The land where I met my Saviour

I am typing this up as we are driving to Aberdeen. We are going to instruct on the same points we have instructed everywhere else. We are teaching the School of Practical Excellence. We go to the zones and share with them how they can learn and improve through practical teaching and role playing. We mostly go over the role of the Holy Ghost in conversion with them so they can apply it to their teaching.

It’s been a great week. We “moves planned” with President last week because he is in Budapest for a Mission Presidents seminar this week. We hopefully have everything sorted for moves and things should be in place ready to go. There are a few tickets that we need to buy for ferries and planes but other than that we are sorted.

Elder Lampropoulos is going to the doctors today so we gave him a blessing last night. I LOVE giving blessings. They are so amazing. I always take a minute and allow my mind to go blank then the spirit starts to whisper everything I need to say. I don’t get exact phrases. I just get ideas that start flowing through me. It is an incredible experience. It is a tremendous blessing to get to do works in the name of Christ. I am very humbled when I give blessings because it helps me realize that I am never in control; I am just the mouthpiece.

It has been a humbling few weeks. I am going through the refiner’s fire. Both physically and spiritually. My body is falling apart. I know why missions are only two years, and it’s because we can’t handle anything else. I am going to come home on a stretcher. I remember at the beginning of my mission the sun would break through the window in Belfast at around 6, and I would naturally wake up refreshed and rejuvenated and I would just lie there and contemplate the existence of man. Now I wake up at 6:30 and I cannot for the life of me open my eyes. A tiny troll comes and glues my face together while I sleep. If I stop moving during the day, then I will struggle to stay awake. When I am at my computer doing office work, I need to do things that keep me awake. Sister Dent (she’s part of the office staff) bought a nerf gun and will randomly shoot us throughout the day. She also finds pictures of me and thinks they are hilarious so she will print them off or crop my face onto someone wearing a tutu. She is wild and wonderful! J

My mission is incredible. I love being here. This has been the greatest time of my life so far. I know I still have a while left, but I just applied for college and I am sad that I will leave this soon. In the mission field when someone goes home we call it “dying” and I honestly feel like I am dying. This is holy and sacred ground. This is the land where I met my Saviour. I thought I came here to teach the gospel, but I really came here so He could heal me.  Oh, He is wonderful.

I love you, but above all, I love Him.

Elder Crowe

Wonderful Conference

Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I don't have any good excuse - I've just been slack! I apologize.

Here's the latest email:

We have had an amazing week. To start the week off we sent our beloved friends and fellow servants back home and then immediately turned around to pick up the new missionaries. We took them to Pratt's Hill (Arthur's Seat) so that they could make promises with God in a sacred and holy place. The wind was SO strong. It was a great example of God's awesome power. Wednesday we taught all the new leaders in the mission (District Leaders, and Sister Training Leaders) about their new callings in the mission. We gave some instruction and advice to help them inspire and motivate their teams to work hard and grow closer to the Saviour. Thursday was a day of paperwork which is necessary but it's hard to be in an office all day when I want to do missionary work. Nay Bother! We will crack on. 

Friday was amazing because we got to go out and do missionary work! We just went and talked to people all day! We met some great people who were very ready to hear about Christ. We have some friends progressing towards baptism and gaining a greater testimony of the love that Heavenly Father has for them. 

Conference was amazing! It was so refreshing and invigorating. I received some powerful answers from God. 

A few thoughts:

·       The essence of who we are will never change! We are sons and daughters of God. We will never separate ourselves from the love of God that is given us through Christ. But that does not eliminate our responsibility and call to become like Him. Our pasts do not define who we can become. 

·       God needs brave sons. He will test us and try us, he will stretch us and refine us, until the day that we are perfect BY Him. We must pray with a surety that He hears our pleas. 

·       Our calling from God will be based on who we are and what we are willing to become, not who we were.

·       When we worship God we understand Him better. Spiritual experiences have less to do with what is happening around us and more to do with what is happening within us. 

·       Heart changing requires heart rending. God loves us. That is the first great law of Heaven. Because of that love He desires us to find joy. The only way we will find joy is through Christ. To find Christ we must walk the path He has walked. To know Him we must spend time at His feet. 

I know Him, and I witness that He lives. He loves us and desires our whole heart and soul. 

I love you. Take time to be holy. 

Elder Crowe

My desk

Evolution of the APs ;)

My new companion - Elder Stevens

Saying goodbye to Elder Lindsay and Elder Hansen

A New Assignment!

So, I will be getting on a ferry with my luggage in 1 hour to travel over to the glorious city of Edinburgh. President Donaldson has called me to be his Assistant. It was an extremely powerful and spiritual moment to be called by such a man of God to serve as his Assistant. It is also an extremely humbling calling. I apologize because I already don't email you all very much and now it will be even less. But I will make sure I take pictures and send voicemails. 

So how it works is that the new Assistant gets called a week before transfers so that he can go to the mission home and help President plan the moves across the mission. So for 1 week there are three Assistant until the assistant that is leaving goes and takes the place of a Zone Leader. Also, usually you get trained by the previous AP for 2 transfers then you train one for 2 transfers, but I will only get trained for 1 because both the current assistants only have 1 transfer left... It's pretty scary. I have so much to learn! But I have had so many spiritual experiences since I have been called. The Lord has and will continue to prepare me. I will send you a voicemail next week. 

I love you all!!

Elder Crowe

With my boys again!! :)

Yorkshire puddings for dinner!!! yum