Alex mail 8-25-2023 "VIBES ARE HIGH!!

 

Hello Everyone!! This week has been so, so amazing!! In the words of my companion Elder Horoba, the vibes are high!! It's seriously been so spiritual and we're learning so much! I'm super happy to be here learning how to share the gospel and I know this is the most important work on the earth today!

Sundays here are AMAZING!! Sooooo spiritual! We had sacrament meeting in the morning with our branch (like 80 missionaries) and then Horoba and I taught a mini 5-minute lesson in priesthood haha. We talked about having faith in Jesus Christ and after all the practice-teaching we've done this past week a 5 minute lesson was light-weighttttt. In the afternoon we did what's called "go and do" and I won't spoil it for the soon to be missionaries who haven't done it yet, but it was such a spiritual afternoon, and I learned a ton about personal revelation! That evening we had a devotional about becoming true disciples of Christ by keeping the first great commandment to love God! We also focused on the talk by Elder Holland titled "The first great commandment" where he explains a story about a conversation between Peter and Christ and it's so amazing!! If you haven't heard it or read it recently go do it.  It's super powerful! At the end of the devotional we all stood (like 1,500 missionaries) and sang "As Sisters in Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth" medley and guys, the spirit was actually so strong! I gained such a witness that this is exactly where I need to be and to be all in!! After the devotional we met as a district and reflected on what we felt and literally everyone was crying just feeling the Spirit so strongly, so, so cool!

On Tuesday we had our general authority devotional and Elder Johnson of the 70 and his wife spoke to us! They talked about not just teaching the doctrine of Christ, but truly living it! We also sang in the choir which was dope!! Even though there were 1,150 missionaries in it we definitely carried!  hahaha. It was super cool though to be a part of it!!

Classes this week have been really good! It was our last week in English - so we just finished up a lot of the teaching lessons in preach my gospel and had a tonnn of practice teaching! Elder Horoba is dialedddd (another one of his favorite sayings haha). But we're clicking super well together and learning a ton on how to testify together! Our district is super awesome too.  We have a ton of fun together but also we can get super spiritual which is great!

I ran some basketball and volleyball a lot this week too! Basketball can get intense there's definitely some serious D-1 athletes here but it's super fun to play with em. haha. Volleyball is sick too definitely a favorite!

The food isn't great but for the most part it's not horrible. Haha. We did have BYU creamery ice cream one night though and that was moneyyyy. Chocolate milk is definitely a highlight too.

We start our full immersion in Spanish tomorrow which is exciting! It'll be tough but I'm super excited to really start learning the language! Hasta luego ingles!! Hope ya’ll have a great week!! Love ya’ll!

Word of the week: Oración (prayer) this week we learned how to pray in Spanish and it was really cool! I know God wants to speak to us - all we need to do is reach out!

Invitation of the Month: SMILE!! As we've gotten more into Spanish this week I've realized the universal language is laughter and smiling! It makes everything better keep it up!!

Love Elder McDonald

• Pictures:
• 1. Elite view
• 2 and 3. Insane murals of Moses!!
• 4. The good stuffff
• 5. My comp Elder Horoba!
•  Video: Just the Samoan district doing the Haka before leaving. Absolutely wildddd

 

Alex mail 8-18-2023 "Welcome to Provo"

 Hey Everyone! Week 2 of the MTC has been really awesome! It's been crazy busy but I'm loving every minute of it! Last weekend I had just a few classes on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. It was nice to be able to finish up zoom meetings and be done with staring at a computer haha. Other than that though the home MTC was really good and I learned so much! Tuesday I didn't have any classes so I was able to go to the temple one last time with my cousins, do lunch with one of my buddies, and play some volleyball with the friends which was all super fun! Last game of volleyball was a heartbreakerrrr though lost a tough fight in quadruple overtime, gonna be thinking about that one for 2 years hahaha. No but all joking aside it was so much fun and so grateful for the friends I've had!!

Wednesday was the big day! Got up at 4am to go to the airport haha to get on my flight early that morning. Goodbyes with the fam were definitely tough but I know I'm exactly where I need to be and that gives me a lot of comfort! After getting down here in Utah, I got to spend some time with my grandparents and my brother! Had some good food and it was really awesome to see them one more time! Around  1:00 pm my brother dropped me off at the MTC and it was wild haha. I had ton of stuff given to me in like the first 10 minutes and probably heard "Welcome to the Provo MTC!" like 50 times haha but it was awesome. Everyone was so welcoming and super nice! There's a tonnn of missionaries here though, it's so cool! It's makes the cafeteria lines horrible, but it's awesome to know there's so many people here serving the Lord!

After getting unpacked and settled in twice (they put me in the wrong room at first lol) we had our first classes in the afternoon and they focused on being obedient disciples of Christ and devoting ourselves to this work! After dinner we had a devotional on a talk Elder Bednar gave previously at the MTC called "The Character of Christ" and it was amazing! We mainly focused on how this work is not about ourselves and we need to turn outward and focus on the needs of others first! 

Thursday we had Spanish class in the morning and a workshop about how to find people to teach, both were money haha. In the afternoon we had our first 3 hour class in person and it was a lot better than on zoom! Super cool to be in person with everyone and keep growing as a district. One thing that really stood out to me was that the Book of Mormon is the answer to every single question we may have, because it contains the fullness of Jesus Christ's gospel! Then that night we met our branch and branch presidency (the people we meet with for church on Sunday) and they are all just super loving and welcoming!

Today was our P-day and so we played some Spikeball and volleyball!! I now understand why Elder Sainsbury raved about the volleyball so much haha it's epic! Definitely going to be a highlight these next five weeks! We also got to go to the Provo temple and do baptisms, super cool to see especially since my great grandpa designed it! Really spiritual experience I loved it!

Even though I've only been here a few days I'm loving it! The Spirit here is so strong and it's awesome to be surrounded by so many people who are devoting their lives to Christ! Love you all and hope you guys have a great week!!

Invitation of the Month: SMILE!! How did smiling go this past week? Any blessings from trying to smile more? I definitely noticed a lot less stress and more joy, keep going!

Word of the Week: escrituras (Scriptures) I testify that every single question we have can be answered by turning to the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon! They truly are God's words!

Love, Elder McDonald

Pics:

1. The districtttt

2 and 3. Spikeball and volleyball

4. Provo Temple!

5. Campus

6. Fam call

Alex mail 8-11-2023 "Vamos a... Provo!"

 

Hi everyone!!

   I hope you all are doing great! Week 1 of the MTC has been AMAZING!! I found out last Friday that because my Visa hasn't arrived yet I'd be getting switched to the Provo MTC instead of Mexico City, but it's been awesome so far! I was a little bummed at first that I don't get to go to Mexico quite yet, but I definitely know that Provo is where the Lord needs me for my missionary training and I'm really excited to get there in person next week on Wednesday! There are definitely some pluses to Provo already and I know it'll be a great experience.

   I was set apart as a missionary this last Sunday and it was such a cool experience! I know that I've truly been called by God to preach his word to his children and while it's definitely humbling and daunting, I know I can do it with my Savior's help! Sometimes it can be easy to choose to look at all the things I'm giving up and missing out on, but I know that serving these next 2 years will be the greatest experience of my life and nothing is more important! I can't wait to share the joy and blessings the gospel brings with the people of Mexico.

   Monday was my first day of online MTC and classes were super great! Our first class was a big workshop with all the new missionaries that started that same day and there were 715 of us! It's so cool to know that so many people are devoting their lives to this great work and that brought me a lot of comfort. In the afternoon I got to meet my companion, Elder Horoba, and our district (the other missionaries we have class with) in our first class together that afternoon. Elder Horoba is awesome! He's from Sandy, Utah and he's just super locked in and wants to work hard to become a great missionary. Our district is super amazing as well and we've had some good laughs but also some really spiritual moments. We usually have 2 main classes a day, 1:30-4:30 and 6-9pm, and our big workshop and I'm learning a ton!

   Tuesday we had our first Spanish class in the morning from 10-11 that we also have every day now. It hasn't been too tough yet we've mostly just done a lot of basic stuff that I've already had some practice with but I know its gonna ramp up quick haha. One thing from these lessons that's really stuck out to me is that the gift of tongues is real! I know that as I work to help others and serve first, God will help me learn the language so I can teach effectively. Tuesday night we also watched a previously recorded devotional from Elder Christofferson and it was super spiritual! He talked about what Christ's sacrifice truly means for us and how he is our redeemer. Knowing more deeply what Christ did for me personally has definitely motivated me more to do his work!

   Wednesday and Thursday classes were both super good and I learned a ton about how to teach with the Spirit and how to form genuine connections with those we teach. Our main purpose as missionaries is to invite all to come unto Christ, and I know that as I focus on that, the rest will fall into place. One scripture that has really stuck with me this week is 3rd Nephi 5:13 in the Book of Mormon, which says "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life". This means a ton to me as a new missionary and I know that as I just focus on this, God will take care of the rest!

   Today was P-Day and it was good to get out of the house a little bit haha. I was able to go to practice with my old team, play some volleyball and basketball with the friends, and go to the temple to do baptisms with some friends as well. I'm super grateful for them and the great influence they've been in my life! love you all!

   I leave for the Provo MTC next Wednesday and even though it'll be hard saying goodbye, I'm ready to jump all in and get to work!

Invitation for the Month: Each month I'm gonna invite y'all to do something alongside me to help us become more like Christ!

This month's: SMILE!! I know it may sound simple but work each day to make a more diligent effort to smile and see the good in your day! I promise that as you work to be just a little happier you will see God's hand more in your life!

Word of the Week: Jesucristo (Jesus Christ) Jesus Christ is central to all that we do! He is the reason God's plan is possible and the only way back to Him! I know he is our Savior, died for each one of us, and lives again!

Pictures:

1. Facetiming my boy Elder Sainsbury!

2. Temple with the friends

3. & 4. Setting Apart

#missionnotes #1

Called to Serve