Kimber Mail 6-20-2016: "DonTon + Spirit to the rescue!"

   Hey howdy hey all! Hope your week was just peachy! Ours was pretty good, just living the dream and having powerful moments along the way.

Here's some pretty powerful moments in the mission life this week.

There were so many but here's just the top 4:

   POWER IN SONG: This week we met with a less active that had something pretty bad happen to her and we were able to just listen and remind her that she is loved and Heavenly Father is always there. Sister Taunima and I were prompted to sing hymns with her to help her calm down and feel our Heavenly Father's love. Okay...so I'm not the biggest fan of singing and am not best of singers. Even though that was something I didn't want to do, I sang anyways.  Something I've learned being on the Lord's time is to stop being selfish, go out of my comfort zone and do what he would do to bring comfort. And hey if the spirit is telling me to sing then we will sing. Anyways, we sang a few songs and honestly it was one of the more powerful lessons. Music does bring the spirit in full force and it was something I will never forget.

   POWER IN PRAYER: Something that I absolutely love about serving in P3 is that I've gained so much "family" here. We are well taken care of and have gained some lasting friendships. Earlier on in the week we had a powerful family bonding experience with one of our families and were able to share things heart to heart and listen and vent and kneel in prayer together. Ahh I love kneeling prayers they bring so much power and strength which was much needed. Coolest experience!

   POWER IN FOLLOWING PROMPTINGS: Saturday we were helping the Zebroski's take stuff to goodwill and pack for their move to Utah. Sister T, momma Z and I were all in the car about ready to leave their house when this cute little black lady walks up and momma Z jumps out to talk to her. I get the thought to share a Book of Mormon with the lady and I kind of brush the thought off because my bag was in the house and I didn't have any on me (prepared I know). But as soon as I push the thought aside my eye catches on a book of mormon on the side pocket of the passenger door (by sister Taun). BAM! BOOK OF MORMON! So I tell sister Taunima to open her door and ask the lady if she likes to read. She does and the lady replies enthusiastically that she does!

So we jump out of the car and had a lesson right there with her. It was really powerful thanks to following a little prompting. Good ol'

Velma accepted the Book of Mormon and waved goodbye excited to hear from us this next week.

   POWER IN MY CALLING: There's a lot of things I guess I didn't realize would be tough about a mission... For example, transfers and constantly leaving good friends! But tis life! So we got transfer boards saturday night and....I'm staying at least one more transfer here in Pitt 3rd with Sister Taunima! (So keep sending mail this

way😜) But I am just reminded that the Lord knows what he's doing and there's a reason I'm still supposed to be here. People need me and I need them! This morning I was reading a talk from an ensign (church

magazine) from 1988. A part from it really stuck out to me that I want to share: "The best missionaries are not the ones who have had the greatest number of baptisms, or who have given the most discussions, or who know the most doctrine; the best missionaries are those who, when they have finished their missions, feel as though the Lord could put his hand on their shoulders and say, ‘My daughter, you have done all that I have commanded you to do. I am pleased with your labors.’”

   I still have a while left of my mission but this just really reminded me. I have a purpose right where I am and as I do my best and rely on the Lord, that is enough. The same goes for you wherever you may be in your life!

   I love you all and want to remind you that your Heavenly Father loves you more than you know! If you need a reminder of that Keep trying.

Keep smiling. Keep on keeping on! Also remember that you are amazing!

 

Till next week! 💕Sister McDonald

 

Ponderize: "Behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth" ~ Alma 56:46

Commitment: See others how the Lord sees them/ pray for charity ~ Elder Duncan

Kimber Mail 6-13-2016: "You Want A Chocolate Bar?🍫"

Hey Yinz! Hope you all had a good week!

   Things over here in PA are warming up....yayy...have I told you how much I love humidity? We aren't the best of friends...but working on it. Ha Ha! It was kinda an average week but a good one, don't get me wrong! It's always a good week when you're serving the Lord!  :)

   This week I was reminded of the awesomeness of the invitation we as missionaries extend to people daily. The introduction to the Book of Mormon says it best: "We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost."

   Throughout my mission thus far I've extended the invitation to read the Book of Mormon many multiple times to all sorts of different people.  Some choose to not open it and read and pray, while some do and deny the witness they receive and then some do and act on the truth they find.  Even just this week we met with someone that wouldn't even think about praying about it because they were already set to believe it wasn't true. We also met with a less-active member that actually texted us first saying that she knew she needed to fix her priorities and go back to the beginning to work on her testimony. She asked for a Book of Mormon and for us to come teach her. That was legit because that's the first time I've ever had a 'golden' less-active member like that!   Ha, ha, ha!

   Looking back over the times that I personally have taken on this challenge both before and during my mission; to read, ponder and pray and then to act, I've come to gain a powerful witness that God answers us when we are seeking truth every time. We just have to remember it's in His time. ;)  He loves us and doesn't want us to be lost or miss out on the greatest blessings of all eternity!! It's like asking someone who's sitting on the couch if they want a chocolate bar... of course the answer is yes! Then you tell them that it's waiting for them in the fridge and all they have to do is make the effort to get it.  Each path to that chocolate bar or "truth" may be different.  Some may have to climb down or up stairs, walk a long way or maybe some just have to walk a short distance but the point is no matter what there is a way to find and receive the truth.  It's as simple as reading and praying!

   When you put in that effort, if your heart is in the right place, you will always be rewarded and God will direct you. The beautiful thing about the gospel is that we keep on learning. Even if we have gained a witness of truth it doesn't hurt to pray again and strengthen that knowledge!

   So everyone you ready for a challenge? :) This week I want you to take on my friend Moroni's challenge, to read the Book of Mormon, ponder/think about if it truly does witness of Christ, pray to know if it's true and pay attention to the answer that will come. If you don't have a Book of Mormon feel free to go on mormon.org and order yourself a free (yes it's 100% free) paperback copy or you can go to your app store and download the Book of Mormon app. You don't have to read the whole book, you could read a chapter or a verse or however much suits your fancy. But I can promise you as a witness and servant of the Lord, Jesus Christ, he WILL answer your sincere prayers. I have come to know for myself that the Book of Mormon is a witness of Jesus Christ. It has brought me more happiness, peace and direction than anything else. It has gotten me through the toughest of days to know my Savior personally. I know He Lives. I know that the Book of Mormon along with the Bible testify of Christ and show us how to live our lives in such a way so that we can make it back home and one day and hear "well done thou good and faithful servant!"  May God bless you every day friends!

Love you :)

~ Sister McDonald

Ponderize: Matt 25:21 "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

Commitment: Have meaningful prayers (be humble, follow the spirit, let the Lord change my heart) ~ Elder Stevenson

Month #10 complete! #missionnotes

Month #10 Complete!  #missionnotes

Kimber Mail 6-06-2016: "Music to Missionaries Ears!"

   AHHH GUYS. I can definitely testify that running water in the font is the purest, greatest music to missionaries ears! This past Saturday our investigator, Grant Eichenmiller, took the step to follow Christ and was baptized!! YAHOOOOO! It's been a long wait and it was a day I will never forget. Almost 10 months ago I entered the MTC feeling that I would baptize all of PA. 💁 HA. Little did I realize the Lord had other plans ;) I've come to realize that it doesn't  matter how many baptism we have. What matters, is that we are on the Lord's errand doing what HE needs of us in that moment. There's a lot of behind the scenes leading up to a baptism and I was blessed enough to see Grant through at this phase of his conversion but it doesn't end here!

   Grant and his wife, Mary Lou's, journey started almost 30 years ago when their son Eric first joined the Church. They had met with missionaries on and off over the years but with no real progress. Or so it seemed. The sisters before us tried one last time to get in contact with them and come to find out that they actually had read the Book of Mormon and knew it was true. Like WHAT?! They even wanted to be baptized to boot! So Mary Lou was baptized right before I got to Pitt 3rd but it has been the coolest thing to get to know them both so well! Even though they are literally diamonds in the rough and we didn't do much except for help them continue, it has been a journey of a lifetime that I am honored to be a part of. I loved teaching them every week and seeing both Grant and Mary Lou's testimonies grow, as well as my own. It made me smile to see Grant be so excited for his baptism. I've never seen him so happy!! The day of his baptism he brought his Bible and Book of Mormon and set them on the podium to get ready to give his testimony afterward. He was there like an hour early all ready to change and get the show on the road! Ha, ha, ha, ha it was so funny! His son Eric was able to baptize him and it was such a special experience. After he came up out of the water he had the biggest smile I've ever seen on his face. He giggled a bit and looked around almost as if to say "what's else, what's next?!" Ha, ha, ha it was so good! I know that Saturday family on both side of the veil were cheering Grant on as he took his big first step to eternal life! I couldn't help but think how those first missionaries that tracted into Eric might be feeling today? You never know what may come of the seeds you plant! So if you feel like you're trying and not seeing real progress, don't lose hope. NEVER EVER GIVE UP!

   Yesterday, Grant received the gift of the Holy Ghost, to be with him constantly as he chooses the right. Once again he was so happy and was walking down the halls at church saying to everyone in sight: "it's official!!" Ha, ha, ha! Mary Lou kept hugging us and telling us thank you.  She was so happy as well.

   It's moments like these that make all the hurt, heartache and hard days worth it! I know for a fact that the Lord has people around us for us to lead to him. Patience is a real deal and it's not easy, but I know that as we are diligent the blessings will always pour in. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. Along with that is the wonderful blessing of the restored true priesthood power through which baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost, and other important eternal, sacred acts can be done properly! I encourage you all to look up Tad R. Callister's talk: Blueprints of Christ's Church and read/watch it! It's kind of long but it is SO good and so true! :) I love you all and am grateful for the daily thoughts and prayers. It means more than you'll ever know!

Love Love Love 💕 Sister McD

Ponderize: D&C 18:15-16 "15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!  16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!"

Commitment: Really know I am a child of God! ~ Elder Hallstrom

Kimber Mail 5-30-2016: "Gem Status: Referrals!"

   Guys. Words cannot begin to describe the glorious week we had. This week was legit SO AMAZING. Ahhhh, God is so good and so are referrals!

   Okay let me just ramble to ya a bit about the miracles that happened.  You ready for this?!:)

   Brother and Sister Glunt:  Alrighty this story actually starts a couple weeks ago. A couple Tuesdays ago we get a call right as we are nightly planning.  It was our mission president! He starts off by telling us he has a big task for us. He tells us that he received a call from Elder Gibbons (a previous member of the quorum of the 70) and that he has a friend here in Pittsburgh who's very well off, knowledgeable and one of the head architects in the U.S.A., but whom was ready to hear the gospel. PJ told us that even though he was in the elders' area he wanted Sister Taunima and I to go and teach them.

   Talk about intimidating right?! Ha, ha, ha that is a HUGE deal to get a referral from a member of the 70 (General Church Authority)  and your Mission President. So shaking in our boots that morning, we prayed as we got out of our car with our accompanying church member, Sister Eichenmiller, and trekked his stairs, praying not to mess things up. Sister Taun and I turned to each other before knocking, smiled and quoted 1 Nephi 3:7 at the same time. We KNEW that this was a big job but most importantly, we knew that the Lord had provided this opportunity and would provide for us to teach to the Glunts' needs if we would listen to the spirit.  And let me tell you, that was one of the coolest lessons I've had the privilege of being a part.  I really have come to know that if I stop trying to be perfect and listen to what the investigator, my companion, our members, and the Spirit says, then just like the scripture says in D&C 100:6, we will have the "words given to us in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what [we] shall say". It was a powerful lesson because I know we all were able to listen to the Spirit and help them feel truth as we testified.

   Ah,  I am so grateful I had the opportunity to have this first initial contact and hopefully more to come! Brother Glunt and his wife were so sweet and had such good questions. They said to give them a couple weeks to read through the Book of Mormon together and come back so we can answer their questions.  So stayed tuned... ;)

   Okay another monument moment in my week! So Friday Sister Taunima and I were planning for our upcoming week which takes foreverrrrrr... and we hear our doorbell go off a few times.  Well in the complex we live in, they are fixing our steps and so sometimes they come ask to fill up their buckets.  So lazily we get up to go answer and Sister T says "Someone just left a bunch of stuff!"  I run and look at our heart-attacked door and food-filled porch and start crying.  She looks at me super weird and I'm like "Sister T....that's my family!!!" So yeah my family was so sneaky and it MADE my day. Shout out to my Gamette fam (Uncle & Aunt) for the heart-attack and all my favorite things. Ha, ha, ha, ha, I love you all so much :)  Also another huge shout out for being missionaries wherever you go. They had stopped at a grocery store down the road from me and talked to a man named Harold who seemed interested in finding the peace of the gospel so BOOH YA! Another gem referral from my fam. 😘

   Can you see why it's been an awesome week?!  Such testimony building experiences and times I will never forget  :)

   Other gems that happened this week:

   Monday we went to the zoo and Bucca di Beppos (fancy Italian restaurant) with the ritzes! Ah, I love them so much they take such good care of us and it was SO fun!

   Thursday I got to see Sister Simpson again. She was my roomie in the MTC! It was so fun catching up. She's been on the east her whole mission so it was fun to welcome her to the west 😜

   Love you all!! Have a fabulous week 🎉

   Much Love, Sister McDonald.

Ponderize: "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever." ~ 2 Nephi 4:34

Committment: Adapt to learning and language of a child (SIMPLIFY!) ~ Sister Durham

Kimber Mail 5-23-2016: "Spiritual Studs"

   This week was rough but so good! A lot of our plans fell through but we were able to be where we needed to be and work hard. I have really come to know that when we are obedient and follow the promptings of the spirit (being where we need to be) the Lord will show us miracles. Big or small, miracles are miracles! 
   Every week we have the opportunity to meet with our ward mission leader, Brother Clark, to talk about our missionary efforts from the previous week and get some Brother Clark inspiration and wisdom. 💁 I hope to be like him and his wife one day. The Clarks are such spiritual studs!!! Ahh I just love them so much. This week as we met up with him before a lesson, he reminded us simply that what matters most is remembering we are set apart to carry the mantel of "missionary" and that as we listen to the spirit like we are promised in the scriptures we "cannot be confounded". And let me tell you it was a POWERFUL lesson. The person we were teaching was trying to bash with us and instead Sister Taunima, Brother Clark and I just bore powerful constant testimony and his whole attitude changed! I walked away being reminded once again that we must always have the Savior's name on our lips and never be ashamed to testify. Our testimony is our most powerful tool and we should never be afraid to share it. We never know just who might need to hear the truth that has changed our lives. 
   We were able to miraculously touch a few more lives this week with our testimonies- a couple examples stick out to me: We were visiting a couple different ladies who haven't been active in the church in many years. Both times we visited each one we testified of the Gospel and Christ. Both times a peace filled the room and they both, smiling, shared with us that it was just the thing they needed to give them hope to endure and pull through. 
   I know the Jesus is very real and that He lives! He is closer to us than we realize and if we let him into our lives He can lift and help and brighten them unlike anything else. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the same church that Christ established when He walked on earth. I know that He still is the head and that if we hold onto his teachings and stay close to him we cannot be lead astray. I know that He knows us each personally and is there even when we may think we don't deserve him. He never leaves. I love him with all my heart and love this gospel! I am grateful to be on his errand and help in his work! I invite you all to reach out to him and let him help you in every aspect of your life this week  :) 
Love you all!
💕Sister McDonald 


Ponderize: 1 Ne 21:5 "My God shall be my strength" 

So instead of quotes, In conference I noticed a commitment or an invitation in each of the talks so I'll be working on one of those a week (man I'm such A missionary) ha, ha :) 

Commitment: President Eyring- "pray with full purpose of heart and draw closer to Christ" 

Kimber Mail 05-16-2016: "Doin' the Lord's work 💪🏼"

   This morning in companion study, Sister Taunima and I talked about the story of Abinidi, in the Book of Mormon, and how it related to our week perfectly and just missionary work in general. It's no joke that being a missionary is tough work. Sometimes it may feel that we, like Abinidi, are testifying and preaching but seeing no results. (Get ready for a spoiler alert...😱) At the end of Abinidi's story we see that one person was touched by his message and in turn, many were converted! Our week played out just like a version of Abinidi and taught us a lot! 

   Lessons learned:

- Always follow promptings even if we don't see immediate results it means we are being obedient and doing what the Lord needs us to

- Be humble and willing to keep working even on the tough days GREAT stuff is comin :)

- Let Smiling be your favorite! You never know if that's all someone needed

- Testify boldly and defend your beliefs, show love but be bold! 

   Even though our week was super slow Saturday and Sunday had some great results:

1) Remember a couple weeks ago how we tracted into this guy Mario and had a first lesson on the spot?  Well he invited us back Saturday night for dinner, to meet his family and have a lesson!  Like WHAT?!?! #NeverHappens :D   It was awesome! Not quite what Sister Taun and I expected the way the lesson to go but it was awesome to answer he and his wife's questions with stories from the Book of Mormon. We taught and bore powerful testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon and the power of prayer. The spirit was so strong! 

2) We had several less-active members that we've been working with finally come to church! WOOO! It made us so happy to see them walk in the chapel and be welcomed by the ward, just like coming home  :) 

   My ending highlight comes from our Bishop, Bishop Snow. HE'S THE GREATEST BISHOP!! Ahh... I just love this man. He helps us so much! His family had us over for dinner Sunday night and after we finished our dinner thought he told us how sincerely proud he was of our efforts especially this week. He noticed we did a lot of service for members of the congregation and just anyone that would let us help.  He shared that we may never know what will come out of that but that several people contacted him sharing how they were struggling and what they needed was help and we were able to do just that. 

   So basically you never know what the little things could mean to someone. I invite you all to reach out and do something little for those around you to lift their burdens. Have a fabulous week yinz! 

💕Sister McD 

Ponderize: "He spake with power and authority from God "~ Mosiah 13:6 

Quote: "whatever our age, capacity, church calling or location, we are as one, called to the work to help HIM in His harvest of souls until he comes again!" ~ Pres. Eyring