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.

6 weeks, and... 6 sisters?

ITS MY LAST TRANSFER PEOPLE! WHAT IN THE WORLD! ? ! ? ! ? !

so we got the dodge last night...... PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED. I will be staying in Cardiff with sister fahl!!! We jumped for joy when we found out haha. But they are changing literally the entire mission so I’m also pretty shocked....... basically they took elders out of Cardiff and replaced them with 4 other sisters.... so we are going to have 6 sisters in the Cardiff/Rhiwbina Ward which is UNHEARD OF. so there’s that. It will be super interesting haha... we called our ward mission leader to tell him the news and he said ‘wow we will be so close to the celestial kingdom’ HAHA. but sister tarapi from the Philippines has followed me from Worcester and we get to die together! So that will be fun:) also gonna miss the elders.... 

We finished off this last transfer on a high note. Had some cool experiences this week:)

Tuesday we headed to St Mellons and Llanrumney to do some less active and part member family stop bys. While walking through the neighbourhoods we were stopping people. One lady we stopped was from the Philippines and was a member!!!! She had even served a mission!! But she went less active once she came to Wales. She gave us her address and phone number to stop by! We were shocked. It’s been almost 17 months now and I am still shocked by gods omnipotence hahah. 

We stopped by a less active /part member family called the Obijiwanas SO LOVELY! they are from Nigeria. The mum Sandra and her 3 daughters came to listen to us. We invited them to church and Sandra said probably not. But the girls were so sad. Then we taught them how to sing I am a child of god and Sandra was in tears! She pulled out her phone and was like ‘okay what is your number we want to come to church’ it was so cooooool:) and one of their daughters, Olivia, expressed how badly she wanted to be baptised. I hope the ward will be good and bring them to church on a Sunday! 

The next day we went back to st Mellons because we made some appointments there. On the way to our first appointment we got a bit lost.... we had no idea where we were. As we were walking there was a little 9 or 10 year old boy on his bike crying so hard passing us. So I stopped him and asked if he was okay he had lost his mom, couldn’t find her anywhere:( bless him! He was crying so hard. Sis fahl gave him some tissue and we asked him if he wanted to say a prayer with us. And that sweet little boy did! He was finally calm and knew exactly where to go to find her. I hope he always remembers that prayer and the comfort he received from it. All of our lessons fell through but I knew we were meant to be there that night. One of our lessons didn’t answer the door and it started chucking down rain and hail so we just sat on their doorstep to take cover hahaha. They never showed up so that’s good or would have been awkward just sat there. So many times me and sister fahl look at eachother like ‘what are we doing with our lives’ hahaha I love those moments. 

Thursday we visited the sick and afflicted;) went to 2 different hospitals. I could never work there. My body ached just being inside! The first woman we went to visit had dementia. So sad! But quite the experience I must say! We sang to her and she told us to stop and we sounded horrible Hahahaha. And we asked if we could come back and she said no hahahah so nice lady! She kept falling asleep at random times and then she would wake up for 10 seconds with loads of energy just smiling away and then she was OUT again. Bless her. We then visited rosemary (my fave old lady) her grand daughter told me I was pretty and rosemary said to her ‘you should get your eyes checked’ HAHAHAH bless me! 

We then went to another hospital. We visited an old lady who was so confused so we ended up just leaving :/ think we were making things worse. Then we visited a ysa member who had been in hospital for 8 years because of several different reasons. She was in a psychiatric unit because it had to do with her brain though she was normal. It was really interesting being in there.... lots of random people wandering around and weird things going on. Quite the experience I must say. But she came into the visitors room and we chatted with her for about an hour. She was in tears to us about how badly she just wanted to come to church and do missionary work and be a ‘normal member’. I realised that I take that sooooooooo for granted. That I get to partake of the sacrament every week and be with other members. Bless her. We became really close to her and she is going to skype in now to lessons that we have! Which is great!:) such a sweet girl who god has a perfect plan for.  

Sister fahl and I tried both marmite and vegemite this week. IT WAS SO GROSS. DONT TRY IT. members fed us marmite spaghetti hahahahahahahahahahaha bless me!!!!!!!! 

Sis fahl and I took a walk to the BEACH the coldest beach I’ve been to in my entire life. Hahaha I wore my wellies we trudged through mud and the beach was all rocks and seaweed haha I loved it though it was sooooo beautiful:):) 

It was such a shock to wake up to the news of losing our beloved prophet. This week we sang ‘we thank thee o god for a prophet’ a countless number of times. The song meant so much more to me. I took the time to study his council this week. It really stuck out to me that his final 2 conference addresses were about 2 subject: The Book of Mormon, and kindness. 2 vital things in our mortal existence. 2 things that I know can give you a happy life. 2 things that have changed me! 

I have 6 more weeks as a set apart missionary to share this book with my brothers and sisters. I hope that God uses me as the instrument he intends for me to be. :) 

Dwi’n caru ti ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Cheers, 

Sister McEwan xxxxxx

Pictures:

1) bus life!

2) double decker bus aka “DUBS DECK”

3) random weird arm lol bless!

4) welsh quote at hospital 

5) rocky beach!

6) 😛😛😛

7) ocean!

8) typical badge pic

9) ❤️

10) district!

11) FULL CHART

New Year New Me @Amelia

Don’t have much to say this week. Had a lot going on. Ate a lot. But just wanna share a spiritual experience I had:):):)

Had a hard day this week. Broke down because I was super stressed about what school to go to, where I’m gonna be in a year, what I need to do... things I had figured out previous to my mission, but mission changes things. So I was confused and angry at god because I already had everything sorted and figured out... wasn’t a mission supposed to help me with that? 

We were waiting for the bus and I started to cry.... hiding myself from my district ha.... right then I got a call from the sweetest old member called rosemary we visit once a week. She said ‘sister McEwan I do not know why I am calling you, but I needed to tell you that you are loved.’ Immediately I felt a burden lift from me. 

Can’t believe 2018 has come.... haven’t seen my family since 2016! Can’t wait to see them next month. It is coming so quickly. 2017 was the biggest year of growth of my life. Thankful for all those who have touched my heart here in the UK this last year. It has been the hardest, but most rewarding year of my life. Some life long best friends have been made. Some I can not imagine my life without. 

Remember dean from Nottingham? He is working toward his patriarchal blessing! Still coming to church every week. Makes me smile. :):) 

Happy New Years 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness, of trust and divine love that will transform your life today, tomorrow, and forever. That is a New Year’s resolution I ask you to keep.”
—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, 

 Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxxxx

Not really any pics this week sorry. 

1) Christmas Skype with Mia tortilla!!

2) p day

3) pub grub! 

4) lovely picture made by some lovely people in Worcester:)

5) random pic sis fahl wanted to take lol

6) in the car picture haha in Barry