August 26, 2013 Letter

Hi Family!

How is everybody doing? First of all, holy cow Richard and Leslie! That is crazy that you are having triplets! I can't believe that. You are going to be busy. How are you feeling Leslie? Excited? Nervous? I guess there are going to be more nieces and nephews when I get home than I thought. I hope everything goes well! I will be praying for you every day. And it sounds like everybody is finishing up their partying down at Echo. I always remember leaving echo for the last time in the Summer. It was sad.

Well my email today might be kind of all over the place. I am just really excited to go to Australia. I go to the mission office right after I am done with emails. And yes Mom I am going with Elder Nakatsu. Hopefully I have time to call home. And Cammie tell Kelsey congratulations for me! That is awesome. Kind of sounds like you and Robbie. I guess when you know you know.

Well we were definitely busy this week. But I feel less exhausted now that we drive a car around. We did have Sephy's baptism on Saturday. It went well! It was a little funny though. Sephy was really nervous before the baptism. When it was time for her to come down into the font it took her a little while. Finally we got her to come down and I was able to baptize her. After she was done, she was really excited. She was telling us how easy it was. It was funny. It was a good day. I love seeing the people that we work with take those steps closer to Christ. It is an amazing feeling.

I can't believe that my time serving in the Provo mission is coming to an end. It went by so fast. It hasn't really hit me yet that I am leaving. I am sure it will soon though. Something really cool happened last night. There is a 24 year old man that we have been working with named Adam Barton. I am not sure if I have told you about him, but we have been working with him for a while. It has been a little frustrating because he often cancels our appointments and doesn't keep his commitments. But last night he called me and wished me luck in Australia. He told me that he appreciated everything I have done for him and that he really looks up to me. He told me that he is going to work really hard to get back to church. It was such an awesome feeling to know that all that work wasn't for nothing. This is the Lords work. He has prepared so many people for us to teach. It may take some time, but it is worth it. I have loved serving here in the Provo mission. I know this is where the Lord needed me for the past couple of months. And now I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for me in Australia.

Sorry this is such a short email. I am just really excited. I want you all to know that I love you all so much. I love serving the Lord. It is amazing what can happen when we try to see people the way the Lord sees them. 1 Samuel 16:7. This Gospel is for everyone! I hope everybody has a great week and I will email you next week from down under!

Love,
Elder Low

Letter from Pat Zeeman

Dear Brian and Cynthia,

     I am sending you some pictures of a baptism that your son performed while he was about one week from his transfer to Australia.

     It was quite a funny experience. Persephonie was afraid of water so she had to be coaxed into the water, then she was afraid to go under, so about 3 or 4 times had to be tried to get her to dare to be baptised. We all quietly had to smile.

     Your son is an awesome young man. We hope that all is going well for him. My husband is Bishop of the Mtn. View 5th Ward, Payson Utah. I am Pat Zeeman- The "Ward Mom."

                         Thanks,

                               Love Pat

                 P.S. Tell Dallin "Hello" from us!!

 

August 19, 2013 Letter

Hi family,

Well it sounds like a lot of people are ending summer with a bang. That is fun having so many people at the cabin. I wish I could see all the little kids. It is going to be really weird for me in a couple years to see how much they have all grown. Do we have any water skiers yet? Did Zach try this year? Alvin how are you enjoying your first echo experience? Also thank you so much for the package Karen and Alvin! I love getting mail. Mom what do you mean by having nobody in school? Karen are you not enrolled for the fall semester?

This week has been pretty crazy. As you know, my old companion Elder Baisden went home. He left Thursday morning. It was tough, but I think it was best for both of us. I am now in a trio. My companions names are Elder Va'enuku and Elder Clare. Elder Va'enuku is from Texas and Elder Clare is from Wisconsin. They are awesome Elders! I love serving with them. We are pretty busy though. Because of everything that happened, we are now covering my stake and also the two other stakes that they were covering. So we have lots to do. The best part about it though is that we have a car! I love it. It is definitely more efficient for us and now I don't have to worry about turning into a lobster as much.

As far as my flight plans go, I think I like them a lot better. I don't know how many of you have heard, but I no longer have a 14 hour layover in LA. I am flying with another Elder that came out of the MTC with me. We fly out of Salt Lake around 5:45 pm next Monday, and we are flying to Texas. We only have about a 50 minute layover so we will have to move really quick. Our next flight to Australia though is about 16 hours. So that is a lot of flying! Should be fun. I am so excited though! I know that Australia is where the Lord needs me, and I am excited to serve there. I think most of the Elders I knew from the MTC are already there. So I am excited to see some of them as well. If I have time to call, I will definitely be calling from the Salt Lake airport. I will try calling home, and if that doesn't work, Mom and Dad I will try your cell phones.

Well as far as the work goes this week we were plenty busy. A lot of the lessons we teach now are in the other two stakes. So I am getting a chance to meet a lot of new people. It is great. The baptism for Sephy is still on date for this Saturday. I am really excited about that! She has been learning so much and I am really surprised how much she remembers. She is a bright girl. We are also teaching a new family in the stake, the Farnsworth family. The Mom and Dad are less active, and they have 5 kids. I think I may have mentioned them last week. But it is amazing to see there progress. The Dad really wants to come back to church. The oldest daughter Mia is 8 years old and she is really into it. We gave her a Book of Mormon stories and she is already read to about 1 Nephi 20. I love seeing children getting involved in the Gospel. Something interesting was mentioned in a meeting yesterday. They talked about how children are so close to our Heavenly Father because they have been with Him a very short time ago. It is so true. I have been able to see that a lot on my mission especially in Utah where we work with a lot of younger kids.

I just want to share my testimony with all of you that I know our Savior lives and loves us all. It has become more apparent every day on my mission that He knows us personally. We have a special opportunity to communicate with our Heavenly Father every day. He still speaks to us. We can receive revelation just like the people did in the scriptures. That has been such a blessing to me, especially on my mission. I love you all so much and pray for you every day. Have an awesome week!

Love,
Elder Low

August 12, 2013 Letter

Hi Family,

Well it sounds like Summer is starting to come to a close at home. I remember by the time the parade rolled around I felt like school was just around the corner. Sounds like everybody is still busy and enjoying life though. Karen and Alvin I bet you guys are excited to get finals over with for a few weeks. Coming out of that last final is one of the best feelings ever. Robbie and Cammie that is pretty awesome that you will be in Justin and Amelia's ward. Cardston is being overrun by Lows.

Well this week was pretty interesting. Transfers were last week, and they didn't move me anywhere. So I am still here in Payson with Elder Baisden. But then something else came up. Like I said earlier, my companion Elder Baisden has had a rough mission. He talked to the President yesterday and he is heading home this week. So I am not sure what they are going to do with me. I am guessing I will be in a trio for two weeks until I leave to Australia. So I am not sure what my mailing address is going to be or where I will be at. I will let you know what happens next week.

I am glad the mission office sent my flight plans to you. It sounds like I am flying out of Salt Lake around 8:30 a.m. on August 26th and I will get to LA around 9:30. Then I have a fourteen hour layover before my flight leaves to Australia. I am guessing I will probably be meeting up with some other Elders or I might fly out of Salt Lake with some Elders from the MTC. We will see. So I will probably be calling that morning before I leave Salt Lake and I will use the calling card. If you want me to find some other way to call let me know.

I will try to answer a few questions quick. Dad the other bike I have kind of broke down as well. There are just so many puncture weeds in Payson. I have had a ton of flat tires. We have patched them multiple times but it just keeps happening. But I think they may put me with some missionaries that have a car anyway. So it shouldn't matter. Doing missionary work on facebook is very interesting. The only person we are teaching online is Elder Baisden's sister but I have been asked questions by other people. It is actually a really effective way to get information out. I doubt my mission in Australia will be using it yet, but maybe in a bit. And I am definitely excited to go to Australia! I know it is going to be a lot different, but I know that is where the Lord needs me. Hopefully I can do some good out there.

 

Well we still tried to make the best out of this week with everything going on. Everything is still on plan for Sephy Dodd's baptism on the 24th. She actually asked me if I would do the baptism. So if I am still covering this area, I will get to baptize her the weekend before I leave. I would love that. If not, some other Elders will take care of it. Cami and Brock came to church again this week as well. It is awesome! It may take them some time, but it is amazing to see them taking steps in the right direction. I am not sure if I have mentioned much about Mike Sorenson, but he is probably around 40 and has a rough couple of years. He has really been wanting to come back to church for a long time, but his work doesn't allow him. He is a truck driver and he has been working Sunday's for years. So we told him to pray about it. Last week we found out that his work changed his schedule. He said he had no clue why. But now he has Sundays and Mondays off. So he came to church! I love seeing how the Lord works.

Robbie I love how you said that missions are so personal. It is true. I have learned so much on my mission, even though I have only been out for a couple of months. This is exactly what I need right now in my life. I got to speak in church yesterday, and I decided to speak on prayer. I love how much I learn as I study. Prayer is something that I think I have taken for granted a lot in my life. I have really coming to realize that we are literally speaking to our Father in Heaven. It is such a blessing to be able to talk to Him wherever and whenever. I heard a great description that goes something like this. God isn't behind us pushing us, He is in front of us leading and guiding us. He has His hand stretched out and He is just waiting for us to grab hold. Through prayer we can begin to do that. He wants to bless us. He sees us going through trials, and He wants us to succeed. That is why He has provided us with prayer. When we don't ask for help, we are only hurting ourselves. It is my testimony that our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ know each of us personally. Because of the atonement, Jesus Christ knows how to help us. He has been there. Just like it says in Alma 7:12. I am so grateful for that. Thank you for all your love and support. I really appreciate it. I hope you all have a great week. Love you!

Love,
Elder Low

August 5, 2013 Letter

Hey family!

Well it sounds like everyone is enjoying the Summer. I can't believe that it is already August. Time is going by so fast! Also Happy birthday Leslie and Amelia!! Sorry it is late again. I hope you both had great birthdays. Justin and Amelia I am glad you guys are settling into Cardston. Sounds like work is going pretty good Justin. Do you enjoy it? That is cool that Zach has Mrs. Remington as a first grade teacher. She was there when I was there. I can't believe it has been that long. Brian and Julie your family is getting so big! Claire is getting so old. That is awesome. It will be weird to see all the new nieces and nephews in a couple of years.

This week has been pretty awesome. I am not going to lie though, I can't wait for winter. It will probably be quite a while until I see that though. It has been extremely hot down here. Maybe Amelia, Robbie, and Cammie will get some of that when you come down here. And I don't think I need anything, or at least anything that I can think of. I am already fat enough. To answer some of your questions, Cammie I do email Aaron. Do you play basketball with those girls pretty often? Who does Aaron play basketball with? And Mom I would love you help packing for Australia. Just kidding. I am pretty sure I will be fine. I handled it pretty well last transfer. As for the scripture on my mission plaque, I would probably put 1 Nephi 3:7. That has always been one of my favorite scriptures since I was little.

Well I am sure some of you have heard this other news, but I am on facebook now! We are the 8th mission in the world to use facebook. It was a little weird at first. I had to go on there and hide all my old pictures because they didn't want us creating a new facebook and they didn't want old pictures on there. The rules are pretty strict though. I still have to communicate through email. We are only allowed to use facebook for missionary purposes only. But we are allowed to teach anybody across the world. We are even allowed to teach family if we have permission. We are actually teaching my companions sister right now. She has been out of the church for 10 years and wants to come back. It is awesome! We are allowed to teach by typing or we can video chat. It has been pretty interesting.

The work went well here in Payson this week as well. Like I said, we have been teaching a bunch of kids and we put a few of them on date for Baptism. The 9 year old girl named Sephy Dodds is on date for August 24th. So if all goes well, we will have a baptism the weekend before I leave if I am still here. Transfers are this week and we are waiting for our call. I am wondering what they will do with me since I am leaving in the middle of next transfer. Maybe they will put me in a trio. Anyway, we also put Nicholas Bingham on date for September 14th. As for Brock and Cami, we are really trying to get Brock ready so he can baptize his son Stetson. I would love to see that happen. I love seeing people accept the Gospel! We had 6 families that we are teaching come to church this Sunday. Most of them are less-active families, and a few of them were the families we are teaching that their kids are getting ready for baptism. So we went to 3 different fast and testimony meeting yesterday.

Well I am not going to lie, the mission can be tough sometimes. Yesterday was a pretty long day since it was fast Sunday and boiling hot out, but it is so worth it! This Gospel is so true! We already know who is on the winning side. I am so glad that I am on the Lord's side. I am so grateful for His atonement that allows each and every one of us to repent and be happy. Like Dad always says, "If you want to be happy, keep the commandments." It is so true. We are given commandments to help and guide us in this life, not to restrict us. I hope you all have a great week. I pray for you all every day. Love you!

Love,
Elder Low

July 29, 2013

Hey Family!

Well it sounds like it has been a crazy and sad week back home. That is sad to hear about Elder Burton. I actually heard about that at the parade on Pioneer Day. That is tough. But I am sure he is in a better place now. That is why it is so awesome to know that we can be with the people we love forever. The Gospel can provide us with so much strength. I hope his family is doing ok. I have been praying for them a lot. That is tough. It also sounds like everyone else has been pretty busy. Julie congratulations on your calling! It sounds like you are doing some good missionary work. Karen and Alvin, congrats on your calling as well. That sounds like fun! And Karen and Alvin I got your package! Thank you so much!! It was all delicious. It was in the sun all day so when I opened it up it was all nice and warm like it had just been baked. Amazing!! I hope I am not stealing all of your treats Alvin. Alvin have you got your score back for the MCAT? Robbie do you think you are ready to take it again? Cammie I am glad to hear you are getting use to Cardston. It isn't too bad right? And Dad there are 8 missionaries in Cardston? What do they do with them all? You should sent them all out on a blitz to the reservation! Just kidding.

Well this week was pretty good. We got to be in another parade on Pioneer Day in Spanish Fork! And I saw Uncle Jim and Aunt Janelle again. It is like we are neighbors. The parade was actually a really good experience. We got to walk behind the 2000 stripling warriors in the parade. And I really think there were 2000 of them. There was a lot! While we were walking, I saw a couple people off to the side crying. The Spirit was so strong in that Parade. It sounds weird, but it is true. There was one guy who was dressed in a suit and tie and it looked like he had just returned home from a mission. He was waving at us and crying. I think he really missed his mission. It made me realize how special of an opportunity I have right now to be on a mission. There is so many people that the Lord has prepared for us and we have the opportunity to be instruments in His hands. It is such a blessing. I can't believe I have already been out for over two months.

I will try and answer a few more questions. We do a lot of different things on P-days. It depends on the day. We always do laundry and shopping and stuff like that. Last week we actually went golfing with the Mission President. It was fun! I wish I could put. Other than that I actually did not too bad. Mom we are the only Elders in that trailer. It is nice to have a lot of space. We usually get about and hour and a half for emails. I like it. It gives us time to say what we need to say. I am pretty sure the Provo temple is open now. Or at least it should be really soon. As far as music goes Mom, you can surprise me. Some can listen to stuff like EFY music, John Schmidt, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and stuff like that. But there is no rush on that.

I also have some other good news. My visa came!! I am headed to Australia in 2 days!!! Just kidding. It did come though. I was told that my last night in the Utah Provo Mission will be on August 26th. So I am guessing that means I will be leaving on August 27th? They said they would give me more information when it gets closer. I think I have to wait for a month because that is when the next tranfer in Brisbane is. I am excited though!

Well the work is still moving forward here. I love it!! We are actually working with a ton of kids now as well. Most of their families are less active so we always get them to sit in on the lesson. We are teaching a 12 year old boy, a 9 year old girl, and four 8 year old boys. They are all working towards baptism! So I hope I get to be here for a few of them before I head to Australia. Something that I have really tried to focus on this week is seeing how the Lord works on people. When you meet all these different people on your mission, you really see how unique each person is. The Lord has really given each individual there own set of experiences to learn and grow. Whether the experiences are good or bad, we can always learn something from them. The Lord is always shaping us into who He wants us to become. And I really believe that is why we are called to the missions we are. There are people there that only we can reach out to, but only with the help of the Lord. I know that my Savior Jesus Christ lives, and it is only through His atonement that we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father again. I am so grateful for a Savior and a Family that loves me. I hope you all have an amazing week! Love you all!

Love,
Elder Low

July 22, 2013

Hi family,

Well it sounds like some crazy things are happening back home. And I am glad some people are having fun at echo. I love echo lake. Some of my best memories are there, and I am sure many of you would agree. There is nothing like spending time with family. Jason it sounds like you had an awesome time at scouts camp. I always loved those camps. And I am glad to hear you didn't get crushed by a horse. That could have been bad. What was your calling again? I am really sorry to hear about all of these crazy accidents. That is sad to hear about Josh Burton. That would be tough so close to the end of the mission. But it sounds like he is doing a lot better then expected. I hope everything goes well with him. And Tami Courts daughter as well. Life can be hard sometimes. But the Lord gives us trials to make us stronger. Just like it says in 2 Nephi 26:24, "He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world." I think we can all apply that to ourselves as well. I have often found on my mission that we go through certain trials in our life so that we can reach out and help others. Sometimes we go through trials just to test our faith and strengthen us. We may not understand why we are having these challenges, but we just have to trust in the Lord. If we do that, He will strengthen us. He won't give us any trial that we can't handle. And if we handle those trials well, we can have what I like to call never ending happiness.


Time to answer some questions. I did get a new bike. My district leader I was telling you about, Elder Fry, had an old bike that he hasn't used for awhile. And he is driving a car now anyway. So we fixed that up a bit and that is what I am riding. It is working just fine. And my hand is a lot better. It is pretty much healed up. My knee is coming along as well. I didn't rip my pants though, just like I told you. Mom we do run into a lot of Mexican Spanish speaking families. There are a ton around here! But there are Spanish speaking Sisters in our area, so we just refer these people to them. Karen we do not get Pioneer Day off. But we do get to walk in another parade! I'm not sure where it is at though. It might be in like Spanish Fork or something. I guess I will find out. Mom we do get fed a lot. We always cook breakfast and lunch for ourselves, but we get dinner from members 5 times a week. It is really nice. And sometimes they send us home with leftovers as well. So we are being fed great! I have actually just started recently taking my vitamins, and I think they are really helping. I have found that I am not as tired when I take them. And no I have not used my Wells Fargo card yet. They give us plenty of money to spend. Mom don't worry, we cleaned our double wide trailer. We had inspections the other week, and they lady was so happy with us. She said it was the cleanest she has ever seen it. She said she would bring us cookies next time, and we even got a letter from the mission office saying congratulations on having "an extremely clean apartment." It was pretty funny. Well I hope I didn't miss any questions. If I did, ask me again and I will try to answer next week.


As far as the work goes, this week was pretty good. We found two new kids to teach. Dylan Smith is 8 and Nicholas Bingham is 12. Dylan's family is active, but it is a weird situation. The ex-wife won't let him be baptized until he takes the missionary lessons. With Nicholas, his Mom is less-active and his Dad is not a member. He goes to church with his grandparents and he loves it. He has even been going with the Deacons to collect fast offerings and see how things work. He is a great kid. I am excited to teach him. I am really hoping we can get the father to sit in on the lessons as well. His Mom has already been doing that. We also got a couple of the families we are teaching to come to church. I was telling you about Brock and Cammie and their kids last week, and this week they came to church with us. They love the Gospel Principles class. It is very simple for them. Hopefully church will become a weekly activity for them. I am not sure if I have to you about Amy Simmons, but she has come to church 3 weeks in a row now. She has had a rough life, but it seems like she is really starting to turn things around. I love seeing people accept the Gospel, it really does change lives.


I love hearing from everybody and how you are all doing. It is such a blessing to have a family that cares about me. I love you all so much. We have so many blessings in our lives. We just have to stop and see what God has given us. This week I have really seen the blessing of the scriptures in my life. I came across a good scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16. It tells us that all scripture is given by inspiration of God. And it is so true. Prophets wrote the scriptures, and Prophets speak the words of God. So when we read the scriptures, it is just like God is talking to us. It is amazing the answers that we can receive by studying the scriptures. I have had many prayers answered in those couple of hours in the morning that we get to study. I love that time. This Gospel is so true. God loves each one of us and knows us individually. He just wants what is best for us, even if what is best for us is hard. As long as we put Him first in our lives, and then do our very best, He will strengthen us and help us be where we need to be. I know that to be true. I love being a missionary! I hope you all have a great week. I love you all so much.


Love,

Elder Low