Driving lessons

Date: Wed, Oct 1, 2008 at 4:29 AM
Subject: More Love from Elder Rowley!

Hello again!

Oh boy do I have a ton to share with you! First of all, I was absolutely thrilled to get all of those letters yesterday!! We are on exchanges with the Zone Leaders right now (more on that later) and all of us were just in awe to see that. I've been so busy that I have only had the time to read one of them! Forgive me if it takes a while for me to write back! Oh and by the way, anyone can send letters to our flat, it's packages that have to go to the Mission Office. So keep 'em coming!

Well, you are going to be proud of me. I've learned how to drive manual transmission. Yep, I'm driving! Last week Elder Ayers had a driving lesson and learned that with the license he has he isn't legal to drive our car, so we phoned President Bullock, he gave me a blessing and we prayed, then gave me a crash course in driving. I've been doing it ever since and will probably be driving for at least a month or so! The Lord has blessed me so much already, thank you so much for all of your prayers! It's been such a miracle that we get around to our appointments and things, we are always praying for safety. I'm still learning a lot about it though, and I do stall the car quite a bit, but it's so much fun and I love learning. I'm really thankful for this experience our Heavenly Father has given me!

Sunday I got to go to the Shrewsbury ward for the first time and it was so brilliant. The spirit in all three meetings was just immense, as Elder Stenborg would've said "you could've cut it with a knife!" Oh and they let me share my testimony first to introduce myself! The people in the ward are amazing, I just love working with them. The church really is true no matter where in the world we may be!

On Monday Elder Ayers and I were doing some street contacting and trying by some less active members when we saw a man training his dog in a field. That dog was amazing, it would come to him and do all sorts of tricks just at the sound of a whistle! He showed us some tricks and we got talking with him and we learned that he loves fishing and..... we're going fishing with him next week!! I'm so excited, it's going to be so much fun! It's the simple tender mercies of the Lord like that that just make my days.

Last weekend Elder Ayers and I did some GQ-ing (Golden Question) in a park in town and it was a lot of fun. The sun was shining and we got to talk to a lot of nice people! The only thing is I'm struggling to overcome my fear of talking with people... will you please remember that in your prayers for me? I hope to be able to be excited and learn to just love strinking up conversations with and talking with people. I need your prayers so much, I have really felt them being answered in the last week. Thanks so much for all the love and support you are all giving to me, it means so much.

Oh and the exchange! I've been with Elder Russell since yesterday afternoon and it's been so much fun. Last night we planned to go tracting and didn't even get to the street because we talked with so many amazing people, it was really incredible. The spirit was strong as we stopped people and testified to them and it was just brilliant. Being a Missionary is so much fun. Being on this exchange has really opened my eyes to the different aspects of the work and how I can become better at everything we get to do.

Yesterday we went to a place called the National Trust, it's like a National Park, I don't remember if I told you about it or not. Elder Russell and I got to hunt caterpillars and it was a lot of fun. It's amazing how much a simple thing like raising all those caterpillars when Zack and I were little can bless my life now.

Well, I'd better wrap this up. Thank you for making me who I am today, Elder Russell says to say thanks for making me a great Missionary. I realized yesterday that I was pretty much raised to be a Missionary and I am so thankful for that. These wonderful people of th U.K. will be so blessed because of all you've done for me. Thank you so much for all of your help and support and love and prayers and everything you do. This church is so true. It's the only true church on the whole face of the earth. I know that. Jesus is the Christ and He suffered for our sins, pains, afflictions, hungers, thirsts, everything we will ever go through. Because of what he did our lives are meaningful, without the Atonement we would have no purpose. As we come unto Him we will be happier and more successful, I saw that in life before my Mission and I see it here as well. I'm studying the Christ-like attributes section of Preach My Gospel every day and it's doing wonders for me and for everyone around me. I know it can do the same for you. Daily scripture study and prayer is so crucial to us. There is incredible power in the blessings that come from doing these two simple things every day. God lives and He loves us. He is watching all of us right now. He cares so much about us and wants to bless us as much as He can. It pains him to have to punish us at times. He wants us to be successful! I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet and I'm so thankful for all he went through to restore the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth today, and I'm so thankful to be continuing that great work that God started through him. Keep up the amazing work, all of you!

Love,

Elder Rowley


(From Dalene: I never prayed as hard in my life as I did the first time he learned to drive. I'd better double up on the prayers again, STAT! Only this time I'll actually be praying he stays on the wrong side of the road. Weird!)