First to explain my title for the week- these were all exclamations I
heard near the end of this week from various people: my ward mission leader, the 2nd councilor in
the Bishopric and various people in the ward and a random child at the food
bank we volunteer at. Thank you all! I'm well aware that I'm sick. Obviously
my efforts to hide my sickness failed ha, ha, but we still had an eventful week
regardless. Sorry if this email is all over the place. My brain isn't working too great... Hopefully
it makes sense! But oh man, were there
some awesome quotes from this week. Let
me share a few of those gems with you:
"Yes
child you can stay home from school on Tuesday but that means you get to
butcher the chickens!" ~ Sis Clouse at dinner last night
"Oh
yes, I know all about the Mormons! Let
me tell you- the greatest Mormon I knew was Rumple Stiltskin." ~ This
lovely daughter of God who was a little on the crazy side we met while
tracting.
"NO
WAY! Mom! It's the Mormons on our porch!" ~ Yet another tracting
adventure. This girl was so excited to see us...it was awesome but weird.
"Let's
just eat this salmon fast. Our mom's will be proud of us!" ~ Sis Roper as
we were given salmon for dinner this week.
"IS
THAT MCDONALDS?! ICECREAMMMM! Miracles have not ceased!" ~ Sis Roper
"I
came home to see that He (the Lord) sent a couple of his angels to visit!"
~ Bro Himes after he saw our heart attack.
"I
have no idea what a 'hashtag' is..." ~ Elder Thompson
"I
know this church is where I'm supposed to be" ~ one of our investigators
Amidst all the craziness, sickness and struggles of this week, I was
reminded of a quote from our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson: "We can’t
direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. For maximum happiness, peace, and
contentment, may we choose a positive attitude." (Jan 2012). Attitude
really does make all the difference. We
were sent to earth to have joy and it's up to us if we will find that joy in
every day or if we will let it slip by. With
thanksgiving coming up I've really tried to be more focused on being positive
and noticing those little 'good' things in every day. I made it a personal goal at the beginning of
my mission to notice everyday things that I was grateful for, and surprisingly
I've stuck to it - it's been a huge blessing! Looking back over those entries each night, it
really has changed my perspective and helped me push through the good and bad
and find more joy in the last many months than I've ever felt before. I really truly believe that that is because when
we focus on the good and all that we are blessed with, it in a sense humbles
us. We are able to pull back the selfish
curtains from our eyes and see the bigger picture. We see gems instead of muddy pebbles. We see the Lord's merciful hand. He is oh so loving and patient with us. I want to invite each of you to more fully be
grateful by having a positive attitude and taking time to, as one of my
favorite scriptures says: "be still" (D&C and recognize the
blessings that are all around. It's nice
to stop and smell the roses every now and then! It really is the little things, from a member
feeding you yummy pie, to raking leaves in 50 mph winds and being protected
from flying branches, from your district leader trying to get you blueberry
bagels when really they are just plain with real blueberries shoved in them, to
the little primary kids singing with the spirit, to members and investigators
bearing powerful testimony, to receiving healing priesthood blessings, to
finding ice-cream in the middle of nowhere, to a comp that is patient and
positive, and to all of you gems for the good you're doing each and every day. I hope you all have a wonderful week and a
happy Thanksgiving J
Love, Sister McDonald
Ponderize: 1 Thes 5:18 “In everything give thanks: for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Commitment: "love and serve one another" ~ Elder
Hales
Charity Attribute: not easily provoked #patience
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