Devon - Week 61 Veronica Got Baptized

Veronica got baptized and confirmed this week.  I forgot to tell you but veronica asked me to baptize her. I GOT TO PHYSICALLY BAPTIZE VERONICA!!! 

 I am always happy to hear about and witness a baptism.  I have been a part of the teaching process for a couple people that got baptism but I was never there for the entire teaching process.  I have been part of the finding, the teaching, and the baptizing but I have never done it all with any one person.  Veronica was the first person that I have found, taught, and baptized.  There was a lot of preparation that went into the baptism to make sure that everything stayed good.  I also realized that when she goes into the temple next year I won’t be there :( because my mission will be over that makes me really sad.  I will tell you more about the baptism later.

Zone Conference was really good.  I didn't really pray for it but I thought about some things that I should study and get better at and it was so surprising that all the talks had something that I desired. 

I wish that I was not cursed with slow hands that type slow and that we had to leave earlier then you are aloud. 

Devon - week 60 TRUST

This week has been a stressful week but everything worked out in the end.  First we taught the three commandments that most people have a problem with to Veronica, which are Word of wisdom, Law of Chasity, and the Law of Tithing.  So i was stressed about it because if she had a problem with one of those then we would have had to push the baptism date back.  Everything went great and now we just have to do the finishing touches on the baptism program.  

We were trying to teach Noen more often so we sent a text to his farther.  Sadly his farther texted us that Noen will not be taking the lessons anymore at the time being.  That was really depressing but I believe that missionaries will be able to teach him in the future.

This week and these next weeks we are going to put extra time in making our teaching pool bigger.  If we want more people to teach then we need to talk to more people and that's what we are going to do.  We have been having better ward council after President Winder's Training.  We have gone the extra mile to get members in the ward council more involved in the missionary work. Whenever the Ward council wants us to visit someone most missionaries contact the people that week and most of those contacts happen early in the week.  We now have been informing the ward council member/s the day of when we contacted the person.  It’s a small thing but it makes a difference. It shows the Bishop and the ward council that we will do what they ask, we do it fast, and that we are focus and work hard. There has been great blessing from this.  

The funny thing is that we go to try and meet the people that the ward council tell us to and they don’t live there anymore.  However, we have had great talks with the people that now live there and hopefully they can become investigators.  We hope that we will get some more new investigators from it.

We were so happy to see Veronica at church this week.  I get a little stressed when it’s an investigators first time at church because I really want them to have a great first experience at church. On this Sunday we had to go to two ward councils.  The second ward council happened during the second block of church or during gospel principles class.  So we couldn't be there in that class with her.  I want to make sure that Veronica made it to gospel principles.  Elder Belden said we should have a member take her so that we make it to ward council on time and Veronica could meet some ward members.  He said it would be killing two birds with one stone.  His logic mad scene so we went with it.  We ask Br Nguyen (Wind) to take her since his wife teaches that class and because he is an awesome member.  After we and the ward council talked about missionary work we were allowed to leave so we went to gospel principles class to be with Veronica.  We found out that an older sister of the ward intervened and told Br Nguyen that she would take her.  Well she took her to Gospel Doctrine!!!   What make it worse is that I already knew what gospel principles lesson was, it was about baptism!!!   We didn't change the scheduled it just happen that that was the lesson that week.  So I was excited about it because it would be a perfect lesson for Veronica that is about to be baptized. However, she learned about Stephen and how he was martyred. So my plans for church failed.  If any of you know me you know that I don’t like my plans to fail especially ones that I can control.  The lesson in this is not to not trust others and do everything yourself but, it is do your best with the circumstances and to Trust in the Lord.  My stress did not leave me until I turned my thoughts to the Lord and thought maybe this was the Lords will and I also remembered that the Lord is always there to help us especially when things don’t go the right way.

She enjoyed Church. 

Devon - week 59 - Leadership, Great week, new people

LEADERSHIP EXCHANGES were this last Wednesday and I was With Elder Bowler.  HE is a stud.  He reminds me a lot of Elder Bodine. We killed it that day and taught 7 lessons.  This leader ship exchange is different from the ones in the past because I am a senior companion so I got to attend a meeting that day taught by President Winder about how to work better with Member and help them do missionary work.  My focus is to use members and inform them more in the missionary work.  This week we work a lot with members and help them get involved like bring the RSP to meet Veronica and the YWP to a less active house.

We had 8 referrals this week and did our best to contact them.  While we were contacting we started talking to Cortani.  She was downstairs smoking when we meet her as we were talking she stopped smoking and we had a really good conversation with her.  We went from strangers to acquaintance to friend and we were just being missionaries teaching and talking. We taught about the Ten Commandments, the importance of reading the Book of Mormon and how it will bless your life, the importance and sanity of Marriage.  We also committed her to read the Book of Mormon and to stop smoking.  She awesome. She is keeping her commitments and she’s not even an investigator (no specific appointment).    

Veronica baptism is scheduled for the Aug 15 at 4.  For now hopefully it won’t change :). 

To Devon from Mom

Hi Devon,

Wow, it sounds like last week was a super great week for you.

Can you send me the dropbox address again?  THANKS!!!!

I thought of you this week almost with every scripture I read.  Then our home teachers came and they shared D&C 84!!!  I'm sure you know it.  It's all about how your life will stay in order even if you serve a mission ...

D&C 84:33 - "For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing their bodies."

D&C 84:38-40 - "And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father's kingdom, therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.  And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.  Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved.

You are so blessed to to receive the priesthood and to receive the blessings the Lord promises from being a righteous priesthood holder.  You have the SPIRIT with you at all times!  

D&C 84:65-68:  And these signs shall follow them that believe - In my name they shall do many wonderful works ... cast out devils, heal the sick ... 

D&C 77-   :  "And again I say unto you, my friends, for from henceforth I shall call you friends, it is expedient that I give unto you this commandment, that ye become even as my friends in days when I was with them, traveling to preach the gospel in my power;

For I suffered (allowed) them not to have purse or script, neither two coats.  Behold I send you out to prove the world, and the laborer is worthy of his hire.  And any man that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom, and fail NOT to continue faithful in all things, shall NOT be weary in mind, neither darkened, neither in body, limb, nor joint; and a hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed.  And they shall not go hungry, neither athirst.  Therefore, take ye no thought for the morrow, for what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed.  ... For your Father, who is in heaven, knoweth that you have need of all these things.   Therefore, let the morrow take thought for the things of itself."

Devon - I'm so proud of you, for you honor your Heavenly Father, and he blesses you with HIS spirit.  I am so proud of you for trusting in the Lord to sacrifice your time to serve him, and in return the Lord will bless you that the things (schooling) will take care of itself - meaning you will be able to go back to school and retain or relearn all that is needed!  I'm so proud of you for being a senior-companion which means you have earned the trust and respect of your Mission President.  We are most proud of you for keeping yourself worthy of the priesthood and keeping the commandments.  I bet you feel the Love of the Lord everyday!  He loves you so much - you are a valiant servant!  I'm so proud of you for honoring your Scout Law and Oath.  Your character speaks for itself.  

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DEVON!!!!

Have a great day,
love 

Mom!!!! 

Devon - week 58

We had another lesson with Veronica and taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We set a date for Veronica baptism on the 15th of Aug.  She is super awesome. She has not been to church yet so we challenged her to come even though she has work on Sunday. She said she would ask to get some Sundays off and told us that she wants to be more committed to the church.  Most of the time we ask people to church they give us some excuse why they can't come.  It was quite astonishing when you don't get a similar response to a question that you ask most people especially the church Question.  I was so happy to hear that she had a desire to do what is right and feel the spirit all the time.  The only thing that is a hindrance is that she needs two Sundays off to go to church and the funny sad thing is that her main fellow-shipper that works with her, works on some Sundays. 

Side note they changed all of the bishopric last week.  So there will probably a lot of changes in the ward these next weeks. I am excited for leadership exchanges coming up this week!! 

Really cool week.  We were trying to go and contact Monica a referral from Bishop for the 5th time and as we were about to cross the street a man yelled out to us a said "Hey Missionaries." That’s is always a foreshadow to a good conversation.  We went over and to our surprise he (David Page) told us his life story/conversion story. Then he went on a rampage of how great missionaries are and the good they do across the world.  We basically stood there hearing his testimony about the Book of Mormon and other Scriptures. It was a really cool experience.  We invited him to come to church especially a fast and testimony meeting so that he can share his testimony there.   

We also cover a Married student ward but the work is really slow but I am excited to announce that we contacted a Less Active and they invited us to come back!!!  That has not happened since I have been here in this area and we got a ward missionary Leader in that ward.  

Week 57 - Elder Lowe is on a high

We had a really cool experience with Lisa Montgomery this week.  Long story short.  Lisa was going through major depression and no one would reach out to her and help.  God sent her PSR worker to get her to the hospital.  Lisa called us for help and we went.  The first Day she was spiritually and emotionally weak. She was constantly saying that nobody cared about her and that her son hated her.  She said that she felt helpless, Hopeless, afraid.  We taught her about Jesus and the Atonement and how those things are very important and can apply in our life.  We comforted her and reassured her that God and people Love her.  We told her that she can be changed by the Atonement just like a caterpillar into a butterfly. We left not knowing the impact of our words until two days later.  The next time we saw her she was HAPPY and trying to serve others that were depressed.  She was excited to see us and told us that we had saved her life.  She told us that someone told her that she was glowing.  This is why we serve missions to change people's lives by helping them come unto Christ. 

We had another Great Lesson with Veronica.  We taught the Plan of Salvation and she understood and believed it.  I asked her to be baptized and she said yes!!!  The next time we go over and teach about the gospel of Jesus Christ we will set a specific day.  It is always reassuring to ask God if you should ask them to be Baptized and he lets you know by the spirit Yes and you ask them and they say yes.  

Gladys called me Last night :).  She told me that she had started the Temple Prep class and that she is going to the Temple late August.  She Invited Elder Bodine and I to her Endowment, I am so excited to go. 

Devon made Senior Companion

13 July 2015

Elder Devon Alexander Lowe844 S

Curtis

5BBoise, 83705, ID 83705USA

Dear Elder Lowe:

Congratulations on your call to serve as a Senior Companion in the Idaho Boise Mission.  Your faithfulness and contribution as a missionary has been exemplary and this calling is a further expression of the Lord's trust and confidence in you.

As a Senior Companion, you must continue to be exemplary in every area of

missionary service. You must show absolute loyalty to the Lord and to your

mission leaders. You must continue to keep all mission rules and encourage the

same within your companionship.  It will be your responsibility, with your

companion, to set and achieve realistic goals and to demonstrate effective

planning and execution skills.

Senior Companions have the responsibility to "lead" their area and companionship towards excellence in all areas of missionary work.  You must love and reach out to your companion, set expectations and account-abilities, and produce results in your area that support the goals and vision of the entire mission.  You  must work and pray to have your area reach its fullest potential.  Use the scriptures and "Preach My Gospel" to improve your teaching and deepen your testimony.

May you feel the Lord blessing you in this new responsibility.

Sincerely

yours,

President John Q. Winder

IDAHO BOISE MISSION

Enclosure CC:

Parents

Devon - week 56

Elder Schulka is now transferred to Boise North and will be a Zone Leader. 

I got a new Companion named Elder Belden from Texas. We are co seniors together.  I am super excited to go out and work with him.  I found out that he has a bone spur on his hip, (extra bone growth on his hip) which causes him a lot of pain good thing we have a car so that he is not as much in pain as he would be if he was walking.  

Last week we got a new investigator that we are super excited about.  Her name is Veronica.  We found her through a referral from her friend, Jennifer.  This was Jennifer's first time being a member missionary so she was really stressed; then Veronica was even more stressed out.  She was stressed during most of the Lesson which made the beginning tough but it ended beautifully.  She is going to read the Book of Mormon and try to get Sundays off so that she can go to church.  The spirit overcame her stress. :)  We will try to set a date with her a soon as possible.  We felt that if we had asked her that she would say no because of all the stress she was in.  She is 47 divorced and has kids. Really nice lady. Elder Belden and I will pray to know the will of God for her. 

We had a couple people at church this week but it's hard to get people to church consistently in this area.  In total we have many less actives, actives and some investigators that can come to church but they usually come once a month.  Consistency is the key to lasting conversion.  If they aren't consistent in keeping the commandments and consistent in feeling the Spirit then they cannot be reactivated in the Gospel.

Elder Jones my old companion is now my district leader which is super exciting!!!

Week 55 - It's HOT

This week has been hot … like over 100 degrees Hot.  We have been doing service a bunch this week.  No members signed up for the 4 of July.  We did not have a dinner on July fourth so we ate with the Zone Leaders.

We planned on contacting a bunch of people on July 4.  We were leaving our house when we couldn't find the Keys and I was the last on to have them.  We went around our apartment for a couple of minutes looking for them.  We couldn't find them so then we started to just walk.  We went to an investigators house that we had not been to for a while named Charlie.  Usually it is hard to teach her because she rambles a lot about random things, but this time we talked about pray and she is trying to help us get a new investigator!  We were really happy afterwards because she is starting to follow her commitments.  Then we were walking more and saw a less active walking down the street named Ida. We sat down with her and had an inspired lesson with her.  We followed up on pray then that lead to the sacrament which lead into the atonement and forgiveness.  It was super cool to ask her inspire questions and then listen to her inspired answer and the Holy Ghost helping us to discern her needs.  The past two lessons have been spiritually enriched.  Later that day we found out that one of the Spanish Elders hid our Keys in the apartment which I am grateful for because without him doing that we would have not been in the place we needed to be in at that time.  

We finally got in contact with Ann Kinittle which we found out is agnostic.  She is unsure if she wants to meet with us because she does not know if there is a God.  We had the opportunity to testify that there is a God and we got to teach about her concern which was "why God allows people to suffer."  Another plus side is that we meet CJ who is a promising potential investigator.  

I wish I could tell you more.

Devon - week 54 - Bree got Baptized

Do you guys remember Bree.  She was an investigator in my last area.  Well she got Baptized and confirmation last week!!!!   The Baptism went great.  I was so happy to see her get baptized and confirmed.  I don’t have any photos because I forgot my Camera but another Elder is going email me some photos he took.  I saw President Winder there.

Colby had his baptism interview this week and passed.  He has a date for July 11.  We are super excited for it.  Unfortunately he is going to be with his Mom for two weeks before the baptism and she is anti and is showing him anti.  He will either have his testimony strengthened or weakened, but we are confident that he will be ok.     

No one likes to pray out loud.  Since I have been in the area for three weeks I have noticed that we are always asked to pray by less active members.  Elder Schulzke and I talked about how we could strengthen less active members’ commitment to Christ by having them pray more in lessons.  We went to teach Ida about pray.  The Lesson was really powerful and inspired.  We taught from the scriptures asked inspired questions, discerned her needs, taught simply and powerfully in unity, and testified of the power of pray and the blessings that comes from it.  We tried to get her to pray in the lesson but she was hesitant.  After we taught about the principle of pray she prayed.  It was great, we felt the spirit testify of what we were saying.

I went on exchanges again in Elder Garside and Elder Neff area.  I have seen multiple miracles on Exchanges.  Both times we went on exchanges their were miracles in both areas. I meet Mike and Heather which are new investigators because we opened our mouth.    

Devon - Week 53

We went to table rock today and it cut into my emailing time sorry. I wish I could tell you about my great exchange with Elder Belyeu and all those experiences, wired experience with Gibby, and having dinner with my aunt.   

I went on splits with Br. Spencer to Br. Morales house to teach his son Noan.  Noan is a 9 year old investigator and Br. Morales is less active.  Elder Schulzke told me that Noan struggles to remember what the missionaries teach so he recommended that we should reteach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It went very well because he remember more than I thought he would.  In fact the missionaries had been trying to go over for over a mouth.  The last time he had a lesson was over a month ago.  This has been the second time that I recognized that the Holy Ghost brought remembrance to an investigator.

Colby is our most progressing investigator.  He lives in a divorced family.  His mom is Lutheran and his dad is a reactivated member that used to be less active half a year ago.  Before he left to go to his Moms he was making progress but we were not to sure if he had a testimony or if he was leaning on his dad’s testimony.  When he was with his Mom his Mom showed him Anti!!!  He had lots of questions when we saw him next.  We and members helped him with his concerns and removed the anti-ideas from his mind by going in depth on the Plan of Salvation. Colby doing good his Mom said yes to allowing him get baptized but she still wants to talk to him latter.  We came by again later in the week and taught about endearing to the end after Baptism.  We are setting a baptism interview with him next week.

Billy had a interesting story about some of his prays but I will tell you that it was one of those prays were faith and doubt fight.  The great news is that his Faith won and he even told us that he destroyed his doubt.  He showed us some of his faith by coming to church.

Week 52 - One YEAR mark

Ed Hass came up to me and asked if we would come by and give him a blessing at church.  He is an active member that passes out programs that also smokes.  In fact both our program passers are smokers.  The Blessing was one to remember.  The spirit was so strong there and this may sound weird but I recorded how long I felt that strong spirit.  The spirit is always with me as long as I am worthy of it but it is soft most of the time instead of strong.  From that blessing I felt that strong spirit for 30 minutes and I was swallowed up with joy, I was just all smiley.  It was interesting though that Satan tried right away to drive the spirit away.  5 minutes after the blessing a car drove by and a man opened the van door standing up and shouted "God hated missionaries"!!! The comment didn't  faze me at all in fact I thought about how ridiculous that comet was especially at that moment when I felt the spirit so strongly, which is a testament that God Loves missionaries.  In life we can see that so many times that after you have a great spiritual experience that Satan tries to drive it away.  There are plenty of examples like Jesus fasted 40 days and then was tempted, the persecution that followed Joseph Smith after the First Vision, and my favorite example is when God shows Moses all his creation and then Satan himself confronts him. In these instances you can see that they resisted temptation by focusing their thoughts on God and also remembering the spiritual experiences that happened before Satan tempted them.  I believe that Satan does this to all of us especially as we are making leaps in the Gospel. This has happened to some of investigators my investigators especially when they have a baptismal date. I was reading in the beginning of Mosiah today and saw how important it is to keep a record especially a spiritually record.  (Mosiah 1:5)  It said that if Lehi did not bring the plates that they and their fathers would have dwindled in unbelief would surely be like the Lamanites who know nothing of the true nature of God and his Commandments.  It is important that we take the time to write down and remember our spiritual experiences for us and our posterity that we our faith may be strengthened and not dwindle in unbelief.  I need to do better because i hardly write in my Journal and I know that I will regret it someday.

We met a Tattoo Mormon.  He owns a shop and everything.  He is Cool and has a Testimony but is taking a break from church unfortunately due to his grandson living with him who does not like Mormons because when he was younger he was bullied by Mormons.  It is sad also that he is making poor decisions which he will be humbled by in the future. 

The Dale's came to church today.  They are Recent Converts that just moved from Oregon and were baptized a month ago.  We talked to them and we found out that he used be a member of the RLDS church which surprised us. Their story is kind-a of crazy they just moved from Oregon and now they "live in the Forest” according to the Relief society president.  They came to us and asked if they could have the new member discussions.

A bunch of appointments cancelled this week which is disappointing.  We still had a great week filled with spiritual experiences. We taught a bunch of less actives in which we hope that we can reactivate.

Week 51 - Orchard Ward.

I have had a great week this week.  My Companions name is Elder Schulzke he is the District Leader and we cover the Orchard Ward.  It has a lot of less actives that we work with.  The members there seem like they are cool and focused on missionary work.  It is similar to my first Ward The Columbus Park Ward.  I am actually like only 3 miles away from that ward.  

Crazy thing happened at church I saw Aunt Michelle at Church!!!  That was kinda of crazy.  I was pushing someone in a wheelchair named Linda and in the corner of my eye I saw her and thought wow she looks a lot like my Aunt Michelle.  After I finished moving Linda, she came up to me and said Devon.  I was stunned.  I enjoyed talking with her but I was busy being a missionary so I really couldn't talk for very long.  Also I didn't know if I really could talk to her because there is a rule about being in contact with your family however I wanted to talk to her.  I emailed President today so he will get back to me soon about the issue.  She told the relief society that I was her Nephew so now the whole ward now knows. 

Since my companion is a District Leader I will be going on many exchanges.  Last week I went on an Exchange with Elder Garside and Neff.  While in their area I found out that my old investigator had moved there.  Do you guy remember Candice?  Also I found out that my MTC instructor brother lives in their ward.  While we were on exchanges we talk to a guy on the street named Mike.  We had a good conversation about the bible and the world and we did some service.  As we were talking I got a huge impression to give him a Book of Mormon. I knew that I had to offer him one I told him that we Believe the Bible to be the Word of God and that we also Believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God would you like to read it? Since we had Book of Mormon's in Hand as we were walking Elder Garside handed him one he took it and said that he would read it over the weekend.  I helped them get a new investigator for their area.  The Spirit gave me great joy.  

My sister is Now Married!!!