Hello everybody!
A great week has gone by here in Eagan! Today we had transfer calls! I cant believe i am done with my first transfer already (There are 17 transfers for English missionaries here). Time flies fast in the field. It really does. So President Clements called us and apparently my companion, Elder Baker is now our district leader! but we are still together! This week has been so awesome!!! President Clements came out with a new mission goal: To invite 1000 people TO BE BAPTIZED. I'm not gonna lie I'm still very scared about this goal because that is a pretty bold thing to do. He even counseled us to ask people out on the streets. That's pretty gutsy. My companion who has been out for a year, is also very scared about this challenge. We haven't invited anyone yet but we are making it a priority to invite many to baptism in Eagan this upcoming week. This week will be called BOLD WEEK. We are very loving with those people we come in contact with but we aren't as bold as we should be. We'll see how bold week goes!
So here is the missionary work in Eagan this past week: I had my first baptism last Saturday!!! Dylan Gunter, 17 years old, entered the waters of baptism 2 days ago and received the Holy Ghost yesterday during Sacrament meeting. Of all the baptisms I have been to, the Spirit was very different in a very good way. It was stronger as I came to the knowledge that Heavenly Father worked a miracle in Dylan's life through Elder Baker and I. He was so happy after he was baptized. He said that he felt light. It was amazing. We know that he will be a great missionary someday. We had an AWESOME miracle yesterday! We went to a members house to have dinner. The mom hadn't even started dinner yet because she was out visiting teaching. Well, unfortunately we ended up staying MUCH longer than we should have. Then we go to visit some of our potential investigators. We went to Paul and Barbs house. They answered the door and said that we can come in and teach them a lesson. The amazing part is that they said that they just got home. The reason that we stayed at the members house longer was because the Lord made it possible for us to meet with this couple to teach them. The Lord really is causing miracles to happen. Anyways they are a Catholic couple. We taught them about the Restoration, Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and eternal families. Barb said that her daughter believes that marriage is only in this life. She really wants to believe that she can be together with her husband and children forever. She said that It doesn't make sense that Heavenly Father would give us families to grow close to them and then just rip them away from us. Heavenly Father wouldn't do that. So we have a great feeling the the concept of eternal families is what will really draw them to the gospel. We invited them to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know if it is true. They are very busy for the next few months but next time we meet with them, we will extend a baptismal invitation to them. We know that great things are in store for Paul and Barb. We taught Sister Briggs just last Wednesday and another BIG miracle happened! She was having trouble knowing that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true. We were working with her since the beginning of the transfer and just this last time we met with her, she finally told us that she KNOWS that the church is true. If the church is true, then the one who restored it today (Joseph Smith) is truly called of God and that the Book of Mormon is true, it being the keystone of our religion. That was so wonderful to hear her say that. She couldn't be doing any better. Now she is trying to get her husband to hear a message from us. He read a little bit from the Book of Mormon so far. I'll keep you all updated on what happens. Not much has happened because it has been a hard week but we have had miracles happening in Eagan! We couldn't be happier!
Here is the spiritual thought of the week: Doctrine and Covenants 103:36: "All victory and glory is brought to pass unto you through your diligence, faithfulness, and prayers of faith." I also read in preach my gospel this morning that faith is a principle of power. With unshakable faith, we can do all things and perform many miracles, just like Jesus Christ. Faith precedes miracles. I know that miracles will continue to happen in this mission and throughout the work as we, the defenders of the faith, will continue to be faithful, obedient, prayerful, and bold but loving. The church is SO true. I'll talk to you all later!
Love
Elder Mower
Monday, August 1, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Elder Mower Letter #8
Hello all!!!
Its a beautiful day in Eagan! Just wait till winter time!!! haha
Here is a hilarious quote i got from my zone leader: "Service is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see that you did it but only you can feel the warmth!"
hahahahaha! that one made me laugh my head off!!!! He told us that when we were helping someone move.
So it has been such an amazing week! First off President Clements challenged us to invite EVERYBODY to baptism (even if its right when we meet them out in town). We want to invite 1000 people to baptism this week. That means being EXTRA BOLD. When I first heard this, I was thinking: This is going to scare off the people! But now as I think deeper, I think the Lord is telling me as well as the other missionaries that we NEED to be more bold in our teaching and in finding. Jeffery R Holland talked about this. Ill paraphrase but he basically said that this is not something to be taken lightly. This is eternal life that we are talking about. We must be bold and let them know how important this message is. It was a powerful statement. I have made it a goal to be more bold in my teaching AND finding.
This week it got REALLLYYYY hot! In the heat index, It got up to around 120!!! That's including the humidity. I learned that there is no end to the sweating. hahaha But I'm still keeping my color so that's a plus! but i do have what they call the missionary tan: so i have a really bad tan on my collar. Half of my neck is tan and half is pure white. haha I am also getting a watch tan. lol. So its pretty hot! Thankfully not too many mosquitoes. Give it until September my companion told me.
The work is going AMAZING!!! We got the approval from President Clements to baptize Dylan this Saturday!!! we are sooooo excited for him!!! We completed the baptismal interview and we have the program all set up. It's a done deal! It's a miracle! We have been trying to meet with the Rodriguez Family, a part member family, for a while now and we finally got a hold of them. The father is less active and is a priest we think. The mother is also a member. They have 3 kids: Felix (14), Kalvin (11), and Cassie (8). They are about to have another baby soon! Here is a miracle that happened before we met with them: when we met with them, they said that their youngest daughter Cassie just asked them if she could be baptized. They want her to do it. In the meantime, they also have a goal to be sealed in the temple. We were so happy for them to come back to the light. It will be a little bit difficult but we are praying for them. We want Brother Rodriguez to baptize Cassie but he doesn't think he can in due time. He feels guilty. We are working with him and will do our best to prepare him for that day to baptize his daughter. We taught Sister Briggs again last Wednesday. Again she has been a less active member for 40 years. She has been coming to church every Sunday since I came into Eagan. She still doesn't have a testimony of Joseph Smith even after fasting. Right then, the gift of discernment came to me and Elder Baker. I felt impressed to ask: "Did you faithfully ponder about those things that you have prayed about?" She replied no. I had no idea what she needed but at that very moment, I knew that the Spirit really knew her needs. To preach with the Spirit means to preach with understanding. The Spirit was so strong at that meeting and her faith was strengthened as well as mine as I bore testimony of the Savior almost in tears. It was amazing. We taught Monika and Ravi last Friday. They are Indian parents of a 4 and 2 year old. They are Hindu. We were going to have a former Hindu who was converted to the gospel come to teach with us. Her name is Priea. She couldn't come. We really needed her there because she is the bridge between Hinduism and Mormonism. We did our best to help them feel the Spirit but they have no desire to change their faith. So I feel that we shouldn't go back until we can get Priea there to bear testimony of her conversion from Hinduism. Other than these people, we have received a lot of referrals this week! When we fasted last friday, we fasted for a new investigator. We are praying that these new referrals will be interested and receptive to our message and to the Spirit.
Here is my spiritual thought of the week: President Ezra Taft Benson once said: "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power." I have seen the blessings that come from being exactly obedient on my mission because God blesses us with the power to resist temptation, to be valiant, and to constantly progress and to constantly strive to become more like the Savior. I testify that if we make obedience a priority in our lives that we will be so happy, that we will enjoy the blessings that come from following the Lords counsel, and that we will find peace in this dark world. Keep choosing the right that the Lord will be with you 24/7. Thank you and may the Lord continue to bless you all!
Love,
Elder Mower
Its a beautiful day in Eagan! Just wait till winter time!!! haha
Here is a hilarious quote i got from my zone leader: "Service is like peeing your pants. Everyone can see that you did it but only you can feel the warmth!"
hahahahaha! that one made me laugh my head off!!!! He told us that when we were helping someone move.
So it has been such an amazing week! First off President Clements challenged us to invite EVERYBODY to baptism (even if its right when we meet them out in town). We want to invite 1000 people to baptism this week. That means being EXTRA BOLD. When I first heard this, I was thinking: This is going to scare off the people! But now as I think deeper, I think the Lord is telling me as well as the other missionaries that we NEED to be more bold in our teaching and in finding. Jeffery R Holland talked about this. Ill paraphrase but he basically said that this is not something to be taken lightly. This is eternal life that we are talking about. We must be bold and let them know how important this message is. It was a powerful statement. I have made it a goal to be more bold in my teaching AND finding.
This week it got REALLLYYYY hot! In the heat index, It got up to around 120!!! That's including the humidity. I learned that there is no end to the sweating. hahaha But I'm still keeping my color so that's a plus! but i do have what they call the missionary tan: so i have a really bad tan on my collar. Half of my neck is tan and half is pure white. haha I am also getting a watch tan. lol. So its pretty hot! Thankfully not too many mosquitoes. Give it until September my companion told me.
The work is going AMAZING!!! We got the approval from President Clements to baptize Dylan this Saturday!!! we are sooooo excited for him!!! We completed the baptismal interview and we have the program all set up. It's a done deal! It's a miracle! We have been trying to meet with the Rodriguez Family, a part member family, for a while now and we finally got a hold of them. The father is less active and is a priest we think. The mother is also a member. They have 3 kids: Felix (14), Kalvin (11), and Cassie (8). They are about to have another baby soon! Here is a miracle that happened before we met with them: when we met with them, they said that their youngest daughter Cassie just asked them if she could be baptized. They want her to do it. In the meantime, they also have a goal to be sealed in the temple. We were so happy for them to come back to the light. It will be a little bit difficult but we are praying for them. We want Brother Rodriguez to baptize Cassie but he doesn't think he can in due time. He feels guilty. We are working with him and will do our best to prepare him for that day to baptize his daughter. We taught Sister Briggs again last Wednesday. Again she has been a less active member for 40 years. She has been coming to church every Sunday since I came into Eagan. She still doesn't have a testimony of Joseph Smith even after fasting. Right then, the gift of discernment came to me and Elder Baker. I felt impressed to ask: "Did you faithfully ponder about those things that you have prayed about?" She replied no. I had no idea what she needed but at that very moment, I knew that the Spirit really knew her needs. To preach with the Spirit means to preach with understanding. The Spirit was so strong at that meeting and her faith was strengthened as well as mine as I bore testimony of the Savior almost in tears. It was amazing. We taught Monika and Ravi last Friday. They are Indian parents of a 4 and 2 year old. They are Hindu. We were going to have a former Hindu who was converted to the gospel come to teach with us. Her name is Priea. She couldn't come. We really needed her there because she is the bridge between Hinduism and Mormonism. We did our best to help them feel the Spirit but they have no desire to change their faith. So I feel that we shouldn't go back until we can get Priea there to bear testimony of her conversion from Hinduism. Other than these people, we have received a lot of referrals this week! When we fasted last friday, we fasted for a new investigator. We are praying that these new referrals will be interested and receptive to our message and to the Spirit.
Here is my spiritual thought of the week: President Ezra Taft Benson once said: "When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power." I have seen the blessings that come from being exactly obedient on my mission because God blesses us with the power to resist temptation, to be valiant, and to constantly progress and to constantly strive to become more like the Savior. I testify that if we make obedience a priority in our lives that we will be so happy, that we will enjoy the blessings that come from following the Lords counsel, and that we will find peace in this dark world. Keep choosing the right that the Lord will be with you 24/7. Thank you and may the Lord continue to bless you all!
Love,
Elder Mower
Monday, July 18, 2011
Elder Mower Letter #7
Hello all!
Another great week in Eagan!!! The work is moving along great, I am learning ALOT in personal and companion study, and the first month in the mission field have been a blast! So me and my companion, Elder Baker, started something for our studies called "the ten days of truth". It is when you read the whole Book of Mormon in ten days! Within 3 days we are almost in the Book of Alma. IT IS INTENSE!!! but its a big testimony builder. It strengthens your testimony of the Book of Mormon soooo much. However, we put it on hold for a while because it was distracting us from learning the missionary lessons. To teach with the Spirit means to "teach with understanding", as said by Elder Holland. With that understanding we need to constantly be studying the missionary lessons because that is how we understand them. I have discovered that when you have not studied that day, no matter how well you know the gospel principle, you CANNOT teach with the Spirit if you don't prepare by faithful study. I thought I had the lessons learned pretty well. So I started the ten days of truth. Not long after, I saw myself completely blank as I was attempting to teach a lesson. So Elder Baker had to bail me out quite a bit. But its a valuable lesson that i learned. you can NEVER learn enough regardless of how well you know it.
So here is the scoop on the work in Eagan and Rosemount: We finally met with Dylan. I extended the invitation to be baptized on July 30th. He accepted but was still hesitant due to probation. So I talked with President Clements about this and we came to the conclusion that because his cause of probation was only a misdemeanor, he can still go about a normal baptismal interview and be baptized on July 30th. We completed the interview and He is all set!!! We are sooooooo excited for him! We met with the Nelson family once but we never got around to a lesson. Ray Nelson (the father) is less active who really wants to come back to church. Unfortunately, because they don't want to deal with taxes, Ray does not want to get married to his girlfriend, Trudy, quite yet. But their kids are able to be baptized. So we are extending the baptismal invitation this week!!! We met with our investigator, Mary Helan last Tuesday and she LOVES the Church. She is a Roman Catholic yet she believes a lot of things that we do. We want to take her to see the St. Paul temple soon! We are working with her to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know of its truth. We had a new less active member recently this week move into the area. Her name is Rosina O'Conner. We met with her and she has been through ALOT of things. since 1993, she was married to a drug dealer who was abusive to her. She was baptized in 1993 as well. She went on and on to tell of her stories and I cant remember them all but she said that she knew that the Lord was always there helping her press on. After 18 years of marriage, she couldn't handle the pain anymore and she left her husband and is now filing for a divorce. She now wants to come back to church! She ended up coming!!! It was a miracle! The Atonement really does work through people's lives! I know it through hearing about the experiences of Rosina. We had companion exchanges with the zone leaders on Wednesday so that we could do Dylan's baptismal interview. I was with Elder Bowen and we taught Sister Briggs about eternal marriages, temples, the plan of salvation, and about fasting. The fasting portion of the lesson was powerful. We had a special fast for her to receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith. She also committed to fast! We haven't met with her yet so we will see what happens this Wednesday!
I'd like to share my spiritual thought for the week now because I'm running out of time. In Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5, It reads: "Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—;Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." If we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ, then he will bless us with His everlasting grace. His grace is a gift that he truly desires to bless us with. All we have to do to receive it is to have faith in Him. He will support you in all that you do in His name. I know that this church is true and I love sharing this message of happiness. Thank you all for your support, I love you, and may the Lord bless you all!!!
Love,
Elder Mower
Another great week in Eagan!!! The work is moving along great, I am learning ALOT in personal and companion study, and the first month in the mission field have been a blast! So me and my companion, Elder Baker, started something for our studies called "the ten days of truth". It is when you read the whole Book of Mormon in ten days! Within 3 days we are almost in the Book of Alma. IT IS INTENSE!!! but its a big testimony builder. It strengthens your testimony of the Book of Mormon soooo much. However, we put it on hold for a while because it was distracting us from learning the missionary lessons. To teach with the Spirit means to "teach with understanding", as said by Elder Holland. With that understanding we need to constantly be studying the missionary lessons because that is how we understand them. I have discovered that when you have not studied that day, no matter how well you know the gospel principle, you CANNOT teach with the Spirit if you don't prepare by faithful study. I thought I had the lessons learned pretty well. So I started the ten days of truth. Not long after, I saw myself completely blank as I was attempting to teach a lesson. So Elder Baker had to bail me out quite a bit. But its a valuable lesson that i learned. you can NEVER learn enough regardless of how well you know it.
So here is the scoop on the work in Eagan and Rosemount: We finally met with Dylan. I extended the invitation to be baptized on July 30th. He accepted but was still hesitant due to probation. So I talked with President Clements about this and we came to the conclusion that because his cause of probation was only a misdemeanor, he can still go about a normal baptismal interview and be baptized on July 30th. We completed the interview and He is all set!!! We are sooooooo excited for him! We met with the Nelson family once but we never got around to a lesson. Ray Nelson (the father) is less active who really wants to come back to church. Unfortunately, because they don't want to deal with taxes, Ray does not want to get married to his girlfriend, Trudy, quite yet. But their kids are able to be baptized. So we are extending the baptismal invitation this week!!! We met with our investigator, Mary Helan last Tuesday and she LOVES the Church. She is a Roman Catholic yet she believes a lot of things that we do. We want to take her to see the St. Paul temple soon! We are working with her to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know of its truth. We had a new less active member recently this week move into the area. Her name is Rosina O'Conner. We met with her and she has been through ALOT of things. since 1993, she was married to a drug dealer who was abusive to her. She was baptized in 1993 as well. She went on and on to tell of her stories and I cant remember them all but she said that she knew that the Lord was always there helping her press on. After 18 years of marriage, she couldn't handle the pain anymore and she left her husband and is now filing for a divorce. She now wants to come back to church! She ended up coming!!! It was a miracle! The Atonement really does work through people's lives! I know it through hearing about the experiences of Rosina. We had companion exchanges with the zone leaders on Wednesday so that we could do Dylan's baptismal interview. I was with Elder Bowen and we taught Sister Briggs about eternal marriages, temples, the plan of salvation, and about fasting. The fasting portion of the lesson was powerful. We had a special fast for her to receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon and of Joseph Smith. She also committed to fast! We haven't met with her yet so we will see what happens this Wednesday!
I'd like to share my spiritual thought for the week now because I'm running out of time. In Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5, It reads: "Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—;Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." If we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ, then he will bless us with His everlasting grace. His grace is a gift that he truly desires to bless us with. All we have to do to receive it is to have faith in Him. He will support you in all that you do in His name. I know that this church is true and I love sharing this message of happiness. Thank you all for your support, I love you, and may the Lord bless you all!!!
Love,
Elder Mower
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Elder Mower Letter #6
Hello everybody!!!
Sorry about another P Day on Tuesday. We had specialized training yesterday and we met our new mission president, President Clements. He is way cool! he is from Utah, loves golf, and his ancestor is Wilford Woodruff, 4th president of the Church!!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!! I think its pretty neat, but the most important part is that he is a man of God, called to lead this mission and I'm grateful to serve with him as my leader.
It is sooo nice to talk to all of you again!!! So unfortunately, this week has been a pretty difficult week. First off, I'd like to talk about all the fun that Elder Baker and I have had, fixing our bikes! haha I discovered that my chain has not been lubricated or cleaned in a long time. The elder that had this bike before me took POOR care of it. So i cleaned it and my gears the best i could and with about 20 dirty rags, it is still not even close to being clean. Also when I came back from companion exchanges this week, I was told that my back tire was flat. Not a big deal, so I buy a new tube and I put it in. The next day, my front tire goes flat, so I buy ANOTHER tube. But this time as I was filling it with air, I didn't quite put it in the tire tread all the way so then it POPS! so then the next day I buy another tube and right as we were about to go out, my brakes start giving me trouble, so then I stop and fix that. Then right as we went down the hill from our apartment, Elder Baker crashed pretty bad on his bike in the middle of the T intersection. I couldn't help but laugh my head off. He got a new tread for his tire and there were no studs on the side of the tread so his back tire slipped out from under him and he fell. So then we spend about an hour just fixing him up from a pretty bad road rash. You could see his vein popping out from the road rash. It was pretty gnarly. But all is well now. With the trial comes the blessing afterwards!!!
So I got to go on companion exchanges last Tuesday with my district leader, Elder Berns. I went to his area, Redwing. It is pretty much on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin but I didn't get to go into Wisconsin unfortunately. :[ oh well. So he was a pretty good contacter on the streets. We had a lot of quality gospel discussions. We gave out a Book of Mormon. But unfortunately no one was willing to let us come back. We also visited a less active member. I don't remember his name but he was a upper aged man who has kids but was divorced. He lives alone and he said he would come to church if he had better shoes. His church shoes do not fit him anymore. Elder Berns and I tried to show him that all you need at church is your BEST attire. If the best you have is street clothes then thats absolutely fine! But he didn't want to come. Kind of makes me sad but i pray that he'll come around soon. I get to go on another exchange with our zone leaders, Elder Bowen and Browning, tomorrow! I think we will be in Cottage Grove or Hudson but I'm excited!
As far as missionary work in Eagan/Rosemount goes, the last few days were very disappointing for us. 3 investigators dropped us, Hannah, Kelly, and Timothy. Timothy was a referral and he still dropped us. We have had lots of potentials but they never follow up. :[ Elder Baker and I are planning on fasting this week for a new investigator. I'm not supposed to ask family and friends back home to fast so please don't do it by the way please! Thanks! So we will see what happens this week. We got in contact yesterday with a less active family, the Kirks. We actually found out that Brother Kirk was once excommunicated, then came back and was sealed in the temple with his wife, but now he found out that one of his sons might have an alternative lifestyle and he doesn't want the church to judge anybody so he refuses to come back. Because he won't come back, we have to drop him. It's really sad but we are allowed to visit every now and then. We will keep them in our prayers. But later today we are inviting Dylan to be baptized on July 30th, depending if his probation ends by then. He's still a little bit sketchy about Joseph Smith but we are teaching him about the restoration today! We know that he has received a testimony of the gospel so we know that he will for Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. He reads and prays everyday so he's looking good! We are also teaching the Nelson family. Ray Nelson, the father, lives with his fiancee but they are postponing their marriage till who knows when. This is because they don't want to pay for more taxes. How silly is that??? So if his wife wants to be baptized, then they need to get married. There was a story that i once heard where some missionaries were teaching a couple who wasn't married and they accepted the invitation to be baptized. So one of the elders makes a wrong turn as they are headed home. The other asks where he was going. He responds: "To pick up their marriage papers. We need to get them married right???" So then the couple was married 10 days later and was baptized. hahaha Its funny but it also shows that we should be bold in preaching the gospel. Maybe not to this degree but definitely BOLD. We got sister Briggs to come to church again. We meet with her tomorrow and we are hoping that she receives that personal witness from the Holy Ghost that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true and that it contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. That is her status so i will announce what happens next week. We are still trying to meet with Jennifer. Like I said before, her husband committed suicide last February. She is going through a lot of pain. We know how much the gospel will bless her life. We aren't giving up on her at all. She almost came to church. She committed but overslept. We meet with her this Thursday at 1 so we hope that the message of this amazing gospel will bring her happiness and peace in her time of need. That is the missionary work of Eagan and Rosemount in a nutshell.
Well I have to go so here is my spiritual thought of the week. In Mosiah 2:41, it reads: "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out cfaithful to the end they are received into dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
Many people wonder why Latter day saints are so happy. This scripture tells us why. its because we do the things the Lord asks. Many people think that freedom will bring them happiness. It may temporarily but not eternally. It is through following the Saviors teachings that we may be happy both temporally and eternally. I know that this church is true and i wouldn't rather be anywhere else than out in Minnesota serving the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. Thank you all for your encouragement and love for me. Keep up the missionary work wherever you are!!!
Love,
Elder Mower
Dear family:
Thank you for all of your love and support. Keep it up because I'll need every last bit of it.
So to answer your questions mom: The food is surprisingly VERY GOOD! No meat loaf w/ ketchup yet. haha We had quite average food! A lot like your food! Lots of chicken casseroles. A few times we got to eat RIBS! :D There are lots of members that take care of me! One has a son that is a rapper that is going to BYUI and serving a mission soon!!! I did get my pants today and they fit perfectly. surprisingly I do not need to get them hemmed! I didn't get the pull up bar yet but I'll get back to you on that one next week. Can't wait to see what you sent me because you ALWAYS send me some pretty awesome stuff! Thanks mom! :] Tell Brother Noble that he's gonna have to show me his 360 magic on the wake board when i come home! :b Tell Jay to keep trying because he has a 2 year head start and after that, ITS ON! hahaha Many times with members I mentioned how much we love Lake Mead. Can't wait to go back but the humidity makes me feel like I'm there even if its only 90 degrees out! lol We have a car but we also bike. We can only use 1100 miles in a month. The elder before me that had the bike took POOR care of it so now i am afraid that i will learn everything about a bike. hahaha but its alright!!! its good for me! The new mission president is sooooo cool!!! He is from Utah, loves to play golf and interesting fact about him: his great great great...(idk how many greats) grandfather is Wilford Woodruff!!! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! I think its pretty awesome. But more importantly, he is a great man and i cant wait to serve with him.
All is well and its about my time to get off the computer so I'll talk to you later. Each of you will get a personal letter soon! love you all SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! :]
Love your son, brother, and missionary,
Sorry about another P Day on Tuesday. We had specialized training yesterday and we met our new mission president, President Clements. He is way cool! he is from Utah, loves golf, and his ancestor is Wilford Woodruff, 4th president of the Church!!!!! HOW COOL IS THAT!!! I think its pretty neat, but the most important part is that he is a man of God, called to lead this mission and I'm grateful to serve with him as my leader.
It is sooo nice to talk to all of you again!!! So unfortunately, this week has been a pretty difficult week. First off, I'd like to talk about all the fun that Elder Baker and I have had, fixing our bikes! haha I discovered that my chain has not been lubricated or cleaned in a long time. The elder that had this bike before me took POOR care of it. So i cleaned it and my gears the best i could and with about 20 dirty rags, it is still not even close to being clean. Also when I came back from companion exchanges this week, I was told that my back tire was flat. Not a big deal, so I buy a new tube and I put it in. The next day, my front tire goes flat, so I buy ANOTHER tube. But this time as I was filling it with air, I didn't quite put it in the tire tread all the way so then it POPS! so then the next day I buy another tube and right as we were about to go out, my brakes start giving me trouble, so then I stop and fix that. Then right as we went down the hill from our apartment, Elder Baker crashed pretty bad on his bike in the middle of the T intersection. I couldn't help but laugh my head off. He got a new tread for his tire and there were no studs on the side of the tread so his back tire slipped out from under him and he fell. So then we spend about an hour just fixing him up from a pretty bad road rash. You could see his vein popping out from the road rash. It was pretty gnarly. But all is well now. With the trial comes the blessing afterwards!!!
So I got to go on companion exchanges last Tuesday with my district leader, Elder Berns. I went to his area, Redwing. It is pretty much on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin but I didn't get to go into Wisconsin unfortunately. :[ oh well. So he was a pretty good contacter on the streets. We had a lot of quality gospel discussions. We gave out a Book of Mormon. But unfortunately no one was willing to let us come back. We also visited a less active member. I don't remember his name but he was a upper aged man who has kids but was divorced. He lives alone and he said he would come to church if he had better shoes. His church shoes do not fit him anymore. Elder Berns and I tried to show him that all you need at church is your BEST attire. If the best you have is street clothes then thats absolutely fine! But he didn't want to come. Kind of makes me sad but i pray that he'll come around soon. I get to go on another exchange with our zone leaders, Elder Bowen and Browning, tomorrow! I think we will be in Cottage Grove or Hudson but I'm excited!
As far as missionary work in Eagan/Rosemount goes, the last few days were very disappointing for us. 3 investigators dropped us, Hannah, Kelly, and Timothy. Timothy was a referral and he still dropped us. We have had lots of potentials but they never follow up. :[ Elder Baker and I are planning on fasting this week for a new investigator. I'm not supposed to ask family and friends back home to fast so please don't do it by the way please! Thanks! So we will see what happens this week. We got in contact yesterday with a less active family, the Kirks. We actually found out that Brother Kirk was once excommunicated, then came back and was sealed in the temple with his wife, but now he found out that one of his sons might have an alternative lifestyle and he doesn't want the church to judge anybody so he refuses to come back. Because he won't come back, we have to drop him. It's really sad but we are allowed to visit every now and then. We will keep them in our prayers. But later today we are inviting Dylan to be baptized on July 30th, depending if his probation ends by then. He's still a little bit sketchy about Joseph Smith but we are teaching him about the restoration today! We know that he has received a testimony of the gospel so we know that he will for Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. He reads and prays everyday so he's looking good! We are also teaching the Nelson family. Ray Nelson, the father, lives with his fiancee but they are postponing their marriage till who knows when. This is because they don't want to pay for more taxes. How silly is that??? So if his wife wants to be baptized, then they need to get married. There was a story that i once heard where some missionaries were teaching a couple who wasn't married and they accepted the invitation to be baptized. So one of the elders makes a wrong turn as they are headed home. The other asks where he was going. He responds: "To pick up their marriage papers. We need to get them married right???" So then the couple was married 10 days later and was baptized. hahaha Its funny but it also shows that we should be bold in preaching the gospel. Maybe not to this degree but definitely BOLD. We got sister Briggs to come to church again. We meet with her tomorrow and we are hoping that she receives that personal witness from the Holy Ghost that Joseph Smith was a true prophet and that the Book of Mormon is true and that it contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. That is her status so i will announce what happens next week. We are still trying to meet with Jennifer. Like I said before, her husband committed suicide last February. She is going through a lot of pain. We know how much the gospel will bless her life. We aren't giving up on her at all. She almost came to church. She committed but overslept. We meet with her this Thursday at 1 so we hope that the message of this amazing gospel will bring her happiness and peace in her time of need. That is the missionary work of Eagan and Rosemount in a nutshell.
Well I have to go so here is my spiritual thought of the week. In Mosiah 2:41, it reads: "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out cfaithful to the end they are received into dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it."
Many people wonder why Latter day saints are so happy. This scripture tells us why. its because we do the things the Lord asks. Many people think that freedom will bring them happiness. It may temporarily but not eternally. It is through following the Saviors teachings that we may be happy both temporally and eternally. I know that this church is true and i wouldn't rather be anywhere else than out in Minnesota serving the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. Thank you all for your encouragement and love for me. Keep up the missionary work wherever you are!!!
Love,
Elder Mower
Dear family:
Thank you for all of your love and support. Keep it up because I'll need every last bit of it.
So to answer your questions mom: The food is surprisingly VERY GOOD! No meat loaf w/ ketchup yet. haha We had quite average food! A lot like your food! Lots of chicken casseroles. A few times we got to eat RIBS! :D There are lots of members that take care of me! One has a son that is a rapper that is going to BYUI and serving a mission soon!!! I did get my pants today and they fit perfectly. surprisingly I do not need to get them hemmed! I didn't get the pull up bar yet but I'll get back to you on that one next week. Can't wait to see what you sent me because you ALWAYS send me some pretty awesome stuff! Thanks mom! :] Tell Brother Noble that he's gonna have to show me his 360 magic on the wake board when i come home! :b Tell Jay to keep trying because he has a 2 year head start and after that, ITS ON! hahaha Many times with members I mentioned how much we love Lake Mead. Can't wait to go back but the humidity makes me feel like I'm there even if its only 90 degrees out! lol We have a car but we also bike. We can only use 1100 miles in a month. The elder before me that had the bike took POOR care of it so now i am afraid that i will learn everything about a bike. hahaha but its alright!!! its good for me! The new mission president is sooooo cool!!! He is from Utah, loves to play golf and interesting fact about him: his great great great...(idk how many greats) grandfather is Wilford Woodruff!!! HOW CRAZY IS THAT?! I think its pretty awesome. But more importantly, he is a great man and i cant wait to serve with him.
All is well and its about my time to get off the computer so I'll talk to you later. Each of you will get a personal letter soon! love you all SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! :]
Love your son, brother, and missionary,
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Pictures from the MTC!
Elder Mower sent home his memory card today! We finally have some pictures!!! I don't know who or what they are, but we have some! Looks like he is happy and doing well!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Elder Mower Letter #5
hello from a beautiful day in Eagan Minnesota!!!
Sorry i couldn't email yesterday...the library was closed for the 4th of July so that means no computer. ha ha. Everything has been going pretty awesome here!!! I absolutely loved to celebrate the 4th of July!!! Me and Elder Baker were able to go to the parade in Eagan with 2 other Elders who are serving in Farmington. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Fathers love and support for the Founding Fathers, who were truly God-inspired men determined to find this choice land prepared by our Father in Heaven. I'm so thankful that we have the freedom of religion in this country because it allowed for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to come to pass. It allowed Joseph Smith to bring forth our Heavenly Fathers work and glory upon the face of the earth before the Saviors Second Coming. Such a blessing that we all have in our lives, to live in this wonderful nation given to us by our Father in Heaven.
Anyways, I'm starting to be able to approach people a little bit better. I'm not perfect by ANY means though. ha ha. In fact just yesterday, there was a lady about 20 years old. we knocked on her door and she opened...lets just say her outfit wasn't the most modest of all clothes. lol so i was so embarrassed because i wouldn't look at her because of her outfit. I was sweating up a storm (the humidity didn't help of course). I kind of had no idea what to do so Elder Baker took over and thankfully, she is now a potential investigator. So I'm glad the Lord blessed me with a companion to bail me out whenever i mess up due to inexperience. ha ha I'll get used to it and I'll get better at it, but talking to people is so much harder than i thought because when people reject the gospel in a rude manner, it's sad. These people are saying no to something that I KNOW will bless their lives. but I'm praying for them. I'm also praying for myself that i will know what to say to people when i am finding them.
Unfortunately, the work is still moving pretty slow and I found out that it is because the last elders somehow abused the trust of the members and now its my responsibility, as well as Elder Baker, to get that trust from the members back. It is so key to have the trust of members because a good chunk of the people baptized are from referrals from members. So we are struggling with that. But the Lord has blessed us with at least one potential investigator everyday since last Thursday. But there are ALLLOOOTTTTTTT of Lutheran and Roman Catholic people up here. I think I officially despise the statement: "Sorry. I'm Catholic/Lutheran. I'm happy with that faith." Its soooo frustrating because we're not trying to take away that faith that they already have in Jesus Christ, we just want to strengthen it and add some more truths to the ones that they already have!!! but it's their agency and we are always here to help them if they ever need any help. We met some Jehovah's Witnesses and surprisingly, they were VERY nice to us. Elder Baker said that they usually get pretty nasty with missionaries. So we haven't met with Dylan yet because he is still with his dad. I believe we are meeting with him on Thursday so ill let you all know what happens. We haven't met with the Nelson family, Timothy, or Jennifer yet either. Not a lot of people actually follow up with us unless they are actually trying to come closer to Jesus Christ. However, we did have a few lessons! First was for Sister Orvela Hampton. She is an upper aged African women who is a less-active member in the Church. She lives in a nursing home due to Crones disease. She had just a couple of problems. First off, her granddaughter is sadly starting become a lesbian. :[ We taught her about the Atonement and about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End). Just as I was bearing my testimony of repentance, she also mentioned that she had some Word of Wisdom issues. We are working with her to come to Church again, to read the Book of Mormon, and to apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ in her life. She said she appreciated my testimony and it brings me SOOOOOOOOOOOO much joy that i am now touching people's lives in behalf of the Lord. I can't even begin to explain the pure happiness that it gives me. Next, we taught a less-active family, the Schweigert family. They have 2 little kids and a dog. I don't know their names yet (there are soooooo many names to remember in the mission!) so bear with me. The father REALLY wants to receive the priesthood to bless his family. So we are working with him to reactivate them to full activity in the church so that they can enjoy these blessings as well as their desire to go to the temple to be sealed for all time and eternity. Finally, we are teaching a less active member named Kathy. She is a unique less active member. She doesn't believe in Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon but she believes in the Doctrine and Covenants. We committed her to pray about these things last time and she said that she'd do it. So we will see what happens when we meet with her tomorrow and help her receive that personal witness from the Spirit that these things are true. So that's all that has been happening in the area of Eagan other than LOTS of tracting! haha
So last Friday, there was ALMOST A TORNADO!!! IT was a HOT HUMID DAY (about 105 degrees with 90% humidity) but then it got cloudy around 7 and then the skies turned green!!! It was sooooo crazy!!! we were pretty excited. lol. It turned out to be a VERY severe thunderstorm. Lightning was constantly lighting the sky. haha unfortunately there happened to be a tornado in a different area. it did some damage but nothing too major. There was a part-member family whose driveway was covered with trees. The very next day, their branch came to help them clear the trees and after that, the father of the family was so impressed with their self-less service that he said that he wanted to be baptized after 10 years of investigating the Church. That is an amazing miracle. There are miracles in this mission everyday and they are all amazing!
So I'm sorry that i forgot to provide a spiritual thought last week so to make up for that, i found a very touching quote from President Boyd K. Packer for those who feel that all is lost in their life or that there is no hope: "Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and you cannot fix is the very purpose of the Atonement of Christ...there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the Atonement of Christ." Brothers and Sisters I know that this is truly the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only because i see it working in my life but also in the lives of those that i come in contact with. I know that it has the ultimate enabling power to heal us of any inner wound or struggle that we have in our lives. That is why we should never give up, no matter what! there is always hope in ALL of the lives of God's children. Find someone who is struggling and share this good news of hope with them. I love you all and ill talk to you in another week! YOUUUUUU BETCHYAAA! ;]
Love,
Elder Mower
Dear Family:
Thank you soooooo much for the sweet letters and notes that you wrote to me. I want each of you to know individually how much i love you! You are the ones that matter most to me. As i take on the most challenging, yet best, 2 years of serving the Lord in my life, you are my biggest fans and encouragers. It is through your love that helps me press on in the hard times. Every time the adversary attacks with anything, I hear your sweet voices shout for joy exhorting me to carry on! and I find that the hard times are not defining my mission, they are refining it. They are making me stronger. I know that its not easy but I do know that it will be absolutely worth everything. Next P-Day I WILL set some time aside to write each of you a personal letter to each of you. Mom, thank you soooooo much for sending me all of that stuff. I know I ask for a lot sometimes but you so willingfully do it for me. I'm so grateful for that. Dad, Thank you for sharing your mission experiences! They helped remind me that the hard times are only for a short time. I love you all MORE THAN ANYTHING! <3333333333333 Ill talk to you soon! :]]]
Love Your son, brother, and missionary
Elder Mower
Sorry i couldn't email yesterday...the library was closed for the 4th of July so that means no computer. ha ha. Everything has been going pretty awesome here!!! I absolutely loved to celebrate the 4th of July!!! Me and Elder Baker were able to go to the parade in Eagan with 2 other Elders who are serving in Farmington. I am so grateful for our Heavenly Fathers love and support for the Founding Fathers, who were truly God-inspired men determined to find this choice land prepared by our Father in Heaven. I'm so thankful that we have the freedom of religion in this country because it allowed for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to come to pass. It allowed Joseph Smith to bring forth our Heavenly Fathers work and glory upon the face of the earth before the Saviors Second Coming. Such a blessing that we all have in our lives, to live in this wonderful nation given to us by our Father in Heaven.
Anyways, I'm starting to be able to approach people a little bit better. I'm not perfect by ANY means though. ha ha. In fact just yesterday, there was a lady about 20 years old. we knocked on her door and she opened...lets just say her outfit wasn't the most modest of all clothes. lol so i was so embarrassed because i wouldn't look at her because of her outfit. I was sweating up a storm (the humidity didn't help of course). I kind of had no idea what to do so Elder Baker took over and thankfully, she is now a potential investigator. So I'm glad the Lord blessed me with a companion to bail me out whenever i mess up due to inexperience. ha ha I'll get used to it and I'll get better at it, but talking to people is so much harder than i thought because when people reject the gospel in a rude manner, it's sad. These people are saying no to something that I KNOW will bless their lives. but I'm praying for them. I'm also praying for myself that i will know what to say to people when i am finding them.
Unfortunately, the work is still moving pretty slow and I found out that it is because the last elders somehow abused the trust of the members and now its my responsibility, as well as Elder Baker, to get that trust from the members back. It is so key to have the trust of members because a good chunk of the people baptized are from referrals from members. So we are struggling with that. But the Lord has blessed us with at least one potential investigator everyday since last Thursday. But there are ALLLOOOTTTTTTT of Lutheran and Roman Catholic people up here. I think I officially despise the statement: "Sorry. I'm Catholic/Lutheran. I'm happy with that faith." Its soooo frustrating because we're not trying to take away that faith that they already have in Jesus Christ, we just want to strengthen it and add some more truths to the ones that they already have!!! but it's their agency and we are always here to help them if they ever need any help. We met some Jehovah's Witnesses and surprisingly, they were VERY nice to us. Elder Baker said that they usually get pretty nasty with missionaries. So we haven't met with Dylan yet because he is still with his dad. I believe we are meeting with him on Thursday so ill let you all know what happens. We haven't met with the Nelson family, Timothy, or Jennifer yet either. Not a lot of people actually follow up with us unless they are actually trying to come closer to Jesus Christ. However, we did have a few lessons! First was for Sister Orvela Hampton. She is an upper aged African women who is a less-active member in the Church. She lives in a nursing home due to Crones disease. She had just a couple of problems. First off, her granddaughter is sadly starting become a lesbian. :[ We taught her about the Atonement and about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End). Just as I was bearing my testimony of repentance, she also mentioned that she had some Word of Wisdom issues. We are working with her to come to Church again, to read the Book of Mormon, and to apply the Gospel of Jesus Christ in her life. She said she appreciated my testimony and it brings me SOOOOOOOOOOOO much joy that i am now touching people's lives in behalf of the Lord. I can't even begin to explain the pure happiness that it gives me. Next, we taught a less-active family, the Schweigert family. They have 2 little kids and a dog. I don't know their names yet (there are soooooo many names to remember in the mission!) so bear with me. The father REALLY wants to receive the priesthood to bless his family. So we are working with him to reactivate them to full activity in the church so that they can enjoy these blessings as well as their desire to go to the temple to be sealed for all time and eternity. Finally, we are teaching a less active member named Kathy. She is a unique less active member. She doesn't believe in Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon but she believes in the Doctrine and Covenants. We committed her to pray about these things last time and she said that she'd do it. So we will see what happens when we meet with her tomorrow and help her receive that personal witness from the Spirit that these things are true. So that's all that has been happening in the area of Eagan other than LOTS of tracting! haha
So last Friday, there was ALMOST A TORNADO!!! IT was a HOT HUMID DAY (about 105 degrees with 90% humidity) but then it got cloudy around 7 and then the skies turned green!!! It was sooooo crazy!!! we were pretty excited. lol. It turned out to be a VERY severe thunderstorm. Lightning was constantly lighting the sky. haha unfortunately there happened to be a tornado in a different area. it did some damage but nothing too major. There was a part-member family whose driveway was covered with trees. The very next day, their branch came to help them clear the trees and after that, the father of the family was so impressed with their self-less service that he said that he wanted to be baptized after 10 years of investigating the Church. That is an amazing miracle. There are miracles in this mission everyday and they are all amazing!
So I'm sorry that i forgot to provide a spiritual thought last week so to make up for that, i found a very touching quote from President Boyd K. Packer for those who feel that all is lost in their life or that there is no hope: "Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and you cannot fix is the very purpose of the Atonement of Christ...there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the Atonement of Christ." Brothers and Sisters I know that this is truly the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only because i see it working in my life but also in the lives of those that i come in contact with. I know that it has the ultimate enabling power to heal us of any inner wound or struggle that we have in our lives. That is why we should never give up, no matter what! there is always hope in ALL of the lives of God's children. Find someone who is struggling and share this good news of hope with them. I love you all and ill talk to you in another week! YOUUUUUU BETCHYAAA! ;]
Love,
Elder Mower
Dear Family:
Thank you soooooo much for the sweet letters and notes that you wrote to me. I want each of you to know individually how much i love you! You are the ones that matter most to me. As i take on the most challenging, yet best, 2 years of serving the Lord in my life, you are my biggest fans and encouragers. It is through your love that helps me press on in the hard times. Every time the adversary attacks with anything, I hear your sweet voices shout for joy exhorting me to carry on! and I find that the hard times are not defining my mission, they are refining it. They are making me stronger. I know that its not easy but I do know that it will be absolutely worth everything. Next P-Day I WILL set some time aside to write each of you a personal letter to each of you. Mom, thank you soooooo much for sending me all of that stuff. I know I ask for a lot sometimes but you so willingfully do it for me. I'm so grateful for that. Dad, Thank you for sharing your mission experiences! They helped remind me that the hard times are only for a short time. I love you all MORE THAN ANYTHING! <3333333333333 Ill talk to you soon! :]]]
Love Your son, brother, and missionary
Elder Mower
Thursday, June 30, 2011
First Pictures and Letter from the Mission President!
What a great surprise it was to get the mail today and see a letter from the Mission President in Minnesota, along with pictures! So exciting to see pictures of Elder Mower looking so happy! They also sent a map of his first area....Eagan, Minnesota.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Elder Mower Letter #4
Hello from Minnesota!!!!
All is well! i cant believe that i am finally in the mission field! its pretty exciting that i have the opportunity to serve the Lord for real now! I cant wait to be a part of REAL miracles instead of the practice miracles in the MTC! My first reaction when i saw Minnesota was "wow...that is a LOT of lakes." LOL. Also when i was riding my bike along the road, it was raining pretty hard and because Minnesota is sooooooooooo green, sometimes i felt like i was in a rainforest haha Oh and my first area is Eagan, Not too far from the Twin cities! Its a great area to be tracting and serving the Lord. Overall, Minnesota is such a BEAUTIFUL place and has very nice people. of course not all the people are nice and i learned that from proselyting in the first week haha
So it was pretty crazy coming into the mission home. My mission president, President Howell, is such an amazing man and his wife is awesome too! they took us in the mission home, fed us dinner and treated us like we were their children. It was neat. Its also impressive of how in-tune they are with the Spirit. They would do anything for each missionary individually. For example, President Howell woke up at 1 in the morning to drive across the mission and to give a missionary a blessing who felt homesick and unsuccessful. There's soo much love there and he sets a great example of how we show love our fellow men. President Howell had his farewell fireside yesterday because there is a new mission president coming on Wednesday, President Clements. President Howell and his wife will be missed by so many missionaries and recent converts whom the Howells have touched their lives. President Howell is a man of God and im thankful for the example he sets for well over 200 missionaries.
So some cool facts about the mission: we have one of the highest retention rates in the stateside missions. That means that not as many people fall away from the church as soon as they are baptized. Thats sooo awesome and just says how great the missionaries are here in helping people receive an unshakable testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel. The mission REALLLLYYYYY emphasizes the importance of having a profile at mormon.org because it is how we plant seeds. Within the mission, we have more mormon.org profiles than anywhere on earth. That is a powerful tool in converting people to the gospel. So each of you SHOULD get a mormon.org profile because it also gives you an opportunity to reflect on how you obtained a testimony of the gospel and to share it to all the internet users throughout the world. Pretty amazing right???
My new companion is Elder Baker and if any of you knew the Bills in my ward, he looks a lot like Matt Bills. He is from Tuscon, Arizona, he's a wrestler, and He's been in the mission field for about 9 months (i think he reported on the same day that Elder Gingrich entered the field). He's a pretty sweet companion! We only have a 2 Elder apartment so it is just me and him. Gets pretty quiet but thats ok. haha. He's a dedicated Elder and im already learing alot from him.
Alright so as far as the missionary work goes...i don't have a whole lot of info yet because we Elder Baker never scheduled any appointments this week so it was ALOT of tracting. So bear with me as i try to talk about the work!!! So our biggest progressing investigator is a 16 year old boy named Dylan. His mom, Tina, is a member and loves the missionaries. She is divorced and Dylan is with his dad right now but we are teaching him this Thursday. He has shown a TREMENDOUS desire to be baptized and he wants to change his life. He is on probation but his time for that is almost over. We are going to set a date for July this week. We cant wait! We received a referral from mormon.org right as I was coming in. So Elder Baker thinks that this man, Timothy, needs to hear the gospel from me. I don't know that but the Lord does so we'll see! We received 2 new investigators this week named Ravi and Monika. They are Hindu but after hearing about what they believe, I'd say they have a similar view as Christians. They have 2 little girls, 4 and 2 years old, and they are VERY open about the gospel. One thing that will make it easier to team them the gospel than with other Hindus is that they do not believe in reincarnation. I think that the Lord has prepared them well and that they are ready to recieve the gospel. Other than that we have been getting some potential investigators and doing ALOT of proselyting. So the work has been going kind of slow this week but we have a lot of lesson plans this week so ill give you more info next week on the work here in Eagan.
My scripture for the week is D&C 58:3-4. As we go about our trials and afflictions in life, let us see them in a way that our Heavenly Father sees them. We should view our trials as faith boosters and struggles only for a short time that will strengthen us and prepare us to partake of eternal life.
Before i go, I'd like to share a miracle that happened to me personally last Friday: So this whole week i have been sick with a pretty bad cold with a really bad congested throat, so bad that i could barely talk. If you know me well i sometimes use the "i cant do it because im sick" excuse. Well i decided that I know why i am out here and that i am on the Lord's time, not mine. So i still went out regardless of how sick i was. Not to mention me and Elder Baker were fasting that day. I was afraid that i wouldn't be able to talk to people. But i knew that i was on the Lords errand and because i was, I knew that he would provide a way for me to find and talk to these people that were out looking for something that they don't know they are looking for. So that whole day i was able to talk to people and we got a few potential investigators and we gave out a Book of Mormon to a man. It was an amazing day and when i came home that night i was drained but filled with the Spirit. That's what keeps me going, the Spirit. I think i am starting to understand what i must to to "lose myself in the work." I know that the Lord will bless us with even more miracles and I know that some days may not be easy but it will be worth it because the Lord is with us. I know that I am His eyes, His mouth, His feet, His ears, and His hands as i serve Him. Thank you for all your support and may the Lord continue to shower His blessings and love upon you!
Love,
Elder Mower
Hey fam!
As you can tell i am doing well!!! i do have to be honest, im trying to get over being homesick but im fighting through it and im finding a lot of joy in serving the Lord at the same time. dad i definitely see how a mission is so difficult sometimes. i know that i will be ok though because the Lord is on my side. All i have to do is pray my heart out and He will help me. I have found soooo much joy in serving the Lord and nothing can take that away from me.
Im sorry i couldnt talk alot at the airport. It was a CRAZY DAY. but i definitely look forward to calling you in christmas!!!
There are a few things that i do need: 2 Bed Liners (The stretchy sheets that go under the bed sheets), Pull up bar ofcourse, my bigger suit pants for my new suit (my smaller ones dont fit and the zipper is crooked), a tie for president howell because he is leaving (just a going away present for him), more missionary journals (not now but soon), and my RUGBY BALL for PDAY along with my ball pump PLEASE!!! hahahaha
Thank you for all of your support and love. I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I wouldnt be here if it wasnt. Jesus is the Christ and He has the enabling power to ransom us and heal us from anything that we have done in our lives if we have faith in Him. Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and has brought forth the Book of Mormon to bless our lives and to show us the way back to our Heavenly Father. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we can all return to our Heavenly Father as an eternal family. im so grateful for your sweet examples that you set for me and i miss that. But i know that i am where i need to be. I love each of you sooooo much and ill talk to you soon!!! :]
Much love from your son brother and missionary,
Elder Mower
All is well! i cant believe that i am finally in the mission field! its pretty exciting that i have the opportunity to serve the Lord for real now! I cant wait to be a part of REAL miracles instead of the practice miracles in the MTC! My first reaction when i saw Minnesota was "wow...that is a LOT of lakes." LOL. Also when i was riding my bike along the road, it was raining pretty hard and because Minnesota is sooooooooooo green, sometimes i felt like i was in a rainforest haha Oh and my first area is Eagan, Not too far from the Twin cities! Its a great area to be tracting and serving the Lord. Overall, Minnesota is such a BEAUTIFUL place and has very nice people. of course not all the people are nice and i learned that from proselyting in the first week haha
So it was pretty crazy coming into the mission home. My mission president, President Howell, is such an amazing man and his wife is awesome too! they took us in the mission home, fed us dinner and treated us like we were their children. It was neat. Its also impressive of how in-tune they are with the Spirit. They would do anything for each missionary individually. For example, President Howell woke up at 1 in the morning to drive across the mission and to give a missionary a blessing who felt homesick and unsuccessful. There's soo much love there and he sets a great example of how we show love our fellow men. President Howell had his farewell fireside yesterday because there is a new mission president coming on Wednesday, President Clements. President Howell and his wife will be missed by so many missionaries and recent converts whom the Howells have touched their lives. President Howell is a man of God and im thankful for the example he sets for well over 200 missionaries.
So some cool facts about the mission: we have one of the highest retention rates in the stateside missions. That means that not as many people fall away from the church as soon as they are baptized. Thats sooo awesome and just says how great the missionaries are here in helping people receive an unshakable testimony of Jesus Christ and his gospel. The mission REALLLLYYYYY emphasizes the importance of having a profile at mormon.org because it is how we plant seeds. Within the mission, we have more mormon.org profiles than anywhere on earth. That is a powerful tool in converting people to the gospel. So each of you SHOULD get a mormon.org profile because it also gives you an opportunity to reflect on how you obtained a testimony of the gospel and to share it to all the internet users throughout the world. Pretty amazing right???
My new companion is Elder Baker and if any of you knew the Bills in my ward, he looks a lot like Matt Bills. He is from Tuscon, Arizona, he's a wrestler, and He's been in the mission field for about 9 months (i think he reported on the same day that Elder Gingrich entered the field). He's a pretty sweet companion! We only have a 2 Elder apartment so it is just me and him. Gets pretty quiet but thats ok. haha. He's a dedicated Elder and im already learing alot from him.
Alright so as far as the missionary work goes...i don't have a whole lot of info yet because we Elder Baker never scheduled any appointments this week so it was ALOT of tracting. So bear with me as i try to talk about the work!!! So our biggest progressing investigator is a 16 year old boy named Dylan. His mom, Tina, is a member and loves the missionaries. She is divorced and Dylan is with his dad right now but we are teaching him this Thursday. He has shown a TREMENDOUS desire to be baptized and he wants to change his life. He is on probation but his time for that is almost over. We are going to set a date for July this week. We cant wait! We received a referral from mormon.org right as I was coming in. So Elder Baker thinks that this man, Timothy, needs to hear the gospel from me. I don't know that but the Lord does so we'll see! We received 2 new investigators this week named Ravi and Monika. They are Hindu but after hearing about what they believe, I'd say they have a similar view as Christians. They have 2 little girls, 4 and 2 years old, and they are VERY open about the gospel. One thing that will make it easier to team them the gospel than with other Hindus is that they do not believe in reincarnation. I think that the Lord has prepared them well and that they are ready to recieve the gospel. Other than that we have been getting some potential investigators and doing ALOT of proselyting. So the work has been going kind of slow this week but we have a lot of lesson plans this week so ill give you more info next week on the work here in Eagan.
My scripture for the week is D&C 58:3-4. As we go about our trials and afflictions in life, let us see them in a way that our Heavenly Father sees them. We should view our trials as faith boosters and struggles only for a short time that will strengthen us and prepare us to partake of eternal life.
Before i go, I'd like to share a miracle that happened to me personally last Friday: So this whole week i have been sick with a pretty bad cold with a really bad congested throat, so bad that i could barely talk. If you know me well i sometimes use the "i cant do it because im sick" excuse. Well i decided that I know why i am out here and that i am on the Lord's time, not mine. So i still went out regardless of how sick i was. Not to mention me and Elder Baker were fasting that day. I was afraid that i wouldn't be able to talk to people. But i knew that i was on the Lords errand and because i was, I knew that he would provide a way for me to find and talk to these people that were out looking for something that they don't know they are looking for. So that whole day i was able to talk to people and we got a few potential investigators and we gave out a Book of Mormon to a man. It was an amazing day and when i came home that night i was drained but filled with the Spirit. That's what keeps me going, the Spirit. I think i am starting to understand what i must to to "lose myself in the work." I know that the Lord will bless us with even more miracles and I know that some days may not be easy but it will be worth it because the Lord is with us. I know that I am His eyes, His mouth, His feet, His ears, and His hands as i serve Him. Thank you for all your support and may the Lord continue to shower His blessings and love upon you!
Love,
Elder Mower
Hey fam!
As you can tell i am doing well!!! i do have to be honest, im trying to get over being homesick but im fighting through it and im finding a lot of joy in serving the Lord at the same time. dad i definitely see how a mission is so difficult sometimes. i know that i will be ok though because the Lord is on my side. All i have to do is pray my heart out and He will help me. I have found soooo much joy in serving the Lord and nothing can take that away from me.
Im sorry i couldnt talk alot at the airport. It was a CRAZY DAY. but i definitely look forward to calling you in christmas!!!
There are a few things that i do need: 2 Bed Liners (The stretchy sheets that go under the bed sheets), Pull up bar ofcourse, my bigger suit pants for my new suit (my smaller ones dont fit and the zipper is crooked), a tie for president howell because he is leaving (just a going away present for him), more missionary journals (not now but soon), and my RUGBY BALL for PDAY along with my ball pump PLEASE!!! hahahaha
Thank you for all of your support and love. I know that this is the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I wouldnt be here if it wasnt. Jesus is the Christ and He has the enabling power to ransom us and heal us from anything that we have done in our lives if we have faith in Him. Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God and has brought forth the Book of Mormon to bless our lives and to show us the way back to our Heavenly Father. I know that through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, recieving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we can all return to our Heavenly Father as an eternal family. im so grateful for your sweet examples that you set for me and i miss that. But i know that i am where i need to be. I love each of you sooooo much and ill talk to you soon!!! :]
Much love from your son brother and missionary,
Elder Mower
Monday, June 20, 2011
Elder Mower Letter #3
hello everybody!!!
I'm sorry i couldn't get around to email on Saturday like i said but the MTC computer system never let me go on email because its not my real P day. oh well. here i am so that's all that matters right??? haha. So I'm sooooooooo excited to leave for Minnesota tomorrow!!! i cant wait to actually get out there with real people! Also because the food is officially KILLING me hahaha. I'm stoked for the real deal with real investigators!
So here is one last update on my mTC investigators: Gene unfortunately has not shown faith in Jesus Christ and he believes that it takes time to get an answer about the BOM. Me and my companion are trying to teach him that that's not always the case but nothing changed. :/ We committed MANY investigators to baptism! Mike first had a problem with praying in front of people and wouldn't pray with us. He finally did and now he has shown faith in Jesus Christ with a repentant heart and now hes willing to be baptized. Randy was by far our biggest success!!! he read up to 2 Nephi between a period of 2 days!!!!! he is legally blind so he bought it on iTunes and listens to it while he does yoga in the morning! He had a willing heart to come unto Jesus Christ and he committed to be baptized without hesitation! sooooo amazing! We taught Steve as a district in our last lesson with him. We thought it would be a mess but instead, we all taught with unity!. Steve had faith in the Atonement but he felt like he couldn't forgive himself. We gave the most powerful lesson on Gods love for His children in relation to the Atonement. I couldn't hold back tears! Steve has shown such a great desire to change his life more than any investigator. We had one chance to teach a firefighter paramedic named Bob and he was very receptive. He even had the faith to get on his knees (he has BAD knees)
and to pray to his Heavenly Father. soooo cool! I also taught a retired helicopter pilot named Jim. He was super interested in the gospel. We only met with him once but he showed so much faith and i know that the next missionaries that teach him will teach him what he needs to hear.
So i was released from my calling as zone leader yesterday in sacrament. its bittersweet because it was stressful on top of missionary work nut i absolutely LOVED it. Preaching the gospel has brought me soooo much happiness but now its going to be more joyful when i preach to the people of Minnesota. All i can say is that the MTC prepared me well to serve out in the mission field.
My scripture for the week is 3 Nephi 27:27.
I know that this gospel is true. i know that God lives and that He loves all of His children perfectly and unconditionally. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He suffered the Atonement that we may be forgiven everyday of our lives of all that we've done that we regret. I know that it has a sanctifying power and enables us to someday become like our Father in Heaven.
I love you all and I cant wait to share my next 2years of missionary work in Minnesota!
Love,
Elder Mower
hey family!!!
First off i want to wish Jacob a happy birthday!!!! I'm sorry i could email on Saturday. the system wouldn't let me email that day so i had to do it today. but i hope this is a good late birthday present for you Jacob. you are a great example to me. I MEAN that. Keep on being help-ful Jay!!! i know you will be an amazing example to the younger ones! Dad, i just wanted to wish you a happy fathers day (late one day of course) but I'm so happy that i can talk to you today since i couldn't on Saturday. I just wanted to let you know how awesome you are as a dad. I was watching music and the spoken word with the Mo Tab yesterday and the theme was how wonderful fathers really are!!! i put me to tears how amazing you really are dad! i absolutely mean that! i love you!
So here is my flight info: I leave from SLC to Denver at 730 am. Ill arrive at 853 am. my next flight to Minneapolis does not go until 1133 am so ill call you in between the two flights so keep your phones on you!!! (remember this not in California time).
Ive gotten LOTS of mail and packages so no need to worry about that!
Well I'm out of time so i just wanted to say HOW AWESOME you are! i cant wait to go to Minnesota and bless lives and bring good news, hope, and miracles to peoples lives! I love you all sooo much and ill talk to you soon!!! :]
MUCH LOVE,
Elder Mower
I'm sorry i couldn't get around to email on Saturday like i said but the MTC computer system never let me go on email because its not my real P day. oh well. here i am so that's all that matters right??? haha. So I'm sooooooooo excited to leave for Minnesota tomorrow!!! i cant wait to actually get out there with real people! Also because the food is officially KILLING me hahaha. I'm stoked for the real deal with real investigators!
So here is one last update on my mTC investigators: Gene unfortunately has not shown faith in Jesus Christ and he believes that it takes time to get an answer about the BOM. Me and my companion are trying to teach him that that's not always the case but nothing changed. :/ We committed MANY investigators to baptism! Mike first had a problem with praying in front of people and wouldn't pray with us. He finally did and now he has shown faith in Jesus Christ with a repentant heart and now hes willing to be baptized. Randy was by far our biggest success!!! he read up to 2 Nephi between a period of 2 days!!!!! he is legally blind so he bought it on iTunes and listens to it while he does yoga in the morning! He had a willing heart to come unto Jesus Christ and he committed to be baptized without hesitation! sooooo amazing! We taught Steve as a district in our last lesson with him. We thought it would be a mess but instead, we all taught with unity!. Steve had faith in the Atonement but he felt like he couldn't forgive himself. We gave the most powerful lesson on Gods love for His children in relation to the Atonement. I couldn't hold back tears! Steve has shown such a great desire to change his life more than any investigator. We had one chance to teach a firefighter paramedic named Bob and he was very receptive. He even had the faith to get on his knees (he has BAD knees)
and to pray to his Heavenly Father. soooo cool! I also taught a retired helicopter pilot named Jim. He was super interested in the gospel. We only met with him once but he showed so much faith and i know that the next missionaries that teach him will teach him what he needs to hear.
So i was released from my calling as zone leader yesterday in sacrament. its bittersweet because it was stressful on top of missionary work nut i absolutely LOVED it. Preaching the gospel has brought me soooo much happiness but now its going to be more joyful when i preach to the people of Minnesota. All i can say is that the MTC prepared me well to serve out in the mission field.
My scripture for the week is 3 Nephi 27:27.
I know that this gospel is true. i know that God lives and that He loves all of His children perfectly and unconditionally. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that He suffered the Atonement that we may be forgiven everyday of our lives of all that we've done that we regret. I know that it has a sanctifying power and enables us to someday become like our Father in Heaven.
I love you all and I cant wait to share my next 2years of missionary work in Minnesota!
Love,
Elder Mower
hey family!!!
First off i want to wish Jacob a happy birthday!!!! I'm sorry i could email on Saturday. the system wouldn't let me email that day so i had to do it today. but i hope this is a good late birthday present for you Jacob. you are a great example to me. I MEAN that. Keep on being help-ful Jay!!! i know you will be an amazing example to the younger ones! Dad, i just wanted to wish you a happy fathers day (late one day of course) but I'm so happy that i can talk to you today since i couldn't on Saturday. I just wanted to let you know how awesome you are as a dad. I was watching music and the spoken word with the Mo Tab yesterday and the theme was how wonderful fathers really are!!! i put me to tears how amazing you really are dad! i absolutely mean that! i love you!
So here is my flight info: I leave from SLC to Denver at 730 am. Ill arrive at 853 am. my next flight to Minneapolis does not go until 1133 am so ill call you in between the two flights so keep your phones on you!!! (remember this not in California time).
Ive gotten LOTS of mail and packages so no need to worry about that!
Well I'm out of time so i just wanted to say HOW AWESOME you are! i cant wait to go to Minnesota and bless lives and bring good news, hope, and miracles to peoples lives! I love you all sooo much and ill talk to you soon!!! :]
MUCH LOVE,
Elder Mower
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Elder Mower's Letter... June 13, 2011
Hello once again!!!
Well this has been yet another interesting but amazing week at the MTC! by the way, I'm very sorry i couldn't get the email out in the morning. I didn't have enough time to finish before i went to the temple.
so where do i start...OH! so i was in the cafeteria with Elder Haupt, my companion. He yelled "ELDER MOWER!? WHERE ARE YOU?!" There were ALOT of people in the cafeteria that day. so then next thing i know, someone next to me says "YES???" and i read his name tag which said: "Elder Mower" then i was thinking wowwwwww!!! more than one Elder Mower out there haha EVEN BETTER!!! hahahahahaha suprisingly, he didnt have any family connections with me. he's from Utah, which is where a lot of my dads side of the family lives haha oh well. makes it even cooler to find another elder mower out there haha.
This week in the MTC has been VERY CHALLENGING and DEMANDING. I was able to teach lessons very well but i was struggling with discerning the needs of people i teach by asking them inspired questions. I was getting REALLY discouraged! So after a few days of disappointment, I prayed and prayed and prayed even harder. a few days later, i started to improve and i was doing pretty good. so then when my companion challenged me the other day, he told me that i did really good and i was able to discern what he needed to hear. But that was NOT ME, i KNOW that it was the Spirit! i have never seen the Lord help me SOOOO much in my life with my weaknesses. It was such a HUGE testimony builder!!!
So I'm still getting by with the MTC food. I wouldn't say its to friendly to the belly but its food so ill live right? haha Oh! and there is a HUGE nara virus out break in the MTC hahaha so that means being EXTRA CAREFUL on whos hand you shake haha i had the opportunity to speak with the MTC President, President Brown, after my sacrament meeting yesterday but I COULDN'T SHAKE HIS HAND!!!! :[ oh well haha also he is getting released within the next week or 2 and the FIRST PRESIDENCY will do that!!! i SURE HOPE that i will be able to shake their hands if they come while I'm here hahaha
Last Tuesday was AMAZING, for MTC devotional, i got to meet the general authority whose one of many talks i based my farewell talk off of. His name is Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi! it was such a neat experience!!! He counseled us to "find our own sacred grove." I encourage all of you to do so as well. I have and the Lord has answered COUNTLESS prayers!
I absolutely love my calling as zone leader although sometimes its stressful!!!!!!!! sometimes i wouldn't even have time to prepare a lesson!!! time is precious now!!! (at least a lot more now) haha
So me and the elders are trying to see who is studlier so keep the packages and letters coming! if you cant, don't worry about it and i still love you! but i cant guarantee that ill write everyone back because I'm SUPER BUSY but i promise that i will do my best!!!
I decided to get you a scripture for each week of my mission so my scripture for the week is Ether 12:27. I cant put it on here due to time but I want each of you to know that i have a testimony of the gospel and i know that God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that this is His kingdom here ion earth. I know that if we pray , humble our hearts and do our very best, then the Lord WILL take care of the rest! have a great week everybody and i love you all!!!
Much Love,
Elder Mower
Dear mom, dad, and family:
I got my contact lens and I'm sooooooo grateful for that! I'm am doing well as you can see. very tough week but i carried on and the Lord gave me strength that i thought that i could never have. He truly does hear our prayers and I'm beginning to obtain and ever more clear perspective of the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How are you guys!? Tell me everything! How are the grading plans and house plans??? Is the house pretty crazy??? Hows work dad?! are the kiddos being helpful? Hows Jacob doing in football??? Taylor in dance? oh and about football, Elder Kingsford and I were talking: he loves football and rugby but he prefers rugby. Sorry Jay! :D jk hahahaha but i just want you to know that all is well! classes and teaching are great. My teachers, Brother Farley and Prawitt are awesome! life is amazing in the MTC and i absolutely love it! sad that i leave on the 21st but i cant wait for the mission field!!!!!! so my last PDAY in the MTC is SATURDAY ill send out an email and the plan to call you at the airport! its not a direct flight its from Utah to Denver to Minnesota i flt out first at 7 05 am so ill probably call you at Denver! I've got a minute left only so i love you all sooo soooo sooooo much and i thank you for your love support, prayers and your burning testimonies wihich will keep me warm!
I love you all FOREVER!
Much love to you,
Elder Jordan Mower
Your son, brother, and missionary
Well this has been yet another interesting but amazing week at the MTC! by the way, I'm very sorry i couldn't get the email out in the morning. I didn't have enough time to finish before i went to the temple.
so where do i start...OH! so i was in the cafeteria with Elder Haupt, my companion. He yelled "ELDER MOWER!? WHERE ARE YOU?!" There were ALOT of people in the cafeteria that day. so then next thing i know, someone next to me says "YES???" and i read his name tag which said: "Elder Mower" then i was thinking wowwwwww!!! more than one Elder Mower out there haha EVEN BETTER!!! hahahahahaha suprisingly, he didnt have any family connections with me. he's from Utah, which is where a lot of my dads side of the family lives haha oh well. makes it even cooler to find another elder mower out there haha.
This week in the MTC has been VERY CHALLENGING and DEMANDING. I was able to teach lessons very well but i was struggling with discerning the needs of people i teach by asking them inspired questions. I was getting REALLY discouraged! So after a few days of disappointment, I prayed and prayed and prayed even harder. a few days later, i started to improve and i was doing pretty good. so then when my companion challenged me the other day, he told me that i did really good and i was able to discern what he needed to hear. But that was NOT ME, i KNOW that it was the Spirit! i have never seen the Lord help me SOOOO much in my life with my weaknesses. It was such a HUGE testimony builder!!!
So I'm still getting by with the MTC food. I wouldn't say its to friendly to the belly but its food so ill live right? haha Oh! and there is a HUGE nara virus out break in the MTC hahaha so that means being EXTRA CAREFUL on whos hand you shake haha i had the opportunity to speak with the MTC President, President Brown, after my sacrament meeting yesterday but I COULDN'T SHAKE HIS HAND!!!! :[ oh well haha also he is getting released within the next week or 2 and the FIRST PRESIDENCY will do that!!! i SURE HOPE that i will be able to shake their hands if they come while I'm here hahaha
Last Tuesday was AMAZING, for MTC devotional, i got to meet the general authority whose one of many talks i based my farewell talk off of. His name is Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi! it was such a neat experience!!! He counseled us to "find our own sacred grove." I encourage all of you to do so as well. I have and the Lord has answered COUNTLESS prayers!
I absolutely love my calling as zone leader although sometimes its stressful!!!!!!!! sometimes i wouldn't even have time to prepare a lesson!!! time is precious now!!! (at least a lot more now) haha
So me and the elders are trying to see who is studlier so keep the packages and letters coming! if you cant, don't worry about it and i still love you! but i cant guarantee that ill write everyone back because I'm SUPER BUSY but i promise that i will do my best!!!
I decided to get you a scripture for each week of my mission so my scripture for the week is Ether 12:27. I cant put it on here due to time but I want each of you to know that i have a testimony of the gospel and i know that God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that this is His kingdom here ion earth. I know that if we pray , humble our hearts and do our very best, then the Lord WILL take care of the rest! have a great week everybody and i love you all!!!
Much Love,
Elder Mower
Dear mom, dad, and family:
I got my contact lens and I'm sooooooo grateful for that! I'm am doing well as you can see. very tough week but i carried on and the Lord gave me strength that i thought that i could never have. He truly does hear our prayers and I'm beginning to obtain and ever more clear perspective of the divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How are you guys!? Tell me everything! How are the grading plans and house plans??? Is the house pretty crazy??? Hows work dad?! are the kiddos being helpful? Hows Jacob doing in football??? Taylor in dance? oh and about football, Elder Kingsford and I were talking: he loves football and rugby but he prefers rugby. Sorry Jay! :D jk hahahaha but i just want you to know that all is well! classes and teaching are great. My teachers, Brother Farley and Prawitt are awesome! life is amazing in the MTC and i absolutely love it! sad that i leave on the 21st but i cant wait for the mission field!!!!!! so my last PDAY in the MTC is SATURDAY ill send out an email and the plan to call you at the airport! its not a direct flight its from Utah to Denver to Minnesota i flt out first at 7 05 am so ill probably call you at Denver! I've got a minute left only so i love you all sooo soooo sooooo much and i thank you for your love support, prayers and your burning testimonies wihich will keep me warm!
I love you all FOREVER!
Much love to you,
Elder Jordan Mower
Your son, brother, and missionary
Monday, June 6, 2011
Our First Letter
hello everybody!!!
The MTC has been soooooooooooo amazing! The work is VERY fast paced but it keeps me going throughout my day. So far, I haven't fallen asleep as much in class as much as i thought i would! Quite frankly, I think that it is the Spirit that is keeping me awake. haha But I have come to know that there is nothing like the Spirit here in the MTC. The highlight of my first day was when the new missionaries sang "Army of Helaman". Instead of the words being "we WILL BE the Lords missionaries", it was "we ARE NOW the Lords missionaries." If i had to guess, there were probably about 400 elders and sisters singing this but honestly, it sounded like 2000. Such a powerful experience!!! It was difficult to hold back the tears of joy.
Well now I think that i should share a little bit of humor about the MTC food. For the first few days, as clueless as I am known to be, I thought it'd be a good idea to eat hard boiled eggs and i failed to realize that they give you THE WORST gas in the world. So the elders that i room with almost made me sleep outside. haha one elder even said that he cant even be mad about it stinking up the residence hall because he was impressed? hahahaha never thought that bad gas can impress missionaries. hahaha
My district is sooooooo AWESOME! we all feel like brothers even from day 1. There are 11 of us and we all love each other. My companion is Elder Haupt [How-Pt] and he is SO cool! i knew him at BYU Idaho and I played soccer with him alot. he is a little energetic but i see it in a way that he is soooooo happy and excited to be here in the MTC with me as his companion!!! We room with Elder Kingsford and Sheppard. Elder Kingsford played scrum half on the rugby team at University of Utah while a senior in High School. He played on the B-side team. So all of you can imagine that we are rugby buddies then haha All 10 other elders are strong stripling warriors who help me become a better instrument in the Lords hands.
Well on Sunday, Elder Haupt and I were called as zone leaders ALREADY!!! Shocking right?! We are fresh in the MTC and we already have to help the incoming missionaries this Wednesday! so its pretty overwhelming but at the same time, i cant wait to serve in this calling to help me become a better leader. Most importantly, I cant wait for the blessings that the Lord has in store for me as i serve the elders in my zone. Elder Haupt is excited as well!!!
Me and Elder Haupt are teaching 2 proxy investigators: Mike and Steve. Mike is not grasping the message like we wished he would. He declined our invitation to him to be baptized but he said that we can continue teaching him. Steve loves how families are centered around the Church and we already got him to say the closing prayer of our first meeting! things are well with steve! so with mike, we fasted yesterday for him and we are praying that his heart will be softened. Cant wait to see what happens next!
Overall the MTC is sooooo amazing! thank you brother and sisters for the love and support you have given me as i serve the Lord. I know that this is God's kingdom on earth today. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he died for us. thank you all for everything and God be with you till we meet again!
Much love,
Elder Jordan Robert Mower
Hey family!!!
Ive got LOTS of letters!!! most out of my district!!! haha keep em coming include that in my general letter! i saw Wes but is till need to give him his surprise haha i also saw many friends haha pday is on Monday and im doing good with sleep hahahaha my instructors are sooo amazing!!! i miss you and i love you!!! id go on and on but i only have a minute left with my timer so i have to go!!! May the Lord be with you always!!! i love you soooo much and ill write to you to give more details on the first week!!! miss you! Tell Heidi ill write her!!!
All the love in the world from your son and brother and missionary,
Elder Jordan Robert Mower
The MTC has been soooooooooooo amazing! The work is VERY fast paced but it keeps me going throughout my day. So far, I haven't fallen asleep as much in class as much as i thought i would! Quite frankly, I think that it is the Spirit that is keeping me awake. haha But I have come to know that there is nothing like the Spirit here in the MTC. The highlight of my first day was when the new missionaries sang "Army of Helaman". Instead of the words being "we WILL BE the Lords missionaries", it was "we ARE NOW the Lords missionaries." If i had to guess, there were probably about 400 elders and sisters singing this but honestly, it sounded like 2000. Such a powerful experience!!! It was difficult to hold back the tears of joy.
Well now I think that i should share a little bit of humor about the MTC food. For the first few days, as clueless as I am known to be, I thought it'd be a good idea to eat hard boiled eggs and i failed to realize that they give you THE WORST gas in the world. So the elders that i room with almost made me sleep outside. haha one elder even said that he cant even be mad about it stinking up the residence hall because he was impressed? hahahaha never thought that bad gas can impress missionaries. hahaha
My district is sooooooo AWESOME! we all feel like brothers even from day 1. There are 11 of us and we all love each other. My companion is Elder Haupt [How-Pt] and he is SO cool! i knew him at BYU Idaho and I played soccer with him alot. he is a little energetic but i see it in a way that he is soooooo happy and excited to be here in the MTC with me as his companion!!! We room with Elder Kingsford and Sheppard. Elder Kingsford played scrum half on the rugby team at University of Utah while a senior in High School. He played on the B-side team. So all of you can imagine that we are rugby buddies then haha All 10 other elders are strong stripling warriors who help me become a better instrument in the Lords hands.
Well on Sunday, Elder Haupt and I were called as zone leaders ALREADY!!! Shocking right?! We are fresh in the MTC and we already have to help the incoming missionaries this Wednesday! so its pretty overwhelming but at the same time, i cant wait to serve in this calling to help me become a better leader. Most importantly, I cant wait for the blessings that the Lord has in store for me as i serve the elders in my zone. Elder Haupt is excited as well!!!
Me and Elder Haupt are teaching 2 proxy investigators: Mike and Steve. Mike is not grasping the message like we wished he would. He declined our invitation to him to be baptized but he said that we can continue teaching him. Steve loves how families are centered around the Church and we already got him to say the closing prayer of our first meeting! things are well with steve! so with mike, we fasted yesterday for him and we are praying that his heart will be softened. Cant wait to see what happens next!
Overall the MTC is sooooo amazing! thank you brother and sisters for the love and support you have given me as i serve the Lord. I know that this is God's kingdom on earth today. I know that Jesus is the Christ and that he died for us. thank you all for everything and God be with you till we meet again!
Much love,
Elder Jordan Robert Mower
Hey family!!!
Ive got LOTS of letters!!! most out of my district!!! haha keep em coming include that in my general letter! i saw Wes but is till need to give him his surprise haha i also saw many friends haha pday is on Monday and im doing good with sleep hahahaha my instructors are sooo amazing!!! i miss you and i love you!!! id go on and on but i only have a minute left with my timer so i have to go!!! May the Lord be with you always!!! i love you soooo much and ill write to you to give more details on the first week!!! miss you! Tell Heidi ill write her!!!
All the love in the world from your son and brother and missionary,
Elder Jordan Robert Mower
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Elder Mower Reports to the MTC
Today was the big day. Elder Mower reported to the MTC. I let him sleep in on his last day (til 8:30!), we got ready, and were off to eat at Tucano's Brazilian BBQ. We had a nice lunch, then went to the Provo Temple for pictures and goodbyes. It was bittersweet. There was much crying going on around us, which made it harder to stay strong. We drove from the Provo Temple down the road a little to the MTC. There, they directed us where to drive and park (space 16), we unloaded his luggage, took a couple pictures, and he was off. We drove in at 1:08 and were out by 1:14. Just that quick and he was gone. It was hard seeing him walk away, but there was such a great spirit at the MTC, and so many smiling faces and missionaries waving to us. We left the MTC, drove straight to the Wilkinson Center, and mailed him a package full of cookies, kit kats, and a few random things he forgot. We can't wait to get our first letter from him and to hear how his first week has gone!
Our Last Photo Together
At the Provo Temple
Hmmmmm......
The jeep we promised him if he served a faithful mission!!! LOL!!!!!
Dad straigtening his tie, giving him some last words of advice
Rob and Elder Mower
Mom's moment!
Walking away toward the MTC
Walking away, I get one last look!!!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Our Last Day!
Today we spent our last day together as a family before Jordan enters the MTC. We went to see Pirates of the Caribbean 4, then off to In and Out for some lunch. We came back to pack and got a phonecall from the Muirs to come over and hang out in the pool. Wow, what a blessing that was! We needed to relax with friends. We made it back just in time to shower and get dressed for Jordan to be set apart. He could not wait! The excitement was almost too much. President Carlson asked us to all say something we appreciated about Jordan. Kindness, Love, and Always being a good example were some of the things we appreciate about him. Then came the big moment....Jordan became Elder Mower and was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What a wonderful experience that was and words of comfort that were given to him. There truly is a peace that comes with that blessing. To end the day, we had Sushi at Kyoto, then to drop the kids off at the Hoskins home. They all said there goodbyes, which wasn't too too bad thankfully!
I am so grateful for Elder Mower and am excited for him to go on this journey to Minnesota. We all know he will do a great job, work hard (with a little fun too), and serve the Lord the best he can!
I am so grateful for Elder Mower and am excited for him to go on this journey to Minnesota. We all know he will do a great job, work hard (with a little fun too), and serve the Lord the best he can!
The Farewell Party
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Elder Mower's Farewell Talk
Jordan gave his farewell talk today in church. His talk was titled The Pure Love of God, in relation to Missionary Work. He did a great job. He will be such a great missionary. We were lucky to have so many family members and friends come to support him. Uncle Ron, Cheryl Richards, Uncle Jim and Aunt Karol, Both his Grandmothers, The McMullins, Seans sister Heather and her husband Paul, and The Doyles.
On another note, it was quite an adventurous day. The little kids were playing outside after church with their cousins, and they came in screaming. Apparantly, Megan was trying to catch a rattle snake. Sean McMullin saved the day by grabbing Meg and Kaden in his arms, then assisting Craig and Jordan in the killing of the poor little snake. Fun day!
On another note, it was quite an adventurous day. The little kids were playing outside after church with their cousins, and they came in screaming. Apparantly, Megan was trying to catch a rattle snake. Sean McMullin saved the day by grabbing Meg and Kaden in his arms, then assisting Craig and Jordan in the killing of the poor little snake. Fun day!
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