Alex mail 02-26-2024: "Rioverde!"

 

What is uppppp everyone?? Hope you all are just doing so good and had an awesome week! And, if not hey, it's a new week - let's make it a great one! This past week had to have been one of the fastest of my mission haha. Mostly because we got to go to a city called Rioverde for a few days to do exchanges with the Elders over there! It was crazy fun and their area is super sick! It's like a 3 hour bus ride from here in San Luis, so we left Monday night, spent all day Tuesday with them, and then came home Wednesday morning!

I got to spend Tuesday with my boy Elder Woods and he's such a stud! He's from Texas and is just a transfer behind me in the mission! Kinda like last week with Elder Hales it was fun to be able to lead and share with him some tips, that have helped me out a ton! His Spanish is super good and we had a ton of fun together! Rioverde is kinda a smaller town but it's crazy green over there which was super pretty! Not as much directly in the city where we were but there were still way more trees than there are over here in Pozos. Kinda reminded me a little of back home, it was super cool! 

Elder Woods and I were able to have some really great lessons with some of their friends and members! They're just a branch over there but the members I met are so awesome! Even though there's not a ton of members, they all seem super devoted to the gospel and the work is going really well over there! We visited this really cool member family, a single mom with 4 kids, and we played Spanish-Scattergories with them and got to teach them some English, which just felt super rewarding! I'm so grateful for the amazing people I've been able to meet so far on the mission and the opportunity I have to serve them! Elder Dominguez was able to do a baptismal interview for their friend Ignacio while we were over there too and he got baptized yesterday! Finished the day off with some fire arrachera (steak) Quesadillas! Also ended up meeting 2 people that spoke fluent English and when we asked how they learned they both said they got deported from the US 😬💀 - so tough, hahaha.

Something that Elder Dominguez and I started this week was speaking only Spanish with each other for 3 hours after food each day. It actually went really well and helped push us in the language! It was cool to see how much I've grown in the language! When I was with Elder Sanchez there were a lot of quieter moments because I couldn't share stories or joke as well in Spanish but this week I've still been able to talk just like normal even in Spanish! Gift of tongues is real people!

We had 3 really cool lessons this week that really stuck out to me, Jose, Jesus, and Jose Juan! Each one of these guys is so awesome and they all just seem so ready to make changes in their lives and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The Spirit in each one of these lessons was so strong as we taught and testified about the atonement of Jesus Christ and the restoration of His church! Hopefully we can keep helping them progress! It's so special to just see the Light of Christ enter into people's lives, I love being a missionary!

We also put a big focus on visiting members and less-active members this week! We met with 2 really cool less-active families and I felt so much of God's love for them as we invited them to come back! I testify that no matter what you've done or been through, our Heavenly Father and Savior are standing with open arms to welcome you back home! They are so ready to forgive, heal, and bless you, all we have to do is choose to come back to them and accept them in our lives!

We had a couple lessons this week with some people who are struggling with some pretty heavy addictions. However, testifying of the freeing power of our Saviors atonement was so, so special. I testify that the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly is freeing. There is nothing else in this world that can bring us more joy or blessings. It's amazing to witness firsthand how the atonement and gospel of Christ can help anyone overcome any problem or addiction they may have, and truly be free! If you feel like you're struggling with anything at all, I invite you to turn to our Savior! I promise you that He will help you, strengthen you, and will never let you go! He knows exactly how you feel and how to help! Thank you all for all the love, prayers, and support, it means a ton! Hope you guys have a fantastic week and feel free to reach out whenever! Love ya'll!

Con mucho amor, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Las Ranas (The frogs) we found a fireeee taco and Quesadilla place called Las Ranas, don't ask me why it's named that but it's the best 😂 

Invitation of the Month: 30 Day Fast! Last week of the month! I invite you all to take some time this week to ponder and look back on how much you've grown this past month! Don't dwell on things you wish you had done better, focus on all the good and improvement and then covenant with the Lord to keep going! You guys are amazing!

**Rioverde!**

**Fire Quesadillas/ Tres Leches Cake**

**Just your average government sponsored political chicken & I don't even know how to describe this one 😂**

Alex mail 2-19-2024: "Winter Has Arrived"

 

Hello hellooooo how's everyone doing? I hope it was another super great week for you guys! Another crazy fast week here in Mexico haha and if you're wondering about the title winter finally hit here. And by winter I mean 60 degrees with some rainy days 😂. I know what you're thinking pretty intense stuff, don't worry we're back up to 80 degrees and sunny now haha. It was a nice little break from the sun though, even if it was only was a mini winter 😂.

Elder Dominguez and I have been having a super fun time while working super hard it's been awesome! He's taught me a ton and this week he let me lead in a lot of stuff that we did to keep pushing me and helping me grow! It's definitely been a little tough at times but it's helped me gain a ton more confidence and grow in both Spanish and as a leader! Super grateful for him and this transfer that we get to serve together!

We had a good amount of lessons fall through this week which was a little tough but it's just part of the process! We were still able to have some really powerful lessons, one that really stood out to me was with our friend Eduardo! He was actually our Uber driver one day haha but he's a super awesome dad of 3 little kids. He loves his family a ton and wants to help them all come closer to Christ and we were able to teach him about the restoration and how the Book of Mormon does so! I'm so grateful to be a part of this amazing work and have the opportunity to help families be united for eternity it's so special!

We've also been focusing a lot this week on strengthening the members in our ward and trying to involve them in the work which has been cool! We've had some awesome visits and lessons and a lot of progress with helping them come closer to Christ, as well as receiving help in bringing others unto him! We even got free tacos and Quesadillas from a member who has a taco stand one night which was soooo good 😂. Heavenly Father takes care of his missionaries haha.

On Friday we were able to do exchanges with the other Elders in our ward, Elders Santiago and Hales, and I was able to go with Elder Hales into his area which was super fun! He's from Utah and reminds me a ton of my dawg Quincy, shoutout to my boy Elder Nielson!! He's also a transfer behind me in the mission but his Spanish is super good and we were able to see a lot of miracles and have a ton of fun! It was really cool to be able to give him some advice and tips for stuff that's helped me and be able to push him and help him grow! We had a lesson with their friend Berenice and we were able to schedule a baptismal date for her in March! She's had a lot of concerns about feeling like she needs to be perfect before baptism but we were able to help her understand that baptism helps us keep the commandments and overcome temptations easier! The Spirit was really strong and even with our new Spanish we were able to testify and help her see the blessings of choosing to follow Christ! Super excited for her and it was a huge testimony builder to me and Elder Hales of the gift of tongues and the Lord's hand in this work!

We were able to have interviews with President Webb on Saturday which was amazing as usual! He's such an amazing man and a great example to me! Love getting his advice on how I can improve and keep becoming a better missionary and disciple of Christ!

Church was really awesome on Sunday and Elizeth and Adalberto came again! Good news they now have a plan to finalize her divorce so they can get married in hopefully 3 months! They're super amazing and basically active at this point haha they just can't wait until that special day when they're able to be baptized!

Something I've really tried to focus on this week is sharing my testimony in every possible moment that I can! As I've done so, both in word and in action, I've been able to see so many miracles and feel the Spirit even more in my daily life! I invite you all to do the same! Live and share your testimony in every possible moment that you can and I promise you and those around you will be blessed by it! Love you all so much! Thanks for all the support it means a ton and I'm so grateful for each one of you! Hope you have a super awesome week and never be afraid to reach out if you need anything at all! Cuídense Muchooooo!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Que Onda? (What's up?) Kinda another slang one here in Mexico haha but just another way of saying what's up to the homies haha

Invitation of the Month: 30 DAY FAST! Can't believe we're already getting to the end of February! Let's finish out the month strong and rely on the Lord to help us grow and improve a little bit each day! I promise he will be right by your side if you just choose to turn to him and seek his help!

**Finally got Preach My gospel in Spanish! / Donuts with Elder Hales**

**sick wall art**

**Dominguez in shock at all the pastries / Colombian Soda (not Beer I promise)**

**AMAZING Food!**

**Elder Hales playing chess over the phone 😂 / World's largest jar of Mayo 💀**

Alex mail 02-12-2024 "Coming Soon... San Luis Temple!"

 

What's good, what's good everyone?? Hope you all have had a super great week! I've got some exciting news if you haven't heard... the First Presidency of the Church announced that the groundbreaking for the San Luis Potosi temple will be on March 9th!! We're crazy excited about it and I'm praying that it gets done within the next year and a half while I'm still here ha,ha, at least to hopefully see the open house! I know having a temple so close is going to bless the lives of so many families here I can't wait!

This week was really, really solid! Tons of little miracles throughout the week and I'm so grateful to be a part of the Lord's work and see His hand each day helping us out! We had zone conference this past week on Tuesday and it was amazingggg as usual. Elder Dominguez and I were joking that zone conference is more of a holiday on the mission than actual holidays ha,ha because they're always so cool! So grateful to be able to learn from our leaders in the mission and from our Mission President and his wife! A lot of the focus was placed on working with members, because they're truly how we're able to take this work to the next level! For all the members out there reading this I invite you all to consider how you can help out in the missionary work near you! I promise it doesn't have to be anything big and the Lord will be so grateful for your efforts, and he will magnify them! Also having some delicious Texas BBQ at Zone Conference made it just that much better ha,ha,ha.

I got to do exchanges with one of our ZL's Elder Hooley this week which was super run and helped me learn and grow a ton! He's from Utah and been out for about 18 months and is just a super solid missionary! He's a super hard worker but knows how to have a ton of fun doing it which was really cool. Something we really focused on was just always testifying of Christ and His gospel in literally every interaction we had with others and it was a gamechanger! We had a lesson with our friend Cecilia and when we first arrived, she immediately told us that she didn't want to keep meeting because her Pastor had told her that we and others were trying to confuse her and lead her astray. Instead of arguing or trying to prove why we're correct, we simply both shared our testimonies of the Book of Mormon and our Savior Jesus Christ. The Spirit was so strong and all-of-a sudden, she changed her mind, promised to read the Book of Mormon, and pray about it, and then we set up another lesson with her in the future! So amazing to see the power of simply bearing your testimony! We ended our day by getting some fire donuts, had to treat my boy to the best ha,ha.

We were able to contact some really cool families this week! We've really been focusing on making our contacts more personal to the people we meet as well as testifying and it's helped a ton! Super cool to see the revelation on how to improve comes piece by piece and how the gospel truly applies to everyone!

Had a couple funny stories this week, first one was after some of the best member food I've had while on the mission!  Reminded me of a huge American Sunday dinner, it was sooo good. But after we get done eating the dad pulls out of the freezer a bag of crickets and just starts munchingggg on em 😖 . Luckily I talked my way out of trying one ha,ha because they looked so foul 😂 . The other one happened when we were walking home one night. We needed a new mirror for our apartment, so we decided to look in a furniture store real quick and the owner just gave us this huge piece of glass (mirror) for free ha,ha. All we had to do was walk home 45 minutes carrying it which was a grind but hey, we got a free mirror 😂 .

We were able to help Diego set a baptismal date for the beginning of March! He's such an awesome kid, loves primary, and is super excited to make covenants with God and keep learning about Him! Another super special lesson we had this week was with our friends Elizeth and Adalberto! I mentioned these 2 in last week's email but man they're so awesome! They want to get baptized super badly, they only problem is they're not married (like everyone else in this country 😧😒 ) but they're working with some of our members to figure it all out which is awesome! We were able to teach them the plan of salvation and they loved it.  I love helping people realize they can live with their families forever it's so special!

That's pretty much it for this week, love you all and thanks for all the love and support you guys are the best! Always feel free to reach out if you need anything at all - I gotchu! Have a super awesome week, keep smiling, and look for the good every day!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Grillos (crickets) let's just say I'll always remember what this word is 😁  gotta stay on the lookout the rest of the mission ha,ha,ha

Invitation of the Month: 30 DAY FAST! How's it been going so far everyone? It definitely hasn't been easy but I love being able to see little changes and growth each day and I've definitely felt the spirit a little stronger each day! We got this, it's all about improving!

Te Amo Dino! / Basically Every Address in Mexico (center) / Costco & Nike 

We found rootbeer! Money dessert! / First Churro in Mexico / Texas BBQ at Zone Conference* 

Book of Mormon in Mayan / Our Mirror sunset pic / that cat followed me to mexico *

*The Zone!* 

#missionnotes #7 "According to Our Faith"

"According to Our Faith"

 

Alex mail 2-5-2024: "Run da Hood!!!"

How we doing everybodyyyy?? Hope you guys are all doing great and had a super fun week! This week's been crazy! Crazy busy, crazy fun, crazy fast, and everything else haha but I'm loving it! It's also wild I'll hit my 6 month mark this upcoming Wednesday! Can't believe I'm already 1/4th of the way through the mission and I know it'll just get faster from here on haha. Super grateful though for this opportunity to serve and love the people of Mexico!

If you're wondering about this week's title haha it's because I got to do an exchange with my boy Elder Grantham while Elder Dominguez was in Aguas for a few days for a meeting. His area is definitely the hood of downtown San Luis haha let's just say you know it's bad when the street the church is on is called Grita de Dolores which means "scream of pains" 💀 😂. But it was super fun and we saw a ton of miracles! And don't worry nothing bad happened the Lord protects his missionaries! We had a ton of lessons which was super cool and my favorite thing about serving in more sketchy or poor areas is that there's so many people who are humble, looking to change, and want the hope that God and Christ offer. It's so amazing being able to help bring them to Christ and find joy again! It was also a huge confidence booster for me and Elder Grantham with our Spanish! He's got one transfer less than me in the mission but the gift of tongues was definitely with us! We were able to have all of our lessons and contacts be a success with the language and even had a 30 minute conversation with a kinda crazy catholic grandma with a ton of questions 😂. It definitely helped me realize just how much my Spanish has grown and how many miracles are truly around us each day! Also had some fireeee carne asada tacos with the elders quorum which was so hype!

A lot of the rest of the week was spent trying to visit friends and call people to see who's really interested and try and narrow down our focus which has been super helpful. Member meals have been fire as always! Only had to give some foul soup to a stray dog once hahaha don't worry tho the member wasn't there it's fine 😂. On the plus side we got Chick-fil-a sauce one day which was soooo good.

Had some awesome lessons this week! We met with Tania and her boyfriend Jose  and had to lay down the law a little bit about the importance of marriage, hopefully they decide to get married so they can keep progressing! Keep them in your prayers if you don't mind! Also had some really good phone-calls with this dude named Erik who speaks super good English haha. When we first called him he asked if we could talk in English, Dominguez and I looked at each other and were like "oh here we go again" but then homie starts speaking in basically fluent English 💀 😂. He's super awesome tho! Definitely was wack teaching in English again haha but he loves all that we've taught and wants to get baptized! Only sad thing is he doesn't live in our area so we had to pass him off but all good the elders where he's at are studs!

We also met 2 really cool people this week, Adalberto and Eliset! They've had a crazy past and some wild experiences but they have a ton of faith in Christ and want to come closer to him! We were able to give them both blessings which helped them a ton and excited to help them keep progressing!

That's pretty much it for the highlights this week, love you all and hope you guys have a fantastic week! Let me know if there's anything I can do for you guys or if someone needs some extra prayers I gotchu! Thank you all for all the love and support they make such a difference! Hope you all have a great week and Les amo mucho!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Güero (white boy 😂) Mexicans here use this one instead of gringo usually haha but I get called this one like 5 times a day it always makes me laugh 😂.

Invitation of the Month: 30 Day Fast! I hope you all had a great fast Sunday yesterday and the chance to think of something you want to improve this month! Remember growth and change is a process so take it one day at a time and I promise the Lord will help you each day!

**Downtown San Luis**

**Fire Carne Asada**

**Sweet Bread & Chick-Fil-A peach shake juice**

Alex Mail 1-29-2024: "Same Area, New Comp!"

 

What's good everyoneeeeee!! Hope you all had a super fun week! This week was pretty crazy, we had a lot going on with transfers! We found out Tuesday night that Elder Sanchez was leaving to head to Aguascalientes and I'd be staying in Industrias! It's kinda funny, Elder Sanchez is now with Elder Horoba my MTC comp! But anyway, my new companion is Elder Dominguez and he's super awesome! He's from Dallas, Texas and is just like 2 months ahead of me in the mission.  His parents are both Mexican so he speaks super good Spanish! We're both pretty similar and it's nice to have someone who speaks fluent English but also is solid in Spanish! I'm super hyped for this transfer it's gonna be a good one!

Tuesday had one of the most wild lessons on my mission so far 😂. We were trying to teach our friend Tania but all at once during the lesson we had: a huge iguana on the loose in the house, 2 screaming toddlers, Tania's sister yelling at the toddlers, a crazy grandma trying to ask us questions about the Book of Revelation, and a crazy loud wood-saw in the background😂.  Let's just say I wasn't able to understand anything in Spanish and Sanchez had to carry for a bit 😂 but it ended up being a really good spiritual lesson by the end, so that was good!

Wednesday was my last full day with Elder Sánchez and we had an awesome lesson with our friend Gavi! She and her kids have been meeting with the missionaries for a while but this lesson we talked about baptism and she expressed a big desire to be baptized! We were able to set a date as a goal for her in a month and a half so hopefully we can keep helping her progress towards that special day! 

Thursday I spent the morning at the bus station dropping Sanchez off and waiting for Dominguez to arrive. After he got here we went out to the area and got to work! The rest of the week was mostly showing him around the area, introducing him to friends and ward members, and trying to just contact as many people as we could in public!

While it was pretty stressful at first, leading out the area haha, I actually saw so many miracles and the Lord helped me out a ton! It's been amazing to see how he's able to do his work through imperfect 19-year-olds, as we've just tried our best to give our all and trust in Him! I've been able to see that my Spanish is actually a lot better than I was giving myself credit for and I know that this is all because of my Savior's help! While it can definitely be scary at times to turn it all over completely to Him, I testify that as we trust in Him, He will not let us down nor leave us alone! He will always deliver!

Love you all and so grateful for all the prayers, love, and support it means the world! Hope you guys have a super awesome week and feel free to reach out anytime at all! Hasta luego!!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Planchar (To Chastise/Rebuke, To Iron) I love this word it's so funny to me that it's both to Chastise and to iron something 😂 people say it all the time and it makes me laugh a little every time.

Invitation of the Month: 30 Day Fast!! 

I know it's a little early, but I wanted to get it in before fast Sunday in February! This is something I heard about in DC and that I just started doing along with their mission! The main point is this upcoming fast Sunday, I invite you all to fast and pray with the desire to know of something that's poking at your spirit or keeping you from having the companionship of the Holy Ghost with you always! And then when you know what that is, write it down and covenant with the Lord to change for the next 30 days! Ask for His help every single morning and then reflect on how you did at night, and then change and improve the next day! I testify to you that if you will take this challenge seriously, it will change your life and invite so many blessings into your life! I'll attach the photos of the talk it’s based on below it's not too long so give it a read! You guys got this the Lord is waiting to bless every single one of us!

**New Comp Elder Dominguez!**

**Gorilla on a roof/Chick-Fil-A Sauce Hotdogs/ Oreo Donuts **

**Goodbye to Sanchez**

Alex mail 1-22-2024: "Don't Eat Liquor Chocolates!"

 

Howdy howdy how's everyone doing?? Hope you guys have all had a fantastic week! And if not I hope this week will be a lot better for you! Keep your head up and keep smiling! I heard it's been snowing a ton back home so enjoy it for me I'm jealous of all those snow days! This week we have transfers and we'll find out what's happening tomorrow! Crazy that I'm already done with my first transfer in Mexico it's gone by really quick! Just like all the mission haha but anyway here's the highlights from the week!

We've been grindinggg in the streets this week haha we did a ton of walking but it was worth it we saw a lot of miracles! On Tuesday we got to go to a new part of our area called Los Lagos that neither Sanchez nor I had been to We had a really cool lesson with our friend Ariel and taught him about the Book of Mormon! It's definitely a trip to get out there but it'll be so worth it if we can help him progress! On the way back home we had a miracle find with our new friend Cesear! His son is actually a member in our ward we didn't realize, haha, but we taught him about the Book of Mormon too and he loved it! So cool to see how the Spirit was directing us even though we didn't realize it at first!

Had another lesson with Esther this week and taught about the Plan of Salvation! It was really cool and the Spirit was super strong! It's my favorite to help people realize that they can live with their families for eternity, even after this life, especially when family is such a big deal her! Also had a lesson with Manuel from Uber and this dude is such a legend! He has loved everything we've taught him so far and wants he and his family to keep learning more! The only problem is he has to work a ton so he hasn't been able to come to church yet but, keep him in your prayers if you don't mind, because he really wants to!

Member meals continued to not disappoint this week! I think I ate the most amount of tacos I've ever eaten in one sitting this week 😂 not much you can do when they just keep whipping 'em up and they're super delicious haha. The title for this week is a pretty funny story from a member meal too haha. One day we visited a member real quick and they gave us chocolates and we ate 'em real quick not even thinking about it. However a few days later at a member meal I saw a chocolate I had eaten and told Elder Sanchez these ones were super good. He looked at me super weird and was like "Elder, this chocolate is made with liquor" 💀🤣   Let's just say I didn't even realize, and I was so confused why a member had given it to me hahaha. It literally just tasted like normal chocolate and nothing happened, so we're chillin' but it was definitely a hilarious moment haha. Now I know, be careful everyone don't accidentally eat liquor chocolate 😂 .

We had interviews with President on Friday which was so awesome as usual! I'm so grateful for President Webb and his example to me he is such an amazing man and leader! Super grateful for both Mission Presidents I've had, and the opportunity to talk with them 1-on-1 each transfer, and learn from them.  It's always really special! Also found a fireee bakery in our area that sells huge doughnuts for like $.60 US cents so let's just say, if I stay in this area I'll be hittin' that place up a lot next transfer 😂  

Church was awesome on Sunday! I've really grown to love church while on the mission, it's such a highlight of the week to be able to just slow down and focus on the Savior and be strengthened by the amazing members here! I invite you guys to really work to put an emphasis on making church special each week, I've definitely seen my relationship grow with my Savior because of it, and I've seen so many more miracles throughout the week and I know you guys will too! Love you all thanks for all the amazing support, love, and prayers it makes such a difference and I couldn't do this work without ya'll! Keep doing good and as always feel free to reach out if you need anything at all! Peace-out, see ya'll next week!

Love, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: La Gripa (The Cold) I heard this one a lot this week apparently it's cold season here too a lot of people are sick haha, it's funny the word gripa sounds a lot worse than what it actually is 😂 

Invitation of the Month: CHRISTLIKE ATTRIBUTES! How's the month been going so far? Any cool experiences or miracles you guys have seen from striving to be a little more like Christ? I'd love to hear about it if you guys have! And remember it's never too late to start! The Lord loves effort and each day all we need to do is strive to be a little more like him! We got this!

*Mexicoooooo /Poptarts my favoriteeee*

*Mexican Pillsbury doughboy /Bluey Cake*

*Fire & crazy cheap donut /Famous San Luis Enchiladas*

Alex mail 1-15-2024: "Gimme that green card!"

 

Gimme that green card!

Hi everyoneeeee! Hope ya’ll are all doing great and had an awesome week! This week I finally became a legal Mexican resident 😂  just kidding I was already legal but I got my residency green card for the year which is nice to have! We had to go into Aguascalientes for a few days for it which was an adventure! And even though we had a few less days in our area we were still able to have some awesome lessons and see some really cool miracles!

Had a lesson with our new friend Esther this week and she's amazing! She has 7 kids living with her but she's super excited to learn and we were able to talk about how the gospel has been restored and can bless our families! We also taught her about how we can truly talk with our Heavenly Father through prayer which was super cool to help her understand! Her family runs a taco, Quesadilla, and Gordita (fried Quesadillas) stand, and she took us over and gave us free food which was soooo good! The food has not been disappointing I'm loving it! The members and people here are taking good care of us its awesome!

Had another awesome lesson with our friend Julissa! She's so awesome and told us she's ready and excited to be baptized! We taught about the restoration and had a really spiritual talk about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, so cool! She's so awesome and I'm so inspired by her faith and desire to come closer to Christ!

Wednesday we actually had a member after lunch take us over to some of her extended family to do a quick lesson which was sick! These ladies were ramblerssss though I think Elder Sanchez and I said maybe 4 sentences the entire lesson 😂  but super cool to have that experience with a member, member referrals are the best! After the lesson we headed for the bus station in San Luis and took the 3-hour bus ride to Aguascalientes! The bus was actually super nice which was awesome to just chill for a bit and relax. When we got to Aguas we met up with the other missionaries and stayed with the mission secretaries. There were 11 of us in this one house and let's just say it was crazy crowded but super fun haha!

The next day was a grindddd tho haha. Got to the immigration office at 8:30 in the morning and saw my boy Elder Horoba! Super good to catch up with him! But then after that we sat around the office waiting for 8 hours 😭  if you thought the DMV in the US was slow, the Mexican government is so much worse, it was horrible. And then at 3:30 in the afternoon they came and told us we would have to come back the next day because they didn't have time 😭  even though there were 5 workers and no one else, but us hahaha. All good though got a ton of studies in and Elder Sánchez and I were able to have a really good phone-call with our friend Manuel about faith and the importance of church that night!

Next day we went back and waited for another 3 hours and then finally got my appointment! It was seriously like 5 minutes haha took my picture, got fingerprinted, and then signed some stuff but at least now I have my card! After Elder Sanchez and I went to a fireeee taco restaurant and then hopped on a bus back to San Luis! Definitely a crazy few days of traveling but glad that it all worked out! That night we had an awesome family home evening with a family in our ward and played Columbian sorry and had Columbian Quesadillas which were sooo good!

Saturday had the opportunity to give 2 blessings to some friends and giving blessings is my favorite! You can always feel the Spirit so strongly and so much of Heavenly Father's love for his children! I'm so grateful to live when God's Priesthood authority has been restored, to be worthy to hold it, and have it bless my life and the lives of others! We also were able to go to a baptism for our Zone Leaders and our friend Julissa came! So awesome that she could come and see what a baptism is like and she's so excited for hers! Hopefully within the next month or so!

Church was awesome on Sunday we were able to have a few friends come and I'm amazed at people's faith and willingness to come and see! I love the Spirit we can feel during church and I'm definitely trying to make the Sacrament and church each Sunday such a special part of my week, I invite ya’ll to do the same!

And last but not least... I GOT A GUITAR! I'm super excited big shout out to my amazing parents who got me such an awesome birthday gift! I'll throw some pics in down at the bottom don't worry 😏 

I hope you all have a fantastic week! You guys are all so awesome and I'm so grateful for all the love and support I receive! You all help me so much more than you could ever know and so if you need anything at all don't be afraid to reach out, I gotch-u and I know our Savior has got you too! Love ya’ll see ya next week!

Con mucho amor, Elder McDonald

Word of the Week: Guitarra (Guitar!) Had to do it haha if you've got any tips for me send ‘em my way!

Invitation of the Month: CHRISTLIKE ATTRIBUTES! This week I want to focus on hope! I listened to a great talk by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and he talked about how even though there is so many crazy things in the world today, we can still have so much hope for a brighter future because of our savior Jesus Christ! How can you exercise more hope this week?

**Gimme that Green Card**

**Amazing food / Planchitas Restaurant**

**Columbian "Sorry Game" / $1.50 Huge Ice Cream / My dawg Elder Horoba / Mermaidman & Barnacle Boy!**

**La Guitarra 🔥"