April 6, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

 

Well it sounds like everybody just got done watching conference not too long ago. That is awesome. We are very blessed to having prophets and apostles on the Earth today. Robbie it sounds like you have some kind of mystery disease. I hope all is well there. Jason and Kamry I can't believe Talia is in preschool, swimming lessons, and dance. Sounds like she is growing up fast. I love hearing about all the nieces and nephews. Also happy birthday to Faye and Anne this week! April 10th right?

 

Well things are starting to get back to normal. Well at least as normal as mission life can be. Unfortunately Elder Jackson has gone home. We woke up at 4:30 Wednesday morning to take him down to Brisbane. Several people tried to talk to him, but he was pretty set on going home. Mental issues can be very tough. I hope all is well with him. So now it is just Elder Bejarano and I in our flat. It is a pretty big flat for two people.

 

The weather is still cooling down. Mom I would probably compare it to Spring or Summer back home. People are saying that it will get colder here soon though. Toowoomba is one of the colder places in Queensland.

 

Unfortunately we did not get to watch conference this weekend. We get to watch it this upcoming weekend. And I am pretty sure we get to watch all the sessions. We got to last time. I am excited! I love General Conference! It is a great opportunity for all of our investigators as well. Hopefully we can get some of them out to watch.

 

We have had some ups and downs this week, just like every other week. Things seem to be pretty set for Taras baptism this Saturday. Since it is conference, we are going to have the baptism in between sessions. I think Tara is going to come watch the Saturday morning session and the baptism will follow. She will be confirmed the following Sunday of course. I am excited for her! She is a very shy girl. We have been trying to get her to meet more members in the ward so she is a little more comfortable. The ward seems to take her in pretty well. We have had some problems with Candice this week though. She is a great lady and wants to do what is right. Like I said, she has already gone through a few pairs of missionaries. She wants to postpone her baptismal date though because she says there is a few big things she wants to do first. She wants to read through the Book of Mormon and the Bible. She has 3 young kids though which makes it very tough for her to sit down and study. That could take years. Really what it all comes down to is whether or not the Book of Mormon is true. If it is true, that means Joseph Smith was a Prophet and that He really did see God and Jesus Christ. Which also means that the Priesthood was restored to him and that it lies within our church. We have had a couple of goods talks with Candice. We will just keep working with her and see how things go.

 

Something that I have really want all of our investigators to see is that God's plan is one of happiness. That is what it is all about. All the commandments, all the knowledge that we have is given to us to help us be happy. Yes we are going to have trials, but because of Christ we can find the peace and happiness that we need to keep moving forward. Sometimes we just need to stop and think of all the blessings that we have in our lives. God wants us to be happy! I know that is true. Thank you all for your love and support! Love you all! Have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

March 30, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

 

Mom how is being home again? It sounds like you really don't get much time there now days. Cammie I can't believe how far along you are. That is crazy! The baby will be here in no time. Julie keep up the missionary work. It sounds like you guys are doing awesome with that. You will be blessed for it. Karen and Alvin are you guys graduating soon? Or what is the deal with that? I am sure you have already told me but there is just so much to remember. Joanie is Jaxson taller than you yet? Also happy birthday to Zachary Scott Low this week! Zach I can't believe you are already 7. I still remember when we came down to Utah just after you were born. You lived in a very tiny place.

 

Well this week was definitely one of a kind. And that is not all good news. Some good news though is that Elder Bejarano speaks a lot better English than I thought. Last week I hadn't really talked to him because I was staying with another Elder who was also training. We had to wait an extra day to pick up the missionaries we are training. Elder Bejarano is from Peru but he has been living in Australia for 3 years I think. So his English is good. He has been on his mission for about 8 months I think. Elder Jackson is my trainee. He is 18 years old and he is from West Valley Utah. This is where the bad news comes in. Elder Jackson has extreme anxiety. Apparently he has been fighting it ever since he went into the MTC. Elder Bejarano and I have both tried talking to him and baring our testimonies, our mission president has talked to him, and he has also talked to a very good doctor. Nothing seems to help him though. He is pretty set on going home. So from the sounds of it, I think he will be heading home sometime this week. I feel bad for him. So it will just be Elder Bejarano and I.

 

As far as the work goes though, we are making some progress. I am very excited about this transfer. We have taken over the other area as well so we have been meeting some new people there. One of the investigators we picked up is Candice. She is a 25 year old lady with 3 kids. Her husband is less-active, and she has gone through several missionaries already. She has so many questions. She is a great lady though! She really just wants to do what is right. I think that is why she feels like she has to have all the facts. We had a great talk with her about faith and the Spirit last night. In the end, we set a baptismal date for her on April 26th. I truly believe that she will be ready for that day. As she continues to put her trust in the Lord, her faith will continue to grow. Like it tells us in Ether 12:6, "we receive no witness until after the trial of our faith." I am excited for her. Tara was also able to come to church this Sunday. She is somehow able to get an hour off work to come to Sacrament meeting. Our next step with her will be getting her to the full 3 hours. We have re-set a baptismal date for her though on April 12th. Noel was also at church, and we are hoping to re-set a baptismal date for him as well. We have some great investigators that are really trying to do what is right. I love it! Lately we are really trying to work on their personal conversion and their faith. We are expecting miracles this transfer.

 

Seeing my companion Elder Jackson going through his experience has made me think a lot. I heard part of a great talk from Elder Jeffery R. Holland recently. It was about missionary work. He talked about why missionary work isn't easy. In his own words he said "I believe missionary work is not easy because Salvation is not a cheap experience." He went on to talk about how much Christ had to suffer. If it was never easy for Him, why would it be easy for us? I am sure most missionaries have probably shed a tear or two at some point on their mission because they feel overwhelmed. Myself included. But we only feel the tiniest bit of what Christ went through. We can never fully understand what He did for us. Elder Holland went on to talk about how the atonement can carry us. Christ knows us very personally. He knows what we have gone through and He knows what we are going through. His enabling power can help us through our tough times. Elder Holland said something like "If the missionaries can come to trust and appreciate the atonement, it will carry them possibly even more importantly than it can carry their investigators." I think we can apply this to everything in life. Life is not easy. It wasn't meant to be. But we have a Savior who can lift us when we fall and strengthen us in our darkest hour. How grateful I am for that. I know that with His help we can all gain Eternal Life. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. I love you all and pray for you every day. Have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

March 25, 2014 Letter

Hello Family,

 

Life never seems to stop. I am glad to hear that things are going while and that life continues to move on. By the way, Julie how did the missionaries go at your place? Did you invite someone over for them to teach? Karen it sounds like you are almost done. That is awesome! Cammie from what Robbie tells me, it sounds like you are getting pretty big. When is the baby due?

 

Mom I will try to answer some of your questions quick. My bike is holding up. My shoulder is alright. I bought some deodorant. And I think I have plenty of contacts. Hopefully that answers most of them.

 

Well this week was very interesting for all of the Elders in our flat. Today was transfers so we got a whole new look in the area. My companion is on his way back to Samoa. Another Elder in our flat is on his way back to Utah, and the third Elder in our flat got transferred. I was really surprised about that. So I am the only missionary remaining in our ward. I got a new companion of course.......and also another one. It was very interesting. It is hard to explain, but I am taking over the other Elders area now. It was combined into one area and now I am in a trio. One of my companions is Elder Bejarano. He is from Peru. He is still learning English and he is a pretty quiet guy. But the surprising news is that I am also training an Elder as well. So I find out tomorrow who he is. That is when the new missionaries come in. So it is going to be a really fun transfer. I am excited!

 

Other than that there is no huge news. Noel did come to church again this week. This was his fifth week in a row. I think he will come around. Tara unfortunately was sick and could not make it to church. We have some other great investigators as well though. And now that we are taking over another area, we will have even more investigators. We are definitely expecting miracles this transfer. The Lord is hastening His work!

 

I know that this is where I am suppose to be. God has a plan for all of us. He puts us in specific situations at specific times in our life so He can help us grow and be the person He needs us to be. Coincidences are just Gods hand in our lives. I love this Gospel! I love being a missionary! And I love all of you! I hope you have a great week! Take care!

 

Love,

Elder Low