People and places

Elder Rowley at the Selby Abby


Elder Rowley and Elder Mike


Nila's baptism



Mike and Henrique (Selby)

The youth of Selby


Elder Rowley on a bike


Elder Woodbury (North Shields)


River Tyne

Turning to God

We got an email from a missionary mom who met Elder Rowley while touring with her recently released son, the former Elder Heinrichs. She sent us a new photo of Elder Rowley, Elder Heinrichs, and Elder Thimmesch

Mum,
Eh bad news about the driving test. I failed! I was really surprised, I thought I wouldn't have any problems. Its super strict here though and most people fail it twice before they pass. I was really worried about the money bit cause it costs 60£ to take again, plus driving lessons are really expensive. I won't be able to take it for another 6 weeks so it probably won't be in Selby. I was super bummed but oh well. I'll make sure I don't spend any money so I can get my license, sorry its so expensive. Church was great yesterday but unfortunately we're still not finding new people to teach! But we've made some plans to improve and I know we'll get there. This last week has been really different though. We've had the spirit a lot more while we were finding and its helped us a lot. I had a pretty crazy experience on Thursday though. I got to go on exchange with the Zone Leaders and another missionary who both speak Chinese and boy was it great. All day was in Chinese and I wasn't able to communicate with people very well but the Spirit was like a million times stronger! It was amazing to sit in a lesson completely in Chinese and know exactly what they were saying and what was going on. I picked up on a little bit and it kind of freaked some people out when I started teaching and was on subject. Its not as hard as it sounds, I learned a couple of words and you can read body language and guess the rest. The Spirit was so strong though! It made me really want to learn another language! Oh well, the time will come for that. It was just a cool experience. I'm so glad that things worked out with *Mike. He wasn't at church yesterday and we couldn't get a hold of him so we were wondering what was up. That's really exciting though. Glad to hear that **Sam is doing so well too. It makes it easier to keep people active in the church when I've got my mom to fellowship them! Woohoo! So I'll let you know when I make plans for my driving test again. The mission will reimburse the first $100 but that is far gone. It wont' be for another month or so though so I'll keep you posted. I think that's all I have this week. Thanks for everything mom, I love you so much. Have a good week!
Elder Rowley



Dad,
Sounds like you really did have a crazy week. I can't believe all the stuff that Mike did, we didn't see him at church and we were wondering what was up. That's Mike for you. There are 3 or 4 young men that we spend a lot of time with. I hope they all go on missions, they would be so great. They all speak other languages as well! This week not much happened here. We are still struggling to find people to teach and the whole zone is having trouble as well. I hate it when this stuff happens but we'll get out of it. I told mum a neat experience I had when I was in York this week with Chinese people and boy was it fun. We're spending so much time with people who speak entirely different languages that English isn't sounding like English anymore! I didn't pass my driving test either so looks like that will be another long and costly journey, oh well. The guy who failed me was a JW so maybe that's a good excuse to fail! Haha. Well I'm sorry I don't have much else to report. Things are kind of dead here. We're keeping in good spirits and our finding is getting much better. It's neat how when things aren't going so well you turn to God a whole lot more. It's fun that way. But every time I feel like things aren't happening and that I'm not being very successful I write home and see all the crazy things that come from our work. It's really comforting to realise how far a little effort can go! Well that's all I've got for this week. Love you Dad. Take care!
Elder Rowley
ps-I can't believe that Kingfisher just sat it your hand! Did you know they are the largest hovering bird, they are just like a massive hummingbird!

*Mike is a young man in Selby who was baptised last December. He friended me on Facebook and I met him up at Temple Square when he came to the U.S. this summer. He's a great kid, the only member in his family, and working hard to prepare for a mission. Yesterday we skyped him into our Primary for sharing time, where he told us about his conversion and talked to the kids about the blessings that come from missionary work.

**Sam is a woman Zack found and taught in his first city. She was baptised a year ago last week and is doing great. She also friended me on Facebook and reports to me every time she does something new in the church (visiting teaching, giving a talk, teaching a Gospel Essentials class). She wrote something for me to share with the Primary about her conversion and the blessings that come from missionary work. She will be coming to stay with us in March and we are looking forward to taking her to visit a number of the local temples here.

Zack also wrote something up for me in his previous email. It was a great sharing time!

Baptism!

Dad,
Nila's baptism went great. She brought a lot of her family and they all had a really good time. Her sister will hopefully be baptised at the end of the month as well. Another great miracle we had happened with this kid named David. We met him on the street and gave him a Book of Mormon and invited him to read it. Turns out that he read the whole thing in one day! He holds the UK record for the fastest of Harry Potter number seven. Just over 2 and a half hours! He prayed about it [we assume he means Book of Mormon and not HP 7] and knows it's true as well. The only downside is that he is moving to Luke's mission on Saturday. We'll see how things go but it'll probably be a baptism for them. Other than that things in Selby have been really slow! But we're confident we can find people to teach. After we left our tea appointment last night I realise that I haven't found the family in Selby that I'm supposed to baptise yet. That's a scary feeling when you might only be in an area for another 4 weeks, but we'll see what happens. This ward is so great I don't ever want to leave. The bishop said that he is going to call President Lindley and request that I stay another transfer. I don't know if that will do any good but we'll see. Yesterday we had a mission tour and wow was it epic. A mission tour is when an area presidency travels around the mission and gives kind of like a zone conference on Monday and Tuesday. We had ours yesterday and it was great. They talked all about the miracles that come from personal and powerful prayer. There is a mission in Portugal that went from baptising 8 people in 6 months to over 100 people last month because of personal prayer. Crazy crazy. Hopefully that will help us find the person/people that we need to teach and baptise here in Selby. Jordan Steinagel got home this week! Isn't that crazy. Jon said that he has 2 months left. That means that Joe will be back before the year ends and then Jeff in February. I can't believe it. Its gone way too fast. Well this luck I've got my driving test. Wish me luck! It's going to be quite expensive. I already paid 60 but I'm taking some lessons tomorrow which will be another 50. The mission will hopefully reimburse like 100 of it but we'll see. Wish me luck. Well I love you Dad. Thanks for sending me on a mission. Best decision ever! Take care!
Elder Rowley

Mum,
Lindsay's first dance?!!? Ridiculous, I can't believe how old she is now. Nila's baptism went great on Saturday! Her whole family came and they all loved it. Sophie (her sister) is doing really well too. Hopefully she gets baptised at the beginning of next month. And as for David. He is golden. Read the whole Book of Mormon in one day and we gave him a quad that hopefully he'll finish soon. Unfortunately he is moving to the Manchester Mission on Saturday for school. I told Luke about it and he might know the missionaries but he's been home for a while so probably not. It is still amazing. I told Dad about the mission tour and how I still feel like there is a family for us here in Selby. I might get transferted soon so hopefully we can find them this next week! I think that is a great idea about Mike. I'll tell him about it today and then I'll have him Facebook you about it. And you wanted me to tell about how missionary work has blessed my life? Well I don't know exactly what you want and there's not exactly enough room to put it on here with but I'll give it a go. A mission becomes everything to you. It helps you appreciate everything you've ever been given and then gives you a desire to give it all to other people. On you mission you feel closer to Heavenly Father than at any other time in your life and you feel the love of Jesus Christ every day. You'll never work harder, cry harder, sleep better, or be happier than on your mission. More than any other time in your life, you live the covenant of your baptism to always remember Jesus Christ. Plus its a blast to go and meet a completely different kind of people! I hope that will work. Well I've got to get going. I'm taking my driving test on Thursday, I hope it goes well. I have some driving lessons tomorrow and then its show time. I think I'll do alright, I hope I just pass it the first time and don't have to worry about it any longer. Wish me luck. I love you Mum so much. Take care!
Elder Rowley
ps- Elder Thimmesch did wrestling and he told Kyle that he should definitely do it! Also, did you know it is your parents 50th anniversary on Thursday? Love you!

Eating dirt

Mum,
Our week was really good. No new people to work with and we lost a few more but we had miracles that made it all worth the while. Nila is getting baptised this Saturday and it has been so much fun teaching her. One of the lessons she brought her twin sister Sophie and now we are teaching both of them. They both came to church on Sunday and while me and Elder Thimmesch were sitting in Fast and Testimony meeting, guess who walks up to the stand. Yup, Nila bore her testimony on Sunday and boy was it good! Another amazing miracle happened with Sophie at church. She was sitting in Young Woman's and the Young Woman's president started bearing her testimony and Sophie felt the Spirit! She said, "Then when she started talking I got this really cool feeling and almost started crying." It was so amazing! Things are looking good for them but we really aren't teaching anybody else. That'll change this week though! I was looking through my camera to try and tell you some funny stories and I remember a couple of things I forgot to update you on. I dont' know if you heard about Mike but on the way to the temple two weeks ago he was in a car accident. He is fine but it was a miracle. He was with another kid named Henrique (from Brazil!) and it was a really bad accident but they were both fine. Henrique broke a tiny bone in his hand and Mike broke his sternum. But the car is totalled, there were no airbags and Henrique's head almost went through the windscreen. They are both fine though! It was a crazy miracle and they are fine. Those two are so funny and they're going to be great missionaries! But then I remembered something funny that happened to us this week. We were riding our bikes home and we decided to take a short cut through this farmer's field that we've taken before. It was pitch black but we had lights on our bikes. It didn't take us long to realise that the field had been plowed and that there was no longer a path. But we decided to keep going. Elder Thimmesch went first and he was about 30 feet in front of me when I hear him yell and see the light on his bike go down. When I caught up he had gotten stuck in the dirt and had fallen down a hill. It was hilarous. As we kept going it happened at least 3 more times. By this time I was laughing so hard and Elder Thimmesch had me go first so he could see better. The path came back and Elder Thimmesch yells from the back, "Its all smooth sailing from here!" As soon as I look back on the path both of our front wheels fall into a 2 foot hole across the path. We both ate dirt! It was great.



We're both fine, it was just funny. I'm trying to think of a story I could tell you about languages that you could share..... I guess it is a big difference in England than other places. Like for us when you speak someone else's language, if they don't speak English they are so grateful because they can actually communicate. Even speaking a second language it is difficult for people to communicate. And example would be with Miro in Leeds 4. So we spent a lot of time with the Portuguese speaking members in Leeds 4 and there was one who didn't speak very good English. She couldn't come to church very much because she worked a lot so we started visiting her and reading the Book of Mormon with her. She would read a verse in English and then I would read one is Portuguese. It was really fun for both of us and I actually learned a lot about pronunciations. After a while she started bringing people to church and letting us teach her friend. All of whom didn't speak very good English. Because we had taken the time to learn her language she trusted us with her friends and we could communicate with her and then her friends through her. It was a great experience and it got good enough that I learned the first vision and how to bear my testimony in Portuguese. I hope that works. Well I'm going to try and send some pictures but we'll see if it works. I love you mum, take care!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Sounds like you didn't have a very good week then! I can't believe you got sick at school! That has never happened. Well sounds like things are picking up though. Things here are doing really well. We're struggling to find people to teach but the two people we are teaching are doing really well. Nila and her twin sister Sophie both came to church again and Nila is getting baptised this Saturday! She even felt the Spirit enough on Sunday that she bore her testimony is church! I couldn't believe it, I've never had that happen before! Her baptism is gonna be so good. Sophie is great as well. At church she felt the Spirit really strong when the Young Woman's President bore her testimony. It was funny that she didn't know what it was either, she said, "I got this really cool feeling and I almost started crying!" It was perfect. But ya other than that we aren't working with very many people. The Lord will provide though and things will work out. I just gotta make sure that we're doing all we can to make it happen! I told mum some funny stories that happened this last week and some spiritual stories as well. We have to go to Leeds today so I haven't got much more time to write. Sorry. Well I love you Dad. I think about you often and I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. A lot of our priesthood lessons have been on families lately and I keep realise how lucky I was. A lot of people here don't have very good family opportunities, especially our investigators. That's the great thing that the gospel has to offer us. The change for a brighter future. That's really the hope of the Atonement isn't it. Well thanks so much dad. I'll try and send some pictures as well. I love you!
Elder Rowley

Looking for a family

Dad,
Isn't it crazy how time changes on a mission. I still can't get my mind around it. We worked hard all day everyday and collapse to sleep at night and then you blink and it has been 3 months. It is amazing to me. I hate to think that someday it will all be over and I'll be back at home. That's a terrifying thought. Well I'm just not going to think about it and the Lord will make everything work out. This week has been really good but crazy. We had loads of meetings and hardly had anytime to work! I had to go to York and then Leeds and then Harrogate (which takes like 3 hours on a train!). I looked at our schedule for this week and was relieved that we only have one meeting to go to. Its funny, when I first came out I was so afraid to talk to people and stuff that I loved meetings they were an excuse not to work! Now I enjoy meetings but I'd be just as happy if not happier to be working! I can't believe that school has started again. As soon as school gets over it'll be time for me to come home, that's a scary thought. I wanted to tell you that I did get that envelope with all the pictures and boy was that fun! We spent all night (until 10:30) looking at them all and talking about all the people in them. Fun fun. Well I feel bad that most of my e-mails are really short. I can't ever think of anything to write, the days meld together that much! I told mum about an amazing experience we had with a Filipino lady we used to teach. I felt prompted that we should try and see her again and her husband let us see her and we're going to start teaching her again. Her husand won't let her come to church or be baptised though (yet) so it might be a long process. She said she already knows that Joseph Smith was a prophet though, so its all in her husbands hands. We're looking for a family to teach this week and I pray it works out. Elder Thimmesch is doing well, he's learning how to be a proper missionary. Hold down the fort for me while I'm gone. It'll be quicker than you think and I'll be back home again. I love you Dad. Thanks for everything, take care!
Elder Rowley

Mum,
Well this week has been really good but quite hectic! Nila's baptism was for the 3rd not yesterday but it has been moved to the 10th instead. Her mum wanted it that day and Nila is going to another kid's baptism on the 3rd so it will all work out. This week I was swamped with meetings! We hardly had any time to work! I had to go to York, then Leeds, then Harrogate. We spent probably a whole day on the train or bus, what a week! We're still looking for more people to teach though. We had a great miracle the other day! Over the past couple of days I had been thinking of that Fillipino woman that we taught a while ago whose husband wouldn't let us teach her. When were in the area and we decided to try and see her and her husband was fine with us being there. We talked to her and she said that she had been reading the Book of Mormon and that she knows Joseph Smith was a prophet! It was amazing. The only problem is her husband still. He is alright with us coming round like once a week but he won't let her come to church or change her religion (She's a roman catholic as most Filipinos are). So we're going to keep teaching her and pray that one day soon her husband softens his heart. This week is going to be a great week for finding people though, we've got virtually no meetings and things are looking good. I really hope we can find a family, that would be amazing! Well thanks for keeping me posted about the family. Last night I had one of those dreams where I go home and I woke up as if it was a nightmare. I hate those dreams! I'll be home soon enough but there is plenty of work that needs to be done here first! Wish Kyle and Lindsay luck for me and school! I can't believe how old everyone is now, that's really freaky! I love you mum, take care of yourself. Talk to you next week!
Elder Rowley

Staying in Selby!

Mum,
Well that feeling I had was wrong gratefully. I'm still staying in Selby for at least another month! I was really nervous about what was happening and stuff but things worked out really well and I'm still staying! I spoke with Mike last night and he said that he told his parents he's going on a mission and he's already almost finished with his papers! I can't believe it. He is so great. Last week we spent our whole p-day is Selby with all the youth from the ward and it was a blast. That is why I was gonna be so devastated if I left. Some other good news! Nila is getting baptised next Saturday! She is super prepared and is doing great with everything and then something even better happened at our last appointment with her. She texted us and said, "could I bring my twin sister?" So now we're teaching her twin sister and they both came to church on Sunday. Things are going really well here. We haven't got many other people to teach though right now so that's the big struggle again. Things are going great here though and I love it. Take care of yourself mum, love you!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Well I'm staying in Selby for at least another month. I was so nervous last night that I was gonna move but turns out the Lord still wants me here! Woo hoo. Elder Thimmesch is staying here too so I'll have more time with him. We've still be struggling to find new investigators though so our weeks haven't been so good. But a girl named Nila is getting baptised next Saturday and we started teaching her twin sister and they both came to church last week so things are still going well. I'm just worried about what is going to happen when she gets baptised if we don't find anyone new to teach. Sounds like Kyle is doing really well back home. Mum said he was a bit nervous for Dixon. To be honest I struggled a bit at Dixon but as soon as you hit high school things work out well. I'm sure Kyle will do fine. Glad to hear you're finished with the belly shots, those must have been painful. I can't believe that school is about to start up again. Things are going way too fast, I'm terrified to think that I go home as soon as school gets over. That means I'll have to register for classes sometime soon. Ridiculous! Jordan Steinagel goes home in 2 weeks and then Jon gets home in 2 months. Joe will be home a month after Jon and then Jeff gets back in February. Ugh, I don't want to think about it anymore. Well I love you Dad, take care of yourself and hold down the fort for a while. Bye
Elder Rowley

Still loving it!

Mum,
You want an e-mail for the last two weeks! I don't know if I can do that! Well I'll give it a try. The days and the weeks just seem to roll together and soon enough I get transferred to a new area. Oh well its always an adventure. So the biggest thing that has been happening has been training Elder Thimmesch. Everything was super easy at the beginning but now I have to make sure he knows and does everything he's supposed to. There is a rumor going around that I will leave next transfer which is unusual to say the least so we have to prepared for everything! Two weeks ago Elder Thimmesch took over the area for the first time. He was with Elder Melo from Brazil and they did a great job together. Then this last week I got to go to leadership training. Over half the mission was there to receive training from President Lindley and the Assistants, it was quite fun. I got to spend some good time with all my old friends in the mission. Some are doing really well and others seem to be struggling a bit, but once again, that's how it goes. Nila it really our biggest investigator right now and we've been getting dropped by people right and left which means that when she gets baptised we wont' have anyone to work with. Not letting that happen! I've been put in that situation too many times, getting put in a new area with nothing happening. So we're working really hard to find new people to teach. Its difficult training though because there is a balance between getting stuff done and teaching your new missionary. I think I've found a balance for most things but as always, the work is no cake-walk. Things are going really well and I'm still loving it. Today we are spending the whole day is Selby playing sports with the members. I'm super excited. I love them all so much! Well I hope that's a bit more of an e-mail than I've been giving you as of late. Love you much mum, take care!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Well it was quite an experience last Thursday. We were just knocking on doors when President called me. It was funny though, as soon as I hung up the phone I didn't think anything wrong would happen and there wasn't anything I could do so we just went back to knocking. I'm glad to hear a little more about the situation though, sounds like quite a miracle. Funny how those kind of things sneak up on you, I'm sure there are many times people sit down in their bed like you did and think about things, whether or not they are ready to die. It's probably true for a lot of things. When life catches up on you and you have to sit down and think about the person you are and if that's the person you wanted to be when you go. I guess I get those feelings a lot as a missionary. You lay your head down at night and think, "Am I really the missionary I wanted to be after being out over a year?" Funny how life is. Well I wish I had really good news to report about our week but it was a pretty bad one. We've been dropped by a lot of people the last couple of weeks and this week we just wanted to find more people to teach. We didn't find hardly anyone though, even though we did all the right things. Elder Thimmesch is doing really well and this week is his test week to see if he can take over the area. You're almost guaranteed to stay with your trainer for 2 transfers but the Zone Leaders and District Leader think I'll leave next transfer. Oh well, its not in my hands so we just have to be prepared for anything! But we have high hopes for this next week, I think we're going to find a family. I've always wanted to baptise a family but we've never done it yet. That's one of the things I reflect on, its so easy to see all the problems in an area and say, "I'll find that family in my next area" but that day never comes. So I think we're going to find our family this week. Well there's not much else to report on. I love you Dad. That was the big reason that President wanted me to call, to express my love for you. Thanks for everything you do. I'm proud to be your son. Take care!
Elder Rowley

Baptism!

Date: Mon, Aug 1, 2011 at 12:10 PM
Subject: Zack 8/1/2011

Dad,

You're right, two weeks of news is almost too much to handle!! I can't believe all the family is in town and everything. I still remember the last time we went to Oregon and saw Jon and Mindy! Everyone is growing up so much. I can't believe all of Kevin's kids and Brandon's kids in the picture! Its crazy, it doesn't even feel like I've been gone that long. We were talking the other day about mail and those things and I realised that pictures are the most valuable thing to send to missionaries. I wish I would have told all my friends to send pictures cause all I've got is stories with no pictures!! But it sounds like it was a good 2 weeks, I'll be excited for family reunions someday. Just make sure they plan all of them for after I get back! This week was really exciting for us. We had a baptism! Tony got baptised and asked Elder Thimmesch to do it. So it was needless to say a great week. It was so stressful though up until the baptism. That's really the only time I get stressed out on my mission, just before baptisms. It was really good though and he will be fellowshipped well and is going to institute this week. Elder Thimmesch has got an adventure though, I'll be in York the next two days so he's all on his own in Selby for a while! He'll be here with the Brazilian Elder Melo and its gonna be interesting. I hope he learns a lot and they have a really good time together. I'm sure they will. We also were able to schedule a girl named Nila for baptism. She's been coming to young women's for the better part of a year and her parents have finally let her come to church. We're setting things up with the bishop to visit her parents to make sure its all okay but that's more exciting news! I'll put a picture of the baptism on the end of this e-mail for you, it was a really good night. Its really funny being a missionary though sometimes. We got to so many meetings and are so involved in the ward that you learn a lot about how the church works. It's great to see how the Lord turns your weaknesses into strengths, I love the way the church runs though. I'll be excited to have a calling someday. Well I forgot to e-mail mom back so I'd better do that. Take care of your shoulder I hope it all goes well. Love you Dad
Elder Rowley


Mom,

Our week was great! We had a baptism on Saturday! Tony was baptised by Elder Thimmesch and confirmed by the bishop in sacrament meeting. It was really exciting and it was a great way to end the week. We also were able to schedule a girl who we've been teaching for a while for a date in September. It doesn't seem like its been a week since I last wrote you but it sounds like there was enough action packed in your week to fit in an entire month! There are been some good e-mails today, I really appreciate it. Elder Thimmesch is doing really great. Improving every single day, I'm excited to see how he does in the future. Today will be a real test for him, I'm going away for 2 days to York so he'll be with the Brazilian Elder Melo. Elder Melo came out with him and doesn't speak much English so it will be challenging for both of them! Last week I was with Elder Melo and boy was it fun! He taught me a lot more Portuguese and let me borrow his Pregar meu Evangelho! I promise I don't study it during study time but its fun to look up a word or two in my spare time! He also helped me with my pronunciation of the first vision and taught me how to bear my testimony! There is a Brazilian family that I'm anxious the teach the next spiritual thought to! I also got a package from Grandma that had loads of Grandpa Dale pictures and stuff. It was really good. Well I haven't got much else to report on, here is a picture of Tony's baptism though! Love you mum, tell everyone I say hello and that I love them. You should proper post me some pictures of everything. A missionary can never have enough pictures!!!!!!!
Elder Rowley

Living the dream

Things are going as good as ever here in Selby. We're having a baptism this weekend!!! It's a guy named Tony and its pretty exciting. He's accepted everything we've taught. We are also working with some really amazing people who will hopefully all be baptised in the coming months. People have been coming to church, we're doing loads of teaching, and people are progressing. We're living the dream. Elder Thimmesch is doing really good as well. He's really fun to be companions with. Almost too fun! I just hope he learns how important the boring parts of missionary work are. Like planning and studying and stuff. I'm sure he'll figure it out and things will be fine. So pretty much I have no complaints and things are going really well. Sorry I haven't got much more to write about. I love you! Have a good week! Talk to you next week.
Elder Rowley

Small, small world (redux)

Backstory: Yesterday Luke and Shane went to SLC to attend the homecoming of one of the missionaries Luke trained, Elder Burnett. As they took their seats they looked up on the stand and recognized the young man sitting next to Elder Burnett, who would be speaking with him. It was none other than Zack's first companion and trainer, Elder Thorup!

Date: Mon, Jul 18, 2011 at 4:00 AM
Subject: Re: Hiya


Mum,
Well I was hoping that it would stay a secret but yes I have a new companion. His name is Elder Sam Thimmesch (pronounced Tim-ish) from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. My first non-Utah companion! He is a great guy and really funny. We've been having a blast so far. Alraedy his is really good at teaching and finding, I haven't felt like I've had to train him at all. Its just like I have another normal companion. The only thing that we'll have to work on is him taking over the area because unfortunatly I'll have to leave Selby eventually. We have been so blessed in the work though! Yesterday we had 5 people at church! There is someone getting baptised in 2 weeks and then another one at the end of August. Last week we also got a referral from a member in the North whose sister wants to learn about the church. The member has already taught the sister pretty much everything which is exciting. Then just barely I got a text from an investigator saying that she has a friend who wants to come to church and she said that if he found that it was true then he would get baptised too! The work is on fire here in Selby. I love this ward so much and I love being here. Elder Thimmesch is so much fun as well. It's really neat to train because of how much trust your companion puts in you. He listens to and does everything that I ask him to! I guess I'll just have to be careful with that trust and not abuse it. Training is difficult sometimes but I think that there are a lot worse situations to be in. So far its been really fun and rewarding. I hope that I don't jynx it by being so positive about it but oh well, the Lord will provide! I can't believe that Luke and Dad got to go to Elder Thorup's reunion and didn't even realise that it was his. Small small world. Well that's about all I have to report on this week! There is a Brazilian Elder in York and a sister in Harrogate and they are all in our district so I'm gonna be able to learn lots and lots of Portuguese!! I love you Mum. Thanks for everything. Take care!
Elder Rowley

Dad,

I hope this will be a proper e-mail. I have a little more time to write today if that's what you mean. Well the secret is out, I'm training. My new companion is Elder Samuel Thimmesch (Tim-ish) from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His parents are converts and he went to school in Idaho for a while before his mission. He is a blast! We've been having so much fun these last couple of days. It is definatly different to be a trainer though. I think the hardest part has been study sessions. I don't really know where we need to begin because we just have to cover everything! But it has been really really good. Elder Thimmesch is really good at teaching already and its good because we've been doing a lot of it lately! It wasn't until Saturday that Elder Thimmesch did his first door approach! We just didn't have any time to find, we were too busy teaching! He's great at teaching though and he's picking up on all the mission stuff really quick. I don't feel like I'm training him at all! We've been really blessed to have so many teaching appointments and we've had all sorts. I realise that in my first transfer I didn't do much teaching and we didn't ever teach the later lessons. Elder Thimmesch has been here for 4 days and we've already taught the first 3 lessons and most of the 4 one! It's pretty crazy. We've been so blessed with church as well. We had 5 people at church on Sunday and it was great. We should be having some baptisms really soon and that is always fun. People keep coming out of the woodwork to be taught as well. I got a call from a member in the North whose sister wants to learn more about the church. She's been through some difficult times and her member sister who is a convert has shared the gospel with her. Turns out that she's already been taught most of the discussions by her sister (she even used preach my gospel). So that's amazing! There is a guy who will hopefully be baptised next weekend and a teenage girl who will be in the end of August! She just texted me now and said that she has a friend who wants to come to church. She must already be a good missionary because she said that if he found out it was true then he would be baptised as well! Isn't that amazing! So as you can see things are going really well here. I know it has nothing to do with us though, we've been working the same the whole time. Its been all the Lord's doing. I just hope we can stay humble and keep being blessed so things will stay really good here. Have a good week dad. I hope you enjoy the trip, I've always wanted to go whitewater rafting in Jackson Hole, sounds like another adventure! Welll I love you, take care.

Elder Rowley

Train to catch

Dad,
We've got a train to catch so I haven't got hardly any time to write! Well our week was really really good. Elder Hilliard is doing so well. It seems like all of the people he contacts become investigators! What luck! He also found this really golden guy named Tony that we are teaching and hopefully baptising soon! Funny you talk about the day Elder Hilliard will have to leave me. That day is coming a whole lot sooner than we all thought. Yup, he got transfered! He's going to the Leeds Zone to serve in an area called skipton. I'm staying in Selby for at least another 6 weeks as well. Woohoo! The trouble is that we dont' know who my new companion is. We'll find out tomorrow at transfer meeting! I'm super nervous but its pretty exciting as well. But I really have to get going. Sorry this is so short. I'll write you a longer one next week I promise. I'll maybe include pictures as well. If you meet up with Mike Moore tell him I say hi. Love you Dad. Take care!
Elder Rowley

Mum,
Well I've got absolutly no time, we have to catch a bus to York in 20 minutes but what an amazing and crazy week. I'll just give you a little information. Elder Hilliard has been on fire. He found this guy who is golden and when we teach him its like a whole new Elder Hilliard. It has been really good to serve with him. That's the other news. He's leaving! I can't believe it. I thought we would definitely serve together for a long time but I guess the Lord has other things in store for us. He's going to an area called Skipton and I'm staying here. We don't know who my new companion is yet but we will find out on Wednesday. I'll be sure to let you know then. I'm so glad to hear that everyone is doing so well back home. Things are as exciting and crazy as ever over here. Mike Moore is an amazing recent convert and we spend more time with him than with hardly anyone in the ward. I also found out that the Bishop's Wife reads Stephanie's blog so that's pretty crazy. I love you mum, sorry this is so short. But I'll let you know who my new companion is next week with hopefully more good news about the area! Love you loads! Bye
Elder Rowley

Perspective

Mum,
Our week was really good but frustrating and bad all in one. Funny how that goes huh? So all of our amazing people who came to church or who we are teaching will be off the radar for this next week. Four Investigators are out of town this week and the young couple that came to church moved yesterday. Things are going really good though. We had fasted that we would be able to find and teach people who will be baptised this year so we can reach the ward goal of 12 baptisms and hopefully things work out. At first I was disappointed that everybody was leaving for a while but then I realised that it was the Lord's way of letting us focus completly on finding new people. He has those people for us we just have to work our butts off and we'll find them. Its funny how the adversary tries to stir things up sometimes though. This last week I've had to fix the bikes probably 10 times and there always seems to be something that needs fixing. I think I'm gonna save some money up in my mission money account and when I leave this area buy 2 brand new bikes so that the next missionaries don't have to deal with it all. But we almost always prevail when it comes to bike problems, we just have to rely on the Lord for help. Elder Hilliard is doing well, things are always an adventure but the work is getting done and we're having a good time as well. I love it here in Selby. I feel like it is my home ward now. Can't believe I've already been here an entire month. We did have something kind of funny happen last week. I got to go on exchange with Elder Thorup, my trainer. It was a really neat experience, he's a zone leader now and is doing really well. They baptise loads and loads of Chinese people here and he is loving it. He goes home in 2 weeks so it was a good little goodbye. Sounds like things are all over the place back home! I love you mum. I'd attach a picture but I'm in York and don't have my chord. We're going to York Minster today as a zone so I'll be sure to take some pictures for you today. Take care!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Well I haven't got much time today. We're going to York Minster as a zone today so next week there will be a lot of pictures for you. I don't really know what it is but its a really really old thing and all of York is built around it. Our week was all sorts of crazy. Really good at first but then ended kind of bad. All of our investigators have either moved or are out of town this week so its kind of frustrating. But we fasted yesterday to find 10 people to baptise this year. That is a huge goal but the ward felt that the goal of 12 for the year was appropriate and we only have 2 so far. Looks like we've got quite a workload ahead of us. So it actually works out well that everyone will be gone this week. We can focus every effort on finding those people to baptise. It'll be really exciting. The bikes broke a lot last week so I had to fix them, I went on exchange with Elder Thorup which was interesting and fun, and all sorts. I was so worried about getting things done that I didnt' spend as much time helping Elder Hilliard, I need to do better. But this next week is looking promising and I'm excited to report on it next week! I'll have to get going. Sorry this is so short. I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing good back home. I can't believe how old Carina Crookston has gotten. I miss that family. Oh well, the work needs to be done. I love you Dad. Go easy on that shoulder. Love you!
Elder Rowley

Too many miracles to tell

Mum,
This week has been crazy and exciting and miraculous as ever! We keep having little miracles that bring people closer to joining the church. I can't even begin to tell you about all of them. I've never been so guided on my entire mission. Its like every door we knock on we are there at the perfect timing. Everyone we talk to wants to hear more and its really exciting. We also had 3 people at church this week! A young couple named Steven and Tiffany and a girl named Nila. Its crazy how all of them were prepared to come to church. Nila has been going to young womens for about a year but hasn't been allowed to come to church this whole time. Her parents have finally let her come to church. I'm really excited for this next week as well. Things are just going perfect here in Selby. I just hope we dont' do anything to screw it up! I'm really happy to hear about Sam. I told Grandma how appreciative I am about the whole thing. It's really exciting that she's coming to visit. There is a recent convert from Selby that we know really well who is going to America in August. Maybe as time gets closer we'll try and set something up so you can meet him! I'm glad to hear that Po'i can finally go on his mission soon. And that's pretty crazy about the whole sacrament meeting stuff. From what I hear about those African missions Tyler is gonna be in for a good time. In the Zimbabwe mission they had a goal a couple of years ago to baptise 2000 people and they made it! Its really exciting. Well I'd better get going. I'm booking my driving test right now and it'll probably be sometime in July or August. The work is going great. I'm happy as ever mum. I love you. Thanks for everything! Talk to you next week!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
Ya I don't know what happened with the last e-mail but I got it today. I can't believe all the stuff about Matt Daleabout in this area. I've been asking around and there have been a couple of families who remembered him so he is definitely not forgotten here! We haven't been able to see Kim lately though, but we will keep trying. There has to be a reason we were sent to his house even if its not for him. But this week has been a really good one. It seems like there is no end to the miracles that have been happening here. We feel very prompted to find in far off areas and we have been seeing loads of success. Even when things fall through they eventually work out for the best. We were so happy because after 2 months of nothing we finally had people at church this week. A young family came and then a girl who has been coming to young womens for a while came. Its been a really good week. I really don't know how to tell you everything amazing that has happened, there have just been too many. I guess I'll just share one miracle that happened. We walked around bit but nothing felt right so we decided to leave and try this older man we are teaching. On the way there we talked to this woman who broke out in tears when he started talking to her. She had been praying for weeks and felt like her faith was disappearing. She had woken up that day and had decided that she was going to end it all. We went to her home and taught her and she testified that she felt the spirit and knew that we had been sent from God. It was just an amazing miracle in the first place but the thing that made me so happy about it was the way it effected Elder Hilliard. I know she was sent to us as much as we were sent to her. Well that's about all I'll say for this week. Thanks for keeping me posted on everything back home. I always love reading your e-mails dad. I love you so much. Take care of yourself. Especially that shoulder!!
Elder Rowley

Breakthrough!

Mum,
Now that I know Matt served here I'll be sure to ask around to see who remembers him. Crazy crazy. It's a small world after all. Hopefully we'll be able to see Kim again. I can see why Selby would be difficult to leave. This ward is so big and there are so many families it is easy to become a part of the ward. This week was a really really good one for us. We have been struggling to find people to teach and our teaching pool was pretty much zero but the Lord just sent more and more people for us to teach! We are really humbled at how things have been turning around so quickly here in Selby. I'm really excited for what the future holds here. This ward is amazing as well. We sat in church on Sunday and during Priesthood opening exercises the WML stood up and told everyone in the ward that we were really hard working missionaries and that he knew things would turn around here. Then in Priesthood we talked about missionary work and every single person was involved in the lesson. They all shared experiences that they had to share the Gospel with people and we talked about the fears that we all have about it. I know that things are going to turn around here and I'm loving it here. I'm finally getting used to riding a bike as well!! Well I didn't have much time to write again. We're going to York again because we are going on exchange. Good P-day news though! President Lindley wants us to have as fun of p-days as possible so he has approved even more movies that we can watch. Today we're watching my favourite, Hook! Love you mum. Take care!
Elder Rowley


Dad,
This week has been really good. We lost our good Filipino friend Berna and to be honest I was getting a little down in the dumps. It's funny though because whenever I feel like that I know it means we're close to a breakthrough. So I just try and endure and keep working hard and then it happens, the breakthrough! That was Saturday. We found three new investigators! An African girl whom we are going to teach her family and then a couple that live here in Selby. One is English and her husband is from Greece. They accepted and were really interested in everything we taught them. It was such an amazing blessing. Nobody came to church though which was a dissappointment but nobody has been for over a month so the ward was alright with it. I'm amazed at this ward though, they are getting such a sense of urgency about the work. Its hard to explain but there is such a powerful Spirit of missionary work here and I know its gonna take us far. I'm really excited. Keep in touch with Matt Daleabout and we'll see Kim again this week, (or we'll try). He said that he got really close to those missionaries, close enough that he remembered all their names! Just let Matt know he definitely was an influence of Kim and though he hasn't joined the church he still reads the Book of Mormon sometimes. I just wanted to share one thing with you before I have to go Dad. This morning we watched the DVD of President Hinckley's life and last week we watched The Errand of the Lord (that's President Monson's biography) and they were both so powerful. The two main things I think that their lives had in common the most were a love for hard work and a love for the Lord. When I watched the movies I felt the same way that they felt about things. It's like I have this burning desire in my heart to work out my days on earth for the Lord. I read a quote by Spencer W. Kimball the other day that said, "My life is like my shoes, worn out by service." I just wanted to thank you for teaching me to work hard dad. I love you. Have a good week.
Elder Rowley

Small, small world

Mum.
Wow. Kyle is finally a deacon?! Crazy. I was showing a recent convert all of my pictures last night and I remembered again that Kyle got ordained a deacon. Weird. I remember what that was like. Especially because I passed the sacrament last week! Haha. I'm glad to hear that he's doing good and that he had a good birthday. Selby is crazy amazing. The ward is one of the biggest and strongest of my mission which is great. For such a little area you wouldn't think there would be so many active members but it really is the biggest ward I've served in. There is loads of diversity in the ward as far as age goes. There are loads of little kids but still a lot of old people. It makes it really fun. There is also a Brazilian family (I still get to learn Portuguese!) and our High Councilor served his mission in Brasil and is an American. So I already feel like I'm home. I just thought I'd share a crazy experience we had last week. We were knocking and we both felt like we'd been guided to this specific street and we saw this man in is back garden (that's what they call yards here). We got his attention and he came over to talk to us. When we said we were from church he threw up his hands and said, "Nope I'm Jewish". I've always been fascinated by Jews so I stuck my hand out for him to shake it and we started talking about all sorts. We were having a good little chat with him when it started to rain. He offered us a drink and to come inside so we agreed. So when we went into his house to find that his wife was a Filipina! We had some recent converts in Leeds 4 who were Filipinas and they taught we some Tagalog so I started talking to her in her language. She got a huge grin on her face and welcomed us into her house. We talked to her and found out that she couldn't find a Roman Catholic Church in Selby so she hadn't come to church in 10 years! She asked if she could come to ours and of course we said yes. We taught her a second time and she is amazed by the Restoration. She said that in all her years of church she had never read from the scriptures or learned about them. She then committed to be baptised!! We haven't set a date yet and some things came up so she couldn't come to church but it was amazing! Her name is Berna and she is so nice! She calls us 'kids' when we go to teach her! The other crazy thing is that it turns out a member cleans their chimney and they know him really well. He had shared parts of the gospel with them and sown seeds. It was so amazing to see the work that the ward has done and how the Lord sent us to the people that the Lord had prepared! It was crazy! But I'm gonna have to get going. I love you so much mum. Give Lindsay a hug for me for her birthday and tell her friends I say hi. Take care!
Elder Rowley

Dad,
That picture is almost our flat. If you look on the right side of the picture you will see an apartment complex and that's where we live. Elder Hilliard is originally from California but had lived in Springville, Utah for the last 5 or so years. We were swapping stories and he was telling me about someone he worked with who eventually got baptised. As we talked more I realise that I knew that kid and went to high school with him. Its Steve Vistaunet's niece's boyfriend/fiance I think. Steve's niece Alex is/was dating a guy named Lynn Wyberg who got baptised just before December. Turns out Elder Hilliard worked with Josh Reid as well! And do you remember Andrew Apgood from band? He worked with him as well. Small small world. So ya, that's Elder Hilliard for you. If you wanted to look his parents up I know his mom's name is Gaye. Sounds like there really is never a dull moment back home. I'm glad to here that things are going great. Especially with all the birthdays and such coming up this week. Be sure to wish Lindsay a happy birthday for me! This week has been a big improvement from last week. We're really rebuilding this area from nothing and it is amazing how much the Lord is helping us out. I already told mum about an experience where a member was working with someone to prepare them for the gospel and then how the Lord sent us to their street to teach them. She is an amazing Filipino lady named Berna and I'm really excited for her. We've been riding the bikes a lot of visiting less-actives a lot as well. There have been two times where me and Elder Hilliard have been prompted to go to a street and have found less-actives that needed to be visited. We also had a neat experience I'll share with you. We had prayed about an area and a street to knock and when we got there we looked at each other because it didnt' feel right. So we turned around and suddenly felt like a different street was better. The very first door we knock on I say, "Hello, we're sharing the book of Mormon with everyone today" The man looks at me and smiles and says. "Where do you want me to start, with Nephi? or Moroni? Or should we just skip right to the golden plates" I look over at Elder Hilliard dumbfounded and then man just smiles at us. He investigated the church a long long time ago but never joined. He still reads the Book of Mormon and loves it like Lord of the Rings. Crazy huh? Hopefully we'll be able to see him again but he said he has a really spotty work schedule. He also mentioned that the first missionary to teach him was a Daleabout! He said that Matt Daleabout was the first person to knock on his door. All I could remember was that Billy served in Scotland. I don't remember Matt though. Is he in our ward? If he served in Leeds then tell him that Kim says hi! Well I'd better take your advice and get on with our p-day. We spent this morning at Selby Abbey and it was pretty neat. We're going to go to York today though which will be loads of fun. I love you Dad. Have a good week. Talk to you next week!
Elder Rowley

Selby, Selby, Selby

Date: Mon, Jun 6, 2011 at 6:32 AM

Dad,
So let me tell you about Selby. First all start with our flat. The address is 21 Abbey Wharfe, Canal Road, Selby YO8 8AG. Our flat is massive and me and Elder Hilliard have it all to ourselves. It is a lot like the area and hasn't been taken care of the way it should so we spent all morning cleaning. It was really fun. Mom would be proud! So Elder Hilliard is from Utah, originally California and has been on his mission for about 6 months. He is great, strong testimony, desire to do missionary work, and a big heart. So the area is made of of Selby itself and loads of small villages that surround it. We are on bikes which is a blessing and a curse. The weather has been amazing this last week so we both got really tan but then the bikes broke and took 2 hours to fix. Its beautiful countryside though and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for you. Because the missionaries didn't really know what to do they just spent all their time knocking and didn't rely on the ward (I'll get to them in a minute). Knocking is probably the least effective form of missionary work and though they tried their best they only had one new investigator all of last transfer and nobody has been to church in a month. There are 3 people in our teaching pool and I've only met one of them so far. The saving grace to this area is the ward. Dad they are the best ward I have ever met on my entire mission. They are the sole purpose this is even an area. We are doing our best to get to know them and that's what is going to turn the work around for us. Missionaries have been leaving this area after 3 months so didn't get a chance to meet the ward as well so they don't really trust us. They all do amazing missionary work though! At church we got 3 referrals and loads of less-actives to see. It is the greatest spirit I've felt at church for a long time. So right now we're in the rebuilding phase and its pretty exciting. There is a recent convert here named Mike Moore who is my hero. He's a ward missionary and already gave us 5 or 6 families to go see. When I first got called here I thought, "Man, I'm gonna have to waste 3 months of my mission there before I get called to a real area" The more I have thought and prayed about it though I feel like this is exactly where I want to be. We are really all on our own out here and it's just us and the ward. I have such a strong desire just to tear into the work here. I'm never been so excited to just work my butt off! I think I'm going to write the mission president to make sure I can stay here for a long time because I know that's what this area needs. I love it. This is still the happiest I've ever been on my mission and I'm so excited for the next few months. I'm really glad to hear that things are still going well at home and especially about Lindsay's testimony. I love you Dad. Thanks for everything.
Elder Rowley

Mum,
Selby Selby Selby. Well its been 4 days so I've already street contacted half of the town so its gonna be an excited stay. Just kidding. So yup we are on bikes because Selby is so small and there are loads of little villages around that need to gospel as well. This area has been dead for a while though. Last transfer they only found one new investigator and nobody has been to church in a month. So my work is cut out for me. Elder Hilliard is amazing. He has a lot of faith and a big heart and I'm excited to work with him. He's only been on his mission for 6 months so he didn't really know how to work this area. I don't really know how to work this area but I'm sure the Lord with help us out! The ward here is the amazing part. Fast and testimony meeting was all focused on missionary work! We talked to like 5 members about people to see (because we had 3 lessons last week) and got loads of people to visit! I'm really excited to be here and to become a part of the ward. Missionaries haven't been staying in Selby very long and it has been difficult on the ward to trust or even get to know them. I think I'll be here for a while which is fine by me. I'm to the point that I'm just doing what I'm told by the Lord. I don't have any set requirements or things that I feel I have to do on my mission for it to be a success. I feel like a complete tool.....to the Lord!! I'm really excited. Plus our flat is massive!! Well I'll try and send you some pictures, if the computer will let me. Xanda got baptised as well!!! Elder Smith has some pictures for me so that's exciting as well! I love you mum. Thanks for everything!

Elder Rowley

Changing it up!

Well you were wrong about Grimsby and Scarborough but then again everyone guessed wrong this transfer. After 7 1/2 months in the Leeds 4 area I have been called to serve in Selby. Let me tell you all that I know about Selby. It's really little, full of old people and you talk to the same people after about 3 weeks. I'm pretty sure it's a biking area as well! I'm serving with Elder Hilliard who I'm pretty sure is from Utah so that will be all 6 of my companions from Utah. I'm nervous/excited and pretty much everything in between. I really have no idea what to expect. I was having so much fun with different cultures and languages I thought for sure I would get sent to a bigger city somewhere but I guess that Lord has something else in store for me. I think that's how I overall feel about getting called there. It was honestly the last place I would have guessed or chosen so I'm really interested to see what the Lord has in store for me. It'll be an adventure alright but I'm excited (I already finished packing!). This week has been another amazing and good one. We have been working our butts off and have been seeing a lot of success. The greatest miracle of all time happened this last week though. My good friend Teodomiro Dias passed his interview with the bishop and will receive the Aaronic Priesthood at 6:30pm on Friday. At 7:00pm he will be able to baptised his niece Xanda. It was exactly what we wanted and it couldn't have worked out better. That has been my greatest joy in serving in Leeds 4. Let me explain a little bit. There is a woman from Portugal named Ilsy who befriends all the missionaries, she feeds us, has pictures of us on her fridge, and all sorts. She has two kids who are amazing and funny. In her neighborhood there are a lot of Portuguese people like herself (they are all originally from Africa) so they spend a lot of time together. She has a friend who is a member named Erika who has a son named Sergio. Along with those two families there are 3 or 4 other Portuguese families in the area who all have their kids play together so we get really close to them all. Erika is Miro's niece and brought him to church that first Sunday and that eventually led to his baptism. Xanda is Miro's other niece and is the one that is getting baptised on Friday. The thing that I'm so grateful for is that the Lord provided a way for me to help a family that I love so much in the gospel. Those 2 families have been my favourite part of this area and the Lord made it possible for us to bring even more of their family into the gospel. There will almost an entire row of Portuguese speakers at church! It is amazing. That is really all that I wanted out of my mission so now it's all (even more so) about what the Lord wants. I feel like I've already found taught and baptised the people I need to so now I'm just gonna do what the Lord wants. Knowing Him, He'll probably send me even more people that I can make a connection with. It's pretty sweet. Well I love you. Take care of yourself. I'll let you know everything about my next area as soon as I figure it out myself. Love you!
Elder Rowley