The last e-mail

Date: Mon, Aug 9, 2010 at 7:36 AM
Subject: The Last E-mail

Hello!
Well, this is it. The e-mail of e-mails. It's all gone so fast and been so much fun, and I still have more amazing things to tell you about this week!

First things first, my birthday was amazing. I've recognized that in England it was actually the morning of the 5th of August when I was born in the States, so I could actually celebrate it on both days, haha! We had interviews and training in Chorley and it went very well. Elder Chambers and I trained on committing people to Baptism and helping them progress towards it. Trainings are so much fun. Then at lunch Elder Chambers brought out a cake that he made for me and the zone sang happy birthday to me! It was so nice. In the evening we went to a family called the Newtons for tea and they spoiled me as well. They have a son, Austin, who had his first birthday on the 4th, so we celebrated our birthdays together. My favorite part about seeing them was that their young daughter picked out a nice princess birthday cake for Austin an I, it was great! When we got in that evening I found that the other Preston Elders decorated the space above my bed with "Happy Birthday" and some stars around it. That's still in the space above my bed. Then on the 5th we went to the home of a great couple named Richard and Laura who I've become good friends with. They also spoiled me with a nice dinner and chocolate cake at the end! I also really enjoyed the cards I got from some of you and some people here. All in all it was probably one of the best birthdays ever!

In other news I got to hear the bagpipes up close on Saturday, we visited a less-active man who played them for us. They are really loud, but they sounded amazing. I'd love to go to Scotland someday, especially after serving with Elder McKechnie! Also in other news, Peter cleaned our car this week (he's a car valeter), and it looks amazing. I've never seen it so clean! By the way, I'm still loving driving manual transmission, it's way better than automatic!

As for the people we're working with they are doing pretty well. Marisol wasn't at Church this weekend because she wasn't well, but Kaela came! He really enjoyed it as always. Oh and we also played investigator football and basketball on Saturday and Kaela enjoyed that as well. It was a lot of fun. Kaela has a lot of questions and I really enjoy teaching him for that reason, but I can see him progressing towards Baptism soon. We were also blessed with some amazing miracles teaching new investigators this week.

I think yesterday in itself was just an amazing day. I got to work with Elder Hanchett on exchanges and right from the morning we were blessed. Somehow my alarm clock didn't go off, but we ended up waking up at exactly 6:30 anyway! Our bodies must just have it built into us now! Anyway, I got to play the piano for church again and it was a great service. After church Haiming asked me to give him the Aaronic Priesthood so we got to do that. It was an incredible experience. It's amazing how you become more and more confident giving Priesthood ordinances the more you do it, I almost didn't even have to look at the guidelines to ordain him!

The best part was after that, in the evening. We were tracting and hoping and praying for new investigators. We decided to pray for the Lord to increase our faith and as always, He sure did. Just a few moments after our prayer Elder Chambers rang and said that he'd rang a potential investigator that wanted to see us in just 15 minutes! So Elder Hanchett and I quickly went to this mans house and he let us in and we taught him and his wife! They are such amazing people, they have high standards, he was an Engineer and a mountain man, and they already have faith in Christ and live some church standards. I love them already, and felt such a connection with them while we were teaching. It's amazing to me also because at the beginning of my mission there's no way I would have had the confidence or the faith to do something like this. If you notice, it's only been in the past few months that I've been having experiences like this and it's because I've learned it throughout my mission.

Which leads me to my final piece of knowledge I've gained from my mission. The Gospel is about who we become, not what we do. What we do helps us to become saints, but that's our end goal, is to become better than we are. Through our obedience to the principles and ordinances of the Gospel, we can become saints and one day become like our Heavenly Father. I testify that this is true. I feel that I've come closer to this on my mission. This is really what it means to consecrate our lives to our Heavenly Father, to dedicate ourselves and all we do and are to helping others to come unto Christ. That's the simple purpose of a Missionary, and that's why we're all Missionaries, because that's all of our purpose. A full-time Missionary just invites others through teaching the restored Gospel. As individual members we invite others to come to Christ through our callings, through Missionary work in our work places and everywhere we go, and through our example and service to others. I testify that this brings the most happiness that we can attain in this life, and that it will lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven that will never go away. I've also learned that to become we must go above and beyond the call of duty. This work isn't about the duty we have to God. It's not even about receiving our own benefit and blessings, although that is a worthy desire to have and can be part of the reason for our service. But the highest level of consecration and sacredness comes when we do things because we want to and not because we have to. And when we want to because we want to bless others lives. This is what I've discovered on my mission. This is the well of living water that Christ spoke of. This is how we will be able to endure to the end, if we refine and purify our lives, not for our own benefit and gain, but rather so we can bless others. Now, I'm not saying that I've become perfect at this or that I'm more sacred than anyone else, I've only just discovered it and have a long way to go to become like Christ in this way. But I just want to testify to you that this is true because I've experienced it. I testify that this Gospel is true. The restoration is real and powerful. Faith really does produce miracles. God does live. Jesus is the very Christ, the literal Son of God. The Holy Ghost does live also and dwells in us to teach us truth and does so much more for us as we are worthy of his presence. I testify that the Book of Mormon is the true word of God as is the Bible. I testify that reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon are critical, absolutely critical, for an enduring conversion. I know this to be true because I'm experiencing it for myself. This Gospel is glorious and brings so much joy and light into our lives. Let us share that light with every single person around us in whatever way it may be. Let us invite others to come to Christ in every way we can, and become like our Heavenly Father.

I love you all more than I can say. I have so much to be thankful for throughout my mission and my life and if it weren't for you I wouldn't have these many blessings. Keep pressing forward holding onto the iron rod. It's always worth it in the end, even if it's very hard in the beginning. Keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Elder Chambers and Elder Rowley

7 Months in Preston!

Keep serving!

Date: Mon, Aug 2, 2010 at 6:02 AM
Subject: Re: Hap-py Birth-day!!!Hello!

Oh the joys of being a Missionary! They never end! As usual I'm loving serving in Preston just as much as ever. The people, Missionaries, history, work, and feel of this place are just amazing. I feel to it like the people at the waters of Mormon did towards that place (see Mosiah 18:30). It was there that they came to a knowledge of their Redeemer and I feel that the same has happened for me here, just in a different way. What a great mission it's been!

Well, the days are numbering few and going faster every day. Just so you know, don't send any post after August 11th because I probably won't get it. Anything before that is fine. And for anyone who wants anything from England they'd better let me know in the next week! So that's that. I'm very excited to see you all again but I'm still planning to work as hard as ever in the next couple weeks. Your prayers and faith for this are much appreciated.

I can hardly believe that I'll be 21 on Wednesday. I still don't even feel like I'm 20! Anyway, Elder Chambers let the word out to some members and so we've got a couple of tea appointments for tomorrow and Wednesday. In one of these families we're going to they've got a son who is turning 1 on the same day! It'll be exciting. I love the members here, they feel like family. Oh and they're also letting me speak in the ward on the 14th and that should be a good experience. Anyway, also on Wednesday Elder Chambers and I will get to do a training for the zone and it should be fun. I'll be sure to let you know how it all goes. I'm excited. Birthdays on missions are the best.

As for our week we have been very busy. It's been so much fun. On Monday we taught in FHE again but none of our investigators were there sadly. We did have a spirit-filled lesson and a fun game with some of our recent converts though. I also found out yesterday that both Peter and Haiming will be getting the Priesthood soon! I'm so excited for him. This is the blessing of getting to serve in an area for so long, you get to see people be found, taught, Baptized, and start to receive more of the blessings of the Gospel! It makes me so happy to see them doing so well.

Tuesday morning we made the long drive up to Carlisle for District Meeting up there. We learned a lot from the District Leader there, Elder Wagner, and even got to go on exchanges with him and his companions for a couple days. It was great, we were really blessed. And I saw the Isle of Man while we were there!! It was so exciting. Anyway, we saw so many miracles while we were there. Just one was when we were walking down the street. First of all, you have to understand that our mission is a forever finding mission, meaning we strive to talk with EVERYONE. So Elder Wagner and I were doing that. And as we were walking down the street we heard, in one of the side streets, a car that was running. Both our heads perked up at the same time and we turned to go up that street. We were able to talk with a couple of young lads and even got to teach them about the restoration! They both accepted copies of the Book of Mormon and I'm excited to hear about their progress in the future. The Lord truly blesses His Missionaries, even when they do the littlest thing.

Also while we were up there on exchanges I got to ride on a bike for the first time in like 3 years or something, it was crazy. I was sore afterwards, but it was a lot of fun!

As for our investigators they are doing well. They have just a few things that hold them back from really progressing and being Baptised, and we're working to help them overcome those things. Kaela is scheduled for the 28th of August to be Baptised, and Marisol is also working towards that date. Both of them really need solid testimonies of the Book of Mormon though, and that's one thing that you can pray for them to gain. I feel happy though knowing that whether or not they're Baptized I'll still be a friend to them no matter what. That's just another amazing thing about Missionary work, you just make new friends all over the place!

Well, that's about it for this week. Another thing I've learned on my mission is of the power of prayer. I kind of already knew this but I've really experienced it so much while I've been here. That's another thing I've learned as well, experience teaches us much more than just having knowledge or facts in our minds. Anyway, prayer truly changes things. I remember seeing a little block in Grandpa and Grandma Rowley's house that says that, and I've always remembered that. I remember I told you a few weeks ago about that time I was very homesick and I prayed for strength and was blessed with it and how it changed my mission. Well, I have had countless other experiences like that. Even the smallest prayer about the seemingly most insignificant thing is so powerful. I've learned that our actions are children of our prayers, and that faithful action is just a continuation of prayer. We can and do speak to the Lord through the way we act. I've found that when we pray in faith about it then do the Lord's work that miracles happen not only for us, but for the people we serve. I testify that through prayer we can experience the power of the Atonement, for I have experienced it. I know that prayer helps us become more like our Heavenly Father. I know that prayer changes things because I've experienced it. Life is so much better when we pray always.

I love you all. I'm always thankful for your example to me and for all you do for me. Keep serving and blessing the lives of those around you. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Miracles never cease

Date: Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 6:45 AM

Hello!

It's been a miraculous week here in Preston! The miracles never cease and again I just keep loving it here more and more. I feel like I'm living the dream I always had of being a Missionary and it's incredible.

Our investigators are doing amazingly well. Unfortunately Marisol wasn't at church yesterday, but she promised to be there this coming Sunday so we'll work and hope and pray for that! She is such a great woman and really deserves to have the blessings of the Gospel in her life. She just needs a solid testimony of the Book of Mormon.

Kaela is doing well also. I'm always impressed with him. On Monday we taught him in a members home for FHE (which was also amazing by the way, the ward here is incredible!) and the members there helped him a lot to understand a lot of things. When we saw him the next couple of days he had changed, he realized that he knows it's right to follow what we're teaching, and accepted to work towards the 21st of August to be Baptized! On Saturday another amazing member named Brother Abraham took us and Kaela to Blackpool so Kaela could see a Baptism and what it was like. He had a great experience there as well and came to church on Sunday again! He's got so much potential!

We were also blessed to start teaching a few more people this week. On Saturday evening Elder Chambers and I returned to Preston after being in Blackpool for the Baptism and started to phone and go by some former investigators. One of them named Alex, who is from China, said we could teach him right then! We quickly picked up a member and went to Alex's house and he felt the spirit as we taught about the First Vision. He even committed to church on Sunday and accepted to also be Baptized on August 21st! He also came to church yesterday and enjoyed it very much. We should be seeing him again soon.

Also yesterday at church we were standing just outside the chapel doors greeting people when we met a man named Mark. He is friends with a member and yesterday was his first time at church. He enjoyed it very much, and last night we taught him and another friend with his member friend there as well and they felt the spirit and committed to also prepare for Baptism on August 28th! We'll see him again tonight at FHE and we're very excited for him.

So someone else must be praying really hard for the people of Preston or something because this past week we went from one investigator with a Baptismal date to four. That's such a miracle to see, especially in a week! Your prayers for all these people are much appreciated, and will help them progress and receive the blessings of Baptism.

Those were the most eventful things of the week, but we did also have a great zone conference. Elder Chambers and I trained our zone on teaching the restoration and first vision, and we got to have a training on finding from Elder McKechnie and his companion Elder Stevens. Elder McKechnie is now the assistant and it was great to see him again. I feel so blessed to have served with some of the best Missionaries this mission has ever seen.

Oh and just to update you, Peter and Haiming are doing very well. They're coming to lessons with us at least once a week and they seem to be keeping the fire they had even before their Baptisms. I'm always impressed with their example and service to others.

I suppose that's about it from me this week. If I could share with you one thing I've learned on my mission it would be that the Atonement is something to be felt, and not just learned. The learning of it is necessary to be able to feel it's power. And every time we feel the spirit it's because of the Atonement in one way or another. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ we would never be able to feel the spirit, no matter how hard we tried. We would be forever separated from God with no possible way of returning. The Atonement is felt as we hear testimony of others, serve others, and repent. When Christ suffered that infinite price, He received infinite power. Think about that. Infinite power. When I think about that I think about the ocean and how big it is, and that's not even infinite. And to tap into that power and have access to it, all we must do is exercise faith to repent of our sins and make and keep covenants with our Heavenly Father. I testify that this infinite power is real. I have felt it, every day of my mission. This power is so sacred and so important. I testify that it will lead us back into the presence of God, where we can experience infinite happiness. I'm excited for that day when all of us can finally sing and make that chorus swell with "all is well"! That's why I'm doing this. Because I need that infinite power to have those infinite blessings, and every other person in the world needs it too. This is why we must repent and serve God by serving His children, specifically in sharing these restored truths with them. I testify that this work brings the greatest happiness that I've felt so far in my life and each of us can have that happiness as we share the Gospel with those around us. I know that this work is true because of the Book of Mormon, the great keystone of my testimony and knowledge of this great Gospel.

I also want you to know that I love you all so much. I would never be here without you. The world is a better place having you in it. Never forget that. Have a great week and keep up the amazing work!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

Great things are happening here

Date: Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 5:29 AM

Hello!

It's good to be here in Preston! I just keep loving this place and the people here more and more everyday! So many great things are happening here.

First of all, yesterday was a pretty amazing day. Church was an hour and a half and we had Apostle Andrew Bolton from the Community of Christ come and speak to us. He spoke about the history here with those early Missionaries and the converts who all sacrificed so much for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His church believes in that same history as well and it was good to be reminded of it and encouraged to follow their examples of sacrifice in building the kingdom of God. We also had Elder Kerr, an Area Seventy from Scotland who is absolutely amazing, speak to us as well. It was definitely a very different experience, and I don't know if I'll have another one like it in the future. The best part was after church. We didn't have time after the meeting to go meet him and talk with him and Elder Kerr because we were so busy sorting out lifts and appointments and fellowshippers and things with members and investigators, and on the car ride back for lunch I was talking about how I really wanted to get to talk with them. Well, as Elder Chambers and I were going into the town centre here to street contact we bumped into Elder Kerr and Andrew Bolton and a few others who were going around to the church history sites here in Preston! They invited us to stay with them for the end of the tour and we did and afterwards we got a picture with Andrew Bolton. They were also excited to hear that both Elder Chambers and I are descendants of some of those first converts Baptised here in Preston. I love Preston so much, this place is amazing!

Also last week we experienced our first thunderstorm here in months... I think it's even been over a year since I last heard thunder! It was amazing, it was absolutely chucking it down with rain. Thankfully when the first wave hit we were under a sheltered shopping area and spoke with a nice woman the whole time and actually set up an appointment with her! When the second wave of the storm came we were tracting and I was just so happy and excited to be tracting in a thunderstorm. I had a feeling we would get let into a door and sure enough we did by an old man named Gordon who was very nice and allowed us to teach him about the restoration. I've learned by experience that every kind of weather is good weather for Missionary work, and that the Lord truly takes care of His servants! I really love this work.

Another amazing miracle this week has been doing a couple of chapel tours. One was with a nice man named Michael (pronounced mick-hail) who really enjoyed it. The spirit was strong as we taught him about Baptism and then the Sacrament, and he enjoyed it so much that he came to Church yesterday! He only made it for the end though, but he liked what he was there for. The other chapel tour was with an amazing man named Kaela (pronounced Kyela) who is from Zambia but moved here when he was 9. So he looks African but has a British accent. He is amazing. Anyway, Kaela was excited for the chapel tour from the minute that we spoke about it, and he really enjoyed it also. The spirit was really strong in this one as well, and when we invited him to come to church on Sunday he said yes without any hesitation! He also came yesterday and made it for the whole service and really enjoyed it. Tonight we'll see him at FHE at a members home and I'm very excited. Oh and speaking of that the members here are amazing, yesterday one came up to me and invited us to this FHE tonight and told us that they could bring our investigators and invited our recent converts as well!

I also must say that working with Elder Chambers is amazing. He is so organized and easy to get along with. He has great ideas for how to help the zone and our investigators, in fact, the chapel tours this week were his idea! It's great to serve with and learn from such amazing Missionaries.

And finally, last but not least, the greatest miracle of the week is.... Marisol (our Peruvian investigator) is getting Baptised! She's scheduled for the 14th of August which will be amazing. Unfortunately she didn't make it to church yesterday, but she's already committed to be there next week. She really enjoys reading in the Book of Mormon and is happy we gave her a Spanish copy. She's so willing to do what the Lord asks. The one thing that we need to help her with though, and your faith and prayers for this are much appreciated and needed, is a witness through prayer that the Book of Mormon is true. She feels that it's good as she reads it but she still needs that spiritual confirmation in prayer. I'm excited for her to receive the blessings of the restored Gospel.

I know that this Church and the work to invite others to Christ is true. I know that the Holy Ghost is real and that the power and authority and setting apart of a Missionary is real. And truly powerful. I've had many experiences throughout my mission that I never dreamed would happen to me, and I'm so thankful for them. I've seen the hand of the Lord in ways I didn't even know were possible. Missionary work is so amazing. It's so much fun and it makes me so happy. I sometimes just laugh with joy that I'm a Missionary and that I get to do this great work, and I wonder if it's similar to what Alma the younger and the Sons of Mosiah felt about their Missions. The Lord is truly in this work and in every work that we perform to help and serve others. I testify that He will help us. I testify that the infinite power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real and that it will help us sanctify ourselves that we may be effective in serving and blessing others. Especially in inviting them to come to Christ. I testify that the Lord will help us share the Gospel as we simply open our mouths. And I can testify of that because I have experienced it for myself. All we have to do is go and do what the Lord has commanded and He will make up the rest. That's what faith means, and that's why we've seen the miracles we've seen recently. And I testify that all of us can see, and keep seeing, these same kinds of miracles daily as we continue to exercise faith in doing what the Lord asks of us.

Well, thank you again for everything. You're wonderful and don't forget I couldn't do this without you. Keep up all the amazing work you're all doing. And remember Moroni 8:3.

I love you!!

- Elder L. Rowley

I love Preston!

Zone Leaders Council

Date: Mon, Jul 12, 2010 at 5:28 AM

Hello!

The weekend went so fast! Time just keeps flying faster and faster. It think it was because we were so busy. On Thursday we did planning for the zone, Friday was Zone Leaders Council, and on Saturday we had District Leaders Council. It's been exciting and hectic and fun. I love it all.

This morning on the way into the library we were stopped by a group of people who seemed a bit different than most people in Preston. It turned out to be John M. Madsen, an emeritus general authority! It was great to meet him and some of his family and to get to know him a bit better. It seems like that happens a lot here in Preston. On Sunday we're having an Apostle from the Community of Christ come to speak to the Preston and South Ribble wards, I'm excited to hear from him! I'll be sure to let you know all about how that goes.

We contacted a referral this week that Elder Z. Rowley and I got when we were working together! His name is Mick and we spoke with him about the restoration and set up an appointment with him! Just as we were about to leave he suddenly started signing and talking about how he knows British Sign Language, then explains that his wife is deaf. I started signing and was able to communicate briefly with him and then his wife as I saw her through the doorway and it was amazing. I'm excited to go back and see them!

Church yesterday was good and our investigators are doing pretty well. We're kind of in the process of finding new people who will come to church and progress and be Baptized. We really need some solid new investigators this week. Anyway, speaking of Church, a young man named Henry came and brought a friend as well, and they both enjoyed it. We're probably going to play basketball with them and some other people this coming Saturday, I'm excited. It was also exciting yesterday to get to help some of our recent converts learn about the Temple and get Temple Recommends in preparation for the ward Baptisms for the Dead this Friday. I love being at church here in Preston, every Sunday when we come out of church I'm always happy and talking about how much I love it.

Also last night we were blessed to get let into a door and teach a man named Karl! It was funny because it was the world cup final last night and most people were watching it and not interested in much else. We didn't see much success for the first part of the night, but as we endured faithfully we were blessed. Karl will hopefully be at church on Sunday and we're seeing him aging soon.

Oh and yesterday afternoon we also got to teach a couple people on benches in town centre. One was a man named Michael who had met Missionaries in the past and was told about the history of the area here and was actually thinking recently about that and wanted to find us and talk with us, and sure enough he did. It's amazing to me how the Lord leads people to us as well as leading us to people. Anyway, we taught him about the restoration and he's also planning to come to Church next week, we're excited about him.

All in all it's been a great week. I love Preston. I don't think I can say that enough. It was July 1837 that the first Missionaries arrived and preached and Baptised here. It was July 1933 that President Hinckley served here and had his life changing experience. And now it's July 2010 and we're continuing the legacy of those who have gone before us. President Bullock always reminds us that we cross bridges that we didn't build and drink from wells that we didn't dig, and I really feel that way about Preston. I also feel that I'm working to build bridges and dig wells for those who will serve here in the future. The spirit here in Preston is wonderful, it's unlike anywhere else I've ever served. I think it's because the blessings of the Prophets and Apostles of old fall upon the Missionaries that serve here. I've really felt that recently and I'm really thankful for it.

I have come to find out for myself that the influence and power of the Holy Ghost is real. I've been able to work with and feel it many times on my mission and I feel that that's just one of the many things that has made my mission great for me. I feel the spirit every day as a Missionary, it's such a powerful thing. I know that this work is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God and it will bring us closer to Him than any other book as we abide by it's precepts. I know because of that that this church is the only true and living church in the world. I'm thankful to know what I know and to feel what I feel and to be able to share that with others and strive to bless their lives.

Well, the Gospel is true, lets live it and share it! I love you all and I'm always so thankful for the love and support and prayers. Keep up all the amazing work, you truly are the salt of the earth!

Love,

Elder L. Rowley

The Elders Rowley reunite in Preston!

Date: Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 4:51 AM

Hi Everyone!

It's a nice sunny day here in Preston! I'm very excited to report that I'll be staying here for another month and a half! That will be about 7 months here by the time I'm done. The time has flown by and it's been a lot of fun. I'm excited to see what the next few weeks will have in store though.

My new companion is Elder Chambers from Pocatello Idaho and he is amazing. He also sang in choir and likes music, is organized, has ancestors from Preston, and is just a great Missionary. It's a joy to work with him and I'm excited for the miracles that he and I will see this transfer. I'm hoping that we can Baptise someone in the next few weeks and your prayers and faith to help up accomplish this are much appreciated!

We've been so busy since I last wrote, there is so much to tell you about. On Tuesday we were in the Lakes District and I got to work with Elder Wagner who is amazing. We "accidentally" ended up in an area of one of their investigators that is difficult to see because he's far away from where the Elders live. We taught him about the importance of church and sure enough, he came to church on Sunday! I also learned from Elder Wagner, he is a strong Missionary.

On Friday Elder McKechnie got called to be an Assistant to President Bullock and was, that very day, transferred to Manchester. I got to work with a Swiss Missionary named Elder Weidmann (pronounced Veidman), it was a lot of fun. It's been a very busy last few days because of this, but to be honest I've really enjoyed all that we've been able to do. It's really different without Elder McKechnie, but I'm thankful for the things I learned from him and the impact he's had on my mission and on my life. I've learned a lot from my companions, and Elder McKechnie was one of those who taught me the most.

Haiming Ou was Baptised on Saturday and that was incredible. There were six Chinese people there including Hiaming, it was amazing. I was so happy to see all of them there. The spirit was very strong as Haiming was Baptised and as he was confirmed on Sunday as well. He's already doing great as a new member and is planning to go do Baptisms for the Dead with the ward next week! I'm so excited to see him continue to progress!

At Church on Sunday we had Marisol come to Church and she enjoyed it a lot. It was good to see here there. She even got to speak in Spanish with Elder Llaguno! Oh and this was funny as well, while they were talking there were, people having conversations in English (of course), Chinese, and even Sign Language! There is a member named Marco from Ghana who knows ASL that has been coming to our ward for a few weeks and I got to sign with him and get to know him better, it was great. There was also a Japanese woman at Church on Sunday who is also deaf and also speaks ASL! I got to sign with her about the Book of Mormon and let her know we can get her a copy in Japanese! I'm amazed at all the sign language experiences I've been having recently, it's so exciting!

And finally, the biggest and best part of the week was getting to meet and work with Elder Z. Rowley. I was so happy to see him and work with him and very impressed with him. On Friday Elder McKechnie and I drove to the MTC and got there just before 11:00, and at that time I got to meet and become companions with Elder Zack. We were companions from then until about 6:00 that evening. We got to be trained before our finding activity, have lunch in the van on the way to Preston, work together, take some pictures at the Temple together, and have dinner together as well. We also traded a name badge so there will be an Elder Rowley badge here from 2008 until 2012. The best part of seeing him was getting to work with him. He is such a good Missionary already, and we saw some great things as we worked together. The very first person we spoke with was named Shane and we set up an appointment with him! We also got to speak with a Chinese man and another man who was drunk and gave us a referral. We were asking everyone for referrals and we ended getting a couple and contacting one of them. I'm still working to contact the other one. I'll let you know what comes of the people we met while we worked together. It was amazing to learn from him as well, he taught me to speak louder and I learned that that's why some people don't listen to me sometimes! I also learned that it makes such a greater impact to be a sacred Missionary than being a social Missionary. True sanctification and consecration to the Lord's work- sacrificing of ourselves- is the best way to do Missionary Work and brings the greatest blessings. I have a testimony that this is true. The spirit confirms this to me. Missions are just so sacred and special. I'm so happy being a Missionary and can't imagine being anything else. I sure wouldn't like to think about where my life would be if it weren't for my mission. Nothing bad ever comes from serving a mission, the Lord just keeps multiplying the blessings for those who serve. I'm so thankful for this.

The Gospel is true. It changes our lives for the better. I testify that God lives and loves you. I testify that His blessings come from obedience to His restored Gospel. My testimony of the Gospel is held together by my testimony of the Book of Mormon and I testify that it truly is the iron rod that will lead us along the pathway back to our Heavenly Father's presence. This Gospel is true and it just makes sense!

Well, I love you all so much. Thanks once again for all of the love and support and prayers for me and this work here. It's changed my life. Keep up the great work of our Savior. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder. L. Rowley

Elder Z. Rowley Sightings and More!

Elder Miller and Elder Rowley on Exchanges

Hi Mum!

It's good to hear from you and that things are going well. I'm excited to report that I've seen Elder Zack! He's safe and well in the MTC, but the funny thing is that he doesn't know that I've seen him! Here's what happened:

About a week ago we got permission to go to the Temple accommodation (across from the MTC) to have tea with a senior Temple Missionary couple who come to the Preston ward. Well, I was thinking that I would get to see Zack that day but as I rang President Clegg that morning he told me about the other Missionaries and his concerns about the effect of two visits and said that he would prefer if I would just see him on Friday. I was perfectly okay with that and told that to President Clegg. It still seemed a bit odd though that I would be right there on the MTC grounds, right across from the MTC, and not see Zack.

Well, after Church yesterday we went there and enjoyed our tea appointment and afterwards we walked up to the Temple. We had to walk back to the car to get Elder McKechnie's camera and as we were walking back to the car I looked across the car park into one of the windows of the classrooms. I saw some Missionaries in the room on the far left corner- it just happened to be the same room where I had my class when I was in the MTC. At the first glance I saw a Missionary that looked very similar to Zack and started to get excited. Elder McKechnie jokingly said something like "it's your brother!" Well, as I looked back again there was no doubt that it was him! I was so excited, but remembering what President Clegg told me that morning I didn't want him or the other Missionaries to see me. So I didn't go up to the window or anything.

As we drove by on our way up to the Temple again (we decided to take the car instead of walk) I had to look again and caught a glimpse of him pressing his face into the bottom of his water bottle, as if he was bored or tired or something, it was pretty funny. I knew then without a doubt that it was him. I didn't think I'd get to pass that window again before Friday when I'll work with him, but I was very surprised at what happened next. As we were back up at the Temple and took a couple of pictures I decided to turn the phone back on. As I did we found a message there from an Elder Powell at the MTC (he's one of the senior coordinators there or something). He had a package for Elder McKechnie so we had to go back down to the MTC! I drove this time and I was still trying to lie low so Zack and his fellow Missionaries couldn't see me. After getting the package we left the MTC and just as we were passing the window of the classroom that he was in I looked in and saw Zack stand up and close the window and start to head out of the room. It was clear as day that it was him. I don't think I'll ever forget that image of him standing there. It was such a comfort just to know for certain that he's there and safe. And from what I read of that e-mail he sent you he's doing very well!

It was such a blessing. Please don't tell him about it thought, I'll do that on Friday. I know that the Lord had a hand in this and will have a hand in the work he and I do together on Friday. I'm so excited.

For everyone:

Date: Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 7:44 AM

Hello Everyone!

I hope you've all had a great week. Things here in Preston are going very well and I'm excited for all I have to report on!

We've had a very busy week with a lot of different things going on. On Saturday we got to do what's called Helping Hands, I'm not sure how many of you have heard of it. Around the country wards and stakes meet together in their respective areas and do a service project in the community. Our project was cleaning up a pond for a crematorium. We got to pull up weeds and dig up dirt and it was a lot of fun.

Oh and in other news I heard that England got beat by Germany 4-1 in the world cup yesterday. People here weren't too happy about that as we were speaking with them on Sunday night, and I'm a bit disappointed as well, but in the end it will be better for the work. I hear that the US is also out as well. There's always the next world cup, right?

Anyway, Also this week I got to work with an Elder Miller in Blackpool. He's from Idaho and he's a lot like family. He reminds me of Colton. Anyway, he and I were able to get a lot done there in Blackpool and saw some great things happen. We had a very busy day with some street contacting on the road near the coast, teaching appointments and even a tea appointment. It was a lot of fun. Blackpool is a very interesting place though, I'll have to tell you about it someday.

Our investigators are doing well this week. Hai Ming will be Baptised this weekend and we're very excited for him. He just keeps surprising us. The other night we taught him in a members home and we accidentally forgot to leave him a chapter from the Book of Mormon to read. Well, he rang us and asked us where he should read and we gave him a chapter. That shows a lot of dedication and faith on his part. I'm so excited for him.

We also started teaching a Peruvian woman named Marisol this week. We saw her in town midweek and she came to Church on Sunday! We're also excited for her and I'll let you know about her progress. Please pray for her to feel of the spirit of the restoration.

Last night we were blessed to teach a Chinese man named Andy. It was pretty funny how we found him, we were driving along the road and as we drove past him we saw he was sitting on a small wall. Elder McKechnie said something like "Do you think he has 15 minutes we can teach him right now?" And I said I thought he probably would. Well, as we drove back to where he was sitting and parked the car and invited him to be taught right there he accepted and we were able to teach him. It was amazing. The Lord really led us to him!

Well, that's about it from me this week. The Gospel is true and it changes things for the better. I've seen that in my life as I've read in the Book of Mormon and prayed to know that it's true. I really like the line in Preach My Gospel that says that no-one can know of spiritual truths without prayer. How true that is. If we ask God if something is right then He will tell us and it will help us to choose the right and be able to experience His promised blessings in our lives. I testify that Christ lives and loves us. Of all His characteristics I think that's the most important- His love. I know that it is real and infinite and through the Holy Ghost we can have the reality of His love revealed to us. The Holy Ghost is real too and without Him and Jesus Christ we couldn't ever come to know the Father. I know that the Church is true and the Lord will bless us for living this incredible Gospel and for sharing it with others.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. I love you and am always thankful for the prayers and letters and support and love and everything you do for me. I wouldn't be here without you.

Love,

Elder L. Rowley