'Til We Meet Again

Tomorrow I say my final goodbyes to Birmingham. I want to thank every one of my dear friends who have supported me on this journey. (British, American, and my companions around the world). You are my earth angels. 

It’s hard to believe it’s all over. 

18 months ago I stepped into completely unknown territory. I traveled thousands of miles away from everything I knew and everyone I loved. In these 18 months I have learned more about myself than in 20 years of life. I have loved people by initial contact, and I have strengthened weaknesses I never thought could be. All these things may seem beautiful in words, and they are. They are so precious to me. But what’s more precious is the work that got me to them. The pouring rain. The aching feet. Wanting nothing more than someone to enjoy the fruit the gospel has to offer, and then rejection. Missions are not easy. They are not glamorous. They are not what a lot of weekly emails make them to be. But oh how they are worth it. When it’s cold and it rains, i feel the happiest. When all I want to do is sleep, I feel the most accomplished. The bad makes the good so much better. I’m thankful for every hard day, and every good one that made them worth it. :) 

The United Kingdom will always be sacred ground to me. It has transformed me into someone I never dreamed I’d have the potential to be. 

“I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.”

There is no way I could have done this without God. I owe every day of my mission to him. It is his. I have been reminded of his omnipotence daily, he truly does know his people. My testimony of this is absolutely unshakable. 

This is his work. This is his glory. How grateful I am to have played such a small part within it. 

I am forever changed. 

Cheers,

Sister Madeline Renee McEwan xxxx

Pictures:

1) go home to they friends 

2) our funeral service held at district meeting 

3) killing us! 

4) tearful goodbyes to a dear friend. 

5) my last fish n chips !!!! 

6) Cardiff by night 

7) Dinner with some recent converts from China! Lots of squid was eaten... 😳

8) Rosemary Robinson. The sweetest lady I’ve ever met. Saying goodbye was so hard :( 

9 and 10) the sweet rushworths have changed my life. They are forever family. 

11) the welsh goodbye song. The sweetest way to end my mission. 

Let not your ❤️ be troubled

This week I will hit my 18 month mark..... how crazy. 

It was an eventful week. We had multiple sleepovers with sisters because their flat heating and water was broken. So despite the lack of sleep things are still thrilling as ever in Cardiff 

Highlights 

- Tuesday sis fahl and I had a long day of visits. We decided together that Tuesday is the hardest day of the week because it’s the day after Monday haha. But we conquered and rewarded ourselves with a celebratory bucket of fried chicken at kfc. We still had about an hour left of the proselyting day and were exhausted from no sleep but instead of going back to sleep we told ourselves we would stop 10 people in Cardiff city centre then make our way home. We stopped a guy called Jay who had been released from jail 3 weeks prior from accidentally killing someone. Bless him... but he was so lost. Not lost in Cardiff haha but lost in his life. He said that Jesus Christ was what got him through 8 years in jail, that he owes everything to him but he hungers to know more and to find a church to join. GOD IS SO MINDFUL OF HIS CHILDREN. I think I say that in every email but it’s the biggest testimony I’ve gained out here. He kept saying over and over ‘it’s just crazy that I was just walking down Cardiff city centre looking for something, and you stopped me’ we are really excited to be working with him. 

- we taught our Chinese investigator Kang! Honestly some of my favourite lessons on my mission have been with him. This day we got to teach him about the atonement and what is available for him! What debt has already been paid for that is just waiting for him to find happiness in! He had never learned about it before. It was such a sweet and humbling experience for me. We are so blessed to have grown up with this knowledge. Something we can not take advantage of and god requires us to share. ‘Where much is given, much is required’ 

- dinner list went around in the ward and since I’m going home we have about 10 dinner appointments this week BLESS ME i wanted to lose some weight before I went home! Lol! That’s not happening. Man 3 transfer areas get to me! It’s going to be so hard leaving this ward! It feels like home! :(( worst part about missions is leaving those you have grown to love so much behind! Ahhhh I’m gonna cry. 

- sacrament meeting was one of the best I’ve been in! The area president, Paul v. Johnson, came to Cardiff to speak, and so did Joy Jones the general primary president!!!! It was their first time in Wales. I enjoyed every second listening to president jones. Her testimony made the whole room go quiet! Especially that of the prophet and the apostles whom she works so closely with. She told us over and over how firm her testimony is of them, their callings, and how they are chosen by God. 

She read in John 14: 27. This was something that really touched my heart and I know it can yours. Especially my sweet little sister I love so much in her return from serving so faithfully in Uruguay. 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

She explained that the last sentence, let not your heart be troubled, is a commandment. The lord commands us to not be afraid. He so freely give us his piece and if we take his, and not the worlds, then our troubled hearts will not be so. 

He does not want us to be sad. He overcame it. So we can too :) 

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no never, I’ll never, no never,

I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!

And just like that, I have 1 week left. 

1 week of sister McEwan 

1 week of Great Britain. 

Cheers my dears,

Sister McEwan xxxx

Pictures sorry not many mum

1) Pontypridd 

2) church in ponty 

3) blurry Croeso a Caerdydd 

4) We go to visit rosemary every week. Every time she sees me in the window she makes the HAPPIEST face ever it’s soooo cute. I am going to bawl when I have to say goodbye to her. 

5) I know I put a pic of them last week but. This is my family in Cardiff! Man I love the bakers. They have let us over the past few Sundays after church and it just feels like home. We laugh until we cry and eat the best food it’s amazing. :) 

6) little daisy the rushworths baby. Love love love this family too man I’m going to miss Cardiff. 

More Fully Disciples

My peopllleeee! 

The weeks are going by faster and faster I can’t believe it. We had a good week in Cardiff. :) I love wales....... Hate the rain ;) ☔️ ☔️☔️☔️☔️

Some highlights 

- Taught Paul at a dinner appointment with some members. It was so great just being able to sit around the members table and all talk about our conversion stories. It was really good for Paul to hear all of our stories. He’s had so many experience that just make him scream PREPARED but the Mormon lifestyle scares him. He’s not sure if he’s ready to commit to it. I think it’s the word of wisdom that has got him the most.. at the end of the dinner we asked if we could share a ‘spiritual thought’ we all moved to the living room... Paul got so nervous thought we were gonna be doing some weird ritual or something Hahahaha bless our Mormon language we had to clarify what a spiritual thought was. 

- found a new investigator called Kang Chi!! We had a lesson with him at the library on Saturday morning. I can honestly say it was the best lesson sister fahl and I ever taught! (They did say you finally get good at being a missionary right at the end) Teaching Chinese people about God is really so special. Kang didn’t know anything about God, or Jesus Christ, he has literally had 0 religious exposure his entire life. It was a foreign concept to him. We read Alma 32 with him and he had the BEST QUESTIONS. He was concerned that his seed had to be a tree before he could know if God was there! A big thing in our mission is using the Book of Mormon to answer questions. #LETTHEBOOKSPEAK So we flipped to it! In alma 32 27 it says “But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.” This verse answered his question and he committed to read the Book of Mormon and meet again :):)

- Saturday night was the Wales vs Scotland Rugby Game so Cardiff city centre was full of Drunk men in kilts. It was soooo weird... literally it was exactly what I expected the U.K. to be haha it was madness.. People staggering everywhere singing and yelling crazy things and cussing every other word. we quickly ran through because it was super scaryyyyy. While we were going through there was this guy attacking this girl and a whole fight broke out and ya it just was really sad and scary and my testimony of the word of wisdom sky rocketed. I love that commandment. God knows what he’s doin. 

- I love Cardiff ward. There are a couple families here I just am going to miss soooo much 😭😭😭😭 they feel like my own. I have served exactly where I was meant to be. Not because of the effect I’ve had on people, but because of their effect on ME. The United Kingdom has changed me into a Madeline I never thought I could be. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about people and how sometimes we change to our environment and community and culture and how that is something I feel I have gained a greater power to control while being a missionary, but I really hope I don’t go back to someone who just conforms. I read an incredible talk by Jeffrey r holland that just hit home for me while I’ve been preparing to return home. He says: “may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear.” 

I LOVE WHEN HE SAYS ‘not only in the flush of comfortable times’ do you ever recognise yourself following him only when it’s convenient for you? When you feel secure, but not when insecure? This is not how it should be! The end bit of his talk is so powerful.....

“may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,” for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone.”

Chills. 

My invitation to me, and to you, is the same as his. Jesus Christ stood for us UNTIL DEATH. He does not expect that of us. But at home, with our friends, when in a conversation where he clearly is not present, when we are tired, or angry, he asks that we stand by him. That we stand FOR him. We are disciples of his church, it is essential we represent it as such. Something I can definitely work on. :) 

2 weeks people. 

Love you love you love you. 

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxxxxx

Pictures:

1) every week we visit our friend Laura in the hospital. She is such a dedicated member and it breaks her that she hasn’t been able to be to church for several years. Her testimony doesn’t fade because of her weaknesses. Her weaknesses became STRONG! Ether 12 27

2) doing some cleaning and ironing service:):) 

3) sister fahl and I treating ourselves to some ICE CREAM 

4) I was really excited heheheheh 

5) my new ride for when I get home. (Jk dad pls let me still have the car) 

6) Wales VS Scotland!!!!!

7) goooooo Wales? Gooooo Scotland? (Serving in wales but McEwan is Scottish idk which side to choose probably wales though because they won) 

8) had to take a picture of this Sunday because I didn’t get 1 word out of sacrament meeting Hahahaha babies crying everywhere! This is one of the families I have become so close with. The rushworths will definitely be life long friends to me. I just love them to bits. 

9) THE BAKERS! the other family I’ve become so close to. They’re our parents here in Cardiff. They always make sure we take good care of ourselves and are healthy and warm:) love them. 

Walked around a little welsh village. 

The Most Pure Joy

Hey fam! Lots to report on this week but I HAVE NO DESIRE to send a mass email when I can just tell ya in person in 3 weeks hehe:) 

This week while sat on a bus I was able to give out a Book of Mormon and testify of its truthfulness to the sweetest man called jack. 18 months of missionary work can be so emotionally, physically, and mentally draining. I will not lie this is the hardest thing I have ever EVER done. I don’t know if I could go past the 21st of February.... I love it, but it is hard stuff! But I will always miss the constant exposure to sharing my testimony. Sharing a Book of Mormon, whether they accept, or do not accept, makes me so happy. Our duty is to invite. Our purpose is to share. Even if they do not accept, we have fulfilled just that! God wants to give every child the opportunity to hear. That is what we are called to do. :) I will miss the badge and the excuse to share everything I love so dearly at any moment because of it. :) All I could think about the rest of the bus ride was how much I’d miss that. Thankfully Jack accepted and is now taking the missionary discussions:)

Man, I love Cardiff. This ward is home! I always feel that way in a 3 transfer area. It will be so hard to say goodbye. Yesterday we drove home from church with a family that will be lifelong friends for me. We were singing and laughing I wanted to bundle that feeling up and keep it forever! Pure joy is the only way to describe. “WHEN THE FOCUS OF OUR LIVES IS ON JESUS CHRIST AND HIS GOSPEL, WE CAN FEEL JOY REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING - OR NOT HAPPENING - IN OUR LIVES” - Russel m Nelson :):):) (best talk ever) this is why a mission is so sweet (even including the not so sweet bits) :):) 

I can’t wait to bring my family here!

Here’s to 3 more! 

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxxxxx

Pictures

1) district 

2) bus times

3) welsh 

4) Castle on the Hill (Cardiff Castle hehe) 

5). This yummy Japanese place we discovered it’s the best as u can see by my creepy face. Also I have MASTERED chopsticks on my mission. Didn’t think I’d use them this much but it hey!

6) all the missionaries sign this toilet in our flat haha so random 

7) typical;) 

8) Lizzie! My favourite  baby.

Prince Harry ! ! ROYALTY in Wales! 🤴

Hey mates

WALES IS SO WET. it has been raining non stop this week. I don’t ever do my hair anymore haha not worth it just gets destroyed once you walk out the door. 

Start w/ tuesdayyyyyyy 

In the morning we went to meet with a crazy lady in Cardiff. She didn’t show for an hour so we were like mate we have to go we have other places we need to me and she was like threatening us if we didn’t stay at the library and totally shouting at us over the phone it was quite horrifying so we ran away and hid ourselves in Nando’s and ate some good food lol. 

In the afternoon we watched the president Nelson broadcast! So lovely! Every time I hear the prophet testify of the saviour I feel the spirit. It is so powerful! 

Wednesday was madnessssssss. We started early, headed out to do some street contacting and  my companion totally collapsed. We brought her into a shop and she was pale. Everyone was getting her water and trying to help, she couldn’t even hold the cup we had to hold it for her. It was SO SCARY! we got a taxi and went back home and she spent the rest of the day in bed. 

Thursday we went to The rushworths to clean. Afterwards we got off the bus near Cardiff Castle and saw a crowd around. So we were like uhh what’s going on. We asked around and PRINCE HARRY AND MEGAN MARKLE were there!!!! I GOT TO SEE ROYALTY ON MY MISSION! It was soooo neat. I even got film footage of them hehe. We were just in the right place st the right time because they weren’t outside for long. Haha! Blessings from god! ;) After we made our way to thornhill to visit some members and had a lush roast dinner one of the best on the mish. 

Friday was Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil zone conference. My last zone conference on the mission.... so many mixed emotions. I went into it thinking.... I don’t have long left so nothing is really going to apply to me.. bad attitude Madeline! It was one of the best zone conferences on my mission and exactly what I needed to hear in preparation to go home. All about the Book of Mormon and the crucial part it plays in our happiness. I also gave my departing testimony... going home is starting to feel sooo real. 

In thinking about what I was going to say for my testimony I made a list of all the things I KNOW. I didn’t want to say anything that I didn’t. The first thing I wrote is that there is a god. Second, that he knows, hears, and loves me. And third that he is omnipotent. I have been reminded of his omnipotence every day on my mission. I think that the concept of God has always been quite easy for me. I have such a loving earthly father, and I think that’s why. :) 

Saturday we visited some part member families. I will miss that kind of work. 

Sunday was the best. We got a referral called Paul. He had met with missionaries in Scotland but then moved here and wanted to keep learning. :) we invited him to church and he came! Stayed for all 3 hours and already has made friends in the ward!! He is so normal as well haha hard to come by in this place and be interested in the gospel.... but literally when he walked into church everyone was staring at him hahaha it was funny. He was telling us how every member has has met has ‘a sparkle in their eye’ it is crazy how many times you hear r this when people talk about members of the church. I love it! I’m getting attached to the Cardiff ward. 3 transfers in one area is the best but also so hard to leave, it becomes a part of you!!

I love the United Kingdom. Leaving will be so bitter sweet. 

Here’s to a great month more!!!!!! 

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxxxxx

Pictures

1) waiting for prince harry 

2) video of them driving by, watch in slow mo :) 

3) bussing to conference 

4) Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil zones. 

5) district 

6) district 

7) elder pace bless him 

God vs. The World

Helllooooooo! 

Quick update! Cardiff is great! Members are shocked about 6 sisters haha. Church was the weirdest thing every yesterday. I think a lot are pretty upset there aren’t elders but.... they’ll get over it haha. 

Tuesday morning the elders were leaving Cardiff. Our alarm didn’t go off it was terrible we had to meet them at the station at 7:30 and we woke up at 7:15 we literally booked it to the station I was wearing my pyjamas under my skirt hahaha bless us. Then we helped all the sisters come in and settle. 

Wednesday long hard day. Came home getting ready to eat dinner and a random dominoes pizza man shows up at our door with already paid pizza and snacks!!!!!!! All thanks to my bfffffffffff joe:) my comp was thrilled hahahahah. :) it was the best:) 

Friday we did service for the rushworths. My favourite day of the week haha. I really love this family! And yulia taught me how to iron shirts so I’m almost a pro now! :) 

We got a cool self referral this week a man called paul we are seeing in the week we are excited for that. :) we did lots of finding and stop bys but didn’t have loads of success.. part of being a missionary though! 

This ward is really upping their game with member missionary work. We are being fed almost every night. It is great. Getting lots of referrals as well :) we have been working hard to build trust with the members :):) me and fahl are meeting a lot of people in the bathroom on a Sunday morning as well because I am always doing my makeup right before church in the bathroom lol. But great for member work! 

This week I have been reading in alma around chapter 50. I’m reading about the war between the lamanites and Moroni and his army. Something that really stuck out to me was that the dissenters of the nephites were even more wicked and ferocious than those who were always lamanites. I think that anyone who leaves the church (even those who stay) are tempted more by Satan. It also amazed me that during the battle, SO MANY of the lamanites fell but no one of moronis army were slain. NOT EVEN ONE! it says that they had many wounds obviously but they were on the lords side. It talks about how they prepared themselves daily. Not only because of their armour but by reading and prayer. If we are prepared, we will always win the fight! We may get hurt, but we will heal, God will not forsake his people! If we give up time for him, he will give us anything. :):) God always wins! 

“Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.”

See ya in 5 WEEKS FAM! 

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxxx

Pictures: sorry not really any. 

1) goodbye elders! 

2) happy pizza!

3) happy companion! 

4) ironing FOR LIFE! 

5) found Bethlehem 

6) Watching comps try on shoes.