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