What an amazing week!

Hi Mum,

This week was a really really good week. We saw numerous miracles everywhere we turned. We got 21 new investigators this week!! I think that might be a Scotland/Ireland mission record. The Lord is truly blessing us here in Dundee. Elder Cook is an amazing missionary and I am truly blessed to serve with him. We are learning from each other everyday.

We get to go golfing today. We also have a team called the SIM squad coming to work in Dundee this week so we have to make loads of preparations for them. They are mainly here to find, teach, and set up baptismal dates. It's just been started. It's really cool.

I got a kiss from a drunk man this week. He thought I was a really cool guy. Loads of drunk people love the Mormons. Loads also hate us... but he gave me a slobbery kiss. So that made my day brighter. 

I wanted to talk about what I have learned this week. I have been talking to a lot of people recently who have talked about grace. So I decided to do a lot of studies on grace and works and why we need good works. I have thought about it before, but I really wanted to focus some of my studies this week on good works. 

The first scripture that I found in my studies that I really loved was in Luke 14:33 "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" We do not believe that we of ourselves can make it on our own, but we are commanded to give up all that we have. We cannot even be his disciple if we do not give up all that we have. The rich young man who was a dedicated servant of the Lord and had kept all the commandments from his youth could not get eternal life unless he gave up all and followed Christ.  We do not believe in a Christ that allows us to ride in on His grace alone without work. We had a man tell us this week that you don't need to keep the commandments! If that isn't blasphemy, I don't know what is. We are not a whiteboard, which, once we accept the Saviour, He wipes clean. We are a piece of coal that must undergo refinement in order to become a diamond. Christ wants us to become something NEW. Paul became a new creature in Christ. 

In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 it talks about how we will all stand before God to be judged, and what we receive will be according to our works in this life. James 2:18, 24, 26 says that faith without works is dead. Or our faith is meaningless if we do not act upon what we claim to have faith in. 

John 13:15-17 Christ gave us the example, and we are to DO as He has DONE. The servant is not greater than the Lord. We are obviously the servants, but by us just accepting grace and doing nothing then we are putting ourselves above Him. We are making a mockery of His sacrifice. One reason I love Christ is because He changes me. He invites me to grow and become better. I want to be like Him. I don't want to get to the next life and not have grown. This is the time for me to become as much like Him as I can. I owe it to Him. I don't want to accept the easy path. 

I don't know if any of this is making sense but it was a great week for my growth and learning. I am so grateful for the blessing of salvation I have been given, and I am thankful that exaltation is within reach as I give my all to the Saviour. 

I love you.

Elder Crowe

Finding Days

Elder Cook and I - in a car!!!! I'm back in a car!!

I am really sorry. I have no time, so this will be short.

We came into the area and we didn't have anything. So we have hit the streets. I have been here 5 days and I think we have done around 50 finding hours. So just all day speaking to people. It gets tiring but the Lord gives us strength.

We saw many miracles as we were out all day. We had a man who got off the bus at the stop too early and we talked with him and he wanted to hear the message from the missionaries. No such thing as coincidences. There were many people who were searching for truth and wanted to meet. We had a bit of refinement when 30 people were supposed to meet with us throughout the week and only 3 had met with us by the end of the week. It was really hard and challenging. But we are pressing forward to find, teach, and baptize. Many people are prepared in Dundee. We found a man named David and taught him last night. He has been so prepared in his life and is so humble and ready to accept the message.

I am trying to become more worthy of the spirit in my life. I am a sinner and my heart is too focused on things that aren't of eternal importance. I am striving to sanctify and consecrate myself, to put all on the altar of sacrifice. It is hard, but I have seen the blessings that come as I have pushed and strived to become closer to my Saviour. As I have forgotten myself, left my nets, and followed Him, I have been changed.

Elder Cook is amazing. We are working so hard, and he is teaching me so much. We are going to get this Dundee area where the Lord wants it. We will lead those missionaries under our stewardship to the Saviour, and we will see the hand of the Lord revealed. Blessings await the Dundee Zone. We are full of faith, and we are servants of God. We represent Jesus Christ and act as His hands. How great is our calling! 

I love you with all my heart. I pray for you every day. Cry unto the Lord. Plead with Him that He will send people your way that you can share this message with. We are not doing enough. We must always be divinely discontent. Erin taught me that. She's awesome, huh? 

I love you.

Elder Crowe

Scotland is beautiful!!

Thanks for the popcorn! I love popcorn

What a wonderful time to be alive!

Hello Hello,

What a wonderful time to be alive!

Conference has invigorated us all and given us an increased portion of the spirit of God! It has allowed us to receive personal revelation that we needed to progress in our current situations. It has uplifted us and given us hope and assurance that all will be well in Zion to those who love God and put Him first. It has helped us to realized that as we try our best we are blessed. Don't be stressed, that's just messed, go get dressed, get your sins confessed, don't let your failures create a nest, wear His name on your chest, this time is to work let no one rest, to become wine we must be pressed, like people of old we'll travel west, the word of God has been expressed, this started as a joke but now I'm obsessed... Okay well. Anyway.

I am moving! What a shock it was when we got the call. Elder Parsons is staying and will assume the role of District Leader (what a man!) and I am going to be moving to Bingham. I am still in the city of Dundee but I'm now in a different ward. It is really weird. But I am excited. I will still get to see Elder Parsons all the time and critique him and go on exchanges with him. Well, my companion might go on exchanges with him since I served with him. I am excited that I get to continue to see him grow.  

My new companion is Elder Cook. He is a beast. We are going to work really hard. We are whitewashing into Bingham. So both the former missionaries are leaving and we are both going in blind to a new area. But it will be good, and we will work so hard and see so much success. Elder Parsons and I have been blessed with a tremendous amount of success in this area, and I have learned so much from serving with him.

My birthday was fun. I got to go to church, have an amazing dinner at the Keogh's, have my face shoved in a cake, and have a baptism that night for Jacob. It was an amazing day. I am glad I spent it in the service of the Lord.

I have to pack which is always lame. But guess who is going back to a car area! This GUY!! They must not have learned their lesson last time when I totaled their car. I am going to get my UK license though because I can't drive here since I have been here for more than a year. This time I will be driving on actual roads though—not compacted dirt.

I am very grateful for the Gospel in my life. Jesus is the Christ. Life is good. I am working hard and learning how to work harder everyday. I have many miraculous stories to tell you next week. I can feel the miracles coming. 

I LOVE YOU

Elder Crowe

Birthday Oreo, raspberry cheesecake!! at the Keoghs

Bite the cake - a Keogh tradition!!

After "biting the cake"!! haha

With a "wee Keogh"

The ponderings of my heart

I have recognized recently that my emails have lost the happiness they used to have. I do not think that is because I am not happy, but I think more that my emails have become a lot more solemn. They are the ponderings of my heart and the questions of my soul. Sometimes they are just a paragraph of apologies ;)

This week was amazing and very inspiring. We had a baptism, ZIT, Conference, and many wonderful opportunities to see miracles.

My thoughts from conference really quickly:

Kevin R. Duncan- "Saul-like individuals with Paul-like potentials"

Steven E. Snow gave an amazing talk the I needed to hear. He spoke about humility. I am, as is well known, a prideful man. I loved being able to learn at the feet of the Master as the spirit spoke to me the words I needed to hear. How great will be our joy if the triumphs of others bring us joy?

The Priesthood Session was complete powerhouse. It was so amazing. A moment that I loved was while we were singing the camera panned to a group of brethren signing the song. My heart was filled with the love of God. I knew He was no respecter of persons--that He loves us all. Their singing praises to Him was just as beautiful as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at that moment to me. I loved it.

Stephen W. Owen spoke of how Christ is the greatest leader because He is the greatest follower. I really felt the need to apply that in my own leadership roles. I can be the best leader as I follow my Saviour.

I was reading in 3 Nephi 11 this week and I love the first 7 verses. They teach such a profound lesson. They heard this voice 3 times and didn't understand it till the third time. What was the difference?

5 And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.

This time they truly wanted to understand. They wanted to know. So what did they have to do?

1. They had to open their ears to hear. We can listen to the words of the Prophets as they have just spoken to us this weekend.

2. Their eyes were towards the sound. They were looking towards the source of the sound. They were not distracted by what was around them. They were not concerned about anything but the voice.

3. They recognized that it came from heaven and looked steadfastly towards it.

I promise that we will get the most out of this conference as we apply the teaching found in these verses. We will find new light and hope in our lives and be more prepared to face challenges that arise. Christ will come, are we ready to hear His call? (I came up with this by myself ;) now I just need to work on my pride)

What an amazing time of year. I love you and pray for your enduring faith in the leaders of the church. They are being led by the God of Israel.

Elder Crowe