Baptism!

Mum,

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes. We've got some funny plans for this p-day. We're gonna go drive around in the countryside and have a good time. It's Elder Shumway's last p-day so that's what he wanted to do! I've got to keep this a little short because of all the stuff we gotta do as well. The baptism went amazing. I sent you a picture. It was the most powerful thing ever! The confirmation was really great as well and President and Sister Lindley came over for it and they also spoke in church. It was amazing. The family is just perfect and we are really excited to be able to take him teaching and go on all sorts of adventures with the family. I'm stoked! So with the transfers I'm getting a new companion. His name is Elder McKay from Scotland. He's really great and I've served around him a little before so its really gonna be a great adventure for the next couple of weeks. Well mum. Thanks for everything you do. I'm sorry this is so short but I love you so much. Send Grandma Rowley and Grandma Janet my love. Take care!
Elder Rowley

Dad,

The baptisms went really really well. Everything went through perfectly and the confirmations went great as well. I don't have too much time to write because we're rushing all over the place for Elder Shumway's last p-day. He wanted to go into the countryside and see what kind of trouble we could get into so we'll see. (He's just kidding about the trouble part.) We're going with Elder Smith as well, I don't know if you remember but I served with him right after Elder Stevenson went home in Leeds. He's gotten to be a really good friend and we've got some plans to go hunting and all sorts of stuff one day. Elder Smith goes home this week as well. You should try and get over to his homecoming. He's the one that is in the same stake or ward as the Pine's son. I think it was Gary or something. He's great though. So ya things are going amazing. Lee and Cole should be getting the priesthood this week and from then on its gonna be some great adventures bringing all his friends into the church. Lee said he wants to go knocking with us and he knows everyone so we're going to get in everyone's house. I'm excited. My new companion will be Elder McKay from Scotland. You remember that ginger headed Scot that served in our ward who had a friend in this mission? That's him. So it's gonna be a big and exciting adventure for the next couple of weeks. Thanks for everything Dad. It is good to hear from you and to hear that everyone back home is doing good. Take care of things for me while I'm gone. Love you! Elder Rowley ps-Elder Weitzel said he sent me that letter but I haven't got it yet and I don't think that the one you sent last week about the river turned up either. Oh well, it will all work out. I'll figure it out. Love you!

The Wedding!

Dad, I wish you could have been here for the wedding. It was amazing. Honestly it was the best day of my mission and probably one of the best days of my life. There were so many struggles and so much opposition but it worked out. I told mum about all the brides maids and best men and flower girls that they went through to finally get it to work in the end but as usual it did all work out in the end. I still cant' believe we went to a wedding and that the weddind wouldn't have happened if we hadn't bee here! Its pretty amazing. So I'll be sure to send you and everyone a lot of pictures from it because it was amazing.

 The reception was pretty amazing as well, partly because it was in a pub! Who would of thought we would spend out most of Saturday in a pub with loads of drunks and our favourite family in Hartlepool. It was really well attended as well and we got a bunch of return appointments out of it and all things are looking up from here on out. I'm really excited. They are planning on getting married in the temple as well. It was great because we have only taught them about it once. It was kind of funny because of the opposition they are still getting. So they live in a really rough area so they opposition they are getting involves that. Most of the time in comes in people trying to get in fights with them. Lee is a really good fighter and Kate is as good as he is! So the other day someone tried to pick a fight with Kate and she kept saying, "oh it made me so mad, I just wanted to hit her!" Then Lee goes, "Kate, do you want to go the temple? We can't if we do stuff like that." They are amazing, they just get it Dad. They just get it. I want you to meet them someday because they are amazing. Dad, they are amazing and really what this branch needed. I'm just so humbled to be a part of such a great family's conversion and their lives.

 Well I think that is about it for me. Sounds like there is a lot going on at home right now and it seems like its one of those trials about finishing a mission. I know that things will work out but I'll keep praying for everyone. I'm still thinking about the river but Jon thankfully had the same attitude about it as I did so we'll just have to see what happens. Thanks Dad, I love you so much! Take care and have a good week!
Elder Rowley

Mom,

The wedding was amazing! This week was ridiculous and we spent so much time doing so much crap organising it and everything it was such a pain! So on Monday-Wednesday I was on an exchange in Billingham, then on Thursday we had a meeting we had to go to. Oh Thursday we had the wedding rehearsal and then on Friday we had all of their baptismal interviews. And of course Saturday was the big day. It was super exciting and everything went really well on Saturday but not really on any other day! Haha. So the rehearsal went fine and they all passed their baptismal interviews so there are two more things that went well. You have go to hear the opposition on this one though! So for the wedding we had everything organised with brides maids and best man and flower girls and all sorts but then it all went south. On Monday the maid of honour, girl who was meant to sing in the wedding, and one of the flower girls backed out. That was no big problem, we just had Kate chose someone else to fill in the places and there is a missionary who is a really good singer who came to sing for us. Then on like Wednesday it turns out that the new maid of honour got arrested and sent to prison! Then on the same day the best man had a heart attack and was in the hospital having surgery. And to top it all off on the big day itself the woman that was meant to do Kate's hair had a kidney infection and was rushed to the hospital. So with all those things going wrong we knew it was meant to be an amazing wedding. We were with them on Friday before their interviews and all of us knelt down to pray and just got in a fit of laughter at how many things had gone wrong. I love this family so much. Lee and Kate have adopted us as sons and we could spend all day everyday over there. It was amazing. The wedding on Saturday went fantastic but I had to take care of some noisy kids so had to nip out for the actual service, no bother though, I saw the rehearsal and it was pretty much the same thing. I'll send you loads of pictures though, it was amazing.

The funniest part was the reception. It was at a pub but we had to go to make sure that nobody we were teaching was drinking anything. We spent like 5 hours there and can I just tell you it was like the funniest thing I have ever seen. It was probably the best day of my mission and one of the best days of my life to be honest. I can't believe it actually happened. Me and Elder Shumway were looking at each other at the end of the ridiculously long day and we both couldn't believe we'd spent all day at a wedding that wouldn't have happened if we hadn't been there. It was a pretty humbling experience. So pretty much things have been amazing.

This week is the baptism and we couldn't be more excited. As fun and great the wedding was I know that their baptism is gonna be even better, I can't wait. More pictures will definitely follow. So that was pretty much our week. I'm really sad to hear about some of the news from back home, especially Grandma Janet. I know she'll be okay and it will be good to be with her and Grandma Rowley. Today we'll have kind of a busy day but I'll be sure to try and find some time to write Spencer a letter. Thanks for everything mum, I love you so much. Take care! Let me know if there is anything that I can do for you. Love you!

Elder Rowley

Robbed

Mum,
       First off, Elder Shumway says, "Thanks".  Secondly, I didn't
get anything stolen.  It was the car that got broken into, not our
flat.  We had gone down to Middlesbrough to give a baptismal interview
and when we got out to the car we realised that the someone had gotten
in and stolen some things.  We're not sure if they broke in or if we had accidentally left the
doors unlocked.  The things that were stolen were a GPS belonging to a
sister in the zone which we are replacing for her, and Elder Shumway's
wallet and camera with all his pictures from his whole mission!  I had
all my stuff on me and I always carry both my camera and wallet in my
pocket.  So that's all what happened but things are already turning
out for the better.  After we cancelled all the cards and such we had
to run to some appointments.  When we started talking with our
investigators it turns out that all of their government support has
been stopped for like 2 weeks.  So all the families were stuck with no
money for their kids and such.  Things are being worked out but then
as we drove away me and Elder Shumway were talking about how it kind
of seemed like it was meant to happen.  I always double check that I
have locked the car and in appointment even I'll go make sure it is
locked.  We had split up for the interview and for some reason I had
given Elder Shumway the keys when I got out of the car.  That never
happens!  So maybe it was the Lord's hand somehow, we'll see. As far
as all the pictures go we realised that every single one of Elder
Shumway's companions is still in England so we called all of them and
they are going to put all their pictures on cd's for him.  Also our
family we are teaching used to live in Middlesbrough and he said that
he can find out if the stuff has been sold to any of his friends.
It's been kind of interesting that way.  Plus spending all day at the
police station the last couple of days it has been a pretty eventful
week for us!  Haha.  But things are really fine.  We just wondered how
much money was on my card so in case anything happens I don't take too
much out or something, it should be fine though.  So ya that was
pretty much what happened.  The family
all came to church and they loved it at usual.  Lee and Kate came to
tea with us and they had a good time, I love them so much.  They are
getting married this weekend!!!!!  I'm so excited and things are
really coming together, I love it!  So these next two weeks should be
pretty exciting!  Thanks for everything mum, I love you so much!  Have
a good week!
Elder Rowley

Monkey Hangers

Mum,

Yes, everything worked out well and things are going on track for their marriage and baptism. It is such a pain planning a wedding though, I don't want to ever have to do it again! So they are doing amazing. They all came to church on Sunday and it was so funny to see everyone's reactions to them. They get it Mom, they just get it. Every answer they gave in church was perfect and the Spirit has just taken over in their lives. Last week we taught them about the temple and the spirit was there stronger than anything I've ever felt outside of the temple itself! They are ready. It is so really humbling. So pretty much they are perfect and we are so excited for them.

There was just one more thing that I wanted to mention in this e-mail and then I've got to get going. I got your letter from Karolyn on Saturday. It was probably the best letter I have ever received on my mission. Did you read it before you sent it or know what it said at all? It was amazing and I've been reading it pretty much every day. What a testimony of following promptings and just of little small and simple means! I've had a grin on my face since Saturday because of that letter.

And Kenzie is going to San Diego, same as Jeff?! That's gonna be so fun and epic. She said she was excited that she'll be able to see me as well because she doesn't leave until the 20th of June. I'm excited. Well I think that is it for me mum, thanks for everything. I love you so much! Have a good week and I'll talk to you later!
Elder Rowley

Dad,

Sounds like all the sports and stuff are doing really good back home. I'm so excited for Lindsay and Softball, those are some pretty good pictures as well! That just makes me smile. I figured I'd answer some of your questions first and then tell you a little bit about our week. So first the Monkey pictures. In Hartlepool every is called Monkey Hangers, that's like the Geordies in Newcastle and the Makems in Sunderland. The reason is because of an old story they tell here. So during some war with France a long long time ago an old French ship washed up on the shores of Hartlepool. So as the stories go the backwater folk of Hartlepool went to investigate the matter and found no passengers aboard the ship but a monkey. The Hartlepool people had never seen a Frenchmen before and figured the monkey was a spy for France. So they tried it in court and hung it in the town square. So now everyone is Hartlepool is called Monkey Hangers. I love it so much.

So the picture you sent is of our flat but its not the main building but the one on the left. It looks really nice but it is kind of a dump on the inside. Oh well, I'm not really bothered. Last week things went really well, we got our investigator to court and it should be all good for baptism. Our mission president is coming to interview him on Wednesday after interviews with us so that should be exciting.

We had loads of driving and I got to go back to Leeds for a meeting. It was really fun because of all the people who were at the meeting. It's called Zone Leader Council and there are only about 16 of us that go and it was full of people I've known for a really long time on my mission. It was great to be able to council together about the mission and talk about all the plans that are in store to make things improve. I am amazed at how much trust President Lindley puts in us as leaders. When something comes up he lets us deal with it and its really fun and exciting. This week I also had an experience that has never happened to me before. I met someone from Finland! She wasn't interested but it was neat to talk to her about Finland. I asked her where she was from and I couldn't remember what it was but I told her that you lived in Pori but she said that was on the other side of the country. It was just neat to finally meet a Fin in England! So things are going really really well. We are having a wedding for Lee and Kate on the 21st of this month and then they are getting baptised with their 12 year old son on the 28th, its gonna be pretty exciting! So that was pretty much our week. I love it so much here, its amazing! Thanks for everything Dad, I love you so much. Take care and have a good week! Elder Rowley ps-I talked to Elder Weitzel in Leeds 1 and he said that he forwarded the letter to our flat here in Hartlepool so I should get it today or something.

Conference was amazing!

Dad,
So here are some pictures like I promised. I'm glad you had a good birthday and that
things are going well. I love it here and it is the happiest I've
ever been on my mission. I'll send a lot more pictures next week as
well to apologize for such a short letter. Conference was amazing
wasn't it!? And an iPad, that will be a great adventure. Thanks for
putting me in for the draw, that will be really exciting. Well Dad
we're gonna have to run. I'll try and get back to the computer to
send you a more proper e-mail but this is an emergency! Love you!

Mum,
Conference was amazing wasn't it. I loved every minute of it.
Especially because we watched almost all of it with our
family that is getting married and baptised at the end of the month.
They are so amazing and so converted. It amazed me at how much the
spirit could help them understand about conference and all the things
they learned. They are converted! It's
gonna be epic! Well I'm trying to thing about some other interesting
things that happened this week. We've been driving all over the place
as usual. It's kind of hard to get used to because we have to be in
the car so much and running errands and taking care of people here and
there and everywhere but I love it. I really do. This e-mail is
really really short but I don't really know what else to say, things
were just really really good this week. I love it! Thanks for
everything Mom I love you so much! Take care!
Elder Rowley

The happiest I have ever been

Mum,
I'm glad to hear about the stuff with Grandma Jacobs going
well, though it must have been pretty interesting and all. Oh, where
do I start with Hartlepool. I feel like I could talk about it and
especially our people all day long. Oh well let's try for a start. So
my companion is Elder John Shumway from St. George Utah and he loves
to hunt. He goes home in 6 weeks and is such a great friend and
example. I love serving and teaching with him, it is a blast. We
have a car and are over 7 teams in the Billingham stake. I got to go
to a stake coordination meeting yesterday which was an interesting
experience that I enjoyed. Let me tell you about the area.
Hartlepool is a branch of the church that is quite small. There is a
senior couple here and he is the branch president but President
Lindley said that they aren't sending any more senior couples here to
be branch presidents so we have to find and baptise the new branch
president. This gets me in to the people we are teaching. I could
talk about them all day, I love them so much! So there is a pretty
ghetto area here in Hartlepool and a couple of transfers ago they
found and started teaching kind of the ring leader of it all. They are converted!
Everytime we go over there I feel like I am at home. They are so
loving and amazing and hilarious and just perfect. They are getting
married in April and then baptised a week later. He is the new branch
president. Because he is the ring leader of everything in Hartlepool
he has given us so many people to teach. It is such an amazing
experience to teach him and his friends because they have all been through so much in their lives. But when you look in
their eyes and teach them the gospel their humble and broken hearts
melt. I love teaching them so much! We have so many of them and I
could talk about them all day long. It is like every relationship we
have with every investigator is such a sacred feeling. I love it so
much. We always tell each other, "I wish my whole mission could feel
this way." It is the happiest I have ever been and I love it! Its
funny because I'm always at a loss for words with these people. When
they pray, when they keep commitments, when they accept baptism I am
just amazed and stand in wonder and awe. It's great. So that's pretty
much Hartlepool in a nutshell. I love it here. Well mum that's about
it for me. Thanks for everything. I've sorted almost everything with
BYU and such and it should be fine. I got to visit my African friends
before I left Leeds and I told one of them to add you on Facebook, I
don't know if she has yet. Her name is Ilsy D'alva or something like
that. Love you mum, take care!
Elder Rowley
ps- I gave Dad, my address and such but if you send it to the mission
office I'll be there in 2 weeks so you can decided. Take care!


Dad,
I don't know where to start this week. Things are super epic
here. My companion is John Shumway from St. George, Utah and he loves
to hunt. Elder RS. Smith my old companion is in the zone and all
three of us just talking about hunting and shooting and fishing and
everything all day long. He is such a great example and I love
serving with him. The area we live in is really close to the sea, I
can see it from my flat and it has been a great adventure so far. Let
me tell you about the people we are teaching. So in England you get
these pockets of really rough and poor places where there are a lot of
drug problems and things. The people in these areas are all really
struggling with loads of things and most of the time they are not
receptive to missionaries at all. But we are teaching them here!
There is a man and his fiance and they are the
centre of everything here. He has a rough life and is kind of
like the ring leader of all of Hartlepool, everyone we see knows him.
But they are converted, that is all I can say. I feel like
they are family. It's so amazing because of them we are teaching loads
and loads of people. They are getting married in April
and baptised a week later. I am just at a lost for words at how
amazing these people are. I feel like everyone we teach is one of the
Rowley clan. I love it here. It's amazing. Yesterday was like the
best day ever at church. Hartlepool is just a tiny little branch and
there is a senior couple here and he is the branch president. We had
some people there and one of our investigators bore her testimony at
church. Its amazing. Me and Elder Shumway just look at each other all
day and say, "I've never been this happy in my whole life." So
pretty much things here are amazing and I love it. It feels like I've
been here for like a month and a half already and I hope it stays that
way. I'll be sure to give you a picture or two next week. Dont'
worry about the BYU stuff, I've got most of it figured out. I was sad
but also happy to hear about Grandma Jacobs. I knew she was ready to
go. Well Dad, that's about it for me. I love you so much. Take
care!
Elder Rowley
ps-Did you by any chance sign me up for the draw this year for the
deer hunt? Its no problem if you didn't.

Another great adventure

Dad,
Well Saint Patrick's day was kind of funny here. We live by a
long line of pubs so almost every night we see loads of drunkards. On
weekends they dress in really funny clothes and run the whole length
of the road going from pub to pub to pub. They call it the Otley Run.
So that was my Saint Patrick's Day. But I didn't have much time to
write as usual unfortunately. I'm having to figure out courses for
school and such. But it was transfers this week! I was really
surprised the hear that I'm leaving Leeds 1! Only six weeks here, I
can't believe it. It was neat though because when I got here I had
the feeling that I would be leaving after one transfer. It's funny how
the Spirit warns you of that kind of stuff so you can prepare. I also
totally guessed what is happening to Elder Weitzel as well. He's
gonna be the District Leader here and is also gonna train a new
missionary! It's super exciting. There were loads of trainers in this
group and 6 of them have been in my district! I'm so proud of all of
them. Elder Thimmesch is training as well so I'm getting a grandson
as they say on the mission! So things are going really well. I'm
excited for this next transfer. I'll be moving to Hartlepool in the
Billingham Zone. I'll be serving with Elder Shumway from St. George I
think. He trained Elder Woodbury one of my old companions. He goes
home in 6 weeks so that will be another great adventure. And get
this, we are gonna have a car finally! I'm pretty excited to see what
missionary work is like with a car. So things should be good. Sorry
this e-mail is so short again dad. Thanks for everything, I think and
talk of you often. I'll talk to you next week. Love you!
Elder Rowley

Mum,
We had some really neat experiences with languages this week!
Yesterday we taught a Romanian family that came to church on Sunday.
They loved it and are pretty epic. It's funny because the wife speaks
no English, the husband speaks a little English, and the friend only
speaks Romanian and German. Haha. So the lesson was in English,
German, and Romanian. It was pretty fun. We also taught in
Portuguese this week as usual and French which is always exciting. I
love it here. But unfortunately my time was short here and I'm being
transfered! Who knew I would have a 6 week area! I'm moving up North
to Hartlepool in the Billingham Zone. I've never served around there
but I've got some good friends there. It's funny because Elder Weitzel
will be taking over the District and training a new missionary at the
same time. He's only been out six months. I expect great things for
him and kind of knew this was going to happen. So we'll have to see
how it all plays out but I'm excited. The missionary I trained is
training as well so as they call it I'm getting a grandson in the
mission! It was a pretty exciting transfer all in all. I feel like
there was a lot that happened this week but I don't have too much time
to write it. The mission president is fine with me looking at classes
and such during p-day. I'm looking at a lot of courses and have
talked with some people who went to BYU so I have a pretty good idea
about what I'm gonna do. I'll suprise you with it when the time
comes. But that is enough about that. Thanks for everything mom I
love you so much! Take care and have a good week!
Elder Rowley

And I thought I was going somewhere where I could only teach in English

Mum,
Wow there is a lot in that e-mail you sent! I am still
tripping out at the pictures of Sam and Kyle at all the temples. That
must be really really exciting, I'm glad she's enjoyed her visit. And
the softball tournament in St. George must have been a blast as well.
I'm glad to hear that Lindsay did a good job. I showed Elder Rosen
the pictures and asked him if he recognised it, he laughed. Did you
know his family is moving to Provo by next year. That'll be pretty
interesting. I'm so excited for Kenzie! That'll be really good for
her. The great thing is that she could go pretty much anywhere,
Spanish speaking, ASL or who knows what. Oh I have a neat story that
you should pass on to her this week if possible. So I got a letter
from her awhile ago and she said that I should try and learn some
British Sign Language which is completly different from American Sign
Language. So last time in Leeds I learned the alphabet from a member
who is from Bradford where there is a semi-large deaf community. Then
in North Shields if you remember we used to teach a girl and we also
taught her sign language with a member. From the member I learned all
sorts of usefull missionary sign language. So last week I was sitting
on a bus looking at a map and found excuse to move seats and talk to
someone. I looked over and asked him which stop I needed to get off
at to get to a specific street. He pointed to his ears and mouthed,
"I'm deaf." Haha. It was neat when I started signing to him my name
and such! He looked at me suprised and signed, "How do you know sign
language?" So I explained (or attempted to explain) that I was a
missionary and such. He said he knew the church and had some deaf
friends from Bradford who were members and he's met with them a couple
of times and has even been to church. It was neat that the only signs
I knew were things I could ask him about the church and the Gospel.
It was a pretty neat experience and just funny how the Lord uses skill
and such that I thought wouldn't have done me much good. Funny story
huh? So try and get a hold of Kenz and tell her about it, I still
smile just thinking about it! So ya as usual we had some great
experiences this week and it was a great testimony that the work is
true. I love it here and things are picking up more and more and
more. I just hope we get some baptisms soon! We met a Portuguese
woman last week and we were able to teach her with a member who
actually spoke Portuguese which is always a blast. We also had
appointments in French and Romanian. Come to think of it we taught
few lessons in English. Funny how things work! And I thought I was
going somewhere where I could only teach in English. Things are great
and I love it. Thanks for everything mum, I'll talk to you next week!
Love you.
Elder Rowley

Willing to sacrifice

Dad,
Well this week has been really good but its gone by really fast again.
I hope this doesn't stay forever, I need things to slow down a little
bit. But it was good. I told mum about the mission tour we had with
Elder Texiera from the first quorum of the seventy and the area
presidency. It was quite the experience. I've taken so much for
granted being in the church my whole life, so many amazing
opportunities. I love the church so much! But anyways. After that
we went to work and I really learned a lot this week from my companion
Elder Weitzel. He's so young on his mission but his is really good.
He teaches me lessons in diligence and in following the Spirit and
everything. I'm always worried when I see new missionaries because I
wonder what kind of hands we'll be leaving the work with but then I
realise that they are so much better than I ever was. I think that's
kind of how the church works isn't it, we help the next generation to
fulfill its task of taking forward the church. I love it! But ya so
we had some neat experiences this week, let me just think of one or
two that I could share.... So I told Luke about this one. So we are
teaching a massive Romanian family of seven and they are doing
alright. Pretty much every time we plan for them we say that we need
to drop them but every time we sit down in that house the Spirit tells
us not to. Its kind of neat. So we went yesterday and found out that
they have read 200 pages in the Book of Mormon. We hadn't been able
to see them that week but they had remembered the appointment we'd
made and get this, they invited themselves to church on Sunday! So
we've got to find a way to get them there but its gonna be good. The
other thing I learned there was a pretty powerful life lesson. So
there is like a law or something here and the Romanians aren't able to
get jobs, so what they do is play the accordian in the streets. On
weekends they make paper roses and sell them to people at the clubs.
They make like no money but they have very little. I have always
wondered why they would do this. They
move around a lot and do this pretty much everywhere they go. But
they are staying in Leeds and it was really powerful when they told us
why. The mum pointed to her 11 year old son and said, "I do it for
him." "He can go to school and go to university and have a good life,
I know I will never get a job in England but it is enough for me to
know that someday my son will have a job." It was so touching to see
how much they were willing to sacrifice for their family in the
future. I think about our ancestors and everything they did for us.
It was just a powerful thing to learn. So that was the epic story of
the week. That'll be all from me, I'm gonna go take a nap or
something. Thanks for everything dad, I love you so much. Take care!
Elder Rowley


Mum,
That is so cool to see Sam in Utah and in front of the
temple. That's epic! Tell her I say hello! I was thinking about her
this week and I thought it would be a great adventure for her to be in
Utah, tell her to enjoy it and maybe we can plan another trip sometime
in a couple of years! Well this week was really good but really short
as usual it seems. We had a neat experience in meeting with a general
authority on Wednesday. We got to meet with Elder Texiera from the
first quorum of the seventy, he's also on the area presidency for
western Europe. He's from Portugal too which was fun. He told us
loads of really amazing stories and I learned a lot. He talked about
referrals and how we need to be much better and seeking referrals. He
joined the church when he was 17 and it was because his uncle joined.
In fact his uncle had 6 brothers and sisters and all of them joined
the church in Portugal. It was just a fantastic meeting and I loved
it! The work this week was really good as well. We struggled to get
appointments with our investigators but we were blessed to find some
new people. We had a neat experience I'll tell you about. So we had
a day where every appointment canceled on us. It totally sucked and
we didn't know what to do. All of our back up plans fell through as
well which was just a pain. So we prayed about it and decided to try
and see a potential that lived by the institute building near town.
We got on the street and started walking up it when Elder Weitzel
says, "Hey, we should knock on that door" I was frustrated and notice
that sometimes I try and force spiritual promptings when I don't know
what to do so I asked him, "Is this really a prompting or are you just
upset about the night" He looked at me and said, "Now you're making
me all confused" So I looked at him and it was like the Spirit said,
"Duh, it's a prompting, go for it!" So we knocked on the door and a
man from France opened up and said, come on in! He's really good and
it was the person the Lord wanted us to see that night. Miracle
miracle miracle. It seems like there is a never ending supply of
miracles on a mission, I love it. There were some great other things
that happened this week but I think I'll just leave it at that for
now. Its been a great week and we'll be looking forward for another
great one. Well mum, I love you so much.
Thanks for everything! Talk to you next week!
Elder Rowley

Hearing the gospel in their own tonuge

Mum,
Ya I totally got a package from that family you know that
lives in England, the American one, Harris or something? It was full of American cereal and
stuff. The flat really loved it and we tore into it. Things are
going really really well here and its been a good week. I'll let you
know about all that later though. That's so exciting about Sam.
I'm sure she is going to love it. It sounds like you have some really
good plans for her and everything. I think that all sounds good. I think all in all she will
enjoy it a lot though. And I'm so excited that you will be learning
Spanish. I think I'll pick it up sometimes soon. So that was the
business stuff I had to cover now I can let you in on how our week
was. This week seemed to fly by and things were really really good.
We had a metting on Tuesday for all the leaders in the mission and it
was here in Leeds as they usually are. It was really really powerful
and President LIndley asked some of the leaders to give presentations
on certain aspects of being a leader. It was really really neat
because all the people that he asked to speak were people who had been
my leaders in the past. I felt the Spirit really strong as I thought
about how much they had influenced my mission and the rest of my life
because of the way that they taught me and helped me progress, that
was the general feeling that we got from the meeting. Then the day
after I had to give a district meeting and it changed the way I look
at it a little bit. I've always tried to be an influence on the
people I'm serving but it really helped me see that it can make a
really big difference in people's lives. I know it has changed mine.
So that was good and after that I actually got to work with my
companion for a full day. For a missionary who is so young he really
knows what he is doing and I love working with him, he's great. He
took care of the week even though I wasn't really there for most of
it. The day after that I went on exchange with a Swedish missionary
named Elder Rosen. I wanted you to look up where Talisa is because I
know that his ward is a sister's ward and that if she was there they
would know her. The branch that he's from is called GAVLE so have a
look and see what you can find. His family is actually moving to
pretty soon which will be neat. It was so much fun to be on exchange
with him because he speaks Chinese and I finally learned some Chinese!
He taught me how to say, "I have a friend who speaks Chinese!" I
know its just the beginning though and I hope to be able to do a whole
approach in Chinese by the end of being here. It's funny how much of a
difference it makes for people, we found loads of people who were
interested and all because we could speak a little Chinese! HAha. I
had a spiritual experience that I wanted to share this week that had
to do with languages. It was fun that we had so many different
language opportunities this week. We taught a Romanian family who
didn't speak any english, we taught a couple lessons in Chinese, we
taught someone completly in French, and Elder Wietzel met someone who
spoke German and talked to them for about 10 minutes. It was really
neat to see that in most of those cases I couldn't really say much in
their language but I could understand most of what was being said.
That was an amazing miracle I realised this week and a spiritual gift
I feel I've been blessed with. It was neat. Well that was about all
that I had to report on this week. Thanks so much for everything mum,
love you loads. Tell Sam I say hello! Love you
Elder Rowley

Dad,
I'll answer your questions first. Yes, I can use a DVD player
to hear those talks and its not against the rules either so that
should be fine. I can't believe that Caitlyn is getting married. I
hope things work out with the truck and with Grandma and Grandpa
Rowley. IT seems like it never ends with the Rowley family! I don't
think there is anything else I needed to report on. But this week has
been a really good one but a really fast one as usual. P-Day was
funny because we spent some time with the zone leaders and ended up
and Sister Lindley's for lunch. She is so sweet and it was great to
be in a home so full of the Spirit! But then in the blink of an eye
p-day was over. Then on Tuesday we had Leadership Training. It was a
meeting designed to help the leaders of the mission to learn from each
other and get some discussions going around. We recieved some
instruction from a couple of different leaders and they had all been
my leader at some point or another. We talked about how much of a
sacred trust it is to be a leader and how much of an effect we can
have on those we lead. I can honestly say that it has changed my
entire life, the leaders I've had on my mission. It was really good.
Then on Wednesday I was on the other side of the meeting and gave a
district meeting. It is something I really enjoy now because of how
much revelation you can recieve for a group of people, it was really
fun to choose a topic and then realise that it was an answer to
someone's prayer or question. Its fun. Then I finally got to work
with Elder Weitzel for a day but then the day after went on exchange
with Elder Rosen from Sweden (his family is actually moving to Utah
pretty soon which will be neat). He speaks Chinese really well and we
got to teach and talk to a bunch of people in Chinese. I'm starting
to be able to understand Chinese now which is neat! I couldn't get
all of it but I could understand most of what they were saying.
Pretty crazy. But then I blinked and the week was over. We were
blessed with 4 people at church again which was really good and all in
all it was a great week. I love it in this ward, it is a blast and
hard and crazy and really fun. I just hope we get some baptisms soon.
Well Dad, that's it for me. Thanks for everything. I'll talk to you
next week. Love you!
Elder Rowley

Great miracles

Dad,
Elder Weitzel's English is perfect. He studied in Leeds like 2
years ago anyways! Also, guess #1 was right on Google Earth. The
flat is finished now and there are 6 flats in it and we live in number
6. So its the middle one in that picture you sent. But I promise it
looks nicer than the picture. I'm glad that Jeff's talk was good and
that he is doing well. Sounds like everyone is getting adjusted to
being home and stuff. They'll all be into school pretty soon.
Suckers!!! Haha. Well this week has been really amazing. Me and
Elder Weitzel work really well together and both want to see some
great miracles. The Lord has been sending us some great ones as well.
I don't have too much time so I'll share a few with you. So we are
in a university area so we talk to a lot of younger people and a lot
of girls as well. Its always a little bit awkward and I'm not super
comfortable doing it but its makes it easier that I'm just a
messenger. So I was talking to this girl last week and she said that
she was a little interested but she didn't really know much about God
and she was not really convinced that she should let us come over. It
was weird because even though she was saying no she kept talking to
me. Eventually she said that we could come by and see her but as I
was writing down her information she seemed kind of nervous. She
said, "I shouldn't really be doing this, why am I doing this?" And
then I looked at her and said something I've never said before. I
looked her dead in the eye and said, "So why are you doing it?" That
could have gone really bad but I felt the Spirit really strong and she
said that her life is kind of breaking down right now and that she
feels maybe this could help her. I testified to her and her eyese
started watering. It was really powerful. She canceled the
appointment but said we could come back at a different time. It was
exciting. I'm about to get kicked off the computer but I'll log back
on and try and write another quick letter.
Mum,
I'm at a loss for words, Hannah is coming to England?!?! Is
she going to the London South Mission? Do you think she'll be doing
special work there with giving tours to visiters? She speaks Arabic
so maybe that has something to do with it. That's incredible. I can't
believe it! This week has been really really good here. Elder
Weitzel is a blast and speaks perfect English which just makes things
even funner! We've been saying funny stuff in German all week as
well. Things are picking up in the area as well and we saw some great
miracles. We are teaching a woman from Western African (Guinee) and
she speaks French. With all the diversity in the ward we were still
struggling to find someone who would be able to come with us to teach
her in French but then a miracle happened. We sat down with her at
church on Sunday and this African family sat in front of us. After
the meeting I introduced myself to them and asked where they were from
praying they would be from French speaking western Africa (which was
pretty likely), sure enough they said they were from Congo and then
you should have seen our investigator's eyes light up! They started
speaking in French and the family said that this was the perfect and
best church and that she should join. They asked where she lived and
it turns out that they live right next to her! They offered the get
her phone number and we are gonna start teaching her over there in
French!!!! It was so exciting, it was neat too because they said it
all in French and I understood it! Haha! Funny things funny things.
We also had a zone conference and it was given by the MTC President's
in Preston, President and Sister Walker. Sister Walker is the daughter
of President Hinckley! It was really good and uplifting, I loved it!
Oh and I got a call from Mike this week! He's going to Ghana!?!?!!!?!
I can't believe it! Did you know he's going to the Ghana MTC as
well?! It's crazy go nuts! I don't know what else to say this week
but it was a good one and I love it. I'll share one last experience
that was pretty neat. So the Leeds 1 uni team is teaching some people
from Brazil and last night Elder Griffiths came in and said that his
friend wanted me to talk to her in Portuguese. So he hands me the
phone and I had a total conversation in Portuguese! It was only 2 or
3 minutes but it neat that I was able to understand and communicate
completly in a different language. Good times. Well I love you mum,
take care of yourself and I'll talk to you next week! Love you
Elder Rowley
ps- Did you figure out anything about BYU. I looked a little and I
think I just have to re-register and such. I'll try and remembmer to
send you that permission thingy today. Love you, bye!

Our area is massive!

Dad,
Here is the flat address.
2 St. Michael Lane, Flat 6
Headingly, Leeds, LS6 3HS
West Yorkshire England
The way we get to transfers is actually pretty neat. So the whole
mission has transfers at the same time and the we have p-day. After
p-day all those who are getting transfered meet with there companions
at a central point in the zone. For us in the north is was the
Sunderland chapel. Then the mission had organised a coach to take all
the missionaries who were leaving to Crossgates chapel in leeds
(that's where leeds 4 is). Then all the missionaries meet together
who are getting transfered or training or become district leaders and
so forth and we have what's called transfer meeting. So then we hear
the testimonies of the missionaries who are leaving and those coming
in and we see who is training who because they don't tell you before
hand. Then everyone loads up into the respective coach's again and
goes to their new areas and meets with their companions. We pretty
much never travel alone. This just reminded me about a missionary who
went home that I want you to look up and possibly go to his farewell.
His name is Jake Peterson and he is from Roy, Utah. He has been one
of my closest friends on a mission, look him up! So let me tell you
about the area. This area is like the central area in the mission, we
have the mission office and the mission home here. The Leeds 1 ward
is home to 2 universities and has been the zone leaders area forever.
There are almost always 2 teams here in leeds one as well. But the
zone leaders have moved to a different area and now this area has 2
teams in it still. Me and my companion Elder Phillipp Weitzel from
Frankfurt, Germany work in the zone leaders' old area and he has been
here for 2 weeks. He's been on his mission for about 5 months. We
don't have a car and don't know any members and our area is massive!
I mean huge. We live with the university team and I was their
district leaders when they were both being trained so I know them
pretty well. Elder Weitzel is hilarious and we work amazing together.
We have had so much fun and so much success and it has only been 3
days. He is 24 and has a degree in business from, get this, Leeds
University. So he studied here before his mission. Our ward is
massive and has a really big YSA here. We don't know anyone in the
ward except for a kid named Luke Lawrence. Luke came home from his
mission in July and is from Selby and he used to come teaching with us
every day there. We are best friends and he is a ward missionary
which is great. It's kind of amazing how foreign the ward is as well.
In our class I sat there and sitting next to me was someone from
Italy, Iran, Thailand, West Africa, Angola, and Germany. And that was
only half of the class. I love it here so much. Funny story as well,
there was a woman sitting in front of us at church and after church
she started talking to me. I had introduced myself earlier in the
meeting and she asked, "Where is provo are you from?" Turns out she
went to Timpview a while ago and is Provo born and bred. She's good
friends with the former ASL teacher at Provo High School. Small
world. Well I think that's about all I have to report here for this
week. I'm so excited for the work to explode here in Leeds 1 and it
already has! We scheduled 10 people for baptism last week! I'm so
excited. Love you loads dad, take care of yourself!
Elder Rowley
Mum,
So things here are great. Where
do I start. Well my companion is Elder Phillipp Weitzel form
Frankfurt, Germany and he is 24. Oddly enough he studied at Leeds
University which is in our area. He has a bachelor's degree in
business and has been on his mission for about 5 or 6 months. He is
so funny and we work so well together. I can tell we are going to
have some amazing miracles here in Leeds 1. We live in a 4 man flat
with a university team. Elder Griffiths from Bountiful and Elder
Rosen from Sweden. Elder Rosen speaks chinese so they mostly work the
university area. We don't have a car but we work what used to be the
zone leaders area. They just barely moved out of the area so we are
pretty much what they call whitewashing the area. The area is massive
and it includes the mission office and the mission home where
president and siser lindley live. This ward is massive and has a huge
YSA. There is a member here from Selby named Luke Lawrence and he got
home from his mission when I was in Selby and came teaching with us
every day. So I've already got friends in the ward! He's great and
is gonna help us out a lot. There are a lot of struggles though in
this area because we are taking over from the zone leaders and there
is another team serving in our ward. We have to coordinate work with
the ward but we don't know a single person there and there is already
another team working for members to support them and their
investigators. It's been a stressfull week but I love it here so much.
I can tell this is going to be an amazing area. I'm really happy
about North Shields as well because I was replaced by like my best
friend in the mission so I know there will be some great miracles
there that we'll be able to share together someday. He's from Texas
but will be living in Provo again when he gets home. So pretty much
this area is amazing and I'm so happy to be in the zone again. I'll
send dad the flat address and such. Let me know if there is anything
you need from me. Thanks
for everything much. Love you loads!
Elder Rowley

Back to Leeds!

Mum,
I talked with Henrique from Selby and was planning on calling
mike at about that time. Problem is that Henrique said Mike lost his
phone is the snow! Haha. Our week was amazing! I'll tell you about
it but then I'll let you know about transfers. So is started off
really well and then I went to Newcastle for a day and a half. I was
with Elder Herlin who speaks Chinese and we taught a bunch of Chinese
people. I was really really fun to sit there and have a lesson
entirely in another language. The people who we taught this time
didn't speak as good of English so it was harder for me to keep up,
especially because we really only said like 5 words in English the
whole time. So that went really well and then I came back and found
out that they had a really good day in North Shields while I was gone!
We worked our butts off all week and were able to have 5 people at
church on Sunday!! It was so exciting. We had loads of members out
with us and everything, all it all it was a great week. Probably the
best week I could have left on. Which leads me to my next item of
business. Yes, its time for me to leave North Shields but you'll
never guess where I'm going. I'm going back to Leeds!!! I'll be
serving in Leeds 1 with Elder Weitzel who is from Germany! We are in
a 4 man flat with two people who were in my last district and my
companion just barely got to the area like 2 weeks ago so it will be
all brand new. I'll be able to see my old Portuguese friends as well
because I think I'll be in the Leeds 4 district!!! Its super
exciting. I can't believe it. I never would have guessed it and
nobody else guessed it either! I'm being replaced by like my best
friend in the mission, Elder Spratt! I'm really excited because I
know he'll pick things up right where we left off and he's gonna tear
it up! I'm so excited. So things are going really well and I'm happy
with everything! I think that's about all for me. I'm gonna buy some
things from Newcastle today to remember it and such but then we're
gonna have a good time! I love this work! Take care mum, I love you
loads! Bye!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Jeff is home!!!!!!!! I can't believe that, it's ridiculous. Crazy
crazy crazy. I hope thinks work out with the truck and everything and
I'm glad to got to spend some time with family. This week as usual
flew by but unlike other weeks I felt like I had a good hold on this
one. I spent the first few days in Newcastle with Elder Herlin. We
were teaching people in Chinese and it was really fun. Most of the
time I just sat there and watched and tried to figure out what was
going on. It was really fun when I would know what they were talking
about and then I would say something and the person would look at me
as if to say, "Do you speak Chinese too?" It was really fun. Then I
came back and we just took off with our week. Things came together
really well and we had an amazing week! We had 5 people come to
church! It was amazing. We had quite an amazing blessing as well in
this one appointment. So we are teaching a woman who
can't be baptised right now because of her living situation but she
wants to really badly. It was so amazing to
see the way the Spirit works on people.
She has an 11 year old who is so much fun. At the
beginning of the lesson we were talking about how I always wanted to
be an uncle and she says, "Well you can be my uncle!" And for the
rest of the lesson she refered to me as uncle rowley! Even in the
closing prayer and it was so touching, the gospel is for families! So
that was great. We were also able to teach a Czech family again and
they are amazing. I love teaching people who don't speak any English,
the Spirit is so much stronger there! So our week was really good and
it was possibly the best week I could leave on. So unfortunatly
that's what's happening, I'll be leaving tomorrow. But I could not
have been more suprised or excited about what's happening. So I'll be
moving to Leeds 1. Let me tell you a little about it. It is a 4 man
flat and a 4 man area. My companion is Elder Weitzel from Germany who
was only moved to the area 2 weeks ago. The other two missionaries
were in my district in Selby. It is a massive university area and one
of my good friends from Selby is going to school there now. I'm
pretty sure that Leeds 4 (my old area) is in my district so I'll be
able to go there now. Nobody was expecting it at all but it is
possible the best transfers ever! Even better is the missionary who
is replacing me. Its Elder Spratt who served in Leeds 2 in my
district. When Elder Stevenson was about to go home we went on
exchange at least once a week. He is one of my closest friends in the
mission and is probably the best replacement I could have asked for.
I'm so suprised and excited that I can hardly stand it! I can't
believe it, I'm almost at a loss for words. So that's what's
happening here and it is super exciting! Well that's about it for me.
Love you Dad, take care. Let me know if there is anything you need!
Talk to you next week!
Elder Rowley

We ate haggis

Dad,
Sounds like you have had a rough week. I've heard kidney stones
are painfull, just ask Shane Powell about them! When you said it was
your back I would have guessed kidney stones but I hope I never have
to go through them. Jeff comes home this week eh? That's pretty
crazy, I'm glad to hear he's been working really hard and such. Well this last week has been a really great blessing. A lot of
ups and downs as usual but the ups made it all worth it in the end.
We weren't able to get anyone to church and Saturday we just spent
most of our day traveling around instead of doing actual missionary
hard work! But oh the blessing we received in the end! I told mum
more in depth but we're teaching that Portuguese family again! It was
a miracle and the timing could not have been any better. I don't
think it would have worked any other way. We'd tried to see her 2 or
3 times but it never worked out and then we had some appointments
cancel and we were asking ourselves, "Why?!" But then we realised the
Lord closed one door but opened another one. It was a really great
experience. I realise something from it when I was writing to mom
about it that I'd share with you. So she had said that while she went
to her sister's church she enjoyed it and everything but she felt like
there was still something missing. Strange because it had everything
she thought she needed in a church, her language, her family, and all
sorts of things like that. She said that for the last 2 weeks though
she felt like there was something missing. We of course know its the
Spirit and when we teach her again we're gonna keep appointments
really short so she can recognise the Spirit and then we'll leave.
Eventually we figure she'll come to church and when she gets there
she'll look around and be able to name a lot of things she thinks
should be in the church that aren't but she'll feel like there isn't
anything missing. But what I remembered was when we saw her the last
time I felt prompted to say something to her. What I said was, "I
promise you that as you go to the other church you will come to feel
that something is missing" I had totally forgotten but it proved to
be prophetic in a way! Kind of neat huh? We also found a czech
family and its gonna be really fun to teach them. But unfortunatly
I'm pretty sure I'll be leaving. I really like how Jeff didn't talk
at all about coming home for the last 4 months, I think I'll try it
out! But since my days are numbered if I stay another transfer my
last area will only be a 3 month area and I don't think they'll do
that. So I'm pretty sure I'm a gonner but it has definantly been
worth it. While it has been difficult that we haven't been able to
baptise yet I know that this family will get there. The
Spirit has been working so much with them, its amazing. Well that's
about it for me. Thanks for everything Dad, I love you loads. Take
care!
Elder Rowley

Mum,
This week was really good, especially at the end. I'll just
let you know about a couple of neat things that happened. So on
Thursday we were meant to go and see a recent convert and some of our
investigators. We were going on splits with some members and I was
going with Tyler Miller, the American who speaks Portuguese. About an
hour before the appointment I had a prompting to call the recent
convert to make sure it was still okay to see her. I thought, "Tyler
set up the appointment, I don't need to call" but I did anyway. Just
as I figured she cancelled. Elder Hubbard kept asking, "Now what are
we gonna do?" But I didn't really feel worried about it. Then when
the members went on exchange and we went on splits we got a text from
the investigators saying that they were sick and they rescheduled.
Elder Hubbard had appointments with his member so they set off and me
and Tyler looked at each other and said, "Let's go see Maria" We'd
tried her on Monday but no joy and then called her on Wednesday but
again no joy. So we showed up and all the light were on and we
figured we were good but then after we knocked all the lights went
off. We looked and each other and were like, "No!" but then we
knocked one more time and Maria's 8 year old son answered the door.
Maria turns the corner and says, "Come in!" We started talking to her
about her Book of Mormon reading and things and she said when she
prayed about it she felt a burden lifted off her shoulders. It was a
really neat experience. She is still really confused though because
she doesn't see any real difference from the church she is going to.
She looked at us and said when she goes to church it has everything
needs, its in Portuguese, her family is there, its closer, and shorter
and everything but then she said it feels like there is something
missing. You should have seen the grins on mine and Tyler's faces!
So we asked her if we could come back and teach her again and she of
course said yes. Apparently her kids have been asking if we were
coming back every single day since we left and that's been about 2
weeks! It was a great miracle. Then on Sunday evening we were
walking around before tea and there was a Czech woman who said come
back and I thought we should go try and see her. Her daughter
answered the door and said, "My mum said you were coming some time but
the problem is that she doesn't speak any English" I looked at her
and shrugged and said, "Ahoy, yaksi maj!" ("Hello, how are you?" in
Czech) She shrugged and said come on in! There was a massive family
there and we made an appointment to come back and we're gonna teach
them all. There were a lot of really neat experiences like that this
week, it has been a real blessing! So all in all it was a good week.
We also had something called a Burns night where we ate haggis and did
a lot of scottish things which was a blast. Things are doing really
well here which probably means it'll be time for me to leave as usual.
Oh well, its been great. I love this ward and the work as well.
Take care mum, Love you loads!
Elder Rowley

So close...

This is cool--the entire mission


Dad,
This week was really good but not a lot happened to be honest.
I spent half of the week in South Shields with a missionary named
Elder Bensberg. He's from the south of England and has been a member
for about 5 years. He's really great and him and his companion are
doing pretty well. It's fun to get into a new area for a while
and just dig into the work and such but coming back is always hard.
It seems like things always seem to go the worst the 2 days I'm not in
my area. I don't think it is ever my companions or the other
missionary's fault but something always seems to go wrong. We were
dropped by someone who was supposed to get baptised on the 28th and
had a really rough appointment with 2 of our scheduled investigators.
We then tried to get a lot of member appointments but our
investigators were too busy or things just fell through. I am
hesitant to write about people close to baptism because sometimes I
forget to update you on what really happened with them. We are going
to see Maria tonight to give it one last shot. And as far as
baptising, yes I have baptised in every area. Except here. We've
been working really hard and there are plenty of people who I know
will get baptised this year even. We're working with all these people and
they come to church on and off but its not gonna happen before the end
of the transfer it's looking. It's been kind of humbling to see
possibly the best area I've served in and not have baptisms. We've
gotten close and I've been working my hardest so I feel like I've been
successful. I just got to figure out what the Lord wants me to learn
from it all. We're gonna keep high hopes and by some mighty miracle
we will be able to baptise if we do all we can. I'm pretty sure I'm
leaving so this is really my last chance! But that's how things are
going here. I went to see the doctor and they figured my knee
problems were just resulting from the surgery and that I didn't
reinjure it. It was kind of funny when they asked me what I do and
like where I'll be living and such. The doctor looked at me and
asked, "Is there any way you can decrease the amount you walk?" She
already knew the answer from the way she asked the question! HAha, it
was funny. But I've started doing those exercises I got from the
doctor 3 times a day and it has already made a difference. Elder
Hubbard's mum is a physiotherapist and she's gonna send me some more
exercises and such. So things are going really good here. Just pray
for some miracles and pray that we recognise them! I'm glad to hear
that Lindsay's talk went well and I'd love a copy. Thanks for
everything Dad, I love it here. I was able to share with Elder
Hubbard your exerience with cancer and such and it was really good.
Thanks for everything, I love you.
Elder Rowley
Mum,
Well I wish I had more to report on this week! I spent half
of the week on the other side of the river in South Shields and then
came back over and things didn't really happen this week. Our
teaching pool is about the same size. A man was supposed
to get baptised but he dropped us for the time
being. He's been really great to teach and has come a really long way
but he is finding other things really
difficult. He'll get there eventually. That's kind of the lesson I
think the Lord has been trying to tell me since I've been here. We're
working with so many really good people who will all get baptised one
day but I don't think it will be when I'm here. We have so many
people who are so close. So things will
definitely happen here but I don't think I'll be here for it. So far
this has been the only area that I haven't baptised in. Don't worry
I'm not getting discouraged or anything, I'm mostly just thinking it
all over and seeing what I can do. Transfers is in 3 weeks so we're
gonna have to have a miracle to baptise while I'm here! I guess even
if it doesn't happen it provides an opportunity to be humbled and work
my butt off to see some great miracles happen here in the future,
that's just how I've felt about that. So like I said, not much to
report on here.
I'm excited for Sam to visit, that will be really fun for everyone.
She's doing really good I hear. I think it's really interesting that
Rachiel is working with Grandma Jacobs. She's got to get some good
stories out of her for me! Well I think that is it for me. Thanks
for everything mum, I love it here. I'm sad to think that one day
I'll have to leave it all but I will never stop baptising people!!
Love you, take care!

Elder Rowley

Ups and downs

Mum,
This has been a good week but I'll have to be brief in the
report. Luckily I've been writing in my journal so if worse comes to
worst you'll be able to read about it all later. We had a lot of ups
and downs this week. We went to teach our family home evening to our
Portuguese family only to find out that she was gonna try going to her
sister's church for a while because it was so much closer and in
Portuguese. It was really upsetting and one of the hardest
appointments of my entire mission but it ended really well. We took
our friends the Millers and taught her all about the Book of Mormon
and such. She said it was a really hard decision because she can't
see any flaws in anything that we have told her and that it has
changed her life. We all felt like this will provide her an
opportunity to recieve a very strong personal witness that its all
true. There will be no doubts and she'll be able to do everything
necessary to stay active in the church. So that was really upsetting
but we have faith it will all turn around. We had interviews this
week and I told Sister Lindley about it. She said, "She'll call you,
she has to call you. And it doesn't matter if you get that call in 10
days or in 20 years, she'll call." It was good to hear. Our other
investigators are doing really well and we had a bunch out to church
again which is always fun. This week we were even able to learn some
British Sign Language for an hour (be sure to tell McKenzie Madsen if
you get the chance). We have some members who sign and an
investigator who wanted to learn it. We had a blast. That's really
all I have to report on this week. Things are going great and I love
it all. Thanks for everything mum, sorry this is so short there's a
big queue at the library for computers. Take care, Love you!
Elder Rowley

The members are the most important

Mum,
Lima Peru!! That's ridiculous! I can't believe it! Haha,
that's pretty neat. Tell her congrats for me, that means I should
probably write her a letter.... Wow. I'm at a loss for words, that's
gonna be epic! That means that her and Mike could be in the MTC
together!!!! Hahah that would be so funny! Wow, that's pretty neat.
I wish I had something as cool as that to report! We didn't have any
baptisms planned for this week but there are a lot of people
progressing towards it. Our week flew by and was really fun. We are
teaching a bunch of people but they are all grouped together. Mostly
families but not a father, mother, and children but a combination of
those. It's pretty exciting though because I can see all of them
getting baptised soon. We had 8 people confirmed for church on
Sunday! But only 3 showed up. 3 of them had a good excuse as to why
they didn't come but there were 2 that we're still trying to figure
out. So if we play our cards right and with a little help from the
Lord we'll be able to have 8 or 9 people at church on Sunday. Here's
hoping! I just realised that it seems like when things out here
aren't going so well then things back home are going great but when
things out here really pick up there seems to be some little problems
back home. Funny how life works in'it! We had a great week with the
Portuguese family (except that they are the 2 that didn't come to
church and we don't know why! I'm guessing public transport). On
Monday we taught them how to do an FHE and the kids all loved it.
Every time we go by they are so excited to have an appointment. Maria
loves it too because it keeps her kids settled down. It is amazing
the difference the gospel makes in people's lives, especially rowdy
boys! So they are doing really well. Maria is scheduled for baptism
for the 21st of January and only has to come to church one more time
in order to get baptised. We are also teaching a couple who will
hopefully be getting married by the end of next month and baptised the
next weekend. The work is picking up loads here which probably
means I'll be leaving in 4 weeks! Doesn't that always seem to happen!
But I love it. I found out that I don't have to register until like
March or something so I'm gonna leave it alone for a while and get
some real work done out here. Sorry there isn't much else to report
on. I love the work and I wish I could stay longer! Take care mum.
Love you. Bye!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Nobody said where Morgan is going?!? I still can't believe
Rachiel is going on her mission so soon! It's pretty crazy. I'm glad
Ryan is on his mission though, that's good. I really don't know what
to say about Rachiel's call! Haha, I figure it means I'll have to
write her a letter. Maybe I'll tell her some things that I wish I
knew when I came out. Ya the work is going really well here things
are doing good. We have a bunch of people to work with and they are
all progressing pretty well. Hopefully they will all be baptised in
the next couple of months. We'll hopefully have 2 or 3 this month.
We were really blessed to have so many people confirmed for church
though, that was a miracle. Only 3 showed up but we had 3 last week
and they were different people than this week. We just need
everything to line up properly and we should have 6 or 7 people at
church this week. That's our goal anyways. But ya the people we are
working with are great. They accept commitments and it seems like
everyone who comes to church wants to keep coming back more and more
and more. The ward is really doing everything, once again we haven't
really changed anything. We just take members with us and they do all
the teaching and the people connect with them and come to church and
hopefully get baptised! We had a neat experience I thought I'd share
with you (sorry I don't have any pictures in the suit yet). We went
by to teach about FHE to Maria and her two sons aged 9 and 4. We took
a young American couple with us to help us teach because I had no idea
how to do a family home evening for that family. It went really well
and it is amazing to see the effects the gospel has on young rowdy
boys! It seems like the only fight they get into now is over who
wants to say the prayer during the lessons! Maria is amazing and has
received such strength to live the word of wisdom. She'll be
interviewed for baptism this weekend and then hopefully baptised next
weekend. It's great. The other family we've been teaching a mother daughter. They've been
taught by a bunch of different missionaries in the past and that kind
of put her off because they just wanted to baptise her. She's 18
and can be taught properly as an individual so we're gonna do that.
We also have a member whose gonna teach her British Sign Language.
Its good because it will be probably a long term baptism with this
family and the members will do a better job than we do at it. I've
realised that's the key to success, not doing anything! Just kidding.
But the members are the most important way to help progress people.
Well I love you Dad. Thanks for everything you do. I'll talk to you
next week! Bye! Love you loads
Elder Rowley

Transfers are inspired

Mum,
Elder Hubbard just leaned over and said, "Transfers are
inspired". Its funny because we've been talking about track and stuff
and how he was applying for BYU and stuff. Neat-o. Turns out he's
really really fast at track. His 400 time was 48 seconds. Its pretty
ridiculous! The english food has got him sucking wind when he runs
now! But he'll get there. I can't believe Joe came over and that
he's home. Crazy crazy. I had a list of things planned to do before
I got home and there were somewhere along those lines but I won't tell
you how many people I'm gonna try and baptise, you'll just have to
wait and see. Ya so this last week was really good but I don't really
know where it all went. I'll tell you a few things about it though.
We had three people come to church and they are all really good. One
of them is ready to be baptised as soon as he can live the word of
wisdom! He's great and just needs some support and encouragement to do
it. The other two are a couple we've been teaching. Our amazing ward
of fellowship has been really great and they loved every minute of
church. I love when people come to church and I don't even really
need to talk to them because the ward does such a great job at
fellowshipping them! Our investigator who was in down south for a
while is coming back this weekend and we don't really know much more
about her situation or what's changed so that'll be exciting to hear
about. And Maria and her family are doing great. They weren't able
to come to church but we went over last night with The Millers (the
family from Arizona) and taught them how to do a family home evening.
Maria is so great and she understands everything we teach so
perfectly. A mother of two rowdy boys might have a hard time
understanding why FHE is important but she understood right from the
get go. She told us, "I know when they are little it won't really
make a difference but when they get older they will learn a lot and it
will help our family". She is great! The two little boys were begging
us to let them say the prayer at the end of the lesson as well.
Things are going amazing with her. So that's pretty much all there is
to report. My knee is doing fine. Like I said it doesn't really
bother me at all, I can just tell there is something wrong with it.
I'll schedule an appointment with the doctor for next week or
something and it will all be fine! Other really neat story! Do you
remember me telling you about Denise from Selby? She's the one that I
knocked on her door on July 9th and the missionaries (one of them also
named Elder Rowley) had first found and taught her on the 9th of July
1992? Did I tell you that his family is in my ward? Its pretty
crazy. Well Denise is getting baptised in Selby on the 7th and I gave
the missionaries there Elder Rowley's (the previous one) phone number.
It's neat how those kid of things all work out! Yup I think that's
everything. Oh ya, I bought a suit finally! Now that's everything.
Love you loads mum, thanks. Bye!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Good grief! Those pictures are ridiculous! Do you remember all
the pictures we took of everyone leaving on their missions! I can't
believe they are home, it still freaks me out just thinking about it
all. I hope somebody gets assigned to sit next to Toni, that would be
ridiculous. I didn't realise all their kids were under the age of 12!
Things here have been really good. The weather has been windy windy windy! It hasn't
been that cold but it sure has been windy. We got drenched the other
day as well which was funny. But
ya so our week was really good. Elder Hubbard is really good. He's
really good at track, his 400 time is just 48 seconds. I'm sure he'll
get on to BYU's track team. He's a great missionary and works hard.
It's funand the work is going really well. We had 3 people at church
on Sunday which was great because it was New Year's and all. We had 4
more people who were going to come but I think the new year got the
best of them. One guy was Mark who is pretty much ready to be
baptised as soon as he keeps his committments. He's a
great guy and really head strong. Which is a good and a bad thing.
Whenever we get him to a member's home though things go really well,
hopefully we get him to 2 or three people's houses this week. The
other people we had a church was a couple named Leroy and Rosie. They are great. They love church and all the support they
get from the members there so they'll get baptised someday, hopefully
next month! Our other people are doing well too. Especially Maria
and her family we went with an American
couple who are great and taught them how to do a family home evening.
Maria is amazing and she understands completley why they are important.
The two kids loved it and we had a blast as well. Maria is getting
baptised on the 21st of January and hopefully her son will be soon
after. Its great. The work is going really well and I love it here.
That's probably a sign that this will be my last transfer here. Oh
well, its been great. I just want to baptise people! Haa. Well I
love you Dad. Thanks for everything. Take care!
Elder Rowley