Training for My Final 12 Weeks

This has been such an eventful week, and so I am just going to get right to it.

First off, I have been in a trio companionship for the last days. One of the elders in my district had to go home early. And so Elder Kofoed has been living with us until transfers tomorrow. With this experience, I just want to say, that simple and strict obedience is so important. We had 4 missionaries sadly go home last week because of this, and so I know how important it is to do what we are told and to do so willingly, even if we don't always understand it.

My highlights of the week were awesome:

- Transfer news came last night! And by the title of this email, you guessed it .  .  . I am going to be training a new missionary here in Akron for the final 12 weeks of my mission. Him and I will be here in the Akron ward still. I will also be serving as District Leader, which will be fun. I am so excited for this new opportunity to serve and to continue to build the Lord's kingdom here on earth. This new missionary (and probably my last companion) will be my 16th companion of the mission; and Akron will be my last area. So grateful for all 7 areas I have now served in, and as we like to say in track and field terms, "it's time to finish what we started, and finish strong"! It is crazy how fast the time has gone, but I'm excited for what these final 12 weeks will be like.

- We were able to teach so much this week. With 38 lessons, 7 new people found, and so much service that we were able to be apart of. Honestly I feel like Akron is so ready and prepared right now to hear the Gospel and to feel the Spirit. I am excited for what the future holds for the Akron ward and stake.

- We were able to drive down to Columbus on Thursday last week to take the elder going home to the mission office. We then had 2 lessons that night, and then got to play basketball with the New Portage ward. We have also been covering both Akron and New Portage ward the last 7 days, and wow so many miracles have been experienced and felt. The Lord truly does have a part to play in this work.

- We have a couple people we are really trying to work with. Annette, Matthew, and Zenobia. All 3 have progressed really well so far and are accepting everything we are teaching them. A big part of what they are stuck on is the why we are here on earth?. We have had some great lessons about our purpose in this life, as well as focusing on Moses 1:39 which talks about that purpose being God's purpose for us too. So if you guys could keep those 3 in your prayers that would be great!

- Since we have covered 2 wards this week, we were able to go over to a member family in the New Portage ward. They are from Brazil and so they speak really good Portuguese but also English. We went last night and they are so awesome and so kind! We were there for about an hour and a half. I think that has been my favorite part of being a missionary is just getting to see people from so many flocks of life.

- Honestly so much has happened this week and I know I am forgetting some things (I'll tell you all today because it was a great week). One experience I did want to finish on was this last Sunday when we were at New Portage ward for fast and testimony mtg. People were getting up and sharing theirs, and then E. Kofoed and I both got up to bare ours. E. Kofoed got up and delivered a powerful testimony about seeing God's timing as apart of our life, and knowing that everything will be okay in the end. I loved this, and you could feel the Spirit so strong in the chapel that day. People were in tears by the end of mine and his testimonies. This area has struggled for a long time with testimonies and being able to accept things in life. So to have people come up to us after church and say that what we said was just what they had been looking for was incredible to me. Greatest day ever.

I know that this Gospel of Jesus Christ is true. I know it with all of my heart. Today marks 20 months since I stepped foot in the Provo MTC as a young, new, and inexperienced missionary. 20 months later and now entering the final 12 weeks of my mission, I know now so much more than I did then, that God loves every one of His children. He gave us bodies to come to this life to gain experience and knowledge. How we live this life is how we choose to live through eternity. I love this Gospel with all of my heart, and I truly am so so grateful for the Lord giving me this chance to come to the Great Ohio to serve and more than anything else, to be served by these great amazing children of God.

To end this email this week, as I said earlier, I have gained a strong testimony even in just the last 6 days about staying obedient and doing what is right. President H and I had a good conversation on Thursday, Friday, and Monday night about what this mission is going through right now. We talked about the small one degree choices that take us so far off course in the end, and why we must be and HAVE TO BE on the covenant path all the time. I'm grateful that President and I could talk about ways to help the mission here, and missionaries who may be struggling, and that he trusts me to help him with that process.

I love you all so very much. You all are in my daily prayers and I am so grateful for what you guys continue to teach me everyday. Have your best week yet. I am excited to talk with everyone today.

I love you always and forever  .  .  .

Elder Dylan McEwan