Do We Realize What We Have?

This week was soooo crazy!!!!! I don't even know where to start!!!!! I cannot believe the miracles we are seeing here in Kidderminster. 

On Tuesday we met with our friend Bradley we street contacted last week. We met him at the library and taught him the restoration. Turns out he's been to church before and occasionally stays with a less active in our branch! But anyways he loves the Church and committed to baptism for February 4th. :) Also progressing!!!! He's reading the Book of Mormon, praying AND HE WENT TO CHURCH!!!!! Woooo!!!! 

Wednesday was zone meeting in Harborne. It went really over and we had an appointment with a less active that night so we had no time to find which we were pretty sad about. When we were waiting for the bus from Stourport to Kiddie we stopped a woman who was so interested and basically begged us to come around and teach her daughter. It was so cool! 

Thursday morning I woke up and had this weird feeling we would teach someone with red hair. It was the strangest thing that has ever happened. So the whole day we street contacted people with red hair but no one was interested. Anyways. In the evening we had dinner with a part member family which was so fun. Oh my gosh I love them so much. They told us that they had been saying family prayers like we asked them to and the wife, who isn't a member, said that she could really notice a difference in their family. Even though the kids are young, it is exactly what they needed she said. Afterwards we had like 2 hours but no plans so we were just going to find, but there was a potential who is actually Bradley's moms friend (complicated) ANYWAYS. her name is Mandy. We stopped by and she let us in and she was crying and crying to us about her life and what was happening. We showed her the refiners fire and comforted her as much as we could. And guess what.... Her hair was red:) the next day she called us and said she couldn't stop talking about us and was so excited to attend Bradley's baptism. 

Friday!!!!! We met with Ailsa. So we street contacted Ailsa last week and turns out she's been taught by missionaries before too!!!!! The elders lost a ton of teaching records and sisters are new to kiddie. But it's incredible how mindful god is of his people and how he will do anything to help them come back. Anyways. Ailsa is the most prepared woman I've ever taught!!!! She has a daughter name Sheena. She actually lives right by Bradley as well. It's so cool because my first night in Kidderminster I felt prompted to tract that street. Although they weren't found tracting, we still found them! Another sign of gods love for his people. ANYWAYS. Ailsa is preparing to be baptized as well on the 4th of February:) she came to a ward activity this week and came to church as well!!!! It was so amazing. 

We knocked into a muslim family from Syria who didn't speak any English as they had only been in England for a month. They were so sweet and let us in and we literally communicated through google translate for the hour. We told them we would teach them English and they were so grateful!!!!! So on Saturday they met us at the chapel and we had an English class. They taught us Arabic while we taught them English. ;) It was such a cool experience. We are going to teach them every Saturday:) 

Friday before we saw Ailsa we had dinner with another less active family the Mccalls!!!!! They are the children who came to church with their Nan in Cannock. I. Love. Them. So. Much. Their mom and I connected instantly and she wants us to come over again!!! They were the miracle family we ran into on the side of the road. We committed them to pray as a family:) I LOVE THEM! 😍

Saturday night another miracle happened. So we had gotten 3 potentials but needed 1 more to reach the standards of excellence. So I was praying that we would find someone but it was already 9:00 so we had to go in. 30 minutes later we got a call from a guy named Craig who we had given a Mormon.org card to a few days prior saying "I realized that I need to find the lord so I called your number." HOW CRAZY!!!!! That doesn't happen!!!!!!!! It was really cool we are gonna see him this week. :) 

Sunday we saw another part member family. The woman, Divinia, said that we always come exactly when she needs us. She started to cry and said last time we came she immediately went upstairs and pulled out her Book of Mormon. Hearing things like that makes me never want to leave. 

As a missionary your testimony is tried and tested daily. But it also is multiplied tenfold. President Gordon B. Hinckley declared the impact of the Restoration in history: “My brethren and sisters, do you realize what we have? Do you recognize our place in the great drama of human history? This is the focal point of all that has gone before. This is the season of restitution. These are the days of restoration. This is the time when men from over the earth come to the mountain of the Lord’s house to seek and learn of His ways and to walk in His paths. This is the summation of all of the centuries of time since the birth of Christ to this present and wonderful day.”

Do we realize what we have???? Do we take for granted everything that we know?? May we never grow old of discovering and rediscovering the precious truths of the gospel. :)

Missions are great!!!! Go on one!!!!:) I'm so happy I am. 

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxxxx

Birmingham Bull

P-day at the Birmingham Bull

Noah 

Dinner with the Betts

IT SNOWED

Ailsa at chapel tour :)

Ahmad and Rasha ليعثه ياه نسج نسخ 

 Teaching English :) 

Cuddles with Sarah and Susan ❤️️❤️️❤️️

Miracles in Kidderminster

So yes I have been transferred to carpet world. Literally the carpet capital of the world. Kiddie carpeted the White House and Buckingham palace. But I love it here. It is sooo much bigger than Cannock!!! Haha. Not the branch though. There is no primary or youth program in this branch because they don't have any at all. So sad. Working on it though. We met the coolest people this week and hard so many miracles some I couldn't even believe actually happened!!!!

So first of all on Monday night I got a call from a member in the Cannock ward who's kids live in Kidderminster. He told me "I totally understand what it's like to transfer everything to a new area" and because I was only going from Lichfield to Birmingham I was gonna have to take everything by train. So he offered to bring it all for me and just drop it off at a members house that morning - MIRACLE!!!!!! The McCall family is such a blessing. The McCall children are my absolute favourite we would eat with them at their Nan's and I love them soooooo much. Their mom is less active and lives in Kiddie so they always go to church in Cannock with their dad. ANYWAYS Sis Nels and I decided we would go visit the mom our first night together and see if we could get in and teach a lesson. We said a prayer and knocked but they weren't in.... so we went to visit a former investigator next door. He let us in and was absolutely bible bashing us for an hour and would not let us leave. He was like "I would beg you to reevaluate your lives and go home you are sinning and going to go to hell for this" he was super nice. After the lesson we walked down the street and THE MCCALL FAMILY WERE GETTING OUT OF THE CAR!!!! All the children ran up to me and gave me a huge hug and we got to make an appointment with the mom to come over:):):):):):):):):) it was SUCH A MIRACLE because everyone had been telling us hours before that getting her to talk to the missionaries was impossible. I couldn't believe it i was so happy. And then her mom is in the kiddie branch and when we told her about it she was so excited.

Thursday was the best day. the zone leaders texted us and challenged us to get 5 potentials, teach 5 street lessons, get a new investigator and invite 5 people to church. We creamed them and now they have to make us lunch. We met the coolest people this day. There was one woman we met in town centre who was actually a former!!! She wanted us to come over and teach her and her daughter. There was another guy who stopped us and was like "I respect you guys so much keep up the good work." He was super cool we are going to meet him next week!!! That night we met with a less active family called the Betts and they are SO CUTE!!!!!!! He is a return missionary but it's part member because she hasn't been baptized. Then they have 2 darling children. The lesson went well and we committed them to praying together as a family! They also came to the branch activity on Saturday!!!! And we are eating with them next week!!!! Miracles.

Friday we met another less active part member family. Her name is Divinia and she is from Canada. It is strange to hear American accents. They all sound soooooo hick to me now. Anyways we were talking to her and asking if she would ever want her husband to take the missionary lessons and she said well of course but I want it to be up to him. Then perfect timing in walked her husband!!!! So we talked to him for a good while about it and he said he'd think about it. It was so cool because yesterday Divinia texted a member saying that that day she was feeling super low and sad and that she knows the Holy Spirit lead us to her home.

On Saturday we had an American pancake breakfast at the chapel. So Sister Nelson and I decided to make some fliers for it! The day of the breakfast a random man strolled in and said he had been really thinking about investigating the church and then got a flier and knew he had to. So the elders and branch president taught him right then and there for like an hour and he had a chapel tour and he wants to learn more!!!!! Such a miracle!!!

Sunday there were like 12 people in sacrament meeting total. The branch has no youth or primary programs because there aren't any! But every person is so wonderful and I can't wait to get to know them all more. The branch president is incredible and knows president Preston from the MTC so we instantly clicked! He is such an amazing guy.

This week was crazy!! I've never been told so many times on my mission that I am worthless and need to go home hahaha like it was probably 5 times a day. But it only made us stronger!!!! Hahaha I love Sister Nelson SO MUCH!!!!! She is the sweetest most positive person I have ever met in my entire life which is exactly what I need!!!!

We just came from Birmingham for p day as it is in my zone now. It was so much fun. On our way back we talked to a woman on the train and she was explaining how she is strong enough to get through life alone and doesn't need God. I thought that my mission would be a lot harder in the rejection sense. I thought that I would feel more alone I guess. This week it really hit me within every difficult time how God is with us, because I could NOT do this on my own. President George Q. Cannon said: “No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, God will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character to do so." I have never been so thankful for this knowledge and it breaks my heart every time I come across someone who doesn't believe it.

It was a great week!! I love you all!!! Ta bit!!!

Sister McEwan xxx

Saying goodbye to the Tchiapis

Transfers

Carpet World

Sad

New District

Bette's tender little boy who loves holding my hand

Pancake Breakfast

Bette's Daughter

Foggy Mornings

This is the Lord's Work

Hey FAM!!!!!! I am at long last leaving my greenie area haha. I am headed to a place called Kidderminster. It's not too far from where I am now it's near to Birmingham. I'm excited!! My new comp is Sister Nelson. It is a branch rather than a ward. It will be an adventure.

This week was different! I never thought I'd say this but I'm super grateful the holidays are over so missionary work can go back to normal haha. All the weeks seem to clash together. We were mostly in Coventry this week on exchange and then we had a mission conference which was super awesome! President Paul Johnson of the Seventy and his wife came to speak to us it was such a great meeting and exactly what our mission needed. Before President Johnson spoke the AP's did a training on "Powerful Approaches." After the training they asked 3 pairs of missionaries to come up and try to powerfully approach President Johnson and Sis Johnson and I were one of them...... I can officially say I have stopped and introduced the gospel to a general authority. ;)

I went on exchange with Sister Romo in Coventry we experienced so many miracles!!! She taught me a ton about faith. I need to be better about that. This is the Lord's work and I need to let him do it.

I love you guys!!!! Have a great week!!!!

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxx

Random fridge we saw on the street

Exchanges in Coventry

Georgie

Christmas Skype and giving advice to Amelia who is beginning her own papers soon.

Sisters

Dear Sister Maule with Madeline

Tchiapi Family

Sister Johnson and Sister McEwan

My Mind is Blown

Christmas was the best. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Skyping home was definitely the highlight. :) I could have talked to my fam for hours.

I have forgotten to tell about a family we met our first day of the transfer.  We've been meeting with them every Monday night they are so sweet. Their names are Claire and Paul and they have a 10 year old son Finley. It's so funny because every time we teach them something Fin looks at his parents and goes "My mind is blown." I love it haha.

We had lots of fun zone meetings this week and spent loads of time with missionaries. We still proselyted though every day and tracted probably 1000 doors but got into 1 haha. There is a less active family from Cameroon we are starting to do FHE with every week and it's seriously the best time. We were fed by so many members this week and got 3 Christmas dinners in 24 hours. We have enough candy to last us months. Holiday weight is real my friends. Also THANK YOU to all who sent sweet packages and letters for Christmas. I sat in my room Christmas Eve reading everything and it made me sooooooooo happy.

Sunday we get transfer calls! I have no clue what will happen.

Random experience which proves God is on missionaries sides: We had a DA on one side of Cannock and had to get to the other side in 20 minutes for a lesson and prayed for a miracle all day that we would make it. Literally when we got out of our DA there was a bus passing and we weren't at a bus stop and we started waving like crazy and it just pulled over and picked us up and then we had to switch busses at the Cannock station and the bus we needed was on it's way out of the station and we started waving like crazy at it AND IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET FOR US!!!!!! When does that happen?????? Never. Blessed. We met some really cool people this week. Just need to find cool people who will keep cool commitments like coming to church and stuff. :)

Oh my gosh the coolest thing though..... this week I was studying the teachings of Wilford Woodruff because he is my fifth great-grandpa. GUESS WHAT??????? His very first area in England was Staffordshire......... what the flip. Guess what my first area in England is. STAFFORDSHIRE. Isn't that so cool???? My mind is blown.;) But really Staffs has a special place in Sister McEwan's heart.

I love you guys so much. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Cheers my dears.

Sis Mc xxxxx

Christmas Gifts from the Maules

Christmas Dinner with the Maules

Tchiapi family at church

Check it - upgraded to AP. No big deal.

Christmas Zone Conference

Elder Wallace and Sister Mamajanyan

Train to Sutton Coldfield

Dinner with the Wilcox Family

COMP UNITY

Yes, we tracted like this

Christmas party so much fun

Decorating a posh grandma's tree

Oliver, A Light to Every Member

Hello friends and family!! Merry Christmas!!! I'm so happy I can be here during such a special time. This week there were many highs and many lows as you would expect in the mission field. We had a heartbreaking experience on Friday. As many of you know Oliver missed his baptism last Sunday because he got sick just hours before. He received a blessing from the elders on Monday. On Tuesday late afternoon Sister Johnson and I went to visit him and we could tell he was very disoriented and confused. He had just gotten out of the bath to answer the door and as soon as he saw us he requested some coke. We ran to the store and brought him some minutes later. He thanked us and said he must go right back to bed because he was feeling so cold and shaken. We later found out Oliver had passed away that night. My heart was so broken and I could barely speak without breaking down. Oliver has been one of few constants since I entered the mission field. He was a light to every member of the Cannock ward. There is a massive hole in my heart.

I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to teach Oliver, and to have been taught by him. Before each lesson he would always start with something he learned that week from the Book of Mormon. I can so vividly remember him saying  "Yes, that's the main thing" about any and every gospel principle we introduced to him. Each time we went over he gave us countless amounts of produce from his garden and was always so eager to know how our missionary week went. I will never forget the garden tours and how passionate he would get when talking about his hedgehogs and sunflowers.

On Friday I was devastated and confused as to why God would take someone who was so good and so close to baptism. We had an appointment with a man named Bernid following the news. I could barely utter words or look at anyone so Sister Johnson did most the talking. I was looking around his home and saw an ornament hanging on his tree of half of a butterfly, and half of a sunflower, connected to each other. I immediately knew that Sarah and Oliver had met. I felt comforted that Oliver's work here was done. Although Oliver was not baptized a member here on earth, his sweet testimony was needed penetrate the hearts of others on the other side. And this is why we have the temple! Olivers last week on earth was so special - preparing for baptism. We had a very spiritual evening with him while picking out the songs we would sing. He bore his testimony for the first time this last fast and testimony meeting. His eyes were shut and his hands tightly gripped on the microphone it was precious. I will never forget the times we had with Oliver.

He lives, and because he lives, we can live again.

I know Jesus Christ lives. I see His help in this work every single moment. Even in the rejection and in the rain and in every person we invite to know him. This Christmas, I invite you all to know him!!! To recognise his hand in your lives. I promise that if you take the time to study the life of the Saviour, you will come closer to him, because you will be more like him. And that is our purpose here on earth. To prepare to meet him and our Father.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

He is all these things and more. May we all strive to live more worthy of Him.

I love you guys!!!! Happy Christmas from England 😘🇬🇧❤️🎄✨

Sister McEwan xx

Me, Oliver, Bro. and Sis. Denton and Sis Price

An Instrument in My Hands

This week was a "humbling week" Sister Johnson and I decided. It was definitely one of the hardest one so far. It's been difficult for me to be away from home while Isabelle has had her surgery.

Oliver unfortunately was not baptised yesterday. He got very sick the night before and couldn't get out of bed. Sister Johnson and I have tried to fill our days with back to back appointments but every single one of them fell through. We do not know what is going on.

Trying to rack my brain of what even happened this week. We had one cool miracle where 2 different people on our way to Oliver's lesson stopped us instead of us stopping them and wanted to meet with us! That never happens so it was weird that there were two within a minute of each other.

We had stake conference this weekend which was awesome because they filled up the stake centre and it felt like a regular Utah ward hahah. One guy told us this week that he was a "Born Again Atheist" which made no sense. We met a sweet woman named Margaret at St. Luke's a few weeks ago and she invited us over for lunch and to help her decorate her Christmas tree. She was POSH and had a maid at the front door taking our coats haha it felt like Downtown Abbey.

We got to see Steven!!!! It's been 2 months since I last saw him. He has that desire but his family still won't let him leave the house on Sunday to go to church. It was crazy though because we were teaching Steven in a coffee shop (ironic) and in came Dean..... 2 formers in one place hahaha so Sister Johnson and I literally had our backs to each other. She talked to Steven and I talked to Dean. Dean has gone COMPLETELY anti. It was horrifying. He was bashing the church so much and saying such terrible things about it. You could see the Devil in his eyes. It was honestly so scary he was yelling at me at how stupid I was to be apart of such a cult. It really shook me but actually made my testimony so much stronger so... that backfired;) haha. But really. I tried so hard to keep the conversation without contention and with love. It was very hard because I wanted to start screaming at him. I just had to bite my tongue and think "What would the Saviour do?" I expressed my love to him and reminded him of the feelings of peace and comfort our message brought to him when we first met. All his concerns were very worldly.

Funny experience Oliver called us earlier in the week saying: "My friend is very poorly I'm wondering if you can come around and put the hands on his head?" hahahaha he doesn't understand the term blessing quite yet.

The zone leaders sent out a prayer request for Oliver to our zone last night. In the middle of stake conference was when Oliver called saying he couldn't get out of bed so sister Johnson and I got super sad. All the missionaries there were so concerned because we are the loudest sister missionaries ever and we weren't speaking haha. But it was so sweet because we got several calls that night from missionaries telling us "5 things they love" about both of us. It really lifted our spirits.

The whole week sister Johnson and I kept saying "chin up, everyone might be rejecting us but we have a baptism on Sunday!!!" Then Sunday came and we felt so defeated.  Sweet Elder Jensen our District Leader called and gave us the scripture Alma 17:11 "And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls."

This whole week we taught a lot of people about trials and long suffering. I know that in order for me to be a better teacher, I have to go through those same things. If we endure these things well, and continue with faith in the Lord, he will use us "...unto the salvation of many souls." To know these things makes every hardship worth it. I love you guys. Thank you for the prayers. I feel them every day.

Cheers,

Sister McEwan xxx

Waiting for the train

Litchfield Zone

Stake Conference

Best Friends