The temple the
amazing and I received so much peace from going! I know that it is the closest
place to heaven on earth and I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to go!
It was a good reminder to me that I not only need to help others make the steps
towards baptism, but also help them to ultimately keep their eyes on the
temple!
This week has been
busy busy and it has been the best!
We went on 2
exchanges this past week and both of the sisters I went with are in training as
missionaries. It was so fun to be with younger missionaries and see the
"greenie fire" in them.
I went to Sweet Home
for one of the exchanges and it is the cutest little town! I was with Sister
Noble for that exchange, and she had only been out for 2 weeks at that point!
She is such a great missionary and so courageous! It was so fun to get to know
her and she was such a good example to me of showing love to others and putting
our fears aside to fully serve God and others.
The second exchange
was with Hermana Staker who serves in the spanish congregation in Albany, and I
love her so much! I already have known her for a while because I see her and
her companion a few times a week and we hang out all the time on pdays, but it
was fun to be more one-on-one with her. We talked a lot, especially as we made
cookies at the end of the night, and she is SO GOOD at giving compliments! Oh
my goodness, I was called to repentance a little bit as a realized how much
better I need to be about giving compliments and vocalizing the strengths I see
in others.
It's amazing how all
the exchanges I go on throughout the transfer, I always learn more from them
than they probably do from me!! And there is so much more I need to learn!
This past week we
also celebrated Halloween! On wednesday we had our ward halloween party and it
was so fun! There were more nonmembers and less-active members than active
members! It was so fun to walk around, mingle and get to know others!
On Halloween night,
we had to be in our apartment by 6pm (great way to celebrate, right?) Because
it's not safe for missionaries to be outside on that night. Instead of being
outside proselyting, we did our planning for the week and tried to contact a
lot of people!
One of the biggest
miracles of this past week has been working with a guy named Travis. We met him
a couple weeks ago trying to actually visit a relative of his that met with
missionaries previously, but met him instead!
When we first met
him, he expressed to us some of his struggles. We know that his trials have
really softened his heart and he is SO PREPARED in accepting the gospel.
We had everything
set up for him to come to church this past week...and then on Saturday night he
texted us and said that a close family member (also his best friend) had passed
away.
We went over last
night to visit him and despite how broken he was, the faith he had astounded
us. He said he knows that she is Home and no longer in pain, and that we are
supposed to go through hard things to help us learn and grow stronger. The
Spirit was so strong on his porch as we talked about the comfort that Heavenly
Father's plan brings us and I am so thankful for the opportunity we had to
share it with him. I am so excited for him and the steps he has already taken
and will take as he relies on Christ!
Another awesome
miracle I saw this past weekend was seeing so many members from my previous
areas. One of them especially was Brother Miller; my dad on a mission! He was
my ward mission leader in my first area and he helped me SO much! It was so fun
to walk up to him after getting out of a stake meeting down in Lebanon, and
seeing his jaw drop to the floor and phone fall out of his hand when he saw me!
I love him so much and he is such a good example to me!
Another week in the
books and another crazy week ahead! I'm so immensely grateful for the time I
have left to serve my Savior and to truly give every day He has given me back
to Him. This is my time to serve Him!
I love you all and
will talk to you next week!
All my love
Sister McCown
No comments:
Post a Comment