So crazy awesome week! Saw a TON of miracles! Met this guy named Ashquiza...pretty cool guy. Besides meeting Ashquiza we did see some other awesome miracles! Went out and just worked our tails off and that farmers tan is settin in real good. We were able to teach Jerry this week! After hashing out a time with the bishop and the ward mission leader and him we were finally able to set a date that satisfied everybody! So he is gettin tized on April 28th! So stoked! Brenda (the lady who likes to sing) came to church as well!
So coolest miracle! Last week we were out walking in the southern part of our area and we ran into this cool YSA dude named Dylan. We have been texting him off and on for the past week and were not able to see him until this past week! Turns out he is the most solid guy ever! We were able to pass him off to YSA and I went with Elder Ushio to do service. Literally the most truth seeking guy ever! He came to our ward because he was busy during the time YSA meets and he absolutely loved it! He was lingering around talking to people and he is so ready to hear the gospel! While we were at church he told us about all his travels around the world, and then started talking about his dad who he lost about 2 years ago. After church we got a text from him and he said "Thanks for the invite, I owe you one" and we just had such a good conversation texting back and forth after! He said "It feels good already!" God is just so good! Love this guy to death and I barely know him! I am just so amazed at what the gospel does and how it can just cause you to love people, to see them for who they really are!
So of course all these miracles start happening and we get transfer calls:'(. Literally the saddest day of my life! We have been working so hard and have been able to meet so many people who are ready to hear the gospel! I just sat in my bed that night, not wanting to leave, and that is when I said one of the most sincere prayers I had ever said in my life, to just know if Coquitlam is where I needed to be. Well...God always answers prayers and even though it is not how we want it, or more importantly, when we want it, he still gives it to us.
I am so grateful for the gospel, for its power to bring a greater love, and to also mend that love when it is separated! I am so ready for Coquitlam and am just ready to tear it up with my new companion Elder Vanatta!
Love you all and God bless ya!
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, April 18, 2016
Monday, April 11, 2016
The Spirit Testifies
Man so this was a crazy/super hard week! Literally so good though! JERRY IS GETTING BAPTIZED ON APRIL 20th! Just one of the coolest old guys I know! He is so funny and loves the gospel! He has been wanting this for quite a while!
Besides that, it was still a great week! Had an awesome lesson with Brent! Happiest guy I know and we were able to set a date with him for May 7th! He has such big heart and loves what we have been teaching him! Literally love the guy to death!
Rob has been doing awesome as well! We had such a good lesson and the spirit testified that this church was true right in that lesson! I mean he knew it was true already but it was awesome! Elder Weingarth and I were kind of going into that lesson with a very vague plan on what to teach because he has been taught everything already. Well, we talked about baptism and the spirit told me to commit him to look at his calendar, and pick out 3 dates that he finds right for him, and then to ask heavenly father which day is his. So we left that lesson, feeling like the lesson went great and Elder Weingarth just start freaking out and said "That’s the exact same commitment that I thought of too!" The spirit testifies...
So that was awesome! Much of the rest of the week was walking, running into some awesome people, as well as getting a crazy farmers tan... God has been so good though even though Sunday was a grind. We were fasting and it was so hot. Just completely dehydrated and everything...can’t wait to see the miracles that come out of it though!
Sure love and miss all of you!
Just know to do your best, and God will do the rest!
Love
Elder McCown
Besides that, it was still a great week! Had an awesome lesson with Brent! Happiest guy I know and we were able to set a date with him for May 7th! He has such big heart and loves what we have been teaching him! Literally love the guy to death!
Rob has been doing awesome as well! We had such a good lesson and the spirit testified that this church was true right in that lesson! I mean he knew it was true already but it was awesome! Elder Weingarth and I were kind of going into that lesson with a very vague plan on what to teach because he has been taught everything already. Well, we talked about baptism and the spirit told me to commit him to look at his calendar, and pick out 3 dates that he finds right for him, and then to ask heavenly father which day is his. So we left that lesson, feeling like the lesson went great and Elder Weingarth just start freaking out and said "That’s the exact same commitment that I thought of too!" The spirit testifies...
So that was awesome! Much of the rest of the week was walking, running into some awesome people, as well as getting a crazy farmers tan... God has been so good though even though Sunday was a grind. We were fasting and it was so hot. Just completely dehydrated and everything...can’t wait to see the miracles that come out of it though!
Sure love and miss all of you!
Just know to do your best, and God will do the rest!
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, April 4, 2016
The Spirt of God
So another week and Kelowna and things are going nuts here! I honestly don’t remember what really happened this week though...things are just moving too fast for me to remember anymore...
I guess to start it off is the best miracle! We were chillin at general conference and not many people showed up which was pretty sad :(. Well, the 2nd to last session ends and a member comes up and introduces us to this couple that he invited. Turns out that husband has been a less active for a very long time, and the wife is not a member, but loved general conference! We talked for about an hour after, jumping from temples, to the Book of Mormon back to Word of Wisdom. IT WAS NUTS! We were so excited! We were able to drop by later that night and they let us right in! Literally just a miracle! She practically flipped out when we told her about the LDS Library app! She started scrolling through the hymns, picked a random one and got so excited, she connected it to the TV and blared "The Spirit of God"! So yeah...we belted out to it too. Literally got the coolest divine intervention right after singing all 4 verses, and told her to go to "Joseph Smiths first Prayer". Literally the spirit came in like a ton of bricks and we were able to hop right into the restoration and teach about the Book of Mormon! God is just so good! I had never had that happen! She was so excited and wanted to come to church the following week!
I was also able to go on exchanges with Elder Tan! Literally so good! Hit it up like old times! Brought back so many memories of Brookswood! He freaked me out though. He told me that the day we were on exchanges that it was exactly a year ago when we first met. Literally almost passed out! I feel so old and I have exactly 6 months and 1 day left!
But things have been going great! God has just been so good! People have been popping up out of the woodworks and the miracles never stop!
Sure love and miss yall!
Love
Elder McCown
I guess to start it off is the best miracle! We were chillin at general conference and not many people showed up which was pretty sad :(. Well, the 2nd to last session ends and a member comes up and introduces us to this couple that he invited. Turns out that husband has been a less active for a very long time, and the wife is not a member, but loved general conference! We talked for about an hour after, jumping from temples, to the Book of Mormon back to Word of Wisdom. IT WAS NUTS! We were so excited! We were able to drop by later that night and they let us right in! Literally just a miracle! She practically flipped out when we told her about the LDS Library app! She started scrolling through the hymns, picked a random one and got so excited, she connected it to the TV and blared "The Spirit of God"! So yeah...we belted out to it too. Literally got the coolest divine intervention right after singing all 4 verses, and told her to go to "Joseph Smiths first Prayer". Literally the spirit came in like a ton of bricks and we were able to hop right into the restoration and teach about the Book of Mormon! God is just so good! I had never had that happen! She was so excited and wanted to come to church the following week!
I was also able to go on exchanges with Elder Tan! Literally so good! Hit it up like old times! Brought back so many memories of Brookswood! He freaked me out though. He told me that the day we were on exchanges that it was exactly a year ago when we first met. Literally almost passed out! I feel so old and I have exactly 6 months and 1 day left!
But things have been going great! God has just been so good! People have been popping up out of the woodworks and the miracles never stop!
Sure love and miss yall!
Love
Elder McCown
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Singing?
That’s another week gone by...which is just nuts! So this week was just chock full of miracles! Best ones yet! We were able to teach this guy named Brent! Literally the coolest native guy ever! We had called him up last week and he is just so solid! He believed in God when he was younger, and then rejected him for about 10 years, got into some things, and just recently was able to get out of some them! Well, all but one...he knows drinking and smoking is wrong and has been able to conquer both of them except for some slight drinking. The one hole he can’t get out of though, is that hole with God. Of course, THATS WHEN WE COME IN!!! He loves and believes everything we teach him! The week before we talked about baptism and set that expectation with him. Well he thought about it and yesterday we were able to teach him the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and he just soaked it up like a sponge! Literally just ate it up! Most sincere guy ever, and has noticed the impact it has had on his life so far! After teaching him the lesson he found that baptism was the way and said he would "meditate on it". SO GOOD! He just so awesome!
We were also able to teach this guy named Allen too. So we leave behind stuff all the time, and something that we left behind with him the first time we met him was a pamphlet. Well, apparently he went to the back of the pamphlet and answered the questions in the back and said that "it all just makes sense!"
We have also been able to just see a ton of miracles all around us! We were invited over by sister Bonion and she is the sweetest lady ever! SHE COOKS SO MUCH FOOD TOO! She invited us as well as the Carullos and we just got stuffed! Every time, before something could disappear on my plate, she would ask "Elder, you have no more (rice, adobo, pizza, beans, etc.)" and before I could say anything, she would put another helping on my plate! Literally so full! Then, to top it off, she gave us fried banana and ice cream...so good!
Other than that things have been just going great up here! The Sisters had a baptism as well and all the missionaries that were there got to sing...and that is just a scary thought in itself...
And guess what?!? My companion (Elder Ushio) is famous! He played the bass for his band back in Japan and also wrote the lyrics to the songs that his band now sings. His bands name is My First Story and they are just starting up. Pretty cool eh? My comps famous....
Sure love and miss yall!
Love
Elder McCown
We were also able to teach this guy named Allen too. So we leave behind stuff all the time, and something that we left behind with him the first time we met him was a pamphlet. Well, apparently he went to the back of the pamphlet and answered the questions in the back and said that "it all just makes sense!"
We have also been able to just see a ton of miracles all around us! We were invited over by sister Bonion and she is the sweetest lady ever! SHE COOKS SO MUCH FOOD TOO! She invited us as well as the Carullos and we just got stuffed! Every time, before something could disappear on my plate, she would ask "Elder, you have no more (rice, adobo, pizza, beans, etc.)" and before I could say anything, she would put another helping on my plate! Literally so full! Then, to top it off, she gave us fried banana and ice cream...so good!
Other than that things have been just going great up here! The Sisters had a baptism as well and all the missionaries that were there got to sing...and that is just a scary thought in itself...
And guess what?!? My companion (Elder Ushio) is famous! He played the bass for his band back in Japan and also wrote the lyrics to the songs that his band now sings. His bands name is My First Story and they are just starting up. Pretty cool eh? My comps famous....
Sure love and miss yall!
Love
Elder McCown
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Jumping through Hoops
So, ya know how last week was just a rough week and all...WELL IT WAS ALL WORTH IT!
So we kicked butt this week! Literally just worked our butts off, had an awesome zone conference with President Burt, (even though it was 7 hours of straight sittin). But it was so good!
So there is this guy. His name is Jerry Joy. But, anyway interesting story on how he was found by the missionaries. He was actually talking to a member and said that he wanted the missionaries to come by because he remembered them from about 40 years ago give or take. So, when you tell a member that you want the missionaries to come by, you better expect 2 guys in white shirt and ties to be there shortly.
So he let in Elder Robinson and Elder Ushio and they figure out that he is a less active. Wellllll, interesting story, this guy literally does not remember his baptism. His ex-wife got baptized, and so did his son, but he does not remember it at all. He can literally remember the type of car he drove as well as the interior of the car way before his wife and son got baptized...so we have been jumping through hoops and bending over backwards through the bishop, to stake president, back to bishop, then to SLC, and then back...well, we just got back from bishop on Sunday, and you bet we were screaming like little girls in ward council! Well...not really...I screamed like a little girl on the inside, but anyway, JERRY IS GOING TO GET BAPTIZED! Literally! Miracles! Dont know when but he is!
I was also able to hear about this family that I found in Surrey. Elder Anderson and I were just working hard out there in the sun and we knocked into this less active mother and she said we could come back! So, I never saw her again after I left but her kids just got baptized! Crazy eh!?!? I literally thought I left Surrey with nothing but it’s been crazy being able to hear about how Gus, Esperanza, Jerry, Jassly Ja, and now two kids named Jattinder and Jasleen! CRAZY!!!
Well God has just been so good! It’s been crazy up here in Kelowna and we have been just going hard, hittin the grind every day! We were able to teach this guy named Allen and his dad named Harold. Harold is the coolest old guy ever, (besides you dad). He’s like 94 and served on the beaches of Normandy back in WWII...nuts eh? Well Allen is super down!
We were also able to teach this guy named Rob and he is progressing well! He was taught about 20 years ago when he was going to college, and was close to getting baptized. Kind of broke apart when his girlfriend, died in a car accident. Other than that, things have been just going great! Sure love and miss yall!
Love
Elder McCown
So we kicked butt this week! Literally just worked our butts off, had an awesome zone conference with President Burt, (even though it was 7 hours of straight sittin). But it was so good!
So there is this guy. His name is Jerry Joy. But, anyway interesting story on how he was found by the missionaries. He was actually talking to a member and said that he wanted the missionaries to come by because he remembered them from about 40 years ago give or take. So, when you tell a member that you want the missionaries to come by, you better expect 2 guys in white shirt and ties to be there shortly.
So he let in Elder Robinson and Elder Ushio and they figure out that he is a less active. Wellllll, interesting story, this guy literally does not remember his baptism. His ex-wife got baptized, and so did his son, but he does not remember it at all. He can literally remember the type of car he drove as well as the interior of the car way before his wife and son got baptized...so we have been jumping through hoops and bending over backwards through the bishop, to stake president, back to bishop, then to SLC, and then back...well, we just got back from bishop on Sunday, and you bet we were screaming like little girls in ward council! Well...not really...I screamed like a little girl on the inside, but anyway, JERRY IS GOING TO GET BAPTIZED! Literally! Miracles! Dont know when but he is!
I was also able to hear about this family that I found in Surrey. Elder Anderson and I were just working hard out there in the sun and we knocked into this less active mother and she said we could come back! So, I never saw her again after I left but her kids just got baptized! Crazy eh!?!? I literally thought I left Surrey with nothing but it’s been crazy being able to hear about how Gus, Esperanza, Jerry, Jassly Ja, and now two kids named Jattinder and Jasleen! CRAZY!!!
Well God has just been so good! It’s been crazy up here in Kelowna and we have been just going hard, hittin the grind every day! We were able to teach this guy named Allen and his dad named Harold. Harold is the coolest old guy ever, (besides you dad). He’s like 94 and served on the beaches of Normandy back in WWII...nuts eh? Well Allen is super down!
We were also able to teach this guy named Rob and he is progressing well! He was taught about 20 years ago when he was going to college, and was close to getting baptized. Kind of broke apart when his girlfriend, died in a car accident. Other than that, things have been just going great! Sure love and miss yall!
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, March 14, 2016
Patience
Soooo, going by formers one day...had an interesting conversation with this one guy. Told us very respectfully that he does not believe the Book of Mormon and that we were damned...yeah I get that everyday...anyway...I learned something new from this guy...In the middle of the conversation. He said "everything is a lie!" Well, long story short, he told us right after that the world feeds us lies about how the world is a sphere...he said that it is actually flat, that NASA is a hoax, that no astronaut ever landed on the moon, and that God put this invisible dome thingy over the earth and we can’t get past it...He told us we probably thought he was crazy...well...he was right...
So that was the kick off to our week! Just getting told that we were nuts...not new lol Also hit up some doors...found some cool people...talked to some crazy ones...
Best part of the week? Well, can’t pinpoint that but the weather is up and down here...we were walking around this past Saturday and it was nice out in the morning...then it got hot, like wearing just a sweater was making me sweat like a dog. Then, we went knocking for about ten minutes and all of the sudden it started getting super windy, like pinecones and some branches falling out trees windy. Then, about 20 minutes later it sprinkled, and then 10 minutes later it was pouring...so yeah that was fun!
Thinking about it now, the best part of my week was my studies! I had to give a training in district meeting this past week about patience...never thought I could get that much out of my studies, especially on just one word. The whole focus was on Jesus Christs example of patience. As I dove into it, I began to realize only a fragment of the amount of patience that this man had. It’s crazy how he endured through so many things, just because he loved us so much! I can only imagine the patience he had with his disciples, when they fell asleep during the most critical, and let’s not forget, the most painful event in history. He came back a couple times and I can only imagine the level of patience he had to not look down on his disciples. Not only this event but also, when his beloved apostle Peter had fallen into the trap of fear, denying that he knew Jesus Christ thrice.
After this, I can only merely understand what he did for me. Often times I get frustrated with myself, thinking that I should be doing better, but often times, it is hard not to look over the necessity of patience, and its heavenly virtue. We often times expect instantaneous results to fix our problems, and an answer to our prayer just because we got down on our knees. Much like a seed, it needs nourishment, sunlight, water, and most importantly, time...
God has just been so good to us though! I sure love and miss you all!
Love
Elder McCown
So that was the kick off to our week! Just getting told that we were nuts...not new lol Also hit up some doors...found some cool people...talked to some crazy ones...
Best part of the week? Well, can’t pinpoint that but the weather is up and down here...we were walking around this past Saturday and it was nice out in the morning...then it got hot, like wearing just a sweater was making me sweat like a dog. Then, we went knocking for about ten minutes and all of the sudden it started getting super windy, like pinecones and some branches falling out trees windy. Then, about 20 minutes later it sprinkled, and then 10 minutes later it was pouring...so yeah that was fun!
Thinking about it now, the best part of my week was my studies! I had to give a training in district meeting this past week about patience...never thought I could get that much out of my studies, especially on just one word. The whole focus was on Jesus Christs example of patience. As I dove into it, I began to realize only a fragment of the amount of patience that this man had. It’s crazy how he endured through so many things, just because he loved us so much! I can only imagine the patience he had with his disciples, when they fell asleep during the most critical, and let’s not forget, the most painful event in history. He came back a couple times and I can only imagine the level of patience he had to not look down on his disciples. Not only this event but also, when his beloved apostle Peter had fallen into the trap of fear, denying that he knew Jesus Christ thrice.
After this, I can only merely understand what he did for me. Often times I get frustrated with myself, thinking that I should be doing better, but often times, it is hard not to look over the necessity of patience, and its heavenly virtue. We often times expect instantaneous results to fix our problems, and an answer to our prayer just because we got down on our knees. Much like a seed, it needs nourishment, sunlight, water, and most importantly, time...
God has just been so good to us though! I sure love and miss you all!
Love
Elder McCown
Monday, March 7, 2016
Kelowna Awesome
So this place is so cool! Literally reminds me of Tucson! I’m already walking outside with short sleeves on! To start off, I honestly have some of the coolest companions ever! My new comps are Elder Weingarth and Elder Ushio. Elder Weingarth is from Atlanta, Georgia and Elder Ushio is from Tokyo, Japan. Talk about a melting pot in a tri, eh?
Let’s see, so we have the coolest teaching pool ever! Ranges from Ken who wants to quit smoking and wants to be baptized, to your agriculturalist named Rob who investigated the church with his girlfriend about 25 years ago, to this Vietnamese woman who knows absolutely nothing about God or Jesus Christ.
So we were able to see every one of those people this week and they are so solid! Literally just searching for the gospel! Coolest miracle this week! Well...one of them! We were sitting in the mall, just eat'n my good ole KFC... and we see this girl that is like 4'1 with a longboard walk by...she turns around and just looks right at us! She started talking to us saying that she has seen missionaries 3 times in the past two days. So we invite her to sit down with us and she just starts talking about everything that has happened in her life, and said that she feels that she should become a Mormon...weird eh? Wish that happened every day! Anyway, she’s solid.
We were also able to teach this Jamaican family that just had a baby...literally my dream in the mission...to teach someone that is Jamaican...and to teach a family...I can check that off of my bucket list now! So cool!
Other than that Kelowna is awesome! Some members fed us last night and literally, they were our saving grace. We had been fasting all day and I swear that my stomach was going to eat itself!
Well I sure love and miss all of you!
Love
Elder McCown
Let’s see, so we have the coolest teaching pool ever! Ranges from Ken who wants to quit smoking and wants to be baptized, to your agriculturalist named Rob who investigated the church with his girlfriend about 25 years ago, to this Vietnamese woman who knows absolutely nothing about God or Jesus Christ.
So we were able to see every one of those people this week and they are so solid! Literally just searching for the gospel! Coolest miracle this week! Well...one of them! We were sitting in the mall, just eat'n my good ole KFC... and we see this girl that is like 4'1 with a longboard walk by...she turns around and just looks right at us! She started talking to us saying that she has seen missionaries 3 times in the past two days. So we invite her to sit down with us and she just starts talking about everything that has happened in her life, and said that she feels that she should become a Mormon...weird eh? Wish that happened every day! Anyway, she’s solid.
We were also able to teach this Jamaican family that just had a baby...literally my dream in the mission...to teach someone that is Jamaican...and to teach a family...I can check that off of my bucket list now! So cool!
Other than that Kelowna is awesome! Some members fed us last night and literally, they were our saving grace. We had been fasting all day and I swear that my stomach was going to eat itself!
Well I sure love and miss all of you!
Love
Elder McCown
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