My Nepali Name and General Conference

What was your favorite part about General Conference this last weekend? I hope you guys have a lot of fun and have a great and fantastic Easter Sunday in 6 days!!

First off, I got my Nepali name this week from a member here. My Nepali name is: Sucdi ("Suck-Dee"). It means, "Power"! It is a cool name, and the Nepalis have a hard time saying, "McEwan", they can't pronounce the "Quwan" sound, so I guess I'm Elder Sucdi now ;)

Tuesday was a really great day. We were able to have a video lesson with a little 7 yr old boy named Eric. He lives up in Talmadge, near Akron. He is super funny! I met him back in November and he remembered this week that my name is Dylan, so he always calls me Dylan now. He is going to be baptized here in a few weeks. We also went outside and played frisbee in the afternoon, and took some good pictures with a Nepali Book of Mormon. It was fun and super nice weather too. 

We ended up doing the grocery shopping on Wednesday morning at Walmart. So we did that, and got stocked up on food. A guy came up and started talking to us about religion. It was super interesting and I'm pretty sure he used to be a member of the church but isn't anymore. It just assured me that when we all are actively praying for missionary experiences, we WILL receive them, so we MUST be READY. We also had district council over zoom again this week. We learned how we can use family history in our missionary lives, and also talked about the first vision. It was super good. A member couple brought us some lasagna and salad and breadsticks on Wednesday night, and they were so so good! 

My testimony of the first vision is this: I know Joseph Smith read in James 1:5. He lacked wisdom, for he didn't even have a schooling education. But because Heavenly Father is a just and loving God, He appeared to Joseph in the springtime of 1820, and said unto him, "This is my beloved Son, Hear Him!" We all can come to a knowledge of the Gospel as we talk with Heavenly Father and believe He can give us the answers we need in our life. 

Tuesday and Thursday we were able to have a mission wide Institute class with one of the OSU teachers (Brother Spencer Knowles (who Marissa said is technically related to her.) and Bishop Ardema from Akron. We talked about the importance of prophets and why we have them on the earth. We then also talked about the importance of temples, and why we must be inside of them. What stood out to me was how much I miss being inside of the temple. I'm so grateful we get to be in temples and experience that joy not just for now, but for eternity.

We have been doing lots of language study everyday, about 2-ish hrs worth of it. It's been stretching my mind beyond what it thought it could do. "Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." I know that is true. I have seen Heavenly Father magnify me far beyond my ability to comprehend, but "He doesn't call the qualified; He qualifies the called."

Friday we had a zone call with President and Sister Stratford. He said we will be doing Friday calls until this quarantine is done. And we were told that Gov Dewine said we will have a stay at home order at least til April 30th. Continue to pray for relief in this world, and I'd invite all of us to participate in the worldwide fast this week on Friday, April 10th. We then went over to a lady and her families house and got her phone number (through the screen door so we were still 6 ft apart ;)) so we can have phone lessons with her and her family, because they are wanting to be baptized soon.

Saturday, wow this was such a fantastic day! General Conference was so much fun to listen to! I loved that they focused in these 3 sessions on The Book of Mormon, Restoration, and how we as men and women can be magnifying our Priesthood callings. The Priesthood is so cool and at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because it is God's power. What also stood out to me was the importance they put on how The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion, and how without it, "there would be no religion". I know this is true and I know as we come and prayerfully study the Book of Mormon, we will know of its truthfulness, "the Holy Ghost will manifest the truth of it unto you"- Moroni 10:3-5. Super cool that Brad Wilcox is now in the General Young Mens Presidency! And that Matthew Holland (Elder Hollands son, UVU's former President, and the North Carolina Raleigh current mission president) is now in the Seventy!! Such cool times! 

Sunday was sooo amazing! Palm Sunday and Conference Sunday at the same time, what could be better?! I loved being able to participate in the Hosanna shout. It was so cool that a majority of the talks focused on temple worship and how we can be preparing RIGHT NOW, for when temples open back up. The talk about revelation and prophets and apostles from Elder Cook was so cool! How are we receiving revelation in out own lives! Also, how cool was the Bicentennial proclamation read by President Nelson IN the Sacred Grove! I love this church and I'm so glad it's all about serving and ministering to the one, because it's so cool when just as President Thomas S. Monson always said, "An act on a prompting from the Spirit, is an answer to someone's prayer". I have truly felt that this week. I commit all of us to always act immediately on a prompting from the Spirit, because it will bless someone else's life.

8 new temples! Pittsburg is like 6 or 7 hrs from Columbus, so that'll be cool to have a temple there and in Syracuse Utah, and in China, and EVERYWHERE! The truth of God is going forth to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. I'm so grateful for continuing revelation and for the chance we have to always be learning and progressing.

Also, quick fact update about the area of Reynoldsburg! So they have been trying to make it a Nepali branch here for a while. Right now, the Nepali people are just a group and I think just meet at a house. President Stratford has submitted paperwork to Salt Lake and now we just have to wait to get it approved for the Nepali people to become a branch here. SO, when Keith Birch was called as a General Authority Seventy on Saturday, we were so so excited! Keith Birch lives here in Columbus Ohio. He used to be the Columbus South Stake President. He has had a huge huge part to play in helping these Nepali people and now that he is a seventy, we are hoping so much that the branch becoming a branch will happen soon now that there is "an in" 😉.

The invitation I want to have all of us do this week is going to be a fun one I think. It is: "Pick your favorite scripture from The Book of Mormon, and prayerfully read and ponder it, and then apply the scripture to your life and see how Heavenly Father uses it in your life." I know it'll bless all of our lives. My scripture is the one that is on my mission plaque at home in the Stake Center. 

D&C 4:3-4, "Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work;

4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;" 

येशू ख्रीष्टको यो सुसमाचार साँचो हो।  मर्मनको पुस्तक यसको केन्द्रमा छ र यो बिना नै, चर्च खस्नेछ।  तर, स्वर्गीय बुबा र हामी सबैको लागि उहाँको मायालु योजनाको कारण, हामी सबै मोर्मनको बुकले आशिष्‌ पाएका छौं।  हामीसँग एमटीएनएस सार्न र चमत्कारहरू देखाउन विश्वास हुनु आवश्यक छ।  हामी सधैं हाम्रो अगाडि के देख्न सक्दैनौं, तर म तपाईंलाई प्रतिज्ञा गर्दछु कि जो माथि रहन्छ उसले शुरूबाट अन्त्य देख्दछ र उहाँ हामीसँग हुनुहुन्छ जब हामी उत्कटतापूर्वक र ईच्छाले उहाँलाई खोज्दछौं।  त्यसैले म हामी सबैलाई त्यसो गर्न आमन्त्रित गर्दछु, र हाम्रो दैनिक जीवनमा उहाँलाई सुन्नुहोस्।  हामी mtns मा सर्छौं र हामी यो कार्य गर्दछौं।  म मेरो मुक्तिदाता येशू ख्रीष्टलाई प्रेम गर्दछु र म जान्दछु कि उहाँ मेरो लागि मर्नुभयो र उहाँ मेरो र तपाईंहरूको लागि योजना हुनुहुन्छ।.

This Gospel of Jesus Christ is true.  The Book of Mormon is at the heart of it and without it, the church would fall.  But, because of Heavenly Father and His loving plan for all of us, we are all blessed by The Book of Mormon.  We also need to move the faith to mtns and see miracles.  We can always see what is in front of us, but I promise you that He who lives high, does see the end from the beginning and He is there with us as we earnestly and intently seek Him.  So I invite all of us to do that, and Hear Him in our lives everyday.  We will move mtns and see miracles as we do this.  I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I know He died for me and that He has a plan for me and for each of you.

Lola K, Happy Birthday to YOU, Happy Birthday to you, Happy 3rd birthday (already!😉) dear Lola K, Happy Birthday to you! I hope this week on Wednesday is the best day for you my little monkey. Uncle Dylan loves you lots :):) 🎂

I pray for you all everyday and I love and miss you guys so much everyday ❤ Heavenly Father has a plan for all of us and just like David Archuleta says in one of his songs, "I'm beginning to understand, that for me, you have a plan." I ditto that because I know He truly does have a plan for each and every one of us.

I love YOU forever and always! :) 

Elder Dylan