Lebron James Territory

This has been a very fun and a very busy week! With transfers happening on Thursday, and then now needing to learn a new area, there is always just so much that needs to be done in order to help move the Lord's work along, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I have been learning a lot these last couple of days. Akron is a very big city (which I'm so happy about), and so we are constantly talking with people either over the phone or at their houses. The principle was reminded to my mind of 1 Nephi 4:6. Where Nephi is tasked with not really knowing beforehand the things he needs to do in order to obtain the plates from Laban. As missionaries right now, it is important to remember that we truly are pioneering this new way of life and so we need to be patient with ourselves. We are finding new and creative ways of sharing the Gospel. The Great OCM is currently the #1 teaching mission in the entire North America NorthEast, with us averaging about 7,000 lessons taught a month and 100 new people being found every week. The Lord knows what He is doing, so we just need to turn our hearts over to Him.

Highlights of my week:

• Before I left Chillicothe, I was able to give 4 baptism interviews to a very sweet and kind family in Jackson on Wednesday night. The interviews finished up about 9:15 pm, and we got to our apartment at about 10. This family was baptized as members of the church the very next night. So happy for them!
• Thursday was transfer day. Akron is about 2 hrs north of Columbus and is actually right next door to Wadsworth where I served about 5 months ago. It snowed while we were driving up here, but has been clear blue and sunny skies since Thursday. The apartment is so large, and it's just me and Elder Foster. Like I said last week, Elder Foster has been out for 14 months and is anxiously awaiting his return to Brazil to finish out his mission. He is hoping he can return by mid to late April. We will see what happens.
• We are currently teaching 3 amazing people here. Their names are: Eva, Machael, and Sue. They are such awesome people! Sue read from 1 Nephi 3 all the way to Jacob 1 in the last 7 days!! We were so happy for her. We are going to challenge Sue to baptism when we meet with her on Saturday this week. Please keep her in your prayers.
• The Akron ward is so awesome! Very family oriented ward with lots of young families and lots of people showed up to church yesterday. Our church is at 9 am every week. We then will usually go around with Brother and Sister Callahan (a sweet older couple in the ward) and visit members in the ward and take the sacrament to them if they need/want it. Such a fun time for me as it brings back a lot of what I did in Priest's quorum with shut ins. 
• As the title of this email states, yes I am very much indeed in King James territory. We went to downtown Akron on Thursday night to drop off one of the Akron YSA elders bike, and it was so fun to see all of Lebron's signs and what not in the streets, etc. The high school he graduated from is about 30 min away from where I live, and then the high school he recently paid to have built is about 25 minutes away, so we are going to go and see those sometime soon I think.

Some things to look forward to this week:

• Service project at Open M tomorrow morning for about 5 hours. Open M is a food pantry here in Akron.
• District Council is on Wednesday. I am in an all elders district this transfer so it'll be fun to get to know everyone better as the transfer goes on. 
• We have exchanges with the New Portage elders (Kofoed and Brown) on Thursday down in New Portage.
• We have exchanges with the Talmadge Zone leaders here in Akron on Saturday this week.

Lots of things going on, and I'm so grateful for what the Lord has been teaching me to do and to know and to learn. I wanted to share an experience I had last night that really hit home for me. We went to a nonmembers house to have a lesson with her and brought the New Portage elders with us. We got there and this lady (Tiffany) had one of her friends over. Tiffany had fallen yesterday and had her baby in her hands when she fell. Tiffany was pretty bruised and sore, and needed a blessing. Well, her friend was histerical and she claimed to be "speaking in tongues" to help heal Tiffany. It kind of made a weird and eery feeling be in the room at that point. Me and Elder Foster gave Tiffany a blessing, and during as well as after the blessing I felt the true presence of our loving Heavenly Father. I know priesthood power and authority from God is on the earth today, and I'm so grateful He lets us use it for the blessing and administering of it to others.

I love my mission, and I also love these people of Ohio. I'm grateful to be serving during this exciting time in the church and the world. The Lord knows what He is doing, we need to trust Him to allow Him to lead and direct us. And then follow like Nephi to have the faith like he does in 1 Nephi 4:6, and to then let the Lord do the rest. 

I love you guys, and I pray for you all daily. I'm grateful for all of you and your examples to me of Christlike love and service. You guys are the best! :)

I love you always and forever .  .  .

Elder Dylan McEwan