7/02/2018 My way on His way

My weekly title is based off a song by Frank Sinatra called, “My Way”. An absolutely fantastic song verifying my feelings right now. I cannot believe that my mission has come to an end. Much has been done, much has been said, much has been gained, and much has been lost. This last email is not going to be written to try to impress nor give some large giant description of everything I have learned on my mission. Only God  and I will know what kind of mission I served and what has happened to my heart while I have served in the great Tennessee Knoxville Mission. But I would like to share a few experiences from the week that highlighted this beautiful ending. I wouldn’t exit any other way. 

We had a baptism this Saturday for my lil bro Nicholas Martin. He is a young boy that was living with a member who had not been baptized. When we first met him earlier this month he was like a turtle in his shell. In fact, we were driving in the outskirts of our area and we found a turtle and named him Nicholas after him because he was so dang shy. He would literally hide behind his mother as we taught him the Gospel. But after a few lessons he came out of his shell and we were eventually having nerf wars with him by the time he was baptized. He is an amazing kid. His baptism was beautiful and I had the opportunity to baptize him. Elder Fillingim, the elder I first trained, was there and he said, “I was here for the first and for the last” meaning he was there when I first baptized someone and then my last time. It was really cool. 

I went on an exchange in Knoxville this week with one of our APs, Elder Sharp. Elder Sharp is going home with me. He was in my District when I was in Oak Ridge, TN. Probably the hardest part of my mission was that time no doubt. We spent the day working and talking about our missions and how excited we are to go home and share our testimonies with our Families. We ended up driving through Oak Ridge and where I lived and the areas I worked in there. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for how far the Lord has brought me since that experience I started to weep in the car as we drove. It was definitely a bonding experience between us. I felt as if I had done all that the Lord has asked me to do. A feeling I will never forget! 

I performed a Baptismal interview for a little 10 year old girl named Jada. She was so sweet. At the end of the interview I asked her in front of her father in the building, “so Jada what is the most important thing that I want you to remember? And she said, “That I am a daughter of God”. That is the most beautiful knowledge I have gained on my mission is that I really a son of the real living God. That I have divine potential and I can taste some of that through relationships. Eternal happiness can only be found in eternal things! 

Last amazing thing from this week out of the many feelings of love and miracles I experienced was fast and testimony meeting. Barbara Burrell, who got baptized last week got up to bare her testimony. President Pickett had committed her to do so and she was very excited. She got up there and bore a powerful witness on the power of faith. It was amazing. She made me blush because she constantly kept calling me out hahaha. After she got done I got up and said in my southern accent “BARBARA BURRRREELLLLL” and as she is walking back to the Pughs she says out loud “ELLLLDEEEERRRRR MACCCDDDDDOOOONNNAALLLDDD” hahahaha I cried it was so funny. My first Sunday in the field I bore my testimony to the congregation in Dalton and now on my last Sunday I got to bare my testimony once again. Praise the Lord. 

I have loved my mission. I look back and cherish every sweet second of it. I know the Savior lives and that what I have taught to others these past two years is true. I am so grateful for what other people out here have taught me. I know that God had specifically sent me here to learn from and teach specific people. My testimony cannot be put into a written page, or into a small conversation. But I just want all who read this or see me to know that I love the Lord, and I feel I have a new heart. For this I am grateful. The dye is cast. My ships have been burned. Tables have turned. You live and learn. I love you all. Thank you for the undying support! MOMMA IM COMING HOME!!

Elder Kyle A. Macdonald

 

And thus ends the blog of Elder Kyle Andrew Macdonald

 

6/25/2018 I have fought the good fight!

I cannot believe I am on my last week of my time serving as a full-time missionary for the Lord. I know this work is true!!! One of the best weeks of my mission by far. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to end my mission in Hendersonville NC! The people here are amazing and have blessed my life immensely.  I want to talk about a few specific events for the week.  Departing Interview: as missionaries we are interviewed by our mission Preisdent once every 6 weeks. We talk with Pickett about how we are doing and what we can do etc etc. This week was my final interview and I cannot express how much I have grown to love the Pickett Family. President is one of my bros. That is how we have been and always will be. We talked a lot about my previous life before the mission, and how much I have changed. My desires as a human being have changed from glory seeking, to glory giving. My heart has been softened to see God’s children how they really are. My mind has been made clear. My sins have been forgiven. I am a new man with the same personality. We talked for about an hour and all was fine, and then he read me the Temple Recommend Questions that had been read to me 2 years prior by Stake President Whimpey. It was impossible to hold back tears of joy as I was able to answer those questions with a clear of conscience and honest “yes”. Yes! It was the first time in my life when I had answered those questions with a full heart of conviction and integrity! All I care about is being right with the Lord.  Split w/ President Pickett: right after interviews I was able to spend a few more hours with President Pickett to go visit our baptismal candidates, Barbara and Molt! I have never taught a lesson with my mission president before, and this was an experience I will never forget! It was so cool looking to my side (expecting my companion) and seeing President there testifying. I felt like I was with the prophet Alma, and I was his Amulek. Right after the lesson we all rejoiced and hugged and took a picture. As we were walking out, I was a Hispanic crossing in front of us carrying his groceries. I called out , “Hermano!!!” And we started talking. President Pickett tried to speak some Spanish hahahaha so classic. It turns out that this man named Jose already had a ton of friends in our church and had been several times! It was so cool and he was interested in learning about the church! I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and I know if we follow the promptings given the Lord will bless us. We drove together for awhile and just talked about la vida loca. He took us out to dinner at a Mexican joint and then we had Stake Correlation!  Stake Correlation: is when we meet with Stake President Vann to discuss the needs to the missionary work here in Asheville. Preisdent Vann has been one of the greatest Priesthood homer examples to me on my mission. He is actually a dentist from Mesa, AZ!!! He was called by President Nelson to accept the calling out here. We worked hard all transfer to diagnose the needs of each unit and to present it in this meeting! It went really really well and I feel as if I have done all I could to help this zone progress. New leaders will continue to keep it up! V Baptism of Barbara and Molt: So I will tell the story of Barbara Burrell and Molt Edwards! Barbara was found like more than 6 months ago and had been taught for awhile, however, no one had really taught her too seriously and so we visited her and committed her to a Baptismal date a month ago. She is about as Southern as you can get. Super thick accent, no teeth, lives in a trailer park. Barbara is the best person you will ever meet in your life. She has the most faith I have ever seen, and charity is embedded in her soul. She would give you the clothes of her back even though she doesn’t have any. She runs an unofficial foster home where she takes in kids that do not have support of parents. Her husband Molt, who is also 61. we started teaching him about a month ago. Even though he cannot speak normally nor understand normally, we learned some sign language and also spoke more slowly so he could read our lips! They were baptized this Saturday and I had the opportunity to speak at their baptism and also Baptize Barbara Burrell! Such an awesome experience! We are having another baptism this weekend for a young boy named Nicholas Martin who is have American and half Micronesian!!! I love you all!!! The GRIND!!! Elder Mac 1-3: baptism posin 4: Mi hijo Lopez from Lebanon  5-6: split with Pickett  7-8: Sharp and Sisters Jensen and Erickson 9: gettin ready for the beach like 10: President Vann 11: Elder Cox