Soaking in the Shower of Heavenly Blessings!

Hello, Hello! Happy last Monday of February...wait...WHAT?! 

I don't know where all the time is going, and I'm pretty sure I didn't give it permission to fall through my fingers! 

It's getting crazier and crazier how much faster time has been flying and the concept of time is so skewed as a missionary especially. Tomorrow we will officially hit our half way mark of the transfer, which means that my time being in a trio is half way over!! 

Time really is so so precious. 

This week especially seemed to pass by really quickly. Even though Sister Men, Sister Johnson and I didn't have a ton of lessons, we were always flying around everywhere and talking to absolutely everyone along the way. 

As we've been tracting, we've been able to meet a lot more people that are being prepared to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ- truly a blessing from God! Because of that, we have a lot more people we need to contact throughout the day to try to set up lessons! 

Cross our fingers that the actual amount of teaching we do this week increases!

We had interviews this past week with President and Sister Tateoka and man, do I love them! They give the most inspired counsel and they talked to me a lot about the need to face opposition so that we can truly grow. They emphasized on continuing to build faith so that we can face our trials with courage and confidence that we will be able to conquer them! Just the counsel I needed!

The only "sit down" lesson we taught this past week was with Sariah- which is the most important!

As we're approaching her baptism next month, we have to make sure she has been taught all the lessons. We taught pretty much every commandment within an hour and it was crazy, but still really fun! She's only 11, so we keep it pretty simple, and she grasped it all pretty well. 

It was so fun also planning out her program for the baptism. We helped her make decisions of who will be involved. The next day, there was a baptism of a 9 year old girl in another ward of McMinnville and she was able to come! It was so neat for her to see what a baptism is actually like so she can know what to expect. It warmed my heart to see Sariah know all the words to the songs we were singing. She even talked to the girl afterwards and told her that she's getting baptized soon too! It made me so much more excited for the day when Sariah will be baptized! 

Cool story of the week:

We met a woman, Terra, who is probably in her mid twenties. She was super nice and said we could come back, so we give her a pamphlet that talks more about our restored message. She said she would read it and a few days later we go to visit her. 

A guy, who we assumed to be Terra's husband, opened the door and introduced himself. We talked to him about our message of Jesus Christ and how it's been restored through prophets and he was really enthusiastic as he agreed with everything we said. He soaked it all in and it was amazing! We set up another time to come back and just before we left, I mentioned the pamphlet we gave to Terra. 

He said, "Oh yeah, the pamphlet! I saw it on the counter, so I read it. It was super interesting, and I liked it. It was on a counter that Terra is at often, so she probably read it too."

WHAT?!?!

While trying not to freak out with happiness, we asked him about what he thought and felt as he read it. 

I was absolutely amazed that he had read it! It usually takes people no joke WEEKS to read that pamphlet, when it only takes about 10 minutes to read...and he didn't even know what it was beforehand! 

I'm really excited to go see them this week :)

Ending on a spiritual note:

This past week I've been studying a lot about the Plan of Salvation, both in Preach My Gospel and in the Book of Mormon. It constantly amazes me how much God's Plan for us is done out of pure love. 

His Plan, and His WHOLE purpose, is to bring His children back to Him, and He does so by giving us every resource we would ever need (the Savior, prophets, the priesthood, scriptures, church, prayer, and so much more!). He created the plan so that we could have the potential to come back to Him and live with Him forever, but it is all based on how we use our agency. 

The Plan is only possible because He sent His Son Jesus Christ. Without the Savior, we wouldn't be able to have any shred of hope that we could dwell in the presence of God! It is only through him that we can receive forgiveness, and just that still isn't enough! We have to obtain the gift of grace if we want to live with Him after this life, and again, that gift of grace is only given to those who worked their absolute hardest to be obedient and faithful. The Plan is perfect! 

It blows my mind everytime I study about it and I'm so thankful for the Plan that God has given us, and my Redeemer that makes the whole Plan possible. 

I love my Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ. I am so thankful for their love for me and for each and every one of you. If you don't know of His love for you, pray and ask Him! Ask Him what He really thinks of you ...I have and I have also received multiple answers. 

He truly does love us so much, more than we could ever comprehend. 

I love this work and I love being a missionary! I love serving my Heavenly Father and I love being able to represent His Son Jesus Christ and teach and testify to others in His name. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

All my love,

Sister McCown

Missionaries Don't Need Valentines!

Hello, world! How is everyone doing? I hope everyone had a fabulous week!

This week was pretty eventful, with lots of cool experiences!

Happy Belated Valentines Day, as well! I cheated on my "no sweets" diet for just that night to celebrate!

These past two weeks, Sister Men, Sister Johnson and I have been doing A LOT more tracting! I didn't really tract before, so its been a new experience, but we've seen a lot of success from it!

We started doing it because the amount of people that are outside walking around depletes in the winter- no one wants to be out in the rain and cold!

We need to talk to as many people as we can, so we started knocking on doors! Don't get me wrong, we've met some pretty rude people that scold us for knocking on their door despite the "no soliciting" sign. However, we've met a lot of really awesome people who are prepared to hear the restored gospel! Within the last couple of weeks, we've added a lot of people to our list of those who have showed interest and that we can visit again to teach them more!

It has been huge tender mercies from God and it's been amazing to see how much He guides us to specific places to tract in and specifically what to say to those we meet. I know that has come as we've developed more faith and determination to find those who are being prepared.

Since last week we didn't have church because of the snow, I went two weeks without taking the sacrament! It actually felt like a long week, and it was so good to be able to partake of the sacrament yesterday!

It made me appreciate more the ability we have to take the sacrament and what a wonderful blessing it is in our lives. I am so thankful for the sacrament, and for many reasons. Not only is it a time of self-reflection, but it is also a time in which we can think about the sacrifice of our Savior.

This week we also had a lesson with Sariah, an 11-year-old girl that is currently on date to be baptized in March!

We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and she is just soaking it up like a sponge! She is so sweet and as of now, there is nothing that is in her way of being baptized! Any prayers for her that she will be able to be baptized in March is much appreciated!

During the lesson, we were talking about the blessings of serving others. She likes to help her mom in any way she can, so when we talked about how being a missionary is service, she blurted out, "I want to be a missionary!" Man, did that make my heart happy!!

Nothing too "weekly-email" worthy happened this week, except for a lot of knocking on doors, walking and preaching the good word of the gospel! I am so thankful to be a missionary and for all the experiences I have had!

Being on a mission is no doubt the hardest thing I have ever done, but there is nothing more fulfilling, especially at this time in my life. I am so thankful for all the things I have learned and will continue to learn. I love this work and I love my Savior!

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Sister McCown

Three is not a crowd...it's a PARTY!

Good afternoon, and Happy Monday! It's been a crazy week, let me tell you! So many changes and bizarre events that made it a week to remember!

First off: I'm in a trio now!

Transfer calls two Saturdays ago told Sister Men and I that not only would we both be staying in Amity another transfer, but that ANOTHER sister would be joining us! It was a pretty big shock, not to mention all the things that came to my mind of how it will be different with 3 sisters instead of 2 (first of which was how we will change the layout of the apartment for another desk and bed). It's not common for trios to be put together for a whole transfer, but hey- we were excited for it!

Sister Johnson got here on Tuesday morning and we love her! She is from the Marshall Islands (the islands in between Hawaii and Australia) and this is actually her LAST transfer! She is a great singer and keeps me laughing all the time!

Members in the ward have now called us the missionary "trifecta" because being in trios isn't common. I love the name just as much as my companions!

We've been doing a lot of contacting and talking to people in the streets this week and we've seen a lot of miracles! We talked to quite a few people that said we could come back and teach them, more than the usual week!

It's been a pretty big adjustment though, talking to people about the gospel with 2 other companions instead of 

1. It's harder to decipher who should speak next and there have definitely been some awkward moments of silence. But all is well! We're getting the hang of it and I'm excited to see how we will continue to build that unity.

Another piece of crazy news: IT SNOWED IN OREGON...AND A LOT! Okay, so it really wasn't a ton of snow, but for an Arizona girl and all the Oregonians I'm surrounded by, it was quite a bit of snow...so much that church got cancelled yesterday!

The thing is that there aren't enough snow ploughs around McMinnville to keep the roads drivable, not to mention that after it snows it rains, and the temperature causes it to freeze the roads.  It was SO weird not to go to church yesterday...it felt like a normal Saturday. We were slipping and sliding all morning as we walked and tried to talk to people we met. By midday the roads were safe to drive on, luckily, but it was so cold my bones hurt! The humidity of Oregon causes it to feel a lot colder than it actually is, and yesterday's wind made it even worse. It was a miracle that we got to talk to so many people yesterday!

Not going to church yesterday helped me to learn that I really need to make my sabbath a delight, and that I need to make it different from the rest of the week. I love going to church and refocusing on Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, and allowing that time to help me start my week of right. Sundays should be a consecrated day in which we can feel closer to our Father in Heaven.

As I've been reading my journal from this past week of things that have happened, I realized that more often than not, my journal entries talk about the Book of Mormon. I've been doing a lot of studying about the Book of Mormon, as well as studying IN the Book of Mormon...and my love for the Book of Mormon just continues to grow!

I watched a broadcast about the Book of Mormon this past week and how we can use it more effectively in our work as missionaries. Many times they said that the Book of Mormon is NECESSARY in the process of conversion. It blew my mind to make the connection that if we do not study the Book of Mormon consistently, we will not be converted to the gospel. If we want to bring converts to the Church and help them continue to grow their faith and love in Jesus Christ, they need to be reading the Book of Mormon!

But the same thing goes for me, as well as every member of the Church. If I don't continue to diligently study Gods teachings, my conversion to the gospel will weaken.

It reminded me of a scripture in Alma 32 where it compares faith and conversion to a seed.

Verse 38- "If ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out."

I'm so thankful for the Book of Mormon! It truly waters the seed of our faith and keeps it not only alive, but also thriving!

Cool experience of the week:

The "check engine" light on our car came on this past week...and because I literally know NOTHING about cars, we went to a member to check it out for us. He said we didn't need an oil change but that we should take it to the shop if it doesn't go away in a few days.

Well, we eventually take it to the dealership to get it "diagnosed" and what was supposed to be a 20-minute wait turned into almost 2 hours...NOT fun as a missionary!

We did some things to keep us busy during that time, but we also had the unique opportunity to talk to an older gentleman that was in the waiting room with us! We talked pretty deeply about the medical problems of his wife, as well as the importance of prayer and having a relationship with God.

I'm grateful for the time that we were able to talk and testify to him of the message we know to be true. It was easy to talk about it to him, even though we had no idea who he was previously. The conversation felt natural and I'm glad we talked to him; it could've been so easy not to! The person I was before my mission definitely wouldn't have. It was a cool experience for me as I realized how much I have changed since being on my mission, and still yet how much I want to improve.

I'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to be a missionary- I absolutely love it! I know that even though it may not be the "best 18 months" of my life, it will be the best 18 months FOR my life. There is no other place I would rather want to be, or any other place that could prepare me better for the rest of my life.

I love my Savior and I love the gospel. I love the Book of Mormon and all the peace and assurance it has brought into my life.

Have a wonderful week, everyone! I am so thankful for all your love and support!

God be with you till we meet again,

Sister McCown

Even on a mission...Mothers truly DO know best!!

Hello, everyone! How has everyone's week been? I would love to hear from any of you about how you've been doing, or anything amazing that has happened to you this past week! :)

It's been a miracle-filled week- as are all of them! But especially this last week, we have seen a lot of progress and success in our area. We have just been so beyond blessed and I am thankful for the time that I have spent here in Amity!

Sister Men and I have been working extraordinarily hard to talk to absolutely EVERYONE we see! For me, it is hard to talk to people who are walking from their car to their house or vice versa, or walking quickly down the street. It's just HARD to talk to them because I feel like I'm just an interruption. BUT, Heavenly Father blesses us as we do hard things!!

We were walking to visit someone we were teaching when I see this guy walking away from the gas station on the corner. I knew I needed to talk to him, but that also included walking across one of the busiest streets in the city. It could've been SO easy to not talk to him and continue on...but I knew I just needed to do it!

There was an opportunity for us to cross the street and we immediately went up to him and started talking about the weather (it's easy to begin that way because I introduce myself as an Arizonian in the cloudy weather). Of course, we are able to swing into the gospel pretty quickly as we explain our roles as missionaries and the conversation went pretty deep!

We were able to testify about the love our Heavenly Father has for us and how much He is involved in our lives. We gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon and told him about how it often shows how much the people were blessed as they followed God and were obedient to His commandments. Even though he wasn't ultimately interested, I felt the Spirit during that conversation. Before he walked away, he even asked us why we had crossed the street to talk to him...I laughed, he had noticed!

We taught him about how he is a son of God, just as we are all His children. We told him that God loves him and that He is trying to reach out to him and give him truth through us. I could see something change in his face expression as we talked to him and I pray that he will talk to more missionaries in the future!!

Another miracle (less gospel- related): I'm wearing PANTS!!

I missed wearing pants more than I thought I did, and out of the 7 days this past week, I've worn pants for 4 of them! It's really fun wearing pants and a lot of the members were excited to see us wearing them!

So to explain the subject line...

The previous week was...really hard. Situations that occurred just made it really hard. Last Monday the first line of the email that I received from my Mom said, "Ready to tackle this week? This will be your best week yet, I can feel it!"

I wasn't so sure when I had read that line, because of the events that had transpired just a few days before that. But...this week was SO good! We were able to find new people to teach and we were kept really busy with lessons and always doing our best to use all our time most effectively with finding and contacting. We saw so many blessings and miracles- God truly is SO good!

So Mom...thank you! You were right- it really was one of my best weeks yet! And I got to wear pants for the first time while doing it!!

I just...LOVE being a missionary! I love teaching people about how they can strengthen their relationship with Christ. I love seeing the change in their eyes as they feel the Spirit during lessons and I love sharing the knowledge that I have which has blessed me SO much in my life, more than anything else. I love reading the Book of Mormon, no matter how many times I've read it, and I love the Spirit I feel when I read it.

I have an increased hope and faith for the future. In a meeting with other missionaries, one elder talked about putting "our fears on the altar". We were discussing the subject of fear that we may experience as we strive to talk to people in the street, but I know that it can reflect to any aspect of life. I reflected about other fears that I need to "put on the altar":

- the fear that I will never be good enough

- the fear that God isn't preparing people for us to meet and teach

- the fear that I won't be guided in where to go or what to say

- the fear that no one will accept the message I share

- the fear that I'm alone

Of course, these aren't fears that I've necessarily been feeling this past week... but they are definitely fears that I've had since being on my mission. But I have also seen that as I exercise my faith in Jesus Christ...that the fears go away. Not permanently...they are often in the way back of my head...but they don't stop me from being the best missionary that I try to be. I forget about them as I shove the fear away and talk to someone I've never met before about the gospel.

I am excited for the future and what lies ahead. There are miracles and challenges I have yet to experience, I can feel it!

I love being a missionary and focusing all my time and efforts on serving God and serving His children. I know that this is the best thing I could be doing right now and I am so thankful for the physical, mental and spiritual capabilities that I have to be here. I love my Savior and I love you all! Thank you for all your support and love!

Have a fantastic week!

All my love,

Sister McCown