So yes, it is that time of week where we get transfer calls and I start freaking out wondering where the heck I will be going and stuff. Well, that all got put to rest last night because they decided to give us the transfer news a little bit earlier! So I am going to be transferred to Brookswood which is in the Langley zone! I am so stoked! I heard that I attend the church building that is right next to the Temple which I am so excited to go to! I have been wanting to go to the temple so bad lately! So yeah, that was a shock to get that call so early. I knew I was leaving though. I really feel like that I did the work that I needed to get done here, which was super awesome!
So this week was a lot of fun! We did quite a bit of service for the Wallbanks. We used a wood chipper and spread all the chips over Phil’s garden for a couple hours. Ummmm, we also met with a former investigator Pam and a less active Ray. They actually came to church this past Sunday which was awesome! What was even better though was that we had a surprise visit from someone who we have never met before, come to church! She was all excited about getting a Book of Mormon and she stayed the whole 3 hours. Her boyfriend is actually lds as well and lives in Washington at the moment. Awesome miracle!
We also had our last district meeting in Courtenay. A total of 11 missionaries were there including the senior couple which was awesome! We got to meet with Francois this past week. He has really been struggling lately and he has had a rough time getting out of his slump, especially with smoking and coffee. Anyway, he mentioned something about how dirty his place was. Anyways, it was right then and there that I just offered to help clean up his apartment. We literally cleaned everything. Counter-tops, swept the floor, mopped, cleaned dishes, etc. This place probably hasn’t been cleaned in months. There was a ton of garbage everywhere and the place still needs cleaning after doing it for an hour. I sure hope that provides a fresher and "cleaner" outlook for him.
It was a good week to end my stay in Port Alberni though. Now it’s just a matter of packing and rushing to meeting all of the members before I go. Kind of sad really, but I feel like I really did all the work that I need to in this area. I feel like there is more for me in Brookswood.
Sure love ya bunches and I miss ya!
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, March 30, 2015
Monday, March 23, 2015
Marilyn was Baptized
Marilyn was baptized ~ March 23, 2015
So this has to be the best week ever! Lets see. Marilyn was baptized! It was so awesome! It was such an amazing experience to be able to see her in her white clothing and see her confirmed the following day at church! After 5 1/2 months of working with her, which is in total, 8 months of meeting with the missionaries for her, she was finally baptized! I was so excited! I couldn't help smiling the whole entire time and I had this goofy grin on my face as she slowly walked to the font. I have to say, the best feeling was when I was one of the 2 witnesses and I got to see her baptized up-close, and it was honestly an emotional tidal wave that hit me. I was so excited for her! So much work and time had gone into this and I am so thankful that I was able to see the results of it! It was such an awesome experience and I am so happy right now, that I am surprised that I am not literally jumping out of my seat!
Anyway, besides Marilyn being baptized, we did have a good week. We haven't seen Francois in what feels like forever. We drop by on occasion whenever we are in the area but he is never home. We got to meet with Phil twice this week. Once was for a lesson and the other was for doing service. I know I don't want to take up gardening when I get home though. Pulling up weeds and stuff is not fun.
Lets see, what else? We went on exchanges with the Courtenay Elders this week. I was in Courtenay with Elder Robinson and Elder Rushton which was fun. Other than that, it was a solid week. We talked to quite a few people and basically prepared for Marilyn’s baptism. I had to give two talks this past weekend which was awesome! I gave a talk at Marilyn’s baptism as well as in sacrament meeting the following day. Such a good experience. I always find that I learn more whenever I am speaking and such.
All in all, it was an awesome week! So much fun and I am so happy to have seen Marilyn get baptized. When I was reflecting upon this the other day, I kept thinking to myself that this was the person that I was meant to teach and baptize in this area. I was meant to see this day. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this day.
Love
Elder McCown
So this has to be the best week ever! Lets see. Marilyn was baptized! It was so awesome! It was such an amazing experience to be able to see her in her white clothing and see her confirmed the following day at church! After 5 1/2 months of working with her, which is in total, 8 months of meeting with the missionaries for her, she was finally baptized! I was so excited! I couldn't help smiling the whole entire time and I had this goofy grin on my face as she slowly walked to the font. I have to say, the best feeling was when I was one of the 2 witnesses and I got to see her baptized up-close, and it was honestly an emotional tidal wave that hit me. I was so excited for her! So much work and time had gone into this and I am so thankful that I was able to see the results of it! It was such an awesome experience and I am so happy right now, that I am surprised that I am not literally jumping out of my seat!
 |
| Elder Johanesson and Elder Hansen, Marilyns Baptism 3.21.15 |
Anyway, besides Marilyn being baptized, we did have a good week. We haven't seen Francois in what feels like forever. We drop by on occasion whenever we are in the area but he is never home. We got to meet with Phil twice this week. Once was for a lesson and the other was for doing service. I know I don't want to take up gardening when I get home though. Pulling up weeds and stuff is not fun.
Lets see, what else? We went on exchanges with the Courtenay Elders this week. I was in Courtenay with Elder Robinson and Elder Rushton which was fun. Other than that, it was a solid week. We talked to quite a few people and basically prepared for Marilyn’s baptism. I had to give two talks this past weekend which was awesome! I gave a talk at Marilyn’s baptism as well as in sacrament meeting the following day. Such a good experience. I always find that I learn more whenever I am speaking and such.
All in all, it was an awesome week! So much fun and I am so happy to have seen Marilyn get baptized. When I was reflecting upon this the other day, I kept thinking to myself that this was the person that I was meant to teach and baptize in this area. I was meant to see this day. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this day.
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, March 16, 2015
Smelly Potatoes
So this past week was pretty awesome! There have been so many miracles this past week! So this week, we started off with exchanges. Elder Lewis is such a miracle worker! He is the zone leader and he stayed in Port Alberni while Elder Hansen went to Nanaimo. Anyway, super awesome miracles happened! We found 6 potentials that night and about half of them are new investigators right now which is sweet! It’s nice to have a bigger teaching pool now and I am so excited to teach them all. Anyway, the following day the Senior Couple, Elder and Sister Burns came and visited Port Alberni with Elder Lewis and I there. Such an awesome time! The Burns bring the spirit and they are so kind and loving. So that was an awesome day. We visited with Ivy and her mom. We also visited with Marilyn which is always an awesome visit!
That day we gave two church tours and got two new investigators, all from the labors of the previous day which was awesome! Mark already has a baptismal date for April 10th which is awesome! He just has to start living the word of wisdom and he is golden! He also came to church this past Sunday as well, so he is progressing quite well.
Marilyn is doing AWESOME! She is progressing towards her baptismal date this coming Saturday! She has been holding strong and passed off her baptismal interview with President Deyel which is President Burt’s counsellor. So we are planning on meeting with her every day this week so we can give her that spiritual boost that she needs!
Let’s see, what else?
We did quite a bit of service this past week which was fun! We helped the Baverstocks paint one of their rooms which was fun!
I always love getting out of the white shirt and tie. Then we went and taught this man named Eric. Really nice guy. Super into the Bible and studies it thoroughly. He is stuck on only one thing though, and that is that church is to take place on Saturday. Kind of bummer eh? He would be awesome as a new member!
One of the best parts of the week though, was when we went to Victoria. We had an awesome Zone conference and we got some extra training on updating our area books which is something we really need to do. It literally took all day Friday for the meeting, which was tiring, but at the same time, it was an AWESOME spiritual recharge!
Saturday we helped this guy named Scott with his drywall business. We helped clean and vacuum this place that he is working on. It was a lot of fun!
That same day, we met with Gail and Roy and they fed us Pork Tenderloin which was SUPER YUMMY! She is such a good cook! They are so gracious towards us missionaries as well! They knew that we weren't getting the best of foods, so what do they do? They tell us to walk down the street with them, down to grocery store, and buy us a TON of food. They are so nice! I don't think we have to spend any amount of money on groceries for the next two weeks I think. That night we met with this lady named Sherry and Scott. They are quite an interesting couple. The first time I met them was when Elder Lewis and I were contacting in a Saveon grocery store. First off, it’s awkward talking to people in grocery stores because you can’t go up and suddenly start talking to random people about the gospel. So, I saw Sherry and Scott near where all the potatoes were. I then noticed that they were sniffing the potatoes. I was kind of weirded out, but when I went up and asked what they were doing, I figured out that you can tell if potatoes have gone bad or not by their smell. So now I know how to tell if potatoes are going bad or not! Lol. Anyway, the lesson that we had with them went pretty well.
Later that night we met with Marilyn which was awesome! Kimmy, (her 6 year old granddaughter) wasn't there, but apparently, according to Marilyn, Kimmy has a little bit of a crush on me, so, while they were in Nanaimo the other day, she got me this cool looking, fuzzy, giant pen and a stuffed Olaf. She is so cute!
So Sunday eventually rolled around and we had stake conference, and guess who came?!?! Marilyn and Mark! We had 2 investigators at church! It was so awesome! So Marilyn stayed for the whole entire time which was awesome and she enjoyed it a lot! Mark on the other hand had to go shortly after he arrived which was a bummer. It was still awesome to see him there though!
So, as you can tell, this has been an awesome week! There have been so many miracles going on! And what’s even weirder is that I am coming up on my 6 month mark! SO CRAZY!!!
One thing that came up this past week, after one of our lessons with Marilyn, which I thought was pretty cool, was when Justin Johanesson told me about our purpose on a mission, and how, there are certain people that we were meant to find or baptize. He told me that I was the one who was meant to baptize Marilyn. After almost 6 months of working with her, I believed it. There were times when I didn't think that she was ever going to get baptized. There were times that she wasn't progressing, and I felt that she was making up excuses, but God does reward us for our efforts and our perseverance. I am so glad that I am able to be here, and find that person that I was supposed to baptize, and it is going to be this coming week!
I love you all so much! God is good! Keep doing what you are doing, and keep moving forward! I love you!
Love,
Elder McCown
That day we gave two church tours and got two new investigators, all from the labors of the previous day which was awesome! Mark already has a baptismal date for April 10th which is awesome! He just has to start living the word of wisdom and he is golden! He also came to church this past Sunday as well, so he is progressing quite well.
Marilyn is doing AWESOME! She is progressing towards her baptismal date this coming Saturday! She has been holding strong and passed off her baptismal interview with President Deyel which is President Burt’s counsellor. So we are planning on meeting with her every day this week so we can give her that spiritual boost that she needs!
Let’s see, what else?
We did quite a bit of service this past week which was fun! We helped the Baverstocks paint one of their rooms which was fun!
I always love getting out of the white shirt and tie. Then we went and taught this man named Eric. Really nice guy. Super into the Bible and studies it thoroughly. He is stuck on only one thing though, and that is that church is to take place on Saturday. Kind of bummer eh? He would be awesome as a new member!
One of the best parts of the week though, was when we went to Victoria. We had an awesome Zone conference and we got some extra training on updating our area books which is something we really need to do. It literally took all day Friday for the meeting, which was tiring, but at the same time, it was an AWESOME spiritual recharge!
Saturday we helped this guy named Scott with his drywall business. We helped clean and vacuum this place that he is working on. It was a lot of fun!
That same day, we met with Gail and Roy and they fed us Pork Tenderloin which was SUPER YUMMY! She is such a good cook! They are so gracious towards us missionaries as well! They knew that we weren't getting the best of foods, so what do they do? They tell us to walk down the street with them, down to grocery store, and buy us a TON of food. They are so nice! I don't think we have to spend any amount of money on groceries for the next two weeks I think. That night we met with this lady named Sherry and Scott. They are quite an interesting couple. The first time I met them was when Elder Lewis and I were contacting in a Saveon grocery store. First off, it’s awkward talking to people in grocery stores because you can’t go up and suddenly start talking to random people about the gospel. So, I saw Sherry and Scott near where all the potatoes were. I then noticed that they were sniffing the potatoes. I was kind of weirded out, but when I went up and asked what they were doing, I figured out that you can tell if potatoes have gone bad or not by their smell. So now I know how to tell if potatoes are going bad or not! Lol. Anyway, the lesson that we had with them went pretty well.
Later that night we met with Marilyn which was awesome! Kimmy, (her 6 year old granddaughter) wasn't there, but apparently, according to Marilyn, Kimmy has a little bit of a crush on me, so, while they were in Nanaimo the other day, she got me this cool looking, fuzzy, giant pen and a stuffed Olaf. She is so cute!
So Sunday eventually rolled around and we had stake conference, and guess who came?!?! Marilyn and Mark! We had 2 investigators at church! It was so awesome! So Marilyn stayed for the whole entire time which was awesome and she enjoyed it a lot! Mark on the other hand had to go shortly after he arrived which was a bummer. It was still awesome to see him there though!
So, as you can tell, this has been an awesome week! There have been so many miracles going on! And what’s even weirder is that I am coming up on my 6 month mark! SO CRAZY!!!
One thing that came up this past week, after one of our lessons with Marilyn, which I thought was pretty cool, was when Justin Johanesson told me about our purpose on a mission, and how, there are certain people that we were meant to find or baptize. He told me that I was the one who was meant to baptize Marilyn. After almost 6 months of working with her, I believed it. There were times when I didn't think that she was ever going to get baptized. There were times that she wasn't progressing, and I felt that she was making up excuses, but God does reward us for our efforts and our perseverance. I am so glad that I am able to be here, and find that person that I was supposed to baptize, and it is going to be this coming week!
I love you all so much! God is good! Keep doing what you are doing, and keep moving forward! I love you!
Love,
Elder McCown
Monday, March 9, 2015
Service
So, yes another week has gone by. Crazy huh?
So this week was pretty awesome, just like every other week in the mission field. We did a TON of service this past week, and it was a lot of fun! We helped clean up this guys yard twice because their house got flooded. We also helped Phil Wallbank chop kindling for his fire for a couple hours. We also helped Roy and Gail clean up their back yard a bit. They had this huge granite lantern thing. I swear this thing weighed about 400 pounds. SO HEAVY. I think I pulled something in my arm while doing it, but it was fun! Ummmmm.... lets see... what else? We met with Marilyn this past week.... and she is doing AWESOME! She hasn't had any tea since a week and a half ago which is awesome! Every time we go over, she always participates and always does her Book of Mormon read. She is SO AWESOME!
We also got to meet with Bill this past week. We are always running into the same problem though with his dementia. He can’t remember things most of the time. I don't even think he knows our names and we have been over there multiple times. Anyways, we went and visited him this past week and we brought our little portable dvd player and shared the restoration video with him. We asked how he felt about the video and what else he thought about it. All he could talk about was how amazing the dvd player was, and not really focus on the video. Sadly to say, we might not meet with him anymore. It’s hard to progress when you can’t remember. But, who knows? Hopefully it will strike him one day. Hopefully the spirit will hit him so hard that it will become ingrained in him.
We also met with Francois this past week. He is still set on the move to Victoria and getting baptized there. We just keep on visiting him to let him know that we are there for him. He goes through a lot of ups and downs in his life, resulting from past experiences that he has had. Kind of a bummer really. It’s hard to see him dwelling on those thoughts and having them affect him so badly.
On the bright side! We had a new investigator this past week! This mans name is Rick and he seems pretty prepared. He mostly is just interested in the church because he took theology in college and is very adamant about being open minded towards things which is awesome! Gives us the opportunity to be able to bring the spirit! He seemed very open towards coming to church this coming Sunday because he is having trouble believing in his own church because of some of their beliefs and how they conflict with the Bible. Anyway, awesome guy!
We also got to see Ivy this week! She is doing awesome! Such a strong little girl! She knows the gospel inside and out and back in again. So awesome! Everything else is going great! Elder Hansen is an awesome missionary! He knows how to have fun and stay focused at the same time!
Sadly though, no one came to church this past Sunday though :(. I have to admit though, it was hard for me to get up and get going. We lost an hour of sleep because of daylight savings time. I am surprised that I stayed awake throughout church to be honest.
Well I sure miss you guys and I will be sending a package soon! And yes I wrote letters... Anyway! I love you all and hope you guys are doing great!
Love
Elder McCown
So this week was pretty awesome, just like every other week in the mission field. We did a TON of service this past week, and it was a lot of fun! We helped clean up this guys yard twice because their house got flooded. We also helped Phil Wallbank chop kindling for his fire for a couple hours. We also helped Roy and Gail clean up their back yard a bit. They had this huge granite lantern thing. I swear this thing weighed about 400 pounds. SO HEAVY. I think I pulled something in my arm while doing it, but it was fun! Ummmmm.... lets see... what else? We met with Marilyn this past week.... and she is doing AWESOME! She hasn't had any tea since a week and a half ago which is awesome! Every time we go over, she always participates and always does her Book of Mormon read. She is SO AWESOME!
We also got to meet with Bill this past week. We are always running into the same problem though with his dementia. He can’t remember things most of the time. I don't even think he knows our names and we have been over there multiple times. Anyways, we went and visited him this past week and we brought our little portable dvd player and shared the restoration video with him. We asked how he felt about the video and what else he thought about it. All he could talk about was how amazing the dvd player was, and not really focus on the video. Sadly to say, we might not meet with him anymore. It’s hard to progress when you can’t remember. But, who knows? Hopefully it will strike him one day. Hopefully the spirit will hit him so hard that it will become ingrained in him.
We also met with Francois this past week. He is still set on the move to Victoria and getting baptized there. We just keep on visiting him to let him know that we are there for him. He goes through a lot of ups and downs in his life, resulting from past experiences that he has had. Kind of a bummer really. It’s hard to see him dwelling on those thoughts and having them affect him so badly.
On the bright side! We had a new investigator this past week! This mans name is Rick and he seems pretty prepared. He mostly is just interested in the church because he took theology in college and is very adamant about being open minded towards things which is awesome! Gives us the opportunity to be able to bring the spirit! He seemed very open towards coming to church this coming Sunday because he is having trouble believing in his own church because of some of their beliefs and how they conflict with the Bible. Anyway, awesome guy!
We also got to see Ivy this week! She is doing awesome! Such a strong little girl! She knows the gospel inside and out and back in again. So awesome! Everything else is going great! Elder Hansen is an awesome missionary! He knows how to have fun and stay focused at the same time!
Sadly though, no one came to church this past Sunday though :(. I have to admit though, it was hard for me to get up and get going. We lost an hour of sleep because of daylight savings time. I am surprised that I stayed awake throughout church to be honest.
Well I sure miss you guys and I will be sending a package soon! And yes I wrote letters... Anyway! I love you all and hope you guys are doing great!
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, March 2, 2015
Ivy’s Baptism
So,
yeah.... another week went by.... weird right? I think I would get used to this
by now, but, I don't think I ever will. Anyway,
there have been some awesome miracles going on in Port Alberni! Elder Hansen is
a miracle worker! This past week we had a baptism which was awesome! We taught
this little girl in 6 days! A 6 DAY BAPTISM!!! CRAZY EH?!?! It was so awesome!
This little girl, Ivy Nelson, was just so prepared to hear the gospel! Her
mother doesn't go to church, and her dad, (who lives in Utah) was coming up for a visit,
and he wanted her to get baptized. All that needed to happen, was for the
missionaries to teach her! We were so excited to be able to see this little
girl get baptized. The first lesson, she taught us. She explained things so
simply, and I was just shocked by her knowledge in the gospel. SHE KNEW
EVERYTHING! I wish that all of our investigators were like this! She was so
attentive during the lessons, and, when she got baptized, she was completely
focused! Such a prepared little girl! I am just so glad that I got to be here
when everything was aligned for her to be taught. One of the coolest parts
about the baptism though, is that the mom and her boyfriend were there. When she saw her daughter Ivy baptized, she was crying.
Let’s
see... what else? Wellllll... MARILYN CAME TO CHURCH!!! It was so exciting to
see her coming in with her cane decorated with flowers! So exciting! It was
this past Wednesday when she gave up coffee and tea, and she is holding strong!
I was so excited! She has a baptismal date for March 21st! I am so excited for
her! Such a miracle!
Not
much else has happened this week. Elder Hansen and I are just so grateful for
the opportunity which we had to be able to teach Ivy, and I hope and pray in
turn that this will touch the heart of her mother as well. Ivy is such a strong
little girl, and she just knows what to do and say, and she brings the spirit
with her. I wish I was as strong as her.
Another miracle this past week was Colton (Ivy's older brother). He is a
quiet and shy most of the time, but ever since we have started taking him to
lessons, he has started opening up to us, and wants to pass the sacrament this
coming Sunday which has been a major wall for him to climb.
We
didn't get to see much of Bill or Francois this past week. We are still praying
for Bill to be able to remember things. I just hope that he retains it, and
keeps the word of wisdom so that he can get baptized soon enough. He is such a
nice guy, and is really attentive, most of the time that is.
This
past week I have been working on my Book of Mormon read every day, and it has
been such a blessing to be able to have an hour that is set aside for personal
study. Today I was reading in 3 Nephi 11 and I came across a very profound
scripture that rang so much truth. It was verse 3 that really hit me. "And
it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they
heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round
about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a
harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice." This section of the verse really describes the
character of the voice, which is the Holy Spirit, which speaks to all of us. It
goes on to say "nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice
it did pierce them that did hear to the center". This is the catch. It
pierced those "that did hear", so not necessarily everyone. It is
only, when we have an open heart and a contrite and humble spirit, that we are
able to hear or feel the promptings of the spirit. It is then, that if we are
on this course of humility, love, which is the path of our Savior, that we will
feel the spirit "pierce to the very soul" and cause our "hearts
to burn".
There
is so much to learn from the Book of Mormon. I have understood this wonderful
book evermore on my mission. I am ashamed of the time that my Book of Mormon
sat on my shelf collecting dust. We can learn so much from it! It gives us the
guidance and strength that we need to stand as witnesses of God in all times,
in all things, and in all places. We must build "upon the rock of our
redeemer, who is Christ, the son of God" (Helaman 5:12) and if we do this,
we will surely not fall. This is my testimony, that God lives, and that, if we
build upon his foundation, we will be able to endure to the end, which is the
hardest, but greatest thing we can do. I love all of you and hope the best for
every single one of you.
Love
Elder
McCown
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