Hello from 7 thousand miles away.

Mum, I loved your testimony about the Saviour. If I learned nothing else on my mission at least my testimony of the Saviour has been very strengthened. I love Him so much. SO MUCH. He is too good to me.

So I went on 2 exchanges this week. I got to go up to Edinburgh with Elder Tang, and we did a lot of cool finding up there. It's a lot easier to find in Edinburgh. The people are a lot more willing to talk. In Dumfries it is a little harder--Small town vs. Big city. On Monday some members asked us to come over and do some service for them, so we got to rip out some huge trees, and I felt like the Hulk. 

We gave Steven a baptismal date. He is scheduled for the 21st of November. We are really excited. He is coming along really well. I love him so much. It is different to teach him because we have to be really simple, but it is helping me really know and understand what I am teaching. It's awesome!

I got to go on an exchange with Elder Swenson as well. He is a stud. I love him. He is a great singer and so we just jammed the whole time. We even did some freestyle rapping. I am lousy compared to Russ, though. 

My district got a little change this week. Some Elders had to go home early, so a few people had to be moved quickly. Elder Stevens from my district went to go be a district leader in Leith. I was so pumped when I heard. He is going to be an amazing District Leader. He is very smart and listens to the spirit.

On Friday Faye invited us over for dinner, so we took a guy visiting from the Czech Republic with us. He is awesome and a really friendly man. It was a great lesson, and we really stressed how important it is to be coming to church. It worked! She came to church on Sunday. We were sitting in Sunday School and they were reading in Acts talking about Paul helping bring people to Christ. She looked at Elder Lampropoulos and I for a second and then leaned over to me and said "You two are my Paul." I may or may not have cried... Haha. It was so sweet, and I was so happy to hear it. I can't understand how we can love people so much that are complete strangers, but really we aren't strangers, are we? 

It was a great week. The BEST part though: I got a call from Belfast on Saturday night. I answered the phone and it was James!! He had called me to tell me that he had just been baptized! It was the greatest moment of my whole life. He told me that it never would have happened without me. It was the greatest thing anyone has ever said to me. He is one of my favorite people ever. I know we were friends in the life before this. He is amazing. I started to cry, and he laughed and said "Are you crying?" I said "Maybe" haha. I am so happy for him. It fills me with light. 

I love you so much. 

Keep Fighting the Good Fight

Elder Crowe

So Elder Crowe is apparently getting very good at killing with a vehicle!

Exchange with Elder Swenson

Exchange with Elder Tang

My District

Old things are become new

I don't have much time today. I love you both very much, and I am grateful for you both always taking the time to write me. I especially loved Rod's testimony this week. I don't know if it matters, but I can tell you are a man who desires to follow Christ, and it warms my heart. Thank you for sharing.

We have many struggles in life, and all these problems would be solved if we had true Christlike love. We would love others, but we would also see ourselves the way He sees us, and we would know that we have divine potential. I think part of the ‘how’ Christ never sinned was because He knew who He was. He knew that He was a Son of God and could not do such things. If we can see ourselves as children of God, we will realize that we cannot muck around in the stuff of the world. We are made to do more, to reach higher, and to achieve exaltation. We were created for exaltation. No one was created to receive anything less than Eternal Life. But we have to follow Him. We cannot earn it, but we must allow ourselves to become something/someone that would be comfortable in God's presence. I talked about repentance in my instruction this week and repentance is about changing. We do not get on our knees, say "I'm sorry" and everything is okay. Repentance is a change of heart. We must ALLOW the atonement of Christ to CHANGE us. It is a hard process. But the result is glorious and beautiful. I have felt His atonement cleanse me. I have felt His loving hands, those hands that bear the marks of the purest love, embrace me and change me. I am not the same person that made those previous mistakes. That is what we want. We want to become a different creature. As Paul says in his second epistle to the people of Corinth. 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

Sorry, I got off on a tangent; I love this gospel very much.

We got a new investigator this week. His name is Steven McQueen. He is gay and has some learning disabilities, which are a challenge for him, but he is such an incredible son of God. Every time he feels the spirit he goes "Oh Wow..." haha. He is very in tune with the spirit and his eyes light up. It has been amazing to teach him. We invited him to be baptized and he accepted. We are excited!

We are still teaching Faye, but she isn't coming to church. It makes me sad, but we still love and care for her and will continue to help her get to the gate that leads on the straight and narrow path. 

I love you all very much.

Keep Fighting the Good Fight.

Elder Crowe

Brother James and the 'brotherhood' :)

So, we may have shaved cut our hair!

It's cold when you've got no hair!! :)

I might have had an out of body experience! lol

Reading Jesus the Christ = mind blowing

This gospel rocks!

TJ, Ammon and Zac (and brothers) at Zac's farewell lunch

It takes me back home so much to see all the guys together. I miss everyone so much. I am so excited to hear they are doing well and headed out on their missions! It is the greatest thing they could ever do. 

We watched conference at weird times over here. We watched the Saturday morning session at 5 Sunday night, then we watched 3 sessions on Sunday. We didn’t get to watch the Sunday afternoon session, but we downloaded it and have listened to it this week. It was an amazing conference. I am so grateful for a Prophet on the earth. 

Mum, I am tired. I want to sleep for a week, but there is so much work that needs to get done. There are people that need to hear the truth. Being a district leader is also hard! I get chewed out by Elder Tang all the time ;) haha. He is a great leader and a dear friend. It's weird having my cousin telling me how to get my district to work harder and helping me shape up, but I love it. He has given me some amazing help, and I am looking forward to the coming weeks where I can implement his guidance. I am learning a lot and growing. This gospel rocks. 

We had 2 people come to church today. It was so awesome. The ward is freaking out. We have had people at church 3 weeks in a row, and the ward are amazing. They are the best fellowshippers we could ask for. They make our investigators feel so welcome. 

I was reading Rod's email and couldn't help but think of the refugees. We have so much effort being put in by members here that are helping them out in Calais, France. They work so much. We are in some scary times. The world is in chaos. I don't see it getting better till the end. 

I am going to memorize all the Book of Mormon Scripture Mastery before Christmas. or sooner, so ask me how I am doing and keep me right!

Okay, maybe I am looking into this scripture way too much but listen: Alma 12:33. I was reading it and I had a brain explosion. When God speaks to us, does He have to do it in the name of the Son? We end prayers in the name of Christ because He is the only way that we can ever talk to the Father. But can Heavenly Father not talk to us unless it is in the name of the Son as well? No unclean thing can dwell with God. Maybe I'm just going crazy...

I was very close to shaving all my hair off this week. Haha I was getting mad at it all "migrating for winter", so I decided to chop it off. But I can't go too short as a missionary so I decided not to. 

I am giving Instruction to the whole Zone tomorrow and I'm freaking out! But I am excited to speak by the spirit.

I Love YOU!

Keep reading, praying, and letting it change you!

Exchanges with Elder Stevens, who's from England

Wonderful blessings

Hello there,

It sounds amazing that you are both preparing so much. Rod's letter reminded me that we should start a food storage in our flat. We kind of have one, but it could be better. And sweet mum, I love that you are receiving answers from conference. It is amazing to constantly work on our ability to feel the promptings of the spirit. It shows Heavenly Father we are ready and willing to receive more. Of course we must act on that which we have already received.

Okay, this week was packed. So we have a lady named Yvonne that we get to help with service occasionally. One day this week we got a phone call from her, and she told us that she wants to start coming to church and get the lessons! It was amazing. She said we are so sweet to her that she can feel that the gospel is good. We are pumped! 

I had New Leadership training this week, and it was so good. It made me love my district so much more, and I am excited to do all I can to help them. It didn't do anything to stop the feelings of inadequacy... but I know that I can do it with Heavenly Father! 

We were talking with Brother Beaumont about his YSA lesson, and he told us how without the Atonement we can't be healed. It struck me so hard how without the Atonement the church would just be random separate parts of the gospel, but the Atonement is the "thing" that holds it all together. I cannot fully comprehend the Atonement. It is so deep. There is so much that I never knew, and I love learning more!

This week we went over to Faye's house to mow her lawn for her. We are practically professional gardeners now...haha. When we finished, we were prompted to ask if she needed a blessing. She has a sickness that she has been struggling with recently. She said that would be nice, so we came back the next day and gave her the blessing. She asked if I would give the blessing, and I always get so nervous! But it has become something I look forward to. It is such a pure form of revelation. It is indescribable. After we were done she said that our hands were cold but that warmth had coursed into her body. Now we have been struggling for 8-9 weeks to get her to come to church, but after this experience she said she started praying and she came to the Saturday and Sunday sessions of conference! She is so amazing and lovely. 

I had a touching experience in conference when someone was talking about a walking baby. I was struggling to see myself the way God sees me. I was getting down on my mistakes and beating myself up for not being perfect. Then the thought came to my mind "Why do you not believe in the God you teach your investigators about?" It was a slap to the face. I teach my investigators about a loving Heavenly Father that understands their weaknesses and loves them and wants them to grow and become like Him, but here I was thinking that I was a hopeless mess that wasn't good enough. He takes us wherever we are. He wants us now. It was a great thing to hear. 

I know this is the true church of God on the earth. It burns in my soul. I love you.

Haggis and eggs for breakfast!

I found a frog and named him Freddy.

I am a pro photographer