December 1, 2014 Letter

Hi family!

 

Joanie and Ryan congrats on another one! I am glad to hear that Griffin is doing better now. I hope I get some pictures next week. Also happy birthday this week to Luke, Thomas, and Mason! I can't believe they are already turning one! Karen, Liberty square sounds great!

 

Well Elder Tino is off now. I am going to miss him. He was a really good companion. Today I found out who my new companion is. His name is Elder Boychuk. He is the one I lived with on the Gold Coast. He is from Lethbridge Alberta Canada! Its a small world. He is a funny guy. It should be a good transfer.

 

Well we had one baptism in our area. Yesterday we had Ayla Fletchers baptism. It was awesome! There was a lot of people there to support her. Some of Ayla's family is in the church. Her grandparents are strong members, so they were very happy with her decision to be baptized. Ayla even bore her testimony at her baptism. She has made some very big decisions in this past month and she knows she is on the right track now. It is amazing to see. We will be having Addy Pyles baptism in a couple of weeks. Elder Tino is actually planning to fly back for that as well.

 

I can't believe it is already Christmas again. This year has gone by so fast. If you haven't already heard, you should all take a look at christmas.mormon.org. There is a great video on there that the church is trying to get everybody to watch. It is amazing. It talks about the true meaning of Christmas. Often we get caught up in all the commercialized side of Christmas when really we should focus on Christ. It is because of Him that we can be with our loved ones forever. It is through Him that we can find true lasting peace. It is through Him that we can be healed. He is the gift. I am so grateful for the sacrifice He made. It is real! I love you all and hope you have a great week.

 

Love,

Elder Low

 

 

November 23, 2014 Letter

Hi family!

 

It seems like everybody is always on the move. It is good to keep busy. Joanie I am so excited to see little Griffin! Is that really his name? That is awesome! Make sure to send me some pictures when he comes. Robbie and Cammie, Grant is so cute! I love his red hair. He is getting big. Also Dad I am glad to hear you enjoyed your trip over to Quebec. That would be a really good experience to visit the places you served. I wouldn't mind going over there one day.

 

I can't believe that alumni is already coming up. That was always one of my favourite times of year. Is Cardston going to be any good this year? Justin aren't you getting too old to play basketball? Just kidding. Just wait until next year. Hopefully my body isn't completely broken.

 

Mom as far as my Christmas package goes, I did have something in mind but I can't remember now. Obviously it wasn't that important. To be honest though, I wouldn't mind some healthy snacks. I am trying to be healthy. It is tough in an area full of Samoans.

 

This week has been amazing for us! Last week I told you the mission was going for 100 Baptisms convert baptisms in November. Apparently we are at about 45 right now and the mission has about 54 solid dates for this last week. So it is coming right down to the wire! We saw some miracles this past week though. Addi Pyle came to church! We found out why we haven't been able to get ahold of her. She works for the Government and this past week is Brisbane was the G20. President Obama and other world leaders were all here. So she has been busy! But we are meeting with her tonight and her baptism will possibly be on November 30th. Also Ayla Fletcher has received some very powerful answers to her prayers. She was having some struggles, but she has found her answers. It was amazing to hear. As a result, her baptism may be this Saturday or Sunday. She just needs to talk to her Grandparents who really want to make it. They are members of the church and her Grandpa will be baptizing her. So 2 baptisms that were looking like they would be later may actually end up happening this weekend. It is a miracle.

 

This week was a really battle for us. We have been working/praying so hard trying to see a miracle with our investigators and now it is happening! It has really made me realize that the Lord is in control. We could have done everything within our power, but without the Lord's help it would have been impossible. When we do our part, He will always do His part. And he does it in a way that is best for us. As long as we are diligent and faithful, things will work together for our good. It is because of Him. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a full-time missionary. It is amazing to witness these miracles. The Gospel is true! He is in control. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

Novemer 16, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

 

It sounds like it is pretty cold back home. I could use a bit of that here. People are starting to comment on how sweaty I am when I knock on the door. The humidity is crazy! Dad and Justin it sounds like you have enjoyed your time over in Quebec. Dad that is awesome that you get to see some of your old areas. I hope you get to see some of the people you taught. Mom they have something similar to Rememberance day over here, it is called anzac day. And I actually have heard a little about ISIS and also what happened in Ottawa. It is sad. Lots of people we knock into talk about stuff like that.

 

Well this week has been a very interesting week. Our mission is going for another 100 convert baptisms in November and it has been a battle. We are still working with a few investigators. Addi Pyle has been crazy busy so it has been 2 weeks since we have been able to catch up with her. Josh Kerr actually came to church again yesterday. He really enjoys it. He is starting to recognize the Spirit but he might take a little while. We are also teaching another girl named Ayla Fletcher. Her Mom is a less-active member and she is not a member. Things are really going well with her. We actually found out yesterday that her boyfriend wants to learn about the Gospel as well. Ayla wants to be baptized but she wants to be baptized with her boyfriend who lives down in Melbourne. So we will see how this one is going to work out.

 

My companion Elder TIno goes home in two weeks and it has made me realize just how short a mission is. TIme goes by so fast! It is hard to believe. It has also made me realize that we need to enjoy the time we have on the mission but also the time we have in life. Life is short and God wants us to be happy. That is one of the reasons why Adam and Eve ate the fruit, so we can experience joy. I am so grateful for all of the blessing I have in my life. I know it is all made possible through our Savior Jesus Christ. Through this Gospel we can find true lasting peace and joy. It is true! Thank you for all your love and support. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

November 10, 2014 Letter

Hi Family,

 

I am glad to hear everybody enjoyed their week. Sounds like their is some exciting stuff going on back home. Robbie that is funny that you might be declining interviews now. All your hard work has paid off. Karen I remember Elder Posadas! It is a small world. Was he shy? He was really shy when I first met him. Jason I forgot to say happy birthday last week! I hope you got some time off work and were able to do something special for your birthday. Also happy birthday to Cammie this upcoming week on the 16th I believe! I hope Robbie does something nice for you.

 

Well it has been another great week for us! Lots of teaching. Josh is still searching for his answer about the Book of Mormon. He came to church yesterday though and seemed to enjoy it. As for Addi, she has been crazy busy. Unfortunately we were unable to catch up with her this week. She is still reading the book of Mormon ALOT though. She is keen to learn. Her baptism is scheduled for November 29th. Also Marie and Danyah both have temple recommends and we are just trying to find a time that we could go to the temple with them for baptisms. They love the Gospel! It is great.

 

The highlight of the week would definitely have to be Robert's baptism though. He was so excited all week. Lots of members came out to support and even a lot of his non-member family were there. We got to meet some of them. The baptism went really well! Robert was so happy. The water was a bit chilly but when he came out of the water he was smiling and saying he wanted to do it again. It was pretty funny. He is a good kid!

 

There are so many miracles happening here. It is a good time to be a missionary. It is just a witness to me that the church really is true. Christ is at the Head of His church and He called a Prophet in Joseph Smith to be an instrument through whom he could restore His truths. We have evidence of that in the Book of Mormon. I know that if we take the time to prayerfully read the Book of Mormon every day, the Lord will bless us with inspiration and revelation to guide us every day. I am so grateful for that. It is true!!! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

 

 

November 2, 2014 Letter

Hi Family,

 

Well I only wrote home a couple of days ago because we had P-day on Thursday last week. Hopefully I can think of something to say. I am glad that Richard and Leslie enjoyed their holiday in Banff. Mom and Dad it sounds like you had quite a good time as well. I have never been to Banff. That is awesome to hear about Aaron babysitting. Sounds like he needs a permanent job. Just kidding. Joanie that is so exciting that your due in a couple of weeks! I can't believe how many kids have been born in this last year and a half. It sounds like everybody had a good time at Halloween. Halloween is starting to catch on over here. I actually saw people out trick-or-treating this year. That is probably because I was in a very run down area last year. I now live in an area with a lot of young families.

 

Mom I actually got an email from Shaun Quinton a little while ago asking about BYU housing next year. I am not sure when we need to start looking, but yes I want to live with Shaun again. I would really appreciate it if someone back home could help me and Shaun with that. Maybe you could coordinate with Shauns Mom and Karen and Alvin may be able to help out?

 

I think as we get closer to Summer, the weather is going to just keep getting hotter. That is alright though. We just need to find more solid people to teach so we aren't knocking doors all day. We aren't having much of a problem with that though. We found another great guy to teach. His name is Josh Kerr. He is 21 and really tall. Apparently his sister use to have missionaries around a lot. Anyway we have been teaching him and we challenged him to be baptized on November 22nd. He was pretty keen on it but of course he wants to continue to learn more. So we are working towards that day. He is a great guy though! We are excited that we knocked on his door.

 

Addi and Robert are still going strong! Robert's baptism is next Sunday. He is so excited! It is great to see. His non-member Mom even made a commitment to bring him to church every other Sunday when he is baptized. She has really seemed to warm up to us. We are hoping to teach her soon. Robert's sister will be bringing him to church the other weeks. We had another great lessons with Addi as well. Danyah and Marie will be getting their temple reccomends this week also. Things are going great!

 

I am so grateful to be a missionary! True happiness comes when we serve others and thats what missionary work is all about. I love it! This Gospel is true. God is real! He knows each of us by name and He loves us. It is such a special message. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

October 29, 2014 Letter

Hi Family,

 

I am glad to hear that things are still going well for everybody. Dad that youth temple conference sounds like it was amazing for the youth! That is good to hear. Richard and Leslie I hope you enjoy your little holiday. You deserve it. Robbie congrats on getting into another school! That is awesome. When do you have to make the final decision about where you are going to go? I hope you and Cammie enjoy your time in Utah. Julie that is awesome that your neighbours finally came to a church activity! Keep up the good work. Kalvin I am glad to hear you enjoyed your trip to Texas. Good luck with your primary program. 

 

Well it is starting to get ridiculously hot here now. It has been up between 40 and 42 degrees celcius the past couple of days and it isn't even summer yet! It is going to be a hot Summer in Ipswich. The humidity makes it even worse. But it is for a good cause! Lots of people think we are crazy when we knock on their door. At least they give us water.

 

We are still seeing miracles here! We taught Addi (Marie's daughter) yesterday. We had a really great lesson with her and she shared some of her experiences she has had recently. She has had some powerful answers to her prayers. The Lord has really prepared her. We were able to set a baptismal date with her for November 29th. She is great! Marie and Danyah are doing good as well. They are making there way to the temple now. They are really progressing in the Gospel. At the same time as all of this we are preparing for Roberts baptism on November 9th. He is the 9 year old boy we are teaching. He has really set an example for his family. It is amazing!

 

Things are getting tough here in the heat, but that is a part of missionary work. I remember growing up Dad would always say "nobody said it would be easy, they just said it would be worth it." Dad I can't remember where you got that from, but it is so true. Most things in this life that are worth achieving take work. The Gospel is no different. We have to strive to strengthen our testimony every day. At times it may be tough, but when we make it back to our Father in Heaven we will be so happy we put in the effort. I am grateful for the chance that I have to do the Lord's work each day. It is strengthened my testimony so much. This Gospel is true!! I love you all and hope you all have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

October 21, 2014 Letter

Hi Family!

 

Well this email is going to be short because it has been a pretty hectic day. It was transfers and we have been driving missionaries around. Fortunately Elder Tino and I are both staying in the area. I was really excited about that! Robbie congrats on getting in to Texas A&M! I hope the good news keeps on coming. It is good to hear that things are going well with the triplets. Also happy birthday to Benson this week!

 

It was another great week! Last Saturday was Marie and Danyahs Baptism. They were so excited for it! Things went very well. The ward supported them and they had a great experience. Elder Tino baptized Marie and I got to baptize Danyah. I have pictures but I will try and send them next week. Marie's daughter Addi, who is also Danyah's Mom, came up to the baptism as well. I think she might actually be living with them now. She was having some struggles and we are actually going to start teaching her now. It is amazing how the Lord works.

 

I am so grateful to be a missionary. The Lord truly blesses our lives each and every day. Sometimes we don't realize until we take a minute to reflect and see what He has done for us, but He is there. It is real! The Gospel is true. Thank you for all your love and support. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

October 13, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

Well it sounds like everybody is enjoying Thanksgiving time back home. Unfortunately Thanksgiving is not celebrated over here. I probably don't need all the food anyway. But we have so much to be thankful for. Happy birthday to Dad this week on the 16th! That is 58 I believe. I hope you get to do something fun for your birthday. Also congrats to Alvin for getting into med-school in Alabama! That is exciting!

It was another solid week for us. Marie & Danyah are looking pretty set to be baptized this Saturday. They are excited! It is great to see. Mom, Danyah is 11 years old. We are also making progress with a few other investigators as well. Jessica (Marie's niece) has been loving the lessons. She loves the Plan of Salvation. She really wants to be baptized, but the only thing holding her back is that she lives with her boyfriend and he isn't too keen on getting married. We actually had 7 of our investigators attend a session of General Conference this weekend as well. They loved it! We are led by such inspired leaders!

I loved General Conference this past weekend. It seemed to me that a lot of the talks touched on strengthening ourselves, our families, and the people around us. As we get closer to the Second Coming there will be more attacks on Joseph Smith and the Church. Satan is going to do everything he can to lead us astray. That is why we each need to have our own personal witness that the Gospel is true. I think we have all witnessed the truth of it in our own lives. When we live the Gospel, we are happier. We can face trials will greater strength, hope, and even find peace in them. When we don't live the Gospel it brings sorrow and disappointment. It is pretty simple. I am grateful that I was raised in a home and a family where this was so easy to see. The Gospel is true! We are led by a living Prophet on the Earth today! I am so grateful for that. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low 

October 6, 2014 Letter

Hi family,


Mom and Dad it sounds like you really enjoyed your trip down to Utah for General Conference. Travel home safely! And yes Mom I did get your email. I am really excited to listen to General Conference this upcoming weekend. We are lead by very inspired leaders.


Well Mom and Dad it sounds like you already know a little bit about my week. It was pretty amazing! I had the chance to go back to the Karana Downs area to see a couple of my investigators that I was teaching there get baptized. I got to see Kim Felagai be baptized last Wednesday and I actually got to baptize Diane Maguire on Saturday. Diane's son Damien who is 8 was baptized as well. Diane's husband Paul and her daughter Sara were baptized a couple of months ago. I have said it before, but it is an amazing feeling to see someone that you have taught and cared about make that covenant with their Father in Heaven. These people have really experienced the change that the Gospel brings. Diane sent me a text later on Saturday thanking me for teaching her family and for taking the time to come and baptize her. She said being baptized has really made her want to be a better person. Her and her family have both changed for the better because of the Gospel. It is a miracle!


As for the rest of the week, we are still very busy teaching. With the mini-missionaries we were able to do twice the work. We ended up teaching 33 lessons last week. We have some amazing investigators. We also got some great news about Danyah (Marie's grand daughter). She got permission from her Mother to be baptized on October 18th with Marie. So both Marie and Danyah will be baptized next Saturday. In the mean time we are finishing up the lessons with them. We are excited!


This week has really brought D+C18:10,15-16 to life for me. Sharing the Gospel brings joy! Being at those baptisms and receiving that text from Diane makes all of the hard work of a mission worth it. It was amazing to see how appreciative they were. I am grateful to be an instrument through which the Lord can work through. I can't even imagine what it will be like on the other side when the people we have shared the Gospel with turn to us and say thank you for opening your mouth, thank you for sharing this wonderful message with me. The Lord needs us to help people feel the Spirit and come unto Him. People are waiting for the Gospel. I am so grateful to have this opportunity as a missionary. I love this Gospel! It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!


Love,
Elder Low

September 28, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

 

Well it sounds like life is busy with everyone travelling all over the place. Robbie and Alvin that would be cool if you ended up going to the same school. Mom and Dad I hope you enjoy your trip down to Utah. I loved the only time I got to go to General Conference. Unfortunately we have to wait another week to hear it over here. So General Conference over here will be heard on the 11th and 12th.

 

Mom the mini-missionaries come out when they are on school holidays. That way they don't fall behind on any work. The school holidays over here are at different times than back home. So we actually got 2 new mini-missionaries to work with this week. It is nice because we can split off and do twice the work. And yes Mom I do hear from Austin every once in awhile. Karen we do spend quite a bit of time talking to missionaries and helping them.

 

This week has been another amazing week! It has been full of miracles. Marie and her grand daughter Danyah (I got it wrong last week) came to church again. But this time Marie's Mom, sister, and niece came as well. It was a miracle! They all loved it! Marie has shared her testimony with her family. She talked about how much it has strengthened her in just this short time. She has definitely felt the Spirit. Marie is preparing to be baptized on October 18th and we will now be teaching the others in her family. We are so excited! We also set a baptismal date with Robert Gardner. He is a 10 year old boy and his sister Sherdelle is a recent convert. He loves the lessons! His baptism will be on October 25th.

 

Seeing how Marie has shared her testimony with her family has really made me realize just how strong a testimony can be. She has experienced a great change in her life and now she wants to share it with others. It is amazing to witness! When we share our testimony with others, the Spirit is there and it gives the Spirit an opportunity to touch their hearts. We are simply instruments that the Spirit can work through and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be one of those instruments. I am so grateful that I am able to serve a full-time mission. The Gospel changes lives, blesses families, and gives us strength. God is real! Christ did die for us which allows us to be with the people we love forever. It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week.

 

Love,

Elder Low 

September 21, 2014 Letter

Hi Family!

 

Things seem to be a little less hectic these days. That is good. Robbie congrats on getting into Med-School! That is exciting. Hopefully you will get a few schools to choose from. Also happy birthday to Talia this week! Its on the 28th I believe. I hope she gets a little party.

 

To quickly answer a few questions, Dad we have 27 missionaries in our zone. There are 14 missionaries in Ipswich, but our zone covers quite a bit of surrounding area as well. So we do a little bit of travel. Mom we actually live in a house. There are 2 bathrooms and 2 showers. We have a garage, kitchen, and we each have a room for our stuff. We are spoiled. We do live with 2 other missionaries though. And at the moment there are 6 of us in there. There are 6 because we have 2 mini-missionaries this week. Mini-missionaries are priests/laurels from around the Brisbane area that go and serve with the full time missionaries for a week. They live with them, follow the mission rules, and do everything according to missionary schedule. It is really cool. So Elder Tino and I have 2 mini-missionaries this week. We will each just work with one and cover a lot of area. It will be great!

 

The work is definitely progressing here! We are seeing so many miracles. This week we had our investigator named Marie come to church. She brought her Grand-daughter Danielle as well. Marie is in her 50's and Danielle is 11. They both stayed for the whole 3 hours of church and loved it! Marie even asked in our Gospel principles class about baptism. She said she has been baptized into 2 other churches and she wanted to know if she could be baptized a 3rd time into this church. And of course the answer is yes! We are excited to keep teaching her. We are still working with the Fui family as well as Robert. Things are going very well. I hope I stick around here for awhile.

 

Something I have really learned on the mission is how important it is to love the people. We need to love the people we are teaching. Yesterday seeing Marie and Danielle at church was amazing. They really felt the love from the ward and I believe that is what helped them feel the Spirit. I love the saying "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Christ was the perfect example of serving others and showing His love for people no matter who they were or what they had done. Showing this love lead many people to experience the joy of the Gospel. I am so grateful that I was raised in such a loving home. It makes all the difference in the world. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us all. I know that is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

September 14, 2014 Letter

Hi family!

 

I can't believe that you are already getting winter over there. It is hard to imagine snow these days. It is getting pretty hot here. Julie you and your family are social butterflies! That would have been fun for Brian to practice his Russian. Keep it up! Karen it sounds like you are pretty swamped with work. Are you at least bringing in the big money? Just kidding.

 

Well to answer a few questions, my companion Elder Tino is actually Tongan/Samoan. I believe his Mother is Tongan and his Dad was Samoan. He is a great missionary! I am excited to work with him. Mom we actually did have to move places. We just live on the other side of Ipswich now. We actually live in a really nice house! It is definitely the nicest place I have lived in on my mission. And no I am not in Julie and Andrews Ward. We actually meet in the same Chapel though. Our ward meets at 8:00 in the morning and their ward meets at 11:00. So I may see them around.

 

We are already starting to see miracles in this area! We are actually working with a Samoan family. They Mom is a less-active member (but they can't find her records) and the rest of the family are not members. They have 4 or 5 kids. The Fui family. The Father has been coming to church for awhile now and he brings some of the kids. Tonight we are having family home evening with them. This will be our first lesson with them. We are very excited. We are also hoping to teach a 9 year old boy named Rob. Rob's older sister (in her 20's) is a recent convert to the church. We are hoping to get permission from the parents to teach Rob. We will see how it goes.

 

We have also been going through our ward lists and doing a lot of door knocking. We got 21 potential investigators this last week! So we have heaps of appointments this upcoming week. Things are really going well.

 

This week has been a real testimony builder to me of putting our trust in the Lord. We may not understand why something has happened or why something is happening, but the Lord does. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and He will never do anything unless it be for our benefit. He knows who we can become. I am so grateful for a Father in Heaven who understands me perfectly. It is through His son Jesus Christ that we can find hope, purpose, and understanding. I am grateful to be a missionary at this wonderful time of the hastening. Miracles are happening. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

September 9, 2014 Letter

Hey family!

 

Congratulations to the Justin and Amelia Low family!! Everett looks happy and healthy. That is exciting. So many kids!! Julie that is awesome to hear about the missionary you did in Idaho. You never know what that simple invitation to send the missionaries over can do. It can change peoples lives!

 

Well this is going to be very short today. I have some interesting news. I had quite a big surprise this week. We got our transfer calls on Sunday night and my companion Elder Giles was told that he was getting transferred. That wasn't very surprising because he had been here a long time. The surprising part was they told me that I was getting transferred as well!! I was pretty shocked. So on Monday we went around to our investigators and the members and told them the news. They were surprised as well. It was a little sad. We talked to Kim, Dianne, and Kaycee though. They are our 3 investigators that will be getting baptized next transfer. They are solid!! We told them that new missionaries will be coming around. They were pretty sad but they understand. We told them we will try to make it to each of their baptisms. I am pretty positive they will all be baptized next transfer. They have all seen the change the Gospel has brought to their lives. They each have a testimony. It is amazing! It is tough to leave, but I know the Lord has a work for me to do elsewhere.

 

As for where I got moved to, I didn't get moved very far. I actually just changed wards in Ipswich. So I am still in the same stake and same zone. The zone leader area actually moved with us as well so me and my companion are still the zone leaders in the Ipswich zone. The ward we are serving in is called the Yamanto ward. There are heaps of Polynesians in this ward!! The trust of the members towards the missionaries is pretty bad though. There was some issues here so it is going to be a lot of work. I have a great companion though! His name is Elder Tino. He is from New Zealand. He is a solid missionary. I am excited to work with him.

 

Life is full of surprises. Some good and some not quite what we hope for, but they can make us stronger. I know without a doubt that the Lord is in control. We just need to put our trust in Him. As we do all we can, He will help us be where we need to be. I am excited to serve in the Yamanto ward. I feel like there are great things waiting to happen here. We will just have to do our best and see what the Lord has in store for us. I love you all and hope you have a great week!!

 

Love,

Elder Low 

September 2, 2014 Letter

Hey family,

 

Well it sounds like Summer is officially over back home. That went by fast. Don't worry I still have lots of Summer ahead of me. Leslie it sounds like you are still pretty famous doing that interview. Are you use to it yet? Amelia I was surprised that you didn't have the baby yet. I am excited to see pictures next week! Also who is Zach going to take piano lessons from? That is exciting news! Is Zach doing champs as well? Does Ken McMurray still run that?

 

Dad I do have the same mission president that I came into the mission with. He finishes in in 2016. And Mom I can't think of anything that I would need Amy to bring to Australia. If anything I need to get rid of some stuff.

 

Well this has been a great week for us! We had some good lessons with Kaycee and Dianne. We were actually able to set baptismal dates for both of them. We talked about the blessings of the Gift of the Holy Ghost with Dianne. Diannes husband and daughter were both baptized recently and Dianne says it really has changed their family. Six months ago there was a lot of contention in their family. Dianne and her husband were having their struggles as well. But they have told us that since the Gospel came into their lives, things have changed. People have changed and their family relationships are much better. Anyway, Dianne is preparing to be baptized on October 4th. If she is ready though, we may even do it sooner. We will see.

 

Kaycee is a single Mom with two kids. She has a 6 year old daughter named Hailey and a 4 year old son named Lincoln. She has really been struggling trying to raise two kids on her own. The Relief Society in the ward have been a big help there. She says that when she reads the Book of Mormon it just feels right. She has definitely felt the Spirit and she has seen the blessings that come from living the commandments. She is preparing to be baptized on September 27th.

 

We are also teaching one more lady who is preparing for baptism. I can't remember if I have mentioned her but her name is Kim Burton. She is just waiting to be married so she can be baptized. Her soon to be husband is working his way back to church as well. The Wedding is on September 27th. So the baptism won't be long after that. We are excited!

 

I am so grateful to be a missionary. I love seeing the change and the healing that the Gospel brings into peoples lives. I know the Gospel was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that he actually did see our Father in Heaven and Savior Jesus Christ. We are guided today by a living prophet in Thomas S. Monson. As we follow his council we will find hope, peace, safety, and protection. It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low 

August 25, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

Well it sounds like everybody is enjoying the lake even though it is cold weather. That is good! Talia sounds like a pretty good swimmer. Who is the fastest swimmer? Remember when we all raced across the bay? Just kidding. I can't believe Summer is already coming to an end over there. Last year at this time I was just on my way to Australia. It seems like it was yesterday. Time flies. Robbie good luck with your job up in Edmonton. Sounds like your pretty excited to start working somewhere else. I would be too. Amelia are you excited for number 5? Hopefully I will see pictures of him soon.

Well it feels like Summer is coming on pretty hard over here. It is getting hot! I think we skipped spring and went straight into Summer. It will be especially hot this year because I am in Ipswich. It is very humid here. Last year I was lucky and I was up in Toowoomba.

Mom to answer a few of your questions, yes Candice does have a husband. They are separated at the moment though. It is a long story. And I actually see Garth Pitman every week. He is not only in my ward, but he is a ward missionary.

It has been another busy week for us. Its great! We are starting to see some progress in our investigators as well. We had a good lesson with our investigator Kaycee. She is a single Mom with 2 kids. She has a bad back so life is pretty tough for her right now. We have been trying to help out with her house cleaning a little bit. The relief society in the ward is really helping out as well. It is great. In our lesson we read part of 2 Nephi 31 and talked about it. We invited her to be baptized as well. She accepted! So now we need to set a date for her. We are also hoping to set a date for Dianne Maguire. She is having an operation today though. She actually asked us to give her a priesthood blessing last night before she went in though. That is a good sign.

 It is amazing how much you begin to care about someone when you serve them. I guess that is part of the reason why parents love their children so much. Sometimes it may be tough love, but it is love none the less. I feel like on my mission I get to catch of glimpse of people the way our Father in Heaven sees them. They are sons and daughters of God with potential that they can't even imagine. We have the special opportunity to serve them and help them realize their potential. I am so grateful for that. It has brought so much joy into my life. I am so grateful for the knowledge of the Gospel that we have. It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 Love,
Elder Low

August 18, 2014 Letter

Hi family!

 

I can't believe that Summer is already wrapping up back home. This last year has gone by so fast. Hopefully everybody gets to enjoy some time at echo lake before it gets too cold. It sounds like the next 2 weeks will be pretty fun. That is awesome to hear the news about Mason! I will continue praying for him. Alvin congrats on the interview in Alabama! That is awesome. Good luck with that.

 

It was a great week! It sounds like you have already heard, but Julie and Charlie Cahoon stopped by our pday last week with lots of treats. It was good to see them. Julie even made Mom's famous sour cream chocolate cake. It was so good!!! It was a happy day.

 

The rest of our week was pretty busy with trade-offs with missionaries, planning for our Mission President to come to our zone next week for a special training, and teaching our investigators. Kim is doing awesome! Once Alex and her are married, she will be baptized. The Maguires are having their fair share of challenges. We are trying to help.

 

The highlight of my week happened on Saturday. It is a long story. On Saturday I had the chance to go on trade-offs with the Elders up in Toowoomba (my old area). It felt like I was just there. While I was serving there in the Summer we were teaching a lady named Candice Thompson. You probably don't remember me talking about her. She had been taught for awhile but she had so many questions. We had a baptismal date for her but it didn't happen. After I left the area some sister missionaries came in and they were teaching her. Candice has continued to take lessons ever since. Well eventually she set her own baptismal date, which was last Saturday. So I was not only able to go to the baptism, but I was the one performing the baptism as well. It was great to see Candice and her kids again. The Baptism was awesome. Candice was so happy and smiling when she came up out of the water. It was a pretty awesome experience. This Gospel really does change lives!  

 

This last weekend was a real testimony builder to me that the Lord really is preparing people to accept the Gospel. Our job is to be someone that the Spirit can work through so that the Spirit can testify to them that the things we teach are true. And even though we may sometimes feel like we aren't helping somebody, no effort is ever wasted. There aren't many feelings like seeing someone you care about experience the joy of the Gospel. It is amazing to witness. I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life. It is true!! Thank you for all your love and support. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

 Three and a half months ago...

 ...to last weekend!

August 10, 2014 Letter

Hi family!

Well it sounds like everybody was all over the place this past weekend. I always loved heritage days. Sounds like the family softball team tried hard. Hopefully everybody had a good time. Did they still have fireworks on that night? 

 

Well this week was pretty busy. I left the area for a few days to go on trade-offs with some other missionaries. That is one thing that we do more as zone leaders. Mom to answer your question, we do a lot of extra things as zone leaders. We attend more meetings, go on trade-offs with other Elders, and we have to organize a lot of things in our zone. We are still expected to find and teach though. In fact, in the words of our Mission President, we are suppose to "exceed" others missionaries in all aspects of the work. Our mission President really pushes the zone leaders to be the "example area" in the zone. So we definitely stay busy. Our van is a full size van. It is pretty awesome! We pick up other missionaries for meetings and activities. 

As far as the work goes this week, we are starting to see progress. We have an investigator named Kim. She is living with a less-active member of the church named Alex. Missionaries have been working with them for awhile. The main problem is they are not married. They finally have a date to be married though, September 27th. So after that the plan is to baptize Kim. We are also working with the Maguire family. They Dad and the daughter Sara joined the church recently, but now they are really having struggles. They family is having some big issues as well. But the Mom Diane finally came to church yesterday though! She is not a member. Their family can really use the Gospel. We will continue to work with them each week. 

Life seems like it never stops. Sometimes it feels like too much. Something that Dad always taught me though and something I have really come to learn is that it is good to be busy, especially in the Gospel. David A. Bednar gave a great talk in the last General Conference about "Spiritual Traction". I am sure you all remember it, but he told a story of a man who was stuck in the snow and ice with his new truck. He had went out to get wood and show how good his new truck was, but in the end he got stuck. The only way he was able to get out was by putting several loads of wood in the back. When that happened, he had the traction to keep moving forward. In life the joyful burden of Discipleship is what will keep us moving forward. As we continue to put the Lord first and do the things that He would have us do, He will give us the strength to keep pressing forward. He will bless both temporally and spiritually to help us be where we need to be. I have a strong testimony of that. I say it every week, but I know this Gospel is true! It will never change. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low 

August 3, 2014 Letter

Saying Goodbye to the Gold Coast!

 

Alex

Onekawas (some less-actives in the family)

Tarl, Darlene, and their kids

Elders in the Gold Coast

My new companion.

 

Hi Family! 

 

Well it sounds like everybody is into the full swing of summer. Julie and Brian your family is growing up so fast! Claire has so much hair. It is great! Robbie that is awesome that you got to bless Grant and so many people got to attend. That is very special. Also I forgot to say happy birthday to Amelia last week on the 1st! So happy birthday! I hope your kids treated you well. And happy birthday to Leslie today! I hope you have some time to celebrate.

 

Dad that is funny that brother Pitman already gave you a call. He seemed pretty excited when he found out that I was your son. He told me that you were a great example of diligence to him on his mission and he was very grateful for that. To answer your question, there are now 8 wards and 1 branch in the Ispwich stake. The branch is a Samoan one. The church over here in definitely getting stronger. I am not serving in Julie and Andrews ward but I still might see them around.

 

I think I already mentioned my companion. His name is Elder Giles and he is from California. We went into the MTC at the same time. He is a good missionary and I am excited to serve with him. We are full time van now. We have a big van because we pick up other Elders for meetings and stuff like that. It is a tank to drive. We will be doing a lot of travelling too since the Ipswich stake is pretty spread out. My ward when I was up in Toowoomba was actually part of the Ipswich stake. So I will get to go back up there as well.

 

Well I had a pretty awesome opportunity this last weekend. On Saturday our stake was doing a recent convert temple trip to do baptisms for the dead. The missionaries who had recent converts going were allowed to go as well. I found out that Tara Csallo (the lady I taught and baptized when I was up in Toowoomba) was going to the temple for the first time. So I got to go as well and attend with her. It was pretty awesome to see her participate in the work in the temple for the first time. It is nice to know that she is continuing to progress in the Gospel. She seemed really happy to be there. It was a good day.

 

Something that I have a testimony of is that by small and simple means are great things brought to pass. We never know whos life we can change with a simple invitation to church or even to a family home evening. The Lord is preparing people everywhere. As the world continues to go the opposite way of the Gospel, we are going to stick out of as members of the church even more. But I know that as we continue to do the things the Lord expects of us each day and set that example, people will see the light that we have and they will want it for themselves and their families. I am so grateful for the peace the Gospel brings into our lives. He lives! It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

July 29, 2014 Letter

HI family!

Robbie and Cammie congratulations!!! Grant is so cute! Sounds like it was quite the adventure but he made it. It is so weird to think that you guys are parents now. Do you feel like parents?

 It sounds like everybody had quite the week. Richard and Leslie keep hanging in there. I am praying for you all every day.

Well I don't have much time, so I will try to be quick. This week was a little crazy. We had a great lesson with Tarl, Darlene, and their kids. They are doing awesome!! We had some people in the ward involved as well. They have hit it off with some members so things are definitely headed in the right direction.

The big news of the week though is that I got transferred! We got our transfer calls Sunday night. I was a little sad when I found out I was leaving but I know the Lord is in control. I am now a zone leader in Ipswich. My companions name is Elder Giles. He is from California. We were in the MTC at the same time actually. He is a good missionary. It will be a good transfer.

And yes things are starting to warm up here. It feels like the worst of winter is over (even though non of it was that bad).

I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life. It brings hope, strength, and peace to all who let it. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. He saw our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. It was through him that the Lord was able to restore the Gospel. We have the evidence of this in the Book of Mormon. It is so true!! The Lord knows us and is very aware of our struggles. He is willing and wanting to help us. He loves us. I am so grateful for that. Thank you for all your love and support. I hope you all have a great week!!

Love,
Elder Low

July 20, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

I am so sorry to hear the news about Mason. I will continue to pray for them every day. Richard and Leslie keep hanging in there. You guys are examples to all of us. The Lord is in control.

Well it sounds like it was a beautiful week in Waterton. I was surprised that the weather was so good. Did everyone cook and eat all of those fish? Also happy birthday to Grandpa French today!! I hope you have a great day Grandpa. I still remember whenever we drove out to your place, we would compete to see who could be the first one to see your house. I always loved going out there. I love you Grandpa!

It feels like I just wrote home so I really don't have much to say. We are still in a battle with the world to try and see our investigators. Life is so busy and it seems like everything comes before the missionaries. We are really trying to figure out what we need to do. I know that as we keep working hard though that the Lord will provide a way.

We had a pretty good visit with some people last night though. We stopped by Grant and Robin. Robin is an older lady and she lives with a gay guy named Grant. Grant says he was shunned from his church growing up because he was gay. It is a long story. It sounds like he has some hard feelings against religion because of his previous experience, but he said the door isn't completely closed. He is open to learn more about our message. So we will be praying for and working with him. He is a very nice guy! It just goes to show that no matter who we are or where we have been, the Lord still loves all of us.

 

I am so grateful to have the knowledge of the Gospel in my life. It brings so much hope and peace. I know that because of our Savior Jesus Christ, we will one day be free from all the aches and pains of this world (both physically and spiritually). In the resurrection we will have perfected bodies. And as we stay true to our covenants, we will be a family forever. It is true! I love you all and I am so grateful for the wonderful examples you have been to me. I hope you all have a good week!

Love,
Elder Low

July 16, 2014 Letter

Hi Family,

Well it sounds like everybody is having quite the week at Waterton. I love Waterton! It even sounds like the weather isn't too bad. It must be a full house. Cammie are the days starting to get longer now that the baby is so close? Jason and Kamry it is so weird that Penny is already starting to walk. For me it seems like she was just born. That is awesome! Jason that is really cool that Dad will get to ordain you to be a High Priest. Congratulations.

I am writing later in the week because today we had our Temple Pday. We get to go to the temple once every transfer (6 weeks). We are very lucky to have that in our mission. It is great! It definitely gives us that Spiritual boost to go out and work harder.

Last week we taught a lot more than we have for awhile. We were really happy about that. It has been an on and off struggle with our investigators trying to get them to keep their appointments. I had a really good experience last Wednesday though. I think I have told you a bit about Tarl and Darlene. They are from New Zealand. They have 3 kids and Tarl has lots of friends that were in the church back in New Zealand. It has been a real struggle trying to meet with them. They had cancelled on us several times a week. Last Wednesday night we had not planned to see them, but something kept telling me that we needed to go see them. I didn't want them to start getting annoyed because we were stopping by so much, but the thought just kept coming back that we needed to go see them. We went and actually had a really good lesson with Tarl and his 11 year old daughter Riley. We even extended the invitation of Baptism and Tarl said yes. The Spirit was very strong. It was a real testimony builder to me that the Spirit will guide us. We just have to be willing to listen. Hopefully we can keep meeting with them. We are excited for them. 

I am so grateful for the influence of the Spirit in my life. It is very true that the smalls things make the biggest difference in our lives. As we read the scriptures daily, pray individually and with our families, attend church, etc. the Lord will bless us. He will guide us and comfort us. Growing up I found that when I did the little things, I was happier. Especially at University. I was less stressed and able to manage my time better when I did the little things. I don't know how the Lord does it, but He does. He wants us to be happy. I am so grateful for this Gospel. Thank you for all your love and support. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Elder Low

July 6, 2014 Letter

Hey Family,

 

I am glad to hear that everyone enjoyed Canada Day and Independence Day. Mom I can't believe that you actually went to Raymond. That doesn't happen very often. Justin and Amelia it sounds like you have a big party ahead of you. Have fun! Also happy birthday to Mom this upcoming week on the 11th! Mom I hope everybody spoils you. You definitely deserve it. I love you!

Thank you so much Julie for sending that gel seat. It has arrived and it works great! It has saved me from a lot of discomfort.

Well fortunately this week my companion has been feeling better. So we have been able to work more. We have also been able to catch up with a few people. We caught up with an investigator we haven't seen for awhile named Jen. Last time we saw her it seemed like she was trying to avoid us and didn't want to take any more discussions. She said she would get back to us when she had time for us to come around. She never got back to us, so of course we went and found her. She had been reading the Book of Mormon and really loving it. She also realizes that she needs to be baptized again. She has definitely felt the Spirit and now we are just trying to get her to act on it. We are excited.

We also caught up with Brandon this week. He seems to be making some progress. I really feel like he knows the Book of Mormon is true. He has attended church quite a bit as well. Apparently he really didn't like when the last missionaries "tried to set a day for him to be baptized." He really does not like to be pushed. So we have talked to his fiance and some of his friends about how we are going to work with him. I really believe that he will come around. I have already started to see a bit of change in him. We just have to keep working with him.

Something that really hit me this week is that the Lord has so many blessings that He is willing and wanting to give us, but He is just waiting for us to ask in faith. He is wanting to help us both spiritually and physically. Just like it tells us in Matthew 11: 27-30, He can very literally lighten our burdens as we learn of Him and come unto Him. That is something I am so grateful for. I know I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and wants the best for me. I have a Savior Jesus Christ who suffered and died for me so that I can find peace and comfort even in the darkest of times. It is because of Him that we are able to be with the people we love forever. We are so blessed to have this knowledge. I know it is true! I know this Gospel is true! I love you all and hope you have an amazing week!

Love,
Elder Low

June 30, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

Well it sounds like it was quite the enjoyable week back home. Everybody is getting into Summer mode. Amelia that is exciting that your whole family is coming up. How did you get them all to come up to Canada? That is awesome! Karen I am sorry to hear about your broken toe. Do you remember when you broke your toe on my heel? Cammie you are getting big! It is so close. That is exciting. Do you think he will have red hair?

Mom I have not received the Gel seat yet. It might be up at the mission office. So hopefully I get it soon. And people do eat a lot of lamb over here. It is actually really good.

This week was a pretty rough one for us. Elder Scott was pretty sick for a few days so he was in bed for quite a while. There seems to be some sickness going around. Elder Tini (another Elder in our flat) got pretty sick the other week as well. It must be this cold winter. Just kidding. But there really is a sickness going around.

I don't know what it is, but our investigators seem to be crazy busy. That is life. So we have had a lot of appointments cancelled on us. They are great people that if we could just get the time to have a good lesson with, I feel that they would really progress. But there is only so much that we can do. We just have to keep trying. So we knocked on doors quite a bit this week. Things are headed in the right direction though. We know that as we continue to work hard, things will happen.

Our area may have had a rough week, but our mission as a whole has been doing awesome. For the month of June our mission set a goal for 100 convert baptisms. That has never been reached before in our mission. This morning we had a mission wide conference call telling us that as a mission we had reached 103 convert baptisms for the month of June and there are 2 more today. So we will finish this month with a total of 105 convert baptisms. It is a real testimony builder to me that the Lord is preparing people to accept the Gospel. Often people don't know what they are missing until they experience it. The Gospel changes lives! It gives us hope and brings us peace. I am so grateful to have this knowledge in my life. I am so grateful that I am able to share this message with others. It is so true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Elder Low

June 22, 2014 Letter

Hey family!

It sounds like some people had some fun down at echo lake. Zach you sound like quite the fisherman. That is awesome! You will have to teach me a thing or two. Robbie and Cammie are you getting excited? When is the due date again? Amelia and Joanie when is your due dates? I am sure you have all probably told me but there is so much to remember. Also happy birthday to Robbie this week on the 28th! Turning 25 right? That is crazy! It seems like not that long ago that we were taking you down to the MTC. You were scared because you thought they were going to take you wand away. Just kidding!

Well things are still going well for us. This is definitely the warmest winter I have ever had in my life. Cammie we have run into a few people that watch the world cup, but it doesn't seem to be too big. I think Australia is already out. That is probably why.

As far as our teaching pool goes, we are having some ups and downs. Meeting with people is probably our biggest struggle. With Tarl and Darlene things keep seeming to pop up. We were able to get a short lesson in though. We are still trying to meet with Brandon again as well. We are planning to see him on Wednesday night, so we are excited about that. Alex and Chrissy were unable to make it to church yesterday which was really unfortunate. We stopped by yesterday afternoon though and had a great talk with Alex. He is trying to give up smoking and he has made some great progress. There is a program the mission uses as well so we are trying to help him with that.

We had a miracle this week! It was a long week for us and not many people were responding while we were tracting. On Saturday afternoon though we knocked on a guys door named Sam. He looked like he was in his early 20's and he was very interested in religion. We went over the restoration with him and he had some great questions! It was an awesome lesson. He understands the concept of Priesthood and he understands that if the Book of Mormon is true, then the rest is true as well. He was excited that we gave him a Book of Mormon. His only hold up is that he is starting University again this week and he will be busy. If he takes the time and puts the effort into finding out if the Book of Mormon is true, I know he will find the answer. He is a smart guy. We are seeing him again this weekend.

So things are definitely headed in the right direction. We just have to continue putting the effort in and I know the Lord will bless us. It is such a blessing to share the Gospel. I know without a doubt that we have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us and hears our prayers. He sent His Son to die for us so we can find strength in our trials, receive forgiveness of our sins, and work towards the goal of never-ending happiness as king Benjamin describes it. I am so grateful for this knowledge! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low

June 16, 2014 Letter

Hey Family,

I can't believe it is already Summer again back home and people are heading to Echo Lake. I love that place. We are in the freezing cold of winter now. Just kidding. It still gets up in the 20's celcius so I still feel like I am getting burned. The mornings and evenings can be a bit chilly though. Joanie congrats on another boy! That is exciting! A few more and you can just make your own basketball team. Julie thank you so much for sending the Gel seat! I am excited to get that. Also happy birthday to Kamry this week on the 21st I believe! I hope Jason and your kids make it everything you dreamed of and more.

We made some progress this week with one of our investigators. I think I have mentioned a bit about Alex. He is 20 and trying to find a job. He dropped out of school in grade 9 so he has had an interesting life. He finally came to church this week though! He even brought his girlfriend Chrissy along. They both seemed to get something out of the meetings that really applied to them. It was awesome! Chrissy hasn't wanted to sit in on the discussions with us but we are hoping that she might now. We are still really excited about Tarl, Darlene, and Brandon as well. Things are definitely looking up right now.

Sorry this email is so short. Maybe I will have more to say next week. This Gospel is true! I love being a missionary. It gives me a chance to focus on other people. I have really noticed that when we focus on other people and try to help them, our own worries seem to disappear. I love hearing stories about members sharing the Gospel with the friends. It really is the most effective way to do missionary work. It sounds like some of the people in Cardston just got that opportunity with the family from England moving in. That is awesome! We are so blessed to have this knowledge. The Lord is preparing people everywhere to partake of His love. Sometimes we just need to help people find it. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,
Elder Low

June 9, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

 

Sounds like quite the adventure over in Toronto. Sorry to hear about Luke. It sounds like the Lord has quite the plan in store for those three. Also happy anniversary to Karen and Alvin! That is so weird that you have already been married for a year. That sure went by fast. Robbie congrats on getting that job up in Edmonton. That is awesome! And nice work with your neighbors. They sounds like a great family for the missionaries to teach and I am sure the missionaries and the Lord are very appreciative of your work.

 

Also happy Fathers Day this upcoming week to Dad and everybody else who is now a Dad. Dad you have shown all of us an amazing example of what it means to be a dedicated Father. Thank you for sacrificing so much for your kids. It has meant so much to me and I am sure to everybody else as well. We love you!

 

My bike seat is not broken, it is just really hard and not comfortable to sit on. Julie I may take your advice and find a gel seat. We will see.

 

We have had so much progress this week it is amazing! We are being so blessed. The other week we tracted into a man from New Zealand named Tarl. When he came to the door he greeted us by saying "Elders". That doesn't happen too often here. It turns out he knows a lot about the church because of friends and family. He even attended some seminary when he was younger but he is just not a member. We met his wife Darlene last night and their kids. They are an amazing family! We had an awesome lesson. The Spirit was so strong! Tarl even gave us the closing prayer. I am so excited to keep working with them. We also had a lesson last night with a 19 year old named Brandon. His fiance was baptized a few months ago and he is interested. He has talked with the missionaries before and has been to church several times. But it sounds like his last experience with the missionaries wasn't so great for him. Hopefully things go better this time around. Things are really progressing though!

 

This Gospel is so true! I am grateful to be a missionary. Something I have really noticed is that the Lord WANTS to bless us. But we have to do our part first. It is a simple principle. When we keep a commandment, we receive the blessing. If we want the blessings of paying tithing, we pay tithing. If we want the blesses of attending church, we go to church. It is just like we read in D+C 130:20-21. The Lord will bless us when we keep his commandments. I have definitely seen the blessings of serving a mission. This is the Lord's work! I am blessed to be a part of it at this special time. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

June 2, 2014 Letter

Hi Family,

 

Well I just wrote you a couple of days ago so I really don't know what to say. Mom I am back on part time bike now that we have 4 Elders in the flat. It is actually nice except the seat on my bike is pretty painful. I did not know Elder Boychuk before I came out on the mission. He looks kind of familiar though so I might have saw him around somewhere back home. Cammie I can't believe you are due so soon! I am so excited for you guys! Do you know if it is a boy or a girl yet! You probably already mentioned it, but I have a terrible memory. Also that is awesome to hear about the Japanese lady in our stake. Miracles are happening all across the world.

 

Well today we actually had a really awesome Pday. There was a really nice family in our ward that took us to a wildlife sanctuary. It was really cool! We got to hold a koala and pet some kangaroos. They had all types of wildlife there. I will send some pictures home.

 

Well I got some awesome news last night. I am not sure if any of you remember Noel. He was an investigator we had when I was up in Toowoomba. He was suppose to be baptized in March but then some issues came up about tithing. So we worked with him and before I left I challenged him to be baptized on May 31st. He thought that it might be too soon but I felt very strongly about it and he accepted. I was transferred after that though. Last night I got a call from the Elders up in Toowoomba and they told me that Noel was baptized and confirmed on the weekend. He even got a white shirt and tie. From what I hear he was a pretty happy man. I was so excited to hear that news last night!

 

Something that Preach my Gospel teaches that is very important is that no effort is ever wasted. As missionaries we might spend hours and hours knocking doors but get no response. In reality we may have caused many people to ponder. In the Book of Mormon Abinadi never got to see the results of his efforts while he was still alive. He was burned before Alma baptized nations. On the other hand, Ammon got to see the miracle of his work while he was still out serving. Thousands of Lamanites were converted. When we make an effort to share the Gospel, we never know who's heart we can touch. We may not see it in this life, but that seed that we planted will grow over the years. No effort is ever wasted! That is why we should continually be searching for someone to share the Gospel with. Last night when I heard about Noel, I was so happy! I know that as we strive to share the Gospel with others, we will find a happiness that is much great than any worldly possesion. We will feel of the love of Christ. I know this Gospel is true! I am so grateful to be serving a mission. I love you all! Have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

Elder Scott. This guy is huge! He played on the Junior national volleyball team. Great missionary!

 Brother Hall is the member who took us.

 

 So much fun!

 

 

May 28, 2014 Letter

Hey Family,

 

Sounds like another busy week. Mom and Dad I am glad you got to celebrate your anniversary. What did you like better, Dave's drive-in or the Keg? Just kidding. Dave's is pretty good though. Happy birthday to Justin this week! Turning 31 on the 31st. That is pretty exciting. Anything fun planned?

 

Well to answer a couple of questions, the weather here is still pretty nice. I am not sure about exact numbers, but I would guess it has been in the mid 20's at least. It has been hot enough to feel like I am burning. And Karen it is definitely much more effective to work through members. That is if they really want to help though. Investigators are usually a lot more solid when a member introduces them to the missionaries. We still have a standard amount that we have to find through our own efforts each week though.

 

Well I have some more crazy news for you. Just when I thought things couldn't change too much more. I am now with 3 new Elders! Elder Lolohea and Elder Manuel are both gone. That was pretty surprising. So now with four of us we split the area again. My companions name is Elder Scott. I am finishing his training with him. He is from California and he is six foot eleven (sorry I will have to send a picture next week). He is a really good volleyball players. He is hoping to play for BYU when he gets off his mission. I think he said he played for the US junior olympic team or something as well. He is also an awesome missionary! I love working with him. The other two Elders in our flat are great as well. Elder Boychuck is from Canada (Lethbridge), and Elder Tini is from New Zealand. We have a great group of missionaries! I am excited.

 

We are really starting to see miracles in this area as well. I don't think I mentioned much about Alex to you, but he is about 20 years old. He seems like he has a bit of a rough past so he is trying to change things around. He is looking for a job right now. We have had some great talks with him though. We even set a baptismal date for him on June 28th. There are some things we need to work on for him, but we are praying that he will be ready. Another lady we are teaching now is named Lucy. She grew up in an anti-religious home (the father), so when we came around she just said she was interested. It is interesting how the Lord works with people. There are some other people we are working with as well. The Lord is really blessing us!

 

Something I have really learned on my mission is persistence. The other night Elder Scott and I were knocking on a less-active families door for a little while. He thought it was funny that I just kept knocking. I could hear people in there and I thought they couldn't hear us because of kids, TV, etc. Finally they heard and came to the door. They were really friendly and we are going back next week. It is something small, but it payed off. It taught me the lesson though that we often have to just keep trying. There are challenges in life where we just have to keep pressing forward and trust that things will work out for the best. I am sure it wasn't easy for Joseph Smith when he and the people he loved were constantly persecuted. But as he found out, this life is short, and if we endure it well we will be exalted on high. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. The Lord will strengthen us. This Gospel is true!! I am sure of it. I hope you all have a great week! Love you!

 

Love,

Elder Low