Hello everyone! It's
been another fabulous week here in the town of Forest Grove/Cornelius, Oregon.
I love being a missionary and we've seen a lot of progress in those we are
teaching!
For starters, THE
SUN IS OUT!
The rain is
officially over and good thing, because Sister Leifson and I have been doing a
ton more walking! We usually walk between 5-10 miles each day, and the sun is
causing people to actually come outside! It is a tender mercy and we've been
able to meet some really cool people!
We had some pretty
funny experiences as well with those that we were able to talk to.
One night as we were
walking into our apartment, we see a group of 4 guys talking, one of which was
talking really passionately and using some rather "colorful"
language. Talking to groups always makes me nervous, but when they said hello
to us as we walked by, it was easy to turn around and talk to them.
The guy who was
talking began to tell us a story (which to me, didn't make much sense) but you
could tell that he had a very strong opinion on the situation. The others were
trying to hide a smile from how passionately he was telling the story.
He asked us our
viewpoint of the situation, and literally the second after we introduced
ourselves as the missionaries, he interrupted with several apologizes. He was
sorry for the way he talked and acted and it was so funny how much he
apologized before leaving the group. We ended up talking to the other guys as
well before leaving and they were pretty cool.
As we left that
conversation, though, I thought about how much we truly have an influence on
others. Our representation as missionaries of Jesus Christ really do have an
effect on people. It was a good reminder for me that I always need to be doing
my best to represent Jesus Christ, because we bear His name right on the name
tags we wear everywhere we go!
The evenings here in
Oregon now are just so beautiful. There always seems to be that slight breeze
that helps us to stay cool during the day, which is usually not seen back home
in AZ! Even though nothing can compare to the sunsets of Tucson, the beauty of the
colorful trees, bushes and flowers that line the streets and fill the yards are
truly breathtaking!
With all the
increased time spent outside, I'm getting more tan! My watch tan line is coming
back steadily, haha!
Last night we also
had an AMAZING lesson with Aurora! We had it at the stake president's house in
our ward and they are amazing fellowshippers! As soon as we walked in the door,
they asked questions to get to know her- I've never seen members do that
before! They actually wanted to get to know her and were able to have a
connection with her right off the bat because they both went to BYU and Aurora
will be attending in the fall!
The lesson was
focused on the temples...and man, those are my favorite! I just love the temple
so incredibly much and the spirit was overflowing the room. President and
Sister Brown were able to share experiences of going to the temple, of having
an eternal marriage and doing their family history work. I felt the Spirit so
strong and it once again confirmed and strengthened my desire to be in the
temple as much as I can after my mission and to make an eternal marriage in the
temple a priority.
Aurora also had some
really good questions that the Browns were able to help us answer. They both
spoke with such eloquence and faith, it was so so fun!
With all of the
changes this past week in transfers, schedules and finding, I'm so glad that
Sister Leifson is still here with me. She is an amazing missionary and she has
helped me SO much in the things I'm going through! Its super fun to talk to her
as we walk the miles on the street and we get along super well. Members in our
ward have even commented that they will see us along the side of the road,
talking to each other and laughing, and they like how we get along so well, so that's
pretty fun!
One of my favorite
things about her is how protective she is. Whenever we're walking, she will
always walk on the side of traffic, and one time when we were talking to this
one guy and began walking with him, we sensed how creepy he was and she pushed
me away from him so that I wouldn't have to walk beside him. There are so many
other things that I love about her, but not enough time to write it. All in
all, I am just super grateful and lucky to have her in my life.
I hope everyone has
a great week! Good things are about to happen, to everyone- I can feel it! I
know that as we truly rely on Christ and His will and timing, we can be given
peace and assurance to endure through our trials. We can have hope for our
futures and strength in our weak moments. I love this gospel and I love my
family (and that goes far beyond my immediate family). I know that
relationships are eternal and that Heavenly Father created us to grow and have
joy! I know these things are true because I study the Book of Mormon and prayed
to know if these things are true. And I am so thankful for the opportunity I
have every day to extend that same invitation to those we meet.
I love this work and
I love my Savior!
All my love,
Sister McCown
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