Alex mail 06-30-2025: "I'm happy because I'm here"

 

What's goodddd, how we doin? This week absolutely flew by! I'm so grateful every single day for the amazing privilege and blessing it is to be a missionary and representative of Jesus Christ! However, even more importantly, I'm so grateful for the blessing of being a disciple of Christ and member of His restored church! While my time as a missionary might not last forever, my time as a disciple and member of Christ's church will, and that brings me so much joy and hope for the future!

This week's title was actually a quote from our friend in teaching Leticia, and it really made me think. If you guys remember I've talked a little about her but basically, she's got a lot of health challenges (physical and emotional) and is passing through some pretty difficult times with her family. However, for the past 5 weeks or so she's made the effort every Sunday to come to church. We thought she wasn't going to make it this week due to some family stuff but on Sunday morning we got a call, and she said she would be there! When we saw her walk in and ask her how she was, with a big smile on her face she replied, "I'm happy because I'm here". It made me pause and think about just how much joy the gospel and church of Jesus Christ brings me, Leticia, and millions of people around the world. Sometimes I forget just how big of an impact the gospel is in my life, but as I was able to pause and reflect in that moment, I realized the gospel truly is everything to me. That's a blessing I never want to take for granted and I hope each one of us can always remember the blessing the gospel truly is!

We've made some awesome progress with a lot of the families we have in teaching and should hopefully finish the mission out with some awesome baptisms! The biggest miracle this week was with our friend Abi! She and her husband have been progressing really well but are always super busy, and so we didn't know exactly how they were feeling about baptism. However, on Sunday after church we were able to talk to Abi and she really opened up with us and shared a lot of all that she's been through throughout her life, and let's just say she's been through a lot.

However, as she was sharing all of the trials and difficulties she's experienced, she started to cry and said "I feel like I've finally found my purpose and this is where God wants me to be". There's nothing that has brought me more pure joy in my entire life than seeing God change people's lives through the gospel. I testify He knows us personally, has a plan for every single one of us, and no matter how dark the night may be, light will always come in the morning! Please keep Abi in your prayers that she will be able to continue with her desire to be baptized this upcoming Saturday, and her husband Jaciel soon after! I love you all, our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ love you, and I'll see you all soon!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Presidente y Hermana Castro!! Our new mission president and his wife, the Castros arrived this past week and they're amazing! We'll meet them in person this week, but they've got a ton of energy and are so excited to be all in here!

Invitation of the Month: FOLLOW CHRIST!! If there's one thing I could invite everyone to do after serving as a missionary this past 2 years, I would simply say Follow Jesus Christ! Give your all to Him. Be all in on keeping His commandments and covenants. Testify of Him. Study His Atonement. Share His light. Nothing else will bring you greater joy and blessings!

**Templooooo 👀**

**Mi Pres para siempre 🥹**

** Car life in Rioverde / Pan with me Goodrich**

Alex mail 06-23-2025: "Foundation of Faith"

 

Happy Monday everyone, hope y’all are doing great! I've got 30 days left to be the most consecrated, all in, and hardest working missionary I can be! It feels like yesterday when I only had 1 month in the mission haha, but regardless we're gonna finish sprinting! 

It was an awesome week full of miracles and full of rain! We got soaked almost every day, but the Lord blessed us a lot for our efforts to persevere through opposition. We faced all different types haha, some big storms, getting spammed blocked again on whatsapp😭, lessons falling through and plans changing, but through it all we saw the Lord perfectly guiding us every step of the way! We were able to have some amazing lessons with our most progressing people, able to find some awesome new people, and help put more people on date to be baptized! The biggest miracle was seeing 7 people come to church, a couple of those being families! Nothing brings me more joy on the mission than seeing people act in their faith to take big steps like coming to church and making covenants with God and I love being a firsthand witness to God's miracles in the lives of his children!

One of our friends that I haven't mentioned but deserves some recognition, is our boy Gonzalo. He came to church for the first time like 6 or 7 weeks ago after we just invited him super quickly on the street. Ever since then he has come 4 more times and is on date for baptism! The most impressive thing though is the sacrifices he has made. He’s a little bit older, probably about 70. He also can't speak super well and doesn't have a phone so communicating and teaching him has been a little difficult. And then on top of that he lives on a ranch a little ways out of Rioverde and for 5 Sundays now has walked 2 hours both ways to get to church, including this Sunday in the pouring rain! I've been truly amazed by his faith and desire to change his life and come closer to the Savior!

Also, on Sunday we had our friend Abi and her husband come to church! If you remember she grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness but a couple of years ago she and her husband started looking for a different church. She's loved everything about the church of Jesus Christ but still sometimes has some worries about changing what she's always known. However, on Sunday, after church I went to talk to her to see how it was.  She shared how even though she's heard all of the same stories about Christ we talked about, she felt that us taking about those same stories of Christ helped her reaffirm her faith and realize that this is truly where Heavenly Father wants her to be! It was a super cool testimony to me of the foundation of faith and made me realize that while I've spent the last 2 years teaching the same principles every single day, I've never felt it get repetitive. In fact, it's only strengthened my faith and love for the Savior more than I could imagine! I love this gospel, I love my Savior, and I'm so grateful to be a member of His church! Next time you feel like you might just be going through the motions, take a step back and realize how much your foundation of faith has grown!

Love you all and have an amazing week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Cocoholico (Coca alcohólico or Coke addict) a member said my comp Elder Goodrich is a alcoholic but with Coke and it's so true hahaha

Invitation of the Month: GATHER ISRAEL!! I promise that as you seek to share the gospel every day of your life, you will be blessed with greater spiritual power, joy, peace, and strength in every single aspect of your life!

**La Lluvia**

**Playera Pic**

**Frog time/ Rhino Beetle**

**Costanzo / PT Cruiser**

**Best Mission in the game / The goats 🥹**

Alex mail 06-16-2026: "Alma 26"

 

 What's good everyone, I hope it's been a fantastic week! It was an awesome first week to my last transfer! We found out transfer news last Monday night and Elder Goodrich and I are running it back for one more here in Rioverde! We're hyped to just keep momentum rolling and hopefully we've got some big things here on the way!

Today for P-day, we had an all-the-missionaries in the state of San Luis together to be with President and Hermana Webb one last time. It's crazy that they go home in a week, I can't believe it. It was definitely tough saying goodbye for now, but I'm so grateful for the amazing experiences I've had with them and for the countless love, support, and guidance they've shown me! I'm also super excited to be able to meet President and Hermana Castro soon.  I know they'll do an amazing job as well!

Overall, the work has been going good! We've hit some opposition with some of our people on date, but it's normal in the process and I know the Lord will help us as we work through those trials and challenges that get in the way! We met an amazing older couple, Karmen and Juan Manuel.  They lived in Texas for like 50 years and actually talked with missionaries and went to church a ton in the past! They said how they've been praying and looking for a church since they feel like they haven't found the true church.  Then they mentioned that a few days later we showed up! We were able to have an amazing lesson about the restoration and the Spirit was so strong and present, testifying of the truthfulness of this gospel and church!

I won't lie knowing that this is my last transfer in the field has lowkey been rough this past week. I've been hit with all of the thoughts and emotions you could think of as I've reflected on how amazing this experience has been for the past 2 years. However, I was able to find so much comfort through prayers and the scriptures, especially through my new favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon, Alma 26. I don't think there's any better way to describe missionary work than how Ammon did in this chapter, and I invite each one of you to study it this week. I love how much he focuses on the eternal joy that can only be felt through serving God and His children, and I testify of his words in verse 35: "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began." I testify that this truly is God's work, it is a work of joy, and even though this chapter in my life will shortly come to an end, I will serve my Heavenly Father and praise him forever! Have an amazing week and love you all tons!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Payasadas (charades) we played charades with everyone today and Pres. was cookingggg haha he's the goat.

Invitation of the Month: GATHER ISRAEL!! As we truly realize what is at stake and why the gathering of Israel is so important, any sacrifice the Lord requires of us will be worth it so that His children can have eternal life and joy with their families forever!

**Day one boys / Mi Goodrich**

**HEB Breakfast 💀/ Mexican Chick-Fil-A**

**Reppin BYU/  Rioverde Squad**

Alex mail 06-09-2025: "Bell Lap 🔔 "

Happy Mondayyyy hope everyone is doing great! It's been another awesome week and we saw so many miracles!! It was the last full week of the transfer which is wild to me I literally feel like I just got to Rioverde. 😭 So, for all my "track people" out there you know that means we just hit "bell lap." I've got 6 more weeks to give my absolute all as a full time missionary and I'm going to do everything in my power to consecrate my all to the work of the Lord and to be an effective instrument in His hands! We'll get transfer news tonight, but hopefully I'll be staying here in Rioverde for my last transfer!

The mission is gonna be full of so much change over the next few weeks haha. A bunch of goats go home this week including my old comps Elder Hunter and Elder Dominguez. We also get a new mission president in like 2 weeks which is sad but exciting! It was awesome though, on Tuesday this last week, I got to run one more exchange with my dawg Elder Dominguez. It was so much fun to be with him for one last time in the field and see just how much we've grown since our time together in Industrias, at the beginning of my mission. We were in his area - in downtown San Luis and we definitely faced a lot more rejection in the "big city" hahaha, but we grinded through it and found some awesome people! Elder Dominguez has taught me a ton about hard work and fighting through adversity and has been such an amazing example to me during my mission! Super grateful I got to run it back with him one last time!

The rest of our week here in Rioverde was so awesome! We saw so much help from the Lord, for the first time in my mission we put different people on date for baptism every single day this past week! We've just been guided over and over again to those who are ready for the gospel message! Obviously it hasn't been easy and we still face lots of opposition, but it's been awesome to see the Lord continue to deliver on His promises!  Two of the people we have on date are Abi and Leticia. Leticia has some pretty big struggles with depression and other health challenges, but has made the effort to come to church 2 weeks in a row now! The light that enters into her eyes when she's at church is so special! Abi also came to church a couple weeks ago and while she has a tonnnn of questions it's so cool to see the Spirit perfectly guiding us in our lessons with her and she's super excited to get baptized! I think a lesson the Lord has tried to teach me over and over again on the mission is that as we really just try our best to do His will, keep the commandments, and be diligent, obedient, and act in faith, we can confidently trust He will constantly work miracles in our lives! Trust in that promise this week and I promise, you'll see the Lord deliver! Love y'all and have a great week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Miel (syrup) had a spicy syrup today with waffles, lowkey was not bad at all haha

Invitation of the Month: GATHER ISRAEL!! I love that president Nelson has repeatedly talked about how we truly have been reserved to come to the earth during these last days to gather Israel! What can you do this week to fulfill with that responsibility and privilege?

**My Dawg Jose Juan**

**Just your normal Shepard**

**Taquitos/ Waffle Pollo/ Been too long 👀**

#missionnotes #23 "Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ"

 

"Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ"

Alex mail 06-02-2025: "Redemption is Real"

 

Heyo, happy Monday! Hope everyone is having a great start to June and loving summer vacation! It's funny haha, just as it starts getting hot back home this last week here was actually a little bit cooler and we had some rain and clouds almost every day which was nice! Definitely made the work a little easier not sweating as bad this week haha! We were in the area all week and so we just grinded and saw a lot of success! We put like 4 more people on date for baptism, found a ton of awesome new people we're teaching, and have been growing our work with the members now that we've got a good feel around the area and know a good amount of the branch!

Today I want to focus on 3 people we worked with this week who were a big testament to me that redemption truly is real and possible through our Savior Jesus Christ!

First, my boy José Juan! If y’all remember he showed up to church out of nowhere, completely by himself 3 weeks ago. Ever since then he hasn't missed a Sunday and yesterday he made his first covenant with God by entering the waters of baptism! It was so cool to see how much faith he has shown throughout the last couple weeks in helping him prepare for baptism and the desires he has to truly change his life! He was so willing to act on every invitation we gave him and trusted that every commandment the Lord has given us truly is for our benefit! He was so happy and excited at his baptism.  In his testimony after, he shared how he just felt like so much light, hope, and joy has entered into his life because of Jesus Christ and the blessing of being able to make covenants with our Heavenly Father! God truly is a God of miracles!

Secondly, our new friend Damian. On Tuesday we were sitting at a table in a park teaching José Juan via video call, and right as we were about to leave, this guy came up to us and said "hermanos, I need help." We sat with him and he started to share with us all of the trials that he's faced in the last year.  He shared that he had made a lot of bad decisions which led to him losing his work, his home, his family, which in turn led him to turn to alcohol. While he was sharing all of the trials and difficulties he's faced, I was filled with so much love for him. I didn't see him as a dunk guy who's thrown his life away by his dumb mistakes, but I truly was blessed to see him as a son of God who is so loved by his Heavenly Father.

We were able to testify to him of the power of Christ's atoning sacrifice to bring us hope, joy, and redemption no matter how far we've gone off the path. We were also to share with him the blessing it is to have the Book of Mormon, and the power found within that book. We read the story of Alma the younger with him and as tears filled his eyes he expressed how he felt exactly like him. He was able to come to church on Sunday and the joy on his face is the reason I love being a missionary so much. I testify that no matter how far we've fallen off the path or however many times we've messed up, Christ is waiting with loving, open arms to joyfully receive and redeem us!

The last person I want to talk about is our friend Salvador. We met Salvador almost a month ago when we first got here to Rioverde but ever since then we haven't been able to really meet with him and teach him. For some reason we felt like we needed to keep trying and on Saturday we were finally able to meet with him. After a bit he started opening up and sharing with us his life story and man, has he been through it. He's a cop, which here in Mexico is a pretty brutal job, and about a month ago his wife was killed in a car accident. The worst part is he was the one who was called to go to the scene of the crash.

While enduring some of the most difficult pain I think anyone could experience, he turned to God and pleaded for help.  4 days after his wife's death, we knocked on his door.  It was incredible to see it all connect and why the Lord needed us to keep going back there and we were able to testify of the joy and hope available through The Plan of Redemption and salvation through Christ!  Salvador accepted a date to be baptized on June 28^th.  Please keep him in your prayers, so that he can keep progressing towards that eternal joy that is awaiting him! I testify that Jesus Christ lives, that He is our Savior and Redeemer, and that the fullness of joy and hope He brings us is the greatest gift we could ever receive!

Love you all and have a fantastic week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Garrafon (Water Jugs) we had to like fill half the font for the baptism with Jugs of water ‘cuz the building ran out of water💀😭 we survived though haha.

Invitation of the Month: GATHER ISRAEL!! With it being summer that means there's more time to share the gospel! This month I want to invite you all to make a bigger effort to gather Israel, whether through temple work, service, or sharing the gospel through small and simple ways!

**Jose Juan's Baptism!**

**Garrafon time / Elder Dougal**

**Maxitortas/ Mi Goodrich**

**Zona San Luis / Distritoooo**

**Temple ya casi 👀/ Rioverde sky**