In the sick ward

Date: Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 5:20 AM
Subject: Weekly Letter

Hiya Everyone!

Its's been a crazy week here in Rochdale! How has your week been? I hope the first few weeks of school go well, don't forget that I'm praying for all of you! We will all do amazing things as we trust in the Lord.

Well, for starters, we've got two new Elders in the District. Elder Wheat (who is my brother, Elder Ayers trained him!) and Elder Neilson are now living in our flat. Over the weekend Elder Nielson had an appendectomy and will be in recovery for about the next month. Elder Ayers and his companion Elder Garcia dropped these two new additions off last night. It was good to see all of them, but it sure is crazy. So I now get to care for two healing Elders as well as the rest of the District, Elder Burnett, and the Rochdale and Littleborough wards! I've never been so busy in my life. I'm quite exhausted already!

We had a good week last week though, except we only had one investigator at Sacrament Meeting! We're really struggling with that right now, we need your prayers and support. We had great Church meetings though, Elder Burnett and I got to speak in Sacrament meeting in Rochdale and it went very well. Everyone liked the "If you think you are beaten you are..." poem as I recited it. Thanks Dad.

After Church we got to go to a member Family's home, the Jacksons, for Tea (Dinner). It was delicious and they are a wonderful family who help us out a lot. Oh and another thing I feel to mention is that the Rochdale Bishop is in the Hospital right now. Please pray for him to heal. We need him back!

We got to go on two exchanges this week, one with the Zone Leaders and one with the Middleton Elders. I got to go with Elder Ridley for the first one. We came out on our missions on the same day. Elder Ridley is amazing. He has the spirit with him very much, and I'm learning a lot about how to have it more. He expects miracles, trusts in the Lord, and is doing amazing things for this zone. He's our new zone leader by the way. I learned a lot from him.

I also got to go with Elder Hall, an English Missionary in the district. He is amazing as well and has such great potential. We saw miracles as we worked together. We got to play some football and our electricity went out and we had two tea appointments! We had planned to see a member and a part-member family, and the member didn't tell us that she would be feeding us! Her name is Irene by the way, she's African. She doesn't have a television right now, and all of her family and friends are either in Africa or in her previous ward elsewhere in England. You'd think that she would get a bit bored and depressed, but she's one of the happiest and kindest people I've met since I've been here. She's an amazing example to us. And the food she made was amazing.

On Monday we saw a man named Stephen. He's interesting. He wouldn't turn off his music for us until we said a prayer just before we left. He was listening to Rush and he started talking about music and things and it didn't go very well. He even gave us back the copy of the Book of Mormon we gave him, it was sad. I did learn an interesting thing though. As we followed the spirit we were able to use analogies of music to help him understand the Restoration. Even then he wasn't interested in learning more. It was sad, but really it all comes down to those we teach to accept it. Hopefully he will receive the blessings of the Gospel in the future.

Our investigators are doing alright. Contissa didn't make it to Church on Sunday so we have to move her Baptismal date. I really wish sometimes that I was a better teacher and could help people more. Anyway, she's doing great in everything else though. She will be Baptised within the next month or so and we are very excited for her.

Harry didn't come to Church on Sunday either. He doesn't understand the importance of it and I'm not sure how to help him do that. He's a good young man who needs a lot of prayers and support.

Derek was another one that didn't make it to Church. Please pray for him, for all of these people, to come to Church on Sunday so they can feel the spirit. They need it so much. He continues to progress well though, and accepted the Word of Wisdom very well as we taught it this week.

Jolie Chiza is a recently new investigator who did come to Church this week! She's about 15, from the Congo, and we're teaching her whole family. She is especially excited about the Book of Mormon. It makes me happy to find people receiving the same happiness from the word of God that I have. Please pray for her to accept a Baptismal date this week.

Everything else seems to be going well. Just pray that we'll have a good week this week and be able to find new people to teach. That's what we really need this week as well as people we currently teach becoming more committed.

Well, I suppose that's about it. The Church is true. The evidence of it is overwhelming. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith was telling the truth when he said that it will bring us closer to God than any other book! It's amazing in that aspect. Every time I read it I feel closer to Him, and I know that that promise applies to all of us. Prayer does work and it does change things. I've seen that this week. In times when I've been down, I've turned to prayer for help and I've seen a massive difference in my life. I know we can all experience that. God loves each and every one of us, and He does have a plan for us. Jesus Christ is central to that plan. I testify that without Jesus Christ we are lost and fallen forever. But "Oh how great the goodness of our God..." (2 Nephi 9:10). He has prepared a way of release from everything evil that will ever occur in this life. And we can choose to follow that way! I testify that as we do, we will truely be happy. And as we help others do the same, we will find more happiness than we ever imagined. The Gospel is true!

Well, I love you all dearly. I don't know what I'd do without you. I can't imagine how Job must have felt with what he experienced. I couldn't do that. You're amazing. Keep up the great work. Pray for our investigators. The Lords investigators. Never forget that what you've done for me continues to bless the lives of those I teach and serve here. I love you!

Love,

Elder Rowley