Week 65 - hard times

This week we've had some hard times but also some amazing miracles so it's been a fun mix.

So to start with the good stuff… First, Jean (my third convert who got baptized September 10th 2016) texted me and said she's planning to get her endowments out in the month of September and wants me to come!!! So Sister Brunt and I will get to see her go through the temple which is the missionary dream!! First baptism then temple, ahhh God is so Good!

We had an interesting lesson with Scott and Miranda (new investigators). We went to teach the  restoration to them but their neighbor came over and totally bashed on Jospeh Smith and stuff like that (yeah not fun) but the cool thing was that before we could even speak, Scott (who isn't Mormon) spoke and said "I don't believe that, there is no way a 14 year old boy could write the Book of Mormon. I believe he is a prophet." Holy Moley! Yeah so he stood up for us and shut the guy up and then we gave him and Miranda a Book of Mormon and have a return appointment!!!

We had an amazzzzzzing lesson with this guy named Jimmy. He's been in and out of prison and has met a lot of missionaries, but he really opened up to us. I could write a lot about the lesson but to keep it short I'll just say the spirit was so strong and it was such amazing lesson!

Okay so hard things this week. The James (CJ, AJ, TJ) still didn’t come to church...grrr parents. Gracie's baptism date was pushed back because of family things.... and Kyla's baptism date was pushed back because of family problems…. yeah it's been a stressful week.

God blessed us with some amazing miracles this week, but we also had to go through some trials which were hard but that's what missionary work is. We can still find so much joy through the hard times. Missionary work can be so stressful because you just are constantly thinking about your investigators and how you can help them. It’s stressful when complications come up and it hurts your heart because you love these people so much.

I read Alma 31:31 and to briefly state it, it says, "O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ." This scriptures has never been so powerful to me than this week. After a hard day, we got home at night and I opened up the Book of Mormon for some comfort and this was the verse I turned to. God is so mindful of each and everyone of us.

My soul has been comforted in Christ. I'm eternally grateful for my Savior. I know the things I go through are nothing compared to the pain and suffering he went through. He’s my perfect example and I'm forever in debted to him. The mission is shaping me to think, feel, and be more like him and I never want it to stop. I just want to be like him.

Love you all and happy anniversary to my parents. Thanks for being

married and having us kids:)

Sister Lowe

1. Book of Mormons we got a district meeting

2. Love seeing davis every Wednesday

3. LOVEA (Lowe and vea)

4. Happy 1 Year to Sister Schultz! Man I miss being comps with her!

Marissa and Sister Vea!

Marissa and Sister Schultz

Week 64

Hmmm... I don't even know where to start. It's been a busy week! We found 5 new investigators this week. We have 5 investigators on date for baptism. And 3 investigators came to church. So this week has been awesome!

We were sitting in church waiting to see if our investigators would come and it was now 11:03 and sacrament had started so you know us missionaries were worrying. But, then Gracie and her whole family walked in and sat with us. Literally my mood went a whole 180. I was so happy they all came! Gracie is still on date for September 2nd and her family is becoming active again so it's been so amazing to teach them all:)

We taught the James kids (CJ, AJ, and TJ) and they finally accepted a date to be baptized for September 16th. We taught them the word of wisdom while they all were drinking tea right in front of us and at first they said "there is no way We will give up tea" but by the end of the lesson they said that this would be their last cup of tea. Miracles. We just got to get them to church... which they were planning to come this Sunday but then last minute flaked, so that was a bummer...

Sister Vea and I are doing great. Each day something amazing happens and I love seeing the miracles God blesses us with. Like we met this catholic lady and she told us she wasn't interested, but as we taught her the restoration on her door step and sister Vea shared her conversion story (she grew up catholic) the lady asked us to come back and teach her whole family!!! Miraclessss.

Well that's all I can remember from this week. Missionary work is so fun. I just love each and everyday. In sacrament a return missionary that went to Arizona spoke about how he complained a lot at the beginning of his mission but then his companion asked him a question that changed his life, he said "who do you love more? Yourself or the Lord?" He said it changed his whole mission. I think we can ask that question to ourselves in everything we do. As we do that it will keep us on the path that leads to Heavenly Father.

Okay well love you all and hope your week goes great, apparently there's a solar eclipse today so that's new!

Sister Lowe

1. My new friend at our new investigators house

2. Finally got the goat to look at the camera but then I'm not looking

3. Peace sign and mountains

4-6. Hiked the wind caves with Lansing last Pday

Youth Splits 

Teaching with Members

Relief Society activity for missionaries

Marissa with Sister Vea on P-day

Solar Eclipse

Marissa with a goat

Week 63 - Rodeo

So transfers was this week and.... I'm staying in Nibley and staying training Sister Vea!!! Also I'm an STL again! I'm so happy to be staying because we have so much work going for us right now. 

Besides that we had a super fun week. Lots of lessons, contacts, and meetings. This week we had Sisters conference, the Martin Harris pageant, and Return and Report. Yep lots of good stuff, plus I had to Drive some sisters around because they got ETd, since we have a car we drove them to their new location...we used so much miles that day. Our zone leaders called us on Saturday and asked us to go to the county fair and contact people. Well I was a little nervous for it since it's a little over whelming when their a lot of people, but it was so fun. So many people talked to us and we even got two free T-shirts, it was great. 

Ohhh another awesome thing that happened this week is I got to see LANSING!!! I taught Lansing all of last summer and then she moved to Texas. In December she came back and got baptized and I got to see it. Well she drove up here from Texas and I got to see her again! She's doing so great. She's getting her PHD, going to institute, loves the temple, and is just doing so amazing. I love her so much! She'll be a life Long friend of mine:) 

I don't want to make this too long... (sorry about my past emails). So much happens in a week and it's hard not to just share all the miracles we experience each and every day. Life is just so good right now. I love doing Gods work. I love preaching Jesus Christ's gospel. I'm excited for next transfer and all the many miracle God will bless us with. Love you all! 

Sister Lowe 

Mission Generations

Sister Brunt's posterity, Sister Lowe's posterity

Sister Brunt, Sister Lowe, and Sister Schultz

Marissa and Sister Vea

Marissa and Sister Vea at a Rodeo with Rodeo clowns

Love:  Marissa and a horse

Marissa's district Leadership

Week 62 - 14 months

Wow would you look at that...it's August already!! Which means I hit my 14 month mark....man I'm so old on the mission, I don't like it.

Okay well this week has just been sooooooo busy, we were constantly on the go, so I won't be able to write like half the things that happened this week but I'll start with some highlights:

We got a call from our mission office asking us to be in this thing called the Pre-Misison Traning Conference (PMTC). It's for all the 16-18 year olds in providence who are thinking about serving a mission. They asked us and our zone leaders to prepare some trainings for this conference and asked us to be on some Q & A panels.

So we had to do a lot of planning this week. We met with the Elders at our Senior couples house and for some reason we all just drew blanks on what we should train them on. We are used to training missionaries not priest and laurels so it was kind of hard to plan. We eventually got it planned... two hours later and the conference actually went really well, and the kids were awesome! It was a neat experience.

Oh awesome news, Jackie got her first calling!!!! She is now in the relief society activity committee. Jackie is doing so awesome. She came to our all district training meeting (ADTM) and bore her testimony in front of the whole zone and man I had goose bumps all over. The spirit was so strong as she bore her testimony.

We had some miracles this week! This one family, The James, I've been trying to meet with since I got to Nibley (so like 6 months ago). Well we saw their car in the drive way, but we drove passed it because we had a lesson to get to. Well turned out our lesson cancelled and we were about to just go tracting, but I just felt prompted to drive back to the James and knock. I was a little hesitant because I've knocked there a billion times and no one ever answers, but I followed the prompting. After we knocked 3 times they answered the door and let us in ALL THANKS TO THE HEAT, she didn't want her cool air getting out of her house. Well Sister Vea just asked them if we could teach them right then and there and the mom said yes since they weren't doing anything, so we began teaching. The mom and dad are both inactive and the 3 kids have not been baptized they are AJ (12), CJ (10), and TJ (10) yep really easy names. Well at the end of the lesson Sister Vea asked if they'd be baptized and the kids said yes and the mom said she wants them baptized. She told us how they used to go to church and that she wants to get back into it. It was a miracle that we met them and an even a bigger miracle that they want to be baptized!!!

It's been a busy week and we have an even busier week next week. Time just is flying. I can't believe Sister Vea's already been out 5 weeks. Oh yeah next P-day will be Wednesday because that's when transfers are (just to let you know). The scripture 1 Nephi 19:9 really stood out to me this week, it says,

"And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he Suffereth it; and they smite him, and he Suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he Suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men."

I LOVE this scripture. I've read it a lot this week. Jesus Christ 'Suffererth it' because of his infinite love for us. I realized as a missionary I need to "Suffereth it' because of my love for the people here in Nibley. Jesus Christ is the pure example of charity. I’m starting to really understand Jesus Christ as he was a missionary and the awful pain he went through because the people he loved so dearly rejected him. It can be hard as a missionary when we love this gospel so much and people reject it, but we 'Suffereth it' because we love them and want them to feel what we feel.

I don't know if any of that made sense, but that's what my thoughts were this week.

I love this gospel. I love Jesus Christ. And I love this work with all my heart.

Sister Lowe

From Kristen Johnson

Hello Sister Lowe’s family!

I just wanted to write you a little note and tell you how awesome your daughter is and that she is doing well and is such a good missionary! Our stake just did a little pre-MTC event with all the priests and laurels and I was lucky enough to get to go on splits with your daughter and her companion sister Vea. It was so fun to be around her and she taught with such a strong spirit and was so kind to her companion. I hope that if I go on a mission I will get a companion just like her. While we were walking to our appointments she talked a lot about her family. She really loves you all! Anyways! It was an honor to meet her and be influenced by her. Thanks for letting her serve. Hope you have a wonderful week!

-Kristen Johnson