please keep the prayers and letter coming

Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:41:04 +0100
Subject: Re: 7/8/2010

To Shane:

Ya I'm here alright and by here I mean in Newcastle. My address is 1A Henry Street Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 1DQ. They say to send letters to the mission office (the lister hill address) just in case i have to move. I guess i'll clear up the ankle stuff right from the beginning. Well we were playing football on the very last day at the MTC and remember how i hurt my foot playing basketball like 2 months before. Well i did the same thing chasing after a ball, it felt fine and i just walked it out because they told us if anyone got hurt they would murder us and make us sit through the mtc 3 week session again. So i hid it and then felt that i should tell Sister Clegg after the temple because I was having a hard time walking. She gave me some Ibuprofen and I left to come out here. The bad news is that it is getting worse, it was black for the first few days but the bruising there went away. The only problem is that the bruising is coming at my toes and on the other side of my foot. I think I will go to the doctor today while everyone else is playing games. My companion is Elder Peter Thorup from Taylorsville, Utah and we live with the zone leaders, Elders Swain and Black. They are all really cool and its interesting to see all the numbers that come into our flat.

I've actually been real suprised that I've been homesick, in the MTC i didn't even think about home. I think that being out here and being rejected by the majority of people just brings you down and its hard to feel wanted or loved. That's why i'm so glad there are zone leaders in our flat, Elder Swain says that i can talk to him anytime i have a problem. The ward is also an amazing place to feel welcome. Although it is teenie. Our goal is to get as many investigators at church as possible so we're going to try to invite 30 people to church every day. Lets see how it goes. Newcastle is amazing though, full of students and lots and lots of people. I've never seen so many people in my life, its hard to realise (english spelling) that they are all God's children and they all need to hear the message of the Restoration. I hope that my testimony gets stronger so I have the faith that we can help everyone. President Lindley is really great too, we ate at his house with all us greenies and the Assistants and it was really great. Sister Lindley is really really nice. She made the costumes for a bunch of Church movies. President Lindley also is way into motorcycles. He showed us a picture of him with his custom chopper and he has a sword on the back, he's a real neat guy. Like I said the work could be going a lot better but there are still two people that we've scheduled for baptism. Elder Thorup invites everyone to be scheduled on the first appointment (sometimes i feel like it is a bad idea but sometimes it is really good) and we scheduled Stuart and Steve. Steve is from Nigeria and said he would come to church next week with his wife and Stuart said he would come too. We just have to have the faith that they will. I realised that faith is really the most important thing about having investigators improve. We have to believe that when they say they will do something they will do it, doubt does nothing. Well I'd better e-mail Mom and clear up this ankle mumbo-jumbo. Keep the prayers and the letters coming! I never thought I would say that on my mission but if its hard it must mean someone is trying to keep me back! Take care of the animals for me, Love you,

Elder Rowley

To Dalene:

I'm good, I told dad the story of my ankle but you probably deserve to hear it too. I hurt it playing basketball a while back and when we were playing football I landed wrong and hurt it again. I didn't think it was a major problem and was afraid that Bishop Pattendon would murder me if i was really hurt so i didn't tell anyone. But after we went to the temple i decided it would probably be best to tell Sister Clegg so I did and she gave me some drugs and ice. It has been getting better and better since then until this morning. The brusing had just about gone away but this morning the bruising was getting worse around my toes and on the inside of my foot. I will probably go to a doctor today. If it is broken then i probably won't be sent home, i might just have to work in the office for a while. My companion is Elder Peter Thorup from Taylorsville, Utah and we get along for the most part. We live with the Zone Leaders Elder Swain and Elder Black. I sent dad the mailing address so he will look it up on Google earth so you can see our flat. Its pretty cool, its on top of a sandwich shop and our front porch is a roof. Even though that is my address they say to still send post to the mission office just incase i get transfered or have to work in the office for a while. Luke doesn't really talk with a British accent he speaks more south than north anyways. He has the rythmn of the natives but he says all his t's and stuff. He also talks really quiet. It was good to see him though and work with him too. They even got to eat with us at the MTC, we had fish and chips. The mission president is amazing and his wife is really nice and spritual. We ate sloppy joes at their house with the greenies and the Assistants to the President and then had a testimony meeting. It was really good. The people are pretty much anything and everything mixed together. There isn't really a typical person in Newcastle. Everyone looks different, talks different, or dresses different. It may just be because there is a university here but it is really diverse. The accent isn't really that hard to pic up on except with little kids it is kinda hard to understand but we don't talk to many anyways. We did help at a primary school carnival on saturday though. We helped a member named Sonia and her 4 kids, Les (oldeset son), Jade (oldest daughter), Jason, and Adeena. They were all really funny and came to church with us too. Thanks about the picture stuff I haven't really cracked out my camera since I got to newcastle but i took some pictures at the MTC. Independance Day at the MTC was really great, it was fast sunday so the chef (Luca) decided to make an American Barbeque along with what he'd already made. I ate soo much. Our table of four had probably 12 plates on it and we were really sleepy for the rest of the day. Well thanks for all the prayers and the mail, i feel like i need them both which is weird for me so keep 'em coming. Take care of everything back home for me cause two years will go fast and i expect everything to be the exact same as when i left it. Look out for the cats for me and let me know if anything happens. Thank you so much mom, I love you.

Elder Rowley