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