June 9, 2014

On Sun, Jun 8, 2014 at 10:50 PM, Keith Macdonald <kekelolli5@yahoo.com> wrote:

Yo Elder Macdonald;

I just wanted to say hello.  It is Sunday night and I am exhausted.  I got home from Hawaii and worked 12 hour days monday, tuesday, and wednesday.  Kyle and I got up early Thursday morning, loaded up the razor, and drove to Snowflake to the Municipal golf course.  We met the rest of the priests for their super activity.  We played 27 holes of golf in snowflake which is kind of cool as the course basically wraps around the Snowflake temple that sits at the top of the hill.  very pretty.  From there we drove to the white mountains and camped out by Big Lake.  We went fishing, rode razors, and did alot of skeet shooting.  We had a great time although it was very dusty.  We were all filthy especially from riding the razor's around.  We did alot of skeet shooting w/ shotguns and Kyle was very good at it.  He had a shoot off with Sam Mcbride who barely edged him out.  I did bad the first day but came back and shot 8 of 10 the second day to take 2nd place
 behind Brigham Dayton.  Seth Robinson was just called to your mission....he is from our ward and was in my priest quorum.  Joseph Leung was just called to Portugal and Taylor Christiensen was just called to Salt Lake City West mission.  He was shocked but is stoked.

Scotty left for his mission and flew from San Jose to Mexico City by way of Phoenix.  He had a lay over here so Kyle went down to the airport to hang out with him.  I will let him tell you about that....he was very stoked to see him.  Cassie gets married in two weeks and so we will be going up for that.  It is not this Thursday...but next Thursday.  Things are going well at work and we are getting busy for the summer....which is good.  I taught a lesson today for the priests about Testimony, the restoration of the gospel, and the importance of the priesthood in our church.  It went really well and I had the boys full attention.  I know the spirit was very strong and undeniable to the boys.  I told them that I knew some of them struggled with their testimony.  I told them that was OK......But I hoped at some point soon they would make the choice to find the DESIRE to gain a testimony...and at that point if they worked The Lord would confirm to them the
 truthfulness of the gospel.  Once they received that they are ready to receive their mission call.  Then they are ready to teach and testify of the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the promise to restore the Kingdom of God back to the earth for the final time.  I keyed on the D & C.section 1.  I finished the lesson reading verses 17 - 23.  It is truly a great scripture.  Read it...it is so important.  It is the answer to the question....Why did Heavenly Father and Jesus appear to Joseph Smith.

I had an interesting experience today that I wanted to share with you.  I had gone for an early morning jog and was listening to Joseph Smith History.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. I gained several important insights into Joseph Smith.  I returned from my run and started to work on my lesson for the Priests.  The Spirit was strong and helping me to put together a lesson that I thought they really needed.  In the middle of my lesson I got a VERY STRONG IMPRESSION to stop what I was doing and google David W. Patten.  He was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles back in the time of Joseph Smith.  He is also the ancestor of my good friend David Patten who just got out of Jail in Washington state for getting his third DUI.  Dave called me yesterday and we had a nice conversation....I told him I hoped he could stay off of alcohol and drugs and get his life back together.  I have not shared the gospel with Dave because I have never been prompted to do
 so...and the timing never seemed right.  This was a clear cut impression to do so.....I believe by his ancestor David W. Patten.  I forwarded the email I sent to Dave and the attachment about his ancestor.  I share this with you because I wanted you to know that I seek for missionary opportunities and to share the gospel with people I love.  I do not know how he will respond but I know that I followed through with an impression and did what I was supposed to do.  It felt really good.  I felt like his ancestor needed my help and was pleased with what I did.  I hope my friend Dave is open to changing his life.  He is truly at the bottom and it would be nice to see him start to grasp the word of God and pull himself into the light.  It is truly interesting how ancestors can play a role in the salvation of their descendants.  And also how descendants can play a role in the salvation of their ancestors.  It is the spirit of Elijah at work.

Are you in a new area?  do you have a new companion?  I have not heard from your mission president yet.  I hope he writes me.  Curtis Clifford is in Peru and I gave him a package to drop off at the mission office.  I hope he gets it there.  I love you buddy.  Keep the faith.  Keep working hard.  I know you are.  Your uncles and cousins, brothers, and all of us are so stoked with what you are doing.  The church is true....so what else matters?  Grandpa Wade likes to say that.  My office party is this Thursday.  it is always fun.  love to you buddy. I love  your mother with all my heart.  She gets more beautiful every day!

Aloha..........DAD

On Monday, June 9, 2014 9:05 AM, Alex Macdonald <alex.macdonald@myldsmail.net> wrote:

yo padre como esta! te extraño! wow sounds like you guys had an awesome time up in snowflake and bear.... sounds like so much fun being up in the mountains and everything... i truly miss seeing things that are green and filled with color besides seeing brown all the time.. at least in arizona there is some green to it.  hahaha.  and wow seth robinson is coming to this mission huh? i dont remember him but he is coming to this mission? it will be awesome for him.  and wow scotty is now out in the mission field... now we have 2 missionaries of the family! soon to be 3 quickly. super stoked for him... wow cassie is getting married this month... she still hasnt shown me a picture of this stranger. haha... take advantage of all you can dad with the activities of the priest because kyle is there and you can really help him grow and you can see his progress.  i would of loved to have you in the priest quorum when i was there but the lord knew that he needed you more when kyle was a priest.  do all you can to be around him. you will have plenty more moments like you had last week with the priest and these moments will really strengthen kyle and his trust in you dad.  i konw that he thinks of you as a different person and your experiences.  tell your priests this from me and its that if they do not have a strong testimony of the gospel it is alright... go on a mission and you will find your testimony, i garuentee it.  this is what happened with me and now there is no doubt in my mind that the church is true.  it is a true prvilidge for me to be able to open my mouth and say the words the this church is true and that joseph smith was a prophet of god.  nothing brings me more happiness that to be able to say that to a people that are so far from the truth. 

wow i am really impressed on your spiritual experience dad... i love hearing about this things now... i thoroughly search everyday to have a spiritual experience or something that increases my testimony of the church.  its awesome to see at times how the spirit works through people.  it is always easier to see the spirit working through others than in myself... it is something that i am really working on... being great companion with the spirit and the role it has in my own conversion.  i would love to hear more about this friend of yours and how he is taking the advice that you gave him... one thing i know is that the testimony can really change someone.  i am always looking for ways to bear my testimony to the people here and hope that my testimony will change their lives... i am extremely proud dad that you acted on the prompting you recievend and i know that his ancestors are extremely proud that you did.  i believe that you could be the person that changes this mans life dad... i have been praying that you guys would have a missionary moment and know is your chance dad.  and its awesome know knowing how the sprit of elijah works still.

YES i am in a new area with a new elder... his name is elder Gonzalez of Paraguay... he is the district leader of the zone ventanilla... dad this town is built basically where the sand dunes are in az... imagine the sand dunes with a TON of people living there some how...hahahaha it is crazy and i don't know how that they live in such a way.  elder Gonzalez has been a very successful missionary and i believe the president and the lord put me with him for a reason... first, how to be a better leader because soon i will have to be one. two, how to use the spirit more, three, to be a better teacher.  4, to be a more successful missionary.  i am extremely stoked with my new companion... we baptized a 41 year old man on Saturday and we have a few families that we are teaching which i am stoked about... hopefully everything goes well.  i asked the presidents wife in transfers if he got it... the things is is that he is a really busy man... dad it is crazy how well prepared this man is and how deep of knowledge he has of the scriptures... did you ever hear about the announcement in june 23 of 2013... well this is when monson said that the role of the missionaries and the members change and we all know work as a team... i have learned that the gospel and the lord work in the way of patrons and i can see why i am here in THIS MISSION. i am here because the lord wants me to learn and be a huge part of the plan of salvation because this mission is the mission that is really doing a great job applying it and i will have to apply what i learn here in the mission afterwards when i return... there is so many other things but i now know that we are each called to certain mission for some reason.  i am really enjoying the work and everything that i am doing here... i am pleased to hear that everything is going well... i am going to miss the pool party like always... i love you guys like crazy! more info next week! 

ps... i can see the ocean ;) 

love your son 

elder macdonald