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

Time flies

District Meeting in Carlisle

Date: Mon, Feb 15, 2010 at 5:20 AM
Subject: Miracles!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you're all having a great week and that you write to me and tell me about it! We just keep seeing the miracles pour out here in Preston and around our zone! It's all because we are striving to be exactly obedient, the Lord is just bound to give us these blessings.

Last week was amazing. On Tuesday morning we made the long travel up to Carlisle and it was amazing as usual. It's about the same distance as Provo to Duchesne, and it looks similar to it as well. The hills just aren't nearly as large as the ones there in Utah. Anyway, we worked with the elders there and they were amazing. We did a lot of speaking with people in the streets and tracting and we set up some great appointments. I worked with a French Missionary named Elder Torres. Now I've been on exchanges with Missionaries from both Mum and Dads Missions. Anyway, I learned a lot from him and I felt very blessed to get to work with him!

The next day we traveled to a place called Heysham... does anyone remember that name? It's where the ferry comes in from the Isle of Man! Yep, we picked up Elders Cowley and Joliffe who are serving on the blessed Isle. We had some lunch with them and did some work with them that day and it was amazing. It was great to get caught up with Elder Cowley, he is so concerned for people, I always learn so much from him when I'm working with him. So that was very exciting. It's just one of those amazing tender mercies of the Lord that I am able to travel to a place I have been before to pick up the Elder serving in my previous area. And to hear that the people I worked with there are doing well, that was so amazing as well.

And then Thursday was our Zone Conference! It came very fast. I was blessed to be able to play the piano for the Conference which was scary but not so much since I've had all the practice before. I was also able to give a report about our zone and Elder Griffeth and I trained our zone on member work. It was a great conference and I felt like I had a much different part in it this time, much more responsibility. It was great though and I learned a lot. And now we're reading the Book of Mormon as a mission. It's amazing and I've already learned so many new things that I never picked up on before! I love this mission, there's nowhere else I'd rather be right now!

So that's one reason that the week just flew by. But then on Friday we taught some amazing people and that just went by even faster. We taught Jimmy and he just soaked up the Plan of Salvation. He could come teaching with us. He needs to come to Church though and then he can be Baptised. We also taught a couple named Basil and Sarah who committed themselves to come to Church and to read in the Book of Mormon. They are all very prepared! I love teaching such amazing people.

On Saturday morning Elder Griffeth and I were talking about the state of our zone and we felt that we should go on exchanges with the other Elders that live with us. I got to work with Elder Johnson from Colorado and he taught me a lot. We drove to the Sisters area (we have one Sisters companionship in our zone) and he did a Baptismal Interview there. We also did some street contacting there and one of the first people we spoke with let us teach him. His name is Josh and he was amazing. He felt the spirit as we talked about Joseph Smith and the Sisters are going to teach him tonight. I love miracles!

Then yesterday was amazing as well. Nobody came to Church, we can use your prayers for that. But the ward pianist was ill so I got to play the piano again. I played two hymns that I've never really played before and I sight read them just fine, it was amazing. And President and Sister Bullock spoke and it was amazing. I learned a lot from them and I'm very thankful to have a Sacred Mission President.

After Church we went to a potential investigator lesson who was a relative of Eric. We had to diligently search for the house, but when we found it and knocked on the door we found Eric there! It was amazing and it made me so happy to see him. We taught him and rescheduled him for Baptism and he will be great. We're seeing him tonight and he also can use your prayers that he will be able to come to Church on Sunday.

And then the evening was so amazing. We had a Tea appointment with a Chinese potential investigator. I rang him earlier in the week and he invited us to tea and I said well why not so we went there. Their names are Forest and Kim and they made us Chinese spaghetti and it amazing. After we ate we taught them the Restoration and the spirit was strong and they committed to be Baptised! It's very exciting, we're seeing them again later in the week. Please pray for them as well. Then as we were walking back to our car Elder Griffeth followed some promptings about some houses to knock on and a man named Greg let us in! So we taught 3 new investigators last night. It was all so amazing.

So as you can tell we've been very busy and because of that the time has gone very fast. I've felt the spirit a lot more in these past few weeks and I feel that it's because of our combined obedience and service to our zone and to others. We were a bit hesitant to go on exchanges on Saturday because of the state of our own area, but we trusted that the Lord would bless us and he really did. I'm almost certain that if we hadn't gone on exchanges then we wouldn't have seen all those miracles. Blessings come to us from our obedience to the commandments and service to others. Then as we remember Christ the Atonement takes effect and we see great miracles. This is our Baptismal covenant. It's also the purpose of our lives. It's how and why we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I testify that it works. Doing these three things, or keeping our Baptismal covenants, is what brings us true and lasting happiness from the Holy Ghost. The Gospel is really true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It is the gateway to personal testimony and it's the most powerful tool in others conversion, but our own as well. I testify of Jesus Christ and that if we will read in the Book of Mormon and pray about it then we will come to know that He really is the Son of God and that He did save us from our sins. I love this Gospel and I know that it changes lives.

Well, I hope you all have an amazing week. I love you all so much. Keep up the amazing work, you make this world a better place every day. Don't forget Moroni 8:3.

Love,

Elder Rowley

Power to change lives

Date: Mon, Feb 8, 2010 at 5:00 AM
Subject: Hello!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you've all had a great week. We've had amazing miracles happen here and I'm excited to share them all with you.

First of all, I've been driving around and working around some of the famous historical sites for the Church. Yesterday we drove right past President Hinckley's old flat when he served here all those years ago. On Saturday we spoke with people in town centre, right near the famous obelisk where President Hinckley preached. I can even see that same obelisk out the window right now, the library is just near it. And a few days ago we drove past the flat where some of the first Missionaries to England stayed when they were here. This area is amazing and I love it here!

Last week was great. On Tuesday morning we drove for nearly two hours all the way up to Carlisle, near the border of Scotland and England. It was a beautiful drive, and we had a great District Meeting up there. We have some great District Leaders in this zone and they work so hard. After the meeting we went to work with the Elders in a town called Workington. It was great, I worked with an Elder Hanchett who taught me a lot about excitement. We were very blessed, the next day after we were there they taught a new investigator that Elder Hanchett and I had set up an appointment with the previous day.

After that we had a beautiful drive to a city called Kendal. We passed Lake Windermere and many other lakes and mountains. It looked a lot like some parts of Utah but I didn't get homesick. Anyway, in Kendal I got to work with Elder Green who is from Tremonton and he is amazing. He taught me a lot about Charity and many other things. We were blessed to be able to teach a new investigator as well. I loved working there.

We returned on Thursday morning and did some work in our own area, but the next day we were on exchanges again with the elders we live with. I was with a German Missionary, Elder Dittmer. He taught me a lot about confidence and teaching and finding skills. We set up lots of appointments with people on the streets and taught some wonderful people as well. We were exactly obedient the entire day as well, we didn't miss one minute with the schedule. It was amazing.

A couple days later on Saturday morning we had planned to do some street contacting in a certain area, but when we got there it wasn't very busy. We felt that we should go to a certain street, so we did and after speaking with maybe 10 people a man named Nigel let us teach him on some steps! It was amazing and he is great, he accepted to be Baptised in a few weeks! He didn't come to Church yesterday though, so that concerns me. Please pray for him.

Yesterday was amazing as well. We didn't have anyone at Church, but I was blessed to be able to play the piano for Sacrament meeting and that went well. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with playing for meetings and I'm happy about that. Elder Griffeth and I also taught the Elders Quroum lesson about the Book of Mormon and that was a great experience as well. I love the members here.

Also yesterday we were blessed to be let into the home of a young man named James. As we taught him about the Restoration he recognized the spirit and also accepted to be Baptised in a few weeks! We're excited for him to progress and you can pray for him as well. We need some really solid new people to teach right now! Please pray also for us to be able to find some solid new people to teach.

Well, that's about it for this week. I know that the Church is true. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer and He knows each of us personally. He loves us and He has the power to help us change our lives. I know that because I've experienced it for myself. I know that we can all experience this daily. The way to come unto Him is through daily study in the Book of Mormon, prayer, and renewing Covenants at Church. These things are true and they truly change lives.

I love you all so much. Thank you again for all you do for me, I'm feeling the effect of your prayers in my behalf. Keep up the amazing work, you make such a massive difference in my life and in the lives of those I teach and serve. I couldn't do this without you. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Going places

Date: Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 4:18 AM
Subject: Hello!

Hello Everyone!

I hope you've all had a great weekend. There's not too much to write today since you heard from me last Thursday. Time has really flown by since then, we've been really busy! And we've been experiencing amazing miracles as well.

We're teaching some great people right now, one of which was Baptised this past weekend! His name is Oscar, he is Chinese and he is very smart. He will make a great member and we're excited to have him in the ward. His Baptismal service was wonderful by the way. The Missionary that was here before me got to Baptise him and the spirit was strong. Afterwards we had a nice surprise when a Chinese investigator of the other Preston Elders (there are two companionships in Preston, we live with them) played Pachelbel's Canon in D on the piano. It was pretty amazing. And I got to play the piano for the service again by the way!

We're also teaching a man named Eric from Ghana who is experiencing a lot of trials right now. The Gospel will help him a lot and we're excited to see him be Baptised in a couple weeks. He's preparing to be Baptised on the 13th of February. I love him already. He could use some prayers right now.

We were also blessed yesterday to teach two new investigators, they let us into their homes as we knocked on them! We were blessed with this because we were obedient and we spoke with everyone we possibly could, the Spirit guided us to these two prepared people. One was named Sunny, he is a Christian from India and he was great but it was hard for me to understand him. Indian people are great, I love them. We'll hopefully be seeing him soon. It will be difficult to see people in the next couple days though as we'll be in the Lake District!

Anyway, the other one was named Gemma. She is great as well. She has a son who is 7 named Louis and he listened well as we taught them the restoration yesterday. They felt the spirit and will hopefully be preparing to be Baptised in the next few weeks! Gemma was taught a few years ago so she remembers a few things about the Church and that was a great starting point to us teaching her. You'll hear more about her in the future, we're seeing her tonight.

Church yesterday was great but sadly, none of our investigators came. Please pray for our investigators to come to Church. They need it so much. Anyway, Church was at 9:00 and Sacrament meeting was first, I wasn't used to either of those things. Church over here usually starts at 10 or 10:30, but there are two wards here so it has to be earlier. Oh, and this ward is the oldest unit of the Church that is still running! There's a plaque in the chapel that I've got a picture of. Anyway, the ward is amazing! We have some great members that I'm getting to know well. I just know I'm going to love serving here. I'm also going to get to use my piano playing skills, the ward piano player is gone every fast Sunday. I think I'm finally starting to get used to playing for Church meetings!

Last week on Friday we had a meeting all day at the Mission Home with President Bullock and other leaders in the mission to council and discuss the needs of the mission. It was great and I learned a lot. This mission is going places. We're starting to double the amount of Baptisms we've had previously and it's a great miracle. We're working to keep this happening. Aside from that Sister Bullock cooked for us and that was also amazing.

This past week has gone so fast and I've learned so much. Something I've learned from Elder Griffith is the importance of exactness in obedience. It really is hard, and sometimes not everyone in a group or team wants to do it, but when it happens the miracles flow. Just like the Army of Helaman in the Book of Mormon. Those two new investigators we taught on Sunday wouldn't have come had we not been exactly obedient. It really is like D+C 82:10 says, when we obey the Lord is bound to bless us. We don't leave any room for Him to not bless us! And He loves to do that. Obedience is important. The Gospel is true and it really has been restored. Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God. I know this because I know that the Book of Mormon is true. My testimony is strengthened every day as I read in that sacred record. Prayer works and changes things. The Atonement changes things, and it continues to do so in my life every day. This is only possible as we have the faith to repent and obey the principles and ordinances of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a great blessing we have in our lives and we must share it and use it every day!

Well, I love you all. I can't say it enough. You mean the world to me and I really couldn't be here without such a wonderful support system. I want you to have the happiness that comes from living the Gospel. You've made my life better by helping and encouraging me to live it myself. I hope you have a great week and keep recognizing the Lord's hand in everything you do. It's there, we just need to look for it!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Transferred!

Zone Leaders council at the Mission Home

Date: Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 5:24 AM
Subject: Transferred...!

Hello Everyone!

How are you all doing this week? I hope well. I am doing great. I've been transferred to Preston, and I'm now serving with Elder Griffith from California. He is amazing and we are going to make some wonderful things happen this transfer! Before I forget, here is the flat address so you can all write to me:

49 Centenary Mill
Preston
PR1 5JQ

So now you can all write to me. I think I'll be here a bit longer than I was in Liverpool, so that will be nice. I love it here already and I'm excited to tell you all about it! But first I'll tell you about my last week in Liverpool.

To be honest, I was sad to leave Liverpool. Probably more sad than any of my other transfers. That area is just so amazing and the people and the Missionaries and everything. I'm going to miss it, but I've got a lot of work ahead of me here!

Since I wrote last we had a great week. We had a district meeting on Tuesday and one of the Elders tied Jonny Lingo into committing investigators to come to Church, it was great! I love those Missionaries. Afterwards we got to eat together at a nice restaurant called a carvery. It's just a traditional English Roast dinner, you've probably seen one in my pictures. I'll explain more about it if you have any questions. Anyway, after that we went on exchanges with the Elders just north of Liverpool in a town called Crosby. I worked with Elder Lloyd and he taught me a lot. He was called as a new District Leader and he replaced me there. That district is in good hands!

We were also blessed with some wonderful tea appointments with members last week, we had some great food and great people to work with. I love the members in Liverpool and I will miss them a lot.

On Friday there was a Baptism of an American girl named Mary. She was taught by our Zone Leaders, but again they needed me to play the piano for the service so we got to go. It was a wonderful service, very organized and spiritual. And Mary is going to make a wonderful member. I taught her once and she accepted everything so quickly. She's great.

Sunday we got to work with the Zone Leaders and I got to work with Elder Stacey. He taught me a lot of really good things and I'm thankful for that. Exchanges are the best. Although sadly, none of our investigators came to Church on Sunday. But since transfers there are now sisters teaching Toma and his family, so they will probably become more committed to Church. I'm thankful for that.

Since then it's been crazy seeing people and getting everything ready for transfers. It was a great last week in Liverpool and I will miss it. As for Preston, we live with another set of Elders and they are great. I'll tell you more in the future because my time is short. Also, we are teaching some amazing people as well. Oscar is Chinese and he is being Baptised on Saturday. He is very smart. And Eric is from Ghana and he will be Baptised in a couple weeks. We are very blessed here! Again, I'll tell you more on Monday.

Well, the Church is true. I've learned a lot in the past few weeks and I've changed a lot. I've really been humbled by the opportunities the Lord has given me to serve, and I need your prayers to progress to be what He needs me to be. In the Gospel we sometimes become prideful and boast of our callings or the things we've done. Sometimes we don't do things the Lord's way when we know we should. Sometimes we study the Gospel for our needs and not others. Sometimes we ask ourselves why we aren't happy at Church instead of why others aren't happy. I've learned in the past week that when we do this the Lord humbles us. As we overcome selfishness and pride through the Atonement, we will find out who we really are, and we will reach our full potential. There's a scripture in the New Testament about losing our lives for the service of others. That is true. When we truely serve, we reach great heights. When we are selfish and prideful, we wither and are miserable. I know that this is true because I've experienced both sides of this. The only true and lasting way to change from this is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I testify that it works and it changes things. God lives and loves all of us, if He didn't we wouldn't even be here. The Book of Mormon is true. It's the keystone of my testimony and the iron rod that leads us along the path back to God's presence. The Gospel is true.

Well, I love you all very much. Have a great week and keep up the amazing work. I couldn't do this without you!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Many, many blessings

Dinner with the Crosby Elders

Date: Mon, Jan 18, 2010 at 4:15 AM
Subject: Many Many Blessings...

Hello!

I hope everyone's had a good week. Don't get sick. I've been blessed to stay well all winter season long! All it takes is vitamin C, lots of water, and lots of washing your hands. Life is good when you stay well.

We've had an amazing week with lots of miracles! But first I'm happy to tell you that the snow and ice are all gone! No more slipping and sliding and angry people. It was so nice, everyone at Church on Sunday seemed much happier to see it gone. It's still crazy to me just how much it shut everything down for that last week. They weren't prepared for it at all. We all just have to learn and live.

Also, on Monday we went to a Church of England Cathedral called "The Great Space". And it is actually near a river if you were wondering. Anyway, this building is massive, and it's got the largest set of bells in the world- 31 tons! We even got to travel up to the top of it and see all of Liverpool, it was great. And it even snowed while we were up there. I also learned a lot from being there. It was a good experience.

On Thursday we had interviews and training and it was also amazing. We learned how to commit investigators to a Baptismal date in the first lesson and that's our mission standard now. We're getting a lot more solid investigators from it as well. I learned a lot from it and the next morning we went and taught a new investigator named Chris and used what we'd learned. And it worked! I'm not surprised I just feel very blessed. And Chris is amazing by the way, he came to Church on Sunday and really got on well with the members!

Saturday we were on exchanges with the Zone Leaders, I got to go with Elder Newson from Vegas, he's pretty amazing. I learned a lot from him and we were able to really adjust to meet the needs of the members and investigators that we taught. We were able to really bless their lives and it was great. I love learning from other Missionaries, and I get to do it so often!

Yesterday at Church we had some amazing miracles. For one thing, Elder Kerr of the Seventy was there and he taught us and the ward a lot. It was exciting, he's from Scotland and he's very lively. Then Chris came and I told you about that. But also our Solvakian Family, the Demeterova's, came as well! It was such a miracle. We had tried by them in the morning on our way to Church and they said that they would come and they are just such honest people. It was amazing to walk out of Elder's Quorum and see them all standing there, excited and a bit nervous to be there. They didn't understand much, but they did feel something in their hearts and we all know what that is. It was such a miracle and blessing. Now it's just a matter of helping them to be Baptised!

Another great miracle this week was with Toma and his family. They are becoming more committed. We saw them 3 days in a row over the weekend and we learned a lot about what's really happening and how we can really help. Toma is now preparing to be Baptised on the 29th of January and he'll have to give up coffee today to do that, so please pray for him. So many blessings are on the way for this wonderful family, they just need to keep acting in faith to see these miracles. They really need your prayers.

Our other investigators are doing well this week but we've had to stop teaching a couple as they weren't really progressing. With some we're just teaching them a lot less until they start to progress faster. But this week were also blessed with amazing new investigators. One was Chris, and another was Donald. I think I told you about him last week. We taught the restoration and the spirit was very strong. We even had a member with us who could relate to him and taught well with us. Donald felt the spirit and accepted to be Baptised in a few weeks. He's very excited to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it and it was all just so miraculous. I love miracles. This truly is a day and age of miracles.

I suppose it's time for a spiritual thought and then I need to wrap this up. This week I've been learning about what it was like for the Savior to be ridiculed and made fun of like he was. I've been studying in the book "Jesus the Christ" by James E. Talmage and learned a lot about this just this morning. There were some people such as the scribes and pharisees who attempted to verbally tear the Savior to pieces by calling him out on things that He had supposedly done wrong that were in conflict with the law. But the amazing attribute of the Savior that I always seem to notice in these instances is the fact that He just bounces right back and rebukes them for their hypocrisy. He didn't let it get Him down or sway Him from what He knew was right, He just kept going just as firm as before, if not more so. And really I've found two applications we can make of this in our lives. For one thing, we cannot ever be the source of making fun others of or putting others down. The Savior never did that or taught that. He did, at times, rebuke even those He loved very harshly, but He always showed an increase of love afterwards. That was righteous, but it becomes unrighteous when we are doing it to put ourselves above another person, in a "better place than them". So really for anyone who has ever been made fun of by someone else, they weren't at fault, the one pointing the finger and laughing was. And here's the other application that I found from this. We must also be like the Savior in the regard that when such vebal abuse comes we cannot let it get us down or sway us from any righteous actions. If it leads us on to do something better than we were doing before then that's okay, we need to listen and apply it because it comes from Christ, as we know that whatsoever persuades us to come unto Christ comes from Him. So lets not ever unrighteously put others down and not get down ourselves when our Priesthood leaders may harshly rebuke us for actions that aren't in harmony with the Savior's teachings. I know that these things are true. The Gospel is true. It's been restored. That restoration is absolutely necessary and real. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and it has increased my faith in Jesus Christ as I have read and applied the words in it. We must all do this and thus hold on to the iron rod. Jesus is the Christ and He can make everything unfair about life right. We need His Atonement every day of our lives. We must repent, for if we do we will be happy!

I love you all. I hope you have a wonderful week and remember the Savior. Without Him you couldn't even be reading these words now. Don't forget the eternal impact that you've had on my life. Keep up the amazing work and don't be afraid to write.

Love,

Elder Rowley

A week of miracles

I didn't know it could snow like this in Liverpool...

Date: Mon, Jan 11, 2010 at 4:25 AM
Subject: A Week of Miracles!

Hello!!

I hope you're all having a great week and doing well with returning to school. The schools here have all been shut down for a week.

On Monday night it began snowing, and on Tuesday we woke up with about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground. We had district meeting and it was snowing all throughout that and even into the late afternoon. We had a lot of snow, and it shut down the city for a couple days! They are not prepared for snow here. The buses shut down and the roads were icy for days (some are still icy) and people became a bit more hostile as they weren't sure how to walk or do anything really. Salt was sold out in all the stores, and they weren't prepared with enough rock salt/grit to cover the needed areas of the city. It was a crazy few days but now it's starting to melt so that's nice. It did look really pretty though.

On Wednesday we had a member come out with us named Brother Crompton. He is great. We taught two of our investigators who are struggling with living the Word of Wisdom and he was able to relate to them as he overcame their same problem years ago. It really helped them to see that they can overcome their problems, it was amazing. The other miracle about it was that the first appointment fell through, he wasn't in. So we went to our second one and taught the investigator and afterwards we were thinking of going by some other people but Brother Crompton felt impressed to go back to the first appointment and see if he was in. Well, the spirit is always right so we were blessed to find that investigator in and taught him and it was a miracle. The only disappointment I had was that a few weeks ago I had a thought that we needed to work with Brother Crompton, and sadly I just shrugged it off. I learned that sometimes we have impressions from the spirit that we don't even recognize as impressions. We need to always be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Ghost because it's always there, we just need to listen for it!

Also on Wednesday I was blessed to be able to interview another investigator for Baptism. Her name is Yolanda and she's great, the Gospel has really helped her change her life and she has a great testimony. We had a nice african meal with them after the interview and it was amazing. On Friday she was Baptised even though there were fears about the snow making it difficult for people to get there. We worked hard shoveling snow on Thursday to make the chapel accessable for everyone to come there. And it was a great service, one of the Missionaries in my district, Elder Rawlings, got to Baptise her. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to pull her up out of the water but we all prayed for him and he said afterwards that it was easy. The Lord answers prayers! I also got to give a talk and conduct the music for the service. My music skills just keep being used, I love it!

And then there was yesterday. What an amazing day. We were on exchanges with our Assistants to the President, Elder Wilson and Elder Ridley. I went with Elder Ridley and we were blessed with miracles. And these are some of my very most sacred experiences of my mission and life so don't take this lightly. For one thing, when I knew they were coming I knew that we were going to see miracles and get let into homes and find amazing people. I expected miracles. We need to do this and I testify that it works. Here's why. I told Elder Ridley that I was expecting us to get let into a home to teach (like someone on the street letting us walk with them to their home and teach them, or someone that we knock on their door letting us in to teach them). I expected that to happen twice. And it did. After Church we urgently went out to speak with people. We crossed the street from the Church and spoke with a man shoveling snow who wasn't interested. Then the second man we spoke with was a man named Kerry who at first was somewhat hostile towards us and the message. I was amazed as we followed the guidance of the spirit and were loving and personable and invited him to allow us into his home to teach him about the restoration and he accepted. I was beaming the whole time as we were walking into his home. It didn't take us 5 minutes to do that after Church. We were blessed to be able to teach him about Joseph Smith and the restoration and invite him to live the Gospel and promised him blessings for it and the spirit was very strong the whole time. We're seeing Kerry again Tomorrow so you can pray for him to feel the spirit as we keep teaching him. And the other miracle was that as we met Elders Wilson and Stringham to get a lift back to our flat for Tea we found that they were teaching a new investigator as well. They got let into a home also. I was very happy and excited but not surprised at all, because I had expected these miracles. You can do the same. I'm going to keep doing it.

It doesn't stop there though. A couple transfers ago we had a zone conference in which we were taught that we can seek a vision from the Lord of who we are going to find that day. Basically we seek inspiration on the descriptions of the elect that we will find and then we speak with everyone we can expecting that the Lord will lead us to these souls. So in that meeting I envisioned an African man in his 20's or so. I'm horrible at describing the way people look so I wasn't able to say what he looked like but I knew. The sad thing was, I never found that man. Until yesterday. Elder Ridley and I expected that we would find him. As we were walking in between two lessons there was the very man who was in my head. Elder Ridley spotted him across the street and said: "there he is! That's him!" I excitedly spoke with him and I knew that he would accept our message and he did. And he was very excited. We're scheduled to see him tonight, but we might have to move it. His name is Donald though, you can pray for him. I love seeing miracles! I know that we are in a day and age of miracles. The Lord wants us to expect them. And as we do all we can while expecting them, they will come. I testify of this. And I testify that it's only possible through Jesus Christ. Think about Joseph Smith. All the people he healed in the name of the Savior. He expected that they would be healed, just as the Savior set that example for us. I testify that this power can only come through our Savior Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement. He is real. He lives. We can change through His Atonement and we must do so or we will not return to God's presence. This is repentance, the very purpose of our lives. It works and it brings the greatest happiness in the world. And I can testify to you of these things because I have acted on the faith in Jesus Christ that I gained as I read, pondered, and prayed about the Book of Mormon. I testify that that book is true and we must hold on to it, the very iron rod. to return to God's presence. It is not the path, but it is the only sure thing that follows the path exactly. I know this because God has told me that it's true by the power of the Holy Ghost. The Gospel is true.

Well, I love you all very much. Missionary work is the best, so do it. Have a great week, keep warm and keep doing well in school and whatever you may be up to. And let me know about it. And expect miracles. I expect to hear in letters and e-mails of the miracles you've experienced in your lives. Thank you again for all that you do for me, I can't say enough of that. I love you!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Happy New Year!

Pizza and games at the chapel on New Years Eve!

Date: Mon, Jan 4, 2010 at 4:14 AM
Subject: New Years

Hello Everyone!

Happy New Year! That went really fast. And this year will probably be even faster!

Our New Years celebrations were great. On New Years Eve we went to the chapel with the whole district (8 Missionaries including us) and played sports for like 4 hours, it was amazing. We also ordered pizza and one Elder cooked some nice pudding and pie for us all. It was so much fun. We played a game called chair football, I'll have to teach you how to play it someday. We also played basketball and a little bit of hockey. By the end of it we were all exhausted!

Then on New Years day we went to Wigan and played more sports at the chapel there with the district there. It was amazing again. But we were all very sore from the previous night! We played for a few hours then went to visit an Elder who had his appendix burst and then get taken out. It felt weird to be in a hospital again, but it was good to see him and he seemed happy to see us all. There were like ten of us crowded around his bed! After that we went to a buffet called Taybarns and it was amazing. We each had like 3 plates of delicious food, it was amazing. The whole day was a really unforgettable New Years celebration!

Now on to the important stuff. Church yesterday was great, thank you for praying for our investigators to make it. Linda, Stephen, and Zuzeyo plus his girlfriend all came to Church! It was amazing because we taught the Gosple principles class as well, that was a lot of fun. It was a massive class, but we divided them into four groups and had them each answer a question that had to do with the lesson then share their answers with the rest of the class. It was wonderful and it went really fast. I love teaching. All of our investigators loved Church and we're hoping and praying that they'll all make it again next week. Your prayers are much needed with this, every time I've asked you to pray for something it's happened in one way or another, it's amazing! You all have such great faith and it's really blessing the people here. Especially pray for Toma and his family because they didn't make it there yesterday and we're really hoping that they can be Baptised this month!

On Tuesday we had district meeting and it was great. It was all about Moroni's Promise and it was a very spiritual meeting, I loved it. I love that promise and I just want to testify to you that it works and it will change our lives as we continually apply it. So keep doing it even if you've done it many times because that spiritual witness is needed very much in these last days. Anyway, also on Tuesday I got to do another Baptismal interview for an amazing man named Peter.

Now here's one of the most amazing miracles for this week. Last night we were with our Slovakian investigator family, teaching them about Moroni's Promise. It was a great lesson, even if we do have to teach through their young daughter. They're all amazing though. In the last lesson with them we tried to commit them to be Baptised but they didn't understand and wouldn't really commit. But this time as we committed them for a Baptismal date they accepted and are now scheduled for Baptism! I'm so excited for them. The amazing thing though is that between that last lesson and last night they read in the Book of Mormon and felt the Holy Ghost tell them that it's true. And they also told us a story of a friend of theirs who was taught by Missionaries and was healed of an illness and was Baptised into the Church! So they've already seen the blessings that the Gospel brings, I'm sure that they'll be Baptised. I'm so excited for them. It's a big family too, last night there were 10 people in the room!

Well, again I testify to you that the Church is true. There's no way that it couldn't be, the evidence is massive, but the best evidence is that powerful spiritual witness that comes when we read and pray about the Book of Mormon. I testify that this is critical for an enduring conversion. If we don't know the Savior as well as we should, and we are all imperfect so we all fall into this category, we simply need to read, ponder, and pray about the Book of Mormon. One amazing thing I learned about it this week was that as we read in in the Holy Ghost will testify to us that it is true. So we already know it's true from that. But to confirm it's truth we must pray about it. Notice the scripture tells us to ask if it's not true. That's just saying that we need to confirm the truthfulness of it that was already shown to us by the Holy Ghost as we read it. So lasting conversion comes from the Book of Mormon. That's how I am converted. That's why I live the Gospel. That's why I'm giving two years of my life to do this. Because I know from God that the Book of Mormon is true and because of that I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God and that the Church is true and most importantly that Jesus is the Christ and that He can save us from our sins. We truly can return to God's presence through Jesus Christ. Everything bad or hard about life can and will be overcome through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The book of Mormon is the keystone of my testimony of the Gospel and I exhort everyone to read, ponder and pray about it. As we do this our lives will be changed for the better. I am a living witness of this.

Thank you again for all you do for me. I say it every week I know, but it's that important that you know how thankful I am for you. I really couldn't do this without you, every time I do something good, anything good, I just think about someone of you that helped me to learn to do that thing. And the people here are eternally blessed because of that. Don't forget that. Keep up the amazing work. Share the Gospel whenever you can and it will make your life happier. I love you all and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Happy 2010!

Date: Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 7:51 AM
Subject: Happy 2010!!

Hello Everyone!

This year has flown by really fast. It's been a good one though. Next year will probably do the same. I suppose Dad was always right when he said that there's no rest for the wicked!

There isn't much to report today because I spoke with everyone on the phone on Friday. There is a bit thought. This morning we had district meeting and it was amazing. We all taught each other about Moroni's Promise in the Book of Mormon and helping investigators to follow that promise. The spirit was very strong and I learned a lot from these amazing Elders in my district. I love them and they are great. Now we'll be going on exchanges with Elders Lloyd and Parry in Crosby, the city just north of Liverpool. I'm excited.

Oh and yesterday we had a great zone activity playing football and basketball. Elder Burnett was there and it was good to see him, he's really good at football. We have a great zone this transfer, I love the Missionaries I get to work with.

Sunday was good but no investigators came to Sacrament meeting! Please pray for this to happen this week. Toma and his family are doing well but they need prayers for miracles to happen. And that they'll be able to come to Church this week. They're getting so close to Baptism, it'll hopefully be in January! Linda and Stephen can also use your prayers that they'll be able to come to Church on Sunday as well. They are also doing well but it's hard for us to see Stephen, he's out of town often. We're also hoping to find some solid new investigators soon, so your prayers for that are much needed!

Zone Conference was on Wednesday and it was amazing. We had some talks in the morning, then went to the Temple and did a session and afterwards had a testimony meeting back in the chapel. It was a really spiritual day and I loved it. We are so blessed in this mission to have a Temple and such an amazing Mission President and such amazing Missionaries as well. There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now than right here in the England Manchester Mission!

Our Christmas was good. Christmas Eve we were at the Brooksbanks house (Brother Brooksbank is the Ward Mission Leader) and we had pizza and watched Finding Nemo (we had some disney movies approved by President Bullock). It was amazing, during the whole movie Elder Stringham and I were thinking of how it was like the Gospel. I love being a Missionary because nobody can get annoyed at me when I do that in movies!!

Christmas day in the morning we just spent some time with Elders Newson and Stacey (our Zone Leaders) in their flat. We made pancakes and bacon and by the time we got to our lunch appointment in the afternoon we were already stuffed. We were at this Nigerian/English family called the Edosomeones, and they made the most amazing food, I loved it. African people are the best. We also opened some poppers after we ate, they are English things that you pull and they snap open, kind of like at New Years, but inside of them there are jokes and toys and trivia questions, it's great. I love them.

In the evening we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" with the Parry family and it was great. The ward members here have been so kind to us this season! That was the last thing we did on Christmas and it was one of the best. I learned as we watched that that when we put others needs above our own, like George Baily does and like the Savior also does, we are so much happier and so are those around us. Even though the happiness doesn't always come right at first, it always comes. It's true, I've experienced it. Like speaking with people on buses about the Gospel, it's way hard at first, but afterwards you feel great! I love the Gospel and I know that it's true. The Savior Jesus Christ is alive and He loves you. He can change your life if you will let Him in by exercising faith in Him and repenting of your sins. I testify that His path is the true path to success and happiness in this life and in the next. The Book of Mormon really does contain the fulness of His Gospel, and it is a springboard to testimony and personal revelation. We can come to know Him by reading, pondering and praying about the Book of Mormon. It will help us increase our faith in Him. It truely is the iron rod that will lead us back into His presence. Study the Book of Mormon every single day. As we use it as much as possible miracles will come into our lives. I know this is true because I've experienced it.

I love you all. Thank you again and again for all that you have done and still do for me. This work is not possible without those things. Have a very happy New Year and write soon!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Happy Christmas!

Amazing African food for Christmas!

Date: Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 4:53 AM
Subject: Happy Christmas!!

Happy Christmas Everyone!!

It really is the best time of the year. I feel amazing right now. The blessings just keep flowing and flowing in!!

Before I forget, I want to tell you that I've done well at sharing the Gosple with people on buses. I've spoken with as many people as possible on every bus I've been on since I last wrote. It's amazing and we're being very blessed for it. People are sometimes angry and rude, but it doesn't matter because the Savior experienced the same thing. If He can do it so can we!! I still need your prayers though.

We have had such an amazing week. Wow. We've had so many miracles in the last 4 days I can't even count. We owe it all to the Lord. As we've been diligent, His powers from heaven have come down to aid us in His work. I've learned that this is something that every Missionary needs. And all of us are Missionaries so we all need it.

One miracle happened when we tried by a man that was taught previously by the Zone Leaders here. His name is Babs and Elder Larson and I street contacted him a long time ago when we missed our ferry back to the Isle of Man one night. Well, we tried by him and set up a return appointment with him! That was great, but what happened after that was even more amazing. We were speaking with people in the streets and we spoke with a man named James. After sharing a bit of the Gospel with him we asked if we could come to his home and teach him right then and there. Sure enough, he said yes and we were blessed with a new investigator! Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven, and I know that these blessings have come because we've made the efforts to bus contact and walk fast and speak with everyone we possibly can!

Another miracle happened with Toma's family. Last night we taught Linda in the Ward Mission Leader, Brother Brooksbank's home. The spirit was strong and it went well as we watched the Joy to the World DVD. That was good. Then we took Brother Brooksbank to teach Toma and his family. We taught about Moroni 10:3-5 and the spirit was very strong and we felt to commit them to another Baptismal date. We were a bit hesitant as they have struggled with Baptismal dates in the past, but we were committed by the area president to challenge all of our progressing investigators to a Baptismal Date. As we had the faith to do this, we learned that Toma had already set a date to be Baptised by! They were wanting to make it a surprise for us, but the spirit told us anyway because we need to know. So they are scheduled for Baptism again! And they came to Church on Sunday and are just doing great. Miracles just keep pouring in!

Also the other night we felt to stop by Linda for a quick visit and we were able to teach her niece! It was amazing. And for another lesson with Linda we planned to teach her how to donate tithing and we couldn't find a tithing slip anywhere, until I was flipping through Preach My Gospel to see what else we could teach her and a tithing slip suddenly appeared! It was such a miracle.

So it's been a week of miracles. We owe it all to the Lord. I testify to you that the Atonement works. It really does. We just simply do all that we can and trust in the Lord to make up the difference and He does. I've been doing this recently and it's brought my life to a whole different level. And the amazing thing is that there is hope for even further improvement and progression! The Book of Mormon is true. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored by God through His living prophet, as well as the knowledge of the Plan of Happiness. I love this plan, I know that it's true. I know that as we repent of our sins, relying on the Savior for our help, we will be able to one day have eternal life. I encourage all of us to do this every day of our lives. I promise that God will listen and help us with whatever trials we may be experiencing.

Well, I'll speak with you on Friday so I'll tell you more then. I love you so much. Again, I can't thank you enough for all you do for me, packages, love, support, prayers and everything. Have an amazing week and a very happy Christmas!

Love,

Elder Rowley
The Liverpool Elders! Stacey & Newsom, Rowley & Stringham

New digs!

Date: Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 4:29 AM
Subject:

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I didn't let you know that it was transfer week. Transfers is always on a Wednesday so whether or not I'm being transfered you'll hear from me on a Wednesday or Thursday every six weeks. Speaking of, Elder Cowley is now gone. He took the long and lonely journey to... the Isle of Man! I call it return of the Cowley because his ancestors were Baptised by John Taylor there. I'm so happy and excited for him. It was really like re-playing what I experienced this same time last year. He will do amazing things out there and we'll miss him here in Liverpool!

My new companion is Elder Stringham from South Jordan. He is amazing. He's so excited about the Gospel and he is a very sacred Missionary. He came on his mission about 6 months ago and he is on fire. Yesterday we were blessed to have 18 quality gospel conversations and set up 6 return appointments with people. We also taught a new investigator! I followed a prompting to try by our investigator Linda and her neice, Karen was there. We taught about prayer and she committed to pray and Linda was teaching as well and it was just amazing. Miracles are happening and will continue to happen here in Liverpool!

Oh and we've been blessed with a new flat! We no longer live with the Zone Leaders. I'll get you our new address on Monday. The place is posh though, everything is so new and we even have a dishwasher and a garbage disposal. That's weird to use the word garbage. Anyway, those appliances are really rare to have in flats over here. We're so blessed!

When Elder Cowley left I was working with our Zone Leaders, Elders Newson and Stacey for the evening. It was weird though because I went on splits with a member to teach Toma and his family. It made me really nervous at first, but the member, Brother Smith, helped me out a lot. He speaks Romanian, he went there on his mission. That's no coincidence by the way. Anyway, Toma is doing well. The family came to stake conference on Sunday and enjoyed it very much. They feel the spirit in Church but they don't understand. I don't know if they would understand everything anyway! They're doing well though and we're planning some good things for them for Christmas. Just pray that we will be able to get everything worked out for that.

Last Wednesday we had interviews and training and it was amazing. I got a couple packages there by the way, thanks so much for that! Anyway, the training taught us how to have more confidence when speaking with people and it was incredible. I learned a lot and on the bus ride home Elder Cowley and I (it was before transfers) spoke with everyone we possibly could on the bus! I've been able to do that pretty consistently now which is a great blessing because that's really difficult for me. I need your prayers so that I can remain consistent at sharing the Gospel on buses and reach the Lord's full potential for me. Miracles come to Missionaries who share the Gospel on the bus.

Oh and do you remember Carmen Whelan from Rochdale? Well, she was Baptised a couple weeks ago. Don't forget that she was found on Facebook when she met a member of the Church attending BYU and he shared the Gosple with her so she referred herself to us. Facebook is inspired and it can do a lot of good if we use it right. I encourage everyone to share the Gospel on Facebook and everywhere you get the chance! Blessings will continue to come!

I had what was probably one of the best experiences of my mission on Sunday. Of course you all remember Phil and Christine Taylor from the Isle of Man, Elder Larson and I found them and they were Baptised in August. Well, Sunday was the Liverpool stake conference, and last week I was excited all week that I might get to see them there because the Isle of Man is in the Liverpool Stake. Anyway, so they came on Sunday and it was amazing to get to speak with them, it sounds like they are doing wonderful things there on the Isle of Man. Phil is teaching in the Priesthood and Christine is fitting in with the Relief Society very well. I was also excited because I knew that Phil was going to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood after the conference and I would get to be there for that. Well, the time came for that to happen and the Stake President motioned for me to come up to participate in the ordination and then whispered that Phil had asked me to perform it! So I got to ordain Phil Taylor to the office of an Elder. It was so incredible. I felt such an amazing love for Phil and Christine as well. I have a great feeling that I'm going to be friends with them for a long long time. How often does a Missionary get the opportunity to ordain one of their golden investigators to the Melchizedek Priesthood? I feel so blessed. Thank you for all you've done for me to help me to be able to come here and do what I've done and be worthy of this incredible blessing!

The Church is true. Humility is something that we need a lot of. We cannot do things very well on our own, everything just goes so much better when we involve the Lord. That's why we have Preach My Gospel, it increases the Lord's involvement in Missionary work. I love that. I love the principle of Humility and it's blessed my life so much. I also love diligence. As I've studied it so far this week I've been able to experience the great joy and satisfaction that comes from doing all that I possibly can. The Lord really blesses the diligent and faithful. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is the iron rod that will lead us to Jesus Christ so he can take us back to our Father in Heaven's presence forever. The Gospel works. It's true. Prayer changes things, try it! President Monson is a true Prophet of God. I know that God lives and loves each one of us.

Well, I hope you have a wonderful week and keep up the amazing work. Don't be scared to write! I need to repent of not writing. I'm sorry. I'll do better. Anyway, I love you!


Love,

Elder Rowley

Teaching and tea (not real tea)

Date: Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 4:28 AM
Subject: Happy Christmas!

Hello Everyone!

The weeks are just flying by.... already it's been about a year since I was "banished" to the Isle of Man! And in just over 8 short months you'll see me again. But I'm not going to allow anyone to talk about that anymore! So stop it!

Before I forget, our thanksgiving feast last week was amazing, we were all so stuffed afterwards, and we even had a tea appointment after that! I was so sick of food that day. I'll send you some pictures.

We've had a great week with lots of miracles. Yesterday was amazing. Church was great, I think I'm finally starting to understand the Sacrament and the Atonement. But more importantly we were blessed to have 4 souls come to Sacrament meeting! Stephen Clarke came for Priesthood then had to leave, but Linda Dunn; Zuzeyo; and some newer investigators, Alice and Nigel, came as well! And the amazing part is that Alice and Nigel already know one of the ward members who was recently Baptised! It's exciting. They all really enjoyed Church and we have an exciting week ahead of us with lots of teaching and Tea appointments already set up!

After Church yesterday we were able to go with Alice and Nigel to Sam and Beryl Perrie's home (amazing members in the ward) for Tea and afterwards we watched "Joy to the World". It was great. Alice has a lot of amazing questions and the best part of the whole thing is that the conversation was about the Gospel most of the time! We're excited for them to progress.

Also yesterday we were blessed to be let into a home to teach a wonderful Czeckoslovakian family of 6! The language barrier was terrible, but they got one of the young girls to translate for us and we were able to get across what we needed to! I'm excited for them and to see them progress. The family's surname is Demeterova if you would like to pray for them.

On Saturday we had a really interesting day. We met Yoshi from Japan; Cain, a practicing athiest; and Nacho, from Spain. It was a great day though. We did a lot of finding (speaking with people in the streets) and then taught in the evening. We are so blessed to be teaching a man named Stephen Clarke, the one who came to Priesthood on Sunday. He looks similar to Dad and Grandpa Rowley to me, but my eyes are used to looking at British people. Anyway, in this lesson on Saturday Stephen said some amazing things. He's really funny. He will shake our hands in the middle of the lesson after complimenting us and he says how wonderful it would be to be in heaven with us. He even kisses the Book of Mormon! I love Stephen very much, he will be Baptised soon.

Everyone else is doing well, Toma needs our prayers right now, things are tough for him. He will get there and be Baptised, but it might take a bit of time now. That's all that matters in the end, is that he can return to God's presence. The way might be tough, but he will get there. This week we're working on bringing more members to our lessons, as you pray for this to happen I know that our investigators, and members as well, will all be blessed.

The Gospel is true. I have felt the power of the Atonement in my life as I have repented of my sins. I think that sometimes we don't rely on Christ enough, we forget the importance of His part of us getting back to Heavenly Father. I testify to you that there is no other way to get to heaven but through Jesus Christ. We need to remember Him every single day of our lives as we strive to repent. Stive means we will struggle sometimes. That doesn't matter to Him because He loves us so much He just wants all we can give plus our trust that He will make up the difference. The more we repent of our sins the happier we'll be. And the more we'll fulfull our purpose in life. God loves us so much. I testify that true and lasting happiness is only found in His presence. We can get there by repenting. So let us repent of all our sins.

Well, I love you all so much. My time is short and my heart is full. Have a great week and know that you're in my prayers. Keep up the amazing work. I couldn't do this without you. I love you!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Thanksgiving and a baptism

Date: Mon, Nov 30, 2009 at 6:40 AM
Subject: Hiya!

Hiya Everyone!

It sounds like thanksgiving was great! Ours was great, and it feels like we've had another thanksgiving this morning! We've been at the chapel for 4 hours, a member, Brother Kenny, and his son who served in France made us, all 6 Liverpool Missionaries, breakfast this morning! It was amazing, it was a proper English breakfast. Fried eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, crumpets, fried bread, and even pancakes (crepes in America). It was fantastic! And afterwards we all played floor hockey! It was a lot of fun and we're all exhausted now. We're also going to be making a proper thanksgiving dinner this afternoon, I'll get pictures and it'll be great!

On the actual thanksgiving day we had a mission sports day. It was a lot of fun, we played football, basketball, American Football, and even some volleyball! In American football President Bullock played quarterback and it was different to see him in sports clothes. I intercepted one of his passes and even got him down a couple times. We only played touch though. I can't even tell you how much fun it was. This mission is amazing and I love the people I work with. Oh and it's great to hear that BYU won, although it's no surprise!

Now on to the even better stuff. Ian Farley is now a member of the Church! His Baptism was amazing. The spirit was strong and event though not many came, those who were there were all close to Ian. Ian is a great man of faith and spirit. He always says that he cannot question the teachings of the Gospel. He's amazing, and he even taught with us a bit on Sunday night and did fantastic. I'm excited for the blessings he will get in the future. He's even got a new place to live and possibly a job lined up! The Lord is really blessing him right now. Oh and I got to play the piano and sing at the Baptism again. The Lord is using my talents.

Church yesterday was great, especially seeing and taking part in Ian's confirmation. The spirit is always strong when that happens. The only sad part is that we only had one investigator at Sacrament Meeting! It was Zuzeyo and he really enjoyed it, but this week we really need to work harder to get our investigators at Church! Please pray for each of our investigators to come to Church this week!

Toma and his family are doing well. A member of the ward is meeting with him to help him out with housing and some things and things should get better for them. We haven't been able to teach Toma with an interpreter since we all fasted together, so we're not sure about his answer to his prayers. He still needs our prayers and faith though. He is such an amazing man of great faith, he always amazes me when we go to see him.

Also this week we were able to teach 8 new investigators! I'll just tell you about a few of them for time sake. We taught a Family this week who I don't really have the surname for, but they are african and they are great. They all really enjoyed hearing about the First Vision, and they felt the spirit very well. Moses is one of the children in the family, he's about 20 and we originally set up the appointment with him. He actually stopped another Missionary and asked about the Church. They're good. We're excited to see them progress.

I was also able to have a great district meeting on the Christ-like attributes this week. I've learned a lot about myself while striving to become more like Christ. With knowledge this week I gained a lot more knowledge about myself personally, but also about how we can get more knowledge. I'd had some impressions that I'd forgotten to write down, and one night I decided to write them all down. As I wrote inspiration came and I felt amazing. I was taught spiritual knowledge by the Holy Ghost because I had the faith to write it down in a sacred place. It was as if I was hearing a General Conference talk and taking notes. It was evidence to me that the spirit is always willing to teach us, we just need to show that we will listen and act on the knowledge we gain by writing things down. Because of this I have been blessed with greater knowledge and a greater relationship with the spirit. That feeling is very real, and as I've served the Lord I've become better at recognizing the spirit. It really is vital to all we do in the work of the Lord, and it will strengthen our relatioship with Him. I know that's true because I've experienced it. The Gospel is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith was a true Prophet, he was right. I testify that God loves each of us and we are His children. Gaining this knowledge of the Spirit has changed my life for the better, and it continues to do so every single day. We are so blessed. Let's share these blessings with others.

Well, I love you all. Time is going so fast and before I know it I'll be back there in Provo with all of you. Keep up the amazing work and please pray for us to have our investigators at Sacrament meeting this week. They need to feel the spirit that's there. You are all in my prayers. Have a wonderful week!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Happy Thanksgiving!

Date: Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 4:09 AM
Subject: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!

How is everyone this week? Sounds like it's a bit cold there. We're surprisingly warm here. Maybe it's just because we're teaching so much. Liverpool is windy like the Isle of Man though, it's great. I love it here more and more everyday. Maybe I'll never leave!

Well, we've had a great week. We've been so busy. Zone Conference was on Thursday and we had a Scripture Chase! It was a lot of fun. I was in the top 10 in the whole mission. I came in 5th place in my zone conference, which had 4 zones in it. It was a lot of fun. I'm sure thankful that I went to Seminary so faithfully, otherwise there's no way I would have remembered all those scriptures! I love the scriptures.

Here's a crazy story. So Liverpool is full of pigeons. I love to see them on the streets and everywhere and everyone thinks I'm crazy for it. Well, the other day we were in town centre and there was a really low flying pigeon and I decided to reach up my hand and grab at it. I didn't catch it, but I did touch it's wings as it was flying! It felt really cool.

We were also on exchanges this week with Elders Rawlings and Gardner and it was great. Elder Rawlings and I met a woman who had recently lost someone close to her and had been praying about families being together forever! I don't think she recognized what a miracle it was that we met her, but she did give us her address and they will go and see her soon! We found a lot of prepared people and it was a lot of fun.

Church yesterday was great! Toma and his son Ioseph (Joseph with an I) and Ian and Zuzeyo all came! We're hoping for more next week, but this week was great. Toma was a bit late, but it really made my day to see him walk in and I got to go and sit by him in Elders Quorum. He is a great man.

Elder Burnett is doing well with his new companion Elder Diatel by the way. Last week they found 7 or 9 new investigators, I forgot just how many. It sounds like things in Rochdale are still going well. It's the same for Shrewsbury and the Isle of Man. The whole mission is just on fire right now!

Ian is scheduled for Baptism this weekend and is doing great. He's always so friendly and excited to learn and never questions the Gospel. Pray for everything to go well for him, especially as he is looking to move soon.

Zeke is also doing very well. He had an interview with President Bullock last week and he's experiencing the power of the Atonement. Hopefully we'll be able to give him a new Baptismal date soon. Pray for him. I love Zeke.

Toma and his family are doing pretty well, but they still struggle in some things. Not in the Gospel. Just in life. They are amazing at living the Gospel. On Wednesday we're having a fast for their family situation to improve. Miracles are on the way for them!

Linda and Stephen are both overcoming some things so pray for that to go well! We have so many amazing people here to teach, I love it!

Well, this week we've been working on virtue. I love virtue. I applied charity to it and miracles happened. As I thought about others needs more than my own and remembered that I am a son of God, my confidence increased and I was happier and less discouraged and it was amazing. Nobody's perfect in any of the attributes of Christ, but I feel that in the past few weeks I've improved. And really that's the whole purpose of our lives. To prepare to meet God by having the faith in Jesus Christ to repent of our sins and be Baptized or partake of the Sacrament to receive the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end in doing this all. I love the Gospel. I know that it's true and it's restored in all it's wonderful simplicity. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. What Elder Holland said about it is true. If we will hold to the iron rod and study in that sacred record every day then we will make it back to the presence of God and even feel His infinite love for us here in this life. I know this because I've experienced it in my own life. Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. The Plan of Salvation is real. Partaking the Sacrament is the most important part of the week. I know that prayer works and changes things. So keep up the amazing work. It's worth it to live the Gospel, even if it's hard!

Well, I love you all. Again, I can't thank you enough for all you do for me. I would never be here if it weren't for you. You're the answers to a lot of my prayers. Have a great week and keep the letters and prayers and everything coming. I love you!

Love,

Elder Rowley

There beneath the blue suburban skies

Date: Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 4:16 AM
Subject: Settling In...

Hello!

How's everyone's week been? Sounds like it's been cold... it's been almost opposite over here! It's been kind of warmer. Warmer than it should be for November at least. I think it might be some of those sea breezes we got on the Isle of Man. It sure is windy here though, that's for sure!

Well, thank you for all your prayers for my driving to go well. I am now licensed to drive in the United Kingdom!! I passed my test! It went really well and it was a lot easier than I thought, although a lot harder than the test in the states. No more bad Utah driving for me! Just kidding. It did go really well though, I felt the influence of the Spirit keeping me calm and reminding me of everything I needed to do. It took nearly the whole day though, traveling up on the train and taking the test and driving back... it was pretty crazy but a lot of fun. I love driving!

Who thinks they know how the Beatles sounded when they talked? Proper British? American? Something else? It's probably as far from normal as you can get. It's called Scouse and it's the accent that everyone here has. It's crazy. They talk really really fast most of the time, and it's just... different. I can't really describe it but I'll let you hear some of it next year or maybe even on the phone! I love it here.

Oh and by the way, our ringtone on our phone is "If You Could Hie to Kolob."

We've had a great week full of miracles and I can't even write the hundredth part of what's happened. I wish you all could be here to experience this. It's so amazing. We were able to teach 4 new investigators this week, a couple of which were taught when we were on exchanges with our zone leaders. So I don't know those two. But the other two are great. One is a young girl whos name I cannot remember because they are from Eitrea. Her mum was taught previously and this time this girl sat in on the lesson. It went really well, they are such a kind family and you will hear more of them in the future. Oh and she already has the Scouse accent after being here only 3 years!

We taught another one yesterday named Golda. We took a member with us named Brother Romero from Ecuador who served his mission in Ecuador. It turned out that Golda was from Ecuador! We were able to teach some in English and Brother Romero taught very well in Spanish and it was amazing. She is also a very kind woman who you will hear more about in the future.

Toma and his family are doing well except that they weren't able to come to Church yesterday! We missed them there. We went to go travel with them on the bus and they had to take care of some urgent business. They really need our prayers. Oh and this past week we were able to take a Romanian speaker with us to teach them and it went really well. The Lord has blessed us very much with so many amazing people to teach!

Ian Farley is doing very well, he just seems to be on a spiritual high every time we see him. He always comes out of Church feeling great and just keeps progressing towards Baptism! His Baptism will now be on the 27th of November, so pray for him to be ready for it. He will be though, I have no doubt about that.

We're also working with a man named Zuzeyo who is being kicked out of his home soon. Pray for his situation to improve or that he will learn what the Lord wants him to. He is an amazing man from Zimbabwe. He's proper gangster, but he's made a lot of changes in his life recently and continues to do so. I just love all these people so much!

The district here is doing well. The other day a couple of the Elders were street contacting and spoke with an angry atheist. The next night they were tracting and ended up on his street and without knowing it knocked on his door! They spoke with his wife first but then he came to the door. He was a bit antagonistic at first, but eventually calmed down and in the end they set up an appointment with him! I'm very impressed with the Missionaries of this district, I've got a lot of blessings all around me!

Oh and the members here are great! They are always willing to have our investigators over for tea. On Saturday we were at one family called the Bogues in which both parents served in Finland! Sister Bogue made a great meal and then for dessert we had Finnish rice pudding! Except they didn't make it with salt Dad, I was thankful for that. We got to talk about things in Finland and it was great. Plus they got on really well with Ian, who came with us for tea, and we had a great lesson afterward. It was amazing. That's just the tip of the iceberg on the members. I told you I cannot write the hundredth part!

Well, working on Charity last week went well. I love Charity. Haha. I've learned a lot and I really think and feel that Charity has been a theme of my mission. I worked harder and harder to love people for who they are and sacrifice of myself for their salvation. That's when we receive God's highest blessings. I think about the people I admire the most in life and I can see that the common theme between all of them is Charity. I believe that's because that's the most Christ-like thing we can become, which is why the Scriptures teach us that Charity is the greatest and it never fails. That's really true. It really doesn't fail. Life is just so much better when we are motivated by Charity. Charity means that we look outside ourselves and see the problems of others and make resolving those problems a bigger priority than solving our own problems. When we do this we are happier. We are more like Jesus Christ, and we are closer to God. I also think that having Charity includes knowing that Jesus Christ loves us, and trusting that His love never fails. In this way Charity is linked with hope. It's also linked with faith because as we read in Preach My Gospel, "Charity, like Faith, leads to action." True love for those around us will lead us to act in their behalf. I testify that this is true.

The Gospel has been restored. Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God. Thomas S. Monson is a true Prophet of God. Heavenly Father loves you. Yes you, reading this right now, whoever it may be. I know that. Jesus Christ knows you. He can help you as you endure to the end in having the faith to repent of your sins and partake of the Sacrament each week to receive the Holy Ghost. This will bring us true and lasting happiness in this life and ultimate happiness in the life to come. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. It's the keystone of our religion and the keystone of testimony. If we want testimony, we need to read the Book of Mormon. In it is the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (D+C 20:8-9). We will have the spirit more, want to be more obedient, and have a stronger testimony of Jesus Christ as we study in this sacred record. I testify that this is true and I know it because the Holy Ghost has witnessed to my heart that it is true and I have experienced it for myself! Prayer changes things.

Well, I love you all. I can't thank you enough for all you do. I know I say it every week, but I just can't say it enough. I couldn't do any of this if it weren't for you. You are answers to a lot of my prayers. Keep up the amazing work. Keep living the Gospel so we can all live in the Celestial Kingdom together. Life is good. I love you!

Love,

Elder Rowley

Penny Lane

Date: Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 4:33 AM
Subject: I Love Liverpool!

Hiya Everyone!

How's your week been? How's the weather? How's school and work and family and friends and everything? Tell me all!

I love it here in Liverpool. Everything here just points me towards Charity, which is the Christ-like attribute for the week. We really would be nothing without Charity. Anyway, I love the people here so much. People on the streets, the members, investigators, Missionaries, Elder Cowley, everyone! I think I owe a lot of it to the Lord number one, and Elder Cowley. He is one of the most loving people I've ever met. He's so good! He's raising my bar and I love working with him so much. I'm going to learn a lot from him in the next 6 weeks.

The city is a lot different than you'd think. It's dirty. And run-down in some areas. But that's why we have the Gospel and we take it in there and the Savior changes people who change themselves and get themselves out of the slums. That's the story of a few of the members here. They are such amazing people. Anyway, the buildings in the town aren't as big as I would have thought, but they are big. There is a massive Church of England Cathedral in town, as well as a building that looks similar to the Salt Lake Temple. But I still don't know much about town because we are hardly ever there. This city is massive. Absolutely massive. and I love it. We usually only stay in a small area because we have so many people to teach in this area. It's great. Oh and I'll be getting some pictures on Penny Lane for everyone!

The people are absolutely amazing. I love them so much. My MTC teacher, Brother Murphy, is in the ward and I had a great talk with him yesterday. The time has just flown since then. Also, there are a few Americans, one named Brother Bogue, served his mission in Finland! I had a nice talk wih him as well. I already knew some of the people here because we came here for exchanges when I was on the Isle of Man, so it wasn't too bad in Church yesterday, people were saying "I know your face from somewhere." It was great. I'll tell you more names in the future.

Our investigators are incredible. Toma is the most amazing Romanian man I've ever met. He and his family all came to Church yesterday. The other day we were there and the kids were all giving us high 5's and it was great. They have 5 or 6 kids by the way, 3 of which we can Baptize. I love those kids already, they are so happy and have so much fun. They are also a very poor family, which is just evidence that you don't have to have money to be happy. Elder Cowley and I taught Toma and his wife, Michelle in church yesterday and it was great. We sang hymns and they sang from the Romanian hymn book that previous Elders gave them and it was incredible. Toma is scheduled to be Baptized on the 28th of November and then we're hoping he can Baptize his family. Please pray for him to be ready for his Baptism! Miracles are on the way!

We're also teaching a man named Ian Farley who will be Baptized on Friday. He is great. He loves golf and physical training and football and we get on well. We've already had tea with him in members homes a couple times since I've been here and he is great friends with the members. He will do great in this ward. Pray for all to go well in preparation for his Baptism this week!

There are also a few more who I haven't been able to meet or I've only met once. I'll tell you more about them in the future. Oh wait! I almost forgot about Zuzeyo! Zuzeyo is our Zimbabwean brother. I love him. The other day he made us African food and it was fantastic. Wow it was good. Zuzeyo is great, he's made a lot of changes in his life and is also preparing for Baptism. I already love him as well. Pray for him also.

Yesterday was probably another of the best days of my mission. Toma and his family came to church and also Ian and then after Church we were able to go to a members home for Tea. On the way there we were running late and we had to catch a couple of buses and we rang our Zone Leaders (Elder Newson and Elder Stacey) who "just so happened" to be just around the corner. Well, the gave us a lift to our appointment and we had the greatest roast dinner from the Parry's. I love them already. The Gospel has changed their lives. Anyway, we had a recent convert named Wayne, Ian, and a somewhat less-active brother named Josh there, it was amazing! It went really well and after that we had a great night street contacting. We felt that we needed to try by a potential investigator that we missed an appointment with recently, and he was in and we were able to teach him! His name is Ronnie and he can use your prayers as well. There are so many people here to teach, it's crazy and I love it!

The study of hope last week was amazing. I learned that hope is synonymous to confidence and that discouragement is opposed to confidence. There was one day last week that I struggled to share the Gospel with people on buses (yep, we speak with people on the buses about the Gospel). I asked Elder Newson (one of our Zone Leaders) for some help and he gave me some advice that filled me with hope as I prayed about it. Now my hope and confidence is stronger and I plan to always speak with people on buses! The Gospel really does change people. It's changed me so much. I also grew in my Charity from this experience, which was a nice lead off into that attribute for this week. I'm excited for this one, it will be great. The Church is true. I know that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God. The Book of Mormon is true. It will help us. We need to be using it as much as we can. The Lord has so much more to give to us if we will use that sacred record more. Jesus is the Christ and is the Son of God. We cannot get anywhere good in life without Him. Through Him we can obtain every good thing, and eventually the best gift, the gift of Eternal Life in the Celestial Kingdom. That is my hope for all of you. So endure to the end in faith, repentance, the Sacrament, and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost!

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you so much and thank you so much for everything you do for me and for the people here. Blessings should just be flowing all over the place over there. I hope so. Write to me about it. I love you!

Love,

Elder Rowley