Alex mail: 04-08-2024 "Cactus and Cow Stomach🌵🐄"

 

What is uppp everyone?? How was the week? I hope it was a super great one for each one of you and that you had the opportunity to watch General Conference! And if you haven't yet, no worries you still can! Definitely was so spiritually uplifting and such a great opportunity for us all to receive revelation for our individual lives and our families!

Well if you're wondering about the title for this week's email I officially tried two of the weirdest foods I think I have ever eaten this past week 😂. Yep that's right I ate both cactus and cow stomach this week (separate occasions lol). The cactus wasn't horrible, mostly just tasted like sour green beans. But oh man let me tell ya cow stomach is not the move 😖 😂. I had it in a soup and, let's just say it smelled horrible, had a super slimy texture, and you could see the bumps from where the hairs were hahaha. Definitely 10/10 would not recommend lol but after some desperate prayers we made it through the bowl haha.

Two other funny things that happened this week were 1. We got spam blocked on "Whatsapp for a day 💀😂 . Yeahhh we learned it's a little tough to do missionary work when you can't call or text anybody hahaha. All good though we thankfully got unblocked the next day and we were still able to do some good work and see Miracles even if we couldn't really contact people like normal! And 2. We also had the solar eclipse here in Mexico today and oh man everyone thought the world was ending 😂  Los Mexicanos and their superstitions! haha. School got canceled, people told us to not wear long sleeves for some reason, and if you're over 40 don't leave the house lol. Don't worry though we're still alive turns out nothing went wrong hahaha.

On the spiritual side of things though we had a really productive week! Lots of really great lessons where we were able to invite people to watch general conference and testify of Christ's restored church and our living prophet on the earth today! We saw so much more power when we testified of these foundational truths and definitely something I want to keep doing for the rest of my mission!

We were also able to have the Baptism of 2 kids of members in our ward this week, Paco and Valentina! Even though they are both only 8 years old they have such strong testimonies and I'm super inspired by their example to me and desire to follow Jesus Christ! It was a super spiritual moment and great news we had clean water this time! 😂 

And the highlight of the week, General Conference! I absolutely loved General Conference! There's something just extra special about Conference while on a mission and I just soaked up every second of it that I could! We were able to watch in English which was clutch haha. I think the Saturday morning session had to have been my favorite, with talks by President Holland, President Eyring, President Nelson, Elder Kearon, and Elder Soares being some of my favorites! It was amazing to see my questions I took into conference be answered in so many ways and I truly have a testimony that Christ is directing His church today! God truly wants to bless us with all of the knowledge that we seek, we just need to turn to Him and trust that we'll receive in His own time and way! I also loved how central the temple and our covenants were in almost every single talk! Please, please, please if you have the opportunity to attend the temple regularly and frequently, make this the number 1 priority in your life! I testify that nothing will bless your life more, and that service in the temple, and not taking it for granted, is one of the greatest ways we can show our love for God and our Savior Jesus Christ! Love you all tons and have an amazing week!

Love, Elder McDonald

 

Word of the Week: 1. Nopales y 2. Menudo (1.Cactus 2.Cow stomach) had to go two this week since they both deserved it 😂 . Menudo will probably now be on the list of things I tell people I can't eat hahaha

Invitation of the Month: INSPIRED QUESTIONS!! How was your experience taking questions to conference?? I hope you were each able to receive answers from our Heavenly Father but if you feel like you haven't, that's ok!! Keep studying, praying, seeking, and trusting that the lord will deliver in his own perfect timing and way! I promise answers will always come!

***Dairy Queen with the district**

**Mexican backpack drip/ someone gave me my first soccer jersey literally has ALL the sponsors**

**Conference snacks and setup**

#missionnotes #9 "A Wrestle Before God"

 

"A Wrestle Before God"

Alex mail 04-01-2024: Egg Wars!!🐣

 

That's right folks you already know who was the Benito Jaurez District Champion of Egg Wars 😏. Now if you're wondering what in the world egg wars is don't worry I'll explain 😂. Basically to celebrate Easter our ZL's had the idea to bring a bunch of hard boiled eggs, make a battle arena out of towels, and then 2 people roll their egg at the others haha. Miraculously one always breaks while the other is completely fine haha 🤷. I'll attach the picture of the egg that carried me all the way and never got a single scratch! Best part was winning a pack of the Cadbury Easter chocolate eggs 😏 

But yeah that's how we celebrated Easter here haha, I hope you all had a fantastic Easter too! I loved being able to really study and focus on my Savior this week and each day I am just more and more amazed at all He truly has done for us! Elder Wahlin and I really focused on testifying of Christ's atonement and resurrection in every possible opportunity we could and we saw a lot of miracles from it! It's amazing to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ truly does apply to everyone and because of His atonement and resurrection, we truly can have hope in this life and know that death, or any trial we face, is not the end!

We had a lot of plans fall through this week due to it being the holiday week and lots and lots of people were out of town haha. However we made the best of it and didn't let it affect our focus or desire to serve and we ended up seeing a lot of miracles from it! It also seemed like this week that almost all the people we had lessons with are struggling with some kind of addiction. Kind of fitting for this week though to be able to teach and testify so much of the atonement! It's amazing to be able to help people understand there truly is a way to overcome any addiction we face and I love being able to testify of my Savior, Jesus Christ!

Also got to have interviews with President this week! So grateful to have that opportunity each transfer to just talk and get his amazing advice! Always super rejuvenating and I'm super grateful for amazing mission leaders who are great examples of our Saviors love!

We were able to have some amazing lessons with some of our most progressing friends Alejandro, Tita, and Jose this week! They were all able to come to church and Jose actually spoke in church which was so cool! He's got a really strong testimony and made our Easter sacrament meeting super spiritual! Another super big highlight was a mission-wide Zoom testimony meeting we had Sunday morning. So powerful to hear so many testify of our living Savior, and this week I've just been so grateful to be a representative of Him and to serve with such amazing disciples of Christ! That's about it for the week but I hope y'all have another great one and enjoy General Conference!! It's the bestttttt! Love y'all!

P.S. also forgot to mention last week but we got to help out with our Stake Primary activity "es genial a tener 8!" (Basically its great to be 8 in English haha) and we got to teach them all about baptism it was awesome, pictures down below!

Love, Elder McDonald (tu Mexicano favorito)

Word of the Week: Cucarachas (Cockroaches 😬 ) yeah so uhhh our house kinda got Invaded by cockroaches this week 😭. So nasty we had to kill a bunch haha but don't worry we've got all the drains covered now we're chillin 😁 

Invitation of the Month: INSPIRED QUESTIONS!! This month I'm really going to focus on taking personal, inspired questions to the Lord! We've got a great opportunity with general conference this week as well! I invite you to take 2-3 personal questions to the Lord in prayer, study, and conference thud week and I testify you will receive an answer in his time and his own way!

**Egg Warsssss**

**The Egg that won it all / Happy Easter from the district**

**My first mango!/ Platano tamales/ Bienvenidos al centro**

**Es genial a tener 8!**

Alex mail 03-25-2024: "Kim's Baptism!!"

 

Buenos Díassss! How was everyone's week? I hope you guys had another great one and are enjoying the spring weather! This week was super special, on Saturday we were able to have the Baptism of our friend Kim! And on Sunday she was confirmed a member of the church! I'll tell you guys more about how it went down and the other highlights from the week but first I just wanted to say THANK YOU for all the prayers and support for her! We saw a ton of miracles this week leading up to her Baptism and I know it's all because of the amazing faith of you guys!

OK quick funny story, one day we were walking down the street, and this older guy came up to us and started asking about the church. After like 5 minutes he randomly asked if he could buy our visas off of us because he wanted to go to America. 💀😂  After we told him no he just left, lol so random haha.

We had some really, really good visits with both active and less-active members this week! There's a lot of members and families going through a lot of trials and health challenges in this ward and it’s just been amazing to constantly be testifying of the hope and healing offered by our Savior Jesus Christ! We had the opportunity to give a good amount of priesthood blessings and I'm just so grateful and amazed at the truly wonderful gift we have, to serve with God's power here on the earth!

Definitely one of the most powerful lessons I think I've had on my mission happened with an amazing less-active member this week! We've been trying to visit this family and just have never been able to get in contact with them. After having like 4 sets of plans fall through, haha, we felt inspired to just try one more time. We were able to visit with the dad and learned that his wife passed away 5 months ago very unexpectedly and he just hasn't come to church since. In this moment I just felt an immense love for this man and his family and I know without a doubt this was a glimpse of God's love for his children. Elder Wahlin and I were able to share a message that was very spirit-led, bringing tears to all of our eyes. I'm so eternally grateful for the plan of salvation and to know that no matter what trials we pass through in this life, we truly will live with our families forever if we choose to follow Christ and His gospel!

We were also had zone conference this week! Always so amazing to learn from President and Hermana Webb! We focused a ton on having faith in the work and really involving the Savior in all that we do! Such a great day and super spirit-filled, especially with Easter coming up! Also, gotta see a good amount of my MTC boys that are now here in San Luis, which was super fun!

OK, now the moment you've all been waiting for, Kim's Baptism! Throughout the week we were able to get everything ready and on Saturday we went in the morning to fill up the font. The font in our building is wild, haha, definitely filled it in record time it took only like 30 minutes to fill completely! However, like an hour before the baptism we go to check it and the water was green 💀.  With only an hour left we didn't have time to drain it and refill it (since the pump was the problem anyways) so we said some quick prayers and tried our best to clean it, haha. Luckily the water actually wasn't dirty it was just kinda green for some reason 🤣. So we were able to still do the baptism even with some slightly green water! Definitely a miracle and everything else went pretty smoothly! We had a ton of support from the ward with lots of people showing up and it was just such a spiritual moment! Kim is so awesome her testimony is so, so solid, especially for only meeting the missionaries 1 month ago! She was able to bring her mom to her Baptism and then her confirmation and we're hopeful that we'll be able to start teaching the rest of her family soon as well! I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to help her in her journey back to our Savior and I'm so grateful for our covenants that bind us to him!

It was also a miracle that she was able to be confirmed on Sunday! Originally, we thought she would have to work but miraculously her schedule changed, and she was able to make it and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost! I testify that the Lord's hand truly is in this work and in each one of our lives! All we need to do is strive to give our all and He will make up the rest! Love you guys tons and hope you have an amazing Easter week! I'm so grateful for this time of year and the opportunity to remember our Savior's sacrifice and resurrection for every single one of us! What can you do this week to strengthen your relationship and gratitude for him? Love you guys, keep smiling and have a wonderful week!

Love, Elder McDonald

 Word of the Week: Andar de Mojado (To live illegally in the US) 💀 🤣  Dont ask me how in Mexican slang a phrase that literally means "walking wet" actually is used to refer to people living illegally in the US but we met a few people this week who said it 😂 

 Invitation of the Month: TEMPLE TIME!! Last week of the month! How can you finish strong this week and make the House of the Lord and your covenants a bigger priority! I had lots of time to reflect on all the blessings we've been given because of our covenants this week because of Kim's Baptism.  I'm just astounded at truly all the blessings we have been promised from our loving Heavenly Father!

**Kim's Baptism** 

**El Centro**

**Oxxo Sunset/ The Running GOAT/ Green Water 💀**

**The GOATS = Elders Horoba & Dominguez**

**MTC Zone Conference Reunion!**

Alex mail 03-18-2024: "Car Trunk Bread Dealer"

 

Hello, helloooo amazing family and friends how is everyone doing?? I hope you all had an amazing week full of miracles! It was a solid week here in Popular, San Luis and I'm definitely feeling more adjusted to the new area! If you're wondering about this week's title haha Elder Wahlin and I discovered something sick this week 😂. We realized that every night around 9-9:30 a guy drives around our neighborhood selling the leftover bread and desserts from the nearby “panaderias.” Even cheaper than normal and so delicious, hahaha. It's hilarious the second you hear his music blasting down the street literally every single door on our street opens and people are right there ready to by some money “pan” 😂.

We had 3 really awesome lessons that stood out to me this week, one with our friend Rafa, one with our friend Alejandro, and one with our friend Judith! With each one of them we were able to center our discussion on the Book of Mormon and how it applies to things such as the Plan of Salvation and the importance of covenants! It was so special to see the light of Christ enter into their lives as we were able to help them come closer to their Savior through his gospel! I'm so grateful for the amazing people I have met and these 3 are definitely amazing children of God who are so ready to come closer to him!

We put a huge focus on visiting less-active members and families this week which was huge! In our ward we have around 300 members but only about 50-60 that come consistently on Sundays. So, we've really been putting an emphasis on reaching out to these less-active members and helping them see why we truly go to church each Sunday and the importance of the sacrament! We were able to have some really good, spiritual visits and hopefully we'll see some awesome families start to return!

On Saturday we were able to do exchanges with our Zone Leaders.  I was able to go with my dawg, Elder Ramsay in their area, Boulevard! It's kinda cool Elder Ramsay is my "grandpa" in the mission because he trained Elder Sanchez, my first companion here in Mexico! He's a super awesome missionary and knows how to have a ton of fun while working crazy hard! We set some awesome goals: to help people see the miracles in their lives today; that God isn't far away but that he truly is right here today; to serve others as much as we can; to use our priesthood power to its full potential; and to always testify of the Book of Mormon! These 5 things were truly gamechangers and we saw a ton of miracles as we strived to do them! We were able to help people come a lot closer to Christ and have a ton of fun and feel a ton of love in the work! We had some great lessons with some people that we could tell have truly been prepared to accept Christ's restored gospel in their lives, so amazing to see! Elder Ramsay also had a great idea, he has a ton of mini-Jesus figures and we would leave ‘em everywhere we went because we're here to help people "find Jesus" 😂.  It actually was a ton of fun hiding them in members houses, open car windows, taxis, parks, and wherever else you could imagine 😂. Finished off exchanges with some fire-tacos and super grateful for all the lessons I learned from Elder Ramsay!

Also some exciting news, this Saturday we plan on having the baptism of our friend Kim!! She's soooo awesome and we're so excited for her! Ever since reaching out to the missionaries, by herself, she's been so devoted to coming to church each week and learning more about her Savior! If you could keep her in your prayers this week that would be amazing! Thank you guys so much for all the love, prayers, and support I'm so grateful for each one of you! I hope you have an amazing week and keep looking for the good each day! GOD IS HERE TODAY!! Choose to see his miracles!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: La Pascua (Easter!) We've shared a lot this week with both members and our friends about Easter! What can you do this week to remember our Savior's atonement and resurrection for each one of us?

Invitation of the Month: TEMPLE TIME!! This week, along with taking time to ponder my covenants, I loved focusing on what the sacrament truly is. We take the sacrament each week to remember our Savior's sacrifice for us but also to renew our covenants with Him and our Heavenly Father! My brother shared this past week with me that often people frown or grimace when taking the sacrament while in reality, we should be smiling ear to ear! The ability to renew our covenants is truly such a blessing and this week choose to focus on how grateful we are for our covenants!

**Kim's Baptism Invite// Costco with Elder Wahlin!// Mini-Jesus**

**Elder Ramsay the Goat!**

** Milanesas y Tacos**

Alex mail 03-11-2024: "Popular!!"

 

What's good everyone how was the weekkkk?? Hope it was a great one for each one of you! This week was pretty crazy, we had a lot of stuff including transfers! I found out on Tuesday that I would be leaving, and Elder Dominguez would be staying in Industrias. My new area is called Popular and is still here in San Luis! It's actually only like 15-20 minutes from my last area but I'm now in more of the downtown part of San Luis which will be really cool! It’s definitely got some nicer spots and some poorer spots but I'm really excited it seems like the work is going really well here and there's a lot of potential here! My new companion is Elder Wahlin from Arizona and he's at 20 months on the mission, so he's almost done! It'll be cool to be with someone with lots of experience and be able to get his tips on a lot of stuff! He's super nice and chill and wants to work hard so I'm excited it'll be a good transfer!

On Tuesday we got Las Ranas one last time, man I'm gonna miss that place those tacos were soooo fire! 😂  We also had a lesson with Carmen again and taught her about the importance of baptism and covenants and she loved it! It's always cool to see people connect the dots on why baptism is so important and done with proper authority and I love helping fill in those gaps and answering questions that people have always wondered! I'm so grateful for the complete, restored gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today and to know we truly have all the answers!

Wednesday was a great last day in the area with some good contacts, phone calls, and lessons! Got everything packed up and then we had a family home evening with the GOATS, La Familia Ararat! Love this family so much! They were super welcoming when I first got to Mexico and made me feel right at home! Super grateful I got to know them and for all the laughs and fun times we shared with them! Tough saying goodbye but hopefully I'll get to visit them again after my mission! The mom, Hermana Diana also taught us how to make Arepas which were sooo good, so you already know we're whippin’ those up after the mission haha! 

Thursday we had transfers so in the morning headed over to the bus station to meet the new comp! Definitely tough saying goodbye to Dominguez and leaving Industrias, I loved my time there! Dominguez and I had a ton of fun together and did some really great work! Super grateful to have served with him and learn so much from his example to me! While it's tough leaving I'm super excited for our friends and members over in that ward they've got some amazing things in their futures! Also, kinda crazy but Elder Horoba (my MTC comp) is Dominguez' new comp! My boy just keeps taking all my comps haha, but I'm hyped for them Industrias is in good hands!

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday were all pretty similar, lots of visits with members and our friends just getting to know people and the area! It's definitely different having everything so close now and not having to walk 45 min each day into and back from the area like Industrias😂. Only tough part is that we definitely live in the smallest house in the mission hahaha its literally like 25-30 feet from the front door to the back wall. LOL. Went from one of the nicest houses in the mission in Industrias to the smallest 💀. Its hype though haha I love it! Everyone has been super kind and welcoming and I'm excited to get to work! There's definitely a lot of people with a lot of trials here but they're all so humble and ready to accept the gospel which is amazing to see! It's hard sometimes not being able to solve all their problems immediately but I am so grateful that I'm able to help others come unto Christ and accept his gospel! I know that through him is the only true way we can find lasting peace and joy and overcome any trial we face!

Unfortunately we didn't get to go in person to the new temple groundbreaking on Saturday😭, but we did get to watch it from our church building! And my Dawgs Horoba and Dominguez were there which was hype! It was so amazing, and the Spirit was so strong! The people here are so excited for a temple so close and the dedicatory prayer offered by Elder Douglas of the 70 was so powerful! Definitely a memory I'll cherish forever! It really helped me realize just how grateful I am to have so many temples so close back home, don't take it for granted! It is one of the greatest blessings we truly have, to be able to go to the house of the Lord and make covenants with him there!

It’s definitely a little weird to have church at 9 am again after having 4 pm hahaha but it was awesome! The ward is pretty small we only had about 50 people there but we're really going to focus on trying to bring back the less-active members this transfer! I also somehow became Ward Pianist - last minute so uh. wish me luck I haven't played the piano for a little bit but we survived 😅 😂. 

That's pretty much been the week! Lots of stuff and still just a lot of adjusting but I'm so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ! He's been right beside me every step of the way during my mission and I've felt him every single time I feel overwhelmed, stressed, nervous, or alone. I testify that He is ALWAYS right there, ready to help if we will just choose to turn to him! Love you all so much and so grateful for the love and support, it truly is what keeps me going! Hope you all have a great week, keep smiling, and reach out if you need anything at all! Les amoooooo!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Jarritos! (little pitcher) Elder Dominguez and I made this connection this week haha but jarritos (the soda) comes from the word Jaro which means pitcher! Blew our minds 🤣 

Invitation of the Month: TEMPLE TIME!! My mom shared a really cool goal she has with me this week, to refer more to the temple as "The House of the Lord"! I love this, it's so true that when we put more focus on our Savior when we go to and refer to His house, we will see Him more! How can you make the House of the Lord more of a priority this week? I loved taking time to just ponder my covenants this week! Even though I can't go in person right now, I'm so grateful for the covenants I've made there and the power available to each one of us!

**New District**

**Skeleton homie (Manny) / Milesssss**

**FIRE FOOD!**

**Our Chapel has carpet! / Deadly schockwire on shower ☠🤣 / Kachowww**

**The Tiangis / Popular!**

**The Columbian GOATS / First Mexican Corn!**

**Goodbye to Dominguez**

#missionnotes #8 "Never From Thee Stray"

"Never From Thee Stray"

 

Alex mail 03-04-2024: "IT IS YOU BAPTISM."

 

Howdy, howdy, everyoneeee - how's the week been? Hope you are all doing well and having a great start to March! Crazy that it's already this time of year! Shout out to all my Dawgs who are starting track season this week let's get ittttt!! We've got transfers this upcoming week which is wild! Time is going crazy quick, but we'll see what happens! It's been an awesome last full week with Elder Dominguez and we've seen a lot of tender mercies and miracles!

On Tuesday we had a really awesome lesson with Carmen! We met her last week actually looking for one of our other friends haha but we were able to give her a Book of Mormon then, and then teach her about the restoration this week! She's already started to read the Book of Mormon on her own and has loved it! It was really cool to see her piecing together the restoration herself and see why it all makes sense! It was a super spiritual lesson and a great reminder to me that it's such a blessing to have the complete, restored Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today!

Saw someone siphoning gas for the first time in person on Wednesday, 💀😂,  I always had heard about people stealing gas like this but seeing it in person was so wild, hahaha so funny.

Thursday was definitely the highlight of the week! I got to give my first blessing in Spanish, and I was definitely a little nervous at first, but it was such a cool experience! I could feel the Spirit leading me and helping me find the words to say and it was such a powerful testimony to me of the gift of tongues and how the Lord can help us do all things if we just trust in him!

We also got to go to the baptism of Berenice Thursday night! (Shoutout to those who recognized “The Office” reference in this week's title 😉😂 ). She's in the other Elders area in our ward but if you remember a few weeks ago when I was on exchanges with Elder Hales, he and I were able to set a baptismal date for her! She originally had chosen the middle of March but on Sunday told us she felt she was ready and so she got baptized this week! It was an amazing experience to see her make covenants with our Heavenly Father and how much joy and peace she felt! You could just see so much light from her and I testify that it is because of the power of our covenants! Our friends Juan Jose and Gabriela were also able to come as well, which was really cool for them to experience also and hopefully they'll keep progressing to their own baptisms!

On Friday we got to go do service at the future temple grounds here in San Luis! It was so cool to see what will soon be a temple and help out in the process! We had all the missionaries in San Luis there and we got to paint a huge wall so that it wouldn't be covered in graffiti during the groundbreaking ceremony 😂 it was a ton of fun and I can't wait to see the progress of the temple over time!

That's pretty much been it for this week! It's been a ton of fun this transfer with Elder Dominguez and serving here in Industrias! Whether I end up staying or leaving this week I'm super grateful for the amazing experiences I've had here and the people the Lord has placed in my path! I know He has a plan for each one of us and if we strive our best to follow him, we will receive so many more blessings than we could ever imagine! Love you all tons and hope you guys have a super fun week! Smile big and keep looking for the good every day! Nos vemosssssss!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Primera Palada (First Shovel) this is what groundbreaking is in Spanish haha and it's this upcoming Saturday! If I'm still in San Luis, there's a chanceeeee we get to go but we'll see!

Invitation of the Month: TEMPLE TIME!! I hope everyone's 30 day fast went super good! I felt like I've grown a ton and even though I've got a long way to go still it's all about progress! In the spirit of the groundbreaking here I want to invite us all to put more focus on the temple this week! At least once a week, I invite you all to either attend the temple if you can, or at least take time to ponder your temple and baptismal covenants! I truly can testify that these covenants are what bring God's power into our lives and as we make time to worship in his holy house, every aspect of our lives will be blessed! 

*Bomb carne asada / (truck) Probably got deported ngl 💀/ World's tiniest dog*

*Painting pros / Downtown San Luis*

**Berenice's Baptism!**