Blessings, Transitions, and Uchtdorfs

What are you guys' plans for Thanksgiving this week? We have a dinner at the Hartmans and then also at the Chabots, so they both said to bring our appetites. I told them that's one thing I always remember ;)

New Companionships

So first things first . . . Transfer week :) I am staying here in the Chardon area for at least another 6 weeks, with Elder Stephens. I have heard a lot of great things from people about him, so it'll be fun to start our companionship off on Wednesday this week.

Wow, I feel like that week was just a blink of an eye. And let me tell you, when the Lord is in charge of the clock, it really does feel like the blink of an eye. This week was so great and amazing! Feeling very energized to keep pressing forward and strengthening my testimony everyday.

So I got asked on Friday night by the 2nd counselor in our branch to give a talk in sacrament mtg today. And of course I said yes :). The topic was Christ in Kirtland. I really tried to focus on not only Him being in Kirtland, but also the fact that we can have Him in our own lives if we really truly try to have His spirit be with us. After sacrament mtg got over I was walking down the stairs to Elder Henshaw, and I had 4 or 5 adults come up to me and say, "Elder McEwan, that was one amazing talk you just gave." The Sunday School president was so funny! He said, "You have an old soul." :) I laughed and he said I did a great job on the talk and that my maturity really shows in the way I present my ideas and thoughts when I'm speaking. A member came up to me after church and asked me where I got one of the questions I used in my talk, and I said, "I came up with it on my own." She was speechless and chuckled that she couldn't go look up the question now because she thought the question I had given came from a General Conference talk. I told her that I when I give my talks and speeches each time I'm asked to in any situation, I take the topic and make it personable to who I'm talking to. All I can say is, God blessed me to say what I said.

Getting advice from Brother Hartman

We had a great week! We put up Christmas decor at the Hartman's, and that was a ton of fun. I'm still waiting for someone to whip out nutcrackers and lighthouses, but no one has yet, so we will just have to wait and see. We also went over to the Wheatley house and helped Brother Wheatley chop wood on Wednesday. That was a great workout. We did it for 2 hrs and even though it was 25 degrees outside, I looked like I had just ran 7 miles :). It was so much fun to do and I'm so glad we could help out. Especially the fact that we had a fun time swinging the 3 axes ;).

Testimony builder time -- So it starts on Tuesday night and we were helping a guy named Bob White move stuff out of his sons house so he can sell it. We got mattresses, tables, desks, shelves, all out of the rooms and took stuff to his house. The next day, we had just finished up at the Wheatley home and went to the church to change into our white shirt and tie, etc when Bob texted us and said he really needed help at the house again, moving 2 mattresses to the curb. We were all dressed in our nice white shirts, etc, and so me and Henshaw smiled and said, "Well, this'll be fun :)." And it was! We got there and Bob immediately says, "Ah, I knew I should not have asked you guys. You're already dressed way nice." We just smiled and went about moving the mattresses and then he had us move 5 tables to his truck. He was very appreciative of it.

I know that this scenario is very simple and small, but I know that God put me and Henshaw there to help Bob. We had every reason not to (we're in nice clothes, tired, sore from chopping wood, etc), but God blessed us with strength to finish something He knew would help one of His children. Bob may not come to accept the Gospel in this life, but I know when we serve those around us, their hearts are unlocked to the powers of heaven.

We fixed a headlight in the car on Friday night because it had gone out and we didn't want to get pulled over while driving. So we made a quick pit stop at Walmart. Good thing we both had done this before because we don't have internet on our phones to YouTube how to fix a headlight. We just did it from memory and got it fixed.

4:30 am comes early, and it came very early on Saturday. I got up at 4:30 and got ready, and we left at 6 am to pick up the Solon Elders and then headed to Talmadge. The 3 northern zone missionaries met there and we left for Dublin. It was about a 2 hr ride to Dublin so it was a nice road trip. It reminded me of when we go up to Logan and Millville and so it made the ride not seem long at all :).

We had the mission conference with Elder and Sister Uchtdorf on Saturday in Dublin, and it was so so so so 100× awesome! And they both have some pretty GREAT accents;). Elder Uchtdorf spoke on the importance of being ourselves, and letting the Spirit guide us. And more importantly, being a missionary regardless of where we are, and what we are doing. He said that we are all missionaries in the Lord's battalion, and when one person is baptized, it's because all of His children have helped bring that one child into the church. He also gave a fun fact. Every month in the church: about 20,000 people are baptized as members. He said that's enough people to fill up the conference center to capacity every single month . . . Jaw drop! Ah it was such a great day.

We got back to Middlefield at 9:45 that night and then got up at 5:30 for branch mission mtg, so as I'm writing this, my eyes are both very bloodshot from being tired.

I got a package from cousin Cherish. They sent some treats, a nativity to give to any member of my choosing, and some Christmas stuff. So that was very fun to receive this week! Tell them thank you for me.

It has been pretty funny when the missionaries in the mission ask me what I do for my workouts and I tell them that because it's 15 frigid degrees outside every morning, I run inside for 30 min. They then ask where I run inside, and I tell them that I run in the living room and around the kitchen counter, because then I'm at least still able to get my run in for the day. I guess they aren't doing that in their apts ;).

This week will be a transitioning week for me and I'm so excited for what lies ahead. Elder Henshaw has been an amazing comp for me and I'm so excited to keep going forward to learn more and more each day.

I'm so grateful and very thankful for all of you. I'm grateful Heavenly Father blessed me with all of you in my life and has allowed me to show you my love everyday ♡. I would like to invite each of us to find one person this week that we can tell something nice to and tell them that we love them. The people around us and in our lives truly are a gift from our loving Heavenly Father.

I miss you all so much, and pray for you everyday ♡. I'm so grateful for you and what you guys do for me. Keep up the great work!

I love you forever and always!
Elder McEwan

"Go and Do"- 2020 youth theme song. Go and listen to this, it is so wonderful. :)