strive to do our best, God will work wonders through us! And if you could please keep Joana in your prayers that she'll be able to get baptized super soon! I think that's pretty much it for the week, on to the next chapter and hope you guys have a great week! Les amoooooooo!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Guayaba (Guava)  we ate with the shrimp lady again this week lol luckily the food was fine but the agua was the same guava flavored as last time with the shrimp and it just brought back so much PTSD 😭😭  we survived though hahaha

Invitation of the Month: LOVE INSTEAD OF JUDGE!! I think something that can help all of us love more is focusing on "the why" of the decisions we make! Helping others understand why we choose to live the gospel and seeking to understand others perspective will help us eliminate contention and show more love! Give it a try this week!

*$8 USD capn crunch... worth it 😍/ La Coca/ Pancake nightttt*

*Just your average Mexican alley / Rama Sports Night/ Quinceanera parade/ Elder Scott got the Dayley Fade 💀*

*Matehuala centro / Yo y Elder Smullin / Las Mariachis*

*Distrito Idaho 🥹* 

Alex mail 08-12-2024: ""THE GOAT Elder Hooley🥹"

 

What is gooddddd everybody?? Hope everything is going well, and you are all enjoying the last few weeks of the summer!! Shoutout to everyone who's gotta start school again this week... that's tough hahaha. The heat has come back this week in Matehuala but it's all good it won't slow us down one bit! We had a crazy packed week and just seemed to be running from lesson-to-lesson haha, it's those kind of days that make the slow ones worth it! Let's jump into the highlights!

Now to explain this week's title, this past week I had to say goodbye to THE GOAT, my lifelong Zone Leader Elder Hooley 😭.  He's been my zone leader my entire time in Mexico, so basically the past 8 months! In the past year as a missionary, he has been one of the missionaries who has taught me the most about being a true disciple of Christ, how to truly love the work and love the people, and how to give our all every single day like it was our last! I got to do my last exchange with him on Tuesday and the day went by just way too quick haha! I learned a ton from him as always, especially about the importance of being loving and direct and helping people understand the ‘why’ behind everything we ask and invite others to do! We had a ton of fun and saw so many miracles teaching and trying to share our message with everyone possible! Even though he's going home this week he'll be someone I look up to for the rest of my mission and I hope I can be the same example he was to me for the other missionaries around me this next year!

After our exchanges this week, Elder Smullin and I decided we were going to put it into practice, focusing daily on testifying of the importance of the Sacrament, Baptism, and the Atonement, helping them see why they personally need these things, and being direct and loving in all we do! As a result, we saw a ton of miracles from it, including setting 3 more baptism goals for some of our friends for this month! One big lesson I've learned this past year is that the gospel is too important and this work too necessary to beat around the bush! We should never be afraid to open our mouths and be direct in testifying of pure truth! As we do so the Spirit will testify with us and we'll be able to work miracles as instruments in God's hands! 

Finally, we were able to meet and teach some super amazing families this week! I think teaching families is my favorite thing on the mission, because the gospel is centered in the family! There is nothing that brings me more joy and happiness than knowing I will live with my family forever and knowing that I'm helping others do the same! If you want to be happy, center your life and your family on the gospel of Jesus Christ! It's not complicated, we just have to choose to do it! I promise any sacrifice it takes will be so, so worth it in the end! Love ya’ll tons and hope you guys have a week full of miracles! Keep smiling and keep laughing, hasta luego!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Taller (Workshop) I think we taught more people in workshops and stores this week than any other point in my mission haha, but hey however we can get ‘em the gospel!!

Invitation of the Month: LOVE INSTEAD OF JUDGE!! How'd week one go? I felt like I did a little bit better at trying to catch myself and just show love in moments when I normally would've been quick to judge, and I noticed I was happier for it! I know each of you can be too!

**Elder Hooley 🐐 /Classic Elder Dayley - Dayley slumped / **

**Yolanda's  Baptism**

**Weekly Risk Nighttt / Found a lizard**