Thriller, imaginary clapping, and ward parties are the BEST!

You start to screeeaam... THRILLLER THRRILLLLER yayaya.

So that is almost appropriate because tomorrow is October and also because Michael Jackson’s Thriller is playing right now in the internet cafe. Love that Mexicans love MJ. Makes Lunes a little bit funner.

Well, another great week passed its way. I really enjoyed it... It had some twists and turns, which made for some interesting stories, but all in all it was just another week in the life as a Mexican missionary.

#beachboysrightnowareswinging #igetaround

Okay. So I will just jump to the juicy baptism story. Well actually I need to fill you in to let you know how we had a baptism this weekend. Okay. FINE. I’ll say it. So you know how we were four missionaries in Quetzal? Well we aren’t anymore. Elder de la Cruz got really sick on Sunday and then on Monday he was rushed to the hospital and got surgery for appendicitis. So after his operation I guess something ruptured and what he has now is called peritonitis and it is super dangerous and sketchy so just please remember ELDER DE LA CRUZ in your prayers (mom leave his whole name so people can pray for him) and ya. Just do it. I don’t know if he will be able to work for a few weeks or if he will just go home. So they had a baptism planned for this weekend and we had to finish teaching him and get him prepared for everything because they weren’t able to teach all week. The investigators name is A.! He is an old man and is just wonderful. He was Elder W.’s best friend and just was so excited and ready to get baptized. I guess he has three kids. One is a Mormon and her kids are all in our ward. They served missions and are super great. The other sons he has are Christians and put a bunch of ideas in his head about the Mormons and I guess a few weeks ago he totally changed his mind about baptism. But the Elders worked with him really well and helped him truly pray to receive his answer. Well he received his answer and decided to be baptized! So he was going to get baptized on Saturday but then we realized that is was the Women’s General Conference and so he decided to wait so that more people could come and attend the baptism. So then he decided to do it Sunday after church... I told him that he would have to wait two weeks to get confirmed as a member and receive the Holy Ghost because new converts have to wait to be confirmed in Sacrament Meeting. It is a rule. But he was good with it and was fine with waiting two weeks, since we have General Conference next week. So we had the baptism and it was super beautiful. I sang a hymn for him after the ordinance and I could just see him tearing up from everything that had happened and where he was now. So that was great to see the spirit touch him immediately. But right after the song, the counselors came in and were like "hey we just got permission from the Bishop to give him the Holy Ghost" and I was like uhhhh........ Elder W. and I looked at each other like "is this allowed?????" and we just felt super awkward because its not like we could’ve just stood up and yelled "WE REJECT" in the middle of the baptism. So we just let it happen.... and so yeah it happened. Later that day when we were reporting numbers to our District Leader, the Zone Leader was like freaking out and got mad at me because I let it happen. So I am a little bit worried what President will say. I emailed him today and told him the story. I am expecting a call soon..... hahaha. Eeep. Hopefully he doesn’t buy my ticket home. 

I will let you know what happens with that situation. We have other baptisms planned for October 12th and I am stoked. They are both older men and they are so ready and have such strong testimonies. One came to the baptism and was like clapping during the baptism and it was hilariously awk because everyone was like "who is this old guy?" haha so I had to explain it to him that we try to be reverent in church and in baptisms... So we do imaginary clapping. He was down with that. Then his son finally came to church and is suddenly getting super interested in the Restoration and everything. He is loving it and I am sure that once he comes to church again we will put a baptism date down for him. Four more weeks... Hopefully he can come!! 

We taught another new group of people this week. One is a young couple with two young sons. They are super great and just need the Gospel in their life. The mom wants her sons to have a good example and direction in their life. So CHURCH IS JUST PERF. Haha. Her husband had actually talked to the missionaries earlier in his life when he lived in the US and loves what we teach. I think NOW is his time. But first we have to get them married. I think they have money so that shouldn’t be a problem! #icanhearthebellsbby

Another new guy we are teaching is the boyfriend of a young 17 year old girl in our ward. He is super intelligent and receptive to the lessons. Like sometimes it is rare to find someone that actually can repeat what we say back to us. And he CAN. I was like so impressed and just so happy that he was catching on so quickly. He is golden. In the end we asked if he had questions and he was just like "no, that was really clear and just makes so much sense to me!". Hopefully he will find time to come to church. He says he has lots of homework... but let’s be real? Haha jk. 

OMG AHHAHAHA I FORGOT. We had a "Noche Mexicana" this week with the ward and it was HILARIOUS AND SO PERFECT. Like ward parties are just they best.. In ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD. So awkward and perfect. This was Mexican themed and all the little cute kids danced Mexican dances and it was so funny and hilarious to watch them. Some were really good and others were just those cute kids that you see in dance recitals that do what ever the heck they want. Or they just can’t dance and fall. All in all it was a success. Except for they started two hours early so we had to leave super fast so we would get home by 9 o clock (which is our curfew here) without trouble. (Later we watched videos of all of our wardies dance together and I peed.) Everyone made their Mexican Independence dishes and they are soo rico. Loaded with mayonnaise and cheese and chile. Pozole, Pombasos, and then like 50 other things. We grabbed all we could fit in our hands and ran to the street to try and grab a taxi so we could get home on time. #taxisarecool

We had a Zone Conference on Wednesday and I was in charge of teaching time. I got super nervous but I think it went pretty well. Whatever. I learned a lot from President that night. I love that man!

Love you guys so much. I am freaking out that it is almost October. GENERAL CONFERENCE. I've been here for more than 6 months. I have 8 months in total. Why so quick, time? I am glad to know all is well where you guys are. 

Con Amor,

Elder Macdonald

Oh yeaaa!

Dance, children

More

The man who makes taco magic. CHUCHO.

The whole fam! SO HAPPY. TRUST ME. HE IS HAPPY.

The cuttest kids. They are my Mexican Ethan and Lucy.

Birthday wishes, the 4th Missionary, and talking in our sleep

First of all I just want to wish a happy birthday to two of my best friends! Elder Nate Tingey and Hermana Macck Parry. I love them both so much and just think its plain wierd that they turned twenty.... because that means in three months I will be twenty. WIERD. I hope they both had a great birthday.

Anyways. This week was super great. Almost everyday was just perfect... but then we had a day when practically NO ONE WAS HOME and it was super stressing but its a learning process... obviously. 

So this week I had my cold still - well it was more like a cough - and everyone here just wanted to help me get rid of it. So I was offered quite a few medications and ALOT of injections... Hahaa. Everyone here just injects if they are sick. THATS ALL. Because once they do it, they "dont get sick" which is super great. So everyone in mexican injects it. hahahah. I sadly had to refuse because before we take or do anything we have to call the Hermana Valadez so she can give us the diagnosis. So yaa. Too bad... no injections for me. haha. But its fine, because my cough went away.

Something else that happened. Haha okay soo my landlords own a restraunt right outside our house in like an open room and every morning he plays really good music. Like its always old classics, for example, the beatles. And it is always super great background music because i appreciate it but I can still focus in my studies...But one morning he decided to play the new album of Micheal Buble!!! I seriously was having a convulsion because I never thought I would be tempted to listen to the whole Buble Album during my personal study. The music was beautiful and I loved it so much. But I feel bad because for 40 minutes I couldnt focus on my personal sudy... it was bad. But it is pretty funny that I heard his whole new album in Mexico City for heavens sake. I definitely liked his songs though...

Okay so to the missionary work of the week. 

I read a talk that a friend suggested to me and it changed my life. It seriously is such a great reminder of the kind of missionary I truly want to be. It is entitled "The Fourth Missionary". It is a talk by a Mission President years back that he gave to his missionaries. He talks about the four different types of missionaries that we could be. The first two are disobedient, and after the mission they have to suffer from the knowledge that they have wasted precious time. The good that they would have done goes undone because they decided to be focused in themselves the whole time. The saddest part is that they go through their mission completely unchanged. Then he talks about the third missionary who is obedient, worthy, does his duty, but his withholds his heart from the Lord. In the end, the third missionary has success, enjoys the spirit, has faith in Jesus Christ, but unfortunately goes unchanged. Then he focuses on how one can be the fourth missionary. The Fourth Missionary is obedient and worthy, and does so with complete and total surrender to the Lord. He consecrates himself in charity and his predominant desire is to do what the Lord wants him to do. In the talk he reminds us that our greatest work and most important creation in this life is and will ever be US. We are truly the only person we can change. Change is key to this life. He said "to believe that weakness and deficiencies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the plan of salvation... you are always changing". Jesus Chrsit commanded us to change even as He. So through our life on this earth is it our opportunity to learn and experience this change first hand. As we confront challenges by responding and applying the teachings of Christ in our life we are changed to become more like him. It is inevitable. Each time we respond and choose to follow Christ we are moving forward to assimilate attributes of light. The real problem and lack of change in the first three missionaries is that they don't believe in themselves. They don't really believe they can be changed through Jesus Christ. Also when we serve without charity it doesn't profit us anything. We don't change. "The purpose and central blessing of life is change. It is to be changed to become more like Jesus Christ. It is to incorporate into your character, the qualities of His character. It is to move from one degree of intelligence and capacity to the next, and from there to the next, until you see God face to face and know Him as He knows you."  I am not trying to diss missionaries that arent the fourth, I have just have a self reflexcion of who I am right now and what I need to do to become the Fourth Missionary. It is really interesting because being the Fourth Missionary is the easiest choice because it is just giving up the giving all you have to God. So if I have problems doing that, I know the problem is within me. The mission is a process and and great opportunity to change. My time is ticking away and it worries me because I just get stressed with deadlines and perfection.... but I just need to trust in the Lord that he will make me who I need to be by the time my mission is over if I just surrender my will to His. So I think I will try to do that a little more each day. This week I noticed a change in the quality and quantity of Spirit I felt this week as I made a conscious effort to be more submissive. 

So about our investigators.... Well we don't have too many and it is hard. Hahaha. But we have the great Grammy and Pops that I love visiting. They love us to come over and are always like why can't you just come today and we have to explain that we have citas. Ahh. But Gramps will be baptized in October. He just has to attend church 2 more times!!! WOOOOHOOOOO. His wife is slowly but surely getting a testimony of the Restoration. She made such a long and great comment in Principios del Evangelio this week in church and it was so cute to see her participation. The other investigators we have are just not progressing and I am just praying to find new people. Slowly we are finding new people to teach. The great thing about this ward is the members. We have so many hermanas that want to come help us with our lessons and it is so great. I LOVE when members come with us because they are such better teachers than me and I learn so much from them. One in particular is la Hermana L. She and her husband and children were baptized thirteen years ago in the church. They were sealed exactly a year after. Then about a year and a half ago her husband unexpectadly passed away and left his wife and two daughters. One daughter was on the mish.... Well his wife is one powerful woman with her testimony. She is like 40 something and is preparing to serve a mission! Haha I LOVE HER. She would be such a great comp if you ask me. So I hope she gets called in a field mission. She just reminds me of what true charity is and her strength through all of her hard trials comes from the power of the Atonement. She is a living testimony of that. I just can't wait for mom to meet her if she is still here when you guys come down! 

So the rain had come in and not let out for like ever. One because it is rainy season and two because of the hurricanes in Mexico. So it was cray cray Thursday and Friday. But now it is hot again and I am so confused with weather. But I got the package. The sweaters and bag work great. I found out that Pres probably won't change the rule anymore for our mission.... HAHAH but I love you mom for being so diligent in finding and sending me a side bag. I like it more anyways so it's all good. 

Well my comp and I are weird and sleep talk together and it is weird. Hahaha. One night he was like yelling at me in Spanish and I woke up and just told him to shut up because I was cold and tired and miserable. Hahaha. Then the other night I guess I was yelling at him in my sleep saying "GET THAT DOG MEAT OFF OF MY PLAAATTTEEE!!!" and he apologized. Haha. Then we fell asleep while we were watching the district (we are addicts #mishprobs) and I woke up to big crashes on the tile because he was trying to put the tv on our night stand in the dark but he just dropped it and it made my alarm clock fall and break and I guess I was asleep and got really vicious with him. Hahaha. But mom, you know how I get when I am sleeping... All is good in our companionship. We get along super well. He made pancakes this morning because I guess I am bad at making them. Haha. 

We have a crazy hermano in our ward who, during his sacrament talk, made everyone get up from their seats and move to the front and then made people talk from the congregation and it was super uncomfortable. Gotta love Mexico. I sure do. 

LOVE YOU ALL OKAY

CON AMOR,

Elder Macdonald

Eating burgers at the Bishops

We found Herby the Love Bug

He likes bugs

Fiesta, Grace, and THANKS Patriarch Higginson!

Alrighty I guess I will write something now. I was lazy and read all of my emails first and now I am tired and want to fall asleep. But you know what? I will write you something...

Okay so this week was pretty fun and good and went fast. Last night was like the fourth of July for Mexico so I kept like having spaz attacks when I would hear fireworks going off and everyone just laughed at me because I am "that" gringo. I KNOW OKAY. 

So first... what happened. OHYAH. Okay so Tuesday we ate with the Modern Family and I was like woohooo. And since this week was a holiday week everything was super festive and hilarious. Also it was my comps birthday Sunday so this family went all out for us and we had an authentic Mexican Fiesta. It was funny. I have pictures with lots of big sombreros and cake and stuff. hahah this family makes me laugh all the time. Seriously. I just die and they are like "what's so funny?" and I am like "YOU". And they just take it as a compliment - I hope. It is hilarious because they have their neighbor who also got baptized with them (a 17 year old boy) and he just hangs out with them all the time. Mainly with the mom of his bff. And they had this really funny story Sunday when they went to a supermarket to find a missionary that is going home this week to say goodbye. So they were there like waiting in the parking lot and this random woman comes and starts talking to them about all of her problems. Like weird problems with family members throwing knives at her and being possessed by the devil and just strange things. So O. was like like uhhhh WHO ARE YOU and M. has this great idea to bring up the church and have a missionary opportunity. TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR. And so she starts talking about how she really just needs to start praying to her Padre Celestial and start mending her relationship with Him. And she invited her to come to our church and listen to the missionaries. So then to introducee the church she called it La Iglesia de los Santos de los Ultimos Siete Dias.............. (The Church of the Saints of the Last Seven Days) JAJAJAJaaaa. And O. was like AYYY M. and then told the woman what the church is actually called annd I was like crying tears of joy and laughter. I was so happy and proud of M. (a recent convert) for trying to do her best and invite someone to church. What a cute attempt. And then O. saved the day and told the lady all of the right stuff. Hahaha they are just so great. Apparently the first time M. prayed she started it off with "Buenos Tardes" and the other companionship started busting up laughing and it was super awk. But now they laugh about it and are just good members that are trying to do the right thing. Gramps didn't come to church so we have to put his date a little bit later. But he will get baptized soon. No worries. Gramms was sick this week and I didn't get to see her. 

So we had our interviews with President this week and it was a super good chat we had. We started the interview with one of my "favorite scriptures" and I was like ahhh i don't do good with spontaneaty Pres but I found one that I really liked. It was Moroni 10:32-33. It talks about the Grace of Christ being sufficient for us when we do our very best. It was a really good thing to talk about. I love thinking about the Atonement because it reminds me that I am really not worth anything without Christ.... But with Christ I can be worth a whole lot! I just have to choose. Through my personal devotion to Christ I receive his Grace and his Grace is sufficient to help me where I am weak. Which is like everywhere. But it's all good. It was also an interesting thing to see that Christ was faithful to every single covenant he had with God. And that's where Christ got all of his strength. It is a perfect model for us. We can really be so strong through our personal humility and submission to the will of God. Because when we do that.... well we recieve the strength from the Atonement, we receive blessings from God, and we see the love of Christ in our life. It was interesting and I will study it more later. President and I have a good relationship so I am grateful for that. He also said my Spanish has improved alot because I speak alot more fluent than I did in our last interview. haha. He also told us to look for a new house because our house it like death. So I was like OK.

We are going to baptize a great guy named J. D. There were problems because he basically lives where he works which is in our area. Like he legit has a bedroom and a bathroom and stays there sometimes. But his family lives outside of our area. But he is never home so he can't be taught there. So we have to teach him. We got permission to baptize him and take his office and the address in the ward registry. So that'll be great. He is a large man so I hope we can find a member to baptize him. I have a legit phobia of not being able to pick my investigators back out of the water. This phobia needs to be treated. Haha but I LOVE HIM and he is progressing and so stoked to be baptized. I really think he is in the mafia though. I think it adds character. It will add alot to the ward. Haha.

SPEAKING OF THE WARD. Like no one attends. There were like 40 people there and I was like UHHHHH WHAT THE HECK. It worried me. I spoke about missionary work and connected it to the atonement to pump up the members and I think it worked. I really do love them all so much but they just need to help us a little bit more and be more excited about the work. If the members aren't helping the missionaries... well the ward won't grow. SO HELP THE STINKIN' MISSIONARIES. 

Okay so about the package. It has arrived but I haven't gone to pick it up yet, and because it contains food I am really stressed that they have already thrown it away because it has been 5 days today but it was closed because it is a Holiday so we couldn't go to pick it up and I am like NOOO that had important things in it. So we will go tomorrow and if they say they threw it away, well I will just offer to go dumpster diving. I have done it before, and I WILL do it again. 

I also got a GREAT PACKAGE from Patriarch Higginson and just to let you know it was like my favorite letter and package EVER. I love you Patriarch Higginson and your family. Seriously. Love the tie- and love the letter. I can tell that you put much thought into it. So perfect. SO THANKS. Love yaaa!

Umm you guys should send me a voice recorder because I went to Walmart today to find one and they didn't sell them. That was my only hope. So just find a cheap one. And send it whenever you want. PS I also watched the District in Portuguese and I was like HAHAHA OMG I AM FLUENT IN PORTUGUESE TOOO haha. Not really. But I did understand like 60% of it and I was like HAAA I'M SO SMART.  But not really. I decided it is a weird mix of French and Spanish. And I wanna learn French after the mission so I think I will be fluent in 4 languages some day. So that's funny a little. Maybe I will just learn all languages. I wanna learn Hebrew too so I can study the Bible in Hebrew someday and find secrets and be super intelligent. Just a thought. Well I think that is all. This took forever and I am exhausted. jk. It is raining still and WON'T STOP. I think the sky is leaking just like my house. It is rude. 

Oh yeah we ate a BUTTLOAD yesterday since it was a holiday and it was just really amazing food. Pozole and other stuff. Look up Pozole and make it. It is yummy. Okay. LoVE yaa

Me aman,

Elder Macdonald

Mexican Fiesta and a birthday.

Blowing out the birthday Snow White candle

More fiesta photos

Mi Comp

More comps

The best free tacos ever. SO GOOD. 

We are all children of a Great Dad

WELL I'M IN QUETZAL.

Okay, first wanted to say that I really came into this change thinking I would hate the area because Elder W. struggled with it for the first two transfers, but then I realized that I hated my area for the first little while too and then I started to love it just like he did. So all of my opinion was invalid and my area is great! It is all city this time. No more mountains for meee.... But hey, I got to experience it all. The house is pretty foul and I might get diseases from it, but its hauntingness is growing on me. I am getting used to it. We cleaned it all wonderfully this morning and I bought a toilet seat, so it feels like home. The only downside is that whenever it rains (WHICH IS EVERY DAY) it floods the house and it stresses me out. The house is trying my patience. But I won't let it be a distraction. hahaha. Plus the house has more than 8 years of being a missionary house so it has a certain charm to its name. Even though it wouldn't be legal if the President knew what condition it was in.... Don't worry. All is well in Quetzal. I will attach pictures of the house to this email.

Although I was sad about leaving the amazing people in La Noria, I am really just so blessed to know that there are amazing people in ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD. I mean, HELLO, we are all children of a great Dad. So I really am content. I have also felt a lot of love from the members. We have a member family that lives right around the corner and they have a water purifying factory in their house so we get our water from them for FREE. Its like I am back in the states. hahaha. They are great, have lots of trials, but their trials are making them stronger. I am so lucky to get time to get to know them and help/serve them whenever I can. They have offered their house to us whenever we need something.

It is really cool being able to go to an area where one of my best friends just left off. Elder W. did such a great job in this area and the people loved him so much. He also talked me up big time and I might kill him for that. They always tell me funny stories about him and they love that we are friends. I can also call him whenever I need to to figure something out about the area or the people... Except for our phone is broken and we can't see anything on the screen. He kind of left me with the best conditions one could ask for - the house, the phone... Haha. He's great.

Okay so there is this family here that I am definitely going to make a TV show about... Oh wait - it has already been made... MODERN FAMILY. Like this is my legit Modern Mexican Family. They are SOOO HILARIOUS I love them so so so so so ssoso much. Elder W. and his other comps baptized half the family and I get to work with the other half. I am left with teaching the grandma and grandpa. Okay so gramps is the happiest person you ever did see. He laughs at everything and always just gives you the biggest hug. ALWAYS. He is like a Pixar character. And this week we put a fecha bautismal for him this month! He is so excited to get baptized. haha. The grandma is probably the BIGGEST character ever. She is so sassy and so great. She LOVES  missionaries so much. BUT she is so so so Catholic and doesn't want to pick a date yet but she knows she will get baptized sometime soon. She always grabs my cheeks and tells me how cute I am. She fights with the whole family because she likes being the boss. So there is always some sort of hilarious argument going on. She speaks so nasally too so it just makes it that much better. She always tells the grand daughter to get her hair out of her face and the grand daughter is just as sassy back to her so it is just so funny seeing how wonderful families can be when they argue. hahaha. Also the grandma can't hear very well so I am literally screaming to teach her and it is hard to pronounce things and scream at the same time so the whole family is trying to help me and everyone is screaming at the same time so I just give up and start laughing. Hahaha. They love being LOUD. I would fit right in. The grandma also laughs and is really funny. She really has a great sense of humor and I didn't know that was possible for someone of her age. Haha. So when she starts laughing I do too. We have to remind her the right way to pray every time because she is always chanting in the background or standing up and shouting and everyone is so ready to tell her to stop. It is so great. One day she will learn. She came to a really great stake conference this past Sunday and I think she felt the spirit. We eat with them Tuesday. PARTAY.

The other people we are teaching I still don't know very well because I have only taught them like once. One girls name is Eleanor Rigby. She is super great and speaks English. Another guy is definitely in the mafia but I mean, we all have got to make a living - right? More... well I can't really remember. But its fine, next week I will remember.

So it legit rains every day and my shoes are permanently soaked and it is super annoying. I might be getting sick because of it... ALSO The area was just split into two and so we are also helping two other missionaries learn their area which is the hilly part of our area. One is from Peru and one is from Mexico. I really like them both a lot and they are just great. My companion is Elder W. and he is just great! We get along great. It is hard because I am finishing his training after the first six weeks with the amazing Elder W., that I can't even compare to, so I hope he still likes me. Haha. We have a very similar sense of humor, but we are SUCH different people. He refuses to move out of the house and didn't want me to buy a toilet seat. But we have learned to compromise. Hahaha. All is well. This kid is great and is learning a lot really quickly.

Anything else? Oh yeah every Friday night we get tacos free from a great guy. It is a tradition in this area. He literally makes the best tacos ever. The best thing too is that his taco stand is so clean and he is a clean freak so I just trust his tacos so much. Half of his family are members. He really makes some of the most amazing meat I have every tasted. I am super excited to bring you guys his one Friday night and let you feast on these AMAZING tacos. His name is C. Haha it's just perfect. #tacosur I THINK THIS IS ALL OKAY.

Love you all so much. Thanks for all of your prayers. Keep it going well family and friends. It is crazy that people are getting married and stuff, but I guess that's life. Haha life is weird. But its so great. Mission life is sooooo tiring but it is SOOO worth it.

Sigan adelante...

Con Amor,
Elder Macdonald
 

These are fried grasshoppers. I was so close to eating one.. But then I thought...

 

TRAINING A KILLER DOG

Part of this wonderful family I was telling you about.

Mi compa and the wonderful family

this loverly piece of house....

Imagine that toilet with a seat now. ahhh yea.

The bedroom. Lots of nightmares.

Changes and members are the key

TRANSFERS

Ugh. I am being transfered out of my area... and as much as I understand that it is an opportunity to be better, grow, and change.... I just don't want to leave. I really just started to feel comfortable here and gained such a love for the people I am teaching as well as the members. ALSO my investigators are really starting to progress! But I don't get to stay here for their baptisms. I have to leave and start all over again. hahaha. I feel like this always happens. I am mainly so sad because of yesterday. It was a miracle. We had four investigators come to church with us that hadn't come yet in these 6 weeks. So I was just so so so so so happy because it was just amazing to see them come in and have members literally run to them and make them feel so loved. It was fast and testimony meeting and the nine year old daughter of N. went up to BARE HER TESTIMONY. Yes she bore her testimony her first day at church. I am pretty sure I never bore my testimony in church for like 17 years. She was so cute and was like so grateful to the "mormones" because they teach about God and it makes her feel good and happy. It was adorable and I was like freaking out because it was so great for her mom to see her daughter be such a strong spirit. Her mom was like tearing up the whole day in church and she was just beaming and said she would come next Sunday too. H. was the other woman that came with her son J. This week we had went to teach H. with a member and she immediately felt so loved and so excited to be "Mormona". She said being mormon was for her!! She was convinced. So this Sunday she came and just felt such a love in the Capilla and felt soo included by all of the amazing members. Her son was herded off by the young men and it was just so amazing to see the members flock to the investigators and make them truly feel at home. MEMBERS are seriously the key. Besides feeling the spirit (which is the most important), the members are probably the next most powerful thing to truly lead someone to baptism. If they don't feel comfortable in the ward, don't have friends to connect with, or just feel awkward... there is a good chance that they won't want to come back. But when the members do the fellowshipping, all the rest falls into place. So really. I encourage all the members to go with the missionaries to appointments when they invite you... maybe even tell the missionaries you are willing to go, and if you do that you will make a huge difference in someone's life. Members are where the power is. 

So yeah I am bummed because I am going to miss ANOTHER STUPID WEDDING and like 5 baptisms. I worked my butt off these past six weeks to baptize investigators in my second transfer here. But I don't get my second transfer here.... BUT at least I left the area off stronger than when I left it. I really do feel like some of these folks are family so I can't wait to visit them with my real family in 17 months. Isn't that crazy that I have 7 months...? I am really confused and feel like I just completed 6 months. Time flies, I suppose. I am also bummed to leave Elder R. because we really became such good friends and we were so excited for another transfer together. But whatever... He is going to TRAIN. hahahaa. He is so great. 

I am going to an Area called Quetzal. This area is where Elder W. (from the MTC)  is right now and I am going to take his SPOT. haha we were talking on the phone last night and he was so excited that I am going to love all the same people that he loves. Haha. He is awesome. But yeah this area is pretty ghetto, from what I've heard. But Elder W. has survived 5 months there. I think I can do it. I really should be stoked to have another opportunity to be a better missionary. I can start off fresh again and try to be super great. I am really grateful for this chance to grow again. I just really love where I am right now. I am going to be in Quetzal tomorrow around 11 or 12. Oh yeah... I think my new comps name is Elder W. or something.

So maybe one reason why I am changing is because Elder R. and I got into a bit of a laughing habit this week. Like super bad. Whenever we teach lessons and something happens that reminds us of an inside joke we almost don't have control over the situation and it is really bad. Also when we prayed sometimes we couldn't stop laughing. So hahahahah maybe it is a blessing that we aren't going to be together anymore. We really became such good friends and I am super lucky to have trained him. I probably learned more from him then he learned from me. I am sure we will be in the same district sometime in the future. He is a great missionary. 

Anyways I learned a whole lot about myself and others this transfer. I learned about the IMPORTANCE of the MEMBERS. I learned that hard work pays off. And... I learned that the will of God isn't always our first choice... But I am sure it is better than what our first choice would be. 

Anyways. I am excited for this change. Love you guys so so much. I feel blessed to call yall my family. OH SHOUT OUT TO HAYLEY MY CUZZIN - CONGRATS ON GETTIN HITCHED. Thanks for waiting for mee....... haha. Hope you are suuuper happy! Have fun doing all your cool things you do at home. Thanks for sending the packages. I got the package from Kates and a letter from Mack. I don't remember anything else cool that happened. I'm sure I'll have lots of crazy stories for next week since I might get shot. 

OOHH yeah. PS I loved the quotes you sent me. Especially the one by PLATO. Inspired? Probably. And about Michael Ann's friend. I had intercambias with my District Leader and Elder G. came to accompany us. He mentioned that he just got home like 3 months ago from Spain. So naturally I was like well shot in the dark but did you know an Hermana Oslund. And he was like omg yaa the loud one??? I was like HAAAYEEEEESSSSS THAT'S HER. I told him to go to Mesa and marry her. Maybe I can get special permiso to come to the wedding. hahaha. 

LOVE ME.

Con Amor,

Elder Macdonald

District

Love me some Elder R.

Love me some lazy eye

Mor of V.  It was a hard goodbye.

She was making a 'scared' face, but then she stopped.

My Indian child - I love her!

G.! Mi bautismo.

The Familia C.F. wasn't all there...

The Hermana that gave me the suit. Hermana R.! She always feeds us..

bye bye La Noria....