How are you all doing this week? How is the weather back home? I'll get to the Ohio weather in just a second ;). What's new for Salem? I saw SHHS lost . . . Super cool they made it to the semi finals though! I'm so proud of our team.
So on Monday night, the zone leaders came to stay the night at our place because we were going to do training visits the next day. We wake up on Tuesday morning and I look outside and there is easily 8 to 9 inches of snow on the ground, with snow still falling from the sky. So we get ready for the day and me and Elder Johnson went to Hartmans to help him do inside stuff, but the roads were seriously so bad that we were driving about 10 mph. Dad, I know what you went through in Missouri winters . . . It's like mother nature took a big white blanket, and plops it down on top of you :). So anyway, we had training visits on Tuesday. We did service all day. We helped the Arnold family decorate their Christmas tree. She has 17 full bins of Christmas decor. It made me think of our nutcrackers and Santas and nativities:). Me and Elder Johnson then went to shovel Dieter Grimms driveway. Dieter is a nonmember, but the missionaries have been going over to his house for the past 2 or 3 yrs, but he doesn't want to be taught the lessons. We had a good conversation with him on Tuesday and then again on Thursday, and he showed up to the harvest dinner on Friday. So we are so so hoping he can know in himself that what we are saying is true.Wednesday we had district council and I gave a training on Extending Commitments. I would invite all of us to practice extending commitments and inviting people to YM/YW, church, over to your house for dinner, etc. It is such a blessing on both ends when we do and we never know what an invitation will do for someone or mean to them in their life.
Thursday we went and talked with a few members in the morning. One of them is Edna Davis. She lives alone, her husband passed away about 26 yrs ago. We talked for a solid 45 min about her life and she has been beating herself up lately in her mental mindset because she is so motivated to do missionary work, but no one in her apt complex will listen to her. It was a little bit of a humbling experience for me to see her say that. Are we doing all we can to invite others to Christ? Are we excited about doing it?
We met with Joey again, we will keep meeting with him each week. He said it helps him stay focused because even though he is a member, he said the missionaries still have a profound effect on him.
Friday we helped Brother Hartman take shelves off of his laundry room wall and adjust them higher to have more space to put things. He said that I was a great organizer and knew what I was doing ;). We met with Sarah at the library, but she only had about 10 min to meet so we were only able to talk briefly about new member lessons. We went to the harvest dinner on Friday night. They had cornucopias for centerpieces, and it was a big Thanksgiving feast with the branch. And Dieter showed up! Elder Henshaw made his strawberry cheesecake. It was super good food.
Saturday we went and talked with about 4 or 5 people in the morning, but they all pretty much told us the same thing that they were busy and they had our number, so they would give us a call. Hopefully we can hear back from them soon. We went to the Chabot house and helped Bethany prepare her talk that she was supposed to give Sunday. It was super fun to do because it reminded me how much I really do enjoy preparing and giving speeches/talks. We went and talked with the Hertnas and Wheatleys in the evening, and they are both very good members so it was nice to sit down with them and discuss ways we could help the branch grow and be more successful in getting referrals from the members.
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| Good reminder of all the work put into the scriptures so our lives could be blessed by them |
This is the last full week in the transfer period. Transfers are next week on the 27th, and so we will most likely be splitting up. So I'll be getting a new companion. It's crazy that that time has come. I feel like just yesterday I was sitting in the transfer chapel in Dublin. With transfers being next week, pday will be on Tuesday next week.
I'm so excited for Elder Utchdorf to come this week on Saturday! Me and Henshaw have to leave the apt at 6 am on Saturday morning to pick up the Solon Elders and then drive to the Talmadge church bldg to ride the carpool down 3 1/2 hrs to Dublin. I love road trips! It will be good to be in Dublin and see a new change of scenery :).
Also, the new missionary handbook came out on Friday! I was so pumped to read it. I have read half of it so far, since it shows up as 2 separate books on Gospel library. President said we will be trained on it at the December zone conference. I invite all of you to go and look at it on Gospel Library.
I would just like to leave you with my testimony. Without a shadow of a doubt, I know that this Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. And I come to feel it in my heart every week as I talk with people. This has been the hardest 3 months of my life I'm going to be honest. Sometimes you just want to sit down on the ground and cry because no one will listen to you and you're out walking your area everyday. I have been able to strengthen my love for the people God has sent for me to teach and plant the seeds in their hearts. I love them, with every last ounce of my breath. They may not accept it while I'm here in Ohio, but I will do all I can to help prepare the way for them to accept it. I love this Gospel, and I love the Book of Mormon. I know it is true. Read it, for in it you will find power and strength.
I miss and pray for you guys everyday. I'm so glad that everyone is doing fantastic and loving life. Keep up the great work.
I love YOU Forever and Always!
Elder McEwan
"Becoming a consecrated missionary"- Tad R. Callister
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