The last e-mail

Date: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 7:36 AM
Subject: The Last E-mail

Hello!
Well, this is it. The e-mail of e-mails. It's all gone so fast and been so much fun, and I still have more amazing things to tell you about this week!

First things first, my birthday was amazing. I've recognized that in England it was actually the morning of the 5th of August when I was born in the States, so I could actually celebrate it on both days, haha! We had interviews and training in Chorley and it went very well. Elder Chambers and I trained on committing people to Baptism and helping them progress towards it. Trainings are so much fun. Then at lunch Elder Chambers brought out a cake that he made for me and the zone sang happy birthday to me! It was so nice. In the evening we went to a family called the Newtons for tea and they spoiled me as well. They have a son, Austin, who had his first birthday on the 4th, so we celebrated our birthdays together. My favorite part about seeing them was that their young daughter picked out a nice princess birthday cake for Austin an I, it was great! When we got in that evening I found that the other Preston Elders decorated the space above my bed with "Happy Birthday" and some stars around it. That's still in the space above my bed. Then on the 5th we went to the home of a great couple named Richard and Laura who I've become good friends with. They also spoiled me with a nice dinner and chocolate cake at the end! I also really enjoyed the cards I got from some of you and some people here. All in all it was probably one of the best birthdays ever!

In other news I got to hear the bagpipes up close on Saturday, we visited a less-active man who played them for us. They are really loud, but they sounded amazing. I'd love to go to Scotland someday, especially after serving with Elder McKechnie! Also in other news, Peter cleaned our car this week (he's a car valeter), and it looks amazing. I've never seen it so clean! By the way, I'm still loving driving manual transmission, it's way better than automatic!

As for the people we're working with they are doing pretty well. Marisol wasn't at Church this weekend because she wasn't well, but Kaela came! He really enjoyed it as always. Oh and we also played investigator football and basketball on Saturday and Kaela enjoyed that as well. It was a lot of fun. Kaela has a lot of questions and I really enjoy teaching him for that reason, but I can see him progressing towards Baptism soon. We were also blessed with some amazing miracles teaching new investigators this week.

I think yesterday in itself was just an amazing day. I got to work with Elder Hanchett on exchanges and right from the morning we were blessed. Somehow my alarm clock didn't go off, but we ended up waking up at exactly 6:30 anyway! Our bodies must just have it built into us now! Anyway, I got to play the piano for church again and it was a great service. After church Haiming asked me to give him the Aaronic Priesthood so we got to do that. It was an incredible experience. It's amazing how you become more and more confident giving Priesthood ordinances the more you do it, I almost didn't even have to look at the guidelines to ordain him!

The best part was after that, in the evening. We were tracting and hoping and praying for new investigators. We decided to pray for the Lord to increase our faith and as always, He sure did. Just a few moments after our prayer Elder Chambers rang and said that he'd rang a potential investigator that wanted to see us in just 15 minutes! So Elder Hanchett and I quickly went to this mans house and he let us in and we taught him and his wife! They are such amazing people, they have high standards, he was an Engineer and a mountain man, and they already have faith in Christ and live some church standards. I love them already, and felt such a connection with them while we were teaching. It's amazing to me also because at the beginning of my mission there's no way I would have had the confidence or the faith to do something like this. If you notice, it's only been in the past few months that I've been having experiences like this and it's because I've learned it throughout my mission.

Which leads me to my final piece of knowledge I've gained from my mission. The Gospel is about who we become, not what we do. What we do helps us to become saints, but that's our end goal, is to become better than we are. Through our obedience to the principles and ordinances of the Gospel, we can become saints and one day become like our Heavenly Father. I testify that this is true. I feel that I've come closer to this on my mission. This is really what it means to consecrate our lives to our Heavenly Father, to dedicate ourselves and all we do and are to helping others to come unto Christ. That's the simple purpose of a Missionary, and that's why we're all Missionaries, because that's all of our purpose. A full-time Missionary just invites others through teaching the restored Gospel. As individual members we invite others to come to Christ through our callings, through Missionary work in our work places and everywhere we go, and through our example and service to others. I testify that this brings the most happiness that we can attain in this life, and that it will lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven that will never go away. I've also learned that to become we must go above and beyond the call of duty. This work isn't about the duty we have to God. It's not even about receiving our own benefit and blessings, although that is a worthy desire to have and can be part of the reason for our service. But the highest level of consecration and sacredness comes when we do things because we want to and not because we have to. And when we want to because we want to bless others lives. This is what I've discovered on my mission. This is the well of living water that Christ spoke of. This is how we will be able to endure to the end, if we refine and purify our lives, not for our own benefit and gain, but rather so we can bless others. Now, I'm not saying that I've become perfect at this or that I'm more sacred than anyone else, I've only just discovered it and have a long way to go to become like Christ in this way. But I just want to testify to you that this is true because I've experienced it. I testify that this Gospel is true. The restoration is real and powerful. Faith really does produce miracles. God does live. Jesus is the very Christ, the literal Son of God. The Holy Ghost does live also and dwells in us to teach us truth and does so much more for us as we are worthy of his presence. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God as is the Bible. I testify that reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon are critical, absolutely critical, for an enduring conversion. I know this to be true because I'm experiencing it for myself. This Gospel is glorious and brings so much joy and light into our lives. Let us share that light with every single person around us in whatever way it may be. Let us invite others to come to Christ in every way we can, and become like our Heavenly Father.

I love you all more than I can say. I have so much to be thankful for throughout my mission and my life and if it weren't for you I wouldn't have these many blessings. Keep pressing forward holding onto the iron rod. It's always worth it in the end, even if it's very hard in the beginning. Keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Elder Chambers and Elder Rowley

7 Months in Preston!

Keep serving!

Date: Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 6:02 AM
Subject: Re: Hap-py Birth-day!!!Hello!

Oh the joys of being a Missionary! They never end! As usual I'm loving serving in Preston just as much as ever. The people, Missionaries, history, work, and feel of this place are just amazing. I feel to it like the people at the waters of Mormon did towards that place (see Mosiah 18:30). It was there that they came to a knowledge of their Redeemer and I feel that the same has happened for me here, just in a different way. What a great mission it's been!

Well, the days are numbering few and going faster every day. Just so you know, don't send any post after August 11th because I probably won't get it. Anything before that is fine. And for anyone who wants anything from England they'd better let me know in the next week! So that's that. I'm very excited to see you all again but I'm still planning to work as hard as ever in the next couple weeks. Your prayers and faith for this are much appreciated.

I can hardly believe that I'll be 21 on Wednesday. I still don't even feel like I'm 20! Anyway, Elder Chambers let the word out to some members and so we've got a couple of tea appointments for tomorrow and Wednesday. In one of these families we're going to they've got a son who is turning 1 on the same day! It'll be exciting. I love the members here, they feel like family. Oh and they're also letting me speak in the ward on the 14th and that should be a good experience. Anyway, also on Wednesday Elder Chambers and I will get to do a training for the zone and it should be fun. I'll be sure to let you know how it all goes. I'm excited. Birthdays on missions are the best.

As for our week we have been very busy. It's been so much fun. On Monday we taught in FHE again but none of our investigators were there sadly. We did have a spirit-filled lesson and a fun game with some of our recent converts though. I also found out yesterday that both Peter and Haiming will be getting the Priesthood soon! I'm so excited for him. This is the blessing of getting to serve in an area for so long, you get to see people be found, taught, Baptized, and start to receive more of the blessings of the Gospel! It makes me so happy to see them doing so well.

Tuesday morning we made the long drive up to Carlisle for District Meeting up there. We learned a lot from the District Leader there, Elder Wagner, and even got to go on exchanges with him and his companions for a couple days. It was great, we were really blessed. And I saw the Isle of Man while we were there!! It was so exciting. Anyway, we saw so many miracles while we were there. Just one was when we were walking down the street. First of all, you have to understand that our mission is a forever finding mission, meaning we strive to talk with EVERYONE. So Elder Wagner and I were doing that. And as we were walking down the street we heard, in one of the side streets, a car that was running. Both our heads perked up at the same time and we turned to go up that street. We were able to talk with a couple of young lads and even got to teach them about the restoration! They both accepted copies of the Book of Mormon and I'm excited to hear about their progress in the future. The Lord truly blesses His Missionaries, even when they do the littlest thing.

Also while we were up there on exchanges I got to ride on a bike for the first time in like 3 years or something, it was crazy. I was sore afterwards, but it was a lot of fun!

As for our investigators they are doing well. They have just a few things that hold them back from really progressing and being Baptised, and we're working to help them overcome those things. Kaela is scheduled for the 28th of August to be Baptised, and Marisol is also working towards that date. Both of them really need solid testimonies of the Book of Mormon though, and that's one thing that you can pray for them to gain. I feel happy though knowing that whether or not they're Baptized I'll still be a friend to them no matter what. That's just another amazing thing about Missionary work, you just make new friends all over the place!

Well, that's about it for this week. Another thing I've learned on my mission is of the power of prayer. I kind of already knew this but I've really experienced it so much while I've been here. That's another thing I've learned as well, experience teaches us much more than just having knowledge or facts in our minds. Anyway, prayer truly changes things. I remember seeing a little block in Grandpa and Grandma Rowley's house that says that, and I've always remembered that. I remember I told you a few weeks ago about that time I was very homesick and I prayed for strength and was blessed with it and how it changed my mission. Well, I have had countless other experiences like that. Even the smallest prayer about the seemingly most insignificant thing is so powerful. I've learned that our actions are children of our prayers, and that faithful action is just a continuation of prayer. We can and do speak to the Lord through the way we act. I've found that when we pray in faith about it then do the Lord's work that miracles happen not only for us, but for the people we serve. I testify that through prayer we can experience the power of the Atonement, for I have experienced it. I know that prayer helps us become more like our Heavenly Father. I know that prayer changes things because I've experienced it. Life is so much better when we pray always.

I love you all. I'm always thankful for your example to me and for all you do for me. Keep serving and blessing the lives of those around you. Have a great week!

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

Elder Z. Rowley Sightings and More!

Elder Miller and Elder Rowley on Exchanges

Hi Mum!

It's good to hear from you and that things are going well. I'm excited to report that I've seen Elder Zack! He's safe and well in the MTC, but the funny thing is that he doesn't know that I've seen him! Here's what happened:

About a week ago we got permission to go to the Temple accommodation (across from the MTC) to have tea with a senior Temple Missionary couple who come to the Preston ward. Well, I was thinking that I would get to see Zack that day but as I rang President Clegg that morning he told me about the other Missionaries and his concerns about the effect of two visits and said that he would prefer if I would just see him on Friday. I was perfectly okay with that and told that to President Clegg. It still seemed a bit odd though that I would be right there on the MTC grounds, right across from the MTC, and not see Zack.

Well, after Church yesterday we went there and enjoyed our tea appointment and afterwards we walked up to the Temple. We had to walk back to the car to get Elder McKechnie's camera and as we were walking back to the car I looked across the car park into one of the windows of the classrooms. I saw some Missionaries in the room on the far left corner- it just happened to be the same room where I had my class when I was in the MTC. At the first glance I saw a Missionary that looked very similar to Zack and started to get excited. Elder McKechnie jokingly said something like "it's your brother!" Well, as I looked back again there was no doubt that it was him! I was so excited, but remembering what President Clegg told me that morning I didn't want him or the other Missionaries to see me. So I didn't go up to the window or anything.

As we drove by on our way up to the Temple again (we decided to take the car instead of walk) I had to look again and caught a glimpse of him pressing his face into the bottom of his water bottle, as if he was bored or tired or something, it was pretty funny. I knew then without a doubt that it was him. I didn't think I'd get to pass that window again before Friday when I'll work with him, but I was very surprised at what happened next. As we were back up at the Temple and took a couple of pictures I decided to turn the phone back on. As I did we found a message there from an Elder Powell at the MTC (he's one of the senior coordinators there or something). He had a package for Elder McKechnie so we had to go back down to the MTC! I drove this time and I was still trying to lie low so Zack and his fellow Missionaries couldn't see me. After getting the package we left the MTC and just as we were passing the window of the classroom that he was in I looked in and saw Zack stand up and close the window and start to head out of the room. It was clear as day that it was him. I don't think I'll ever forget that image of him standing there. It was such a comfort just to know for certain that he's there and safe. And from what I read of that e-mail he sent you he's doing very well!

It was such a blessing. Please don't tell him about it thought, I'll do that on Friday. I know that the Lord had a hand in this and will have a hand in the work he and I do together on Friday. I'm so excited.

For everyone:

Date: Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 7:44 AM

Hello Everyone!

I hope you've all had a great week. Things here in Preston are going very well and I'm excited for all I have to report on!

We've had a very busy week with a lot of different things going on. On Saturday we got to do what's called Helping Hands, I'm not sure how many of you have heard of it. Around the country wards and stakes meet together in their respective areas and do a service project in the community. Our project was cleaning up a pond for a crematorium. We got to pull up weeds and dig up dirt and it was a lot of fun.

Oh and in other news I heard that England got beat by Germany 4-1 in the world cup yesterday. People here weren't too happy about that as we were speaking with them on Sunday night, and I'm a bit disappointed as well, but in the end it will be better for the work. I hear that the US is also out as well. There's always the next world cup, right?

Anyway, Also this week I got to work with an Elder Miller in Blackpool. He's from Idaho and he's a lot like family. He reminds me of Colton. Anyway, he and I were able to get a lot done there in Blackpool and saw some great things happen. We had a very busy day with some street contacting on the road near the coast, teaching appointments and even a tea appointment. It was a lot of fun. Blackpool is a very interesting place though, I'll have to tell you about it someday.

Our investigators are doing well this week. Hai Ming will be Baptised this weekend and we're very excited for him. He just keeps surprising us. The other night we taught him in a members home and we accidentally forgot to leave him a chapter from the Book of Mormon to read. Well, he rang us and asked us where he should read and we gave him a chapter. That shows a lot of dedication and faith on his part. I'm so excited for him.

We also started teaching a Peruvian woman named Marisol this week. We saw her in town midweek and she came to Church on Sunday! We're also excited for her and I'll let you know about her progress. Please pray for her to feel of the spirit of the restoration.

Last night we were blessed to teach a Chinese man named Andy. It was pretty funny how we found him, we were driving along the road and as we drove past him we saw he was sitting on a small wall. Elder McKechnie said something like "Do you think he has 15 minutes we can teach him right now?" And I said I thought he probably would. Well, as we drove back to where he was sitting and parked the car and invited him to be taught right there he accepted and we were able to teach him. It was amazing. The Lord really led us to him!

Well, that's about it from me this week. The Gospel is true and it changes things for the better. I've seen that in my life as I've read in the Book of Mormon and prayed to know that it's true. I really like the line in Preach My Gospel that says that no-one can know of spiritual truths without prayer. How true that is. If we ask God if something is right then He will tell us and it will help us to choose the right and be able to experience His promised blessings in our lives. I testify that Christ lives and loves us. Of all His characteristics I think that's the most important- His love. I know that it is real and infinite and through the Holy Ghost we can have the reality of His love revealed to us. The Holy Ghost is real too and without Him and Jesus Christ we couldn't ever come to know the Father. I know that the Church is true and the Lord will bless us for living this incredible Gospel and for sharing it with others.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you and am always thankful for the prayers and letters and support and love and everything you do for me. I wouldn't be here without you.

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Not the only Elder Rowley

Date: Mon, Jun 21, 2010 at 7:02 AM
Subject: Re: Somewhere out there...

Hello Everyone!

Well, I'm excited to not be the only Elder Rowley in England anymore! It's going to be a great couple of months with both Zack and me here serving in the north! In other news, Elder McKechnie and I have had a wonderful week. So many miracles have happened and I don't even know if I have time to tell you all about them all. Here it goes.

First of all, I had a short conversation with a deaf woman on the street the other day!! I told her about the Book of Mormon and she signed to me that she was orthodox and I couldn't really communicate any further, but I was able to tell her that it was good to see her and to wish her a good day. It was amazing. Then on Sunday the same deaf man that's been at church the past couple weeks was there again and I got to talk- or sign- with him as well. I'm starting to get excited about sign language again.

The other miracle was at Church yesterday. Peter Molnar was confirmed and is now one of the newest members of the whole church! It was a wonderful experience and he's been doing well as we've been seeing a few times over the past few days. I'm excited for him to progress and receive the Preisthood and go to the Temple and everything. Hai Ming (Michael is his English name) was also at Church yesterday and really enjoyed it as well. He will be Baptised this weekend and we're very excited for him to progress as well!

Another Chinese man named Jim was also at Church yesterday. He was found when I was working with Elder Jin on Tuesday. I felt that as Elder Jin and I worked together that we needed to teach a Chinese man, so we were praying about it and hoping for it. As we were street contacting around the University here in Preston we were blessed to teach a Caucasian young man named James who was amazing, we're excited about him. Not too long after we taught him I saw a Chinese man in a red t-shirt walking down the street. Elder Jin and I ran down the street after him and as I started speaking with him he didn't understand too well. Sure enough, once Elder Jin started speaking Chinese he understood completely and before we knew it we were walking into the courtyard of his flat complex to teach him! Elder Jin taught the whole Restoration lesson in Chinese, I'm so proud of him. It was a great miracle from the Lord! We're excited to help Jim start progressing towards Baptism!

Also at Church was a great Nigerian young man named Henry. Elder McKechnie street contacted him about a week ago and we taught him for the first time on Saturday. We're also excited about him, he has a lot of promise.

Well, that's about it from me this week. The Church is true. The Gospel really does change our lives. I was thinking recently about one day early in my mission that really changed my life. I was struggling with homesickness and the work wasn't going very well and it was just very hard. The future looked bleak. I remember having a prompting to just pray until I felt better. I felt weak before the prayer, but as I prayed I felt strengthened as I talked with the Lord about what I was going through. That prayer changed the course of my mission. I was reminded from this that prayer really does change things as we do it. I think it's more like the Lord changes our lives as we pray. I'm so thankful for this and I know that it's true. Whenever we're struggling, or even when we're not struggling but just want things to be better than they are, we can pray and tell the Lord of our trials and of the changes we would like to see. Then, as we get up off our knees and "forget ourselves and go to work" He changes things for us. I testify of the truthfulness of this because I've experienced it for myself. The Gospel is true. It has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and it is the keystone of my testimony of this great Gospel and work.

Thank you again for all you do for me. I always must remind you that if it weren't for you I couldn't be here today. I love you all so much and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

World Cup

Elder McKechnie and Elder Rowley at the Border of Scotland and England!
Peter's Baptism. Richard Boulton Baptised Him

Date: Mon, Jun 14, 2010 at 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: Hi!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you've had a wonderful week! I sure have. I'm loving Preston and the people and our amazing members and I'm excited to have Elder Rowley come to Chorley this weekend!!

This past week has been very busy. We were in Carlisle on Tuesday and Wednesday. I got to work with a Bulgarian Missionary named Elder Krustev. I've worked with him before and I was so happy to hear that he's improved a lot in his English skills and in every other aspect of the work. He's a great example to me of working hard even though the odds aren't always in his favor. He is the only member in his family and yet he is a very good and strong Missionary. I really enjoyed working with him and we were even blessed to be able to teach one man right there on the spot. It's always a miracle to get to do that.

I'm also sad to say that Elders Llaguno and Jin have moved. It's okay though, they're only across the street! It's sad to not live with them anymore but it will be more effective for the work. They moved on Friday and Elder Burnett, who is now in the office, came to help them so I got to see him, it was really good to see him again and he is doing very well.

In other, not as important news, we did watch the England vs. USA world cup match, and it was amazing. It didn't feel as good as doing Missionary work, but it was still nice. It was funny though because at the beginning of the game I was rooting for England, but when they scored not too long after the match began my heart got the best of me and I had to root for the USA. I didn't ever realize just how much I really do love our great country! In the end it was 1-1, which is the best for the work. Because of that nobody has been angry with me because the US didn't win, and they haven't been too crazy because England didn't with either!

The best part of the week was on Friday. Peter was Baptised! It was good to see him there in the water and to see him be Baptised. The service was amazing and the members are very good to Peter. He will make a great member and I'm excited for him to continue to progress in the Gospel! I think that one of the best parts was afterwards when I asked Peter what he thought when Elder Griffeth first knocked on his door. He said that he could feel Elder Griffeth's energy. It really impressed me and made me thankful to have been able to serve with such a great Missionary.

Yesterday I was at the MTC and Stake Centre and Temple site in Chorley and it was amazing to be there. We had Stake Conference and that was wonderful; then we took Peter and our Chinese investigator, Haiming, up to the gate of the Temple and told them a bit about it; and on the way back Elder McKechnie saw a friend of his who is in the MTC right now and we got to speak with some new Missionaries. It was all so exciting. I love the Gospel an that we were able to feel of each of those different aspects of it- the Temple, the Stake Centre, and the MTC. The Church is true! I also feel to mention that the spirit was very strong even as we were just at the gates of the Temple.

Well, that's about it for this week. The Gospel is true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. A true testimony of this great latter-day work comes from reading and praying about that sacred record. I love how Elder Holland spoke in General Conference about how we cannot come to full fellowship in this latter-day work without a testimony of the Book of Mormon. And I testify that that is true. For me personally as I read and Prayed about the Book of Mormon the spiritual confirmation came and now I'm seeing all the other evidence on top of it that this church is true, what what we preach really does come from God, and that there really is a God in heaven. I spoke with some very opinionated atheists this past week and it was just evident to me that it is so much better for persons, families, communities, and the world to believe in God and morals and the Gospel than to believe that we evolved from pond scum and we have no eternal destiny, that morals and rules are relative and don't really matter, and that selfishness is what brings happiness. I even feel the spirit lessen as I write those disgusting opinions which atheists have. They as people are children of God and I love them, but what they think is false and comes because they have been heavily brainwashed by the devil. How blessed are we that we have the pathway back to our loving Heavenly Father. We know how to be happy in this life. We have a hope for a better world. We understand the eternal laws that govern all of humanity- especially the law that selfless sacrifice brings happiness. The evidence that there is a God is there in the simple fact that when any person or group of people choose to reject God and disbelieve in him, and their morals and ethics consequently decay; that their lives are deprived of God-given happiness, and they only become pioneers for the devastating decline in society that we see all around us today. We as the latter-day saints must stand as living witnesses that God lives and loves all of His children, even those who choose not to listen to what He has to say. We truly are the salt of the earth. We must defend the knowledge that God is there and the knowledge of His plan for our happiness that I know has been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. These things are true not because of factual evidence, but because of the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. We must share the Gospel with our brothers and sisters around us for it is true and nothing will ever change that.

Well, I love you all so much. I'm thankful to work alongside you in this great work. I hope you have a wonderful week and keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Recognizing the spirit

The Preston Zone at Zone Conference

Date: Mon, Jun 7, 2010 at 12:20 PM

Hello Everyone!

We've had an amazing week here in Preston. I love serving here, it's just the best place to be right now! Today it's a bit rainy, even right now it's raining, but I still love it. It's been very warm recently and we're all starting to get the Missionary tan! I'm excited for the summer.

First of all, yesterday was one of the best Sundays of my mission. Peter, Michael, and Naghma were also at Church and Peter will be Baptised this weekend. They are all doing well by the way. My favorite part though was in fast and testimony meeting. There were two deaf people in the congregation and a member sat at the front and signed the whole meeting. I loved it, even though it was in British Sign Language and I couldn't understand all of it. Then, in the middle of the meeting a new sister in the ward got up and shared her testimony in ASL! It was amazing and it made me so happy that I had to get up there and share my testimony too. All I could sign was that I couldn't remember enough signs to share my testimony, so I had to let the interpreter do it. After the meeting I was able to have a conversation, half in sign language, with one of the deaf people that was there. It made me so happy that I made that decision to take ASL in high school.

The next experience I want to share was from getting a referral from a member family. Last Sunday we had an appointment in an area that was a bit farther away from the centre of Preston. As we went out there Elder McKechnie recognized that there was a member family that lived in the area. The best part was that the father of the family actually taught Elder McKechnie when Elder McKechnie was in primary. Well, less than a minute after we realized that they lived in the area we saw them walking down the street with their children! It was amazing and we were able to stop and say hello to them and talk with them and they invited us over for a tea appointment! As we went to the appointment and shared a spiritual thought and asked for referrals, they quickly told us of an African family in the area. We tried by right after the appointment and we were let in this African family's door! It was amazing, we were able to teach them the very next day and we're excited to see them progress!

Now probably the best experience I'll share with you was at Zone Conference. We got to go to a Scout Camp in the hills near Manchester. I never would have thought that there would be a place like this in Manchester, but there is. It was beautiful. I love the rolling hills of England. We had a few sessions of Zone Conference and an afternoon of sports and hamburgers for dinner. It really unified our whole mission and everyone benefited from it. I'll never forget the experiences I had there.

The theme of our conference was that exact obedience is the "Pathway to the Promise", which is a phrase that President Bullock was inspired with recently. We learned a lot about that and talked about passing down the sacred culture in our mission to the younger Missionaries, and had some wonderful experiences as we did that. One of my favorite experiences of the conference was recognizing the spirit of Missionary work. As we played sports I felt happy and had some contentment, but I still had an empty feeling, I thought that it might be similar to what I felt most of the time before my mission. It's hard to describe how I truly felt, but I think you know what I mean. Then in the evening for part of the session of Zone Conference we had an hour of personal meditation time in the woods. We were all spread out so we could still see our companions, but we were far apart enough that we could be alone. The spirit was very strong then, and it felt like a Personal Priesthood interview with Heavenly Father. After that I felt so much more fulfilled and just full of joy. I felt the joy of being a Missionary and knowing from the Lord that I've done good here in England. I felt the joy of knowing the positive effect that the Gospel has had in all of our lives and of knowing that we all can be together forever as we live the Gospel always. It was amazing to tell the contrast between the two feelings. The Gospel is what brought that feeling of joy, and it's what still brings that feeling as I feel it even now. I know that this feeling comes from Heavenly Father and that we can all feel it as we apply the principles of the Gospel in our lives. This isn't to say that playing sports and doing other things than the Gospel are bad, those things are still necessary, but I'm just happy to recognize the difference in the spirit that the Gospel brings. I know that these things are true because of my testimony of the Book of Mormon. I know that it truly is the iron rod. If we study and apply it's principles consistently then we will be always on the Gospel path that leads to the promise of "peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come" (D+C 59:23 I think it is). I also want you to know that I've been able to experience the pathway and the promise of D+C 31:5, and we all can as well. The feeling of living the Gospel and experiencing it's blessings is the very best in the whole world. Again I'd encourage all of us to continue utilizing the Gospel in our lives and work to share it with everyone we can so that they can as well!

Well, I love you all so much. I'm here because of you. I hope you have a wonderful week and keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Everything is great right now!

Date: Mon, May 31, 2010 at 6:08 AM

Hello Everyone!

How's your week been there? Ours has been great. There's not too much to write today though because it's only been a weekend since I last wrote.

With the transfer we've been busy with meetings and planning sessions and everything. It's been fun. I love being in this mission! I get to work with some of the most amazing people here. We're also having some exciting things happening here, like a Zone Conference at a Scout Camp this week and then next week we'll get to watch the England vs. USA world cup game! I'm so excited and I'll be sure to let you know all about everything.

This week we were blessed to have Naghma and a man named Michael at Church yesterday. They really enjoyed it. We have so many amazing investigators here and I love them so much. Peter Molnar was down South in Stonehenge this weekend and he will be Baptised in a couple weeks. I'm excited for him.

As for Michael he is incredible. We taught him for the first time on Tuesday last week and when we saw him for the second time on Saturday he said he was so excited for Church that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night! He really enjoyed Church and is scheduled to be Baptised later in the month. Elder Jin and our Recent Convert Chung also enjoyed speaking with him. It was amazing to see three Chinese people in Church on Sunday! This ward and area are so diverse! And the work is going so well, Preston is on fire right now and I've got a feeling that even more miracles are ahead!

That's about everything for this week really. Our investigators are doing well, our zone is doing well, the weather is amazing, things are just great right now. I love this great work and I have a testimony that it is true. The Gospel has been restored. The knowledge of the Plan of Happiness is now on the earth in its fullness. We do truly have everything we need to know to return back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I testify that He lives, loves us, and answers prayers and changes lives. Change is possible through the Atonement. That is the most powerful force on the entire planet and we have access to that power through the principles and ordinances of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have such a wonderful blessing in this Gospel, let us share it with everyone around us! I know that the Lord will help us to do so and that the blessings that come from doing so are greater than we can imagine. I know that this is true because I am experiencing it right now. The Holy Ghost is real and I feel it.

Thank you again for all yo do for me. Don't ever forget that I couldn't be here if it weren't for your help. Keep up the amazing work and have a wonderful week! I love you all!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

When the dog bites

Elders Rowley, Llaguno, and Jin. Father, son, and grandson.

Date: Wed, May 26, 2010 at 10:52 AM

Hello Everyone!

I hope you're having a great week. Ours has been amazing and very fast. The weather has been nice as well, almost too nice. We've all got tans on our collars where our shirts are because it's been hot and sunny recently. Today has broken the trend though and it's been raining on and off all day long. I love the weather of England!

Well, I suppose the biggest news here is that Preston now has a Chinese Missionary in it! Elder Llaguno (the one I trained on the Isle of Man about a year ago) is currently training Elder Jin from China. He is amazing, I've only talked with him a little bit though. I'm excited to get to know him more. He will help Preston a lot with teaching and hopefully also Baptising much of the Chinese population here. Also, Elder McKechnie and I will be serving together another transfer, we're both staying here in Preston! I'm so excited.

We've seen so many miracles in the past week. On Tuesday we went with Elders Llaguno and Dittmer to Lancaster, an area in our zone, to do some finding for the Sisters there. Elder Llaguno and I got to work together again and we taught 3 people on the street! It was amazing. It was almost just one right after another!

Our investigators are doing well. Peter will be Baptised in the beginning of June, he was sick on Sunday so he didn't come to Church. Naghma is still accepting commitments and coming to Church and seems to be progressing well, and the rest of our investigators aren't progressing. We did have a nice miracle at Church on Sunday when an investigator that Elder Griffeth and I taught on Elder Griffeth's last day came to Church on Sunday! We're hopefully seeing him and a friend of his tonight and I'll let you know of his progress. The miracles never cease.

Saturday was an interesting day. We had a very successful day and even were blessed to find and teach two new investigators on the street! It was amazing. The interesting part was in the evening; we were walking to an appointment and Elder McKechnie got bit in the leg by a dog. No need to worry at all, he's fine and it wasn't even that bad really. The crazy part was that we had to go to the hospital and have it checked out so Elder McKechnie doesn't get sick or anything and we were there pretty late in the evening. Hospitals are interesting places, that's all I have to say about that.

And the latest miracle we've seen recently was last night. We got to teach an amazing Chinese man that Elder McKechnie spoke with in town centre on Sunday afternoon. He accepted the Book of Mormon and Baptism and is preparing to be Baptised also. He's very sincere. The best part is that we now have the help of Elder Jin to help him progress to Baptism! I'm very excited to see what will happen with this in the next few weeks!

Well, the Church is true. The Savior lives. His Gospel is a precious gift that He's given to us and we need to use that gift. It makes Him happy when we use it to repent and improve ourselves and also when we share it with others. This is how I've found we can take care of this great gift and please our Savior. I know this is true because I've felt that He's been pleased with me as I've done these things. I know that this works in all of our lives. The Savior lives and loves each of us. His Atonement is real and it can change our lives daily.

I love you all so much. Thanks again for all you do for me and I hope you have a wonderful week. Keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Elder McKechnie, the victim of the dog bite.

When they come to church

Elders McKechnie and Rowley in the Meriva.

Date: Mon, May 17, 2010 at 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: Hello!

Hello Everyone!

How's your week been? Ours has been good and miraculous as always. The weather keeps warming up and right now its sunny outside and very warm here in the Library.

The greatest miracle was yesterday at Church. Peter, Naghma, Tanya, and Carla all came to Church and enjoyed it very much! The members were good to them as well and we're excited to help them all progress towards being Baptised. Thank you for your faith to pray for them to come, it worked! Faith truly does precede the miracle! The other miracle is that our zone also did well, we had 17 investigators at Sacrament meeting around the zone and that hasn't happened in nearly a year!

Tuesday we were blessed with two new investigators. One was Chinese but sadly doesn't want to learn more. She does have a copy of the Book of Mormon in Chinese though so the seed has been planted. The other one was found on the way out of that lesson. We were headed to the car and our time in the car park was up so we were in a bit of a hurry so we wouldn't get a ticket, but there was a man sitting on a bench nearby that was watching us. He got up from the bench and walked closer to where we were parked and I felt a prompting to speak with him. So I did and we ended up teaching him right there and he also accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and said he would read it! It was amazing. As we listen to the promptings of the spirit, the Lord truly leads us to prepared people!

The next day we had a good interviews and training meeting, we got to train our zone on helping investigators keep commitments and it went well. That evening we went on exchanges with the AP's and it was amazing. As we were walking into our apartment complex (it's been converted from a mill into flats) Elder Ridley, who I was with, spoke to a man named Eugene who we got to walk with to his flat and teach him right there. As we taught about Joseph Smith we asked how he felt and he talked about a burning sensation in his chest. It was amazing and the spirit was very strong then and throughout the whole lesson. We're seeing him again this week and I'll update you on his progress. We also taught a Romanian woman and her son who are amazing but have already stopped taking lessons. They also have the Book of Mormon though, so the seed is planted there as well! I love giving away copies of the Book of Mormon, it's one of my favorite parts of Missionary work!

On Saturday a man named Arran McCorquodale was Baptised. Elder Griffeth and I found and taught him in Preston town centre a couple months ago and he's progressed well ever since. I'm excited for him to be a member now!

Well, it's been a great week. It feels amazing to be a Missionary. I can't even tell you how much I've come to love everything we do. From waking up at 6:30 and exercising to studying for two hours every morning to teaching and finding and Baptising and doing trainings and everything. The spirit is always here in this work. It makes me so happy. There really isn't anywhere else I'd rather be right now. It's all possible because of the Spirit and because of the truthfulness of the Gospel. This Gospel we preach is true and I know that Joseph Smith was the true Prophet of God who restored it. The Church is true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's the iron rod that leads back to God's presence. Jesus Christ is truly our Savior and Redeemer and changes our lives as we live His Gospel. We are so blessed to have all that we have.

Thank you once again for the love and support and prayers and everything you do. I truly couldn't do this without your help.

Keep up the incredible work. Have a wonderful week!! I love you!

- Elder L. Rowley

Why I am a missionary

We had to sleep in the room with the other Elders and

Elder McKechnie got sick because we had a water leak

in our bedroom.

Date: Mon, May 10, 2010 at 5:02 AM

Subject: Re: Hi again!

Hello Everyone!

How is everything there in the States? Things here are going very well. Today we've got some clouds and some rain, but we're looking forward to hopefully being able to play some football later today! I'm excited.

We've had a pretty successful week and most of our investigators came to Church. Peter was there yesterday and he enjoyed it very much and we also were able to start teaching Naghma again recently and she came as well. Tanya and Carla didn't make it though and we'll have to teach them about the importance of Church. It was a very good day though, in Gospel Principles we had 11 different nationalities present! This area and ward is so diverse, I love it!

Also yesterday we saw a miracle in town centre. We were street contacting in the same area that President Hinckley did when he was here and I'm sure many other Missionaries have worked there before as well, but we were hoping to be able to teach a new investigator. We prayed for it and sure enough, we got into town centre and saw a man who we'd scheduled an appointment with previously sitting on a bench. We invited him to be taught right there and he accepted and became a new investigator! It's exciting to see so many miracles!

That's about it for this week. Elder McKechnie was ill earlier in the week so not much happened then. Our investigators are doing well and our zone is doing pretty well and it's just great to be a Missionary. I am so happy serving the Lord here and I know that this work is true. Jesus is the Christ. Through his Atonement we can overcome death and hell and return to live with God. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and it's been restored. The Book of Mormon is true evidence of this. It is the most powerful tool in conversion, whether it be our own or the conversion of a loved one or even just someone we meet on the street. It truly is the iron rod that will lead us along the Gospel path back to ultimate peace and happiness with our families and Savior and Father in Heaven in the Celestial kingdom. This is our ultimate goal, to get there and to take as many people there as possible. This is why I am a Missionary!

Well, I love you all so much. I'm always amazed at your example and love and support and prayers and everything else you do for me and so many other people. Keep up that amazing work of the Savior. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

I love the nice British rain

Hello Everyone!

I hope you've all had a great week, ours has been fantastic. The nice warm weather is holding up for the most part, but it's cooled down and rained a couple days recently. I love the nice British rain though.

First of all I'm late in writing because Monday was a Bank Holiday so we couldn't e-mail. We did get to go to the Temple though! It was amazing and I got to see some members from Liverpool as well. The Temple is great, I felt the spirit very strongly as we were there this time and I'm learning more and more that the Gospel is mostly about what we feel rather than just simply what we know or do. Although those things are very important as well.

Last week we saw a lot of miracles. On Friday and Saturday I got to work with the incredible Elder Llaguno again! It was amazing to see how much both of us have improved since this time last year. It's crazy to think that it's been exactly one year since we served together. We were also blessed with miracles greater than what we saw when we were on the Isle of Man. On Saturday morning we were doing some street contacting near town centre and got to do some service and help a man carry a couple boxes of pigeons into town square for a celebration of some sort. After a bit more street contacting we were also able to teach a man on a bench about the Restoration! It was amazing. In the afternoon the same thing happened twice, we taught two more people on steps near the place we were street contacting. It was amazing. Miracles just keep happening here.

We also had a good time at Zone Conference last week. Elder Mckechnie and I were able to train our zone on Sacrament Attendance and it was a lot of fun. I love zone trainings, we've got another one next week! I also got to see a lot of my former companions as a lot of them are still in the mission. Only 3 of my past companions are home right now. Zone Conference is always a lot of fun.

On Wednesday we got to do some service and take care of a wild garden of a sister in the ward. It looked like a jungle when we started and about half of it was cleared when we were done. It looked like a hurricane went through the part we had done, it was amazing. I loved it. Garden work is so much fun.

We're also teaching some amazing people right now. Our Hungarian investigator, Peter, is doing very well. We keep teaching him in members homes and he's coming to Church and reading and understanding the Book of Mormon and it's great. He's scheduled to be Baptised at the end of May and we're very excited for him. Pray for him to be ready for Baptism and to understand everything we teach.

Another great miracle has happened thanks to the great faith of those who have been praying with us for us to have a Baptism. On Sunday we got a ring from a member named Brother Cleaver. He has a couple of friends named Tanya and Carla that Elder Griffeth and I taught once in the past. Well, on Sunday they were with him and talking about being Baptised as soon as possible, so Brother Cleaver rang us and told us about this and we taught them that afternoon and scheduled Tanya to be Baptised on May 22nd! Now we just need to teach her everything and get her ready for her Baptism!

Well, the Church is true. I just keep learning so much about the Gospel and how much it helps us in our lives. The world is in a sad state and the people of it need what we have. We truly are a light on a hill for all those who are in spiritual darkness. The Savior Jesus Christ is the source of that light. I know He lives and loves each of us. We can feel that love and the infinitely positive effect of His Atonement in our lives as we live His Gospel of faith, repentance, keeping covenants, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. The Gospel truly can be felt more powerfully than it can be known, and it's very important for us to feel the Gospel every day of our lives. The scriptures are true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and my testimony of the rest of the Gospel was planted and is nourished through reading it and praying to know of it's truth. Anyone can experience these blessings in their lives this very day, no matter how much they may have experienced them in the past.

I love you all so much. I couldn't be here without your help. Keep up the amazing work. Thank you again for all the love and letters and support and encouragement. I appreciate it so much. Our Heavenly Father is mindful of you. Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

I love spring!

"I will not cease from mental fight, nor shall my sword

sleep in my hand, till we have built Jerusalem

in England's green and pleasant land."

Date: Mon, Apr 26, 2010 at 6:11 AM

Hello Everyone!

Wow that week went really fast... they all seem to just go faster and faster. The weather here has been so nice, it's been warm enough that we can take off our jackets sometimes. Right now the sun is shining but there are some clouds in the sky and it's staying pretty warm. I love the spring and I'm excited for the rest of it and for the summer as well! It makes the work go better also!

Yesterday we had a great day but no investigators came to Sacrament meeting. We're going to really work on this this week and your continued prayers and faith in our behalf are much appreciated. Anyway, after Church we went into the town centre where President Hinckley preached when he was here. We walked around the big square that's just outside where I am right now actually, and spoke with everyone that we could. Preston is just full of amazing people, I love it here!

This past week we were blessed to be able to teach a few unexpected lessons on the street and even get let into a couple doors again as well! That seems to be a re-occuring thing for us, but it's always a miracle when it happens. We've taught some wonderful people and I'll keep you updated on them as they start to progress.

On Tuesday we had the opportunity to teach a lesson with Elder Griffeth. He and his Mum were stranded here for a few days because of the volcanoe. It was great to get to work with him again, especially because Elder Griffeth was Elder McKechnie's first companion and I was Elder Griffeth's very last companion.

On Friday we made the long drive to Carlisle in the morning. We were closer to Elder McKechnie's home than we were to our flat! Anyway, we had a great district meeting with the district there and then got to work with a couple of Elders in the area. We saw so many miracles. I always ask people on the streets who they know that would be interested in what we share with them and in the afternoon I got the address of a man named Allen. In the evening we were speaking with people in a certain area and I had no idea where the street was that he lived on, I had planned to let the Elders in the area contact him after we'd left. But by divine intervention we ended up on the street that this man lived on. Well, we knocked on the door and found that he used to be a member years ago but had his name removed. He accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon to read and plans to attend Church when he moves in a few weeks! It was amazing.

Then the next morning, Elder Lloyd (who I was working with, he was in my district when I was in Liverpool so I've worked with him before) had an impression to knock on a potential investigators door (we didn't even have a lesson scheduled with him or anything) and we were let in and got to teach him. It was amazing. The spirit is a very powerful thing if we just follow it's promptings.

That same day we made the long journey back to Preston and when we arrived we found ourselves without our map and needing to think of some streets to tract. We did have an appointment with a potential investigator later that evening, but without the map we didn't know where it was. Well, I felt good about a certain area we'd worked in before so we drove there and started tracting. Not too long after we started knocking on doors Elder McKechnie spotted Jerry, who we had the appointment with, walking down the street! He decided to take a different route home from work and by divine intervention we taught him and his girlfriend and they're excited to read from and pray about the Book of Mormon. It was amazing. The Lord's hand is truly in this work!

Well, I just want you to know once again that the Church is true. If it wasn't there would be no chance in the world that young men my age could do this work. I feel so inadequate every day but with the spirit being here always I am uplifted and sustained. I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and powerful. Christ lives. We can know that through the power of the Holy Ghost and in no other way. I testify that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true path to success and happiness in this life and in the life to come. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It truly is the iron rod that will lead us back into the presence of God if we will follow it daily. Families can be together forever. The Plan of Happiness is real and it works. Prayer changes things. I've seen that this week in the work that I've done and in my personal life. We are so blessed to have what we have.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and enjoy the sunshine or rain or whatever it is. Thank you again for all you do for me, prayers, letters, love, support, everything. Keep up the amazing work. The Lord is mindful of you. I love you!

Elder L. Rowley

Seed of faith

Elders Griffeth and Rowley

Date: Mon, Apr 19, 2010 at 4:43 AM
Subject: Re: Happy Easter!!!

Hiya Everyone!

How's everyone's week been? It sounds like spring is coming there and things are warming up and getting busy. That's good. Here it's also warming up but today it's overcast and windy. There are flowers or leaves on most of the trees now and it's gorgeous! I love spring!

We can't see ash from the volcanoe in iceland, but when we look in the sky it isn't the clearest blue. When the sun sets it gets more and more red as it gets closer to the horizon, so we can tell that the ash is spread all over the air. The planes here are still grounded, but it's caused a small miracle for the Missionaries here. There was a group that was supposed to leave last week but they got to stay because of the planes. One Sister from Finland was actually praying very earnestly that her mission might be extended! Althought the Lord has many reasons for allowing this volcanoe to erupt, I testify that He does hear and answer prayers.

We had a good last few days. We've been working very hard amid meetings and planning sessions and things. It's been very good and I'm excited for the next 6 weeks. Elder McKechnie is amazing. He works hard and has fun. I'm wondering if the Scottish accent is starting to affect my American accent. I'm going to go days at a time without hearing another person with my same accent. I'm the only American in the fllat. We've got Elder McKechnie from Scotland, Elder Dittmer from Germany, and Elder Llaguno from Spain. If that looks familiar it's because it should be, it's the same Elder Llaguno that I trained last year on the Isle of Man! It's been great to work with him again and see how we've both changed and improved. I love Missionary work!

A Miracle we expeienced recently was last night when we were tracting. We felt good about a certain street and as we knocked on the doors a Chinese couple opened at one of the first few doors we knocked on. After a "power statement" as we call them, and a conversation, they let us in and we taught them about the Restoration. I'm excited for them to read in the Book of Mormon and pray for the first time.

We're also having more investigators coming to Sacrament meeting recently. It's exciting, but we want to become consistent with it. Yesterday we only had one at Church and we have 3 scheduled for Baptism. We want all 3 to be at Church and even more if possible. Your continued prayers and faith to ask Heavenly Father to bless us with more investigators at Sacrament meeting will make many more miracles possible! We're also working on this within our zone as well, they can use your prayers also.

That's about it for this week, it was a quick weekend. I just want to testify to you of the power of prayer. It really does change things as we utilize it. I testify that as we ask God for what we really want as we live His commandments, He will give it to us if it be right. Faith to pray for our righteous desires to be fulfilled while being obedient to God's commandments produces miracles. One example was this Chinese couple we taught yesterday. Before we started knocking on the doors of that street we prayed and asked to be able to get let into a home to teach. I pictured a nice young family in my mind. We also strived to be obedient to our Missionary standards and because of both of these things the Lord gave us that miracle. This can work for any righteous desire in our lives. The Lord wants to bless us so much, we sometimes just need to ask. All to often we're already doing all He expects of us to receive His promised blessings, the only thing missing is to ask. I testify that God lives. He love us all. Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer and as we live His Gospel we can live with God. I know these things are true because I know that the Book of Mormon is true. The tree of a large testimony begins as the small seed of faith to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. And the roots and branches of that tree are always strengthened and nourished by continual prayer and Scripture study. The Gospel is true, let us live it and be happy and blessed by our Heavenly Father!

Well, I'm always thankful for all the amazing work you all do. I couldn't be here without you. Keep up the amazing work and let me know what I can do for any of you. I love you all!!

-Elder L. Rowley

Street contacting success!

Dropping off the Isle of Man Elders

Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2010 at 9:49 AM
Subject: Re: Happy Easter!!!

Hiya Everyone!

We've had another miraculous week here in Preston and I'm excited to report that my new companion is Elder McKechnie (the "ch" is different than a normal "ch"... I can't really explain it) from Scotland! He was trained by Elder Griffeth and I'm very excited to work with him!

It's been a very busy week and a half since I last wrote... so much has happened and so many blessings have come our way. I think the first is that last week were able to teach many people right on the spot. When we street contact or tract we always ask people if they have some time right at the moment that we can speak with them and we always consider it a miracle to teach someone in the street or have them let us into their home. Well, that happened multiple times last week and we feel very blessed.

On one of these occasions we were with a returned Missionary who served in Italy. We told him we were going to get let into a door and sure enough as Elder Griffeth knocked on a man named Richard's door he let us in. Richard is Chinese and just so happened to have read the 4 Gospels recently! He was very prepared to hear about the Restoration and we're excited to see him progress.

Another miracle we saw was on Sunday. Three of our investigators, Jimmy, Simon, and a Hungarian man named Peter all came to Church! They enjoyed it and we are excited to help them progress towards Baptism. Your prayers and faith have all helped so much for us to see this amazing miracle, so thank you! I'll keep you updated on their progress.

Today we've just been so busy. In the morning we were driving Missionaries and luggage to the train station and then after saying some goodbyes I took some Missionaries with me to Heysham to send one off to the Isle of Man and to pick one up that's returning from there. It was fun to talk with them about the people there. The one that will be serving there just served in Rochdale, one of my other previous areas, and it was good to get to talk about that area as well. So many amazing things are happening right now, I love it!

I'm sorry this is short, more will come on Monday. There is just so much to tell you and so little time to do it. Really the most important thing about all of it is that we feel the Holy Ghost. I learned something interesting on Sunday. We often use the word impression when speaking of spiritual experiences or receiving the Spirit's guidance. I remember the word impression by thinking of a leather sofa. If you press your hand onto the sofa you leave an impression. But it doesn't last. The sofa goes back to it's previous state after your hand moves. This is like receiving the Spirit's guidance. Sometimes we let impressions only last for a few moments and then let them go away. But if our hearts are humble enough to receive the impression and strong enough to keep the impression then we experience conversion. And through this Heavenly Father molds us into who He wants us to be so that we reach our full potential. We need to have hearts like clay which has those characteristics of being humble enough to receive impressions but strong enough to let the impression stay. As I've strived to follow the Spirit more recently I've felt happier and I've beat myself up less. I've been learning more. So many other blessings have come because of this. I testify that as we learn to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost we experience greater happiness. God lives. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. His Gospel is the only path to true and lasting happiness in this life and in the world to come. Families can be together forever. The Book of Mormon is true and I know all these things as I have read and prayed to know it's true. Reading and Praying about the Book of Mormon truly are critical for an enduring conversion. It does help our hearts become as clay. The Gospel is true, let us live it!

Well, thank you again for all you continue to do for me. The people here are blessed for it. Keep up the amazing work and I'll write more on Monday and hopefully be able to send some pictures as well. I love you all!!

-Elder L. Rowley