Hello world! So another crazy week, but who would expect anything less?!

Lance came to church yesterday- YAYYYYY! Ahh, he is such a cool guy, and is so prepared to be baptized! He has two daughters who recently got baptized, and we're meeting with him weekly. He is so receptive and loves the gospel, and already lives many of the doctrines we teach- which is super awesome! We just got to have him stay for all three hours next week. So excited for August 25th!

This week has had a lot of ups and downs...which honestly make it to be a pretty humorous week. We have met many people while walking in the streets this past week that seem to be all over the spectrum of being interested in what we teach. There has been those who just want to Bible Bash us and do everything in their power to prove us wrong, and then there are others that are curious to know more and ask for a Book of Mormon before we even have the opportunity to pull it out of our bags. SO COOL!

One evening we were talking to two young adults boys. One was actually on our side, telling his friend that God was real. He said the funniest thing to his friend, something I will never forget: "You know like when you look at the sky and you just smile? cause I know you have! Yeah...that's God." We were laughing about it the whole way home! But seriously, he's not wrong! God is everywhere and like it says in Alma 30: 44- "...all things denote there is a God..." It's so cool!

So cool experience:

One day we were walking through our neighborhood. We saw this older gentleman shaking his carpet on the front lawn, so we yell a greeting (because most people dash inside when they first see you haha), and start to walk towards him. When he sees us, though, his whole countenance changed...for the better! He smiled and before we even had a chance to introduce ourselves he said, "I just got chills seeing you ladies. You're Mormon, aren't you?" We were seriously so shocked- he was so genuine and kind and told us that he could feel the Spirit when talking to us. We proceeded to have a conversation with him, focused on the love God has for us! We shared scriptures that made him cry, and the Spirit was so so strong! We gave him a Book of Mormon and set up a return appointment! It was so inspiring to see how he knew...he just knew, that we were representatives of Jesus Christ. That we had a message for him that we knew to be true. 

The Atonement is real. Jesus Christ truly did suffer for not only our sins, but our afflictions and pains. He suffered so that we wouldn't ever need to feel alone! And we aren't...EVER! I have truly come to know that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I can be made better. I can be a better person- more patient, genuine, selfless and kind. I can know that even though we have weaknesses and shortcomings, that there is tomorrow- a day in which I can try harder to be better. God asks us to be the best person that we can be, but through Him, we can be the person HE needs us to be, not what the world wants us to be. We can accomplish what HE needs us to accomplish. I know that because of the Grace of God, that we can do and be more than we could ever imagine, especially by ourselves. I know this to be true, because I have felt it. I have studied it in the Book of Mormon. And I have prayed about it, and know it to be true.

Alma 5: 45-46- "...Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety? Behold, I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me."

love you all, and you will never know how much your support means to me!

All my love,

Sister McCown

Tanning in Oregon...never thought those words would be in the same sentence!

Okay, so I've only been here about a week and a half, and I already have tan lines! It's seriously the weirdest. We bike every day- usually about 10 miles a day- and we're out in the sun for hours at a time. This week it has been in the 90s, so I feel like I'm still at home in Arizona! So far I've started getting a pretty sweet watch tan line, something I will be proud of forever. 

So this week...has been CRAZY busy! Tons of contacting less actives, talking to strangers on the streets, and setting up lessons with people we're teaching and investigators! We don't have anyone consistently solid to teach- but we are continually searching for the prepared!

We do have a person on date to be baptized though! It's a funny situation. The elders in the neighboring area began teaching a guy that was in our area...so we have to teach him haha. We did a pass-off lesson where both companionships of missionaries came and Sister Schmoekel and I taught the last part of the lesson. His name is Lance and he is getting baptized next month! He is super prepared and I can't wait to continue to teach him so that he will be ready next month! He is super receptive to the gospel and has a strong faith in Jesus Christ. 

I'm getting tons more comfortable talking in general to people we meet, and Sister Schmoekel has been so good to me in pushing me to be better without pushing me to hard. It is AMAZING how much someone can grow in just a week. Sister Schmoekel and I have been getting to know one another and our companionship has grown so much in the past week- as well as our friendship!  It reflects so well in our teaching and we've been able to teach so many people, it's amazing! 

So God's tender mercy of the week!

We were given a list of less actives to contact, mostly to get information so that we can move their records into our ward. One on our list was named Linda, who lived on 12th st. She and a couple others we were going to visit lived pretty close to our apartment, so Sister Schmoekel and I decided to walk and talk to people along the way. 

We were on 11th st. when we ran into a woman washing her car. We started talking to her and we find out she is actually a less active. She was so sweet to us! Throughout the conversation, we come to find out that it is Linda! It was so shocking!  We were given the wrong address, so it was a huge tender mercy to just coincidentally run into her while she was outside washing her car! it was a miracle that we needed! We set up a return appointment to come back and read the Book of Mormon with her. 

Miracles are real! 

I am so thankful to be here in Lebanon with my companion. We are working hard as a team and we love to go out every day and work as hard as we can until the clock says 9 pm. We literally fall into our beds from being so physically (thanks to the bikes) and mentally tired. But it is truly amazing. It gives me great comfort to know that I am working as hard as I can. 

The Lord truly does magnify our efforts when we work hard and be obedient to His commandments. I have SO much to learn, but many things come with time, and I know that as I continue to study and pray, that I will learn to become a powerful instrument in His hands. 

I love you all! You have no idea how much all your love and support means to me!

God be with you till we meet again, 

Sister McCown 

Helmet Hair is the real deal!

Yep folks, you read the subject right- I'm in a biking area! Ya know, for a mission that said that only elders biked and that sisters always got cars, I was surprised when President Tateoka looked at me (and this was even before we met all our companions) and said I would be going to a biking area. So yeah, that's been a HUGE adventure!

My legs aren't as sore anymore (the first 3 days were the worst), but no matter where we seem to go, we always end up drenched by the end of the night. Apparently in Oregon, there are usually  weeks in which it's hot (90 degrees or so), and guess what...that's right now! haha, it's not too bad, I guess being an Arizona girl helps me to better endure through the blazing sun on our backs. But downside- about half the dresses and skirts are NOT biking worthy. But that's ok! I'm getting along well!

So hold on! There's so much to write- I can't keep track!

Rewind:

So I arrived in Oregon last Wednesday morning. We spent the night at the mission home with President and Sister Tateoka and they are seriously the SWEETEST! President is such a spiritual giant and Sister Tateoka loves to take charge. The next morning we drove to the stake center where we all met our companions. My companion's name is Sister Schmoekel. She is from California and has been on her mission for exactly a year. She and I were sent to a town called Lebanon (pronounced Lebanen). 

So on top of being on bikes, we are in a white-washed area, which basically means that we are both BRAND-NEW here. We were basically dropped off at our apartment with our bikes, luggage, map and list of people we should contact.  And that's exactly what we've been doing for the past few days. Knocking, and talking, and biking, and talking to every single person we come across. Some are nice. Some are...not to nice. But miracles are real! 

I LOVE our ward! They were so very welcoming and within the first hour, we received so many referrals of people we could visit. They are very happy to help us in any way they can- which is AWESOME because we're on bikes. We haven't even tracked through 1/4 of our mission because it's just so big! We live in the heart of Lebanon, but up north the houses are much more spread out, making it much more difficult to get up there. 

Anyways, that was my spiel of the last 4ish days I've been here-and so many more to go!  Sister Schmoekel and I are working hard to get appointments and find those who are ready to receive the message of the restored gospel!

I love teaching- and now that I've got a taste of it, it's so exciting! I love working and studying and praying, it has made a huge impact on my life. Today in my letter I want to testify to those who read it that the Spirit is so real! The Holy Ghost has helped me so much in my transition to missionary life and how much comfort, peace and guidance I can receive from prayer. Some days have been really hard, and prayer has been my steering wheel. And I'm glad it has.

Miracle of the week was when we were trying to contact people and I felt like we should go visit one girl on our list. Someone that the elders before us had completely lost contact with. We went to her door- and SHE OPENED IT! Truly a miracle, and the message we shared was something she desperately needed to here. She got a new number (which explained loss of contact), and she has been working crazy hours to support her son in the hospital. Truly a miracle and I'm so thankful for the Spirit to have prompted me to go visit her. 

I love you all and I can't thank you enough for all your support. God be with you till we meet again!

All my love, 

Sister McCown 

2 weeks down, one to go!

​Week 2 of the MTC has been completed and in one week I'll be in Oregon! Super crazy how these 2 weeks have just flown. 

I love teaching! And good thing too, because we do that a lot!! We do tons of role plays with each other on how to teach a specific subject, and then we put it into practice by teaching our teachers who are PIs (pretend investigators). Kinda scary, not going to lie! But that's ok! My teachers pretty school, and guess what- he's from Tucson! What are the odds, right?! Brother Ross hasn't lived there in years, but he grew up there. 

There are times in which I'm so excited to go to Oregon- to get out there and serve in the field. Then there are other times where I'm kinda scared to go. I love the MTC and I love my district! It's hard to think that I may never see these people again, especially now that we've grown so close over these past 2 weeks. It'll be like leaving my family again when I take off for Oregon. But I'm so thankful that I have an awesome district to miss- I think it's better than having a district I don't like and won't miss. 

Man so much happened since I last wrote- I don't even know where to begin! I love my companion! Sister Christenson is so fun and kind- and crazy after she eats Lucky Charms! It's actually really hilarious. I have so many videos of her and Sister Gould doing pathetic parkour as they laugh their heads off- honestly highlights of the day. But anyways, my district is most likely the best you'll see in the MTC- not gonna lie. We obviously have the most fun when were not in class. We've found that if we don't get our exercise for the day, we go insanely crazy during our night class.  But when we DO exercise, it is super fun. We usually play Four Square or Spikeball. It actually gets super intense. I mean, as missionaries we can't "keep score", but we still find ways to be aggressive lol. 

Meal times are also a huge highlight of the day. There is one elder who eats a TON of food. One night, we had Chick Fil A sandwhich (YUMMMMM- it is seriously sent from heaven), and the elder had 5 SANDWHICHES! Ugh, it was crazy. But that's the second time we've had chick fil a since I've been here (I mean, I'm not complaining), and everyone gave me their sauces because I love them so much. I mean, there isn't a chick fil a in Salem (and yes, I checked because I'm that addicted), so I just gotta stock up on those sauces, right? It'll make any McDonalds nugget taste SO good! 

My favorite parts of the week were our TRC lessons. It's when companionships can put into practice what we learn in class and the person we teach may or may not be a real investigator. Our investigators name is Linda and she is just the sweetest! It's been really good practice because there are cameras in the room that we teach Linda, so our teachers are able to give us feedback and how we are supposed to improve. 

So weirdest 4th of July I've ever had. Many missionaries at the MTC (Including our district- whoop whoop!) dressed in red, white and blue. The day was normal unfortunately- going to class, eating normal food, studying- but after class we had a patriotic devotional from 9-10 and then from one of the classrooms on the 4th floor, we watched the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire just next to us. It was littt!!! Haha, it was super fun. 

OH! And thank you to EVERYONE who sent me food: cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, doughnuts, candy and everything in between! I seriously feel so loved. I had and still have so much food that I literally had to bring half of it to the elders in my district. They are very thankful and love you all! 

Thank you for reading my emails! You all have no idea how much it means to me. Please email me back! Tell me how your lives are and what's goin on! I would love to hear from anyone and everyone. 

I know that this gospel is true and that the word I am teaching and testifying of is of God's true church on the earth. There is no other gospel that can provide so much truth, peace and comfort in my life. When I teach and bear my testimony, the Spirit is overwhelming and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve the Lord full-time for these next 18ish months. 

All my love, 

Sister Jessica McCown