Week 5 Complete: Letter from David

Hola Familia plus Amigos y amor unos

Well i have started my 6th week here! It crazy!

Mom- my car doesnt take 100 dollars to go from oceanside to your house. I could get from draper to saint george on a tank of gas. 

Well anyways...Good Luck finding a job! Try praying for help to find one. It'll help i promise!

Thats crazy you'll be going to Mexico the same time I am! except i'll be staying there for 22 months ha

Im doing a lot better with homesickness than I have been the past couple of weeks. It was really bad last week and it was killing me.

Our branch president noticed that I wasnt doing well and he pulled me out on sunday and talked to me. We sat down and he said alright Elder McNamara whats wrong? you dont seem as happy as you usually are? whats wrong? I sat there for a minute then I said. I ve been REALLY homesick these past 2 weeks. Ive been missing my family and my girlfriend katie like crazy. then he asked me to tell him about Katie. So I did.

I told him the situation Kaite and I were in. How I stayed in utah for her. Gave her a promise ring and How I became so close to her family and how amazing she is ( I went on and on about katie for like 8 minutes) then I told him that I love her. I didnt mean to tell him that but it just came out! Then I noticed my president was crying ( I was already crying)

Then He moved his chair closer to mine and said. I know you care about katie so much but look at how you would be if you were home. You couldn't marry her if you were home, shes too young. It would be to big of a temptation for both of you, you cant really hold hands for 2 years. then he told me some more things.

Then he said that i will become the man katie needs me to become if i work hard on my mission and that when i get home i can marry her! All the stuff he told me helped me soooo much! Im happy now! i dont have to fake it now! haha well i never thought you would say you miss the noise!!! hahah 

i LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM!

DAD- Looks like I didnt miss much with the hobbit movie! haha thank you for all your letters dad! I got the picture of both of us yesterday! I love "the other guys"! My comp and I quote that movie all the time here. Its so funny. I wish I could have seen the fireworks, that would have been sweet!. I went to bed at 10:30 on new years eve haha like every other night. JULIE WENT TO A DANCE?! I want to hear all about it! Any boys? haha Good luck on saturday speaking!

I love you Dad!

Well this week has been pretty good! Ive been here for 5 weeks and 1 dia, en nuestro sies semana! este es ultimo la semana nosotros estamos aprendando! The last 3 weeks we review what we have learned! I dont feel like I know enough to go to mexico yet!  It crazy to think about the new spanish speaking missionaries will have left by now. They are only here for 6 weeks. I wish i was like that!

I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE! It gets so borring here sometimes. I feel like im at Hogwarts (in harry potter) hahaha   I love the spiritual moments here which are a lot but i want to teach real people already! I want to get baptizing!!!    

Everyone is getting sick here with the stomach flu! 2 nights ago 45 missionaries went to the hospital because of it! its crazy here! And 4 people in my district got it!  theres 6 in my district haha I dont feel sick at all or getting sick at all. Guess im just so awesome and the heathy est person here! haha en es cierto.

Tuesday we had a zone testimony meeting and it was awesome! I shared my obviously, but i noticed as i was sharing it that how much my testimony has grown! since i got here! It has grown a ton! Its because im learning the gospel to every detail so i can teach it to someone like they're a liitle kid. And I read the book of mormon for about 2 hours everyday!

so if any of you want to increase your testimony and be really happy, READ & STUDY & and PRAY about the book of mormon. read it everyday. Look how the teaching in the book apply to yourself and actually think and ponder about each scripture! I promise you that your testimony will grow faster than you can imagine. I read somewhere that if you dont work on your testimony, it will decrease until it shrinks down to nothing. so we need to always work on it. Im not saying to do what missionaries are doing but just see how you can improve a little better.

Do you know how parents sometimes look down at thier kids and say "what the heck are you doing?" God does the same thing. He looks down from heaven and says "What the heck are you doing?" God loves us and cares about us so much. he lets certain things happen so we can learn just like parents do. He knows whats best for us and we shouldn't question what happens because he knows.All he ask for that you keep his commandments and love him and love everyone and he will always be there for you. John 14;18. He will not leave you uncomforted. Never! That chapter in john is pretty awesome so i suggest you read it.

I've heard this poem before somewhere and you guys probably have heard it to but i would like to share it!

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life, for each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. he also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you, you would walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me!"

The Lord replied. "My precious, precious child, I love you so much, more than you know. I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

every time i read that i feel the spirit so strongly. I love it. I helped me a lot and I have relied on the Lord so much being here. And he HAS helped me so much.

I love him so much and my faith in Chirst has grown so much! Chirst is always there for us even if you dont think he is. After your trials and suffering , you'll notice that he actually was there carrying you through it.

So just always rely on christ, Thats why he's there. Thats why he suffered and died for us so that we can rely on him and become clean and happy again through his atonement.

The atonement isn't just so we can repent of our sins, its also that we can feel His love. So that he knows and understand exactly what we're going through. He smile and laughs when we smile and laugh. He cries and hurts from emotional pain when you do. ALWAYS know that he is there for you! 

Well guys! les amo muy mucho!. (I love all you guys very much!) Keep on writing me please! I hope all of you have an awesome and good week!

Til next week  peace out!

Love,
Elder David Ryan McNamara

heche las gannas!



If you wish to send David a letter, he prefers "Dear Elder.Com"  (not emails, while in the MTC)

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His Mail Box (105), and Mission Code: Mex-Tamp.  
His Estimated Leaving Date is Jan 28, 2013.

or via snail mail:

Elder David McNamara
MTC Mailbox #105
Mex-Tamp 0128
2005 N 1900 E
Provo, UT 84604