So, weird thought..... another week went by... who knew?? This week was such a good week! Crazy too!
So this past week we went to the mainland to go to a doctor’s appointment for Elder Zieler. He broke his neck about a year ago and met with the stake president. He got acupuncture. His neck is still sore though. While that was going on though, I was on exchanges with Elder Crowell who is one of the Assistants. This guy is such an amazing missionary. So, while Elder Zieler was with another one of the assistants, Elder Baker, I went to downtown Vancouver with Elder Crowell. That was quite an experience I will never forget. We first off went on a subway, which was a first for me. I have never been on a subway before. It was SO COOL! Anyways, we arrived in downtown Vancouver. Oh sorry, let me rephrase that, Hongcouver. Yeah....about 50% of the people on the street were from Asia, and I am too white to speak to them... lol... Anyway, it was such a culture shock to me. The area was just full of people. Hundreds of them! I’m sure that there were more people on that street corner than in Port Alberni all together... IT WAS NUTS! Anyway, it was weird not having a companion with you to talk to someone. It was so hard to stop and talk to someone. Everyone was so busy, and was just trying to get to where they needed to be. It was actually, quite exhausting! But it was such a cool experience. The coolest experience I had was on one of the corners of the street. After crossing the same intersection for the fourth or fifth time, I noticed this homeless lady on one of the corners, holding an umbrella just to keep her dry. She looked as sad as could be. She sat there with her dog, all curled up in a ball, trying to stay warm. A man, who was as ignorant as could be, probably rushing somewhere, knocked over her little container that had a few pennies in it. She scrambled to pick up the little coins, and returned to her curled position. I pulled out my wallet, took a $5 bill out, and I walked over, bent down, and handed the money to her. After asking if everything was alright, I figured out her name was Kylie. She didn't talk much. I was talking most of the time. I asked if everything was ok, and asked if I could help, which was probably the most cliché thing to say, but what else could I do? I talked to her for a little bit more, with a few awkward silent moments in between each sentence. After not much else could be said, I told her, that God Loves her, that even though she is going through these tough times, she can pull through. I said goodbye, and I began to notice so much more. I looked along the streets, and on a few of the corners, and I saw people in the same situation. I have never felt so much gratitude for the things that I have had in my life. There is so much that I have that I take for granted. The food I have to eat, the clean water I have to drink. A roof over my head and walls that hold them up. There is so much to be grateful for, and so much that we take for granted. As I have relayed this story, the thought comes to my mind of our savior. How much do we take for granted? How much has he given us? He has given us everything, and he has given his all, even his life. I have become so grateful, and I have come to a realization that I need, we need to give our all. He gave us so much, and is willing to give us so much more, if we heed to the things that he has commanded us to do.
Not much else has happened this past week. That moment on the street just keeps replaying in my mind. P-Day has been a good day so far. We have just been relaxing. We just went and did laundry and got haircuts. Not much else. It has truly been a humbling week though. I have realized that I need to be more grateful for the things that I have, and not be jealous of the things other people do have. The questions that come to mind are "How can I be more grateful?" That's an easy answer. We must do His will and give our all. He has given us his all for each and every single one of us, has suffered for every single one of us, died for every single one of us, for our own salvation. We have to share this with people. There is somebody each and every one of us knows that is being prepared at this moment to receive this great gift. It is just our job to find out who, and to let the missionaries know if we feel prompted to.
I sure love you all! I miss you so much and I hope for the best for each and every single one of you!
Love,
Elder McCown
