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| Elder Rowe after two dinner appointments in one evening |
Spring has sprung indeed! It's a beautiful day today and I might just be wearing short sleeves. Everyone is bustling about in their shorts and sweaters (yes, the combination of being warm on top but cool on bottom, is very common) and everyone is getting more and more excited as shops are decorating for the Rugby World Cup that starts this Friday. So that should be exciting...for everyone else. There aren't any games held in Levin, so we'll miss out on a lot of the tourism, but hopefully some good will come from such an event.
Wasn't the Soccer World cup on during Robby's mission? What was that like? (he should email me about it)
It has been a marvelous week and much good has happened. Especially compared to last week. To start off the week, we had an amazing extra Zone Conference for this transfer last Tuesday with special guest Elder F. Michael Watson of the Area Presidency. He is doing a tour of the our mission and is going to each of the Zones to talk. So it was great! President and Sister Kezerian spoke, but then Elder Watson and Sister Watson took the rest of the time sharing a lot of new ideas for improving our missionary work. Elder Watson talked about working with the ward and the leaders more closely and Sister Watson spoke of the Articles of Faith.
After the conference, I went on exchanges with my zone Leader, Elder Lemalu, until Thursday. I always enjoy going on exchanges and being able to learn so much from another missionary. One particular note worth mentioning was the two dinners we had on Wednesday night. They were both with part-member families and so Elder Lemalu didn't want to cancel either. I was already too full to finish my plate after the first house, and then we arrive at the next house to see a feast on the table. Yeah, we died. (see attached picture)
We taught Mike the Word of Wisdom this week. His first step was to quit tea and coffee, which he worked on over the weekend and then yesterday we saw him and he committed this week to quitting smoking. He is still excited to work towards baptism. He just has the big smoking problem that's really stopping him. So please keep him in your prayers.
We also popped by to see Hemi this week and he gave us the wonderful news of how he's doing his own missionary work! The man! He's been telling his friend, who's been pretty down lately, about what he's been learning and doing and the friend wants us to come teach him as well. Hemi's little sister is also going to be staying with him for a while and so he's hoping that we can teach her as well because he knows she--being a teenager--is in need of it. He wants her to be able to find true happiness in life and not in the way that most teenagers do with alcohol. He's also trying to share what he can with his "future wife' (I refuse to use the word "partner" as everyone else does) and wants us to be able to teach her as well so that his whole family (including his young daughters) can all be in it together. So Hemi is great! We just need to get him married. But first, he's looking forward to coming to church this Sunday.
We've also had a great lesson with a less-active member named John (one of the 5 Johns that we have on our list) and his partner Jodine. He was raised in the Church but went less active when he was 14 (he's in his 40's now) and got into a lot of trouble in his life. But being in jail he gained great faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement and so he's taught that to his girls. We had a surprise lesson with him and Jodine on Saturday and talked a bit about the Plan of Salvation. Near the end of the discussion he mentioned that he knows he needs to do the right thing and go to Heavenly Father's church. Jodine asked "well what Church is that?" He said "This one." as he pointed at us. "I always knew what my mother has taught me was true." So that was fantastic! We're having dinner with them on Tuesday and they're hoping to come to church this Sunday as well.
Answers to questions I somehow seemed to miss:
Elder Christensen said he doesn't know the Rowley's but probably knows someone from their ward. He said there are about 5 wards in Redlands alone.
Yes, Dad, you're very old. Kathy, you're not at all. Just kidding, about Dad, I can't believe you're turning 50, but in many ways I can. ;)
Thank you for everything you do!
Just remember:
"True happiness comes only by making others happy"---David O. McKay
Keep doing what is right, and praying day and night!
Have a wonderful week!
I love you all so very much!
Love,
Elder David John Rowe
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