Alex mail 12-30-2024: "Navidad Mexicana"

 

What's good everyone.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and lots of fun with family and friends during this time of year! I cannot believe this week we start 2025! I will officially finish my blackout year of the mission (entire year away from home) which is wild! Time is going way too fast, but just gotta love every minute I've got left!

This last week was awesome, and we had a ton of fun for Christmas down here in good old Mexico! Work-wise it was a little bit tough with lots of people being out of town and lots being busy with the holidays, but we were able to spend lots of really good time with members and still get in a couple really good lessons! The biggest day they celebrate down here is on the 24th, so that day we visited like 5 different member families and pretty much ate with all of them haha! We had all the good stuff, tacos, tamales, ponche, chicken, and more! It was super special to be able to spend the day getting to know the amazing members here and seeing their family traditions! We also went caroling as a district and President and Hermana Webb made a surprise appearance and joined us! 

And then on the 25th we visited some more members, talked to the family, and spent the afternoon over at the mission home with a lot of missionaries and President again! That's definitely one plus of being here in Aguas, we get to see and do a lot more stuff with the Webbs, which is super cool! It was a super special Christmas and even more so through some really special personal studies and coming to know my Savior on a way more personal and deeper level! I am so grateful for His atoning sacrifice for me and for all that He continues to bless me with daily! I know my Savior lives and I invite each one of you to share His light, not just during this time of year, but in every single moment throughout the entire year!

I'm starting to get the hang of the new area which has been good! We've got some really cool people in teaching and we're excited to help them progress towards making covenants with God! Even though there are lots of wealthy people who aren't super interested in listening to us, we've still seen lots of success in finding those who have been humbled and realize the need for change and something more in their lives! It's so special to see the gospel fill those gaps in people's lives and help them find that light and joy they've been searching for! Also, random fun fact, there are a tonnnn of people who speak English here - I think since it's a wealthier area - it's been so weird haha.

This past year has been such an amazing experience as a missionary, especially getting to study the Book of Mormon, along with Come Follow Me! I had the opportunity to write own my testimony of that life-changing book and of my Savior this past week.  It was such a spiritual experience! I invite you all to do the same, reflect on how the Savior has changed your life and how much of a blessing the Book of Mormon is to you personally! I love y’all tons and hope it's a fantastic New Year for you guys! Nos vemos in 2025!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Sobres (My friends) directly translated this word means "envelopes" hahaha but it's a greeting in the northern part of Mexico, there's a member who always says it and it's the best! haha

Invitation of the Month: WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?? What has Jesus Christ done for you personally this last year? Take time this week to reflect on who He truly is to you and more than anything thank Him for all that He has done!

**PICS**

**Christmas Eve Caroling!/ Christmas Day at Pres**

**Pres and Hermana Webb!/ My Dawgs** 

**District birthday surprise/ Christmas feast**

**My Dawgs// "Padel" (Mexican pickleball)**

Alex mail 12-23-2024: "🎄MERRY CHRISTMASSSSS!!🎄"

 

Merry Christmas everyoneeeee!! It's the absolute best time of year and I hope it's an amazing Christmas for each and every one of you guys! I'm so grateful for this amazing time to celebrate and remember our Savior Jesus Christ.  All he has done for us including his atoning sacrifice and resurrection, and the amazing joy, hope, peace, and light that can be felt and shared because of Him! While it's definitely different not being home for Christmas like usual, I'm so, so grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity to be a direct representative of my Savior and help others come unto Him during this amazing time of year! I cannot believe this is my second and last Christmas on the mission, but I can truly testify that these last 2 have been the most spiritual and life-changing Christmases of my life! My personal connection and relationship with Christ has been strengthened and deepened so much and I know that He lives and is with us today, every step of the way! I hope you can all find so much joy, peace, and happiness this Christmas season, regardless of your circumstances, as you choose to give your all to Him and personally seek Him and come to know Him! I know as you do so, it will be a Christmas never to be forgotten!

Now for the highlights of the week, I finally made it to Aguascalientes!! It's definitely been a lot of change and lots of new and different vibes compared to the last year in San Luis, but so far, I'm loving it! My area is called Jesus Maria, and my new comp is Elder Valencia from Chihuahua, Mexico! He's super cool, chill, and just a super hard worker and so I'm excited, it'll be a fun transfer! He also lived in Arizona for a bit and has been taught English since he was a little kid so he's basically fluent, which is awesome! We share our ward with a set of Sister missionaries and it's been fun to get to know the area and the members! It's kinda crazy ‘cuz we have both extremes in our area; areas that are extremely wealthy and other areas that are super poor, so we meet all types of people, haha. It's been awesome to see the Lord direct us these last few days to those who are ready to hear us and while change has been a little hard, I've felt so much peace and comfort as I've put my trust completely in the Savior and his plan and chosen to rely on Him! I know we're going to see so many miracles in this area and can't wait to see what comes next!

Something that really stood out to me from preparing for Christmas this week is how critical and how much of a blessing a personal testimony of the Savior is. I was studying "The Living Christ," the personal testimony of the 12 Apostles and the First Presidency, and I felt just so much gratitude and love for my Savior knowing that we are blessed with the ability to know Him personally and have Him to rely on in all things! I know that my testimony of the Savior is the foundation of everything I do and everything we do in the church.  I invite you all to make it yours as well! There's no better time than right now to come unto Him and receive all that He has ready for you!

Love you all so much and have a very merry Christmas!!

Love, Elder McDonald

 

Word of the Week: festín (feast) you already know we're aboutta eat realllll good this week with Christmas haha

Invitation of the Month: WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?? I hope it's been an amazing experience this month studying the life and ministry of the Savior! And I hope this last week of the year we can keep momentum going to make it a constant habit to continue to seek to know who the Savior truly is, all times of the year!

**Downtown Aguas**

**View from Jesus Maria// Jesus Maria at night**

 

**Mi HUNTER// Elder Valencia**

 **The New House // World's weirdest fruit// Just one of the huge mansions in our area**

Alex mail 12-16-2024: "Sacred Ground"

 

What's good, what's good everybody?? Hope you are all doing well and having an amazing Christmas season! It was a super great last week of the transfer, and we finally got some colder weather for a few days to make it feel more like Christmas time! All the Mexicans were acting like it was below zero when it was actually like 50 haha, but it was a nice change from the heat! Other fun facts from the week: met and taught a Messianic Jew, helped our ward Mission Leader propose in the ward Christmas party, did 3 exchanges in 5 days, heard a little bit of the Michael Buble Christmas album 😂, officially hit a year in Mexico, and most importantly helped our friend Miguel Angel get baptized on Sunday! He was so excited and happy to have a fresh start and was so willing to commit to Christ and his gospel, even dropping smoking immediately so that he could get baptized!

Sadly, we got transfer news today and I found out that my time in ‘la tierra prometida’ of Boulevard has come to an end 😭. Words cannot describe the amount of love I have for this area, this ward, and this people! I'm excited about what's coming next though, as I'm finally going to Aguascalientes! After a straight year in San Luis, I'll finally see how work in the other state is, haha! San Luis will always be my home but can't wait to see what miracles the Lord has in store!

Definitely one of the highlights from the week was getting to do exchanges in our area with ‘mi líder’ Elder Hunter!!  It was so fun to run it back just like the good old days and visit all of the people we had taught together. As we were walking down the street, he turned to me and said, "Elder, don't ever take these days and this area for granted.  This is sacred ground." And I could not agree more. I am so amazed and astounded by the countless miracles we've seen here over the last 4 and a half months! The amount of people that we've been able to meet who are just so ready to accept the gospel and make covenants with God, the amazing ward and lifelong friends and memories that I've made, and the hand of the lord directing his work. While it definitely is hard to leave and say goodbye to such an amazing place, I know that the Lord has a plan, and His work will go forward. Plus, a little bonus, Elder Hunter and I will be reunited in the same district in Aguas so stay tuned haha! 👀 

Finally, while on exchanges with Elder Canul in my hometown Popular, we saw one of the biggest witnesses to me of the power of the Book of Mormon. We were teaching a fairly older man who has been through it his entire life. He's partially disabled, living in lots of poverty, and the whole lesson just kept asking "where is God?" Out of desperation and frustration. Suddenly he reached out and grabbed the Book of Mormon out of Elder Canul's hand, opened it randomly, pointed to a couple verses and told us to read. The scripture he opened to was Alma 34:40-41 which reads, "40. And now my beloved brethren, I would exhort you to have patience, and that ye bear with all manner of afflictions; that ye do not revile against those who do cast you out because of your exceeding poverty, lest ye become sinners like unto them; 41 But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your affliction."  We both sat there a little stunned as we felt the Spirit testify to us of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, as it was the exact answer the man had been looking for. I testify that this truly is the Lord's church restored on the earth today, that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and can answer any question we might have, and that this work in helping God's children come unto Him is the greatest work on the earth! I love y’all tons and hope you have a great week leading up to Christmas!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the week: Posada (Christmas party) it's not just a fiesta, it's a posada haha

Invitation of the Month: WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?? How has the study of the life of the Savior been going? This week it really stood out to me just how personal and mindful Christ is of each and every one of us! Never doubt for a minute his perfect love and relentless pursuit for you personally!!

**Miguel Angel's baptism!**

**Mi Hunter// Eloisa!!// Christmas vibes**

** Paintin crew// Santa Gordo// Nike Christmas**

**Elder Suarez 🫡 // Elder Burke// Elder Ivie**

**The GOATS Mireya, Alfredo, Luyiana and Megan**

Alex mail 12-09-2024: "Legally Mexican... Again."

 Heyoooooo!! How's everyone's week been? Hope you all are doing super well and having a great start to the Christmas season! It was a little bit of a weird week, workwise here haha, but we still saw a ton of miracles and had a blast through it all! I really only got 1 and a half days in my area and doing actual missionary work which was not that fun, it felt sooo weird, haha. That's because this week we not only had Zone Conference, but I also had to go to Aguascalientes again to renew my Mexican residency which took up a good chunk. Everything went well and it went way faster than a year ago, so I've got nothing to complain about, I'm officially Mexican, again, haha!

We also had our Christmas Zone Conference which is always the best one of the year! It was so special to focus on the true gift that is our Savior Jesus Christ and all that He has done and continues to do for us! Something that really stood out to me was how much the people during that time, especially his parents, Mary and Joseph, truly sacrificed so much, because they knew it would all be so worth it! I testify that because of our Savior's birth, and his following miracles and atoning sacrifice, I and every single one of us can find true and lasting joy! Because of Him, we can have the gift of hope, forgiveness, joy, healing, and peace! I know that my Savior lives, that this is His church, and that this is the perfect time to share that light, truth, and blessings with everyone around us! It was also a ton of fun to see all the old companions, friends, and President and Hermana Webb! I could never have guessed just how much of a blessing these people would be in my life and just how much joy, laughter, and memories that they would bring!

The highlight of the week was the baptism of our friend Javier! He is so amazing and such an amazing disciple of Jesus Christ!  Six weeks ago he came to the church with his brother after being in a rehab facility for over a year, having battled for a super long time with drugs and lots of addictions. It's been so special to see how the light of the gospel has entered into his life and to see the atonement truly working and changing people's lives! Now, Javier is always smiling and looks like he's truly found his purpose and hope again. I'm so grateful for his amazing faith and the amazing blessing to help him and other children of our Heavenly Father come home to Him!

Love you guys tons and hope it's another great week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Villancico (Christmas Carols) Another favorite part of zone conference was the Christmas concert it's always a highlight!

Invitation of the Month: WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? What have you learned about the Savior this past week? How have you come closer to Him? I have seen my love and appreciation for His sacrifice grow so much!

**Paintin' a school / Elder Schmullinnnnn / Elder HARO/ Elder Whitty**

**Presidente Ramirez (Member in my first area) / HOT Weelz**

**The MTC District all together**

**Javier's Baptism**

** Lego Mariachi/ President and Hermana Webb**

#missionnotes #17

 

#missionnotes #17 - Oh Holy Night

Alex mail 12-02-2024: "Urgency and Confidence"

What is gooddddd… happy December everybody!! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are having a great start to the Christmas season! Our Thanksgiving was just a pretty normal day haha, but I did get to talk to the family for a bit which was awesome! It was also just super good to take time to reflect on the amazing blessings I've been given, especially this incredible opportunity to sacrifice for the Lord and help God's children receive eternal joy through the gospel! I'm so grateful for the blessing of serving the amazing people of Mexico every single day and being able to feel just a sliver of the love God has for them! And now as we move into this Christmas season, I invite you all to share that joy and gratitude, and the blessings you've been given by lighting the world every single day! I love the theme this year to "be the Savior's angels" and I promise you will see Miracles as you seek to uplift and minister as He would! 

This week was pretty normal, work-wise, crazy busy as usual, with an exchange mid-week with Elder Hooley in the other area in our ward! He's doing super good, and it was awesome to learn from him as we sought to help everyone feel and recognize the Spirit and develop their own desire to come closer to the Savior. It was super awesome to reflect with him how much of a blessing it truly is to have the gift of the Holy Ghost and the comfort knowing that we truly can and are being constantly guided by the Spirit and our loving Heavenly Father! Seek to be worthy of the gift all of your life and you will never be led astray!

Finally, we got to go to Aguascalientes again this week for our monthly meeting at President's house! Super awesome and fun to see some old companions and friends again and be so spiritually uplifted! Also got to see my boy, Elder Hunter again, which is always the best! He and his comp gave a training about confidence, and it was sooo good! How we as missionaries can be more confident in ourselves, in the Lord and in His plan, in the missionaries we serve with, and with the people that we help come unto the Savior! I think one of Satan's biggest tactics is to try and get us to doubt ourselves and doubt the Lord. However, we truly never need to fear because thanks to our Savior Jesus Christ, He already overcame all and so can we!  That means we can constantly be humbly confident in Him and trust that everything will work out just fine! Another super special moment of the meeting was when our mission president, President Webb talked about urgency in this work and even got a little emotional as he realized he's only got about half a year left. He and Hermana Webb go home right before me, so as you can imagine, the sense of urgency hit me too haha. In that moment I felt such a strong desire to recommit to the Lord and give him everything I’ve got for these last 7-8 months.  I can't wait to see what's gonna’ happen! I invite ya’ll to do the same, recommit to the Lord, give him your all, be urgent always and miracles will come! Love you all and have a fantastic week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Carreras (races) we got to go go-kart racing today and it was actually so fun haha, I didn't realize how much I miss driving 😂😂 

 

Invitation of the Month: WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?  This month leading up to the celebration of Christ's birth, I invite you all to study the life and ministry of the Savior and come to find out for yourself who Jesus Christ truly is! I testify it will change your life!

**Elder Hooleycito/ THE GOAT CAZADOR 🐐/ Christmas vibes**

**RACE dayyyyy!**

**Shoe Shinin' / McDonalds en Mexico**