More photos…these made me smile… two of his favorite passions…  legos and drawing.

  I love the batman missionary!  Miss this kid!

Here's some photos of our favorite missionary.

and the many funny faces he pulls…

Those who seek to help and those who seek to destroy. 11/19/13

so last saturday was an eventful day. first off we had a baptism! and it went exactly how a baptism should go... quiet, awkward, and full of problems. so first off only about 12 people total showed up, the person getting baptised couldn't find a baptismal garment that fit, and we forgot the cookies, many more things happened but in the end we were able to recover the cookies in time and she was happily baptised. so yeah our baptisms arn't huge and glorious and full of shouting praises and shooting off fireworks, thats not what its all about. no matter how awkward or how few are there, the spirit is there, after all the scriptures say when two or three are gathered in christs name he will be there too.

now for the other thing that happened on saturday, we were teaching someone the missionaries had been seeing for a while, but it was obvious she was aiming to prove us wrong rather than hear our message. she would ask us every single question known to anti-mormon kind, and she would laugh at what we were answer, literally laugh, specifically at me. she made me feel pretty dumb, and  she was insulting basically everything we stand for... so we left and i was pretty hurt, kinda had tears in my eyes... okay i was crying... when we got back to the apartment i went to my bed and said a pretty long prayer, asking for heavenly fathers comfort especially, mainly because "i need thee every hour" was playing in the background ( i really think god uses music to send a small message sometimes) but when i finished my prayer i remembered the letter i just got in the mail from my family. i had plenty of opportunities to read it but i just kept getting the feeling i ought ot read it later. so i opened it having that faith that it was what i needed to hear, and i started reading a really awesome letter from my mom that was just full of compliments about me. they call the holy ghost the comforter but sometimes a mother just knows how to make you feel better. now i have all the faith in the world that everything happened happened for a reason, and even though i was called an idiot, the entire experience brought me closer to god.

and thats all it was, one small trial that will fade away in the long run. that same day we had a baptism, an awesome lesson with a new investigator, and then another amazing lesson with another new investigator! so to let one small bad thing ruin three wonderful events is just silly. stubbing your toe should not ruin your entire day, and someone call you an idiot and making fun of what you stand for should not ruin your existence for time and eternity, it just doesnt make sense that it would.

so thats my week, one day of it sure, but the other days were just full of good lessons and basically good days.

anyway love you all, take care!!
Elder Macdonald


MOM's side of the story:

about two weeks ago… I woke up in the middle of the night…  couldn't go back to sleep.   was missing my boy, so I decided to get up and write him a letter.  I had planned on it being a short letter… and then I would go back to bed.  Since it was November, and we had been writing the gratitude letters, I decided to tell him all the things about him that I am thankful for… it turned into a five page letter of me reminding him of all his strengths and wonderful attributes, and his testimony.  The words just flowed, and I thought… wow… this is a five pager that just flew by.  Then it dawned on me, that he had been transferred, and I couldn't mail it until the next week, because I didn't have his new address.  Frustrated, I went back to bed.  I mailed it about five days later, as soon as I got the new address.  I guess there had to be that delay.  

The Lord's timing never ceases to amaze me.  I think I could write a book about it…  He is right on time… every time and just in time.  

New Town and New Companion 11/12/13

so i've made it to clarksville, and let me tell you it is awesome here. i've personally experienced the beauties of southern hospitality!! on sunday we had dinner at a house with like 20 people in it, it was like a family reunion haha.
there are so many people to teach out here too, and people call out to us all the time with questions. its pretty fun here let me tell yah. i'm excited to stay here for a while. i'll get to have thanksgiving with these people, i'm going to gain so much weight haha..... shoot

my new companion's name is elder C, and he's awesome. he's a convert to the church... sort of, he was less active until he was twelve and then decided for himself to be baptized. kind of a flag carrier so to say. he's been out for a little over a year and he's learned a lot, we have a lot of the same interests so we've already had plenty of fun conversations. this will be a pretty fun transfer.

anyway, i challenge you all to ask yourself if you have a conversion story. find it, we all have one, know your origin because its usually a given moment when you are converted to the gospel.

alright, gotta go only 4 minutes left on my computer time!!

love you all!
Elder Mac

     

Rain, Transfers, and Testimonies 11/4/13

alright, first things first. last monday it was pouring rain and we had to get to the church for district meeting, so we biked through the flooding rain. we got drenched, we got soaked, and we were laughing the whole way (at least i was)

when we got to the church we had to take off our socks because they were sopping wet, so we had district meeting in bare feet .... ha....
anyway it stunk, but we got through it. Lesson learned? well.... i've been told if you tract in the rain your wife will be a lot better looking, so since i biked through a flood my wife will be a super model, ha kidding.... we missionaries have to have some kind of humor right?

alright next part, last saturday we had transfer calls and I'm getting sent to the middle of no where to a place called clarksville. i have a car now so guess i gotta drive again! i haven't driven a car in like 5 months..... i'm going to die....

i will miss centerton, i really will, its been so good for me. I'm for sure leaving it better than i found it, the ward it working hard now to be a part of the work, we get referrals all the time, its awesome.

last sunday, i wasn't sure if i should bear my testimony or not, i know its a time for the members not the missionaries, so i prayed and asked if i should. low and behold the bishop when he found out i was leaving asked if i would bear my testimony, so that was my answer.

and let me tell you, yes i got to say what i wanted to say, and it might of helped someone sure. but when i bore my teistomony, at the end i had made my own epiphany, at the end of my testimony i had said a few words that i had not thought of before. I have no need to tell you them because they were meant for me and those who heard me, also because i'd have to explain a lot in order to explain what it was i said.... anyway. One thing i learned from teaching myself is that the holy ghost WILL talk through you when you bear your testimony for the right reason. Thats how it works, thats the only way it works.

coolest part was when i finished, one of our less actives went up and bore his testimony for the first time in 20 years, it was a good testimony :)

anyway, i'm off to nowheresville
love you all DONT SEND ME ANYTHING UNTIL NEXT WEEK
i'll post the new address next monday if i can

Love you all
Elder Mac

   

A few lessons, but many opportunities 10/28/13

so the last two weeks were good, we got a good amount of lessons. but..... this week we only had 1 a day (two on saturday) so it was pretty depressing all week. and it wasn't that we didn't have plans for more lessons its just that, people canceled on us all week. but the lessons we had were not the ones we planned, in fact the people we taught we always taught because we caught them at the right place at the right time. every single lesson was like that, and every single lesson was very strong. so sure we didnt meet our quota but we sure did let the spirit guide us. we taught who the spirit told us to teach and because of it we have opportunities to teach them again. we made progress.not much else to report this week, we're carving a pumpkin today, should be fun. we cant do anything for halloween we have to be in early that night! oh well, guess we'll party that night! love you all! i read 2nd nephi 31-32 a couple times this week, i challenge you all to do the same.

happy halloween

love you all

Elder Macdonald

So it's been a pretty good week for me...

Everyday we get up, eat breakfast, and study scriptures. I have been working on figuring out the timeline of the Book of Mormon.  I'll first admit that I knew basically nothing about what happened when and where but now I have a much better grasp on the Book of Mormon. I often use the stories I study when I'm teaching people.

last sunday was pretty great we got most of the p family to come to church, i had to tell people to go talk to them thought discretly of course. they need friends in the church because elder w and i aren't going to be here forever...

anyway we were so fortunate last sunday because we got the "perfect" topic. yes the one day we get l and j and d into the gospel principles class we get the tithing lesson. nothing better than telling investigators that they need to pay money to join the church. i was throwing a lot of comments into the lesson like we give 10% of our income, which doesn't just mean our money, it means our time, our work. i also talked about where the money goes, its doesnt go to any specific person but to the needs of the church FOR the people of the church and those who need aid. it was good though because i was really able to talk to d about it, turns out his preacher has the exact same standards as our leaders, only take 10% and only use it for the church, his preacher has a job for his own expenses, just like our bishops, i think d is seeing the church as more than just mormons and our book.

anyway, life is good down in in the arkansas, i talk with our investigators everyday, not just the p family.  i see them everyday but we usually talk to a couple other investigators less actives and recent converts, we have a pretty big list of them, i've been really praying for another progressive though. i'm just dying to get in the deep teachings like i did in the MTC, but they'll come when they'll come. I just gotta stay faithful and obedient!

oh one more thing, i'm suppose to be watching those new videos on lds.org, im also suppose to challenge members to watch them so that means everyone who reads this email, so get watchin! they're actually pretty awesome.

alrighty this emails long enough for a good reading. got to get back to the work

-Elder Macdonald