Re: Stupid back!

• Alex Macdonald
• Jan 27 at 9:30 AM

To

• Keith & Lori Macdonald

 

hey daddy! its good to finally be talking with you again..and i am sorry to hear about brad and his situation...not one that i would like to be in or my family so i can imagine the pain.... very sad that he is at the point were he doesnt want to live... wow... but yeah have faith in the plan because its real and he will have an opportunity to accept the gospel in the next life.... but are you serious that your back went out!!!!!! you are getting old dad!!!!!! ;) hahahahahaha... i cant believe that this happened and you are still young! be careful dad! i don't want you to jeopardize the surfing! and yeah dad it is true i am having allotttttttttttttttttttttt of problems... my companion is a d bag and extremely hard to get along with and you know that i can get along with alot of people. he is very picky and stingy and he thinks that i always think about myself when it is the other way around... he doesn't study at times, wakes up late, doesn't exercise, its hard dad... everyday i give it everything i have and i am not seeing the results i thought i would be seeing if i busted my butt everyday for the lord.  for example there are some elders who don't do much but they have results and baptisms and success.  i don't know how that works or why that would work but i don't know the ways of the lord.  i just want to be able to enjoy every part about my mission but when you have a companion who is a dbag and alot of other factors its hard to think positive and smile through out it all... but i am really going to try hard to just not worry about the little things and try to learn to be happy regardless of the situation i am in... probably something the lord wants me to learn in my life.  we reactivated a girl this Sunday and now has her temple recommend which i feel great about because it counts as a baptism basically.  we should have a couple next week i hope but i know the mission is filled with problems... i just need to face them instead of going around them.  i love you like crazy dad... wish that you could be my companion in the mission. tell heather congratulations and that i would like to see a picture of the baby! i hope you have a great week this week dad and be careful about your health! we HAVE to go surfing after the mission!  miss you like crazy dad! 

love your son

elder macdonald 

On Sun, Jan 26, 2014 at 2:16 PM, Keith & Lori Macdonald <kekelolli5@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hey Alex;

I enjoyed reading your email last week.  I'm glad that the language is coming to you.  I am sure it is a great relief to be able to communicate the things that you want to communicate. What a wonderful blessing it will be throughout your life to enjoy the Spanish language.  It has been a difficult weekend for me. I visited my friend Brad Poulson on Friday afternoon and he looks very bad. He has wasted away to nothing, the cancer is eating  him alive.  I can tell that he has lost his will to live. I don't blame him.  He is tired of being sick. I wrote him a letter that I will send it to you. I took Jake over to his house Saturday morning and did a couple hours of yardwork. It felt good to be able to help and some small way.  It is difficult to lose a lifelong friend.  But I have faith in the plan of salvation, and I know Brad will end up in a better place. I look forward to doing his temple work down the road. Hopefully, my dad will have the opportunity to teach him.

It is Sunday morning and I am flat on my back.  Josh broke the vase on the front porch and I leaned down to pick it up and my back went out. I don't know why except that I did a bunch of yardwork yesterday, I rode my bike yesterday, and I ran this morning.  Hopefully I can get it feeling better as I have a very busy day on Monday.  I know that you having many challenges right now.  That is 0K.  remember that if you never had challenges you will never grow.  Please read D&C 29: 1-8.  I especially love verse 5.  You are on His errand.  Share His love with everyone you meet.

I know Michelle is getting baptized on Tuesday. I hope to be able to attend. I hope she is doing this for the right reasons, but baptism is very important regardless.  I love you with all my heart and pray for your success every day.   If you can learn to be happy regardless of your situation.....you will live a very full and prosperous life.   Heather had her baby....Daniel.   He is a beauty.

Love.   Dad

Sent from my iPhone

• 
  January 20, 2014

To

• Keith & Lori Macdonald

 

hey fathaaaaaaa! how is everything going! wow i feel like you guys are in cali every freaking weekend and just living the paradise life everyday! hahahahaha while i am stuck in a bowl of dust sweating like you cant believe and cant take a shower at night because they cut the water. hahaha... but i am very glad that you guys had such a great time in cali and that you were able to catch some good waves! i really want to go surfing down here somewhere in this continent like in Ecuador or southern Peru or somewhere! but its good to hear that the office is busy and that things are going good there! how is the new co worker doing with the new job? 

and wow dad i just want to say that your words spoke right to the heart of your son.  those words were exaclty what i needed to hear.  alot of days i feel like i am wasting my time in the mission and i feel like i am being held back by my companion or by other silly factors while every other missionary is have alot of success.  you know how i am and that i don't like to waste my time and i like to get this done the right way because that is the way that you raised me to be but you are right there are some things that i just cant control... for example my companion and his decisions, or the decisions of the people i teach, or the ward members and how they don't help out much with missionary work.  i know how precious every minute is in the mission and i just want to do everything i can but its hard when there are things holding you back.  the only thing that i can do is just pray and put my trust in him that everything will be okay and that he will provide for us. right now i feel like mormon and how i am doing everything i can  for a wicked people. sometimes i just feel like i should be giving more and more and more but sometimes i cant do everything.  anyways dad i really appreciate your words. definitely going to be in my mind alot giving me alot of courage when things get down! i dream everyday that i could be out in the water with ya dad but you are right we will have our time for everything once more! words will never describe how much i miss and love ya dad! take care... vaya con dios y que el pueda bendicirles! te amo!!!!!!

su hijo 

elder macdonald 

On Mon, Jan 20, 2014 at 12:58 AM, Keith & Lori Macdonald <kekelolli5@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hey Alex;

How's it going bud? Mom and I just got back from Carlsbad where we were for the weekend.  We had a great time together and we ran the half marathon today.  It was a beautiful day and we both finished with respectable times.  I went surfing on Saturday morning, I almost didn't go out because the waves were so small and the tide was high.  But I decided to go and I was really glad that I did. There was only one other guy out and we rode some fun lines.   The water was really clear and the sun was out and I rode some small but fun little peeling waves at North Terramar.   Mom and I spent the rest today on the beach and had a really good time.  We went over on Friday afternoon and came home Sunday night, so it was a short trip.  I always like a little beach time.  Tomorrow is Presidents' Day so the kids have the day off of school but I have a very busy day at the office.  I am sorry that you are still struggling to find investigators. Sometimes it is just like that. All you can do is keep working hard and try not to get discouraged.   One of the people that I have the most respect for from the book of Mormon is the prophet Mormon.  He was raised in a time of great wickedness of both the Lamanite and the Nephite people. When he was 16 years old he was asked to be the head of the Army.  His life was basically spent in wars and leading an army of wicked nephites that he knew would eventually perish because of their wickedness.  He tried to preach the gospel to his people but they did not want to listen.   Eventually he died in battle defending the wicked people that he loved.  His one consolation must have been the fact that his son Moroni was converted to the Gospel.  So if you spend all this time in Peru and the only person that you convert is yourself, I will be a happy man.  Keep praying for success and love the people around you and show that love, and you will be successful.   I love you with all of my heart, and miss you surfing with me in Carlsbad.   But, all that can wait until you get back.  Got to go to sleep.

Love DAD!!!!