Subject: Happy Christmas!
Hello Again!
How is everyone this week? Got any Missionary experiences to share with me? Well, here I sit, at an internet cafe on the coast of the Isle of Man in the city of Douglas! We live in a place called Castletown, it's amazing. Look it all up on Google earth if you get the chance!
As for my last week in Shrewsbury, it was pretty amazing. We started these Living Christmas Cards and it was so much fun. We would go to homes of people that members told we were coming to visit and shared 5 Christmas Scriptures and sang a carol. I loved it. One home we got into was a less active man named Mark Stone. His son Ewan was there and watching him was like watching Kyle, it was so cool. He is nine years old and he loves Tom and Jerry and he can play with one toy for hours and hours. They are really incredible people, I'm sad that I won't get to work with them anymore!
Last Saturday we got to go to a part-member family and help the dad/father (non-member) clean his motorbikes. Elder Woolsey is big into motorbikes and he really enjoyed that. I just liked using the powerwasher! It was good though, especially because their son just turned 12 and was ordained a Deacon this past Sunday! He is a great kid as are all of the Aaronic Priesthood holders in that ward. His dad came to his ordination on Sunday and it was really good to see him there. I really grew to love all of the people we worked with in Shrewsbury and I will miss them. The night before I left we visited a man named John Beharral, he is the ward mission leader and I will really miss working with him. We got to be good friends in the time we spent together. You really don't know what you've got until it's gone.
I'm sure the Ward will be missing me as well because now they have no Tenors in the ward choir. On Sunday I sang with them and it was so much fun, they're doing the same songs we did for Ward Choir last year at Christmas! They were all amazed at my voice and my confidence to be the only one singing that part. Thanks for giving me a great voice Mum and Dad! It made me regret not going to Ward Choir all those times. Now I jump at any and every opportunity to sing and even then I'm still singing hymns all throughout the day. I love music, it's so powerful and can quickly bring the spirit or even take the spirit away if it's inappropriate.
Wednesday was great, I drove Elder Woolsey and I from Shrewsbury to Altrincham (pronounced Altring'am, it's really cool). It took us about 2 and a half hours and it was a lot of fun. We got out of the car and I walked over and there was Elder Perry! It was so good to talk to him, he has already seen so much success on his Mission and he is doing very well. He is also whitewashing in an area in my last zone, it's exciting. We were talking about me going to the Isle of Man and I mentioned Shrewsbury and right in front of us someone whipped around and it was Elder Ayers!! I was so happy to see him, he has changed so much already. I was being told again and again by those that served around him just how much he loves me and how much he talks about me, it felt so good. I hope that I can be that loving and caring to all of my companions in return. When you're a Missionary you just serve everyone, especially your companion. I love it, I just love it! From there we went into a testimony meeting and the spirit was incredible. I wasn't planning on sharing my testimony, but then Elder Ayers got up and I just had to. He softened my hard heart. We got to sing some Christmas carols as well, and then we got our luggage on the coach (bus) and drove up to Chorley and got to see the Temple again! I never realized before what a blessing it was to just get to see the Temple every day. I've missed seeing it daily for the past 3 months, but I'm glad I've learned to appreciate it. Someday we'll have a Temple on the Isle of Man. It'll be just like Finland for you Dad! Oh and the same with Wales. There is so much potential for new Temples over here even though the work is slow right now. After that we spent the night with the Preston elders and that was a lot of fun. In the morning the Assistants came to pick us up and we took the ferry out here and now we're here. It was a really smooth ride over, it was amazing. I'll have to tell you more about it another day.
Elder Larson and Elder RowleyMy new companion is Elder Larson and he is incredible. We get along so well, it's amazing. I just love him so much already. Just this morning he ironed my shirt for me while I was showering. He does so much for me. We are really going to work hard over here and we are so excited for what the Lord has in store for us! Oh yeah and he is from Florida but he moved to Provo about 5 years ago and guess where he went to high school? Timpview! He knows Ben Martin pretty well and we've been asking each other about who we know and things, it's great. This is going to be one of the best transfers of my Mission, I can already tell!
We did a scripture study class last night with some ward members and investigators and it was so much fun! Elder Larsen has great enthusiasm for the Scriptures and he knows them so well, I love it! We were both teaching and testifying and sharing experiences from reading the scriptures and it was just great. The spirit was so strong and my testimony of the scriptures grew so much. The Book of Mormon really is the word of God and it will bring us closer to Him as we abide by its precepts. I love God so much. I love Jesus Christ so much. How great is this Christmas season in which we can celebrate his birth! I know that He really was born, He did live and die all for us, and He was resurrected for us. And the best part is that because of that, as imperfect as we are, we can have everything that God has. Truly the gift of the Atonement is the greatest gift we've ever received!! And it keeps on giving and giving, we can access that power any moment throughout any time of the year! Nothing has, or can have, a more powerful effect on our lives. I love the Atonement so much. I'm coming to understand and appreciate it so much better. I know that we all need the power of the Atonement every day of our lives. We are nothing without what Jesus Christ has done for us. Our whole purpose in coming to earth is centered in the Atonement. It's so amazing!! I know that God lives and He loves us so much. I have felt that love so strong out here on my Mission, and I know that you can feel that same love any time. He loves all of us equally so a Missionary is no more loved than anyone else. Oh I love being a Missionary. It's better than being a super-hero. It is so much fun, never pass up an opportunity to serve a Mission or even to have a Missionary experience!
One thing I really want to work on this transfer is Charity. Will you pray for Charity to fill me up as I serve here on the Isle of Man and for the rest of my Mission? I know that great things can happen when a Missionary is motivated by Charity. I know that prayer works, I've seen your prayers for me be answered in the work we're doing here!
Well, I'll tell you more about the Isle of Man next week. I love you all so much, thanks for everything you do! You are such wonderful people and the people here will be blessed for what you've done for me. Keep up the amazing work and keep the letters coming! I mean it! You know, I know who has and who hasn't written me and some of you are in need of some serious rebuking! Just kidding. I love you all, letters or not. Just the fact that you are my friends is enough for me! Do me a favor and be good so we can all live in the Celestial Kingdom together! Anyway, I love you all!
Love,
Elder Rowley
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