It has been another
good week here in Forest Grove, and this one seemed to dip by pretty fast!
This week was pretty
hot and, despite being born and raised in Arizona, I was not prepared for it.
Yeah, I might be used to feeling the sweat down my back, squinting hard in the
bright sun and feeling the heat on my neck from my dark hair...but it is
COMPLETELY different to proselyte in. That, and Oregon is just much more humid
than Arizona, which raises it to a whole new level.
Nonetheless, Sister
Christenson and I hit the streets and spent many hours of the week walking and
walking and talking and walking. We were able to meet a few pretty cool people
and I know it was Heavenly Father who gave us the strength we needed to press
forward in the 90-degree-weather and 50-percent humidity.
One plus of being in
the Oregon summer...BLACKBERRIES! We are always on the lookout for blackberry
bushes on the side of the streets and neighborhoods and we take a couple-second
break in search for the ripe ones. I once again thank my dear first companion,
Sister Schmoekel, for making me try new fruits and converting me to loving
berries. There is no going back!
We had an amazing
lesson with a member family this past week! They have a full house with unique
circumstances that some family members have, but their love for the gospel was
so abundant in the room as we talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ. The
grandma is unable to go to church due to health problems, and I noticed that as
we began the lesson, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes with the
sweetest smile on her face, as if she were listening to a beautiful song. The
lesson itself was very powerful and you could tell this family had deep roots
in the gospel as they have faced many recent trials. At the end of the lesson,
we asked if there was anything we could do for them, the father replied with,
"No, you already did."
My heart warmed at
how much this message we had shared with them and the presence of the Spirit
they were able to bring could help them so much. We really do have a much
greater influence on others than we think!
Funny story!
Sister Christenson
and I were walking one afternoon, and when we came to a high school that is
notorious for always having hispanic people walk/run around the open track of
the school at any given time of the day, we see this older hispanic man walking
towards us towards the track. He had headphones in his ear, but when we tried
to get him to stop and talk to us, he said in broken English, "Oh
no...next time!" and then went along his way.
We kinda shrugged it
off, but when we walked past the track again 20 minutes later towards home, we
once again saw the same man walking away from the track towards us. We were
trying to hide the smiles, but when he got close enough to recognize us, he
laughed and exclaimed, "Oh my goodness...ok I say next time!" But due
to our very limited spanish, we gave him a pamphlet in Spanish and invited him
to check out the website.
It was so funny- who
knows what will come from that interaction- Heavenly Father definitely placed
us in his path for a reason!
This past week we also
had exchanges! Sister Mecham came to Forest Grove with me for the day and it
was so fun! This was my second exchange with her and it was super fun to get to
know her more. She has an amazing ability to teach by the Spirit with so much
sincerity and it was a great example to me! I know that exchanges are inspired
and that she was an answer to my prayers!
I know that Heavenly
Father answers our prayers. This past week I've had the opportunity to face
some decisions in my life that I needed some big guidance on. Through prayer,
fasting and a priesthood blessing that I received earlier this week, I was able
to remember the sacred feeling of receiving answers to prayer. There is nothing
quite like it!
I know that Heavenly
Father answers our prayers because He loves us and we are His. If we turn to
Him in prayer and reach out in faith, He will help us to know what to do. We
are agents unto ourselves, and we have agency, but if we turn to Him with our
decisions and ask them if it be right, He will help us to know. I most often
recognize answers through emotions of peace, or through others.
The definition of
prayer in the Bible Dictionary is, "not to change the will of God but to
secure for ourselves blessings that God is already willing to grant to us,
conditional on our asking for them."
Please turn to Him
in prayer and pour out your heart to Him. He will listen and He will help us,
because we are all His children and He will never forsake us.
I love this work and
I love my Savior. I am so thankful to wear His name on my chest each day and
there is nothing else I would rather do that this time in my life.
I love you all and
hope you have a good week!
Love
Sister McCown
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