The Work is Good . .

October 26, 2014

Dear McEwan Family--

How are you? We've had a great week so far:)

Super busy week, Dylan!! Man, being a Den Chief, the star quarterback, singing in the choir, all in one week??? You da man!! :) HOw's school going for you? Any news on BYU?? I'm doing really well right now, just trying to help get things done here in Harmon and in the Barrigada ward. I also have a less active friend that I'm trying to help right now, I sent you all an email about it, but he's doing super good, we just need to find him a ride to church and some fellowshippers. I'm also still...skinny, but not a whole lot of muscle, we'll see if that can start to change next month!!

Way to go on taking that test early, Parker!! Trust me, the earlier the better!! HOw'd it go, do you think that you did well?? HOw'd the concert go? HOw is Mr. Bills? I've emailed him a few times but will you just take a minute some time this week and tell him hi for me? That's super funny that you talked about the FOotball game, because Elder Afualo also played for Spanish Fork, so please let me know how we did!! You know, right now we have a 16 year old member coming out with us, EJ Ioanis, from Pohnpei (actually he's from a small outer island of Pohnpei called Pingelap) but he reminds me of you so much!! He's really excited about coming out with the missionaries and I thought about you. Are you still going to mission prep? Still reading from the white handbook? I know that it may seem like a lot right now, but trust me, wehn the time comes, you'll be glad that you prepared!!

Mama, nice to hear that you are still doing vinyl, and that you doing well!! HOw'd the Thankful Thursday go? I'm so glad to hear that everything is going well with the family!! You know, yesterday in Sacrament meeting, there was a talk given by one of our Chuukese members, Sister Frittz, and she talked about the importance of motherhood: Mothers are the caretakers of the home and the guides for the children. They should play with the kids, teach them the gospel and help them learn good behavior and manners. I'm sitting here thinking about it now, and I really wanted to thank you, because you have done all those things for me, and you continue to encourage me to do them!! You are the best Mom ever!!

Hey Dad!!! So first off, WOW!!! 30 people in one FHE at our house? NICE!! How'd the ward party go? Anyone I know in the ward? With all these changes that you keep mentioning, is there talk of maybe you changing as well, or are you looking for somewhere else to go to? Man, I just wanted to share some of my thoughts on a talk yesterday given by one of the counselors in the YM Presidency. He talked about the importance of the priesthood and how part of that is not just thinking that in the family, because the man has the priesthood, that his wife is somehow inferior to him and therefore lives only to do what he says. Rather, they are to serve as equal partners in rearing and teaching their children as well as making important decisions regarding the direction of their family. I put this in here because I wanted to say thank you Dad, for teaching me and helping me to recognize the importance of the priesthood. Lately some experiences that I have been having have helped me to realize and remember all the things that you have taught me.

The work is good, we have tons of Pohnpeian investigators and some potential chuukese investigators, and everything is going really well right now!! We also right now are working with two less actives, Joe and Roger, on helping them to get ready to serve missions of their own. Joe is 23 years old, from American Samoa, and he actually got reactivated yesterday, and he's planning on talking with Bishop Davis soon to start the mission prep process. Roger is 22 years old, from Chuuk, my home island of Romalum, and he has been really good to keep meeting with us. I actually first met Roger in Chuuk, he would drive the boat for all the missionaries and he would even come teaching with us sometimes. He's in Guam right now, but he's kind of sort of been off and on with church, it's just hard because his family and the people that he is staying with don't really attend church that often. BUT!! We are going to start talking with members and taking them with us to go and meet with Roger so that we can strengthen his testimony! Other than that, no baptisms, but the work moves forward and I'm glad to be a part of it!!

Everyone is doing good right now, and Elder Afualo and I are trying to work super hard to find people right now. We are going to meet later this week with one of our investigators who wants to stop meeting with us and find out what's going on.

Hey Mom, will you double check with BYU-I and see what I need to do.  I'm just trying to get as much information as possible so that I can know what to do when I get home. Thank you so much for all you do for me and everyone. I love you so much!

Well, I’ve gotta go. I'm going to go do laundry!! I love you all, and I hope you guys know that I am really grateful for the examples taht YOU have set for me!! I wouldn't be who am I today if it wasn't for you guys!!

Ren tong wachemuk,

Elder Sean McEwan

A Mama Letter . . .

October 19, 2014

Well Mom, I haven't decided yet on what I want to do for college yet...but I will hopefully be able to let you know next week, just everyone pray for me and all that :)

Yes, I did get those postcards, very humbling and funny ;) Thanks for thnking about me even though I'm really bad at writing...

The work in Harmon is giong well right now, we have 3 investigators who will hopefully be baptized in November, a Samoan young man named Ralphie, a 25 year old guy named Joshua (he's from Washington, D.C.) and then Lashawn. She should have been baptized this last weekend but still is having doubts. We are goiing to meet with her this week!!

Everything is good, Elder Afualo and I have had some realy good conversations the last few days. We, along with all the missionaries here in Guam, are teaming with the wards to do Home and Visiting Teaching, so that'll be super fun!!

Other than that, how are you? How was work this week?

I love you Mom, and I wanted to also thank you for the things that you have taught me and showed me how to do. I finally reached a culmination of things last night, and I realized that there are so many dumb little things that I am not doing right now, super easy things taht you taught me on a daily basis. I'm really sorry, that I haven't been the best example, I know that I may have appeared to be, but I want you to know how much I love you and how much I really am looking forward to seeing you again!! You truly are my hero, Mom!! There's a good song that I have lovingly added to my music library right now, about missionaries who credit everything that they do and everything that they are to their moms. It's called "M.O.M" by the Nashville Tribute Band.

I love you so much!!

Elder Sean McEwan

P.S. will you also check up on BYU-I? I just want infromation, just like we did it before. Dates for reg., classes, majors, etc. Thank you!!!

Working with Elder Vause and Listening to the Spirit . . .

October 12, 2014

Dear Family,

Elder McEwan and Elder Afualo Studying

I am doing well!! We just ended Conference weekend, so life is good. It was super cool to hear words from our prophet and other general authorities again, as this was the first time that I got to listen to Conference as a missionary. I’m glad Grandma did well with her knee replacement. I’ll shoot her a message right now. That’s awesome that the rental house by you sold. Please give the guy my email address. I’d love to hear from him and see if we can find his family here.

Things are good, we have a ton of new investigators right now, Pohnpeian and Chuukese. We are still working with Lashawn, she'll be baptized this next Saturday. We are also still working with Jimmy Retuyan, his kids were baptized last month and also we picked up a new friend named Joshua (from Washington) who is super solid and really wants to be baptized and change his life.

MGM Leadership Council

Singing Together

I have a really great spiritual experience to share this week. This last week, all the zone leaders had to stay here because of a typhoon that we all thought was going to hit here in Guam (didn't even do anything). So I was working with Elder Vause (he’s serving in Pohnpei) again, my MTC companion, and we were out teaching and waiting for Elder Afualo to come and pick us up. Elder Vause was hungry so we started walking down to a store close by. While doing so, I had this impression to go back to where Elder Afualo and I had planned to meet up that night. After we reached the store, we headed back and I was still feeling that impression. I didn't know why, and I kept thinking oh man, those elders are there waiting on us. SO we hurried back, and they weren't there yet. I was really confused and a little scared. So I said a prayer and asked Heavenly Father to show me/tell me why we needed to be there. As I closed the prayer, I had one thought: WAIT. So I did, and then I saw a man pushing his baby in a stroller a little ways away. I said another prayer and asked that I may be allowed to talk to this guy and wouldn't you know it, he started walking down to us. Long and short of things, we ended up talking with him (he was Chuukese) and shared a really powerful message with him about families and the plan of salvation. As we finished talking, I had the most amazing feeling inside, and I know that that was why Heavenly Father told me to hurry back. We will try and meet with this man (Tommy) later on this week.

Elder McEwan and Elder Afualo role playing to better their teaching

I love this work, I love these people, and I love this feeling that I have right now!! I loved General COnference and listening to the words of our living Prophet Thomas S. Monson. I know that he is a prophet of God and that he leads us and loves us today. This work is so true, and I don't want to leave. I love you all!!

With love and prayers,

Elder McEwan

Typhoon Vongfong . . .

So grateful our Heavenly Father was watching over these beautiful islands and calmed the storm . . .

October 5, 2014

Dear Family,

I'm doing great!!  That's awesome that you all are busy, hoped everyone loved conference!!  Haven't seen conference yet, but we will be watching it next week!! Nothing to exciting to report from last week, but as we were starting Mission Leadership COuncil weekend, we found out about a typhoon (Typhoon Vongfong) that was supposed to hit here in Guam yesterday. Woke up this morning, NOTHING!!!! We are going to be finishing up our council tomorrow and then we

will hopefully be getting back to normal.

We are doing well right now, hoping to have a big week and a baptism of a pohnpeian girl named Lashawn Epina, will let you all know how that turns out next week.

I love you all!!

Elder McEwan

Service, Service, Service . . .

October 4, 2014: What a great opportunity to help other islands of the MGM, Service project with the missionaries and the ward members in Barrigada. Organized and boxed hundreds of thousands of books that will be sent to Pohnpei.

Bishop Davis ~ Barrigada Ward

Missionaries and Barrigada Ward members