Merry Christmas Week

MERRY CHRISTMAS! :) I can't believe Christmas is in t-minus 4 days! I'm so excited :) What are your guys plans for the christmas eve and day? How was going up to Logan over the weekend, and how did Lola K do? How was Aaron and Julie's? I'm so happy you guys got to all get together! Such a fun time.

My week has been great! Very busy with having 2 training visits back to back and also zone conference, but so much fun. This last week taught me a lot about good time management, and making sure that I had each day planned out to the best of my ability and that I did set goals to accomplish everything that I needed to. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity to have an agenda/planner and to plan out everything that I need to. Definately something that as I look back on life with growing up, I'm grateful I took advantage of having a planner in jr high and high school :). 

Wednesday was the Christmas Zone Conference up in Reynoldsburg, and it was so much fun! It was snowing on the drive up there and so I had a fun time maneuvering thru Ohio traffic trying to get to zone conference. The Zone conference, we had about 8 or 9 speakers including me. We all spoke on one or two characters from the nativity with Christ being born. We also had a couple different missionaries share their musical talents of singing, playing piano, playing the cello, etc. After that part was over, we all filed into the gym where we decorated Gingerbread houses as districts! So fun:). My district decided to do a taco bell gingerbread house because an elder in our district had a taco bell taco from earlier and so we put that on the roof with a Santa and had that be the "sleigh", then we frosted the Taco Bell logo onto the front and then made it look all festive and happy. President and Sister Horgesheimer gave us all grey sweatshirts, candy and chocolate oranges, and a picture of Christ. I RECEIVED YOUR GUYS PACKAGES THAT HAD BEEN SENT TO MISSION OFFICE. I'm so excited to open them up on Friday! We got back to Chillicothe around 6 pm, and called up a lady who we started talking to last Monday and she really wants to meet with us. We taught over the phone about the importance of knowing God is our loving Heavenly Father and why we should always stay close to Him. Joey Pitts messaged me that night and started talking to me, he was having a rough night and so I sent him a few talks and scriptures and it was so fun to talk with him after all these months.

Thursday I got up at 5 and worked out, then got ready and we left for Athens at 7:30. We got there at about 9 and began exchanges with those elders down there. It was a fun day and we found 1 new person for Chillicothe that day. Such a fun time! We got back here to Chillicothe around 9 pm. 

Friday I got up at 5 (I love the mornings) and exercised and then we left for Pickerington/Reynoldsburg at 7:30. We had exchanges with the Zone leaders that day and they were a blast. We made a cool video to put on the zone page and did it after Charlie Brown and him trying to kick a football but Lucie pulling it away, and compared it to Christ being the way and "holding the football still", where Satan tempts us and let's us fall every time. We ate lunch at a super good mexican restaurant, I had some papusas and were so good. Highly recommend.:) Overall it was a fun day! I got to dedicate a sisters apartment in Reynoldsburg, and then I gave Elder Bennett a blessing that night and that was such a great experience for me to be apart of that. We got back to Chillicothe around 9 pm again.

Saturday was a great day! We helped Brother Cain with the cards that we wanted to send out to all the member households in the ward. We put 2 scriptures on the inside with a picture of Christ, and then on Sunday we addressed all of the envelopes to the households and Brother Cain sent them off last night. Super happy to have helped with it and to hopefully be able to receive some good responses from the members wanting to come back to church and to also meet with us. We had our district devotional and the Jackson elders led that. Me and Elder Bennett were also able to drop off a Book of Mormon and picture of Christ to a lady named Jane Moss. She said she was too busy right now to actually meet with us, but said she wanted the picture so that made me happy. Overall very great day! 

Sunday was awesome, because we got to go to Church and that always makes me so happy. Church was great and they did a nice little Christmas program for everyone. Made me think about all of the Christmas programs in Knoll Park and 3rd Ward, and how much fun they are each year to get everyone together and to think about our Savior Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful to be able to serve during this time of year, and I love that we get to think about our Savior Jesus Christ. It has been so much fun to be able to open the 12 days of Christmas presents that you guys sent. We are on day 10 now and I have loved all of the presents, it's been fun to try and guess what they are. Elder Bennett says, "Thank you for including him in part of Christmas". We have also had so much fun doing the nativity pieces to the Barr family. We haven't gotten caught and we have 3 days left so that's been great. We had our mission wide devotional last night and had a family in the Columbus area perform some Christmas songs for everyone. It was so much fun and made everyone so happy to listen to and be a part of. 

By last night (Sunday night), I was tired BUT it was a satisfying tired. The kind of "tired and exhaustion" you get when you try and work super hard and put forth an honest effort each day. It was that kind of tired.😊 I'm so grateful for the power of the atonement in our lives, and that we get to have the strength necessary to help the Lord and our Heavenly Father out with whatever they may need. And, I'm also so grateful for the chance we have to learn, grow, and use our talents and abilities each day. This week taught me and helped me to see a lot about the type of person I want to be. I was reading in Luke 2 about Christ being born, and the wise men following and shepherds following. They came and worshipped Christ. But what it made me think most about is that in order to follow Christ, they had to make the decision first to even go to Him and help bring others along the way. I put that scenario into my life and thought about how I could be bringing people with me as I make my way back to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. So, question for the week for all of us . . . Will we bring others with us on our way to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

Super excited for Christmas this week! My last Christmas out here in Ohio, and it feels like I just was experiencing last year's christmas up in Chardon. This time of year is the best and I love that we get to look forward to Christ and spending time with our family and loved ones . . . But not just for these 2 weeks of Holiday season, but all year round continually strengthening our relationships together. 

Things to look for this week:

• Wednesday is District Council down in Jackson, with exchanges with those elders afterwards. 
• Friday (Christmas) the Wagner family is giving us dinner to go, and we will eat it over at the church. I'll plan to call you guys  in the afternoon when we get to the church. And then of course on Friday morning I am going to wake up early to open presents and continue the tradition ;). 

It's crazy that next week is 2021! So excited for what 2021 will bring our way, and as make Christ the center and the focus of our lives, we will have everything we need to. Lastly, my knowledge and belief has been built on that topic a lot recently. Is that as we allow Christ to be the "Master Builder" in our life, and ask Him for help everyday, we will be able to accomplish those things that we need to. I'm so grateful to have the good belief that planning and setting goals is one way we show Heavenly Father what we want to do, and the plans we have show Him we trust Him to help us do it.

I love, miss, and pray for you guys on a daily basis. I'm so forever grateful for your guys love and support of me in my life, and for always being amazing to me and for me. This time of year has made me really think about what matters most . . . "What matters most, is what lasts the longest, and Families are for Eternity" -- President Hinkley. Merry Christmas you guys 💕🎅 Let's make this Christmas our best one yet! 

I love YOU ALL Forever and Always 🎄❄

Elder Dylan McEwan

p.s. we currently have no snow in Chillicothe so this may be my one and only Christmas in my life that I won't have snow Christmas day. But who knows? Maybe a Christmas miracle is coming Christmas day!😉🎄🎅 Do you guys have snow in Salem?