Fire-hosed with Blessings

Hello world! 7 days later and I have many things I want to share, but yet again, never the ability to do so because of the limited amount of time I have, as well as the laziness of my fingers in being able to type for a long period of time.

But as always, I will do my very best and give at least the the highlights!

As September comes to a close, I am wondering if it is November, because it is SO cold here! I mean, it really isn't that cold yet, but for September, it is pretty chilly! The rain started and as we have been walking in the streets and talking to the native Oregonians, many have told us that the early rain is a sign that it will be a BAD winter....great...!!!

It is fun though wearing lots of layers. I officially pulled out my tights this week and I am PREPARED!!

Anyways, for the real updates of this week!!

I had the opportunity this week to go on TWO exchanges, which I have never done before, so it was so so fun!! It made the week pass by pretty fast!

One of my exchanges was with Sister Atwood and she is currently serving in a cute little town called Sweet Home. She is super fun and I loved getting to know her. She was a super good example to be of being sincere as she talks to people and also the importance of using short, powerful statements.

As we were driving to Sweet Home, we had to pass through Lebanon, which is the first area in which I served from July-October of last year...so it has been almost a full year since I've been there!! I was crazy distracted as we were driving through (it was a good thing Sister Teters was driving!). Down each street I could pinpoint specific experiences that I had with Sister Schmoekel, biking and talking to people. So fun!

I also went to a meeting on Sunday and got to see one of my favorite members from my ward in Lebanon! I walked in and as soon as she saw me, we both freaked out! It was a tender mercy for sure!

I also got to be with the legendary Sister Gould in Brownsville for a day and it was a BLAST! Walking through the rickety roads in the rain with pretty much no street lights reminded me so much of my days in Amity last winter! It was super fun though and I love Sister Gould a lot. She has such a huge heart for others and she is quick to show her love and concern. She lifted me up and helped me so much in just having a pure appreciation for the work!

Here's a miracle of the week for ya!

On Wednesday, Sister Teters and I were walking and we saw this guy working on his car. So of course we go up to talk to him and we could tell pretty quickly that he had no desire to talk to us. We tried our best to keep the conversation going, but he wasn't having it. Our last attempt we invited him and his family to church. He takes a card and then casually says, "Thanks. My daughter has actually been bugging me to go to church."

My head snaps into focus. "Really?!"

Only a few seconds later, his young daughter Abby comes out and I start introducing ourselves to her. As soon as we said the word "church", her eyes grew wide with excitement!

It was amazing to see how her dad, Tony, softened as we set up a time for us to come back. He was so supportive of her and the desire she has to come to church!

And not only did she come to church yesterday, but also her dad and her grandma! It was so beyond cool! I got to sit next to her during sacrament meeting and several times I leaned over to and explained what was happening, why we were doing it, etc.

I had the feeling that she liked crafts and stuff, so before church, I printed some coloring pages for her and she LOVED them! She also loved Primary- all the singing and crafts- and I am so excited for her! I'm really looking forward to teaching her more about this amazing message of Jesus Christ. I love teaching kids more than anything and I am so excited for the fun lessons we will have with Abby!

This past week, I have also had many opportunities to share verses in the Book of Mormon more in the streets. I've had the goal for a long time to use the Book of Mormon more into what I do as a missionary, and it's amazing how much the Spirit has guided me in doing so.

As we talk to new people, verses will pop into my mind to share with them and I've seen that when I do, more often than not, we are able to get a return appointment!

My testimony of how the Book of Mormon softens hearts has really grown! I love standing right next to the person, showing them physically the verse on the page, and then reading it to them as they follow along with me. I think it's in those moments when the Spirit enters their hearts to help them know that the Book of Mormon is special and should be read. Then, as they read it for themselves, the conversion of the Spirit takes place and they can receive that witness for themselves that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Isn't it amazing how we can ALL receive that witness for ourselves??

I've also noticed that the more verses I share while street contacting, the more confident I feel! It's one thing to teach people doctrine and testify of it, and then it's a whole different thing to use the Book of Mormon to bring validity to what you say. The Book of Mormon is my sword and shield, and I know that I feel the power of it just as I hold it in my hands!

I love this gospel and I love the Book of Mormon. It is the convincing evidence of everything I teach as a missionary. Without it, I know I wouldn't have any reason to be here in Oregon, spending every moment trying to bring others unto Christ. It is because of the Book of Mormon that not only am I here, but also how I have been able to have the energy and peace to be able to endure everything.

I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I love His example and I am forever in debt to Him and all He has done for me. I hope and pray every day that I can make Him proud.

I hope you all take the wonderful opportunity we have to watch General Conference this weekend. It is the THE MOST LOOKED FORWARD TO holiday as a missionary and I am beyond stoked!! I know that if you all go to these sessions with questions and concerns, they will be addressed and answered by not only the speakers, but more importantly, the Spirit that can give us specific promptings.

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Sister McCown

So close to home...

Hello friends and family!

I hope everyone had a wonderful week, because it's been a crazy one here! I mean, I think I say that every week...so I understand if there are some that think I'm dramatic...but life is just crazy as a missionary!! Going from place to place, talking to people, teaching, praying, studying and everything in between!

To explain the subject title:

I am currently serving in Albany, which is about 20 minutes away from my first area in Lebanon. It is actually in the same stake as my first area, which is super fun, and within the past 7 days, I have seen SO many people from my first area.

Last Monday, while we were in Walmart, I saw a member who I taught and was there for his baptism last year. The next day while Sister Teters and I were walking, I saw someone else that I used to teach sitting at a bus stop! And then yesterday at stake conference, I saw a few members from the Pioneer ward!

It was so fun to see them all, and man- did it feel good that they all recognized me! Ahaha, sometimes you never know the impact you make on someone and after almost a year of not being there, you kinda wonder if they will remember you! But they did, and it was amazing!!

Seeing all these wonderful people made me reflect a lot on my mission, and how much I have grown since being in that area....A LOT! My testimony has grown of the gospel so much, I have learned a lot about who I really am, and I've been able to learn countless lessons that have helped me to prepare for the rest of my life! I love serving a mission!

One AWESOME miracle (now has become one of the highlights of my missions) was Thursday night. We have been teaching someone named Robert, who is an exchange student from Taiwan. Our mission president, President Wilde, served his mission in Taiwan and knows Chinese super well! So...we invited him to come and he was SOO excited!

We had the lesson at a member's home, so it was a good sized group. The lesson was AMAZING though! We focused it all on Jesus Christ, because Robert doesn't know hardly anything about God and Jesus Christ overall. It made me a little nervous beforehand, because we focused on the Atonement and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and we had to teach it in a way that he could understand it...which is so hard I learned! Sister Teters and I role played it before the lesson and after a prayer in the car, we were ready to go!

It was super nice because if Robert didn't understand something, President Wilde would jump in and try to explain things in his native language. President and Sister Wilde also helped teach, and so it was like I had 3 companions instead of one.

Robert really felt the Spirit during the lesson, and it made me so much more grateful for the knowledge I have of the gospel. The Spirit washed over me like an ocean wave when we watched the video "Because of Him"...I would highly recommend anyone to watch it. Regardless of how many times I have seen it before, this time was different. The Atonement of Jesus Christ became...so real.

I know that Jesus Christ paid for my sins...and that He love me. Something that President Wilde said that I really liked was, "I know that Jesus Christ is MY Redeemer, just as much as I know He is YOUR Redeemer." It softened my heart to see how much Robert WANTS this; he knows how much it has blessed and impacted us, and he wants it for himself. I am so excited to continue to work with him!

After the lesson, we talked to the Wildes by their car and they told us how solid Robert is. They said our teaching was "brilliant", so I guess you could say Sister Teters and I felt like we were on top of the world after the lesson!!

I have a testimony that when we put God first, we are blessed so incredibly much! Sister Teters has been sick this past week- I have felt so bad seeing her not feel well- and one night I just couldn't take it anymore. She was almost dead but wanted to push through, but I told her she just needed to sleep so bad. We went in an hour early and after sending her to bed, I now had an hour of work before getting ready for bed. I was really tempted to just read the Book of Mormon or do something else, but when I dedicated that time to prepping ourselves for the next day and for things that would've taken longer the next day, I was able to get everything done that I wanted to and more! And...I just felt so good when it hit 9pm!

This week I also went on exchanges with Hermana Seamons! It was so fun...despite my VERY limited ability to speak Spanish. One person we visited suddenly turned into a spontaneous less, and while Hermana Seamons taught her, I played with her 4-year-old son, Mateo! He had this little lava toys and would pretend to burn things (his hand or other stuffed animals) and then I would have to pretend to freak out and then blow it to "take out the fire". It was so cute!

I love Hermana Seamons! She was such a good example to me of building connections with people so quickly and helping people to feel comfortable and loved when we talk to them about the gospel.

One last testimony I would like to give before signing out...

Has everyone seen the new Book of Mormon videos?!?!

For those who haven't, just please watch it right now: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-episode-book-of-mormon-videos-series

These videos are amazing and I have low-key been waiting for them for MONTHS! I actually got teary-eyed just watching it because it brings the Book of Mormon to life in a whole new way, never before seen! So many more things stood out to me that I have never considered- about the plot, the characters, the situation, etc. etc.

I. Love. The. Book. Of. Mormon.

I just can't say it enough. It fills my soul when I am empty and it gives me strength when I feel like I can't take another step. Just holding it makes me feel safer and closer to my Father in Heaven. What a glorious gift it is to us to be able to access His love and His comfort to us as we read its pages.

Nothing has given me more lasting peace than what I am able to read in the Book of Mormon every day. I am glad that I never have to live my life without it.

I love this gospel and I love my Savior. I am so thankful for His continual guidance in every step I take and every word I say. I love you all so much! Thank you for your wonderful examples to me! Have a wonderful week!

All my love

Sister McCown

Finding JOY in the finding!

Hello everyone! I hope everyone's week has been crazy good and full of miracles!

It's been a pretty eventful week for Sister Teters and I, with lots of meetings and lots of driving!

Other than that, we have been doing a lot of finding, with lessons and such falling through. Definitely not as crazy as last week, but I'm okay with that.

On Tuesday we had our zone conference in Keizer, so we drove for half an hour each way. There, an area authority, Elder Hamilton, spoke to us about different ways to find prepared people to teach: through our own efforts, with members help, and family history!

We focused also a lot on having JOY in the work! I think it's amazing how God's whole purpose is to help us have joy, both here and after this life. He knows that the best way we can have true, eternal joy is through the gospel of Jesus Christ and He gives us every resource we could ever need to feel of His love for us.

I think that is one of the main reasons why I love the Book of Mormon so so much. It, for me, is the key to feeling of His love for me and for others. I truly feel like a better person when I read it because I know I am doing what He would have me do, and I am learning about Christ as I study and ponder about it. It is so amazing!

On Thursday we also had the leadership conference where we received even more instruction, specific to how we can apply these things into our areas and be examples to those we are with.

One of my favorite parts of the conference was when we focused on breaking down the barrier of expecting ourselves to be the "perfect missionary". At many conferences, we talk about all these different ways we can be better missionaries, and I end up leaving with a HUGE list of all the things I need to improve on in every aspect of the work.

But we are NOT expected to be absolutely perfect! I'm so glad that is one of the reasons why there are always two of us. I have many weaknesses that my companion can help me with and then Christ truly does make up the rest! As long as we're willing to put our full effort forth, He will make more out of us than we could on our own!

I know I am not a perfect missionary; I'm actually quite far from it. At the beginning of my mission, I thought I would make less and less mistakes because I would become more "experienced"...but really, I just make different kinds of mistakes. I'm sure the actual amount of mistakes I make are more or less the same. But hey- that's what life is for! To make different kinds of mistakes and then LEARN from them!!

At one point in time, I really got down on myself for all the mistakes I was making. I wasn't happy and I only saw myself for the mistakes I made, and it would soon overrun the good times and little miracles.

Someone challenged me to start doing 2 things each day: Write down 5 things you find beautiful that day, and 5 things you are grateful for. Some days were harder than others to complete these 2 tasks, but I know that it has helped me SO much!

A missionary at the conference said something I really liked. As we were talking about having joy in the work, the missionary said, "A joyful missionary is a successful missionary!"

HOW TRUE IS THAT!

Sometimes I can get down on myself for not having great numbers to report on, or when I compare myself to another- but that will not help you to be happy! It is the little things that help you push through and keep the sunshine in your life!

I got to see so many wonderful sisters this past week that I just LOVE! It was so good to see all of them and see how they were doing. So many of them are huge role models to me and have helped me so much throughout my mission. I love them all so much!

This past week, we also went on our first exchange of the transfer! I stayed in Albany and Sister Lake from Salem came to join me for the day. We had a lot of fun together and guess what...she has a TALENT in family history!

I told her what little knowledge I had in doing it, and within 45 minutes, I learned all the basics of how to prepare a name to take the temple! I found out...that it is SO FUN!

I am low-key addicted to it now, and with every opportunity I have during dinner, lunch, in the mornings or at night, I am doing more and more work!

My testimony of family history has grown so much the more I have been doing it and my love for my family has grown as well. I have found a lot of joy in doing it, especially if we didn't have a ton of success during the day.

Because...family history is missionary work too! I mean, I of course focus on the people that we are teaching and that are actually alive, but I've found a lot of peace in doing work for those who have passed away and can't do it for themselves.

Sister Lake told me that every time I attach a record or merge records and people, it is one more step towards helping them to be baptized. In comparison to those we teach, it is like watching them read the Book of Mormon, feel the Spirit for the first time and come to church. They are small steps, but all very necessary.

I am so very thankful for the opportunity I have had to be apart of this work so far, and also to add my efforts to the work of family history! I am so excited to see what Heavenly Father has in store for us this this week and all the things I have yet to learn!

The rain is coming and I am excited! Yes, proselyting outside will become a little harder because overall, there will be less people outside, but I am excited for all the changes and all the potential that the future holds.

That's the really cool thing about joy: the future! The things ahead of us is literally a huge question mark.

A little scary and unpredictable? yeah, I can't lie and say no.

But nonetheless thrilling? YES!

There is so much potential and promise ahead of us. One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon is Ether 12:4, which the first part says, "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world...".

And you know what...I think that promise extends past the hope for a better world, but also a better tomorrow! You don't know how tomorrow will be, but you CAN choose to be excited for it, because even if you are at rock bottom right now, the only way you can go is UP! And no matter how low you may feel, you can always find comfort in the fact that Jesus Christ descended even farther below that, and He will know exactly how to lift you and support you. I have felt the power that comes in that promise!

I love this work and I love my Savior Jesus Christ. He is the only reason why I am still out here on a mission, because it is HARD! But being able to represent Him and serve His children- that gives me purpose and hope! I love this gospel and the peace that it brings, and the life-sustainment it gives to everyone who acts in faith.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Sister McCown

And the new adventure begins!

Hello friends!

First week in a new area with a new companion with new people to teach...and it has been CRAZY! Holy goodness, it has been an insane past 7 days!

7 days ago I was in Forest Grove, spending my last night by saying goodbye to members, packing up and eating a pazookie with my sisters (Sister Christenson, Sister Child and Sister Johnson). We didn't want to end the party, so we all stuffed our beds into one room and had a little slumber party, of course, that ended right at 10:30pm. Haha, we missionaries try to have the fun we can actually have!!

First thing Tuesday morning, a member drove me down to my new area where I met my new companion, Sister Teters! She is from Oklahoma City and this will actually be her LAST transfer, so I will only be with her for 6 weeks! She is super cute and I like her a lot. Kinda crazy that I will be taking over the area soon and will have to know everything about the area before she leaves, but hey- I can do all things through Christ!!

Sister Teters and I hit the ground running with visiting the people we were teaching, talking to people in the streets, etc.

Hermana Seamons actually joined us for Tuesday and Wednesday because she was waiting for her brand-new missionary to come on Thursday morning, so that was fun! Trios are always super fun, so I enjoyed it a ton!

Sister Teters and I have been diving into our area book, going through the dozens and dozens of people that showed initial interest but that have been sitting there for months! I was shocked because many of them showed so much potential, so we've been making it a priority to sift through them and try to teach them.

By doing this and talking to people in the street, we have been able to find so many prepared people! I could make a whole list of cool conversations we had and how many of them I felt the Spirit in.

We had, what Sister Teters called, a "celestial weekend". Heavenly Father was literally spoiling us with miracles and it has made me realize how many more things I can be grateful for, especially all the little things.

One of these miracles was Mike!

The sisters have only taught him a couple things when I got here, and he wanted to meet with us and bring his wife along, but meet at a more casual location. So where did he want us to meet him? McDonalds!

I've never felt the Spirit more in a fast food restaurant, though! We came planned to teach him and his wife a simple lesson, but when he pulled out a sheet of paper with a bunch of questions, we tossed our lesson plan over our shoulders!

Some people who bring questions can come with the intention to make the conversation contentious, but his questions were GOLDEN! They were questions such as: Can the Book of Mormon bless my family? How can I feel peace in this world? How can I feel peace?

Those questions gave us so many opportunities to teach him about the Book of Mormon and how it can bless his life. We shared experiences with him about how it has specifically helped us to feel peace and guidance. It made me feel so good when he would reply, "Hmm...good answer!"

Many of the questions he asked reminded us of a page in Preach my Gospel (a book we use as a foundation of what we teach). It is a section where it explains how the Book of Mormon answers questions of our soul, or in other words, questions that many people have and then gives specific chapters in the Book of Mormon that answers the questions. We showed him the page and he almost flew off his chair! Some of the questions he wrote down were almost word-for-word identical to the questions in Preach my Gospel! He looked up at us, saying, "The Book of Mormon can really answer my questions?"

I felt so much love for him and his wife, and how much their hearts were opened to our message. Linda, his wife, said she grew up with the mentality that she shouldn't study anything except the Bible. It gave us the opportunity to testify of God's power and if He wanted to bring forth another record of His Son, He could. Towards the end of the lesson, I felt the Spirit wash over me as she said, "I know I need to open my mind to it and soften my heart." 

She accepted to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it!!

Another amazing miracle is Robert!

Robert is an exchange student from Taiwan, who is attending the local community college here to study English. He speaks Chinese but actually speaks really good English!

We stopped by one day to meet him and he was super nice and open to having us come back again! We 

stopped by again on Saturday and invited him to church!

AND HE CAME!!!

It has been so interesting trying to teach him, but it has been the best challenge. Not only has he never attended church before, but he also knows close to nothing about God and Jesus Christ. While we were in church, I would lean over to him periodically to explain to him what would happen next in the meeting or explain something that someone said. It was almost like I was translating everything, just only into a language of simplicity!

He really liked church and so much of the ward greeted him warmly. One member actually served her mission several years ago in China and was able to communicate with him a little bit in his native tongue.

Robert loved how we can learn more about Christ here. I would talk to him about the concept of how Jesus Christ is like our best friend. He never leaves us and He will always help us.

It was so funny- yesterday was the first Sunday in the Oak Creek Ward, but SO many more people introduced themselves to Robert than to me...but it was THE BEST! I mean, that's how it's supposed to be!!

Robert was glowing and we had a little mini lesson with him as we were waiting for his ride to take him home. We talked to him about temples and eternal families and he is excited to have us come on Thursday.

Our mission president speaks Chinese, so we're hoping he might be able to come to the lesson on Thursday. 

That would be so amazing!!

I'm sorry if this email sounds so sporatic and crazy- this week has been insane and there is so much I want to say, I just don't have the time (or energy in my fingers) to be able to type it all down!

I hope that out of everything, all who reads it may be able to know how much I love being a missionary, and how much I actually take it for granted. Every day, when we recite our Purpose to "helping people come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end" we also say, "how great is our calling!" 

Because it truly is SO great!!

My last spiritual thought of the week:

I love the Book of Mormon! It is my strength and my song, my guide and my comfort, my sword and my shield. Without it, I could not survive here on a mission. As much as I truly do love it, it is so hard and the Book of Mormon keeps me going!

This past week, Sister Teters and I watched this awesome trailer of the new Book of Mormon videos that are coming out soon! I literally teared up while watching it...to see the Book of Mormon literally come to life in that way.

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/season-three-filming-book-of-mormon-videos 

I learn so much from the stories in the Book of Mormon; all the examples of the characters and the lessons we learn from them when they follow Christ.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is here for us and it was written for our day. We need it, and we need to study it each and every day. It gives me the peace I need that I could not muster on my own, and I have been reading it a lot this past week. The comfort that God wants to give us can flow out of its pages and into our hearts, because He wants us to know it will all be okay and He wants us to know that we love Him.

I am a living witness that Heavenly Father loves us and knows us individually. If we reach out in faith, He will bring us into His arms. I have felt the love and strength that can come into our lives as we accept Him and work to put Him first into our lives. After that, everything falls into place.

I love my Savior. I know He lives, and I know He loves us!

I invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon and feel the power that comes from it as we do so with an open heart and real intent (willingness to act).

I love you all and I am thankful for your support! Have a wonderful week!

All my love

Sister McCown

Dark clouds make the Trees brighter!

Hello hello! Man, what a week it has been! And guess what...IT'S SEPTEMBER NOW...WHAT?!?

Seriously, who do I need to talk to in order to make time pass slower, I mean- come on! Haha, no just kidding, all is well. I just still can't believe yet another transfer has come and gone.

Anyways, here are some cool miracles from this week:

We had zone conference this past week, and a lot of it was focused on hope and charity. President and Sister Wilde are so inspired and some of my favorite people in the whole wide world!

We each lunch during the zone conference, and when I sat down next to Sister Wilde, only a couple minutes later, President Wilde sat on the other side of me! Haha, right in between them! It was funny though, and it was a good opportunity to talk to the both of them for a little bit.

I just have so much love and respect for all of them- they're just so amazing!

It was pretty hot this week, reaching into the 90's. Yeah, I should be fine with that being an Arizonian...but the HUMID hot is a whole different story! Lots of sweating, lots of water breaks in the shade, but also lots of fun!

Sister Christenson and I this past week focused a lot on praying for really busy days. We've been spending most of this transfer finding, so we wanted to see how busy we could get, even if it wasn't busy due to lessons. And guess what....Heavenly Father answers prayers!

It was amazing and I felt so effective! We were always going from one thing to the next, and we were even blessed with a couple lessons with nonmembers. Two of them were with people that we had not taught before, and it was kinda funny how nervous both Sister Christenson and I both were for this "first lesson" despite how long we've been out on our missions. See- the butterflies never seem to go away!!

We had a super powerful lesson with a member this past week that really impacted both Sister Christenson and I. We go to the lesson with a certain plan of what we wanted to teach, but during the first part of it when she opened her heart more than she had ever done before, telling us about some of her deepest concerns of self-worth and such, we threw our lesson plan out the window.

As we let her talk, both Sister Christenson and I received the impression to ask her if she had been reading in the Book of Mormon every single day.

She told us that she didn't; that she would read it every other day and would read her Bible every day though. It was a really good opportunity for us to testify of the power of the Book of Mormon when we read it...every. single. day.

We read some scriptures with her and she felt better when we left.

I know that the Book of Mormon helps us, even with problems that we think don't even relate to "spiritual things". I know that is because Heavenly Father cares about us and even our smallest concerns and trials. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to feel the love He has for us. He wants to help us!

An Apostle once said, "If you want to talk to Heavenly Father, pray. If you want Heavenly Father to talk to you, read the Book of Mormon."

And boy- have I felt that. Man, can I testify that that is true!!

It is amazing to feel the power of the Book of Mormon as we diligently read it. It has changed my life. It is my rock, my shield and my sword. I am so thankful that I never have to live my life without its precious words of comfort, love and guidance from my Heavenly Father.

Another fun thing about this week:

One morning, as Sister Christenson and I were walking in the morning (crazy how spiritual we were at 6:45 in the morning...), we were talking about how cloudy it was outside. I noticed how the trees always seem so bright and so much greener when it's cloudy and I personally like it.

When I told Sister Christenson that, she said, "Yeah, it's kinda like life. Even if you're going through a really hard time, it also makes the good, small moments seem even brighter!"

I loved that analogy and thought about it all throughout the day.

Later that day, the sisters we live with hit a bump in the road, so I had the idea to list the "3 Bright Trees" of our day, or the 3 good things we saw in the day even though we face trials. It was once again a good reminder to me that we can always see the positives no matter what phase of life we may be in!!

Okayyyyyyy...here are transfer calls!

Saturday night we got the call...and I am getting transferred! How could they do that to me- I have only been here 6 months!!! :)

I will be going down to Albany to be in the Oak Creek Ward, and I will be with the legendary Sister Teters!

I am going to miss this area so so much, and all yesterday we spent saying goodbyes (we stopped by 8 families!) in between meals and studies. We hit the couch at 9pm just so exhausted!!

As we were saying goodbyes yesterday, it just made me so much more grateful for the time that I have spent in this area, and for all that I have been blessed with here. I have made so many friends here and I am going to miss this place so so much!

The hardest was probably saying goodbye to Ashley. We both got teary-eyed and it was amazing that 6 months ago, she didn't even know what the Book of Mormon was...and now she is a member of the Church with friends, a calling and so many blessings!

I am also going to miss these wonderful sisters so much! I've lived with Sister Child for the past 6 months, it has been a blessing to get to know Sister Johnson and I have just loved being with Sister Christenson these past 3 months!

I have just been so spoiled with all I have been blessed with!

Sister Christenson has really taught me how to put my own struggles and concerns in the "God Box":

It could be a literal or metaphorical God Box, but basically it means putting it into His hands. I am really good at worrying about things- holding onto the things that happen and thinking about it over and over again, which can be bad! I always worry about things and I take on things that I shouldn't (other people's problems, etc.). But Sister Christenson is such a good example to me of putting our personal troubles into God's hands and trusting that He will take care of it.

I know this gospel is true and can bless our lives more than anything else. I am so thankful for this area, for my companions and for everything He has put in my life that has helped me to improve and be the person I am today, and make me more into the person He needs me to be...step by step, each and every day!

Have a great week everyone! I love you all!

All my love

Sister McCown