Alex mail 02-24-2025: "The Glory of God"

 

What's good fammmm hope y’all are doing great and having a great week! It's been a wild one down here, we've seen so many miracles and have been so busy it's the best! We didn't end up having the baptism of Benjamin yesterday sadly, he's doing super good though just needs a little more time to develop his testimony! Hopefully we'll get him there soon, however we still have the baptism of Mauricio tomorrow! He's super awesome and so ready, he was a reference from a super cool family in the ward and it's been awesome to watch him grow in the gospel!

We had 3 awesome miracles this week; the first was with meeting our new amigo Daniel! He was a reference from Rey, our Ward Mission Leader, who's a convert himself and always is sharing the gospel with everyone! Daniel is someone who he works with and after talking for a while he mentioned to Rey how he had been really struggling in life and just looking for peace. Rey got us in contact with him and we met on Thursday. We taught him about the blessings and joy of the gospel and making covenants and then we were able to give him a Priesthood blessing. The blessing was super spiritual, but what was even more special was that after, both Rey and Daniel said that during the blessing they saw the brightest light they've even seen and felt so much love, peace, and joy from their Heavenly Father.  It was super humbling to be a witness of God's glory and love for His children, and it was a huge testament to me of Priesthood power!

The second was Thursday night.  We were in our gospel principles class teaching some of our friends about baptism and our friend Vianney walked in at the perfect time! Rey (once again the goat 🐐) was sharing his testimony about how when he decided to get baptized a member had shared that we're never going to feel “perfect” or completely ready, we just have to trust in the Lord and act in faith. As he was sharing it, we could see the look on Vianney’s face completely change.  Right after the lesson she came up to us and told us she was ready to get baptized! It was so special to see how much joy and excitement she had, she said how his testimony was exactly what she needed to hear! Never underestimate the power of your testimony, no matter how simple it may seem!

Now for the big miracle finale, haha. Every day we do a challenge in the zone to make the work a little more interesting and fun and each companionship has to try and complete it. On Saturday the goat, my dawg, Elder Hunter, gave the challenge to find a family of 3, teach them, and put them on date for baptism in that same lesson. Elder Smith and I were super hyped to get after it, and we were praying all morning to find that family. Then later in the afternoon we met up with a reference we got a few days earlier and we taught Claudia and her kids, Jania and Emmanuel. We had a super spiritual lesson, and we were able to put them on date for the 16th of March, and then they came to church on Sunday! It was such a special experience to see our prayers answered and to see the Lord magnify our efforts!

I testify that the Lord is ready to pour out His miracles into your life, we just have to look for them! Hope y’all have a great week and love y’all tons!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Trakas (tough) this one is Elder Smith’s favorite word, haha. It always gets members dying when they hear the white boys drop the Mexican slang 😂 

Invitation of the Month: SHARE THE BOOK OF MORMON!! Last week of the Invitation! Who do you know that needs the book of Mormon in their life? I invite you to share your testimony of and the power of the book of Mormon with someone who needs it every single day this week to finish the month strong!

*Grub time*

**Elder Sanchez/ Elder Lino/ Sent a reference to my boy Tanner Jay in Monterey hahaha**

**My dawg Kobe Mauricio 🐐/ El Encino**

Alex mail 02/17/2025: "Days never to be forgotten"

 

Heyoooo como andannnn??  How's everybody doing, estamos felices??  I hope it's been a great week.  Gotta say I'm a little bit jealous of all the snow back home, haha, but it's all good there's no place I’d rather be than here! It's been amazing to study the restoration of the gospel and Church of Jesus Christ so far this year, and to see the excitement of those first church leaders and missionaries sharing the gospel with the world.  I can truly testify with the words of Oliver Cowdery that these are "Days never to be forgotten" in the work of the Lord!  I've never felt more joy, more fulfilment, or more Christlike love in my entire life than during these 2 years as a missionary!

It was another super busy week, but we saw a ton of miracles! It's been wild having the whole area we've been runnin’ all over the place trying to get to everywhere we need to be haha, but we're starting to get a good feel for it! We had some awesome lessons with our friends Benjamin and Mauricio who are about to get baptized! Benjamin's is scheduled for this next Sunday, the 23^rd, if all goes well.  Mauricio's is scheduled for the following Tuesday because of his work, but they're both so ready! As we taught the commandments it was so cool to see them both just so willing to sacrifice for the Lord! It's amazing to be able to witness people so ready to change their lives and sacrifice whatever it takes to come closer to Christ and receive the blessings of the gospel!  Then we finished off the week with lots of miracles, we had 7 people come to church on Sunday! It's the best feeling ever, seeing people act on their faith and come and see all that church has to offer! You can see the light enter into their lives and it's so special!

On Friday we had interviews with President which were super good.  We talked about the importance of integrity in all aspects of our lives, especially having integrity when it comes to the covenants that we've made in our lives! We had a great talk about what it truly means to put God's will before our own and seek to do His will in ALL things. There were 2 questions that he asked that really stood out to me; 1. "Are the covenants I've made truly the most important focus in my life?" And 2. "Am I willing to stay completely true to my covenants regardless of the consequences or what others may think of me?" I want to invite you all to focus on these 2 questions and seek to truthfully answer them and develop that trust and integrity with the Lord!  I promise that as you seek to do so you will be truly blessed and be guided down the path that will bless you for eternity!

Love you all and have a fantastic week! 

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Lárgate (Get out of here) the white racism has been wild this week  💀😂  some dude opened the door of what we thought was a reference, asked us "where ya from?" In perfect English, and right as we started to answer, he yelled "lárgate de aquí" at us and hit us with every cuss word possible hahaha, it was hilarious.

Invitation of the Month: SHARE THE BOOK OF MORMON!! Who can you give a copy of the Book of Mormon to this week? Whether through the app or a physical one I want to challenge each of you to share the fullness of the restored gospel with someone this week through the Book of Mormon! I know it might be a little scary, haha but I promise as you seek revelation through prayer in who needs that book, Heavenly Father will lead you to the correct person, all you have to do is try!

**JOANA'S BAPTISM (Taught her in Matehuala)**

**Javier the recent convert GOAT/ Chuy Merry **

**In da Streets/ Talent/ Elder Bair snoozin 💀** 

Alex mail 02-10-2025: "TAXI HUNTING🚔"

  What's gooddddd how's everyone doing? Hope you have all had another great week! It's been a wild one here in Jesus Maria with transfers last Monday! I got my new comp Elder Smith on Tuesday and he's such a dawg! He's from Bountiful, Utah.  He actually knew my trainer in DC, Elder Ingles, from before the mission, which is wild haha - shoutout to the goat! Elder Smith has jumped in with both feet since the first day he got to this area and it's been awesome to see his desire to help everyone we meet, share the light and love of Christ, and give his all in each aspect of the work! We actually have the same amount of time in the mission, which is awesome, so we'll be going home at the same time in July! It's been a little wild now having the Hermanas area merge into ours. Since we're the only missionaries in the ward now, but we've been grinding, trying to get into contact with everyone who truly wants to learn! We've seen a ton of miracles though and the work is aboutta boom! 👀

We saw some really cool miracles this week.  One was with our friend Mauricio and the other was with Benjamin! Mauricio is a reference from a family in our ward.  He's actually a family friend living with them right now and he's got such a cool desire to learn and follow Jesus Christ!  Then Benjamin was a reference from the office Elders, as he came into the office one day asking questions and wondering how he could go to church!  He shared with us this week that he felt for a long time he had lost his faith, and never wants to have that happen again.  He is so grateful for the truth he's found in the church of Jesus Christ! Both have baptismal dates for the 23rd of February and we're hopeful everything goes well.  If you can please keep them in your prayers!

We had another awesome lesson with our friend Yola and her husband and 2 kids on Saturday! They've got a wild story, they were living in Zacatecas, but ran into a ton of danger and problems with the cartels there and so they were forced to leave everything they had and come to Aguas for safety.  They shared how they've always struggled with the question of why bad things happen to good people.  Man, the Spirit was so strong in that house. We felt so much love for them as we bore testimony of the fact that Heavenly Father knew us before this life, that He is aware of our circumstances and trials during this life and will do whatever it takes to bring us back home to Him! Whenever you face trials that seem too hard to bear, remember that you were chosen for these exact moments and last days because of how faithful and devoted you were to the Lord before this world began! He knows you personally and He will help you overcome all things! Love you all and have a great week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Taxista (taxi driver) ok crazy miracle this week, I left my phone in a taxi and right as we got out, I realized I left my phone in it. We started sprinting after it, but it sped off. Miraculously there was a Cop right on that same street and we asked him if he could help us, he said hop in and we chased the taxi down and got my phone back 😂  God is in the details everyone!

 Invitation of the Month: SHARE THE BOOK OF MORMON!! How can you brighten someone's life each day this week by sharing the joy the Book of Mormon brings? It doesn't have to be anything big or complicated, just try and Christ will magnify your efforts!

** Buffalo Wild Wings with the Boys / Mi Presidente de Rama Elder Smullin/ Elder Baughh**

**Bro robbed the stuffed animal vending machine 💀🤣/ Cherry coke in Mexico 👀 / Hasta luego Elder Valencia**

**The new Crib/ Moved un buen de boxes**

**Ciudad teran & trio life**

#missionnotes #19 "He called for their little ones"

 

#missionnotes #19 "He called for their little ones"

Alex mail 02-04-2025: "18 and 4"

 

What up, what up… happy Monday everyone, hope y’all are having a great start to February! Another fantastic week down here in the good old Jesus Maria! This week was the last week of the transfer, which is wild, especially with it being 7 weeks long! If you were wondering about the title this week, it goes along those lines.  This upcoming week I'll officially hit 18 months and only have 4 transfers left, time to grind! We found out transfer news today, and I'll be getting Elder Smith! He's got the same amount of time as me in the Mission, but I've never been super close to him or served around him much, but I'm super excited, I’ve heard lots of good things! We've got a lot of big stuff on the way here in the area, and we'll for sure have our hands full this upcoming transfer.  The Hermanas’ area, where we share the ward with, is closing.  That means our area is about to double in size, haha.  I'm super excited because I know the Lord has a plan for each one of his children and will continue to guide and direct us to those who are ready!

We saw so many miracles this week to end the transfer, including a ton of new people we're teaching, who are so prepared and ready for the gospel! Mauricio, Vianney, Benjamin, Yola, Miguel, and Frida, were all references that we received this week.  With each we had some very Spirit-filled, powerful lessons.  It was amazing to answer some of their deep questions and resolve doubts they've been carrying for so long! Something that I've loved in studying the Doctrine and Covenants this year, and teaching the restoration so many times, is that the Lord is always willing to answer us, guide us, and give us the council that we need, right when we need it! All 6 of these references are super excited to learn more about the church and make covenants with God.  A lot have already come to church!  I'm so grateful to know that the Lord is right beside us in this work, ready to bless us and provide us with so many miracles.  I promise that whatever opposition you are facing you can and will overcome with the Savior and you will receive so many miracles, blessings, and eternal joy in your lives! 

Finally, we had Leadership Council on Friday at Pres' house, which never disappoints! Amazing food as always (credit to Hermana Webb 🐐), Elder Valencia and I gave a training about gaining the confidence of the members in the work, and last, we learned a ton about teaching in the Saviors way! I realized that there's a very big difference between being ‘called to the work’ and being ‘qualified in the work!’ As we studied Doctrine and Covenants 4, I was able to see that to be ‘called to the work’ we only need to have a desire to participate.  While to be ‘qualified in the work’ we have to constantly be seeking to develop Christlike attributes! I'm so grateful for the perfect example our Savior set for us and his perfect, never-ending love!  You guys are amazing, keep seeking to become more like the Savior a little bit each day and he will do the rest! Love y’allll!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Chuy Merry (Jesus Maria) it's the slang way to say it haha

Invitation of the Month: SHARE THE BOOK OF MORMON! This month I want to invite each of you each day to find a way to share the Book of Mormon and your testimony of it!  I promise it will change your life and the lives of many people around you!

**Fire Food!**

**Un amerix or que? // Padel Timeee // Dog drug rug**

**Giant mansion (prolly cartel lol)// Found a cybertruck 👀// Hermanas clipped us waitin for the bus**

**Consejo de Lideres**