"Impossible" is not in my vocabulary

Hello friends and family!

Another week, another week! It's flying by and it's only scaring me a little bit!👌🏻

It has been a good week, though, with a lot of awesome miracles and...

I got one of the best gifts EVER:

I got to go on exchanges with my past companion and best friend, Sister Leifson! It was an absolute DREAM COME TRUE! The entire 24 hours with her was just a blast, and honestly, it just wasn't long enough!

It was amazing to see how much she had grown in the 5 months it's been since we have been companions. As soon as we were back together it was as if nothing had changed, except we both had so many experiences that made us better and stronger! She has grown a lot in the gospel and it was amazing to see how much more confidence she has and how her testimony of the gospel truly has become who she is!

Man I just love her so much! She literally changed my whole life and the entire course of my mission. But that makes sense, because I'm pretty convinced we know each other in the premortal life, haha!

We have been very blessed in finding new people to teach. Many of them are people that have been formerly taught by missionaries and have recently shown a lot of potential in progressing in the gospel!

We had an AWESOME lesson with someone named Scott this past week! We were trying to visit a member, but Scott answered the door and said that they don't live there anymore...sooo....we talked to Scott about the gospel! We set up a lesson with him for this past week and talked a lot about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, because he had a recent death in the family.

He has a crazy work schedule (which he likes, because it also serves as a distraction from losing the family member) so we were only able to have a 20 minute lesson with him one evening. But man, it was so powerful! We showed him an amazing video about how through Christ's sacrifice, we can experience lasting peace and hope for the future, no matter what we may be going through. It is so necessary that we completely rely on Him and His will, and that immediate peace is always accessible to us through prayer and studying the scriptures.

Scott knows that there is something missing in his life and I am so excited to help him see the priceless and innumerable blessings of the gospel!

We also had interviews with President Wilde this past week and, as always, it was amazing and so revelatory! He is such a huge inspiration to me and he just radiates with love towards others and Christ!

During the interview I asked him how I could study the Book of Mormon more effectively. He excitedly told me about this amazing devotional talk "A Reservior of Living Water" by David A. Bednar that talks about how we Study the scriptures more in depth. I have started reading it and am loving it! My favorite part so far has been when he talks about understanding the gospel WITH OUR HEARTS! Knowing Christ's teachings is so different from LIVING christ's teachings and allowing it to literally become who you are. Its amazing and I'm excited to continue studying it!

Another great principle that will literally sum up my mission:

During District Council this past week, we studied together the concept of "impossible tasks" and how to overcome them. We read in the Book of Mormon examples of them, such as in 1 Nephi 17 when Nephi was commanded to build a boat. If you think about it...this is a young man, asked to build a giant boat, considering he doesn't even know what a boat is, and he doesn't have a single tool to do it. And the first thing he asked, was how he was going to obtain the tools! I think it's amazing to see how much faith Nephi has, and how he was willing to take a step in the dark and rely on God for revelation.

This principle really applies to missionary work...because literally everything we are doing is like an "impossible task". Heck, we're doing the work of the Lord, and not only are we imperfect men, but we are young adults! Sometimes I wonder why God trusts His young children to do His work, but I know that it has helped me more than anything else has! He doesn't expect us to do His work perfectly, but He does want us to rely on Him and do our best. I know part of the reason why we're on missions is to learn how to rely on God, and what better lesson could prepare me for the rest of my life!?

I love this gospel and I love my Savior. I am so thankful for every answer to my prayers and I am thankful for the people in my life that I know aren't coincidences. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

All my love

Sister McCown

EXPECT Miracles to Happen!

Hello world, how is everyone doing! Here's an update from a missionary serving here in Albany, Oregon...with now 16 MONTHS of missionary experience under my belt...what the heck! That's crazy insane!

With the start of a new transfer and a new companion by my side, we have been hitting the streets and have seen an endless amount of miracles! I think the biggest thing for me is just seeing how the Lord guides our every step, and helps us to know where we need to be.

Countless times while we are out, a name would come to my mind of someone we needed to visit, and when we go, we would often find them home and we would have the opportunity to talk to them more about the gospel. I know it was definitely the Spirit that prompted me to see these individuals and I am so thankful that I followed them!

Many of these individuals are people who were formerly taught by missionaries in the past. With me still being pretty new to the area, and my new companion, Sister Morgan, only having been here for a few days, we don't know very many people! It gives me a lot more courage to go visit these people that we don't personally know and I am so excited for the coming weeks where we will be able to teach more and more people.

Sister Morgan and I have been talking a lot about the principle of "expecting miracles to happen". We can feel it in our bones that this is going to be a great transfer full of miracles and opportunities to teach many people about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

So let me just talk about a few of these individuals!

*Barb*

So Barb is a super cool lady that I have so much love for...already!!

She has been taught by missionaries on and off by missionaries for years and she has a great desire to be baptized still! We talked to her a lot about how the gospel can give her strength to overcome the obstacles in her life as she progresses towards baptism.

The love I had for Barb, even though we had only met her for the first time just the day before, was so immediate. She seemed so hopeless that she would be able to jump over the hurdles to baptism. She shared stories of trying so hard in the past, but without much success. It broke my heart to see her so spiritually drained.

We testified of how much spiritual strength she can receive as she meets with us and reads the Book of Mormon, and it gave me the opportunity to share my Hope Scripture

John 14: 27- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you; let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

I know that the peace we so very much desire can only be found through Jesus Christ. It can't be found through the methods of the world!

I also felt prompted to give her a picture of Jesus Christ that I carried in my copy of the Book of Mormon for the longest time. I used it as a bookmark at one point and it is very dear to my heart. But in that moment, I knew she needed it more than I did, so I gave it to her. Her eyes lit up and she said it was beautiful!

I am really excited to start working with Barb and helping her to gain that strength she needs to overcome the mountains in her life. It is amazing to me how much strength I receive from the Book of Mormon and constant prayer to my Father in Heaven. That is how..through all the different trials I have faced on my mission...that I am still able to have the strength to be out here today and thrive!

 *Mathews Family*

One evening we knew we would be going to a part of our area that we call Animal Kingdom (literally every street in this neighborhood is the name of an animal). Every time we go, I've been meaning to visit this family that I knew were solid, but we could never find the time to do so. So I put it at the top of our list to go and see that evening..and they were all home! It was ahuge blessing and we were able to set up another appointment for later this week! We were able to spend that time just getting to know them and they are such a solid family!!

*Laura*

Laura is someone else that has previously been taught by missionaries and she decided to stop meeting with missionaries because she was undergoing a lot of stress as well as a major surgery. I didn't know her and I felt prompted to go and visit her one evening.

It was kinda awkward at the first part of the conversation because when she first opened the door, her dog ran out. So we first had to catch the dog, and by that point, she wasn't too happy to talk. We asked if we could come back another time and she said, "Maybe another time in the future". Instead of taking that answer, Sister Morgan felt impressed to talk to her longer and then ask her if she was really okay.

That question opened up Laura's heart to telling us more about the mountains currently in her life. Before that moment, she saw us coming over again as another thing in her life, but as we testified to her of the power of the gospel, we were able to help her see that the gospel can give her strength to overcome her trials.

I had the opportunity to share Mosiah 24: 14 with her that really invited the Spirit into the conversation. I got close to her, and showed her the physical verse in the Book of Mormon I had, so she got to read along as I read it outloud. The Spirit was so strong as we testified of God's love for her and how much it can help her at this time in her life. Not only did that soften her heart to let us come back again, but we were able to set up a specific time for this upcoming week!

*Elizabeth*

Elizabeth actually isn't a person taught formerly by missionaries, but is actually a 10-year-old recent convert in our ward! Since I've been here in the area, it has been hard to help her come to church because she is the only member in her family and church always isn't the funnest in her eyes.

But recently we have been able to form a really good relationship with her! We saw her a few times this week, one in which was a Pumpkin Painting Party! A member in our ward organized it because they accidentally grew too many pumpkins and they needed to use them. We were able to go and fellowship the people there, and we had a mini competition between us and Elizabeth! It was so fun!

We also had a lesson with her yesterday and read in the Book of Mormon with her.

Last Spiritual Thought:

Since the Book of Mormon videos have been coming out, my eyes are being opened to so many different things that I have never thought about!

In 1 Nephi 16, a story is told of how Nephi's bow breaks and his family is now no longer able to obtain food. All of his family complains and Nephi is the only one who exercises his faith to turn this now trial into a learning process.

I know that it was his faithfulness that allowed him to then receive revelation to know how to make a bow himself. The new Book of Mormon videos emphasize this principle so well and I love how applicable it is in our lives.

I know that when we truly take the time to put God first in our lives (Whether that be by making sacrifices to study in the Book of Mormon, pray, etc.), He will give us guidance not only to overcome our trials, but to help us know the things we need to do to better our lives. He wants us to succeed and have joy, and when we are willing to put Him first, He will help us to become much more than we ever could on our own.

I am so eternally grateful for this gospel and the energy it gives me to push forward. I love my Savior and His infinite Atonement. I couldn't do it without Him.

I love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week! Never forget how much you are loved!

All my love

Sister McCown

Now that's a wrap!

Hello hello everyone! How has everyone's weeks been?

Ours has been a little crazy, but nonetheless good!

Let's start with our crazy adventure of the week, right at the beginning on Tuesday morning!

I just gotta say...that you truly don't appreciate the things you have...until you lock yourself out of the apartment for 6 hours with only the exercise clothes you're wearing and your nametag.

We go outside and run each morning as soon as we wake up, and we didn't realize that we forgot to grab the keys until we heard the click of the locked door shut behind us.

...oops...

It being 6:30 in the morning, I decided that we should just go on our run, because all our neighbors that had our landlords number were still fast asleep. We weren't afraid to take our dear sweet time running that morning, and even by the time we got back, we had to wait for 45 minutes until we forced ourselves to knock on their door. 

Angry, sleepy tones greeted us at the door and after snagging their phone for a second to leave a voice message for our landlord, we quickly took our places back on our cement patio.

[2 hours later]

The hardest thing was that we literally couldn't do anything! We had nothing with us, and the only way we could know the time was was by peering through our kitchen window and looking on the clock above our stove.

It was almost 9am when we decided that we just needed to walk to the Spanish sisters apartment and see if they could help us. We had a lesson at 10am!

We began walking and with the plentiful time we had on our hands, Sister Teters and I had many conversations and played many games! We were laughing about the whole situation the entire time, so overall, we had a good time!

We knocked on the hermanas door and they opened it with so much concern on their faces. As soon as we told them we had been outside for the past almost 4 hours, they rushed us in their apartment, pulling out every breakfast food they had. So sweet!

We both borrowed clothes and shoes from the hermanas and with only copies of the Book of Mormon and a notepad and pen (just in case we needed to write something down) we went to our morning lesson! It was so funny how unprepared we felt, but hey, it went pretty well! We met with Dorothy, someone we are currently teaching, and we read in the Book of Mormon!

We had some other fun things this past week too! We had exchanges with the sisters in Stayton and I was with Sister Cloward! She is a newer missionary and has such a fire for the gospel! She is so sincere and open and I loved being with her!

We had a ton of member lessons this past week that allowed me to get to know the ward and it was so fun for me! My companion, Sister Teters, is actually going home this week, so it was super good for me to get to know the area and the people here as much as I could before she leaves!

My new companion will be Sister Morgan, who I already know and love! She is awesome and I'm excited for all the miracles we will see together!

I have a testimony of the "immediate goodness of God". There are very few things that are easy about being a missionary and it is so easy to get done on yourself. There may even be times, no matter what stage of life you're in, where you don't think you can go farther.

I know I have reached this point on more than one account on my mission, but I can promise, that the "immediate goodness of God" does come.

In Mosiah 24, the people at that time are under bondage and are facing many hard things- physical, mental, and spiritual. They beg God for relief and sustaining energy, and they receive their answer in verse 14:

"And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions."

The people were not delivered from their trials immediately, but rather, they were immediately blessed with the strength to endure.

I can definitely testify from the experiences of my own life, that He has not immediately delivered me from the things I find to be so hard in my life. How would I expect to learn and grow if I was?

We can't grow in the comfort zone and there is no comfort in the growing zone. That's just how it is because He wants us to grow and learn, and He knows that in order for that to happen, we need to trip and experience failure and sadness. But what He has in store for us as we take each step in faith...is the gift of eternal, glorious joy.

And He has it in His hands, ready to give to us.

I have felt the immense power of life-sustaining goodness of God. It is real and I have felt it through prayer. I love my Savior and the sacrifice He made and the role He has as the Only Begotten so that I could have that daily communication with God. What a glorious gift prayer is! I encourage all of you to reach out to a Father who is always there for you, and loves you unconditionally. He is always there to listen!

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

Sister McCown

Busy Bees Buzzing around Albany

Hello everyone! I hope everyone's weeks has been fantabulous, and especially that everyone was able to watch General Conference this weekend! Did everyone love it as much as I did??? I hope so...because it was AMAZING!

But before I get into the miracles of this weekend...let's talk about the days in between from the last time I emailed!

We've been pretty busy this week, which isn't super normal, but it's been really fun! On Wednesday, we were basically in Newberg all day at a leadership meeting, and there we received instruction on the revised rules of the mission. It was really exciting being with other missionaries and putting forth your personal input on things.

On the way home, we had a super cool opportunity! We actually had to have a senior couple drive us up to Newberg (car problems, haha), and on the way home, they suddenly stopped on the side of the road to buy a huge bag of oranges from a cute little truck stand.

He helped us carry the bag to our car and just as we were about to get in, Elder Williams told me that he had a Book of Mormon in spanish (the vendor was hispanic), and so Sister Teters and I got right back out of the car to talk to him again. We got to know him a little bit and by the end of the conversation, he had accepted the Book of Mormon! It was super cool and such a good witness to be that we can help people learn about the gospel, no matter where we are!

We've also seen a lot of cool miracles with Abbie, the 7 year old we have been teaching recently! She is so cute and loves us so so much!! During one lesson, we talked to her about the Plan of Salvation. She calls us her "church sisters" and while we were wrapping up one of our lessons, a friend of hers walked in the door and asked if Abbie would like to play outside with her. Abbie turns to her and said, "Okay, well right now I'm having church practice, but we're almost done, so I'll come out soon."

Haha, a 7 year old said that! It was so cute!

Also during another lesson, we told her that we would come at 6. We got there right on time, and it was pouring rain when we did. When we got out of the car and started walking towards the house, we looked up to see Abbie outside, in her rain jacket and standing underneath an umbrella...waiting just for us!

It was so adorable; she ran towards us and gave us the huge pink umbrella. I just love her so much!

Okay...now back to conference!

This weekend we spent each session with different members in the ward. I love them all so much and it was so fun to spend more time with them.

There was so much food though...especially cinnamon rolls! Holy goodness, it was all so good!

I think my favorite session of them all was the women's session on Saturday evening. So many of those talks hit me straight to the heart and answered many of my questions.

And hey, if you didn't have the opportunity to watch it...you still can! I know that taking the opportunity to watch it will bless your life so much.

General Conference was a good reminder to me that it is a privilege for me to be on a mission. That I need to work my absolute hardest with the time that I have here. I won't be a missionary forever unfortunately, so I can't waste a moment!!

I know that Heavenly Father is aware of us and our needs. He loves us endlessly and knows us perfectly. He has a plan for us and He is in every fiber of our lives. I am so thankful for the revelation He wants to give us and every day I hope to gain more and more of it.

One of my favorite talks from conference was from Peter M. Johnson. He focused on the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and praying "everyday...everyday...every day." I know that that will be our greatest source of strength and protection from the increasing efforts of the adversary. Satan wants us to be miserable, but Heavenly Father only desires us to be happy. The greatest happiness I have felt has been in the gospel and when I know I am doing absolutely everything I can to follow Him and be obedient. Of course, I am far far from perfect, but I am trying, and He sees our efforts.

I love this gospel and I am thankful for the life I have to study and apply it. I love being a missionary and being here in Oregon. I know there is no other place Heavenly Father would rather have me be.

I love you all. Have a great week!

Sister McCown