Week 68: Consecration

Hey everybody! This week I almost had an entire week in my area. Last week p day was on a Tuesday and we went to a waterfall. It was way big, but we couldn't go in the water and swim. Regardless it was a ton of fun and we got a couple of really cool pics. 

Wednesday I got to do a "switch off" with elder Halversen again. We both had to renew our visas in Bangkok because we have been in Thailand for a while. I actually got to see my whole group from the MTC again which is always a good time! 

Our mission President came to our area and gave a training about the importance of using technology. He told us that Thailand is the country that uses social media/technology the most(85% of the population). Even all the old people are on social media, so we need to utilize technology to preach the gospel. As a result, me and my comp came up with a ton of ideas of videos we can make. You all are about to see a good amount of videos on my Facebook sometime soon. Hope you like them!!

Sunday was miracle day like usual! I continue to see the Lord bless us on his blessed Sabbath Day. We got more people back to church this week! When I first came to this area we had about 55 people going to church. I made a goal to try and get the church attendance to be 100 consistently.  Guess what? Yesterday there were 94 people so we are almost there already! On top of that we had 8 people we are teaching there as well!! What a miracle :) This family of 3 walked into the church and there are so cool! I'll let you know how their progression is in the coming weeks. 

As a missionary I serve for a period of 2 years. I am more than half way done and I took some time this week to reflect on how my time has been. I read a talk called "The fourth missionary", which talks about 4 different kind of missionaries. The 3rd missionary is the average missionary, but the difference between him and the 4th missionary is consecration. What I mean by that is to give yourself to the Lord. Align your will with His! I have made the decision this week to become a more consecrated missionary/servant of the Lord. I have about 8 months left and I want to give it all to the Lord! 

I love you all so much. The mission is the best thing ever!!

Love, 

Elder Lowe

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MTC reunion in Bangkok to update Visas

Great P-day at a Thai Waterfall

Standing for something

At the waterfall

Free lemonade at English Classes

Week 32: Work hard, play hard

Honestly it has been such a wonderful week but I cant remember all of it. I feel like this week was way hot in Phuket and I was just sweating all day, every day. So this email won't be that long. This week we continue to spend a lot of our time looking for people to teach. It sometimes feels like we are opening this area as it has been opened for a little less than a year. To start this transfer we had only a couple of people that we were teaching but now we have got some really solid people and a couple of people who are still good just not progressing as fast. 

We spent about half of our Friday at a University teaching students english and doing service for a member that works there. Honestly the goal of this transfer has been to find and begin teaching as many people as we can. On average I probably talk to about 30 people a day and have about 1 or 2 people interested in the message I have to share about my Savior. 

 

When I got to Thailand, I baptized one of my friends within 10 days. Since then I haven't had to much success. However, in less than a week one of the people I teach named อ้อย or อ้อม (awm or oy, she goes by both) will be baptized! I am so excited for her and her decision to follow Jesus Christ. I will let you know how it goes.

For English we have had so much fun this transfer. I cant believe this transfer is almost over. I have loved being in Phuket and I'm not sure if I will stay or leave. I love my mission and I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve the Lord! 

Love 

Elder Lowe

Not a whole lot of pictures this week! I will be sure to take more next week!!

1) McDonalds for breakfast on p day!!

Breakfast of champions

Typical ride with Robert and his companion

Week 73 - Corn Maze

First and foremost... HAPPY BAPTISM ANNIVERSARY TO DEVAN!!! She got baptized a whole year ago today:)) and she is the greatest! I'm so proud and happy for her!

I'm not gonna lie this week was a bit slow. All of investigators were either gone hunting, having surgery, or just wouldn't meet with us… yeah we spent most of our time tracting which is good but sometimes can be tiring.

So highlights of the week:

We met with Jospeh this week and we asked him to read and pray about the Book and he answered and said "what if I already feel it's true, do I still have to pray about it?" YEAH that was cool! He said he just feels the spirit as he reads it, so that's awesome. The only thing is that he has lots of problems with the word of wisdom. He chews tobacco, drinks alcohol, coffee, and tea... so he's a work in progress.

We had a mission conference on Friday and so I got to see all my friends in the mission! President Allred called up companionships to do 4-minute resto and of course he picked Sister Coakley and I. We did it in front of the whole mission... yeah it was nerve wrecking but I think it went over well.

I went on a bunch of exchanges this week... yay STL life! Exchanges are fun but I miss my area and comp but it's fun to be with other sisters, I always learn a lot.

This  week has been tiring for me. I just am so exhausted every night. 

We had stake conference this week and one of the talks talked about being tired. They talked about how Jesus was probably tired but he never stopped. He would go from fasting for 40 days, to teaching and preaching sermons, to being Beaton, scouraged, and stricken, to dying on the cross, to being resurrected, to preaching, teaching, and healing again.... He never stopped. He never was too tired to do anything. He pressed forward to do his fathers will. So I am going to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ and do my fathers will as will.

Love you all, have a great week!

Sister Lowe

1. Pday corn maze with my zone

2-3. Mission conference got to see Davis and Schultz

4. Fall - Halloween in UTAH

5-7 stake conference

Sister Coakley and Marissa

8-9. The valley

10. Baptism anniversary pic

Week 39 - Transferred to South Logan - trip to Huntville

Hello form the cold...again!!

 So TRANFERS today!!! And I am being transferred. I am being transferred to Nibley which is in South Logan. My new companion will be Sister Davis (8 months out on her mission) she's from Alaska. We are white washing the area (which means both of us are new to the area). We are both going to be STLS! I'm excited for my new area, but I'm so sad to leave Ben Lomond: (I love all the people I've been teaching and all the amazing members here like the woods, Homgrens, Gilbert's, Dalpas, Cavenders, etc. I sent out a mass text that I was being transferred and everyone is so sad. Some people even asked for my mom’s number to text her to tell her how they will miss me. I truly love the members here, it's gonna be hard to leave.

 So just when I thought spring was on its way, we got a huge snow storm and now it's back to being cold and blizzardy! But I love it, it makes mission life an adventure.

 So this week’s highlight:

Zone sports with our whole zone

Wishing Sister Allred a Happy Birthday

it was our mission presidents wife's bday so we made her a card

 

So I went on STL exchanges again this week. I went with Sister Schell who is from North Carolina! It was such a fun day! So for some reason I bring out all the crazies when going on exchanges. I always meet the most strange people, haha. We were doing service at this old ladies house and sister Schell left to use the bathroom, so it was just me and this old lady. She looked at me and said "okay, now you’re going to help me get dressed!" In my head I was like WHAT! But then she started handing me clothes to put on her. So I just started with putting socks on her and she just layed on the bed and just flashed me the entire time! Also grossest feet ever! Then Sister Schell came in and the look on her face was priceless. I was like sister Schell do you want to help. And she was like nope you got it and was dying laughing, haha. I was gonna kill her. So that was one of the experiences I had on the exchange. We also met a guy that told us this funny analogy:

 "Mormons are like horse manure. You Spread horse manure all over and crops are gonna grow like crazy. Put it all in one pile and it's just stinky horse manure. Conclusion Utah is stinky horse manure..." - random guy named Tyler

Service with a smile
Painting fun! This is Lauralee who isn't a member of our church but loves hanging out with us!
We teach her kids!

 It was a fun exchange. I've really started to like being an STL! The “exchanges” are always the funniest days.

They are still obsessed with red heads, both of them left for Indonesia this week.
 I'm so sad they are gone:( but they will do great!

 

All of my companions in one pic but Sister Sharp.

We did a blitz in the Pleasant View area! It was great!

 

 So Sister Andrews and I had to speak in sacrament this week. There was a youth speaker who spoke for like 3 minutes, then sister Andrews spoke for 10 minutes and then I was the last speaker so I had to speak for the rest of the meeting which was like 25 minutes. I was stressing when sister Andrews ended her talk super early because I had only prepared a 15 minute talk. Well I got up there and somehow I knew exactly what to say. I didn't even look down at my paper, words just came to my head and I spoke for the whole time until the meeting was over. I was amazed. I thanked Heavenly Father once I sat down because I knew it was the spirit that helped me speak for that whole time. Afterwards so many people came up to me and said they loved my talk. One lady said she took notes and she felt like it was an apostle speaking! I was in shock! I knew it was the spirit who helped me speak. I've really come to see how much I've grown on my mission! In 3 days I will hit my 9 month mark of being on a mission and it has flown by! I never in my whole life would have ever imagined speaking for 25 minutes in a sacrament meeting but I did it and it went great. Missions really change you. I don't get nervous anymore to speak in front of people. I've never been so social in my life! I love the mission so much and it has changed me into a better person.

 Well that's all for this week! A lot more happened but it would take forever to write it all.

Love y'all

 

 Sister Lowe

 So lots of pics this week.. Sorry! We went to Snow Basin for Pday with the Huntsville sisters!

 

Exchanges with sister Schell!

Yep a moose on someone wall! Welcome to Huntsville

I went on a gondola for Pday! It was so fun and pretty!
 I wanted to ski or snow board so badly!

Ahhh, I love the snow!

Got to have a pick of Sister Brunt and I one last time.
We won't be in the same zone anymore:(

This is what we were in

It was a nice log cabin on the ski resort!

Oh you know just throwing up some signs in the snow,
we try to be cool but we're not or at least I'm not haha.

jumping on a moose, like usual

With Sister Schell