Thursday, November 22, 2018

Lighting the world one heart at a time!


Hello, everyone! Happy Happy Thanksgiving!!
I can't believe November is already half way over...that's crazy!

So much has happened in the past ten days since I last wrote! We didn't have pday on Monday because of Thanksgiving, so we had to go an extra three days without one. It was super weird and kinda tiring without a little break, but we kept strong!

Updates!
I am in a new area! I'm in McMinville, but my area covers a small part of the south end of McMinville and then this tiny town called Amity. There's not even a grocery store or gas station there, so pretty tiny! I love it though and I've met many of the members in the ward and they're all amazing!
I'm also with a new companion! Her name is Sister Boss and I just absolutely ADORE her! She is amazing!! We have had so much fun together in just the ten days I've been with her. We're always laughing and having a good time, and still working really hard! She is from Utah and this is actually her last transfer! So sad! But it's good though, because she wants to work as hard she can till the very end, so we are always zipping around doing so many things and never wasting a moment!

Christmas is coming! So that means...Light the World is coming!! For those who don't know what Light the World is, it's a campaign that the Church puts on in the month of December with a focus on serving those around you, so that everyone can feel that Christmas Spirit. And it is so fun! We've been sharing Light the World with everyone! There are 4 videos on Lighttheworld.org that I would highly recommend that everyone watch if they have not already!

Light the World is amazing and gives us so many opportunities to take the time to serve those around us. To serve as Jesus Christ would!

Next Saturday, December 1st, we are having a worldwide day of service organized by the First Presidency. Sister Boss and I are organizing a specific activity for our area to do on that day, but I challenge everyone to make plans on that specific day to serve someone around you- whether it be yard work, caroling, or just spending time with them! It is an amazing opportunity for us to make a difference in our community and the lives of others!

Sister Boss and I made a transfer goal to recognize the little miracles that we see each day. Because those are the things that lead up to big miracles and ones that we often overlook! So each night, we'll tell each other our favorite miracle of that day and it has helped me so much in being more grateful for all the things that Heavenly Father blesses us with!

I'll share one miracle that we saw this past week:

About a week ago, we were walking back to our car from a lesson in the dark and met a guy that was outside. His name was Chris. We didn't talk to him too long, but we scheduled to have a tour of the church with him later that week. (The cool thing was that our conversation with him wasn't super spiritual or lengthy, but he still said yes!)

A couple days later, we were at the church all ready to go, when he texted us and said he couldn't make it. We rescheduled for the next morning, but he didn't show up to that one either. By that point, I figured he wasn't really interested in learning more about our message, but Sister Boss (being the hopeful and amazing missionary she is) wanted to try one more time.

We scheduled another tour for that afternoon...and he came! It was a really good tour and he felt the Spirit so strongly while he was there. We brought a sister in the ward as well and she was able to testify of how much she loves church and partaking of the bread and water there. The Spirit was so strong and we eventually committed him to coming to church on Sunday. What a miracle!

From that experience, I learned that persistence and diligence is key, and that everyone needs to be given more than one chance to learn more about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

Miracles are everywhere, all around us. It amazes me how much God truly blesses us. This past week, I've been able to recognize more of the miracles of everyday missionary work, and I know that I still only see a small percentage of all that God blesses us with. I challenge everyone to look for the little miracles, and I promise that your ability to show gratitude will increase tenfold!

I love you all so much, and I am so thankful for all your support! Happy Thanksgiving, and I will email in a few days! :)

All my love,

Sister McCown

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