Miracles never cease

Date: Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 6:45 AM

Hello!

It's been a miraculous week here in Preston! The miracles never cease and again I just keep loving it here more and more. I feel like I'm living the dream I always had of being a Missionary and it's incredible.

Our investigators are doing amazingly well. Unfortunately Marisol wasn't at church yesterday, but she promised to be there this coming Sunday so we'll work and hope and pray for that! She is such a great woman and really deserves to have the blessings of the Gospel in her life. She just needs a solid testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Kaela is doing well also. I'm always impressed with him. On Monday we taught him in a members home for FHE (which was also amazing by the way, the ward here is incredible!) and the members there helped him a lot to understand a lot of things. When we saw him the next couple of days he had changed, he realized that he knows it's right to follow what we're teaching, and accepted to work towards the 21st of August to be Baptized! On Saturday another amazing member named Brother Abraham took us and Kaela to Blackpool so Kaela could see a Baptism and what it was like. He had a great experience there as well and came to church on Sunday again! He's got so much potential!

We were also blessed to start teaching a few more people this week. On Saturday evening Elder Chambers and I returned to Preston after being in Blackpool for the Baptism and started to phone and go by some former investigators. One of them named Alex, who is from China, said we could teach him right then! We quickly picked up a member and went to Alex's house and he felt the spirit as we taught about the First Vision. He even committed to church on Sunday and accepted to also be Baptized on August 21st! He also came to church yesterday and enjoyed it very much. We should be seeing him again soon.

Also yesterday at church we were standing just outside the chapel doors greeting people when we met a man named Mark. He is friends with a member and yesterday was his first time at church. He enjoyed it very much, and last night we taught him and another friend with his member friend there as well and they felt the spirit and committed to also prepare for Baptism on August 28th! We'll see him again tonight at FHE and we're very excited for him.

So someone else must be praying really hard for the people of Preston or something because this past week we went from one investigator with a Baptismal date to four. That's such a miracle to see, especially in a week! Your prayers for all these people are much appreciated, and will help them progress and receive the blessings of Baptism.

Those were the most eventful things of the week, but we did also have a great zone conference. Elder Chambers and I trained our zone on teaching the restoration and first vision, and we got to have a training on finding from Elder McKechnie and his companion Elder Stevens. Elder McKechnie is now the assistant and it was great to see him again. I feel so blessed to have served with some of the best Missionaries this mission has ever seen.

Oh and just to update you, Peter and Haiming are doing very well. They're coming to lessons with us at least once a week and they seem to be keeping the fire they had even before their Baptisms. I'm always impressed with their example and service to others.

I suppose that's about it from me this week. If I could share with you one thing I've learned on my mission it would be that the Atonement is something to be felt, and not just learned. The learning of it is necessary to be able to feel it's power. And every time we feel the spirit it's because of the Atonement in one way or another. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we would never be able to feel the spirit, no matter how hard we tried. We would be forever separated from God with no possible way of returning. The Atonement is felt as we hear testimony of others, serve others, and repent. When Christ suffered that infinite price, He received infinite power. Think about that. Infinite power. When I think about that I think about the ocean and how big it is, and that's not even infinite. And to tap into that power and have access to it, all we must do is exercise faith to repent of our sins and make and keep covenants with our Heavenly Father. I testify that this infinite power is real. I have felt it, every day of my mission. This power is so sacred and so important. I testify that it will lead us back into the presence of God, where we can experience infinite happiness. I'm excited for that day when all of us can finally sing and make that chorus swell with "all is well"! That's why I'm doing this. Because I need that infinite power to have those infinite blessings, and every other person in the world needs it too. This is why we must repent and serve God by serving His children, specifically in sharing these restored truths with them. I testify that this work brings the greatest happiness that I've felt so far in my life and each of us can have that happiness as we share the Gospel with those around us. I know that this work is true because of the Book of Mormon, the great keystone of my testimony and knowledge of this great Gospel.

I also want you to know that I love you all so much. I would never be here without you. The world is a better place having you in it. Never forget that. Have a great week and keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Great things are happening here

Date: Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 5:29 AM

Hello!

It's good to be here in Preston! I just keep loving this place and the people here more and more everyday! So many great things are happening here.

First of all, yesterday was a pretty amazing day. Church was an hour and a half and we had Apostle Andrew Bolton from the Community of Christ come and speak to us. He spoke about the history here with those early Missionaries and the converts who all sacrificed so much for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His church believes in that same history as well and it was good to be reminded of it and encouraged to follow their examples of sacrifice in building the kingdom of God. We also had Elder Kerr, an Area Seventy from Scotland who is absolutely amazing, speak to us as well. It was definitely a very different experience, and I don't know if I'll have another one like it in the future. The best part was after church. We didn't have time after the meeting to go meet him and talk with him and Elder Kerr because we were so busy sorting out lifts and appointments and fellowshippers and things with members and investigators, and on the car ride back for lunch I was talking about how I really wanted to get to talk with them. Well, as Elder Chambers and I were going into the town centre here to street contact we bumped into Elder Kerr and Andrew Bolton and a few others who were going around to the church history sites here in Preston! They invited us to stay with them for the end of the tour and we did and afterwards we got a picture with Andrew Bolton. They were also excited to hear that both Elder Chambers and I are descendants of some of those first converts Baptised here in Preston. I love Preston so much, this place is amazing!

Also last week we experienced our first thunderstorm here in months... I think it's even been over a year since I last heard thunder! It was amazing, it was absolutely chucking it down with rain. Thankfully when the first wave hit we were under a sheltered shopping area and spoke with a nice woman the whole time and actually set up an appointment with her! When the second wave of the storm came we were tracting and I was just so happy and excited to be tracting in a thunderstorm. I had a feeling we would get let into a door and sure enough we did by an old man named Gordon who was very nice and allowed us to teach him about the restoration. I've learned by experience that every kind of weather is good weather for Missionary work, and that the Lord truly takes care of His servants! I really love this work.

Another amazing miracle this week has been doing a couple of chapel tours. One was with a nice man named Michael (pronounced mick-hail) who really enjoyed it. The spirit was strong as we taught him about Baptism and then the Sacrament, and he enjoyed it so much that he came to Church yesterday! He only made it for the end though, but he liked what he was there for. The other chapel tour was with an amazing man named Kaela (pronounced Kyela) who is from Zambia but moved here when he was 9. So he looks African but has a British accent. He is amazing. Anyway, Kaela was excited for the chapel tour from the minute that we spoke about it, and he really enjoyed it also. The spirit was really strong in this one as well, and when we invited him to come to church on Sunday he said yes without any hesitation! He also came yesterday and made it for the whole service and really enjoyed it. Tonight we'll see him at FHE at a members home and I'm very excited. Oh and speaking of that the members here are amazing, yesterday one came up to me and invited us to this FHE tonight and told us that they could bring our investigators and invited our recent converts as well!

I also must say that working with Elder Chambers is amazing. He is so organized and easy to get along with. He has great ideas for how to help the zone and our investigators, in fact, the chapel tours this week were his idea! It's great to serve with and learn from such amazing Missionaries.

And finally, last but not least, the greatest miracle of the week is.... Marisol (our Peruvian investigator) is getting Baptised! She's scheduled for the 14th of August which will be amazing. Unfortunately she didn't make it to church yesterday, but she's already committed to be there next week. She really enjoys reading in the Book of Mormon and is happy we gave her a Spanish copy. She's so willing to do what the Lord asks. The one thing that we need to help her with though, and your faith and prayers for this are much appreciated and needed, is a witness through prayer that the Book of Mormon is true. She feels that it's good as she reads it but she still needs that spiritual confirmation in prayer. I'm excited for her to receive the blessings of the restored Gospel.

I know that this Church and the work to invite others to Christ is true. I know that the Holy Ghost is real and that the power and authority and setting apart of a Missionary is real. And truly powerful. I've had many experiences throughout my mission that I never dreamed would happen to me, and I'm so thankful for them. I've seen the hand of the Lord in ways I didn't even know were possible. Missionary work is so amazing. It's so much fun and it makes me so happy. I sometimes just laugh with joy that I'm a Missionary and that I get to do this great work, and I wonder if it's similar to what Alma the younger and the Sons of Mosiah felt about their Missions. The Lord is truly in this work and in every work that we perform to help and serve others. I testify that He will help us. I testify that the infinite power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and that it will help us sanctify ourselves that we may be effective in serving and blessing others. Especially in inviting them to come to Christ. I testify that the Lord will help us share the Gospel as we simply open our mouths. And I can testify of that because I have experienced it for myself. All we have to do is go and do what the Lord has commanded and He will make up the rest. That's what faith means, and that's why we've seen the miracles we've seen recently. And I testify that all of us can see, and keep seeing, these same kinds of miracles daily as we continue to exercise faith in doing what the Lord asks of us.

Well, thank you again for everything. You're wonderful and don't forget I couldn't do this without you. Keep up all the amazing work you're all doing. And remember Moroni 8:3.

I love you!!

- Elder L. Rowley

I love Preston!

Zone Leaders Council

Date: Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 5:28 AM

Hello!

The weekend went so fast! Time just keeps flying faster and faster. It think it was because we were so busy. On Thursday we did planning for the zone, Friday was Zone Leaders Council, and on Saturday we had District Leaders Council. It's been exciting and hectic and fun. I love it all.

This morning on the way into the library we were stopped by a group of people who seemed a bit different than most people in Preston. It turned out to be John M. Madsen, an emeritus general authority! It was great to meet him and some of his family and to get to know him a bit better. It seems like that happens a lot here in Preston. On Sunday we're having an Apostle from the Community of Christ come to speak to the Preston and South Ribble wards, I'm excited to hear from him! I'll be sure to let you know all about how that goes.

We contacted a referral this week that Elder Z. Rowley and I got when we were working together! His name is Mick and we spoke with him about the restoration and set up an appointment with him! Just as we were about to leave he suddenly started signing and talking about how he knows British Sign Language, then explains that his wife is deaf. I started signing and was able to communicate briefly with him and then his wife as I saw her through the doorway and it was amazing. I'm excited to go back and see them!

Church yesterday was good and our investigators are doing pretty well. We're kind of in the process of finding new people who will come to church and progress and be Baptized. We really need some solid new investigators this week. Anyway, speaking of Church, a young man named Henry came and brought a friend as well, and they both enjoyed it. We're probably going to play basketball with them and some other people this coming Saturday, I'm excited. It was also exciting yesterday to get to help some of our recent converts learn about the Temple and get Temple Recommends in preparation for the ward Baptisms for the Dead this Friday. I love being at church here in Preston, every Sunday when we come out of church I'm always happy and talking about how much I love it.

Also last night we were blessed to get let into a door and teach a man named Karl! It was funny because it was the world cup final last night and most people were watching it and not interested in much else. We didn't see much success for the first part of the night, but as we endured faithfully we were blessed. Karl will hopefully be at church on Sunday and we're seeing him aging soon.

Oh and yesterday afternoon we also got to teach a couple people on benches in town centre. One was a man named Michael who had met Missionaries in the past and was told about the history of the area here and was actually thinking recently about that and wanted to find us and talk with us, and sure enough he did. It's amazing to me how the Lord leads people to us as well as leading us to people. Anyway, we taught him about the restoration and he's also planning to come to Church next week, we're excited about him.

All in all it's been a great week. I love Preston. I don't think I can say that enough. It was July 1837 that the first Missionaries arrived and preached and Baptised here. It was July 1933 that President Hinckley served here and had his life changing experience. And now it's July 2010 and we're continuing the legacy of those who have gone before us. President Bullock always reminds us that we cross bridges that we didn't build and drink from wells that we didn't dig, and I really feel that way about Preston. I also feel that I'm working to build bridges and dig wells for those who will serve here in the future. The spirit here in Preston is wonderful, it's unlike anywhere else I've ever served. I think it's because the blessings of the Prophets and Apostles of old fall upon the Missionaries that serve here. I've really felt that recently and I'm really thankful for it.

I have come to find out for myself that the influence and power of the Holy Ghost is real. I've been able to work with and feel it many times on my mission and I feel that that's just one of the many things that has made my mission great for me. I feel the spirit every day as a Missionary, it's such a powerful thing. I know that this work is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it will bring us closer to Him than any other book as we abide by it's precepts. I know because of that that this church is the only true and living church in the world. I'm thankful to know what I know and to feel what I feel and to be able to share that with others and strive to bless their lives.

Well, the Gospel is true, lets live it and share it! I love you all and I'm always so thankful for the love and support and prayers. Keep up all the amazing work, you truly are the salt of the earth!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

The Elders Rowley reunite in Preston!

Date: Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 4:51 AM

Hi Everyone!

It's a nice sunny day here in Preston! I'm very excited to report that I'll be staying here for another month and a half! That will be about 7 months here by the time I'm done. The time has flown by and it's been a lot of fun. I'm excited to see what the next few weeks will have in store though.

My new companion is Elder Chambers from Pocatello Idaho and he is amazing. He also sang in choir and likes music, is organized, has ancestors from Preston, and is just a great Missionary. It's a joy to work with him and I'm excited for the miracles that he and I will see this transfer. I'm hoping that we can Baptise someone in the next few weeks and your prayers and faith to help up accomplish this are much appreciated!

We've been so busy since I last wrote, there is so much to tell you about. On Tuesday we were in the Lakes District and I got to work with Elder Wagner who is amazing. We "accidentally" ended up in an area of one of their investigators that is difficult to see because he's far away from where the Elders live. We taught him about the importance of church and sure enough, he came to church on Sunday! I also learned from Elder Wagner, he is a strong Missionary.

On Friday Elder McKechnie got called to be an Assistant to President Bullock and was, that very day, transferred to Manchester. I got to work with a Swiss Missionary named Elder Weidmann (pronounced Veidman), it was a lot of fun. It's been a very busy last few days because of this, but to be honest I've really enjoyed all that we've been able to do. It's really different without Elder McKechnie, but I'm thankful for the things I learned from him and the impact he's had on my mission and on my life. I've learned a lot from my companions, and Elder McKechnie was one of those who taught me the most.

Haiming Ou was Baptised on Saturday and that was incredible. There were six Chinese people there including Hiaming, it was amazing. I was so happy to see all of them there. The spirit was very strong as Haiming was Baptised and as he was confirmed on Sunday as well. He's already doing great as a new member and is planning to go do Baptisms for the Dead with the ward next week! I'm so excited to see him continue to progress!

At Church on Sunday we had Marisol come to Church and she enjoyed it a lot. It was good to see here there. She even got to speak in Spanish with Elder Llaguno! Oh and this was funny as well, while they were talking there were, people having conversations in English (of course), Chinese, and even Sign Language! There is a member named Marco from Ghana who knows ASL that has been coming to our ward for a few weeks and I got to sign with him and get to know him better, it was great. There was also a Japanese woman at Church on Sunday who is also deaf and also speaks ASL! I got to sign with her about the Book of Mormon and let her know we can get her a copy in Japanese! I'm amazed at all the sign language experiences I've been having recently, it's so exciting!

And finally, the biggest and best part of the week was getting to meet and work with Elder Z. Rowley. I was so happy to see him and work with him and very impressed with him. On Friday Elder McKechnie and I drove to the MTC and got there just before 11:00, and at that time I got to meet and become companions with Elder Zack. We were companions from then until about 6:00 that evening. We got to be trained before our finding activity, have lunch in the van on the way to Preston, work together, take some pictures at the Temple together, and have dinner together as well. We also traded a name badge so there will be an Elder Rowley badge here from 2008 until 2012. The best part of seeing him was getting to work with him. He is such a good Missionary already, and we saw some great things as we worked together. The very first person we spoke with was named Shane and we set up an appointment with him! We also got to speak with a Chinese man and another man who was drunk and gave us a referral. We were asking everyone for referrals and we ended getting a couple and contacting one of them. I'm still working to contact the other one. I'll let you know what comes of the people we met while we worked together. It was amazing to learn from him as well, he taught me to speak louder and I learned that that's why some people don't listen to me sometimes! I also learned that it makes such a greater impact to be a sacred Missionary than being a social Missionary. True sanctification and consecration to the Lord's work- sacrificing of ourselves- is the best way to do Missionary Work and brings the greatest blessings. I have a testimony that this is true. The spirit confirms this to me. Missions are just so sacred and special. I'm so happy being a Missionary and can't imagine being anything else. I sure wouldn't like to think about where my life would be if it weren't for my mission. Nothing bad ever comes from serving a mission, the Lord just keeps multiplying the blessings for those who serve. I'm so thankful for this.

The Gospel is true. It changes our lives for the better. I testify that God lives and loves you. I testify that His blessings come from obedience to His restored Gospel. My testimony of the Gospel is held together by my testimony of the Book of Mormon and I testify that it truly is the iron rod that will lead us along the pathway back to our Heavenly Father's presence. This Gospel is true and it just makes sense!

Well, I love you all so much. Thanks once again for all of the love and support and prayers for me and this work here. It's changed my life. Keep up the great work of our Savior. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder. L. Rowley