May 4, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

It sounds like it was an amazing stake conference back home. That is good to hear. The people here in Bowen actually know Elder Hamula pretty well. He came up to visit this small town when he came to our mission. Kamry and Jason congrats!! Beck William Low sounds like a healthy baby. I am excited to meet him!

 

Mom and Dad I am still trying to find a way to call you next week. I have your numbers so I will try and figure something out.

 

Well I think I say it every week, but it has been a battle. I find that the toughest times on the mission bring me closest to the Savior. I am grateful to face hard things in my life. Our branch is shrinking. The 1st and 2nd counsellor in the Branch Presidency moved very suddenly and unexpectedly these past few weeks. The Young Women's President moved as well and there are a few others moving out. We have very few people attending the branch at the moment. But the Spirit is still strong in the meetings. It is wonderful! I love the Gospel!

 

We were able to have a lesson with that great young couple from the Philippines. Sam and Rosalie. They have two young kids and a strong faith in Christ. We taught the message of the Restoration and invited them to be baptized. They are very loyal to their church and have a few concerns, but we are working through them. The Spirit was very strong and we are going back to see them this week before they go on a short holiday to Sydney. We also met a great 21 year old guy named Harley. He has done a lot of religious study and had some great questions about the church. We had a lesson with him one day and he invited us back the next. When we came back the next day he has read 12 chapters in the Book of Mormon. He is great! He really wants to read more and learn more before he commits to anything though. The only unfortunate thing is that he works in the mines. So he goes away for 2 weeks at a time. He just left so I probably won't be able to see him again before I go, but I was grateful to meet him and share my testimony with him. I really hope he comes around one day. So those are a few of the miracles we saw this week.

 

I can't believe how fast time is going right now. Sometimes I wish it would just slow down a bit. I am so grateful for everything I have learned so far on my mission. Most of all I am so grateful for my Saviour Jesus Christ. I have come to know more than ever that He Lives. He understands us perfectly. Whatever the trial may be, whether it is emotional, physical, financial, etc. He will help us through. We just have to Follow His plan.  It is real! God loves us and He hears our prayers. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

April 27, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

Dad its sounds like it is going to be a good stake conference coming up. Elder Hamula is a great speaker. Robbie I hope you get some good news back from the Canadian schools. Karen and Alvin I hope you have fun in Nicaragua. That is really cool! Mom & Dad I will try to find somewhere to call or Skype you on Mothers Day. And it would actually be really nice if you could bring some clothes over here for me. I don't have too many wearable clothes besides my proselyting clothes. And even those are really worn out now.

 

Well it has been another battle of a week. Rugby is a religion here and seems to come before anything and everything. We are trying though. We spent a lot of our time door knocking but we met some more great people! We met such a nice family from the Philipines! The wife had some friends who were members of the church back home so it sounds like this isn't the first time that she has been exposed to the church. We are excited to teach them. The only tough part is they live in a place about an hour away. We only go there about once a week because of mileage limitations. We met another interesting lady as well named Sarah. She claims to be a Muslim/Christian. Also she seems like a really big nature lady. Very interesting but very nice and willing to listen to what we have to say. We find some great people.

 

There are many things in life we cannot control, but something the mission has taught me well is to just keep going. We might not understand why something has happened or is happening, but there is always something we can learn from it. God has a plan!! Of that I am sure. Just like He told Joseph Smith, if we endure it well, He will exalt us on High and we will triumph over all our foes. He cannot lie. There is so much in store for us as we continue faithfully. Any way we take in life is going to have its challenges, but the best way to take is the Lords way. I love this Gospel! It is so true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

April 19, 2015 Letter

Hi Family!

Well it sounds like everybody had a pretty busy weekend. Congrats to Tanisha and Cameron on their wedding. Sounds like it was a good day for a wedding.

Things are going well over here. It is still pretty hot unfortunately. Everybody tells us that it is unusually hot for this time of year. Hopefully it starts to cool down soon. My companion is doing well. His English is really improving. Mom he is actually pretty tall. Elder Mareweieta is probably close to six feet tall. And Mom as for when you come to Australia, there is a lot of buses and trains, but a car would be a lot more convenient. I would be more than happy to drive. I think I may struggle a bit when I have to go back to driving on the right side of the road. The left side just seems normal now.

We have had some ups and downs this week. Unfortunately we were unable to meet with Lona and Tara. We are not sure what is going on there. I really hope we can track them down this week. Lona is involved in a lot of Rugby so they travel quite a bit. We saw a lot of success in our finding efforts this week though. We met a German lady named Rebecca who is actually over here on a mission for her church. She was very interested to know what we believed. She had never heard of the Book of Mormon before and was interested to know more. We met a great man named Jerry as well. He is met quite a few missionaries before so he was very welcoming to us. He also wants to know more about the Book of Mormon. So hopefully we are doing some more teaching this week instead of knocking doors.

I am so very grateful for the Gospel in my life. Being grateful at all times is really something I am trying to work on. It was President Uchtdorf that said we should be grateful in any circumstance. I have found that when I look at the positives of life and how much I have been blessed, I am much happier. When we always complain and look at the negatives, life just isn't as good. Our Father in Heaven wants us to be happy and he has provided us with a way to do so. Follow His plan, Keep the commandments, give it our best, and He will help us be where we need to be. Sometimes we just make things too complicated. I love this Gospel! I am grateful to be serving in the Whitsunday area. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low

April 12, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

Well I am glad everybody had a safe trip home from Utah. Sounds like its just back to everyday life now. Also I am sorry to hear about Uncle Bart. He will be in my prayers. We are very blessed to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation.

 

It has been a good week for us. The wind seems to be picking up around the area so it is very nice to have a breeze when we are outside. We had another great lesson with Lona and Tara as well. They said they would let us know this week what their decision will be about either getting married or living in different homes. We are aiming for May 16th for Tara's baptism but with the 30 day wait for a marriage license it will most likely be too close. And I am pretty certain they are going to get married. Things are going in the right direction! I just might not be around for when she gets baptized. That is ok though.

 

We got to see General Conference as week! I love General Conference. There were so many amazing messages. A quote that really stuck out to me came from Kevin W. Pearson. He is actually our area President here. He said "average is the enemy of excellence." Along with that, Elder M. Russell Ballard challenged young adults to raise the bar. In todays world we can't spiritually survive by just casually reading our scriptures and saying our same prayers before we go to bed. We need to really immerse ourselves in the scriptures and apply what we learn to our lives as well as having meaningful heartfelt prayers. It is more important than ever. The world is a dangerous place especially for kids growing up. I am so grateful for the things I have learned on my mission. The Lord with protect us and give us strength as we put forth our best effort to follow Him. He loves us and knows us personally! He knows our weaknesses and he wants to help us with them. It is true! I am so grateful for the Gospel. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low  

April 7, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

Well it sounds like everybody was on the move this week. Zach congratulations on your baptism! That is exciting. It sounds like the weekend was filled with other fun stuff as well, especially a lot of food. Thanks Robbie for signing me up for classes! That helps heaps. Joanie and Ryan I can't believe Griffin has no hair! Didn't Jaxson have heaps? He is so cute though! Richard and Leslie the triplets are getting so big! Jason and Kamry that is awesome that your having another boy! Two boys and two girls will be fun. Also where was that picture taken?

Well it has been a pretty up and down week for us. It seems like everybody went away for Easter. So we didn't get to teach a whole lot last week. The weather is still pretty hot. Everybody here says it is unusually hot for this time of year. We are really seeing some success with some of our less-active members though! That is an up! A family of 10 recently moved out of the branch so the attendance on Sunday is usually between 20 and 30 people now. We are still struggling to catch up with Lona and Tara. They always seem to be on the run. Whenever we do meet with them though, it goes great! So we are hoping to have them married soon so she can be baptized. I would love to see that before I go, but there is a 30 day wait for a marriage license here. So we will see what happens.

It sounds like there was some great talks in General Conference. I am excited to watch it this weekend! We are so blessed to have living Prophets and Apostles on the Earth today. With all the crazy things going on in the world, it is so important that we not only listen to the Prophets and Apostles, but we act on what they say. There is safety and peace when we follow the guidance of our leaders. I am so grateful for the Gospel in my life. It really shows us how to find real happiness in a world that tries to deceive us. I am so grateful for my Savior. He lives! It is such an amazing message. It is real. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low

March 30, 2015 Letter

Hi family,

 

I am glad to hear everybody had a good week. Cammie did your Mom enjoy the Oilers game? Looks like a good time. Zach congrats on the piano award! That is exciting. And I am so excited for you to get baptized this weekend. That is great! Sounds like you are pretty spoiled getting to go to General Conference as well. I love General Conference!

 

Cammie unfortunately we are still not using Facebook or iPads in this mission. It may be awhile before we get them over here. Mom my toe is doing much better now.

 

We had an interesting week though. Mostly because of medical issues. I got food poisoning! I think that was the first time I have ever had food poisoning. It was terrible! One of our potential investigators had a birthday for his 1 year old son that we got invited to. There was a lot of Tongan food. We don't know what it was, but quite a few people got sick. So my system was completely cleared out! The funny thing though was it was only the white people who got sick. None of the Islanders got sick. They must have really strong immune systems.

 

We are seeing some progress with some of our investigators as well. We met a great lady this week while knocking doors! Her name is Nerida and she is 62 years old. She recently had her Mother pass away who she was very close to. She use to be a Methodist, but she is not active in any church at the moment. We had a great lesson with her and she is going to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. We are excited for her! We also had a good lesson with Lona and Tara. They know they need to be married, it is just a matter of when. So things are progressing slowly.

 

Things have been pretty crazy, but I am so grateful to be here in the Whitsunday area. I am so grateful for the atonement in my life. He understands us perfectly! And because of that, He knows how to help us through any trial we face. Even food poisoning. And at this time of year, being Easter, we get to Remember that He Lives! Something that we should apply to our life every day. It is such an amazing message! It is only through Him that we are able to be with the people we love forever. I am so grateful for that! This Gospel is true! I love you all! I love my Savior. I hope you all have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

March 23, 2015 Letter

Hi family,

 

Well it sounds like it was a good week up in Edmonton. I can't believe that the Cardston boys made the provincial final again. That has seemed to happen a lot in the past few years. Mom I think when I feel the cold again I will be in shock. We are starting to get out of Summer here so all of the tourists are starting to come in. Winter is the big tourist season here.

 

Well it has been a pretty interesting week. We are still doing quite a bit of door knocking. Most of our appointments cancelled this week. We are really trying to find some solid investigators. We found a couple of really friendly people who are willing to hear more about the Gospel. So we will see how we go with them.

 

I read a talk by Elder David A. Bednar recently called Seek Learning by Faith. It was a talk given to Gospel teachers. It talked about the best way we can teach people the Gospel is by inviting them to act. Of course God hears our prayers, but after we pray we must put in our effort. It is when we do this that we begin to see His divine guidance in our lives. I am so grateful for a Loving Father in Heaven who is wanting and willing to guide us. He loves us! Sorry about the short email. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

March 16, 2015 Letter

We knocked into a very nice lady who raises baby kangaroos. I think they are called Joeys or something. She let us hold them. Too bad she wasn't interested in the Gospel.

Hi family,

Well it sounds like it was a busy week for everybody. Mom and Dad it sounds like you got to see some good basketball as well. It sounds like Cardston is waiting for Zachary Low to get a bit older.

Mom I went online to do those things for BYU. I will try to get an interview with my Mission President this week so you will be able to register me for classes.

Well this week has been another battle. We are starting to see some small miracles though. We had another great lesson with Lona and Tara. Tara seems really excited about the Gospel. She is reading the Book of Mormon and she loves church. She actually came yesterday even though her less-active boyfriend Lona didn't. It was great to see her there. We had a good lesson with Billy as well. It makes it tough though that there are really no other young men that attend the branch. I think he would really enjoy church more if there were some other young men. He is a great kid though.

It is amazing to see how the Spirit can touch peoples hearts. In Preach My Gospel is says that "true doctrine understood changes attitudes and behaviors." When people feel the Spirit and start to gain their own testimony of the Gospel, the worldly things they loved seem to fade. We are starting to see that with a few of our investigators. It is amazing! The Gospel really does help people find true and lasting happiness. I love it! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low

March 9,2015 Letter

Hi family!

It sounds like everybody had a great week! Good to hear. Robbie and Cammie Grant is so cute!! In the picture his hair looks so red. I love it! Dad that is really cool that Elder Hamula is coming to your stake conference. He use to be the Pacific area President which covers Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. He came to our mission last year. That is exciting.

Mom Bowen is about a 14 hour drive away from Brisbane. Yes we do help with the sacrament in our branch. I told them I play the piano and it sounds like they are going to get a keyboard so I can play. We usually just sing without one. And no there is no daylight savings here so I believe we are 16 hours ahead.

Well this week was a real battle. Most of the investigators that we do have are involved in Rugby someway or another so that takes them away a lot. So we ended up doing heaps of door knocking this week. The other day we were knocking doors and Elder Mareweieta all of a sudden said "I'm swimming". It was hilarious. He was absolutely drenched in his own sweat. It is very humid here. Another funny story about Elder Mareweieta, for some reason he loves sticking Q-tips in his ears. He does it all the time. The other day we were driving and all of a sudden he pulled a Q-tip out of his pocket and started cleaning his ear. He is so funny. We also met a great kid last week though. He is a 15 year old boy named Billy from New Zealand. He lives over here now with his cousin who is a member of the church. We met him very briefly but he has a great spirit. He seemed really keen to learn more about the Gospel. We are excited to teach him.

I say it every week, but if there is anything the mission has taught me it is that the Gospel is true! The more I study the more it just makes sense. I know the Gospel was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I love reading the Book of Mormon. I know our Savior lives! He knows us, He loves us, and He understands us perfectly. I am so grateful for that. I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week!

Love,

Elder Low 

March 1, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

Sounds like another good week. Karen and Alvin that Medwars thing sounds like quite the activity. That is pretty cool that you came 3rd. Robbie have you heard back from the U of A yet?

 

Well I will answer some questions quick. We stay in a little town called Bowen. Our area covers a few hours away in several directions. So it is pretty large. There are a couple of different towns that we cover. The nearest big city is about 2 hours away. Most of the tourists are in a place called Airlie Beach. It is part of our area about an hour away. We don't go there though because it is not the best place to be. Our apartment is pretty small. We have a clothes line out back to hang up our laundry. It is nice and cozy. Elder Mareweieta is starting to get use to everything. Sometimes I feel like I am babysitting though. It is pretty funny. I love him!

 

Whitsunday is a very unique area to serve. There has not been too much success up here for the last little while. So we have a lot of work to do. The senior couple serving here has only been here for a few months as well. So they are trying to get to know everything. We are seeing some great progress though! It is surprising how many less-active members live up here with their girlfriends/boyfriends. We are teaching a couple like that. Lona and Tara. Lona is a less-active member and Tara is not a member. We had a great lesson with them last week though and they came out to the branch on Sunday. Tara seemed to have a really good experience. It was great! There are a few other couples like that as well that we are trying to work with. The toughest part is that none of them are married and they are living together. Hopefully there will be a couple of weddings happening sometime.

 

I am so grateful to know that the Lord is in control. Things are pretty tough here at the moment trying to find people to teach, but I know that the Lord has prepared His children here. As long as we stay diligent, we will find them. It is the same with anything in life. Sometimes things aren't always the way we want them to be, but the Lord will always fulfill His promises. As long as we stay faithful, things will work together for our good. Sometimes it won't be easy, but it will be what is best for us. I love this Gospel! I love being a missionary! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

February 22, 2015 Letter

Hi family,

 

Wow Mexico looks like the place to be. Justin that is a massive fish you caught. Sounds like it was a good vacation. I am glad to hear that. Also thanks for all the birthday wishes.

 

Well every week seems to be an interesting week on the mission. We spent most of it down in Springwood working. We knocked a lot of doors! My toe is still recovering from the toe nail but it is a lot better. In the middle of the week we started to hear about a big cyclone that was going to hit up North. It was a category 5. It was suppose to hit between Brisbane and where we were headed. So we were unsure if we would still be flying out. In the end we still ended up flying out on Saturday morning. That was just the beginning though. It was really bad weather because the leftovers of the cyclone were coming down to Brisbane. We had a really rough take off. The plane was shaking pretty bad. It seemed like everything was ok after that but a little while later the captain told us the plane had been hit by some lightning on the take-off and we were heading back to Brisbane. Long story short, we had to wait for a new plane. So we arrived in our area about 5 hours late. It was a long day.

 

The Whitsunday coast is beautiful! We live close to the coast. Unfortunately we don't go out to the Islands, but we cover a lot of area around the coast. It is so humid up here! I think it is because the cyclone was so close. At the branch yesterday there was about 35 people in attendance. Most of them are Tongan. I love it! They are great people. There is no chapel here so we actually rent sports facility each Sunday to meet. I think the key to missionary work here is going to be working with these members. Lots of them have friends and family that need the Gospel. This area is very unique. I am excited!

 

It doesn't matter if you live in a big city or a remote island, God still knows you by name. I love that! He knows each of His children and His Gospel needs to be preached everywhere. This Gospel is true! I am so grateful to be able to share it with everyone! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

February 15, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

I am glad to hear that the Justin and Amelia Low family as well as Mom and Dad are enjoying their time in Mexico. It sounds like a lot of fun! Hopefully the wheather isn't too bad when you go home.

 

Well this week has been quite a crazy week. My new companions name is Elder Mareweieta. He is straight from Kiribati. He is a character. You can definitely tell he has not been in a first world country before. He doesn't know how to work a washing machine, stove, etc. So it is almost like teaching a kid. His English isn't too bad but definitely needs some work. I love him though! I am excited to work with him for the next 2 transfers. We have not made it to WhitSunday yet. We are staying down close to Brisbane for a week because Elder Mareweieta is going to a new missionary orientation. That will be this Thursday and Friday. We will most likely be flying up to our area on Saturday.

 

So this week we have been working in an area called Springwood. We have been doing a lot of running around as well. We had to do some shopping for Elder Mareweieta to get him some shirts, pants, shoes, socks, etc. because he didn't have much coming from Kiribati. I also had to go to the podiatrist to get part of my big toe nail cut out. I had a really bad ingrown toe nail that I figured I should get taken care of before I go up north. So it has been a very interesting week.

 

To answer some questions about WhitSunday, it is a big tourist place so it is going to be a little different for missionary work. There is just us and a senior couple up there. Other missionaries are a long way away. Fortunately we will be full time car because our area is so big. So we will be leaving our bikes down in Brisbane.

 

It is great to know that the Gospel is the same anywhere you go. The Lord is preparing his Children everywhere, even in WhitSunday! I am so excited to see what the Lord has prepared for us there. One of my favorite quotes is "there is no growth in the comort zone, and there is no comfort in the growth zone." In order to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ, we need to work at it every day. It takes effort and time. But it is so worth it. I am so excited for these last few months in WhitSunday. I know that if we give everything we have to the Lord, He will bless us with miracles. This Gospel is true! Iove being a missionary! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

February 8, 2015 Letter

Hi family,

 

I am glad to hear that everybody is surviving all the changes in the weather. That is some pretty crazy wind. Hopefully Mexico will be a little bit better. Joanie Griffin is so cute! Cammie Grant is getting so big. I can't wait to meet these kids. Also Ryan I like the facial hair you have going on.

 

Well it has been an absolutely crazy week! A good one though. So on Sunday night we got our calls about transfers. And guess what, I am getting transferred!! So I only spent 4 weeks back in Logan. It was sad to leave but I have a very exciting new assignment. First of all I am training a new missionary! I was so excited about that. But secondly I am going to a place a far way away. There is one zone in the mission where missionaries have to catch flights to. It is the northern zone. I am going to a place called Whit Sundays. And that is where I will be training the new missionary. Whit Sundays is actually a really big tourist place. Look it up. Apparently it is beautiful! So I am staying down around the Brisbane area for about a week and a half so I can get my new missionary and next week there is a new missionary orientation. After that my companion and I will be flying up to our area. I am so excited!

 

We saw a miracle this week as well! I don't know if you remember George, but he has been and investigator for a while. He has had about 6 baptismal dates but has backed out every time. Sunday after church he came up and said he wanted to be baptized the next day. So yesterday we were organizing everything for his baptism. He was baptized yesterday. It was amazing to see. It was a miracle for my last day in Logan. He is a great guy! I am excited for him!

 

This Gospel is true! I know it! I am so grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith for sacrificing so much for the Lord. It is not about our will, it is about His will. And when we submit ourselves to His will, He will bless up more than we can imagine. He loves us and He knows what is best for us. I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who hears and answers my prayers. It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

February 1, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

It sounds like everybody is getting back to winter after a short break. I am jealous. Dad it sounds like you are as busy as ever. Karen I hope you had a good birthday! Your getting so old. That is weird. I can't believe Austin is back from his mission! That is so crazy! Two years is a short time.

 

Well it has been another hot week for us. I have a permanent red color to my skin now. Hopefully one day it will tan. Just kidding. We have had a lot of ups and downs this week though. Satan is definitely working hard on our investigators. It is not surprise though. The closer they get to Baptism, the harder he works. It just means that we need to work even harder. Reshana has run into a few bumps in the road. It is an interesting story. She didn't have a place to stay and she ended up moving in with her 'new' boyfriend. So we are still working with her at the moment. The miracle this week though comes from a 13 year old kid named Fereti. He is related to one of the families in our ward. He spend the holidays with them and was coming to church. He has decided that he wants to learn more about the church now. So we have been teaching him and he wants to be baptized! So now we just need to get permission from his mother. We will see how that goes.

 

Transfers is coming up this next week. It was a short transfer because of a Mission President Seminar coming up or something like that. I told my Mission President that I would love to spend my last 2 transfers training a new missionary. So I guess I will have to wait and see what happens next week.

 

Sorry this email is so short. We are in a hurry! Thank you for all your love and support. I have really found on my mission that people are able to feel the Spirit most often when they feel loved. When we help others feel the Love of Christ by showing them how much we care for them, they want to come closer to Him. They begin to want that more often. There are so many people waiting and wanting to feel His love. It is our job to be an instrument through which that love can come through. I am so grateful that I have the wonderful opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ. This Gospel changes lives! It is a wonderful thing. It is true! He loves us and He knows us. I hope you all have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

January 28, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

I can't believe that it is up around 20 degrees back home. That never happens in January. Living in this heat has made me realize that the cold was not that bad. I am glad to hear that everybody has had a good week.

 

My week has been great! I am really trying not to eat too much, but it can be hard around the Samoan members. I think feeding missionaries is how Samoans view doing missionary work. It is funny.

 

We are seeing some great miracles here as well. We were able to teach Reshana a few more lessons. The more we teach her the more we can see that the Lord has prepared her. The other day we were praying that she would be prepared because she has a boyfriend up North that she was thinking about moving in with. They day we went to teach the Law of Chastity, she told us before we taught the lesson that she had separated from him in hopes to start fresh. Also the pregnancy test was wrong. She is not pregnant. Long story short, she is preparing to be baptized next week. Hopefully all goes well. She has made some huge changes in her life. And she still hasn't smoked! It is awesome.

 

Well sorry my letter is so short this week. But this week I have definitely seen again that the Lord is preparing people everywhere to accept the Gospel. They are just waiting for someone to invite them to learn more. In preach my Gospel it says something along the lines of  "people will not change unless invited to do so." That why it is so important the we follow the promptings of the Spirit and open our mouth. We never know whose life we can change with a simple invitation. Thank you for all your love and support! Love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

January 19, 2015 Letter

Hi family,

 

It sounds like life is much more busy since I left home and it doesn't sound like it will ever stop. That is good. Being busy is great! The good news this week is that I am still alive. Just kidding. Logan isn't that bad. It is really nice that I already know the area though. It makes things a lot easier.

 

I will try to answer a few questions now. Yes I still get to drive the big van around. Woodridge is a suburb in the city called Logan. My companion Elder To'ia has actually been out for the same time as me. We both finish in May. We are both zone leaders in Logan and his English is actually really good. Much better than some of the other Elders I have served with. He is great! I love serving with him. Dad we can still go out and run in the morning but there isn't too many nice places to run. It is going to be tough to stay in shape. Especially with all the Samoan members here. It is ridiculous how much they feed us. And they won't let us leave until we have eaten heaps. I have already put on some weight this week. Our flat is boiling hot because we don't have air conditioning and the fans we have are useless. We only have 2 and one is pretty much broken. I am sweating all the time. It is great!

 

Well we have already seen some miracles this week. We are working with a guy named George. He is 16 and has some friends in the church. He has had all the lessons and was suppose to be baptized before, but there were some issues. So we have been trying to resolve some concerns and really help him strengthen his faith in Christ. He is a great kid. He has had a pretty rough past though. He does not look 16. We are also working with a lady named Reshanna. She is 20 years old and is pregnant with her 3rd child. Again she has had a rough life and wants to make a change. She has a big smoking addiction but we taught her the word of wisdom the other day. She said she has tried to give up smoking before but she just couldn't do it. After the lesson she said she had no more desire to smoke. At church yesterday she told us she hadn't smoked since the lesson. It was amazing! I really hope that she can keep it up. The Lord can give us strength to overcome any temptation.

 

It is amazing what we can do with the help of the Lord. When we rely completely on ourselves and put our ways above His ways, that is when we struggle. But when we put our trust in Him and follow His ways, that is when we find true peace and happiness. I know that He hears us when we pray. He is willing and wanting to help us. I am so grateful for the strength He gives me each day to keep working hard. This 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

January 12, 2015 Letter

Hi family!

 

It is good to hear that everybody is surviving the winter. It sounds pretty cold. It has been very rainy here. I like that better than the heat. 

 

Well it might be a short email today. It has been a pretty hectic day with transfers. I found out on Sunday night that I was getting transferred out of Ipswich. I have spent a lot of time there on my mission. It was a little sad saying bye to everybody on Monday. I will miss that place.

 

I had quite the surprise this morning at transfer meeting. I was really hoping to train a new missionary and be back on the bike, but I am still a zone leader. I am in Logan now though. We live in a place called Woodridge. I don't know if you remember, but this is where I started when I came to Australia. I was in an area called Logan 1. Now I am in Logan 2. So it isn't the exact same area, but it is the same ward. I stay in the same place I did when I was here before though. It is a very run down place! Very dangerous at times as well. Our flat is pretty run down as well. So I came from the nicest place I have stayed on my mission to the most run down place. It is very funny actually. It is going to be good to see everybody in the ward again. I don't know if anybody will remember me. There are heaps of Muslim people around here as well. Not many people speak great Enlgish. My companions name is Elder To'ia. He is from Tonga. This area has really been stuggling! They haven't had a baptism in a long time and it sounds like we don't have anybody very close. It is going to be some tough work! I am very excited.

 

To be honest, when they took me out of Logan last time it was very sudden. I was emergency transferred. I look back and it kind of felt like my work here wasn't finished. Now I know that it wasn't finished. The Lord is in control and He has me here for a reason. I am excited to find out what that reason is. It won't be easy, but things that are worth achieving take work. The Gospel is true! He is at the Head of this work. There are people prepared everywhere to accept the Gospel. We just have to find them. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

Belated Scanned Pictures

Take back to last year at this time...Dallin sent these pictures a while ago and I've been trying to get them scanned and up on the blog. So here are events from a year ago!

 

"Like our sweet ride? Just kidding...we wish."

(Printed Oct 14, 2013)

 

"Temple Day up in Brisbane."

(Printed Nov. 25, 2013)

 

"My old district at the temple."

 (Printed Nov. 25, 2013)

 

"This was a pretty crazy storm. We got caught in it for a bit."

(Printed Nov. 25, 2013)

 

"This is what they were cooking at our Christmas Party in Logan. It's a pig! Yum!"

(Printed Nov. 25, 2013)

 

"A less-active member makes shirts. So we paid him to make our zone some shirts."

(Printed Nov. 25, 2013)

 

"Elder Porutu (from Tahiti) and I in our lava lava's. Sorry if I already sent this one."

(Printed Dec. 2, 2013)

 

"I don't like spiders. They get pretty big over here though."

(Printed Dec. 2, 2013)

 

"This was a day in Logan when the rain was starting to clear up."

(Printed Dec. 2, 2013)

 

"Us and our Zone Leaders."

(Printed January 6, 2014)

 

"This is all the mail and stuff I got on Christmas Eve."

(Printed Jan. 6, 2014)

 

"Christmas Morning!"

 

"Thanks Mom! It was a good Christmas."

 

"After I opened them all."

 

 

 

 

"This was just 1 of our meals on Christmas!" 

 

"Elder Palemene (from Samoa) and I. The person who took the picture cut my head off."

(Printed Jan. 6, 2014) 

 

 

 

"Heck yes I can cook!"

 



 "We did it!"

 

"This is the beautiful meal we made on New Year's Eve." 

 

 

 

"Me and Elder Hatch from Magrath."

(Printed Jan. 6, 2014)

January 5, 2015 Letter

Hi Family!

 

Well I am glad to hear that everybody had a great time over the holidays! Sounds like it was very cold and everybody ate a lot of food. Not much has changed. Sorry I haven't emailed in awhile. The last few weeks have been a little crazy. We had our Pday on New Years eve last week and the library was closed. We ended up playing some volleyball and basketball. It was fun! Jason you should have left your tooth out. You would look like a real hockey player. Just kidding.

 

Karen for housing at BYU, we are good with 4 or 6 in an apartment. Mom I don't think this mission will be on facebook anytime soon. At least not in my time. And I actually lent my bike to another missionary. We are full time car at the moment so I didn't need it. I might need to get it back from him soon if I go back to biking.

 

Well this week was a little better for us. We still did a lot of door knocking. We are hoping to catch up with Addi this week. She is still on the Gold Coast. Josh is still keen to come to church, but he says he isn't quite ready to be baptized. We are still working with him. He will come around eventually. Hopefully these next few weeks will be filled with a little more teaching and less door knocking.

 

I read a great article in the December Ensign recently. I can't remember it word for word, but it talked about a way to overcome any trial. We need to ask ourselves "Do I trust God above all else?" Some might consider this to be a bit silly, but it is true. When we are doing our part and staying faithful to our covenants, God has promised us that all things will work together for our good. We may not be able to see it now, but the blessings will come. Whether they come now, later, or in the next life, God has promised that they will come. The key is to be obedient and keep moving forward. I have found that applies very strongly to missionaries. I am very grateful for the blessings I receive each day as a missionary. Some days are tougher than others, but it is so worth it! I love seeing how the Gospel changes lives. God lives and loves us! It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

 

Christmas Morning! Elder Thomas is a big BYU fan. He got some BYU stuff as well. Also my tie came from an orphanage in Cambodia. They gave everyone in the mission one.

 

December 17, 2014 Letter

Hi family!

 

Well it sure doesn't feel like Christmas here. I think I am going to melt. It is so humid! It is good exercise though. Julie and Brian that is awesome to hear that Brian got a job in Utah! That is exciting news!

 

Mom as far as me calling home for Christmas goes, I will probably call home around the same time I did last year. It will be the morning of Boxing Day here probably around 8:00am. So I think it should be around 4:00pm Christmas Day there. And I will use skype. The only thing is I don't have your skype address and this is my last email day before Christmas. So maybe I will have to call home somehow before. I don't know where I will be skyping from either. I will have to figure that out.

 

Well this week was pretty crazy. People are busy around Christmas time and school is out as well. So it can be pretty tough to catch people. Some of our investigators are going on holiday for Christmas. We will just have to find some new ones. Josh Kerr is doing pretty good. He is still reading the Book of Mormon and searching for his answer. We also found a great new investigator named Hannah. It sounds like she has had the missionaries around before. We are excited to teach her. We have been doing a lot of door knocking as well.

 

I hope everybody is enjoying the Christmas holiday! It truly is a time of year when people are more giving. The Spirit just seems to be stronger. I am so grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. He lives and He loves us! He restored His Gospel through the Prophet Joseph Smith. We have the evidence of that in the Book of Mormon. These things are real! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low

December 7, 2014 Letter

Hi family,

It's good to hear that everybody is into the swing of Christmas. It is a great time! Julie it sounds like the lights at the zoo are pretty cool. And I hope you end up in Utah next year! Robbie congrats on the new job as a peace officer. I remember all of my friends hated the peace officer around town. I think he threw around more authority than he actually had. I hope you don't get attacked. Also those are awesome pictures of the triplets! I can't believe how big they are already. 

I will answer a few questions quick. My last companion Elder Tino is from New Zealand, so he was going to fly back for Addi Pyles baptism but there are some complications right now. So we will see what will happen. Dad I do still see Garth Pitman every once in a while, not too often though. And in November our mission hit 76 convert baptisms. We had heaps of dates, but a lot fell through in the last 2 weeks. That is still a pretty good month though. 

Well like I said, it has been a little bit of a tough week. We have been unable to meet with Addi. We can't even get ahold of her. Apparently she is having some family problems. I think it has something to do with her ex-boyfriend. She has been in contact with Elder Tino though so I don't think he is flying back. Hopefully we can meet with her soon. We have been making some great progress with another family though. I can't remember if I mentioned Summah and Lyric Penne. They are 12 and 9 years old. Their Dad is less-active and they are not members. They are very keen to learn! They even want to be baptized. The only hold up is the Dad. So we have been trying to work with him. He seems to be warming up. I really believe that he will come around. 

I am so grateful to be a full-time missionary. I have said it before, but true happiness comes when we serve others. I think that is why everybody is so happy at Christmas. People seem to be a lot more giving. This Gospel is true! He lives! I hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season! Love you and have a great week!

Love,

Elder Low

P.S. When do you want me to call on Christmas?

February 8, 2015 Letter

Hi family,

 

I am glad to hear that everybody is surviving all the changes in the weather. That is some pretty crazy wind. Hopefully Mexico will be a little bit better. Joanie Griffin is so cute! Cammie Grant is getting so big. I can't wait to meet these kids. Also Ryan I like the facial hair you have going on.

 

Well it has been an absolutely crazy week! A good one though. So on Sunday night we got our calls about transfers. And guess what, I am getting transferred!! So I only spent 4 weeks back in Logan. It was sad to leave but I have a very exciting new assignment. First of all I am training a new missionary! I was so excited about that. But secondly I am going to a place a far way away. There is one zone in the mission where missionaries have to catch flights to. It is the northern zone. I am going to a place called Whit Sundays. And that is where I will be training the new missionary. Whit Sundays is actually a really big tourist place. Look it up. Apparently it is beautiful! So I am staying down around the Brisbane area for about a week and a half so I can get my new missionary and next week there is a new missionary orientation. After that my companion and I will be flying up to our area. I am so excited!

 

We saw a miracle this week as well! I don't know if you remember George, but he has been and investigator for a while. He has had about 6 baptismal dates but has backed out every time. Sunday after church he came up and said he wanted to be baptized the next day. So yesterday we were organizing everything for his baptism. He was baptized yesterday. It was amazing to see. It was a miracle for my last day in Logan. He is a great guy! I am excited for him!

 

This Gospel is true! I know it! I am so grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith for sacrificing so much for the Lord. It is not about our will, it is about His will. And when we submit ourselves to His will, He will bless up more than we can imagine. He loves us and He knows what is best for us. I am so grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who hears and answers my prayers. It is true! I love you all and hope you have a great week!

 

Love,

Elder Low