Marissa - Week 8 - beautiful nature

Hi everyone! 

Hope everything is going well. This week was another great week for me and my companion. Here are some cool things that happened this week: 

• Monday, we went on a hike to the wind caves with our whole zone. It was so fun! I love hiking and being out in nature, and I got to talk with more people in my zone because it was about a three hour hike there and back. We took some cool pics too and got to study our scriptures once we got there which was very peaceful.
• On Tuesday we went to this service project at this building site for a family house for kids in the social work system. The volunteer coordinator told us to take out ALL the rocks cause they have to lay turf in a couple of days. So we were all trying to be fast and sift through the dirt to find all the little rocks and big ones. A half an hour later he came back and goes "oh you only have to get the big ones," we were so mad, we could have finished way earlier lol. We also had to carry wood & rubbish (my companion hates the word trash, so I never say it anymore) all the way to this bin at the end of the car park (another word my companion uses too). But all well, all in all it was a good service project and I love serving and being like Christ.
• On Tuesday I invited two people to be baptized on August 13th after teaching the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and both of them said yes. Luz was at the beginning of the day and Colten was at night, so we started and ended our day with a bang! We had Sister Hernandez (our sister training leader) come out with us on Tuesday also, she is such an amazing missionary. She has such a great testimony and knows how to connect so well with the people who we are teaching. She was so inspiring to me, and I just wish I could teach like her. She goes home to California in two weeks though, so I am super sad because I really liked her:(
• On Thursday we went with the Chinese elders to see our investigator Min and Phi who speak both Chinese and English. The elders spoke Chinese to him and the crazy thing is, is that I could feel the spirit as they spoke. I had no idea what they were saying, but I could feel this warm feeling inside of me. It really is a testimony to me of the power of the Holy Ghost because even though I had no idea what they were saying, the Holy Ghost knew they were testifying truth and that is why I felt it. The mission brings miracles and I see them everyday. I can see God's hand is in my life and in the lives of the people we teach.

- Next week is transfers, so all the missionaries are scared that we will be moving because the area is going to be filled with people soon who are coming to school here in the fall. We are getting 28 new missionaries and 4 of them are girls, so it's gonna be mostly elders. We are getting a Chinese and Korean sister who are from the Salt Lake Temple square mission. They will be taking over the Chinese elders area since they are going home. A lot of missionaries think that Sister Brunt and I will have to teach them how to tract and teach people because they've never done that before. I'm excited to do that! 

The scripture of the week: 

Heleman 3:35 in the Book of Mormon 

"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God." 

I've seen how reading a praying really helps someone grow their faith. As we strive to grow our faith firmer and firmer we can receive a witness that this is the true and everlasting gospel. As we have the people we teach read the Book of Mormon they, personally, gain a witness of its truth and that it is another testament of Jesus Christ. 

I love you all and hope you are all doing well! 

Sister Lowe 

PHOTOS:

We went to the wind caves in the mountains as a zone on Pday! it was so fun!

Just loving nature! We got to do personal study and read our scriptures up here:)

My companion brought the New Zealand flag to take a picture with!

Sister Hernandez, our sister training leader (STL) came with us for the day, she is so amazing! This was taken at our dinner appointment:) 

This is the service project we worked at. We picked out all those rocks, it was so hot! 

Here's my district, we all wore blue because Elder Hier is going home, we all ate at Chick-fil-A! 

I got to take a picture by our mission office with the Utah Logan mission sign:) 

I got to see all of my MTC peeps on Thursday for return and report. We are all kind of goofy haha. 

We were walking and saw this lady laying on the ground trying to weed her garden. We told we would be happy to help after a few of our appointments. I had to stand on all the tree branches so more could fit in the rubbish bin!

Marissa to mom - week 8

Mom!

It's so good to hear from you. It sounds like you are doing well. I hope you celebrated dad's birthday! I wish I got to say happy birthday to him:/ I can't believe summer is almost over! So I just figured this out today, but this August will be the first time since preschool that I'm not going to school!!! It's crazy that a bunch of students will move here to USU campus to start school and I won't be. I never thought of it until now!

It's fun being in YSA because we here a lot about dating and stuff.  With this one guy we met, we asked him to do the 21 day Book of Mormon challenge (something to help investigators to read) he said yes but I have to get rid of a distraction first. He told us that he's tried to break up with his non member girl friend 6 times but is a chicken. We told him that if this is holding him back, then he needs to drop her and God will bless him with a new friend, we role played it with him and he told us he will probably text us during the break up for support.  He sure did. And we reminded him why he is doing this and that it will help him strengthen his testimony of God.

Another kid named Levi, told us he kissed this girl named Sarah, who we go on splits with. He then said today that they haven't talked in a couple days and that he is so confused on where she's at. Like really... We are missionaries and people ask us this stuff. We just told him to be up front with her and say look we had a great time a few days ago what happened now.  We thought it was so funny because we are missionaries but we have all these people talk about their love life. Haha I could share many other stories but I don't have much time.

I love you and miss you! And keep doing what you are doing and keep reading and praying everyday! Pray every morning and night because it really helps you start your day off right. I love you mom!

Sister Lowe

Robert Makes NOHS Soccer Tryouts

I don't want to make it sound like we knew he would, but we are so excited for this season - bringing these seniors together for their last year.

There are 13 seniors on the team:  Robert, Mason Rice, Parker Vicich, Nathan Ball, Matthew Morris, Ryan Geoghegan, Jack Kinnison, Nathan Clark, Holden Thompson, Morgan Mendoza, Michael Raybine, Wilton Stone and Michael Shultz.

I'm so excited to see this team come together - their is a great brotherhood since most of these boys have played together since they were very little.

Michael Schultz on the Blast at U8
Holden, Wilton, Blake on Thoroughbreds White U9
Mason and Parker on Thoroughbreds Blue U10 (state Champions)
Same for U11 (State runner up)
He played on NOMS 6th grade with Holden, Jack, Michael R, Michael S, Wilton, ... most of this
         team (District Champions)
give or take a few players, this has been the team for the past 6 years!

Marissa - Week 7

Hi everyone!

This week has been so great. My companion and I have seen so many miracles this week, it has been crazy. Zach, one of the 33 ward mission leaders that we have, asked us and the bishop and his wife to all fast for Lansing, who is our investigator. She has been really pondering on the things we have taught her. She has a lot of questions about who Jesus Christ is, why he died for us, and why baptism is essential. My companion and I went without water and food from 5pm one day to 5pm the next day. It was the hardest thing ever! Especially since we walk everywhere in the hot sun, so we were so thirsty. At a point we even gargled water and then spit it out because our mouth was so dry. I'm am so happy we fasted though because we had a great discussion with Lansing and Zach. She said she still has a desire to be baptized and that she can see now how she can rely on Jesus Christ for comfort. I love Lansing and I've seen her faith grow so much, it is amazing. But sometimes she is so stubborn, haha. 

Fun stories of the week:

- We had 6 lessons with a member present last week and this week we had 19 lessons with a member present!! By Tuesday we already beat all of last week. The lord works miracles, and I have seen it so much this week.

- My companion is a quarter Tongan/samoan/Fujian and she heard some Tongan construction workers talking and went over with me and began to talk to them. They both were so nice and friendly and then pulled out $20 bucks each and handed them to us. We both said no, that is too

much, but the Tongans didn't budge and gave it to us. They were so nice and they said they loved the missionaries here.

- We went to the Logan temple this week! It was so peaceful and I felt the spirit so strongly there. I know that the temple is a holy place and the house of the lord.

- Our lesson with Andy was amazing this week. We had him role play what he was going to say to his mom who is Korean Buddhist. He began by telling her he wants to be baptized because he knows this church is true and that he knows it will bless his family. He was sobbing

through the whole thing and couldn't stop crying. The spirit was so strong there and I'm so happy for him.

- I learned this week to never judge. We met this guy named Pablo last week who is a member,  he kind of gave us a hard time and was testing us as missionaries. We shared a scripture and he said he would write a thankful note to someone everyday that week if we would follow up next week. On this Saturday, I really didn't want to go because he kind of gave me the creeps and was weird. We went anyways because we did tell him we would come back. He did our challenge and then handed us some treats which had a card on it. We read the card and he put $10 in saying "treat yourself to a treat," once I read the card I knew never to judge again because you never know who people are really inside. Well a lot more happened this week but I don't have much time to write about it. I love this gospel so much. It brings so much happiness and joy to me and I would be nothing without it. I love all the emails I read throughout the week and love you all:)

Sister Lowe

Robert's had a busy summer

Robert has worked most every day of the summer at Tinseltown movie theaters.  He really does a fantastic job for them and likes the work he does.

Since Devon came home, both Devon and Robert have been asked to help Sister Straub move heavy furniture at their warehouse.  Devon and Robert had been helping them when Robert isn't working at Tinseltown.  It's hard work, but good money.

Robert has also been leading Captain's practices and recently his soccer team started conditioning try-outs.  Try outs are only two days next Monday and Tuesday.  Robert has worked hard all summer!

Conditioning Starts for NOHS Soccer

Tonight at 7:00 pm - conditioning started for the NOHS soccer team.

Robert got off work at 4:00 - he got food and went to the Little Clinic to get his physical, however there was over a 2 hour wait.  He wasn't done until 6:45.  He had to move quickly to get to the school and not too late.

Marissa - week 6

To Everyone - 

Hi everyone!!

So this week has been a tough one but here are some of the interesting or cool things that happened this week:

- For the Fourth of July my whole zone went to a Fourth of July parade in Hiram. We got to walk in it and wave and clap people's hand. It literally was the best Fourth of July I have ever had. Yay 'Merica! It was also on our Pday! So we played soccer afterwards as a zone. We weren't aloud out from 6-9:30pm because I guess bad things could happen to us on the 4th. So we all had to be in the stake center and we played speed ball and volleyball, which was a ton of fun! It was like an all day Pday for us, I was pretty tired once the day was over. 

- I got to help our investigator, Lansing, move out of her apartment to a new apartment right next store (it is remodeled so it looks better)! It was tough but it was fun to serve her and show her how much we cared. She said that she has to take us out for ice cream next week no exceptions because we helped her, haha. 

- DARREN GOT BAPTIZED!!! Whooo! It was such at great day (July 8th)! He was so happy and he bore his testimony and it was so special. Sister Brunt and I got to speak and we gave the restoration lesson to everyone in the tabernacle. Every prophet has spoken there except for Joseph smith which I thought was super cool and exciting. I thought I'd be nervous but the spirit calmed my fears and I was more excited than nervous. I recited the vision and had everyone close their eyes as I spoke. I felt goosebumps and chills all over my body as I said "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" This is what Joseph smith saw as he prayed to Heavenly Father to ask what church to join. I bore my testimony of this true and everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ and so did my companion. After the baptism, a lot of people came up to me and told they had the chills when I spoke and that they felt the spirit so strongly. Lansing came to me and said she felt very peaceful during the baptism and loved the closing song "nearer my god to thee". It T'was a great day:)

(need photo)

- The other day I was walking home with my companion and I heard a man yell "SISTER LOWE," we both look and I think "that was strange, no one ever knows me and not Sister Brunt" as the man got closer I saw that it was Brother Longhurst from Kentucky! I was so happy to see him! He took a picture with me and sent it to my dad! It's cool to see familiar faces!

(need photo)

- On Sunday my companion and I decided to fast because this week everyone has been gone on vacation and no one has been home. We went without food for 24 hours (believe me it was so hard and a big sacrifice). We fasted because we needed to rely on God to help us find new people. And guess what happened... We got 4 texts on Sunday saying "hey my nonmember friend said they were interested about our church and wants to meet with you!" One of the people even came to church and we got to sit with them  and get to know them. The Lord really helps us out when we put in some effort to come unto him. I know that fasting truly works and that God can see that we are sacrificing something not for ourselves but to help others come unto Christ. 

This week has been hard, but It can only go up hill from here. I love this gospel with all my heart! I know Jesus Christ is my savior and redeemer and that he gave us the Book of Mormon and the Bible to come closer to him and become like him. I love you all and hope everything is going well.

- Sister Lowe 

Mom

Thanks mom for the Toms, they are great!! You forgot to send me Meg’s email and I'm still waiting for you send pics of the family and stuff that happens In your week.  So I'm Gonna start sending my group emails out because I think some people haven't been getting them. But thanks for doing that at the beginning.

Jessica sent me pics of you guys. Devon looks so old! I miss him so much. It's weird to see pictures of all the siblings without me in them. But I'm not sad, I miss you guys but I love my mission and I’m not really home sick. I think the lord has blessed me in that way because if I was home sick it would really hit me hard and pull me away from the work that I have been called to do.  I love being a missionary. 

Right now since it is summer time it’s really hard to keep up with everyone. Everyone is always going away for the weekend or working 24/7 so it's hard to make appointments when they are free. During the school year I think it will be a lot easier to find more people, which I'm excited for!  I love you so much! And love hearing about your week:) I miss you mom and our talks in he car. You have prepared me so well to go on a Mission and it's hard to be away but I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing.  Plus what is my debit card checking Account amount.  Has devon's email changed form Myldsmail.net

Hey in your next package could you send me some money for laundry, because we do laundry every Monday and I put a $20 in the coin machine and got a lot of quarters, but I'm starting to run out of quarters now. It's $2 for a washer and I do a colors and whites wash so it’s about $5 each time I come, sorry to ask you this I just don't have much cash on me and I would go to an ATM but I don't have a car to get there.

Love you,

Sister Lowe

Cedar Point

Mark, I, Devon and Robert loaded up the car for the long weekend vacation.  We haven't had a vacation in since last summer when we went to Jessica's wedding (and I went to Spokane).

This vacation is in honor of Devon's homecoming!!!  He loves roller Coaster rides so we are going to his favorite amusement park, Cedar Point and Soak City.

We drove up on Thursday and made it to Jessica's work by 3:00 pm.  She was getting off work at that time.  Everyone there said I looked like her sister - yay!!!  From there we went to downtown Detroit to see Tate.  He works at the big tall, Renaissance Building (used to be Fords) where GM has it's headquarters.  Tate was able to get off at 4:00 and join us on the river front.  We walked around and had a super fun time.  

That night we drove up to Novi, MI to meet Julie and Scott Barb, and their kids and Mark's older brother, Kevin and his wife Shauna.  We were so excited to eat at the Cheesecake Factory, but they had a 2.5 hour wait!  UGH!!!  We decided that was toooooo long so we ate at the food court, which turned out to be a great idea so everyone could get what they wanted.  It was great to catch up with Julie, Scott, Kevin and Shauna.  This is the first time I've seen Shauna after her transplant.

It was also so much fun to see the nephews and our niece.  I got Tanner and Logan Michigan Pendents as a birthday present.  I also got Preston and Mallory Michigan Pendents (just smaller ones) so they would not feel left out.

Devon, Tate, Jessica, Robert, Mark & Betsy, Tanner, Kevin, Mallory & Shauna, Preston & Julie, Logan and Scott

We checked into our hotel, bringing Jessica along for the ride.  We got her a roll-away bed.  I didn't know she was staying with us at the time I booked the room.  Luckily they were good to let us have a rollaway.  

Because we are staying at the Breaker Express we get into the park one hour before it "opens."  YAY!!!  However, the next morning slept in longer than we expected, but still made it to the park by 9:30.  At first we went to Soak City - it was empty - good reason ... it was still closed.  Someone left the gate open and we just walked in.  Too funny!

We made it over to Cedar Point and put our stuff in a locker before heading to Top Thriller Dragster!  Last time there was an hour long wait - this time NO WAIT!!!  We rode it two times in a row... well the kids did it three times.  Then I went to Soak City to lay out towels while everyone else went to ride Millennium Force!  Again, no wait!  Mark, Devon, Jessica and Robert rode it two times before I got there.  Jessica and Robert rode it with me (that makes 3 for them).  I can't believe there is no wait.  Devon went to ride Maverick, but it was temporarily closed.  Bummer!  We rode went on some water ride - Thunder Falls (we got soaked, Robert got the most of it) and the Log Ride (since we were already soaked it was okay to get completely soaked again - and that's exactly what happened).  Jessica has the art of water bending.

We finally found Devon and ate some lunch together.

After lunch Betsy and Robert went to Soak City.  We road Dragster H2O, and three other slide rides, and Erie Falls (totally black covered twisty slides - you go so fast in total darkness) ...  while Devon went to ride more roller coasters.  He rode Rapture, Twisted Sister, & Magnum.  It was incredible - no wait!  Mark and Jessica went to meet Tate at the hotel.

Everyone arrived back at Soak City at the same time (while Robert and I were in a line in a tower - so we could see them).  They caught up to us and we road the Water Roller Coaster together.  Devon didn't hold on and he crashed into Robert and me.  It wasn't fun for us!  However, we got over it (I freaked out at him).

After that we road all the water rides and the lazy - not so lazy river.  The lines were so short!  it was awesome!  We stayed at Soak City until 6:00 and then loaded the towels in the car before returning to Cedar Point.  We road Dragster (because Tate had never ridden it) again and then we rode Maverick.  OH MY GOSH!  IT is the scariest ride in the park.  Betsy SCREAMED the entire ride - and lost her voice on it, for sure!  After that ride we ate dinner at Subway and then road more Roller Coaster Rides.  We rode VALRAVN which drops at 90 degrees going 75 miles per hour.  It's awesome!  It was the longest wait of the night at 25 minutes.  Then we went and road Gate Keeper.  Everyone had a blast.  To slow things down we road the Ferris Wheel.  We wanted to do bumper cars, but it was already closed.   We left the park around 9:00 pm.  It was a fun and full day of activity!

The next day - REPEAT!  Actually today was a little different.  We again got a locker and road Magnum first - then we road Maverick.  Betsy went to put the towels out at Soak City.  The rest of the morning we road roller coasters and did water rides.  We took Tate and Devon on Thunder Falls - Robert got soaked again.  What are the odds!  We did the Log ride again too!   Betsy & Mark headed to Soak City while they rest road Maverick one more time.  Unfortunately, this is where Devon lost his phone.  He had to spend the next hour and a half going back to find it, then going to lost and found to report it missing.  So sad, he's only had it two weeks.  Now he's without a phone again.

We spent the remainder of the day in Soak City - lazy rough river, rides, water roller coasters, relaxing in the sun, soaking up rays, going in the wave pool, etc.  What a great day!  It ended with a trip to Dipin' Dots, and a ride on Gemini and the Cedar Point Train. 

Gatekeeper

Mark and I love the ferris wheel

The boys:  Tate, Mark and Robert

The park

The Girls

So cute - young love

great view of the park

Get ready to get wet

My favorite picture:  We had so much fun

Devon - you have to be in the photo - NOOOOO!

Jessica is in heaven - Dippin Dots
Tate's never had them

YUM!!!!

Betsy loved the water park