Responsibility and the blessings of Obedience- June 20, 2016

So...transfers are here. And the verdict is: I stay. I will be a district leader now, so...yeah. More responsibilities. More work. It should be great, though. I will be receiving an Elder R*****, who I know nothing about, but with whom I've been coordinating by means of his companion since he is SUPER sick. Like, sick to the point I'm not sure if he'll be able to be transferred tomorrow. I may have to stay in a trio (I am already in a trio, since Elder B**** from my district went home today and transfers aren't until tomorrow). Elder Sm*** is going to be a Zone Leader far away in the campo (San Pedro). He is worried about it, but I'm not. He is super intelligent, an excellent leader, and knows how to tough-love improvement out of people. He will do great things out there. Funny thing, he's going to be zone leader with my last companion, Elder d****. It will be an awesome transfer for them both.

This was a great week for finding new people. While we don't have any fixed baptismal dates for July yet, we have TONS of new potential. Our recent converts are doing great for the most part. The only downside is Y***, whose friends in the Church are almost all less actives and/or "loose" with the standards. However, they have been much more active recently with Y***'s baptism, so...we will see if we can't get some reactivations out of it.

I am super grateful for the time I have had as Elder Sm***'s companion. I have always striven to be obedient, but I have often still felt the tug of the world making me not want to be so. I have been guided by a great example this transfer, and upon being EXACTLY obedient (even the tiny stuff like always staying in the same room in our house) I have developed a desire to do so always. It actually hurts when I do something wrong, because this transfer I have seen the blessings and benefits spiritually of being obedient and I don't want to lose that. I have felt the Spirit these last couple of weeks more deeply and continuously than I have ever felt it in my life. The cool thing is, it hasn't even been that hard. It seems hard from the outside, but once you get started it is easy. THe hard thing is continuing to work super hard, because I am always tired from being diligent. I know the Lord is giving me strength, because I would not be getting up at 6:30 at home if I were doing as much during the day XD. I feel ready to be an example to my companion, and to not lower my standards for him or for anyone else. I feel a little uneasy about the extra responsibilities as district leader, but although the first week or two may be rough the kinks will work themselves out.

We had a ward karaoke party this week, and we invited tons of investigators and less actives to be there. We went for a bit, sang We'll Bring the World His Truth as Elder Sm*** played the guitar, and did a duet of Glorious by David Archuleta before leaving. It was fun. We have really been able to wake up the members here to the plight of the ward (their attendance has been dropping and they haven't been going out with us much), and they really like us. Elder S*** will be sorely missed. It has been in this transfer that the Elder Sm*** has been invited to eat at members' houses, and he has eaten multiple times with various people. I'm super excited to stay; the area is in a convenient location to get to meetings and such, and it is exploding with potential.

Anyhow, until next week!

Élder Rowe

Jacob was very happy to send Trix shapes cereal! (He sent usa picture but I thought I would spare you.)

Baptism of W**** and J**** M*** and Y***.  W**** and J**** were married on Friday and baptized on Saturday.

 
                                   Jacob trying sugar cane.  He said it was actually pretty good.

                                                                    Jacob's district.

His companion made him jello popcorn (caramel corn, but with jello for flavoring and with a reduced amount of sugar). It was lemon-flavored, and he said "it was AMAZING!"  

Baptisms! - June 13, 2016

Wey! ¡KLK!

Emma, you STILL play Viva Piñata? You haven't beaten that thing yet? XD

Jessica: yes, I was reading in my patriarchal blessing this week, and it provided a lot of comfort for me. One of the most interesting things was looking at my lineage, and the responsibilities that stem therefrom. Really a great missionary motivator. Thank you so much for the suggestion, and I'll keep it up!

Elijah: What a delinquent! Skipping school? In 6th grade? (Elijah opted out of going to the last day of school.  It was a half day and they had an assembly so the classes were 20 mins long.  He probably could have opted out of the last week.  He was watching movies in 4 of his 6 classes.) Ha! Make sure to keep busy this summer--7th grade is gonna show up sooner than you think!

Firstly, HUGE thanks to Uncle Rick, and to you, Mom and Dad. I really appreciate all the counsel, and those conclusions were the ones I was getting to this week. (Here is a little of what we shared with him... If you feel an impression to do something that is good, it is from the spirit. Anything that inspires us to do good is from the spirit!  I remember this principle is something that was solidified for me in the mission field.  However this is something that gets lost a little as you jump back into life post-mission.  I still sometimes doubt when a thought comes in my mind if it is from the spirit.  Reminding myself of this counsel has helped.  That doesn't necessarily mean that just because someone's name comes into your mind that you need to go visit right away, but that you can pray to get more guidance.  I love uncle Rick's counsel of writing down the impression so you can act on it as soon as you are able.  The other aspect of this is that we don't always see or hear how following the Spirit helps others.  However, acting upon the Spirit means we will be blessed for being obedient and it helps us be more aware of the whisperings the next time.  You have always been very analytical.  The gospel makes sense to you so you can see proof of it's truthfulness.  The truthfulness of something can be argued or explained away, but when you know it is true because of how you feel that is not as easy to explain away.  One of the things a mission can do for you is to help you rely more on how the gospel and the Spirit make you feel.)  I am improving slowly, but I am beginning to think less and feel more. I am super grateful that the Lord is giving me a greater portion of His Spirit--it's something I haven't felt strongly this consistently in my entire life this far.

Second, WE HAD 3 BAPTISMS THIS WEEK! W**** and J**** M**** were married Friday (with our Mission President as one of the witnesses--W**** works at the tower where President Corbitt lives) and baptized Saturday. They also brought W****'s less active brother, wife, and kids, as well as a niece of W****'s. They are desirous to come back to church frequently, and may be some of the next reactivations here in Villa Esfuerzo. Also, a 15-year-old named Y*** was baptized...she didn't get confirmed, though. She showed up over half an hour late to Sacrament Meeting, because she was waiting on a less-active best friend. Unfortunately, the best friend is more the leader and example than Y*** is, so...we're going to have to fight to keep her active. Y*** won't be confirmed for another two weeks, since this coming week is Stake Conference.

We also have a lot of progress showing in W******, a tall, lanky old man who is in the reactivation process. He has two Sundays already, is MASSIVELY happier than he was when we first met him, and is working to introduce us to his daughter, another less-active, who lives with him. We had a really spiritual lesson about the temple and its importance. Thus, I have a question for you guys: Now that summer is opening wide before you, are you going to take advantage of all the opportunities to go to the temple? Try an experiment--go weekly for a month, just to see what happens. You will be surprised. It's what keeps a lot of people active out here. I know I was a terrible example of this principle, but better that I learn late than never, verdad?

Love you guys! I miss you. Have a great week, and don't let the mosquitos bite and give you ZIKA. ('cause that's happening to a TON of missionaries out here).  (I have heard of a couple missionaries in his mission getting ZIKA.  they have flu like symptoms for a few days and a nasty rash.)

Élder Rowe

Simple Pleasures - Carl's Jr and unlimited refills! - June 6, 2016

Hi there,

So this week was super busy. We are trying to fix a bad birth certificate for the M****-V**** family, and spent an entire day going from one junta to another seeking docs and fixes and only got a portion of the process done. That was Wednesday. Tuesday most everything fell through and we spent the day contacting.Thursday was district meeting. Friday we spent the morning setting up a date with a judge for the legal marriage of the M*** family next Friday so that they can get baptized next Saturday. Saturday we did exchanges, and had a cosecha to get all the less actives to church for ward conference Sunday, for which we had to get there early so I could play prelude with the choir (Elder S**** was in the choir). Today we left the mission (woot) to go to Agora (we got special permission from Pres Corbitt), and Elder S**** bought a guitar. There they have a Carls Jr, and it is the only place in the DR I know with UNLIMITED REFILLS XD!

Jessica: I wish I could say exactly how my patriarchal blessing is helping me, but I can't because I haven't diligently studied it in a transfer or so. That is actually a great idea, so I'll put that in my goals for this week. Thanks! :)

I'm ahead of you as far as a challenge goes, mom! (In my letter to him I challenged him to find an aspect of being a missionary that he has not fully thrown himself into and change that this week.) I want to work a LOT more on discerning the Spirit. Because of past mistakes and lack of focus, I never really developed the habit nor the ability of listening to the Spirit unless it was a super strong gut feeling. I feel sometimes like a kid on a bicycle--I know when I have the Spirit with me, but I don´t know what to do with myself to keep the balance. I don't yet understand which way or what word or to whom the Spirit is indicating. I get insecure in that sense, and am still dependent on my companion for that. For example, Saturday we were out and about, and I felt bad, as though something had happened or was going to happen to someone, or that we shouldn't have been where we were, or who knows what. I prayed with my companion, and still wasn't sure about what to do. I had a couple of names of people pop into my head that we should visit, but those people always pop into my head, and so I was unsure of whether that was me or the Spirit speaking. My companion decided to help me be more independent, and waited for me to give an answer. We wasted like 20 minutes standing around and praying before we decided to get moving and I kind of let him guide me. I felt like we should pass by the M*** family's house, so we did, but...we had an appointment later that afternoon anyway, and it seemed that we didn't avert any crisis by passing by early. 

All of this is not sign that i am doubting being out here--it is just that I am frustrated by my seeming inability or incapability, even almost 9 months into my mission and over 11 years into my church membership, to understand what the Spirit is telling me to do, say, or avoid.

That is my goal this week--to better it. Anyhow, love you guys, and until next week! 

Élder Rowe

Fruits of his labors - May 30, 2016

Hey guys!

Thanks for all the love notes! Really appreciate it out here.

Sounds like you guys had a great Memorial Day weekend! You know what Memorial Day weekend has meant for me? Apoyo (monthly allotment of money from the mission) still hasn't gotten here! So... I've definitely pulled out like $50 in personal money, because there is no money left. I'm already developing a budget for the next apoyo, and I plan to take my time with it, since it'll be the one I use the whole rest of the mission.

So, remember how I told you about É**** C*****, the guy whose wife lives in NJ? He got baptized Sunday. Guess who did it? THIS GUY! He asked me to come back and baptize him, and President Corbitt gave me permission! It was awesome! The service was really special. His family was there, as well as most of the ward leadership. His father called in to give a talk (I'm not sure where he was). So, that was the first time I have physically baptized someone in my nearly nine months out here (NINE MONTHS? Goodness, how time flies).

We have two families we are working super hard with right now, and a third has just entered the picture. The first is the Familia M****-V****--J***, L***, A*** (18), and C*** (13ish). They are fixing an error in one of the birth certificates which didn't exist before (GAAH--that is a problem in almost every complete family I've met), but they are within two weeks of being able to get baptized. We have them set for the 11th of June. Also, we are visiting the Familia M***-- W****, J****, and J**** (15). They need to get married, too, but the issue there is having them pay a portion, since they are poor (not dirt-poor, but poor-finances-debt-and-credit poor). As soon as they get together a few hundred pesos, they are set. Finally, this week we found the Familia D****--M**** (they call him B***), his wife (can't remember her name), Y**** (8), and S**** (3). They are SUPER nice. The parents are Haitian, but are both legal citizens here in the DR. They love our visits, and we are going to start visiting them more often.

Pics next week--time is up for me here.

Élder Rowe

Our Mission is Going Places (His title) - May 23, 2016

WEY! you guys saw CIVIL WAR!?! You can't tell me anything! ;)

Mom, I really like that bit from President Packer. (I teach Sunday School and shared with him part of a talk from 1991 I told him... "One of the things he said is that when countries are at war one of the best tactics is to jam communications.  President Packer said that Satan works to jam our communication with the Lord through loud music, distractions, tv shows, etc.")   That really is true: Satan jams our sensors with everything he can, and we have to actively block out the noise to hear the Spirit whispering through. In my study this week, I noted that repent comes from the Latin re (again) and pen (think); in other words, repentance is just thinking again--fixing things right away when they're wrong, and thinking twice before making a mistake as well. That has really had an impact on me this week. The two are rather related; if we see our communications being jammed, even if we like what might be coming through, we need to get it out right away.

This week we have been SUPER busy--I am just exhausted. Our area is tiny, but I feel more tired at the end of every day. We are exercising now! Our gym owner is lazy (doesn't open until 7:30) so we just go do some ab workouts, push-ups, and we run sprints (Elder Sm**** wants to lose some weight). Our baptismal dates have been falling through this month, but we still have one for sure. We are working with two families at once, the familia M*** (who need money to get married--they need to put forth a portion, and we and the ward will cover the rest) and the familia M****-V**** (who need to fix a daughter's birth certificate to get married). Apart from the aforementioned issues, all goes well with them. We have been working hard recently on contacting more, and talking with everyone (not just rushing from appointment to appointment). There are really a lot more people open to listening out there than one might think. We met a guy on a bus today who lived in NY 25 years (starting from age 6) and was pretty interested in the Plan of Salvation. He is super busy and lives alone, but accepted a pamphlet and the invitation to study on his own time and to call missionaries over when he's free. Thanks to my companion pushing me to overcome my fear and talk to someone, even our bus ride to Megacentro had an evangelical purpose.

Not much time left, and not much else to report yet. Elder Sm**** and I are great friends, and we've been having a splendid time together. I've been learning a TON from him. We sing together; we play recorder together; he's going to get a guitar so we can guitar and piano together; etc.

Our mission had the goal in April to have every companionship baptize, and over 95% of the 91 companionships did so. Unfortunately, it was because of disobedience in a few that we couldn't do it, but now we have the goal of 2 people per companionship in June and 3 in July, and so long as we continue with Exact Obedience, Extraordinary Faith, and True Unity, we will see the miracles flow even more than we've been seeing them up until now.

Love you guys! More updates on the mission as a whole as well as the area next week.

Élder Rowe

Transferred! - May 16, 2016

Cordial Salutations!

My new area is AWESOME. Our internet center has A/C, newish computers, fast internet, and nice keyboards! The area is the perfect mix of city and campo. Slow-and-easy lifestyle, but closeness to city conveniences and district meetings. Colmados don't make a ton of noise playing dembow except on weekends. We have an investigator who owns a candy-and-cookie distribution shop, and when I first met him he gave us a pack of vanilla wafer cookies on the house. We have another family of investigators whose dad is a taxi driver, and has been our means of getting around during transfers and other meetings at the office. My old companion is now training, and my new one just finished doing so. Elder S**** is a total Star Wars geek and the two of us have very similar personalities. He has almost 16 months in the mission, and is from Syracuse, UT. Yeah, we get along great.

When I was going to be with Elder S****, President Corbitt told me two things: first, that I was going to be his help for Spanish because he still struggles a bit, and second, that he is one of the most family-focused and family-baptizing missionaries out there. I have been trying to put together some spanish study activities to do together. The second statement I have found to be super true. He really knows how to bring families together for lessons. He also is very humble. He recognizes that his spanish is lacking, and thus depends on the Lord to carry his message to the hearts of investigators by the Spirit. He is a great example for me, and I am already learning a lot from him. He has had a rough life, but he is a shining person in spite of it.

Well, David (a young man from our ward just returned from his mission to Mexico City) has lost 25 pounds? I've gained 30 (it's the rice and the being lazy with exercise; that's been fixed already, since Elder S**** wants to lose weight and we're going to focus on exercise and a healthier diet). It shows in my face.

I dunno that there's much else at the moment. More updates as they come!

Love you guys,

Elder Rowe

Ozama Zone (in their zone shirts) from his previous area Los Tres Brazos

Jacob and his new comp eating pineapple

Making passion fruit juice which he says is DELICIOUS!

No Time To Share All of the Great Experiences! - May 2, 2016

Last weeks letter said "Time running out because of ridiculously slow internet. Tons of exciting news, but I cant share until next week, because no time. 

Bye! Love you all!

Elder Rowe"

It also said he didn't have any specifics about skyping on Mother's Day...

No time again. GAAH.

cut/paste pres. letter:

We have truly been blessed as a mission this month, and I know that we can, together, reach 200 baptisms in May. Among the miracles I've seen, we may include:

Sister R*** A***(mother of Bishop A***** ) received the impression in a stake conference near the end of March that, nearly 18 years after her son´s baptism, she was ready to be baptized. She struggled with coffee until the last week before her baptismal date, when she was able to drop it and has not looked back since. Her son was able to baptize and confirm her, and their eyes were full of tears of joy in both moments.

R****, a youth we´ve been working with (and have put 2 baptismal dates already), somehow has a habit of disappearing on us without warning, then showing up a week later saying he'd gone to work with his father. He now has a steady job, 8am to 7pm with only Sundays free, and on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays he has school starting at 7. Thus, it´s been difficult for us to find him. I had almost lost hope that we´d see him again. Then, one Monday evening, we felt the impression to go check on his house. It was 6 o'clock, and he shouldn't have been home by our reckoning, but we went anyway, with faith that we'd find him. Sure enough, there he was, taking care of his younger brother, who'd been sent home from school that morning because of the rain, forcing R**** to stay home from work. We sat down to talk with him about preparation for baptism before the end of the month, but then his mom got home. She shouted a few bad words at R****, then told us we were losing our time, that he was a hablador, etc. However, we felt the impression to call her back and share with her, too. We were able to share the good traits R**** has, that he's neither in the street nor drinking nor chasing girls, and that he has desires to be baptized. Her heart was softened--she said we could come back Sunday to talk with them as a family. Unfortunately, we were coordinating a baptismal interview with R*** A*** so she could enter the temple today to do baptisms, and we couldn´t make it to their house. However, Elder d**** and I are agreed that they can be baptized together this month; we just need to get the mom going to church and get some appointments in at 8pm when they are both home.

As we helped with the baptisms in Sabana Larga the night of the 30th, we came out late, around 8:45 pm. Being a Saturday night, we couldn't go directly to the Venezuela (the area not the country :) ) to catch the only gua-gua (bus) route that goes to our area. We managed to get over to a lower part of the Venezuela, away from the nightclubs, and suddenly a carrito passed by going to Los Tres Brazos. There are no routes that pass by there normally, but by that miracle we got home before 9:30.

I have also seen lots of little things in the day-by-day. We'd be walking to go catch a gua-gua and decide to take an alternate route. We received 2 references that way. We also found out that one of our investigators, Y**** C*****, is a friend of both M**** E**** and M***** R*****, two returned missionaries with whom we are most often able to go out. We also got to introduce one of our investigators to our Relief Society president, and in the process found out that the husband of that investigator was a progressing investigator, with a baptismal date and everything. We're not sure what happened, but we will keep looking into that. 

love you guys, look forward to seeing you next Sunday. I will be calling from a members laptop.

I want to send photos and tell stories, but no time. GAAH.

Élder Rowe