Happy Easter

Happy Easter! I know it is late but I am filled with the Easter spirit. 

I also think I am sunburnt a little. My lips are very raw and I need to keep applying my chapstick. We were out playing football (soccer) this morning with the Williams family. We also have gone to the gym twice this week with Jared. He lifts so much more than I can. But I lift more than Elder Parsons so I don't feel too bad. ;) haha. Elder Parsons is really sore today. He tried to do one push up last night and couldn't because he was so sore. It has been a long and very fast week.

Real quick I just want to share my thoughts before I forget them.

I was reading in Mosiah 24: 9-16 and I was really impressed by the situation and how the Lord intervened. The people begin to pray and pour their hearts out to the Lord and instead of saving them right away, he makes their burdens lighter. He makes it easier for them to work and be happy. He makes their relationship with the Lamanites a better relationship. But he doesn't just save them. By saving them He wouldn't have given them the amazing learning experience they had. A lot of times in our lives Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will shower blessings upon us, but because they are not the blessings we want or expect we feel like we are not getting blessed. We feel like He has abandoned us. He will never abandon us. He is always going to be there. He may not save us immediately, but He will make our burdens light. His yoke is easy. If we follow Him we cannot fall. We are never alone.

I love you! Keep Fighting the Good Fight

Elder Crowe

Yes, I'm a ninja!

KFC Party with Thomas

Learning and Growing

Hey Family,

Life rolls on and I am growing in my testimony and in my faith everyday. This week has had some amazing blessings, and as always I never have much time to share them.

Monday we got to have an awesome Family Home Evening at the Keogh's with Paula. They did the Easter Egg lesson with the cool little things inside each egg and the last egg is empty. It is always a fun one.

On Tuesday We got a new investigator named Amanuel. He is amazing. Such a great guy. He is from some place that I didn't even know was a country. He is a Pentecost and has a great spirit about him. We are hoping to see him soon.

Wednesday was my favourite day. We had an appointment fall through and we had a member with us. We had another lesson in an hour so we decided to go chapping for an hour before our next appointment. The second door we knocked was a man named John who was so excited to see us because he was a Theology major. Well we asked to come in and teach him and he agreed. We had the most amazing, powerhouse lesson ever. The spirit was so strong. It was amazing. He kept saying that we were glowing and that he felt like he was in the presence of exemplary gentlemen. He told us he felt like he was being enlightened. We are very excited to go see him again. He wanted to come to church but he is catholic and this was Palm Sunday so he couldn't make it this week.

We had some more dropped appointments later in the week and some AMAZING banoffee at the Manuel's. It's to die for.

Well my computer time is gone. I love you so much. Jesus is the Christ.

Keep Fighting the Good Fight

Elder Crowe

Salvation is NOT cheap

Well I love this gospel so so much. It has been a very trying week but we have grown much because of it. Last week we did some great finding and set up loads of appointments for this week. But every single person flaked on their appointment. Some texted us that they couldn't meet and rescheduled but some just didn't show. We were supposed to have 10 new investigators this week. We didn't get any. It was a learning and growing experience for sure. We were out on the street talking to people a lot this week and didn't get as much success as we did last week. I was feeling really discouraged half way through the week. We had been flaked on and no one was showing up and no one would listen to us in the streets and I felt like saying "Elder, lets just give up. This isn't going anywhere. The people don't want to listen to us."

One morning in my studies my mind was drawn to the Atonement. As I was thinking about it I read John 19:30. "... he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." As I thought about this I realized that Christ gave up His own life. (John 10:18 No man taketh‍ it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.)  I also remembered how He did not want to drink the bitter cup. He became very sorrowful and wanted it to pass from Him. But He said "not as I will, but as Thou wilt" In the peak of His suffering Heavenly Father withdrew His spirit from Him. It was at this point that He cries to God asking why He has forsaken Him. In all of this reflection and all of this inspiration my mind focused on three words: It is Finished. Christ had the power to quit at any point. No man could take His life. He could give it up whenever He wanted. But He knew that He was not done. This work is bigger than us. This work is the work of the Almighty God. It is to bring to pass the Immortality and Eternal Life of ALL mankind. It is NOT finished. WE are not finished.

I then remembered the words of a hymn "Why should we think to earn a great reward if we now shun the fight? Gird up your loins, fresh courage take, our God will never us forsake." We are in the business of saving souls. The work is not done. It was selfish and foolish of me to think that it would always be easy. "Salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation was NEVER easy" -Jeffery R. Holland

I have started to read the Book of Mormon in 30 days. I have to read like 10 chapters today...Haha. Elder Parsons and I are doing Personal Progress with our recent convert Paula. She is progressing so well. We are having a race to see who can read the Book of Mormon first. I think I will beat her but she is ahead of me right now ;) 

I sang in sacrament meeting which went pretty well. My ward is AMAZING. They are the greatest people ever. All my wards have been amazing people.

I had a mission leadership meeting in Edinburgh this week and as Elder Campbell and I were coming back we were talking to people on the train. This girl I talked to thought I was from Scotland!!! What?! I do NOT sound Scottish. MURICA!

I am excited as General Conference draws near. It is the BEST time as a missionary. I look forward to hearing from all our inspired leaders.

I love you. Learn of Christ and repent daily.

Elder Crowe

Short and sweet

We have had a great week. It has been a tremendous growing week. I will share some quick points

First, a thought: The Saviour has already suffered for our sins, pains, afflictions, temptations, etc. So when we choose to make mistakes, sin, or purposefully transgress the laws of God are we causing the Saviour to suffer a second time? Does He have to weep and watch us suffer from our choices? It is just a thought. I also have thought that maybe while performing the Atonement He was not bound by time. That's hard to explain over email. But it is interesting to me.

I had another thought this week when I flicked through and read Doctrine and Covenants 3:9. I inserted my name and it reads "Behold, thou art Elder Crowe, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall." How this shook my soul! I have been called to do the work of the Lord. I have no right to make all the dumb mistakes I do. I know too much to allow Satan to have power over me. We need to step up our game. I have been called, but I can be removed. His work will go on with or without me. I am not saying I am making heinous crimes against my faith but I have a long way to go on the pathway to perfection. I have much to learn. We have all been called. Let us move the work forward. Let us show our love for our King by serving Him. How powerful the statement "Behold, thou art Elder Crowe." The Lord knows us and knows our capacity; our capabilities. He will lead us if we are a clean vessel.

I love you. Make repentance part of your daily lives. We cannot wait to repent. It needs to be taken care of NOW.

Elder Crowe

I LOVE my mission.

This week has been a huge blessing in the midst of a lot of confusion. I want to start by saying I love my mission more than words can explain. I have learned so much and have grown more than you can understand. You wouldn't even recognize me. I am still so far from being good and even farther from being perfect, but I am blessed to know that I can repent and change. I can overcome and I can GROW. I love that we grow. What a dull existence this would be if we could not progress.

I learned something really cool this week but don't know if it will make sense in words. As I have been studying I have learned that true repentance comes when we forsake ALL sins. If we have broken the Law of Chastity and we are fully repentant, then we will be trying to forsake all sins. So, we cannot be breaking the Word of Wisdom while repenting for a different sin. It was really interesting.

My time is running out on this computer! This gospel is amazing. Paula's baptism started so badly. I started everything and it was going smoothly but the water was freezing! Then I gave the key back to the Zone Leaders but forgot that I needed it to stop the font... Yeah. It was stressful. There was a mad dash trying to get a key so that we didn't flood the building. I don't know why we were freaking out because there is a drain...

Anyway, it all worked out and I got to baptize her in the freezing water, and she didn't complain at all. She was so sweet and full of the spirit. If there is anyone who has been changed by the gospel, it is Paula. I remember the first time we met her. She wouldn't answer our questions and was so quiet. She didn't want to get baptized and when we invited her she didn't answer for 20 minutes. She is very talkative now ;) She is an incredible daughter of God. She is going to seminary too! What a beast! She has been a great testimony builder in my life.

I love my Saviour, and I love His church.

I love reading about forgiveness and repentance. I am learning that I have a lot that I need to learn. I judge very quickly and I don't see people the way Christ does, but I am learning. I am trying to love everyone. I am grateful He loves me in all my abounding weaknesses. Sometimes I feel like I get more weaknesses than I get strengths. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost in my life. It is a tremendous blessing.

I LOVE YOU!

Elder Crowe

It's a kilt!

The "Official" year mark.

An amazing district meeting!!